our beach trip!

better late than never right?

we've been back from the beach for like a month now.... but we also kicked comcast to the curb, and started using a jetpack hotspot thing from verizon, so hello internet! back to the blogging world i go!

since we're officially into fall, why not throw out some beach pics and make everyone sigh in sadness that summer is gone? okay, here you are ;)

if you talk to emma, she will tell you about our bach house. it is, in fact, not "our" beach house and instead one we rented. but it was perfect and we want to go back immediately

the biggest goofball

she was obsessed with the beach. no fear at all! she's made major progress!

yet another ladd beach bum ;)

those pools were lifesavers!

pure joy! 

they had pictures and paintings in the house of their children and grandchildren climbing this tree. so we did it too!

and then there were five. oh how i love these people! life, thanks to God, sure is gooood.

happy humpday!

To the women who don't fit

To the women who don't "fit"

I see you.

You may dress a little different, parent a little different, befriend the different.

I see you.

You may sit in the back row, sit in the front, maybe even smack dab in the middle and feel alone.

I see you.

You may feel like the "church people" will never get you or look past where you've been.

There is isolation amidst community. And here's a secret.

It has more to do with you than it does with them.

One of my most favorite souls once told me, and she probably doesn't even remember, that God honors perseverance. It was just a small comment thrown in a much larger conversation but it has stuck with me for years.

I have beat myself up for years about all the things I haven't done right. And honestly, I've let others beat me up about it too. I've let satan sneak lies into my heart about how they judge me and my relationship with Jesus because it looks different than theirs. Because it's messier than theirs. But those are lies. And satan wants to weaken you. He wants to block you off from community. He does not want you to persevere. He wants you to quit people, because they don't get you.

A lie is a lie is a lie.

You are not alone. You are not the only one who hears or feels those things. The irony is that's the whole purpose of community. To push past the appearances and get to the hearts of the people. Where they are, what they struggle with. Peaks and valleys. 

It's uncomfortable. You won't like it at first. You'll feel that lump in your throat that wants to push out tears just when someone says hello.

Don't let the fear (or even the reality, in my case) of not fitting "in" keep you from joining in. You matter. Your heart matters. Your story matters.

So even though you feel alone in a church full of people. Even if you don't seem to squeeze into that cookie cutter no matter how hard you try. Join in. 

I see you.

And more importantly, so does He.

And He gets the glory every time you show up. He uses the tiniest things in us for your story. He romances through those insecurities. He makes us whole. 

So just show up, and let Jesus do the rest.

Friday happies

I've been surprisingly chill this week despite our kid chaos. Usually by Friday I'm like, "get me outta here!" But this week has been shockingly different. I'm grateful for that. 

Emma had some suckers stashed away in her "pack pack" so I used them as bribery at the doctors office. Judge me.

Some funnies:

Wyatt- repeats basically anything we tell him. Hop on over to my Instagram where he conquers the Napoleon dynamite "yessss". He is newly obsessed with Spider-Man. "Spider-Man wipe nose. Now!" Also, he got half stuck under our bed today, tried to eat 2837754 of Emma's tiny toys, and "need to jump" off of every elevated surface. His humor is increasing. I'm in for it.

Emma- plays pretend with anything and everything. Not kidding. This morning she played a scene out of Frozen with her fingers as the characters and a banana peel as part of the situation. We had the sweetest conversation with her this week about Jesus. All on her own, too. Swoon. She's going through this thing where she thinks if she says "just a little bit" of something then we'll retract our "no" for a yes. Kinda cute, kinda frustrating. Also, her eye swelled up huge for a few days to the point of worry so to the doctor we went. No real answers. But it's better so it's all good!

Hattie- kicking my tail with her weird sleep habits this week. By this age with my other 2 I had already established sleep schedules but I cannot for the life of me get her situated. It'll come, I guess. But her smile. Gets me every time. I wish I were exaggerating, but she really lights my face up like no other.

In other news: I cut my hair off! Just below my shoulders. Post partum hair strikes again. It all falls out, my hairline resembles that of a 45 year old man... So chop chop and I'm feeling much better! It's probably my favorite thing I've done with the locks in a long time. My hairdresser is da bomb.

So HOLLER for date night over here. Adult conversation? Yes please. Sitting through an entire meal? Heck yes.

spotlight: ellison made

my friend brittany over at EllisonMade sent me this gold foil print about a month ago. i'm a little bit obsessed with it. hillsong's oceans has crept its way into my bank of favorite worship songs. it gets me teary every single time. so when i saw this print in her shop, i knew it was meant to be. brittany is a mama of two, soon to be 3 (high five for heavenly surprise babies ;) ) her heart for the lord overflows into her creativity. you're sure to find a piece that will fit perfectly into your home! go take a look!

i got this frame for it. it's pretty much a perfect match. i have the perfect place in mind for when we start redecorating our room!

*thank you again, brittany for the gorgeous print. it's top notch quality for sure!

A big week

It's been a pretty big week over here. 

If you follow me on Instagram (@aquiverfullblog) then you'll know that my biggest started dance class this week. If I could have recorded her reaction when I dressed her and she saw herself I would have. It was hands down one of the most precious moments I've ever experienced. She was so proud, and timid, and beautiful. So excited. She's been showing us pirouettes and kick ball steps and something called the turtle all week. So. Dang. Cute. And I didn't even cry ;)

I did however pray the entire time outside of her classroom. That she would be kind towards the other girls and her teachers. That they would tread lightly on her gentle spirit. That Christ would already be working in her and set her apart to move mountains for his kingdom.

Oh motherhood...

And then my baby girl turned THREE months the same day. She loves sucking her fists and making everyone ask "is she hungry?" Trust me, she nurses all the day long. She loooooves being talked to and snuggled. She loves swinging and when Wyatt and Emma blow on her belly. I still cannot believe what a blessing of a baby she is. And she's ours. Thank you Jesus for YOUR plan and not mine. I love you more than life itself, Hattie Anne. Thank you for being such a mama's girl :)

Hope y'all have a great weekend! We're pretty full to the brim with events around here.