Together Herron

What to Think

2020-05-06T12:57:00.001-07:00

Rejoice in the Lord always; again I will say, rejoice. Let your reasonableness be known to everyone. The Lord is at hand; do not be anxious about anything, but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known to God. And the peace of God, which surpasses all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you. (Philippians 4:4-9, ESV)

If there's one thing I find myself dwelling on lately, it's when will I have a normal day?

There's something about predictability that is comforting. Every day after lunch I have to have some coffee... and I experience withdrawals if I don't have it.

Predicability is a luxury, privilege, and can also lead to stagnant waters in my heart. In fact, the times where I've felt closest to the Lord where when my life was interrupted.

Change.

Unpredictability.

With that knowledge, I welcome the chaos. Over the past six months, there haven't been many "normal" days for us. I still don't know what day it is. I am thankful to be right where we are, it's actually been very rejuvenating. God is up to something good.

"Behold, I am doing a new thing; now it springs forth, do you not perceive it? I will make a way in the wilderness and rivers in the desert. " (Isaiah 43:19, ESV)

Then, the pandemic extended that unpredictability. (Aren't we so selfish?)

Our world is grieving and dealing with this terrible pandemic and all the ramifications of it. It's no secret that people are struggling mentally.

Personally, it's a daily challenge to steer my mind in the right direction. I confess, my mind has been racing, going in circles, and dwelling on things that are beyond my control. Phones do not help. There's an app to distract everyone from everything. Dangerous territory for sanity, am I right?

If you took a glimpse into my brain there's grief, frustration, joy, and creativity. There's definitely an ongoing soundtrack. But the majority of space is taken up by questions. When will life be back to normal, predictable? When will the suffering and sickness end? When will I feel comfortable hugging a friend again? When will schools open?

To sum it up, for example, after watching the news, my husband is tired of hearing me say, "I don't even know what to think about all of this!"

What does scripture say about what to think? Romans 12:2 reminds me to be transformed by the renewing of my mind and 2 Corinthians 10:5 explains I must be casting down arguments and every high thing that exalts itself against the knowledge of God, bringing every thought into captivity to the obedience of Christ.

Let's sit on "the knowledge of God" for a moment. Jen Wilkin once said "the heart cannot love what the mind does not know." So, how can I love a Holy God if I don't spend any time getting to know Him through the word? Although good advice and tips are helpful, ultimately I need my Father. I need Living Water.

Furthermore, how can I bring my thoughts captive to Christ if I don't know what the word says about Him?

Somewhere between making an omelette and folding laundry, the Spirit reminded me of Paul's plea in Philippians 4:8-9.

"Whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things. What you have learned and received and heard and seen in me—practice these things, and the God of peace will be with you." (Philippians 4:8-9, ESV)

So, if you're like me and crave a safe place for your mind to dwell...

1. Dwell on the word.

How? Memorize it, sing it, read it, etc.

2. Dwell on the truths of Philippians 4:8-9

How? Ask the Lord to help you. Journal. Take an extended break from your phone, Netflix, etc.

3. Practice these things

It takes time to see transformation.

4. Rejoice in the Lord

When I rejoice in the Lord, I have confidence that God is in control. The Lord is at hand, he's coming back and He is abiding in us.

5. Pray

Like Paul told us in Philippians, pray. Prayer turns my heart towards God and offers me not a "less busy life but a less busy heart and mind" (Paul Miller, A Praying Life).

So, what's the point? Are we to endure this pandemic clinging tightly to our possessions, all while preserving ourselves and our comfort? Nope! There's a bigger picture.

A sobering reminder;

"yet you do not know what tomorrow will bring. What is your life? For you are a mist that appears for a little time and then vanishes. (James 4:14, ESV)

Life is short. The world (including believers) needs to hear again and again of a Holy God who cares so deeply that He gave His only Son. Once our minds are transformed by His Spirit and His Word, we are transformed and we have the privilege of sharing that testimony.

Lord, transform us so that we can shine brightly for you in this darkness. Stir up our stagnant waters. Move us into action. Let us meditate on your faithfulness so out of the overflow of our heart our mouths would speak of you.

The steadfast love of the LORD never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning; great is your faithfulness. (Lamentations 3:22-23, ESV)

Switzerland - Portugal - December 2019

2020-01-02T19:24:00.001-08:00

This year was full of incredible community, answers to prayer, round 3 of counseling, disappointments and anxiety. I’m a big believer in counseling. This year of counseling was not pertaining to our marriage but our marriage is experiencing some beautiful fruit.

It's all the Spirit's work.

Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? (1 Corinthians 3:16, ESV).

Repentance. Forgiveness. Rest. Sabbath. Truth. All words that come to mind for 2019 that I felt my heart seeking. I've never felt more encouraged, loved, confused, and strong at the same time. We have no idea what 2020 holds. Not a clue. I'll just have to keep singing a new song! (Psalm 96)

Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen. (Hebrews 11:1, ESV)

Experiencing Jesus as my peace, rest, justice, and joy! Scandalous grace and generosity overflowing from God’s goodness.

When I look at the growth we experienced in 2019, it's miraculous.

Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and comes down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shadow of turning. (James 1:17, ESV)

What I'm most thankful for is perspective. Some years you learn more about your spouse under peace and some more under pressure. I see Blake more clearly than ever. It’s beautiful. It's beautiful because it is from JESUS.

But we have this treasure in jars of clay, to show that the surpassing power belongs to God and not to us. We are afflicted in every way, but not crushed; perplexed, but not driven to despair; persecuted, but not forsaken; struck down, but not destroyed. (2 Corinthians 4:7-9, ESV)

Blake is incredibly loyal and faithful. He’s full of integrity, self discipline, and admits his shortcomings to me on a regular basis. He is not easily angered. He consults with his mentors and our counselor regularly. He is forgiving and usually the first one to apologize. He doesn’t act out of emotion yet he is able to emote and connect with such a pure and gentle heart. In Christ. Grace abounds. He gives me the benefit of the doubt, seeks peace, and offers grace. He is usually discipling multiple people at a time and LOVES it.

He is always going to point it back to the Gospel. Everything. All because of Jesus. He is brave and embraces conflict and steps into deep waters to save a friend from harm. He's also good at losing a gallbladder, his wallet, and 35 pounds. He is the Father to my children I prayed for. (Biggest fan over here)

But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. (Galatians 5:22-23, ESV)

Blake is also willing to step away and take a leap of faith when God calls him. I couldn’t be more proud of him.

That’s where we find ourselves in Switzerland. A much needed pause as we seek the Lord for what’s “next.” We have no plans but God sure does!

How can we be faithful, Lord?

A large group of friends (some anonymous) graciously and so generously sent us on a trip to Europe. They (and our amazing family) took care of everything. Our kids, cat, food, lodging, etc. I can’t comprehend it. I know I don’t deserve it. A sabbath we couldn’t have imagined. I don’t have the words to express my gratitude or the adventure! We were even able to visit two dear friends who are also in ministry; one in Geneva and the other in Portugal.

God opened our eyes to the global church and prompted us to take a close look at our hearts and His grace. My heart keeps coming back to the fact that life can’t be about me, my plans, my highs and lows, successes, or failures. It has to be for His glory.

Golden Pass to Geneva

Heres's a few glimpses. Sometimes a passage just hits me between the eyes. On our trip, it was Psalm 23.

The Lord is my shepherd

The food our host gave us since everything was closed

I shall not be in want.

He makes me lie down in green pastures

He leads me beside still waters

Haley, my dear friend of almost 30 years

He restores my soul

He leads me in paths of righteousness

for his name's sake.

Murren

Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death,

I will fear no evil,

for you are with me;

your rod and your staff,

they comfort me.

Reservation only... except us! God is good. So is fondue.

You prepare a table before me

in the presence of my enemies

you anoint my head with oil;

my cup overflows.

Hodge, our friend who started a house church in Portugal. Not pictured are his three children and lovely wife, Tiffany.

Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me

all the days of my life,

and I shall dwell in the house of the Lord

forever.

(Psalm 23, ESV)

Grief, Glory, and Guacamole

2019-07-25T12:16:00.002-07:00

Florida Herrons May, 2018

To my friends who have shared this little blog with me over the past ten years, thank you!

There's a part of me that has been avoiding writing lately because I didn't know where to start. My heart has been heavy this year.

Moments where you stop and pray; But you, O LORD, are a shield about me, my glory, and the lifter of my head. (ESV Psalm 3:3)

So, as I begin to blog again I feel the need to clarify something; transparency is not my goal here. I hesitate to focus on simply being transparent because it's important for me not to shortchange the TRUTH of God's word and lordship over my life. Another head-nodding in affirmation is nice but I need Jesus. I need the power of His word.

My aim is to glorify the Lord and tell of His faithfulness. After all, "For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God prepared beforehand, that we should walk in them. (ESV Ephesians 2:10)

Here are my ramblings on how I missed the mark and how good the Lord is.

He is ever so patient. Just like catching up with an old friend, here we go.

I came across these pictures that my sweet friend, Amy Ramsaran took for us about a month before we moved from our five-year-church-planting-adventure in Pembroke Pines, FL. I figured I would start with a little catching up.

Amy has a tremendous talent for capturing memories and I am so grateful for her generoisty. Did I mention her patience? It's like herding cats to get all three children in one frame. She creatively captured likely one of the most transformative times for our family.

Seeing palm trees and that familiar park makes this sentimental heart of mine start aching. I was reminded just last week that as a believer, it's not healthy for us to dwell on the past or to be too future-minded. Dwelling in the present, learning from the past, and having hope in God's plan for the future is a very challenging discipline for someone like me.

Maybe the best word is grief. We said so many goodbyes. I tried authentic guacamole and now I'm spoiled. We just truly miss so many aspects of what we used to call home. God strengthened our evangelism muscles and now I feel like we are in marathon training. Two different races. Two different harvests. Two different fruits. Yet, God doesn't change.

So teach us to number our days that we may get a heart of wisdom.(ESV, Psalm 90:12)

In the middle of the grief I have to remind myself of my purpose. Jesus put it best.

"You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind." (ESV, Matthew 22:37)

Through the grief we are experiencing, we don't want miss seeing God's glory in the present. The temptation arises to believe that those years were more significant. What a lie! Then, I sense God's Spirit pulling me back the reality of todays significance and purpose. He reminds me to be thankful. So much grace.

This is the day the the Lord has made so let's rejoice and be glad in it for His glory. (ESV Psalm 118:24)

It's so easy to be fooled that life is all about me. Help me, Rhonda! (Beach Boys... anyone? haha)

"And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into his image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit." (ESV 2 Corinthians 3:18)

He deserves the glory. Always.

We never anticipated moving back to Tennessee. We are honored to be here. One year has already flown by. Is it football time yet? Tuesdays are my favorite day of the week because that's when we have our community group. Our children are on what we call "level ten" with their volume and energy. They constantly peek out the front window to see who else is coming to the door and what treats they're bringing. We seek the wisdom of God's word together. We laugh until we cry. Our testimonies overlap. The sweetness of the encouragemnet we receive is only because of Jesus. We sometimes meet until almost midnight because the conversations are so natural. We pray together. It's heavenly.

We treasure time with family. You can't beat Mamaw's cooking, Mom's view and perspective, trips to Dollywood with Grandaddy, and Granna's peaceful backyard. Yet, this year has been muddied with unexpected challeneges. Messes. L I F E. My first words most mornings are, "Help me, Lord."

I sensed God asking me yet again, "Do you trust me? Is your trust in me?"

For example, you've had that year where everything breaks. We'd almost forgotten the joys of homeownership and how something always needs fixin'. We prayed for a washer and dryer for four months and through God's grace, (and a lot of soggy clothes and a wet garage) our friends Krystal and Scott had an extra one. So, we now praise God for two new spiffy machines that work like a charm! I can still hear Jude and Laurie's feet jumping with excitement and praies. We also prayed for a babysitter for six months and our same friend, Krystal generously offered to help us. To top that, these same friends even moved into our neighborhood.

Again, the temptation is to focus on all the problems. Maybe I just need to be more ~~positive~~... maybe it isn't about me. What if it's about meeting the guy who fixes our roof and sharing Jesus with him? Maybe it's about the little lady next-door who gave me the extra egg. How can I worhsip the Lord in my times of need? How can I praise Him in my time of need?

Time and time again we saw God's faithfulness in Florida and He just keeps showing Himself. I blogged pretty consistently (life before three kids) while we were in that sunny state so, I look forward to rediscovering His goodness. My heart can't move forward until I remind myself of just how God changed my heart and mind. Isn't that what the Isralites did over and over again through the Old Testament?

He warmed my heart in those cold places of selfishness, bitterness, anger, jealousy, greed, hopelessness, and faithlessness... to name a few. Oh, and the work is definitely not over! I desperately need His Spirit in me. It's only by His Spirit that I can love, have joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, or self-control (Galations 5:22-23)

So, where do I even begin?

I could tell you about...

how Blake and I took a step toward trusting the Lord in our marriage

how God transformed other marriages around us

the snakes and alligators

the way God spoke through his creation

Blanca and Ephrian

sharing life with people who didn't know God loves them

house church

sand, humidity, and sun 24/7

how God provided three different church locations (and how we got kicked out of two)

how God answered my prayers

how emotional I get when I feel like a friend is leaving me (so much grace and forgiveness)

how I shared southern recipes with South Americans

how much I miss rice and beans, Cuban pork, plaintains, pastilitos, and guacamole

about the incredible friends God brought into our lives

hilarious stories about my Cuban friends and vallet parking

Carlos' journey from Cuba to America

about how God provided for us more than financially each month

how Eddie and Linette received Christ

how Eddie and Leah have a miracle baby

how friends kept moving away to different cities... and the Lord was constant

our women's Bible study

how faithful Blake is

my best friends and all their testimonies

three C-sections and three recoveries

how big God showed up through Jude's diagnosis and physically losing Jude one day (serious mom guilt/ Carson still feels bad about this)

about God-given strength while nursing, working full-time, taking care of three children, all while Blake worked two jobs and the church plant

how so many cultures and friendships displayed the glory of God in ways I've never seen before

how HE is worthy to be praised

I could tell you how much we had to C L I N G T O J E S U S.

December 2017

2017-12-29T13:37:00.000-08:00

We are definitely going to need the next eleven months to recover from the past few weeks of Christmas madness. I also think I'm going to need another year to adjust to having three kids. Three different schedules, school requirements, lunchboxes, doctor's appointments... a l l o f i t. It's becoming increasingly difficult to climb into bed at a reasonable hour. I'm clinging to the promise of "being thankful in everything for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thes 5:18. Otherwise, my attitude quickly slides into backwards thinking. The truth is, we have three precious babies, we live in paradise, we have wonderful friends and family and more than we could ever ask for.

We overdid it on the Christmas baking this year. Blake strapped on my apron and then his own and was the most efficient assistant to our cinnamon roll adventure. It takes a whole day to let the dough rise, settle, chill, bake, and then frost, cool, and cover. It's a work of art that I enjoy with all my heart. It's in my blood actually. My family has a deep-rooted history in bakeries. My grandfather's uncle purchased the family bakery from German immigrants in Charleston, SC and I actually was recently contacted to help preserve the bakery property and our family history in Charleston. I have mentioned before that my mom also had a bakery in Knoxville, TN back when I was a kid. So, being raised in that bakery I just have it in me to bake. All. The. Time. Here are a few pictures of my grandfather's uncle who had the bakery in Charleston. I'm just fascinated by the whole story!

Our sweet little Hal baby was SEVEN months on 12-1. She's just got the sweetest disposition.

Picking out our Christmas tree that apparently came all the way from North Carolina

No, I didn't bake this one!

"Outer Space" by Jude

Thanks to miss Aria for the fun toy!

Jude turned 5! We had a little birthday party with friends at a bounce house close by. Jude requested this place and since we all had stomach virus last year and there was no party, this year we went all out.

My work family went out for a wonderful Christmas dinner in Boca at Chop's. My boss was so kind to provide such a wonderful evening for us. We all pitched in and got him an espresso machine :)

It seems as though my coworkers loved the wedding cookies I whipped up. :)

I have no idea what this silly song is, haha! Only in South Florida!

laurie was the most energetic and expressive performer. She's always performing! We just smiled at her the whole time. So proud!

As a Christmas present, I made these for my coworkers. MMM!

our wonderful friend and babysitter, Kara

Congrats to Cecelia and Brian! Such a gorgeous bride. The music was pretty good too!

My wonderful evergrace designs sign :)

Six Months With Hallie Reese

2017-12-27T10:54:00.002-08:00

Little baby Hal. You are the icing on the cake! You have developed such a sweet personality. You love to say "dada" and you're crawling and scooting all over the house! You're 8 months now but when you were 6 months, we took you out behind the house and I got these pictures of you in the dress that Granna made for LK.

You don't enjoy your milk very much but you love baby food and finger foods. I miss you so much while you're at school but your teachers sure do love you. They call you Hallie Boo Boo at school but daddy doesn't like it, haha! Your brother is very gentle with you and little LK just thinks you're her doll. She loves to try to feed you, pat you on the head, sit on you, change your diaper, sing to you and read to you. You love to hear us singing, playing our piano and guitar at home, and you just hate it when you brother and sister fight. You start crying when someone strikes an ugly tone. You're currently sharing a room with your big brother in your pack-n-play and you're still sleeping from around 7-7. (thank you sleep schedule!)

With three kids, we are constantly learning to adjust and say "no" to things that get in the way of our quality time as a family. Daddy and I have loved going on dates, having a babysitter come over, and we try to have as much family time together on the weeks as possible.

It's easy for me to get caught up in the to-dos, the undone, the laundry piles, and clutter but God has so much more in store. God is constantly about His glory and our sanctification. Having three kids has definitely been more challenging than we anticipated. God is also way bigger and way more loving than I previously imagined. In His grace, I'm learning that I'll never have a heart big enough to love all three of my little babies. Only God is the perfect parent and knowing that brings me so much JOY and REST. I don't have to get it right. I don't have to have it all figured out. I can't control my household like I used to because I'm outnumbered now (haha). BUT I can rest knowing that God's always in control, His heart IS big enough to love all His children, and He provides so much rest through Jesus Christ, my savior.

How marvelous. How wonderful. Hallie, we pray you will one day sing His praises!

September, October, and November

2017-12-26T12:39:00.002-08:00

Ok, here we go! September was a WILD month for us. Little Hallie was only four months old when she got to experience her first hurricane! We traveled up to my sister's house in Chattanooga to stay safe from the winds, rain, and tornadoes. It was heartbreaking to see the many lives and homes affected by this terrible storm!

We also visited Charleston, SC to see family also for Thanksgiving. There's so many details and stories I want to share. I have so much on my heart that I can't wait to write about but with three kids, I'm just barely putting one foot in front of the other! (let's not even talk about laundry) More to come! :)

boarding up the house :)

the best view in the world! the kids loved going swimming every day this summer. Jude and LK can now both swim independently. Blake is the best swim teacher!

our favorite park in Silver Lakes

So, here's how it all went down. We looked at the weather report and they mentioned that the worst of the storm would hit on a Friday through Monday. So, with three kids (one nursing) and a cat we decided to load up that car randomly on a Tuesday night. We packed up that care in a jiffy and headed to Chattanooga. We didn't feel like it was best to take the cat since we had three kids to take care of so we asked our neighbors to come check on Lolly for us. We have the bets neighbors! They came over and snuggled with her and fed her for us. I as very emotional about this decision because I love our cat but we just didn't have room in the car for a litter box or patience for a loud anxious animal. Haha! So, we took a picture with Lolly cat in case our roof flew off and she was caught up in the wind. haha!

I remember watching the news reports and the worst part of the storm was predicted to hit our side of town. We didn't expect to come home to much of anything but the Lord certainly spared our little house. It was just devastating to see the damage to the islands, the keys, Puerto Rico, etc. So many of our friends and loved ones here in South Florida have family in the areas that were affected.

twelve hours in the car together. wow. serious bonding time, right?

We finally made it to Aunt Amy and Uncle Kevin's house, yay! The kids were fascinated with the roads, the hills, rocks, pine cones, trees, birds, etc. They were just amazed at how different everything looked. It was so generous of my sister to allow us to crash at her place indefinitely. We just waited for the storm to approach and it felt like the longest nightmare. Thankfully, our house was fine! In the meantime, we had a wonderful visit with almost all of our family! We haven't really taken a vacation since we've had kids sooo this was perfect!

When you live in Florida and you girls have "fall photos" ahah! We don't really have fall clothes or fall weather here.

I am so glad that I was able to hug this special lady right here! Atlee and I have been friends since high school. She just happened to be right down the road. What a gift you are!!

Back home in Florida at church rehearsing. When you're both in the band, you just bring all three kids and make do!

Blake has always been a good cook but he really outdid himself with these amazing pancakes!

just a normal Saturday morning making a mess

Victoria had the most amazing birthday party!

OCTOBER :)

Celebrating my most amazing friend's birthday! Love you Jennifer! (I loved making your cake!)

crazy flooding after the hurricane

Jude really works hard on that light bright :)

Celebrating Lina's birthday :)

Our friends from Tennessee came down to vacation and see us. It was so fun to see the Coon's little girls and to hug you guys!

Hanging out with the neighbors

Jude's handsome school pics that i still need to mail out!

Getting ready for Halloween and showering miss Aria!

NOVEMBER:

Blake was able to preach again. He's just amazing. So proud!

Hanging out at school :)

we love running into Jered at Yogurtland

Little Hallie's six month session in our backyard. I need to post more of these later!

Celebrating Jude's buddy from school

Thanksgiving in Charleston!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Just missing two cousins, Joseph and Catherine in St Louis

getting our cardio on!

My precious grandparents

I enjoyed baking this lovely cake for my Panamanian momma, Beni!

July and August

2017-12-26T11:44:00.000-08:00

Alrighty, here's my attempt at catching up on this year before it's over haha!

Blake did an incredible job preaching!

My precious LK :)

best buddies!

When you love goggles so much and refuse to take them off...

Our sweet babysitter Kara who came over the keep the big kids for us

first date night out with Hal

trying to stay cool!

LK got a big girl bed!

super dad making lunches!

Jude's best buddy!

All three kid's first day of summer school :)

sweet Blake brought me birthday flowers.

My buddy Jen! :)

Special homemade cinnamon rolls that I wish i never made because they're sooo additing! I can smell the maple mocha glaze MMMM

Her first haircut :)

no, we didn't get another cat. just looking for free fun things to do haha

We had an awesome time doing another women's Bible study. This time, I got to lead the book of Jonah. What an incredible group of ladies!

The Sunday morning crew! They LOVE each other so much!

AUGUST

The first time Jude has every drawn and named something other than his name. It's a rocket! He can read books but he has definitely struggled with drawing creatively so we've been working on that.

dangerously good cookies my mom sent from Tennessee for my birthday. she's the best!

Dad taught LK how to swim without a float! yay!! such a big girl! we are so proud of you

My friends threw me the most amazing surprise birthday party! I have the best friends! :)

Her first time using the hairdryer

Jude's first day of pre-k with Mrs. Alberti's class

Zal's birthday party :)

The view from the Coldplay concert. Thanks to my sweet family, Blake attended his first Coldplay concert! What a fun night.

Picture day at school

Coldplay!

it was so awesome to see Abby (Blake's cousin from TN) who came to visit after her trip overseas.

MAY & JUNE

2017-12-26T11:43:00.000-08:00

Little Hallie (sounds like Sally) was one month old back on June 1, 2017. We have had to make some major adjustments to our family schedule since baby number three came along. We definitely find ourselves exhausted and a bit overwhelmed but you know what, God is good! I look back at these pictures and I'm reminded of all the daily grace that the Lord has shown to us. When we brought Hallie home, and for the months following, we were so blessed by hugs, meals, gifts, and quality time with friends and family. God is so amazing! I see so many sweet faces of friends and family who came by to give Hallie snuggles and brought us meals. I'm humbled when I think of the privilege we have to a part of such a living body of believers who are literally the hands and feet of Jesus.

Our summer was filled with so many emotions, dirty diapers, nursing sessions, trips to the pool, trips to the potty, and tantrums. I don't know how we survived without Blake! He is just an incredible father and husband and I'm just the luckiest gal to have him. So, thank you Blake! Haha!

Here's some memories...

All my little babies at one month :)

Jude and LK love to pick flowers for me. Melts my heart.

Laurie's love is some kind of fierce!! haha!

I'm so glad they love cats :)

Cousin time!

we definitely have to keep an eye out for Hallie when LK is around. this is why!

they're LOVING The Sound of Music

So glad that Mimi and Pop came to visit!

It was also amazing to see my sister Lea Ann, Michael, Jackson, Parker, and Mallory and our friends Katie and Jeremy!

completing pre-k

J U N E

apparently we have limes growing in our backyard

big girl underwear!

our little performer!

always singing and playing her instruments

Enjoying our friend Zal's pool :)

Hallie' s first time at church

My first day with all three alone...

"don't you worry bout' a thiiiiiiing..." was our song for the summer from the movie, "Sing"

I think we went to the pool just about every day! Hallie just love snoozing in the heat.

Such a treat to see Angela who came all the way from Texas. We were friends back in Tennessee :)

Our sweet friends, the Berans moved over the summer. We definitely miss you guys! :(

Jude's teacher and our neighbor's sister-in-law. God is so good to let us have you in our life!

Blake has become quite the chef

A much needed boy's trip. First time canoeing for Jude!

Blake's pancake skills are just incredible :)

These beautiful girls have hearts of gold. My best friend, Ashley and her family took a family mission trip to Haiti.

S U M M E R 2 0 1 7

2017-10-11T12:16:00.002-07:00

Now that summer is officially over, I better post this before Christmas is here! This third baby business has us all kinds of frazzled. Whew. I need more arms. I need more time.

I remember this particular summer afternoon smelling like wet grass and grilled meat. Thanks to the talented Amy Ramsaran, we enjoyed this adventure while she took all the photos. I found myself clinging to our newborn instead of my camera bag and I wouldn't have it any other way. Our sweet friends, the Liesers, decided to have a little get-together to celebrate friendship and summer. Our kids had the best time attacking Jason and Blake the whole time! I sat there in the heat with little Hallie and had a chance to observe the adventure, nurse her, change diapers, and try to avoid the water balloons!

I used to be so diligent (obsessed) about taking pictures as much as possible but I've run out of hands! With the arrival of little Hallie, we've definitely had to do some adjusting to our routine. Our days are packed with to-dos and seem to go by quicker than they used to. I have had to cling to the truth of grace more desperately than ever! There's grace when I just can't do it all. Having Hallie, I've been reminded that I can't please everyone. I can't be the best wife, mom, sister, friend, co-worker, worship-leader, baker, crazy person that I want to be but... I can rest in the grace that this life isn't about me. I've learned to give myself some grace. Breathing in and out, grace.

How quickly I tend to believe the lie that this life is all about me, my plans (or lack thereof), my family, etc. I'd be so foolish to steal all the glory. Lord, this life is about your glory! So much of His glory was in these little faces enjoying His creation, definitely the grilled corn (thanks to master chef Jason), fellowshipping with our SoFlo family, and getting to know some new friends who didn't know Jesus. To my left was one friend that Blake loved on at Lowe's and now she knows Jesus, and to my right was a friend who I've grown alongside for four years now. They've both been by our side through celebrations and definitely drama and hardship! Haha! What a gift we have found in each other, provided by our unity in Christ. Jesus really changes everything.

Thankful for a loving and graceful heavenly father that provides such special summer evenings with the BEST friends! It was one for the books.

Thanks, Amy for the awesome pics!

Family Of Five

2017-07-08T20:21:00.000-07:00

Family of five. I'm still getting used to the idea! Haha! Thank you to my sweet new friend, Amy Ramsaran who took these precious photos for us! She did an incredible job using film and here are the digital proofs.

Little Hallie was a week old and we were just getting settled into our new routine of having NO routine. It's nice to be on this side of things because the last two months have been pretty challenging. Now, we're all a lot more rested and feel like we've found a good rhythm. For a while there, we were all just grumpy zombies that needed sleep. More on Hallie later. This third baby business is harder than we anticipated but God has been so gracious to us and always surprises us with his faithfulness. Lord, you surely are our daily bread. Like no other.

We feel honored to have this little brunette in our house. (finally a baby who might look like ME haha) When I look at these photos I see a time where we desperately needed our family and friends and I'm reminded of each meal, gift, note, and word of encouragement that was provided. I'm blown away by the kindness shown. I'm blown away by God's goodness.

God, help us to raise her to be a fearless woman of the truth. Help us keep a proper perspective. I so often want to keep record of every thought, every moment that my children make me smile, and then I remember that it's all to the glory of God. Not me. I want my children to grow in the likeness of Christ, not me. I want my children to worship the Lord, not me. I want my family to reflect the life-giver. I hope my children know Jesus is the perfect parent, the perfect Father. Lord, help me not to worship family, my motherly role, my abundance...but to worship YOU.

Special thanks to Linette who helped tackle the wild children you see here and to Kelsey Gibbs for the adorable bear shirts. Thank you for these precious memories in our backyard, Amy!

P.S. Please pray that Laurie Kate doesn't squish this poor baby girl!!

Miss Hallie Reese's One Week Photos

2017-05-22T18:30:00.000-07:00

Blake and I had quite the adventure attempting to get a few pictures of you at home when you were exactly one week old. We plopped you down on top of daddy's guitar case and got out the blanket that Granna made for you and hoped to get a few good pictures. You're so beautiful, it was no trouble. You also look great in blue! Thanks for cooperating with us.

Blake and I also enjoyed taking Jude and Laurie Kate's first pictures back in the day! This time, the guitar case is CLOSED. Get it? We are done! Haha! Oh, Hallie! You are so loved. I pray that you know how much God loves you... we will spend our lives teaching you all we know. We will constantly fall short and mess up and act like crazy people but God will always love you with a perfect love. What a relief! What grace! Thank you Jesus for your mercy because having three has filled my heart and stretched us thin. You are with us, Lord.

We like to sing over our little babies. Jude's song has always been "O Come Let Us Adore Him." That's just what has stuck and it's something we pray over him. Laurie Kate's has been "I Love You Lord." Since Hallie was born, I've been singing "Lord I'm Amazed" to her and she seems to love it. So, little one, know these truths from Zephaniah 3:17...

You dance over me
While I am unaware
You sing all around
But I never hear the sound

Lord, I'm amazed by You
Lord, I'm amazed by You
Lord, I'm amazed by You
How You love me

You paint the morning sky
With miracles in mind
My hope will always stand
For You hold me in Your hand

Lord, I'm amazed by You
Lord, I'm amazed by You
Lord, I'm amazed by You
How You love me

How wide, how deep
How great is Your love for me
How wide, how deep
How great is Your love for me

Lord, I'm amazed by You
Lord, I'm amazed by You
Lord, I'm amazed by You
How You love me

More of JUDE

More of Laurie Kate

Hallie's Birthday

2017-05-22T18:06:00.006-07:00

Hallie Reese Herron. 5-1-17, 8:30AM, 19.5 in, 8lbs 5oz

First, it's H A L L I E which rhymes with "Sally."

While we're at it, Laurie also rhymes with "sorry." NOT Lori like "story."

-Rant over-

Meeting my sweet babies for the first time always takes my breath away. I can't help but burst into tears the moment I hear their first cries. There are moments where I think we get a little taste of heaven, a miracle, and May 1, 2017 at 8:30AM was one of them. I am reminded of this verse... how BIG God's love must be for us!

We checked in to the same hospital that Laurie Kate was born at 5:30AM here in sunny Florida. Blake and I hardly slept the night before since we were so excited and anxiously anticipating little Hallie's surgery... and little Hallie was practically doing somersaults in my belly! Goodness! I couldn't sleep with those little feet kicking inside me for three hours. She was excited!

Yes, my third C-section. I'm thankful to be born in this generation because my anatomy just doesn't allow a baby to pass through the normal way! I wasn't as nervous with this surgery as I was with Laurie Kate. I feel like I was able to let go and trust God and it also helped that I really love my current doctor. I am so thankful that have Dr. Fields on this journey. With LK, I was vomiting during the procedure and for the following twelve hours so my prayer was to be able to meet Hallie without being sick at the same time. It worked out just fine and I was able to hold my little (big) girl without turning green! I did get sick about six times or so but it wasn't nearly as bad as before. God is so good!

The whole morning was filled with little God moments. First, this hospital is beautiful and surrounded by the most gigantic palm trees; it's like walking into a resort! Ha! Then, the nurse that prepped me for surgery was the same nurse I had with LK. We were able to hear about how she survived chemotherapy for breast cancer over the past two years and that she was a believer. How awesome it was to sit there and hear her story of triumph and HOPE in the Lord as I was being poked and prodded! As I was listening to her, my contractions were about six minutes apart for about an hour and man, they were getting painful. Blake and I keep holding hands, breathing, and praying that Hallie would wait! I like to think that she was ready to come out exactly when the surgery was taking place but who knows.

Also, the anesthesiologist was from Tennessee so we struck up a conversation as they administered my spinal... my least favorite part of the morning. But what are the odds that she would be from a small town close to where I went to college? How cool. Then, there was an anesthesia assistant behind me coaching me through the procedure. This guy eased my nerves by keeping some small talk going since Blake wasn't allowed in the room for a while. It turns out, he knows a family from our church, his mother-in-law lives in my neighborhood, his son goes to my son's school, his son also has a speech delay, and his wife works across the street from me! SMALL WORLD. So, needless to say
I was distracted talking it up with this kind fellow as the doctors did their thing... pushing, tugging, pulling, etc.

Then, I heard that sweet cry! I remember hearing the doctors say, "wow, she's a big baby!" I kept asking what she weighed and had to wait about an hour before anyone could answer me! Jude was 8lbs 9oz, LK was 6lbs 9oz, and Hallie came in at 8lbs 5oz. I never expected her to be that big. AND HER HAIR. Gosh, we love you little girl. I prayed for you to have dark hair and here we are! She's just amazing! She has changed so much already! It's definitely been a challenge having three and having to let go of some of our little routine, let go of some expectations, and control. We have two big kids on our hands and they're doing a great job adjusting for the most part.

As pictured below, my sweet mother and sister-in-law Whitney and little cousin Owen made this all possible. I don't know what we'd do without their help. Thank you again for your kindness, encouragement, and hard work keeping our family alive during this special time!

little grin

she's so swollen, sweet thing. proud daddy!

my mom sent a sweet pink teddy bear and baloons! i can't wait for her to come visit this week!

I was pretty much high for about a day so I don't remember much of the first day but I do remember wanting to hold her so badly but I couldn't stay awake.

Jude and LK LOVE their baby sister. LK is a little rough but she means well, haha! I was so excited for them to meet her finally.

"she's so cuuuute..."

Blake. Thank you. Thank you for being the greatest supportive and loving husband. The only reason I felt like I could make it out of that hospital bed is because I have your support and love. Sitting there during those first long nights when I look over and see you half sleeping/snoring in that terribly uncomfortable and annoyingly squeaky hospital fold out bed just makes me feel like the luckiest woman in the world. ALL the nurses raved over how amazing you were. You really are the best. You changed every first diaper on all three of our kids. You are so proactive and positive and always reminding me to look to Jesus. Thank you for being the head of our family and for holding my hand when I'm being cut open... literally.

Thanks to Chris for this snapshot!

Hallie loved meeting Grace, Anna, and Jason. We missed Ashley but she finally met her a few days ago!

Hallie also loved meeting Eddie, Leah, Brian, Mistie and Jerel in the hospital.

Back at the house, Whitney and Granna saved the day keeping Jude and LK, taking them to school, cooking and baking the most delicious foods, and helping us keep up our weekly routine. I don't know what I'd do without these ladies! We really appreciate everything you did for us and for loving our little kiddos.

cousin time!

Granna and Hallie!

Jude was allowed in my lap and enjoyed a new Bible lift-the-flap book we got for him. I would have loved to hold you, LK but you didn't quite understand how to not sit on mommy's boo boo.

The kids LOVED opening some presents from their awesome babysitter, Kara. We also got them little watches and books. :) Gotta make them feel special.

we couldn't wait to get home and sleep in our own beds... or at least try to sleep. we've forgotten how crazy the first months are with newborns but it's all worth it

fun times with Granna back at the house

My first doctor's appointment. They told us you had no jaundice and to come back in a month. What a relief! Oh, and somehow you grew an inch in four days.

oh we just love you little one!

enjoying the sunshine!

Jude's robot!

Little sister, you are loved and a gift from the Lord!

April

2017-05-19T07:28:00.002-07:00

As excited as I am to share some memories of April, I'm more excited to share what's next... baby HALLIE is here! So, I will be brief.

I'll take all the grouchy hugs I can get. Easter Sunday at our church, Hope Fellowship in Weston, FL.

It's always odd to me to spend Easter without our extended families but we are definitely thankful for our South Florida family! We had so much fun hunting eggs with our friends the Liesers, Berans and miss Linette. Jude and LK have grown extra close with this group of kiddos. We had some delicious grilled chicken, ribs, fruit, veggies, and Ashley made some adorable rice crispy nests and chocolate cake. mmm! The men did an excellent job hiding all the eggs on the playground and gave each child a certain color to find!

LK wanted to eat all the chocolate as she found it.. who cares about hunting eggs?!? Haha!

We love miss Linette!

She was so proud to be held by her daddy. "This is my daddy"

36 1/2 weeks with little Hallie (like Sally)

I really didn't want to do it. We gave away Jude's old train table. I would have LOVED to keep it and have it for the kids for a few more years but since we've added baby Hallie, we are limited with space. I'm also really emotional about this table and had to document it's goodbye because this table reminds me of when we discovered that Jude really needed help with his speech. It was a very challenging time in our lives when we brought LK home and Jude just wasn't able to communicate with us hardly at all. He was two and could hardly phrase more than one word at a time. He knew all kinds of words but wasn't able to use them when he needed to. So, he would resort to his room and lay his face down on the train table and watch the trains at eye-level. It made for a good hour or so of uninterrupted play for him but it distracted him from the real world. Good and bad. So, our speech therapist has us remove the table so that he would engage more with others... and ever since it left his room... he's been a new kid. I think LK is happier too because she always wanted to play with Jude but he was busy with those trains. So, I know some other child will have a blast with this awesome table! Sad to see it go but we're so thankful for how Jude (and LK) are developing!

sweet faces when i come home from work

my grocery buddy

flowers at work :) they're real and so beautiful!

little Tucker, my nephew was born! I can't wait to meet him this Thanksgiving!

our second to last date night before baby came. we enjoyed a dinner at P.F. Chang's and strolled around the mall and even got a cup of coffee! we met some super nice people who just loved to have a conversation at Starbucks. We were able to share the gospel with them and continue to pray for their salvation. you never know who you're going to meet.

Jude and LK had fun with the Beran's while we went out on a date.

38 weeks

Jude had a blast spending his Spring Break with the Berans. I don't know what we'd do without them!

All the gils LOVE Blake. I mean, I see how! Oh how I love this man!

best dad ever!

my last day at work until I return from maternity leave. love you guys!

had to document this baby snake that came to visit haha

Blake's sweet coworkers! They took us out to lunch to celebrate baby Hallie, gave Blake a gift card, gave me a mani/pedi, and who can forget the Beeboo. Just look it up, haha! You guys are amazing! Thank you again!

Our last pool date as a family of four :)

It was SO good to finally meet little Ezra and see the Gibbs! We went to Ft Lauderdale and enjoyed a delicious dinner, some ice cream, and a walk on the beach. Come back again soon!

all three quilts that Granna made for the kids :)

jude is learning all kinds of new chores!

New photos for the website!!

Enjoying a morning together before Hallie gets here

just some cool chairs they enjoyed while mommy and daddy shopped for diapers and baby stuff!

real. life.

Blake surprised me with dinner one night after my doctor's appointment. SO DELICIOUS!

best buddies!

little miss LK has a sweet side and... this side! haha!

Took the kids out for a special dinner at IHOP before baby Hallie arrived.

Blake's business trip just up the road to Ft Lauderdale where he was awarded for being one of the best new employees with Ultimate Software. SO PROUD OF YOU!

COUSIN OWEN ARRIVED!

Jus the awesome sake they found about two miles from our house. OMG!

Picture day at school!

I thought these turned out SO WELL! haha!

Poor LK. I'm so sorry that I forgot to dress you up for picture day! You look so beautiful in your school shirt but your silly school didn't put the date on the picture flyer and with Hallie being due that week... mommy forgot. and i cried about it. a lot. we love you! haha!

APRIL marks the month they were introduced to MARY POPPINS. They are in love! I'm so excited that they enjoy one of my all time favorites.

LK is always taking care of her babies :)

April was so good to us. Thankful for each day and this beautiful life God has given us.

Showering Hallie Reese

2017-04-24T18:34:00.003-07:00

Driving to Mistie's house I started to tear up a bit because I realized that I never anticipated having the majority of these ladies in my life last year. He began a new thing and man, is it good! God has certainly blessed me with some incredible women of faith who have been by my side through this little pregnancy journey. Hallie Reese has been quite content and I'm so thankful that she's happy and healthy but even more, I'm thankful that she's loved and prayed for.

Sometimes I believe the lies that I'm all alone or that life is too hard. God's truth spoken in His word and spoken by these beautiful ladies lifts me up and plants me back in paths of light. I felt so refreshed and filled with joy at this shower. Thank you again, ladies.

I was also surprised (below) by my wonderful friends at work! Everyone spent so much time and effort coordinating such special moments to celebrate this new life and I just can't thank you enough. Life is definitely more challenging being pregnant with two amazing kiddos at home but God has carried me though and here we are, a week away! We are so ready! I've got the best family, friends and the most supportive husband ever! :)

Ashley worked so hard on all these special decorations. Aren't they amazing?!

Hallie will (hopefully) enjoy sleeping in our room/closet for quite a while since we don't have a room for her just yet. She will eventually share a room with LK or Jude and LK will stay the nights together. We'll see. Either way, our room sure does look cute with all these new decorations! hah!

the food!!!

Shannon... my mouth is still watering!

ya'll seriously blessed my socks off... I never imagined such a loot!! Hallie will definitely be in style!

It was a special surprise to have a gift from my mom, my mother-in-law, and even Blake's grandmother who passed away last year. As is tradition, Granna put together a quilt for Hallie! I enjoyed picking out some fabric and she also found some beautiful accent pieces and put in all the labor and love. I just keep looking at the quilt and picturing our sweet little baby all snuggled up in it! I can't wait to meet her!! Thank you for all your love, mommas!

We had so much fun at work celebrating Hallie! It was the first time I had seen her name printed anywhere and it about made me cry! We had a delicious spread of SoFlo foods such as yuca, plantains, beans and rice, chicken, and flan. OH, the flan was incredible. Not to mention the delicious cake! Andrea went all out and made this huge diaper cake with dollars in it and so many little surprised tucked in and my boss even gave us a Babies R' Us gift card. WHEW. Hallie, you are loved my little one. You are LOVED.

I am just amazed at God's goodness and abundant blessings, graces, and mercies though this pregnancy. He's constantly there reminding me that He loves me, He cares, He will meet our every need, and I can trust HIM. Even without all the bells and whistles, He gave his son for me. For us! I can't imagine giving up my child. I just can't! Lord, thank you for your love. Thank you for making your love so clear, so tangible.

Thank you for Hallie Reese.

March

2017-04-24T18:18:00.002-07:00

Life is changing before our eyes! March was full of sunshine, boo boos, and celebrations. Here's March...

Blake and Laurie Kate have such a special bond. Blake was able to work from home with LK at his side from the time she was about a year old until this past December. They also get to have some extra daddy daughter time together since he picks her up and takes her to school. I'm jealous at times but I'm so grateful that they have such a close relationship. We have our moments together when I get home and on the weekends and they're just as sweet... and spunky!

Saturdays are for our neighborhood park and friends! Grace and Anna have been our buddies for about four years now. We are sooooo thankful to have them as friends. Their mom and dad have been a constant source of encouragement and wisdom to us.

snuggling with dad

Early morning FL sunshine

just a normal school day

When Jude is out of school, Blake gets to work from home and keep Jude company. This particular day, Jude was on his best behavior so Blake took him out for a treat!

we can't wait to snuggle with Hallie Reese!!!! Thanks, Granna!

Our small group has loved the Multiply curriculum from David Platt and Francis Chan!

29 weeks with Hallie Reese!

My mom was so kind to send me some of my favorite cookies from a bakery back home. Although I've grown to like the cuban bakeries nearby, nothing beats a good ol' southern cookie! They definitely disappeared quickly in this house!

Enjoying the beautiful fresh flowers at work!

the month wouldn't be complete without LK falling and hurting herself... poor baby! this month she face planted out of this trough. she's ok, luckily!

We had a blast celebrating Emma's first birthday with our friends!

Since we have small group at our house, sometimes I still bake! It's rare! My sweet friends usually pitch in a bring some delicious treats but this one above is a family favorite. Here's the recipe. It's super cheap and easy!

When we have band practice, we get to go to Covenant Presbyterian where we used to meet as Desire Church. The kids LOVE the new toys! Jude calls in the "second church" since it's technically the second one we went to down here :)

30 weeks!

Yes, this is our first baby. Lolly cat is going on eight years old. Time flies!

32 weeks

"the park with the sand" Jude's favorite!

little leprechaun

this year, I had the privilege of baking my first pineapple upside down cake for my boss' birthday. with the help of a cake mix and a good deal of extra ingredients, it was a success! recipe here :) Yes, I used a mix because this pregnant lady has to take a short cut somewhere!

DATE NIGHT! It's our goal to go out atlas once a month without the kids. Thanks to our sweet friends, the Liesers, we were able to do just that. Cheesecake Factory is always a treat for us and we saw Beauty and The Beast (despite all the drama) and it was fantastic! I think Blake was more excited than I was, hah! Love him!

(courtesy of mister Jason)

33 weeks

I think we eat apples every day... the kids love them and always want to help us in the kitchen. LK is just a little mini me! She makes me smile (and get frustrated at times also) when she constantly pulls up a stool and always wants to help stir and taste everything.

It's rare, but I love taking her to school in the morning when daddy can't. "BYE MOM!" "SEE YA!"

This was in downtown Coral Gables, FL (somewhere around there) while we celebrated our gorgeous neighbor's wedding! These two made such a lovely couple. I've never seen a more beautiful wedding!

Our CIRCLE crew! Pretty sure we live in the best circle!

real life right here... tissues and water...repeat. I'm hoping that I survived my LAST week of fourteen weeks of sickness with this pregnancy. I had every common sickness in the book!!! WHEW!

I have a lot to share about Autism and our sweet Jude. If you need someone to talk to or someone to listen, you know how to reach me. Jude was diagnosed as "on the spectrum" when he was two and a half. I wish we could've helped him sooner but the help we've received in Florida so far has been incredible. God know exactly where we needed to be! He has taken such great care of us through the joy and struggles. Most people wouldn't even be able to tell that Jude was diagnosed since he's very high functioning but let me tell you, it's been an uphill battle. Jude has come a long way! Here are some symptoms that YOU need to be aware of. Jude simply learns differently and we've had to adjust and help him learn the way that he can. He's brilliant, already reading Dr. Seuss books, and has a huge compassionate heart for others. We are so proud of him (and Laurie Kate's patience).

If you're at all concerned with your child's development, I encourage you not to be afraid to talk to your doctor and don't be afraid of the "A" word. Ask questions. Some pediatricians are not going to spend enough time on the subject, they might be afraid to discuss Autism with you because of your reaction, or they don't see the same warning signs you do since you're with your child all the time. It's your responsibility to help your baby out!

It's been a blessing to our family. Who cares about the diagnosis. We all want what is best for our children and usually what is best is NOT easy. Take the high road, swallow your pride, and get your sweet child some help!! I can testify that it's not easy but just like tossing the paci, helping your child sleep through the night, helping your child learn how to eat healthy foods... BE THE PARENT and DO THE RIGHT THING. It all starts with knowing what Autism is, so be informed. (...exiting soap box)

35 weeks

LK's teacher was so proud of her (so were we) when she noticed that she independently matched all the colors with the fish! Love our little sweet girl!

one of the best surprises of the month; seeing good ol' Nate and Lacy from Tennessee!! thanks again for taking the time to come visit us on your vacation!

Finally, I get to tell you about miss Andrea! It was a blast celebrating your birthday this year. I was honored to whip up a special cake for you! This girl is my right hand...woman! We've become so close over the past year and I am so thankful for her friendship. I can say that I actually look forward to going back to work (although it will not be easy) because I have this girl and my awesome coworkers to look forward to. Ya'll have become family! HUGS!!

Laurie Kate Turned Two!

2017-03-31T20:46:00.001-07:00

Laurie Kate, you are quite the special little girl. You loves to hug, say hello to everyone, sing, dance, bothering brother, sleeping, eating (anything), cooking in your kitchen, taking care of your babies, laying out blankets all over the house for your babies to nap, coloring, bubbles, talking on the phone, saying "yucky," Minnie, "Little Einsteins," "Chuggington," reading books, doing everything all by yourself, and snuggling. You have the sweetest little curls, the raspiest voice, and are so patient with us. I try to imagine if you as our first born because I want to treasure every part of you just the way we did with Jude. You certainly won't get left behind with your sass and spunk.

You're always finding a stool to help me in the kitchen, you always want "mommy hold you," to hug, play, and sing. "Jesus Loves Me" is your favorite song among many. You're a performer and a charmer. My prayer is that you continue to spread love and joy everywhere you go. I pray that we can continue to show you how BIG God's love is for you! Your belly laugh is contagious. You care so much for others and always want to know if someone else is ok. You are our favorite little LK.

This year, we celebrated your birthday and spunky spirit with Granna, Ashley, Jason and their girls. We kept it super simple and just had pizza, fruit, and Jude and I whipped up some delicious homemade cupcakes. A while ago, I made these easy fondant hair bows for my niece's birthday so I thought they'd be fitting for you since you love Minnie Mouse. Thank you to everyone in the family who called, texted, or sent a gift to celebrate with us!

Daddy and I picked this cradle our for you!

January and February!

2017-03-31T20:15:00.004-07:00

I guess this will be my new normal. Blogging multiple months at a time seems to fit our lifestyle now! During this season of life where we are almost outnumbered by our sweet children, it's the best I can do to sit down and organize a few (hundred) photos of the past few months. It's been a busy and unfortunately very sick past few months as we await sweet baby girl's arrival.

Random tidbits of our life...

Our routine includes a weekly church staff meeting for Blake, small group at our house, watching "This Is Us" and "The Great British Baking Show," band practice, trying to keep Saturdays a family day spent outside in the Florida sun, and a long (but good) day of church on Sunday.
We're addicted to the new budget app called "Mint" by intuit. It's really helped us be disciplined with our spending/saving/etc.
We found the best salsa ever, Mateo's Mild!
I'm addicted to Moody Radio and don't know what I'd do without pastor James McDonald's teaching. It's been so on point for me lately. God's always speaking through His word. It's 89.3 for all you SoFlo friends.
Jude and Laurie Kate's favorite things are Legos, books, Oatmeal Squares, sprinkles, playing outside, Play-Doh, Mary Poppins, and definitley "Little Einsteins."
This recipe for Paleo (we aren't Paleo people) coconut bars has been saving my life!

We spend a lot of time talking about our weekly schedule, who is picking up Jude or LK from school, who needs the next doctor's appointment, and all the while throwing out as much extra stuff as possible to make room for baby girl. She won't have a room for a while (poor third child) but that won't matter much since nursing is pretty much her main activity every few hours for the first few months. We've been so fortunate to stay in our lovely rental home for the past four years. We've moved seven times so this house proves to be the longest running stay for us. We love overlooking the river and watching the palm trees blowing in the wind. Plus, our neighbors are awesome. Coming home from work, you can expect six or so smiling faces to greet with you with a big, "hello miss Caroline! Can Jude and Laurie play with us?"

I can't wait to set up the Pack-N-Play by our bedside. I've had many moments where I've been completely overwhelmed by little hands tugging on my pant-legs, cough after cough, explosive sneezes, and feeling so weak from sicknesses. Laurie Kate's new school has been a blessing but goodness, it's full of germs! I know there are moms shaking their heads right now with memories of the same plague that hit after starting daycare. If not, I pray that this sickness avoids your household but you are now warned! We've ALL battled sinus infections, ear infections, constant coughing, pink-eye, the stomach flu, tonsillitis, and more. Being pregnant has always been 99% enjoyable for me but this round has been difficult. I've prayed for confirmation that this may be our last little Herron and I believe I got that confirmation LOUD and CLEAR. This will be the last! Haha!

On the other hand, we live in quite the paradise. I'm so thankful for the sunshine, lush green scenery that surrounds us, the beautiful tropical flowers that are always in bloom, and our many precious friends that have taken care of us lately. We've settled in to a new community at our church and have loved hosting our small group Bible study at our house. Blake has had a wonderful experience with his new job at Ultimate Software and I continue to enjoy my amazing co-workers. I will definitely miss their company while I'm out for maternity leave but I look forward to coming back to the world of oral surgery soon afterwards.

We've seen God working in our life and in the lives of others who don't know Him (yet). I tend to keep those details private because I care deeply for my friends who've become like family. It's between me and the Lord anyways! However, I feel constantly burdened by my lack of boldness and yet, I have to trust that the Spirit of the Lord is always working.

My mind is always a bit clouded with how to shepherd these sweet babies, be the wife Blake needs, the friend that I want to be, and more. Lately, I've just had to put it all down and rest. I've been sick for about fourteen weeks, I'm growing a baby, and I don't want to take any of this life for granted. Christ sacrificed everything for me so that I could have a life that is not defined by my circumstances but by His promises. It's a daily battle for me to put aside the mundane, to turn off my phone, and to remember His presence restores my soul. Not the perfect balance that I'll never find in life, not chocolate, not quality time with loved ones... it's just Jesus. It's nice to know that God is always greeting me with grace when I'm at my wits end. :)

Every once in a while Blake has to get out the N64. It was so good to catch up with our old pals, Jenessa and Stephen!

It's always a blast to drive about forty minutes to Hollywood Beach! The kids shake with excitement and they hate leaving. Jude loves to play in the sand and LK HATES the sand! LK loves the birds and sneaking into the snack bag. She likes to sit with me under the shade, haha!

Jude and Dad did a great job building a little chest for baby girl!

This girl. She's one of my closest friends and I couldn't be more thankful for her wisdom. Thank you for always pointing me to Jesus!

Jude's buddy, Victoria.

23 weeks

waiting for the school doors to open

poor LK had cellulitis from a sinus infection

loving my job and my amazing friends. Jennifer and I have had a blast doing some marketing! i enjoy welcoming everyone as they tremble with fear of the dreaded wisdom tooth surgery. of course, that's not all I do but it's the part that I treasure.

As the kids have gotten older, we've loved playing in the circle with our neighbors! They love to ride around in their cop car, bikes, scooters, and trikes! The weather this time of the year is perfect- 75-85 outside!

little charmer is always kissing LK!

justa normal evening

i love listening to you read

they've definitely gotten bigger when I see how much the stroller seems to shrink!

can't wait to find out what infection we have next!

picking Jude up from school :)

25 weeks

"all by myself!"

January means it's BLAKE'S BIRTHDAY MONTH! Jude's favorite thing to do lately is to make birthday hats since he wore a birthday hat at school. So, Blake got the coolest hat ever!

our motto as parents, "if we can survive dinnertime then we can survive anything."

26 wks

This beautiful piece was welcomed to our family recently and I couldn't feel more special to have it! My friend Ashley's great-grandmother passed away and left many timeless pieces here in FL. I never expected to have such a charming piece of furniture to display our china in. I hope to honor her memory and continue to open our home (and plates) to anyone who wishes!

Daddy's home! and i think it was time to clean up the Christmas decor!

always playing dress up with our stuff. we always go to put a shoe on and find that one is missing!

always has to carry her own lunchbox to school all by herself

pink eye, yay!

These kiddos have the BEST dad ever!

probably watching "Little Einsteins"

my buddy Jennifer from work and sweet Victoria!

It was a treat to have Granna come down to celebrate LK's birthday! More on a separate post later.

Blake's new job! Ultimate Software has been such a blessing to us!

one Sunday we discussed discipleship and I was so excited to share/answer a few questions. i really hope to explore more public speaking/teaching in the future but for now, I'm busy being momma and working.

this dude becomes a different kid with that cape on. SUPER JUDE can do anything!

my little beauty

27 wks

sometimes i get to take LK to school and it makes me so happy to see her enjoy school so much. "BYE MOM, GO!"

Just a few little things I put up for Valentine's Day. I spent $0 just rummaging through stuff we already had at the house and the kids LOVED it.

we miss our old dog Luna but it's nice to see updates of her every once in a while!

she's always taking care of her babies. i pray she will be just as sweet to baby sister

we picked out some fabric for baby's quilt and I can't wait to snuggle with her with it!

The Cheese Course...mmmm

woke up one morning craving lemon and blueberry so we whipped this up....it was so delicious!

Whew. On to the next month!

November and December

2016-12-31T21:15:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving, Merry Christmas, and Happy New Years! The past two months have honestly been very challenging! We've been hit with all kinds of sickness in our household! We've been sick since right before Thanksgiving with a flu-like cold, then a stomach bug, then another flu-like cold and hand-foot-and-mouth. I'm still recovering! On top of all that, we've been going through some major changes. I'm pregnant, Blake started an additional job with Ultimate Software and Laurie Kate started school! We are once again blown away by God's faithfulness to provide for our family. I really struggled with how we were going to afford to continue living here and right when we least expected it, Blake was offered the job at Ultimate. Apparently, this company is on the Forbes list and is a pretty awesome place. Blake has loved it! It's hard work but he is amazing and awesome to be able to provide for us in this way!

We've had so many special times with family and friends but honestly, I've just been so down since I haven't felt well. We are so excited as we finally announced that we've having another baby! We found out it's a precious little girl, we celebrated Jude's fourth birthday (the day after a stomach bug that hit the whole house), we traveled to Tennessee and back, I took a trip to the ER this time (that makes 3/4 of us) and have taken many naps to recover! I need a silent night, some rejuvenation, and some sunshine soon!

Yes, we were planning on a third! I think we'll have this baby girl and then be done! I thought it would be a girl since I'd had a very queasy first trimester. I was queasy with LK but not with Jude so that made me think it was a girl! Blake and I were so tickled to find out that we were having another baby girl because that means there'll be sisters in our household! Growing up the youngest of five girls, you could say that sisterhood is pretty important to me! Laurie will LOVE taking care of a baby since that's what she does just about all day right now. She loves to sing to the baby, feed it, and toss it around aimlessly. We'll work on that! ha! We have no idea where this baby will sleep, how we will arrange childcare/work situations, or how we will travel home again but God knows and He will take care of us!

about 14 weeks :)

...when you have strange feelings while pregnant, you call your doctor, and he tells you to go to the ER, so I did! I was so upset because after SEVEN hours they told me that I was absolutely fine. I'm thankful that nothing is wrong but after seven hours, you just want some answers! Haha!

LK and all her buddies at small group

daddy snuggles make everyone feel better

The countdown was on! Jude woke up every morning ready to mark off a day on the calendar to mark the days until we could finally ride the airplane to go to Tennessee to see all our family. We'd all been battling some sort of nasty virus that felt like the flu but we were going to pack our bags and put on our happy faces no matter what! At least we thought. When you're pregnant, you're immune system just doesn't work like it should. For some reason, the virus that I got was waaaaay worse than what the kids and Blake got. I felt like I had the flu! I was so heartbroken, I lost my voice, I felt like I couldn't move, and I hardly had any strength to do anything after dealing with a deep chest cough. I was so disappointed. I was also disappointed after driving all the way to Knoxville to get some cookies at Ham and Goodies only to find that they closed because they were exhausted from all their holiday orders. COME ON! Haha!

I imagined my Thanksgiving like it should be; hugging everyone, getting to catch up about how life is going, and not being contagious! I'm thankful that we were still able to visit with so many loved ones but when you're sick, you just want to sit in bed at home. I snuck away so many time and just had to cry because I was so disappointed and exhausted. I don't know if the Lord was just trying to teach me a lesson on rest or what, but I had to learn to SIT and do nothing.

We traveled to my dad's house first, then Blake's mother's, then to my mom's. The kids did great and loved sleeping in new beds, trying new foods, and hugging all their cousins, aunts, uncles, grandparents, and playing with all kinds of new toys. We even had a surprise visit from my sisters Amy and Lea Ann and all their sweet children!

We had a very special surprise as we saw my life-long friend, Haley!!!! Congrats to Haley and her fiancé who were recently engaged!

Sweet cousin Owen!!

At my mom's house on the lake!

the cold weather was refreshing for about a day and then we were ready to come home to our sunny and humid Florida haha!

Its' been a joy to teach miss Grace how to play the piano (and keyboard) at our house!

just a normal day!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO JUDE!

JUDE'S BIRTHDAY WEEKEND!! We were so excited to have Granna and Grandad come down to visit and celebrate Jude's birthday. We decided not to do a party this year because Jude really just wanted to go to the Zoo, eat cake, and enjoy some family time. So, we did just that! First, we went to the toy store and pet store to look around!

I think Jude and LK stayed in these little cars for about 45 minutes! Haha!

Next, we built (or attempted to build) a gingerbread house. The kids had a blast eating all the candy, haha!

Then, we traveled to the Zoo again and got drenched the WHOLE time! We were pretty frustrated at the end of our trip because the rain just kept getting harder and little Jude and LK were both getting sick. It wasn't long before the stomach bug decided to run though each one of us... ugh!! We enjoyed seeing the animals that didn't mind the rain but next time, we are only going to the Zoo if the forecast is clear and sunny!

poor babies!

On the way home, about 1/3 mile from our house, we saw a bald eagle!!! So, that was cool, haha!

another birthday/Christmas request of Jude was to go walk around the neighborhood to see the lights :)

Jude got a big boy bike for his birthday! woo hoo!

ending the day playing with big boy Legos with daddy

a special thank you to everyone who sent Jude a gift this year!

I searched for the perfect cake design to make for Jude but I asked him what he wanted on his cake and he told me exactly what he wanted... and as ugly as it was... he LOVED it. We were about 24 hours post stomach bug and we got sick again after we ate it but, we enjoyed it a few days later haha! Jude took donuts for his class, we had some pizza, and he had a simple and special day! I'm so thankful that God knew exactly what we needed that weekend. I would have been SO UPSET if we had planned a huge party that would've been cancelled due to the stomach bug we had. We even had homemade chicken soup on the menu that weekend with no idea we'd be getting sick. God is good!

One of Jude's favorite gifts was this little couch/sleeping bag! We let him sleep in it that night :)

Thankful for these ladies right here!!!

LK loves her new school! So proud of her. She cried for the first two days and then she was fine. So thankful that it's a wonderful Christian program and a few of her buddies from church go there too!!

Just about every Saturday, we wake up and have pancakes and walk to the park. Special times!

precious curls!

hanging out with Eddie and Leah :)

Voting was super miserable this election!

she wants to be just like brother and eat cereal in a big girl bowl!

Happy Birthday to WHITNEY!

hanging out at church :)

Just about once a week we go to Chick-Fil-A and chow down on some nuggets!

Happy Birthday to LOGAN!

She's always singing in the back seat, so sweet!

time to pick out the TREE!!!

Gotta bring out the Amy Grant Christmas records!

somebody loves Lolly cat!

random pretty FL flowers in December red

Jude did SO great at his cleaning!!

LK's first night in her big girl bed!

preparing for Christmas Eve music service

LK just loves performing! Her little school threw a Christmas program and she shook some little pom poms to Feliz Navidad and such, haha!

Christmas EVE!

Getting into trouble for trying to open the presents!!!

One night, we drove by to see our friend's light display and Santa showed up! We were so surprised. We don't really do Santa but when he shows up, you just enjoy it!!

Our Christmas Even service went so well!

Opening presents! All these little kids wanted to play with was their Slikies, haha!!

Jude went shopping at school for Blake, Laurie Kate, and I. He was so sweet to get me a mug and a pen!

Christmas treats!! Not pictured was the homemade chex mix that the kids and Blake were totally addicted to!

so proud of my boys building baby girl's little dresser!

Happy Birthday to Jesus! Red velvet cupcakes will be our new tradition!

Four year old shots and check up. Little Jude apparently needs to gain some weight. After all this sickness, I'm pretty sure that's what took some pounds off of him. Otherwise, he's healthy! Praises!

21 weeks!

We've got so much to be thankful for! 2017, we are ready for ya!

Thanksgiving Photo Session In Maryville, TN

2016-12-31T20:46:00.004-08:00

Thanks again to MHM photography and Granna for putting this together!

September and October

2016-12-31T19:24:00.003-08:00

It's that time again! I've got to catch up before the end of the year! It looks like I have just a few hours before 2017 to take a look back at the past four months. We've been to the ER, through a mild hurricane, we've visited with old friends, and had our first full month as a new church. I hope that I can capture just a few glimpses into these special years with little babies at home.

Jude definitely enjoys school, his friends, play-doh, painting, and playing outside. He loves to sing, write letters, he can read about thirty words, and never stops learning. Laurie Kate loves all things girl! She loves telling other girls that they're pretty, always needs a water cup, is usually dancing in her room with her radio or putting a baby doll to bed. She's my little helper, my sweet snuggle buddy, and definitely knows what she wants!

Blake and I were so thankful that we were able to visit with Hodge and Tiffany before they left for Portugal. Would you please join us in praying for them? They have such a passion to spread the Gospel in Portugal where there are hardly any other believers. They need your support and prayers!

Jude and his buddy, Noah. Mister Jude has developed such a love for swimming. We can't wait to put him on a swim team when he's a little older. It's a fight to get him out of the pool! We've had a blast hanging out with some new friends!

our new church website, yay!

After Blake's vist to the ER in August, we unfortunately had to take miss LK in to get some stitches on her scalp. She had fun jumping off a chair and hit her head on a coffee table. She was so brave!

The forecast kept calling for rain and hurricanes!

on our way back from visiting with Hodge and Tiffany :)

At this time, Blake was enjoying staying home and working with miss LK. It was such a treat coming home from lunch almost every day to visit with my husband and sweet little girl.

Our small group friends!

Blake worked SO hard getting our house and many other houses hurricane-ready! I'm thankful that we hardly even got rain or wind from the storm. I know many others were not so fortunate.

Trey and Shelby came to visit all the way from Tennessee! They came to help watch the Olson boys but we were so glad we could spend some time together. Trey is Blake's best friend from home :)

Key Biscayne, FL (about 45 minutes from our house)

We finally got to see NEEDTOBREATH again! I got Blake tickets way back on Father's Day!

Before school smiles

My friends from work!

I love when these little birds just sit in our flowerbed. Aren't they pretty?

Our neighbors got a new puppy! LK is in love!

LK showing her muscle face! Mommy had a goal to lose all her baby weight before we had a third baby and with the help of my sister and some workout videos, mommy did just that! Woo hoo!

They love running around at church and looking cute!

Just another normal day at work when a bird flies in!

morning snuggles

our back yard

coloring at the table :)

We LOVE our Grace and Anna!

Our local gelato place can't be beat!

making some pumpkin muffins :)

GO VOLS!

some pretty flowers I get to enjoy at work

about 12 weeks :) we can't wait to meet in our baby girl at the end of April!

We had the BEST time at Zoo Miami. Jude hadn't been in about two years. Mimi and Pop came to town and took us down there and we'll never forget all the adventures we had. Jude loved all the animals and LK especially loved the birds. It was an extra special day at the Zoo though because you could go trick-or-treating!

We love Mimi and Pop!

waiting to pick up brother :)

this picture cracks me up because it's pretty much sums LK up perfectly!

We realize this isn't the safest way to let her sleep, but until we leave the room, this is how she likes it! haha!

Jude was so excited to put on his costume this year! We had been given this funny penguin costume from a friend and I found LK a little polar bear to match. Jude's class (below) decorated a pumpkin for a contest, it's it cool? We didn't make time to carve a pumpkin this year but maybe next year!

Our small group got together at a friend's house and handed out hot dogs, water, and candy to the neighborhood. Jude and LK got the hang of trick-or-treating very quickly. They had a little practice at the zoo and from our Halloween in Tennessee last year. It was a very special night walking around in the breezy palm-tree covered neighborhood with our friends. I remember the kids fighting over who got to sit in the wagon because they were definitely getting tired of walking around! Gotta make the work for the candy!

I think our biggest surprise of October was when LK asked me if she could go potty! Hah! She just wants to be like big brother. She asks me a couple times a day to go but I think we'll try to hang on to diapers until her second birthday (in February). I'm excited for her! She's just getting so big :(

July and August

2016-11-01T06:57:00.002-07:00

Another update! Yay! So, we visited Tennesse for my sister's birthday, (more here) and had a blast with family! We are so thankful that this summer was filled with family visits, swimming, new friends, and the beach! A few pictures from our adventures...

Jude got to play the drums at our old church in White House, TN.

My Blake and my step brother, Blake!

flying home

The kid's first ride on the carousel. Poor Blake, he has a hard time with motion sickness, haha!

Blake has been on a healthy-ice-cream-making binge! The kids get so excited!

All-time favorite activity theses days!

She likes sleeping with my old blanket... yes, it's blue because they thought I was going to be a boy. :(

my beautiful birthday flowers!

Jude has an infatuation with TRAINS and so does his sweet little friend, Noah. So, Noah's genius momma thought up a great way to spend a Saturday; the train station downtown! These youngsters were on cloud nine! You could just see their imaginations brewing! It's been a blast to hang out with new friends!

I prayed that God would bring this bush back to life and threw up an extra prayer that it would bloom on a special day.... and it did! MY BIRTHDAY was extra special!

This guy took me out to a fabulous dinner!

beach without the kids... yes!

These ladies know how to make me feel loved! Thanks for taking me out to eat!

stealing Jude's food haha!

new signs!!

Love my sweet friends at work! Thanks for my yummy cake!

...the black eye before she ended up in the ER the following month. Poor LK fell back in her highchair.

Jude has been doing SO WELL with trying new foods including BACON. He loves it! haha!

... and he's been practicing writing his name in the orange

First day of school!

Daddy ended up in the ER for what we thought was a heart attack. He was in SO MUCH pain and could hardly take a breath but it turned out to be some kind of muscle pain from his chest area that randomly acted up. WHEW! So thankful he's ok!

April, May and June

2016-10-27T11:09:00.002-07:00

Yes, we're still here in sunny Florida!

I've really enjoyed time away from home at work but I've definitely noticed a change in time management. For example, I certainly don't have as much time to blog, bake, or get creative. But it's really important to me to document this special time in our lives. I can't wait to catch up!

I'm thankful for these busy days filled with spilled milk (spilled everything..) tantrums, giggles, trips to the park, trips to the potty, trips to time-out, date nights, babysitters, palm trees, scraped knees, sticky faces, missing shoes, and mini-vans. Times have changed. We are so fortunate to spend our days with these two wild children (and Lolly). They love to snuggle, read, fight, bite, watch Chuggington and Little Einsteins, dolls, trucks, reading books, baking, painting, Play-Doh, riding bikes, hiding remotes, playing hide-and-go-seek, and sleeping. I don't know what we'd do without good sleepers. If I have one tip for young parents, it's SLEEP TRAINING. We all need sleep and adult time. It's difficult but it is worth it.

We've had all sorts of adventures, surprises, friends come visit, and a lot of change! Back in April-Jude we had no idea what blessings God had in store for Desire Church. The school we were previously meeting in (along with every other school in the county that has a church meeting in it) raised our rent so much that we couldn't afford it. Then, the school told us they'd prefer that we don't meet there any longer. So... we looked for a new location. We looked, and looked, and looked. We live in a pretty hostile city where NO ONE wants a church on their property. After networking with other church plants to see what response they've had to realtors and property owners, we heard the same story over and over.

Honestly, I was quite hopeless. You could compare me to those Israelites who were complaining after God split the ocean in two for them... I thought it was the end of our story here. Anxiety, anger, confusion, you name it. Then.... the very last month we had to look for a location, God opened the doors and hearts of Covenant Presbyterian Church! We met in their building for just a brief few months while God was watering the soil of another big project; we soon would merge with The Anchor Church and become Hope Fellowship Church. It was so nice to have air conditioned bathrooms, actual children's rooms, pews/seats that we didn't have to set up, and they had a kitchen they let us use! :) He's always working for our good and His glory! Looking back on those months of uncertainty, I hope I can always recall His faithfulness and His character when I can't see what's next. I sure do struggle with the "what's next," Help me to rest in you, Lord!

God gave us this little playground in our neighborhood, it's been amazing!

Jude loves his buddy, Zal!

Jude had a blast celebrating Grace's birthday. They kids all played doctor and received a personalized doctor kit, too. Jude has loved playing doctor with us at home. He has a special way of making us all feel better :) I'm so thankful for his little buddies.

My handsome Blake!

Laurie has such a strong love for animals!

We are so bad about going to the beach. We only live about 40 minutes from these beautiful shores and we hardly ever go. We made a goal to go once a month... haha!

We love to dress up on Sundays!

Jude loves going to school in the mornings. He is definitely a morning person but DO NOT forget his cereal or it's all over!

playing with the neighbors

Meet Tiffany, Hodge, Zeke and Zoe. These are our special friends from college who came for a visit to their parent's house that's only two hours north of us. They currently live back in Portugal where they share Christ. Please join us in praying for them and their ministry. So good to see you guys over the past few months!

I really miss baking. Every once in a while when a special occasion comes around, we BAKE. The kids love helping in the kitchen and they love driving me crazy too. I just have some control issues, haha! I believe we made these for our last service at Covenant Presbyterian's building as Desire Church. Since then, we have merged with another church and are now called Hope Fellowship Church.

Can you tell which kid is ours? Haha! I love the diversity in Miami! Jude enjoyed going to the pool with his classmates for two weeks of free swim lessons. He has definitely developed a love for swimming! It's amazing to watch him navigate himself through the water. He's such a big boy already!

My sweet girl's hair is finally long enough to put regular bows in!

date night :)

she's all about doing everything herself!

Mother's Day was extra special this year :)

Snuggles before work

The beautiful blooms on one of my anniversary presents. My favorite smell!

We took a little (nine hour) trip to Georgia to see my beautiful family to celebrate my cousin's graduation. She's so beautiful and smart, we're so proud of you Lainey!

The kids had a pretty difficult time in the car but once we arrived, we had a very special time celebrating and spending time with Nana, Papa, Liz, Allen, Anna, Lainey, Aunt Bitsy, Amy, Kevin, and cousin Elise and Jack! Whew!

Just some REAL LIFE right here :)

their favorite thing to do!

chillin' while sister naps

hanging out with dad

more REAL LIFE haha

They grow so fast!

Helping dad clean out the baptism trough

Jude's end-of-the-year program. He stole the show! They sang an alphabet song and a bunch of other tunes and he kept trying to steal the microphone from other kids. Ha! He did so well! Getting off the stage was a problem...

Sweet LK loves her buggie :) she's so girly! It's so fun to see how differently they plan with toys

Adventures with Granna!

Thank you for taking us to Young At Art Museum. We had a blast exploring!

LK loves spending time with her daddy while Jude is at school.

we love to read :)

My sweet sister, Mary Beth sent me these earrings she made. Find her on Etsy, here.

Our friends, the Liesers gave LK this awesome kitchen!

It was a blast to see Tatum and Michael for a short visit. We love when our old college buddies come stay with us!

My first Florida piano student, Grace. You are a joy!

Lea Ann Is 40!

2016-08-18T20:02:00.002-07:00

"And that's what's right about America!"

Ever since I can remember, one of the biggest family laughs has always been the last sentence of Lea Ann's pageant speech. She practiced and practiced that speech over and over in front of the old cam-recorder until it was perfect. She pumped her fist in the air with gusto and deserved every bit of applause. It's just been the phrase we repeat over and over in random circumstances. This particular weekend was no different. Back on July 4, four out of five of us sisters gathered in Hendersonville, TN to celebrate Lea Ann turning forty. I still feel like I'm twenty and she's thirty-one. She definitely doesn't look forty, does she?!

We flew in from Florida, Amy came from Chattanooga, Jill came in from St. Louis, and my parents came from East Tennessee. Her sweet friends came to celebrate her and we ate home made ice cream, cookies of every kind, pizza, and just about every kind of pie you can imagine! My brother-in-law (with the help of the "brotherhood") threw an outstanding party on their property complete with a white tent, twinkle lights, sparklers, music, a slideshow (made by yours truly), food, family, friends, a tractor, mower, and a custom-made photo booth! (If I got the story straight, my brother-in-law and his friend Adam made this photo booth and it's available for parties and weddings!)

We were together.

It was chaotic with eight grand-babies running around the house but being under one roof doesn't happen often. Sure, there has been some drama (no family is perfect) but this weekend we decided to celebrate her life! We celebrated the sister who started it all. We celebrated the fact that God has been faithful in our family, in her marriage, in her journey through medical school, in her constant forgiving spirit, her beautiful children who are God-fearing and joyful souls, and her ministry to those around her in need. She truly exemplifies the hands and feet of Jesus. She welcomes the needy, lost, addicted, wounded, young, and old into her home. She treats her patients with great care and respect and is concerned deeply about their hearts and souls. She prays and worships the Lord in Spirit and in truth and she is her own brand of spunk. She's a woman who knows her identity in Christ, and she's grounded in truth. We are so thankful for you, Lea Ann! Now, please forgive me for posting this so late!

As we listened to the crickets and cicadas that humid evening, I didn't realize how much I missed those weird bug noises. That noise is found in almost every single outdoor memory that I have growing up in sweet Tennessee.

We don't have cicadas in Florida...

I noticed that I almost slipped into another downward depression of all the reasons why I struggle to live so far away from home.

But this trip was a little different.

I found myself a little more content with this sunny state that we call home. I found myself thankful and in awe instead of comparing and complaining.

In Florida, we have large canopy trees and they're mostly magnificent looking palms.

We have pies and they're usually Key Lime.

We have picnics too and they're usually around a pool or beach.

We don't see many tractors but we do have air boats.

You probably can't find many wild blackberries but you can find wild mangos (all over the place).

We don't have many Canadian geese but we do have all sorts of amazing birds-of-prey.

We don't have as many open fields but we do have open beaches.

And the kicker; although I don't have any blood relatives in Florida, God has provided a family of faith here with whom I feel more at home with than I ever imagined.

A faith family where we all have a part to play, we are all members of one body as 1 Corinthians 12 states. A faith family that is literally from all corners of the globe. We all look different, talk different, have different passions and hobbies but we all desperately need the hope we have in Jesus. Of course I love my family. But what I love most about my family is that we don't put our hope in this world. We put our hope in Jesus and the reality of living a lifetime with Him in Heaven.

On a quick trip to Kroger on this very weekend, I felt out of sorts since this location had been my "neighborhood Kroger" about three years prior. It felt strange walking through those doors knowing that I don't live there any longer. I prayerfully expected to run into just one person, somebody I had known when I used to live in Hendersonville. God is just awesome. Guess who I ran into? Sweet Janine. Janine and I used to work together at Dr. Cohen's office. Janine is such an incredible pillar of the faith, she knows her Bible, and she sure does love Jesus.

And...Janine used to live in PEMBROKE PINES.

Yes, the city we currently live in. Shortly after I announced that we were moving to Florida, she asked me what part and after working with her for almost two years, I discovered she used to live in our current city for many years. What are the chances?! I felt like God was whispering to me, "remember when you didn't want to move to FL and you found out your coworker used to live in that exact same city... I will take care of you... my plans are better than yours... I am able to do exceedingly abundantly more than you can ever think of or hope for...I am your Father!" You are so good, Lord! So good!

Florida has reminded me that home is Christ. I've stopped looking for the next step. Instead, I've begun to consider our great Father who constantly looks after this wayward child. He surprises me with his grace and mercy, with southern pies, sunsets, cicadas, and has given me a new song. I just want to keep singing His praises. After all, this life isn't about my glory, it's about HIS! Thank you, Lord. Thank you.

...And that's what's right about Florida.

the chair i grew up in :)

we danced the night away like we were the ol' Sanderson sisters

so good to see Emily and Ellie! We used to be pastor's wives together!

Our old house, our first home!

SHELLEY drove up to see us! I just miss you so much! Thank you for visiting!

Laurie Kate's One-Year-Old Photos

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Yes, back in February our little LK turned ONE and I forgot to post these photos we took of her in our backyard! She's quickly becoming my little pal. She's such a great helper and loves to chit chat about everything. She loves reading, singing, talking, cuddling with her bear, asking, "what's that," and legos. Here's to catching up on my blog! Yay! Here we go!

Our February Trip To NC

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When you get a full-time job, hobbies take a back seat and sleep becomes more precious than it used to be. We've found a good routine and I love my job but times are a'changin. I hate to neglect writing but spending time with my husband and two little babies obviously takes priority over picture taking and scribbling my thoughts out for the blogging world. Yes, we took a little trip to see my husband's sweet sister back in February... and I realize this is April. Ha!

Since Laurie Kate was turning one and Whitey was turning thirty, it was cause for a celebration! Plus, we just couldn't wait to meet little baby Owen! He is absolutely adorable! We had a blast hugging Mamaw, Papaw, Whitney, Patrick, Owen, Granna, and the most cuddly dogs named Tucker and Duke. We hopped on an airplane, drove over the NC border to a little town outside of SC and settled in for the chilly weekend. Blake and I didn't know how to handle the freezing temperatures. Jude kept looking at his bright red hands on the playground and wondering why he couldn't feel them! Haha! Laurie Kate practically laid on the dogs the entire weekend. (can't wait to one day have a yard and a dog) We got to go hiking, see Tucker show off his amazing skills, eat some amazing food, hug some family, and it even snowed! When I say amazing food, I mean some delicious southern cake, snack mix, Italian roast, roasted veggies, salad, and more. We were stuffed to the brim!

Our first priority after landing was to find the nearest BBQ joint. See, here in South Florida we don't have quality southern style BBQ. You know, the hickory smoked kind that is tender, shredded, and covered in red sauce and vinegar. Plus, you gotta have cornbread and fixins! So, we got our fix at Jim N' Nicks. MMMM. The second that I walked into the restaurant, I had some reverse culture shock from all the thick southern accents. "Huuuney can I help yeeew?" I almost laughed out loud because the waitress' thick southern drawl sounded so exaggerated I thought she was joking! Ha! I felt myself miss the multiple accents I hear daily here in South Florida.

We couldn't wait to let Jude play outside and experience a grassy yard with no gators or snakes in it! Haha! Honestly, I was really struggling with contentment on this trip. I kept asking God why we had to live sooo stinkin' far from family. WHY?!?! See, North Carolina feels a lot like home. The mountains looked like home, the people talked like home, and we were with some family. However, I realized that my perception of "home" has changed. I don't know that I'll ever feel at home again. We have moved more times than I can count... maybe eight? If I'm in Tennessee, I miss Florida. If I'm in Florida, I miss Tennessee. So, what's the answer? (this gets me sooo frustrated, haha)

Yes, the Sunday School answer rings true once again: J E S U S

A sweet friend reminded me of this verse this week:

"You will make known to me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of joy; In Your right hand there are pleasures forever." Psalm 16:11.

I'll never find FULL JOY in anything or anyone else but Jesus. When I say Jesus, I mean walking with Him, focusing on His promises, His truth, and my identity in Him. There is no perfect date night that brings me FULL joy. There is no amount of children, the perfect church plant, the best friend, the perfect weight, the most delicious dessert, house, song, or experience that can satisfy me. Maybe I'm just crazy but I'm sure somebody can relate. I have a great day and then I have a bad day and I'm down, discouraged, and wondering when something is going to change.

Sometimes we lose patience with Jude because he has a hard time deciding what he wants... especially if he's tired. It goes something like this...

Me: Jude, do you want milk or water?
Jude: Milk
Me: Ok. (serving the milk)
Jude: Nooooo, not milk. I don't want it.

Me: Ok, so do you want water?

Jude: Yes

Me: (serving water)

Jude: Nooooo, not water. Milk. Not that milk. Pink milk.

Me: We don't have pink milk. What are you talking about?

Jude: I want water.

Me: (head in my hands)

Jude and I are so much alike. We both need a lot of hugs, we both like to take a bath every day, we both like to sing, and we both CAN'T MAKE UP OUR MIND. Gosh, I don't know how the Lord is so patient with me. I feel like the discontent little child that is crying out to God, "not that one, this one!" I pray that this season of discontentment helps me understand that there is no contentment outside of the Lord. Every day that I don't seek the Lord, I'm one foot deeper in my selfishness, unthankfulness, and discontentment. Just as I'm not just Jude's means of meeting His needs physically, Jesus is SO MUCH more than the giver. He is LIFE. He is the definition of LOVE.

I pray that the Lord would unveil my eyes and heart to see the beauty of where He has placed me today.

Right now.

I'm sitting in a comfy chair, missing but praising the Lord for family friends back home, listening to the gator mating calls (yes, Youtube this) and crickets, my husband is relaxing, someone gave me a bagel today, Jude asked me to sing to him tonight, Laurie Kate gave me a long hug this evening, I get to have a girl's night tomorrow, I sang at the top of my lungs in my van today to this song, my children are sound asleep, there are palm trees (PALM TREES!!!) in my yard, there's a beautiful lakeside sunset in my backyard each evening, we are going to the beach tomorrow, I love my job, we are a part of a special church plant.... all whispers of God's graces and love for me.

I pray that I can remember to keep my heart guarded, to talk to my Father and praise Him for all He is, all he has given to me, and His faithfulness and patience with me.

His words come to mind... To live is Christ, to die is gain. As sorrowful, yet alway rejoicing; as poor, yet making many rich; as having nothing, and yet possessing all things

"Rejoice always, pray continually, give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus." 1 Thessalonians 5:16-18

Praise the Lord for these beautiful faces! :)