Changes...

Life changes so fast. I can't believe Arden headed off to school with his big brother today! It seems like yesterday that I was laying in bed holding him, feeling the love that only new motherhood can produce.

Rory - 2nd Grade, First Day

Rory - 2nd Grade, First Day, a photo by lm_gittings on Flickr.

My little boy is growing up!

I am a Procrastinating Mom...

10:10AM:

I have been putting off going to the grocery store since the week before we went to visit Grammy and DadDad.

At first it was because I didn't want perishables in the house when we were leaving; once we got back it was because I was too tired to go; this week the cute hubbie has been out of town and I didn't want to take all 4 kiddos to the store. Alas, I am officially out of my basics and have worked my way through most of my stash of food. There is no sugar, no brown sugar, no bread, and pretty much besides a half jar of peanut butter, some canned salmon, lentils, and a few condiments, I am out of food.

Now, since I procrastinated, I am looking at the grocery trip of all grocery trips.

Please pray that I make it back in one piece... and with just one cart of food...

1:15 PM

I have successfully made it back from the store; Everleigh went with me, she made it back as well... it only :insert sarcastic eyeroll here: took 1 double sized shopping cart to complete the shopping, and  then the trunk of the van, front seat, and all the floor space to get it home.

There is food in the house, and if I hear one complaint that someone doesn't like what I bought, well, they can start cooking, cleaning and shopping.

Have I mentioned that I hate going to the grocery store?

My Kindergarten Boy.

Arden is in kindergarten this year, can you believe it?! I am amazed at how big these kids are getting. I don't know that I am ready for all of the coming changes.

Arden seems excited about starting school, has already met some friends and has all of his supplies. His first day will be this coming Wednesday!

5 Months Old...

Can you believe that the bean is already 5 months old! It seems like it is going much faster this time, and really it kind of is because she is hitting her physical milestones much faster than the boys did.

Beautiful Mama...

Pregnant women amaze me; they are beautiful and curvy, and have this sensuality about them. I just love to see the babies moving in their bellies and to see the joy that is pregnancy.

I have been lucky enough to photograph my good friend R. She is currently 32 weeks pregnant with twins and still rocking the skinny jeans!! I wish I was so lucky!

Baby Feet.

She sees toes..., a photo by lm_gittings on Flickr.

I think that little baby feet might just be the cutest thing ever. Evie seems to try to get her feet into her mouth at every chance! She even tried to eat her toes through the tutu!

The Crew

  The Crew, a photo by lm_gittings on Flickr.

Here is a quick shot of all of the kids while we were on a mini vacation at Grammy and DadDad's house on the lake.

And here is another of the kids this past week:

2nd Grade already...

I can't believe Rory is already starting 2nd grade!! When did this happen?! It seems like it was just yesterday that I was cuddling him and toasting the New Year in the hospital...

Oh my darlin...

Isn't she just perfect? I can't help but take photo after photo of her! Her little mouth and eyes are just yummy!

Evie Sitting, a photo by lm_gittings on Flickr.

Oh how I have waited...

for the moment I could dress one of my children in a tutu...

my love , a photo by lm_gittings on Flickr.

I know...

 I know it has been a while, I know I owe you all photos from the last few months, and they are coming, I promise. Right now I am without a working computer, and have no way to edit photos.

In the meantime, enjoy this one. Bean is already sitting unassisted... oh boy (well, I guess in this case 'oh girl').

a photo by lm_gittings on Flickr.

Oops!

We had our very own wardrobe malfunction yesterday! It just goes to show you that our picture taking doesn't always go smoothly!

Smile!

How can you not smile when you see a grin like this?!?!

I am such a lucky woman...

Today, not only did I get to hang out with a good friend, but I also got to take a few photos of her adorable baby boy! He is 5 weeks old, which as most of you mamas know, is not an easy age. When you say that a baby only has eyes for his/her mama, I learned what you mean today. I can't wait to get a few more shots of him soon, and to hang out with his mama again!

Here are a few unedited photos of Baby "A":

 

And here is a shot of Everleigh:

And one of Canyon (who thanks to Marissa, is now obsessed with air planes and rockets!):

2 Months Already?!

Believe it or not, Everleigh Pearl is already 2 moths old! I cannot believe how time is passing by. She is getting so big and so strong. Each day that goes by shows us what a true blessing she is. She may well be one of the happiest babies I have even seen, more so then even Rory. She doesn't fuss often, sleeps well and loves to see her brothers. Her brothers can't seem to get enough of her. They fuss with one another to see who gets to hold her first, or to kiss her, or to make her smile the most... it is an amazing dynamic.

Here are some recent photos from about a month ago until now: (Remember these are not edited and not as crisp or nice as they should be.)

Happy Birthday Baby Boy.

3 years ago today was a day of joy, healing, love and life.

Canyon Leigh was born at home, surrounded by friends, family and love. Here is a photo of my sweet baby's first seconds on Earth:

My little baby is now 3! I don't know where the time has gone... all of the little milestones we look forward to are passing me by and becoming bittersweet memories.

In the last year Canyon has weaned, become a big brother, potty-learned, gained his own opinions and begun to talk non-stop. He is growing into quite the little man.

I love you baby boy; you are a wonderful, goofy, perfect kid!

Do Super Heros...

Randomly appear at your house too? Because over Spring Break, they did here... I'm not sure of what they called themselves, but they sure were helpful (if you count cleaning the mess THEY made as helpful...)!

The boys are getting so big!! Rory and Arden have lost their toddler bodies and are looking like "big kids". It happens so quick! I still think of them as babies, but the reality is, they aren't anymore... Arden is actually quite muscular...

Here are a couple of CanMan, who isn't far behind his brothers, he is actually almost as tall as Arden. Don't mind the ketchup, mustard, and chocolate cake on his face, we were at a birthday party:

One Month of the bean

So, I can't believe it, but one month has come and gone since the bean graced us with her presence... Things have been crazy, she can't nurse- so we pump every feeding- this has been eating up all my time, and I am not online much... I'm trying to get lots of photos,the boys are loving her, and we are adjusting to the new version of "normal"... She is a happy little thing, smiles a lot, sleeps well, and doesn't fuss much.

Here are a few recent photos:

On a side note (because he is so excited about it) Arden won us tickets to the opening season Asheville Tourists' Game this week with a photo:

Today is a Day for...

Remembering, Accepting, Forgiving, and Embracing.

Today is the 8 year anniversary of the death of a dear dear friend. Jeffrey Allen Mayfield passed away on 4-13-2003; that day and those following weeks are something I will never forget and something that will haunt my thoughts for as long as I live.

8 years is a long time. Enough time that I am finally gaining perspective and accepting what happened.

At 21 years old, Jeff's death was the first I had ever dealt with. I had never lost a grandparent, a family member, or any other loved one. That day, I lost someone just as dear to me as a family member, someone who was a part of my life, and someone who I never expected to lose. It was something that I didn't know how to deal with; I didn't know I could hurt so much, or that I would carry that pain for so long.

8 years, and I am finally gaining some perspective, forgiving God/nature/the river/the rock, and accepting that while he is gone, part of him is still here in all of us who knew him. For the first time I am seeing things differently.

Carl and I moved not long after Jeff died, we gradually lost touch with many of our friends and those who we mourned Jeff's death with... and I regret that. We were a community who shared a loss together, who leaned on one another, who embraced, supported, and shared our love and pain together. Each year as the weather turns warmer, and Spring comes to us, I think of those people who were there over those weeks. I think of those friends I haven't seem or heard from, those we all have lost contact with, and those I still connect with... I remember the pain of 14 days of searching, I remember the relief and hurt after the recovery, and most of all, I remember Jeff.

Jeff was someone who embraced life in everything that he did. He very rarely wasn't smiling or laughing. He truly saw joy in everything about life. He could make anything funny, and make anyone feel wonderful.

The last two days I have been thinking about that trait of his, and I realized today, that I don't embrace life they way which Jeff showed us. I need to. If nothing else, his legacy to me, and my family, should be one of joy, smiles, and loving life for all it is.

Here is my promise to both myself, and the memory of Jeff... I will set aside time each day to smile, reflect, and embrace the day. I will look for the good in everything, no matter how hard it is to find, and at sometime each day, I will make time to do something that I love.

I love and miss you Jeff. The gift of life is something that I realize cannot be taken for granted, and your death/remembering your life showed me that... Thank you.

Thank you for being my friend.

Thank you for being who you were.

Thank you for showing all of us what life should and can be.

Rest in peace friend, know that you were loved, and will never be forgotten... and know that while I wrote this, while the tears roll down my cheeks, that I am smiling at your memory and remembering your smile.