baby's first halloween | it's hammer time.

We celebrated Halloween in true Brax-o-Lantern style last year, and this year we'll be taking to the streets with our very own super hero. That's right, people...Baby THOR is dressed + ready for his first time trick-or-treating!

I started working on his costume several weeks ago, and it was so much fun! A professional was called in for the hat (which is awesome, by the way), and I simply added the golden locks (i.e. strings of yarn) to it to give it the full effect. Crafting has always been one of my favorite things to do, and this was probably my favorite craft ever. I don't know if I will continue making his costumes for the rest of his childhood, buuuuut I thoroughly enjoyed dressing my boy up in his one-of-a-kind outfit this time. He was super distracted by the silver circles on his chest, the yellow stuff on his shoulders, and the glimpses of red he kept getting during our traditional photoshoot, but he offered up a few smiles for me (with which I imagined him saying, "Mama, I look goooooood").

I think Chris Hemsworth would be impressed, don't you? Maybe I will mail him a picture.

Happy Halloween from your favorite Asgardian superhero!

Thor hopes you have a MARVELous day!

boo bash | greenville library.

We broke our weekly walking tradition yesterday by taking a trip to the Greenville Library for a special Halloween-themed treat. We walked into a room overflowing with mamas + their babies (and even a few daddies, too) dressed up in costumes ranging from pumpkins to minions. I'd never heard of this particular service offered by the library until earlier this week, but we've already made plans to make sure that we make this a regular thing. Bouncing Babies is a program that includes story time, games, social interactions, and even a small puppet show, and is hosted at various libraries across Greenville county at least once a week. How cool is that, mamas?

Braxton and his little gal pal, Liana, sat in front of their mommies as the program began, dressed as Charlie Brown and Cinderella. Braxton wasn't so sure about it at first, evidenced by his crying + climbing on top of me, and I immediately thought, "Oh boy, I wonder if he is going to be shy like his daddy." After a few minutes, however, he looked up at me, grinned, crawled out of my lap, and quickly made his way to the front of the pack. It was SO cute, y'all. From that moment on, he was all over the place, especially when the toys came out. Liana was content to sit and play with what was around her, preferring her shoes (ahem, I mean, glass slippers) over everything, and she kept making me giggle every time she gave me that precious gummy grin. Braxton, on the other hand, was too busy to even look at me much less smile for the camera. Nevertheless, this mama was so proud watching her big boy do his own thing!

Greenville County Library System, you're so awesome that it's spooky!

we love pumpkins.

The Bargerons have been picking pumpkins at Stewart Farms since the October after we got married, and our fifth year was sweeter than all the others combined. Family traditions are my most favorite thing in the whole world (and they always will be), so you can imagine my excitement when we got to bring the newest member of our family along with us this time. Wandering through the rows + rows of orange is something I look forward to all year long, and my mind has already begun to imagine chasing a little toddler through the field next October. Every season brings new adventures + explorations, and although it's always hard to say goodbye to warmer weather for a while, I am really (really, really, really) looking forward to snuggling in close with an extra boy on the couch as we all try to keep warm.

Braxton was waking up from a nap as we pulled into the pumpkin patch, so his daddy + I had to work hard for the few smiles we were able to capture in still frames. He wore eyes that were both sleepy + curious, which made everything around him way more entertaining than the camera he sees every day. We loved watching his baby blues carefully study every glimpse of Autumn around him, and there were several moments when I almost needed to pinch myself to make sure that I really was the girl who was walking around with the two most handsome boys on the farm. If my heart continues to fill at this rate, it is going to pop one day!

2011 || 2012 || 2013 || 2014

jones gap falls | hike it baby.

Braxton and I went on our second Hike it Baby adventure a few days ago, and this time we ended up at Jones Gap Falls. A big group of about twenty parents + kiddos came together for this day's explorations, the sky was perfectly blue, the crisp fall air began to fade as we made our way back to the trail head, and B inhaled + exhaled those precious baby breaths in my ear from start to finish. Though I couldn't see his eyes, I imagined that they were in constant motion, taking in every detail of our excursion. The leaves had changed colors by a few more shades since the previous week, too, and I think we were both mesmerized by the yellows, oranges, and reds that caught our attention.

Braxton + I make a good team, but we sure do miss Daddy when it's just the two of us. Hopefully the three Bargerons will be hitting the trails all together very, very soon!

...I mean, how cute is this happy hiker?

st. augustine | nightlight.

St. Augustine was stunning when daylight was upon us, just as I knew it would be, but when the stars began to take the sun's place, the whole city lit up and gave me a chance to see a new perspective on all that beauty. We enjoyed dinner outside, dessert outside, and the walk between the two provided extra time underneath the dark blanket above us. Several wedding receptions provided music for us as we walked past them, a horse + carriage came into view every few minutes, the salty air gave off a feels-like-home aroma, Umpy Dave + Aunt Whitney toted Braxton around to get all the lovin' they could, and I kept slowing our pace because my eyes wanted to make sure that everything they saw was captured on camera. What's better than exploring a new city alongside old friends, you ask? Nothing at all.

st. augustine | daylight.

This past weekend was extra special, because we got to spend some much needed, really appreciated time with our beloved Llanezas. Not only that, but it was our first time adventuring in St. Augustine AND Braxton's first visit to Florida! Some called us crazy for driving seven hours straight with a babe along for the ride, but the worst part of our time on the road was all the traffic due to detours + car accidents. I think we've got a road trip lover on our hands, and that's quite all right with his road trip lovin' mama.

Umpy Dave + Aunt Whitney treated us like royalty all weekend, which included dining like kings + queens, too. That's right, people - St. Augustine and all of its good, local eatin' gave TJ + myself a few extra pounds to bring back home (I don't mind one bit, which should tell you just how good the food really was). Cinnamon rolls + doughnuts for breakfast, Taco Shop for lunch, A1A Ale Works for dinner, Cousteau's for dessert, and pumpkin flavored coffee had me singing all sorts of praise, and that doesn't even include all songs I sang as a result of the laughter that was shared while dining. We made plans for more trips while we were there which will hopefully come to life sooner rather than later, because Braxton was quite smitten with our hosts (can't say I blame him). He and Umpy Dave even got some uninterrupted quality time together while TJ, Aunt Whitney, and myself climbed to the top of the St. Augustine lighthouse.

TJ and Whitney have faithfully been by my side for ten (plus) years, and it is seriously the best (THE. BEST.) to still be making memories with them. Seasons change and our adventures look different than they once did, but the characters in our life story are still those young teenagers who need each other as much now as they did then. Wild at heart, forever young, and blessed beyond belief. Our little group of three has now grown to five, and it makes me giddy to think about what all these next ten years will add to our friendship. So much thankfulness + anticipation all rolled into one!

If you've never been to St. Augustine, add it to your bucket list. And, of course, make sure you've got good company with you while you explore!