tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-25456702718302222422024-03-14T01:17:30.326-05:00Our Fabulous Life in the SuburbsAnonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039717493682923155noreply@blogger.comBlogger392125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545670271830222242.post-7869352936512153642018-04-09T07:00:00.000-05:002018-04-09T07:00:35.981-05:0016 Weeks With Baby #3<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: center;">
Y'all, I am so behind already. I seriously have the best intentions with this, but time is passing so dang fast! I'm 20 weeks as of yesterday, and here I am doing a 16 week update. I swear I'll get better! (I hope)<br />
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<u>Due Date</u></div>
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August 25, 2018<br />
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<b><u>This Week Baby A...</u></b></div>
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Is about the size of an avocado. Her legs are more developed, head is more erect, and she's even growing toenails. </div>
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<b><u>Symptoms</u></b></div>
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At 16 weeks my constant state of nausea was finally starting to die down. I still was waking up in the mornings sick most mornings, but it wasn't near as intense. My hips started feeling wonky super early this pregnancy, so I started seeing the chiropractor weekly around this time. Also, HEARTBURN. Ughhhh, some nights I literally could not sleep it was so intense. </div>
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<b><u>Weight Gain</u></b></div>
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5 pounds (not doing so hot this time!)</div>
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<b><u>Gender</u></b></div>
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Baby Girl!<br />
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<b><u>Food Cravings/Aversions</u></b></div>
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I haven't had any longstanding cravings this time, really. It's usually I want something pretty intensely that day, go get it, then I'm good. But nothing consistent.</div>
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<b><u>Movements</u></b></div>
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I maaaaybe felt a few tiny flutters during my 16th week, but they weren't definite and they were super few and far between. </div>
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<b><u>Sleep</u></b></div>
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Definitely getting better at this point! I got a pregnancy pillow around this time and it was a game changer. </div>
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<b><u>Daddy's Thoughts</u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.2px;">Y'all, my husband is not a very excitable or emotional man, but he is pumped about this baby girl! He doesn't talk about it too much, but when he does he is just over the moon. </span></div>
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<b><u>Fun Moments</u></b></div>
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Grayson commenting on the size of my belly - not sure I call that "fun" necessarily, but it was funny - "Woah Mama! That's a big belly!". Also, the few flutters I felt got me super excited for feeling the regular movements here in the next few weeks!<br />
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<b><u>Looking Forward To</u></b></div>
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Getting the nursery together! Planning for a girl is so different - this was about the time I picked out a color scheme for the room, so I got to work planning. So fun!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039717493682923155noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545670271830222242.post-40220363841106497222018-04-08T21:58:00.000-05:002018-04-08T21:58:06.799-05:00The First 14 Weeks With Baby #3<div style="background-color: white; color: #666666; font-family: "Trebuchet MS", Trebuchet, Verdana, sans-serif; font-size: 13.2px; line-height: 18.48px; margin: 0px; padding: 0px; text-align: left;">
Hey hey my friends! I'm trying desperately to get on track here with updates for my sweet baby #3 - but I'm over a month behind at this point! I hope now that I'm getting things started, I can keep going somewhat on track. </div>
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To say I am overjoyed about this baby would be an understatement. I have always, always known I wanted three babies since I got married and knew I would eventually be a mama, so this feels just so perfect and meant to be to me. Although the hubs may disagree slightly - I had to work hard to get him to come around to having a third. He was NOT into the idea for quite awhile. But now that baby is on the way - and it's a baby girl - he's definitely excited and on board! </div>
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The boys still aren't too super pumped, but the bigger my belly gets the more they acknowledge what's going on. Gavin likes to kiss my belly and say "Hi baby! Luh you baby!", so that's freaking precious. Grayson likes to pretend like he's too cool to care, but his sweet little shy smile when we talk about her gives him away. I think they'll both be smitten the second they lay eyes on her. </div>
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Now...on to the very first baby #3 update!<br />
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<b><u>Due Date</u></b></div>
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August 25, 2018</div>
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<b><u>This Week Baby A....</u></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 13.2px;">Can now squint, grimace, frown, pee</span><span style="font-size: xx-small;">,</span><span style="font-size: 13.2px;"> and maybe suck it's thumb! Baby is about the size of a lemon, around 3 1/2 inches and weighing in at about 1 1/2 ounces. </span><i style="font-size: 13.2px;">(I'm cheating here and keeping the exact same update from the first AND second times)</i></div>
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<b><u>Symptoms</u></b></div>
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The first 14-15 weeks were not so great for me this go around. While I am super lucky that I never actually throw up with my morning sickness, that just means I feel insanely nauseas with absolutely zero relief...for weeks on end. This time the nausea started super early - I was about six weeks when I started waking up sick every morning. And that lingered for the next couple of months. I also have been gaining weight super fast this time, which isn't so fun. Almost immediately I couldn't put on any of my jeans - the weight gain seems to be happening in my hips and thighs just as quick as in my belly. I don't know if it's being mid-thirties now, the fact that it's a girl, or the fact that this is my third pregnancy, but I can say this pregnancy is super different! </div>
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<b><u>Weight Gain</u></b></div>
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At this point I had gained a couple of pounds - I also was starting out about five pounds heavier than I was with Gavin, which was seven pounds heavier than with Grayson....basically, the heaviest I've ever been, aside from during pregnancy. So this definitely wasn't an ideal starting point, but hopefully things won't be too bad! </div>
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<b><u>Gender</u></b></div>
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We found out super early this time because I just NEEDED to know! So we had the genetic blood test done, which told us it was a baby GIRL! But I couldn't believe it (even though it says it's 99.9% accurate) so I was holding off on getting too excited about this point and was waiting on an ultrasound to confirm, which I had done at 15 weeks. </div>
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<b><u>Food Cravings/Aversions</u></b></div>
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Nothing crazy this time. No real aversions, no real cravings, aside from random things I want like, right then, and once I've had it I'm fine. </div>
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<b><u>Movements</u></b></div>
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Nothing at this point</div>
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<b><u>Sleep</u></b></div>
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The first trimester I had a bit of pregnancy insomnia, which I didn't even know was a thing until I googled it one night at 3 AM when I was wide awake for no apparent reason. I dealt with that for a couple of weeks, but once that was over things were much better! Still pretty comfy. </div>
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<b><u>What I Miss</u></b></div>
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I always cut out caffeine completely in the first trimester, but this time it was MUCH more difficult. I normally have a cup of coffee first thing in the morning, so doing without that when I felt so awful was SO HARD. Plus, instead of chasing one crazy toddler around, now I'm doing that PLUS dealing with the attitude of an almost five year old, PLUS breaking up fights constantly - no rest for mama! I NEEDED that caffeine! </div>
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<b><u>Daddy's Thoughts</u></b></div>
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He was happy when I told him, but not necessarily overjoyed...it took him awhile to be on board with the whole third baby thing, so I think the reality of what three kids means hit him right away. But once we found out it was a girl?! I've literally NEVER seen him so happy in the almost 10 years we've been together. He was meant to have a baby girl, I'm sure of it! </div>
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<b><u>Fun Moments</u></b></div>
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Having the bump pop is always fun, and it felt like it happened super early this time! Finding out it was a girl was obviously insanely exciting - like, I was in shock for DAYS. Maybe weeks. And finally being able to tell some of our close friends!</div>
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<b><u>Looking Forward To</u></b></div>
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Everything! I love being pregnant, especially once I'm out of the first trimester, and knowing this is my very last time is making me enjoy every minute of it. I'm going to try to cherish every bit of it, and I can't WAIT to meet our sweet baby girl! </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039717493682923155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545670271830222242.post-53849026948335499222018-04-01T20:25:00.000-05:002018-04-01T20:25:19.894-05:00We Have BIG News!Well hello there friends! It's been quite awhile since I've visited this little corner of the interwebs. I started a new blog, <a href="http://www.havengrayblog.com/" target="_blank">Haven Gray</a>, and....didn't really blog much there, either. It's hard finding the time and inspiration at this point in my life to post regularly, but I decided I needed to come back to Our Fabulous Life in the Suburbs for THIS big news....<br />
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Yes, we are expecting baby #3! And not only that, but we're expecting a baby GIRL!!! I honestly can't wrap my brain around this news, but apparently it's true. The hubs and I are over the moon excited for a sweet baby girl to join our family, and the boys? Well, they could really take it or leave it at this point, but I have a feeling once she's here they'll both be completely smitten.<br />
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I'm currently just about 19 weeks, and finally feeling back to normal. The first trimester has never been a walk in the park for me - mainly the fatigue and constant nauseous feeling is what gets me down. This time around seemed to be a bit worse than with the boys. There were a few days I couldn't get out of bed for the first hour or so after waking up because I was so sick to my stomach, and I definitely took a few naps on the couch while just crossing my fingers the boys wouldn't burn down the house.<br />
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But now, I'm feeling good and am really getting excited about being mama to a little girl! I am such a boy mom at this point that I'm feeling slightly overwhelmed at the thought of all things girl. But man, has it been fun to buy some girly little outfits!<br />
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I plan to blog here regularly throughout my pregnancy - it wouldn't be fair if I didn't since I documented my pregnancy with both boys here.<br />
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So there you have it! Baby #3! I honestly didn't know if we would ever get here, because A was SUPER opposed for a long time, but now I'm going with she was meant to be a part of our family all along, we just had to wait for him to get on board. Can't wait to share this journey with you all!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039717493682923155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545670271830222242.post-5846089082716104862016-12-15T07:09:00.000-06:002016-12-15T07:09:10.242-06:00Gavin is ONE!!! And a Farewell Post This will come as no surprise to anyone, but I'm seriously considering closing up shop around here at Our Fabulous Life. This space doesn't really feel like "home" to me anymore, and I think I'm ready to move on to something new. I do think I will continue writing, and I'm thinking/hoping that a new space and all new "brand" will be the right move for me. With that said, there's a good chance that this post may be my last real post here on my beloved little blog. Once I know for sure what I decide to do going forward I'll come update things here, but until then, this is probably it.<br />
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And that feels incredibly appropriate to me, because this is Gavin's first birthday post! This blog launched as a way to keep family and friends in the loop with all the happenings when A and I first moved to Texas after graduation, and it's basically been an online diary of our engagement, wedding, newlywed years, early parenthood, and in reality, it's turned into one big baby book. I think that is wonderful and I LOVE having so many memories to look back on, but I know that's not what things will be about for me going forward. </div>
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So today, let's talk about my sweet, sweet Gavin! This boy is a delight in every sense of the word, and I couldn't adore him more if I tried. He is an absolute angel, and I'm sure the bragging about him is annoying but I can't help myself. We celebrated his birthday on October 29th, just one day after his first birthday, and it was a great day. All his grandparents, our amazing Guncles, and several close friends came to celebrate with us, and it was such a fun time. </div>
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I won't lie, I started panicking about a week before the big day because I hadn't done much planning. Let's be honest, I had a couple packages of balloons, the invites were sent and the cake was ordered, and I knew the theme. At this point for Grayson's first birthday I had about a million details nailed down, so I got on Amazon the Sunday before his party and ordered a ton of decoration, got on Pinterest and planned the menu, and moaned about how awful I felt for my poor second child. Nevertheless, I pulled it all together at the last minute. </div>
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Our theme was "Gavin is a Party Animal!" because of his wild and crazy personality. He's always reminded me of a little monkey, so a jungle theme seemed appropriate. While the party was pretty low-key, I think it was perfect for Gav. Where Grayson totally relished in the huge party atmosphere and all the attention of his first birthday, Gavin is so happy 24/7 that he would have been just as content with the four of us celebrating as he was with a house full of people. He had a super fun time and got loved on by a lot of special people, and my heart was totally full all day long.<br />
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I still can't believe this little guy has been with us for over a year now, but at the same time, I have a hard time remembering life without him. This past year has been wonderful - adjusting to life as a family of four was a smoother transition than I was expecting, and I think sweet Gavin was the absolute perfect addition to our crazy crew. He's so sweet it makes me question my desire for a third baby sometimes, because there's no WAY I'll get one as easy going and happy as this one!<br />
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Friends, thank you so much for supporting me here over the years. I have been so, so absent for so long, but so many of you still stay in contact on Instagram on a regular basis. I really cherish the friendships that I've made here, and I hope they'll continue on once I move on to my next venture. I'll be back at some point to let you all know what I'm up to and where to find me, but until then, I'd love for you to follow along on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/celesteca/" target="_blank">Instagram</a>! </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039717493682923155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545670271830222242.post-23449756673546458242016-12-06T21:28:00.001-06:002016-12-06T21:28:34.087-06:0012 Months<br />
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<br />
Sweet little Gavin,<br />
<br />
Oh, Gav. I will never get tired of telling you all about how much I love and adore you. This first year of your life has been one of the absolute best of mine. You are pure sweetness with a little dash of crazy thrown in, and the older you get the more I fall head over heels for your silly little personality.<br />
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You're entering that magical age where it seems like you're learning or doing something new and exciting every single day. I can see my tiny baby slipping away as you become more and more independent. And independent you most certainly are. You don't want to hold hands in public, you don't want us to cut your food into small pieces, you don't want to be held down for any reason, and you have zero fears that I have discovered. You are constantly wandering off on your own, exploring all the nooks and crannies our home has to offer. You are also attempting to climb just about anything that can be climbed, but thankfully you haven't gone full spider-monkey on me yet.<br />
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Now that you are officially a toddler, things have changed a bit. You've added a bit more "spice" to your constant sweetness, and we've had our first foray into tantrum territory with you. I have to say, your brother was the king of tantrums at this age, so yours are kind of just adorable. If you get mad at us and happen to be standing on the tile, you will run as fast as your tiny legs will take you while crying as loudly as you can, then dramatically fling yourself to the floor the second you hit the carpet, where you'll cry as if your heart has been broken in two. While Grayson's tantrums seemed more angry, yours seem to be much more based on heartbreak.<br />
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You're still happy most of the time, but you are starting to protest and fight back at times. If anyone takes anything away from you that you really want, you will totally freak out and scream and cry. If Grayson won't share a toy, you'll grunt and scream, and you've recently started a baby-version of hitting. You aren't packing much of a punch, but you are definitely getting your point across.<br />
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You are SUPER silly, and you literally walk around smiling and laughing most of the day. All we have to do is make eye contact with you and you break into the sweetest little grin. The tiniest ounce of attention seems to fill up your little love tank, then you're back to independent exploring until you need another couple minutes of being loved on. You love to be chased and tickled, so I spend an absurd amount of time doing both. You also have an ornery streak, and you love to take things you know you aren't supposed to have and run run run as fast as you can with them. At the moment the things from my bathroom drawers and the Christmas tree decorations are your favorites to steal. You'll slowly, sneakily take something, all while watching to see if anyone has seen what you're doing, then you'll give the orneriest little smile with a side-eye before you run away. It's hysterical and sometimes totally infuriating.<br />
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You are understanding so much of what we are saying, and I've noticed you love to be helpful. You'll load the water bottles into the bottom bin of the fridge after I show you how, or help me put toys up in the baskets around the house, or bring me whatever I ask you to. It seems like just about anything I ask you do to you will do with very little direction. Of course I think you're a beautiful genius baby just like your brother - and I'm pretty sure I'm right ;)<br />
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You've started communicating with us a lot more (to be fair, you're over 13 months as I'm writing this). You answer me by nodding very decisively with a grunt for yes, and give a pretty brief head shake for no. You point to whatever you want, and come running and grunting and shaking objects at me anytime you want me to do something for you, like turn on a toy or feed you something you found. There are videos that you watch and dance to on YouTube called Gigglebellies (you're obsessed) and you'll find the remote, run over to me shaking it while going "Ahhh!Ahh!Ahhh!" and point at the TV, then you'll start dancing in a circle until I get it turned on. You definitely know how to get your point across.<br />
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You LOVE to dance, and you literally start at it the second you recognize a song or beat of any sort. Even if I sing like three words or tap on the table a few times, you start dancing. You also love to sing, which is just precious. Sometimes you'll sing in your carseat, and you almost always sing to music. You also sing your ABC's with me during diaper changes, which is the only way I can get them done these days. You also have the sweetest little baby voice in the world, so the singing totally melts my mama heart.<br />
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You are eating like a champ, which is great because you are a teeny tiny little guy. You were really sick last month, so I'm sure that didn't help anything, but we are currently trying to beef you up a bit before your 15 month doctors appointment. You are several pounds lighter and a bit shorter than Grayson was at this age, so it's kind of strange for me. The good news is you still feel like a baby when I hold you, so it's helping to keep any baby fever at bay ;)<br />
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Your favorite foods are grapes, strawberries, broccoli, carrots, soup, and pancakes. You haven't accepted my offerings of cow's milk yet, so all you're drinking is water. You're still nursing several times a day...and a few times a night, as much as I would love for you to not be doing that. However, since you're so little your doc said I need to keep it up as long as you're asking, so looks like mommy just won't be sleeping through the night for awhile. You're also working on your top two molars at the moment, and you handle teething so, so well that we never realize you're getting a tooth until they've broken through. This will bring your grand total to 10.<br />
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Your brother is starting to love you more and more, the older you get and the more you start to interact with him. He thinks it's hysterical that you answer us yes and no now, and the other day when I was feeding you and telling you to eat certain things he said "He always does what you tell him to do..." like he was amazed. I told him he should learn from you! Every once in awhile I catch him being really sweet to you, usually when he doesn't know I'm watching or you're being sweet or sleepy. I adore watching the two of you bond, I am so incredibly glad I get to experience the sibling thing through you guys.<br />
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You are the sunshine in my life sweet boy, you make me so super happy, and you were just the most perfect addition to our family. I couldn't be more obsessed with you, and you bring so much joy to everyone that knows you. I love you so much baby boy! I can't believe you're one!<br />
<br />
Mommy<br />
<br />
<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Photos by my sweet friend- <a href="https://www.facebook.com/ShanaPisanichPhotography/" target="_blank">Shana Pisanich Photography</a></span></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039717493682923155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545670271830222242.post-58100144174719443842016-10-26T23:47:00.000-05:002016-10-26T23:47:04.673-05:00Gavin - 11 Months<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Oh sweet Gav. This past month with you has been so, so much fun. You are just the silliest little thing I've ever seen, and you keep us laughing all the time around here. You are so sweet, so much fun, so very independent, so adorable - I'm a bit obsessed, but in a totally healthy way, swear.<br />
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I know every mom goes on and on about her kids, but you really are the best. I know this because everyone who meets you adores you, and you basically have your very own fan club. We spend a lot of time at the church, so the ladies in the kid care area know you well. When we show up I hear "It's Gavin! Gavin's here!" from at least four or five different women. I repeatedly hear that they are obsessed with you, that you are the best baby, that you are so sweet, on and on and on - one lady actually stopped me in the hall the other day and told me that you are her favorite. So funny, but I totally understand ;)<br />
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When I try and think about the best way to sum your personality up, the words sweet and goofy are the first things that come to mind. You are just the sweetest little baby ever. You have the sweetest little voice - other than when you're screaming, which you do a lot (playfully, but still). You give the sweetest kisses, although you're not super affectionate. I have to ask for kisses, but then you'll give me like 10 so I get my fill for the day. You'll give me one very sweet kiss, and then when I look away you grab both sides of my face and make me kiss you again, and again, and again. Sweetest ever. You also don't give many hugs, or even like to be held a ton. You tend to wander off on your own, play for quite awhile, then wander over to hug my leg or grunt at me until I pick you up and give you some hugs and kisses, then you're ready to wander off on your own again. You're so independent and like to play by yourself for the majority of the day, but you have to check in every 10 minutes or so, just to make sure I'm still there. You also don't mind dark rooms at all, so I'll find you playing in the dark playroom or shut in a room where the door hadn't been shut all the way, totally happy and playing with whatever you've found.<br />
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Your goofiness is just the cutest thing. You laugh all the time, about everything, and sometimes you just sit in my lap, looking at me, and we just laugh at each other for awhile. Literally anything makes you laugh. All we have to do is look at you and laugh, and there you go. You aren't talking yet, but you're a pretty good mimic, so we've got Dada, Mama, and Uh-Oh out of you so far. I think Uh-Oh is your favorite to say, and it's so cute how your little mouth curls up to make the Ohhhh sound. You still love clapping, high five-ing, and you really like to take my hands and make me clap or tap your mouth and then mine to make that silly sound you love.<br />
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You have totally mastered the walking thing - although you will be one in TWO days, so I'm a bit late here. When you had actually just turned 11 months you were walking but walking a little rickety still at that point. Now, you're practically running. You actually are running, but tripping over your feet and splatting to the ground every so often. You are constantly, constantly banged up and bruised. Since you have zero fear, you just do whatever pops into your head. Climb anything, dive off anything, crawl into anything - you make me nervous, to say the least. You rarely seem to mind if you get hurt, unless you're really, really hurt, and then we have tears.<br />
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Another way you're often hurt is that mean ol' big brother of yours. The two of you have a ton of fun together, but he's mad at you about touching his toys approximately 83% of the time. Aside from that you're all wrestling, giggling, dancing best buds. Watching you two together is seriously the cutest, but I'm bracing myself for years of insanity. It's already pretty insane. Ya'll are LOUD and crazy.<br />
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You're a pretty good eater, although you still don't eat a ton most days. You're really weaning yourself when it comes to nursing, and we're at about a four hour stretch during the day most days. If I'm not with you I don't leave a bottle and you're totally fine. You love strawberries, broccoli, carrots, cauliflower, black olives, cereal bars, and pizza. I gave you chicken strips and french fries the other day and those were a pretty big hit, and you love veggie straws. You like most things, but then some things, like cheese, you just refuse completely. You eat a lot of those little pouch things, a few a day, but if you see real food you typically prefer that.<br />
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You've got eight teeth, and we're thinking another one may be on it's way, judging by the way you've been acting. You're still a teeny tiny guy at close to 28 inches and just 18.5 pounds, but maybe you'll catch up at some point. Or maybe you'll be little and scrappy, you've certainly got the daring personality for that. You're starting to stretch your naps out, and we're down to two most days, sometimes one if your morning nap is super late. You're a pretty good napper, so we usually get one from around 9 to 10:30 or so, and another one around 2 or 3 for at least an hour. You go to bed right about 8, and wake up anywhere from 6:30 to 7:15. A couple weeks ago we had a stretch of waking up before 6 every day for over a week and I didn't think I was going to survive.<br />
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You are doing all kinds of fun stuff these days, but one of my favorites is the dancing. You are such a little dancing machine and it's so, so cute. You are completely obsessed with this Busy Bumblebee song that Nana discovered on Youtube, and we turn it on and you just start dipping and swinging your hips and bouncing up and down and waving your arms around. Absolutely precious.<br />
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You're starting to have a bit more of a temper, but usually only when I'm not getting food to you quick enough or I'm not letting you hold your tooth brush. You really hate to have your diaper changed, but it's just because you don't want to hold still. You don't get mad, you just flip over and run away. Makes things rather complicated for those of us changing you. You don't like to be told no. You shake your head no back at us and kind of grunt in disapproval. Aside from those few things, you are a happy camper basically all day, every day.<br />
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I absolutely adore this age with you, but I have seriously enjoyed every minute of being your mama so I know I'll never be able to pick a favorite age. You have totally ruined me for any future babies that I may (somehow, maybe, hopefully) talk your daddy into, because it is HIGHLY unlikely I would ever be so lucky to have another baby as good as you. Your crazy, silly little personality is so different than what I was expecting from my mild mannered, laid back tiny baby that I brought home almost a year ago, but oh my goodness I wouldn't trade this for the world. I am loving everything about watching you grow, and watching you and your brother bond, and I am so, so thankful that I get to be your mama. I love you so much my sweet baby!<br />
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<br />Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039717493682923155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545670271830222242.post-53374604177442141822016-10-12T12:35:00.000-05:002016-10-12T12:35:26.938-05:00Abundantly BlessedToday is my birthday. My 32nd birthday, to be exact. Birthdays are funny. The older I get, the more insignificant they become. It's still nice to have a special day, of course, and it's so lovely to be flooded with texts and calls and Facebook messages from people telling me Happy Birthday all day long - who wouldn't want that?<br />
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But I realized something this morning. After I dropped Grayson off at preschool I went to Starbucks to work for a bit. On my drive home, I was praying (as I often do when I'm alone in the car) and I realized that although I of course have so many things I ask God for on a regular basis, more than anything I just wanted to thank him. Over and over again. Because I am wonderfully, abundantly, absurdly blessed.<br />
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Of course, life isn't perfect. Nothing ever is, no matter what it may look like through an Instagram filter. It's so easy to get caught up in the day-to-day of laundry and feeding kids and cleaning messes and scrubbing floors and folding clothes and wiping noses and changing diapers and disciplining and feeding them again and power struggles and alllll the noise and bedtime routines - it can just be so routine, so mundane, so overwhelming. It's easy to live this life as a mama to little kids and as a wife to a husband who works constantly and just feel a little stuck.<br />
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But then. Then I look out the window of my car and see the gorgeous trees and the beautiful homes and the sunshine, and I think - I live in such a truly beautiful place. And then I think about my boys - my sweet, crazy, loud, hilarious, mama's boys - I could not possibly love them more if I tried. And I think about my husband. My husband who drives me crazy and is an insane workaholic, but who truly wants nothing more than to see me happy, who takes me on amazing trips to San Diego and buys me everything I need and supports our family without a single complaint, and I think oh my goodness. I might be the luckiest girl in the world.<br />
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I think about the fact that I am getting to chase my dreams, that I have the luxury to do that - how blessed am I? I think about the fact that I live in a safe place, a safe neighborhood, that I don't worry about so many things that so many other people in the world have to worry about. I think about the fact that I have a reliable car, a comfortable home that will always have a fridge full of food, family that loves me, amazing friends. And I think about the fact that God decided I was worthy of all of these things, even when I know I'm not. And I think about the fact that he looked at me in my cushy, comfy life, and he snatched me up and said "It's time." He brought me out of my confused, lost, non-believing but super comfortable life and got right in my face and said "Time to follow me." I didn't do that. No way I would have done that. But He did it. And I am so, so, so beyond grateful. My life has changed, in the most amazing ways, even though it has remained so much the same.<br />
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So today, on my birthday, I don't need a single gift. I don't need a single "Happy Birthday." I don't need a special meal or a cake or any recognition. I am exactly where I need to be, I am insanely happy to be here, and I am so incredibly, abundantly blessed.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039717493682923155noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545670271830222242.post-25656698972286799432016-09-27T23:58:00.000-05:002016-09-28T00:05:34.282-05:00Gavin - Ten Months<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Sweet little baby of mine! Man oh man, you are just a delight. You are seriously just the best little guy in the world. I know, I'm gushing. It's annoying. I can't help it. You are basically everything a person could want in a baby. My only complaint is that you don't sleep all night long in your crib. This is my fault, so really, can't complain too much! Other than that, pure delight, I tell you. </div>
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You are hilarious. Seriously, you have me laughing all day long. Combined with that crazy brother of yours and you guys are really just too much. You get so excited about things and kind of bounce up and down and do a gasp-y, opened mouth happy sound that I adore and seriously hope I can capture on film before you outgrow it. You are always smiling, always laughing, and always doing something a little bit crazy. </div>
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You are totally mama-obsessed right now, and I cannot get enough. You are so tiny that I can just pop you up on my hip and cart you around, but you get pretty bored up there after about two minutes. Even though you want to be around me at all times, it's usually good enough to just know that I'm in the room. If I leave your line of vision, that's another story. You are so great at entertaining yourself, and will just happily play with toys or crawl around exploring (getting into things) for long periods of time. This is CRAZY to me, because I vividly remember the first time your brother actually played by himself - at all - and it was for like five minutes and he was maybe a year and a half old. The fact that you entertain yourself for large portions of time every single day boggles my mind. But THANK YOU. </div>
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You are also food-obsessed right now. Just within the past few days, really. You've been eating maybe three baby food pouches a day for awhile now, but within the last few days you have been positively freaking out over our food. If you see me cooking, or even if I just open the fridge, you immediately start whimpering and whining and fake-crying until you are in your chair with food in your hands. Then you whine/whimper anytime the food on your tray runs out. I'm trying to teach you to say "more", because that would be much more pleasant. You're still nursing several times a day, and usually once or twice in the middle of the night, but I can tell your interest with this is fading already. I know it's more of a comfort thing, because anytime anyone else watches you, they don't even really need to feed you a bottle unless it's an entire day that I'm gone. We'll see how long you keep it up. </div>
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Like I said, you aren't sleeping "through the night", but you go down around 8/8:30, are usually up sometime before midnight, and then again middle of the night, then up for the day around 7/7:30. Some nights you'll sleep in your crib until your last middle of the night feeding, some nights you won't settle at all after your first wake up, so I just bring you in my bed because mama's TOO tired to deal with that. You also just dropped from three naps to two within the last couple of weeks (and yes, you will be 11 months old tomorrow, I'm super late with this again). </div>
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You are SUCH a daredevil that I have pretty much given up at this point. You will climb anything, crawl under anything, touch anything, taste anything, hang off of anything, dive off of anything - you are exhausting, to be honest. Yesterday I caught you literally balancing on the handlebars of your toy train, hanging onto the rim of the plastic basketball hoop, leaning against a window. You were at least two feet off the ground, and it didn't faze you a bit. You have also figured out that you can push Grayson's chairs and little footstool around the house up to anything you want and then climb onto a higher surface. I've caught you on a few tables this way. I am constantly figuring out new ways to baby-proof, but I've pretty much figured out that nothing is really Gavin-proof. </div>
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You have learned several fun new things this month, and it reminds me why I love this age so much! Although, you could slow down a bit - I'm not really to see my baby turn into a big boy yet. But the most exciting thing you've conquered this month is walking! You started taking steps about two weeks ago, and within just the last couple of days we can officially consider you a walker. You still crawl when you need to get somewhere quick, but you are up to probably 15-20 steps at a time, walking across rooms and getting wherever you need to go. You are so proud of yourself, and it's so cute! You also "learned" to wave (you've known how for quite a while but literally would refuse to do it until a few weeks ago), you high five, and you LOVE to clap. You shake your head no A LOT, but sometimes I think you just do it anytime you want to answer me either yes or no. You also love to grab my hands and make me clap constantly, especially if you've done something you think I should be impressed by. You love it when we say "Yaaaayyyy Gavin!" and clap for you, so now you think you can look at literally any human being and clap your hands and they should applaud you. </div>
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You've started babbling in a way that sounds a lot more like sentences than just random babble, and I'm not sure we can say it's official, but you've been saying a lot of "A-dada" when requested, so I'm sure Daddy would like to claim Dada as your first word. I'm not saying it counts quite yet ;) You discovered flipping light switches on and off a few days ago when I was holding you in the bathroom, so now anytime I carry you by a light switch you start kicking your legs and doing your excited, gaspy noise. When I let you turn it on or off, you look at me with a silly grin on your face for awhile while you hold your finger right by the switch, like "Is this really OK?", then when I say it's OK you can do it, you flip the switch and it's SO exciting every time. So dang cute. </div>
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You love music and love to dance, and Daddy plays a lot of music when he gets home from work. As soon as he turns a song on, you head to the middle of the living room like it's a dance floor and start moving your little booty up and down. Now that you're walking, you bounce up and down, and just like your brother, you've got perfect rhythm. You also have started doing your weird little bear crawl in a big circle, which I just figured out tonight is some hilarious dance you've created. The second the music came on tonight you crawled to the center of the room, then started crawling in circles. You are seriously hysterical. </div>
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There isn't much that makes you upset. Me leaving is probably the major one, followed closely by bath time, which is crazy because you've always loved it! But right now you scream hysterically the entire time you're taking one. You don't mind diaper changes, but you refuse to lay still for more than two seconds, so I personally hate them. You also are impossible to dress. I end up crawling around the room trying to shove arms and legs inside clothes. I'm always sweating at the end of a diaper/clothing change. You protest maybe half the time, sometimes with tears, when I put you in your car seat, but are usually fine within like thirty seconds. And you sometimes cry when I try to put you to sleep. Other than that, happy as can be! </div>
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You and your brother are growing closer all the time, and he's starting to talk to you more like you're a friend. He tells you to come play, encourages you, tells you you're annoying, yells at you to get away from his toys, tells you he loves you, tells you he does NOT love you, begs for you to take a bath with him, gives you big hugs, then pushes you on the ground or picks you up rather violently. Brotherly love is a crazy thing to watch develop. Maybe my favorite thing the two of you do is "walk" together. Since you've been up and trying to walk, he's started grabbing both of your hands while you face each other, and he'll walk backwards while you walk toward him. It's so cute and sweet and almost always ends with a little too much force for my liking, but he gets so excited that he's helping! He's having so much fun watching you learn how to walk and he jumps up and down and says "He's walking! He's walking!" almost every time. I'm sure that excitement is about to wear off. </div>
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I can see your Daddy falling in love with you more and more every day. The baby phase isn't his favorite (although he obviously loves his babies as babies), but now that you are funny and wild and crazy, he is SO into it. You are clearly going to be the one he can do all the crazy stuff with that Grayson has always been too cautious to try, and I can see a little sparkle in his eye when he watches you do something ornery. He loves to toss you around and hang you upside down because you just squeal and eat it up. I may have to watch you two. </div>
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I am having a blast watching you develop into the little guy you are going to be. It's so fun to try and guess your personality based on who you are as a baby. My guess at this point would be laid-back and chill, but with an ornery, adventurous streak. Super decisive, and maybe a little impatient (join the club with the rest of us in the house on that one). Sweet as can be, but not super into cuddling and physical affection (I'll have to keep getting this from big brother I think). Overall I think you are just going to be content and happy, because that's how you've been since day one.<br />
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Clearly, CLEARLY, I am super obsessed with you, and I adore you more than is reasonable. You and your brother and that Daddy of yours make me so happy I could explode, even when you're all driving me nuts. I love you so much, sweet boy, you make every single day so much better just by being a part of it.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeFwzWpFZibyPyWazxi_zeV_v9DhwuuhrxZW1KYrImJilO9p787BIlOjX_5C-H-Yzz95135Ezj4MHcDPT88CuuoDCCzhqyNIOS-ZzFm0CARbg53dgcKx6ayOgu5Ts_i1osbZ2PCDGU3dg/s1600/Gav10Months3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgeFwzWpFZibyPyWazxi_zeV_v9DhwuuhrxZW1KYrImJilO9p787BIlOjX_5C-H-Yzz95135Ezj4MHcDPT88CuuoDCCzhqyNIOS-ZzFm0CARbg53dgcKx6ayOgu5Ts_i1osbZ2PCDGU3dg/s400/Gav10Months3.jpg" width="318" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg7cGeinW61Sy3H63Ec3PQLrOJEz_WgtUEp_lRoRezqKpWvNBjgOncxjyJ9lsRCgHCawz-u4PKkMX-2M_OSQu3rqIVMiyyYeCxO7Tqgyk47vm1m0MDC8whrbpLpuXEo8q5lxhjoD1AVWo/s1600/Gav10Months4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg7cGeinW61Sy3H63Ec3PQLrOJEz_WgtUEp_lRoRezqKpWvNBjgOncxjyJ9lsRCgHCawz-u4PKkMX-2M_OSQu3rqIVMiyyYeCxO7Tqgyk47vm1m0MDC8whrbpLpuXEo8q5lxhjoD1AVWo/s400/Gav10Months4.jpg" width="300" /></a></div>
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<i>FYI, I'm super bummed about the bad cellphone pics this month, but my camera died and I didn't have time to retake them :( :( :( </i></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039717493682923155noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545670271830222242.post-81061060161786122272016-09-16T06:00:00.000-05:002016-09-16T06:00:10.905-05:00Let's Be RealI don't struggle with comparison. That just isn't something I have a major issue with. Now insecurity, that is absolutely the great struggle of my life. But for the most part, I can look at others and admire their strengths or be happy for their blessings rather than begin to compare myself. So that's not what this post is about. It's more about my bewilderment at the capability of other people. Namely, other moms. Moms that I see on Instagram, to be completely specific.<br />
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How. How on earth do these mamas do it? I know everything is prettier cropped and behind a beautiful Instagram filter, but still - there has to be a little reality behind it. What made me think of this is my fingernails. Random, I know. But I posted a picture of me and the boys, and my hands are showing, and you can see my short, stubby nails with no polish. I am a nail biter, and no matter how many times I break the habit I go back to it. Nail biting is my drug. (I really need that crying laughing emoji here to appropriately express my feelings behind that statement).<br />
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Anyway, back to the point. I was looking at my nails, and I started thinking how all the super fun, trendy, pretty mamas on Instagram always seem to have their nails done. But hooooowwww? This is my question. When are you doing this? When are you finding time in your day to slip away to get your nails done on a regular basis? Do you get a babysitter? Does your husband watch them? Are you some type of magician and you can do them yourself and make them look like that? I just don't understand.<br />
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And it's not just nails. It's all the pretty pretty hair. I am so not a hair person. My hair looks the exact same basically every day of my life. It's either freshly washed and has been put up in hot rollers so it's kind of wavy, or it's super greasy and caked with baby powder and has THEN been put up in hot rollers, so it's kind of like matted and sorta kinda wavy. I so badly wish I was the girl who woke up and spent 30 minutes making those beautiful beach waves that everyone has, but I. Just. Can't. I can't. I've tried. I hate it. But man, those moms who do it look so put together!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5mfpvkuzpZChVIPtqGEEw00MM-wzo0mnPKoqHQT6hpMYHWKXnsqFoui8oFc7CjWpK6G1eoYl78vPS4ZofEgefvWWG9S70kBHYYgeyRuUbp7I1w1DVZ9y1clDWR37aH_iXPlKdYNkxFZ4/s1600/IMG_9827.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5mfpvkuzpZChVIPtqGEEw00MM-wzo0mnPKoqHQT6hpMYHWKXnsqFoui8oFc7CjWpK6G1eoYl78vPS4ZofEgefvWWG9S70kBHYYgeyRuUbp7I1w1DVZ9y1clDWR37aH_iXPlKdYNkxFZ4/s640/IMG_9827.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Check out this realness. No lipgloss, frizzy hair, fading spray tan, baby not looking - but Grayson wanted a family photo before preschool, so he got his family photo! Shoulda thrown an Instagram filter on this bad boy and no one would have ever known ;) </span></div>
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So, I think the struggle isn't necessarily that I'm comparing myself and I feel inadequate or wish I was more like this person or that person, but I think the struggle is just that I don't understand how these things are being done. If I had an extra probably six hours a day I think I could look pretty fab, I would work out, my house would be clean, my dishes and laundry would be done, I might even cook occasionally. But with the 24 hours a day that I get, I just really can't. I'm basically just trying to keep us all alive and relatively clean, if we're being honest.<br />
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So my vote is, let's all just be real. Does a mother of two (or one or three or five or twelve) really have time to do it alllllllll? Some of it, sure. I find time to work on my shop (<a href="http://www.havengray.com/" target="_blank">Haven Gray Kids</a>, if you're curious). I find time to blog (oh so rarely). I find time to read my bible and pray and play with my kids and keep my house picked up and somewhat clean and to spray tan and have my hair highlighted every couple of months because, hello, priorities. The things I feel like I must do for my sanity, I get done. But I don't fix my hair every day, or paint my nails, or work out, or take beautiful staged photos or flip houses or own a boutique, or, or, or, or.<br />
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I guess the moral of my story is, just do you. Am I allowed to use that phrase? It felt kind of wrong. But I like the sentiment. Do what makes you feel good, what helps keep your kids alive, what you must do each day to be sane and happy and healthy. You simply can't do it all. Not now. Maybe not ever. But you can do the very most important things, and if you're honest with yourself, you know what those things are. Focus on those, and let the rest go. For now. You can always conquer the world after your kids are in school. That's my plan, at least.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039717493682923155noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545670271830222242.post-16090114177055135022016-09-14T22:27:00.000-05:002016-09-14T22:27:58.595-05:00What Grayson Wore - February & March<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My goodness gracious I am TERRIBLE at posting these. This child has already gone back to school for a new year and I'm still posting from February and March! My bad guys, my bad. I guess the only upside is that this could possibly be some good inspiration for the upcoming fall season? I mean, let's look on the bright side.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi15eJXxGkFKV9rpEFE_xkq7sTqFr9L7iQ5_tt3-29JRw6JDrImT5yAyiUDh8zsvGKzRwwWHWkbhUOx53ody3Z-fYkdiU6IsiB2un2OtwpFzTb0adGcfImEGuBd2YrIMb-Bw2aV6n1l2M4/s1600/WGWFeb.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi15eJXxGkFKV9rpEFE_xkq7sTqFr9L7iQ5_tt3-29JRw6JDrImT5yAyiUDh8zsvGKzRwwWHWkbhUOx53ody3Z-fYkdiU6IsiB2un2OtwpFzTb0adGcfImEGuBd2YrIMb-Bw2aV6n1l2M4/s640/WGWFeb.jpg" width="344" /></a></div>
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Sweater - <a href="http://www.hm.com/us/products/kids/boys/jumpers" target="_blank">H&M</a></div>
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T-Shirt - <a href="http://www.gap.com/browse/category.do?cid=1016096&departmentRedirect=true#pageId=0&department=165" target="_blank">Gap Kids</a></div>
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Jeans - <a href="http://www.oshkosh.com/oshkosh-toddler-boy-bottoms?navID=header#prefn1=filterNavLevel3b&prefv1=Skinny" target="_blank">Osh Kosh</a></div>
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Shoes - <a href="http://www.toms.com/slip-ons/navy-canvas-tiny-toms-classics" target="_blank">Navy Canvas Tiny Toms</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4-U1QDPNMuqgWOAyjYNqzg_dzaaEKsLA8EtOPxZAfo-9ciTERhmrZBT6XYjSV2zqGw8dgVlFpWZJfLT30YfayI7bTmCI_xHOVuxONItzvE1DpubPDagBhQVz_ZJzwe5LC51bYcLkVpgE/s1600/WGWFeb2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4-U1QDPNMuqgWOAyjYNqzg_dzaaEKsLA8EtOPxZAfo-9ciTERhmrZBT6XYjSV2zqGw8dgVlFpWZJfLT30YfayI7bTmCI_xHOVuxONItzvE1DpubPDagBhQVz_ZJzwe5LC51bYcLkVpgE/s640/WGWFeb2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Button Down Shirt (undershirt) - Hand Me Down From Cousin Haik!</div>
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Sweater - <a href="http://www.childrensplace.com/shop/us/search/toddler-boy-clothes/toddler-boy-tops" target="_blank">The Children's Place</a></div>
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Jeans - <a href="http://www.oshkosh.com/oshkosh-toddler-boy-bottoms?navID=header#prefn1=filterNavLevel3b&prefv1=Skinny" target="_blank">Osh Kosh</a></div>
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Boots - <a href="http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/category.do?cid=1036281&departmentRedirect=true#department=166" target="_blank">Old Navy</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicIIBSo8vtUXhmhls2A59D-Ut3YuiRLtrnPqTxENckzXr1zXMrmMK3u8Nr9KASFeXSX3CZ-NaTFAEX_9AT-NruY3SCNqXnX5_umJ6lNnPMtJTIHVjbUsO2kT_koO3bV_wXuU5jrxiHkQA/s1600/WGWFeb4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicIIBSo8vtUXhmhls2A59D-Ut3YuiRLtrnPqTxENckzXr1zXMrmMK3u8Nr9KASFeXSX3CZ-NaTFAEX_9AT-NruY3SCNqXnX5_umJ6lNnPMtJTIHVjbUsO2kT_koO3bV_wXuU5jrxiHkQA/s640/WGWFeb4.jpg" width="340" /></a></div>
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Button Down Shirt - Another Hand Me Down :)</div>
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Jeans - <a href="http://www.oshkosh.com/oshkosh-toddler-boy-bottoms?navID=header#prefn1=filterNavLevel3b&prefv1=Skinny" target="_blank">Osh Kosh</a></div>
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Shoes - <a href="http://store.nike.com/us/en_us/pd/converse-chuck-taylor-all-star-low-top-2c-10c-infant-toddler-shoe/pid-11232642/pgid-11338300" target="_blank">Converse Chuck Taylor All Stars</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvrFr5YcZ_CwsZC2vE_PSOBcZDFqGQHvwoCZJ8JkV-cEl6FBPJivNmxzZHHekb9FIuAxtPV7ppbnqZzPd22jbV_iu4JgP9HJc9HA8dcp60Bl0jrQ_8cZNV_9cJCcf5XrpHPuKyvaTxBbY/s1600/WGWFeb5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvrFr5YcZ_CwsZC2vE_PSOBcZDFqGQHvwoCZJ8JkV-cEl6FBPJivNmxzZHHekb9FIuAxtPV7ppbnqZzPd22jbV_iu4JgP9HJc9HA8dcp60Bl0jrQ_8cZNV_9cJCcf5XrpHPuKyvaTxBbY/s640/WGWFeb5.jpg" width="284" /></a></div>
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Sweater - <a href="http://www.gap.com/browse/category.do?cid=1016169&departmentRedirect=true#pageId=0&department=165" target="_blank">Gap Kids</a></div>
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Jeans - <a href="http://www.childrensplace.com/shop/us/search/toddler-boy-clothes/toddler-boy-skinny-jeans" target="_blank">The Children's Place</a></div>
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Boots - <a href="http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=1036351&vid=1&pid=277374002" target="_blank">Old Navy</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj0yZDhWGBPWg33bSkU3DDCyIAInxn7dJd1v9tVXHB6KDylUiB6HSc6IATYb8rG7RqWSyNJNmC3TGLUcyiYwIiwIh3vB5IOKH-M1qSL92V9_gWd8yD9HZuut7pZaqr6Ohwmn3Y6SQankI/s1600/WGWMarch2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj0yZDhWGBPWg33bSkU3DDCyIAInxn7dJd1v9tVXHB6KDylUiB6HSc6IATYb8rG7RqWSyNJNmC3TGLUcyiYwIiwIh3vB5IOKH-M1qSL92V9_gWd8yD9HZuut7pZaqr6Ohwmn3Y6SQankI/s640/WGWMarch2.jpg" width="336" /></a></div>
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Shirt - Christmas gift, no idea where it was from </div>
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Jeans - <a href="http://www.oshkosh.com/oshkosh-toddler-boy-bottoms?navID=header#prefn1=filterNavLevel3b&prefv1=Skinny" target="_blank">Osh Kosh </a></div>
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Shoes - <a href="http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/category.do?cid=1036281&departmentRedirect=true#department=166" target="_blank">Old Navy</a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0idXB8eF7kABs_m5jVMQAB06Cfa0ObZ7lVHTOLNNd8QK0MejWHscMDnsFiwmaSNHvrc40Hw-QeN2pcAKAdRJz1MVcBMeS0ITR-dUYanv3LMg1a4FDaYSbCBZCLf1gJm9XPcsmIGjCq70/s1600/WGWMarch5.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0idXB8eF7kABs_m5jVMQAB06Cfa0ObZ7lVHTOLNNd8QK0MejWHscMDnsFiwmaSNHvrc40Hw-QeN2pcAKAdRJz1MVcBMeS0ITR-dUYanv3LMg1a4FDaYSbCBZCLf1gJm9XPcsmIGjCq70/s640/WGWMarch5.jpg" width="286" /></a></div>
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Shirt - <a href="http://www.target.com/c/tops/-/N-4tfpv" target="_blank">Target</a></div>
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Jeans - <a href="http://www.hm.com/us/products/kids/babyboy" target="_blank">H&M</a></div>
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Shoes - <a href="http://www.toms.com/slip-ons/navy-canvas-tiny-toms-classics" target="_blank">Navy Canvas Tiny Toms</a></div>
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Shirt - <a href="http://www.gap.com/browse/category.do?cid=1016138&departmentRedirect=true#pageId=0&department=165" target="_blank">Gap </a></div>
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Jeans - <a href="http://www.hm.com/us/products/kids/babyboy" target="_blank">H&M</a></div>
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Shoes - <a href="http://www.toms.com/slip-ons/navy-canvas-tiny-toms-classics" target="_blank">Navy Canvas Tiny Toms</a></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039717493682923155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545670271830222242.post-75943228055865388262016-08-27T23:58:00.000-05:002016-08-28T00:09:00.436-05:00Gavin - Nine Months<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Well, my sweet little love, you might start tipping the scale over from sweetest baby ever to craziest baby ever! This ninth month with you has been quite an entertaining little adventure, let me tell you. You sir, have no fear, no hesitation, and if you see it, you go for it. Where your brother has always been super thoughtful and cautious before trying anything out, you have an idea and are moving on it before I even realize what's happening. You're keeping me on my toes 24/7, that's for sure.<br />
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You are still incredibly sweet, but you are so super silly that it's becoming your dominating trait I think! You are a fake laugher, and it is hilarious. If you want someone's attention, you stare at them and fake laugh until they notice you. You get so excited about things, and if I'm holding you you always grab onto my shoulder and squeeze and then slide your hands around all frantically while laughing and squealing anytime anything exciting happens. You've starting "teasing" people, looking at them and then when they look at you, you look away and laugh, then look back real quick. So cute.<br />
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You love to chase and be chased, and "I'm gonna get Gavin!" always gets you crawling your crazy crawl as fast as you can while laughing your little head off. You LOVE wrestling with your brother, and if he's laying on the ground you will crawl all over him, bite him, scratch him, all while laughing hysterically. Poor guy can't fight back too much because you're still so small (and man, are you small!), so you just get to attack him and he has to take it for the most part - although he holds his own, don't get me wrong. I see so, so much wrestling, and so many injuries in our future. You both love it.<br />
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You love to dance to music, and you shake your little hips right in rhythm whenever you hear any kind of beat. You also are a big bouncer, meaning you bounce up and down whenever you are excited, which is A LOT of the time. You've injured your poor lips and chin this way I don't know how many times, because you're always holding on to a table when the bouncing begins. You are a climber, and nothing is too high or too challenging for you. I think it's time to nail every single thing in our home to the walls. You can't be stopped.<br />
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Even though you're wild and crazy, you're still a deep thinker when you allow yourself to be still. You get a super serious look on your face and take things in, and I just wish I knew what you were thinking. I know you're understanding a lot of what we say these days - especially no, because you hear it all the time and always hesitate, and sometimes stop what you're doing.<br />
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We have a lot of "nicknames" for you I guess you could say. Most of the time I call you Gav or Gav-Gav, but you get a lot of Monkey and Munchkin from your dad, and I call you my little spider monkey a lot because of that crazy bear crawl that you do. That is by far your most notable trait, and everyone that sees you crawl comments on how hilarious it is. I also call you my little puppy somewhat frequently, because you crawl around carrying things in your mouth like a dog a lot. Water bottles, socks, toys - basically anything that you find on the floor.<br />
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You are the world's fastest crawler I'm quite sure, and you've started standing up enough that I would assume walking is not too far away. You started standing up directly from a sitting position just a few days after you turned nine months, and you can stand for several seconds at this point before you slowly lower yourself down. You haven't attempted any steps at all, and to be honest I'm totally fine if we hold off on the walking thing for a bit...I feel like once you're walking you will be GONE. I already lose you several times around the house on a daily basis, pretty sure walking will only make that worse.<br />
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You are happy almost all the time. The only time you aren't is if I'm gone (I hear you aren't a perfect angel baby for everyone else, you had me fooled), if you're getting your diaper changed, or if you're being put to sleep. You don't even get angry if you're hungry, you just get clingy to me and won't let me put you down until I figure out what you're wanting. Speaking of that, you're still nursing every three or four hours throughout the day, and usually twice at night, although I think you're about to get MORE teeth (you have six already!), so you have been waking up nonstop to comfort nurse I guess. Exhausting for mommy, but that's what I'm here for. You're eating mainly jarred baby food, but you do like bites of our food whenever we're eating something you can have.<br />
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You are napping in your crib for all naps (unless we're out and about) and you go down in your crib at bedtime every night. Some nights you'll sleep in there all night, with me coming in two or three times to nurse you and rock you back to sleep which I do not exactly love, and some nights I end up bringing you in to our room somewhere between one and three if you just won't settle back to sleep. I can't do cry it out, I just don't have it in me, but we are LIGHTYEARS ahead of where we were with your brother at this age. He had literally never slept in his crib even once at night at this point, so I'll take this for sure.<br />
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Overall, the main thing I want to remember about you at this age is your happiness. You are full of joy, full of giggles, full of fun, and I ADORE you. You make me laugh all day long, and even your brother always talks about how cute you are (when he isn't mad at you for taking his toys and being "the worst!"). Watching your personality develop is so fun and hysterical, because I did not expect you to be quite so goofy. I feel like you are going to be a bit of a prankster, because you are ornery and love to make us laugh already. I just can't wait to see who you become and to watch you and your brother develop more of a bond. I feel like you may be the one always encouraging him to get into trouble - so far, he is all too happy to jump in and do whatever crazy thing he sees you doing.<br />
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Sweet Gavin, I couldn't love you more if I tried. You bring me so much joy every single day, and your sweet little voice and precious little laugh just melt me. I always sing you "You are my sunshine", and you truly are. I was so nervous about having two boys and having a special relationship with both of you, but it's amazing how natural it has been. You boys are night and day, and I love the unique love that I share with each of you. I'm so blessed to be your mama!<br />
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Celestehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/07291520365210071292noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545670271830222242.post-68740903651508749242016-08-04T11:39:00.000-05:002016-08-04T11:39:47.823-05:00Overwhelmed in the Best Ways<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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You guys, I have been so freaking busy the past couple of months that I feel like my head is spinning on the reg. I really hate when people talk about how busy they are as a competition for who is somehow the coolest, but for realsies I am overwhelmed with busy. But in all the very best ways. And it's kind of hilarious and fun because I think it's that sneaky God guy again.<br />
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A few months ago, after God snatched me up and was like "Hey you! It's time!", I felt like I was constantly searching to figure out what He wanted for my life. I knew He had called me to something, or some <i>things</i>, but I didn't feel like I had any direction. I spoke to the girls in my bible study about it, talked with my mom and hubs, and started praying about it. My main issue is that my little brain is <i>fullfullfull</i> of ideas at all times <span style="font-size: x-small;">(pretty sure I've shared that multiple times before)</span>, but I can't ever commit to any one thing. I have business ideas and ideas for groups and this and that, but nothing ever comes to pass because it's TOO MUCH. And it's also not THE THING. Like, I always knew there were certain things that I was meant to do, just wasn't sure how to get there.<br />
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Funnily enough, God seems to be the key to figuring it all out. Who knew? So after chatting with all these people about my conundrum, I decided to pray for all of my ideas to stop. Like, please God turn my brain off and just don't let me have any more ideas because I can't deal with the battle in my head of having the ideas and not having the answer for how to pursue them.<br />
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And this was probably the first time I have ever KNOWN that God answered a prayer, because I went from <i>rattlerattlerattle </i>with ideas all day long, to nothing. Like, silence. It was honestly like He just flipped a switch and the ideas were gone. And it was AWESOME. It was so relaxing and freeing and all the things I needed it to be. <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwP7bLLK5hkQ2Ut955i3ItslzNst0PkYwpIMyV7UlrFGSQsrX64D5Jb6D1vbc5rtEZyu8HabYS4Ru-rm-V42Jn8aNwL9veID9JO5B5zU-agw81ZgazvA6ITkIGSEbUADawjHMdzzqayOI/s1600/jeremiah2911.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="418" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgwP7bLLK5hkQ2Ut955i3ItslzNst0PkYwpIMyV7UlrFGSQsrX64D5Jb6D1vbc5rtEZyu8HabYS4Ru-rm-V42Jn8aNwL9veID9JO5B5zU-agw81ZgazvA6ITkIGSEbUADawjHMdzzqayOI/s640/jeremiah2911.jpg" width="640" /></a><br />
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After enjoying that silence for maybe a week or two, I started praying a different prayer. I started praying for the right idea. The idea <span style="font-size: x-small;">(or ideas)</span> that God wanted me to pursue. And within no time at all I had a new idea that I'd never had before, that I wasn't even sure that I loved. But I talked to my mom and husband about it, and they both thought it was a great idea. I brought it up to my dad, and he said he thought it was really smart. And I was so surprised, because what a random idea? So I started pursuing it. And instead of pursuing it for a few days and getting frustrated and giving up, things just seemed easier and I kept at it. And before I knew it, it was a real thing that was actually happening.<br />
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And now we have <a href="https://www.havengray.com/" target="_blank">Haven Gray Kids</a>.<br />
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If you would have told me three or four months ago that my mom and I would have an online shop for boys clothing I would have thought that was kind of ridiculous. But also, if you would have told me like six months ago that I would be a crazy Jesus lady I would have laughed in your face. So basically, what do I know? Now I've got my shop and I've got Jesus and here we are. And I'm loving it.<br />
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So this gave me the "career" that I think I've been longing for since becoming a stay at home mom. Which I love that I have the opportunity to do, but man I am not cut out to be a stay at home mom 24/7...I admit and embrace that fact now. This little shop is giving me a purpose, a to-do list to check off which I <b>need,</b> and still lets me be home with my babies. Win-win.<br />
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But I also knew there was more. I knew there was something I needed to be doing that gives back to other women, that helps them build community, that gives them something to look forward to. I started a little Thursday night dinner club with a bunch of random friends of mine earlier this summer that has been fab, and I'm going to be a table leader this upcoming year for MOPS. Both of those things were exciting and fun, but I still felt like there was more.<br />
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And wouldn't you know, all of the sudden my MOPS group needed a publicity leader. I don't know if anyone knows this about me, but I have a degree in Public Relations. I read the job description and was like "Huh. That's crazy, that's sounds exactly like a job I would apply for". But I thought I'd let someone else take it on. And then a week later they were still looking for someone. So I was like "God? Is that you?", and I reached out to the girls leading MOPS and they were immediately on board and suddenly I'm on the leadership team for this ministry at a church that I just started regularly attending a few months ago. Like, what? But I'm telling you. God is so funny.<br />
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So I went from searching nonstop to find my "thing", and all of the sudden I have so many things. So many wonderful fun things that are filling me up to the tippy top with contentedness and joy. I am super overwhelmed, but it really is in all the very best ways. I know there is more to come. I attended Declare, which is a Christian women's blogging conference last weekend (again, what?), and I feel like I had a few experiences that gave me a glimpse into some things that are to come. I don't know when. Years from now? Next week? Neither would surprise me. But it's exciting stuff.<br />
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So. I haven't been around here as much as I would like because of all these things, but I am happy and loving life and planning to make my way back here. Even if blogging, writing, whatever, isn't the "thing" like I have always thought, I do know that it's something that I love and will always keep up to some degree. I felt like I got a VERY clear message that I needed to "let go of the idea of what it's supposed to look like" at Declare, so I'm not going to force anything anymore. I'm not going to try and force myself to come here and blog regularly or anything that doesn't feel right. So I hope I'm here often, but I'm just not sure. Life is a crazy mystery, I'm apparently just along for the ride ;)Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039717493682923155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545670271830222242.post-68001335812642673182016-07-21T14:48:00.000-05:002016-07-21T14:48:03.986-05:00Gavin - Eight Months<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Oh, you sweet little thing. You are the craziest little baby I have ever known, but you are so sweet that I just can't be mad! I just told your Daddy the other day one of my favorite things about having kids is watching their personalities develop. It's such a surprise because you have no idea what you're going to get. And let me tell you, after the sweet, calm baby that you were, you are definitely a surprise. </div>
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I've thought for quite some time now that you are going to be a bit of a daredevil, and you certainly are. Your brother started climbing up the outside of the staircase for the first time the other day, and when Nana asked him why he was doing it, he said "Gabin does it!". So at just eight months you are already influencing your cautious big brother to do wild and crazy things. You are going to be a handful I just know it! </div>
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You are constantly into things that you shouldn't be. Eating rocks out of the fireplace is a major attraction these days, as is attempting to stick your fingers in power outlets and chewing on electrical cords. You escape into empty rooms all the time, and the fact that they are pitch black doesn't bother you at all. You just crawl right in to the dark and find something to chew on. You also just discovered the little trampoline in the playroom, and if I can't find you that's typically where you will be, perched up there trying to bounce. Unfortunately it's way too tall for you, so I'm pretty sure you're going to dive off head first before long and hurt yourself. </div>
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You have gone from laughing and smiling nonstop to becoming quite studious. Grayson was studious as a baby, but you're developing the trait later. You are always looking around, studying every little thing with a serious look. But you're still easy to make giggle, and you love when Daddy tosses you in the air, when I put you on my legs and pump you up and down, and when we tickle you. You also love when Grayson chases you through the house and then catches/tackles you. Mommy does not love the tackling as much, but you're pretty good to scream at him if he takes it too far. You guys wear me out. </div>
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We are having the hardest time getting you to eat anything other than milk straight from Mommy. Just within the last few days you've gotten a lot better about eating about a third a jar or pouch of baby food at a time, and you're really into eating pieces of bread or veggies that I put on your highchair tray for you. We've been attempting some formula because I'm so busy that it's getting hard to exclusively feed you myself, and it is NOT happening. You straight up refuse that. But you loooove to drink water. If you're freaking out about something, giving you a drink of water generally will calm you down. Strange, but helpful. </div>
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You are crawling like a little maniac, but you still don't crawl normal. Now you crawl with your legs almost completely straight, and you look like a little jungle/cave baby. It's hilarious, and you are so fast! I actually took you to the chiropractor to see if something is out of whack, because you refuse to crawl normal. I'm hoping now you're all fixed up and can crawl like a normal baby, but if you do I'll honestly miss your crazy little cave baby crawl. You also pull up and climb on everything, but you have zero balance if you're not holding on to something, so I don't think you'll be walking anytime soon. </div>
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Just in the last couple of days you've been doing A LOT of the "mamamamama" thing, and yesterday for the first time I got a few DEFINITE "Mama"s, so I think it's safe to say that Mama is your first word! Yaaaay! Grayson's was Addie, so I'm so happy I won this time! (Although I'm sure if Addie were still around she would have beat me). You only really have said it when you've been upset and crying for me, but hey! I'll take it! Last night you woke up and started SCREAMING "MaMaaaaaaaaaa!!!!" It was kind of hilarious, but it sure made me come running quick! </div>
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You and your brother are playing together so much these days, but are also starting to fight a lot more frequently, too. So far nothing too extreme, but he hates when you don't play the "right" way with him or come touch his toys when he's playing with them, and you absolutely do not like when he takes a toy from you. But the way you two light up around each other sometimes is the BEST thing I've ever seen. When I picked Grayson up from his class at church on Sunday and told him we were going to get you, he said "I missed Gabin!". Ugh, I love it so much. </div>
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One of the cutest things going on these days is all the dancing and singing you're doing. If you hear anything that even resembles a beat, like something thumping more than twice, you start moving your little shoulders and hips and it is so cute! You go fast or slow depending on the beat, so I'm thinking you got your brothers natural rhythm. You have no idea how exciting this is for your parents because we both like to think we are excellent dancers ;) You also sing along with me and Grayson when we sing to you, and it is hilarious. You're basically screaming/squealing, but you'll do it through an entire song of "ABC's" or "Twinkle Little Star" and stop immediately when we do. So cute. Also, anytime I start singing "You are my Sunshine" you almost go into a trance. It's what I sing when I'm rocking you to sleep, so I think it just turns on some type of sleep switch in you. So funny. </div>
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The only way I can get through a diaper change with you is to sing "ABC's" or distract you with something you shouldn't have, like a remote or diaper cream or something. Getting you dressed is no easy task, either. Basically, any time you have to sit still you can't stand it. You are ALWAYS on the move. Like, never ever are you still unless you're about to pass out. I'm excited for/secretly dreading the day you start walking. You will be unstoppable. </div>
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Once again, 8 month old Gavin is my favorite Gavin, but there seriously has not been one single bad phase with you. I think I say it every month, but you are a true JOY, baby boy! You are so smiley and happy and funny and ornery and sweet and cuddly and smart and cute - I know, I know all mamas think their babies are the best, but I swear, you are the best little angel baby out there! I adore you so much, sweet Gav, and I love watching you grow into this crazy sweet little mama's boy you're becoming! </div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039717493682923155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545670271830222242.post-88174957678919507022016-07-07T11:44:00.000-05:002016-07-07T11:44:53.318-05:00My Heart HurtsWhen I first opened up my laptop, it was with the intention of writing a Thankful Thursday post, since I haven't done one in a couple of weeks. But this morning I just can't write a happy go lucky post about all the trivial things in life that make me happy. This morning, my heart hurts. Like, physically, my chest feels tight and I find myself constantly on the verge of tears. Because our world is so, so, so broken. And the weight of that, of the things that we see on a daily basis, of the hatred that is constantly spewed out of people's mouths, of the horrific injustices that happen regularly - the weight of that feels like it's just too much today.<br />
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I know there are two sides to every story, I know there are "reasons" and "excuses" for the way things happen, I know that I most certainly don't have any answers, I know that I am completely ignorant to so much of what goes on in our world - and that's largely by choice, because I can't bring myself to read or watch the news most days because it is sickening. And terrifying. And absolutely, positively heartbreaking. But what I do know for sure is that this world is broken. We live in a world that scares me. It scares me that my sons will have to grow up in this world.<br />
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I have always had a heart for the underdog. I have always been compassionate to a fault. If a debate comes up, I am siding with the "other", the person without the privilege, the person who may be misunderstood or at a disadvantage. I have always been painfully aware of the advantages that I have in my life, because I have so many. I am a young, relatively attractive white girl who grew up with all of the material and monetary securities I could have ever hoped for. I had parents who loved and protected me from all of the "bad" in the world for as long as they could. I have never actually feared for my life, I have never felt like a true outsider, I have never felt as if I didn't belong in a certain place because of the way I looked or dressed or the color of my skin. If a cop pulls me over, I play dumb and smile a lot and they send me on my way. If I walk into a room, I can guarantee that no one feels threatened or uncomfortable or nervous. If I encounter any type of tension, I can almost always smooth it over without much effort. I am privileged, there is no denying that.<br />
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Instead of making me feel entitled or judgmental toward other people who may be different than me, this has filled me with a sense of responsibility. I have ALWAYS wanted to help those who aren't able or aren't sure how or feel like they don't know where to begin to help themselves. I feel such a burden for anyone who is hurting, who is confused, who is angry, who is unfairly treated - my heart honestly feels like it could break.<br />
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I have no answers. I don't know where we go, I don't know how we begin to heal in our communities, as a country, as a human race. I don't know how you fix something so horribly, horribly broken. The only thing I know to do is to pray. To pray and beg God to please give us answers. Please guide us, please help us, please open people's eyes on both sides of all of these horribly divisive situations in our world. Let us see the common thread, let us view the "other" out there as human. As someone's mother, father, brother, sister, husband, wife, mommy, daddy - whatever they may be, they are HUMAN. They are someone's person. They are someone's whole world.<br />
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I feel like no matter how much I try to avoid all media, all the crazy stories, almost every day there is something horrifying that goes on. Terrorists killing massive amounts of people around the world and right here in our own country. Children being abused and neglected and murdered. Men being killed by people who are meant to protect us. Politicians that speak hatred and judgement and spew lies out of their mouths. How will any of it get better? How?<br />
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All I can do this morning is sit here with worship music on and lay my broken heart here before God and pray. I don't even know what I'm praying anymore. I feel raw and bruised and broken, and I can't imagine how people that are directly affected by any of this must feel. The pain is almost too much for me to bear, HOW is anyone surviving this?<br />
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If you're a believer, please pray with me. Please pray for our country, for all of the hurting people out there. Please pray, no matter who you believe is right or wrong in any situation, just pray for all of the human beings who are being directly affected by the horrible things in our world. Pray for direction, for something to do, for a way to make a difference. That is my prayer. That I won't only hurt this way, but that I'll feel some direction for something that I can do to make the tiniest difference right here in my own little piece of the world where I have influence. Because something has to be done.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039717493682923155noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545670271830222242.post-3700612095171137472016-06-28T23:36:00.000-05:002016-06-28T23:36:16.564-05:00Declare Conference Link Up! <div style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px rgb(221, 221, 221); color: #5b5b5b; line-height: 30.6px; margin-bottom: 20px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px rgb(221, 221, 221); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Ladies and gentlemen<i> (well, let's be real, there are probably zero gentlemen here)</i>, I will be attending my very first real life blogging/writing conference in ONE month right here at home in the <i>lovely</i> DFW area! That's heavy on the sarcasm, because there is basically nothing lovely about Texas in July. But that's OK. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px rgb(221, 221, 221); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 30.6px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Because! Not only am I jumping out of my comfort zone and attending this thing, but it is also a writing conference for Christian women - is this something anyone thought I would be doing even like six months ago? Probably no, not one little bit. However, I am insanely pumped. I cannot WAIT to get together with lots of other like-minded ladies and see what God has in store for all of us. My life has basically flipped upside down over the past few months and I kind of love everything about it. <i>(side note: did that sentence make anyone else immediately start singing the theme song from Fresh Prince? Just me?)</i></span></span><br />
<span style="background-color: transparent; line-height: 30.6px;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><br /></span></span><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">So, that was a very long-winded intro to a link-up style post that the attendees have been asked to do. I love this kind of thing when trying to get to know new online friends, and it's even better because I'll hopefully get to meet some of these ladies IRL <i>(that's "in real life", mom)</i> super soon! Now - on to my answers. </span><br />
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px rgb(221, 221, 221); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif; font-size: x-small;"><i>Here's my recent photo..Hi!</i></span></span></div>
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px rgb(221, 221, 221); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">1. If we were meeting in person, how would you introduce yourself? </span></i></span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px rgb(221, 221, 221); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Hey there!<i> </i>I'm Celeste. Wife to a pretty fab husband - aka "A" here on the blog, and mama to two precious boys - Grayson is three, Gavin is 8 months. We live in a suburb just north of Dallas, and I currently stay at home with the babies. </span></span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px rgb(221, 221, 221); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Even though I'm a stay at home mama, I'm always dreaming and scheming, coming up with a zillion things I want to pursue. I'm a freelance writer and blogger, and I love building relationships and getting to know women with similar stories, or similar interests, or in similar stages in life - really, just getting to know other women in general, I suppose. Community is <i>everything</i> to a mama with littles, and I (somewhat recently) have developed a huge heart for bringing mamas together. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background: transparent; border: 0px rgb(221, 221, 221); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">2. What is your favorite thing to <span style="background: transparent; border: 0px rgb(221, 221, 221); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">write</span> and why?</span></i></span><br />
<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px rgb(221, 221, 221); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">Oh gosh, I'm kind of all over the place. So many times I've tried to narrow things down to a specific niche, and it never works for me. Sometimes I feel like being super serious and sharing my heart and soul, sometimes I just want to write something funny. Sometimes I want to share something cute that my kids did, sometimes I share things that no one else probably cares about but that I want to remember forever. Basically, writing is my jam and I just enjoy it, no matter what form it happens to take. </span></span></div>
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<span style="background: transparent; border: 0px rgb(221, 221, 221); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">3. What is your favorite thing to <span style="background: transparent; border: 0px rgb(221, 221, 221); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">read</span> and why? </span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">This is going to sound super duper spiritual and maybe a little cheesy, but right now it's my bible. I consider myself a baby Christian, because I only very recently returned to my faith after a little over a decade of taking more of a <i>I-could-take-it-or-leave-it</i> kind of approach. So for the first time since I was in my late teens - or maybe ever, honestly - I am totally immersing myself in the bible and soaking up all the goodness that I'm finding inside. But aside from that, I love memoirs, a good mystery or suspenseful fiction, occasionally a love story or a really easy beach-read type book. I love reading more than just about anything else, but with the itty bitties running around here I don't get too much of that done these days.</span></div>
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<span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px rgb(221, 221, 221); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">4. If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be?</span></i></span><br />
<span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I want to say something sweet about spending time with my family, but I'm going to be totally honest and say my perfect day right now would be this: sleep in until like 10, preferably in a large king bed in a hotel room all by myself, have a quick but yummy breakfast, get a massage/facial/pedicure, come back to said hotel room and read/write/brainstorm/snack, possibly take a nap, get ready in a super leisurely fashion without tiny people climbing all over me, meet up with girlfriends for dinner, then retire back to my hotel to sleeeeeeppppp in peeeeaaaaccceeeee. Just being real, friends.</span></div>
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<span style="background: transparent; border: 0px rgb(221, 221, 221); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">5. What’s one thing you love about your blog and one thing you’d like to improve?</span></i></span><br />
<span style="background: transparent; border: 0px rgb(221, 221, 221); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">I love that it still feels small and private enough that I can share basically anything I want and know that I likely won't get any negative feedback or feel overexposed. However, I would love to feel like I'm reaching people and to know that my words are helping other women in similar situations in some small way. So I love my lack of an audience, but I would also like to grow my audience. I never said I wasn't a complicated lady...</span></span></div>
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<span style="background: transparent; border: 0px rgb(221, 221, 221); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><i><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;">6.<span style="background: transparent; border: 0px rgb(221, 221, 221); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"> [Lightening Round]</span> Would you rather …</span></i></span></div>
<ul style="background: rgb(255, 255, 255); border: 0px rgb(221, 221, 221); color: #5b5b5b; line-height: 30.6px; margin: 0px 0px 20px 30px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;">
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px rgb(221, 221, 221); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px rgb(221, 221, 221); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Read on Kindle or paperback? </i>Ugh. Both? I love my Kindle app on my iPad because I can read it at night without disturbing the husband and/or whatever child is in my bed at the moment. But there's really nothing like cracking open a fresh new book.</span></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px rgb(221, 221, 221); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px rgb(221, 221, 221); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Drink coffee or tea? </i>Iced coffee in the AM, iced tea in the PM - especially in sweltering Texas.</span></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px rgb(221, 221, 221); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px rgb(221, 221, 221); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Go to a musical or a movie? </i>Probably a movie, although I certainly wouldn't turn down a musical.</span></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px rgb(221, 221, 221); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px rgb(221, 221, 221); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Vacation at the beach or the mountains? </i>Beach! Well, can I say both again? Beach for like three days, mountains for like three days - sounds like a great little trip. Someone book that for me....</span></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px rgb(221, 221, 221); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background: transparent; border: 0px rgb(221, 221, 221); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Have an exciting night out or a relaxing night in? </i>Depends on my mood. Most of the time I love a relaxing night in, but every once in awhile I get in the mood to dress up, go out, and have a fun night sans bebes. </span></span></li>
<li style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px rgb(221, 221, 221); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="background-attachment: initial; background-clip: initial; background-color: transparent; background-image: initial; background-origin: initial; background-position: initial; background-repeat: initial; background-size: initial; border-image-outset: initial; border-image-repeat: initial; border-image-slice: initial; border-image-source: initial; border-image-width: initial; border: 0px rgb(221, 221, 221); margin: 0px; outline: 0px; padding: 0px; vertical-align: baseline;"><span style="font-family: Georgia, Times New Roman, serif;"><i>Watch sports, play sports, or no sports? </i>Just no. I want to like sports so bad, but I just can't make myself care. I tried so hard to get into the whole football thing for my husband, but...just. No.</span></span></li>
</ul>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039717493682923155noreply@blogger.com19tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545670271830222242.post-30869056475736924992016-06-28T07:00:00.000-05:002016-06-28T07:00:26.950-05:00Summer is for Swimming!My sweet Grayson - he is so many amazing and wonderful things, but fearless he is not. He has never been too pumped about learning to swim, although it is something I desperately want to encourage since I'm not the strongest swimmer myself. We did lessons last summer, and for the most part he spent the class clinging to me and ignoring the instructor. I knew I wanted to try again this summer, but I was a little hesitant.<br />
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Luckily for me, <a href="https://www.safesplash.com/" target="_blank">SafeSplash</a> swim school reached out to see if Grayson might be interested in a few complimentary lessons. It was exactly the nudge I needed to get him back into the swing of things, so we decided to go for it. And man, am I glad we did it!<br />
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This summer was a completely different experience than the one we had last year at our neighborhood pool. I think being another year older obviously helped, because he went into things much more willingly than last year. Also, this year he's old enough to do the class alone instead of the "mommy and me" type situation, and I think that is essential for a mama's boy like Grayson.<br />
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The first lesson he was a bit hesitant, but by the end of the thirty minute class he was all smiles. Didn't hurt that he got a sucker at the end ;) The instructors were patient and calm, and super encouraging - all things that help my boy feel comfortable in a new setting. There were only a couple other kids in the class, and when it wasn't his turn to "swim", he sat on the step with one of the instructors, playing with toys, blowing bubbles, and getting comfortable just being in the water.<br />
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By his last class this past weekend, I was blown away by how comfortable he seemed to be. This is a boy who last year had to be peeled off of me, and now he is hopping right into the water. I was shocked that they got him to practice floating on his back, and he climbed right up onto a huge floaty with three other kids and kicked his way across the pool. He even jumped in several times (a very timid jump, but still) into the instructors arms and "swam" back over to the side.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_pToVnUdeEK9b5JPdY-wK9fxWEfobi4jc2O4msnRwT9kdSqylRoOeiGpxbG7RcuftVH_rIGM7ByGvva3vUne5ixyIXnJUSJWlVnPFlBgN2JviBaG5bVVJhBqRfrJGV_P4UAT2BbCPxW0/s1600/graysonsafesplash.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="364" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_pToVnUdeEK9b5JPdY-wK9fxWEfobi4jc2O4msnRwT9kdSqylRoOeiGpxbG7RcuftVH_rIGM7ByGvva3vUne5ixyIXnJUSJWlVnPFlBgN2JviBaG5bVVJhBqRfrJGV_P4UAT2BbCPxW0/s640/graysonsafesplash.jpg" width="640" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_WbANY8Lxvkoazdw9J7DtEu_-orEWbCW37wQEDqUysltB62oWPtncaI4D7vy05w7iGYaJEehyphenhyphenWzmj5hpOg50i4vdkXICKiu1tGbUOsddxQ-QdnIN_mhTT2gaFMkTWzw2Q4l5MUGICrQQ/s1600/Graysonsafesplash1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_WbANY8Lxvkoazdw9J7DtEu_-orEWbCW37wQEDqUysltB62oWPtncaI4D7vy05w7iGYaJEehyphenhyphenWzmj5hpOg50i4vdkXICKiu1tGbUOsddxQ-QdnIN_mhTT2gaFMkTWzw2Q4l5MUGICrQQ/s640/Graysonsafesplash1.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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The best part about the entire experience is the fact that he isn't near as nervous when we take him swimming. We went to the neighborhood pool yesterday, and he was comfortable in his floaties, he swam back and forth between me and the husband several times, and he had fun jumping off of my legs into the water, letting it splash around his mouth and nose. I know this may not sound huge to anyone else, but for Grayson this is a pretty big deal! </div>
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We were totally happy with our experience with SafeSplash, and I fully intend on returning in the fall once our weekend schedule calms down a bit. I'm sure a lot of his progress has to do with maturity, but I also was super pleased with how the instructors were with him. I know I had a bad experience with swim lessons as a kid that resulted in a lifelong fear of water, so I'm always hesitant with this sort of thing. I'm happy to say they were nothing but kind and encouraging, and I couldn't have been more pleased with the experience!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039717493682923155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545670271830222242.post-56714732959363362952016-06-26T17:33:00.000-05:002016-06-26T17:33:49.340-05:00Gavin - Seven MonthsWell, he's done it again. He's made me think that this is my favorite month with him. Sweet Gavin is still the best baby on earth, pretty sure, but he's starting to sprinkle a little bit of mischievousness and stubbornness in with all the sweetness. But honestly, it's just making him even more fun! It is so hilarious how different my boys still are, and I swear at least once a day we're like "It was SO different with Grayson!". They are equally amazing and precious, but they are night and day in personality and temperament. Since I'm almost a MONTH late with this <span style="font-size: x-small;">(I know)</span>, I'm going to do my best.<br />
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My Gavin,<br />
<br />
Man oh man, your mama is obsessed with you. There's just something about you that makes me melt into a puddle of love anytime you look me in the eye. You really have the sweetest way about you - even your little baby coos and chatter are sweet. Unless it's loud. Then it is LOUD. That is one thing you and your brother most certainly have in common. You've started "singing" a lot. When you're sleepy, after I'm done nursing you, sometimes in the car - you start making the sweetest little melodious sounds and it is so adorable. But then you usually top it off with some insanely loud yells, just to make sure I'm not too enamored I'm sure ;)<br />
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You're starting to make me think your Papaw may have been on to something this whole time, because you my friend are a little bit ornery. You are into EVERYTHING. You are pulling up on EVERYTHING. You are trying to climb the stairs and crawl on top of your activity table, for crying out loud. Your favorite thing to get ahold of is any electrical cord you can find, and also tiny things that you find on the floor and shove in your mouth before I can stop you. You are also quick. So quick. If you see something, you've got it in your tiny hands before I even realize what's happening. Anytime you're in anyone's arms anywhere near something you can grab, it goes straight to the floor. And you do it with such a nonchalant look, like "What? Was that cup not supposed to go crashing to the floor? Oh, didn't know."<br />
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Right now your favorite thing in the entire world to get in your paws is a plastic water bottle. Seriously, I wish I cold capture the face you make on camera, because the only way to explain it is PURE EXCITEMENT AND OVERWHELMING JOY. Your mouth opens as wide as it can and all your tiny teeth show and your eyes get wide and light up and you cling onto it so hard that you shake. It's hilarious. Nana said you're just like a puppy dog because Addie always loved water bottles. She also thinks you're like a puppy dog because no matter how mad you are about something, the second your attention is on something else you're back to open mouthed smiles and eyes wide with joy. In a word, you are HAPPY.<br />
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You still are not technically crawling, although you are. I've seen you do it multiple times, all the way across the living room into the kitchen once, but your preferred method of transportation is weird army crawl/body dragging/froggy leg. You typically crawl until you need to go fast, then you drop down and drag. And again, you are quick. You can drag that little body of yours across the room in a flash. Your favorite thing to do lately is spot something you want but know you shouldn't have, then look at me and squeal until you've got my attention. Once I'm looking, you drag/frog your way over to it as fast as you can, squealing and giggling the whole way until I catch you - and then you giggle some more. Like I said, a bit ornery.<br />
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I think Daddy's favorite thing about you is that you're a bit of a daredevil. Nothing scares you, which terrifies Mommy. You'll climb anything, dive off of anything - although you're usually somewhat cautious about it - and you let Daddy toss you into the air and you just smile and squeal in delight. He LOVES it. Grayson has never let him do it, he's always grabbed onto Daddy's arms so he can't toss him, so he's having a blast tossing you around - again, terrifying Mommy. So I think you and Daddy are going to have LOTS of fun getting into things that Mommy doesn't necessarily approve of...<br />
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Your brother and you are starting to have fun playing together. He's BIG into pretend play right now, so you're his doctor's assistant a lot, sometimes you're an animal - baby tiger, mainly - but most of the time you're just driving him crazy and making him yell at you because you're TOUCHING HIS STUFF!!! And he gets mad and growls at you like a tiger, because that's what Grayson does when he's mad, and you smile and giggle and think you're totally in on it all together as some fun game. I keep telling him he better stop being mean and taking toys away from you, because when you're big enough to do it to him I'm not going to stop you. One of the only things that truly makes you mad is when Grayson takes your toys. That will get an angry scream quicker than just about anything. This sibling thing is so fun for me to watch, even when it isn't all happiness. I love the bond you guys are already developing.<br />
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The only other things that make you mildly unhappy are diaper changes - which you typically just flip over and run away from <span style="font-size: x-small;">(fun for me, thank you)</span> - being put to sleep when you aren't just passing out from exhaustion, being pulled off of or away from something you're attempting to climb, and being told no, because you totally know what it means already and sometimes protest loudly when you hear the word. Oh, and it also makes you mad when anyone other than mommy has you if you are tired or grumpy in any way. Mama's boy #2, and I'll gladly take it - although it gets a little tricky when both of you guys need me to hold you and I'm the only one that will work. Maybe you'll keep me somewhat fit this way.<br />
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You still don't care for food much, although if I let you lick some of my food off my spoon or give you a teensy bite you're into it. If it's your baby food, no thanks. This is one more way that you and your brother are alike. We're still not super routine with anything, but you typically eat every three, maybe four hours most days, and nap once a couple hours after you wake up, once early afternoon around noon or one, and again anywhere from three to 4:30. Bed time is usually 7:45-8:15, and you're even sleeping in your crib pretty good! Wahoo!<br />
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You had your top two teeth break through around 7 1/2 months, and that was rough. Four days of fever and horrible sleeping and misery - for all of us. Thankfully they finally pushed through and now you've got two cute little gapped teeth just like your sweet brother. I love seeing the little similarities between the two of you.<br />
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We've been traveling back and forth to Oklahoma quite a bit, and you are a dream of a traveler for a tiny guy. You usually sleep most of the time, and if you're awake you're usually ok, playing with toys or laughing at Grayson - unless it's at the end of a long drive and you're hungry/wet/tired of being in the car. Then it's a pretty miserably loud trip until we get there or pull over and fix it for you. But you'll sleep wherever you are, you let everyone hold you and pass you around, even if you don't really know them, and you're content to just hang out for the most part. We went to a birthday party last weekend and were there for about five hours and I'm pretty sure you didn't cry or even make an unhappy sound once. Such an easy peasy little guy. You're definitely my sucker baby, because I just know I won't ever get another one as good as you!<br />
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If it isn't obvious, I absolutely adore you. Adore adore adore. I love just looking into your little eyes and staring at you. You either jabber or yell or coo at me real soft, and I just imagine all the things you're trying to say. I remember doing this with your brother, wondering what type of little boy he would turn out to be, and he's better than I could have ever even dreamed. I think having gone through this experience with him makes it all the sweeter with you, because I know how amazing it is to watch a tiny baby develop into a hilarious and sweet little boy, and I can't wait to see who you are. I love you so so much, baby boy.<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039717493682923155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545670271830222242.post-43446295263606320682016-06-09T11:06:00.000-05:002016-06-09T11:06:28.368-05:00Thankful Thursday Happy Thursday friends! I've had a pretty great week so far, and I hope you have too. The husband is traveling this week, so I loaded the boys up and we spent the first half of the week in Oklahoma visiting my parents. My mom is staying at my Grandmother's trying to clean things out and get the house ready to sell, and my dad conveniently lives about five minutes away from her place, so now we get to see both of them in one trip!<br />
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And goodness, do my boys love their grandparents. When we left last night I stopped to get gas before leaving town, and from the backseat I heard Grayson say "Mommy? I miss Nana and Papaw". We hadn't even been in the car for three whole minutes! I would say that's a pretty good indication that we need to spend lots of time visiting this summer :) So on that note, let's get to the list!<br />
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<b>1. Fun Grandparents (obviously)</b><br />
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Never have I been more aware of how lucky the boys and I are to have my parents than this past few days. And of course I'm including the husband's parents in this list, because they are just as important and special to my sweet boys as my own parents are. One thing I can say with certainty is that my boys are ABUNDANTLY loved by all four of their grandparents. They are spoiled and loved on and cared for so sweetly, and there is so much laughter shared between all of them that it really makes my heart happy. Plus, it's so helpful to me to be able to relax a bit and know that there are other capable adults who love my babies just as much as me who are there to help out - mama never goes off duty, but the help is so appreciated!<br />
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<b>2. Sunshine!!!</b><br />
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Now, I'm not a huge summer-lover, but I'm almost 100% positive that this is only because I've spent all but one of my summers on this earth living in either Texas or Oklahoma, where it isn't just hot, but it is actually PAINFULLY hot, daily, for months on end. I hate that type of heat. But, we're kind of in a sweet spot right now. We've had almost a week straight of beautiful sunny days, and the highs are hovering right around 90, which is so doable. The sunshine makes me happy. It truly makes my day better by leaps and bounds when it is sunny and warm outside. So this has been a good week for me.<br />
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<b>3. My Church</b><br />
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This is another one I would have never thought would be on the list, because just a few months ago the thought of church made me a little sick to my stomach if we're being honest. But the church that I've found and have been attending regularly is totally flipping my idea of what church is upside down. The people are so genuine and it's such a laid-back and comfortable environment, and I love the teaching of both of the senior pastors. They're doing a series right now on prayer, and it has been so eye-opening and helpful to me with where I'm at in my life right now.<br />
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<b>4. Endless Possibilites</b><br />
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There are so, so, so many things I want to do and accomplish in this life, and it's so amazing to think that the majority of them are totally possible. I'm actually trying to flip-flop my thinking on this, because usually I'm totally overwhelmed by the thought of all that I want to accomplish and the HUGE task of figuring out how to do any of it. But I'm working on seeing all of these dreams as just big opportunities that I have the good fortune of trying to make work. I'm also taking a more hands-off approach to things and relying more on nudges from God to see where to go and what to do, and that's making a big difference in taking some of the pressure off. So today I'm going to be thankful for all of the possibilities in life and hope and pray that I can begin moving toward putting some things in action!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039717493682923155noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545670271830222242.post-6910817125534773962016-06-08T20:38:00.000-05:002016-06-23T10:26:56.570-05:00JORD Wood Watches - *Giveaway*Hey friends! Every once in awhile I'm contacted about products to share with you guys, and I'm always a little hesitant about whether or not to do it. It would be super awkward to get something and then have to tell everyone that I didn't like it, because we know I'm not going to lie to you all! But when JORD reached out to me about their <a href="https://www.woodwatches.com/" target="_blank">wood watches</a>, I knew it was a pretty safe bet that I would be into it. And the good news is, I was totally right.<br />
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In fact, this is actually my new favorite watch. I kind of assumed a wood watch would feel rather heavy, but it's actually super lightweight and comfy. They're available in a ton of different colors and styles, and I love the one that I got, t<a href="https://www.woodwatches.com/series/fieldcrest/zebrawood-and-maple" target="_blank">he Fieldcrest</a>, because it goes with basically everything. Plus, I actually have gotten several compliments on it since I've been wearing it - who doesn't love a compliment every now and then ;)<br />
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The even better news is, the awesome people with JORD are giving away a $75 e-voucher to one lucky follower of mine to go toward the purchase of your very own wood watch! Also, everyone who enters (excluding the winner) will get a $20 e-gift card, so it's pretty much a win-win for everyone. All you have to do is head over to <a href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BGXJhGbx8bV/?taken-by=celesteca" target="_blank">my Instagram account</a> to find out how to enter to win. The contest ends this Sunday, June 12th, so don't wait too long! Good luck friends!<br />
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<!-- JORD WOOD WATCHES ARTICLE WIDGET END -->Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039717493682923155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545670271830222242.post-40689917978582600582016-06-02T11:09:00.000-05:002016-06-02T11:09:06.323-05:00Thankful ThursdayI'm back! Two weeks in a row of thankful posts, people - I've impressed myself, I must say. Maybe I'll become a semi-almost-kinda-regular blogger now that I've got a little "me time" every week! Let's not get carried away though - my track record doesn't exactly support this theory.<br />
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But I am excited to be back this week with another Thankful Thursday post. I'm reading Ann Voskamp's <a href="http://onethousandgifts.com/" target="_blank">One Thousand Gifts</a> right now and it really has me thinking about all the millions and millions of things I should be thankful for every single day. There are SO MANY good things in life, so many things to be happy about and to bring us joy - taking this time to share some of them with the internets is really making a difference for me personally. I've also started my own list in a notebook at home, much like she did, and it's crazy the little things you start noticing when you take the time to write down all the goodness in life. Anywho - on to my list for the week!<br />
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<b>1. Music</b><br />
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I have loved music since I was in my mama's belly - seriously, she says when she would switch from one type of music to another she could tell what I liked, because the rock music station always made me go crazy. She mistakenly thought this meant I didn't like it, but by the time I was in elementary school it was clear that this was my FAVE - much to her and my country loving dad's disappointment, I'm sure. So I was probably just dancing my little baby heart out in there. Just a guess.<br />
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Anyway, music is the number one way I can get myself to feel some feels. I'm kind of a strange person, in that I get super emotional about things like hurting children and homeless people and all the horrors of the world, but things in my own life I'm kind of distant from. So to get myself to really feel something, music is the way to do it. I kind of wrote a little about that in my <a href="http://www.ourfabulouslifeinthesuburbs.com/2016/05/oh-how-he-loves-us.html" target="_blank">post on Tuesday</a>, about how music is helping me on this God-journey that I'm on. And today, I am super, super thankful for amazing music of alllllll kinds. Because I love it all.<br />
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<b>2. Delicious Food</b><br />
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I think I hover on the verge of a serious food addiction. I love love love love to eat good food. The fortunate/unfortunate thing is that so does my husband. So while it's awesome that we get to eat yummy things all the time, it's also TERRIBLE for our bank account. We eat out just a ridiculous amount, but we seriously love it. He was just off work for four days <span style="font-size: x-small;">(Hallelujah!) </span>and we ate out like 17 times. And it was awesome. I am so very thankful that there is such delicious food in this world - but I kind of wish maybe I wasn't SO thankful for it, knowwhati'msayin?<br />
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<b>3. Modern Conveniences</b><br />
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Of course I'm thankful for this lovely MacBook I'm typing on, and I love my iPhone and our TV and whatnot, but I'm mainly thinking of all the things that it takes to make me a decent looking human. Totally not saying that to be self-deprecating or whatever, but seriously, the maintenance it requires is a bit much. I am so thankful for eyebrow waxes and spray tans and highlights and makeup and contacts - and while we're at it, braces and skin creams and all the things that I needed in my youth. Super shallow and superficial it may be, but goodness, I would have been a much different looking person if I were alive 100 years ago! Anybody with me on this? Thank the Lord for things that make me feel pretty (insert crying-laughing emoji guy here).<br />
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<b>4. Dreams</b><br />
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I have a love/hate relationship with my dreams. Not the dreams I dream at night, although those can be kind of cray, not gonna lie. The dreams I dream for myself, for my future, for my family, for my kids. I posted on <a href="https://www.instagram.com/celesteca/" target="_blank">Instagram </a>earlier this week a little about this. I have SO many things I want to do, but I'm taking a hands-off approach lately. I'm not moving until I feel like God is nudging me to move. I actually prayed a few weeks ago for all my ideas and dreams to stop for awhile, because if you know me <span style="font-size: x-small;">(or have read this blog for long)</span>, you know I am full of dreams upon dreams and ideas upon ideas and it is just SO MUCH. It's overwhelming. And it's kind of debilitating, because there's too much and I don't know where to start or what to do. And it totally worked - this was one of the times I know that God heard me, because he absolutely answered. My brain that nevernevernever stops churning out ideas just <b>stopped</b>. Slammed to a halt. So now, I'm asking for the right dream, the right plan - and I feel like I've been getting hints as to what the right dream for now may be. And hopefully that means God is going to take that dream and turn it into an actual plan and maybe it will actually become a reality. How crazy would that be? Can't wait to see what happens.<br />
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So there you have it! As always, would love for anyone who stumbles upon this little blog post of mine to share their thankful things with me - and I hope everyone has a fabulous rest of the week!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039717493682923155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545670271830222242.post-23505921832525133442016-06-01T06:00:00.000-05:002016-06-01T06:00:17.788-05:00What Grayson Wore - January<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Well, now that school is actually out and it's JUNE, why don't we go ahead and talk about what Grayson wore way back in January? I mean seriously, guys...I'm kind of the worst. But, it is what it is - we all know I'm not the most consistent girl in town - so let's just go for it and jump right in, mmk?</div>
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First of all, can we just talk about my tiny baby with his shaggy hair? He seems so old now, and I guarantee his new haircut a few days after this is what aged him so drastically. Anyhow. Here's the deets. Kinda. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Shirt: <a href="http://www.gap.com/browse/subDivision.do?cid=6413&mlink=5058,10323290,visnav_T&clink=10323290" target="_blank">Baby Gap</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Jeans: <a href="http://www.oshkosh.com/oshkosh-toddler-boy-bottoms/V_OB21118111.html?cgid=oshkosh-toddler-boy-bottoms&dwvar_V__OB21118111_color=Color&dwvar_V__OB21118111_size=2T#prefn1=filterNavLevel2&prefn2=filterNavLevel3b&prefv1=Jeans&prefv2=Skinny&navID=header&start=1&cgid=oshkosh-toddler-boy-bottoms" target="_blank">Osh Kosh</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Shoes: <a href="http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/category.do?cid=1036281&departmentRedirect=true#department=166" target="_blank">Old Navy</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrakvcrLRP6a2_D05YxB8fou7sclE5Vo37UNQQE6YtITEA2SMiYTGQN021XJecxrQ5zfzGoGkzlYEbI4Jo0RgF2GnveTYRlS99zcpC11QfjhK5WFGTFNkDdnEryaujNwUN9fmsOtyD9Y4/s1600/WGWJan.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrakvcrLRP6a2_D05YxB8fou7sclE5Vo37UNQQE6YtITEA2SMiYTGQN021XJecxrQ5zfzGoGkzlYEbI4Jo0RgF2GnveTYRlS99zcpC11QfjhK5WFGTFNkDdnEryaujNwUN9fmsOtyD9Y4/s640/WGWJan.jpg" width="328" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Shirt: <a href="http://www.kohls.com/catalog/boys-kids-toddlers-clothing.jsp?CN=4294730817+4294732649+4294718325+4294719810&icid=kib|b1" target="_blank">Kohl's</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Jeans: <a href="http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/product.do?cid=70154&vid=1&pid=525608002" target="_blank">Old Navy</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Shoes: Our reliable <a href="http://www.journeys.com/product/86466" target="_blank">Converse Chuck Taylors</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicsJodiYNZC6DiZReJZES5RIPiK2yyZeS-OBM6acyz9T8UM6a9v-xkktOl92f-nGGs0gMP4SHClAqMwj6Ia0XEdS3xQMD7nz5RrCCMp-dM1vRevLbb_bejWdfgGS9Oboc5kwq_C0EVkAM/s1600/WGWJan2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicsJodiYNZC6DiZReJZES5RIPiK2yyZeS-OBM6acyz9T8UM6a9v-xkktOl92f-nGGs0gMP4SHClAqMwj6Ia0XEdS3xQMD7nz5RrCCMp-dM1vRevLbb_bejWdfgGS9Oboc5kwq_C0EVkAM/s640/WGWJan2.jpg" width="316" /></a></div>
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See? Just like that, he's a million years older. </div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Shirts: Button Down - Hand Me Down from cousin :), Sweater - Resale Shop Find!</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Jeans: <a href="http://www.oshkosh.com/oshkosh-toddler-boy-bottoms/V_OB21118111.html?cgid=oshkosh-toddler-boy-bottoms&dwvar_V__OB21118111_color=Color&dwvar_V__OB21118111_size=2T#prefn1=filterNavLevel2&prefn2=filterNavLevel3b&prefv1=Jeans&prefv2=Skinny&navID=header&start=1&cgid=oshkosh-toddler-boy-bottoms" target="_blank">Osh Kosh</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Shoes: <a href="http://www.journeys.com/product/86466" target="_blank">Converse Chuck Taylors</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Hb_YjYlglQnbsT1e3suiZNfxmXtdDf8e5-FitFgQPcy0pZIe7du74k6AEAaVklZ5lrtUgOGq6STg8yc9Hzb05dInRTTP3rpSRdqfmTza5CSNmuIyXWxncB85yoFBXncc-_L6druvSNE/s1600/WGWJan4.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-Hb_YjYlglQnbsT1e3suiZNfxmXtdDf8e5-FitFgQPcy0pZIe7du74k6AEAaVklZ5lrtUgOGq6STg8yc9Hzb05dInRTTP3rpSRdqfmTza5CSNmuIyXWxncB85yoFBXncc-_L6druvSNE/s640/WGWJan4.jpg" width="288" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Shirt: <a href="http://oldnavy.gap.com/browse/division.do?cid=6241&mlink=5151,11140339,Top_nav_Toddler&visnav=1&clink=11140339" target="_blank">Old Navy</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Jeans:<a href="http://www.oshkosh.com/oshkosh-toddler-boy-bottoms/V_OB21118110.html?dwvar_V__OB21118110_color=Color&cgid=oshkosh-toddler-boy-bottoms&dwvar_V__OB21118110_size=2T#prefn1=filterNavLevel2&prefn2=filterNavLevel3b&prefv1=Jeans&prefv2=Skinny&navID=header&start=3&cgid=oshkosh-toddler-boy-bottoms" target="_blank"> Osh Kosh</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Shoes: <a href="http://www.journeys.com/product/86466" target="_blank">Converse Chuck Taylors</a></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIvncyZTpwuov8aYgxXY_ICU98KaTPY5q18yUcJweagF8MdaRFA1EbMiBK7XtTe4zRCo7iGjeSRsFE09CZgJiQmlTfH6r18e90Hn13ljZigbQtA7DKkU9yFs9WQ1a78r6iS0LKSdnSiUk/s1600/GraysonJan1.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIvncyZTpwuov8aYgxXY_ICU98KaTPY5q18yUcJweagF8MdaRFA1EbMiBK7XtTe4zRCo7iGjeSRsFE09CZgJiQmlTfH6r18e90Hn13ljZigbQtA7DKkU9yFs9WQ1a78r6iS0LKSdnSiUk/s640/GraysonJan1.jpg" width="322" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Shirt: <a href="http://www.childrensplace.com/shop/us/c/toddler-boy-clothes" target="_blank">The Children's Place</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Jeans: <a href="http://www.oshkosh.com/oshkosh-toddler-boy-bottoms/V_OB21118111.html?cgid=oshkosh-toddler-boy-bottoms&dwvar_V__OB21118111_color=Color&dwvar_V__OB21118111_size=2T#prefn1=filterNavLevel2&prefn2=filterNavLevel3b&prefv1=Jeans&prefv2=Skinny&navID=header&start=1&cgid=oshkosh-toddler-boy-bottoms" target="_blank">Osh Kosh</a></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"> <span style="text-align: center;">Shoes: </span><a href="http://www.journeys.com/product/86466" style="text-align: center;" target="_blank">Converse Chuck Taylors</a></span></div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039717493682923155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545670271830222242.post-44100048677010845142016-05-31T06:00:00.000-05:002016-05-31T06:00:27.525-05:00Oh, How He Loves UsThis whole journey to a real relationship with God that I have found myself on recently started with a random trip to the Hope Spoken conference a few months ago. I <a href="http://www.ourfabulouslifeinthesuburbs.com/2016/03/god-things.html" target="_blank">wrote a little</a> about how I ended up there and my thoughts on it, but I'm not totally sure if I really wrote about my experience there. It is what changed everything for me. I saw a different side of what Christianity could be, how supportive Christian women could be, and the atmosphere was just amazing. I mean, it was beautiful outwardly, but the feeling throughout the entire conference was just so pure and comforting and welcoming, so many things that at that point I certainly did not relate with Christianity or God.<br />
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But even as amazing as it was, I still didn't feel it deep down in my soul the way I knew I could. Or should. I loved it so much, but I wasn't feeling that deep God connection that I had felt years and years ago when I was in that place, and on the last morning I was feeling a little let down at that. I thought, maybe it's just been so long that I can't get there? Maybe it's just not for me anymore? There was a time of praise and worship that last morning before the conference ended, and I was sitting at a table by myself, listening to all of these worship songs that I had never heard obviously, because I had been incredibly anti-Christian music for a solid 12 years. Some of them I really liked, and I would make note in my phone to download them. But none of them were touching me deeply.<br />
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And then finally, very close to the end, it happened. And I broke. And I cried. And cried. And all I could think was, God, I am <b>so sorry</b>. I am so incredibly sorry. Because the song that finally touched me and let me feel his presence was the song <a href="https://youtu.be/RxTOsQ3LDE4" target="_blank">Oh How He Loves Us</a>. And until that moment, I don't think I had ever truly thought about the fact that God actually loved me. And the fact that I had completely turned away from him for over a decade. Obviously as a mama, I thought about how I would feel if my boys walked away from me, wouldn't speak to me, said they didn't need me, didn't want me, didn't miss me - for 12 years. It broke my heart, just the thought. And I did that, I did that to God. Who loves me more than I can even imagine loving anyone or anything.<br />
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It blows my mind. All of it. I'm a super logical person who needs to understand things to believe them, I'm a researcher, I like to know the details about things. So it's been easy for me to just not totally believe for all these years. My thing was always, well, IF there's a God....because who can really truly prove to me that there is? </div>
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But then, you feel it. For me, it's hard. It's super hard for me to feel that love, and I'm not sure why. But now that I'm a mama, I can understand it. I can feel it in that way, as a mother loves her child, God loves me. Really? Yes. Really. Once you've felt it, I think you always have a longing for it. Once you've felt the true love of God, there's always a yearning to get back to that place, to experience it again. And it's hard. I'm hoping that's something that will change as I continue down this path, that I don't have to try so hard, to seek so hard, before feeling it deep within. Because I know it's there, surrounding me all the time. It's something in me that's blocking it. And I'm working on identifying that and breaking that down.<br />
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Still, the times when I start to feel that stirring in my spirit - which if you've experienced it you know exactly what I'm talking about - seem to always be when I'm listening to music that is focused on God's love for us. For me. Another song that seems to move me every time is <a href="https://youtu.be/fiyYoe678yI" target="_blank">Broken Vessels</a>. I keep saying I feel blocked in some ways when it comes to going deeper in my relationship with God, and I think it's because I'm not totally able to accept and feel that love for some reason. So that's where my focus is. And what's working for me is finding some quiet time <span style="font-size: x-small;">(which is so hard to come by in this season of my life)</span> and listening to the songs that sing of God's love.<br />
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I sometimes feel ridiculous asking questions at the end of a post, because I've been away from this blog for so long that there's a chance no one is reading - but I'm genuinely curious. If you're a believer, is feeling love from God a struggle for you? Or does it seem to just happen organically? If it is a struggle, how have you worked through it? I would love to hear about other people's experiences.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039717493682923155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545670271830222242.post-80495499629885864762016-05-26T12:12:00.000-05:002016-05-26T12:12:18.895-05:00Thankful ThursdayWell that was a bit of a break, wasn't it? Something I'm trying right now is to only do things as I feel like I'm supposed to be doing them, and I haven't had the urge to pick up my laptop and blog lately, to be honest - so I'm taking that as a sign that I need to be focusing on other things. Which I have.<br />
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But today! Today is a new day, a glorious day, and a crazy day, because TODAY - I am sitting at a Starbucks about five minutes from my house while our new babysitter is at home taking care of my littles. My sweet dad has been encouraging me to do this for quite awhile, so I finally bit the bullet and found a babysitter that I trust, and I will now be getting out of the house five hours a week to write. Or read. Or do whatever, really, because I have FIVE HOURS a week to do whatever I want! It's kind of blowing my mind a bit.<br />
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If you don't have kids, five hours probably sounds like nothing, but to a mama of two little bitty needy things, five hours feels like five years. And will probably pass by in about five minutes. Because on a regular basis I am on the clock literally 24 hours a day, seven days a week. This. Is. Amazing.<br />
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So today, I'm here to be thankful. So Happy Thankful Thursday y'all!<br />
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<b>1. FREE TIME!!!</b><br />
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I think we basically covered this above, but I am so thankful for this time to get away and be Celeste instead of mommy, to work on the things I want to work on, to brainstorm and daydream and listen to music or podcasts or blog or read or do WHATEVER. Man, am I thankful for it. Thanks dad, because you made me do it. And you're funding it, which is AMAZINGLY nice of you.<br />
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<b>2. My Hilarious & Happy Kids</b><br />
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You guys, I have been so overwhelmed lately with how dang lucky I got in the kiddo department. I will preface this by saying they certainly are not saints, and sweet Grayson makes me want to actually rip my hair out of my head in frustration multiple times every day because HELLO THREENAGER, but - for the most part they are awesome. They are so insanely happy, they are so excited about life, they are so funny - like, make me cry laughing funny. They are just full of joy, and it is contagious, and when I can focus on that instead of the tantrums and the constant mess-making and the sheer exhaustion of mommy-ing all day long, it feels me up to the tippy top with love and joy.<br />
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<b>3. My iPad</b><br />
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My super amazing and under appreciated husband bought me a new iPad for Mother's Day <span style="font-size: x-small;">(since Grayson took mine over and then the husband accidentally shattered it) </span>and man, I forgot how awesome those things are. It's really hard for me to find time to sit down with an actual book, because - well, kids. They always need me to be doing something <span style="font-size: x-small;">(gah, how selfish), </span>and when I do get a chance to sit down for five minutes, it's kind of hassle to get out a book and sit and read. Plus, kids destroy things made of paper, so any actual book I read would certainly be disgusting and covered in food and bodily fluids. But I can just grab my iPad during lunch or while we're outside or when I'm in bed at night and get to reading. Super fab.<br />
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<b>4. The Rain</b><br />
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This one was a struggle, because I hate rain. But I'm going to turn my annoyance at the constant gloomy weather we seem to be having in North Texas right now into being thankful that it's not 1 billion degrees yet. Because it's almost June, and technically it could be like 105 by now. Stranger things have happened. So I'll enjoy not sweating to death 24/7 and still being able to take walks during the afternoon <span style="font-size: x-small;">(when it's not raining) </span>and Grayson being able to play outside without me wanting to cry <span style="font-size: x-small;">(when it's not raining)</span>.<br />
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So there you have it! I hope you are having a great Thursday, and thanks for sticking with me through my random starts and stops of blogging. I really do want to be more consistent, but who knows. My life is always a surprise, even to me. Have a great, long weekend!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039717493682923155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545670271830222242.post-56376190565266982662016-05-22T18:48:00.001-05:002016-05-22T18:48:16.510-05:00Gavin - Six MonthsHalf a year already?!? Are you kidding me?? Man, time flies when you've got a teensy baby, doesn't it? It is so hard to believe that we are less than six months away from a year with this guy. He is such a sweetheart, and I still swear that he's the best baby in the entire world. Such a joy!<br />
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Oh my Gavin, I'm pretty sure there's not much to say that hasn't already been said. You, my dear, are a true delight. You are smiley and always happy and silly and full of giggles. And oh my goodness, those giggles. You have a good belly laugh, but when something is really hilarious you do this kind of weird throaty cackle kind of laugh. I actually have no idea how to explain the sound, but it reminds me of an old man more than a baby. Maybe a chortle? Not sure what that is really, but that sounds right. It's so, so funny. You LOVE people, and you make sure they know it. It doesn't matter if it's family or friends or people you lock eyes with at Target, you are guaranteed to break into the biggest smile and let that person know you are so HAPPY to see them! I absolutely adore your little personality. Adore.<br />
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Even though you are an absolute joy 99% of the time, you are starting to show some other sides of who you are. You aren't the most patient baby<span style="font-size: x-small;"> (surprise)</span>, and you are starting to grunt and squeal in protest if things aren't going your way. You are also starting to protest loudly by either screaming or crying when Grayson takes a toy that you are playing with - which happens at least once a day, of course. If you don't want to be somewhere, whether it's the floor or your swing or your jumper, you will definitely let me know that you would like the situation dealt with immediately.<br />
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We've started trying some solids with you, and so far you are less than impressed. I started with homemade purees of avocado and banana, and you felt kind of meh about it. So I gave up for a bit. Then I talked to your pediatrician about your lack of interest and my lack of time to prepare your food, and she said there is nothing wrong with feeding you store bought organic baby food. I must tell you, I never would have done this with your brother, but in true second-child form, you are now being served store bought food. And to be honest? You're still kinda meh about it. If you can physically hold the pouch in your tiny little paws and jam it into your mouth on your own, you will eat a few bites. If I try with a spoon, you press your tiny lips together and I get a big no thanks. So. We're working on it.<br />
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At your six month appointment you were just a serious charmer, flirting with the doctor and nurse nonstop. The nurse kept saying you were making her feel terrible about her job, because you got three yucky shots that day. Your doc also said we may have to watch out for you, the way you use that smile of yours. You very well could use it to your advantage, which is scary. Two flirty boys. I see years of worry in mommy's future.<br />
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We have no real routine at this point, every day is just too different with your big brother's activities and social life. You typically are up anywhere from 6:30-7:30, eat, play, and then nap again about two hours later. If we are out and about you'll sleep for an hour or maybe even two if you're in your car seat, but if you're home it's more like a 30 or 45 minute nap. Then you'll be up until around lunch time, and the length of the nap totally depends on if we're home or out. You always need one more afternoon nap, but if you've taken a late lunchtime nap and didn't wake up until 2 or so, then you sometimes totally skip the late nap, making our evenings loooooong. You are just like your brother and I can't let you sleep before 7:45 - at all - or you will treat it as a nap and wake up at 9pm, ready to party.<br />
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You are finally sitting up on your own, just within the last couple of weeks <span style="font-size: x-small;">(and hello, I'm almost three weeks late with this post, so you were just over six months when you got that down).</span> You absolutely have had the ability for weeks now, but you are so busybusybusy that you never sat still long enough to actually sit. The second we would sit you, you would dive out for whatever object was nearest to you. You are sooooo right on the verge of crawling, too. You are up on all fours, rocking, picking up a hand and putting it down, moving each of your knees forward individually - you just haven't put it all together yet. You always start to go, then just lean over on one of your hips and kind of rest there. But you get wherever you want to go by either spinning around in circles, doing a slow army crawl of sorts, or just kind of lunging forward and sliding.<br />
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Even though you are sweet as can possibly be, you are also just a tiny bit crazy. In fact, I tell you how wild and crazy you are several times a day. You are fearless, and attempt to dive out of my arms regularly. If I'm holding you and anything at all is within reach, you will 100% of the time grab it and throw it on the floor. You never, ever sit still, you are constantly trying to get ahold of things that you don't need. And you watch your brother like a hawk, and the crazier, rougher, wilder he his, the harder you laugh. Again, years of worry for mommy coming my way.<br />
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One thing that is absolutely hilarious is the way you show excitement. You get sort of still and stiff all over and then you start moving your little hands like crazy. The reason this is so funny is because your brother did the EXACT same thing as a baby, and he still does a version of it to this day, and I've never known another kid to do that. So there is something that your dad and I produce that makes kids have a hilarious, over the top reaction to excitement apparently.<br />
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Right now the things that you love most are Grayson <span style="font-size: x-small;">(obviously), </span>jumping in your jumper, "jumping" on the bed with Grayson, chewing on anything and everything, bath time, and the Hot Dog song from Micky Mouse Clubhouse - no matter what you are doing, if you hear this song your little head whips around and you stare at the TV intently before starting your excited hand moving thing. The only things that seem to upset you are getting dressed and diaper changes, because you are forced to stay still for more than two seconds, and when you can't have exactly what you want when you want it. Which basically means you fit right in with the rest of us ;)<br />
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Every day I think I can't possibly love you anymore, and then you prove me wrong. You truly bring me so much joy, and watching you and your brother develop a true relationship is making me a big puddle of emotions on a regular basis. I'm so very glad that you made your way into our family, and I just can't wait to watch you grow into the amazing little boy I know you're going to be. But don't grow too fast! You're too perfect of a baby to rush this part!<br />
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Love,<br />
Mama<br />
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/05039717493682923155noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2545670271830222242.post-44166489999186071612016-05-07T15:32:00.000-05:002016-05-07T15:37:42.400-05:00Happy Mother's Day, All You Mommies ;) I've been wanting to try something new around here, because Grayson is basically hilarious, and I really want to capture it on film to remember forever. So I dreamed up a little recurring post that I plan on doing called Conversations With Grayson. Of course, this was a few months ago and I'm just now getting around to it, but that's beside the point.<br />
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Since Mother's Day is this weekend, I decided to focus on Mommy for our first conversation. And I can say that I learned a couple interesting things. For one, Grayson is super shy in front of the camera. I'm thinking it's because we've never done it before, so I'm hoping he'll warm up to it and be a little more himself next time.<br />
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I also learned that apparently I say no A LOT. To be honest, he and I have had a bit of a rough week this past week, and he is in a phase of asking me for the same thing over and over and OVER, even after I've already said no. So yes, I have been saying no on a regular basis, and apparently he's made note of that.<br />
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So I hope you enjoy our first conversation! Please ignore my laugh, it's not my cutest quality. And Happy Mothers Day to all you mamas, grandmamas, mamas-to-be, and hopeful-to-be mamas out there!<br />
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