when life is too busy for the internet

whew! we've have had a lot going on these past couple of weeks! wyatt and his teething, emma and her energy, and my huge pregnant-ness have had me wiped out lately. but we've managed a lot of fun in between all the sleeplessness.

last weekend we went to see george strait with our best married friends. 2 of my most favorite people, those rays. i love getting to do life with them, and eat hot krispy kreme donuts in the wee hours of the morning. anyways...george definitely lived up to his title as king of country. we opted out of seeing sheryl crow open for him so we could eat at tin lizzy's. my tummy was happy over our decision. and the rest of the concert was so so fun, so i call it a win!

this week i've had some painful pregnancy issues.. so i haven't been as fun or agile ;) blake has put me on unofficial bed rest until my back feels better. we'll see how long that lasts! i'm a DIY kinda mama, most of the time, so rest is really hard for me even when my body is screaming for it.

thursday we celebrated my birthday! it was definitely the best one yet. blake surprised me with the sewing machine i've been drooling over for a year now! my mom surprised me with clown cones (childhood tradition) and some dreamy white converse, and my in-laws treated me to some super nice comfy pajamas (which are my fave). we grilled steaks and salmon, ate fresh salad and baked potatoes. blake had the whole day off to spend with us which was my favorite part of my birthday, hands down. nothing is more special than spending every ounce of free time with the people who make you the happiest.

tonight we did a tiny birthday celebration with some friends to the food truck park here in atlanta. it was super windy and pretty cold so we ate as fast we could then headed to krispy kreme for hot donuts and coffee (do we see a reoccurring theme here ;) ). i am so thankful for where i am in my life, and another year to love jesus and people. i have a feeling this will be a really great year!

happy birthday to me! 

more growing pains

the funny thing about littles is that once you think you've got them figured out, they juke you and you start over from scratch.

this has been my life over the last week. and i can say, humbly, it was rough. last week i ventured into my 3rd trimester, which is hauntingly similar to the first one. only, it's accompanied by more weight, pain, and sickness. it hit me all at once. which i guess all of that comes with the territory when you have 3 kids in 3 years, so i'm praising God for allowing me the blessing of carrying healthy babies.

anyways, i was pretty bogged down by pregnancy woes, and emma and wyatt decided to change up the way we work around here. it was interesting. emma has taken on this new attitude of not wanting anything to do with wyatt. and it absolutely breaks my heart into tiny little pieces. he wants nothing more than to play with her, and she is so annoyed by him. i know that's totally normal, but it sure doesn't make me feel any better. also, when she gets frustrated with him, she just lashes out and hits him or pushes him. which is so not her at all. so that has really frustrated me. and wyatt has stumbled into the land of toddlerhood. i forgot how hard this age was. and maybe it's just hard on me? but i'm starting to remember when things were difficult at this age for emma too. it's like, all of sudden they're big and they can do things. but they haven't reached the ability to communicate well enough to process things like toddlers. so that makes discipline super hard. he gets himself into situations that i warn him not to, then he gets in trouble and doesn't understand why. he's physically becoming a toddler, but still processes things much like he did as a baby before he was really mobile. so that's tough.

one night last week i wasn't feeling awesome, and blake and i had just finished up the kids baths. emma had been going 90 to nothing all day and wyatt had been super cranky (have i mentioned of much teething sucks?) so i was one worn out mama after a day of errands with them. wyatt snuck emma's sippy cup and she flipped her lid. i just lost it. started bawling right there. i just felt like i had failed all day. like i just could not get ahead to save my life. it all caught up with me. my mother in law scooped up the kids and took them to their room to play. blake just held me and let me cry before he swooped in with magic words like always. he always knows what to say to get me back on my regular level and encourage me. words of affirmation are one of my love languages, and he always fills me back up. i know i'm bad about holding our kids to such a high standard, that when they act like kids (2&1 years old) i don't give them the benefit of the doubt. which is something i'm praying and seeking Him through. when i am weak, He is strong.

i know that life works in seasons, so i'm praying for patience (always a dangerous thing ;) ) during this time of having to "re-learn" my babes.

until we get it all figured out, i'm thankful for my two sweet littles who grace me with kisses and snuggles. no one is more precious and forgiving than children. and i pray they always keep their kind spirits, and that we can raise them in a way that flourishes that nature in them.

40 days with jesus

one of my favorite bloggers over at nap time diaries wrote a post about lent not too long ago and stirred my heart. i have never given anything up, especially not for lent. a lot of times it seemed silly to me that people just picked stuff to quit. i guess i just saw it like, um jesus didn't just quit sweets, it was way harder than just not drinking a coke or checking instagram. but i guess i never really got it.

i've prayed for our finances for a long time. and prayed for them in all the wrong ways, apparently. it hit me today when i was thinking about ash wednesday and what it all means. it isn't just about giving something up. i mean it is, but it's more about seeking him. God is bigger than all of my things. jesus dealt with some serious temptation. for a long durn time. and sought God. in his weakest moments, when he wanted to give up, he sought the Lord. his cup was too much bear, and God took that weakness and traded it for his strength. the bible tells us that his strength is made perfect in our weakness.

over the next 40 days i plan to give up unnecessary spending. obviously i'll buy gas/pay bills/groceries. but the other stuff like lipstick at target, new clothes for the kids, that stuff i will opt out on. little things add up in to big things, and leave you with a pile of stuff and less money to work with for the kingdom.

i plan to spend the next 40 days intimately with jesus. in God's word. when i see something i want to buy, i'll pray about it. i'll ask for strength like jesus did in the garden.

i want my time with jesus to matter. i feel like God is at work in mine and blake's lives and i'm excited to dedicate this time to hearing from Him. i'm excited to really tune in.

are you participating in lent? if so, what are you giving up?

a giveaway!

one thing i have really loved about social media is the ability to make friends all over the place! i found Kari Beth on instagram a while ago and her feed is easily one of my faves. she has an adorable little girl not too much older than emma, and a baby boy just a couple of months younger than wyatt. they are precious! she also runs an etsy shop, elle+ollie shop. i ordered a custom birthday shirt and coordinating dress from her and the quality, along with the talent, was impeccable!

we have teamed up for my FIRST giveaway! i'm so excited about this! KB has generously given me 2 scarves, one adult and one child, to give away to 2 winners!

all you have to do is:
like a quiver full blog on Facebook/follow on instagram @aquivefullblog
like elle+ollie shop on Facebook/follow on instagram @elleollieshop
comment here or on the instagram post letting me know you've done both!

i'll announce a winner by sunday night! good luck!

please excuse the princess anna dress, it's new and she is living in it ;)

seriously cute scarves, right?!

wyatt is ONE!

oh man. on friday, my sweet baby man turned one. let me tell you, nothing makes a mama more emotional than for her baby (be it the first, or the last) to turn one. it is a journey out of babyhood and into toddlerhood. so many changes.

this first year of wyatt's life taught me so much. to be patient (still a work in progress), and to just be still and enjoy.

wyatt boone,
you have stretched me and grown me more than i ever thought a baby could. through all of the sleepless nights and days, the fussiness, the giggles, you have been joy. from the moment you made your first appearance, you had me hooked. there's something a boy does to his mama, and i assume it's somewhat similar to what blake describes as what emma did to him.

i have prayed over you since the day i found out about you. i have prayed, and still pray, that you will grow up to be a steadfast man of God. that he would consume your heart and passion, that you would be a friend to everyone and truly love people. i love the way you greet me and callie with a growl every morning from your crib. the way you lean in so gently for a kiss, then lay your head on my shoulder turns me into a puddle. your giggle when you find the fake hamburger patty in your play kitchen keeps me laughing. i know i'm not the best at waking up, and i have often seemed frustrated, but those mid-night snuggles and feedings are something i'll treasure forever.

you're walking, kind of talking, and making everyone laugh with your silliness. i love being your mama, and i can't wait to see you grow each year! (i really can wait. take it slow, ok?)

i love you forever, my baby man. happiest of birthdays.

love,
mama