just for you

I have given up for a bit on my weekly portraits,

times are a bit crazy and I am scrounging up

my little bits of sanity and using them on my family.

BUT,

because it's friday,

and I have a bit before my weekend fills up,

I am posting a few favorites to share with you! 

I can't get over the transformation in Pip since January!

 NG :: her signature hair hold.
Cord :: in her own little wonderland
Pip :: her jokes are the funniest

I hope you all have a great weekend! I hope you are refreshed, loved, and comforted!
More on our changes later, and why life has seemed so crazy over here to come!

mama day

I have two amazing moms in my life,

 I am one to three,

and maybe someday more.

We celebrated over three days which was really nice,

and it was funny to us when our three year old asked us if 

it was still mother's day last night.

We had Chinese and shopped at Target friday,

I picked up another grey tshirt, ha!

We celebrated with Gram and Pops on saturday

with a soccer game and homemade vanilla cupcakes with

chocolate raspberry frosting.

(seriously, buy this cookbook)

And on Sunday, I was showered with pieces of art,

a gift of 50 promises, and cheeseburgers,

(showered with cheeseburgers, ha, I only ate one but while rereading this it made a funny visual for me)

and finished the day with hanging out with some sweet friends.

However among all the sweetness and love,

there were fits thrown and sleepless nights,

which is what being a mom is all about.

I cannot truly appreciate the fullness and joy of motherhood,

without experiencing some sadness and guilt.

I am thankful to be reminded of His grace on a daily basis.

I can't be a mama without God.

I am so thankful that I get have my best friend help me.

I hope all you mothers, aunts, grandmothers, best friends

know that the love you pour into any children is 

truly a gift.

Thank you for giving constantly!

snapshots: a little behind

So I have fallen a little behind in my portrait resolution,

and just keeping up here on the blog.

I have always told myself that this blog wouldn't get in the way of

being a mom, but would be a nice creative outlet for me in my free time.

And lately my free time has been spent doing other things I love,

playing, reading, sitting outside in the beautiful weather,

going on family dates, napping, and spring cleaning.

We have been well.

We celebrated our favorite guy's birthday early in the month of April,

had a wonderful Easter feast with friends, and spent a week loving on and being 

loved by my brother, sister in law and their new puppy.

1. birthday tradition, I make a cookie cake for him and he decorates it :: 2. their favorite eggs :: 3. I just love her face here in our easter outtakes :: 4. Easter clothes from Grandma :: 
5. Waiting for Bracken, Grace and Mugsy :: 6. quiet afternoon book time :: 
7. Our favorite Engineer and Ballerina before they headed home.

:: :: ::

Follow me on Instagram @edendaygreer, 
for more day to day quips about our life.

1 6 / 5 2

+a portrait of each of my girls every week for 2014+

While outside taking easter photos for the grandparents, I caught some candid shots of my girls that I absolutely love!
NoraGirl: She thought the clouds looked like the biggest fluffiest blanket and wanted to sleep with it.
Cord: She told me she just wanted to watch the birds.
Pip: That was her original dress my mom picked out, the sweetest blush and cutest cut, however moments before we were to leave for church, she dumped orange juice all down the front of it so we changed dresses.

Happy Monday!

1 5 / 5 2

+a portrait of each of my children every week for 2014+

NoraGirl: make believe in the backyard

Cord: picnic by the pond

Pip: back in her element

We LOVE the nice weather and are anxious about more outside fun to come!

Sonora's Tulip

Last week, I posted a photo on instagram

 and titled it, "Sonora's Tulip.

Today, I want to share my little story that goes along with that photo.

We love the library, we go on a weekly basis,

and this time of year is my favorite.

There are tulips all over the place,

brilliant white, deep violet, vibrant yellows and oranges.

Everywhere!

Tulips are my very favorite flower,

standing up straight, cupping sunlight.

Last week, Sonora found a picked tulip bud, laying in the dirt, 

she scooped it up and asked if we could save it.

I wanted to see if we could try, so we brought it home with us,

and filled up my blue mason jar with cool water and placed it inside.

Over the next few days the stem that was limp and weak, grew strong and straight,

the bud grew bigger quickly, then burst into the most beautiful white blossom I have seen.

The morning it bloomed, Sonora yelled, "Mom, we did it! We saved it!"

This week on our way back to our car, Sonora was scouring the earth for more dying buds.

She found one and it is now in a glass half full of clean water by our kitchen window.

I love her tender spirit, she who loves to care for all things.

----

Which, got me thinking about how as Christ followers

we should search intently, scour the ground, for those that need our help,

not simply wait for them to find us.

Then scoop them up, give them the Living Water

,

and watch them stand up straighter and bloom into the beautiful creation 

He intended them to be.

Then we'll cry out together, "Father, we did it! We saved them!"

Just my thoughts, I hope you have a fantastic day!

1 4 / 5 2

This week is quite a bit different from my usual portrait posts.

This is my life.

This is when I pull our cozy, sage chair to the rays of warm afternoon sun, streaming through the window, grab my Bible, "Give Thanks" journal, and think,

a few minutes is all I need.

But then, Nora Girl gets her feelings hurt, 

because sometimes having younger sisters is frustrating.

Come here, sweet girl.

Soon after, the Cord yells, scratch that, screams, 

"Pen-nay, NOOOOOO!" at her baby sister's attempts to make her laugh

 by knocking over her toys.

Come here, Cordie girl.

Then, Pip realizes her sisters have gone to do something else,

without her, (the nerve!) and runs into where they are,

whining because despite how it appears,

 she really just wants to be with them.

Come here, Penny Lee.

This is Nora girl smiling sweetly and trying to make her baby sister smile by tickling (feels quite a bit more like scratching) her sister's neck.

This is the Cord, laughing because she is trying to tickle me, and I told her I was going to take her down if she didn't stop.

This is Pip yelling for Nora to stop digging her nails into her little neck, 

and  for Cordie to give her more room on Mama's lap.

This is me, my legs hurt from the weight of a full lap,

but my heart is filling with joy at the three, for the most part healthy (grr allergies!!!),

funny, kind, vibrant girls who love being with me.

These three gifts the Lord gave to us,

to laugh with, to snuggle, to teach, to grow, to send, to love,

and I am so thankful to be their mama.

And the minutes that surrounded this photo, full of tears, laughing, chatting,

and smooches were exactly the few minutes I needed.