Just months after I started this blog nearly five years ago, The Sweetest Things posts became a quarterly staple. They offer me a time to intentionally take pause and reflect on our life, and our family,  and all the good things that we've experienced. And now, that I seem to have less and less time to write, this quarterly 'review' is sometimes the only blogging I do over the course of a couple months.
This time though, I've struggled with getting it done. I've found it difficult to focus on the sweet during a period that has included so many trials and so much heartache. We found out that we were, quite surprisingly, expecting a fourth child, and that information took awhile to soak in and quickly brought along all the not so fun first trimester pregnancy symptoms for me. Lindsay suffered an injury that lead to an operation with a lengthy recovery time. And, the very day after Lindsay's surgery, my grandmother passed away.
So, though I knew it was time to get this post written, I have dragged my feet. It's time though. Time to move on from a season that has included uncertainty and challenges and heartbreak, and recognize that in the midst of it all, joy was always there.
The Sweetest Things of 2015, Q3....
[And, now, a full week has passed since I typed the above. Writing for me has always been a release, enjoyable, cathartic. Getting this done is starting to feel like a chore, and that's not what I want it to be. So, rather than my typical numbered narrative, this Sweetest Things entry will be mostly pictures and captions. If you're not interested in looking at lots of pics of my peeps, I'd suggest you move along this time.]

My mom, my girls, and me.

The first day of the quarter also happened to be my birthday.

Had no idea my 37th year was going to be full of so much surprise.

Aunt Kiki and her nieces. 

We had a BALL during her visit to Charlotte. Love her so.

Wedding weekend in Atlanta.

Occasionally, we both look like grown ups.

Seeing all these folks is just too much fun.

Must. Get. To. NYC. ASAP.

July included a couple weeks of camp for the biggest girls.

Carter proudly showing off her art camp creations. 

July also included super late nights for the Daddy who was closing a deal.

So, girls' nights for us. Cheers!

Pool dinner picnics. 

Sweet sisters.

She looks so old, that I could crumble.

We put on our hosting hats and enjoyed a fun summer evening with our Life Group.

Occasionally, the long summer days got to us.

At times, we all felt like we were losing our minds.

Wright and Maddex.

Cuteness. Overload.

Those lil grins. Melt.

First book I've finished in a LONG time.

So good. Extra special as it was a mailed surprise from a dear friend.

You know, just the typical attire for a night of Hibachi.

Needing makeup lessons from Miss Murph.

My honest-to-goodness favorite part of the summer has to be our quick Oak Island getaway with some of our besties. Wright took a trip to Nanny's house, so it was just the big girls, me, along with a true soul sister {I mean, this girl GETS me, really gets me} and two of her three littles. The chatting, the laughing, the ocean breezes, the adult bevvies, made this trip just what I needed. Unbeknownst to me at the time, it was the true calm before the unknown coming storm.

Murphy + Skye.

Instant bond. So adorable together.

Murphy broke out her caboodle for back porch makeovers.

Three lovely little ladies.

Carter + Isaac.

Searching for treasures.

He was leery of hanging with a girl,

but her adventurous spirit seemed to win him over.

Bridges.

We'd just gotten word that Lindsay's deal had closed. 

WOOOO HOOO! Cheers to all!

Just digging a hole.

Perfect hole for a group photo.

Sure hope life provides opportunities for many more fun times with these peeps.

Junk food for dinner to celebrate the premier of The Descendants.

That one time Wright pretended she wanted to vacate her cribby for a big girl bed.

I found her two hours later crawling around her bedroom floor deliriously.

She's back in the cribby.

Fun Friday night for Carter and Dad at Panthers' Fan Fest.

And my view on the same Friday night.

Life Group pool party. 

Always a fun time with these folks.

Murphy's first sleepover.

Sharing a sink with her third sister.

Silly girls had idea of sleeping in the nook on sleeping bags,

but eventually opted for comfort instead of novelty.

Murphy's decided to give gymnastics a shot.

At least she's got the pose down.

Our annual summer sleepover with cousins, Molly and JoAnna.

Night swimming + a cookie cake.

What could be better?

Had to capture this sweet face.

She may save all her kisses for Daddy, but she still has my heart.

Showcasing the Queen City on a hot summer afternoon.

Our family beach trip that had been delayed earlier in the summer took us to Wrightsville the week before big school started. It also happened to be two days after we found out that we had number four cooking. So, emotions were running high and rain was falling when we arrived in Wrightsville. Not to mention, Miss Murphy was SICK, so sick. Our first night included little sleep for either of us, and lots of hurling for her.

Beach. Day one. Spent almost seven hours at urgent care.

Fortunately, day two brought spunk and spirit back to the Murph.

Miraculously!!!! the rest of us managed to stay healthy.

Hot tubbing it with Daddy.

Sweetest little lifeguards there ever were.

Still honing those hole digging skills.

And still posing.

My three and me.

{See those cloudy dark skies? Boo.}

Used a rainy afternoon to add eyeliner to her makeup regimen.

Because there's always a time and place for a good tantrum.

A quick pic hours before we all thought we were heading home.

I hope they always love each other this much.

Since our week had started on such a sour note, and the weather had not been so cooperative, the hubby worked some magic and added an extra night and day to our trip.

Jumping for joy at the news.

BLUE SKIES!

This girl is most happy with sand (or dirt or anything outside, really) between her toes.

Just squeezing in a lil bucket.

Never. Going. Home.

But, home we went and just two days later, the biggest girl headed off to second grade.

Loving her new backpack.

Such a seasoned elementary student.

\

Meanwhile, back at home...

Um. I guess I'd gotten used to Carter supervising bathtime.

Oops.

Murphy took up fashion design over the summer.

On this specific day, she told me that she plans to attend NYU. 

Goals.

Another morning spent designing.

And, before I knew it, yet not nearly soon enough, these two headed off to school.

Look out 2's and TK, the Lewellen girls are on the way!

Dark Side in the front.

Pink Princess in the back.

Carter.

She made it to the top, but I snapped the pic too late.

After months of Murphy asking,

I popped by the chapel where Lindsay and I were married.

Such sweet memories of this space.

And then, as the quarter was coming to an end, we caught a glimpse of the little surprise that will be joining our family next spring. 

 A 9 weeks growing little(st) Lewellen.

And, there we have it: a wrap-up of the third quarter of 2015 completed just a week before the second month of the fourth quarter begins. Oh well. It's heart-warming to see visible images of rays of sunshine that peeked out during what was a cloudy period of time. I've been enjoying the arrival of fall, the departure of morning sickness, and the anticipation of all that lies ahead. 

I Say Emoji, He Says Whhhhaaaaat?!

It's no secret that men and women's communication style greatly differ. Multitudes of books have been written about the topic even suggesting that the genders are basically from different planets. Improving marital communication is a frequent topic of self-help seminars and daytime talk shows, and it's generally assumed that women are better communicators than men. Overall, I'd say I consider the hubby and me to be pretty decent communicators.
Now, he doesn't possess the ability to slyly convey or understand something in a group setting without alerting others to the info. {Example: I firmly place my leg under the table to let him know that I am in shock at what a fellow diner is saying. He looks up and says, 'Ouch!'}  He can't tell what I'm saying by my exaggerated eye motions. {Example: I motion my eyes towards the PDA of folks who we did not know were dating. He reactively turns and stares blatantly in their direction.} When he's trying to tell me something on the D.L., rather than just an extra quiet whisper or a lip read, he tends to do a funny out of the corner of his mouth extra loud whisper. {He turns out looking like he has a temporary facial palsy.}
So, while I do think we are good communicators overall, covert or body language based communication is a bit of a struggle. He is actually far better than I at daily, verbal communication, and I often prefer to sit in silence after a long day of constant verbal stimulation from my little people. In fact, I rarely speak to anyone over the age of seven on most weekdays. I do, however, engage in a lot of communication.
I have running text conversations with several girlfriends that really get me through the day; whether we're exchanging dinner ideas, venting about children's antics, opining on decorating and fashion, or sharing screen shots of celebrity shenanigans, this simple method of communication has become essential to daily survival. {Slight exaggeration. Slight.}
A big part of those text exchanges is the use of emojis, and I've even had entire conversations without one typed word. In fact, I have become so accustomed to using them, that I've recently struggled with handwritten notes and cards in which I can't insert my favorite smiling/crying icon.

This guy is always on top of my frequently used emojis.

He's my everything.

All too often lately, this distressed mister has come in a close second.

Keepin it real.

So, because I text as basically my only method of communication during the day, and emojis have become a crucial component of text exchanges, it only seemed natural to begin incorporating the little guys into texting with my hubby. {Side note: about a year ago when he realized 'those little pictures people are putting in their texts' were free and already an optional keyboard on his phone, his mind was blown. And he began using them as you'd expect a twelve year old boy to [think elephant emoji + smiling poop emoji].} But, I digress. When I casually included the emoji below at the end of a sentence of a text, I quickly learned that emojis between the two of us would be the texting equivalent of the firm thigh grip.

This little fella.

He means, 'EEEEEEKKKKK.' Maybe even, 'Oh no.' Or 'Shoooot.' 

However, I could tell by the hubby's response that he thought the little toothy face meant 'excited' or 'Yippee!' or 'Let's do this!'. When I picked-up on the misunderstanding, I realized that he and I should probably stick to simple word-only texts, or perhaps a nice red heart or thumbs up, but definitely no little yellow faces that may be up for interpretation. But, from these examples, you can see I am a slow learner. 

Look at the crying/laughing guy followed by the heart eye fellow.

Clearly, I'm saying this is hilarious and I'd love to see it.

Clearly, apparently, just to me.

Here's a great example of him trying to respond to me 

with just an emoji and no words.

Mmmmm, I do love a sweaty shower.

He apparently feels lovey-dovey when I put away the dishes.

When I get confused, he sadly sweats, then finally concedes that he just doesn't get it.

Admittedly, I may be taking it too far by the addition of hashtags.

First off, how exciting are the text exchanges between decade long married couples?! Riveting!  Understand, this is not me being critical of his communication or his confusion of my communication. He exchanges many detailed, important emails and calls with folks all day long. So, maybe he just can't dumb himself down to my favorite little yellow faces? All the hilarity of this continued miscommunication left me wondering if others struggle with this, too? I'd love to know if this is common 'problem' in modern day, technology based man and woman communication.

Please tell me it's not just us...