the martin band of brothers | august 2016

martin band of brothers | august 2016

You boys. You make me crazy and sane at the same time. I feel like that's probably how this is going to go with you three for the rest of my life. I love being home with you boys & spending our days doing ordinary things - Monday's are for grocery shopping, Thursdays are for community group (AKA sleepovers for you boys), weekends are for donuts & working on the white house.

I've loved watching your friendships grow over the past few months. Amos, you're a great big brother. You comfort Ez in the car when he's upset (which is always). You and Solly are sweet buds..typical brothers, but buds. I've loved catching sweet moments of you two playing in our (crazy messy) temporary house - you showing Solomon your nerf guns, both of you jumping from the coffee table to the couch, building forts in your bedroom. These are the moments that I want to bottle up and put on a shelf for years down the road. Ez, you're utterly fascinated by and enthralled with your two big brothers. You watch them with googly eyes and just enjoy being around them. They'll take care of you buddy. They may get you in trouble and get you to do crazy things with them, but they'll always have your back. I can't wait to see who you're going to be & what you're going to bring to our pack of boys.

Thank you boys for being flexible over the past year. We've moved a lot. I won't lie - it's been tough to move our lives that many times...even for your gypsy mama. We've packed and unpacked, settled and resettled. BUT, we've finally moved our stuff in to the white house (hallelujah, thank you Jesus!). It's still got a ways to go, but we're H O M E. Daddy and I are so excited for our family to be in this house and to keep growing our family here. I'm so excited for  you big boys to share a room and for Ez to eventually move in with you. I hope that you're one day as proud of this house as mama and daddy are. We can't wait for y'all to grow up here and for the memories that are to be made.

#martinbandofbrothers I love you. Plain & simple. Thank you for making our ordinary life an adventure, every single day.

month five | ezra

month five 

 You little stinker. The day before I took these pictures you were the smiliest, friendliest, happiest thing...then you gave me this! Screaming, crying, tearful fits for these pictures. Hashtag, that's real life. In general you are a happy little guy. You give me the best smiles & constantly laugh at your big brothers. I can already tell how much you love them & that you're going to be best buds with both of them. 

You've hit a couple of growth spurts & have had a few terrible nights, but for the most part you're a pretty good sleeper...definitely the best at your age (in our house). You're still exclusively breastfed, but I think we'll start food soon. You watch me eat and seem very interested. You've also started spitting up almost every time you nurse, so hopefully food will help with that. 

You're reaching for & grabbing things really well. You love the chew toys and your sleepy animals (monkey // bear // tiger) and you're an excellent hair puller. You roll from side to side but don't roll all the way very often. You're honestly just content to be around your brothers. If they're in the kitchen, you're happy to be in your exersaucer or if they're in their bedroom, you're happy to play on your play mat. Easy, peasy dude. You still scream when we put you in the car seat (little Amos) and don't love bath time. And, you're a drool bucket. Not sure if you're teething or what, but dang dude! You can soak an outfit in no time. 

I've loved watching you grow. You're getting to be pretty big ("all arms & legs" per a man at Trader Joe's). Your hands are HUGE...I can't wait to see if you outgrow your brothers (maybe not if, but when). You're still pretty bald, but I think it's pretty cute. And, you've mostly given up the thumb sucking (and you don't take a paci) which has made bed time interesting. 

Ez, you are a pure joy. I've thought often how this verse is so perfect for who you seem to be already: "...for the JOY of the Lord is your strength." Nehemiah 8:10 ... it's the verse your daddy picked out for you & one that I've been praying over you lately. I pray just that for you little buddy - that the joy of the Lord will be your strength. And that the joy that you have will spill over in to every single thing that you do. 

Keep growing big and strong, Ez. You sure do make your people happy! 

[month five | amos]

[month five | solomon]

currently

currently...

reading: ummmmm, nothing. 

playing: Sister Hazel | Lift (in the white car) *flashback to high school // early college* 

watching: lightroom tutorials 

trying: to take advantage of the Patagonia 50% off sale & slay some Christmas shopping 

cooking: vegggggies for dinner // thanks for the fresh okra OD & Cat! 

eating: RX bars (new at Publix & Trader Joe's! whoop whoop!)

drinking: fresh pressed coffee (Trader Joe's extra dark blend)

calling: no one 

texting: haley & mikey 

pinning: light fixtures for the white house / fall ideas for things to do with the boys / new meals to cook for dinner

planning: our 7 year anni trip!! whoooohoooooo! 

crafting: Rust & Stardust necklaces! We're filling our largest order EVA! 

doing: photography 

going: "to da beash" --Solomon (so very soon) 

loving:  the slightest tinge of fall that's sneaking in to our days 

hating: that Amos hasn't felt himself now for a couple of weeks 

discovering: that Amos loves learning to write

enjoying: some really, really good girls time lately 

hoping: my leg is healed enough to get back in to running this week 

celebrating: finally moving stuff across the street (*Thank you Jesus!*) 

smelling: Mrs. Meyers | lavender 

thanking: mikey for working so hard at the white house 

considering: reworking our budget 

finishing: editing pics 

starting: to really think on / plan Solomon's 2nd birthday party 

rhode island, the bits & pieces

things that i'll remember when i look back on this trip:

laughing until we cried over the ice cream man

honey moon challenges issued and accepted (chris, you're welcome)

del's lemonade 

walking miles on miles on miles and talking all the while

shared plates

coffee & donut stops 

vintage / antique shopping...always on the hunt

details of a wedding being planned

talks of babies 

landscapes & architecture that seemed from a magazine

a canceled flight & a hotel fire (amber, was that real life?)

plans for #girlstrip2017 

girls trip | newport, rhode island

while in providence, we day-tripped over to newport via the newly opened ferry. y'all. i cannot tell you how glad we were that we took the time to do this! the ferry ride was so nice (just an hour long vs a 3 hour bus ride one way). We shared our donuts & sipped our coffee over continued conversation that carried on all weekend long. 

we walked over 12 miles while exploring this quintessential New England town. there's something therapeutic about walking with no where to go with two of your very best friends. we talked a lot. but sometimes we just listened to waves crashing beneath us and breathed in the salty air.  New England has a special part of my heart & I'm always glad to be back exploring new towns. Newport, you're a gem for sure. i'll be back, maybe next time with my mikey in tow. 

girls trip | providence, rhode island

this past weekend was our 4th girls trip in 5 years. we love traveling to a new place, somewhere none of us has ever been ... and this year led us to Providence (and Newport), Rhode Island! 

i cannot tell you how much i look forward to this weekend. we love choosing a city with great walkability because we spend a good deal of time just wandering around. we marveled over homes built hundreds of years ago, churches with congregations dating back to before the birth of our country, slipped in and out of antique stores, had dessert before dinner and hit the best coffee & donut shops we could find. we walked & chatted, dreaming, laughing, challenging each other, celebrating, listening, hoping and just enjoying each other's company. this trip & these ladies make me a better wife, mama, sister & friend. on top of sleep (oh, the sleep) and ah-mazing food my spirit is always refreshed after this trip -- i love these two girls with my whole heart! 

oh yea, if you're in the area, you'll need to make sure to grab a Del's lemonade...or 17, because i had at least that many (: 

| more on our trip here |