Seven & Thirty

April is my favorite month of the year. I can't imagine a more perfect time to celebrate our anniversary and my birthday than when the world is turning green again and bursting with color. 

This year Andrew and I celebrated our seventh anniversary and that number seems so small to me. Could it only be seven? I can't really remember life without him and don't want to. He's the most beautiful constant thing... always laying down his life for me and making me feel like the most incredible woman in the world. I'm not, but I am humbled to think I'm married to the most incredible husband (who is currently ripping up linoleum on his day off because that's what kind of a servant he is). 

Mom came in to watch Wilson last weekend and sent Andrew and I off to celebrate in Point Clear/Fairhope, Alabama. It felt like our honeymoon all over again... except this time we were early risers and went to yard sales and played horse shoes and watched fish jump and read the newspaper over breakfast and oh my goodness, I really am 30! 

It was everything we needed. 

I only got one picture (selfie, classy) of us and it was blurry and terrible but who can think about capturing the weekend with pictures when you are having the best of best times?

Happy seventh, Andrew! Let's keep doing this marriage thing... it's fun. 

Yesterday I celebrated 30 years of life and unlike seven THIS number seems too big. I don't feel 30... but then again, what is 30 supposed to feel like?

It seems fitting to celebrate Easter in the midst of my birthday, because the gospel is really what gives me such contentment with where I am in life. I lack nothing. The veil is torn and it is finished... the Servant King has washed my feet and my heart. Everything else is just an overflow of goodness and grace.

I told Andrew that for my 30th I wanted all of our friends over for a grill out in our backyard. He got frustrated at me several times because I was doing too much hosting for my own party, but giving me the chance to host is a gift. It's my favorite thing and the older I get the more I'm learning how to use things that give me joy to bless others. 

I told Wilson all I wanted from him was a good picture of us.

After about ten tries and a little bribing, he finally obliged.

We had a backyard full of our favorite people and my favorite littles, and I was thinking that life really couldn't get better.

Can you see how W is learning how to brand his toys?

 Have I said too many times how much I love our friends here? In this season of life I feel like I'm desperate for other moms with genuine honesty, sharpening encouragement, and the desire to live in real community. These friends are all that and more. There's never been a time when I've had a problem and thought, "Who can I call?" because I have a wealth of grace at my fingertips. I'm going to lock them all up in our attic and never let any of them leave me... but really.

And all of their littles, too.

At some point my party turned into a Frozen dance party and I was thrilled to be so trendy. Who of the cool girls, hasn't had a Frozen party this year... I would have hated to have been left out.

A night I will store up and treasure in my heart. Here's to the next decade! I'm hopeful for the hard and the beautiful, because I know that they are both necessary to get me ready for heaven and to experience it fully now.

Alabama Christmas

From Kentucky, we headed south to Birmingham. By this time, I wasn't sure if we could fit anything else in our car and Little Man was coughing up the last of his poor little lungs.

But we wouldn't have missed a minute with our Alabama family. Each year (and each day, really), I wonder how I could get so lucky to marry into a family like this.

Madelyn and Brooks stole my heart before Wilson, and after Wilson these two little men came along and our hearts grew even bigger.

This trip we mostly just enjoyed being together. Patrick and Leslie's new Wii provided most of the entertainment.

On Saturday, we took a trip to the McWane Science Center. This was a big hit.

They had a train exhibit and I'm sure you can imagine how Wilson felt about that.

These two were pretty much inseparable the whole day. And I loved that.

On a side note, while at the McWane Center, I had a sweet girl approach me and say she recognized me from my blog (?!?!) Hi, Kassi! Her blog {here}. It was a funny moment of thinking my blog was a big deal to realizing it was not that big of a deal... she had clicked off of a friend's. Either way, it was fun to meet someone with sweet things to say, and an encouragement to keep writing on my {Art of Blooming} blog.

On Sunday we celebrated Andrew's  birthday a day early.

Wilson heard the word cake and came running.

I am thankful for another year with this man. Each year, I become more and more proud to call him my husband. He lays down his life for me every day and loves and pursues Jesus in a way that makes me want to follow him.

Afterwards we opened more gifts. We couldn't believe the generosity from every one in our family... we know Christmas is not about the presents (and hope to steer W's heart away from greed), but as we give and as we get it causes our hearts to ponder on the joy and wonder of that depthless gift of Jesus... who was, and is, and is to come.

Two Years

Here we are, Blog World! Two years. I want to thank you all for being faithfully interested in what's going on in this Little Man's world.


Mom tells me that each time she reads the last month's entry, she can't believe how much I've changed in one month. I'm growing and learning at rapid speeds now! Mom has always got me working on learning something and Daddy just shakes his head and tackles me. I'm getting a good balance of parenting, I think.

Let's talk about the party first because it was kind of a highlight for me. For weeks I was telling everyone I knew that I was having a "manimal party!" I was a little confused because when asked whose birthday was coming up, I would answer with "manimal birthday!"



They did come to celebrate though, those manimals! I was a little beside myself with all the decorations. A "meemur" even made an appearance.



I enjoyed everyone singing "Happy Birthday" to me and blew out one of the candles like a champ. I wasn't interested in the second one, so one of my buddies sitting close finished it off for me.




Afterwards we (all my friends and family) took a stroll to the zoo to visit my friends! I couldn't let this special day go by without letting them in on the celebration.




I loved having all my family here to celebrate with me. Thank you, family, for making the drive! I often ask to "Go to Baba's house?" or "Go to Gigi's house?" so I'm glad they came to mine. My birthday is always doubly sweet because I share it with my Grandan (Dad's dad!) How nice of him to share the attention... I hope he liked the zoo party I planned for him! :)

A big new development this past week is that I started sleeping in a "big boy bed"! I was so excited about having my own big bed that the transition was really fairly easy. Most of the day I want to put all of my toys up there and play (I also like to hide a few for bedtime).




Of course I'm still talking, talking, talking. I really never stop talking, honestly. If I'm not talking, I'm singing. I like to turn every day commentary into a song: "Like some grapes, like some grapes, Wilson like some grapes..." is one example. By the way, grapes and watermelon are my two very favorite foods right now. Mom has learned that any problem can be solved by offering them to me.



I'm also starting to get some time outs, which mostly works for discipline. Being alone is one of my least favorite things, so I'm quick to choose to obey when the other option is facing a wall in my chair. At first I thought it was kind of fun and would ask mom for a time out throughout the day, but lately I'm getting the drift that it's actually no fun at all. Bummer.

I'm at a loss for what else is new, so I'll sign off now! Thanks friends and family for being so sweet to me these past two years. I'm really so blessed.

Much Love, W