twenty two months

M turned 22 months on the 20th. When I look back at baby pictures of the big boys and then at his I see such resemblance...
but yet, he is different in many ways than his brothers.
One being that he took the paci for maybe 6 months. Those who know my boys know they love their pacis and rarely want to part with them even at age 2.
The big boys never had lovies or stuffed toys they were overly attached to, but M walks around constantly with an animal or his "Nigh Nigh" blanket. He isn't really particular about which one it is (which I know makes things MUCH easier!) He is so sweet and affectionate and he's just so cute when he gives his animals "Five" or points out their eyes, ears, etc. and gives them kisses.

Most of our conversations start with "Maah Mee?!?!"
To which I answer, "Yes"
And he replies, "Ummmm...."
(hilarious how he already picks up on the flow of conversation)
Then he'll start all over or tell me that he wants to "Wok" (walk)
or he wants something to eat "Chee!" (cheese)
or he points out all the ball shapes he sees everywhere...."Bah! Bah!"

He is so very fun.

the school year begins

Summer passed quickly and the school year has begun. We did have some last minute, and I mean last minute, changes to the school and MDO that Grayson and Meade attend and it was really neat the way it all worked out.

They were both signed up to attend the school Grayson attended last year. We knew it would be a half day program for G which we felt would ease him in to full days next year. As the date approached we were just uneasy about having the boys in two schools in two different towns with completely different schedules, not to mention all the gas we'd be burning up! We really wanted G to be in a school that fed the school he'll attend next year. He had a precious class at the school he attended for K4, but I really felt that another year with them might make it sadder for him to leave in the long run. He is still at a flexible age and was content to attend school wherever.

This was literally a week and a half before the school we were registered with was to begin.
That Saturday I was out with a couple of friends antique-ing. One of them had previously taught at one of the more sought after preschools in our town. I asked them if I was crazy to try to get Grayson, much less Meade, a spot at one of these schools at such a late date. They encouraged me to try as most private K5 classes in Homewood are small due to the fact that the public school is great and most parents end up sending their kids there.
We prayed about it over the weekend and as the doors of the one within walking distance of our house opened on Monday, I was there!
Upon asking about the longshot of their having a spot open, the registrar told me they indeed had ONE!

ONE!

Needless to say we were thrilled! It was definitely an unexpected gift from the Lord.
Meade didn't have a spot at that time in their MDO program but was placed on the waiting list.
Two weeks later and 2 weeks before he was to start at the other MDO, the school calls to say that a spot opened up for him.

The whole experience has been wonderful so far and I write this more for myself and for the boys to reflect on God's providence and timing. I was so surprised by the spots opening up, but He wasn't.

That wasn't the only blessing. Sumner has done better than we hoped in the first few wks at his new school. We had some tears through the summer because he was understandably anxious starting a school where he knew kids in other grades, but not really his own... other than a sweet, little girl third cousin. We prayed God would send encouraging friends to him. We've had neighbors set up playdates just for him to introduce him to boys in his grade, one of which ended up in his class, is from a great family and is now a buddy he considers a great friend..AND his cousin is in his class!
We have much to be thankful for....

at sea

time is short...so few words here, but many photographs. they say it best really, anyway.

these are some of my favorite images from the beach this summer.

Wedding

can you tell this shot was taken BEFORE the ceremony and dinner?

with their favorite aunt

with Nerny-who, as always, was a huge help all weekend so Jamie and I could enjoy the festivities.

Mimosas backstage

Grandaddy Alton at the start of the service

Meade and Uncle Michael

loved the creativity the florist used. and i love detail shots at weddings :) so fun. aren't the colors delicious?

corraling the party animal

getting his groove on

Father/Daughter dance

Cousin Jenny and Lydia

Jamie and Becca..we love our baby cousins!

they're hitched!

(we took a LOT of photographs all weekend, so i had to break this up into three posts!)

Rehearsal

Friday evening was the rehearsal in the gardens and then we all enjoyed a great meal and toasts at John's City Diner downtown.

Molly+Jonas Wedding Weekend

brunch, cooked by Sherry and Grace, was divine...

the gift all the brides receive from the Ya Ya's...
jamie and i have one, too. it has the bride's new last name initial on the front and the Ya Ya's names on the back.

the view

Another big event for us this summer was the marriage of Jamie's sister, known around here as Aunt Molly. The weekend kicked off with a gorgeous bridesmaids' brunch steeped in lots of meaningful tradition at a friends' home on Smith Lake.

in our suite

we remembered to take a hostess photo after shower, but Lynds was already gone :(
catch ya next time!

in the Partay Wagon!

anything about these shots tell you that the boys use this little point and shoot alot? the smudgy screen and overall foggy look, perhaps?

looking very Boho chic in her maternity glory :)

July has been a month of celebrations in the Parris household. First, Gin's baby shower for sweet little Knox who is due next month. And then Aunt Molly's wedding (more on that soon)!
Sadly, I accidentally deleted most of the photos from Gin's shower, but did salvage some from our GNO following. We had a blast staying in a suite at the Tutwiler and hitting the town. Time with these dear friends is always sweet!

Summertime

We spent the 4th with some sweet friends who know how to throw a party! They live practically at the foot of Vulcan and we couldn't have asked for a better spot to view the fireworks.

Molly's festive decor

what a cutie

all my boys

watching the fireworks

some of the kiddos

M helping himself to some Cheerios

landscaping!

when all is quiet, this is usually where i find him...
on his way upstairs! a lot of times he will come to me, wave, and say "bye!"
and then head off. i know exactly what that means and where to find him...it's his way of giving me a heads up, i guess :)

swimming lesson treats with friends

Father's Day

Star Wars night at the Barons game

with our friends H and MH watching the Barons


I realized recently that I have not blogged all summer! It's been a fun one and one that has gone by too quickly...as they all do. We've had a lot going on and while it's never easy being home with 3 rowdy boys all day, I so love having them home! I enjoy the more relaxed pace and I always get so sad when it's time for another school year to begin. I am excited about the new school and helping Sum get acclimated there. I get so excited knowing that he's starting a community school where he'll be for all his school years (as far as we know!) and all the adventures and friendships those years will hold.We've been focusing on getting plugged in more specifically to our community this summer and what a treat it has been! We love it here and are so thankful! Here are a few highlights from our summer days and I'll be posting more of what we've been up to soon.