more trees, be gone | home sweet bargeron.

It's been a while since I've shared an update about our humble abode, but we've made a couple of updates to the outside since February. I can still remember how I felt when the front door flung open and my eyes met the gorgeous house that would later become our home. I swooned over the original hardwoods, thick molding, glass doorknobs, updated kitchen, closet space, and stunning master bath. The outside, however, made me cringe a little. With one look at the overgrown bushes all over the yard, you could tell that it was once someone's happy place -- someone used to tend to the bushes and water the flowers. But after being neglected for many years, it was slightly overwhelming to look at.

And when we moved in, we didn't waste any time: we dug them all up within six months of calling it home. Our big summer project last year was covering our deck, and then we took a few months off as we prepared for Bethany to be born. There were plenty of other things that we wanted to get done after the deck, and we kicked our quest for beauty back off again in February.

First up: clearing out the far side of our yard near our driveway for two specific dreams we wanted to make reality: a fire pit and a grilling station.

This is what it looked like before, picture taken in February 2017:

And this is what it looks like as of June 2018 after many, many days of hard work and patience:

We are so proud of this little nook, and I am especially thankful for my handy husband who has such a talent of making things come to life. He and I make a great team with projects like this, much like in life: I'm the dreamer and he's the doer. We still have a couple things we want to do to this space, but we are so happy with how it currently looks and functions.

Next up, which happened in the middle of the previous update was: the removal of four large trees next to our house.

This is what the side of our house looked before the tree removal, picture taken in February 2017:

And this is what it looks like now, as of February 2018:

The more we clean out, the more we make room for our vision. We love our home so, so much, and we are inching our way (slowly and steadily, albeit) to get the outside as beautiful as the inside is. We've been blessed with gift cards and just plain generosity to make a lot of our outdoor updates happen, and the rest has come from getting our hands dirty and making our bodies sore. But, oh, our hearts have been so full to do these things. Making this house even more our home.

We've got more plans that we are hopeful will come to fruition in the next year or so, but we are really just along for the ride, making improvements as we are able. I'd love to finally see shrubs surrounding our home one day soon, but I'm content to plant them whenever we're able. The best part is making these memories with my family, all while looking forward to how we will make even better memories in years to come. We're simply living and doing at our own pace, being grateful every step of the way.

And for us, there's no other way we'd rather do it.

bethany victoria | nine months old.

What a month, baby girl! I can't even put into words how much you have grown and changed over the past few weeks. You are now crawling (we call it your "bear crawl" because you crawl on your hands and feet), pulling up on things (all. the. things.), eating  \solid food three times a day (literally, a miracle), thrive on putting your toes in your mouth, love to make silly faces (especially the one when you make a big "O" with your mouth), and you have TWO TEETH (with a few more that I can see juuuuust below your gums). Girlfriend! I can't believe how you have just taken off this last month. So many things we've been praying over and asking God to make a reality have come to fruition since this day rolled around last month, and it has been so exciting around here!

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On top of all that excitement, you're still sleeping sooooo good (at night and during your two daily naps), become more curious about the world around you with every new second, fall more in love with your big brother and daddy each day, are a mama's girl through-and-through, and smile all the time. It still tickles me to think about how you went from crying non-stop to smiling non-stop. Now, don't get me wrong -- you still have a set of lungs on you. Whew, do you ever! When you're over-tired or hungry, you let your voice be heard from here to Alaska. But, for the most part, you are so content. I can't tell you how grateful I am for that -- another prayer that we earnestly believed God would answer.

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You've been through the ringer this past month with medical visits, too, sweet one. You've got some things going on that require us to meet lots of new doctors, and we're thankful that so many people care about making sure you stay well. We're, also, thankful for how God has provided for us financially over the past year -- from fundraising to bring you home then to paying for seemingly endless medical bills now, He has provided time and time again. Your daddy and I were just talking the other day about how incredible is to know that we're being taken care of on all fronts. We, also, pray often that you and your brother would never doubt the sovereign providence that surrounds you. We wholeheartedly believe God has so many huge things planned for you two, and we want you to chase those divine dreams He gives -- ever confident that you'll never walk in any season alone.

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Over this past month, we survived a whole week without Daddy while he was in Haiti, went on only one hike (don't worry, we'll make up for that this fall), took countless walks downtown and around town, had lots of play dates with your favorite people, had a lunch date with your First Mama and oldest brother (always the best), and replenished your donor milk stash because of a handful of generous mamas. Basically, we've got so much to be thankful for. More than anything, I hope you are thankful for the things you're given. That's a lesson I'm still learning, so hopefully you'll be better off by getting a good start when you're itty bitty.

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We've got big plans for this next month, pretty girl. And I know that the next time I write you a letter, you'll have grown and changed even more. You're becoming your own little person, and it sure is exhilarating to watch it happen. You are so, so loved by so, so many people, and it's truly the biggest, most precious honor being your mama. After nine months, I fiiiiiiiinally feel like I've left the "survival mode" stage behind since you came home to us, and it is pretty much the best thing ever. I'm thankful for how far we've come, and I'm equally as thankful to know that we're still just getting started. You make us so happy, baby girl!

Braxton Michael - Nine Months Old

sister hike | pinnacle mountain.

It had been two years since we went on a sister hike, so we fixed that problem last week. Last time, we went on an eight-mile moderate hike to the suspension bridge at Raven Cliff Falls. This time, we went on another eight-mile hike, but it was a lot tougher than the last. You should have heard her response when she called to say that looked up my recommendation: Pinnacle Mountain. This was a first for both of us, and here is the gist of it: we got our booties kicked in the best way!

Most of the trail was pretty manageable...until the final descent to the peak. LAWD! The sun was hot and bright above us as we climbed the rock face, and we laughed out loud to keep from thinking about how we thought we might pass out. We couldn't laugh too hard, though, because we were huffin' and puffin' something fierce. This back end of the trail was sneaky after a moderate trek up to that point, and we were so proud to reach our destination. Proud and relieved.

My favorite part of this hike, besides just being with my baby sister, was simple: taking it all in. Hiking with kids doesn't leave much allowance to pause for the things I used to pause for before they joined in. So, on this day, I just soaked in as much as I could. Every flower, every early-morning ray of sunshine peeking through the leaves, every creek and waterfall. Everything. It was pretty magical, honestly, to be out in my happy place and be able to take my time as we ventured. There was no hurrying this day. And it was just what we both needed.

More than that, we were just what we both needed.

To have a sister is to have a friend forever. That's too good of a gift to waste on not being grateful for it. Days like this give us an opportunity to reflect on all we've overcome -- both personally and together, to confess things, to share secrets, to laugh at stupid things we do, and to speak into each other's gifts, talents, and souls.

Yep, I'll always be grateful for my sister.

And for days like this.

"There were once two sisters who were not afraid of the dark because the dark was full of the other's voice across the room..."

-Jandy Nelson