farm days...

pumpkin pickin' at Hodges Farm.  a fall time family tradition for 4 years running.

{we started going the year i was pregnant with Asa}

watch us grow!

2010

2011

2012

it's just a little crazy to think our family has grown by one every year for the past three!

our children are truly God's grace and blessing over us.

THANKFUL!

so, here's a little look at our Saturday...

we're off to the mountains of Asheville & Robbinsville for a family wedding this weekend!

Happy Thursday!

so here's what really happened...

you may or may not remember this instagram post from last week...

you might have thought,

"gosh, she's crafty!" or "what a fun mom!" or "i wish i had the time to do nifty little projects with my toddlers!"

well, don't be fooled.

while i like to think i am the most awesome mom and sometimes quite crafty, the 30 minutes that it took to make and hang these leaves was my saving grace for the day.

the night before had been a particularly rough one for miss Olive {leaving me lacking some zzz's}, Justin had to leave by 6 that morning for work {so no breakfast help with the older 2}, and Asa and Bellamy seemed to be hating life from the moment their little eyes popped open to greet the morning.  some day it was starting out to be.  hmph.

after the nightmare that was breakfast time, i tried taking all 3 of them into the sunroom {Olive in the bouncy seat}, sitting in the floor and letting them go to town on the chalkboard... 

while i'd have loved to join in, i was busy consoling Olive every .2 seconds.

meanwhile, Asa and Bellamy had moved from the chalkboard to the walls and white couch.

this wouldn't do.

i was able to get the little one to drift off to sleep and moved with the other two to the living room car table {also known as the coffee table}

this lasted 10 minutes.  as i watched/listened to Bellamy whine & cry herself into oblivion every time Asa even looked at her in a manner that was displeasing {dramatic much}, 

i decided i'd had enough.  something had to give and i knew i couldn't escape.

instead of screaming, i prayed.

i walked out back with Bellamy on my heels and let the door shut between us... she was really happy about that.  

as i watched the first of the autumn leaves fall, i was reminded of this craft.

one of my favorites as a child.  i decided it had to be done. 

at the ripe old ages of 1 and 2, the level of actual participation was quite low, but they did what they could and loved watching the rest.

{although i'll admit Bellamy collapsed in a blubbering heap at my feet while i took on the tedious chore of shaving the crayons}

once our fabulous creation was complete, 

they hung each leaf on the piano with a little twinkle in their eye... so proud of themselves.

30 minutes had gone by and now it was FINALLY lunch time!  hallelujah! 

in that moment when i wanted to scream "everybody shut up!" and run crying down the street without looking back, 

the Lord gave me this gift.  a 30 minute gift.  30 minutes of smiles and laughter and togetherness and PEACE.

so again i was renewed and oh so thankful for the place i'm in.

i know there are many more days like this to come, but i'm a mom and this is what i prayed for.  so, bring it on.

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.