Wifey In Training

Jaxson's First Horse Ride

2016-05-25T06:57:00.000-05:00

We were so lucky to take Jaxson on his first horse experience! His Godparents, Kris and Don have a very old horse, Buster. They were kind enough to take Jaxson for a visit. I think they loved it just as much as he did.

Buster is super sweet and very calm. Jaxson wasn't scared for a second. We actually had to keep reminding him not to run up behind the horses to keep him safe from getting kicked (work in progress that made this momma sweat!)

He LOVED sitting on Buster.

The property owner, Dawn, even gave him his first riding lesson. She taught him how to sit on Buster, and how to ride without depending on the reins. He did so great and listened so well!

New Friends.

I LOVE this picture.

I hope we get to go see Buster again soon!

Legoland!

2016-05-25T06:52:00.001-05:00

We recently went to Legoland in Grapevine, TX. It was so much more than I expected! It had rides, movies and games...and much more. Have y'all been? It's pretty much amazing, and super reasonable. I recommend reserving a ticket for first thing in the morning, because it only gets busier as the day goes on.

There were exhibits built completely of legos.

And stations where you could build your own lego creations. (The OCD part of me had to pretend that they washed these legos daily before they let all of these kids play with them. I'm sure they do, right?)

Jaxson built cars and then raced them on the track. He loved it!

And built more and more and more....

And then got really angry with me for taking so many pictures of him...I thought I had a few years before this madness started?!

PopPa is such a good sport. He's has been designated as the "ride all the rides Jaxson wants to go on grown-up".

I really was impressed with everything. And I think tickets were only $20. I recommend buying them the day before (or earlier) and choosing an early time slot. We stayed until lunch time and it was getting really busy by then. I love that they stagger it that way. It makes the whole experience much more enjoyable.

And then there's this. The holy grail of legos. You can buy a container of any that you like for $8. Jaxson (and PopPa) was in heaven.

Batman!

And then we went back to Gigi and PopPa's house and played legos ALL.AFTERNOON.

Baby Shower Fun!

2016-05-25T06:43:00.003-05:00

I recently hosted a baby shower for my sweet Sister-in-Law and my new little nephew, and we had the best time! It was the first time I've hosted a shower by myself, so while it was tons of work, it was really fun to choose all of the decor and projects myself. I thought I'd share some of the pictures with you!

I decided to host the shower from 10-12, which of course meant that we had to have a mimosa bar! I hand glittered each of the stemless wine glasses, and then gave those to the ladies as favors at the end of the shower. Everyone loved them!

And yes, I rented a dress from Rent the Runway that matched the shower colors. Don't judge!

Since the Mommy to be didn't have a baby book yet, I purchased a sweet book of baby prayers and asked everyone to sign that for them.

This tassel garland was NOT EASY. But I was really happy with how it turned out.

I used my grandmother's china for the shower, which always makes everything feel special.

I just loved all of the fun glitter, and the "Oh Baby" theme. It was so fun to put together!

My Daddy teased me the night before the shower, saying that I needed to change out the maroon candles. He was joking, but looking back at the pictures, I wish I would have!

The beautiful guest of honor!

Two of my favorite ladies.

It's been awhile friends!

2015-03-31T12:35:00.001-05:00

It's been a LONG time since I've blogged. Life is crazy busy. Crazy stressful. Crazy Wonderful.

Jaxson is almost 4 years old! I have no idea how on earth that happened.

Work has been difficult, but life has been treating us very well. Here's what's been going on...

I did the 21 Day Sugar Detox. It was insane and amazing. Truly one of the best things I've ever done for myself. It was hard...seriously hard...but I survived and lost 17 lbs in the process. I am eating sugar and some carbs again, but I broke two bad habits. No more sodas...and I like black coffee now, no more Splenda. Who would have thought?!

Look at this kid! How has he grown so quickly?!

Hubby and I are doing great, working hard, and enjoying each other. We just finished a marriage bible study that I'd like to share with you...it was marriage changing for us!

Daddy's helper

This crazy child LOVES going to Kroger. He asks to go almost each and every day.

**I swear he had shoes on when I got to the store**

It's mostly because he wants to buy hotwheels.

And to play toys :)

I'll get some more interesting stuff in here soon, I just thought I'd drop in to say hello!

XOXO,

Mish

Go Texans! We Are Texans Tailgaters

2015-01-07T11:06:00.000-06:00

I know I've shared a few photos of our tailgate team over the years...but I don't feel like I've shared much this season!

I LOVE our tailgate. We've grown from 3 to 4 couples this year and it's been a great change. We always have great friends stop by and visit, and our policy is the more the merrier!

Our season tickets are HIGH. Like, three rows from the ceiling. But, we love them, and as you can see, the view isn't that bad!

Texans games are out Sunday Funday dates!

Johnny and me, my favorite friends' boyfriend.

We had two COLD games this season!

I love this man!

The past two years we've been offered better seats...but we can't leave our friends that we sit with. We've created such great friendships with the folks we sit around. we are so lucky.

The last game of the season was the coldest yet. And it was raining...the entire time. It took me HOURS after we got home to warm up. My bum and legs were freezing!

This is probably my favorite game of the season. This is our official tailgating crew. We are all so drastically different...salespeople, police officer, radiology tech, principal, college professor...

If you are ever at a Texans Game, please come stop by! We would love to have you!

Ellis Family Pictures 2014 - SEEM Photography Review

2015-01-06T12:16:00.000-06:00

We have family pictures taken every year. This year, we used a new photographer, Sarah, with SEEM photography. We loved her and are so happy with our pictures!

It's really the only time each year that we get our pictures made as a family. It's always crazy..finding a date that works, outfits that work, and a time of day that Jaxson will be at his best...#stressful

But I'm always SO HAPPY when we get them!

The session fee was VERY reasonable, it only took about 20 minutes, and Sarah was fantastic with Jaxson. And, we got all of these prints digitally.

I swear his pants are not this short when he is standing. He is so long and lean that it's hard to get them long enough! #wherestheflood

I am still in awe that God made me this precious little boy. I hope that feeling never changes.

I'm thankful for this big boy too :)

I love this pic because it's adorable...but I feel HUGE in it. But, it still makes me smile.

This ended up being the main pic for our Christmas card. Jaxson is actually laughing because he is pulling my hair...hard. But, we are all smiling!

Thank you Sarah, for some great pics! I love them!

Adventures of Elf...

2015-01-04T21:29:00.001-06:00

Do y'all do the Elf on the Shelf at your house? We do...and while I adore how much Jaxson looks forward to him, I sometimes despise messing with him. I'm pretty much an Elf on the Shelf failure. I think he's young enough that it's not a big deal right now, but next year I'll likely have to step it up!

I started off great...with Elf bringing the most adorable Little People Christmas House that I found on sale last March for 80% off. Score!

And then we got a little lazy and put him in the fall decor before we swapped it out for the Christmas decor.

He left notes when Jaxson was a super good boy...

And hid in the candy jar...

And rode reindeer from great heights...

had a snowball fight with Olaf...

Led a parade of Autobots...

And went joy riding with Sammy the Bearkat...

Jaxson has asked from Elf about 100 times since Christmas. He loves him! Next year I'll do better....

School Pics 2014

2014-12-08T10:25:00.002-06:00

We have Jaxson in a Primrose school, and we LOVE it! The staff is amazing and he's learning so much more than I believe he would be in a MDO program or Preschool. I'm so thankful for his school!

And...they always have the best photographers. I LOVE his school pics from this year. He looks so grown up...I just had to share!

This one is my absolute favorite!

Wordless Wednesday

2014-12-03T21:53:00.004-06:00

30 Things Before 30...WOW...

2014-12-03T21:47:00.002-06:00

So...4 years ago...yes FOUR years ago...and as a lovely 28 year old...I made a list of 30 things I wanted to do before I turned 30. I stumbled across this post while I was looking through my blog for my Summer Squash Bake (which I've now pinned so that exercise should never happen again...lol). I thought it would be fun to see what progress I've made...and how these things have changed!

1. Read the Bible. Yes, all of it. Well...this didn't really work out. BUT - I've honestly made great progress. I'm 83% of the way through!

2. Become and active and contributing member of a Church. YES! We've joined Fairfield Baptist Church, and I've been getting active! I've done two of the women's bible studies and I substitute in the nursery from time to time.

3. Treat my Mom to a spa day. Done!

4. Get Jeff a racing day. Oh goodness...I think he's had at least a dozen.
5. Organize my recipe book. Done!

6. Get on a schedule where I make a point to see my girlfriends once a month. Both sets of them. I'm getting better at this one!

7. Get hardwood floors! - Well, we bought a new house...so we have all new floors!

8. Pay off my new car - Well, it's not new anymore...but it's just about paid for... turns out a child was more expensive than I ever could have imagined!

9. Finish emergency fund. Well, I finished it for what my target was at the time, but due to our standard of living changes I'd like to have a larger one in place.

10. Work out 3x weekly for a month Yeah...this one was a fail. Life is too busy for this right now.

11. Organize closets (all three of them!) - Done!

12. Paint our home - all the rooms! - Done in our old house! Thankfully I don't want to paint anything in the new house!

13. Buy bedroom furniture - Done!

14. Daily devotionals - Doing them! Spending time with God daily makes a HUGE difference in my day. I can totally tell on days where I don't take the time.

15. Join a volunteer organization - Done!

16. Tithe the entire 10% - Always - no matter what. I have done this & I, am very happy that I have. I feel like I am doing the right thing, and showing God how grateful I am and that I can be a responsible steward of his money.

17. Adopt a family for Christmas - Yes! This is our second year doing this and I LOVE it!

18. More DIY projects - I know I can be crafty! I've done quite a few, and plan on doing more!

19. Have a booth at a craft show - This is likely never going to happen, I work too much unfortunately.

20. Take a wine 101 class - Done! In Fredericksburg! It was great!

21. Have wedding dress cleaned / repaired - Done! It's all cleaned and boxed up...for something...

22. Make a scrapbook for 2009 - There is no time for things like this...

23. Finish wedding book - Done!

24. Order wedding album - Please don't judge...We've been married 5 years and I haven't even thought about it...maybe in 2015

25. Get rings sautered - Done!

26. Buy Jeff a nice watch - Oops...sorry honey. You've taken up racing one a month instead :)

27. Get a T-Shirt quilt made - This one is still on this list...it's just finding the time...

28. Refinish table in the man room - I can't even remember what table I was talking about...so we will just conside this one done...

29. Sew stockings from wedding fabric - I ordered stockings from Pottery Barn...no need for this one any longer!

30. Sew tree skirt from wedding fabric - I still want to do this!

It's so fun looking back and seeing how much things have changed! Looks like I accomplished 23 of the 30 tasks...I think I'll take it! Perhaps I should make a before 35 list....

Happy Thanksgiving!

2014-11-29T10:42:00.001-06:00

I hope that you and your family had a fantastic Thanksgiving! I thought I'd share a few pictures of our Thankful day!

We had a wonderfully full house. We switch off every other year with each of our parents, and this year was hubby's year. My family went to Alabama to spend it with my Mom's family.

So, we had our little family, Hubby's parents, Hubby's sister, brother in law and my precious nephew, and my PapPa! It was a great group and we had a wonderful time!

We had tons of yummy apps and snacks and a great dinner! It's always fun to combine traditions and different meals that people like. I love it.

This is my new favorite, easy breakfast, compliments of my favorite friend, Brandy. You cook 1 roll of sausage and mix with one box of cream cheese. Then, you take a roll of crescent rolls, and cover the bottom of a greased 9x13 pan. Spread the sausage & cream cheese mixture over it, and then top with another roll of crescent rolls. Bake for 13 minutes at 350 degrees and you have breakfast! Everyone loved it and it was SO easy. I even reheated the leftovers at 200 degrees for about 10 minutes the next day and they were just as good.

Sorry for the picture overload! We have pictures of the whole group, but my in laws made the decision not to share pictures of my nephew online, which I completely respect :) So, you're missing some of that cuteness!

I LOVE setting the table with my best things! It makes me so happy! (Yes, I need dining room curtains...I can't find ones that I'm in love with).

I LOVE arrangements.

I love fall decorations. I leave them up until the day after Thanksgiving because I enjoy them so much! No early Christmas in this household.

Jaxson spent the day washing his cars, playing outside, and loving on his Great PapPa.

And some time swinging with Momma.

I started a new tradition this year. I wanted to do something that would encourage us all to talk about what we were Thankful for, but I wasn't in love with any of the projects that I saw on Pinterest. My friend Courtney sent me a picture of a table cloth that she was starting...where everyone would write what they were thankful for each year and they would add to it. I loved that idea, but we are messy eaters (and a little clean crazy)...and I was worried about washing it. So, I made a Thankful Banner! Of course, I did it the night before, so I didn't have time to buy a stencil to write "Thankful" in the middle, but I'll do that before next year. So, we all wrote what we are thankful for with our names and the year. I'll pull it out each year and whoever is celebrating with us can join in! I think it will be so fun to look back over the years and see how things have changed. I love it!

How was your Thanksgiving? I love to see everyone's homes and celebrations!

XOXO,

Michelle

Preschool

2014-10-29T22:59:00.000-05:00

How is it that my baby started Preschool this year?

He is so big...and so cute...and so precious...

I can't believe it is going by so quickly! We are going to be looking at graduation pics in a hot minute!

Jaxson's Ring Bearer Experience...

2014-09-10T21:50:00.002-05:00

Jaxson was recently in one of my best friend's wedding! We were so ~~nervous~~ excited to see how he did! Here he is resting up for the big day...

We celebrated his birthday while we were there. The folks at the Hilton were fantastic!

Our family.

The beautiful bride and her house party. I've loved these women for the past 14 years. Isn't that crazy?!

The after party

These are the pics from the photographer that the bride sent to me. I LOVE all the pics of my sweet Jaxson. (And yes, I ordered them all, they just aren't here yet!)

Livia, as Jaxson lovingly called her. He followed her around everywhere!

Bored while the girls are getting ready

So cute!!!!

Girls Weekend - NOLA!

2014-09-08T21:45:00.000-05:00

We recently took a girl's trip to NOLA to celebrate my sweet friend Lenti's bachelorette weekend! We NEEDED some girl time! And...I love NOLA!

There's good food....

YUM

And great friends...

And SO many giggles!

Even though we are all growing up...we still know how to have a fantastic time!

The bride to be with her AXO little sis

We thought these masks were a great idea...

We tried amazing drinks...and had a great dinner at GW Fins. I absolutely recommend it!

Pre drinks before our Ghost Tour!

I can't remember what this drink was called, but it was NO JOKE!

This has been a favorite bar of mine for years. I used to cover NOLA as a territory at my previous job, and my boss used to always take me to Lafitte's Blacksmith Shop. It's an actual Blacksmith shop from way back when and now it's an open air bar. So fun.

Our tour guide for the Haunted History Tour. It was actually really interesting!

I had to take a picture of this for my sweet little Jax!

Oh.My.Gracious.

Moms on the loose!

I'm ready for another girls trip....time to start planning!!!!

Sweet Home Alabama

2014-08-10T20:53:00.001-05:00

Jaxson and I just got back from a fantastic week in Killen, Alabama.

He was such a good boy on the plane. He did a fantastic job. Kicking the seat in front of us was a tempting thing...but we managed. He pretty much loved it. We even held hands and said a little prayer while we were taking off and landing. It was a super sweet moment I hope I always remember.

My grandfather, my precious Edaddy lives in Killen, along with my Aunt Cindy and most of the rest of that side of my family. Jaxson loves them.

My Daddy bought Jaxson his first big float to pull behind the boat. He loved jumping off of it, but not riding in it behind the boat. Maybe next year.

We also had lunch with Jaxson's Great Great Grandmother, Polly, and his Great Great Aunt Shelia. It was so fun getting to visit with them.

Jaxson with his Great Aunt Cha Cha.

My Aunt lives on Wilson Lake, which is part of the TN River. It's beautiful and I just love it. Jaxson loves it too.

My Aunt is one of my favorite people in the world. Notice my swimsuit? It's my first "Momma" swimsuit ever. It's amazing how great it felt to have my tummy covered. I actually felt better about myself, not older! Go figure!

Jaxson and Edaddy solved all the world's problems.

And there were many many cut throat games of Chicken Foot

Jaxson even helped Edaddy clean up the yard. He would follow him anywhere!

Jaxson and my Daddy did a lot of fishing. Even though Jaxson didn't like the worms...or the fish.

I love this picture.

All the girls...and my little guy.

I miss my family already. I would move back to Alabama tomorrow if I could convince hubby that it made sense. People are so kind, the world moves a little bit slower...and I just love the south. Everything is monogrammed, everyone smiles at you, and you hear 'Bless her Heart' at least 5x a day. It's just the way to live!

First let me take a selfie...

2014-08-08T21:44:00.002-05:00

Jaxson LOVES taking pictures of himself "selfies" and looking at them. I can't decide if this is normal for the younger generations...or if I should be worried that he's vain at the tender age of three...lol!

But the truth is...

I just might ~~like~~ LOVE looking at the pics he takes.

And they are usually so cute that they overcome that moment of panic where I think, Oh Goodness...did he call a client while he was playing with my phone?

Concentration....

You can tell it's been "a day" when I've given him my kate spade bracelet to keep him quiet and busy...

Pure Joy!

Do your kids do this? Am I alone? :)

Summertime Summertime...

2014-08-03T21:45:00.001-05:00

I love Summer. So does my little man. We are at the playground, splash pad or pool almost every weekend day.

I mean, it's about a million and a half degrees here in Houston, so I guess most other people are doing the same thing ;)

Look at that grin! I'd do just about anything to get one of those each day!

This one too ;)

And...Jaxson has discovered the magic of snow cones this summer. He started the summer loving blue ones (blue cotton candy), but has changed over to red (cherry). He asks to go get a snow cone EVERY.SINGLE.DAY.

We humor him at least twice a week..sometimes lots more.

Jaxson is also loving splash day at Primrose. They get to play in the sprinklers and little pools at his school during the summer. He's going to be so sad when that ends in a couple of weeks. They have snow cones there too (are you seening a trend?!)

We've also made a couple of road trips...Port O Connor, Dallas, Austin...we'll head just about anywhere!

Joe Cool

We also spend at least one afternoon a week fishing. A perk of living by the lake that I love taking advantage of. Daddy always joins and usually ends up manning the Buzz Light Year fishing pole.

What would summertime be without cheap plastic cups that you throw away later?

And swimming in the backyard until your hearts content?

Bandit, who has quickly become Jaxson's little mascot, even hopped in for a cool dip.

Isn't this the cutest set? I got it on sale for $8 during Gymboree's sale last month. Score!

Yes, this was danger! We had to buy a new snow cone because that one became brown soup. EWWW!

We also went to McDonald's for the first time ever. Hubby makes fun of me because I don't want to feed Jaxson their "food". So, we tried it. He took one bite of a chicken nugget and said, "Momma, that isn't chicken". You're right baby, it isn't. Please don't eat it. Sometimes, Mommas know best!

And we've spent great times with special friends.

Play Doh is all the rage at the Ellis household...and has ruined one of our chairs...oops.

And we discovered popsicles....

I love summers. Jaxson makes them so much more fun. I can't wait for many many more!

What do you love about summertime?

TBT

2014-07-31T13:50:00.000-05:00

For TBT this week...I looked back through what pictures I took during this week 2 years ago. Look what we were doing!

I can't believe that it's been 2 years!

Building the house was so fun.

And look how small our little guy was!

I remember how much fun it was to come and look at the house each day to see what had changed.

Jaxson liked going too :)

He still loves playing with the fan pulls!

What a difference 2 years makes!

The Dragons...

2014-07-27T14:30:00.003-05:00

Well, Jaxson named his TBall team this week. They were all huddled around, trying to decide on a team name, and Jaxson said "DRAGONS! LET'S BE DRAGONS!". I'm pretty sure it's because we watched How to Train Your Dragon the night before. Oops.

So, the team is named The Dragons. I giggle every time I hear our coach say, "Come here Dragons". It cracks me up.

At least he's comfortable speaking up. I like that.

He's getting better too, and liking it more. Spending less time eating snacks and a little more time playing.

Hubby joked that their little bench could be a Nike ad for toddler shoes.

I'm so glad we did this. It's so H-O-T...but worth moments like this!

TBT

2014-07-24T16:00:00.001-05:00

I couldn't resist a good 'ole TBT post.

Just hours old. I hardly remember him being so little!

After his first bath at home

What happened to this little baby!?!

MC Froggy Pants!

His board room picture!

How have 3 years already gone by? In the words of my Great Grandmamma Mary....That ain't right...it just ain't right...

Egg Cups - Low Carb Eats

2014-07-23T22:25:00.003-05:00

As many of you know...I'm a fan of the Atkins diet. Well, an Atkins way of life actually. That is literally the only way I can control my weight without devoting the time to a work out schedule. I know, I know, it's not that good for you...etc, etc. But, it works for me. I just got back on the wagon last week, and I've lost 7 lbs. I bought my first "Mom Swimsuit" this week. A tankini with a skirt. WTH has happened to me?

Anyway...I love egg cups. When I do low carb, these are something I make every Sunday. I actually really love them. And, I can freeze them in baggies, which makes it super convenient to take them to the office during the week.

First, I brown a pound of turkey sausage. I like the JennieO brand. Then, I preheat the oven to 350, and spray my square tin with Pam. You an use a muffin tin too, no big deal at all. Just MAKE SURE you spray it with pam or olive oil or something. You will HATE LIFE and NEVER make them again if you don't. Just sayin'.

Sprinkle the sausage into the tins. I usually have about half a cup left over, so don't worry if there is a little left. If you are doing Atkins, you can melt some cheese on it later and call it lunch :)

Then, scramble 9 eggs. I do what my great grandmamma does, and add "just enough" water to the scrambled eggs to make them "just right". I also add flax seed and Nature's Seasoning, which I think is one of the best prepackaged seasonings on the market.

Pour the egg mixture over the sausage and then sprinkle a little shredded cheese on top. Stir it with a fork to make sure the cheese is covered.

Pop in the oven and cook for about 12 minutes.

Yum! You can also do these with shredded bacon, or add onions, green peppers, rotel...the baking pan is our oyster! I'm weird about food getting old, so I pack six of them in a large baggie (for 3 breakfasts) and then freeze the rest in small baggies, 2 in each baggie. I just put them in the fridge from the freezer the night before, and they are fantastic the next day.

I hope you like them!

Happy Birthday Cash!

2014-07-23T09:00:00.000-05:00

Jaxson's best friend, Cash, had his 3rd birthday party! It was at a gymnastics place, Cypress Gymnastics. Jaxson had a great time.

He wasn't scared of anything (shocking)

Jaxson & the birthday boy.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY CASH!

They had a ton of things for the kids to jump on. The only hard part was that this is actually a serious, Olympic-athlete training facility (apparently Jonathan Horton trained here) so there are lots of safety rules. It was hard for Jaxson to understand the one at a time on each activity thing.

But he still loved it.

So did Daddy

Jaxson sitting with "Gia-nanna". He adores her.

Isn't she beautiful?

CUPCAKES!

Our friends said that this was the best party yet, you pay, buy cupcakes and $50 worth of pizza, plates and decorations and then you go home without having to clean up. What are your thoughts on parties at home versus parties at a place like this? We've only done the at home, and are considering a venue for next year. I'm curious to hear what you all do!

Happy Birthday 'MERICA!

2014-07-22T11:30:00.000-05:00

I love July 4th. It means freedom, American Pride, hot summer afternoons and friends. This year was no exception.

Jaxson's Primrose had a parade. It was adorable. His little class was so cute!

Our neighborhood had a parade too. Our best friends joined us. We decorated the golf cart, grabbed some beads, a pitcher of mimosas and headed out! It was super hot but super fun.

Jaxson loved throwing the beads on the parade route. It was pretty cute.

I made the kids firecracker hot dogs. Aren't they cute? They actually ate them!

Courtney made the cutest oreo pops. I may have eaten three of them...

I made my homemade chocolate chip cookies in blue and red. I think I'll add sugar cookies to the middle next time and do red white a blue.

We headed to the fireworks show over the lake and had a wonderful time. The boys loved it!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY 'MERICA!

Weekend at Gigi & PopPa's

2014-07-21T15:12:00.002-05:00

We had a fantastic weekend at my parent's house. They live in Dallas, which is about 4 hours from where we live. It's not a bad drive. Jaxson does really well in the car with Bandit...his little mascot.

We went out to dinner on Friday night to celebrate my Mom's and Hubby's birthdays. We've been going to The Grotto in Highland Village for 15 years now, and it's a family favorite. The food is incredible, and Chef Morris is such a kind man. We gave Daddy cooking lessons there for a birthday gift a few years ago. It was recently on the Hungry Investors show...you know, the one with Jon Taffer, the guy from Bar Rescue? Well, we really wanted to see how much it changed...and it really didn't that much! Just a few things, like the square plates, the potatoes, and they did change the decor. Anyway, we had an amazing time and Jaxson was a perfect angel. He even went potty twice!

We spent the ENTIRE.NEXT.DAY in the swimming pool. Jaxson loved it!

My Daddy got him this floatie, and it was perfect for him! It gave him so much more freedom than the life jacket. I think because he could keep upright and not keep leaning forwards or backwards.

It was in the 80s in Dallas. We had to heat the pool!

Just look at that happy little face!

He played duck duck goose all around the spa with Daddy...over and over again!

Even Bandit got worn out from all the swimming!

"Please don't make me take a nap Momma!"

We all played Chicken Foot that night. It's my favorite game night game EVER! I lost...but I beat hubby! Our games always get a bit spirited (and it's usually my fault).

The weather was so nice that we had breakfast on the patio!

Complete with rescue bots and bacon :)

How was your weekend?

Balance

2014-07-17T16:47:00.000-05:00

I just had lunch with a coworker of mine and we were talking about balance. We come from different perspectives and circumstances when it comes to balance...but it was interesting to both of us that we both essentially have the same basic struggles. He's a Dad with two little girls under 5, with a wife that has a very successful business that she runs from home. I'm a working mom with a 3 year little boy and a husband that works full time in a sales capacity as well. But, we still struggle with pretty much the same things.

He was telling me that I should write a book about working moms and how to balance everything. As I recovered from choking on my water...I let him know that I had pretty much nothing figured out and that my pie of balance was a in a sad sad state. While it was a lovely compliment that he thought I had it all figured out...it got me thinking...how do I decide where I spend my focus?

Do you struggle with balance? If you don't...how? How do you manage it?

Here's the thing. We all wear so many hats. And, we want to excel in each hat that we wear. Here are my hats...

Mom

This is probably my favorite hat EVER! I love being a mom. Jaxson has stolen my heart and I can't remember why much of anything was important before he came into my life. The other mom's out there likely know exactly what I mean....I just don't know how to put it into words. It is so important to me that we raise him with a kind heart that seeks out others and is filled with God's plan for him. There's no failing allowed at this role!

Wife

I love being married and I love my hubby, but being a wife comes with a TON of responsibility. He does more than most husbands that I know do, and I am so grateful for that. But, there are also expectations that we carry in our marriage that I need to uphold. I am his ultimate support system and cheerleader. That's a really important hat to wear (or pom pom to carry!), especially when my job is just as difficult and I need that cheering too. Sometimes it hard to give it all, especially during a bad month or sales cycle. I'm also in charge or the general upkeep of our home, all the shopping, the food supply, and the finances. Not to mention, he's my best friend. It's critical that I nuture our relationship and friendship and make it a priority.

Account Executive

At work, I'm in a high pressure sales job that I love, but that requires a ton of my time and thought. But I love it (97% of the time if I'm honest). It's not a 9-5 go through your daily task list and go home kind of job. It's a creative, exciting, rewarding, purely performance based career. If you're good at it, and you produce results, you get to stay and continue performing. If you don't...well, you get a little time to answer for it, and then you don't get to continue any longer. It's difficult to explain to someone that isn't in a sales / account executive role.

Daughter of Christ

Gosh, this is likely the most important one on this list! As I've started to devote more time to my walk with Jesus, other things have suffered. Quiet time means reading in bed at night, or getting up earlier in the morning which means hubby is woken up early. Or, spending the time I normally would with him in the evenings having my time. It's a difficult balance. But, I can't operate fully and successfully without it. And, I'm a firm believer that God will create the time that I need to spend with him and everyone else as I continue to be faithful in my commitments to him. I am aching to know what his plan and his purpose are for me. I see other people doing amazing things in other countries, in our church and in our neighborhood, and I can't help but feel like I'm wasting the opportunities he's given me. So, I'm learning to spend more time with him and faithfully asking for his plan to unfold.

This is the selfish part that we probably aren't supposed to talk about, but this is what started the entire conversation at lunch today. We were talking about me trying to read the entire bible and how long it has taken me. And, that taking time to do things like that can feel very selfish. Just like missing my last two hair appointments or working out 5 times in the past 3 years. I love being fit and healthy...but I can't justify taking time from any of the above roles to selfishly do that for myself. Blogging is the same thing. I've loved it for the past 6 years, and the past two I've really let it fall off of the radar. Why? It's not a priority. Spending time with my precious friends is the same thing. It's hard to take time from all of the other areas of my life and allocate it to fun on a regular basis.

I know that I'm not alone in this. Many of you have got to be facing the same "hat parade" that I am. I am eternally grateful that God has blessed me with so many hats to wear. I feel beyond blessed...but I want to make sure that I am making the most of and focusing on the right things. How do you find balance and peace? How do you know that you are doing the right things? I'm so curious to hear the experiences of other women. Thank you for sharing!!