Shannon's Wedding Recap

Friday night, I got to celebrate one of my friend Shannon's wedding. I have known Shannon since the age of 10 and she is such a sweet girl. I have been helping her over the last few months with some planning and details. Friday I wore my wedding planner hat and helped run the show! Everything turned out great! The wedding was at the River House in St. Augustine and it had a great view of the intracoastal. The only problem was I was too busy running around to remember to take pictures of most of the evening! Here are the ones I snapped.

I think it is finally time to start a LLC for our wedding/party planning business! After the wedding, we hit up a bar in downtown St. Augustine called Dos Gatos to cap off the night. We had brunch the next morning and then headed home to collect the girls from a sleepover with Gammoe. 

Friday was also Georgia's 2nd birthday! We weren't able to see her on her actual birthday, but we did do Mexican the night before and she got some birthday ice cream that she was loving!! What a gem she is! I love her so much!! :) 

Today we slept in and enjoyed Church on the couch since the girls are not 100% well. 

I am so sick of everyone being sick. Please Lord let us all get healthy. We did go to lunch and to the movie theater to see zootopia which was a cute movie. Poor Delainey though jumped out of the car and hit her mouth on my head and was gushing blood everywhere. It was a long hard day today :( Here is to a week of nothing to do but Spring Break!! Let the fun begin! :) 

From Trials to Triumph

Guys forgive me for this preachy post, but honestly its my blog and this is what's on my heart so I am going to write what I want. :)

Over the past 3 years I feel like I have been doing some serious growing up. Silly you think, I probably would have thought so too if you told me 3 years ago I would be much more mature and have a better outlook on life. I thought I had it all together a wonderful husband, beautiful baby girl, great family, nice house, good church, awesome friends. I cooked, cleaned, mothered, pretty much was a full on grown up. But boy was I wrong. On the surface I had it all, but internally I was no where near I needed to be.

Then a series of events started happening to me that have shaped me into who I am today and I look forward to continuing to grow and being shaped more in the future.
The first event was my struggle with infertility. The emotional roller coaster of highs and lows, having such hope mid month and being crushed at the end of the month when you realized you still weren't pregnant. I'm not going to lie, it was hard! Especially hard when all the people around you were getting pregnant and you just couldn't. Thoughts of why me? This isn't fair. It was a rough year and a half journey before I actually got pregnant with Blakley. In spite of how hard it was, I would go through that year and a half 1 million times over because the growth that happened in me internally was worth every second!

I gained a new perspective on life. I learned how to find happiness in every situation good or bad. I learned to let go of things that are really not that important in the grand scheme of life. I learned to appreciate every second of every day I have on this Earth with the people I am surrounded by. And most importantly I learned to let Go and let God control my life. Trusting him in all I do truly is the most freeing feeling and allows me to find happiness in all circumstances.

The second thing that happened to me was I read a book last summer called, "What's it like to be married to me?" by Linda Dillow. Talk about a game changer for my marriage! I thought we had a great relationship to begin with, but after reading this book, boy was I wrong. I was so self-centered and concerned with keeping the score even between us that I only served him to get something in return. That is until I read this book and it finally all clicked with me. It's not about me. Ever. And everything that I do should be out of love for my husband with ZERO expectations of getting something in return. Was it easy? Definitely not, but did I make a conscious effort to serve him without getting anything back? I did and miraculously a few months later, he followed suit and wanted to serve me because he felt so loved! Mind blown. LOL  Do unto your husband as if you are doing it for the Lord. This book is on my list of books to read annually just to stay fresh and keep on top of my game. I highly suggest every woman read this book too! I'm a much more mature loving wife these days :)

The last thing that has helped me grow and mature was to watch a dear friend of mine go through the most difficult time in her life of losing her babies after a long and grueling 2 month fight. I still to this day think about it and cry because I can't imagine the pain she must feel everyday. It was so taxing physically as well as mentally, that nothing is ever going fully take away that pain. But lucky for us, we have God on our side. Who can provide peace to anyone at anytime. And if he's not ready to provide that peace yet, then there is some lesson that he is trying to teach you in the midst of the hurting. I truly believe that out of every tragedy something good comes from it. I have yet to see the end result in this situation, but I know 10 years from now we will look back and say it was all worth it!

I mean does it matter who hung out with who last night on Facebook, or did you see what so and so was wearing on Instagram. Does it matter if my kid is a stellar athlete, or is one of the smartest kids in the class. Does it matter what car you drive or brand clothes you wear? No, nothing matters if you don't have God on your side and he is your #1 priority. Could I have survived the infertility struggles with out him? No. Could I have sacrificed my pride and selfishness to put my husbands needs first without God helping me? No. Could I have the right words to comfort my friend during this horrible time? No And that my friends is why I feel like I have matured so much over these past 3 years. All these events brought me to 1 conclusion of: put God first and he will take care of everything.

Since figuring this out, I have already seen some awesome things happen in my life and around me. I have had opportunities to witness to people I never thought I could. I have been given the perfect words at the perfect time to help comfort someone. I have helped bring a new perspective to a situation so that things don't seem that bad. Was it me talking? No it is 100% God giving me the words and opportunities to live out his word. Thank you Lord for giving me these events over the past few years because they have truly shaped me into who I am today and I look forward to how you will continue to mold me in the future.

Gone Pinterest Crazy

Sorry readers. I have found a new obsession and it's called Pinterest. I have always loved Pinterest, but since deciding to build a house, it has taken on a whole new meaning.  I have 5 bedrooms, 3 baths, a kitchen, laundry, study, dining room, and living room that all have to be designed and decorated so there is LOTS to look up!
I'm really focusing on the main rooms that need to be designed before we build due to structural changes. The kitchen, laundry room, and living room. I have a pretty good idea of how I want everything to go, it is just making it happen and finding all the materials and colors I have picked out. We still need to go to the design center so that is where most of the fun will happen! Here are some pictures I have taken screenshots of for my inspiration!

Kitchen:

Laundry Room: 

Pics from this week

This week was spent running errands, going to school, playing at Gammoe's in the new playhouse, crafting for Blakely's 1st birthday party, and TONS of cleaning!! We had the carpets professionally cleaned this week which was well worth the money! It looks so much better. I have been de-cluttering and packing boxes full of things that we don't need for quite some time. Majority of it is all out in our garage to make the house look nice. We have deep cleaned this house from floor to ceiling, touched up the paint, vacuumed, mopped, scrubbed the bathrooms...needless to say we have been busy! But the house looks great! We had a professional photographer come on Friday to take pics for our listing and the house should be up for sale by next weekend. Ah!!  I feel like it is happening so fast!

I am praying it sells fast! It is so stressful trying to keep the house clean at all times with 2 wild women running around. Once it's listed we need to be ready to show it within a few hours so we will be spending lots of time away from the house so we don't dirty it LOL. Pray it sells fast please!! 

How cute are these precious little bunnies!

 The girls love their new playhouse at Gammoe's. D calls it the "Delainey Marie Bakery" and she make some seriously delicious pies in her shop LOL

All the girls together! Love them! Never a dull moment with these maniacs. 

 We tried to put a pony tail in Blakely's hair. We aren't quite ready yet LOL

 I thought D looked so pretty with her hair all messy and wavy. Had to snap a few pictures!

Today we went to a little Easter egg hunt at a church near our house where D got her face painted, played on the bounce house and did 2 easter egg hunts. 

After that we did a little family day on the boat and headed down towards St. Augustine. We ate lunch at a restaurant called Beaches on the intracoastal and it was lovely. They had a large beach area where Delainey was able to run and play and we were able to enjoy food and drinks at the same time. The food was pretty good too and reasonably priced. 

The boat ride down was a little rough as Blakely hated her life jacket. It really is so bulky and hard to maneuver around in so I don't blame her. The ride home was much better because she just took a nap in my lap. I think she will enjoy the boat a little more once she starts walking, but hopefully she will be walking by the next time we go out. It was a lovely day on the water!

Off to bed I go since we lose an hour tonight! :( I hope my kids adjust well! Hope you all had a great week! 

Blakely's 11 Month Update

Height: about 29 inches
Weight: about 19 1/2  pounds
Head Circumference: about 18 1/2 inches
Vision: We are good in this department. Nothing to report
Movement: You still aren't walking yet, but can stand holding on to nothing for about 20 seconds. I am pulling out the walker so you can start practicing the motion of moving your feet forward. You are the fastest crawler in the world ;) You are also starting to crawl up stairs you little dare devil.
Eating Habits/New Foods: Bye bye boobie milk. We are officially done breastfeeding and are doing formula for the next month till we can switch to cows milk. You are eating 4 ounces every 3-4 hours and then a 6 ounce bottle at night. You are a beast when it comes to food! You act like you cannot get enough when I am feeding you. You suck down a pouch in honestly less than 15 seconds, its crazy! Most foods are bite sized instead of purees these days. New foods you have liked are: cheese pizza, broccoli, mexican rice and beans, publix cookies, popcorn chicken. Now if only those 2 bottom teeth would pop through we would be good to go on harder foods!
Sleeping Patterns: Still getting up once in the middle of the night to eat. I'm so soft this time around. I would have made you cry it out long ago if it was your sis. But every time I think I'm going to let you cry all night, you get sick or I "think" you are teething. I swear I am going to get you sleeping through the night again this month!
Sounds/Words: You are starting to say some words this past month. You can say no, uh oh, dada, and Mama (you say it all day long). You have also said hi and bye but not very often. You laugh a lot, scream at the top of your lungs for no reason (thanks to Delainey for teaching you that). You are also doing the ouch sign now too.
New discoveries/accomplishments:
-You can stand by yourself for a while
-You are great with the signs: more, all done, ouch, milk, hi & bye
-You saw snow for the 1st time and loved it. You even got to do a little skiing on Daddy's chest
-You celebrated your 1st valentines day.
-You got your 1st serious stomach bug that included vomiting and then diarrhea for an entire week. .
Places you went/Adventures: Your big adventure this month was skiing in Steamboat. You traveled so well on the plane and in the shuttle. You did really well in childcare too. You swam in the hot springs, you went to the zoo, you celebrated your 1st Valentines day, you had a water play day with your new water table and loved it, and you spent lots of time at the YMCA (hence the extra sicknesses)
Clothes: You are in 12 month clothes for the most part. Leggings and jeans are 12 months. We are in 12 month sleepers now. You have moved up to a size 5 diaper. You are growing so fast it is crazy! I can't believe you are almost 1! WAHHH :(
Sister updates: You girls are doing great together. Delainey picks you up and carries you everywhere these days. Sometimes you don't like it since you would rather crawl yourself. She brings you out to the kitchen for breakfast, keeps you out of the bathroom, she is doing awesome. And you just want to be with her at all times. I can't wait till you can walk and start chasing her around. It's going to be a wild house!!
Weekly Pictures:

We are building a house!

Sorry to leave you guys hanging the other day on what has been going on in our lives, but I didn't want to say anything until it was a done deal. And as of today it's a done deal. We bought a house!! Well we bought the blueprints of a house and in about 6 months or so we will have an actual house to live in! It has been in the making for the past 2 years, so I am glad it all finally worked out. Here are all the boys hard at work talking logistics and signing papers! 

She's a beauty isn't she!! :) 

I knew a few years ago we were going to need a bigger house, but it was no rush so we weren't going to settle until it had everything we wanted. Well we finally found exactly what we wanted a few months ago and it has been a waiting game the past 2 months for the 3rd phase of the neighborhood to open. We wanted to have first pick of the lots so we didn't have to settle for a yard we didn't like. That just happened about a week ago and today we went in to sign a contract and get things started. We bought our lot even though phase 3 isn't fully complete so they won't start building until Mid to late April. I am good with that though because we still need to sell our house. I am so glad it all finally came to fruition. Now I am going to be consumed by house plans and how to design it and decorate it. But first it's time to clean, declutter, and stage this home to sell! Off to do some work this weekend on tidying things up! I hope you guys all have a great weekend!

PS: I apologize if you thought the news was that I was pregnant. (My mom said it definitely seemed like that lol). God hasn't provided any miracles in the fertility department yet, but we are hoping to get back on the wagon this summer. I will keep you all posted as things come up. One thing at a time ;)

Charleston Bachelorette Recap

Here is a little recap of my weekend in Charleston.
Friday we got into town around 1 pm and we immediately went to lunch at a cute little restaurant called Toast where they serve bottomless mimosas. (We frequented this spot 6 years ago when we came for Erica's bachelorette too). After lunch we had some time to kill so we walked around the straw market, stopped in a few shops, and had a drink at a place called 5Church which was so cool. It was an old church renovated into a bar/restaurant.

We headed back to the hotel to get ready for our "fancy" night out on the town. We had dinner at a restaurant called Eleve, in the Grand Bohemian hotel and it was to die for! I had a Tomato buratta salad and a scallop dish for dinner. I also tried the filet mignon and lamb chops and it was all amazing! I highly recommend this place if anyone ever visits Charleston. Best food I've had in a while hands down. After dinner, we hit up some dance bars and ended the night at a place with live music. We of course stayed up way to late talking, but that is to be expected ;)

Saturday, we had brunch at a restaurant called SNOB (Slightly north of broad) and I of course had to try out the shrimp and grits. They were really good. It ended up being a gorgeous day so we decided to go to 2 different rooftop bars the afternoon. Vendue Inn was just average, but the rooftop bar on the Pavilion hotel was gorgeous... fantastic cucumber martinis too!

 Once we arrived back at the hotel, we did a little lingerie shower for Amanda, got dressed and went to dinner at a sushi restaurant called O-Ku. Everyone was raving about how good the sushi was, but this plain Jane got chicken teriyaki and it was just average. I just can't do raw fish! We walked to a few nearby bars on King Street near the restaurant and then at the brides request went back to the same bar as the night before with live music. As much as I wanted to dance, it isn't her cup of tea so chilling listening to a band play was what we did. A few of us headed home early since we were so tired from the night before. 

It was a lovely weekend away and much needed to rejuvenate and give me some time to miss my baby girls! Thanks to the grandparents and hubby who watched the kids so I was able to have a weekend away. You all are the best!!!