weekly links: 31/52

Welcome to a series I'm starting of my current favorite blog post finds - a round-up for each week of the year!

One of the main reasons I started blogging is because I enjoy reading other people's blogs so much. I may or may not discover a (new to me) blog and delve embarrassingly deep into the archives (like very-beginning-deep) just so I can get the whole story and background in an only slightly obsessive way. Don't judge. I just love other people's stories, but hearing them straight from the source? Even better. Give me all the details.


I will be sharing some of these favorite reads with you, right here. Some will be humorous (ahem, Jen Hatmaker), many will be heartfelt, and others will just dole out awesome tips, tricks, and ideas. They may be articles, stories, videos, or images. You may not enjoy sifting through tons of blogs to find a gem, so I'll do the searching for you and then happily hand over the jewels I discover along the way.


Here are my picks for WEEK 31/52:

{ the massey spot }
Amber and her husband already have two insanely adorable girl twins, and they just added another baby girl to the mix. This post is a newborn update complete with gorgeous photos that might make your ovaries hurt, ladies. Fair warning. Her instagram is also one of my favorite feeds to follow.

{ see vanessa craft }
I don't even have school-aged children, but I love this printable survey from Vanessa. What a great way to find out the all the teacher's favorites!

belated beach recap

Well, this is embarrassing.

We went to the beach something like six weeks ago and I haven't shared any of our trip here on the blog. Why? Oh that's right. Because one week after getting back from the beach, we PACKED, MOVED, AND ARE STILL UNPACKING THE ENTIRE CONTENTS OF OUR ENTIRE LIVES. Will the boxes ever end. Rhetorical, so don't bother. I think moving is a lot like giving birth. You forget how awful it is until it's too little too late. The one perk of both is that at the end of all that hard work, you get a "prize" as my obstetrician would say. A baby or a house. In this instance, a house, obviously. 

So, moving on.... (get it?)
We took a trip to the beach in June just the three of us. We always go the same little island off the coast of North Carolina that we've been going to for as long as I can remember. It's a sweet place packed full of memories, and quite honestly feels like my second home. This summer is very likely our last one there because my grandmother is selling her condo where we always stay. I'm mostly just sad that this is not a place Aven will ever remember. 

Aven would live outside if we would allow it, so I felt pretty certain that she would enjoy the beach. It took her a minute to figure out the sand and to not stop every two minutes to wipe her hands off, but after that she was loving it.

Everything and everyone got a wave from her. Shells, the kite flying, the birds scurrying around, the ocean, and of course all the strangers passing by. Stinking adorable, that kid. 


You should know in advance that I take one million pictures when we're at the beach. I know no other way. So if you mind seeing pictures of a cute baby on a beach, a) what the hay is wrong with you, and b) you should probably skip this one.

there is a hidden pigtail in this picture and she looks exactly like her daddy here.