Wearing Hats and Sitting Up.

It's been a porch swinging,

hat wearing,

park visiting,

walking to the library,

and playing with blocks

kind of week. 

And it's only Wednesday.

While we were gone...

 Ellery:

- rolled over from her back to her tummy for the first time.
- started cutting her bottom two teeth.
- got pretty proficient at the whole sitting-up-by-herself business.
- turned five months old.
- and made her first trip on a train.

It was a pretty busy week for my little love.

Friends and Thoughts.

It was a last minute decision, one that led me to hop in the car with my 5 month old and ride 14 hours to the east to spend a little more time with my sweet parents. 

From the time we made it to Georgetown, Ellery and I didn't stop. We were able to spend much needed quality time with some of our favorite people, family and friends who live incredibly too far away.

While I was home, I met up with one of my best friends from high school and another one of our good friends from the college years, Briana (who just so happened to be in visiting from NC with her sweet family). A wonderful surprise!

Last time we were all together, there were no children; we were free to go, do, see everything, anything, anytime we wanted, only college classes stood in our way. Things were definitely different then; Ellery and Mak have changed the game a little bit.

 Mak is Briana and Jake's 7 year old daughter. Their big hearts were led towards adoption in the latter part of last year, and God blessed them with this beautiful and spunky little girl, who now brings so much joy to their lives. 

This visit, there were car seats and schedules and driving separate cars.  There was no cramming all of us in one vehicle, even if we didn't all have seat belts. It wasn't as go with the flow, either. We revolved around feeding hungry tummies and entertaining pretty little girls. Even though our time spent together is drastically different than the last time we were all in the same place, none of us would change it. Not a thing. We have boyfriends and husbands and children and everything we used to talk about and hope for in those earlier years when we would stay up late, talking about our future; conversations that were usually perpetuated by tears and broken hearts.

Now, we have our dreams and are living in the future that was once so cloudy, and it is nice to know that our friendship extends through all of life's changes, through different time zones and long separations.




*more to be said about my time away in another blog post.

Just what we needed.

Oh the joy!

Last Sunday, my parents made the long 13 hour trek from Georgetown, SC to join us for an Easter dinner and a little bit of family time. It had been a while since they had their snuggle time with Ellery, so that is what they intended to do for most of their visit. 

They were only able to stay from Sunday night to Tuesday morning, but we made the most of every minute we had with them. Family is beautiful blessing, and it was so wonderful to have their love join us for a couple days.

 

An excuse for my parents to have more quality time with Ellery was to let the husband and I go out on a date. Just the two of us. It has been quite a while since we've done anything without a baby attached to our hip, and we needed some alone time to simply relax and feel like us again.

Justin thought our dear friends' river property would be the perfect setting for our night out. So, we called, got permission and the key to the gate, kissed Ellery goodbye and were on our way. With takeout from Broma's Deli and a slice of homemade strawberry cake for the both of us, we sat by the river, enjoying the sunshine and each other's company.

After we finished eating and were carrying the canoe towards the water, Justin suddenly became giddy with excitement as he took a closer look at the vines growing over a fallen tree. Smiling, he motioned for me to join him. There were blackberries. Everywhere.

We ate and ate, and then remembered that we had two to-go boxes that would be great for taking a few home with us, too. So, with the sun still a good ways from setting, we spent the next little while picking berries along side each other, occasionally stealing a kiss or two.

After our containers were full and the sun was sinking lower in the sky, we put the boat in the river and let the water slowly drift us down stream.  We floated and talked and paddled and listened to the frogs as our minds relaxed and our hearts remembered the dear love we share.     

We got just what we needed; time alone to talk, laugh, and simply enjoy the outdoors for a little while. And at the end of it all, it sure was nice returning home to our sweet Ellery who greeted us with a smile.

Easter: The Seersucker Edition

You know the family that matches, all matchy-matchy like, that you secretly judge for their corniness? Well, that was us this Easter, dressed in our best southern attire, blue-stripped seersucker.

 

Good Friday.

It was a good friday indeed. 

Ellery and I lazed around in our pajamas all morning. We sang and rolled and played until we were worn out and ready for a good morning nap. When EK woke up, we decided it was time to go check out the opening of District 51, a cute local shop that has all of the things we women dream about: shoes, clothes, jewelry, and home decor. It so happens that our friends are part owners of this adorable shop and are  responsible for providing it with jewelry - so obviously had to go and show our support and make a few purchases while I was at it.

We later headed out to the country to join some lovely people from church to help celebrate a sweet little girl's birthday. Ellery enjoyed watching all of the commotion going on around her, as others swung at the pinata and played musical chairs. Lots of laughing and smiling went on as we enjoyed this wonderful fellowship.

We came back, kissed on daddy as he worked on the remodeling of our bathroom, and took bunny ears, a blanket, and the camera outside to enjoy the rest of the evening.

  

 

 

How did you enjoy your Good Friday?

Cupcake Happiness.

Just thought I would share last night's creations. This was the first time in five months that I've really been able to bust out the piping bags, mix up the colorful icing, and transfer my creative juices onto the beautiful blank canvas that is a cupcake!

Oh, the joy it brings. Simple stress relief. 

These were made as a little happy for our friends who had a super cute new shop (District 51) open today. Don't the colors just make you happy?!?

Happy Spring!  

Wordless Picture Post.

Storms and Triumphs.

 

 I have said these things to you, that in me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation. But take heart; I have overcome the world.  

John 16:33

Weather sirens echoed throughout town, thunder rolled on for minutes at a time, and lightening illuminated the night. The past week has been like this. Storm warnings, tornado watches, and rain. A whole lot of rain.  It was all enough to make me a little nervous. 

But, although the clouds still hang overhead, parting slowly, the rain is gone. The birds are chirping outside my window, as if signaling that it is safe to come out again. Come out and enjoy the beauty that surrounds us more vibrantly than before. 

As the rose blooms captivate my senses as I walk onto our porch, I am embraced in a wonderful feeling of spring. The crisp morning puts my nervousness to rest, and I am calm and joyful.

After reading my sister-in-law's latest blog post, I am reminded of how similar the weather is to our personal lives.  We  all have struggles; some that seem stronger and mightier than anything else we have in us. 

Thankfully we have One who is greater than our struggles. One who provides peace and comfort when our plan and His plan do not align. 

I often have to remind myself, to everything there is a season, and a time to every purpose under heaven.* When we lose focus and get caught up in our daily desires, it can be discouraging when we don't get our way. But remembering that God's plan is bigger and better than anything we could begin to imagine is enough. More than enough for my weary heart. Isn't faith a beautiful thing? Isn't God amazing?

*Ecclesiastes 3:1