Tie breaker

Ephesians 1:17-18

"That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, 

may give you the Spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him, 

having the eyes of your hearts enlightened, 

that you may KNOW what is the hope to which He called you..."

We want clarity -- and God gives us a call.

We want a road map -- and God gives a relationship. 

We want answers -- and God gives His hand. 

Ann Voskamp

Simple prayer:

"Lord, unrush me today."

When

...we have little and have lost much, 

Christ comes and reveals Himself as more valuable

 than what we have lost.

And when we have much and are overflowing in abundance, 

Christ comes and He shows that He is far superior 

to everything we have.

John Piper

Anyone else enjoying this gorgeous spring weather?

1 Timothy 1:12

"I thank Christ Jesus our Lord,
who has enabled me,
because He counted me faithful..."

"Are we willing to be voluntarily interrupted 
by those we are living among?
A busy life does not equate to a life of mission."

#momLife

Some days are crazy and hectic and my patience is pushed to the limit and I find myself watching the clock, just wa-a-a-aiting until its time for the littles to be tucked into their beds. Later when I kiss them before heading to my bed, I find myself just watching them sleep, savoring their sweet littles faces and loving them oh, so much! and I get all excited and thankful that we get to do tomorrow together, too. 

 

Upon discovering that Caden missing from his bed, 

I turned to find this sweet moment: he fell asleep in his big sister's bed!

#bestillmyheart 

"Cheers to the mama you once were 

and the mama you are yet to be. 

Cheers to loving your babies well 

and doing the best you can. 

You were made for this, and so were they." 

A. Newberry

Caden James

Two years old already.
And such a busy little adventurer.

He's happiest when he's eating or imitating Daddy. Whether its trying on Daddy's hat, wearing slippers that swim on his feet, taking his little Bible to church, playing guitar, or even putting his hands in his pockets, he very carefully watches his Dad and does his best to copy him.

Oh Caden, I pray that as you grow in knowledge and understanding that you will pursue imitating Christ with the same energy and adoration.
Your daddy is a very amazing role model in the meantime!

This was the face he gave me when I said "smile Caden!"

Then there is his love for music and this guitar.
He got it for Christmas and it has quickly become a favorite.

I love the way he's quick to giggle upon hearing Daddy say his name while praying, the way he sits at the table and says "eat eat eat eat eat" when he's hungry  (one of his few words!)
and the way he simply gives a thumbs up when asked if he slept well makes me laugh every time.

Those EYES.

We love you, sweet boy!
Happy birthday!

Cinnamon rolls

Snow days call for cinnamon rolls...

(any day does, really. 

We just took advantage of being snowed in last week!)

and a pink striped sweater...

and a sweet little chef...

(and pink pants, of course!)

a big hair flower...

sweet smiles...

...and frosting, obviously!

Currently happening:

It's been snowing for over 24 hours now

and isn't supposed to let up till tomorrow. 

I'm curious to see how much snow we'll end up with!

 

We've been hanging pictures, doing puzzles, drinking hot chocolate, and even ventured out this morning to begin shoveling!

You know the snow is deep when you hear yourself telling the littles:

"oh! Play here on the porch where it's only six inches deep. It's taller than you in the yard!"

There is lots of chatter about the snowmen we'll build in the coming days!

Happy weekend, y'all!

10 years and counting...

It's been a full couple weeks of unpacking boxes at our new place. If you were to ask Ari if she likes the new house, she gives a quick thumbs up and huge grin! We're all loving the new place and mostly enjoying the work it takes to make it home. I'm excited to share pictures with you eventually!

In the meantime...this month marks my tenth year of somewhat sporadic blogging. [sheepish grin]
So while I'm in the mood of reflecting, here's a few family pictures from last fall (that I never got around to posting due to crazy happenings that brought us back to the east coast!)

"You, O Lord, are a shield about me, 

my glory, 

and the lifter of my head." 

Psalms 3:3

Joel & McKenna

Engaged couples are such a delight to photograph. 

Both the exuberant and tender smiles, 

the young love, 

the excitement of planning their lives together...

Times that by ten and you have Joel and McKenna, who had been engaged for less than 3 hours when I snapped a few 'day of engagement' announcement photos for them.

Happiest 30 minute session ever -- that made me run home and kiss my husband because I'm such a fan of marriage! 

Happy wedding planning, you two!