WayfaringStrangers

Last night Behn and I hired a babysitter (1st time!) and drove to Roanoke to go to a Sara Watkins concert. It was our early wedding anniversary gift to each other. It was SO fun! Seriously, if we could afford it, I'd hire a babysitter once a week for Behn and I to have a date night. I've loved Sara Watkins ever since she was in Nickle Creek, and I've loved Nickle Creek ever since they existed. So, I guess I was about 16 when I first heard that bluegrass music and it became a part of my soul. When Nickle Creek decided to go their separate ways, I was entirely bummer. However, all the members have gone on to do their own projects and Sara's solo records are amazing. She just came out with her 2nd one. Behn and I have seen her twice now (and also saw Nickle Creek twice when they were together). One thing I love is that she plays small venues (I bet she could be playing bigger shows) and always hangs out afterward, so you can say hi and get a picture. Her brother ...

Okay, so I need to catch up a bit! 2 weekends ago we headed on down to Greensboro again to celebrate Emily's birthday and meet up with Luke, Jess, and Lily. On Saturday we surprised Emmy by getting there early and enjoyed pizza at Mellow Mushroom. That place was trippy. The pizza was really good, but you really do feel like you're at a hippie joint, complete with background music sung by someone who was clearly very high  on weed  life. It was a fun little outing though. Then we did pool and, later, baseball game! Greensboro Grasshoppers, baby! The next day we worshiped at Emily and Seth's new church and met up with Luke, Jess and Lilybug. During the afternoon, the guys cooked out for the girls and then we all had a picnic lunch. That night, after the babies were down, we had a little ice cream cake in honor of the Birthday Lady. We stayed up late chatting and laughing. I think that was my favorite part; just being  with the people I love. ...

Not sure exactly what a Liebster is...but my friend Amanda @ wandering  on purpose nominated me, so here I am. I'm going to tell you 5 facts about myself, then nominate 5 others for the Liebster. So...here goes! 1. I used to drive a pick-up truck. An 87 Chevy with a big ol' engine. I thought I was hot-diggety driving that thang. This is when I was 20 and living in Missouri for college. I drove it home to Delaware with my mama after I graduated. That thing was really cool, honestly. I ditched it when I started commuting to University of Delaware because it was bad on gas. I still miss it though... 2. I love to travel. I love seeing new places, cultures and people. I've been to England, Scotland, Bahamas, Spain, Bermuda, Mexico, and Ukraine. And several of the United States. So far. 3. I really, really love riding horses and miss it so much! I am looking forward to the day that I have the opportunity to ride again! 4. Once my best friend Kiri and I went hiking and...

When I was pregnant with Graham, Behn and I made the decision that, if possible, I'd stay home with him for at least a year. But we needed my income, so we prayed about how God would provide. And He did! He provided Baby F- Frankie- to come stay with me full-time M-F. Money was still tight, but it was so helpful to have that paycheck. The boys have kind of grown up together. Frankie's always been a little ahead of all his developmental milestones, so Graham had someone to mimic.  They've learned to sit up, crawl, walk, and talk (more Frankie than Graham. Frankie can say a million words!). They eat 'real' food, play with toys, splash in water, and color pictures. They are so big! It's been a fun, hard, exhausting, and rewarding year+. It's much harder to haul 2 kids in and out of the car, keep an eye on 2 little runners at a park, and coordinate the naps of 2 boys. I haven't been able to run errands during the day because taking the 2 of...

Hello to anyone checking me out from Amanda @ wanderingonpurpose . It was so sweet of her to nominate me for a Liebster Award, and soon I'll do my official Liebster post. When I saw she'd nominated me, I thought about quickly writing up some sort of witty, interesting post to captivate ya'll...but then decided that I'll just be myself and do what I normally do: update the world (read: a few friends and family) about our goings-on. Last weekend was bliss. A sweet friend of mine, Nancy, from church invited me and a couple of other church friends to spend a night at her parents' lake home at Smith Mountain Lake. I haven't been away from Graham for a night since he was born, so I was very excited about this! Behn was really sweet and encouraging of the trip, even though it meant he was on daddy-duty for a full 24 hours. He's really great with G, so I wasn't worried one bit. The lake was amazing! The house was so comfortable! Nancy's parents were in...

I just put Graham down for a nap, and heard him fussing a few minutes later...then heard some 'uh-oh's' coming from his room. Went in and he'd dropped his favorite blanket on the floor and needed it back. Am I being manipulated to come back in to his room during nap? Has my son figured out this most human tactic of trickery? Or was it an innocent mistake? :) Either way, he got his blanket back, and a few extra minutes of cuddles and is now sleeping. Graham has been so much fun  lately. Seriously, Behn and I are loving toddlerhood right now. As my brother-in-law Luke once said about our kids, 'You think they can't get any cuter...and then they do!' Tidbits: Graham can find his bellybutton and toes on command. He can also say 'toes.' He's into body parts in general. He loves to poke at my eyes, nose, and mouth and have me label them as he does so. Is jibber-jabbering constantly. He thinks he's telling us stories, I think. The other d...

Today turned out lovely, a perfect May afternoon. This was most welcome after another rainy Saturday. After G woke up from his nap and had a late lunch, we went on a family walk on the Chessie trail. One of my motivations is I am stinkin' out of shape. Like, bad (skinny-fat). I've been getting winded watering the garden with a watering can- shame on me! So going on a 2 mile walk was perfect and I felt great! We kept the pace up for the first mile and pushed G in his stroller. Then we let him hop out and play down by the river. Homeboy loved it. He threw rocks, splashed, and got his toes wet. And he plopped down on his bottom and got that wet too, but no harm done. Then we walked back, although it was a bit slower the 2nd mile, since G wanted to walk by himself for part of it. He picked up sticks, observed butterflies, and chased the ball he'd brought with him. I love that my son is outdoorsy. He truly is never more happy than when outside exploring creation. What a great ...

Here are the promised photos! Nothing too exciting, just what we were up to yesterday: "What, you expect me to get in this thing?" They were both very skeptical.  Eventually they started playing and splashing and had a fun time.  Graham checking out the blooming Peony bush. He loves flowers and has his own word for them. It sounds kind of like 'zzzuss.' It's weird, I know. Mama's can always decipher their own baby's language though, isn't it amazing? And he does say some English words, but the rest is Graham-speak.  Finally a smile!  "Graham, where are your toes?" Graham immediately locates his toes while not breaking concentration on his sing-a-long video. That's talent.

BOY!! Graham has a little brother! Behn and I were so surprised! I've just had such a hunch the baby was a girl- from how the pregnancy felt, to some (false) maternal instinct, to the doc at the 11 week ultrasound telling us it 'looks like it's going to be a girl, but don't go buy clothes yet.' Behn and I have usually been referring to the baby as 'her' and even started calling it our potential girl name. That being said, we weren't disappointed at all that it's a boy. We love our Graham boy, so having another will be so fun! They'll be best buds and the little guy can wear Graham's clothes. And the doctor is very  sure it's a boy and found about 10 angles to prove it. I'm still the Queen of the Castle! Everything looks healthy with the baby, which we don't take for granted and for which we are very thankful. The Lord has His hand on him! In other news, I promised pictures of Graham. I took them, and then put them on the g...

I should be posting about whether Graham is getting a brother or sister, because we found out this morning! And I will later! But for now, I'm putting off chores. I'd rather water the garden than mop the floor. I'd rather cook dinner than do laundry. I'd rather sweep the floor than do dishes. I'd rather never have to clean the stovetop or the refrigerator. I'd rather bake bread than write a grocery list. Luckily, I just mopped the other day and laundry is pretty caught up. Everything else needs to be done though! Ah! Real quick- some cute Grahamisms. The other night as I was rocking him, I said a prayer over him, as usual. But for some reason I decided to whisper it instead of speak it out loud. Graham looked up at me and started 'whispering!' I loved it. Of course, he was whispering jibberish, made no sense. But so cute nonetheless. Today my friend watched G while I was at the ultrasound. When I picked him up, I forgot his blanket tha...