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 

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

Brown Sugar Buttermilk Cakes

Over the last year I've started baking nearly everything from scratch. It taste so much better than anything packaged in the stores, its way cheaper, and I love baking with my kids. Every time I bake with out fail I always create the biggest mess and my husband always gives me this look to say, oh babe, as he goes behind me cleaning up. Love him. 

Noah always wants to add fresh fruit to everything when we bake, thats what he is doing in the picture above. Trying to convince me to put blueberries & raspberries in the pancake batter. I let him put them in his own! I've been trying out different pancake recipes over the last few months and this one was one of my favorites with brown sugar, buttermilk, and maple syrup. Click here to see the recipe on Grand Baby Cakes where I found it. 

Recipe 

1 1/3 c. flour

1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

4 tbsp. brown sugar, packed

2 large eggs, room temperature

3/4 c. plus 4 tbsp. buttermilk

4 tbps. soft butter

1 teaspoon vanilla 

Mix the dry ingredients together & then mix in the wet gradually to form the batter. The batter was a bit runny so I put it in the fridge for a bit to thicken before cooking on the griddle. 

Bake & sprinkle with syrup or powdered sugar. Enjoy with some blueberries if you wish!

After a late breakfast on Saturday we enjoyed playing in the pool & sitting under the shade enjoying some fruit. Love these summer memories with our littles.

~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

Oh, Hey There

Hey Friends! It has been a while since I've said hello from here & I've missed it. Life has been a little crazy and I decided to take a break from blogging until the time was right to come back again. I can never stay gone too long because the community here is so precious & genuine. Also, I enjoy sharing pieces from life with everyone & growing with others. 

Over the last two months my hubby has done quite a bit of traveling, Nashville for a mission trip, then Haiti, and last week Noah & him went to Nebraska to visit with family. Sadly, this lady had to stay home from all of these fun adventures because I've been on a sweet adventure of my own. Keeping our baby girl safe & sound. This pregnancy has presented many challenges preventing me from being allowed to travel. So I've stayed put with our little guy & his sweet sister. Perhaps I'll share more about my pregnancy later but for now with the help of Instagram here is a little update from the last two months.

this summer has been full of snuggles & bedrest. 

enjoying this beautiful Texas summer we are having

I've been growing a bit ;)

my hubby in Haiti. So sad I didn't get to go with him on this trip but we plan to go back next year! We definitely have a heart for Haiti & love seeing all the beautiful things the Lord is doing within the people of this country. It is impossible to visit Haiti & not be filled - over flowing - with a deeper love & understanding of our savior & heavenly father.

I'm loving making sweet little things for our daughter.

I've been loving these two boys so very much!

Now I'm off to get caught up on reading some of my favorite blogs that I've missed out on over the last few months. Happy Monday!

~Brit

An Affordable Summer: World Market

World Market Summer Inspiration by bzwillard on Polyvore

Aqua Bird Ceramic Drink Dispenser / Teal Soukra Salad Plate / Teal Ribbed Glass Lantern Candleholders / Bird Cups Saucers, Set of 4 / Warm Venice Paisley Adirondack Chair Pad / Housewarming / 4-Section Galvanized Caddy

Summer is here! Or at least its on its way. I appreciate Texas trying to hold onto this wonderful cooler weather for as long as possible, but I know it is inevitable that soon enough I will step out of my home and instantly begin pouring in sweat. Its coming, lets just all get ready for it!

So to help with this fate that is upon us lets start looking at the bright side. There are so many fun things that summer has to offer. Such as pool time, backyard parties with friends, possibility of a vacation, and lots of fun things from World Market. Randomly, I went online to see if there was anything remotely affordable to buy from World Market, and much to my surprise there is! Almost everything above, with the exception of the chair, ranges from $5 to just under $30. My top three favorite things are the blue drink dispenser, the vase, and the tea cup set with the bird on top. Pretty much crazy about everything though. Check out the drink carrier that would be perfect for my mason jars to tote out on a picnic. So fun! 

What are some fun things that you are thinking about buying to make the summer more enjoyable?

~Brit

Fun in the Sun

This weekend was spent primarily outside enjoying the sun. My hubby was in charge of a Golf Tournament on Saturday benefiting Mission of Hope in Haiti. So while he was out on the course Noah & I spent the day together. Although humidity is the heats best friend, somehow we managed to enjoy being outside for three hours. Like most little ones, Noah loves the water. So he enjoyed playing in the sprinkler & eating some popsicles. While he did that I dreamed and planned some for the next few months. Also worked on a project for Noahs room. 

Noah telling me, "Mommy you see that birdie over there, no take pictures of me take pictures of the birdie, ok?" Oh my word this kid cracks me up. Love the things he says.

Love this man of mine. Its been a very busy month for him & we've missed spending quality time together. Any chance we get I just want to be next to him. So Noah and I went out to the benefit at the end to enjoy dinner & to see who won prizes. The fun stuff. (I couldn't have handled a 3 year old for 10 hours out there.) 

Naturally, like his daddy, Noah loves any sport & enjoyed playing a little golf.

This little boy of mine truly brings me so much joy. I'm so very thankful for all the quality time we have together. Just being honest, some days are longer than others but even then - I still enjoy him so much. Feeling blessed this weekend. Thankful that the golf tournament was a success & proud of my my handsome man.

Happy Sunday.

~Brit