winter 2010

This was a cold, snowy winter. Stephen, who has a weird affection for frozen precipitation, enjoyed every second. So did Kate and Sam. Our snow gear was a little inadequate; poor Sam would have stayed outside much longer had his little hands not nearly frozen. Still, I think they had a lot of fun, and I had a lot of fun watching them.

Kate's preschool Christmas party. She's in that cheesy grin phase.

Christmas tree shopping! Actually, it was more like Christmas tree browsing. After a serious case of sticker-shock, we opted to go with the fake tree in the basement, again. Maybe next year...

before and after

Why in the world am I sharing this photo??? I've lost my mind. I look haggard. Truly. But, I've got a sweet baby boy in my belly, and he might one day be curious to see what he looked like way back when, before he ever set eyes on this great big world. So, here you go Benjamin. In case you ever wonder, this is proof that I love you like crazy.

Faithful Readers (Mamaw & Nana),

Thanks for sticking with me. I know that my consistency with the blog has hit an all time low, but I’ve been busy birthing babies. My life is returning to normal now, so I’m trying to fill in the gaping holes of the last 9+ months, and I’ve been rummaging through my picture files for the momentous occasions I neglected to post. That’s hard work for a sentimental, still hormonal mama of three. Each photo reminds me of a story; each story stirs up emotions; too many emotions send me straight to the pantry and into the loving embrace of my pastel, Easter-edition M&Ms.

The photos that follow and the ones to come will likely be a little out of order and a bit disjointed, but I figure it’s better than nothing. I’ll try to keep the chit chat to a minimum since I know that all anyone is really interested in is photos of my loves, but I make no promises.

Speaking of chit chat, here’s a couple of conversations I’ve shared lately with Kate and Sam:

Sam knows he’s hilarious. He knows he’s a charmer, and he knows that that smile of his can get him out of all sorts of trouble. And he uses it. The other day as I was feeding the baby, I noticed that Sam was unusually quiet—I should have known that meant trouble. A few minutes later, he came into my room shouting “I did it! I did it!” That’s when I noticed the gobs of gooey gunk matted to his hair. The culprit? My pomade—easily the most expensive product I buy for this mess on top of my head. Just as I was about to fuss, he looks up with that smile and says “That funny?” And it was.

The kids have been inhaling sugar lately with all of the egg hunts and bunny cakes. I’ve tried to set some limits, but that’s more easily said than done. After her preschool egg hunt last Thursday, I told Kate to not eat any of the candy until after dinner. A little later she came into my room and asked if she may puh-leeeeease have just one sucker. I told her no and added that if we could go all afternoon without eating any candy that we might be able to have a piece of cake after dinner. She made a funny face and left my room only to return a few seconds later. Then, in a single breath, she said “Mommy, I did eat a piece of candy. I ate it before you told me about the cake. I love you. I love Jesus. Amen.” …..Deep Breath.....“May I still have a piece of cake?”

We traveled to NC for Easter and both kids were super excited about spending time with their grandparents. For a few days before the trip, Sam would often and all of the sudden shout “North Carolina!” During the drive, his excitement went up a few more notches, and he asked several times if we were in North Carolina. So when we finally arrived at Nana’s house, I thought Sam would be elated to know that we had made it. “Sam, do you know where we are? We’re in North Carolina!”. “No,” Sam said, “we’re at Nana’s house.” Turns out he has no idea what North Carolina is; he just likes to yell.

stone mountain

lee day 2009

Everywhere I go, people comment on how much Sam looks like his daddy. And although I would love to hear someone say that they see even an inkling of myself in him, I really must agree. He's truly a little SRB. That's why I love this picture. Like father, like son.

It's hard to tell, but Kate is wearing my shoes. I know it's cheesy (honestly, you should come to expect that by now), but I earnestly hope that Kate will be proud to "walk in my shoes" when she's all grown up. That's why I rely on God to cover my parenting with grace...I'd fail miserably on my own.

When Stephen and I first started dating, I was inundated with tales of his frat days--or should I say his "social club" days? Anyway, I was falling in love and thought all of his stories were terribly interesting and hilariously funny. It's not so much that I don't delight in them now, but let's just say that stories of pink-dyed underwear have somewhat lost their luster. Still, I loved seeing him reunited with his brothers. I sometimes wonder if I should have gone to Lee; I wonder if I missed out on four years with Stephen that I could have had. Watching him with all these guys--I felt like I caught up just a bit.