jaybird family pictures, 2018

Recently my amazing sister took new family pictures and I've just been bursting to share the sweetness!!!  I'm still blown away by the gifts these three people are in my life... and seeing us captured like this is so priceless.

just as i am

1. Just as I am, without one plea,
   But that Thy blood was shed for me,
   And that Thou bidst me come to Thee,
   O Lamb of God, I come, I come.
2. Just as I am, and waiting not
   To rid my soul of one dark blot,
   To Thee whose blood can cleanse each spot,
   O Lamb of God, I come, I come.

july favorites

full to overflowing

Nearly three weeks ago, our precious Haven Rose made her whirlwind arrival into our lives.  After a short but intense labor (less than two hours), our second daughter was placed in my arms.  Our hearts are bursting with love for this sweet new child as we learn her and bond.  All is going relatively smoothly so far as we adjust to being a family of four.  Rennie completely adores her little sister.  I will definitely be sharing more of this chapter of life soon, but things are quite a bit busier these days so blogging hasn't been a priority.  My recovery is going pretty smoothly so far (only a few tiny hiccups along the way).  Thank you all so much for praying throughout my pregnancy.  We definitely covet continued prayers as we raise our precious daughters.  <3  So, till I can find some time for a better life update, here are pictures to tide you all over!  :-D  Many blessings!

maternity pictures and six years married!

Recently, my lovely sister, Natalie, traipsed around a local park with us capturing beautiful family moments as we celebrate adding another sweet baby to our tribe.  So, get ready for a picture OVERLOAD (not joking), since I had a really hard time whittling down which ones to share.  :-)

the blimp is back (and other little happenings)

Well friends, May is off to a flying start with crazy weather changes and a calendar full of birthdays and anniversaries.  The days can seem long, but the weeks are flying (this seems to be the new norm).  My sweet man turns twenty-eight in less than a week and next Saturday is our sixth anniversary!  I can't believe it, yet I can... it feels like we've been together forever, so six years can sometimes seem too short a time since we said "I do".  ;-)  I'm so incredibly thankful for the ever-growing relationship we've been given and can't wait to see what the coming years hold!

letting go and embracing

Baby HR Gender Reveal!

before and after the ultrasound!

One week ago, Andrew and I traveled through fog and rain to find out how our baby was doing and also to discover HR's gender!  Because our midwife lives two hours away and I also had a regular checkup along with a chiropractic appointment, it turned into an all-day affair.  What a fun time  for just the two of us to see and celebrate our new child!

Merry Christmas!

a bigger step

Where's the baby?

There it is!

Oh my friends.  In the last little-over-a-month since my last post, so much has happened!  Andrew and I met with a doctor (as I shared we would).  This was what we thought was our big "next step" towards growing our family.  Little did we know that as we set up tests and researched fertility drugs that a new life was already growing inside of me.  *tears!*  God has graciously given us the gift of our third child after ten months of trying to conceive (our only baby to be conceived within what is considered a "normal" range).

mamabird life {seventeen} and blog survey!

Mamabird life has been...

~ Little to no brain capacity for writing.  Hence my terrible lack of sharing here.  These pictures are from a family vacation we took a month ago.  Life hasn't slowed down since getting home.

~ Enjoying *some* cooler weather.  It was beautiful at our vacation spot in Wisconsin and the last couple weeks here in Indiana have been beautiful as well.  It's warming up a bit though... Go away, summer!

mamabird life {fifteen}

It is almost mid-way through the last full month that I am the mommy of a one-year-old.  This second year with my sweet girl has gone faster than the first... maybe because I'm getting a bit more sleep now (still not full nights, but we'll get there).  I'm trying to lock away those memories that aren't being captured on camera... there are so many and I just want to hold onto them.  This motherhood thing ain't easy.  I've been pushed to my limits (and even beyond them to new limits some days).  My daughter is a strong-willed little person who doesn't respond to instruction so well... Reminds me of her parents a bit.  But this journey is also one I would never surrender for an easier me-centered existence.  Sure it would be nice to take a looooooong hot shower every day, but who needs clean hair?

So, here's some snippets of my mamabird life along with some of my favorite recent pictures... I will spare you the ones featuring my unwashed hair.  ;-)

crazy old days... lake michigan adventure

My mother is an adventurer.  And she reeeeeeaaaally loves spur-of-the-moment excursions.  Hence a random trip on a Monday evening to the Indiana Dunes to watch the sun set over Lake Michigan.  <3  While my introverted, planned-out nature doesn't always keep up with her so well, I'm very thankful for these sweet times.  She definitely brings out the adventure in me.

togetherness... just some family-picture sweetness

mamabird life {fourteen}

life has become this crazy-lull.  explanation: there are days when overall very little happens and then these spikes of insane-busy occur.  we are also getting very close to moving into our little house.  anticipating crazy times can be almost as nuts as living them!

mamabird life {thirteen}

whew!  when life is full, blog posts are few.

andrew, rennie, and i are slowly but surely adjusting.  we are currently living in my parents' home while our own home is being prepared (more on that in a minute!).  andrew will be starting his new job in about two weeks; in the meantime we are getting everything officially switched over to our indiana address and shopping for new-to-us (which means used, but still holding years of life!) furnishings.  we've had many sleepless nights between fighting local sickness and rennie getting used to a new house and bed.  we are pretty tired, but are surrounded by caring people (namely my family!) who have helped us so much.

mamabird life {twelve}

last week a chapter of our lives ended.

it was bittersweet.

last wednesday, rennie and i flew out to indiana.  with no return tickets.

it was a crazy three and a half months living with andrew's parents with quite a bit of adjusting for all.  it was so good though.  getting extra family time and watching rennie bond with her amazing grandparents was such a blessing!  i also got the chance to know my in-laws in a deeper way and will always cherish the time we spent together watching movies, playing games, and talking!!!  (and the wonderful-albeit-slightly-stressful driving lessons my dad-in-law gave me!)

mamabird life {eleven}

mamabird life for me right now is...

- trying to keep up with my sweet, energetic toddler.  she loves to climb, follow me around (even to the bathroom), give hugs and kisses, go outside, and try on my shoes! 

- not seeing much of andrew these days.  he's been working looooooong hours, BUT has been able to use up some of his remaining personal days to have a few three-day weekends.  that has helped so much.  i'm so proud of how hard he continues to work at his job.  he is determined to finish well.

our 2016 family pictures

recently our little family trekked up to a beautiful, mountainous area with andrew's parents to *finally* take some family pictures!  yay for having something besides selfies and tripod-with-timer photos.  :-)

mamabird life {ten}