Lately

Lately, the weather has been gorgeous. Warm, breezy, and perfect for keeping a 3 yr old plenty busy. It was even warm enough to start playing in the water again.
Noah doesn't really like the feel of swim diapers. In fact, I think he hates them. He never wants to play in the water when he has them on. So finally last week, I decided to let him do what every toddler loves to do when it's warm... play with no pants.

 

 

Lately, I'm thankful for Spring (kind of related to the above, but just go with it). I've decided that it's impossible for me to have a favorite season. They're all my favorite. But if I had to choose, I'd say Spring... simply for the colors and general happy moods of everyone around.

The only ones who aren't as happy are the carpenter bees buzzing our heads. Thankfully, they never really seem too bothered by us. However, they were not pleased I was closing in on their flowers. Apparently, those are off limits. I'm sure my neighbors got a good laugh at seeing me try to grab some pretty flower shots while dodging dive-bombing bees.

 



Lately, I'm thankful for friends, bonfires, and smores. Some friends of ours have the best back yard for get-togethers, so I always get excited to get one of their invites. The whole thing is usually super relaxed... we all bring a snack, sit by the fire, check on the babies. With Noah, parties are a hit or miss thing. Sometimes he gets overwhelmed and hides in the corner.
But I discovered what makes the difference for him last weekend. If we're the first ones to arrive, he has time to adjust to the surroundings and the extra people trickling in, instead of walking in to lots of commotion. When he needs a break, he finds himself a spot to be alone (this time it was a spot of dirt next to the bunny run). In any case, it was so nice for me to just relax and watch him have so much fun.

 

This is what is known as a "Kemper face". They all have it. It's this natural look they get that says, "Dude, what the heck is wrong with you?" when they think someone is being stupid. They can't help it.

 

 

Lately, I'm thankful for family. I know a lot of people dread family reunions, but I love mine. My (great) aunts are hysterical, along with my grandmother. They crack me up. I'm also a little partial to this particular one, because it's called the "Hailey Reunion". :) And this time, my brother's little boy, Bentley, got to come. He loves Noah so much and follows him everywhere.

 

I love this one. Noah's all, "Dude, calm down..."

 



(my MamMaw is the one on the far left... and yes, that's my sister photo bombing it)

 

Happy Monday!!

an announcement of sorts

And no, I'm not pregnant.
Seems silly, but I like to get that disclaimer out of the way before anybody gets too excited.

However, this does have to do with babies. Just not mine.

Sometimes there are things that I don't post about on my blog. Actually, there are often things I don't post. While certain aspects of my life would definitely help spice up the content around here, usually these stories aren't really mine to tell. While I myself am not all that complicated or interesting, I've got lots of family and friends to make up for it. :) But like I said, these stories aren't mine to tell. Sharing certain pieces of information would more than likely affect people I love. Even if I meant it in a positive way, there's still a chance it would get misconstrued and wind up hurting someone else.
Bloggers walk a fine line of sharing too much or not enough. :)

There's a certain facet of my life that I've been dying to share on here for the last two years. But I had to wait for the right time.

I have a nephew. My brother's baby.

Meet Bentley:

(totally stole this from his momma's FB photos. Hope that's okay, Marah!)

I've actually included him a few times on this blog (here and here and I swear I have a picture of him a couple weeks after he was born, but can't seem to find it) , but I was a tad bit sneaky about it.
There was a bit of drama surrounding Bentley and his birth, which I won't go into on here. Frankly, it doesn't matter anymore. While I was absolutely never embarrassed or trying to hide him, I also wanted to respect everyone involved. So that's why I haven't said anything. But things are good now... more than good, actually. He has a Momma and Daddy who love him, along with lots of family who think he's the best. You have no idea how happy I am for him. For everyone.

Little B just turned two a couple of weeks ago. And oh my goodness, he is so sweet and so cute. He's silly and fun, and while he has plenty of his Momma in him, he looks SO much like my little brother.

So yeah. I'm just excited to finally get to include him on here with all of you.
This little guy is so special, and I'm so happy he's here and in our lives.

Happy Thursday!