It has been a hot second since I last blogged. I’ve been meaning to write more often, but sometimes I feel as though I’m just not quite sure what to write about or that anyone would truly enjoy reading my ramblings😅

Here’s what we’ve been up to the last few months:

Hezzy is still loving preschool. He goes on Tuesday and Thursdays and it has been such a great fit for him. When I pick him up he always talks the whole way home about what he did that day and the silly things his friends did, while simultaneously rubbing his eyes. He always takes a good nap those days and that makes this mama happy! As he gets older, I am just so amazed that the little boy we took overseas at seven-weeks-old is now a boy who can run fast, and loves movies and enjoys playing with his daddy more than anything. My favorite thing he does currently is when his hatch light turns yellow in the morning, he now runs out of his room and finds me on the couch and just cuddles with me for a bit. I also like when he pushes Naomi in the toy stroller and he will lean over and look at her and say “Otay Nay Nay, wanna go really fast?” Naomi replies with a “rah” and off they go. Although obviously not super fast because it is a toy stroller and Naomi does have a pretty good sized belly. But they both still love it!

Speaking of Naomi, she has started to love her “pretty dresses” and getting her hair done. She still doesn’t have much, but we can get some pigtails going now. She loves any shoes that are pink, and pretty much refuses to put any others on (except her brother’s rain boots). She loves all of her grandparents and hyperventilates anytime we call them on the phone. She also loves going to parks and just running around like a wild woman. She has begun to take off her diaper, so the other day I peeked on her during nap time and she’s just passed out with her naked booty up in the air. So, maybe we will be potty training sooner than I thought! She is getting a little bit more shy than she has been in the past, and if someone says hi to her at church, she will usually just sit down and look at the floor until they go away, hopefully she grows out of that one eventually! She is spunky, she is wild and she is just so, so lovable.

We have loved watching our two sweet kiddos grow up. They truly have become friends and we can’t wait to continue to watch them grow. One thing that they are both pretty excited about is a new baby brother or sister!! I am currently twelve weeks pregnant and we just can’t wait to grow our family!! Nathan and I feel incredibly grateful for this gift—all glory to God. The last few weeks have been a quite a doozy, the exhaustion is REAL. Nathan has been an MVP dad/husband and has been so gracious to me when I need to lie down to take my 23294th nap of the day or when we have frozen pizza for the fourth day in a row. Honestly though, despite the tiredness and constant feeling of “bleh”, I am just so grateful that God would choose me to be this little baby’s mama. As my body stretches and grows I just really want to soak in the fact that my body is this baby’s home for nine months. I get to nourish it, protect it and love it. I will continuously praise God for the miracle of new life. WHAT A GIFT.

And as I type that, the last year as we have prayed to get pregnant, I struggled to trust God’s sovereignty. With each month, I would become so discouraged, struggling to trust in His timing and letting go of MY plans. If you are in that season, I am so sorry. It is hard and frustrating and so discouraging. I pray these words give you hope.

It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not leave you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. (Deuteronomy 31:8)

Anyways, here are some things that I have really been enjoying these last few months:

HARRY POTTER

Why did it take me so long to read all of these books? Y’all, I am addicted. I read the first book in two days, and I legitimately cannot remember the last time I did that. We are taking a trip to Florida this summer, and I told Nathan that if I can finish all seven books by then, he hast to let me to go to Harry Potter world. Yes, I will be that weird pregnant lady walking around Universal by myself sipping butterbeer and maybe crying a little bit.

Salads?

I say this with a question mark, because it seems so out of sorts for me to say. But a few years ago (8 or 9, wow I’m old), my friend Emily showed me this salad and I randomly remembered it one day and have been hooked ever since. Put some spinach in a bowl, add a good ol’ dollop of cottage cheese, chop up a hardboiled egg or two, add some salt and pepper (or everything but the bagel seasoning), I like to add croutons and sunflower seeds too. YUM. Tastes like summer and has a good chunk of protein, I think?

To balance out the salads, Culver’s Concrete Mixers

Culver’s has got to be the most underrated fast food restaurant, especially for ice cream. They just built a new one semi-close to our house and it is dangerous! I would argue that their ice cream is better than most other places, and they have such good mix-ins and you get to pick TWO for no extra charge. How thrilling!

Praying the Word w/ David Platt podcast

I have been listening to these as I drive in the mornings, and it has been really encouraging. They are short, which is perfect for my small-attention span, and I love that there is a new one each day.

Friday Mornings

Nathan is pretty lucky to have a job where he has Friday’s off. We have designated this our sabbath day, and during the morning I get a few hours where I can do whatever sounds restful that day. 90% of the time it includes going to a local coffee shop, planting myself in one of the comfy booth seats and just sitting for a while. Sometimes I get caught up on my bible reading plan, sometimes I blog (pretty rarely as you see), and sometimes I just sit and look around and sip my coffee slowly and think of things that bring me joy. We started this tradition pretty shortly after Hez was born, and it has been so helpful for me. I cherish these times were I can refuel for the week ahead.

I don’t have a whole lot of favorites these last few months, because honestly, the whole first-trimester has wiped me out a little bit. So a more realistic favorite list probably includes my bed, napping on the couch, taking long hot showers, stretchy sweatpants, ice water, and Unisom…But that’s not very exciting😉

Anyways, thanks for reading. Thanks for staying updated with our little family. We just feel so thankful for so much in our lives.