She's Sun and Rain

My friend Colleen posted a facebook status about how their family was "vision casting".What a great idea. I believe it is important to have goals and visions for your family and for yourself. Every year I make a new year's resolution. I know it's probably cheesy or cliche'. I don't care. I like having goals and even moreso, I like accomplishing goals. It's why I like vacuuming and washing my car. Or mowing the grass. I like to see results. I have ten pounds to lose after having Alley. It's all in my tummy but I want it to go away. As.Soon.As.Possible. :) So, I asked Adam if we could do some vision casting for our family. We didn't, but it was a nice thought. Maybe he'll come around. :) So, I do it for myself anyway. Here are a few things I'd like to get accomplished this year. 1. I'd like to pray and read my bible more. I don't do this enough. Billy Graham even said he doesn't do it enough, I've got to work in this area. ...

Wow. The last 24 hours have been so good I just had to write about it. I am pretty honest in my blog. Sometimes life is hard. Sometimes, it's not. I write about what I think and feel during each season of life. Having a baby is HARD. She tried to come early at 19 weeks, I had bed rest, two hospitalizations, magnesium sulfate (ugh, that stuff is AWFUL), lots of medical bills, and then a c-section. Try having a c-section after your muscles already don't work from laying down for 4 and a half months. I couldn't even get up off the toilet by myself. For.2.Weeks. TMI? The medical bills abounded and then we had jaundice, low milk supply, followed by reflux and colic. I had a meltdown somewhere in there. Two of them actually. Thankful for my neighbor who came to help and my mom and mother-in-law and my sweet husband. So, needless to say I had a rough 2012. But we are blessed. I have a healthy baby girl who sleeps at night and is starting to nap well during the day. Colic is on it...

So I haven't blogged in a while...this is why :) To say she keeps me busy is an understatement. We are blessed people. Thank you God for keeping her in the womb to 37 weeks and for a healthy baby girl. We are in love with her. How could you not be? Look at that sweet face!

Adam and I have been talking about smartphones this weekend. It would be an easy way to take pictures and video of our new baby girl and share with each other (or, me share with him while he's at work) or with our parents and an easier way to upload online or to Shutterfly, which is usually who I use for prints and albums these days. But they are a little more expensive. To off set we're talking about cutting cable, and looking at what other expenses we might can cut that aren't necessary. We/I don't want life to be one big distraction. I am around people that can't carry on a conversation sometimes without checking their phone every two seconds.  I keep finding myself reading blogs about natural cleaning recipes, natural body products (see www.desiringvirture.com or www.homehealthheart.org ) and they always direct me to the way things were done "back then". Bleach is bad, face wash is bad, use oil and water to cleanse your skin...um, really? Oil is the...

If you know me at all, you know how I feel about organization. I love it! Like, it makes me happy. (And yes, I said "like"). I enjoy vacuuming because it gives me a feeling of instant gratification. Everyone gets that feeling from something and for me, it's cleaning and organization. I am type A but definitely not a perfectionist. There are just some things I like neat and orderly, like underneath my bathroom cabinets for example. I love things that make life simpler and since there is no need to reinvent the wheel I thought I'd pass along these websites. Being pregnant and on bedrest for a while has given me time to catch up on blogs and find some new sites that might make life a little easier. I already have a home notebook with important information in it like wills, where documents are located, and a list of books to read some day. It also has our budgets in it and the last time we changed the air filters. I found that idea by googling home notebook. This is the w...

Click here to view this photo book larger Shutterfly offers exclusive layouts and designs so you can make your book just the way you want.

It's hard for me to believe that we've made it to 31 weeks with all the craziness that has happened. At 28 weeks I was taken off bed rest and just told to take it easy. So, the last two ish weeks were great. I had a baby shower (pics to come) and was able to get her nursery bedding washed, Adam put the crib together, we got the car seat in and inspected, etc. And then...  Last week we spent Wednesday through Friday in labor and delivery in the hospital fighting off contractions. Dr. says she doesn't know where they came from, only that they showed up. My cervix was still plenty long enough "fort knox" she said and there were no signs of pre-term labor, only pre-term contractions. One of the tests they do gives a 99% proof that you won't go into labor in the next two weeks. That will put me at 32 1/2 weeks. If we can make it to 34 weeks it puts us past a lot of risks and I won't have to have certain injections before she's born (not that she hasn't...

This week I know I've been stressed dealing with finances. I think it's just because of the gigantic bill I got from the hospital that followed with the gigantic check I had to write. Today one of the articles on the Dave Ramsey website was about living life and being content while you're trying to be good stewards and pay off debt. You can't let it drive you crazy. I have to be content in our circumstances, even if I don't love everything about them. I know that sounds so easy right? Here's a link to the article. Anxiety Fever It says it way better than I could. :) Happy Friday to all! Stay safe in this hot weather. I will not be sitting outside at all today, it's smoking hot out there!

Oh my goodness we are almost to 28 weeks! I am sooo excited about this fact :) I may or may not have been hormonal in my last blog post. Adam asked me if I was going to delete it and I thought about it, but... decided that everyone is human and everyone has their days when they just need to vent. I'm not perfect so why try to pretend I am in my blog? The truth is we have so much to be thankful for. Last night I watched Charles Stanley that we recorded from Sunday (since I haven't really been able to go to church) and he kicked my butt! He was talking about how obedience always leads to blessing. Adam and I have been struggling with this because we really feel like we have been obedient and it doesn't "seem" to us that we have received blessings out of it. But, our blessings aren't always what we think they are. Of course, our baby girl is a blessing! Adam's job at The Hartford is a blessing. My being on bed rest and not having income did not seem like a b...

Yesterday was Father's Day and I think Adam had a good first Father's Day. We got him a grill since we sold ours when we moved into the apartment. Every man needs a grill and since he is the one doing most of the cooking these days I thought it appropriate. We also picked up some Dreft so we can start washing baby clothes and items that we've gotten at showers and as hand-me-downs from family and friends. We are really blessed to have people that love us and help us with baby items. I called Barry yesterday to wish him a Happy Father's Day. I was really fortunate to have two Dads. (And they both had the same name!) They are/were both really great people who love their family. I have a wonderful father-in-law too! I've also got both my grandfathers alive and two great grandfathers alive. It's so cool to be 31 and have all these wonderful men still around. Adam is going to be a great Dad. Ask anyone. He loves kids and is sooo good with them. They just like being...

We have almost made it to 26 weeks. On Sunday, that's where we'll be. I had an appointment with the surgeon Tuesday and everything went really well. He says I'm  measuring right where I need to be. The baby is moving around a lot, I can feel her kick almost every day. Today she has been moving a lot!!! It's neat for Adam to feel her and see her kick. He talks to my belly and tells her to have a good day when he leaves for work. Can you say, adorable? :) I first felt her move the day I got home from the hospital. It is for sure one of the coolest things ever. We had a baby shower this weekend hosted by two of my childhood friends. My family and high school friends came. Lots of fun! There are pictures on facebook for those who want to see. It seems like there are pregnant people allll around me. More and more I'm hearing of people having babies this year! In 10 weeks, they'll be taking the stitches out... in 6 weeks, they consider me "as good as full term...

If you've never been on bed rest, it's hard to imagine what it really is like. I'm not on full bed rest where I am literally stuck in the bed all day, or where I am hospitalized, so for that I'm fortunate. But, I am in my house all day, either on the couch, chair or in the bed. I can sit up at the kitchen table for a bit at a time but it gets tiring. (And for any of you that ever dare tell a pregnant woman on bed rest to "enjoy this time"... you should be shot). Just sayin'. :-) There are a billion television shows to watch. I have movies, books, and magazines. I even have stuff I could "work" on like photo books or deleting my email inbox. Somehow though, it all gets old. I've been doing this now for over a month and I've got 4 more to go until my due date. May 1st I was admitted to the hospital. I am so thankful that we have made it to our 24 week goal! But it has come with sacrifices, sacrifices that I would make over and over again i...

I didn't post on Sunday because I was so exhausted from Saturday night! Yep, you can still have fun while on bed rest. :) We threw a party for our wonderful friends Scott and Kristi Brooks. Adam of course did ALL the work! He was a great host and I just sat there and got to hang out with our friends. Scott and Kristi have been an amazing part of my life for the last 6 or so years. I met them at Team Church in 2006 when I started attending and volunteering with student ministry. Kristi and I led a high school girls hometeam (small group) for the next 3+ years and became the best of friends. We went on vacations together, had a women's bible study together, she was there every time I needed a friend, she helped me with every single aspect of planning my wedding, too! Since Adam wasn't here in Charlotte she went with me to pick out a dress, to the cake tasting, to the florist, to the venues, and of course a bridesmaid...she was just pretty much the best friend a girl could ask...

 Happy Mother's Day! To all Moms (and Moms-to-be) everywhere. I am very thankful for my Mom, Mother-in-law, and the other women in my life that are Moms like my grandmothers and aunts.  AND, This is technically my first Mother's Day! I hadn't realized it until Adam mentioned it to me about two weeks ago. I am definitely considering myself a Mom already... this little girl just better stay put until I say so! ;) Or until God's perfect timing allows her to enter this world. So, the Sunbrella chair wasn't part of my Mother's Day gift, but if you're on bed-rest, it is like HEAVEN! Now I can go sit outside during the day and be in the correct reclining position! I can't even explain how exciting this is to me. I am an outdoor girl so it is a challenge sitting inside this house all day. Now at least I can be outside some of the day :) I love that it says "Anti-Gravity" which is exactly what I need!  I think Adam did a pretty fine job wrapping my ...

Well ladies and gentleman, we are one week post surgery, praise the Lord! This time last week I was eating hospital chicken fingers and french fries (which, at Presbyterian Main are actually really good!) and was prepping for being discharged. I can't believe it has been a week already. Thank you everyone for your prayers. I'm crying as I'm typing this, not sure if it's from the progesterone shots, the emotions, or the lovely people in our lives that have made this tolerable so far. I went to the doctor on Monday afternoon, thanks to my sweet friend Margaret who was gracious enough to take me so Adam didn't have to miss more work. I was given my first of weekly shots of progesterone and told that I really needed to take bedrest seriously, mostly lying down or being in a reclining position (to which my Mom insists we go buy a recliner immediately, haha). Monday night the Priles brought us dinner and it was delicious! Yesterday Kristi and Quinn came by for a visit and...

Some sweet flowers from Adam's manager and a card from my bible study girls! Adam's Mom got us flowers too but I didn't catch a photo before they started to fade a little. It's Sunday - and that means today we hit 20 weeks with baby girl! We will be celebrating on Sundays (and every day, really) when we make it one more week! Each week means baby girl gets stronger, bigger, and more developed. Tomorrow I go for my follow up appointment and the beginning of progesterone shots. I had a little outing on Friday when I attempted to put my contacts in and got a contact stuck in my eyelid. It was not funny at the time but looking back at it, it just cracks me up. My brother took me to the eye doctor (very carefully in the car) to have him get it out. I told the Doc I would stick to glasses for a while! The last couple of days have been pretty good, I've felt better each day and have had visitors bring us food and fun stuff like magazines to keep me occupied. My friend ...

Warning: there may be girly stuff and medical terminology...but I'll give you the nicer, abbreviated version :) To say it has been a whirlwind since Tuesday would be an understatement. I was 19 weeks 1day on Monday by my Ob. I had gone in for my 18 week appointment where they do the anatomy scan the Monday before where we found out we are having a baby girl. Everything looked clear on the anatomy scan, all healthy. They had been monitoring my placenta (it was low-lying) and the length of my cervix. We knew I was "high risk" since I had surgery on my cervix back in 2009 when they thought I might have cervical cancer. So, Monday when I got to work I had some fluid leaking and this feeling that something wasn't right. I read online for 2 seconds at work and everything said it was "normal". Then I got home and read some more and realized it might not be normal so I called the Dr and they made an appointment for me Tuesday. Fast forward to Tuesday at 2pm. I we...

I love being at home. Waking up at home, smelling the coffee brewing, hearing the birds chirping and just... being.at.home. I hate leaving for work in the morning and I love coming home in the afternoon. I enjoy having the windows open and yes, even cleaning. It's not just my home, I am the same way at my parents house. I"m sure you can relate.  They have moved a couple of times, but it doesn't seem to matter where they are, it still has that same "homey" feel. We are going to visit them this weekend for Easter and I am so excited. Besides the fact that they live at the coast (who doesn't love that?) I just really look forward to being around them and feeling like I'm "at home". I also look forward to the day I get to stay home with our kids. There's something that really excites me about making our home have the same feel. Where guests feel welcome just dropping by and saying hi, and our kids' friends want to come hang out. I really wa...

was to have no expectations. Thank you Rebecca Schlieman :) As I am around others with children, I am realizing that part of the reason they are unhappy, disappointed, and frustrated is because they had these expectations of what being a Mom was going to be like. I guess they thought that their children would automatically take long naps, that they wouldn't be exhausted, or irritable, or have feelings of sadness or depression. All I know is that everywhere I turn, I hear negative comments about motherhood. My least favorite terminology is "oh, you just wait". Um, wait for.... the world to end? Something terrible to happen? Don't talk to me like that about having a child. I don't want to hear your negativity. Now, don't get me wrong - I realize that motherhood is not going to be easy. Should I say that again? I realize that motherhood is not going to be easy. It's not like when you get married and go into this honeymoon stage and then wake up realizing marr...

I started off the year saying that I was going to do a picture a day, and then, well, we found out I was pregnant on January 10th! It's hard to blog about "other" things when you have such exciting things going on. So, that's why I haven't followed through on my promise and why I haven't been blogging. :) We are in fact, having a baby! We are due on September 23rd, and we find out in about a month if it's a boy or a girl. YES, we are definitely going to find out. I'm sure I will be just as surprised that a human being found it's way out of me, after God created it in me when it comes. I like to plan, I like to decorate...and what other excuse in your life do you have to purposefully spend 6-9 months on one room in your house and noone can judge you?!! I am fully going to take advantage of this situation! :-) I'll post some pictures later - if you haven't already seen them on facebook. I really was overwhelmed this morning by the outpourin...

I wrote a blog post last week sometime about something that was bothering me. Wellllll....my husband being the loving leader of our family made me take it down, haha. I was a little emotional and very straightforward. So, yea. As my mom would say "it is what it is". :) I must be honest, I had good intentions of writing and posting a picture a day this whole year. But we have had some changes around here and so it's been harder than I thought to keep up. I also had intentions of bringing my camera to work and taking some pictures at work, my office, the pretty area of town I work in, and I just haven't gotten around to it. Recently we have been watching a good bit of news keeping up with what's going on in politics with the election this year. We are both registered to vote and watching to see what happens in all of these preliminaries. We're back into bible study and just normal "life stuff". We haven't traveled at all since New Years, which ha...

Adam and I both turned 31 this week. His birthday is the 9th and mine the 12th. We decided to go out to dinner last night for it. We went to Macaroni Grill and it was yummy. They have Macaroni and Cheese bites. If you ever eat dinner there, I recommend them. They are better than the Fried Macaroni and Cheese from Cheesecake Factory. We meant to take a picture of us out to eat and forgot to...so, sorry about that. But, I took a few pics of the sweet things that others did for me. :) My co-worker Bryn baked two homemade poundcakes and the staff at the church sang to me. It was super sweet! My boss Julie sent me these beautiful sunflowers! She is off on Thursdays which my birthday happened to fall on. My other boss Michele gave me a coupon to go out to lunch in the spring. My co-worker and good friend Julie B gave me this balloon. Many of my co-workers stopped by to say "Happy Birthday", sometimes multiple times :) When I got home from work my brother Greg, who is staying w...

This 3 day weekend I'll be working on some spaces in our home. So, here are a few before pics. Now, please understand the baby stuff...people just give it to us. Haha, seems like they want to get rid of it and they want us to have kids. Free stuff, we'll take it! ;)  Adam's parents gave us his great-grandmother's dining room table. The chairs are newer, but someday I'd like to have some fun chairs to go with the old table. The stuff in the room on the table and floor was from my Dad's house in Calabash. My grandparents are selling the place so I had to get it out. You really can't take it with you.  These are movie reels from Ballard Designs , one of my favorite home decorating stores. My mom gave us these for Christmas. Stay tuned to see where they end up :) This room is going to see some changes. The bed is gone already - we gave it to my sister. Tonight I'll post some pictures from my birthday. Don't go far...

Did I mention how fun and exciting our life is? Well....tonight we are Redbox'ing' it! Watching "The Help" my husband sweetly got for us. (Has nothing to do with me going to the doctor today and having a sinus infection, he's just that nice!) He also decided to make Funfetti, yep, Funfetti Holiday brownies! I love how Target even puts their Christmas food on sale after Christmas! It's the only store I shop at the day after Christmas, great deals on everything including food :) I don't have to get into traffic either because it is right down the street. Love that place. So here's a few fun pics from tonight. TGIF! Adam and Greg

So I realize this is a video and not a picture, but videos are fun right?! This is a video done about affordable housing, but it is about a guy that I work with named Freddie. Watch his story and be amazed at one pastor's decision to give a guy a chance. Now, all these years later he's still working here, educated, and going to Queen's college. Way to go  Freddie! He also has a similar story to my Dad's, and that is close to my heart. God works through amazing circumstances. This church is beautiful, by the way. Love the architecture! It is great to work in a place that does great things :)

Today we ran a mararthon. Not really, but we did take down the Christmas Tree, did a ton of laundry, did the budget, got money out for our envelopes, and went to the grocery store. We are exhausted. Right now I'm on the computer and Adam is watching the caucuses. Here's some pics of our Christmas decor this year. We hosted a few Christmas parties. Will post this pics later :) Adam's Mom gave us a  Coca-Cola train so we put it around the gifts and tree! Had to post just a few pics of Ava and Marla. BTW, I skipped yesterday, but we were traveling back home. Resolutions are made to be broken but you keep going :)

Every year Tay and I, or well, I don't remember who started it... but anyway, we name the year. 2009 was "A time to shine", 2010 was "Let the fun begin", etc. But, this year... I am borrowing an idea from Taylor's new blog, and I am going to post a picture every day of the year on this blog. Not that my life is all that exciting, but this will be a great way for me to blog and share our story. Our crazy life story.  I hope everyone had a great New Year's Eve :) We are in Atlanta (or Villa Rica, really) visiting my in-laws and doing Christmas with them. On New Year's eve we opened Christmas presents, ate KFC, painted Joyce and Dennis' dining room as their gift, and then went over to Aaron and Val's house to light lanterns. You know, like the movie tangled. IT.WAS.AWESOME.  Here are a few pictures from the experience! If I had a better camera, (sponsor's welcome) I'd probably have better pictures of the lanterns in the air.   Adam and V...