miles meets ggma

my dad's mom turned 90 last month! she is still as sharp and thoughtful as ever and she looooves her great grandchildren! we took a daytrip to introduce her to miles this past weekend. it was a short trip (2.5 hrs each way), but a very good reminder of why we don't travel all that much. of course adam came with us on only 2 hrs sleep the night before...such a trooper! we are so glad we went though! marit said the next day that ggma is her "best friend in the whole world."

cousins kate, peter, and penny stopped by





we were also thankful to have one last moment with my brother and his sweet wife before they go back to india.

trying to convince the cat to come out of hiding




it is no coincidence that we have been studying contentment in Sunday school and that i keep running across articles like this one. it has been a rough little stretch with adam on nights and the kids needing so much redirection (of course they do at 3 and 2...why am i surprised?) lately. we are by God's good grace, keeping our eyes on His goodness and not our failures and striving to be thankful when we are so tired and mis-communications abound.

1000 gifts

ann voskamp is a beautiful writer. i have just been reading her wonderful blog for a couple years, but God has really used her writing to challenge, soften, encourage my heart. i am just one of many, many people who feel that way probably. her very first book just came out and mine just came in the mail. i can't wait to read it as i know it is going to be a really good read, but i have to finish keller's generous justice (another really good one)first. if you are looking for a good book to pick up that will refresh your heart and open your eyes, get one. and if you want to read it in a community of sorts, ann will be discussing each chapter in video blogs over here. this is the kind of book club you busy, exhausted mommies can do at your own pace.

here is the trailer for the book...i know several of my friends are reading it right now. join us!

a week for loveliness

it has been lovely week, really. on sunday night we got the 2nd snowfall of the year...such a rarity in the south. this time it melted and refroze as treacherous ice for a few days so we've been home-bound much of the week. the kids have really missed playing outside and i've missed running, but the snow was beautiful






we are officially done hibernating for the sake of keeping miles well so we finally went back to church as a family this week. marit especially missed her little 3 year old class. we have been alternating services so we haven't missed church ourselves, but it was so good to be there together...at least until we catch our first cold! i must say, it was nice to be snot-free for the first part of winter.

hot chocolate time!

graham moved up to a twin bed this week...i have been putting it off, but he has climbed and fallen out of the crib twice and i know someone whose toddler broke their leg doing that. he has done better than i expected with his new freedom. he still takes great afternoon naps, though at night he often needs a few reminders to stay in his bed. next transition is potty-training...not ready for that one yet!

"helping" clean the table

kitchen buddy



a lot of inside play this week



aaaand the absolute best part of the week and probably the month is that these two love birds got engaged (charlotte always wanted this to happen in the snow...lucky for jeremiah, we actually got some this year)! my sweet sister char moved here to be near us when graham was born and she met jeremiah while she was here...she moved to new york, he was deployed to afghanistan, and they have lived in the same city again for the past several months. it has been such a privelege to watch their relationship develop and we could not be more thrilled to welcome jeremiah into the family. we are expecting a summer wedding...sometime when abe and bethany can visit from india and before kelly has baby # 3. this is kind of a bad picture...blurry, but you can see how lovestruck char is...just after the proposal!


finally, today is miles' 3-month birthday. he is physically a little slow (like the other two were...did not walk until 16 months!)...not even close to rolling over or anything, but he does smile and laugh and loves to be carried around or to sit so he can see the action. he has been sleeping well at night for a while now...eats before we go to bed and then again between 5 and 8 am. he is settling into a more regular napping routine during the day as well. he is such a sweetie pie and if we saved a nickel for every hug and/or kiss graham gives him, we could probably go ahead and pay for his college tuition. he is well-loved indeed. we are sooo thankful!

quick visit

on thursday marit, miles, and i made a quick trip to athens to visit my sister-in-law, niece, and nephew while my brother was away for a interview/conference. a lot of who i am formed while in college at uga and it is also where adam and i met and dated so the city itself has a lot of nostalgia for me. it was a really sweet visit...kelly and i always have lots of mommy and marriage struggles and victories to share. we also enjoyed a sweet visit with my old college roomie, rachel. it was sooo good to catch up!

this awesome playground is their backyard

these girls are as different in personality as they are in body-type...aida is the extroverted-wear your heart on your sleeve type while marit is more introverted and sometimes aloof. it is fun (and challenging!) to watch their relationship develop.



after hitting up kidsnight at earthfare with all our little people, we put the boys to bed and had a slumber party complete with brownies and icecream and little house on the prairie.


rach and i have not changed all that much in the last 10 years...i have three kids, she's working on her phd, we both have sweet husbands, and are bespectacled. good to see you friend!

this little fellow had 24 hrs of daddy all to himself, but he spent most of the time wandering aimlessly around the house asking where we all were. poor middle child...

for fun, here's a cute one of adam's mom with marit...earlier this week grandma and grandpa so kindly babysat all THREE kiddos for adam and i to go on our first kid-free date in three months. thanks so much!

week after Christmas

my sweet parents made it possible...my whole family together for a week (except char had to leave early). below are some shots from our time together.

broad spectrum of weather...snowing on the way there, wading by the end of the week

so thankful for these beautiful, gracious women who have married my brothers. this is the only picture i have of our fun day in charleston...just kelly, bethany, ellen, and miles

lots of snuggle/reading time

lots of dancing

miles was held for an entire week by someone because we had no room for the bouncer...can't say he minded all the snuggles

art lessons with b-ma in the sunny, delicious upstairs sitting room

discussing technique

adorable benjamin

clear winter view

whose idea was it to download angry birds? dumb game.

best post-sitter

kids on posts

graham copying adam's posture

for shell-hunting




wonderful walks together

sleeping bag keeps the stroller extra cozy

painting boxes

not always this happy in the car...check out how packed our car was...that scrabble game found its way down and we now have letters all over the car...

more miles snuggles

after wading in the edisto river, we ate icees. graham's pants were soaked so he shed them