TWO.

B, 

You are wild. excited. completely amazed by life and the world around you. You love everything. You are so fun to watch as you discover all the things happening. You bring so much joy to this world. You want to completely immerse yourself in everything, even your food;) You do not want to be confined, held back, or eased in. You want to be free and jump in head first to absolutely everything that presents itself. I admire you so. You make me so, so proud. I am so thankful that God called me to be your mama. I am so utterly amazed by you. You are my beautiful girl, my wild, energetic, sweet, precious baby. I cannot wait to see what all God has in store for you. I am forever your biggest fan. I love you with all my heart. Happy birthday!

Stay wild, little one

Mom

What B Wore Wednesday (WBWW)

I will admit that the joy I get from dressing my daughter is great. Nothing quite gives me the satisfaction of finding those perfect shoes and hair bow. I don't know if it's nurture or nature but my girl loves shoes, clothes, and accessories too. 

Today, let's talk leopard. Not just any leopard, baby leopard.

I am obsessing over leopard this fall. And because babies make everything cuter, leopard on babies make me giddy. RAWR:

              (Leopard head wrap and 

                 yes, eating ketchup)

         (Leopard boots, because DUH.)

(Leopard mocs. They even have a little cat face and ears on them. And. I. Die.)

Leopard is (in my opinion) a neutral. So pair it with anything. [especially if it's a baby]

Weekend Wrap Up

Can we just pretend like the hiatus never happened? I've been a terrible blogger. I even gave up Facebook. Yes, gave it up! Because I thought it would motivate me to blog more. (It didn't) However I plan to make good on my New Years Resolution, Facebook giving up Resolution and probably a million other "let's do this" pep talks from myself and start blogging more regularly. I want to have these pages of memories documented and I want my precious out of town family and friends to have a way of keeping up with my family. So, with that being said, let's get into it. 

Weekend Wrap Up:

Mondays stink. But what better way to start a Monday than by relishing in the fun weekend before it?

Friday: my angel of a mother came over and watched Queen B so PT and I could get away and have dinner down in Dunedin. It's the cutest little town. We loved it, even if we couldn't really see any of it due to the torrential downpour we were experiencing. Still, it was nice to get dressed up (brush my hair and wear earrings) and have an adult dinner with my hubs. Dinner was so good that I was actually TOO FULL to stop and get ice cream on the way home. I know, shocking.

Saturday I woke up before my alarm clock (Queen B) and headed to Safety Harbor with my awesome running buddy Brittany. We got there just in time to discuss how out of shape we were before running the "Thin Mint Sprint" 5K. I will be honest and say the only thing that got me out of bed and running shoes on my feet was the promise of Tagalongs. It was a gorgeous morning of running along the water. I finished and was near death ( needless to say, I didn't win) but I got a medal AND cookies made me feel better instantly. Looking forward to some more runs in the fall. After the run we suited up (in garnet and gold) and watched the Noles play some college football. ( & concerning the emotional well being of PT, we won) 

Sunday we woke up and snuggled on the couch with some Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and then got ready for church. Queen B had a great time playing with her buddies in the nursery and PT and I loved gathering with our church family for a great sermon in the book of Acts. After church we headed to Moes (WELCOME TO MOES, can't even type it without thinking it) with our cousins and Nonna and Papou. We killed some burritos and quesadillas and headed home to clean up and prep for our Sunday night homegroup.

And there you have it, folks. Our weekend wrap up.

I'll be back (terminator voice).

Monday

If only the dermatologist's office was as exciting as my shoes and purse.

Happy Monday.

Beach Daze

Living in Clearwater has it's perks. One of them being very clear water 10 miles away from me at the beach. I don't take it for granted. Every time I drive over the beautiful bridge over teal blue water and sunny skies, leading down to that sandy paradise I want to snap a pic. (I usually don't because I am a large advocate of no texting and driving) Every now an again I am in bumper to bumper traffic so I can get a quick snap of the beautiful scenery. 

One of the best things about summertime at the beach is that my baby B loves it. She is a water baby for sure, which I am so happy about. My girl could sunbathe (sit in the sand filling a bucket and eating watermelon) for hours. And she looks darn cute doing it, if I do say so myself. 

I forsee many years of summers at the beach with this one:

            (Sandy feet are oh so sweet)

Happy Sunning!

Grown Ups and Onesies

I don't know if it's because my one year old rocks them so well and looks so cute that my summer obsession was born or what, but I cannot get enough of onesies (rompers). Seriously, I want ALL THE ROMPERS. The idea of putting one article of clothing on and being ready for the day gives me butterflies. Who's jumping on the onesie train with me (and Brooklyn)?

Here are a few of my latest onesie finds, LOVE the bright colors for summer.

A tan this summer would be nice too. :)

Laundry and thankfulness

As I begrudgingly went to the dryer today (because restarting it for the fourth time to avoid folding just seemed unreasonable) to fold the clothes I felt a little pull at my heart. "Blessings". 

With so many people in the world that are struggling with so little, I choose to be thankful for my mounds of laundry. That I have the ability to wash these things and most importantly, for the humans that fill those clothes. 

 

Thank you Jesus for these large mounds of (tiny) clothes today. You are so good.

ONE

Oh, Brooklyn

     My sweet  baby. How does a mother even begin to put into words what her first year with her baby was like? I can't. Every adjective or catchy quote or poem would just fall short. My life has never, ever, been so sweet. I have never, ever known love like this. There's an overwhelming sense of gratefulness to our creator for creating just you and for calling me to be specifically your mother. I don't know what kind of joy I had before I could walk into your room and seeing you standing in your crib with bed head and a smile. What was joy before I could hold you and stare into your eyes as you fall asleep. What was  joy before I would feel your little body cling to me when I lifted you up?  Every moment, every little thing is so full of life and joy and meaning and purpose. I can't begin to imagine my life without that. You are  so curious and funny and you make the absolute best faces.
You constantly have me and your daddy laughing. And you say "hi" to every stranger we encounter. (We will definitely talk about this when you get a little older) You brighten  days!

On your first birthday I'm finding this insatiable desire to remember every single moment. Every little smile, coo, tear of your first year. I want to hold on to all those moments before they flee away out of my grasp and mind. I am torn between being so overjoyed that you are growing and learning and maturing and yet so broken hearted that so many "days" are over. All the never agains seem to be creeping into my mind.  You are the greatest thing I have ever done, the most treasured gift I have And I will love you with the strongest, unbreakable love for the rest of my life. Every moment for every day for the rest of forever will be consumed with my love for you. And for that, I could not be more grateful.

A year ago you made me a mother and every day since then you have made me better, stronger, more compassionate, and solidified my role as "mama". You will always be my baby, my girl, the one that made me a mommy. I love you so much, my girl.  And I thank Jesus every day for making you
Mine, and me yours.

Happy First Birthday, Brooklyn!

Xoxoxo
Mama

GOOD FRIDAY?

I have heard it questioned many times, what is good about Good Friday? 

I remember my dad taking us to see "Passion of the Christ" when we were very young.

 Although I don't think I could've completely understood Gods grace at that age (or even now fully) I remember crying so hard while seeing Jesus beaten, spit on, and ultimately crucified for doing nothing but love us. It was hard for me to view this day as "good". 

A lot of focus of "Good Friday" is spent pointing to Sunday and the resurrection. While this day is the biggest, most important day in the life of a believer (our God LIVES and He is VICTORIOUS) I believe Good Friday is good in and of itself. On that day God's wrath toward us was satisfied. It was FINISHED. 

Although our sweet Jesus suffered, He did so, so that we could be reconciled to Him forever! We were spared. We were covered, and marked BLAMELESS! What a beautiful, sweet, GOOD day this Friday was/is.

 

Hello, sunshine.

   Sunshine, my baby, and my hubby.         These are a few of my favorite things.

Things I'm bad at (Part 1 of 1,086ish)

Wanna know how bad I am at New Year Resolutions?

One of my new year resolutions was to start blogging more often ... crickets ... it's March.

I've always been a fan of the phrase "better late than never", so here I am. While there are a number of other resolutions that I failed at, I thought I would really try and get started on this one (the fact that it is two months late is irrelevant). LATELY,  I've been super busy loving on my sweet, perfectly perfect angel of a baby (I'm biased AND honest) and mixing in various activities such as becoming a master chef (thats a joke), watching real housewives (Thaaaaaat's true), and spending a lot of time surrounded by friends and family (so grateful!)

Clearwater is wonderful. I was at the beach in January and February and quite honestly could've been there way more often if I was just following the weather. It's gorgeous. Before all you northerners that are dealing with the "polar vortex" ( as far as i know this is a real thing) get all huffy and puffy please know that by May 1st when you are starting to enjoy the warm peaceful sunshine of Spring...I will be sweating profusely with hair and make up matted and absolutely unable to enjoy the outdoors in any capacity. So there's that. For now, I will enjoy runs without heat exhaustion and laying on the sand without third degree burns:)

My baby girl is TEN MONTHS old. I find this to be crazy. I feel like she was just a huge bowling ball in my stomach, taking up way to much room, and using my ribs as her own personal drum set. Now she is all sorts of her own little human. Walking, babbling, laughing (i feel more AT me than with me), and examining everything. It is seriously the greatest joy I've ever experienced watching this little person grow and at the same time, soo unbelievable. Time is flying and I'm just trying to hold on to each moment as it happens. Thank goodness for Iphotos.

I appreciate you reading this random, "who are you and where have you been" post:) I will try my best to update and keep with my "resolution".

BYE, for now.

Friday Favorites

Happy Friday. In carrying on the tradition of blogging again, here are my Friday Favorites:

I'm currently obsessed with these retro high waisted two pieces. 

I would love to be able to pull this off.

I've officially adopted yellow as my summer color. 

This dress/vest combo is adorbs.

I'm already getting in the holiday spirit 

and I've  been thinking about all the fun decorating I want to do in our new house. 

These candy corn candles are so festive and easy!

 And who doesn't love to decorate with sweets?

As summer comes to a close I can't help but think about all the sweet students I'll be missing this year! I'm loving spending  the days with my precious girl but as my favorite part of the year begins and teachers begin setting up their classrooms and meeting their new students I will be a smidge jelly of all the fun they'll be having;)

And of course my all time fave: My girl B and her new bling! 

Thank goodness for PT's ability to resist the urge to cry and protest when B cries and protests. 

We did great.

 In fact, I didn't even cry this time;)

Happy weekend!

Brooklyn- Birth Story

I don't even know where to begin. 

I guess at the beginning.

On May 15th, 2013 I went in for my very last check up before B's due date. My BP was high so my doctor wanted to send me over to the hospital to have them monitor it and make sure everything was OK. I called PT and we headed over. While there I was a nervous wreck and my BP only got higher. That's when they said it, "We're gonna go ahead and get this started".

WHAT?! I was not prepared. I know, I had like a year of her growing in my belly to prep for this day but no, I was not expecting all this. I thought for sure she would be weeks late and I'd be begging the doc to let me have her but this? She was coming, I was going to meet my daughter like, NOW? They decided to keep me over night and try to get my body to start labor naturally. This was the longest night ever. I was soo anxious about meeting my baby. I slept about 30 mins. And at 7:30 am I woke up to a balloon popping inside of me. That would be my water. Breaking. Hello Labor!

Strangely, I got incredibly calm when this happened. I was so beyond ready to now meet this miracle that I had been carrying around for 10 months. I pushed for 20 minutes and at 11:32 am my baby was born! I realize that this is not normal for first time mothers and I am so incredibly thankful for my easy delivery. Apparently I get it from my mama. The minute the doctor handed me my girl I knew... My life was over. It was now completely dedicated to this sweet, tiny, angelic person that I was holding in my arms. The feeling of joy that overwhelmed me is one I cannot put into words. All I kept saying over and over was thank you God, thank you God. And I am still saying this now. I was SO ecstatic. Peter and I immediately fell in love with this person. And we are so thankful for her. God has given us one of His children to care for and share with her who Jesus is and how much he loves her. I am so grateful for this important task. She is absolute perfection.

                                          My love, my heart, my daughter. Brooklyn Marie.