Our sweet Judson is 16 months old today y’all…
and man,
this truly is such a sweet and precious age!!
It really is true what everyone says,
that “it just gets better and better,”
because it is just getting more and more fun watching Judson’s caring, fun, and joyful little personality come out every single day!
He has a very tender, compassionate, and loving spirit about him,
yet at the same time, is full of adventure, courage, and fun –
as he truly just wants to be playing outside (in the sand, sticks, grass, and mud!!) at all hours of the day!
We joke that he wakes up and first thing he does is walk-on over to his closet to grab his shoes, walk to the door, and “point outside” with his puppy bestie Red,
because he is already ready to go outside as soon as he wakes up haha!
His love for the outdoors is one of our very favorite things about him,
and he truly is just such a “country boy” already – and it's so stinkin' adorable!
He is such a good little eater and loves to show off how good he is at eating with his fork (and ofcourse sharing with Red from the highchair, too haha).
He loves people and loves to be “out and about,”
and is especially loving going to all the parks and playgrounds these days!
And when he’s not playing outside, he loves to cuddle with mommy –
and I am so thankful for his sweet and loving little personality –
that is such a gift to me!!
There really is just “something special” about our little boy,
and there is no doubt in my mind that God has a beautiful and wonderful plan for his life!
What an immense GIFT and PRIVILEGE it is getting to be parents to our baby boy
and get a front-row seat to all that life has in store ahead of him!
Every day, week, and month is such a gift with him – and this past month sure has been a special one full of the sweetest memories!
We started off the month getting to watch “Dada” preach a wedding for some of our precious college ministry students,
spent the best Labor Day Weekend down at the beach (our “happy place!”) to round out a “summer to remember,”
came back home to decorate and prepare our home for the fall season,
went on a little trip to the mountains to an adorable pumpkin patch,
went on lots and lots of nature trail and park/playground trips,
(praise the Lord for a healthy, brave, and growing baby boy!),
*officially* welcomed in the fall season this past week,
and got Judson his very first haircut while we spent this past weekend back in my hometown of Charlotte, NC, and so much more!
I am so beyond grateful for the sweetest end to our summer down at the beach earlier this month and am now filled with so much gratitude to be welcoming in the beautiful fall season with the people I love the most – my sweet boys!!
Thank you, Lord, for the most joy-filled and “abundantly more” past 16 months we have had with our sweet Judson and thank you for all the joy you have in store ahead for our little family, too!
We give you all the glory and forever praise you for your goodness and faithfulness in our lives!
“May the bounty of the season full your heart and home” – my very favorite fall quote (that just so happens to be on a decorative plate on display in our kitchen this time of year)!!
…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!!
To start off the month, it was such a joyous day of Wes getting to preach the wedding of two of our college/young adult ministry students, Krystal and Parker, who we have had the pleasure of pouring into over the past couple of years - while watching their love story begin, blossom, and grow! We are so excited for y’all, and all that God has in store ahead through your marriage - the greatest gift!!
Also, here’s another little picture of my preacher man hubby… being just the best guy I know. He can preach a wedding one minute, and then pull over to stop and help a stranger push his broken-down car (while in a suit !!!) out of the busy traffic the next… that’s just who Wes is! To know him is to love him, and I sure am thankful that sweet Judson gets to grow up seeing such a Christlike, godly, servant-hearted, and selfless example in his “Dada!” We love you and are so proud of the man you are, Wes!
And I'm learning to slow down and cherish all of the “little moments” I never want to forget... (click here to watch the sweetest little video clip!)
with my sweet, playful, bandaid wearing baby boy!
Being his mommy is truly a dream come true and my favorite thing in the world!!
It just doesn’t get any cuter than this -
our little summer baby sure does love his new turtle sandbox that daddy surprised us with right before we headed down to the beach for LDW to round out the summer!!
We made it back down to the beach for Labor Day Weekend!
Couldn’t be more thankful for a long weekend getaway in our “happy place” with our beach baby
(who loves the sand & sea more than anything in the world…
full of savoring the sweetest late summer memories -
nothing better than beach naps,
beach sunsets, and enjoying all of God’s beautiful Creation!!
These truly truly are the days, y’all!
Nothing sweeter than allll the end of summer lovin’,
and beach walk naps with our happy happy beach baby!
Summer lovin’, had me a blast!!!
Thanking Jesus for the gift of my boys and the sweetest beach LDW getaway with our beach-lovin’ baby!!
Nothin’ better than baby beach naps and a
sweet, slow Sunday down at the beach!
This view and these boys have my whole heart!
Felt extra grateful for quality time soaking up the last little bit of sweet summertime with my favorite people in my favorite place over Labor Day weekend!
Lots of fun in the sun,
Judson having a ball chasing the “birdies” down the beach, more snoozes on mama,
and chasing one last summer sunset over the dock!
“Everybody’s feeling warm and bright…”
Reflecting on the most wonderful Labor Day Weekend down at the beach (our “happy place”) with the people I love most,
and truly couldn’t have asked for a better way to end out the sweetest summer -
it sure has been a summer to remember with our happy and JOYFUL beach baby!!
Sweet Judson loves the sand, sea, and waves more than anything in the world - and is getting to make so many special memories by the coast (ever since his first trip when he was just 6 weeks old)!
Thank you, Lord, for the sweetest way to close out summertime as we are now excited and expectant for what this new season of Fall has in store ahead!
What a perfect Labor Day weekend to reflect on the summer before preparing for the new season of fall next!
God’s Creation will forever take my breath away and remind me of His goodness - in every season!
After ending out the most wonderful summer down at the beach for Labor Day Weekend, we were back home the following week and so excited for the beautiful season of fall (and officially got the fall décor boxes down from the attic hehe)!
The Mabry home is officially ready for FALL, y’all!! #welcomefall #fallvibes
The mid-September rainy “feels like fall” weekend really got us in the fall mood, and now our home is decorated and feels cozier than ever!
Thankful for Friday “famday” adventures out in nature (with the leaves starting to change !!!), slow Saturdays full of biscuits with pumpkin butter, fall decorating, football watching,
rainy day snuggles, and just soaking in sweet “feels like fall” memories with our little love!!
Oh so very grateful for my “pumpkins” in these sweet boys of mine this happy time of year!!
Came home to the most heavenly early fall evening light after a late day at my internship site… (click here to see a video clip I took of this gorgeous fall evening light!)
Thanking Jesus for my wonderful counseling internship site (can’t believe I’ll be graduating with my Master’s in December, y’all!!) and for the beautiful and precious children and clients He has put along my path during this season - and love seeing so much of His heart for His people through it all!!
He says, “Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations, I will be exalted in the earth.” // Psalm 46:10
These two sweet boys truly make my world go round!
I sure am one blessed blessed mama & wifey!!
The sweetest little fall Friday famday adventure to the mountains for a trip to the The Nix Pumpkin Patch - (click here to watch a video of our pumpkin patch trip - soo much fun!)
and Judson got to pick his very first pumpkin this year -
We sure do love this harvest time of year and getting to make all the precious memories with our little pumpkin -
“Let’s go to the pumpkin patch, the pumpkin patch is where it’s at!!”
The very sweetest memories down at the pumpkin patch with my boys that I want to bottle up in my heart forever!!
Goodness gracious, I am so thankful for our little pumpkin and this sweet, sweet life with my boys!! #fallfridayfun
We had SO much fun on the sweetest little dinner & playground play date in our cute downtown with our besties, Kristen & Brewer,
while our hubbies – Wes and Harry – were at a big men’s night at the church!
We are so blessed by this friendship
& love you guys so much!!
So fun watching these baby boys play & grow up together!!! #boymomlife #bestieboys
Our precious boy walked right into his 15-month-old appointment last week
and we couldn’t be more proud of the healthy, happy, strong, brave, and growing baby boy he is!!!
So so so very much to be thankful for -
Being his parents is the absolute greatest gift (& so are those post-doctors-visit snuggles I was soaking in later that afternoon -
This past week we got to celebrate the *official* first day of fall!! #happyfallyall
And after going to visit the cutest little pumpkin patch the other weekend, our front porch is now all ready for fall!!
All of our fall decor throughout the house has been bringing me SUCH joy, y’all!
This truly is such a magical and joyous time of year, as the leaves are beginning to change color as we welcome in this beautiful harvest season!!
I love the significance of fall in that it is the “harvest” season of the year, as farmers reap in the fruit of their labor!
And gosh, I just think that is such beautiful imagery for us all -
to remember that our lives are an outpouring of the words we speak, the way we live, where we dedicate our time/energy, and the way we love others!!
I have currently been loving the new song by Carrie Underwood called “Garden,” and it talks so much about this same imagery!!
“And if your words were seeds that were goin’ in the ground
And your love was rain farmers prayed about
If your life was sunlight we all needed
What kinda world would it be?
If you reap what you sow
What kind of garden would you grow?
If you reap what you sow
What kind of garden would you grow?
Would you plant patience?
Would you keep kindness?
Would there be peace
Ripe on the vine?”
Such beautiful truths and reminders for us all - especially this beautiful harvest time of year!!
“But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control…” // Galatians 5:22-23
Also, just last week, Wes sent me a little “memories” post because 4 whole years ago, while I was still overseas in Uganda during our engagement season, we officially became homeowners!!
Sweet Wes bought our precious “fixer upper” home and started fixing it up while I was away - and it’s wild to think it’s been ours for 4 years now (3 years living in it)!! And Wes also sent me a pic of his seminary degree - finally framed in his office at the church.
And it was just kind of a “full circle” moment for me - how far we have come in all of our dreams – Wes is living out his dream as a full time college pastor, I get to be a stay-at-home mama while running EMC from home (truly my dream come true), and now just about finished with my master’s degree in counseling - for God to use for HIS glory as a pastor’s wife and in the years to come!
Anyhoo - just really grateful. All I can say is - thank you Lord - and all glory to Him!!
And lastly,
we spent this past weekend back visiting my hometown in Charlotte.
We had a chill, slow weekend,
spent lots of time at one of my favorite childhood parks (Freedom Park!), anddddd sweet Judson got his very first haircut at the Colonial Barber Shop!!
He had the best time watching cartoons and eating his lollipop!!
We sure do love our brave and handsome baby boy!!
PS. Mama got a haircut this past weekend as well - thanks to my friend, Heather, who has been doing my hair since college days!!
It was a haircut day for mama AND baby lol!!
Thankful for a slow weekend back at home to ring in the fall season and can’t wait to make even more sweet fall memories with my little family in the month ahead!!
My heart was so full after the sweetest evening out at Strawberry Hill Farms with our cutie little pumpkin upon arriving home!!
We love fall and all things pumpkin!
Judson loved getting to ride around in the little wagon!!
And onto an EMC note…It’s that wonderful fall time of year again.... and as crazy as it sounds, I’m already receiving lots and lots of messages for Christmas orders and am SO excited to get to help y’all spread lots of love and joy through EMC designs again this year! And so glad that so many of y’all are already thinking ahead and wanting to stock up on all of your favorite EMC designs now!!
We are entering my busiest time of the year over here at EMC and I love receiving large orders for both prints and notecard sets that y’all are wanting to stock up on for all your stocking stuffer and gifting needs!!
On that note, I will be closing off my custom orders list pretty early this year for Christmas gifts (as I will be finishing up my grad school master’s program/internship and want to fully soak in sweet family time with my boys!), so if you are wanting to place a custom order (for custom home designs, custom wedding designs, really anything custom!!), please go ahead and get your orders in ASAP so I can guarantee Christmas delivery!!
My whole heart behind EMC designs is to showcase the beauty and joy of your favorites cities, schools, places, memories, homes, and special words or bible verses! So message me today if you’d like to place a new custom order, and as always, to order any and all of your favorite EMC city/town/school prints and bible verse/encouraging words designs, too!
These make the BEST unique and thoughtful gift ideas and are perfect ways to spread all the love this holiday season! You can check out my recent posts as well as my highlights on Instagram to get some gift ideas! Can’t wait to hear from you, too!
So grateful for what the Lord has entrusted me with - as a wife, a mommy, and a small business owner! And all glory to God - the one behind, before, and present in and through it all!!
And if you haven't already, make sure to head on over to @emilymabrycreative over on Instagram to see all the fun things I’ve been up to and my personal page @emilyjoannemabry to keep up with our little family! I’d love to have you following along, too!! And make sure to message me today to go ahead and get your EMC Holiday orders in, too!!
And for those of you who are new around here to the EMC Blog, you can also find me and “shop with me” over on the LIKEtoKNOW.it app. So, if you haven’t already, make sure to download the app and “follow” me there (I put instructions over on my LIKEtoKNOW.it story highlight over on my personal Instagram page @emilyjoannemabry) - where I’m sharing all my favorite lifestyle products, baby/kids’ items (and cute clothes, of course!), mommy items, and finds!!
You can download the app and follow me here:
I have also added “links” in the captions below (and throughout this blog post!) where you can click, and it will take you to be able to “shop” that specific photo & what you see!!
Now onto some more sweet photo memories over this past month with our sweet Judson… precious memories and moments that I hope and pray I will always remember!
Sweet naptime stories with "Dada!"
My favorite morning view!
The sweetest snuggles with my angel baby!
Always throwing the ball for Red!
Watching the rainstorm from the screened-in back porch!
Sweetest little giggle box!
Making the best memories down at the beach for LDW!
Precious sleeping beach baby!
Having so much fun playing in the sand with "Nana!"
Nothing better than beach naps on mama!
These silly boys throwing ice down at mama by the pool, haha!
Enjoying some rocking chair time looking out over the dock!
Hanging out on the dock!
Holding Dada's hand down the dock - the cutest!
There's no tired like "beach tired!"
Getting some special time with "Nana" out on the dock watching the sunset!
Practicing his "handwriting" with Papaw! Papaw's little helper!
Soaking up one last beach day with his "Nana!"
Waving "bye bye" to our happy place before heading home!
Little stop at the Oak Island coffee shop on our way back home!
Our sweet little car-ride sleeper!
And mommy's backseat snack buddy hehe!
Judson sure does love his puppy bestie, Red! Happy to be reunited!
Our happy boy!
Backyard dinner under the twinkly lights - our favorite!
My favorite breakfast view!
My favorite yellow wildflowers on the trails this time of year!
Judson giggles are simply the BEST!
Swingin' high in the sky, thanks to "Dada!"
Always a big fan of our morning jogs!
This good eater is getting every last bite of his food haha!
Clean plate club, that's for sure!!
the sweetest time of the day!
no need for any fancy toys lol!!
Friday morning cartoons with "Dada!"
Off on our "friday famday" adventure to the mountains!
Had the BEST time at the Nix Pumpkin Patch - and saw the most gorgeous flowers, too!
Feeding the fishies while at dinner with Wes' parents!
So much fun with his "Papa Jack" and "RaRa!"
Had so much fun playing at the Spartanburg Airport Park!
And a yummy dinner afterwards, too!
The most dreamy blue-eyed baby boy!!
People comment on his eyes everywhere we go!!
Someone was happy about his breakfast!
And Red was patiently waiting for some scraps, haha!
We love these yellow wildflowers on the trails right now!
Babies and wildflowers... the best things in life!!
Bathtime is our favorite time of day!
He loves to read these days... and it's the most adorable thing!
Had the sweetest surprise visitors at my intern office!
Loving the slide at Freedom Park (while visiting back home in Charlotte)!
Always lovin' on his puppy bestie, Red!
Watching football and eating at one of our favorite Charlotte lunch spots.
Looking at all the duckies!!
Such a gorgeous walk around the beautiful park!
My favorite little running buddy - forever and always!!
Thank you, Jesus, for blessing us with another month full of your love and blessings! Being parents to our baby boy truly is our favorite gift yet, and we know that all good things come from you!!
We are praising you for the past 16 months of our sweet Judson’s little life, and expectant for all the great things you have in store ahead for our little family, too – as we look up to, serve, and follow you!
So thankful for this beautiful “harvest time” of year, and the changing of seasons – we can’t wait to make all kinds of sweet fall and holiday memories in the weeks to come!