a month in instagram...

hello from halfway through September.

August was spent preparing for baby #3 and lovin' on 1 & 2.

there was lots of walking, trips to the park, and eating out, just the four of us.

since her arrival, any down time has become so precious.

i wanted to take a moment to catch you up on the last month in pictures, 

and i plan on doing a "baby Olive" post very soon.

these two hams.

and these two hams... Asa's best little buddy, Colt.

celebratin' my mama's 50th!

plenty of brother sister time... bike rides, walks, park play, and Discovery Place Kids!

QT with family and dear friends.

baby O, bidin' the time in her comfy little spot.

it never gets old, people.  a miracle, every time.

newborn snugs and soakin' up that fresh baby smell.

they kinda love her.

we got to go home early... i played the birthday card!

{oh, Olive was born the day before my birthday... and quite the precious little package she was}

backseat Five Guys date with my man while Granny kept the older two :)

i'm already wearing Olive more than i ever did her older sibs, and loving it!

this wrap in particular is a Solly Baby... beyond comfortable for momma and baby!

i've watched Ace and Bellamy's bond grow so much in just the 12 days that Olive has been with us.

i prayed for this and am so blessed to see it unfold.

we've become quite the homebodies lately, so momma's gettin creative over here!

this was at least an hour's worth of entertainment. score!

Granny {my mom} is coming to keep the girls while J and i take Asa to the Cabarrus County Fair!  i don't think i remember the last time he had us all to himself.

it'll be pretty special.

turkey legs and funnel cakes await!

over the weekend...

i realize this should really have been posted yesterday.

but all the same, here's what our weekend looked like...

on Friday afternoon, we swung by to pick Justin up from work before heading down to Lincolnton to bring some dinner to our dear friends and love on their precious new baby girl.

2 weeks after giving birth to her daughter, Raleigh, Wendy was admitted into the ICU with life threatening illness.  over the next 9 days, she fought a terrible battle, but was drenched in prayer all the while and the Lord had a plan for complete restoration.

we couldn't wait to to witness them finally experiencing the joy of being happy, healthy, and together... their new little family of 3.

Saturday got off to a bit of a rough start, only because Asa and Bellamy decided to whine about EVERYTHING!

the plan was to run a few errands as a fam and then enjoy lunch at TJ's Diner {located in The Depot at Gibson Mill} before the kids' naps.

now, errands were off the table and we settled for cruising through the antique ridden isles of The Depot while we worked up an appetite.  fine by me!

this place is the largest antique and designer mall in the south!  if you haven't been and you live anywhere near, go!  oh, and bonus.. the diner's food is seriously yummy!

i scored a fantastic sewing table from the 1920's in the mintiest condition it could possibly be in!  i'll show it to you soon ;)

that afternoon, our sitter Gina came to keep the kiddos while J and i headed off to watch some dear friends tie the knot!  

every last detail was beautiful.  

everything from the whimsical decor, to the tune selecion, to the bride's gorgeous dress... all the way down to the deliciously refreshing snow cones offered to each of the guests upon their arrival at the reception.  

we truly enjoyed ourselves and couldn't be more excited for the happy couple!

{i've known Matt since he was about 13 years old and he couldn't have found a better match than his Brandy}

we sat with some of our favorites at the reception!

my little brother, Stacey, and our long time and very dear friends, the Colemans.

my younger brother, Grant, was among the 8 groomsmen... most of which have been friends since they were in junior high.

The Newlyweds!

thankful to have been part of their day!

Sunday was slow-going and fantastic.

the Lord brought us into an amazing time of worship and fellowship with our family at River Church.

friends trickled in and out of our home throughout the day.

we ordered pizza for dinner and let the kids' bedtime run a little long.

then the hubs and i cuddled up with a couple of rootbeer floats to watch the Summer Olympics for rest of the evening.

i've got pretty high hopes for next weekend.

34 weeks...

no news is good news in the land of Blackwelder babies.

Asa came 2 weeks early and Bellamy 4, but it seems miss Olive is sittin' pretty. for now.

in the mean time, i'm taking {almost} all natural preventative actions against pre-term labor.

baby check : 

her growth and heart rate are spot on and she moves in the womb more than her older brother and sister put together!  i swear she's gonna bust up outta there!

we're supposed to head down to Greenville, SC next weekend for a family wedding, and considering that Bellamy's arrival was so quick and unexpected, my doctor has requested that i schedule an appointment to see him the day before we head down.

i'll be just shy of 36 weeks {which is when the weekly pelvic exams begin, if you request}

i haven't decided yet if i'll go in for the exam.  perhaps i'll just go with my gut.

perhaps Justin will be delivering our Olive in the back of the minivan off the interstate.

we'll see.

but, until we meet her...

the belly gets bigger

the waddle gets worse

the dreams get stranger

and Bellamy's still our baby

{it's crazy how much older your youngest seems the instant you bring a new one home}

right now, so thankful for the time i have with my two...

i can hardly believe we're about to be a family of 5!

bring it on!

all the small things...

you know that feeling you get when the countdown in weeks to the birth of your (THIRD) child reaches the single digits... kind of like first child nesting on steroids.

this is where i've been living for the past couple weeks and i expect to stay in this place 'til we meet our Olive.  

i get nervous sometimes... and in those moments, it's the small things that reel me back in.

small things like...

spending time with the Lord in the morning, rather than before bed.

reading through scripture and trying to take it all in as the words blur together cause my head is ready to hit the pillow just doesn't cut it.

it's SO refreshing to start my day in His word... this way, all the crap that day has planned on handing me doesn't stand a chance.  well, not as much of one anyway.

making sure the kitchen's cleaned the night before.

do you know how good it feels to come down to a CLEAN kitchen in the morning?!  well, it's fantastic.  especially when everyone's cranky and hungry for some breakfast.

{side note: a couple nights ago, the sink was particularly full from the day's dishes along with several pots and pans from dinner.  Justin comes downstairs and waits for me to join him every night while i sing to the babes before shutting their door.  this particular evening, i trudged down the stairs dreading what awaited me in the kitchen, only to find that it was already sparkling!  Justin sure spoke my love language that night.  i cried.}

folding laundry out of the dryer and PUTTING IT AWAY!

now, this doesn't happen every bit of the time, but when it does... life's worth the livin'!

i'm not sure if nesting's all about organizing for most pregnant women, but it sure is for me.

and honestly, folding precious little clothes still hasn't gotten old to me...

{now, spot cleaning those precious little clothes is another story}

a mornin' cup of joe with my little man

Ace and i have pretty regular dates over coffee in the sunroom while Bellamy snoozes through her morning nap.  i treasure these times.

{fyi : Asa gets a few tablespoons of coffee mixed with a whole lotta vanilla soy milk}

lunch out with daddy

once a week, on average, i load up the kids after Bellamy's nap and we head out to meet J for lunch in the middle of his work day.  when this happens, it practically makes my whole day.  i don't have to put any thought into what's for lunch, we get treated to something extra yummy, we all get a little midday pick-me-up with our favorite guy, and we're home just in time for naps!  i think Justin likes it too ;)

bedtime for the babes

i don't love this {necessarily} because the kids are going to bed.

but ever since we started a bedtime routine for Asa at a very young age, Justin and i have treasured this time as a family.  everything from the look on Asa's face when he gets to wear his rocket jams to the fact that Bellamy cries if she doesn't hear her lullaby before she sleeps.  
we read, we play, we snuggle, we pray. 
 it truly is such a sweet time.

down-time with the hubs

sometimes our evening consists of long convos about our days and heart talks about what the future holds or how fast the kids are growing,

and sometimes, we dive straight into our latest tv series obsession on Netflix without saying more than a few words.  either way, it's a beautiful time and almost always very well spent together.  

these are just a few small things in my day-to-day that the Lord uses to shape me and encourage me.

what are some of yours??

some days are ordinary and that's okay...

the past month has been filled to capacity.

so this week calls for some slow-going, play in the floor, watch toons, eat snacks, read books, ordinary sorta days.

by ordinary, i mean simple. nothing more than momma and the babes, at home.

no plans, no distractions.

i've been almost completely absent from social media, with exception for instagram and a few email responses... and maybe some facebook cruising in the middle of the night when i can't sleep.

i'm hardly current on any of the blogs i keep up with, let alone my own.

and, honestly, having been so busy and knowing that the birth of our third little one is just around the corner, makes me want to hole up with my family and soak in every ordinary moment with them that i possibly can for the next month!

i started my day in Hebrews at 7am, challenged to remain confident in the hope of Christ, to focus my thoughts on what is true and good rather than on toxic things.

i've only just recently warmed up to the idea of "ordinary".

in actuality, i've been plagued by the thought of an ordinary life.  even felt like i didn't measure up as a wife and mother if each day didn't hold something exciting.

but this morning, i WOKE UP!

my life's so far from ordinary with Christ as my redeemer!

it's okay that every week's not filled with playdates in the most amazing places.

my children aren't in baby art/music classes, but chalkin' up a sidewalk, painting in the bathtub, and bangin around the kitchen with some spatulas and old tupperware is just as fantastic to them.

you can bet that on any given night of the week we're having spaghetti, B4D, some form of chicken dish, or a crockpot meal for dinner.  boring, maybe. but you won't hear us complaining.  {i do mix it up sometimes ;)}

some days i'm in my jams 'til the kids go down for their afternoon nap.

a successful trip to Target with both babes in tow is counted a victory and quite a treat!

a highlight of my day is the apples and PB i settle down to {almost} every evening after the kids are down while the hubs and i cruise Netflix for something good to watch.

there's so much else that makes our life "ordinary", but i believe it's anything but.

and don't get me wrong... some days we do have fantastic playdates, and i may or may not whip up an incredible meal for dinner, and maybe some make-up appears on my face along with a fabulous outfit cause we're steppin out for a full-on family fun day... i can certainly appreciate those days too.

i've just realized the beauty in simplicity.  there's no checklist for perfection.

as long as i'm finding my confidence in the Father, nothing's ordinary.

spending time in His word, serving my family, and loving my neighbor.

that's true. that's good.

:: i was going to post a few photos of the sweet, simple moments we've soaked up over the past month, but blogger's being a little moody.  so, i'll catch you up on all that tomorrow ::

28 weeks and counting...

Olive's been bakin' for a little over 28 weeks now and momma's feeling pretty darn good.

at 28 weeks

:: the third trimester is treatin' me just fine

:: i've gone from "feeling chubby" to showin' off this baby bump!

:: my belly measures a little over 29 weeks

:: her heart rate is sittin' pretty in the 150's

:: i've gained 18 pounds

:: i passed my sugar test with flying colors

:: showing no signs of pre-term labor so far {my 1 and 2 came pretty early}

:: little Livie responds to my voice

:: baby girl's been having some crazy dance parties up in my womb

:: the rubberband trick isn't workin for me anymore

:: a regular dose of heartburn is setting in... TUMS on hand at all times

:: my bra size seems to be increasing by the second

:: i don't sleep well, have looney dreams, and wake up achy

:: apples and peanut butter with chocolate milk is my late night snack of choice

:: i get winded going up our stairs

:: it's getting harder to lift my lil munchkins, but i do it.  all the time.

:: i'm soakin up all the 'momma of 2' time i can get!

a week in instagram : Outer Banks 2012

tell me i went instagram crazy, cause i did.  and this isn't even all of them, but it pretty much covers our week.  such a fantastic week.  

since i was very young, my family has taken an annual trip {the first week in June} to the Outer Banks... on the northern end, toward Corolla.

we've had to skip the past 3 years for one reason or another and were all super excited to get back to our beach!  Justin and i, in particular, cause we couldn't wait to experience it with the kids. 

anyway, June is quite the crazy month for us... which explains why i haven't been around the blog for a couple weeks.  

i've got so much posting to catch up on, but for now...

here's our week on the OBX!

so long!  'til next year!

hope your summer is shaping up beautifully!