together.

this year, i was most thankful for togetherness.

it's not easy gathering in one place
when each of us lives in our own corner of the world.

we had a whole weekend to:

share the same bathroom. again. (good times.)
argue over who's turn it is to do the dishes.
"borrow" clothes.
play clever pranks on each other.
tattle.

to see the kids develop their own precious little relationships
with the people we know and love so much. our family.

to be reminded of where they get so many of their traits.

to watch court's eyes light up at the first sight of a real princess.



to realize that hayden was just as upset as i was to leave.
because he gets that it was so special and happens not often enough.

to see my mom & dad with all four of their grandchildren at once.
and take their picture together.



to meet my adorable nephew malaki.
and get to finally be his aunt.
and know sam as a mama. at long last.



to see how my sofia has grown.
and sing her a song. because she doesn't judge.
and make her giggle. and see her mom giggle because she's giggling.
and her daddy cringe over glitter.



to wonder where chris and court have gone off to.
and discover that they went alligator "hunting".
as if it's something they do all the time.





i took a bunch of pictures. (by a bunch i mean, like, 900.)
most of the time, i was frustrated by the light.
it wasn't perfect. crisp. clear. sparkly.
(until, of course, i met a few million fire ants. pretty much ruined the moment.)

i'm so glad i realized how very little that mattered at the time.
we were together.




thanks for vacuuming the fire ants out of my shoe, dad.
(and for making andy rub aloe all over my feet!)