Hey friends! So I have been MIA from the blog for a while now and I am excited to say that I am back and excited for what’s to come! I wanted to take a minute and briefly (or not so briefly) give a little update as to explain the radio silence! 😉

You know what, I think I’ll just show you a picture. They’re worth a thousand words, right?! 🙂

THERE. THAT IS WHY I HAVE NEGLECTED YOU, Internet. I’ll admit I do play favorites when it comes to people that I GROW. Ha! Friends, I am so ecstatic to introduce to you for the first time, my second son, EASTON JAMES. Born on July 30, 2015 at 9:29…Go ahead, take a few minutes and let his sweet face make you feel all warm and fuzzy…I’ll wait. 🙂

Now a little back story for this precious, prayed over, and fought for babe. Back in April when I was 26 weeks, I had some preterm labor symptoms and had a short hospital visit and was told to you know, take it easy (with a 2 year old). I did as  I was instructed and trucked along miserably sick and hurting, contractions remaining steadfast. Fast forward and at 33 weeks I was not expected to make it to 36 weeks, a crucial milestone in pregnancy. So ‘bedrest’ it was! Well, as much as you can do with a toddler. 😉 As soon as I left the doctors that day we called in our beloved prayer warriors. Everywhere I went, everytime someone asked how things were going I enlisted them to our team of intercessors. Every believer I came in to contact with I basically begged to be a prayer warrior for our little guy. Our friends and church family were exceptional in their response to pray for us. Friends, I was absolutely miserable this whole time but this was such a great experience for my own walk of faith. I have never felt the power of prayer more than throughout this difficult season. I literally could feel myself being carried through every day by the prayers our brothers and sisters were lifting up on our behalf. It was amazing…prayer will never be the same to me.

The week after that I landed back in the hospital, labor progressing. After 3 days and tons of shots to attempt to slow labor and steroids to help our sweet baby’s lungs develop, we got to go home STILL PREGNANT! I 100% believe this was because of our prayer warriors. Our God is SO good and the prayers of the righteous are powerful and effective. Over the course of these few weeks, I realized just how many of our friends are righteous. I cannot believe the incredible people that surround us- people of holy pursuit. I have always been thankful for our friends but I have come to be thankful for their boldness and steadfastness in the faith in a way I had not truly appreciated on such a deep level before. Our family was also incredible fantastic and pretty much lived with us the last two months to make sure my big little was getting enough attention and our house didn’t fall down. Bless them. And send them coffee and chocolate if you see them, they sure deserve it! 😉

Days passed with contractions and nausea ALL DAY LONG. And after what seemed to be a BILLION YEARS, we made it to 36 weeks! HUGE answered prayer…and God was so glorified. Our friends celebrated the milestones. And to be honest my prayer almost instantly changed from ‘keep this baby in’ to ‘GET THIS BABY OUT NOW!’. I’m not dramatic. 😉 I was so over it and ready to meet this little guy. So finally, at 38 WEEKS we got to meet our sweet little man, healthy, screaming his (extra strong-thanks steroids) lungs out, and quite the chunkster compared to our first one (thanks Taco-Villa).

It is the sweetest feeling in the world to know that this is us, these are my people, this is my tribe. Our sweet Emmett has been the BEST big brother. He has the most compassionate heart towards his little brother and is so proud. He loves to hold him and sing to him while he pats (occasionally squeezes) his head and hold his fingers with the softest touch I’ve ever seen. This is truly a gift  I do not deserve and while I know that I am fully inadequate to raise these men, I am so thankful that God can override my mistakes and is ultimately the one who will guide their hearts.

So friends, thank you for your patience and your prayers as we walk into this beautiful new season of life. Thank you for your patience with emails as I am usually feeding or chasing someone. 🙂

A letter from mommy…

Sweet Easton James,

Oh my beloved boy. You have been prayed over and fought for. From day one you have been given the gift of love and compassion. You have been covered in the prayers of the saints. We waited for you and imagined all that you would be and look like, and could not wait to hold you and see your big brother  love on you as only big brothers can. The Holy Spirit led me to pray for BOLDNESS for you in our season of waiting. I pray that you will lead boldly and love boldly. I pray with all my heart and soul you seek the wisdom of the Lord and get your strength and faith from living in the Word. The verse the Lord gave me for you was Proverbs 28:1, that you would also be as “the righteous are bold as a lion”. Part of this makes my flesh anxious, because I know that boldness requires some sort of fear or risk as a predecessor. But sweet boy, this makes my spirit soar! I cannot wait to see all the things you will do for the Kingdom. I am so blessed to get to watch you grow and borrow you for a while as you grow into the man you were created to be. I cannot wait to watch you fall in love with our Jesus and discover your burdens for the world and people he has entrusted to you. I love you, sweet Easton. You are a difference maker because you are a son of God. Lead and love well, son. You are so dearly loved.