some of our favorite moments from the cabin

The first weekend in August, we met my mom and Joel at a cabin in the mountains for Arkansas.  It was a completely beautiful place, cut off from cell phone service and 3G.  There were log cabins everywhere, wild elk roaming the fields, cute little farms on every road, and public access to the river.  When we first got there I had a thought of "Oh, I could never live here!  It's so isolated!"  But by the time we were leaving, I was feeling like "I could totally live here.  I love how isolated it is!"

Here are some of our favorite moments.

Celebrating Marley.

Scenic drives and winding roads.

Searching for wild elk.

Mimi and Marley playing beauty shop.

Grandparent lovin'.

A beautiful porch with a beautiful view.

Relaxing and lounging.

Naps.  Every day.

Hiking and caving.

Geocaching.

Relaxing in the Buffalo River.

It was a fantastic weekend.  We got a little vacation from the outside world and it was very needed.  We were all so sad to leave, but we look forward to coming back in the fall. 

life lately

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farmer's market, raw milk, fresh butter

On Saturday, we took our first trip to the local farmer's market.  I have been wanting to go to one regularly, but didn't know we had one so close to us.  We scored a bunch of fresh vegetables and a delicious cantaloupe for much less than we would have paid at Walmart or the commissary.  And then we found milk.  Raw, organic milk for $3.00 a gallon!

This is something I have been wanting to start buying for a while.  I like the thought of drinking something so pure and healthy and unprocessed.  It's something that we can order for every week and pick it up at the farmer's market, along with fresh eggs for $2.50 a dozen!  I was seriously on a post-farmers' market high the rest of the afternoon!

We brought everything home, and then I planned all of our meals around what we had found.  On the menu this week, we have zucchini boats, chicken and vegetable soup (it has been so cool here lately), squash and potatoes au gratin, and fresh vegetable and chicken pizza!

So, we let our milk sit in the fridge for a day and the cream rose to the top.  We scooped off the cream, put it in a mason jar and made fresh butter and buttermilk.

This stuff is amazing, y'all.

I think I'm a new farmer's market regular.

{this moment}

{this moment} is a Friday ritual from one of my new favorite blogs, Soulemama.com. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember.

 If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see.

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the big latch on

Vivienne and I participated in The Big Latch On last weekend.  It is basically an event to raise awareness about breastfeeding being a normal thing.  It is held at different locations all over the world for World Breastfeeding Week and we hope to set the world record for the most babies nursed at the same time!

I looked about a month before to see if there would be an event near me.  I wasn't surprised to find that there was not one scheduled.  Bummer.  But, when I checked done last time the day before, there was one scheduled for Friday morning at Panera!

So, we went and celebrated breastfeeding!  Vivi was one of the oldest babies there, but she did exactly what she was supposed to: nursed like a pro!  There were many small babies there, a few around Vivi's age, and one two year old.  It was amazing to be around other moms who are nursing their babies and share that support.  We even had a military mom come in!  Unfortunately, the Army says she has to change out of her uniform to participate.  But, it said a lot about her determination that she was willing to go through all of that!

Breastfeeding is one of the best decisions I have made for my girls.  I am thankful for Asa's support every day, as well as the rest of our family who have my back.  Thanks so them, I never have to feel self conscious or uncomfortable about nursing my baby in public.  Because it is totally normal!

marley turns four

When Marley woke up on her birthday, I asked her what she wanted to do for the day.  She told me she wanted to go to a playground and the library, play dress-up, eat egg tacos and pizza and cake, play games, "just do what birthdays do" and then do it all over again.  So, I made it my goal to do all of that and more.

I would do that all over again!  It was an amazing day, filled with fun and smiles and joy.  She got to skip quiet time, talk to her family in Texas, and open many presents.  She fell asleep looking at the scrapbook I made of her first few weeks of life, which really warms my heart.  (She has asked to keep it in her room since.)

Four seems so big to me.  She just isn't a toddler anymore as her sister has taken over that role with gusto.  She is learning like crazy, soaking up everything she hears and sees.  She honestly amazes me every day.  Hopefully, Four will bring a little bit better behavior with it than Three did.  But regardless, she is perfect.  I am so thankful for her happy smile and sweet personality.  My baby,