DSC_0044

Sitting down to write this post is no easy feat. There are several things I should be doing right now, but these thoughts will not leave my head and instead of wandering aimlessly around the house writing this post in my mind, I might as well save myself the headache and get it over with. I just laid my toddler down for his nap and after feeding and swaddling my newborn, she is on her way into dreamland at this very moment. So here I am with free time to myself and what do I choose to do? Write about my kids. Of course.

For the past two years, I've been growing, birthing and raising babies. This is my season. My calling. It starts the minute I wake up in the morning and doesn't end at night, so it's more than just a "job"... it's my life. What I've learned from being a mom (outside of how to change a diaper in 10 seconds) is that so many people today have such a negative view of children. I see it in the stares I get while toting around both babies on my hips or when we're seated at a restaurant and my toddler decides to talk in his "outside" voice, or when everyone avoids sitting next to us on an airplane (like, really, if they cry I'm pretty sure you will still be able to hear it three rows down), some people just plain dislike children. Or at least that's the impression they are giving me.

I'm not sure when or how it began, but somewhere along the lines of history these people have forgotten that they were once a child too.

Those fun memories of riding your bike and eating jello and going to Disney World? Yeah, those were real. You were a kid. And grew up to become a busy, hardworking adult who wants to live a quiet, boring life. At least that's how I see it.

Because having kids is just plain awesome. And hilarious. And so. much. fun!

To my married friends without kids or who are soon-to-be parents, don't believe the lies that your life is over when those children come along. It's not true! I don't think there could be anything further from the truth, actually. Life becomes fuller, richer, busier and crazier... but it is ANYTHING but over. You just created the single most influential being on the face of the earth... a human. There is nothing else you could create in your job, hobby or dreams that could have more impact or meaning. And the greatest thing of all? You get to re-live life with them. Laugh at things you thought were funny 20 years ago and remember how it was to learn to ride a bike for the first time.

And all of those hobbies and things you enjoy doing? I promise you can still do them as a parent. In fact, I think it's important you still do them as a parent. You are modeling for your children what it looks like to not be lazy or waste their talents.

Almost every weekend, I lead worship at my church. I took a few weeks off to, you know, birth the baby and everything. But as soon as I felt comfortable bringing my newborn out in public, I was back on stage. Singing is one of my greatest passions and leading people to worship at the feet of Jesus is one of my highest callings. Becoming a parent has not changed a single thing about that. If anything, it has given me even more reason to worship the Lord for His grace and favor on our lives.

Does it take more discipline, planning and maturity to parent a child? Yes, it does. Will you ever be completely ready financially, emotionally or physically? Probably not. Your patience will be tested, your morals questioned and you will have to put someone else's needs above your own. But those are all things that we should be striving for as followers of Christ, anyway. Children are just a blessing to help get us there a little faster.

Children are a gift from the Lord, they are a reward from him. Children born to a young man are like arrows in a warrior's hands. How joyful is the man whose quiver is full of them! Psalm 127:3-5a

DSC_0158

My baby boy turns 21 months today. I said I would never be "that mom" that said my child's age by months after they turned one, but here I am. I'll stop at two, I promise think. But the truth is, so much changes between one and two that he's not just a "one year old" and honestly, it scares me to call him, "almost two," so 21 months it is. Micah has grown in leaps and bounds from his first birthday to now. From barely standing on his own to running, from saying a few words to talking in sentences. His vocabulary is probably the most impressive thing about him at this age. He is a talker like his mommy and daddy. :) I love being able to have conversations with him. From waking up in the morning and asking to go to the swimming pool, or in the middle of the day when he wants to play outside and at bed time when he's asking for a drink of water or to read his "Bert and Ernie" book. It's just fun learning what his likes and dislikes are. And even though his strong-will is showing through at times, I admire that he is developing his own opinions. I pray continually that he will grow to love and respect others and most of all, submit his will to the Lord.

DSC_0177

Josh and I have begun discussing the big topics, like discipline and potty training. Even though we are parents of two children now, everything about raising Micah will always be new to us. Because he is our first born, we will always be "newbies" when it comes to him. We are learning and praying as we go. We don't have all the answers as to what works best in parenting - but the one thing we do rely on is the Holy Spirit's guidance. We know that God has chosen us to parent Micah and we don't take that lightly. He is growing smarter and more aware every single day.

One thing that I'm so glad he hasn't picked up on yet, is peer bullying. He's not even two yet and I've seen it happen already. It breaks my heart and makes the Mama Bear in me want to scoop him up and attack the little bully... but I don't. I sit back and watch as he brushes it off. He's not aware that those big kids are being mean - he just wants to play and be everyone's friend. I love that about him. As he grows, I want to teach him to keep his lighthearted attitude. I want him to laugh A LOT. And most importantly, be able to laugh at himself.

DSC_0244

DSC_0168

DSC_0173

I want to share a typical conversation I have with Micah almost daily.

(screaming and pointing towards the door) "OWTSIDE?!" - Micah "What do you say?" - Me "Please, owtside, okay." - Micah "Ok, but lets go put your shoes on first." - Me (runs to his bedroom to grab shoes)

His adorableness in answering his own questions with "okay" at the end, is just too much. In fact, we love asking "What do you say?" about everything just to hear him say it. Along with saying "please" he's also learned to say "thank you." One of my favorites is when someone opens the door for us. Before I can even get the words off my lips he is already saying, "Dank yew!" This is a great example of him learning something by watching us do it. I've never taught him, specifically, to say "thank you" when someone opens the door for us - but it's an instinct of mine to do it without thinking about it. The same goes for saying "bless you" when someone sneezes. And just the other day, I heard his sweet little voice call out, "Bwess yew!" after Hannah sneezed. And even I forgot to say it that time. These are just a few examples of how our children learn a lot by us modeling it for them. It's a humbling realization to have and an even bigger reason for me to get up every morning and spend time with Jesus, with the hopes that one day my son will want to spend time with Him too.

DSC_0228

DSC_0162

I couldn't write a post about Micah without mentioning his love for sports. It is apparent that he has inherited his daddy's love for all things round that bounce (I am banned from saying the "b-word" and "love" in the same sentence, thanks to my immature husband) I can tell you that he has gone to sleep in his crib with a ball in his hand more times than not. He can already make 3-pointer shots in his little basketball hoop. And judging from the amount of times he has hit his little sister in the head with a (very very soft) ball, I am guessing he has a pretty good pitch too.

DSC_0209

DSC_0219

DSC_0220

We've been so blessed to have Micah in our lives. He is such a joy! Even on the toughest days, I still want to kiss his face all over. I am so thankful God chose to bless us with Micah Jordan, 21 months ago. And Lord-willing we're blessed with another 21 years, I can't wait to look back and reflect on these special memories.

It's a special thing when God brings people into your life. If you've followed my blog for a little while, you may have read the story of how I met my friend, Miranda. If you haven't, basically we met online. But the story is a good one and an amazing testament of how God can use us in the most surprising ways. I am so thankful that Miranda reached out to me over three years ago and we've been able to keep in touch through texts and more recently, visits in the flesh! She is a special girl, with an amazing calling on her life. God is already using her in great ways and I can't wait to see where He takes her! A couple weekends ago, she came to visit us. If there's one thing about Miranda that I know for certain, it's that she LOVES children! So we had this weekend planned as soon as possible after Hannah was born. And she was such a help with Micah and Hannah over the weekend that I really could've gotten used to having her around every day! ;)

One crazy connection we have, is that her family owned a lake house 10 miles down the road from me! She grew up in Georgia, but remembers coming down to visit the lake house in the summer when she was young. The house has been vacant for years now, but we thought it would be fun to take a trip over there and shoot some portraits. I needed the practice, and it was literally right down the road, so on a whim we decided to go. Let me tell you, I am SO glad we did! Not only was it beautiful to see the lake house where she spent sweet days of her childhood... but it is now going down as one of my favorite locations for future shoots!

We had the babies with us in a stroller, and there was a pretty steep drop off to get to the water... so we didn't take too many shots down by the lake (at least not without a couple babies in our arms, ha!) But the water was gorgeous!! I can't wait to get back there to take more soon.

Only walking distance away, was a beautiful dirt road covered with trees. So of course, we took advantage of that.

Then we made our way back to the lake house and decided to take a quick peek inside. Surprisingly, these turned out to be some of my favorite shots! Although the house is empty now, it carries so many beautiful historic qualities about it that can't be replicated. I am so thankful Miranda allowed me the chance to capture her here. It was spontaneous, but sometimes those are the best times. After all, that's kinda how we met. :)

If you live in the Central Florida area and would like to have me as your photographer, please visit my photography page for more details and pricing!