home.

home from the beach. laundry is nearly done and put away. we heard our sweet little babes heartbeat this morning. all is well on the baby front. i am 16 weeks and finally beginning to feel more like myself. no more nausea. it is like another life. 

we learned a few things last week. two of those things include: ava is a great swimmer and pretty fearless. secondly she LOVES lip gloss. she simply can not apply just once. constant application is more her style.

4 hour lay over in atlanta. both were busy catching up on emails. 

no ava does not have an iphone or email address. 

she was most likely face-timing with elmo on her ipod.

it was a good week with family and now after a few days of unpacking and catching up on work/life here we will pack up again this weekend and head to MI to celebrate my grandparents wedding anniversary and spend a few days at lake michigan with my family. looking forward to it all.

it has been a while so here you go:

beach vacation video 

disclaimer: do not miss ava when she rattles off everything she loves...including the trash can. we do not encourage the phrase uncle poot...but it was funny. justin's sister sara had a special little laugh at the end of the video...she was joked all week for her fake laugh and of course it made it onto the video not once or twice...but a lot. enjoy.

***more this week on my heart and thoughts about where we were just two years ago this week.

a cancer diagnosis. fear. doctors. so many unknowns. to where we are now...it really is incredible***

day four.

these two have a special relationship. ava's only girl cousin and the friendship is precious.

especially in how they love to match outfits whenever possible.

can this heart possibly love another??? yes and yes and yes.

day three

ava has been sneaking cookies from the pantry. 

good day. good week. i have not thrown up once. i think i am entering into the fun stage of pregnancy.

beach day two

we a little beach baby on our hands. i had no idea that she could swim so well. with those little swimmies she can not get enough of jumping off the side of the pool. she is brave and i like brave.

enjoy day two.

beach day one

we arrived safe and sound to flordia after a 5 hour delay out of atlanta. but either way we are here.
let the vacation begin. off to dinner...

day one.

ava's cousin baby cash. 

total ava face.

aviators are the best.

check back tomorrow for day two. enjoy your sunday. 

off we go.

where have i been? let me answer that for you. young life camp with high school girls from turner ashby for a week. incredible week. exhausting. but so good. more to come on that. this has not been the easiest pregnancy. but by no means the worst. just a lot of nausea, throwing up, and fatigue. hence the lack of blogging. i am lucky to shower and get laundry done everyday. but i am doing those things. i am 14 weeks pregnant and so far i am a little bigger than i was with ava and for sure more tired. my mornings are pretty good but the afternoon and evenings seem to be the worst. we find out the end of the august if it is a little girl or boy. ava thinks girl. justin thinks girl. i think girl. so we will see...i will for sure share the news!

now to the important stuff...

a week or so ago our dear friends tommy and ellie (tommy is on young life staff) welcomed there first little man into the world.

let's all meet little tiny tucker:

little tucker decided to make his appearance into the world at 25 weeks. so needless to say he and his parents have a long road ahead. one of countless drives back and forth to the nicu and tucker continuing to develop and grow into a strong little baby. in addition to the hundreds of other specific things necessary to help in his growth and everything going on inside tommy and ellie's heart as they fall in love, pray, care for tucker, trust the hospital staff, make tough decisions, which ultimately brings them to a place of trust. maybe trusting the Lord the most they ever have in their lives. i imagine it feels scary and sad and hard and overwhelming. emotions many of us know all too well and since our family knows deep pain and fear and what it looks like to walk through a scary valley and cling...i mean literally grasp onto Christ harder than ever before...please pray. send emails. send cards. whatever your heart nudges you to do to show them that they are not alone. but we are in this with them. our journey through cancer was different because people rallied alongside our family in a way we had never seen before. now let us love this sweet family.

for all the details follow tucker and his story here:http://tommyandellie.com/index.php/tucker/

 ***

before we head to the airport i wanted to leave you with some great deals from returning sponsors and brand new sponsors as well. take a look and take advantage of the deals offered to dwyc readers.

www.perchshop.etsy.com

perch is home to the original rope box. the perfect combination of vintage crates and rustic rope. each item has been lovingly chosen and re-created to fit any style. 

dwyc readers enjoy 10% with code: summer.

 ***

 www.eclecticjoyshop.etsy.com

eclectic joy designs handmade onesies for your little girl or little man. then for us women...great infinity scarves for any outfit. dwyc readers can enjoy 15% off with code: libby.
***

www.etsy.com/shop/ThirstyHeartsDesign

you know i love all she does. she is designing a party invite for me as we speak. i know i will be in love. use angie for blog design. shower invites. wedding save the dates. wedding invites and don't miss everything in her adorable shop.

***

justin has discovered a new found love for taking pictures. so for the next seven days while we are at the beach be sure to check the blog for our daily beach photo and then you wont feel like you have missed a thing. ava recently told us..."i am going to be a big sister." little girl is ready.

off to flordia.

took a longer break than i planned on.

a few things to begin...thank you for sticking with me even though i randomly took a month off from sharing my heart, my life, and my family. it was not the plan. i did find that the longer i have been away from this space...the harder it has been to come back and the easier it is to believe: you have nothing of value to say anyways. so why blog?

i am still working through those lies even as i sit in my bed and type. but please stay with me.

this past month was full of life and memories that we will never forget. ava experiencing young life camp really for the first time. loving all the campers. singing and dancing at club. playing with her new friends. watching daddy be silly on stage and she even learned most of his lines and it's hilarious and building new relationships that will last a lifetime.

a few things i learned. to recap a bit:

living life closely alongside other women in varying stages of life is not only a gift...but a treasure and i am holding tight to the moments and the conversations that were shared. about marriage, newborns, toddlers, teens, life on young life staff, following Jesus, living without fear, trusting and i mean really trusting the Lord with ever last inch of your life and your being. i am thankful that i am not alone in any of this...even though it can sometimes feel that way.

that being pregnant, although a gift i will not take for granted. not even for a second has been hard. the nausea and the fatigue has brought me right back to cancer. the way i felt for days after chemo and the link between cancer and this new little life (although so very different) has caused my mind and my heart to be at odds. my mind triggering: this is cancer. you have cancer again. that is why you are sick. not only is a baby growing inside of you, but so is cancer, just like last time. be scared. be mad. be afraid. even in the dark places wishing...maybe it will just go away.

but. i love a good but...

the fear may seem real and the fear may even be natural but the fear will not strip me from joy and i choose joy. i begged the Lord all month for it. to really feel thankfulness and joy in the midst of pain and discomfort. sometimes it was easier to sleep, complain, and be short with ava. but other days there was joy and energy and i felt like me. much like with cancer...some days are hard and some days are easier. please do not miss this: i am not trying to say in anyway shape or form that this pregnancy and this new little life is even in the same hemisphere as cancer...but...the way my body is feeling in these first 12 weeks have been eerily similar and has challenged my mind and my heart as i wrap it all around the fact that this is what is true: a healthy baby is growing inside of me...not cancer.

yesterday day we saw the heartbeat. all is measuring well. i am 12 weeks and hopefully turning a corner. my desire to keep my eyes on Christ and fight and find my strength in Him.

tomorrow justin and i head to another young life camp to share the week with high school students and jmu leaders for best week of our lives. please pray students move from death to life.

i will be back after camp. my heart feels so full because this as been a place for nearly two years to share and decompress and often times write things i did not realize i was even feeling. this place feels like home and safe and i am so encouraged by the way the Lord continues to weave His story through my own.