A Bird's Eye View in Perdido Key!

Beach buddies!

I'm a little blinded here but I love this pic of me and my boys!

Our canopy crew!

I wish I would have gotten a picture of the end result - this guy was a true artist! Check out his tools strewn all over!

Matching jammies were a happy accident!

Dinner outside at The Gulf - a perfect restaurant for big groups and families. The kids could run around and play on the soft grass while we ate by the water.

All the daddies with their babes :)

We spent last week at Perdido Key Beach with friends! It's so great being able to connect with friends who have kids the same ages - they played together so well and we were all equally inconvenienced by our kid-whipped schedules. So it was great! It was especially nice to be able to put the kids down for bed at night and play games and eat dessert and catch up on life. Nothing like friends who totally understand your stage of life because they are right there alongside you. Also, I learned to play Settlers of Catan and I'm a little obsessed - anyone want to come over and play a tournament?!

The weather was unbelievably perfect and the view from the 12th floor condo was kind of unreal. I've never stayed so high up before and been able to drink in the view from above. The birds are so lucky, you guys. They see the world so beautifully!

That view actually really inspired me, gave me reason to pause. I don't take enough time to just let my mind be free. I am always busy, wrangling kids, writing, taking care of life things, and when I do get a free moment - I check my email, respond to messages, scroll Instagram, etc. But I never let myself just sit in the quiet. Think about it - when was the last time you just sat alone, quietly? I did that up on this 12th floor terrace with my feet kicked up and my heart high to the Heavens and I have to say, it was nourishing for my mind and soul. I can't remember the last time I really, truly gave myself enough room to let my mind wander and, I don't know, have original thoughts. I'm so busy during the day pouring my energy into my family and all my leftover mind space usually get put into this blog and my other writing work. But I haven't given myself freedom to think about whatever I want in such a long, long time. I've got to take time to do this more! I have a great brain. I almost forgot that.

With Labor Day coming up this weekend, I hope you are able to rest and relax and give yourself some quiet time to think! We are trying to decide if we take one last spontaneous trip to the beach, but the weather is looking a little rainy, so it might be hometown house projects for us :) Happy Labor Day weekend to you all! xx

Sprints and Sprinklers!

I want to remember them just like this.

Young, brave, silly. Free.

I want to remember this stage of our life. Even though it's been a challenge, it's also been a dream come true, watching my boys grow together in love.

I want to remember this summer, every moment of it. This humidity, thick enough to swallow. The slick wet of the sprinkler, the infectious giggle of my baby, the flare of the sun through the backyard trees. Everett's flick of the frisbee, Daxton eying his brother with adoration. Stevie instructing them with everything he knows. I even want to remember the thickness of my body, the roundness of my thighs, ripe with nourishment for my baby boy. I was created to steward my family just like this. I am blessed.

I want to remember it being so hot, so so hot, that we all ran into the yard to cool off in the sprinkler 15 minutes before dinner. Even the mosquitoes needed a reprieve from this heat, and I won't be able to forget them, since our bodies are now riddled with their bites.

I want to remember Everett screaming "super heroes!!!", as he sprints back and forth through the sprinkler.

Every single moment of this life is a blessing. Every single moment, not just the picturesque ones when everyone is smiling in their perfectly pressed clothing. The messy ones, too. The sweaty ones, the stinky ones, the screaming ones. The moments when I'm overwhelmed because everyone is hungry for dinner, the moments when I'm followed into the bathroom by everyone because they all want to tell me things they need, the moments when I'm so tired that I want to slump into a nap at 4pm. These moments, though trying and taxing, are my great blessings. Because they are weaving together the fabric of this family that I am so privileged to shepherd. When I was a little girl, I never really dreamed of having a family. I always dreamed of having my name is lights on Broadway and wearing a red dress while I accepted an Oscar for best actress ;) Gotta love the dreams of a child! But now I know that this, this life I am living right now, is the greatest dream that could have ever come true for me. It's not easy, it's not perfect, but it is stunning. I revel in this blessing, to be a mom and a wife, and if I never accomplish another thing outside of this family life, I will still be a successful, accomplished, astonishingly blessed woman.

The heat is making me all swoony and that is just okay. May there be sprinklers and super heroes and melty popsicles in your future this weekend! Happy summer to us all!

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At the Pumpkin Patch!

He keeps asking to go back "to the farm".

I don't blame him, it was kind of a dreamy experience. October at its absolute finest.

First of all, it was cold. The temperature was 45 degrees when we arrived at Wargo's Pumpkin Patch last weekend, and we did all the things that you do in October at a Pumpkin Patch. We drank muscadine cider, took a brisk hayride, fed the rowdy goats, and let Everett pick out a zillion pumpkins because they were like $1 each. Oh, and that doesn't include the 15 minutes that I sat in reverent silence and relished the glory of my Styrofoam cup of hot boiled peanuts. Now if you aren't from the south, I forgive you for not knowing what on earth that is. But I wish for you to know. It has been years since I tasted the steamy, salty glorious treat that is the hot boiled peanut, and oh heavens. I already want more. Correction, need more.

To be honest, just a little over a month ago, I didn't think our little family would make it to the pumpkin patch this year. I was having trouble at the end of our New York stint, and with all the contractions and pressure I was feeling, just walking was a real challenge. And I remember thinking, "I won't even be able to accompany my son to do something special like the pumpkin patch!" I know that sounds a little pathetic and morbid, but I've really been making it my mission to do special things with Everett and Stevie while we are still a family of 3. And the thought of not being able to do something like this just seemed so sad and ridiculous, because I am a healthy person! I shouldn't be having so much trouble just being pregnant! Anyway thankfully, I am feeling much more rested and, you know, able to walk (ha!), so making it to the pumpkin patch actually felt like a real victory for me. And for us. And for fall.

Of course, the joke is sort of on all of us here in Georgia, because suddenly the temperatures have jumped back up into the 80's and we are all wearing sandals again. Why, Georgia - why?!!

Have you made it out to a pumpkin patch this fall? What's your favorite part of the whole experience? xox

Outfit Details:
Blanket Scarf (borrowed from my sis, similar here and here), Free People hat (past season, similar here), Gap Maternity Shirt, Gap Maternity Jeans, Anthropologie Sweater (past season, similar here), Frye Boots (on sale here!)

ASOS Oversize Scarf

ALDO Felt Hat

Gap Maternity Top

Gap Maternity Jeans

Anthropologie Cardigan

Frye Harness Boots

P.S. - Many, many thanks to Julianne who Instagram direct messaged me about this particular farm - such an awesome recommendation! You guys, please reach out on Instagram - I would love to connect with you!