lake conestee nature park | hike it baby.

The last time we adventured through Lake Conestee Nature Park, frost was still on the ground and all the trees were bare. This time, however, bright green was in the process of taking over the place, and it was so pretty. Our buds, Kate and Jane, joined us on this Hike it Baby adventure, which made for some extra joy, too! We saw a goose, several ducks, and a centipede while exploring, and we noticed that a lot of water lilies were near blooming.

Jane and Braxton really hit it off this time, which made Kate and I have several different swoon-fests. They held hands while we hiked, and Jane even began saying his name AND trying to kiss him. It was so darn cute! Three other little toddlers did some exploring while holding their mamas' hands, and little miss Iris quickly became our fearless leader who blazed ahead of us. Braxton did some walking of his own, too, when we took a quick snack break, and then he and Jane wandered around the grassy field once we made our way back to the entrance.

They kept us busy and entertained, and it was the perfect way to kick the Monday blues away. The only thing that would have made these couple of hours better was if the sunshine had come out of hiding, but even still the weather was wonderfully spring-like.

Where will we adventure next?

braxton michael | fifteen months.

Mamas, you know those dreams you dream and prayers you pray over your little ones? Well, I watched one of those really come to life this month.

We have a fearless, adventure-seeking, outdoor-loving, wild man on our hands, and we love it. Since he was born, and especially since he started crawling, countless people have told me, "Just wait until he starts walking. You spend so much time wishing he would walk, and then you'll wish he would sit down as soon he does." I always politely smile back at those who make comments like this, but I have a public confession to make: I silently (and, occasionally, not-so-silently) disagreed with them.

My family called me "Anna Go Henderson" when I was younger because I was always doing just that: going. And although they don't call me by that name anymore (well, except for my mommy), I think they're all aware that going and doing are still my favorite past-times. So, when people told me that he would never stop going and doing once he started, their well-meaning warning made a thrilling surge of excitement pulse through my veins instead of the fear and anxiety that they intended it to.

This past month, we intentionally went outside after a rainstorm for the sole purpose of splashing in puddles. We went to the park and ran through the grass until we were so tired that we could barely breathe. We climbed mountains and visited places that many people don't even know exist. We dug in the dirt, and I laughed, not fussed, when I saw that brown ring around his mouth. We had play dates with other kiddos + their mamas, but we also had play dates when it was just us. He ran away from me, and I chased him with a big grin on my face. He, also, learned to hide from me, and I pretended like his hiding spot was much better than it actually was. He slid down the slide head first about a dozen times, and even though I knew he would probably get hurt eventually, I let him. He picked up sticks and rocks and leaves, and I watched his curiosity run rampant. He made a mad-dash for the middle of the road, and he let out a big cackle when I caught him just before he reached the asphalt. And those are just the highlights.

Sometimes he smiles all day, and other times he is fussy from the time he wakes up in the morning until the time he goes to sleep at night. Regardless of his mood, however, nothing makes him come alive like being outside does (this helps mama out, too, because some days I am not as patient with him as I'd like to be). He isn't fearful of wide open spaces (yep, I just made some of you burst out into song, but I digress...) or becoming friends with someone (literally anyone) that he just met a few seconds ago or leaping through the air without knowing who (or what, at times) will catch him.

Real fun has just begun this past month for our little guy, and TJ and I are having fun right alongside of him. It's been fifteen months of abundant life that we never knew before him, and we are confident that the best it yet to come!

opening weekend.

Baseball, babies, and best friends. That's what yesterday afternoon looked like for us, and it was really great. A fraction of our community group mixed things up and spent some time in the sunshine (chilly sunshine) instead of our usual time together in honor of the Greenville Drive's opening weekend at Fluor Field.

We all enjoyed watching Braxton and Lilla try to climb the steep lawn while also protecting them from all the big kids who were going crazy all around them. They even snuck in some flirting and quick snuggles, forgetting that I had my camera in-hand ready to capture most of it. Aside from chasing kiddos, we did what we usually do: had really good conversation with each other. This is my favorite aspect of the time we have together, because it's always encouraging, raw, honest, and enlightening. It's, also, just a whole lot of fun.

Walking this life in faith with people who genuinely make it fun is pretty much the best thing ever. As long as these people continue to be "my people," I'll never run out of blessings to count.

rainbow falls | hike it baby.

Our second hike with our friends at Hike it Baby was at Jones Gap, and we took it to a new level on Friday when we adventured up to Rainbow Falls. Although we missed daddy, I was so excited to try to carry Braxton up to the falls, a trek that is close to six and a half miles roundtrip with some serious elevation gain. I think all of us mamas would agree that every huff, puff and time we thought we might have a heart attack was worth it once heard the water pouring down just ahead of us. It was tough, but we had a great group of motivated ladies who refused to give up the fight as we climbed + climbed + climbed some more. We joked on the way down that it's easy to forget how hard it was to get to the top when we're nearing the trailhead, but we were all pooped from this particular adventure!

The three Bargerons will probably do this one again soon to prepare for our annual hike up to the top of Table Rock, and I will be happy to let TJ carry the bigger load this go around. It was so fun to see Braxton walking around, putting his fingers in the water, trying to eat the dirt, playing with the other kiddos, and continuing to learn about the world around him. He is a dare devil with a silly little personality, and I can't think of a better place to let his imagination run wild besides the great outdoors. While the other kiddos napped, B yelled, "go! go! go" in my ear and touched the leaves and branches that we passed with his little fingers. He is too curious to sleep these days when we adventure, and I don't blame him one bit because I know a girl who still does the same thing (cough cough).

God's majesty and creativity are weaved throughout creation, and I pray that Braxton never loses his sense of wonder over the small things. I hope he has an eye for all those teeny, tiny wildflowers that the rest of the world tramples on, that he notices the small buds growing from trees before they bloom, that the sound of rushing water takes his breath away, and that he always listens when the bright blue sky above him beckons him to look up.

I want that for myself, too.

Rainbow Falls - May 2015

lakeside trail | round two | hike it baby.

We hiked Lakeside Trail at Table Rock back in December, and we returned on Wednesday to find the lake back to normal, the trees popping with tiny green buds, and little wildflowers growing all along the trail. The weather was chillier than expected because of the wind, but we had a gorgeous view of Table Rock above us that perfectly reflected on the lake below it. We will be seeing the lake from the top of that beautiful rock again in just a couple months, and this day had me daydreaming about that soon-to-be hike the whole time we trekked.

Braxton went back and forth between screaming with joy and screaming in frustration while also tugging on my pig tails (a newfound tradition of his). He chatted the whole time, and I giggled as he worked those vocal cords while silently praying that his sweet voice would always echo between the trees. Adventuring is the best way to learn, and he is already figuring that out for himself. There are so many lessons to be learned on paths of dirt, and TJ and I are going to make sure he learns as many of them as he can.

As the weather continues to warm up, we will be kicking our explorations into high gear, too! We registered for a challenge called Hike it Baby 30 for the month of April, which means that we have lots of motivation to make our goal. This group has revolutionized our interactions with nature, and I am unbelievably thankful that a friend introduced me to them.

For all the other mamas out there looking for opportunities to make memories in the dirt and climb mountain with your little one, please join us!

all boy.

God made dirt, and dirt don't hurt. Nope, not even when you eat it. 

Let's hope not, anyway!

easter sunday.

What's better than celebrating our risen and reigning Savior, Jesus Christ, with a little bit of baby swag? I can't think of anything either!

Last year we did crazy things in hopes that our little (almost) three month-old baby would smile or coo at us, and this year we chased him around as he laughed and cackled at our attempts. There is so much personality in this little body, and his cute self is the poster child for "uncontrollable joy."

This Easter Sunday was full of family, friends, going from house-to-house, zero naps (all the mamas' eyes just got big with either sympathy or empathy, didn't they?), goooooooooooood food, trips down Memory Lane, soaking in the fleeting moments, snuggling my littlest, secretly flirting across the room with my biggest, thankfulness, and a whole lot of Jesus.

So much changes from year-to-year, but Easter is proof that not everything does. God is still God, Jesus is still risen, and I am still a daughter of the Most High. Easter is a day that we celebrate triumph, victory, miracles, and more, and I am praying that my family would live like it's Easter every day. That we would view Easter as a lifestyle more than a single day.

The glory of God is all around us, and I don't want my eyes to miss a second of it. It's easy to see His glory when I look at my husband or baby or creation or people I love most; it's more difficult, however, to say "Praise God" when it hurts. My prayer for this little family is that no matter how we feel, we would do as Jesus says and simply come to Him (Matthew 11:28-30).

To have a posture of worship when I experience the glory of God, to live in the joy that is mine in Jesus, and to make decisions that flow from the wisdom of God. That's what it means for me to be a daughter of the King.

It, also, means that I seek to be the best wife and mama that I can be. And with boys as handsome as these, I've got plenty of motivation!

Happy (belated) Easter from the three Bargerons!

Easter 2015