why hello again

Umm, hello again. It's not hard to see that I took a little unplanned break from journaling/blogging over the summer. This little disappearance started off as me just being busy, then quickly turned to "Uh, I just don't feel like it right now", and finally became, "Well, it's been so long, there's too much to catch up on!" Well I'm here to say, I haven't given up on this little blog of mine. I've actually come to miss it. And so, here I am again, attempting to keep up with this little thing...

That being said, it's sort of impossible to get caught up on all that we've been up to this summer. I suppose I can fill you all in in just about three words that sort of sum up the past few months: weddings, pregnancy, rest. 

Weddings: in 10 months we've attended and/or been in 10 weddings. Whew. Just thinking about the craziness of it all gets me sweaty. While they were all a BLAST, with all of the showers, bachelorette/bachelor weekends away, and then the wedding weekends themselves, it filled up many, many of our weekends this year. So many of our great friends and family members tied the knot this last year and truly, despite the exhaustion this here paragraph gives off, we loved celebrating all the love!

Pregnancy: soooo, yeah. i'm pregnant again! That happened. We found out in June and haven't looked back since. Dan and I couldn't be more excited to expand our family. More little bodies means more love and hilarious, beautiful memories. I love my new (i guess i can't say "new" anymore?) role as a mom and not many other things bring me as much joy as spending my days watching and learning from the life and mind of a 16 month old. I smile more now than I ever have and have learned way more about myself and living simply during this season life. All that to say, I'm still scared out of mind. Don't think for a second I'm not wondering what on earth we've gotten ourselves into with having two little ones under the age of two. Thank  goodness for God's grace, strength, wisdom, and help.... and for a wonderful community of family and friends to support us during this next adventure. 

Rest: stemming off of the pregnancy note, during the first half of summer I was EXHAUSTED. All of the time. As some of you know, I usually love being busy and having things to do and people to see. I thrive on "having plans" and to-do lists. This summer though, I have forced myself to learn the value and necessity of taking time, however much I had available, to simply rest. And even, to say "no" to things every once and a while. For me, I need I need some time to just be. Time to rejuvenate and time to just spend at home-- with my family and with myself. And hey, I figured that it's okay to bank some extra sleep in my "sleep bank" (that I realize doesn't exist) because when that little baby #2 arrives, I'll hopefully be happy I got some rest and relaxation when I could :) 

p.s. speaking of rest--while on vacation last week, I literally sat by the pool (while dan and noah napped) each afternoon...... and.... it was the best thing ever. it (doing absolutely nothing). was. pure. happiness. 

Other fun summer memories: blueberry picking, park adventures, lots of bonfires with friends, camping at the beach, girls nights, a US soccer game, Myrtle Beach, a trip to the zoo and aquarium, learning the art of baking fruit pies, and many many evening walks with the gang. 

So there you have it. Just a brief update into my world over the last few months. 

I promise, I'll be back soon. 

ciao.