our family spent a memorable evening in birmingham's inspiring new railroad park

it was the perfect combination for a perfect evening...

beautiful surroundings

beautiful weather

beautiful sunset

but most importantly,

perfect company

our summer

i love summer; i always have. i love the sunshine, the green, the warm (yes, even the hot)... i love the music that nature makes in the evenings, late sunsets, chasing fireflies... i love the freedom and fun, the pleasure and play... summer is good for my soul.

we had a great summer. i can't believe it is coming to a close and fall is upon us so quickly (i do love fall, too)! we made a lot of wonderful memories this summer...

we played in the sprinkler

and went blueberry pickin' at nanie and grandpa's house

we explored and played in cool creeks with good friends

and watched uncle cole play in plenty of barons games, went to the farmers market, played on the slip-n-slide, visited cousins, ate lots of popsicles, celebrated precious little ones birthdays...

it is so much fun having kids and experiencing life with them, through their eyes-- the wonder, the excitement and enthusiasm, the joy...

he's 3

three years ago was one of the most joyous days of my life... the day you were born, the day i became a mom... the day my heart and capacity for love grew exponentially...

my heart both smiles and aches as i watch you grow so quickly.

there has been a lot of change and growth in this third year: embracing little sissy, and your role as big brother, starting "school", sleeping in your big boy bed, saying goodbye to your beloved paci, beginning potty training... all of these things making you less of a baby and more of a boy.

you are independent, and your motto is, "i can do it myself". you are cautious... oh, so very cautious. you are smart and inquisitive, outgoing and friendly, sensitive, active... along with all the joys of 3, there are also the growing pains. we are growing... all of us... together.

it's been three years of smiles and laughter, of learning and growing... three years of my heart being worn on my sleeve... i love you, bubbie.

we didn't get to celebrate your birthday exactly as we had planned because you got a stomach bug and didn't feel well. but we did the very best we could and you had a wonderful day despite the fact that you didn't feel well. happy 3rd birthday, little man.

one

i cannot believe that it was one year ago (today) that we welcomed our precious little girl to the world. she made a grand entrance, screaming so much that i feared the coming days and months. but she settled into her new world and life quickly, and has since been relatively "easy"(if any babies can really be easy).

she is so very sweet. she has soft, kind eyes that make you melt and wrap you around her little finger when she looks into your eyes. when she gets her feelings hurt (yes, she is most definitely a girl), she lays her head on the floor as if she is crushed and cannot even hold her head up.

but she's also sassy. she has been known to scream at her brother if he even comes near her and she doesn't want him to. she doesn't really defend herself against him outright-- just screams until mommy or daddy rescue her, or scold brother (in his defense, he is innocent sometimes). it will be interesting to see how their interactions take shape as she becomes smarter, more coordinated, bigger... brother may be in trouble.

speaking of clayton, he loves her dearly. he has heard us refer to her as "pretty", and has lately been calling her pretty (for example, today, as i was changing her diaper for her nap, he crawled up on the bed and said, "i want to see pretty"). that. is. adorable. he asks for her as soon as he wakes up from his naps (and yes, asks me to put her down for her naps when he is tired of her ;)

she is growing so fast. i love watching her grow. she is walking behind push toys, but has yet to stand alone, although i don't think it will be long. she is over baby food, and so far, eats anything we give her.

i am so thankful to the Lord for the sweet gift of sissy. she was handpicked by Him for our family. she brings so much joy to all of our lives and we love her dearly. i don't think i'll ever be able to tell her how much i love her, but i was made to love her.

i think clayton puts it perfectly when, as our family is all cuddled together on the couch or the bed, he says, "this is my family". yes, son, this is our family. i didn't know i could love so deep.

hollywood

clay recently said,

"nothing says glamor like two kids under 3".

how true!

we've been doing a lot of this lately...

if it is possible to feel slightly nostalgic about diapers, i do.

potty training is yet another step toward this little boy's independence.

our baby boy is growing into a big boy, one step at a time.

it is good, and right. but does it have to happen so fast?

firstfruits

it's summer around here, and there are signs of it everywhere...

from clothes that are dirty and wet from playing in the creek now hanging on the fence to dry... to the first ripe cherry tomato excitedly handed to me by our little gardner (and tomato lover who gobbles them up whole).

i love summer.

ten

she is my sunshine

my only sunshine

she makes me happy when skies are grey...

"you are my sunshine" is a special song to me and the kids. i sing it to them many times every day. the lyrics are the artwork in clayton's room.

they are my sunshines. they'll never know how much i love them (until they have children of their own). how perfect.

sissy is ten months.

she. is. precious.

she is crawling. everywhere. and fast.

she just got her first tooth.

she is beautiful. already. her eyes, her skin... wow.

her voice is raspy and deep. it's cool.

she is a mama's girl. boy, is she ever. she would prefer that i never leave her sight, or put her down. ever. yes, it can be challenging, but i'm ok with it for now...

because i know the day will come when her heart will belong to her daddy.

and i'm ok with that too.

our easter

we had a wonderful easter weekend. the weather was perfect-- sunny and warm. from blooming flowers to baby greens (as i like to call the leaves as they grow fresh each spring), there is new life everywhere. what a perfect time of year to celebrate our risen savior. this new life is so representative of the holy week itself, and our hope. glorious.

we had a beautiful easter service at church, followed by lunch with family, and lots of time outside...

i tried to get a "good" picture of both kids, but this proved to be difficult, as always ;) clayton does not like to sit still (see pouty lip below) and was up and off almost as soon as he sat down

this picture makes my little boy look like a little man...

and sweet turner grace had this lovely hot pink accessory for her first easter...

clayton hunted eggs several times this year and loved every minute of it. we thoroughly enjoyed our easter weekend!

oops

a little over a week ago, our baby girl broke her leg. more specifically and officially, she has a spiral fracture in her right tibia. she has to wear this cumbersome (and adorable, i must say) cast for at least two weeks and at most four weeks. thankfully, tiny baby bones heal very quickly.

here's what happened: it was a friday night, and we were getting ready to go to dinner. both kids were on our bed, where we spend so much of our time. i had just gotten turner dressed; clay was dressing clayton. i stepped away for a moment; clay took his eyes off her for a moment (it was both of our "faults"). in that moment, she rolled herself off our bed, and landed feet first. she screamed and cried, but not for long, and was, for the most part, back to her happy little self.

so many people have asked how i knew to take her to the doctor... it was a combination of things-- prayer, mother's intuition, and the fact that she still seemed uncomfortable when i would change her diaper, dress her, or move or touch her leg certain ways. i honestly had no idea her leg was broken; i thought she might have bruised her tailbone or pulled a muscle or something. so when the dr saw her and told me he thought her leg was broken, i burst into tears. i felt so sad and bad that i had let something like this happen, that i had not taken her to the dr sooner... a nightmare for a mother.

i'm sorry, sweet t.

but you do look adorable in your hot pink cast.

finally, spring

with the weather in the 70s for only the second or third time so far this year, we headed to nanie and grandpa's to spend the afternoon. it was wonderful to spend some time outdoors. clayton, more than ever before, loves the freedom to run around, and "the farm" provided the perfect playground for that independent, free spirit.

as we pulled out of the driveway and headed home, clay and i talked about how spending time outdoors is good for the soul. an afternoon with many of my favorite things was certainly good for my soul.

snapshot

turner is growing more interactive every day, and clayton is taking advantage of it. she laughs, but more specifically and importantly, she laughs at him. she watches him, waits for him to engage her, and when he does, she "talks" to him. he is enjoying his newfound admirer very much...

yesterday as i was putting away their clothes in their rooms, i heard them in the family room laughing together. what a sweet and beautiful noise it was.

this morning i was listening to him playing with her... when i walked down the hall this was what i found-- he had stacked literally every toy from the toy chest around and on top of her... and she was enjoying every minute of it.