fall wall + today

Oh, how I love these people I live with!  I am so thankful that they put up with my tired, moody, hungry-for-the-most-random-stuff-and-need-it-right-now pregnant self.   Look at these girls.  I'm trying to teach modesty here, but mercy, they are so blissfully happy when I let them jump on the trampoline topless.  :)  Sweet sisters.  They are starting to play together more.  Playing is not straight-forward as it is for boys, that is for sure.  Boys play, disagree, walk-away, and move on.  I'm encouraging the use of words, compromise and lots and lots of patience with these precious daughters. I love to see them play together!

This is one awesome man.  He cooks, he cleans, he takes all three kids on multiple errands and he grooms the dog.   He AMAZES me-I adore you Dan. 

Reecie and I did a little rearranging on our picture wall.  I took the mason candle jars down from the hooks on the second shelf and tied a little jute to the end hooks.  Added some clothes pins and we chose some current and past seasonal artwork from my little Picasso's and voila!  It feels like fall now.  :)  I love pulling out the kids old artwork and using them as decor on this wall with each season.  The second one from the right is something Graham made in Kindergarten, it says:  " I go to pupkin  I luv pupkins."  That was after we went to the most awesome pumpkin patch while living in Charlotte.  

Reecie surprised  G + C this afternoon with a scavenger hunt.  She asked me to get the Easter baskets down and made a "list" of items:  pumpkin, clothespin, little ball and a string.  She is so creative!  Graham found two of the items and Reecie "found" the rest.  ;)

a little "catch-up"

So much to share!  I have still been down with all-day sickness, even now at almost thirteen weeks, I have several hours of the day (mostly late afternoon) where I just feel like I could get sick at any moment, although I never actually do.  BUT-even then, with three children, life must go ON.  I am so grateful for friends, family and Dan-my-man to pick up the slack.  Mom took the kids to Classical Conversations for two weeks in a row when I was at my worst, and last week Millie had Strep and the rest had some sort of upper respiratory virus. Even though the rest of our crew was down and feeling yuck, last weekend I had more energy and less nausea than I have had in months.  So what did I do with that energy?  Why, clean out everyone's closets of course!  It felt so good to purge and sort.  Although, I only organize for necessity these days (instead of as a hobby)  :)   it is such great therapy!  Truly, I slept better that night after organized closets than I have in MONTHS.

Anyway, this will be a week of catch-up posts.  My goal is to start posting at least 3-4 days each week, now that I can look at the computer screen for more than five minutes at a time.  So here we go!  

Dan was scheduled to take a vacation week from work this week and we had a fun road trip planned to Atlanta, Georgia.  As I mentioned before, sickness invaded our house for about two weeks straight, so we decided to nix the trip.  SO grateful we did, it would have been the longest drive ever with 3 hacking people in the car!  Poor things.  I called mom last Sunday and learned that their beach house was renter-free this week.  On Thursday morning, we packed up the truck and made the 40 minute drive to the beach. The beach with kids is no small affair.  Because it's a beach HOUSE we pack food, paper goods, clothing, beach toys, books, technology, and the kitchen sink.  Just kidding.  :)  Sort of.  It's a lot of work get packed up, but we were so glad we did!

Times Square waiting to meet the Goeder's who are were in town for vacation

she's sweet on her big bubba  :)

at Nana and Papa's

Reecie says the rule is to "take one, leave one!"

de-sanding our feet before we go inside

on the trolley to breakfast

"Where's Millie?"

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everyone got some souvenir loot:  Graham-turtle necklace, Reecie-dolphin, Millie-manatee and a pinwheel (best $2 we've ever spent!!)

G and Daddy dug  a hot tub-complete with stairs!  

one thing the kids love best about the beach house?  Cable TV!  Disney channel all day long...

taking in another beautiful sunrise with the best man i know!

snuggles at sunrise with our earliest riser

I want to remember....

...the way Graham climbed into our bed with a sick, feverish Hannah Reece.  I walked in to find him tickling her back and singing "You Are My Sunshine".  A beautiful and rare sight in a season of mild but frequent sibling rivslry.  

...waking up this morning to Camille sleeping deeply on the love seat face down, head pushed up into the corner, feet dangling off the edge.  Next to her?  A pile of nerf assault rifles.  That stuff they say about the adaptability of third borns?  All true.  :)  

...the way Camille tells friends and family "my momma's havin' anodah baby."  With the sweetest little smile and quiet, monotone voice.  

...how good it felt to bag up 4 bags of clothes from my closet last night.  I slept so well!  I did save  one rubbermaid bin of clothes for post-pregnancy.  I had been hanging on to clothes that I didn't even care for, plus my body has changed so much after three pregnancies and thirty-five years of living (what is it about thirty-five?)  I refuse to feel pressure after this baby is born from unworn clothes in the closet!  Thankful for a body that can carry babies and another year of life, even with it's sluggish metabolism.  Thank you for rewarding us with children, Lord!

...that I am SO happy to have my love home for a whole week!  We have a little trip planned to Atlanta toward the end of the week to visit the GA. aquarium and Stone mtn.  but even if we are unable to go with the strep and cold currently making rounds in our home....it's all good.  I love seeing sweet hubs' face all day long. 

...that I think this all-day sickness is winding down!  I will be TWELVE weeks pregnant tomorrow and glory hallelujah, I'm happy to say that I can usually make it through the day without intense nausea and headache for the last few days.  The only time I feel it intensely is if I take a long afternoon nap-then the rest of the afternoon I feel like junk.