It has been pretty warm here in sunny Florida so we broke out the kiddie pool and have been having some good ol’ fashioned fun in the sun. Luc splashed with his big brothers for the first time and absolutely loved it. I am pretty sure we will spend the majority of our summer right here!
So I am not going to pretend to be modest here and I am just going to jump to the ridiculously annoying, super proud parent… My boys are adorable on a regular basis but even more so when they are dressed up all fancy (what Jay likes to call being dressed up). So I used Maggie’s wedding as an excuse to go all out and make them fancy! I love them and their ridiculously cute bow ties and am so happy that they cooperated with me during our post wedding shoot.
in this next photo I catch glimpses of a teenage Charlie
I am delighted to share a few photos from the beautiful wedding Jamie, Jay and I got to be a part of last weekend. On Friday the 4th Jamie’s cousin married her long time boyfriend Josh in what can only be described as the perfect day! The weather was beautiful, the bride was even more so, the details were thoughtful and springy and the whole day was just so full of love and joy! Maggie and Josh, we truly couldn’t be happier for the two of you and were so honored to be a part of your special day.
While there were SO many things and moments that I would have loved the opportunity to photograph at this wedding I simply didn’t get the chance. It has been so long since I have attended, much less participated in, a wedding that I didn’t photograph! However, I did get a handful of photos that I love. So please excuse the ridiculous amount of photos I am about to share. I really had way too many favorites to narrow it down any further than I did!
First up- Bridesmaids’ luncheon and mani/pedis
the rehearsal dinner
Jay has a hard time not making a silly face these days
The wedding day!
To get one cute photo of the boys lots have to be taken and because I love some of the outtakes almost as much as the “cute” one I thought I’d share ;)
One day I won’t trip over piles of cars and duplo that clutter our floor, one day I will be able to sit on our couch without being asked to move so Charlie can drive his “truck/boat/etc” or Jay can have a race, one day I won’t have crumbs under our kitchen table and dirty hands to wash after they help in the kitchen, one day I won’t be asked for story after story and kiss after kiss before bedtime, one day I won’t have a baby to snuggle before bed, or hear baby snores in the middle of the night, one day I will be able to hear Jamie as we sit across the table from each other at dinner and one day our house will be quiet and not quite so much of a constant zoo.
Raising small children is hard. My days are full and busy. The time I have to myself is limited and often interrupted. But this season of my life is fleeting and I pray constantly that I can fully understand that and that I can truly appreciate all of the ordinary moments that make my life so extraordinary.
I sincerely wish that I had more time to post photos of my adorable boys because I do take them (my older self with thank me for this I am sure). But until I do, for those of you that still check in on this little blog of mine, my random posting will have to suffice.
the next two photos were taken by Charlie with my big camera ;)
Jay Bird,
A few days ago you sat across the kitchen table from me at lunch, grabbed two grapes and explained (correctly I might add) how the earth revolves around the sun and about night and day/light and dark. After you were finished you grabbed one of the grapes, bit it in half and jokingly announced “now there is only half of a sun!” I sat there in awe of you. Lately, you seem to be growing and maturing overnight. I am constantly amazed by all that you already know and what you are so quickly learning. I wake up one day and your pants are two inches too short and the next day you’re trying new tricks or telling me the most amazing stories. It is baffling really how easily the days turn into weeks and the weeks to months and so on. It feels like just yesterday they placed you in my arms making me a Mommy. I constantly find myself wishing for time to slow down so I can enjoy all of the craziness that is our life right now but for whatever reason time keeps speeding past me like your constant car races- zooming by with endless speed, energy and enthusiasm.
Speed, energy and enthusiasm are wonderful ways to describe you these days kiddo. You, for the most part, are a ball of constantly moving energy. You don’t sit still, you are constantly moving and always have something new and fun “planned”. You frequently say “I was thinking…” or “Mommy, don’t you think that is a good idea?” inserting whatever new plan you have. You are still infatuated with cars and race them daily. When you have been away at school you come home and go straight to racing without much talking or awareness of anything else for that matter. It’s as though you have gone through withdrawal while you were away and need to get your fix as soon as humanly possible. While racing, you dream up scenarios and stories for your cars and lately you have built elaborate “sets” with our wooden blocks to race your cars in. I am not exactly sure how long this infatuation of yours will last but right now it is still holding strong.
Aside from racing cars you still love the outdoors and adore being able to run, play soccer, hit the ball off of the tee or ride your bike while you are out there. You would dance in the rain every chance you got if I would let you and dig in our sandbox until the sun is down and you can no longer see. You are moving from sun up to sun down lately, which has honestly been a bit of a challenge. We’ve been making it work with a mandatory “rest” time in the afternoon although it is seldom that you actually “rest” during rest time. You usually are racing your cars or reading quietly in your room. You want so desperately to be able to read on your own right now and are making great strides towards achieving that. You know your letters and numbers like the back of your hand and are starting to recognize the sounds of words and letters. It truly is amazing to me how much you absorb these days. You have really enjoyed going to school (no real surprise there) and Mrs. Coates is usually complementary of how much you know and what a nice friend you are. I am so proud of you sweet boy! Aside from books and cars, your other love would have to be art right now. Frequently, you ask if you can color, draw or paint. Most of your pictures are of cars or of you with other people. You are getting really good and most of your pictures are easily deciphered without much explanation. You add details that are so accurate and will color for hours if I let you.
Kiddo you are exhaustingly awesome and each day you make me so proud to be your Mommy. You love hard, you play hard and you do most everything 110% of the way (Daddy’s note: this dedication includes your stall-tactics). This is not to say that we don’t have struggles dear boy because we certainly have. 3 was really tough, but nothing that we haven’t been able to work through. I love watching you grow. I love watching your learn new things and I love the bone crushing hugs that you so easily give. I hope that you continue to greet each day like it is an adventure, an adventure to be met with enthusiasm, curiosity and a kind heart. You will go far sweet boy, I have no doubt, and I am thankful every day that you are taking me along for the ride.
I love you sweet boy!
Love,
Mommy
2013 year in review…
January
We played outside (in diapers and underwear since it was SO warm), Jay learned how to ride his first bike and we celebrated his 3rd Birthday!
February
We made some updates around the house, I painted some new bedroom furniture, Jay was potty trained and Charlie really started running around.
March
We enjoyed a little bit of a cold front, found out that we would be welcoming another baby boy to the family, built our super cool backyard fort and hosted the shrimp boil.
April
We battled some a nasty cold where Charlie had to do breathing treatments, I finished Jay’s quilt, we played with cars, played outside and enjoyed our new slip and slide.
May
We celebrated Charlie’s half birthday, we grew butterflies, we played out front in our kiddie pool, started swimming again and played outside in the rain.
June
Charlie got his first haircut, we took a trip to Starbucks Springs, we swam a whole lot, I painted the boys joint big boy room and we vacationed in Anna Maria Island with family.
July
We welcomed our third beautiful baby boy, Luc, into the world, Jamie and I celebrated 7 years of marriage and I turned 31 years old.
August
We spent a lot of time in the pool, the boys finished their swimming lessons and Jay started preschool 3 days a week.
September
We visited with extended family while they were in town, attended Jay’s first school parade and swam some more!
October
Jamie celebrated his 33rd birthday, worked out the kinks of our new shared sleeping arrangements and therefore battled with some very tired boys; we built a whole lot of duplo towers, made some pretty adorable Halloween costumes and battled off some terrible preschool germs.
November
Jay attended his first Florida State football game with Jamie, Charlie celebrated his 2nd birthday and we enjoyed visiting with family when they were in town visiting.
December
We decorated our house for the holidays, enjoyed Jay’s preschool Christmas program, took a trip to Terra Ceia and enjoyed holidays with our boys and extended families.
Every January as I look back at our year I can’t help but feel so incredibly blessed. We have had a wonderful 2013 and I can’t wait to see what 2014 is going to bring!
There are times that they fight, scream and hit each other; however, there are also times that they play so well together…
And excuse the underwear, pants are optional most days around here.
this last one is out of focus but I still love Charlie’s face in it :)
the perreault family 