Grass stained knees

playing catch up...

Seeing that October has come and gone and I have not had a minute to sit down and document anything in this space, I am seizing the opportunity to post a plethora of photos showcasing what we have been up to.

I do realize that this type of blog update feels purely selfish and not entirely fair, but this is at least a chance for a visual record to be placed in this space so that years from now we will be able to look back and be reminded of just what was happening during the fall of 2010.

There was an excellent soccer season for the big brothers. We shared a wonderful family trip to the apple orchard, complete with all the tree climbing two big brothers could wish for. We spent a sunny Saturday at the pumpkin patch. We carved pumpkins and spent an evening with our co-op friends, trick or treating and roasting marshmallows. We spent Halloween walking the neighborhood with our very best buddies. There is also a little random silliness and a little fireplace construction mess thrown in for good measure...phew it really was a busy month.

So without further adieu, sit back and enjoy what just might be the longest photo post in history...

 

finding our sweet spot

So maybe the third time really is the charm.

Here we are at the end of September and it feels we are ankle deep into our third year of Homeschooling and the water feels warm and refreshing. While I know from experience that it can be an ever changing situation, I am beyond relieved that there seems to be a general air of peace in our home as we begin another year of this journey. 

I think every last one of us has felt a great relief to welcome the structure of our school day back into the rythym of our week. And admittedly the presence of two toddlers buzzing around has presented a certain amount of challenge at times, we have had relative luck settling into 2nd grade.

So far, minus a little glitch while Grandmother was in town, (because understandably, who wouldn't rather play with Grandmother than do schoolwork), I'm thrilled to report that our top pupil seems eager to please and happy to tackle whatever falls on our daily agenda. It feels like a good time to share some moments since our official start... 

a simple surprise

So I found a small treasure the other day at our local antique mall. I almost didn't pick it up. It caught my eye and I walked on without it but as I continued to browse, something told me that it needed to come home with us. I thought it might amuse the big brothers as a passing distraction.  

Turns out it was a major score.

The moment it's contents were emptied they attacked that pile, albeit in very different ways.

Samuel combed through sorting and finding matches, which were thankfully abundant. His piles grew and grew and each time he would spot another familiar acquisition there would be an exuberant "Oh Yeah!".

Caleb on the other hand, declared an immediate need for string, in his little mind, within the contents of that pile, a beautiful necklace lay in wait.

There we sat, just the three of us, under the shade of our tree sifting through that pile. We admired the colors and textures and wondered out loud about the previous lives of these little nuggets of goodness. It was easy to imagine each one having had it's own unique story of time and place and fashion trend.

I wish I could have captured an audio of Caleb's sweet little voice sifting through that pile, over and over hearing "Oh Mama, look at this one, it's soooo beautiful!" and together we would pay homage and admire it for all it was worth.  

Guess what? Turns out there was a beautiful necklace lurking in that pile. He worked long and hard, with so much heart completing that masterpiece. It's jingle around my neck has made me smile for the last several days. It is a treasure that I will keep forever. One that will remind me of my biggest boys and a special afternoon spent under the shade of our favorite tree.

sand and surf

Beach trip 2010.

We stayed just across the street from the house that we rented two years ago when I had just found out we were expecting twins. I kept being hit with memories of the shock we were still feeling at that time and the panic of what was to come...and now, two years later, here were those "babies", running all over the place, as if they always had been. How does that happen?

 

 

 

 

It was a wonderful week!

The opportunity to rest and relax...the warmth of the sand between your toes, the scent and the gentle mist of salt in the air, the sound of the gulls, the sight of pelicans gliding gently overhead, the sound of the laughter of babies and cousins, the squeals of delight as cool water meets little toes, the feel of a sun-warmed paperback book in your hands, an evening walk through town for frozen custard, the luxury of dinner out with my siblings and my love. The memory of these moments shall be held in our hearts until we gather, once again, by the seaside.   

a weekend full of cousins...

We shared some cousin love for the July 4th weekend.

Boy were people excited!

Saturday morning the big kids were up a few minutes before 6 AM. Here they are wrapped up in a blanket on the front porch steps after I threw them out considering their inability to find and maintain their "inside voices".  Nothing like a room full of loud, over-excited little boys to start the day off right!

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 Look at that little face, I could just gobble that up. Yes sir, little Josie is certainly a cutie and man is she ever loved by one certain little boy who just can't seem to smother her with enough kisses.

That's right, anyone who's met him knows that Caleb has always been quite the ladies man but his love for Josie is something special. Just look at that face, it positively lights up like that every single time he gets close to her. It's so stinkin cute.

And look at this bunch of sweetness. I can't get over these little people. They really had fun together, not like toddlers, but like little kids. Booo, where did our babies go? 

There was so much cousin lovin all weekend long.

Snuggling, wrestling, laughing, giggling, story telling, joking fun.

Camp fires and smores...

fireworks and sparklers...

Cousin love is a sweet thing to behold.

It was such a super great weekend. Everyone keeps asking when the cousins will be coming back to play again...not soon enough I can tell ya that!

a dozen

Earlier this month Jon and I celebrated our 12th anniversary.

Twelve years.

One dozen.

A decade plus two.

Any way you slice it, to me, twelve sounds long. But somehow it has felt short, and busy and good, and full and blessed beyond measure. Don't get me wrong, it's not all roses, all the time, but mostly we balance each other in the very best of ways. And we are still buddies. And that feels like a victory for two kids who were a product of divorced families. 

(Photo credit: Will Kerner, Charlottesville, VA)

Look at how young we looked and so very happy. Our wedding day was such a wonderful one. It was not large, it was not grand, but we were surrounded by our very best of friends and family and the weather that June day was nothing short of exquisite!

Who would have guessed that a dozen years later we would still reside in North Carolina and be the proud parents of 4 amazing little boys, including a set of twins no less. If someone would have pulled me aside that day and whispered that little fortune in my ear I never would have believed them. Not in a million years!

And take a peek at this little bit of extravagance given to me by my sweetie. I have never even held real pearls much less felt their weight around my neck. It's enough to make a girl feel like a queen.

So if you happen upon me weeding the garden, don't be surprised to find them gracing my neckline, complimenting my muddy knees and dirty fingers, because let's be honest, I just don't have too many legitimate excuses to wear such things out into the world these days. Maybe sometime in the next twelve years my days and adventures will be more "strand of pearls" worthy, maybe not. I just hope that my buddy and I are still enjoying life's adventure, wherever it takes us next!

adventuring

A few weeks ago we spent the day exploring a local destination that we had visited once before. 

There is a new pirate exhibit going on and Grandmother and Grandpa Bobby were visiting so it seemed like a perfect way to spend the day.

The pirate exhibit was really great!

Look at this little swashbuckler, he's such a cutie!

This shot is from the regular museum installations. It made me chuckle to see all 4 of our guys all lined up like that, almost in their birth order even.

Photos with our whole family are really rare to see, usually one of us is holding the camera. I just love this one of all six of us, very candid and very busy and so very us!

We ended the day at the pond where the boys hovered around the edge trying to catch Bullfrogs and tadpoles. The light was so gorgeous and they were so happy.

It was a good adventure!

baby love

 

 

 

exhale

It has only been in the last 24 hours that I feel like we have entered into the recovery phase from the excitement of the last 6 weeks.

Please don't misunderstand, it was a really great holiday season, probably one of the best in recent memory, but boy was it busy.

My goodness, it was So Busy.

There was our trip home for Thanksgiving, followed by Samuel's Birthday which included a weekend visit from Aunt Emily, a weekend visit from Nan, our co-op Winter's Solstice celebration, a last minute, additional trip home for Christmas, the babies very 1st Birthday Celebration, and then returning home just in time for New Years.

Along the way there was continued sickness among the children, and quite a few Christmas gifts sewn late, late into the night. 

 

New Years Eve ended up being a really lovely, quiet evening, just us and Uncle Eggies, enjoying a relaxed dinner, some football and the rare treat of a late night viewing of The Chronicles of Narnia for Samuel after all the little brothers were tucked into bed. He stayed up until midnight and watched the ball drop in Times Square, I was pretty impressed.

 

The house felt really warm and festive, but in the quietest of ways. The big brothers had spent two whole days making paper chains. I originally thought the task would amuse them for about 20 minutes or so, but they really took to it, turning the kitchen into a "paper chain factory". Isn't it funny how the strangest things take on a life of their own? Honestly, the result was pretty stupendous.

I walked around, camera in hand, trying to capture the warmth and calm on the very last evening of 2009, a year that was anything but for our family.

 

It has only been in the last few days that we have been finding our rhythm again. 

It feels a bit like holiday detox.

We are slowly reclaiming our schedule and regaining our household's normal.

 

And while we certainly enjoyed all the visiting and celebrating that was had, it feels awfully nice to have the chance to find a cozy spot and soak up some January sunshine with the people I love best. 

Happy New Year!

It feels like it's going to be a good one, don't ya think?

xoxo

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In an effort to catch this space up, I have posted a good number of wordless photo posts with the intention to ammend them as my free time allows over the course of the next week or so. In the mean time, enjoy a glimpse of what we have been up to all this time!

Sunday afternoon

The weather was amazing today.

Warm sun, clear blue skies, temperatures in the seventies...pretty wonderful for mid November. 

We had planned on an alternate adventure today but decided it might actually be a bit too warm, instead we headed just up the road for some bike riding and lounging in the grass. After we arrived, I realized that we have not taken advantage of this great spot since late last winter, where does the time go?

It has been another week of continued sickness at our house. (unbelievable I know) this time myself and the babies. Turns out an afternoon like this one was just what we needed...

 

 

 

 

The little guys munched on crackers and the resulting mess required shirt removal in an effort to wipe them properly...which is how my babies ended up shirtless in November. I promise it was very warm!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Hope you all had an equally wonderful Sunday!