by christine victoria alexander

Thursday, November 14, 2019

EXPLORING ANTLER HILL VILLAGE AT THE BILTMORE ESTATE

I thought it would be fun to plan a trip to Asheville while the leaves were changing so this past weekend we drove up and, my goodness, it was beautiful! A perfect 60 degree day, too! We always try to stop in at Posana when we're in Asheville because there is really not a bad thing on their whole menu and it's all gluten free. I purposely didn't book any timed events for the whole day so we could take our time and enjoy whatever we were doing for however long we wanted - I think I'll do that more often!



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Friday, May 31, 2019

FEELS LIKE SUMMER

Hope you all had a fun and safe holiday weekend! It has been in the 90's every day this week so while it's still technically spring we are in full on summer mode with the sprinklers on, sidewalk chalk out, and popsicles in the freezer! I used to love summer but I realized after we moved here that it was the pool I loved, not so much summer. So while we wait to put in a pool we'll have to be content spraying each other down with the garden hose!



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Wednesday, May 15, 2019

LIFE WITH THREE & THE COOKIES WE CAN'T STOP MAKING

Life with three is wild! Not afraid to say we are still trying to get the hang of it. There are some really great days when everything just kind of clicks and then there are days when nothing is working and I feel like I'm about to lose my marbles! I know it's just all new right now and pretty soon we'll find our rhythm.

My camera roll is filling up fast - I CANNOT stop taking pictures of Madeline and try to get pictures and movies of the big girls interacting with her too so I can remember how sweet and gentle they are with her. These are pictures from my phone from the last week or two that make me so happy! And at the bottom of the post I'm sharing the coconut cookies we can't stop making! I make them about twice a week and they're always gone in a day or two. The girls love them and I feel really good about the ingredients so sometimes they have them for breakfast =)

Hope you're having a great week!

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Thursday, May 9, 2019

BIRTH STORY: MADELINE KATE

Today marks one month since our sweet Madeline was born! This is the story of her birth...

Madeline was due March 28. I had foolishly allowed myself to read an article about a possible connection between birth dates and moon cycles and had hung my hopes on our baby arriving sometime right around her due date. I think God was laughing because her due date sailed right on by without a single contraction! And then a week went by and I started getting mopey. I would wake up every morning in tears that she hadn't come during the night and go to bed every night crying that I hadn't had a single contraction all day. I know full well that babies come in their own perfect time, but that wait was so, so hard for me. I have my mom and sisters to thank for distracting me as much as possible during those last couple of weeks! 



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Thursday, May 2, 2019

SIX YEARS WITH YOU

Six years together! It feels more like three, maybe. Time flies when you're having fun. Time also flies when you're in the trenches changing diapers, cleaning up spit up, chasing after toddlers, making food and wiping off jam hands all day long! We're in a season of making babies and raising babies and it's messy and fun and very very fulfilling at the same time! I have never felt so needed by my husband and children and that's a good feeling! Our days of taking a week long anniversary trip to NYC are on hold for a bit and that's ok. Sometimes we have a suit and tie marriage and sometimes we have a sweatpants and Netflix marriage and that's ok too! Below I'm sharing some of the things we've learned over the past 6 years together...






1. Isaac doesn't like fresh basil. Haha no really we have learned some serious things but I had to start off with a funny one! Did he expect to marry an Italian and get away with this?! I still cook with basil in hopes that his taste buds will get a clue one day but he's not a fan and it took me like 4 years to figure that out.

2. I am a firm believer that the happiest marriages are made up of unselfish people. Our marriage is happier when I start my morning asking myself "How can I be the best help meet for Isaac today?" I like to ask myself this when I first wake up and then make a short list on my phone before I get out of bed of the things that I know will go a long way to making Isaac happy that day. For Isaac, it's little things like keeping up with the laundry so he has clean gym clothes, prepping his breakfast for the next day or vacuuming right before he gets home so he can actually see the vacuum lines in the carpet. =)

Isaac: I've learned a tremendous amount about selfishness. It's my greatest weakness and something I have to work really hard on. Life isn't about me anymore. It's about everyone else. How I can help them, how I can improve their life, and how my actions effect them. 

3. It's ok to ask for help. This one is for me, not Isaac. I don't like asking for help and usually don't but here we are 6 years and 3 kids in and I'm finally learning to ask Isaac for help. A little. I used to feel so guilty waking him up at night when I couldn't get the baby to sleep or when one of the other babies was crying but I was in the middle of nursing, etc. Now I realize I can't do it all myself and it's going to take a little more teamwork to make this dream work!

Isaac: I've learned to read Christine's cues, when she's in pain, when she's really needing me, when I can back off and when I need to step in. 

4. We're really good at making girls. Haha if you know Isaac he's been talking about having a boy since our first baby but God had other plans! It's taken 6 years (3 babies) for us (Isaac) to realize we might just have all girls!

Isaac: As a father, it is my responsibility to set an example for our daughters for how a man should treat a woman. The example I set for my daughters is especially important because it will determine what they expect from their future husband... If God's plan is to bless us with only girls that is wonderful! I finally know how blessed I am to have my three sweet girls without a thought in the back of my head that I'm missing out by not having a son. God chose me to be a father to three little girls and for that I am incredibly grateful! 

5. Last one, we love a good cuddle but for sleeping we like our space and can't be touching each other AT ALL. Thank goodness we both feel the same about this because I don't know what we'd do if one of us liked to cuddle and one didn't, like that episode of Friends! haha

HAPPY 6 YEARS TO US! xx

*A big big thank you to my sister Mary for taking these pictures for us last year for our 5th anniversary! I edited them but never got around to posting them so here they are! I looooved getting dressed up in my wedding dress again and think we might need to do it every 5 years! *

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Wednesday, March 27, 2019

SPRINGTIME IN THE GARDEN

We're closing in on my due date and decided to take one last outing with the girls while it's just the four of us. We've been to Daniel Stowe Botanical Gardens countless times and I will never get tired of it - flowers make me so happy! We just got a family pass and I'm so excited to go back all year long with the babies and see the garden through every season!
The weather was gorgeous, the girls were so good and we packed the yummiest picnic lunch! A perfect day that I am sure we will repeat again as a family of five!

Isaac is so sweet to humor me whenever I ask for photos and took some really sweet pictures of this (nearly) 40 week bump!



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Tuesday, March 19, 2019

HOW TO PREPARE FOR A HOME BIRTH

Headed into my third home birth (how?!) I feel like I can confidently share a few tips to help prepare for a beautiful birthing experience within your home. If you're considering a home birth for the first time, or you're just looking to make this home birth a little more serene and beautiful then read on for a few things I have learned along the way...


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Tuesday, March 12, 2019

MY GIRLS

I'm just a couple weeks out from my due date and soaking up every day with my girls before we add another little lady to this house. I've been nesting a TON! I got my pantry and laundry room organized, rearranged my family room, painted the nursery and started on curtains this week! Kind of loving this excuse to just be home with my girls before life changes so much. =)


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Thursday, February 28, 2019

FEEDING TODDLERS

A little post for all the mamas trying to feed your babes healthy, wholesome food while being surrounded by take-out, fast-food and plastic-packaged food-like products! I 100% believe the best way we can keep our little ones happy, healthy and strong is through FOOD, SLEEP & OUTDOOR PLAY!
I'm going to start sharing our meals on here every now and then and if it helps inspire you then yay! We try to keep our food mostly unprocessed, mostly seasonal (this one is the hardest for me since grocery stores make everything available to us year round!), and mostly organic. We avoid dairy and gluten and try to eat a plant-rich diet.
I really try not to make separate "kid dinners". I encourage my girls to eat the same thing I make for Isaac and I, sometimes just tweaking it a bit to make it easier for them to eat. My mom has always said they'll learn to eat what's in front of them if you don't start giving them another option.

So here is what I fed my girls today:

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Wednesday, February 20, 2019

10 (not boring) ITEMS FOR YOUR BABY REGISTRY

The typical baby registry can be a bit boring with the typical onesies, burp cloths, pacifiers, and that one big item you're hoping all your friends will go in on together. Here are some fun little extras to spice up your registry (or buy for yourself!) that you and baby are sure to enjoy for a long time!



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