Our weekend started early as we packed up and left for the beach on Thursday night! This was the first time we heading all the way down I-40 East since our very last trip to Holden Beach. I won't lie- it was very bittersweet for me going to the beach, but not to the beach house.  More sweet than bitter though!  We pulled up to a cute tangerine-colored house on Carolina Beach and my parents greeted us with big hugs and excitement that we were all together to celebrate Markie's college graduation!

I started Friday morning with Markie, Grey, and my trusty Nikon on the beach for their graduation pictures.  They also snuck in a few engagement shots for their wedding Save the Date cards.  I loved being out on the water and sand and doing my thing.  

After a while, we headed back to the house to get ready for Markie's graduation. It was a little chillier outside and my kids literally slept NONE the night before, so the day was spent napping and ordering takeout from a local seafood joint.

Friday night we watched her walk the stage.  

Then had a yummy dinner at the Basics downtown. It was amazing soul food and we were stuffed at the end of dinner! Friday also happened to be my other sister's 26th birthday, so we showered her with ice cream cake and song at the end of dinner! 

Saturday we were blessed with warmth and sunshine! My dad and Justin walked to Britt's donuts, a Carolina beach landmark with the best donuts! All one kind, freshly made and DELICIOUS! I am not joking.. I had four (it was really for the baby!) They were like croissant-y Krispy Kreme donuts... YUMMO!

I took my pregnant sister, Noelle and her family along with my camera to the beach because she wanted some maternity pictures. It was an amazing morning and the perfect location for pictures for a summer baby girl!

After I finished up, we spent the rest of the day on the beach letting the kids enjoy the sand. Ty and Elena are the perfect age...so cute running around with their little legs in their cute bathing suits. I wish this age would last forever and I know it's one of those things I will miss most about toddlerhood.  

After a solid 6 hours in the sun,I took the kids up to bath and they barely made it out of the tub before falling asleep.

We topped the day off with a trip to Squiggley's Homemade Ice Cream. It did not disappoint this pregnant girl! I needed that giant waffle cone filled with Thin Mint ice cream!

Sunday we packed our things and I was able to say Happy Mother's Day to my mom in person, then we hit the road for home! 

We were exhausted after our weekend at Carolina Beach, but Justin mustered the energy to pick up some (cooked) sushi for me for Mother's Day and I spent the remainder of the day with him, the kids, and Holden. It was SUCH A GREAT family-filled weekend!  

In my mother's words. "God gives joy and peace at the beach!"

more birthday love

Well, I have been blog-MIA lately, but life has taken hold of me. This is been such a busy busy week for us as we celebrated three birthdays, a college graduation, and Mother's Day!

Big families are so good for that...lots of celebrations to keep a person busy! 

Monday night was such a surprise night for me. My sister asked if she could take me out to dinner for my birthday, which I was so excited about. A night out with my sister without the kids is so rare nowadays! Little did I know, she had a whole plot to surprise me with a dinner with almost my whole family at one of my most favorite restaurants downtown.  

As we walked into Sitti, a delicious Lebanese restaurant, all I remember seeing were a bunch of pink balloons tied to a chair on my left. Less than a second later I looked down and saw my parents and most of my other sisters smiling at me! I was completely shocked!

The table was decked out with "30" confetti, flowers, fancy drinks, and appetizers ready to be eaten... pretty much my dream come true! It was such a special night that ended with half a dozen cupcakes and 30 candles for me to blow out! I thought that my birthday couldn't get any more special and just like that, it did. I am so blessed.

On Tuesday it was my turn to surprise Justin with a guy's night out for his birthday. What more could a man want than a night away from his pregnant wife and kids?! I sent him on his merry way complete with a pile of hot dogs, bags of chips, and a pan of brownies for his whole crew. They had such a great time at the bar/ arcade that I picked out for him! Go me!

Wednesday was my actual birthday and I got to do exactly what I wanted... be with my kids. In the morning I took them to an indoor playground along with some friends. When I got home, Justin kept them so I could go to the store and treat myself to an Iced Caramel Macchiato (YUM!)  When I got home he told me should get a massage, so I ended the day with an hour massage and some quiet time to thank God for an amazing birthday!

Thursday was a busy day, as I packed up the house and prepped for a weekend at the beach in celebration of my sister's graduation from college and my other sister's birthday. More about our amazing, all-too-short beach weekend tomorrow!

Top 10 moments of my 20s

Today is my last day in my twenties. I am so excited for the next decade, but have so much to be thankful for from the last. These are my top 10 favorite moments of my twenties! 

10.  Celebrating my 20th birthday in Disney World. 

I have the best memories of galavanting around Disney with my birthday tiara on with my friend Danny. We started the day with breakfast with Pooh at the Crystal Palace and made our way through all the parks. It was such a magical birthday! 

10.5  Meeting my furry BFF, Holden.

 When I got home from my 6 month stay in Florida, my parents surprised me with my little buddy. He has been the most loyal, happy, spunky sidekick and has stolen the hearts of all my friends and family. I'm so glad he was there for all of my twenties and now with me as I turn 30!

9. My 21st birthday. 

My 21st birthday was a week long celebration and also marks the day I met Justin! I celebrated with happy hour and margaritas at a Mexican restaurant and then had a special birthday dinner with my friends no parents. Then to top it all off my friends threw me a surprise birthday party. I will never forget the shenanigans from that birthday. My 30 year old self could absolutely not handle that. 

8. Graduation from college! 

It took 5 years to finish, but I earned my Bachelor of Science in Education and celebrated with an amazing meal at Printworks Bistro. It was extra special because all four of my grandparents were there to celebrate with me. 

7. Being offered and accepting me first job. Thank God Felecia Locklear saw something in me and offered me my dream position teaching second grade at Brooks elementary school. The time I spent in room 202 as a teacher changed my life and I made some of my closest friends there. I still miss it!

6. My engagement! 

Justin pulled off the engagement made of magic when he popped the question at the Biltmore House in Asheville. He proposed over dinner on New Years Eve and we celebrated the night away with friends and family at a cozy mountain cabin. Everytime I look at my ring, I reminisce about that night! 

5. Bachelorette Weekend in Holden Beach! 

My sisters spoiled me rotten with their meticulous planning of a weekend that went off without a glitch. Lingerie party, massage and nails, beach time, amazing tapas dinner, and dancing and drinks until sunrise. All of my girlfriends and a party bus to transport us. The most EPIC girls weekend of my life. Hands down. 

4. My summertime wedding. 

Justin and I tied the knot when I was 25 in July 23, 2011. Every detail made me feel like a queen that day from my mom making a brunch spread as my family got ready at their house, to the ride to church with my Daddy, to the gorgeous bright colored dresses and gerber daisy bouquets, to the lake front reception. And to top it all off it kicked off my life with Justin. ❤️ 

3. Honeymooning in Jamaica.

 Justin and I escaped the Jamaica for our honeymoon and everyday we spent there was perfect. Drinking from coconuts, snorkeling in the blue water, Dirty Banana drinks at he swim up bars, and the sunshine all made it a trip that can't be topped. Sandals Whitehouse has my heart and I hope I'm able to go back one day! 

2. Buying our first home.

 Justin and I found the perfect first home complete with the white picket fence and moved in as soon as we could when we returned from our honeymoon. I absolutely love our home and our neighborhood. It's one of the biggest and best decisions we've ever made!

1. The birth of my children. 

Ty and Elena have both changed my life completely and I am so overwhelmed by God blessing me with them. They are the perfect kids for me and make me smile every single day. I couldn't have asked for a better gift during my twenties than my two little nuggets. They are the gift that keeps on giving. 

I truly could probably write 100 more moments that I love from my twenties, but these are my list-toppers. Thank you, twenties for all the good times. Thank you to all the people that have come into my life during those years and changed me for the better. Thank you for every tiny and big dream that you all helped come true for me. I am so grateful and God is so good. Cheers to the decade that made me a grownup (sort of!) and cheers to the decade that I will begin TOMORROW! Eek! ❤️❤️❤️

Cheers to 30 years!

My 30th birthday isn't until Wednesday, but this past weekend was full of surprise birthday celebrations! It was such a special and memorable weekend and I feel so blessed to have such a thoughtful husband who knows me so well.

He told me to keep Saturday free, so I knew he had something up his sleeve, but didn't know how each part of the day would roll out.

At noon on Saturday, he had my best friend come to watch the kids and we went on a day date to have a picnic at the J.Raulston Arboretum.  On our way to the arboretum, we stopped and picked up one of my all-time favorite lunches.. Chubby Tacos! I was so excited to have a taco picnic at the arboretum for the sheer fact that tacos were involved! 

We found this magical little spot under a gorgeous green and drippy tree to set up our picnic. I love that he planned one-on-one time together because it happens so rarely now.

After eating lunch we strolled through the gardens and admired how beautiful all the flowers are this time of year. I fell head over heels for this spot and am so excited to schedule some photo sessions there in the future...hopefully for my own little one in August!

After we got home from the picnic my friend took me to the nail salon where my sisters and some of my girlfriends were waiting on me for manicures and pedicures. My nails needed some desperate attention and I needed some good relaxing time to chat with the girls.

After we finished up at the nail salon, I took a long hot shower and got ready for a night out at a surprise location.

Justin set up a whole dinner at Taverna Agora, an amazing Greek restaurant downtown. This is actually the restaurant where my water broke with Ty, so it is a special place for us. He surprised me with some friends and family join us for a pre-planned family style dinner, a complete dream for a pregnant girl. The food just kept coming, each dish more delicious than the last. I was in hog heaven and between big bites of Greek goodness, we laughed and laughed. 

To top the weekend off, on Sunday I got to celebrate my sister at her baby sprinkle and was spoiled again with a Sunday night dinner spent with my goddaughter (and others!) complete with cupcakes for my birthday. Life is so good!

I couldn't have pictured a better way to celebrate my 30th birthday. The most special part was knowing how much care Justin put into every detail of the day and how special he wanted to make it for me. I am the luckiest girl to have such wonderful people in my life. Only 2 more days in my twenties, but I am so ready for the next decade!

my growing family

My family had a huge milestone a few weekends ago. My sister, Markie's high school sweetheart popped the question! It was a very exciting day for me because Grey, her new fiance, asked me to come a capture their special moment for him. We met a few days beforehand so he could show me exactly where to hide and where he would ask her to be his wife. Here are some pictures from their engagement:

Justin was so excited for me to hide in the woods that he begged me to wear his complete camo outfit. We settled on me taking his jacket to camouflage me.

 After all the tears of joy were wiped away (from all of us) we took some time to take some more pictures of them. It was supposed to rain, but God kept the sun out for the afternoon as we found spots to snap some shots.

 When we were finished at the park, we went to my parents house where Grey organized a surprise engagement party with his family and ours. Markie was shocked! 

This was a day I will never forget and I cannot wait for the wedding day. I am so excited to have another brother! 

CONGRATULATIONS MARKIE AND GREY! I love you both tremendously!