The mornings are cool, the leaves are changing, and the fall routine is in full swing. I've cleared my morning of meetings and appointments, settled in to a cozy armchair at a new favorite local cafe,  and am excited to reflect on the last three months of life with our bunch.
Here are The Sweetest Things of 2014, Q3,

1. Itty Bitty Coming into Her Own...these three months have shown a real personality burst in our tiny one. Though we all still call her the baby and treat her as such, she certainly is becoming a girl of her own (W)right. In a word, she is GOOFY.
   
   Goofy.
   
   Goofier.
   
   Goofiest.
   Though she has begun joining her sisters for playtime with dolls, chalk, bubbles, and crayons, she continues to enjoy playing with non-toy-toys as well.
   
   Just feeding her kitty... a bowl full of pantyliners.
   In early July, she began telling us 'secrets' which simply meant she'd get super close to one of our ears and make cute little whispering sounds and then giggle and walk away. She loves to dance and will begin to shake her booty at the slightest sound of a beat. She seems to have concluded that as long as her eyes are closed when she's in 'trouble', it doesn't count. {HA!} So, she'll close her eyes suuuuuuuper tightly and hang her head down when she's being corrected.
   
   "Hiding."
   
   Sitting and thinking.
   Looking pretty pitiful after clocking big sis in the head.
   She's still not putting words together too much, but she's saying tons of individual words. Her favorite phrase is certainly, 'No way!', which she screams at the top of of her lungs many, many, many times throughout the day.  She continues to fight diaper changes with the fury of a well trained warrior (at least when Mommy is the changer; she's far more agreeable for Daddy), and I wish I could say I always win the battle. More than once, though, I've given in, and diaperless she has gone. A favorite hiding spot for evading the change, is under Daddy's desk.
   
   Keep your meowing to a minimum, Kitty. She'll never spot us.
   
   Hard to be too upset with her fleeing 
   when I caught her surrounded by her beloved books.
   In early September, she strapped on a backpack that's just about as big as she is and headed off to her first day of preschool.
   
   The Baby. 
   The Baby going to school.
   School has been a wonderful experience for both of us. She absolutely LOVES it - runs in the classroom every morning and is in no hurry to leave a the end of the day. On the contrary, mealtimes, particularly at restaurants can be challenging with Wrighty around. She's likely to only eat the fruit portion of the meal and spend most of her time under, rather than in, the chair.
   
   Under a highchair. On the floor. Of a restaurant.
   (Wish I could say this was a rare occurrence.) 
   
   But? A cuter prayer-time-peeker I have never seen!
   I can barely believe that this little munchkin is weeks away from turning two. The baby who never cried has become the toddler who's tiny yet oh-so-fiesty, and watching her become her is just the best. 
2. Great Girlfriends...on a rainy Monday morning in July, I loaded up the girlies and hit the Krispy Kreme drive-thru. The dreary day brightened a teeny bit when I realized that the Hot Now sign was lit.
   
   I posted this picture on my InstaGram along with a caption reading. 'Got some bummer news. #eatingmyemotionsaway,' along with a silly teary-eyed emoticon. I began stuffing my face with the warm glazed goodness and didn't think much about my post. The next thing I knew, I began getting texts, FaceBooks messages, and phone calls from sweet girlfriends who just wanted to make sure everything was ok. I felt so loved! This was such a wonderful reminder that in the big and in the small, girlfriends are there! The 'bummer news', by the way, was that my most favorite preschool mom, my drive-thru soda soulmate, and her precious family of three girls -the last of whom is Wright's birthday twin! - would be moving to Dallas in less than two weeks. This was definitely a case of not knowing how much you love something - or someone, or someoneS, until it's gone.
   
   Our goodbye breakfast.
   Miss them beyond words.
   The past few months presented many opportunities for text-level bonding (what a hilarious phrase. Gotta love modern day communication!) with non-local friends. As those August days began to drag on and on and on, I loved being able to spend time texting with a friend and remembering that we are all in this together! Whether it's sharing dinner ideas, discipline suggestions, or silly celerity gossip those conversations are so meaningful. Also? Girlfriends are great at sending little surprises in the mailbox.
   
   Truth. Truth in a tea towel.
   A just because gift from a bestie in Oklahoma.
   Then, when I had a particularly rough couple of weeks in late September and had been especially, how did my friend put it? emotional,  I found a box on my front porch just before bedtime one evening.
   
   She listened. She heard me. I felt loved.
   {The card also mentioned the healing power of vodka. I felt both loved and known.}
   With little ones underfoot and schedules to keep, I've found it's difficult to get much actual face time in with girlfriends. Though social media and modern technology can at times feel burdensome, I love the way in which it allows me to maintain such strong connections to girlfriends. 
3. Squeezing in the Fun...the time between the big girls returning from Camp Tulsa and Carter starting first grade was about six weeks, but when I factored in our family beach trip and two weeks of drama camp for the biggest girl, there really wasn't a whole lot of time remaining. But, what time there was, we filled, and we filled it well! As long as the skies were clear, we could be found at the pool between 5:00-7:00 most every day.
   
   Swoosh. 
   Murphy: the fishiest of all fish. Rocked the diving board like a champ by summer's end.
   
   Seasoned vet.
   Carter: especially loved weekends or evenings when Daddy could join us.
   
   A tad water resistant.
   Wright: Mostly happy meandering around the poolside.
   We took time for playdates and special days with those who we don't get to see quite as often as we'd like. 
   
   We heart Maddex.
   {How could we not, really?! Look at those dimples!}
   
   Dress-up fun with our Lilly before she headed off for her summer of adventure.
   
   Cousins Carson and Kennedy paid us a visit on their way back home to DC.
   
   Up close and personal at Krispy Kreme on the morning after our sleepover.
   
   Murphy and Zachary. She calls him her boyfriend and adores him.
   Also? She bowled the highest score in her group. She still talks about her win!
   
   Meeting their newest cousin, Mason.
   He and big sis, Parker, came for a mid-week sleepover.
   
   Life Group Pool party. 
   Kids out the wazoo.
   
   One particular playdate was extra special: it included a wedding ceremony.
   They honeymooned in the creek behind our house. {No joke.}
   After a week that was filled with rain, we spent an unusually cool and sunny Friday at Romare Bearden park with Aunt Lala and her crew. 
   
   Stoked to see Homer make an appearance.
   
   Scrumptious.
   
   Typical.
   
   And, typical, as well.
   After all of our fun uptown that day, we headed back to our house for an afternoon filled with water balloons, mini-Mini Cooper rides, and general shenanigans. So. Much. Lemly Fun. 
   
   A mid-week trip to Great Wolf Lodge for more cousin fun!
   
   Murphy had the magic touch in the arcade.
   In addition to squeezing every last drop out of the summer time fun, we also tried to add a few new regular activities to our schedule. 
   
   Taco Tuesdays. Yum.
   Yielded my favorite mealtime prayer of the summer:
   'Dear Jesus, Thank you for mommy making this beautiful Taco Tuesday.' - Murphy
   
   Flying High at Food Truck Fridays.
   {We still go as often as we can.}
   My attempt at listing out our family's weekly dinner menu as well as a memory verse for the week, lasted, well, a week.
   
   A soft answer turns away wrath...
   I did love that Murphy ran to get the board, quoted the verse to me, and reminded me of its meaning when she caught me losing my temper with Wright who was losing her temper at me. 
   We paid Grandma Margie a visit for her 86th birthday. As always, the girlies both loved visiting with her as well as meeting some of her neighbors and friends.
   
   Precious snuggles.
   I was afraid I may have let the summer slip me by, squandered the time away; but as I look back, I don't think so at all. When I wasn't counting down the days till the school bell would ring, I was wishing time would slow down so it wouldn't.
4. All By Myself...Labor Day weekend brought me not only one of my favorite things of the quarter, but one of my favorite things in LIFE: time alone. As much as I adore my children and spending time as a family, and as much as I love one on one time with my sweet husband, sometimes I just need - long for, even- time all by myself. So while the big girls enjoyed a weekend at the beach with Pa and Nanny and Bitty Boo and Lindsay headed to Tulsa for some Pops, Misha, and Aunt Kiki bonding, I relished in the silence of an empty house. My weekend would likely be considered boring by most standards, but it was perfection to me. I was pretty much in organizational heaven. I got nearly 1500 photos put into albums - I'm still a year behind 'real time' on printing, but it felt like a huge accomplishment nonetheless!
   
   Finished six new albums over the weekend! 
   I also finished a project I'd started about a year ago of uploading all of my CDs onto my laptop. While working through all of these projects, I watched fun 'grown up' shows like The 80's: The Decade that Made Us and Oprah's Master Class interviews. Just watching what I wanted to watch - and eating what I wanted to eat - was a real treat! I cleaned out and filed away all of last year's school work.
   
   I heart neat and tidy. 
   [Still need labels.]
   I stayed up late, slept in, and binge watched Orange is the New Black all the way through. I did venture out one evening for a light dinner and wine with a friend, but beyond that, I was pretty much the homebody I hoped to be. I'll take a weekend home, alone, in my own house over a spa getaway any day! 
5. Appreciating the Quirks...I've been described as quirky more than a time or two, and I'd venture to say that the hubby has quite a few quirks of his own. So it really comes as no surprise that these little offspring of ours come with their fair-share of quirks. It is funny, though, to see the ways in which each girl's uniqueness begins to display itself. Others can see it, too. Carter's teacher got such kick out of Carter using her inside recess time to go around the room surveying the other students and tallying each's behavioral points! You know, just for a point of reference. {She. Is. Her. Mother's. Daughter.} 
   
   Forward fashion choices.
   
   Restroom reader.
   
   Makeup master. She kills the smoky eye.
   {Just to clarify, yes, she applies her own makeup. No, I never assist her.}
   
   After drama camp, excessive pout session.
   
   Thought Murphy would never be interested in learning to write...
   
   until the second she was motivated with a ruby red ring.
   Murphy's prayers lately have provided such a fun glimpse into her personality. Here are two of my favorites: 'Pray that Daddy gives us a lot of money.' (Rubies don't come cheap...) And, 'Thank you for Jesus dying on the cross. I hope He doesn't have to do that again.' (So she's got part of the story down...) Her use of adjectives like diamondish and grandish also provide color to her personality. 
   
   A single toy store trip yielded perfect example of the big girls' uniqueness.
   
   Looking darn cute as she was figuring out how to use her bow and arrow.
   
   If you'd told me two years ago that the first word I would write 
   on this prompt would be 'diamonds', I would have thought my child 
   was interested in shapes or geometry.
   So, while Murphy's quirks weave together to create the girliest girl imaginable, Carter continues her love of the outdoors, nature, and science. She has added fairies to her repertoire of obsessions, though, and I'll just say that keeping up with the fairies' role in our home is quite intensive.
   
   Handmade fairy house. Fairy treats. Fairy flowers.
   Carter's fairy, Flitter, often visits during the night leaving little notes behind.
   
   Carter's panties and Mommy's hat.
   Mini-Quirky in training.
   
   Sometimes, she asks to have her picture taken before school.
   And, when she does, she's sure to pose.
   
   A family nap. Not quirky, per se, but unique? Oh yes.
   The first time Carter napped in the past 3+ years. Snogging* away.
   {*Snogging: what Murphy calls snoring. Hilariously perfect descriptor.}
   I remember in my twenties I'd feel awkward when someone would call me quirky: not quite sure whether or not to take it as a compliment. But, one thing's for sure, these Lewellen ladies do not do boring. They do not do typical. They do not do same ole, same ole. And I wouldn't have it any other way.
   
   
   What a fun period of life that was to revisit! Our girls sure do make life sweet, and I'm grateful for who each of them is and who they are teaching me to be. I am so in love with my husband and can't imagine sharing this journey with any other human. 
   Life. Is. Sweet.

August Angst

We Lewellens had a wonderful summer, really we did. In mid-July, I found myself thinking, 'I am really not looking forward to school starting back up! Summer is just too. Much. FUN.' I loved the lazy days and the slow pace of not having any set place to be. And then, it happened.

The calendar page turned.

With the onset of August came an overwhelming sense of, 'If these kids don't go back to school I think I may...'  I'll have to allow your imagination to wander. I wouldn't want to put anything in print that could potentially land me in a straight jacket. Although, three weeks ago? That may have felt like a vacay. I kid. I kid.

The August days creeped by like those in June and July had not. And the girls.  OH MY. They fought. And they whined. And they fought. And they FOUGHT. Wright had more tantrums than I could even try to count, and more than once I just broke down right with her. One can only be physically assaulted after chasing and eventually wresting a 19 pounder to the ground all in an attempt to simply change a poop so many times without just losing your sh*t, ya know? 

Somehow, though, we made it. We ALL survived, and I am coming to you over halfway through our big girl's first week as a first grader and on the eve of the two littles' open house for preschool which is all set to begin next week. {That's right. Littles. Plural. Everybody's going to school! Woo-freaking-hoo.}

Overall, things have gotten off to a good start. The mornings are still rough for this non-morning Mommy. That first day, when my alarm went off at 6:40 AM, I thought for SURE it had to be the middle of the night. Realizing the sun was actually up and that I should be as well, I stumbled up the stairs to wake Carter. Poor thing. She sleeping like the dead, and I just could not rouse her. I carried her limp body downstairs and set her on the potty. She eventually came to and was generally pleasant, but these early mornings are definitely an adjustment. 

One thing I really did enjoy in August was taking Carter back to school shopping. We took advantage of some one on one time and created a fun little first grade wardrobe. When she walked out the door on Tuesday in this little ensemble, I melted. 

That tunic! Those leggings! And the glitter toe flats?! I mean...

And moments after she and her Daddy drove off I realized,

SHE HADN'T BRUSHED HER TEETH. oops.

One thing that I do find challenging about getting back into the swing of things when summer ends, is being on such a time crunch, particularly in the evenings. While summer days allow for flexibility in bedtimes, bath times, meal times, etc... school days need to be much more scheduled. So, this week I've been moving us towards an earlier dinner time than what we'd been accustomed to this summer. This morning I had a craving for Campbell's Tomato Soup. I haven't bought the stuff in years because of all the preservatives, high fructose corn syrup, etc... and have never fed it to the kids, but - out of nowhere - it sure sounded good. So, I did a quick Google search for a copy cat recipe. 

The first one sounded fantastic but took three hours to prepare and multiple moves to and from the food processor. (Strike one.) The second one seemed easy enough and the reviewers said it tasted just like the Campbell's, but it called for something called xanthan gum. 1) I don't know what that is and 2) I didn't want to go searching for it. (Strike two.) The third recipe I clicked on seemed easy enough, containing only six simple ingredients, most of which I already had at home. (We had our winner.)

I literally prepared this soup in the time it would take to open two cans of Campbell's, add the water to the condensed soup, and stir it together. It could not have been more simple. While it was simmering, I whipped up four grilled cheeses, and, and in fifteen minutes flat, dinner was served. 

My bowl with  added fresh cracked pepper on top. 

And with grilled cheese strips for dipping.

Such a comfort meal.

Threw in a few Annie's saltines with the girls' place settings.

I wish I could say that the soup was a hit for the whole family, but this is real life people. So here are a few glimpses as to how our family dinner went down... 

Carter, always the polite first-born, took five bites, kindly said, 'No, thank you,'

and then asked if it was ok to fetch the ketchup for dipping.

Murphy, flopped and whined around, asking how many bites she had to eat 

before she could go "dot-com" again.

(For the record, she ate zero, licked one, and spilt a giant spoon-full.)

Wright, before I was even three bites in to my own dinner,

decided to climb on to the table for a borderline tantrum.

And, at the conclusion of the meal, 

her grilled cheese looked like this. Completely intact. 

The hubby didn't get home from work in time to join us for this completely typical family dinner. I kept the soup simmering on the stove and made him a grilled cheese with pepper jack when he got home a little later. He seemed to like the soup; at least if he didn't he was able to remain in his seat for the duration of the meal and refrain from substituting it with ketchup for his main dish. 

As slowly as August began, I can hardly believe this week marks its end. I'm happy to be getting back into a routine. I still need to work on going to bed earlier and waking up earlier - perhaps trading in some of my Orange in the New Black binge watching for some book reading prior to the 11:00 PM hour. I know it will all come together, and I am hopeful that my sanity will be restored. 

{Till Christmas break, anyway...} 

Our Beachtastic Getaway

Every now and then when I sit down to write, I realize that what I'm writing will not likely be interesting to anyone beyond my immediate family or anyone who knows us in real life. Rarely do I document single events just for the sake of doing so, but every once in awhile we'll have some sort of experience that I'll realize I just don't want to forget. This was the case with our family's trip to the beach this year.

Unlike a lot of our friends who take several trips to the beach over summer, we only had one trip planned: a single week, so we had to make it count. Our trip was originally scheduled for the week following July 4, but Lindsay's work schedule required a change of plans. This rescheduling turned out to be a blessing in disguise as the girls were so much more comfortable in the water after that extra month of pool time, and we had the most gorgeous weather imaginable for the entire week. 

After a short, uneventful three and a half hour drive from Charlotte, we arrived at our favorite Wrightsville resort at around 4:45 on Sunday afternoon. We unpacked and got settled into our suite and then headed downstairs for a quick dinner. After which, we were all itching to get our toes in the sand.

My people.

I had no idea how much I needed this until I was there. That salty air. That sea breeze. The sounds of the crashing waves. I didn't realize how much I'd missed it or how calming and therapeutic it can be. Just watching them made my heart smile. Big. 

The girl who usually won't get even her pinky dirty 

wasted no time getting acclimated to the sand.

And, of course, posing. 

Sweet sleeping sisters. 

After a good night's rest was had by all, we began Monday morning by getting into a routine that went so smoothly that we continued it each day all week. We'd hit either the beach of the pool in the morning (and by morning, I mean around 10:30 or so), then the big girls would head to Kids' Club for two hours (which they LOVED) while Lindsay, Wright, and I had a quiet lunch, then we'd return to either the beach or the pool. Dinner was most often room service which we enjoyed on our ocean front balcony. The evenings varied but included nighttime swimming, a dive in movie, and a trip into town for ice cream and new hermit crabs. 

This one was initially unsure of her feelings of the sand/ocean.

She spent a lot of time saying 'Toes! Toes!' and wanting her feet to be cleaned.

Filling up our sand toy box with water made her so happy.

It was a daily 'must do'.

This girl. 

Ocean lover.

And, Murphy.

Sunning, of course.

Pestering.

One of my favorite pictures. Ever.

Wrighty quickly warmed up to both the sand and the water. In fact, she was the most comfortable and free in the ocean of any of our girls at a comparable age. 

Group shot - mid activity.

The water box had many uses.

The big girl requested a photo before round two on day one.

We weren't sure how sleeping would work out since we were all going to be staying in a single suite. Well, as it turned out, Little Miss Wright took on the sleeping habits of a teenager rather than a not-quite two year old. On Monday morning, we were shocked when she slept till nearly 9:30. Little did we know that the next two mornings, she would need to be woken up at ELEVEN AM! 

Rise and shine, Beautiful!

Apparently, sleeping behind plexiglass and INSIDE a shower is especially soothing for her. 

Cheetos. Simply cheetos.

The only appropriate breakfast after a nearly noon wake up time.

While Wright was catching some extra zzz's

Daddy was burying Murphy in the sand. 

Love them. So much. 

(And love their Daddy for snapping this pic.)

I was warming her up. She was cooling me down. 

Murphy woke up each morning asking to go to her 'class' (Kids' Club) and said throughout the week that it was her favorite part of each day. The girls loved the attention from the counselors (they were often the only kids there) and made crafts out the wazoo each day. Lindsay and I loved the early afternoon downtime and the chance for a little individual time with our Bitty Boo. 

Enjoying lunch with a view.

Checking out the lobby birds.

That moment when I gave in to a tantrum and let her hold her own ice cream treat.

Sandtastic.

Afternoon shallow sea fishing.

Pool time with Daddy.

These two got in some extra special beach bonding during the week.

Bedtime stories read by an overly-sunned big sister.

A morning gaze anticipating the day ahead.

Vacation agrees with her.

Adorable, super hip $9 swimsuits from Target agree with her Mom.

Late afternoon sand play with just my big girl.

(Though nobody napped all week, downtime for the littles was occasionally needed.)

Seagull chaser.

Precious.

Working on her potions.

Another day. Another ice cream treat.

That time I tired to take a picture of all three girls.

So hard to get a genuine smile from Number One.

Love this one.

Taking a break from the beach by making magic wands out of snail shells.

{Well, of course.}

Party the WRIGHT way.

I, mean, come on. How could we not take advantage of this photo op?!

Our Three.

{Turns out, you move the three down to the water's edge,

plop them down on a body board, and precious pics come pretty easily.}

That sums up a pretty standard beach trip I suppose, but for us, this was such a wonderful week. We made memories, and realized that vacations actually can be relaxing and enjoyable even with young children involved. We were sad to head home and are all itching for our next oceanic getaway. Moments after we arrived home, as I was still unloading the car, I walked into the art room to see this single word written by Carter on our chalkboard wall:

Looks like we were all left with the same feeling.

{And, there really is no "i" in family.}