Happy weekend!
I am so behind with off-loading pictures from my phone onto this ole blog, but I’m going to do my best to play catch up because we’ve had some sweet happenings lately that I’d love to share here. 🙂
I’ve taken monthly pictures of all three girls in this rocker, and one day I’ll get around to comparing them all side by side. This was Jillian at three months old (now she’s almost 4.5 months!)
In mid-October, we celebrated Uncle B’s 30th birthday (Jamie’s brother)! This picture was taken after a full day for both girls, which explains Sadie’s sour face. She was done. 😉
We soaked up every morsel of time with my sister and her kids that we could before they took off for Chicago a few days before Halloween. My brother-in-law Josh got a job working for Pepsi, so they are now exploring their new lives up in Illinois. We had the best three months with them in Alabama, but I know they’re happy to be settled in a new home and moving on with their lives post Army.
Hadley and Luke have the sweetest relationship. One day Jenn and I were in my backyard watching the kids play when we saw Hadley’s bus approaching. I grabbed barefoot Luke and took him with me to the bus stop, which he loved! Hadley was so thrilled to see him. 🙂
My strategy for taking pictures of the kids is to try as often as possible to take two or three shots, and then not get upset when 90% of the time they don’t turn out. 😉 Every once in a blue moon we get the unicorn picture where everyone is smiling and looking at the camera, but most just look like this. 😉
Sadie and Jennifer. My girls love their aunt so, so much. Sadie had gotten hurt outside, and Jenn was the one to step in and give her all the comfort and attention she craved. I couldn’t help but snap a picture knowing they were moving a week later.
Here was another attempt at getting a decent cousin picture. Leave it to the DeSpain kids to turn every pic into a goofy one!
We tried. 😉 Also, this night was so fun. My mom cooked her first big meal at their new home and we all gathered there on a gorgeous Friday night to eat and hang before my sister and I took off for Cirque de Soleil.
While the big kids played and the rest of us scarfed our dinner, my dad got in some Jilly snuggles by their new-to-them outdoor fireplace. PS: Do you have an outdoor fireplace, and if so, do you use it? We are debating putting this on our home improvement list for 2021 but I’m skeptical about how much we’d use it. Would love to hear how often you use it and if you think it’s worth having someone come out to build.
I had gotten a couple of media tickets for the show, and since I knew my sister was moving a few days later, I asked Jamie if he’d mind if I took her as my date instead of him so we could spend some time together sans kids.
We got there a good hour early and honestly enjoyed the time to chat and hang in peace just as much (if not more!) than the show itself.
My favorite kind of Saturday mornings are the ones where we have nowhere to be before 11 a.m. and can snuggle and hang in our pajamas as we ease into the day. I very, very rarely work out on Saturday mornings for this reason; I just love to snuggle my family. Mornings where our bed is the family meeting spot make me so stupidly happy.
These two cuties. Sadie loves her some Oliver Brown! This picture is so representative of what our social outings with friends look like these days – kids playing, drink cups colored on, crayons everywhere, books and other activities to keep them occupied, all while we try to have grown-up conversations. Hadley and Oliver’s sister Campbell where somewhere out of frame. I love when each of my kids has a buddy!
I read some advice from Taking Cara Babies that talked about how as long as your baby is putting themselves to sleep in their bassinet at least once a day (proving that they knew how to put themselves to sleep), that it’s okay if they take a nap with you (or in the car) at some point throughout the day as well. This advice gave me the freedom to enjoy moments like this so much, because I’m not overly paranoid about creating bad habits. Naps with this girl are heavenly and I want to soak them up as much as I can because every day she’s bigger. HOLD ME. 🙁
Having Grandma a mile away is not overrated! We love when she gets to swing by for half hour and hang with us!
And this was the sweetest thing. The girls and I were outside doing chalk on the driveway one day after school, and Hadley snuck this message for Jamie in the garage near his workout mats. I had no idea she did this. In fact, she actually got in trouble for doing this because she was in the garage playing, and I had just told them not to go out there until I changed Jillian’s diaper and went out there with them.
But they went into the garage anyway, which lead to a stern lecture about listening better. And then Jamie discovered this message the next day, and I immediately knew that’s what she was doing while she was in the garage without permission. Oy. Sweet girl. I love my Had. She really, really has the sweetest, most thoughtful heart.
I have two more Slice of Life posts coming soon in attempt to play catch up, so bear with me! 🙂 Hope you have a beautiful rest of your Saturday!!
Hi! I’m Erica, and I absolutely adore sharing my life on this website with you! I come here almost daily to blab about all of the things related to being a regular wife and mother in today’s ever-evolving society. I share about our new home, what’s on our kitchen table, what we’re hanging in our closets, where we’re traveling to next, my crazy 5 a.m. work outs, how I make time for girlfriends, our faith, and much more. We always have a lot of balls in the air and somewhat thrive on the chaos. I believe in the power of story-telling as a form of inspiration and entertainment, so I’m here to do both! I was born and raised in north Alabama and recently re-planted roots here again after my husband transitioned out of the Army (he is now in the Reserve and it’s going so well!) I’m a super proud mom to three little girls (ages 7, 4, and 1) who seem to be the stars of the show around here (for good reason – they’re pretty great!) I’m so glad you found me and are here reading! I hope we can get to know each other here on the blog as well as Facebook and/or Instagram. xoxo