Burning off energy

Why is it that kids have so much energy to burn?  And I'm so tired all the time?  Even looking at Devon and Dean running around and jumping every five seconds makes me tired.  The only way to tire them out is to take them outside and let them loose.  Thank God for the playground!






I love how Dean is watching Devon in this picture. I know he's thinking... "Why can't I do that?"

And Firoze has energy to burn too, so we packed everyone up for a perfect night in Piedmont Park...



We got to see Firoze playing soccer! (He's the one in the black jersey at the center of the photo)



And the boys were mesmerized...





But Dean couldn't sit still for long. This boy has a need for speed!



Do you ever see a photo and say "that is sooooo Dean" and something about that photo is their personality? Well, this is that photo. This is Dean... mischievous, playful, fast, independent, dangerous and happy-go-lucky!



And he made it about halfway across the field before I could catch him! How is it possible that a one year old can outrun me?



It was a perfect night because we were all together...



And that's what matters most.

To my 5 year old...

Dear Devon,

Happy Birthday to my you, my darling Devon!

I can't even believe you are 5 today. These 5 years have flown by. Everyone says "Enjoy every minute because it goes so fast" and they are right. I remember the day you were born and all those emotions - nervous, scared, excited, happy, exhilerated, tense, overjoyed and in love! I was in love with you from the moment I laid eyes on you. You were the sweetest baby I had ever seen.



Your first year was a hard one. Sometimes I would watch the seconds tick by.... tick, tick, tick, tick... and would listen to you crying helplessly for hours on end and think "is this ever going to end?"  The crying finally did end, but it took a long time.  You were so cute - even strangers would stop in the street and tell me how cute you were! By the end of the first year, we knew how smart you were. If we asked you "who is the President?" - you could say in the cutest little baby voice "Barack Obama" and you melted our hearts!



By your second year, you were running around and talking up a storm. You called me "my darling" whenever you really wanted something. You batted your sweet eyelashes and you had us wrapped around your finger. Everyone says "terrible two's," but when you turned two, I got to know you and you were so much fun to be around. I thought two was my favorite age!



By three, you were not a toddler anymore. You turned into a boy overnight. You talked like a little grown up and knew so many things. You were a little sponge... absorbing every little detail about life. You constantly asked questions and wanted answers. Not kid answers, but the real answer. You lined up all your animals according to type, hundreds of little figures organized on our coffee table with such precision. You loved airplanes and we loved you!



By your forth year, you were growing so fast. Every few weeks, your pants would be too short. You were the ultimate big brother, watching out for Dean and listening to make sure he wasn't crying. Every morning, you would wake me up and whisper "Deanie's up. I hear him." Your favorite thing was and still is dinosaurs and your knowledge is impressive. You surprise me with the amount of details and the scientific words you know about dinosaurs. You are confident, careful, dipomatic, expressive, careful, and loving. You are my sweet boy.



And now you are five. You are such a little man. You amaze me with the things you say. Even yesterday, I asked you to be careful wrestling with Dean because Dean is just a baby. And you stopped and said "But he walks now and has all his teeth. He looks like a human." A human? Where do you get these things?! You make me laugh, just by being you. You have started to be independent and to make your own decisions. Sometimes you don't even want to give me a hug and I see how you are becoming my little man, not my cuddly boy anymore. But that's ok, because I'm so happy to be around you. I feel so lucky and blessed to have you.



So, to my sweet 5 year old... I love you.

Happy Courtney Day!

It's September 17th and that means it's Courtney's birthday!
Happy Birthday to my sister and my best friend!




Reasons why we love you so much...

You are a true friend, always caring and always supportive to everyone in your life.  You can make me laugh harder than anyone else!  You are a great mom to your boys.  You are way more photogenic than me. :)  You show love to all your friends and family and wear your heart on your sleeve.  You are not afraid of bugs or criminals, or things that go bump in the night.  You always write comments on my blog and are always there to pick up the phone at 8:45am to chat.  You are the glue in our family and we love you so much!



And you know how to keep 4 kids under control better than me!  Devon and Dean send hugs and kisses to you, Aunt Coco!!




I'm so thankful to have you in my life. 

Happy Birthday Court! XOXO

Fall Favorites

How many times do I have to say it?

I love fall!

I really love fall. I love everything about it. I love when the leaves change colors and the whole world looks warm and golden. I love when the sun goes down around 6pm and the air is cool. I love getting cozy and lighting candles in the house. I love sweaters and boots on me and newsboy caps on my boys. I LOVE apple cider and cinnamon sugar donuts. I love the smell of burning leaves and pies baking. I love soups bubbling on the stove and cheese melting on chili.

Here are a few of my favorite fall things...

Soup pots on the stove

Pumpkin pie candles burning

Fresh baked banana bread with melting butter

The last corn of the season and the BEST corn ever!

A freezer full of 30 ears of shucked summer corn, 5 homemade soups, and "everything" bagels.... home SWEET home!

Babies in knitted sweaters (thanks Elizabeth... even better the 2nd time around!)

Even cuter in knitted sweaters and matching hats!

With an impish grin

Ready for fall with rugby stripes

Getting cozy with a knitted pillow

Fall + flannel = LOVE

Devon, Devon what do you hear? I hear a Dinosaur, roaring in my ear!

Love hats on kids!

My sweetest boy...


Relaxing...

And jumping for joy!


I hope you are enjoying fall as much as we are!

Together Again

"Wherever you are, it's your friends who make your world." - William James

My world is made so much better by the addition of Debbie and Bethany, true friends that feel more like sisters.

When Bethany lived in Atlanta, it was so much fun to hang out and cook and spend the whole evening in our favorite pajamas. Now that she's in Memphis, it feels extra special when we can all be together again.

We had so much fun, just hanging out, antique shopping, cooking up a storm and snuggling Grayson. We got to relax in our pjs, watch our babies playing and catch up... it was perfect!

We ate our way around Atlanta, from our kitchens to all the great restaurants Atlanta has to offer. We had Debbie's gourmet veal meatloaf sandwiches, my Barefoot Contessa filet mignon dinner, French macarons, Viatnamese banh-mi sandwiches, and Antico Pizza's hot bubbling thin crust pizza. But Bethany's birthday dinner was our final stop. We surprised her with dinner at Empire State South!



We shared the most glorious chesse plate for our appetizer and even had a little taste of Grayson cheese. (yes, that really was the name) Tragically, my only photo of this beautiful cheese plate was the scraps that remained after we had pillaged it. Ha! You know it's good when you literally *eat* your photo opportunity!



Why take pictures of people, when you can take pictures of their food? It's so much more flattering! :)

"Looking good Bethany!"

"Bon Appetit Debbie!"

"Hey there sexy!" (Firoze)

Ok, now you know what they ate. If dinner was the contest, I was the winner! Here is my glorious dish...



It was grouper, on a bed of "rice grits" (which is basically like a risotto), cooked in butter, cheese and bacon. Oh my. It was to-die-for amazing. I'll be seeing this dish in my dreams for years to come. Do you dream about the best things you ever ate? I do. :)

Like any perfect dinner, it had to end with the perfect coffee. And it was perfect. Vintage mug, retro biology-lab style glass pitcher, some fancy Ethiopian type coffee bean.... how cute is this?



On the way out, Bethany modeled her glamourous vintage find. Note the gorgeous waterfall pleats in the back that give it that volume! Happy Birthday Girl!



And we worked it like the Kardashian sisters...


Do you notice that space between Debbie and I? There is a fourth diva in this picture. Can you spot her? Her name is Lauren Bacall. She has exotic skin and she is the most gorgeous shade of orange. :)

On the way home, we laughed so hard that we might have peed a little on Bethany's new car. It's ok... we'll still blame Grayson.

That's what good friends are all about, the girls you can glam it up with, laugh so hard that you cry, and then go home and change into your favorite pjs! Debbie and Bethany.... you two are the BEST!

Oh Abigail...

So, my sweet friend Annie had been hoping and dreaming about a baby. I think more than anyone else I have known, she has truly wanted a baby from the depths of her soul and had to go through a lot to have this little one. She got her wish with baby Abigail, born last month. I got to hold this precious little one on her birth day - day one. That was an honor and something I'll always remember. About a week after she was born, I went for a visit and took a few pictures. I think this is the cutest baby I have ever seen... And she is a little angel too! With Devon and Dean, I always had the idea of taking these pictures with my new babies posing in baskets or garden pails, or all the hundreds of other amazing photo props that I see in pictures on Etsy. Seriously, go on Etsy.com and just search "baby hat" and you'll see what I mean. Anyways, my boys would have their eyes wide open and as soon as I tried to prop them in anything, they would start screaming. Not sweet Abigail, she was happy to be propped in a basket and slept....well, like a baby... through the whole thing. And I even caught a fleeting little newborn smile! Isn't she like a little doll? So, Annie... Enjoy your precious gift, your beautiful girl. She is truly an angel and you are so blessed to have her. I know the love you have for her and she is lucky to have a mama like you! I am so happy for you and can't wait to shop for all the amazingly cute girl clothes that I have had to pass up all these years. Now Abigail is going to have to let me play dress up with her every once in a while!