roll tide, twenty fourteen.

College football season is here! How many people watched games last night? ::raises hand:: And tomorrow, tomorrow is the beginning of Alabama's football season. We snapped these candids of the boys this morning. Candids because while I may have tried to pose them, five year, three year and four month olds have minds of their own. And I think we captured personalities better this way. So fun to bring Graham into this little yearly tradition of ours.

Past year fun: 2013, 2012, 2011, 2010 & 2009

house crashing: tennessee lakehouse.

Just a few of the photos that were snapped at the amazing lakehouse we stayed at a couple of weeks ago. It was constructed by a local amish man. And I believe most of the furniture inside was custom-made by the same man. I'm not usually one to go for so much wood, but at this cabin? It works.

That screened in porch was awesome. The mornings were a bit cooler while we were there. It's the perfect spot for a cup of coffee. If there had been a double bed out there, I think that's where Jeremy and I would have slept. As it was, I almost lost Jeremy to the screened porch bed (but hey, a whole bed upstairs by myself wouldn't have been a bad deal either).

The bedroom we stayed in (not pictured) had this picturesque window seat. I enjoyed several hours sitting there nursing Graham during our stay. It was so peaceful to look out the big window onto the lake below.

The boys were going to sleep in those bunkbeds. They are massive though; the top one is at least six feet up. And with no side-rail on it to keep a certain five year old from falling out, we opted for floor sleeping. They cared not. They were just excited they were in the loft in their own little space. Plus, the owners have grandchildren about the same age, so there were tons of new toys for them to explore.

The man cave on the lowest level (three stories of home, people!) was awesome. We tried to get the boys to settle down on Saturday afternoon to watch a movie since it was perfectly dark with a nice surround sound, but there were too many other things for them to do instead of watching TV. I suppose we were okay with that.

It was lovely to go down to the water, but I can imagine how awesome it must be in the winter too. To cozy up on those comfy couches in front of the fireplace, with a cup of hot cocoa. Methinks I have an idea for a winter getaway now.

graham: four months old.

This past month has been a lot of fun. We've had laughs like crazy. Mommy and daddy have decided that if this is your laugh, it's going to evoke a lot of laughter all on its own. You've also started talking this month. Um, we're a little afraid of how much you might talk if this babble is any indication of your future. Your brothers were both chatty, but you have outdone them for sure.

You still aren't a super-huge fan of tummy time, but little dude, you're so close to figuring out how to roll over. You also found your feet last week. If you don't have a blanket in your hand, you most definitely have one of your feet. We're just waiting for the moment you realize you can put your toes in your mouth. Speaking of, you won't take a pacifier. If you're really, really, really tired, you might take it for a few minutes, but otherwise, you much prefer your hand. I think you've finally realized that you can just suck on a couple of fingers rather than your fist. And it's pretty adorable.

You have your first cold. Your biggest brother started kindergarten a couple of weeks ago, and with that came some new germs into our home. You have a raspy cough that sounds like you've smoked for ages. We just have to let it run its course though. We had your four month check-up last Friday and Dr. C double-checked to make sure you didn't have an ear infection or something fun like that. By the way, you apparently decided to grow FOUR inches since your last check-up at six weeks. That's crazy. No wonder we're having to switch over to all six/nine month jammies.

Likes: your hands, your feet, anyone who will talk to you, stroller rides, eating
Dislikes: loud noises, taking naps

weeks thirteen through seventeen

cayden: fall photos, twenty fourteen

I remember taking fall photos in school. The excitement of wearing a new outfit as we were approaching a new season in weather. Apparently now "fall" photos mean photos in the middle of the hottest month in Alabama. I wanted Cayden to wear something fall-ish, but also not have him melt while out on the playground during recess. (That might happen anyway though. It's hot outside y'all.)

Target rescued us (as it usually does) with a cute fall inspired raglan tee. Throw some shorts on – cause you can't see those in the photo anyway – and you've got one cute boy! Cayden's in the process of growing his hair back out, so while it's in the awkward phase, Jeremy sneaks in with some hair product and styles his hair. If Cayden is aware of what you're doing, he'll throw-down and ask to have the product removed. Thankfully he was distracted by his awesome mama taking his photo this morning. Whether or not his hair remained styled for his picture to be taken will be determined at a later time and date. Like when the proofs come in. Ha!

family reunion, twenty fourteen.

There may not have been a mule-drawn buggy this year, but we still had a great time. The fact that we got to stay in paradise while in Tennessee for the event may have helped just a bit.

For the most part, family reunions are weird. There are people there that know who you belong to (in this case, my dad, since it's his family), but I have no idea who they necessarily are. And then, there are some people who know you, but still somehow missed the last year where I was pregnant and had a baby almost four months ago. And lastly, there are other family members who keep up with each other on the regular via social media. And it's those people you find you can have multiple conversations with and enjoy each other's company.

The kids were mostly just interested in the playground. That's cool. And can we talk about my nephew that walked off the edge of the large playset, dropped oh, probably six to seven feet, cried for maybe thirty seconds and then started climbing said piece of equipment again? Little dude is unstoppable. What is stoppable? My sister's heart. I think we all had numb fingers for a few seconds after that fall.