Tree Farm Tradition + Back To Blogging

Hello there, old + familiar blog world.  Goodness, it's been awhile + boy oh boy, A LOT has happened.  Life hasn't offered a lot of free time lately, so I assume if I am going to keep up in this space that I love dearly I will have to do exactly what I am doing right now...work while the house sleeps.  Anyhow, I know I have a lot to catch up on {I am not even going to mention the serious need for a blog facelift + update}, but that will come in time.  Today I will just tell you that it's good to be back + I wanted to share some pics of our yearly visit to the tree farm to get our Christmas tree.  It was unseasonably warm day yesterday (50ish) + we were able to enjoy it even more than usual.  Matt brought his two-man saw in which he + Jude cut down the most perfect tree.  Today will be all about decorating it while watching Christmas movies.  Let the holiday season begin!! XO

Cousins, Yes! Friends, A Definite Yes!

My parents had a family dinner tonight...a rarity, seeing that it hard to make work with all of our busy schedules.  It was so needed.  I haven't mentioned anything about their house fire here on the blog, but back at the beginning of June their house burnt down completely.  The whole event was pretty devastating to say the least; however, we are so grateful no one was home at the time of the fire + that the things lost for the most part can be replaced.  My parents were blessed to find a home to rent about two minutes away from their house.  This cookout was our first get-together at their rental.  We ate, relaxed, + chatted the night away.  Jude + Ezra played with Blayze, their cousin, + wow, they have the best of time together.  I don't think the noise ever stops + neither do they.  Ezra is observing all their ways + I think he thinks they are pretty cool {well, sometimes}.  I took some pics of the boys in the backyard, which is always an interesting venture.  Enjoy!

Family Day

Can I take just a moment to say how thankful I am for my husband?!  He has taken all of his summer break + selflessly given it to work for our family {our ever growing family, at that :)}.  Matt has been working 12 hour shifts most days just to provide some extra income for us.  I am ever grateful that he takes care of our needs + puts us first.  That being said, he becomes an even better husband + father when he suggests that we take Saturday {his only day off mind you} a family day.  High fives for all of the men of the family like that!  So, that is just what we did.  We made our way to the Newport Aquarium early Saturday morning to find that it was a two hour wait...yikes!!!  So, being the flexible people we are, we decided J + E could experience their first time at the movies.  Jude is a pretty big Despicable Me fan, so viewing the minion movie was a no-brainer.  Let me tell ya, that was not the worst time ever.  I've been dreading taking my extremely active 3-year-old to the movies + not to mention with an 8 month in tow; however, it was so relaxing and Jude LOVED it!!!  Then, it was off to the aquarium, where we not only got to see a lot sharks {Jude's fave} but also walk on a bridge over them + pet them.  It was such a much needed fun-filled family day...thanks to a pretty amazing daddy.

 ^E was out for a quick nap^

 ^But not for too long^

Hello Again + An Announcement + Our Disney Getaway

Dusting off the cobwebs of the dear old blog today.  To our readers, a big thank you for being patient as a lot has been going on lately {and that is probably an understatement}.  Now, if you follow Matt + me on IG, Twitter, or FB, you are most likely aware of some of the happenings going on.  The greatest joy in our life right now is...

WE ARE HAVING BABY #3!

This was very surprising and welcoming news.  We have always had our heart set on having at least 3 children and since we have had fertility issues in the past, we thought it best to try right away.  So, when I was feeling completely exhausted for the first part of the year, I never dreamed it was due to being pregnant.  We found out when we were a little over 11 weeks along...almost through the first trimester!!  This week we get the joy of finding out the gender of this little one.  This process is very familiar, yet so exciting even still.  We truly appreciate all of the love we have received from all of our family and friends already concerning this announcement.

In other news, Spring Break happened to be a pretty exciting week for us too.  We were able to take the boys on a family vacation to Orlando, Florida.  Our time included staying with our our friend, Robert {aka Uncle Robert}, going to Disney's Magic Kingdom, and visiting the ocean.  All of it was a bit of fantastic whirlwind.

Magic Kingdom was every bit of the magic and more.  Jude loved it so much.  To a boy that loves boats, cars, trains, and Mickey, well...it was a moment that he won't soon forget.  Actually, he brings up Disney World almost daily and our trip was over a month ago already.  The most precious moment of the day came at the very end of our time there.  We got to meet Mickey Mouse himself.  Jude pretty much jumped out of his daddy's arms to hug Mickey.  The excitement and awe he had in his eyes during that moment was just so special.  

The visit to the ocean was also a very noteworthy occasion.  It was Ezra's first time to the beach.  Since he was born at the end of October he has never experienced the sunny, warm weather like we did there.  I think it was love at first experience for him though.  He would just lay in the sun without one cry of discomfort and even took a nap on his beach towel.  As far as the ocean goes, it certainly was not warm water, but he loved splashing in it nevertheless.  Of course, this is Jude's 2nd time at the beach and he was rather pro at it too.  Building and digging in the sand seems to be his specialty or even chasing birds around.  

All in all, the vacation was well-spent and most enjoyed.  Here are some of our captured moments. :)