US of A

July the 4th.  My favorite holiday.  The holiday that is the entrance to my favorite month. And okay, my birthday month.  This year we shot some photos in a nearby forest on July 1st to kick off the holiday weekend, and are so glad we did.  The rest of the holiday was met with on and off again rain...and coincidently no more photos were taken.  The activities were still in abundance even without the pictures to remember them.  I really don't think we could have packed much more in but some of them were...fishing, picnics, parties, fireworks, church picnic, swimming, parties, and more fireworks.  Fireworks have not been the most fun in the past few years since Jude has always been frightened by them. This year that changed and he along with Ezra & Theo loved them. *hooray!*  Seriously, I could fall in love with this holiday all over again.

8 Years Down + A Lifetime To Go

Did you know pottery is the gift to be giving your spouse on your wedding anniversary?  Well, I certainly wasn't "in the know"; however, Matthew, being as clever as he is, decided to follow the tradition for our anniversary.  He set up a date where would actually take a pottery class + make our own.  This was one of the most memorable date nights we have ever had.  The learning something new together + getting totally out of our comfort zone was a great combination for a lot of laughs + fun.  Then, we proceeded to have a fabulous dinner + then went off to downtown Cincy to see Lumonicity.  Guyssss, you have to see this next year.  It was the neatest projection/musical show I have seen (well, next to Disney).  If this anniversary date is any indication of the year ahead, I'd say we are in for another amazing adventure.  Love you, Matthew Wayne. <3

Thanksgiving In All It's Glory

Thanksgiving is just the best, isn't it?!  I know I have said it in the past, but I just really love it.  Mostly because it's about family + food and then more family + food.  With it being our first Thanksgiving with Ezra, my heart couldn't help but feel like it was bursting with so much love for this little family of mine.  I wish there was a word that could top blessed, because if there was...well, it would fit perfectly here.  We celebrated by keeping a pretty relaxed and chill morning by watching the parade.  Jude was actually pretty amused by it this year.  Every float and group came with several inquiries from him.  "Mommy, what is that one?", "Mommy, what does that one do?", "What are they doing, Mommy?", "Can I see that one, Mommy?"...I think you probably get the point.  We then proceeded to eat lunch with Matt's family, which if I haven't said this before well, Matt's mom can flat out cook.  It's hard to pass up any dish that she makes.  The meal was followed up with football and comas.  We then took our small troop to dinner with my family.  Which of course included a lot more over-the-top-delicious food and yes, guilt, because who can eat that much without feeling guilt?!  The rest of the evening included sitting around the fire, playing games, having long talks, and watching more football.  There was no rushing to grab the best sales and deals by us...just a lot of family time.  I must say that with all of the blessings and goodness we celebrated this holiday, it was difficult in that this was the first Thanksgiving without Mamaw.  My mom, sister, and I were all messaging each other all weekend...each of us with our own feelings of grief and loss.  However, we are glad that she was able to celebrate her best Thanksgiving yet with our Lord and Savior.  Hope your Thanksgiving was wonderful and fulfilling too!   Now on to Christmas... :)

Welcome Ezra

Ezra James Wilson.  Saturday, October 25, 2014. 1:17pm.  7lbs 11oz.  21.5in.

On Saturday morning, October 25th, with bags in hand, excitement overflowing, and butterflies in our stomachs, Matthew and I set out for the hospital.  Today we would welcome our second child into the world.  This was not a mad dash though since I was not in labor but yet scheduled for an induction.  My mind was prepared to be in labor for many hours; however, it all transpired so quickly that it seems a bit of a blur now.  We arrived, checked in, answered way too many questions, and then the whole process began around 8:30am.  I chose to get an Epidural, so for the duration of labor I was not in any pain.  Matt and I reminisced of our delivery with Jude and discussed our future with our new little fella.  My mom, dad, and sister arrived to wait for his arrival and we all fielded calls and texts about the progress of the labor.  At about 12:45pm the nurses concluded that the baby was ready.  With Matt by my side, two nurses coaching, and a patient doctor cheering me on, Ezra came after just after a few series of pushes.  With tears streaming down my face and laughs of inexplicable joy, I held our baby boy for the first time as Matt and I spoke words of love over him.  Ezra was already loved so much before he was born, but when he arrived he completely rocked our world.  The next few hours and days were filled with a lot more love pouring out for Ezra from all of our dear family and friends.  One of the exceptional moments of the occasion was when Matt's mother brought Jude to meet Ezra a couple hours after he was born.  The look of happiness that appeared on Jude's face as he ran into the room and exclaimed, "Hi, Mommy!" Then he gasped and said, "It's baby Ezra!  Oh, he's so sweet!"  If I could take a moment and bottle it up to keep forever, that would definitely be the winner.

As this week of Thanksgiving begins, I just want to say thank you to our heavenly Father for giving us such a precious gift.  At this time last year I was beginning to think we may not be able to have any more children, but God was faithful and blessed us beyond measure.  

Below are some of the moments we captured over the first two days with Ezra.  

 ^^^I know this is blurry, but it is also one of our first family pics...so it is definitely a keeper. :)