WayfaringStrangers

Samuel is a little over a month old now. He's growing fast, already up to 9 lbs, 7 oz. The overall adjustment of life is going well. Yesterday was Graham's last day of school and his PreK graduation (that deserves it's own post) so now... I'm home all day with the 3. I didn't get much 'rest' after Sammy was born. How could I? Even with help...there's so much to do, and the boys are so active. And so, I quickly found myself in the normal routine, just now with a baby along. I press forward, coffee in hand. Since school is over, today was the perfect day to hit up the library with all 3. Graham hasn't been in a while because I usually go with Patrick while G is at school. The library went really well! The big boys are mature enough to actually play well and not run off. Baby slept in his carseat the whole time. Afterward, we decided to go for a walk in the trail next to the library. It's paved, and Graham rode his bike and Patrick rode his sc...

This past week has been (another) sick one. I suppose being pregnant ruins the immune system because I feel like I've been sick for months. The kids and I have been miserable lately. I hate to be a downer about Christmas... after all, the week has held a lot of joy. We took naps, watched a bunch of movies, and even rallied to go to the Christmas Eve service this year! Christmas Day itself was sweet. The boys woke up at the reasonable hour of 7:15, and we enjoyed opening a few gifts with them. We had breakfast. Then we all chilled for a long time, and later on Behn and I finished getting the house and food ready to have my family over. I know it was a special time, I just have little memory of it, as I robotically worked to make sure everything ran. I really appreciate my Mom's help, and Behn is a good host. We had my parents, grandmother, aunt Jeanne, my sister Olivia + Dennis, brother Aaron + Autumn, and brother Stephen. It was a very full house, as our space is pretty tin...

I'm sitting here with writer's block, thinking about how we are easing into autumn. I really just want to take a nap, but I feel like the blog has become sadly neglected. I love writing. I love going back and looking at the words and pictures I wrote 1, 2, 3, or more years ago. I love watching us grow. And so, even though blogs in general seem to have fallen out of style in place of Instagram, I am here. We enjoyed lots of family time at my sister Olivia's wedding. I have no pictures (pitiful, I know), but it was beautiful. It was really fun having some family in town. Patrick had a birthday this month. The little monkey received no less than 4 new garbage trucks from loving family and friends, which he has been enjoying. Patrick is definitely being a 3 year old...I have to take a lot of deep breaths to get through the day. He's a smart cookie, but all the challenges of a 3 year old are wearing me down. We'll get through it, though! We are so grateful fo...

This summer  year we are staying local. As I write this, I am aware that tomorrow we are heading to Delaware for the holiday weekend, but even Delaware is fairly local. And later this month, I'm going to Virginia Beach with my mom and sisters for a much needed  girls' weekend. This year, we aren't planning on a long road trip or any flying. Behn and I might sneak away to my favorite place in the world- Lexington- in the autumn. That's about it. This is hard for me. Motherhood, though sweet, is monotonous and lonely. It's in my personality to crave adventure and I adore traveling. To be forced to stay put  is a struggle in contentment for me. And I am grateful for even those little opportunities to enjoy a weekend in a different setting, with different friends and family. We do live in an area with lots to do! So, that's what we are doing: staying local and finding things to do here. We still have to be conscientious of budget: a day to the city or beach can ...