Lately

Music class at the library with Ms. Patty - an old favorite that we didn't really go to for over a year, but recently we've been every week.  It's a great time for both of the boys to interact with lots of other kids and show off their dance moves.

Shown above:  running-with-hands-in-pockets dance that Sam made up

Outside play every day!

I've increased my work hours a bit recently - it just makes more sense for our budget, and now that the boys are a little older (mostly, that Samuel isn't nursing anymore), it's not as hard to leave them (though the little boys are still my very favorites and I would rather be home with them than anything else right now!)  BUT - work has friends and cupcakes :)

We have been hanging with our bestie, Ezra, a lot lately while his parents get their family moved into their new home in downtown Durham!

Sam has discovered the iPhone - it took longer than James, but he is really interested in it now and loves to take selfies, ha :)

We had a big family gathering recently - Mema and P\paw, Matthew and Meredith and their crew, and all of our people.  We grilled and played outside and played inside and ate lots of food.  It was perfect.  We missed you, Katie!

Just another Saturday morning farmer's market breakfast picnic (favorite tradition)

With our people!  The Reagans live close to central park now, so hopefully we'll be seeing more of them at our weekly breakfast picnic!

James at 3 1/2

James Younger is proving himself to be the most wonderful, fun, stubborn, smart!, strong-willed, curious, playful, creative, silly 3 year old there ever was.  I like every single ounce of him (which is not very many ounces, weighing in less than his baby brother, but we do like him a lot!).

How do you summarize all the things about your 3 year old?  He loves watermelon, his baby brother Samuel, coloring, playing with cars and trucks and trains, BOOKS!, watching shows (ugh), working in the garden, playing with other kids (lots of imaginative and pretend play happening!), "helping" do anything - cook dinner, mow the lawn, help daddy grill, sort laundry...  He hates bedtime, being told what to do, and most foods other than watermelon :)

After looking through the recent pictures below, I realized that James loves routine and "traditions" - the regular patterns that we've established over the last few years.  Late afternoon stroller rides.  Saturday morning Farmer's Market.  He is sentimental like his daddy, and I love that about him!

This is the most common type of photo I can get of James - half out of the frame and blurry.  Always on the move, busy doing or building or creating something.

Favorite place for a meal: outside, any picnic will do (here, with his cousins Canaan and L, and brother Sam)

Play frequently includes pretending to do adult activities like weedeating, mowing or using the blower.

A favorite outing (of many): the museum! Lots of fun things to do there...

Love this photo because it shows James snuggling up in his brother's hair, which is what he does to comfort himself (and sucking his thumb, still).  Anyone's hair will do :)

Most requested snack: apple.  But don't you dare cut it into slices (unless he asks, then you better...)

Most requested family activity: "movie night"

Coloring, always with skinny markers (though we got some new fat markers yesterday and he wanted to use those because they were new... but back to the skinny ones about 5 minutes later)

He is a people-watcher, which makes it relatively easy to go out in the evenings with him... Above we were at MotorCo with some of Stu's work friends, and James happily sat and snacked and watched people quietly for an hour!

Playing in the mud at Heather's wedding... typical :)

Hiking at Eno River - this is a new activity that we tried recently (I used to go run or hike here all the time in undergrad but had not been back since we moved from AR), but James LOVED IT.  So, we'll be going back again soon.

Lunch date at Foster's - most requested lunch spot.  Cheesy grin :)

Digging and trucks

Doesn't know his own exhaustion :)  Starting to refuse naps a couple of times a week, but he always struggles in the evening if he hasn't had a nap (though, who doesn't!?).  He still sleeps in a crib at home (and has never tried to climb out), so we will continue to at least do "quiet time" whenever he gives up  napping altogether.

Favorite daily spot - after naptime we go on a stroller ride (exercise for mama!) every single day (unless raining...) and we always stop here at the lake/playground.  He pretends to go fishing for pinecones that he throws in.

Saturday morning breakfast picnic

Best friend: Ezra Reagan (and daddy!)

Busy in the backyard

Has a love/hate relationship with bathtime these days - always protests when I tell him to go get in the bathtub, but then has a ball playing and doesn't want to get out (the protests are likely related to him knowing that bath comes before bedtime!)

The Garden (and a few thoughts on "Creation care")

These last couple of months have been difficult and draining, and I have intended to write about some of those hard things here in this space, but I haven't been able to find the strength, much less a quiet moment to sit down and put thoughts into words.  We lost Mimi, and then Grandad, and in between, the Pierces lost Janet (a long time family friend).  The due date of our miscarriage has come and gone, and that was a significantly harder time than I expected.  Death is hard, and it's meant to be hard because we were not created to experience it.

All that is to say, perhaps I am going to just do an easy post on something that is bringing our home a lot of joy these days: our garden!  The church that we have been visiting recently had a sermon series on the believer's response to the resurrection (now, how should we live as believers since Jesus was raised from the dead on Easter?)... I am so encouraged to hear some fresh truth from the scriptures at All Saints!  The Gospel is core and central, but things like caring for refugees and orphans and the Earth are important for believers to participate in, not just liberal crazies who want to save the whales (believers, too, should want to save the whales!).

One Sunday was spent teaching on what the pastor called "Creation care," and how we ought to be interacting with God's creation and being the stewards that God calls us to be.  It has sparked a lot of dialogue in our house!  Stuart even mentioned buying an electric car in a few years when our little Civic dies (something he NEVER would have thought about before)!  But one simple way that we can interact with God's creation is by cultivating... gardening! - just growing something!  It is so true, because I definitely have a sense of peace and joy and rest in the Lord when I spend time in creation, and the fact that we get to be little creators (in His image) is such a gift to me, and He is glorified in it.  So, we (the littles and I) have continued to invest a lot in our garden this year, growing and expanding in fun ways.

(Also, sorry - not a lot of photos of the boys here, but more of those coming soon as I ease back into sharing in this space!)

First - I LOVE that Sam still has his little baby roles and pudge.  I'll be sad when it's gone... Now, on the garden: our deck garden with two cherry tomatoes, lots of herbs, a big pot of strawberries and a couple of geraniums to attract the loveliest of pollinators... see below.

Herb garden off the deck with rosemary, pineapple sage, basil, chives, oregano, thyme and lots of marigolds (and you can see our new compost barrel there hidden by the deck!)

A new rose bush, planted on the due date of our miscarriage to remember our baby who isn't with us.

Zucchini plant plopped in the middle of some irises and hostas - I've been reading up on "polyculture" and forming little mini ecosystems within your garden... So, thought I would try something new by growing some useful food next to our landscaping :)

New bed by the front fence this year - zinnias in the back, hot banana pepper and red bell peppers in the middle, delicata squash on the left, heirloom zucchini in the middle, and a tiny little heirloom cantaloupe on the right - these squash and melon seeds came (free!) from the community heirloom seed collection at our public library.  Fun!

Blueberry bush!

3 blueberry bushes in fact (2 little ones on the right) with our fig tree from last summer on the left, marigolds and parsley planted underneath as companion plants

Kale has finally been successful for us!  We have had bumper crops and loved it... Still could not figure out how to get spinach to grow, but who needs it with so much kale!

With peas... those will be pulled up soon and beans planted in their place for the summer.  The boys have LOVED picking peas right off the vine and eating raw in the yard.

Tomatoes in the raised bed - 6 of them with basil and marigolds, and carrots (of course) behind!

And this cutie, who is finally happy to eat some carrots, but only if pulled from the garden (just like his big brother).