I really love this baby boy blanket
Tuesday, June 9, 2015
Monday, June 8, 2015
Baby Sprinkle
Heather and Becca, two of my best friends threw me a baby sprinkle at the end of April and it was so sweet. In case you aren't familiar with a baby sprinkle, it's basically a baby shower for someone who's already had a baby and is smaller than a typical baby shower. I just invited some family and closest friends and I was blown away with the love "sprinkled" on me and my baby girl.
At first I felt really guilty about having a baby sprinkle since it's not my first baby. It felt greedy to allow someone to throw a party for me and my baby since we really have all the basics already but my friends insisted and I'm so glad I accepted. It was such a fun afternoon and we got so many wonderful things for our baby girl.
I meant to get a good group picture but as usual, I forgot!!!!
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| Becca. She's very shy, can you tell? |
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| Heather. She's expecting her baby boy at the end of June! |
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| How sweet is this cake?! |
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| My aunt Donna, Granny, and aunt Jackie |
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| game time |
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| My mama, she won the game! |
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| Down south we love a good monogram! |
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| I don't know why I make the WORST faces....these little pants are so cute! |
Friday, June 5, 2015
Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake
I am a lover of ice cream, although it doesn't always love me (gives me an upset stomach) so when she posted the recipe for a Toasted Marshmallow Milkshake I went straight to the store for some ice cream and marshmallows to whip this up during Patrick's nap time! It did not disappoint and I cannot wait to make it again, especially since it appeals to every summer pregnant gal's dreams!
Do yourself and your friends/family a favor and make these...RIGHT NOW!!!!!!
Thursday, June 4, 2015
Pregnancy Update
Well I've not been too good at updating on my pregnancy but I have been taking pictures almost weekly so at least I can look back and see how much I've grown. I'm currently 34 weeks and feeling pretty good other than being tired a lot. I'm sleeping much better than I was at this point with Patrick so I'm very grateful for that. There have been a few nights here and there that it's been hard to fall asleep but that's usually been when I drink a lot of water right before bed and have to keep getting up to potty. I don't know what it is (I had the same issue with Patrick) but at night, especially as soon as I lay down in bed, I get so thirsty...like I haven't drank anything all day kind of thirsty.
Photo Progress:
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| 32 weeks with Patrick and 32 weeks with Madeline |
I've been going to the chiropractor almost every week and that's helping a lot to keep my hips in check and my back feeling good. So far I'm not really having any specific food cravings other than just wanting to eat ALL DAY LONG...any and every thing! I'm doing much better with drinking water recently, I've doubled my water intake during the day so I think that's helped me stay hydrated and feeling good as well.
I had a check up on Tuesday and Madeline's heartbeat was 153 which was good and everything seems to be moving right along. I go back in 2 weeks and I'll have the group B Strep test performed, then it's on to weekly check ups until she arrives! It's hard to believe in about 6 weeks our sweet girl will be here but I am ready.
I had been having some anxiety about "juggling" two children and how Patrick would adjust to not being the soul winner of my attention but the last week I've really chilled out and I'm just excited for her to be here and our family to adjust to a new normal. I know it will be difficult for awhile but we'll figure it out and I think Patrick is really going to like helping me with the baby.
Two of my best friends gave me a baby sprinkle so I'll have to get the pictures uploaded so I can share those soon. It was so sweet and we have been so blessed with wonderful friends and family who bought sweet gifts for our girl.
Monday, April 20, 2015
A Life I Never Expected
We had some beautiful weather at the beginning of last week, so my little family spent a lot of afternoons and early evenings, outside in our backyard. I believe it was Tuesday, Stephen was home from work and we had just finished supper and decided to head out back so Patrick could play. I was sitting in the hammock, enjoying the pokes and jabs from baby girl. Greta was prancing through the yard like a deer. Stephen was hitting birdie balls, and Patrick was pretending to drive to Granny's in his little toy truck. It hit me ... I am the luckiest, most blessed, richest woman in the world! It was complete perfection and tears came to my eyes as I just sat there, basking in the beautiful life God has given me.
Later that evening, I was journaling about the evening and how thankful I was. Then I started remembering my life prior to kids, prior to marriage....I had always planned on being some sort of career woman, I would maybe marry (once my career was set) but not have children. Or, if I did have children, they would be adopted (and not for the right reasons...for selfish ones that I won't go into now). I started remembering the pain, anxiety, and disappointment of my college years as I realized I wasn't going to graduate and have a career. I had NO IDEA what I wanted to do with my life and I was really upset about it. I had planned on having some kind of career, preferably one that made lots of money and allowed me to travel the world and have expensive things. I giggle at myself when I think back on these memories now. How immature and naive...
I'm a wife and stay at home mom now and I LOVE it! It was not the life I had planned for myself when I was younger nor was it a life I ever thought I would have and enjoy. When I graduated college with a degree but no career options I was a little sad but had come to terms with the fact that my priorities had changed. I wanted to get married and maybe even have children some day. And now I thank God that I had no career because it would have been hard to give that up to stay home with children. The funny thing is, I spent so much time in college stressing over not knowing what to do with my life and being so upset that I wouldn't have a career. Now I thank God for that and the life He had planned for me. It's so much richer than I could have ever dreamed! And being a wife and stay at home mommy has made me feel more useful and happy than any career I thought I wanted.
A life I never expected has become my perfect life, the one I was meant to have and now embrace and am so thankful for! Don't get me wrong, some days are hard and frustrating but the "career" I have now is just what I wanted (I didn't know it before) and more importantly, it's what I needed. Even on the rough days, I thank God for giving me what I needed and what He had planned and not what I had asked for.
Later that evening, I was journaling about the evening and how thankful I was. Then I started remembering my life prior to kids, prior to marriage....I had always planned on being some sort of career woman, I would maybe marry (once my career was set) but not have children. Or, if I did have children, they would be adopted (and not for the right reasons...for selfish ones that I won't go into now). I started remembering the pain, anxiety, and disappointment of my college years as I realized I wasn't going to graduate and have a career. I had NO IDEA what I wanted to do with my life and I was really upset about it. I had planned on having some kind of career, preferably one that made lots of money and allowed me to travel the world and have expensive things. I giggle at myself when I think back on these memories now. How immature and naive...
I'm a wife and stay at home mom now and I LOVE it! It was not the life I had planned for myself when I was younger nor was it a life I ever thought I would have and enjoy. When I graduated college with a degree but no career options I was a little sad but had come to terms with the fact that my priorities had changed. I wanted to get married and maybe even have children some day. And now I thank God that I had no career because it would have been hard to give that up to stay home with children. The funny thing is, I spent so much time in college stressing over not knowing what to do with my life and being so upset that I wouldn't have a career. Now I thank God for that and the life He had planned for me. It's so much richer than I could have ever dreamed! And being a wife and stay at home mommy has made me feel more useful and happy than any career I thought I wanted.
A life I never expected has become my perfect life, the one I was meant to have and now embrace and am so thankful for! Don't get me wrong, some days are hard and frustrating but the "career" I have now is just what I wanted (I didn't know it before) and more importantly, it's what I needed. Even on the rough days, I thank God for giving me what I needed and what He had planned and not what I had asked for.
Friday, April 3, 2015
Update
Well, I'm not exactly sure what happened that kept me from blogging for almost 6 months.....oh wait...yes I do. We are expecting baby #2 in July!!! So, this post is mainly just a pregnancy update for my own records.
Much like my first pregnancy, the first 18 weeks were ROUGH! In fact, I was even more sick this time around and since I have a toddler to care for, I was even more exhausted. Luckily, my mom was a HUGE help and came over and watched Patrick for me a lot so I could rest. I have also had 3 colds, which is unusual for me. I usually get one cold or sinus infection a year. Since I was pregnant and not able to take a lot of medication and unwilling to take some that is considered safe I was miserable and it took much longer to get over a little cold than it normally would. Luckily, winter is over and hopefully all the sickness with it. My "morning sickness" (which for me is all day sickness) has left and I'm feeling good! This is the part of pregnancy I really enjoy...my belly is growing and although I'm still exhausted most days, I feel good and I'm able to do my normal activities (care for Patrick, laundry, go to the grocery, etc). Stephen was also a HUGE help and really stepped up to taking care of Patrick during the evenings and weekends which I know wasn't easy since his job is tiring and he also had to entertain and exercise Greta. I am one blessed lady, that's for sure!
I wish I had been better at documenting this pregnancy like I did with Patrick in my journal but I was just too sick and tired. Also, said journal is missing currently and I can't believe how much I have already forgotten as far as the details are concerned. But at least I have this post for an overview. Most days I could hardly make it until Stephen got home from work at 5:30 or 6:00 PM before waving my white flag and retiring to the bed. I've not taken weekly pictures this time around either, but I have taken some so I will share those below.
I'm currently 25 weeks (due July 15th) and although I feel much bigger than the last time, or at least I started showing much earlier I haven't actually gained any weight. I was so sick from weeks 5-18 that I lost 12 pounds and I've gained 10 of it back. So, I'm not sure if you would count that as gaining 10 pounds or not? Also, when I lost those 10 pounds I was back down to my pre-pregnancy weight (from having Patrick)...sad but true. I just never could get the last 10 pounds off and to stay off! I've also been trying to go regularly to my chiropractor in hopes of avoiding the hip issues I had last time. So far it's helping and my hips haven't been hurting as much.
Baby #2 is a girl and we are so excited! I was honestly a little terrified to have a girl (my mind keeps flashing to the future teenage years) but I've just been focusing on all the fun things: ribbons, bows, PINK, ruffles, tea parties, etc. I'll just deal with the attitude and melt downs as they come, and hope that it doesn't come or at least not for years! HAHA.
I'm going to try to do better about updating through the rest of my pregnancy and after baby girl is here, but no promises. In case you want to check out any of my old post from my previous blog, here is the link Because Forgetting is Easy.
Much like my first pregnancy, the first 18 weeks were ROUGH! In fact, I was even more sick this time around and since I have a toddler to care for, I was even more exhausted. Luckily, my mom was a HUGE help and came over and watched Patrick for me a lot so I could rest. I have also had 3 colds, which is unusual for me. I usually get one cold or sinus infection a year. Since I was pregnant and not able to take a lot of medication and unwilling to take some that is considered safe I was miserable and it took much longer to get over a little cold than it normally would. Luckily, winter is over and hopefully all the sickness with it. My "morning sickness" (which for me is all day sickness) has left and I'm feeling good! This is the part of pregnancy I really enjoy...my belly is growing and although I'm still exhausted most days, I feel good and I'm able to do my normal activities (care for Patrick, laundry, go to the grocery, etc). Stephen was also a HUGE help and really stepped up to taking care of Patrick during the evenings and weekends which I know wasn't easy since his job is tiring and he also had to entertain and exercise Greta. I am one blessed lady, that's for sure!
I wish I had been better at documenting this pregnancy like I did with Patrick in my journal but I was just too sick and tired. Also, said journal is missing currently and I can't believe how much I have already forgotten as far as the details are concerned. But at least I have this post for an overview. Most days I could hardly make it until Stephen got home from work at 5:30 or 6:00 PM before waving my white flag and retiring to the bed. I've not taken weekly pictures this time around either, but I have taken some so I will share those below.
Baby #2 is a girl and we are so excited! I was honestly a little terrified to have a girl (my mind keeps flashing to the future teenage years) but I've just been focusing on all the fun things: ribbons, bows, PINK, ruffles, tea parties, etc. I'll just deal with the attitude and melt downs as they come, and hope that it doesn't come or at least not for years! HAHA.
I'm going to try to do better about updating through the rest of my pregnancy and after baby girl is here, but no promises. In case you want to check out any of my old post from my previous blog, here is the link Because Forgetting is Easy.
Friday, October 31, 2014
Luke 14:12 & Dreams
Living in the south, hospitality is just part of growing up...at least it was for me. It seemed like almost every weekend we had people over for dinner or coffee and dessert, and there are so many treasured memories I have from these times. I'm definitely not the most hospitable person but I do try and my goal is that anyone who comes into our home would feel at peace and know they are welcome; part of the family.
I have a dream, it's a big one, a VERY scary one. Do you have these kind of dreams? The kind you dare not tell another soul because then it feels "real"? Maybe you're a blogger and you've written a post about your dream but it sits in your queue, unpublished, because you're afraid. What if people think your dream is silly or completely unrealistic and not possible? That somehow, if you say it out loud or put it online it becomes more real and you're then responsible for fulfilling it? I've been too afraid to even write this post for fear.
I KNOW that I alone cannot accomplish my dream, it's a God sized dream. It would take divine intervention for many reasons: resources, my lack of experience and spiritual gifts. But that's what God does right? He does the impossible! For a few months now I've had this tugging on my heart: how can I help people? What gifts has God provided me with that would enable me to bless those in need? Then it hit me...feed them! This isn't a completely novel idea: my church has a ministry called serve the city and they take meals once a week to a few different neighborhoods, there is a man downtown that feeds the homeless right out of his truck. In fact, just a few weeks ago our pastor gave a sermon on the very topic of my dream and it was like a punch in the gut.
I've mentioned it before, I love to cook and bake. I'm not a professional but I think I can put a decent meal together and I truly LOVE feeding people. Nothing makes my heart more full than to have people around our kitchen table, bellies full, telling me they enjoyed my food. I don't mean that in a "I love praise" kind of way. Actually, I don't really know how to explain it...but I just get a lot of joy from feeding people.
I wish we lived in a world that did not consist of those who were hungry or in need. Instead, everyone had food, shelter, family, etc. Unfortunately, this is not reality. Even in my small community I am sure there are people (we probably see them every day) who are going hungry and would love a nice warm meal and to be welcomed into someone's home.
My dream:
Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. Luke 14:12 NIV
Cook a meal (once a week) in my home and invite whomever is hungry or in need of a meal and fellowship.
Luke 14:12 is exactly what my dream is!!! How would I start doing this? I have NO idea..that's where God would need to show up because my gift is cooking and showing hospitality, not in organizing people or projects or even funding this venture. If more than a few people came, I would be in trouble. However, I truly believe that God provides. When you're doing His will, His way, all you must do is say, "Yes, Lord." He will take care of the rest...
I have a dream, it's a big one, a VERY scary one. Do you have these kind of dreams? The kind you dare not tell another soul because then it feels "real"? Maybe you're a blogger and you've written a post about your dream but it sits in your queue, unpublished, because you're afraid. What if people think your dream is silly or completely unrealistic and not possible? That somehow, if you say it out loud or put it online it becomes more real and you're then responsible for fulfilling it? I've been too afraid to even write this post for fear.
I KNOW that I alone cannot accomplish my dream, it's a God sized dream. It would take divine intervention for many reasons: resources, my lack of experience and spiritual gifts. But that's what God does right? He does the impossible! For a few months now I've had this tugging on my heart: how can I help people? What gifts has God provided me with that would enable me to bless those in need? Then it hit me...feed them! This isn't a completely novel idea: my church has a ministry called serve the city and they take meals once a week to a few different neighborhoods, there is a man downtown that feeds the homeless right out of his truck. In fact, just a few weeks ago our pastor gave a sermon on the very topic of my dream and it was like a punch in the gut.
I've mentioned it before, I love to cook and bake. I'm not a professional but I think I can put a decent meal together and I truly LOVE feeding people. Nothing makes my heart more full than to have people around our kitchen table, bellies full, telling me they enjoyed my food. I don't mean that in a "I love praise" kind of way. Actually, I don't really know how to explain it...but I just get a lot of joy from feeding people.
I wish we lived in a world that did not consist of those who were hungry or in need. Instead, everyone had food, shelter, family, etc. Unfortunately, this is not reality. Even in my small community I am sure there are people (we probably see them every day) who are going hungry and would love a nice warm meal and to be welcomed into someone's home.
My dream:
Then Jesus said to his host, "When you give a luncheon or dinner, do not invite your friends, your brothers or sisters, your relatives, or your rich neighbors; if you do, they may invite you back and so you will be repaid. Luke 14:12 NIV
Cook a meal (once a week) in my home and invite whomever is hungry or in need of a meal and fellowship.
Luke 14:12 is exactly what my dream is!!! How would I start doing this? I have NO idea..that's where God would need to show up because my gift is cooking and showing hospitality, not in organizing people or projects or even funding this venture. If more than a few people came, I would be in trouble. However, I truly believe that God provides. When you're doing His will, His way, all you must do is say, "Yes, Lord." He will take care of the rest...
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