In case you signed up for the new blog over at https://www.underthemossyoaks.com we had a few kinks in the subscription set up. If you are interested in getting email updates you will need to quickly sign back up again. Sorry about that! Click on the link below and once you are on the site, look at the top tabs and you will see Subscription. Click there and it will take you to a page to sign up. You should get an email confirming sign up. And while you are on the site, go ahead and read the latest posts we put up!

https://www.underthemossyoaks.com

Our blog has moved. After 600+ blog posts, we have filled our quota for this site so we figure it was time to expand to our own domain. We have packed up and are taking our posts with us. Goodbye Gress is greener. We are moving to where the grass really is greener.

Check us out at https://www.underthemossyoaks.com

Once on the new site, there is a subscribe button at the very bottom of the page so go ahead and put your email in if you would like to remain on our journey with us. If you don’t want to, this is a great time to jump ship. Don’t worry, we don’t have a roster of our followers.

In a few weeks our new site will go from public to private. In the interest of not wanting to share our kids lives with just anyone, we have decided to make it protected. If you sign up to get emails from our blog posts, you will get an email with how to sign up for the site login.

Our site is still under construction so hopefully in a few weeks we will have things more in order. In the meantime I have missed blogging so all blogging will now take place on the new site.

Thanks for being a part of our journey!

It’s hard to believe that almost 7 years ago (tomorrow) you entered this world. I honestly didn’t know what to expect and you have managed to fill my heart with so much love. As I look back through the photos, I am again reminded of all the precious moments I got to spend with you. Oh how sweet my life has been because of you.

I have loved watching you grow, and learn, and be silly. You are special in so many ways. You are fun, adventurous and creative. You are tough and sensitive and tender. You have a huge imagination and are a great storyteller. You have a huge heart for animals and people and are never afraid to make someone’s day by talking to people. You are generous and helpful and encouraging. You are strong, and brave, and always love a good story that you can make come to life. You are smart and you like to lead. You are a good friend, a great brother, and an incredible son.

Happy 7th Birthday Gress. I can’t wait to see how God grows you this next year!

This sweet girl is now 8 months old (ok so once again I am a little behind with this post as she is almost 9 months).

She has found her voice and will often screech out for attention, food, or just to let you know she knows how to talk.

She can clap, and wave, and loves to smile at anyone (especially the boys).

She is on the verge of crawling and can somehow find her way closer to the dog water bowl every time.

She has 4 teeth on the bottom and has 2 more on the top making their way through.

Her hair is slowly growing and yes is still red!

She is sweet and fun and happy to be along for the ride.

I have taken on some creative projects (making roman shades, sewing baby gifts, using my silhouette machine I got for Christmas to make all kinds of things) so blogging has taken a back seat. I really need a craft room and hours of uninterrupted time (haha..that just made me laugh out loud at the reality of that). And as I write this Mcree has interrupted my train of thought at least 15 times and I am only 2 run on sentences in.

The weather has been gorgeous here so we are taking full advantage of our days outside. Yesterday we went to the beach for the afternoon until dinner time. It was glorious and sandy and not relaxing one bit but it was renewing and fun to watch the kids relish in God’s creation. As we were walking back to the car I heard Gress say to his buddy, “Isn’t it amazing that God made the beach and the sand? Do you know how sand is made?” Oh how I love having the beach just a short drive away. I am sure this year will be much different with a brave 3 year old who is not afraid to go neck deep (thankfully with a life jacket) and a baby who loves to feel and eat sand.

The power tools still come out on occasion as more renovation/house work is always waiting to be started or finished. Too bad we can’t teach Gress how to renovate a bathroom with just that sawzall. And Mcree has become quite independent with getting dressed and brushing his teeth. Most days he does a great job at both, although today his getting dressed consisted of just taking off his pjs and hanging out in his undies.

My heart is thankful this week for so many things.

Time on a blanket in the sun with my friend and her newborn son catching up on life and the heartfelt letter I received from her after our visit as if I had given her a great gift when really I was the one blessed by her presence.

A farm raised dinner (quail, rabbit, roasted potatoes, sautéed collards and shelled peas and carrots), the boys accompanying the farmer for his evening chores (feeding pigs, milking the cow, wrangling chickens and the list goes on), watching all the boys frolicking in the mud, and great life giving conversation around the dinner table with sweet friends.

A 3 year old who did great at the dentist and the most accommodating dental hygienist who was not only sweet to my boys but also flossed my teeth with a baby in my lap.

A torrential downpour that turned into evening entertainment as Rad and I chuckled watching the boys in their underwear and boots running around the backyard through puddles and mud.

Watching our garden grow…worms and all!

I love that one day a year you get a day that is your day. I grew up with a mom that always made us feel so special on our birthdays. I love doing the same for my family. And oh how my heart swelled this year watching Gress’s love for making his dad feel extra special. I came into the dining room and Gress had decorated the table, put a place card on the birthday boy’s chair and drew a photo of his dad for the table. He was so excited to get to celebrate his favorite person! And what was Mcree doing, he was busy teasing the dog and Mabry with his party blower. Lucky for us we got to celebrate Rad all day long with lots of time together which ended with an awesome stroll on the beach. Oh how blessed we all feel to have Rad in our lives!

Some random moments:

Who knew Mcree could blow up a balloon. The kid has some lungs on him. Not only can he blow it up but someone taught him how to hold the valve just right so that when the air releases it makes a screeching noise. Thanks to whoever did that!

Mabry went to her first baseball game last week. It was past her bedtime before the game even started but lucky for us she is happy just to be wherever we are.

I love Gress’ love for his sister. He always makes sure to include her in whatever the boys are doing. He decided to take her out to sit on the porch one morning and then brought her in to play legos with them making sure she had her own big legos. Mcree is a great helper too. He is surely getting the hang of how to entertain and care for Mabry.

I’ve been really convicted lately about what is going “into” my families bodies. If our body is truly a temple, then what we consume (food, media, words, experiences) really affect us for the good or bad. “Everything is permissible but not everything is beneficial.” 1 Corinthians 10:23.

Rad and I have eaten mostly a primal diet, but pregnancy and laziness have allowed us to stray to lots of sweets and grains. If I am honest with my body, I feel yucky physically when I eat that way. How do we honor God with our bodies when we aren’t in our best “shape?” I realized I could no longer be trusted with this responsibility as clearly I was weak. I needed God to stand in the gap and I needed to trust him with this next step we were going to take.

A week ago today I started a 30 day challenge eating only whole foods (called whole30… a short-term nutritional reset, designed to help put an end to unhealthy cravings and habits, restore a healthy metabolism, heal your digestive tract, and balance your immune system. It is no grains, no dairy, no legumes, no sugar..only whole foods). My kids and Rad have started a modified version (called Primal which includes dairy). I had started this before but could never make it to the end. Something would get in the way. This time I realized I could not just rely on me to complete it. When I made a list of what success looked like for me in the end, it was overwhelmingly to trust God with what I put in my body and to be a good example for my children.

I am excited to lean into God this time around. “One day of victory tastes better than any of that food I’d given up!” (And giving up bacon and boston creme pie were good tests!)

Our dogs are benefiting too! 🙂 Luna is a horrible walker on a leash. What was I thinking…of course she is. She is a cattle dog meant to be given commands. Who knew that this puppy could heal off a leash. She’s a great companion to our walks!

I hardly remember those days of just one little baby who is happy to just go and do whatever the day has laid out. My days now have 2 other little people with opinions, feelings that get hurt, arms that like to throw things across rooms, and chatter that fills up every quiet moment. So to say this weekend was peaceful was an understatement.

Rad took the boys camping this weekend. While he was in the middle of a 700 agree property with several dads and their boys, Mabry and I got to fill our days with whatever we wanted to do (we meaning me). We hung out, she took long naps, I got to dive into a great book I am reading, I journaled for the first time in a long time, we went for walks, shopped a little, organized all her clothes, got creative with sewing and making gifts, and just loved being at home. It was renewing. And just what I needed in this season of life. So I owe Rad a big thank you for the gift of time!

Mabry really missed the boys. When they got home she stared at them and laughed and chatted for over an hour.

(More to come on the boys camping adventure…might even have a guest blogger…hint hint Rad!)