We've never been a big on Valentines Day celebrations, but it's always fun to give a little extra love to those special people in your life! Yesterday afternoon was a long one. I had two boys who only wanted to cry and needed some one on one mommy time. Those moments are the hardest so far. When Solomon is crying "mommy hold me" while I'm feeding a very hungry newborn. I try my best to love them both as hard as I can, but sometimes I can feel a little spread thin. Sadly, in those moments I tend to lose my cool. I definitely don't feel like a lovable mommy all the time, but these boys still want me. They still love me and need me. And I need them back. Even in the long and hard moments of our days, I need them so desperately. My biggest prayer right now is that when they see I'm not perfect, that they also see that I need Christ every day. I hope that my need for Him will create a need for Him in their life. Because I need Jesus so much. All day long I need Him, and He gave me these sweet babies to love, and teach and disciple daily. I read a quote recently from the Well Watered Women Blog that really resonated with me......

"One thing I've learned about discipling our young children is that it's usually much simpler than we make it out to be. Nurturing the hearts of our children is not a sprint: it's a marathon. Our goal isn't shallow roots that sprout up quickly and die, but deep healthy roots that are firmly established  in God's rich fertile soil."

So true, and so good to remember in these crazy days of motherhood. So, Happy Valentine's Day to my little loves. I'm so thankful that God gave me your little hearts to grow and nurture, in hopes to create big hearts for Him one day. I love you!

the way he looks at his big brother kills me!

mom, stop it and hold me!

Happy Love Day, friends!!! 

little boys and their mommas.

One thing that I love most about Valentine's Day is how it's not just for your romantic love. It is for family, friends, and just the world in general. Spreading love is always a good thing in my book. One of the friendships that I'm so thankful for is my friend Jill. I've talked about our fun "stay at home momma adventuress" before and I know that God placed her in my life for a reason. I have so many wonderful women in my life but she is the one and only friend that I have become close to because of this crazy thing called motherhood. We met  because of our boys. That will always be special to me!

When we realized that we were both going to be husbandless for Valentine's Day, we jumped on the opportunity to take our boys out on a date!! When we were thinking about a spot to meet up for dinner, Jill mentioned we should make this a true Valentine's Day, and meet up at the spot of our first date, Fresh to Order! We had our first lunch date so many months ago while we watched our quiet sleeping babies in their car seats, and fumbled around trying to nurse in public. HA, how things have changed!

It's always fun to have a date with our boys, and I'm so thankful for so many friends with baby boys!

I definitely love being a boy momma!!!

valentines and sushi and froyo.

Our little family on such a sweet day!

I couldn't think of two men I could love more, so thankful for them!! 

When Peter asked me what I wanted to do for Valentine's Day I instantly thought, SUSHI! It was a perfect option since Valentine's fell on Sunday and our favorite sushi place has all you can eat from a menu. Not a sketchy all you can eat buffet, but a full menu with so many delicious options. Perfect timing for sure! My mom came over to stay with Solomon so we could have some hubby & wife time. The sushi was amazing as always and then that sweet husband of mine asked if I wanted to go by TCBY.... duh, of course I did! 

A perfect little Sunday date with my baby daddy!

Hope your weekend was sweet as well!!!! 

day trip to Charlotte.

My sweet friend, Jocie, asked me if baby S and I wanted to tag along with her for a trip to Charlotte and of course I said yes. She needed to drop off some of her pretty things for the Vintage Charlotte Valentines weekend special pop up shop at the 7th Street Public Market and I was excited to check it out since I've never been. I honestly haven't spent much time in downtown Charlotte and I have no idea why, it really is such a cute city. Especially the Public Market.

When we arrived I had to feed Solomon and change his diaper in the car while Jocie went to drop off her stuff. She said she'd scope out the place and see if we could get something to eat. I was so excited to get a text from her that said "There are crepes!"!!! They were so yummy and the delicious pour over coffee from Not Just Coffee was the perfect addition. The natural lighting in this place is so pretty, such a fun place to hang out and buy some local goodies.

There were so many cute things along with the beautiful Jocie Pots creations! I loved looking around the booth and checking out the Vday gifts but all the beautiful cards had be swooning. 

#paperproductsaddict, sorry I'm not sorry!

come on, ma... too much girl talk and valentines day pink stuff! ;)

Seriously though, if you are in Charlotte and need some last minute gifts, stop by the market and pick up something cute. The xoxo ring dish by Jocie is a new favorite of mine!!!

Valentine's Day Surprise.

We are so thrilled to announce our little Valentine's Day Surprise! 

Peter and I are so excited about the new journey ahead

& I can't wait to share bits and pieces here on the blog!

Hope you all have a day full of love,

go hug someone and give them a big kiss on the cheek!
More details about our Baby E, very soon!!

Valentines at Home.

Just a few shots from our cozy Valentines date night at home. It was wonderful. Peter scored an amazing deal on the lobster and filet {& surprised me with some french macaroons}, I whipped up the salad and with our awesome rice cooker it was a pretty simple dinner but it was delicious. I also love the fact that I married a chef without even knowing it. His kitchen skills are an awesome bonus since I had no idea he had them before we got married. He had always been a grill master so I should have assumed he could hold his weight in the kitchen too but I definitely underestimated him. The steak was perfect since he cooked it in the cast iron skillet, it had a tasty crust and juicy center just like a restaurant and the lobster was so buttery and sweet! After dinner we moved to the living room and spent some time going through our wedding album for the first time since our super sweet wedding photographers surprised us with the book on Valentines day. It was a perfect way to end our first married Valentines for sure!! 

Love Day.

During this week while everyone prepared for the big day of love today {and tried to overcome the crazy amounts of snow everywhere} I was struggling a little bit with what to do for this Holiday. Last year I celebrated with my fiance and it was honestly my least favorite Valentines day with him. I decided that we should make reservations downtown and go to a very busy restaurant and sit in a very crowded room at a table set awkwardly where a walk way clearly should have been. Just ask my purse that was knocked off my chair multiple times. We were packed in a room like sardines. Being rushed through our meal so they could squeeze in the next couple. I remember thinking that we HAD to celebrate because that's what you do with your almost husband on Valentines day. You show them you love them out in public with everyone else and you buy them a watch that ends up not working very well at all. So silly.

a little Vday decorations on our mantle

I now look at Valentines day in a brand new light. I want to be at home with my husband. Cooking dinner together while sharing a bottle of wine. Not exchanging gifts at all because I don't want this holiday to be about material things. I want to curl up on the couch with a blanket and our cups of hot tea and watch a movie on Netflix. I might even let him pick a foreign film and force myself to read all those little subtitles because he loves it. And because I love him. I love the way he makes me feel and I really love being his wife. 

So tonight we will be doing that. Not fighting traffic and searching for a parking spot so we can be rushed through a meal while I'm wearing uncomfortable heels. No, we will not be doing that. 

Power to those of you that venture out into the world on Valentines Day.

This holiday is about sharing love with your loved ones so how ever you choose to do it
I hope it is absolutely perfect.
Happy Love Day!!!

happy heart day!

Just because it's Valentines day and I'm feeling super gushy and sweet I thought I'd share a couple of my favorite pictures with my future hubby. After all, this is the one and only Valentines Day where I will be his fiancé! We've had quite a few lovey dovey days in the past but this one feels different. This one feels like home. Like I'm exactly where I should be. Loving and feeling full of excitement for the future ahead of us. I thank God daily for sending me this man! I don't know why He decided to send Peter to me but I never want to let a day go by without expressing how thankful I am. Peter makes me laugh, think, and truly makes me feel beautiful on the inside and out. Life is better when we are together and I'm so thrilled to spend the rest of my days on this earth loving him madly!

All photos were taken by Red Apple Tree Photography

I hope you all have a day so full of love the only thing you can do is simply give it right back out in return because that is what the world needs. love. Happy Valentines Day wonderful people!!

Cupcakes are yummy!

Last night I went to my first Cupcake Swap thanks to a sweet friend! Jen recently moved from FL and she has always enjoyed her yearly Valentines Day Cupcake Swap and I’m so happy she decided to keep the tradition alive here in Greenville. It was a small group of ladies {including the always adorable Penny} and I had a wonderful time. Honestly, I don’t know what I would have done if I had more than 4 cupcakes to choose from. I don’t eat sweets that often so I think I am good for the week now. It was so much fun to get to know some new people and nibble on a few cupcakes! Thanks Jen for the invite! and the mustache ;)