Summer in Texas

Summer has been the sweetest ever! Although we are suppose to be getting buckets of water dumped on us, I am not going to let it put a damper on the fun we are having!

These two have been the sweetest little things. Lots of kisses, hugs, playing good together and eating popsicles. (I'll leave out the clobbering each other & fighting that is inevitable in brother/sister relationships on a weekly basis.) 

 Olivia did hate the pool with a deep fear & passion up until a few days ago. 

A good week of me taking her into the pool slightly against her will has turned her into a little daredevil swimmer. 

Lots of jumping in without warning and trying to swim off on her own.

Swim lessons are around the corner. 

It has been a sweet summer so far & we are just getting started. Crawfish, Mexican street corn, pool parties, dinner parties & more. Oh and the best part of summer are lots of late night dates with this guy swimming. 

How is your summer going? 

~Brittany 

Butterflies

When I think of you I think of butterflies 

While pregnant with Olivia before we knew we were having a girl all I could think of were butterflies. 

Beautiful, soft, unique, graceful, light, full of life - butterflies. 

I started making things with butterflies.

Gravitating towards art with butterflies.

I bought a small journal with butterflies on the cover. (The journal is hers, full of precious memories of her life so far.) 

I knew our sweet baby was a girl. 

Once the ultra sound confirmed it my my heart smiled a little bigger. 

Unsure of why butterflies were what I saw when I thought of our baby I took some time to think about it. Pray. 

I handmade her mobile, complete with roses and butterflies. Her room like a garden with flowers everywhere. 

A desire to know about plants, gardening, and beautiful living things became a love of mine. 

Understanding the lows my heart had been in - the doubt of never having another baby, the uncertainty of my pregnancy - the Lord began encouraging  me with butterflies. 

Glimpses of hope in beautiful glances. 

Noah and I seeing them daily in the yard. 

My heart reassured that our baby would be beautiful, full of life, graceful, and a constant reminder of faithfulness in the broken parts of life. 

Sweet girl, when I think of you i think of butterflies. 

With love,

Your mommy 

Tiny Toes Dancing Down the Hall

When the toys in the tub don't stick to the bathtub walls

When baby dolls are no longer lining the hallway 

Race cars are stacked away neatly

Muddy shoes are clean 

Cheerios are not riddled throughout the house

My heart will ache. 

My eyes will well with tears

The lump in my throat will grow big

My mind will grasp for the memories 

My breath will be taken back. 

My children will be grown. 

I will wish, believing with every once of magic in me, that just maybe I could have the bathtub toys sticking again. And the crackers stuck on the bottoms of my bare feet once more. 
The early morning snuggles that start before the sun rises. 

Today my hugs tighter around my little ninja turtle for afternoon snuggles.

Tonight one more song to sing before we say our prayers. 

In the middle of the night my smile will stretch from ear to ear with each crumb stuck to my feet as I walk through the house to get a cup of milk after a bad dream.

Then 

In the morning tiny toes dancing down the hall will be the most wonderful melody to my ears. 

It's a beautiful way of living. 

To be a mom. 

~brittany 

Summer Stealing My Heart

This summer has stolen my heart. So many days spent enjoying my Noah & Olivia experiencing the pool, relaxing on the back porch drinking sweet tea with my hubby, family, friends and loving making memories. Each year the summer time seems to get a bit sweeter. Texas gets hot in the summer time and at times we can't go out until the evening so during the day we've been eating lots of homemade yogurt pops, coloring, building tents, snuggling while watching movies, eating lunch with friends, and hanging out with students at the church. 

This summer we have had many house guests that we have so enjoyed & our home has been full of laughter from students & friends. We have had camps, conferences, and the start of new ministries. We are definitely enjoying this season of life. Making friendships, building community, and enjoying our family. 

As the summer starts to come to an end I'm excited for the Fall. For the next season of life. But this summer has stolen my heart in a big way. I'm holding onto the last little bit tightly. Loving all these sweet memories we have made in the sun with our loved ones. My favorite summer memory this year has been watching Noah fall in love with the water as much as I do. 

~brit

Summer Time

It is summer time! Our family has been enjoying lots of early morning & evening swims together. On the weekends we just live outside as a family. Noah and Olivia have become little baby fish. I love it. They love the water just as much as I did as a kid. Still do.

A few days ago we turned on the sprinklers to let Noah run wild in them. He jumped off his bike with the helmet on and just went crazy. It is so fun watching him in his element. He is a runner. Always running. Doesn't matter where we are he is running if mom & dad give him permission.  

Life is so short. Lately we have realized just how true this statement is. I want to soak in my babies and family as much as possible. Noticing every expression when they experience something new. Holding them close when they get scared. Loving on them always. Watching their smiles grow in happiness. Walking through life with them. Experiencing it all with them. Making memories for a lifetime. 

This season of life is refreshing, good, and needed. 

Happy Summer Friends! 

~brit

Celebrate: Noah turns 4

Monday our little Noah turned 4 years old. Time has gone by too quickly. Sometimes I'll just take moments to remember his precious face as his eyes fall asleep. The color of his red lips are just too perfect. His kind heart is always encouraging on the days that are a challenge. He continually surprises us with all the charisma he has in his tiny little self. The moment we think we know exactly how he will react to a situation, he surprises us. He is full of so much joy, laughter, and so many silly faces. The things he comes up with continually surprise us.

There are so many sweet moments from this past year that I want to remember. The day he met his sister, how his eyes lit up. The way he always snuggles so sweetly on the couch nearly every night with me. The way he adores his daddy, wants to be just like him in every way. And the evening him & I were riding in the car and he asked me to help him know Jesus. He asked me to pray for the power of Jesus. (in those words). My heart fills with so much joy as I remember leading him in the prayer to ask Jesus to live in his heart.  

this year has been sweet with him.

Monday morning we filled his room with balloons of his favorite color, blue & red. That evening we celebrated Noah's special day with cake on the back porch and he opened a puzzle from us. We put it together many times before he ran free in the backyard with his daddy. Olivia & I enjoyed watching them run like crazy and jumping into the pool. Noah in his undies with the balloons makes my heart so happy. He kept saying all evening, "mommy daddy this is the best day ever! thank you for my birthday party." It doesn't take much to make little ones happy. 

It was so nice enjoying this sweet day of his as a family. 

~brit