Just hanging with the Gillies

Here's a few more glimpses of our sweet time with the Gillies while they were here!

 Cade and Abby Jane were absolutely thick as thieves the whole time. They were always having these private conversations wherever they were. They seemed to have so much chatting to do and things to discuss.

 The younger set getting ready for a treat from everyone's favorite Mimi!

 Mmmm football brownies...

 Some dear friends of Ken and Sandy let us use their pool one morning- so here we are swimming in October- SO fun and a little chilly.

 Shocker- Joy was the first kid in!

 Cade did some fantastic swimming- which is especially great as spring and summer are just now approaching in New Zealand, and he's fresh off a winter of no swimming pools!

 Water guns were a big hit with the boys!

 Blythe making her trademark lemonade.

 She's seeming more and more grown-up to me every second. Where's the brakes...

Tailgate TIme!

Last month we headed down to Auburn for a day of tailgating with sweet friends! I think one of my very favorite things as a parent is sharing gameday on the Plains with our girls.

We got to celebrate Lauren, in her cute little chevron shirt in the middle, who is expecting her little one imminently now! So fun to spend the day with these sweet friends!!!

 Getting a little tired, a lot sticky, a bit sweaty, and very full bellies- tailgating at its finest.

 The twins playing with sweet Asher!

The highlight of the day for Abby Jane, perhaps one of the hight points of her life to date, was seeing the "fancy girls!"

 Practicing for call-outs.

Such a fun day in our sweet Auburn!

Gillies First weekend in town!

The Gillies came for a visit from New Zealand in mid-September! There aren't words for how wonderful it is to be with folks you love after a long year away. We kicked off their three-week visit with a chock-full weekend!

Friday night: went to watch the Canes game and see Bop Bop on the field with the players. And yes, Blythe wore her sunglasses the whole time.

This one is for anyone else who loved "Friday Night Lights"- Jake and I got a little obsessed last year when it came out on Netflix.

 There's our Bop Bop waving! He might as well have been a celebrity. There is not much cooler than seeing your grandpa on a football field.

 Joy and Jane were pretty into the game. And the cheerleaders.

 Saturday: playing at Mimi and Bop Bop's, watching Auburn play, going to a local festival called Roselawn.

A big weekend makes a girl need her coffee. JK JK, she likes to hold Jake's coffee cup to warm her hands!

 Sunday night: paddle boarding and picnic at the lake. It was fun seeing the kiddos pick up where they left off. Janie and Cade are like peas in a pod- there is very little in a kids' life better than fun with cousins!

Odds and Ends of September

Jake caught on camera a particularly accessorized right foot belonging to...

 the little lady in the sunglasses.

Don't underestimate this girl. She may have just mastered running in a straight line in August, but the girl can probably run faster in my heels than I can. Also do not be fooled by the big girl panties. She remains un-pottytrained as of now.

In looking over September's pictures, I was struck by how many pics I have of Jake with the girls. This is significant because he continues to be up to his neck writing, working til all hours on his dissertation. But he has done a magnificent job of still being a present and involved daddy.

Often the treat for finishing your dinner is getting to go climb up on Daddy. This is a pretty common sight.

A lip balm eater raided my bathroom. Can you see the teethmarks? This is pretty disgusting to me, texturally speaking. I can't imagine intentionally eating lip balm. Apparently between Joy and I, that makes one of us.

Abby Jane and I discovered that Joy is old enough to learn how to play Crazy 8's. That was pretty amazing to me. I think kids are underestimated all the time. (Don't you wear fancy silk dresses when you play Crazy 8's?)

Labor Day

Yup, it's October and I'm backing up to Labor Day. But it was a fun weekend, so here's a bit more of what we did, other that watch football.

 "Wait for us, Daddy!"

 What happens when you get too many cooks in the kitchen... and one of them is Joy...

 Denver was born to a very special friend of mine!

 We hit the pool for one last hurrah with Grammy!

 This lady had a big, big summer of swimming, and she already can't wait for next year!