4.17.2012

US.

a couple weeks ago, we packed up the mini van and headed down to Charleston for J to race in the Cooper River Bridge 10K.
our dear friends, Lee and Leah, were gracious enough to let us crash their pad for about 5 nights... such a blessing to have a free stay and good company :)
our last night there, Lee took us down by the marshes near his house for little impromptu family photo shoot.  
this literally took all of 15 minutes, but he captured some of the sweetest moments.

here are some of our favorites...











Lee's here
or here





4.16.2012

our Easter...

every year this little life i've been given grows richer.
i'm thankful every day.  but there's this one day apart from those other 364 that i'm overwhelmed by God's grace in my life.  my debt has been paid!
seriously?!  new mercy every morning and a love too big to fathom... i'm so undeserving, but still, He chose me.
we've only just begun to explain this to Asa.  until he fully understands the love of the Father, i pray he sees it through his momma and daddy.  

John 20 blows my mind, every time.  gosh, how amazing would it have been to be standing there with Mary Magdalene when Jesus appeared to her!  how fantastic!
J and i talked about this for a bit Easter morning and then went to fetch the babes from their beds...

their Easter pails were filled with just enough little goodies...
a vintage childrens book for each : Peter Cottontail for Ace & Little Red Hen for Belle
they also both got antique paper mache eggs with treats inside
Asa got peeps bunnies, a couple chocolates, and a train whistle {to add to his growing collection}.
Belle got baby MumMums and a small antique ceramic bunny.




after a Neese's sausage and orange cinnamon roll breakfast, we dressed in our Sunday best and headed off to worship with our Branch family.
an egg hunt for the little kiddos followed service.  it was Asa's first!  a precious sight!



after this, we headed to my parents' for the day...
it's sorta rare to have all my siblings together {there are 5 of us} and pretty special when it happens.  i think so, anyway.  
my grandparents and cousin were in town as well. 

{brother Grant, Justin, brother Stacey, brother-in-law Justin, Asa, my dad (or "Ba-ba")}

{sister Gretchen, mom, sister Kathleen, Belle, me}


it's become my Grandpa Sullivan's tradition to bring Ace a giant carnival pop every time he visits.  Asa loves it.

Bellamy and her 'cousin' Truitt {my sis Gretchen's Vizsla}

 such a good day.
 J and i went to bed with full hearts that night. 
thankful.

4.04.2012

Olive or Sebastian???

we're SO thrilled to announce that baby B #3 is beautiful, healthy, and growing!
we couldn't have been more pleased with this doc visit!... although i was a wreck during the sonogram... asking every 10 seconds whether everything looked okay, if this or that was normal, etc. hah!
SO many thanks for your prayers and encouragement... it seriously touched our hearts!  
anyway, the names we had picked out were Sebastian Gaines and Olive Marie {both middle names are family names from my side}

and the little peanut shall be called....

4.03.2012

a heavy heart...

tomorrow's the day!
will our fam add another handsome little man to the mix or will it be a another sweet little lady??
i want to get excited.
but, in this moment, my skin is crawling with nerves, my anxiety's reaching an all time high, and my stomach turns every time i let myself think on it a little too long.
i'm ashamed to admit this, because i'll preach it all day long to anyone that might be going through a dark valley in their own life.
{give it to God}
but, my ability to trust in the Lord on any given day throughout a pregnancy is pathetic, at best.
i want to.  i want him to lift this burden off my heart and chew it up and spit it out, but i hold onto it.
on a good day, i pray over this baby a hundred times, i feel it move, Justin lays hands on my belly, and i meditate on Psalm 139... 
specifically,

13 you made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother's womb.
14 thank you for making me so wonderfully complex!  your workmanship is marvelous -- how well i know it.
15 you watched me as i was being formed in utter seclusion, as i was woven together in the dark of the womb.
16 you saw me before i was born. every day of my life was recorded in your book.
every moment was laid out before a single day had passed.
17 how precious are your thoughts about me, O God. they cannot be numbered!
18 i can't even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand!
and when i wake up, you are still with me.

{a very dear lady and amazing woman of God prayed this scripture over me with our second loss... Sally.  she died at 20 weeks gestation to a genetic disorder known as Turners Syndrome}

on a bad day {like most}, i convince myself that it wouldn't make sense to have another healthy baby.  it's too good to be true, isn't it??  the Lord's blessed me with two precious miracles and chances of another are growing slim.  i mean, three in a row?  if i think i might have felt the little bean kick, i tell myself it was just gas.  anything that can translate into a remotely negative sign, my mind takes it and runs with it... until i'm shaking and sobbing and calling someone close to pray because i don't trust myself to do it.

guys, motherhood has been THE greatest gift that my Saviour could ever have given me.
i count myself unbelievably blessed to have been entrusted with this responsibility.
and there's absolutely no reason why i shouldn't believe for one, two, three, four more healthy babes, that i shouldn't walk into that office tomorrow beaming with excitement and anticipation for GOOD news... but there's a wall there.
so, i'm humbly asking you to help me crack away at it.
hold me accountable.  i need to give this to my God in the most serious way.
will you pray with me?


3.27.2012

Saturday...

this past Saturday was packed... full of good things.
in fact, it all could very easily have become a blur if not for the goodness.

the run down ::

Chuck E. Cheese's
my nephews Zachary {turning 6} and Logan {turning one} had there birthday parties there that morning at 9:30.
i was there long enough to say happy birthdays and hellos, and play a couple games with Ace before i passed Miss Bellamy off to the hubs and headed out on my own.

next up...

Jesse's baby shower
Jesse and her family are long time friends of Justin's and i've grown to know and love them just the same over the years.
she's expecting a baby girl {Claire} in the next 9 weeks!!
the shower was held at her gorgeous historic home off of Selwyn Avenue in Charlotte.
some of her closest friends hosted it and couldn't have done a more beautiful job.
i caught up with old friends and met new ones, got the nursery tour, munched on some of the yummiest hors d'oeuvres, crafted a sweet little onesie for baby Claire, handed Jesse her coffee stained card {oops}, and i was off again!

about 3 miles down the road...

NC Blogger Meet-up!
Jess {Boho Baby Bump} and Rebekah {My Little Loves} planned a fabulous get-together for momma bloggers near and far.  Jess hosted it at her lovely home and such a sweet time it was.
i'd be lying to say i wasn't nervous.  i fought over whether or not to go for days.  but, i found comfort in knowing that there would at least be a couple familiar faces and i probably wasn't the only one whose stomach was in knots.
seriously though, within the first couple minutes of being there my guard was dropped and a peace swept over me.  these were such special ladies.  i believe we all brought something so different to the table, but still found kindred spirits in one another.
i could kick myself for not having a camera with me {for any of the day's festivities really}, but many of the other girls did and captured some of the sweetest moments.
something else i didn't have... my babies.  the little ones were welcome to come along, and i found myself missing mine, but it was nice to get out and have some 'me' time.
each of the conversations i had were simple, but inspiring, and far too short!  still, it was so refreshing to get REAL with these ladies.
i'm fairly new in the blogging world and feel sure this is just the beginning.
so looking forward to next time!  hopefully SOON.
make sure to drop in on these girls... you won't be sorry you did...

Rebekah :: My Little Loves
Kristina :: Our Little Lentil
Dusti :: Where Am I?

the day could have ended on that note and been counted such a sweet succes, but it got better still...
{after i ran a couple boring errands}
my little fam was waiting for me at my parents house.  we try to get over there at least once a week and this time we were invited for dinner.
not just any dinner... my dad's homemade veal parmesan! uh, YUM.
and {almost} all my siblings were there to share in the joy too.
i wouldn't have had this evening any other way, and
i'm so beyond thankful to have a family that i can't get enough of. 

so, packed and a wee bit stressful?? yes.
but, oh what blessings were in store.


3.22.2012

PARK DAYS!

like everyone else, i'm sure, we CANNOT get enough of this fantastic weather!
i might actually be a bit worried about what to expect this summer, if temps are so warm in March!
anyway, we've been taking FULL advantage of this springtime sunshine...
complete with plenty of park days.
I've been taking mid-morning walks with the kids and J's been getting home as early as he can so we can all scarf down some dinner and fit in some swingin' and slidin' before the babes' bedtime :)
and, since the weather man's been calling for rain that never actually comes...
pretty much every day's been a park day!  no one's complainin!

here's what i mean...

day one



day two


day three






day four
{taken by our fabulous sitter, Gina, on date night}



day five




more of this = perfection!
bring it on, Spring... we're lovin' it!

{all of these photos were taken with my iPhone... as are most of my photos.  so convenient.  however, i seriously need to get A LOT better about using my actual camera.}














3.20.2012

recipes i've found on Pinterest and actually tried...

I have 77 pins on my "mmm delish" Pinterest board.
I've tried about 7 of them.
all that i've tried have been quite delicious and i'm anxious to dive into some of the more springy/summery recipes in the next few weeks!

{LOVE this weather!}

okay, so here's a few of my faves ::

spinach pesto grilled cheese sandwich
recipe here.
i mean, you can never really go wrong with grilled cheese and i'm realizing there are SO many ways to make them...
i want to try this one too!

next up...

beer battered fried avocado tacos!
recipe here.
ummm.  yes please!
okay, everything about this was divine. 
i just felt a little somethin' was missing.  i'm a fish taco kinda girl, so we grilled up some tilapia with a little S&P to throw into the mix.
seriously, SO good! 

and...
cream and garlic pasta
recipe here.
this has become my go to meal when the hubs is working late and there's no one but me and the babes to feed.  Asa's in love with it!  
you can never go wrong with noodles... and cream... and garlic!

so there's a few quick meals.
and now for a couple snacks...

sour patch grapes
recipe here.
my girlfriend, Kristy, and i made these while our kiddos slept one day... {i think we knew sharing might not be an option}.
loved them!  
found ourselves wishing they were a bit more on the sour side, but that might be helped by using a different flavor of jello.

baked zucchini chips
recipe here.
nothing beats yummy and healthy.
let me suggest at least 3 or 4 zucchini though... they shrink quite a bit while baking.
and you'll wish you made more.


no cookin' tonight!
J's taking me out on the town... who knows where we'll end up.
probably dinner and home.  who am i kidding?!
a little alone time, get dessert to go, couch time and Netflix...
perfection.

3.16.2012

FLAGSHIP!



my brother, Grant, is one among the five fantastic artists that make up the band, Flagship.
they've evolved so dramatically over the years to get to this place... such a good place.
you can't put them in a box. don't try... strong, poetic lyrics mixed with a sound that's unlike any other.  each member of the band is unique and so essential to making it "work".
you'll want to be a part of this.

Flagship ::
Drake Margolnick - lead vocals
Matthew Padgett - lead guitar
Grant Harding -keys
Michael Finster - drums
Preston Hayden - bass

American Songwriter features the video for their debut single "Backseat" here.

and read a bit about there upcoming perfomance at SXSW tonight here,
on the music media blog Circuit Sweet.

Happy Weekend!

3.14.2012

Asa's 2...

this post has been a long time coming...
and i'm doing it while a very energetic Bellamy sits beside me.  she may have a little something to add in a bit.

for Asa's 1st birthday, we went with a Seussical theme and invited all kinds of sweet family, close friends, and little baby buddies.
this year, we decided to keep it fairly small.
on his actual birthday, Justin and i were up early filling balloons with helium...
we did our best to sneak in his room and leave them before he woke, but were unsuccessful and it actual worked out better because we got to see his initial reaction.
his eyes were filled with wonder as he mumbled through his paci, excitedly pointing out all the different "b-yoons".  Justin lifted him up and they danced through them before we tied a big bunch together and took them downstairs for the morning.
{we've decided this will be a birthday tradition for all the kids.. how fun!}
for breakfast, his favorite, cinnamon rolls and bacon.
pretty soon, we were headed to church, but not before we grabbed 10 balloons to hand out to his Sunday school classmates.
it was so sweet to see how special he felt as he walked into the church building holding all his colored balloons. 
as we ran in to different friends, we'd ask him "how old are you, Asa?" and he'd answer "twooo" while holding up 4 fingers {we haven't quite gotten that part down pat yet}.
the rest of the day was perfect... just the 4 of us. 



the following weekend, we celebrated with family and a couple treasured friends... including Asa's best little buddy, Colt. {we didn't get a picture of those two.  i could kick myself.}
we cooked out, enjoyed some sweet fellowship, let Asa dig in to some cupcakes and presents and called it a day.  i feel sure he loved every second. and so did we.


the end of the 2nd and on to the 3rd!  i can hardly believe it!


oh, one more thing....

wx4j cv 7jcx b xbx 
~Bellamy
she loves him.