Every Day

number three

Aug262014

We’ve all been keeping a little secret since the middle of June, and now we can finally let the cat out of the bag!

We are all so excited to share that little baby Carroll #3 will join our family in March of 2015!

The boys are absolutely thrilled, and Todd and I are just overwhelmed with gratitude. I’m 13 weeks pregnant and pumped for that magical 14 week to get here!

And I just love this sweet photo that Courtney Dox took of our family. It’s one of our last photos of Fiona, and it was taken a couple of days after we found out the great news.

So that’s the big thing that’s been going on around here this summer! I will share more very soon.

First Day of School

Filed Under: Every Day, Family, Uncategorized

Aug252014

Today was the first day of school for Hudson and Hayes. We were one of the last schools to start in our area and we were all ready.

Last night when we got home from church, I tucked Hudson in and prayed with him about his first day of kindergarten. He told me that he might be a little bit shy and was going to miss his teacher from last year. But I promised him that he would love his new teachers and that they’d have a great year.

We laid out all the paperwork we had to take with us and set out their clothes, so we could have as smooth a morning as possible. I set my alarm for 6:30, but I was wide awake at 6:15. I think I was nervous, too!

I didn’t want him to be late and I didn’t want to rush. I made breakfast and got myself ready and then Hudson and Hayes got up and came downstairs. It was such a smooth morning.

Both boys even agreed to let me take their picture!

Hudson’s school starts an hour before Hayes’s does, so Todd and Hayes stayed at home while I took Hudson to school. He held my hand walking down the hall, and was eager to meet his teachers and check out what was going on in the classroom. I kissed him on the head and walked out. Once he saw his buddies, he was just thrilled to be there.

I ran home and got Hayes, took his picture, and then went back to school for him to start. He walked right in, used the potty (yay!), and washed his hands. And then he found his place in the room.

It’s going to be a great year for both boys, and I know they’re both going to grow and change so much this year. Hayes will gain more independence and Hudson is just going to learn so much and change so much.

Hudson even got a head start on his homework today while I put Hayes down for his nap. He’s going to love school!

Happy 5th Birthday, Hudson!

Filed Under: Every Day, Family, Hudson, Motherhood

Jun52014

Dearest Hudson,

Five years ago, at 4:38 a.m., you made your grand entrance in this world. We really thought you were going to be born on June 4 because that was the day of my induction, but you had other plans. You arrived sunny side up with the biggest cheeks any of us had ever seen. All 9 lbs 6 oz of you were sweet baby boy perfection.

Now, you are fifty pounds, fifty inches tall, and a vocal, smart, energetic little boy. You’re heading off to kindergarten in August and, yet, there are times when I look at you that I can still see that sweet baby that was first placed in my arms five years ago.

You are such a fun-loving boy. You always want to dance and sing and you want everyone to do it with you. We’ve always had music playing throughout the house during the day, and I love that you love music as much as I do.

You have the most tender heart of anyone I know. You feel things deeply and are such a joy to be around. I’m still trying to figure out your love language, but I think you show love with words of affirmation. You’re constantly telling everyone that you love them and how you feel about them. It’s such an encouragement, and you will meet many people in your life who love this about you.

You have grown and matured so much in this last year. You are reading everything and you love to write. You love your friends so much. We sometimes have to take a little break from too much time with friends because we’ve already entered the season of “friend spats” but you do love your friends.

Your favorite color is blue. You love Frozen. You love “Life is a Highway” and the song “Carry On” by Fun. You love being outside to play with sidewalk chalk and ride your bike. Your best friends are John, Dolan, Heyward, Brennan, and Witt. You really love Mommy and Daddy’s friends, too. You love being around babies and trying to make babies smile. It’s pretty sweet.

You want to read and color all the time and you are obsessed with The Octonauts an Ninja Turtles, even though you’ve never seen an episode of Ninja Turtles.

Hudson, this day is my favorite day, too, because it’s the day I became a mommy. It’s the day that I first looked in your big brown eyes and realized for the first time how special our relationship would be. It’s the day that we looked at each other and I knew that you were going to teach me so much about love and grace. It’s because of you that I know what grace looks like and feels like. Thank you, sweet boy.

My life completely changed the day that you were born, and I can’t imagine my life without you in it. Everything is exciting because you’re a part of it. Everything is new to me when it’s new to you.

I’m so excited for you to turn five. You’ve looked forward to this day for a long time. You’re going to kindergarten and you’ll be away from us more. We’re just so excited for you and this next year.

We love you so much, buddy. Happy birthday, Hudson!

Love,

Mommy

strawberry pickin'

Filed Under: Every Day, Family

May212014

May in South Carolina is just so beautiful! We’ve had our fair share of 95 degree days, but the temperatures have cooled off to 80 in the last week or two, and we’ve loved spending as much time as possible outside.

If you follow me on Instagram, you’ve already seen some of these pictures.

Yesterday morning, we met our friends Emily, Jack, and Hazel at the strawberry farm (Cottle Farms if you are local to Columbia and want to pay them a visit) to pick some strawberries. We kept reminding the little ones to pick as many as possible so we could make a pie for a daddy.

We went a few weeks back and the strawberries were still kind of tart. But the strawberries yesterday were bright red and so beautiful.

The kids had a great time running around and filling up their buckets. Some strawberries were thrown by the two three-year-olds in the bunch, but every strawberry is worth saving. And Hayes and Hazel both chowed down on strawberries the whole time.

They had a great morning, and I’m glad we picked them one more time before strawberry season is over.

We had some fun visitors at our house from Charlotte yesterday. Rachel, Katie, and both of their girls came to visit. We hung out at the house and caught up. We watched the kids play and then went to Whole Foods for an easy lunch. It was so much fun to see them and catch up! I just love those girls.

I came back home and washed the strawberries and sliced them to make a pie. I was so excited to make the Strawn’s strawberry pie, and kept thinking things were going great. I made a crust. I made the filling. I chilled the filling. And then when I poured the strawberries and filling into the crust, I could tell it might take it a while to congeal. Last night, I even dreamed about strawberry pie and wondering if it would still be a runny mess in the morning.

And it was. Just a soupy strawberry pie. But I let everyone have some this morning for breakfast anyway. Even if it’s ugly, it can still taste amazing. And it did! I broke my sugar ban just to eat some of this pie. And it is FULL of sugar. Holy sweetness.

So we had a great time at the strawberry farm. I had a small kitchen disaster with the strawberry pie. But boys are super gracious when it comes to ugly, delicious food!

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