Gentry Mariah

The Lord has been teaching me (more like challenging me) to be more present. To put my phone away, spend one-on-one time with both Peyton & Blake (& Nash, come on 😅), and to adjust my agenda. If I’ve learned anything in the past few weeks, it’s that time is such a gift. We are never promised tomorrow so hold your babies longer, put work away and watch a movie, and enjoy every moment 🤍 Thanks for the mini photo shoot with your cool new phone, babe 🤙🏼

Last year at this time I was just beginning to feel your kicks in my belly. I still can’t believe you’re here and I get to hold & kiss you every single day ❤️ When I look at you, I am reminded of God’s faithfulness!

Today, Blake & I dedicated our sweet Peyton to The Lord. We dedicate our hearts to teaching him God’s way. We will teach him to love by the way we treat others. We will teach him generosity by the way we give. We will teach him how to worship God by our obedience to Him. We will teach him righteousness by the way we live. Our biggest prayer is that Peyton grows up loving the Lord and chooses to follow Him. We pray that he will live his life serving both God and others 🤍

P Fanned the Flames at LU’s Homecoming! We had so much fun with the cheer alumni + their babies + some buns in the oven ❤️ Thank you @thebluegrassboutiqueva for making P’s custom onesie last minute for me!!

God put this mama & her family in our lives at the perfect time. Molly has been by my side through pregnancy into motherhood and she has shown me what Grace looks like as a mom of 3. I’m so grateful for how we loved each other’s kids like our own and the time we got away together for our mom dates. We were so sad to say goodbye to them as they begin to plant roots in Florida but were so grateful to spend a long weekend together in Tennessee as one last hoorah! P and I are going to miss our daily walks and pool days with you guys 🤍 We love you & can’t wait to visit soon!

H.O.M.E It has been a long month away from home. September felt like an eternity, yet I felt like I was in a dream the entire time. Dad even jokes that I’m living out the song, “Wake Me Up When September Ends”. I’ve missed my home filled with my pets, my bed, and my clothes (living out of a suitcase for a month with just a few clothes packed for 1 weekend is something I don’t recommend). But most of all, I’ve missed being together with my little family. During this crazy month, I’ve realized more than ever that I am so grateful for home. Not just the 3 bedroom house with the little red shed out back, but the people that feel like home to me. I know that I was right where God needed me to be during all of this. There were days that I was exhausted, anxious, fearful, and felt completely helpless, but not once was my faith shaken. If anything, my faith grew! I’ve learned that no matter what happens, God is still good. On a day that we received a hard phone call, I was pacing through my parent’s house holding a crying baby and shouting out to God, “LORD you are good, you are merciful, you are faithful!” This last month was hard, emotionally & mentally. My home was wherever God placed me and who he placed me with though. But now I am back at my home with my little family. The storm is over and things are back to normal, but my perspective has changed. We have no idea when God is going to call us or a loved one home. Every single day is such a gift. Treat others with kindness, let go of resentment, and love unconditionally 🤍

Eight months of Peyton ✨ Our sweet P has had an eventful month! He is crawling and rolling all over the place! He loves to pull himself up and stand. He will eat any and every food that is put in front of him, but his favorite is blueberries 🫐 His top two front teeth came in this month and he puts EVERYTHING in his mouth. He loves to go on walks & watch the chickens and ducks at Lolli & Pop’s. We can’t get enough of this boy🤍 #DontBlink #EightMonthsOld #OurSweetBoy #BabyP #BoyMom #BabyBoy #NewMom #FirstTimeMom #MamasBoy

It’s pumpkin season 🎃🍂

my sweet Peyton 💙 you’ve taught me so much in such a short period of time. I treasure these days with you & wish I could hit the pause button on this sweet season of life. you have made my dreams come true by making me a mom & I love every second of it because of you! I love you to the moon 🌙 #NationalSonsDay

We had so much fun at the pumpkin patch that we had to take daddy 🎃

Blessed with this little family of mine 🤍

P’s 1st trip to the Pumpkin Patch 🎃

The onesie says it all 😁

Seven months of Peyton ✨ Our sweet P has hit so many milestones this month! He can sit up by himself, started eating solids, and is in the beginning stages of crawling. He is also pulling himself up and loves standing! He still giggles when he sees himself in the mirror, gets excited when Nash & the cats come to him, and babbles nonstop. His favorite foods are bananas & yogurt. We are so lucky to have the sweetest boy 🤍 #DontBlink #SevenMonthsOld #OurSweetBoy #BabyP #BoyMom #BabyBoy #NewMom #FirstTimeMom #MamasBoy

My mom snapped this photo over the weekend while I was working & nursing P. While it’s super flattering (🥴) this what most days look like for us. I knew that having a baby would change so many different parts of my life, but one thing that I never wanted to give up was work. I always wanted to stay home with my baby but I still wanted to set goals and achieve them in my work life. Although some days (most days) look chaotic, I’ve learned that you can do both without giving up one or the other. It’s been the most challenging yet rewarding time of my life and I love every second of it. I hope that one day Peyton will look up to me and know that there are no limits on what he can do 🤍