Prelude

Here we are again. Smack in the middle of a perfect fall season--my favorite season of them all. The overture to all this amazingness has been rivaled by non other. We have had houses full of company, we have spent beautiful weekends outdoors and it has been so good for the soul.





I think one reason that I love this season so much is that the rhythms of life seem to slow and we begin to be able to step back and breathe a bit. Even amongst the homework and cub scouts and field trips, we move along at much slower paces.



The scent of pumpkin candles has returned and porches are once again adorned with fall scenery. The leaves crunch beneath our feet and the cotton was the most beautiful that I’ve ever seen it. Or maybe I just appreciate these things more and more the older I get.







Call me crazy, but looks to me like even the cat gets it. I captured this picture of her and I just LOVE it. She’s a beauty. Speaking of the cat, I have to say that she and Lawson share such a special bond. He really takes care of this cat. And all on his own. He feeds her, lets her in/out, and (at the risk of this being TMI) even offers to take out her poop. That, my friends, is love. And she knows it. And sticks close by him.







I try to step back and notice things more. I try to make my kids notice as well so that they don’t miss out all the beauty around them. I guess I try to make them love Fall every bit as much as I do.



I love that this particular season allows my boys ample time outdoors. In today’s world of every toy imaginable, video games and cartoons 24/7, I love for them to play outside with one another. I love to watch it. And I believe it helps them become closer. They have to work together to make up games. Use those budding imaginations. Not to mention breathing that fresh, crisp, fall air. They will tell you that they are not “outdoor kinds of kids”. Their words, not mine. But I disagree. The smiles on these faces don’t lie. They just don’t know that they are outdoor lovers.









So now we enter into prelude mode. As fall begins to usher in cooler temps we busy ourselves with tying off loose ends in preparation of a cold winter. We make our last stitch efforts to create that perfect pumpkin masterpiece; we ready Halloween costumes; we soak up the last of the warm sun. We’ll use it to propel us through the winter months. Kinda like squirrels gathering up nuts for hibernation. We gather up the warmth to insulate us until the trees begin to bud.








Managed to capture this little jewel of a pic the other night as my two super-heros sat, entranced by the super-hero game they were playing on x-box!

Sorry for the slew of pictures in this post. With perfect weather come perfect opportunities for pictures. Some of them aren’t the greatest quality as they were taken with my phone.

Hope you are gathering your nuts today! ☺

My mom has already gathered her nut. :)

Overload

Lately, that's exactly what I've felt. Overloaded. Down to my very core. I find myself tired, unengaged, unfocused and just overall, more tired. And it's exhausting, this feeling that I'm carrying around. I feel like I'm juggling all these thoughts and "things" on a never ending "to-do" list and I'm just waiting for one ball to slip and watch them all tumble down as a result. I want to do better. To be more.

When I'm with my kids I want to be totally, completely present. With them 100%. But I'm not. I'm not anywhere totally 100%. I don't mean this to complain. Afterall, I have VERY little to actually complain about. Well, really nothing. But since we're only human it's hard to balance out the "what I should focus on" with the "what my human side dwells on". So, today is a post on things that make me happy. Happiness in the purest of fashions.

1) Approaching Fall. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE Fall. I love the crisp coolness. Pulling sweaters from the tops of closets. Sounds of crunching leaves. Smells of pumpkin spice candles. Open windows and cool breezes flowing through. The late afternoon sun that begs for kids to play in it. The cooler temps are teasing us with a taste of all that goodness to come but it makes me sit with anticipation waiting on it impending arrival.


2) FOOTBALL!!! We've already made or annual trek to our beloved Rocky Top. And what a wonderful trip. We had phenomenal seats and watched a great game. Even got to enjoy some fireworks. Even with the rain and 1 1/2 hour rain delay, we couldn't have asked for a more perfect trip. Thanks to my parents for watching the kiddos so we could get away for a grown up weekend. :)




3) Football parties! Each week we try to do something for the game. This past weekend I tested out my skill for checkerboard hamburgers. Not too bad for my first try. I love when family can come and hang out with us on these weekends. Just wish more could have come. We are all about some tail-gating even from home!









4)Pintrest. Oh, how you've captured me with all your pretty and colorful and neatly organized ideas! It is a love/hate relationship I have with you! I find myself totally captivated with all sorts of ideas of what I could do. Knowing full well that it just is not in me to be the organized, crafty type. Oh, I've pinned many things that at that time I think, "That would be so simple to do! Why didn't I think of that??" I've even made a shopping list for future "projects" that most likely will never come to fruition. But, hey. A girl can dream right??? And in my dreams, this girl's house is just like the ones on Pintrest. :)


5)Family. Nothing says it better when talking about happiness in it purest form. Especially these three guys. Even on my worst days they can make my eyes light up. Just recently I was having a pretty crummy day. I came home and Little Britches immediately went to climbing on my. He started smooshing my cheeks and getting right in my face with his cheesy smiles. He kissed me and asked me how my day was. How was I to tell that sweet boy that it had been so rough I was in tears when all I could think about at that moment was how happy he was to see me and how that feeling was reciprocated 1000 times over. My kids are all so good about that. They are great little encouragers.


I'm thankful for moments like this that I can slow down and dwell on good rather than negative. Putting words in print always help me gain back my perspective. My problems are nothing and I quickly become ashamed for feeling them. Thank you, God for all my blessings.

Summer wind-down

Our summer has been jam-packed with a whole lot of nothin' which translates to a whole lot of somethin'. We made every last second of these long days count.

Realizing that I had not taken the time to even pull pictures off my camera, much less compose a blog post, I know that I have been blessed to be a part of a very special summer. Sure, it was full of it's ups and downs, but all in all, like the yin and the yang, it all hangs perfectly in balance. Well, except for the thousands of moments the scale tips ever so blatantly to the "ups".

So, without further ado, I give you our summer at a glance--bulleted style.

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Sitting poolside with family and friends. Watching our littles' confidence grow with each leap off the diving board and each solo stroke on top of that peaceful, crystal clear water.


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Watching fabulous rounds of pool-basketball. These guys are ruthless when it comes to the game. All bets are off and it's every man for himself!


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Continuing with the pool-side theme, these faces! Oh, how I love them!



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Skies that put on magnificent shows!

Not sure that you can tell very well, but that is a rainbow above three adorable smiling faces in the third picture!



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Late night lightening bug hunts.




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Completed summer projects. Some that obviously took a little more work!



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Late afternoons listening to laughter and squeals brought about by a $5 sprinkler as the sun sinks lower and lower. What the picture can't tell is the smell of hotdogs on the grill at the same time. Ummmmmmmm.


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Half-dressed boys on tire swings, sidewalk chalk and drinks straight from the water hose. No fancy descriptions necessary. The pictures say it all.






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Getting to listen to my big boy tell me all about his first experience with summer camp and see it through his eyes.



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Gaining perspective on life and being shown that God kept me and my family safe during a very scary time. Learning that mangled metal means so little in comparison to what could have been lost.



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Celebrating eight years with the person who changed me forever by making my dreams of becoming a mommy come true. So blessed.







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Afternoon rain showers and make-shift rain hats.



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Consequential rain-puddle jumping resulting from those surprise afternoon rain showers.





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Rainbows and those that play by the light of the rainbows.



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Sending two chunks of my heart off to school on the first day.



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Note to next summer: you'd better beware. You'd better come in with your guns blazing because you have some big shoes to fill.









What was your favorite thing about summer? I'd love to hear!