These Little Moments...

So many of the images I capture these days are iPhone pictures. Most of the time I do share them with the social media world via Instagram or Facebook, but I wanted to pull some of my favorites together for this post. It's been a memorable summer, with a few weeks left to go, thankfully. I'm not quite ready for this particular summer to come to an end. It was during these June and July days that my baby boy turned two years old, we celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary, and my daughter enjoyed some of her last pre-kindergarten days with her mommy. Lots of beautiful, bittersweet things happening in my life right now. We've celebrated birthdays and babies, enjoyed the company of friends and their children, eaten frozen yogurt until we're practically sick of it... For me personally, it's been a summer of stretching and challenging myself physically (seriously, I thought I hated running). I also made the decision to step away from some of life's social dis...

I love everything about the 4th of July: the festivities held in honor of our country and our freedom, the gathering of family and friends, folks dressed in their red, white, and blue, and of course, the fireworks. This year, we drove to celebrate with our good friends in Dallas, NC.  We had been so concerned about the weather; the clouds seemed prepped and ready to unleash afternoon storms during most of our visit. We were lucky, however, and the kids were able to enjoy playing outdoors. Duff is Katie and Bryan's yellow lab. Gracie fell in love with him during our trip to the mountains two years ago. Ethan, being a dog-lover, also had fun with this sweet, gentle lab. Once we decided we were going to forge ahead with our plans to grill out, Sean and Bryan made a quick trip to the store. When they returned, the kids were thrilled to discover they'd also purchased sparklers and poppers (which make loud popping sounds when thrown... or stomped on). ...

Last year, Sean, the kids, and I began our July 4th celebration on the streets of downtown Kernersville. My family has enjoyed our town's annual parade for years now. Before the parade begins, however, there is a 5k race, which my mom and step-dad happened to be running in. We were so excited when we spotted Nana from our places on the sidewalk. We cheered her on, even though she was totally in her zone and didn't hear us. I joked later that I might be out there running in 2013... Fast forward a year... I ran my first 5k race! This is an accomplishment I never saw coming. I never even ran a full mile, no walking, until a couple of months ago. But, I'm excited! I feel motivated to continue and will be signing myself (and Sean) up for another race soon! I've even been joking that there's a 10k in my future... My mom and step-dad also ran this year. They are amazing. I was especially impressed with my mom. She won third place for her age group and beat a LOT o...

If  beautiful  is a feeling, then I felt it this past weekend. My arms were almost constantly filled with a child; my heart was completely full of the kind of love and joy one experiences when surrounded by the warm, opened arms of loved ones. What made this weekend extra special for me was the bringing together of two sides of my family. Sean’s grandparents welcomed my sister and her family into their home and hearts, gifting them with the opportunity to make the kind of memories I already hold dear, while also radiating sincere hospitality and love. We arrived Friday evening and were greeted by Grandma, Granddaddy, and a hot meal. Our expectations were already exceeded. Slow-cooked meatballs, mashed potatoes, fresh fruit. Grandma didn't have to do that for us, but she did, and her generosity set the tone for our weekend. My kids love babies. They are really enjoying their little cousins! Ryleigh Michele turned 3 months old on June 30th. Gracie had a blas...