A Dollop of My Life

Introducing Mr. Tyler Paul.

2013-05-19T18:43:00.000-05:00

If you follow me on facebook and twitter, then you probably already know that we welcomed baby Tyler into the world early this morning. He weighs 6lbs 15oz and is 19.5in long. He. Is. Perfect.

We're all a little tired, but that's too be expected after a day of laboring and a late night/early morning delivery.

But I wouldn't have it any other way. I feel so incredibly blessed and grateful for this sweet little life that God has entrusted us with.

We're hoping to be discharged from the hospital sometime tomorrow. Once we get settled in at home I'll have more pictures and stories on Tyler's grand entrance into the world. For now, you can just be like me and stare at him all day long ;)

Last Day of Preschool

2013-05-17T21:40:00.000-05:00

(Technically the boys still have 1 day of school left, but since we're in a ready and waiting mode for baby Tyler's arrival, I figured I'd take pictures on their second to last day of school just to be safe).

When we moved last year, one of the things I was semi-concerned about was the preschool the boys would attend for MDO. We were too far away from the school they had attended for 2 years, but most of the pre-K MDO programs that were close to us were astronomically expensive. I was so thankful to get a recommendation from a blog friend of mine. That recommendation has turned out to be one of the biggest blessings over this past school year. It's so crazy to me how much the boys have changed over the past year... especially Connor! Here we come summer... ready or not!

(Totally unintentional that Connor is wearing the same shirt... ha!)
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Silly Faces by Brayden (and 4 Yr Old Stats)

2013-05-15T07:29:00.005-05:00

I am in love with this goober.

He is confirming my long held opinion that the ages 4 and 5 is my favorite age.

Love you to the moon and back, Brayden!
Brayden had his 4 year old well check yesterday and checked out fabulously! He was SO brave during his shots. No crying, just a loud, war-like "YEAHHHHHH!!!!!!" When the 2nd shot was complete. Love my brave little warrior boy! Who may or may not have been bribed with a Great American Cookie in exchange for bravery ;)
4 yr old stats: height: 41.5 inches (75th percentile) weight: 38.5 pounds (75th percentile)

Brayden's First T-Ball Game.

2013-05-14T08:00:00.000-05:00

We FINALLY had a beautiful Saturday morning this past weekend, and Brayden was able to have his first t-ball game. He was so excited!

a little pregame cheer (Brayden is #3)
I have to say, watching t-ball with a 2.5 yr old at your side and being 37 weeks pregnant makes for a little bit of a stressful situation. At one point Connor ran out on the field to talk to Drew. Not sure how in the world I am going to do it with a newborn in tow too!

(he's playing 2nd base in this picture)

I loved watching an actual game. The kids were so cute. Brayden was so excited when he would make a play, that he'd fist pump the air and then look for Drew or I to make sure we saw. He was also really excited about hitting and running the bases too.

I mean, really. How cute is this?!

this may be my favorite picture of him yet.

Funniest moment of the game goes to Brayden, who got completely enthralled watching the other t-ball game going on while he was standing on 2nd. He was so enthralled that he completely missed the fact that one of his teammates got a hit, and the man on first came to second. They had a little conversation about how Brayden should probably run to third. And with a little coaxing from the rest of the crowd, he finally got to running. Oh how we love the comedy of t-ball!

what's a good t-ball game without a good after game snack?

So thankful for our baseball lovin' boy! What a precious blessing he is to our family!

37 weeks {a pregnancy update}.

2013-05-13T08:35:00.000-05:00

Not sure you can tell from this picture, but he has dropped a bit.

How Far Along: 37 weeks, 3 days

(If you are like me and like to compare, I found my 37/38 week updates for when I was pregnant with Brayden and Connor. Here's:

Brayden at 37.5 weeks

Connor at 37 weeks

Connor at 38 weeks

Size of baby: 19-22 inches long, 6.5 pounds

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 29 pounds (as of 5/10/13). Remember how I blamed my weight gain last week on the winter clothes? Well, my theory turned out true, as this week I "lost" 3 pounds. It looks like I'm on track to gain the same amount that I gained with my other two boys (about 32 pounds). I can't tell you how grateful I am that it's not more than that... at one point I thought I was well on my way to gain more than 40 pounds and it scared me so bad because I can barely move with the 30ish extra that I have on me!

Maternity Clothes: All maternity clothes if I wear something other than sweats and a t-shirt. But really, nothing fits right.

Gender: BOY! Tyler Paul.

Movement: He moves a lot! Mostly in the morning before I get out of bed, and then at night before I fall asleep.

Sleep: It's been as good as it can be when you're 37 weeks pregnant, although, I really feel like it would be more productive to just sleep on the potty. I have to pee ALL.THE.TIME.

Symptoms: Read a book on pregnancy. Any symptom they list at this point in pregnancy, I have. I find myself eating Tums like it's the newest candy craze.

Progress: I was REALLY surprised at this week's progress... I went from 1cm and no effacement last week, to 2cm and almost 60% effaced this week. Drew and I kind of went into hyper drive this weekend when we realized how quickly I had progressed. I am now at the same place I was when I went into labor with Connor... ANY DAY NOW!

What I miss: Being able to move like a "normal" person is what I miss most right now.

Cravings: I craved bbq for Mothers Day, which was so bizarre.

Food Aversions: well, it's not really an aversion per se, but since pizza makes me swell so bad I've stayed away from it.

Best Moment this week: Finding out I was as far progressed as I am was really encouraging. I have to admit, as much as I love being pregnant, I'm not the most comfortable right now, and since I am not getting consistent sleep anyways, I figure I'd rather have a baby to be up with than to just be up to pee or because of heartburn :)

What I am looking forward to: Looking forward to meeting Tyler! It's really an any day kind of countdown, so we're just enjoying our last few days as a family of four before we meet the newest member!

A Blessed Mothers Day.

2013-05-12T20:33:00.002-05:00

If you talk to me or read my blog, you'll know that I don't hold back on the fact that motherhood is the hardest thing I've ever experienced. But I'll also be the first to tell you that it's also the most blessed thing I could ever, and have ever done. As hard as my day to day is, at the end of the day, I wouldn't trade my life for anything. I'm so grateful that I was able to celebrate the fact that I've had this blessing of the title of "mom" now for over 4 years. It is definitely true that my cup runneth over.

We spent the afternoon on the trails. I wanted to walk (trying to get this baby out of my body- ha!), and the boys wanted to ride bikes. I trailed behind most of the time, although Connor would wait up for me every now and then.

After the bike ride we stopped at the creek. The boys could throw rocks for HOURS on end. They got a bit brave and despite the cold water, splashed a bit. I'm pretty sure they thought they had died and gone to heaven.

This picture is epic. It completely captured Connor in his element.

We have a busy week of trying to get last minute appointments done before baby Tyler makes his debut. I'm hoping he'll hold off until at least Thursday night, but at the rate I'm progressing I'm not quite sure that will happen. We will see!

Dates with My Boys.

2013-05-11T22:59:00.003-05:00

This past Thursday was a special day for me... I got to have two different dates with my boys! Such a special treat right before we welcome Tyler into the world.

Thursday at lunch Connor had a little Mother's Day picnic at school. He was SO excited about me showing up early to spend special time with him. I love being his mommy... he melts my heart!

Later Thursday Brayden and I went on a date to Chick-Fil-A for their mother/son date Knight. Brayden LOVES going on dates (or man-time with dad), and often asks to go, so I was happy to get at least one more date in with him before Tyler arrives. Drew took our pictures before we left.

(he's starting to really want to make silly faces at the camera. I obliged ;) )

CFA had a knight and the cow going around the restaurant to take pictures. Brayden didn't want to take a picture with the knight, even though he was super obsessed with the costume and has now added "knight" to his mile long list of things he wants to dress up as for Halloween. He also was able to get another balloon sword, which is basically like telling a 4 year old boy that he won the lottery. I'm so grateful to Chick-Fil-A for offering such awesome events to families to help develop stronger bonds. I love my little knight!

Easy Canvas Prints: A Review & Giveaway

2013-05-08T00:00:00.000-05:00

***DISCLOSURE: THIS IS A SPONSORED POST. ALL VIEWS AND OPINIONS ARE MY OWN***

If there is one thing I am embarrassed about, it's that I rarely get the pictures I take developed.

I know, I know.

You would think with all of the pictures I take of the boys that my house would be wall to wall canvases and prints. Sadly, it's not.

But that's starting to change, thanks to my newest blog sponsor, Easy Canvas Prints.

I'm no stranger to Easy Canvas Prints. I've worked with them before and I have to say, their products are second to none. I'm not just saying that because they're a sponsor either. I honestly love the canvases I have ordered from them.

One of the things I love about Easy Canvas Prints is that the ordering process is so seamless. All of your options are displayed in a way that is easy to understand and order. They even offer a preview of what your canvas will look like so you can adjust the cropping if necessary.

The shipping has always been super fast whenever I've ordered from Easy Canvas Prints. And their customer service has always been amazing, which is a really big deal to me. You can have an awesome product, but if customer service lags, everything else will suffer eventually. I'm so glad to say that anytime I've ever had an issue with an order, the Easy Canvas Prints team has gone above and beyond my expectations.

The quality of the canvases I have ordered from Easy Canvas Prints has always been superb. This time ordering was no exception. The colors were exactly what was displayed on my proof. The finish has a bit of a glossy sheen to it, which I really like. I ordered the standard .75" depth for my canvases this time, in case I ever want to frame them. Easy Canvas Prints also offers a gallery wrap 1.5" depth, which I have ordered in the past as a gift for a friend and been very pleased with how it looks. Either way, the canvas makes a great statement piece to any room.

Here's the finished products that I chose for my two 16x20 canvases. One for the mantle:

And one for the photo ledge in my entryway:

Don't they look fabulous?! If you're a little jealous, never fear! My friends at Easy Canvas Prints are being so generous, and are offering a giveaway for my readers.

One of you will win your choice of one of the following items:

-A $25 gift card for a Free Custom Shirt from Dress United

-$50 gift card for car magnets from MagnetsOnTheCheap

-A Free 8x10 Canvas from Easy Canvas Prints OR,

-$30 gift card for yard signs from SignsOnTheCheap

(I'm trying out rafflecopter this time... it seems a bit easier than having to count through comments. We'll see how it goes-- be patient with me)

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Disclosure: Easy Canvas Prints gave me two 16x20 canvas prints in exchange for this review, as well as provided the giveaway item. All views and opinions in this review are my own. No other compensation was provided. To view my entire disclosure policy, click HERE.

36 weeks {a pregnancy update}

2013-05-07T06:00:00.000-05:00

How Far Along: 36 weeks, 4 days

Size of baby: over 18 inches long, 5.25 pounds (about the size of a watermelon-- just hearing that kind of makes me want to cry. As much as I love being pregnant, I loathe labor and delivery, and the bigger these apps keep saying Tyler is getting, the more I am cringing at the thought of having to go through with another delivery.)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 32 pounds (as of 5/3/13).I am blaming the 5 pound weight gain on the winter clothes I had to wear on Friday due to the May snow.

Maternity Clothes: All maternity clothes if I wear something other than sweats and a t-shirt. But really, nothing fits right.

Gender: BOY! Tyler Paul.

Movement: Still moving a ton (which I am ever so grateful for after last week's scare). One of his favorite moves is to push his little bottom up under my ribs. That feels fantastic (said in the most sarcastic voice possible). Drew and I often watch my stomach at night before we go to sleep, and we laugh about how weird it really is to think about another human being being INSIDE of me moving like that. Sometimes it looks almost alien-like because he moves so much at night before bedtime.

Sleep: I'm up at least every 2 hours to pee, so I'll let you decide how well I am sleeping :) I am still having crazy weird pregnancy dreams though, despite the sporadic sleep I'm getting.

Symptoms: sciatica and reflux are the two top symptoms on the list, athough I feel like I am pretty much experiencing everything the books say you experience at 36 weeks pregnant. My braxton hicks have picked up a lot; I have about 3-4 an hr on most days. Hoping that means I will go into labor early.

Progress: 1 cm dilated, 0% effaced. At first I was a little discouraged by the fact that I am not really dilated, but then I remembered that I was 2cm dilated and only 50% effaced when I went into labor with Connor. Anything can happen.

What I miss: I miss long stretches of sleep, fitting into clothes, and being able to move with ease.

Cravings: I've craved sweets A LOT this past week.

Food Aversions: well, it's not really an aversion per se, but since pizza makes me swell so bad I've stayed away from it.

Best Moment this week: Just making it through another week is considered good moments these days. We've had a relatively low key week the past week, so I'm just enjoying the calm before the chaos breaks loose :)

What I am looking forward to: Looking forward to my OB appointment this week, and getting things prepared for Tyler. I'm working on freezer meals this week to stock up so that I'm not having to cook with a newborn in the house.

May Snow and First Fish: Weekend in Review.

2013-05-05T22:00:00.002-05:00

We have had a relaxing, non-stressful weekend. These tend to be the best kind, especially when they are preceded by busy, travel-filled weekends. I think all of us here at our home needed some down time, which was exactly what we received.

Friday we woke up to almost 2 inches of snow on our ground. It was pretty remarkable. I wish I had had a video of Brayden's reaction when I told him to look out the window. He gasped audibly and then said 'I just can't believe it, Mom!" haha! To be honest though, the moment was quite historic for our area, and I am sure many people (myself included), shared the same sentiments.

After my OB appointment on Friday we headed to a local gym with some friends. It's one of my boys very favorite places to go.

they love hanging on the parallel bar

and flipping on the parallel bar :)

Saturday it was still raining/snowing, so Brayden's t-ball game got rained out AGAIN. Bless his heart... he may have an entire season of practices if this weather keeps up! Thankfully he's at an age where practice is just as fun as the games. Drew and I took advantage of an empty Saturday morning and took the boys to the gym for childcare, and we had a morning date which consisted of Panera for breakfast and then pawn shopping for Drew. We lead an exciting life, what can I say.

Since we went to church on Saturday night we had Sunday completely open, which was nice. Brayden and Drew went fishing in the morning, and after over a year of fishing, Brayden finally caught his first fish. He was only slightly excited ;)

Sidenote: I was the one in charge of picking up worms on Sunday morning since I needed to go to the store anyways. Did you know that the store sells 4 different kinds of worms?! I had no idea and was quickly confused by all the different options. Lesson learned... never send the city girl wife to the store for country boy products. ha!

We've got a busy few weeks ahead of us as we prepare for baby Tyler. I think we are ALL ready for him to come... it's just a waiting game at this point. Hope everyone has a great week!

A Plantation Wedding {My Sisters Wedding, Part 2}.

2013-05-02T07:00:00.000-05:00

(To see part 1 of My sisters wedding, click HERE).

Saturday was a beautiful day. I'm pretty sure we could not have even ordered more perfect weather for an outdoor wedding. The humidity was relatively low, there wasn't a cloud in the sky, and the setting was gorgeous.

One of the things I love most about the deep south, other than the food, are the large oak trees. They are majestic, and just add a touch of Southern that I'm not sure any human being could ever recreate.

The plantation my sister got married at had tons of oak trees, and was just perfect. The most hilarious thing is that it is caterpillar season. if you are not familiar with the caterpillars in Louisiana, let me tell you-- they fall from the trees like rain this time of year. There are harmless ones and then there are stinging ones. Unfortunately we had both during the wedding, but thankfully no one was stung, and aside from a few gasps from the women when one would fall on an unsuspecting wedding attendee, everyone left the wedding unscathed by the caterpillars ;)

The rest of the story is best told in picture form. My words do not do justice to the day, that is for sure.

she was peeking at Jacob through the window (he didn't know). She kept jumping up and down and squealing. So sweet.

sisters!

Laura with her honorary bridesmaids

this is Kristen, Laura's maid of honor. And this picture perfectly represents them. haha!

I'm not really sure what we were laughing at. We laugh a lot together.

Might as well embrace the big belly since you can't hide it :)

sword fighting with flowers. Apparently they've spent too much time with my boys :)

thank GOODNESS I saw this picture on my camera. The space between Laura and how I am standing is HORRIBLE. Makes me look like a 5 ton elephant! Thankfully the photographer was able to get a few other ones besides this pose.

where's Kristen?

quite possibly my favorite picture of her. I know I am biased, but she is stunning.

Drew and Laura! Laura was only 11 when Drew and I started dating, so he's very much like an older brother to her.

there weren't any kids at the wedding, so we were actually able to enjoy everything about the day. I know that sounds terrible to say, but thinking of having the two boys outside at a muddle plantation (with stinging caterpillars nonetheless) makes me tired.

Laura and one of our very best family friends, Matt.

the dance floor was HOT, and Laura was barefoot, so she stood on Jacobs feet.

just a little proof that I can still shake it at 34 weeks pregnant

the cupcake eating got a little dirty :)

mom and the new brudder

Grandma stole a dance from Jacob

one last hug from mom and dad

and they're off.....
We had such a fun time visiting family and ushering Laura and Jacob into their new journey of marriage. I can't wait to see what the Lord has in store for these two... they're both pretty awesome!

A Plantation Wedding {My Sisters Wedding, Part 1}.

2013-05-01T07:00:00.000-05:00

I've been nagged by several friends to see these pictures. It's hard to wade through over 500 pictures, edit the ones I like, get them all uploaded, and still keep up with everything else in my life. My apologies for these being "late". Hopefully the wait will be worth it!

Thursday we got up after being huddled in a closet for most of the wee morning hours thanks to the terrible storms that hit NWA that night. The good news is that we now know that the tornado sirens wake us up. :) Needless to say, we didn't sleep well the night before our big drive, so we were all a little cranky when we started up early Thursday morning. I am thankful the boys are getting to an age where you can reason with them a little, and snacks and a portable DVD player do a WORLD of good. I snapped this picture of Brayden right before we got into Baton Rouge.

Brayden is hilarious, and provided a lot of comedic entertainment during the trip (Connor took several naps... I was SO grateful!).

Gigi and Poppa D surprised the boys with special cupcakes and super hero hats for an after dinner treat. The boys were in HEAVEN.

Friday my sisters and I had planned on having a girls morning, but when Megan woke up with terrible ear pain, we figured we should take her to the doctor.

After a nearly 2 hour visit (and no meds given, but still terrible pain), Laura put her face in her hands and admitted she was starting to stress out. I took on big sister mode, and we told the doctor we needed to go (he wasn't doing anything for Megan anyway). Megan drove, and I swear you would have thought I was giving birth in the backseat... we sisters take wedding preparation and stresses seriously.

I was thankful for a good rehearsal, and an even better rehearsal dinner. Laura and Jacob are so loved.

Me and Megan

The night of the rehearsal a cold front came in, so we had to wear jackets. Who would have known in Louisiana in April we'd wear jackets?!?!

Me and Daddy

The little bro aint so little :) Every time I see him he grows another two inches.

this is what happens when lil' bro steps in front of the camera while I'm shooting.

getting instructions from Ramsey, who was a phenomenal wedding coordinator.

my dad totally photo bombed. I love this picture.

Can't believe she got married. I still envision her as the little blonde haired cutie who dressed in high heels and tutus when we went grocery shopping.

SISSSSTTTTTERRRRS

da girls

she was so happy.

they literally ran off the stage during rehearsal when they were announced husband and wife (not for real, yet). Hilarious.

and just in case you've ever wondered why Louisiana has a special place in my heart... how can you not fall in love with these oak trees?!?!
More wedding pictures to come.....

a bit of a scare at 35 weeks {a pregnancy update}

2013-04-30T07:00:00.000-05:00

How Far Along: 35 weeks, 4 days

Size of baby: over 18 inches long, 5.25 pounds (about the size of a honeydew melon-- feels a lot bigger than a melon!!!)

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 27 pounds (as of 4/28/13). Apparently I lost a pound in the past week. Either that or the scale at the doctors office on Sunday was off.

Maternity Clothes: All maternity clothes if I wear something other than sweats and a t-shirt. But really, nothing fits right.

Gender: BOY! Tyler Paul.

Movement: He moves a TON. And it's very hard, rapid kicks/punches. Which is why on Thursday I got a bit nervous when I hadn't really felt him all evening. I figured I'd sugar him up with some indulgent trail mix and a capri sun. That usually does the trick. But after an hour went by after eating with only 2 kicks, I decided to call the OB on call. And she wanted me to come in for monitoring. Up until this point, I have had relatively uneventful pregnancies. It was a bit nerve wracking mentally going through everything that could possibly be wrong. Thankfully everything checked out fine and we were sent home within an hour. Never have I been so happy to hear a heartbeat on that monitor!

Sleep: I've been fighting off a sinus infection since Thursday, so I've not slept well at all. Thankfully I'm married to the greatest man ever, and he has waited on me hand and foot this weekend, allowing me to rest and taking care of the boys (I will say though, that after 3 days in, he keeps shaking his head wondering how I do it ;) )

Symptoms: You name it, I have it. The newest one to add to the list though, is middle of the night reflux. So I find myself chowing down on Tums a lot these days.

Progress: Because we had to go to L&D on Thursday, the doctor checked my cervix. I am 1cm dilated. Nothing to write home about, but progress nonetheless. I'm holding on to hope that I will have this boy early like I had my other two.

What I miss: I miss sleep, but as we all know, that won't come anytime soon, even after Tyler is born. I do miss wearing cute clothes that fit right.

Cravings: Anything sweet :)

Food Aversions: Pizza, but only because that makes me swell like a beached whale.

Best Moment this week: Hearing Tyler's heartbeat on the monitor on Thursday. I am pretty sure I held my breath when she put the monitor on my stomach... not knowing what we were about to hear (silence or fast thuds) was nerve wracking.And of course, other than hearing that heartbeat, I loved spending time with my friends, who showered me with love and necessities on Saturday.

What I am looking forward to: This week will start my weekly exams until Tyler is born. This is the final countdown-- literally! I'm looking forward to a few weeks of nesting and preparing everything for Tyler's arrival.

Farm Friends 2013.

2013-04-29T06:30:00.000-05:00

For the past three years, we've attended Farm Friends, an event put on by the 4H club in NWA. It is my boys most favorite thing to do-- Brayden literally talks about this ALL year long. I wasn't feeling that great this year, plus it's hard for me to run around chasing kids when I'm waddling like a duck, so I didn't capture as many pics as I would have liked. I'm so grateful for the farmers who make this event possible, and who are SO patient with our kids as they run around yelling at their animals :)

Brayden's favorite is by far the chicks. He loves holding them up to his face and telling them how cute they are

My personal faves are the baby pigs. How cute is he?!?

I thought about deleting this picture. Then I kept it. Because this basically tells how Connor is these days. CONSTANT. MOVEMENT. Drew had Connor duty most of the night, because I just couldn't keep up.

they serve a free dinner of cornbread and beans. Brayden ate the entire bowl!

They have a fake cow set up for the boys to milk. Both of them really enjoyed milking the cow.

I love that Brayden is at the age where I can ask what his favorite thing to do was. So when we pulled out and he said that he had so much fun, I asked what his favorite part of farm friends was, and he quickly replied "the lasso!" Maybe we have a future roper on our hands! To read about our past trips, click on the links below: 2010: Farm Friends 2011: Farm Friends Gone Wrong 2012: Farm Friends: Better than Last Year

Baby Showers and Sickness.

2013-04-28T13:44:00.001-05:00

We had great big plans for this weekend, that came tumbling down Thursday night when I fell ill and then realized that Tyler wasn't moving as much as normal. It was a bit of a scare to say the least, but thankfully everything checked out fine (they monitored me in L&D just to make sure his heart rate and everything looked good). I came home feeling like death and not getting much sleep. I figured Friday would be an epic day of whining and feeling terrible, but I am married to an awesome man. Drew recognized my great need for rest, worked from home, and juggled all household duties. He's awesome.

Saturday I actually woke up feeling normal again, which was a good thing because we had a t-ball game to make and a baby shower to attend. Problem was, it was pouring down raining. Never have I seen such a sad little boy, when Brayden was told that he wouldn't have a game. Bless his little heart. I felt sad for him!

I headed off to my baby shower later Saturday morning. My friends Jenna, Katie, Candice and Cari all helped throw the cutest natural outdoors themed shower ever. I told them to not go over the top, and they did such a good job keeping everything simple, but putting cute little touches here and there to make it feel so special too!

Jenna made the punch (it's the red one) and I am pretty sure I had about 4 mason jars full! It was SO good!

Yes, the food was as delicious as it looked! Jenna has a lot of the recipes on her blog if you are interested :)

S'more cupcakes! Genius! And I need to come clean with the fact that I didn't get their correlation to the "outdoors" shower theme until later Saturday night when I was looking at them again. haha!

Cari, Candice, Me, Katie & Jenna. I am so blessed with such great friends!

Steph and Courtney are two of my very best friends for life; We've been friends since the 9th grade! They were so sweet to drive all the way from Little Rock to come to my shower!

My friend Whitney drove almost an hour and a half with her 2 week old! Seriously yall, I have the best friends ever... who drives that far with a newborn just for a baby shower???!!! And yes, I did say 2 week old (doesn't Whitney look amazing?!).

shower favors were these amazing sugar cookies that my friend Cari made. I had to refrain from eating two.

Saturday night I started feeling awful again. I swore I was coming down with strep throat, but by mid Sunday morning, my sore throat was replaced with the worst sinus pressure I have ever experienced. So while my boys went to church, I went to the walk-in clinic. I'm all stocked up on antibiotics and a steroid nasal spray. Praying that it all kicks in fast, as it's hard for me to do anything right now without feeling like my head may explode.

Hope everyone has a great week! I've got a mile long to-do list that I'm hoping to knock out. Gotta get those nesting urges in order :) And don't worry, I do realize I still haven't put up pictures from my sisters wedding. That should happen this week too :)

Better Together Than Apart {Love and Marriage Series}

2013-04-24T07:30:00.000-05:00

Be sure to check out the posts by Jenna, Mandy, Shay, Jenn and Megan today too!

My previous posts in this series:
An Intro to Us
The Hardships We've Had
On Staying Connected as a Couple

With this week being an open topic, I have struggled with what to write (procrastinating till the night before doesn't help either). I thought about sharing some of our favorite marriage books, but honestly, I can do that in about one sentence (if you're needing a good book on marriage, we recommend Love and Respect or Sacred Marriage). I could tell you to speak each others love language, because if you don't, you won't make sense to your spouse (For help on this, I've heard the Five Love Languages is a great help. It's on our "to-read" list). But when Drew and I sat down last night and hit some ideas back and forth, we decided that the most important thing to close on was not a laundry list of things we've read or done to help our marriage. Truth is, I have more "what not to do's" than "to-do's".

It’s no secret that marriage is hard work. Like, REALLY hard work. But if you get to the starting line of marriage with no compass or direction, it’s easy to fall astray into the thinking that a good marriage will somehow fall into place if you just do life. The problem with that thinking is that it doesn’t take into account the daggars the enemy throws our way. Marriage is Satans greatest enemy. He wants us to stumble and fall, to get mad at our spouse because they didn’t take out the trash right or didn’t hang up their clothes when asked. This is why it's so important to be intentional about marriage (and I would add parenting too, for we all know that a good, solid kid does not happen by coincidence).

PRAY FOR YOUR SPOUSE AND WITH YOUR SPOUSE
Stormie Omartian has some great resources for prayer if you're not sure where to start on praying for your spouse. I tend to pray for Drew when I'm getting ready in the morning. I feel like prayer helps us be intentional with our thoughts about our spouse, and helps us empower them to be all they can be, both in our marriage and outside of it. I already touched on praying with your spouse in last weeks post, which you can read HERE.
DREAM WITH YOUR SPOUSE
I've had to learn this one a little, as I'm not the dreamer in our relationship (can I just say, nothing freaks a realist out more than the dreams that a dreamer can throw out?! I've adjust for the most part now, but when we first got married, I would have full on panic attacks with some of the ideas Drew would tell me he had... ha!). Drew and I do dream on occasion. We talk about where we want to be in "x" amount of years. What will we be doing? Where do we want to be financially? Spiritually? As parents? I can honestly say that this is probably one of my favorite parts of marriage, is having someone to dream with and create ideas with. Never stop dreaming with your spouse.
FIND OLDER COUPLES WHO WILL INVEST IN YOUR MARRIAGE
If ever there was a point I could scream THISSSSSSSSSSSS, this one would be it. And when I say "older", I say that term loosely. Some of the greatest advice I receive is from people who are just 1 step ahead of us. For the past 2 years we've been involved with a small group at church that is of all stages of life. It was the first time for us to experience a group that wasn't all our age and I have LOVED it. There's just something invaluable about having another couple to bounce ideas and frustrations off of. I would also add to this point that I have enjoyed getting to know older women outside of their marriage as well. Mentoring really is a great tool to marriage, and life in general. Never be too proud to ask someone for advice. Most people who have blazed a trail ahead of you are more than willing to lend a helping hand to those behind them. You need only ask. (Drew also wanted me to add that being in accountability group really helps keep you focused on being intentional not only in marriage, but in life. This is a big passion of Drews and we both feel like there's a huge need for individuals and for couples to quit withdrawing and to engage with others.)

STAY ENGAGED WITH OTHER COUPLES
This is similar to the above point, but after hearing it repeated at my sisters wedding this past weekend, I can't help but put it on this list. The pastor who married my sister said to be hospitable. Because when other people come into your home, it's hard to hide your true self. Invite people into your lives. Allow others to see how you operate as a couple.

I'm sure there are other ways that you can use to be intentional, and I'd love to hear some of your thoughts on how you are intentional with your marriage and/or in life. One of the keys that keeps me grounded is something I learned when I read Sacred Marriage many years ago: Marriage is not meant to make us happy, but to make us holy. When we go into a relationship looking for happiness, we will always be disappointed. Instead, we should chose to see that despite our spouses failures (or perhaps in light of them), mistakes and hang ups, that the end result of it all is not for us to find happiness or discontentment from it, but to be transformed into something far greater than we could ever be than if walked life alone. Drew's not perfect. He has a lot of quirks and sillies that sometimes agitate the fire out of me (and don't worry... I'm grounded enough to know he can say the same about me!). But with Drew, I am a far better person than I am apart from him. He is the one who God has made to make me more like Him. And that, my friends, is worth being intentional about. And definitely worth fighting for.

Have a piece of marriage advice that you'd like to share? Feel free to link up with us!

Interview with Brayden {age Four}.

2013-04-23T10:09:00.000-05:00

This is my third time to do this interview with Brayden in about a year and a half (you can view the first one here and the second one here). It's amazing how much Brayden has developed in just that short of a time span. I just love his little personality!
What is your name? Brayden (sounds like Beyden when he says it)
How old are you? Four.
When did you turn Four? In seven years ago, I turned four. In April.

What is your favorite color? Red and Gray. And white too.

Who is your best friend? Paige and Avery.
What is your favorite animal? A crocodile.
What do you want to be when you grow-up? A golf player.
What is your favorite Movie? Monsters Inc and Toy Story (the red one-- which means Toy Story 2).
What is your favorite book? Wild Things (Where the Wild Things Are)
What makes you happy? Playing golf.
What makes you sad? When Connor bites me.
What is your favorite food to eat? The mac and cheese in the blue box.
What is your favorite song to sing? My God is So Big So Strong and So Mighty, and Our God is an Awesome God.
What games do you like to play? baseball, soccer ball, golfball, tennis ball and raquetball.

34 weeks {a pregnancy update}.

2013-04-21T21:14:00.000-05:00

How Far Along: 34 weeks, 2 days

Size of baby: almost 18 inches long, and almost 5 pounds. About the size of a cantelope.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: (as of 4/17/13) 28 pounds.

Maternity Clothes: All maternity clothes. And nothing fits right.

Gender: BOY! Tyler Paul.

Movement: He moves, and he moves hard. My ribs and the organs under my sternum are dying. During the 11 hr car trip home on Sunday, he kept pushing his little bottom up under my ribs. I thought I might cry the whole way home.

Sleep: I've slept OK. Let's be honest though-- having to get up every 2 hours to pee really does a number on the whole "sleeping well" thing.

Symptoms: I've really started swelling at night. It's always worse after I eat pizza, which is such a bummer since that's my go-to meal of choice on the t-ball nights or nights that I feel like I can't move another muscle to cook.

What I miss: At this point, I'm not even sure what I miss. In some ways I have bemoaned how I have felt over the past week. And then Drew looked at me today and said "you do realize that in a few weeks you will probably tell me how much you miss being pregnant, right?" Well played, husband. Well played.

Cravings: I crave sweets. A LOT.

Food Aversions: Not sure you can call it an aversion, but considering pizza makes my legs blow up and have cankles, I'm going to say that I will probably avert from that for the foreseeable future.

Best Moment this week: My little sister got married!!! It was a beautiful day for a wedding, and I can't wait to share all of the pictures (I have to sift through about 500 of them, so it may take a few days) that I got while we were down in Louisiana. It was a really quick trip, and it has left all of us a bit wiped out, so I am praying for a quick bounce back, as we've now got to gear up for baby Tyler's arrival!

What I am looking forward to: Now that most of our commitments for spring are out of the way, I'm really looking forward to focusing on getting things ready for Tyler. We have 2 showers this week, and then I am starting to make my to-do list to check off before his arrival! I honestly can't believe I'm already almost to term. This pregnancy has FLOWN by.

Hey Mom! Look at Me!

2013-04-18T07:00:00.000-05:00

On Sunday I had my camera out trying to capture a few shots of the cousins before my sister Megan left again. Out of the blue, Connor said, "Hey Mom! Look at me!" And started posing for me so I could take his picture. I love this sweet boy!

On Staying Connected as a Couple {Love and Marriage Series}

2013-04-17T08:00:00.000-05:00

It's Wednesday, which means that it's time again for another post in our Love and Marriage series! If you have missed either of the other posts I've written, you can check them out my first post HERE and my second post HERE. I don't know about you, but I have loved reading everyone's stories. It's so refreshing knowing that even though we have all had our fair share of trials and struggles, we can still have marriages that are worth fighting for. Be sure to check out the other bloggers that I'm collaborating with in this series: Jenna from Jenna's Journey, Mandy from House of Rose, Shay from Mix and Match Mama, Jenn from Knee Deep In Munchkinland, and Megan from In This Wonderful Life.

This week we're talking about how we keep our marriages a priority. Drew and I kind of laughed when we started talking this week. We were really good about doing things together and making us a priority before we had kids. Truth is, we're just in a very consuming phase of life right now with our boys. Life is good, but it's wearing, and by the time 8pm rolls around and we've completed our daily duties of chaos control, both of us are in near comatose states. Friends of ours who have older kids assure us that it won't last forever, and I am clinging with white knuckles to their assurances. I thought I'd bullet point a few things that Drew and I both agreed have helped us stay close, even when life gets a bit hectic.

1. Dates/Time Away

We both agreed that this was our number one thing. We don't make the time to do this near enough as we should. Sometimes we have "home dates", but I have a problem with unwinding during those. For a long time I was never able to articulate to Drew why home dates just never felt the same as going out to dinner with him. And then it hit me. It'd be like me asking him to go on a date and us ending up at his office. There's no way he'd be able to focus completely on just us with work sitting all around him, which is exactly how I feel sometimes when we try to watch a movie or just sit and eat dinner in peace together. It's so hard for me to disconnect from all of the things on my "to-do" list around the house, that sometimes it's necessary for me to completely leave the house altogether in order to decompress and reconnect with Drew.

We also agreed that time away has always been really good for us in reconnecting. Before we got married, my mom gave us a great piece of advice, which was to make sure we got away on trips just the two of us before we had kids. If you don't have kids, I would highly recommend traveling before you have them. I LOVE LOVE LOVE my boys. But I will ALWAYS be a mom now. I'm so grateful for the trips we took as a couple before we had kids. We were able to relax and have fun together and just be us. Those are definitely some of our most cherished memories as a couple and I don't think either of us regret spending that money on that time alone with just us.

2. Family Time

If you've read my blog for long, you know that the weekends at our home are sacred. We're almost always together as a family, and if it's even remotely nice outside, we're doing something outside together. I'm not sure this is completely a marriage point, but I think that it definitely bonds our family together and is so important to both Drew and I that we stay strong not only as a couple, but as a family. I think we're definitely proving true the saying "the family that plays together, stays together."

3. Church/Classes

Drew and I have always made it a priority to go to church together. There's just something special about worshiping the Lord together that I can't put to words. We LOVE LOVE LOVE our church family, and feel so blessed to be a part of an equipping church. Our church offers a lot of classes for marriage/parenting. They're free and also provide childcare (most of the time). We have loved taking the classes. Even if they are on parenting, it opens up a lot of communication lines for us that might have otherwise gone untapped. I will probably touch on more of this next week, so I will not go much deeper than that today :)

4. Praying Together

As much as I'd love to sit here and tell you that we are the model couple for praying together every night.... we're not. And it's probably my fault way more than it is Drew's that this doesn't happen more regularly in our relationship. I just go and go and go during the day, and when I'm ready to go to sleep, I GO TO SLEEP. Like, my head hits the pillow and I am OUT. The times that we have been more consistent in doing this, we definitely have felt closer and less volatile as a couple. My counselor gave us a great illustration about prayer in marriage and basically said that prayer is the arsenal on an army base. When the army base is stateside (in a calm and nonvolatile area), the weapons arsenal doesn't seem as necessary as when the army base is overseas in a war zone. Translation: When things are going great, prayer may not seem to be much of a need for your marriage. But when you are surrounded by trials and stresses of life, the enemy uses those things to break your relationships apart. Prayer is the weapon against those breaks and rifts.

Do you have some ways that you and your spouse stay connected? We'd love if you'd link up and share some of your ideas!

On Using Hot Rollers.

2013-04-17T06:30:00.000-05:00

BlogHer asked me to watch this video tutorial on hot rollers and share it with my readers. This is a compensated post.

Oh yes. We're going there. Because I want to, and I figured if I actually learned something from this tutorial, you might too.

Hot Rollers is actually my FAVORITE way to curl my hair. I get kind of flustered with a curling iron (although the last video I posted helped with some of my "issues" that I have usually). I wasn't sure I'd learn anything new, but I actually did! First off, I always separate my hair from top and bottom and then go from side to side (if that makes sense). I like how Judy Time started at the top of her head and then worked her way around. Seemed a lot more simple. I also really liked how she started at the middle of the hair and then wrapped it around the roller. I've always just started at the tip of the hair and then rolled the roller down to my scalp, but that sometimes makes me lose pieces of hair... and I hate having that ONE piece of hair that doesn't get curled.

I'd love it if you'd check out the video too (and if you watch the video and answer the question at the end of the clip, you can enter for a chance to win $100, $250 or more!). Do you use hot rollers too? Any other tips that may help me out (you know, on those days that I get time to roll my hair).

For more information regarding the sweepstakes contest:
Prizes & Promotions page on Blogher.com: https://www.blogher.com/blogher-tv-weekly-hair-style-sweepstakes
Sweeps Rules (4/17-4/23): http://www.blogher.com/hair-sweepstakes-official-rules-week-5

33 Weeks {a pregnancy update}.

2013-04-16T08:35:00.002-05:00

(not really sure why this picture is so fuzzy, or why I look like I'm hungover. I didn't realize it looked like this till I uploaded it, and I'm not sure I'll get another chance to take a picture today so this is what we've got to work with.)

How Far Along: 33 weeks, 4 days

Size of baby: 19-22 inches long, 4.9 lbs, about the size of a Pineapple (I really think he is LONG because I am getting kicks in places in my organs and ribs that I never got with either of my other boys).

Total Weight Gain/Loss: (as of 4/5/13) 27 pounds.

Maternity Clothes: Maternity clothes for pretty much everything, although even maternity clothes don't really fit right.

Gender: BOY! Tyler Paul.

Movement: The boy MOVES. Almost as much, or maybe even more, than Brayden. Which scares me a little :)

Sleep: I've slept ok, other than having to wake up atleast 3 times a night to go to the bathroom. And my dreams have been CRAZY CRAZY CRAZY.

Symptoms: I have most of the symptoms listed in the books that accompany the third trimester. The only new thing for me during this pregnancy is the slight swelling I'm getting. It's only later in the day, and only on days when I overdo it and/or eat lots of salt. So I'm trying to watch both

What I miss: I miss being able to keep up with my boys. It's so frustrating not being able to bend over, run after and play with them in the way I normally would.

Cravings: Pretty much anything. Although I'm to the point that if I eat even one bite more than I should, I get heartburn, and that makes eating no fun at all.

Food Aversions: nada.

Best Moment this week: Just making it through another week is a moment worth celebrating right now. ha!

What I am looking forward to: Definitely looking forward to my sisters wedding that's coming up! And if you've read my blog for a while, you'll know this is my SECOND wedding that I've been 34 weeks pregnant in. Apparently when I get pregnant, my sisters get married :)

Preschooler Summer Fashion {A Gymboree Review}.

2013-04-16T08:15:00.003-05:00

***Disclosure: This is a sponsored post.***

A few weeks ago I was contacted by Gymboree and asked if I might be interested in trying out a few items from their new summer line of boys clothes. I didn't have to think long on that one, as we're big fans of Gymboree clothes in our house!

Last week I headed to the store and after 45 minutes of contemplating over all of the cute stuff, I came home with two outfits for the boys (and one for Tyler, because we can't forget the new guy!). Here's Tyler's onesie:

How cute are the little embroidered turtles?!?

Moving on to the big boy's outfits....

I am in love with the woven shorts that Gymboree offers. Mainly because of the cotton elastic waistband. You'll see why in a minute....

The boys were SO excited to get new outfits. I have to admit... trying to get either of my boys to wear anything other than t-shirts and basketball shorts is a C-H-O-R-E, so I was kind of worried that what I had picked out for them would be super cute, but not something that they would WANT to wear.

Thankfully I was wrong.

After the boys wore these shorts all day, I realized that perhaps the reason they prefer basketball shorts so much is because they are SO easy for them to get on and off. It makes total sense. Thankfully the woven shorts from Gymboree offer the functionality of an elastic waistband, but they do it in such a way that it actually looks cute too. I'm kind of picky when it comes to shorts and don't normally like elastic waists unless they are gym shorts. Thankfully I actually liked the waistband of these shorts a lot... and obviously the boys did too! And it's always nice when they get complimented on their outfits, which they did on this day when we went out for Brayden's birthday lunch.

For their shirts I decided to just go with simple t-shirts. I wanted something that was cute, and that was comfortable enough that they could play and romp around outside without fearing that it was going to ruin a "nice" outfit. I love that Gymboree offers a wide variety of t-shirts that are not only kid-friendly, but also cute enough that mom can approve of too! And the added bonus is that in my previous experience, Gymboree clothes holds up SO well over time, that I'm sure that these outfits will get lots of use since we're about to have 3 boys in the family.
Thank you Gymboree, for giving us the opportunity to try out your new summer line! We're fans for sure!

In exchange for this review, Gymboree provided me with store credit to purchase the clothing you see here. No other compensation was provided. All words and opinions are my own. To view my complete disclosure policy, click HERE.

Mudbug Madness.

2013-04-14T22:36:00.003-05:00

For the past year Drew has been dreaming up a family crawfish boil. It finally came to fruition this weekend, and I'm pretty sure it was everything he dreamed it would be, plus some.

the boys were both so excited to help clean off the crawfish

Uncle Paul and Drew freed one of the crawfish and let the boys play with him. Bless his heart, I'm not sure he was very excited about his new freedom.

The weather was sketchy at first, which was a little disappointing considering we had already rescheduled for a bad weather weekend previously (that ended up being good weather). The clouds cleared out shortly after the first pot of mudbugs were dumped, and we all sat and ate for several hours.

the men, hard at work.

round one (we had six rounds!)

Sarah and Zoe (how cute is Zoe's little cheese smile?!)

the boys said they were cold, so Sophie and Hannah went inside to hang out (yes, B is wearing PJs. I can't keep him out of them for longer than 2 hour stints).

Everyone enjoying the food.

This is the crawfish we gave clemency to. His name is Charlie. :)

This crawfish somehow got embedded in the lemon during cooking. We called it the turtle crawfish :)

Sunday Megan had to say good-bye after a week long visit. It made it easier saying good bye since we'll see each other soon at my other sisters wedding. We already miss her and Zoe; Connor's walked around all day saying "where's Aunt Medan and ZoZo???" We love you Aunt Megan!

Right before we left for church today Brayden asked me to take some pictures of him outside. I grabbed my camera and this is what he did. The boy is crazy. haha!

We have a CRAZY busy week in store. I'm on a bit of overload right now, so I'm just praying to make it through unscathed. Hope yall have a good week!

Pics of Zoe Grace.

2013-04-12T07:43:00.002-05:00

My sister and niece have been here visiting all week. We've had a load of fun, although when all 3 kids are whining it's left Megan and I a little unnerved to say the least :) Thought I'd share some of my favorite pictures of little cutie Zoe Grace. She's such a ham!