few

My heart is heavy 

and tonight, 

my words few, 

but this...

this can brighten the darkest days...

:)

sister brother

I put Nora in an outfit of Cate that I remembered having pictures of her in, in hopes of comparing the girls and finally concluding that they look alike.

However!

I was wrong.

The girls... look nothing alike. Truthfully. Nothing!

But Corban and Nora...

definitely related. 

Very similar. 

As I looked through Corbans baby pictures, I saw Nora in so many of them. 

She definitely very much favors her Daddy's family. (I think she looks an awful lot like her Uncle Isaac's baby pictures... now. At one point it was her daddy, and then her uncle Taylor, but now it's Isaac. She's definitely a McG!!!)

It's fun to look back and compare... and so incredible to see how differently they are all made.

:)

five on friday

1. After saying, 'no' or 'don't do that' or 'sit down' or 'stop poking Nora' a gazillion times today, and after trying all safe and legal forms of discipline following those statements, I have decided two things:

2.5 is the hardest age ever, and it's time for me to read, 'The Strong-Willed Child.'

MmHmm. That little girl... I love her crazy spontaneity, the way her brain fires and fires and fires, her fierce determination, her tender and sweet heart, but man oh man oh man... I've never met another like my Cate Taylor. Except for my husband, perhaps. :)

2.  We experienced a birth and death within twenty four hours this week. Both stopped me in my tracks and reminded me how fragile life really is... how tomorrow isn't a promise.. and how good God still is. Our best friends who are home from St. Kitts for the birth of their son gave birth to a precious and perfect little boy, but the Lord's grace and protection are all over the story. Long story short- Wendi's placenta was beginning to abrupt-- lots and lots and lots of blood... got to the hospital, realized what was happening, was taken back for an emergency c-section and all are fine now. Praise God for his protection. and for Mr. Keaton Lee!:

(with his Daddy, Brandon)

Just a few weeks ago, it was discovered that Jordan's uncle Kevin had a tumor on his liver. Just over a week ago, they did surgery to remove it... which ended up being incredibly complicated, lasting over 12 hours, etc., and he didn't really recover. Just one week after his operation, he passed away. My heart is so broken for our Aunt Dee (and for the rest of the family). I really really really despise cancer. Still.

3. On a lighter note, the 3rd annual JD Taylor golf scramble is this weekend! A forecasted 72 and sunny, a COMPLETELY FULL roster (36 teams!!!), and time spent honoring my brother and blessing another family in need... should be a perfect day. I'm so thankful for all the hard work that goes into this and they way the community comes together to help another family and to remember JD. So thankful (and a shoutout to Jill!! You're amazing!!)

4. It's cold. I like it. I also really like pumpkin spice lattes. And hoodies. And all those other things about fall.

5. A hodge podge of pictures, because I'm out of time:

(grown in our garden! Best I've EVER tasted!)

Happy Weekend!

up to date

I just spent way too long looking back at blog posts from the last few months. I really am thankful to have this blog to document our lives, even though my postings have been so sporadic as of late. I have much much much too much to do right now, but it's so close to bedtime and I'm too tired to start something new, so why not take a few minutes to update?!

Let's see...

we've been busy. Such is life, right? :) The past two weekends have been really refreshing, though, and I'm thankful for a little lull in the busyness.

Corban is really and completely adjusted to preschool, and he loves it. I am simply amazed at the rate that he is learning! Everywhere we go, he reads all the letters... Before we know it, he'll be reading. I think he's going to love it (and love learning) like I always did. That makes this mama glad. I don't know if I mentioned it on here yet or not, but he has also learned to bike without training wheels recently and has developed a love for rock climbing. (Wonder where those hobbies come from!? just kidding. Have you met my husband?) We've transitioned from baseball to football season, so all waking moments involve the pigskin. A lover of sports my boy is. And I wouldn't want it any other way. 

Cato Potato is loving her mornings with just mama. She spends lots of time with me, doing whatever I'm doing. I'm really thankful for that... for a lot of reason. Of course, I love the sweetness of the time with her, answering her millions of questions, showing her how to fold towels and clean tables, but I also love the lack of worry involved in my mornings when she's only by my side and not emptying her dresser or dumping cereal on the kitchen floor. ;) She's doing a gymnastics class right now, and really enjoys it. She (like most 2.5 year olds) has a hard time staying on task, waiting her turn, etc., but she gets really excited about going and likes to try all the new things.

Nora James is the sweetest thing since... I don't know?!.. chocolate cake? :) She's wonderfully sweet and charming. Seriously. Spend a few minutes with my baby girl and you'll be smitten. She's crawling all over the place and pulling up and cruising. Already, yes. She has the CUTEST wave I've ever seen and started saying 'hi' to accompany it today. She also claps now, too. Approaching 9 months old. I wish I could freeze frame this time with her. I've never met a calmer, more content and pleasant baby. What a precious gift she is. They all are. Oh, how I love being mama.

:)

Let's see...what else?

The pumpkin spice latte is back.

We've had lots of the kind of weather that makes me remember that I love Indiana. 

This weekend brings the 3rd annual JD Taylor golf scramble.

I got a pair of Gap jeans for 99 cents this weekend, from the gap clearance store.

and $6 pink boots for Caters.

More importantly, I had an incredible weekend on the women's retreat with some very dear friends.

God is good. And faithful. and working and stirring. It's good.

I have had lots of photo sessions and am so so backed up with my editing. 

I don't love deadlines looming.

I do love/hate procrastinating.

Why must I be wired this way?!

I often wish I was one who loved order, who naturally had a life of organization, who always had a schedule under control and life mapped out.

No such luck.

Dang.

I always go to bed too late.

And I must stop this random non-sense.

Goodnight!

labor day

As I said yesterday, we took the day to just relax and enjoy. We normally have youth group Sunday and a Bible study on Monday, and we called both off and just had the days as family days. Much needed, and we all feel relaxed and refreshed. I'm really thankful for that.

Sorry for the picture overload- I'm trying to do a better job documenting our days.

SO- tons of pictures.

Hope your long weekend was great as well!

 

I'm still alive, in case you were wondering.

:)

Busy.

Working.

Adjusting.

Settling in.

Lots of 'new' around here. 

New routines, new roles, new school. 

But it's good. We forced some time off this weekend, a chance to be a family, to enjoy one another, to simply relax... and it's been refreshing.

We're finishing off the weekend with a date tonight, just my husband and I.

There's so much we could be doing around the house, so many projects lined up, but this weekend, today.. the down time is more important.

That picture above?

I'm in love. 

Those babies, that man, the joy... 

so blessed, so thankful.

Back to editing... 

(it's hardly working, as I'm snuggled up next to Jordan, laying with a blanket on the couch while he watches a movie. I AM relaxing, don't you worry.)

:)

Happy Labor Day!