- emilymabrycreative
January Blog Post – 20 Months of Sweet Judson!
Updated: Jan 28
Our sweet little Judson is 20 months old today -
and truly the light and JOY of our lives!!
It has been such a sweet past month –
spent savoring these slower and simple winter memories
It really is such a dream come true getting to be a mommy to our sweet angel baby boy
and raise a little family with my husband and very best friend!
Judson is a bundle of love and JOY, and as my mom always says about him – “truly just loves LIFE!”
He teaches me so much every day about noticing the beauty in Creation all around us
(he always wants to be outside in nature – which I love)
and finding joy upon joy in the littlest things… which is such a gift!
And makes sense why Jesus tells us we are “to be like little children” – how precious!
“This is the day the Lord has made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.” // Psalm 118:24
We started off this past month with some sweet time back home in Charlotte with my family (SO sweet getting all of the baby cousins together!!)
before coming back home to Spartanburg to ring in the new year
(with some new year’s organizing and cleaning haha)!
We are super excited for what year 2023 has in store ahead and expectant for all that the Lord is going to do in and through our lives!!
This really has been such a sweet first month of the new year –
full of lots of bundled up playing,
house projects (like hanging lots of new pictures on the walls!),
simple days around the house full of giggles and wintertime snuggles,
a trip back to the beautiful Carl Sandburgh Home,
received my “official” Liberty University Master’s Degree in the mail,
“Jesus books” time with my little love,
a surprise flower delivery from my boys (the sweetest ever!!),
fun times with my “tiny laundry helper” (Judson’s new favorite task these days),
a day trip up to Rutherfordton (where my Dad’s side of the family is from),
a precious playdate with one of my dearest high school friends and her baby girl,
and just so much more!!
“Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows.” // James 1:17
Truly thanking Jesus for a joy-filled and ABUNDANT start to year 2023 – one that I feel like we are going to see so much of the Lord’s goodness and glory in ahead!!
Savoring these precious days with my boys as the treasures from the Lord that they are –
life is such a gift and adventure with them – and I couldn’t be more grateful!!
"Yours, Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, Lord, is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all." // 1 Chronicles 29:11
…Now onto a little more detail on this past month and some sweet memories we have been soaking in and that I want to bottle up and remember forever!!
So in love with the most precious Christmas gift this year from my thoughtful husband - stacking gold bracelets with a cross and an emerald (Judson’s birth stone) - so so special!! These will be such beautiful daily reminders to me of what matters the most - my faith and my family!
Matthew 6:33, “But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”
My word for 2023 is “Savor,” and I find this so very fitting as my faith and my family are what I want to savor this year… making the most of every moment (and never taking a single one for granted because we are not promised tomorrow!) and soaking it all in during these precious little years with our baby boy!!
Thank you, sweet Wes, for the most thoughtful gift - you truly are the best thing and I adore you!! I love this little life we are building together and am so excited for what year 2023 holds ahead!!
Love, joy, and family… that’s what Christmas means to me!! It sure was a Christmas to remember with our sweet baby boy at the most precious little age… there is nothing sweeter than experiencing the magic of Christmas through his eyes!! We got to carry on so many special Christmas traditions, creating new ones, and soak in the most magical and wonderful time of the year with the people we love!! #achristmastoremember #mostwonderfultimeoftheyear #whatchristmasmeanstome
Click here to watch a precious video I put together of some of our most cherished Christmas memories this year!!
The week after Christmas is always one of my very favorites of all -
sweet and simple days with my family back home sweet home in Charlotte, NC …
with no real “plans” and wearing pajamas most of the day hehe!!
We had so much fun playing baseball in the yard,
alllll the baby assembly lines with all the cousins for meals (cutest thing ever haha),
a lunch trip to one of my family’s favorite local spots from our childhood –
Green’s Lunch (Hotdogs!) -
(and someone couldn't quite stay awake on the drive home haha -
all the joy with a bubble blowing Santa, and just such sweet time with my family!!
Just really really thankful for family and sweet memories we were able to make the “week after Christmas!!”
2022… what a JOYful year you were!! Thank you, Lord, for my sweet boys and the JOY, they bring me each and every day!! My word going into 2022 was “joy” - and I am so thankful for all of the sweet memories and milestones this year that marked this as such a big year for our family - we started off the year with the most amazing snowfall YET in our little sparkle city, Wes surprised me with my dream car at Valentine’s Day, we celebrated Judson’s very first birthday (safari-themed… just like his nursery!!), Judson started walking/running (go baby go!!), we have been nursing now for over a year and a half (something I always longed and prayed to be able to do – all glory to Jesus!), we spent lots and lots of time outdoors and playing at the park (including a surprise picnic from Wes celebrating my 28th birthday - sweetest one yet!!), we took lots of special trips down to the beach (our happy place!!), had the sweetest fall season going to lots of farms and petting lots of farm animals (our little country boy Judson LOVES animals and it is the sweetest thing), I officially finished up my Master’s Degree in Professional Counseling Liberty University (which was quite a busy and full season on top of being a mama, pastor’s wife, and running my small business, Emily Mabry Creative, from home), and had the most magical Christmas yet with our baby boy at the most precious little 18 month age (nothing sweeter than Christmas through his eyes)!!
“You have filled my heart with greater JOY” // Psalm 4:7
Thanking the Lord for this year of 2022 that truly taught me a whole new meaning of the word JOY and excited for all that 2023 has in store for our little family ahead!!
My word for 2023 is “Savor,” and I pray I will continue to soak in these precious days with our baby boy and make the most of every moment this year - these truly are “the days” -
and I want to savor every one of them and live the abundant life Jesus has invited us to live!!
2022, thank you for the sweetest moments turned memories for a lifetime with our sweet baby boy!! Life with my sweet boys just keeps on getting sweeter and sweeter… and I am so excited to see what year 2023 has in store… nothing better than livin’ young, wild, and free and chasin’ dreams with my best boys!! 2023, here we come!!
Click here to watch a little video recap of year 2022 for our little family – so special to look back and reflect on all that the Lord did through this past year!!
We rang in 2023 with some new year’s cleaning,
playing with all of Judson’s Christmas new toys,
new year’s eve snuggles by the twinkly lights,
reading stories (Judson’s current favorite is “night night farm”), and lots of organizing around the house (the very BEST way to kick off the new year) with my boys!!!
Here’s to 2023, we can’t wait to see what God has in store for this beautiful year ahead - chasing dreams and chasin’ our baby boy hehe! Happy New Year everyone!!
PS. If you know Judson, you know he LOVES playing with our big yellow broom, so my mom got him his own little cleaning set for Christmas, and he is OBSESSED!! Now I’ve really got a good little helper around the house haha!!
Another one of my favorite ways to start off the new year is with brand new pictures and canvases to hang up on the walls of our home sweet home!!
(Click here to see them all hanging up!!)
These truly are the best days with our baby boy at THE cutest age yet - and we are soaking it allll in!! #happynewyear #hello2023
Starting the new year off savoring these sweet, sweet memories with my little family - these truly are the days I will always remember!!! I love being a wifey and mommy!!
“Dada” left to take the BSFBC College/Young Adult students to the Passion Conference in Atlanta
(little love muffin and I had some super sweet “mommy-Judson” time while he was gone -
he truly is my tiny boyfriend -
and also listened to so many of the awesome Passion Conference messages online - what a worddddd!!) -
and we were so excited to give “Dada” lots of hugs when he came back home!
Excited and expectant for this new year ahead and all that the Lord has in store for our family as we savor these precious days!!
First little family adventure of the new year going back up to visit the goats at the beautiful Carl Sandburg Home in the NC mountains - such a beautiful and peaceful winter day with my sweet boys!!
Click here to see a little video recap from this sweet day!
“Yeah, that’s us… twenty-somethings…” - I sure do love this little life we are building together, and love chasin’ God-sized dreams and savoring these precious years and memories with our sweet baby boy!! These truly are the days, and I sure do love being a “twenty-something” with you!
Extra thankful this new year for sweet family time and adventures with the people I love the most!!
Soaking in these sweet simple days with our playful and outdoor-lovin’ little bear!!! #januarydays #homeiswheretheheartis
Click here to watch the sweetest video reel of – “just one of those days I want to remember forever” -
just really really grateful for this sweet and simple little life with my precious family!!
I sure do love being this baseball and sunshine lovin’ angel baby boy’s mama and spending these sacred days with him!!
God is all around us, friends - in the sunshine, our loved ones, and in the people, we meet out and about!!
Always seek Him and you will always find!! #savorthesemoments #sacredmotherhood #gratefulmotherhood
“You make known to me the path of life; in your presence there is fullness of joy.” // Psalm 16:11
There is nothing in the world like being a mama! Sweet little moment from the other morning of reading and Jesus time with my little baby bestie that I want to remember forever and ever!! He just pulled up his little chair and brought over his Jesus books… and my heart was officially a puddle!! #sacredmoments #talkingtojesus #sacredmotherhood
And then that same evening, Judson got to see his “Papa Jack” get inducted into the Spartanburg County Council for the second time - he sure was proud of his Papa!!
So thankful for all of the godly role models and leaders he has to look up to - what a blessing!!
My official Master’s Degree in Professional Counseling from Liberty University came in the mail the other week, and let me tell you… that was an awesome and humbling feeling!! Thank you, Lord, for your faithfulness in completing this degree - all glory to you, forever and always!! And thank you for sweet Judson hugs that are the very best celebration of all!! #mastersdegree #happymail #mastersincounseling #forgodsgloryalone
The other weekend,
we took Judson to the Unity Park in Greenville
(he was in HEAVEN with all of the fun playground activities, slides, and musical areas!!),
worked on a bunch of little projects around the house (Judson loved seeing “Dada” being the amazing handyman he is),
read many many books (Judson’s obsession lately -
always wanting to crawl right up in mama’s lap to read),
and lots and lots of giggles -
I sure do love my boys and this sweet and cozy winter season with them!! Life with all three of my sweet boys… just doesn’t get any better than this -
I love this sweet and simple little life we are building together and am so excited for what year 2023 has in store!!
Between country sunset drivin’ the other night and a surprise flower delivery the other day from the hubby…
my heart is just so full of gratitude for this winter season -
wanting to slow down and savor these moments with our baby boy at the most precious little age… click here to watch another sweet video clip!!
thank you Lord for my dream come true in being a wifey to Wes and mommy - you are so good!!
“A thankful attitude opens windows of heaven through which spiritual blessings fall freely - and all I require to rain those blessings on you is your gratitude! Your gratitude opens the floodgates of heaven. Pour out your words of thanksgiving to Me…” // My Jesus Calling Devotional
“Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise; give thanks to him and praise his name.” // Psalm 110:4
Click here to watch my new favorite video ever - little buddy slept in the other morning and wanted to help mama with the laundry as soon as he woke up -
another one of his favorite ways to “help” around the house!! It’s the cutest thing ever and melts my heart how much he loves to help mama!!
I sure do love this little baby bestie of mine!
#cutestlittlevideoever #mommyslittlehelper #raiseemup
We took a little day trip up in Rutherfordton hanging out at an old family home (my great grandparents’ house -
and even walking the trails to see the mountains!!