Our Emmett is three today! Like all mamas, I wonder where the time has gone. He's growing up and growing fast. There's more little boy than baby as each day passes. Still a ball of energy, Emmett's imagination has come to life. I love watching him play make believe with his toys in his own little world. He's sweet, sometimes sour, loving and absolutely adored by his daddy and me.

At three years, Emmett:

Emmett Elijah,

You are such a joy and I am so glad I get to be your mama. You are full of life and wonder. You make each day brighter and I'm so thankful for you. I am so proud of all that you have learned this year and the little boy that you are becoming. I pray that this year would be filled with lots of great memories as we enter into a new season together. Preschool! You are determined and strong willed and you keep me on my toes. One day God is going to use these qualities for something wonderful. I pray that you see Jesus in your daddy and me and that you would know how dearly you are loved. God loves you the most. He created you and loves you more than you can imagine. I pray that you would know the grace and mercy that comes through faith in Jesus too and that one day you would follow Him. Dream big sweet boy. Oh and those songs that you ask me to sing before nap time? Those hugs and kisses that you ask for as we walk down the stairs? Never stop asking, okay? I love you to the stars.

XO,

Your Mama

This past weekend was our first community event with Generation Church of Clayton. We hosted a "Winterfest" at our new space complete with inflatables, a giant snowball fight, face painting, music, dancing and food. An event like this wouldn't have been complete without appearances by Elsa and Anna from Disney's "Frozen".

Emmett had an absolute blast. He held is own in the giant snowball fight and it's where he chose to spend most of the afternoon.

 

If there is something that can be jumped off of, it will be jumped off of.

It's been the same for a while now, but something made me slow down and really see. Something made me stop and notice these small things that most people would probably not see, let alone find themselves with a smile creeping across their face, their heart full. But I found myself in that place recently. Staring at my little man who is growing so fast. Time stood still for a moment long enough for me to capture him and soak him up. These little things matter to me because I'm his Mama. But if I'm not careful, I can miss a whole lot of these moments because I'm living a hurried life or I'm only looking for the "big" moments to remember, milestones like climbing and potty training and learning to ride a bike.

Isn't that true for all of us, mamas? If we're not careful to really see our babies and what is unique about them, we can miss out on a lot. If we're not intentional about slowing down and taking the time to notice the little things, we'll miss out on the sacred of motherhood, the God-sized moments packed into our pint-sized humans. God delights in us, big and small, and as mamas, we have the chance to catch the same glimpse as we watch the babies we've been entrusted with, slowing down to delight in them. We won't just see the big things, but we'll begin to notice all the tiny treasures wrapped up in our babies, each one hand-crafted by the One who hung the moon and the stars.

I admit that slowing down is not easy for me. I spend a lot of time hurrying and doing and not enough time seeing and sitting. But that's not the kind of mama I want to be. I want to slow down. I want to be intentional. I want to see and remember and, someday, be able to look back with joy (and not regret), able to recall all the wonderful, wild and beautiful pieces that make up this thing called motherhood.

So, today, because time is all too fleeting, I choose to slow down to see and remember:

 

Holy Father, thank You for the way You delight in me. You are the Giver of all good gifts. Thank You for Your handiwork. Thank You for Your grace that has kept me from missing out on delighting in my child and for all of the wrapped up treasures You have placed in him for me to uncover. Your goodness knows no end.

My parents just celebrated their 40th Wedding Anniversary in July. Forty years of marriage, guys. That's extraordinary! I'm so thankful to have such an example to look up to. We can all probably agree that marriage takes a lot of hard work. These days, marriage isn't much of what it used to be. It used to be forever. And now, it's forever if you feel like it for so many people. It's so sad. But for my parents, forever is forever and we were able to take part in a beautiful celebration, the renewal of their marriage vows, during our family vacation at Sunset Beach.

The day was a bit dreary so we spent it playing corn hole in the driveway and hanging out at the house. The ceremony was planned for 6:30 on the beach. The anticipation of whether it would have to take place indoors was lingering throughout the day. My sister-in-laws and I moved forward with our baking and decorating plans as normal for the evening while our littles napped. During the late afternoon the skies opened up and it poured rain. Holding out hope, we continued to get ready. "Please, God, let the rain stop in time for the ceremony." Sure enough, it did. Not long before it was time to head outside, the rain stopped, the sun came out, and God painted a rainbow in the sky over the ocean. All around us, the skies were dark, but right where we were standing, it was bright and cheery. God is so good. And He cares about the small things in our lives as much as the big things. It was a beautiful ceremony and a perfect night. After the ceremony we headed back to the house to chow down on an awesome spread catered by The Purple Onion Cafe. Towards the end of the evening, God showed off his magnificence even more by painting one of the most gorgeous sunsets I have ever seen. What a night. Surrounded by family and friends and the beauty of our undeniable Creator.

And now, for the photo overload. You're welcome. =)

A bouquet for the table...

Before vacation, we collected anniversary cards from family and friends who have known my parents from all walks of life, and then used them to decorate the dinner table.

This cake was a "happy accident". Not sure if we had enough frosting to cover it, we decided to only frost the top and in between the layers. It turned out way better than our original plan and added some nice (and much needed) contrast to the right side of the table.

We kept the decoration and dessert table a secret from my parents all day. This is when we finally revealed what we had been up to!

 

A bride always needs a pretty bouquet. My dad ordered this one as a surprise for my mom.

The group gathered to celebrate was made up of family, friends and two of the pastors, and their wives, from my parent's church who came in for the night to lead the ceremony.

Love my sister-in-laws... this picture just makes me smile. Oh, and they
are the decorating superstars. So talented at making things pretty.

The whole gang, minus my parent's neighbors. They were the lucky ones who got to take the photo.

Mom and Dad, thank you for being such a good example for us. Forever is forever. We're grateful for your commitment and hard work. Because of you, we have this family. Because of you, we know our great God. We love you forever - to the moon and back!

I love when birthdays can be stretched out over the course of a couple of days to be celebrated. Maybe it comes from memories of my childhood birthday celebrations. We normally had two parties - a family one and a friend one - so our celebrations were always extended. Because Emmett's birthday fell on a Thursday this year, we were able to do just that for him. On his "real" birthday, we spent the day doing a couple of fun things. First, we went to story time at the library with Emmett's cousin Della and his Auntie Erin (or "Aunnie" as he calls her). Then we met his Nana and Gramps for lunch. Of course this mama had to make sure he had a decent nap, even on his birthday, so we headed home to rest once we were done eating. Daddy got home from work early that day and surprised Emmett when he woke up from his nap. We played and then went to the store to get a balloon for the birthday boy. This kid loves balloons. For dinner, we made birthday cake pancakes with real cake mix in them, and sprinkles on top. Finally, we opened presents and played a little bit more before calling it a night for our big two year old. Let me tell you, this kid is serious about opening some presents. He meticulously rips the paper off of each gift and doesn't miss a single piece. I believe it's safe to say that opening his presents was the highlight for him this year.

Oh, and about that whip cream buffet... Emmett doesn't like cold foods like popsicles and ice cream. For the most part, he turns his nose up at them and won't eat them. One day, several months back, while at my parent's house for dinner, my mom had this idea to give the littles whip cream with sprinkles for their dessert while everyone else was enjoying ice cream. Since then, this has been Emmett's favorite treat. His whole face lights up at the mention of "cream and sprinkles". So, having a whip cream buffet was only natural. (You know what the funny thing is, though? He didn't touch it during his party. Nope. Not one bite. He was having too much fun with his new toys to care about his cream that day. He sure is growing up!)

A big thank you to our friends and family who were able to celebrate our little man with us!