boy's dream.

We had an incident on our street this afternoon with a delivery man and our neighbor's dogs that summoned the police, firetruck, and ambulance. 

A few of the firemen walked up and gave Camp his very own hat! Pretty much every little boy's dream! 

mr. garth.

He exudes joy and kindness and we are so grateful for the way he serves our families every single day. Today, we were able to gift him over $700.00 to show him our appreciation and hopefully touch his heart in a way that compares to how he touches ours. 

We love our mailman, Mr. Garth!

iced.

It snowed! Well, it sleeted and iced and kind of snowed. It mainly iced. But, we made the most of it and spent some time outside yesterday morning running around and playing in it. I'm sure the kids would have had more fun if Daddy were in town—he's far more creative than Mommy is—but they still had a blast!

Brrrrrrr. It was freezing! We didn't stay outside too long. Our hands and noses were cold and the warm cinnamon rolls in the oven were calling our name!

house tour: the kitchen.

I'm slowly, but surely getting around to taking pictures of the new, er, newish house. Up first on the "official" tour: the kitchen.

I have absolutely loved having an open kitchen large enough for family and friends to gather in and around. It is truly the heart of the home and turned out to be one of my favorite rooms of the house. 

house tour: the dining room.

new house glimpses: volume six.

One of my favorite rooms in the house is Brooks' bedroom. I hope to share more details soon, but for now, here's a peek:

P.S. That bed, though…

new house glimpses: volume five.

Next up: our entry. To me, it says "home, sweet home." There are so many pieces in this little space that tell a story. The suitcase and military foot locker belonged to John's great uncle, John Robert Bryant. We inherited them, along with his coin collection. The suitcase houses boxes of film, a vintage camera, and old letters. The old milk jug was a freebie that John and I got from a house we looked at several years ago that was for sale. It was their trash, but our treasure. The gate is from John's parent's barn—with some engravings from John and a friend when they were younger. And lastly, the antique galvanized tub was a wedding gift from all of my best friend's moms; sweet women who have loved me so well.

These days, I'm all about finding places in our home to display furniture or knick knacks that bring me and mine joy...and purging the things that don't. My motto, as of late, is "less is more." Therefore, a yard sale is coming soon...

new house glimpses: volume four.

Make your bedroom your sanctuary. And get a king size bed. 

Game changer.

new house glimpses: volume three.

Church pew sittin'. All we need is a runner and our front hallway is complete.

new house glimpses: volume two.

new house glimpses: volume one.

I haven't shared much of anything about the new house, yet. Except for the fact that moving with a three year old and a one year old was no joke. Moving across the street was no joke, either. I believe approximately 47 trips were made to and from. The day of our closing, our painters broke my favorite (discontinued—oh, the horror) lamp and the DirecTV gent cemented a metal pole smack dab in the middle of our backyard (really?!). So, naturally, I cried to him. And every one else who came into contact with me.

You literally cannot pay me to move again. Not until my moving wounds heal, at least. I don't foresee that happening for, oh, ten plus years.

Lo! We are in and on the road to settlement. We have a never-ending list of to-dos and lots to buy, hang, or purge, but it feels like home. Our hearts are overflowing.

I am going to periodically share some snippets of the house…until it is ready to share in its entirety.

Up today: our new runner. This may be my favorite purchase for the new house, thus far.

Coco seems to like it, too.

Happy Friday!

impossible.

Moving with little ones is close to impossible. If they aren't unpacking already packed boxes, they are tiny tornadoes, ripping the house apart. When it gets quiet, I get nervous. Today, the day of our closing, Ann Bennett somehow managed to empty an entire bottle of shampoo in our shower within a two minute time frame.

SEND HELP!

the best days.

Hi, there. Ready for a life update?

I have spent the past two days publishing drafted posts, writing new posts, brainstorming about future posts—trying to stay up-to-date. It's hard stuff! Between Brooks starting school, Ann Bennett learning how to walk run, me starting Iron Tribe (!), averaging three photography sessions a week, and building a house across the street (!!!), I'm finding it really hard to find time to write, and do laundry and wash dishes, let alone remember what day of the week it is.

It's Wednesday, right?

So, here is a mash-up of life's happenings:

We already touched on Brooks starting school. Our big boy is loving it and we are so thankful.

Ann Bennett started walking and there is no stopping her. I would say that she started taking more steps the weekend of September 12th. The next weekend is when she really started walking, as in not crawling at all. Within hours of the consecutive steps, she was running. She is into everything and never leaves my side. We bought her first pair of shoes from Sikes—Keds! She also got a pair of dress shoes and they are every bit of cute on those chubby feet.

I threw in the towel and started drinking the Iron Tribe kool-aid in August. I joined 101 two weeks in, but graduated on time with the rest of the gang. I lost my lunch after my first class and am still cursing burpees, but I am growing to love it. The best part is sharing a common hobby with John. Maybe one day I'll catch up to him!

I put myself out there in the Instagram world to promote Lauren Bryant Photography, my outlet, pride, and joy. The response was overwhelmingly astounding. I have anywhere from two to three sessions a week. It is most certainly keeping me busy, between shoot time and editing. I have been staying awake waaaaaay past my 8:00 bedtime.

Remember that tear-down across the street from our current house? Well, the Lord has opened several doors for our family and I am excited to announce that we have plans to move into it in November. It is all contingent on our house selling, but we are hopeful. And you know what? If it doesn't sell, we are just trying to "be where our feet are" and trust in whatever and wherever God calls our family.

With that being said, I am trying to find balance and keep my priorities straight. It's a daily struggle that forces me to rely on the Lord and accept His generous grace. It's pretty great having a selfless husband to rely on, too. John has done a great job stepping in to help with the babies on the mornings that I go to the gym or the evenings that I have a shoot. In addition, he is working his tail off providing for our family. What a man, what a man, what a man, what a mighty good man…

I am also in a season of hopeful healing. Earlier this year I was diagnosed with an autoimmune disease (Hashimoto's Thyroiditis). It has led me on a never-ending quest for answers and a cure. I've been running to and from a naturopath, endocrinologist, cardiologist, ear, nose, and throat specialist, and an autonomic disorder physician. I have since been diagnosed with Dysautonomia and am slowly, but surely, finding balance and making lifestyle changes in hopes of improving or eliminating symptoms and getting my autonomic nervous system back on track. It's going to be a long journey, but I am putting my faith and trust in our Mighty Physician and believing for a cure from the incurable.

So, there you have it. Life, in a nutshell. It is surely crazy and hectic, but it is also abounding and joyful. These days are the best days…

the kitchen.

I have gotten a few requests, as of late, to continue the home tour. I'm usually not one to start something and not finish it, but yeeps, life gets in the way sometimes! With that being said, thanks for the gentle shove, y'all.

The next room is, by far, one of my favorite rooms in the house.

Meet, the kitchen.

We lived a month-ish without a kitchen while undergoing renovations, so when I was reunited with a dishwasher, garbage disposal, oven, and cooktop, all was right with the world again. 

The kitchen is definitely where I spend the majority of my time. You can always find me in there cooking or washing dishes and sippy cups. It is also where most of our family dance parties occur. So, yeah, it's a pretty great room.

The countertops are Calcutta Gold marble and the walls and cabinets are painted Swiss Coffee, by Benjamin Moore. My mom and I sewed the linen sink skirt and pantry panels. John and I designed the hood and he built the open shelving. The light fixture above the island is from Scott Antique Market in Atlanta. It was a labor of love, but I am so happy with how it turned out! Comment below if you want any more resources.