To go along with our comfort food and Christmas movies Tiktok, here's a great start for Christmas movies...  … [Read more...]

It was truly an honor to speak at my dads funeral, as strange as that sounds. At my grandfathers funeral, he had asked me to write something and speak at his. I looked at him like he was crazy, I said "you aren't going anywhere, what about this, I'll speak at yours, if you'll speak at mine" and he said "you know one of us gets the short end of this deal" This would be about a month before his official diagnosis, and I still thought it was the craziest thing, he's 51 at the time and invincible, right? Because it was so crowded, I've had a few people who had to stand in the lobby ask if I had a copy of what was said about him. Sorry it took me so long, but Allen had to figure out how to get … [Read more...]

It's been one whole month (I wrote the majority of this back in October, it's officially been two months now) since we welcomed our sweet Saylor Jane to the world and I wanted to take a minute to record that special day before too many details escape me. I have so much to say about our girl, our fun surprise, the easiest pregnancy of the three, and the most perfect little one to round out our family. Let's just get right into it, shall we? We knew this would be a repeat c-section and we found ourselves in the same situation at nearly 39 weeks, no progress at all. Funny enough, I thought since this was number three, we'd have some excitement, like randomly going into labor or having my … [Read more...]

We recently went on our annual beach vacation to the white sandy shores of Gulf Shores. I'll recap that later, but while I had some of my favorites in a folder on my desktop, I thought I'd go ahead and add them to the blog. We met up with Kamin from Spark and Arrow for the second year in a row. We've been having our family photos made at the beach for the past six years. Professional photos are one of my favorite things to invest in for our family, so we try to get in a few sessions throughout the year. Thankfully, Allen is a good sport and doesn't mind. Let's start with my favorite, hands-down. These two have quite the bond. I always worried that their age gap (nearly 4 years) would … [Read more...]

I think I might really be doing this. I'm catching up the blog and carving out a little time to sit and write past posts or polish posts (like birthday letters) that hurriedly typed so as not to miss the moment. We won't call it a go until I've actually caught up AND started blogging in real time. I can't go back too far, we'll recap some birthdays, hit the high points, and of course, that Disney cruise. Did I tell you I have so much to say about the cruise? But first, birthday parties!  You know I'm a tiny bit over the top when it comes to birthday parties. I make no excuses, I love a good party, but about every other year we do something that doesn't require so much planning and … [Read more...]

dear judson, today you are four! What a fun four years we've had! If I thought time flew with your sister, I was wrong. How in the world my tiny baby boy is a four year old, I'm not sure. I feel like I should be rocking you to sleep and kissing your tiny head with your endless curls, but instead I'm chasing you around (literally ALL the time) and we are having so much fun. You are so very different from your sister in so many ways. You like to bend the rules and test the lines we draw. You want to see just how far you can go, you're adventurous in all aspects and so spirited. We have to remind you to walk nearly 100 times per day because you want to run or skip or hop everywhere … [Read more...]

dear Braylen, today you are EIGHT! It'll always be your day, but you know it means a ton to me, too! It's the day that made me a mother. I can reminisce about that sweet day in April for ever, but let's let this one be all about you! There is no real way to put your big personality into words.You might not break 50 pounds on the scale, but your heart and your personality are SO big! You light up the room when you come in, you aren't afraid of anything. Seriously. Nothing. Not bugs or the dark or public speaking or making new friends. Your heart is so big. Like so much bigger than any other child I've ever met. I'm not just saying that because you're my daughter. You want to … [Read more...]