wordless wednesday

birthmarks {the way they sleep}

sometimes it's sweet...



sometimes it's messy...



a lot of times it's upside down...



but it's never boring.



that's ok...it gives daddy one last cuddle with them each night before we head to bed ourselves.

that's what happens when we wake up with nothing to do

two things have been the topic of conversation around here recently:  finding a time to travel to my grandmother's house for a visit and josh's craving for williamson brothers barbeque.  so when we woke up this past saturday with no schedule, no sessions, no plans - nothing! - we made an impromptu decision to kill two birds with one stone.  we headed to the booming metropolis of eastaboga as well as had a delish all-you-can-eat meal at williamson brothers - just outside of atlanta.

yes, it's true...we drove to georgia for lunch.  we don't ever do stuff like that, and it was such a fun memory (despite my pitiful attempts at a full-fam photo)!!




clearly micah's got a lot to learn about having a photographer momma.  he thought our cute photo op was time for a round of "head, shoulders, knees, and toes"...with the emphasis on head.





some of the damage (josh is a pro at this)...



and the day wouldn't be complete without a picture of my sweet meme...



and my sweet tootles on our way home.

birthmarks {big shoes, little feet}

birthmarks {the beginning}

i can remember vividly one of the moments that brought me to the point of confession.  i was changing micah's clothes a few weeks back, and as i pulled his shirt up over his chunky tummy, i noticed something i hadn't before.

a birthmark.  something given to him by the lord that makes him unique, something that makes him who he is.

my first thought was, how in this world has he been home with us for a month now and i'm just now noticing his birthmark?  yes, bringing baby #4 home has certainly been unique from our first three experiences.  we weren't able to spend those early weeks with micah doing nothing more than rocking, cuddling, and studying his features, which was even more reason to slow down now that he's home.  i want to be a mom who notices the freckle on her six-year-old's right pointer finger and the birthmark behind her four-year-old's right ear.

or the tiny mark on her new baby's belly.

so here's what's on my heart:  the lord has given me this precious family, and everyday for us holds something unique, something that makes us who we are. 

kind of like birthmarks.  they're the things i want to notice and the things i want to remember.

it's too late for wordless wednesday...

UPDATED BELOW.  the two-seconds-later photo might be even better than the first!  it warms my heart to see izzy, the former baby-of-the-house, so ecstatic about her new baby brother's accomplishment.

guess who took his first steps tonight?!?  WHOO-HOOOOOO!!!!!

a lewis reunion

as i mentioned before, we now have a big one-year-old in our house.  typically around here a first birthday calls for a big celebration equipped with all of our family, balloons, cake, goodies, and a loud rendition or two of the "happy birthday" song.  having only been home a few weeks, though, micah wasn't quite ready for such hoopla, so we opted for a quiet day at home.  but it wasn't without its fun...in fact, we had a huge treat in getting a visit from much of josh's family who came in from connecticut and florida for the day. 



micah got to meet many of his family members for the first time on his birthday...






while the rest of us were able to catch up since the last time we got to be together.







don't worry, micah still got his sugar. 



and aunt jaci and uncle greg might have even taught him a little birthday dance.



the day was made even more special by the fact that micah wasn't the only new baby to join us this year.  baby hadley was a doll, and we were all so thrilled to meet her.



we love you guys!!