Backyard BBQ {Girl Edition}

Every time one of our girls from our high school group growing up gets pregnant, we have a shower. For the first baby, we go all out. For all kids after the first, we just get together at a local restaurant and shower each other with diapers and wipes. Let’s just say that I haven’t had to buy diapers yet for Drake.

Erin was the last of the girls to have her first baby, so we had our last big shower for her this past weekend. It was a backyard BBQ with a whole lot of girl thrown in. When we all pool our resources together, we end up with a pretty nice backdrop to shower the mom-to-be with lots of gift while getting to enjoy each other’s company and watch all of kids play together.

Erin designed her own invitation since she does that on the side for people. We just told her the direction we wanted to go and some of the designs we liked, and this is what she came up with. Since mason jars are a staple at all of our parties, it seemed only fitting.

As for the details, I think the pictures speak for themselves…

The kids had a great time. It was nice to have it on Kate and Spencer’s farm where they could just run and roam without having to be too worried. A place to run, a game of baseball {kind of}, and farm animals equals loads of fun and great memories!

And, of course, the mama and daddy-to-be got plenty of little lovelies to make sure Baby E is set for her arrival. They are keeping the name a secret, and I can’t say I blame them. We’ve done both….kept it a secret and told people. My advice is to keep it a secret. It’s much more fun, and no one can give you their opinion about the name and what they would rather you name it.

Now, we wait until June! Erin, we all wish you the best of luck. We know you are looking forward to welcoming your baby girl, and we can’t wait to see her and hold her ourselves. It’s the best feeling in the world to be a mama, even if you are too exhausted to even remember your name sometimes. That love is like no other!

Love, All of your Hostesses

Rocked My World

It’s amazing how a person can go from complete joy to a near state of depression in a matter of minutes. You see, everything went great with Drake’s delivery. Everything was quick and pretty easy. I was totally fine…way better than I was right after Landry, which wasn’t actually that bad. I was simply elated that I could finally hold that sweet, precious boy in my arms and see his little face.

After the family had seen him though and left to go get some lunch {finally}, it was just Colby and I with Drake in the room. Then, the nurse came in and said she was going to take him to the nursery. She wasn’t panicked in any way that set off my mommy alarm, so I didn’t really think anything about it.

Later, our pastor and youth minister came by to see everyone and check on everybody and pray with us. I, still thinking nothing was wrong or abnormal, told them that they had just missed the baby, as he was in the nursery, but Colby could take them down there to see him. After prayer, they all left to go to the nursery, and I had to stay behind because of the lack of feeling in my legs due to the epidural.

They were gone….for a while.

So, I texted to make sure everything was ok. No reply.

Worry immediately sets in.

And then they return. Just Colby and the pastor…with solemn looks on their faces. Heat swept over my body.

I would be lying if I said that I didn’t immediately think the worst. I thought my baby was gone. To all of you mamas who have lost children in some way, I experienced that pain for a split second, and I hope I never have to experience that ever again. I cannot even imagine the hole in your heart that losing a child leaves.

Luckily though, Drake was a fighter but was having difficulty breathing. He had nurses and doctors standing around him. His O2 levels were not where they should have been, and his breathing was very rapid as he struggled. Within an hour of his life, he looked more like an astronaut with his oxygen hood on and wires hooked up to him in every way needed to monitor all of his levels. Thank you, Jesus, for amazing technology!

I was still back in the delivery room trying my best to move my legs in hopes that it would make the epidural wear off quicker, so I could walk good enough to get to the bathroom {that’s the deal with getting to move to the recovery room} and into a wheelchair, so I could at least see him through the window.

In what seemed like forever, I cried the hardest cry and prayed the longest prayer one could in that moment. Pleas for my baby boy to be okay and to not be affected by this in any negative way. And as I prayed…so did countless others, and I cannot be more grateful to all of you who did. God heard our prayers.

Eventually, I was able to go see him on my way to the recovery room. I had the best nurse who knew I was dying to see him. All I had been relying on up until that point was pictures and what my family was telling me. And of course, I was thinking that they were all only telling me half of the truth to try to keep me from being more upset.

While in the nursery, I was terrified as I sat there. I continuously watched the monitors and his little chest going up and down. Every time he would hesitate in breathing for a split second, I would panic inside….afraid that the monitors were going to go off and something else be wrong. I watched my grandmother take some of her last breaths, and it was just like that. That’s an image you can never erase from your brain, and I did not want to have to watch that with my son.

After staying for a few minutes, I had all I could bear and went back to the room. Colby would go back and forth to see what progress was being made with him. That night, I went back to check on him after we had spoken with the pediatrician who said that they had consulted Sacred Heart and would be shipping him there if he did not make progress within the next few hours. As we waited for him to come back late that night, we both fell asleep.

I woke up in the middle of the night and contemplated making my own way to the nursery to see if they had actually had to send him {the nurses assured me the next day that they would have gotten me up for that}, but decided it would be best for me to rest and not venture out alone since I was still getting feeling back in my legs {even then} and had only really gotten around by wheelchair.

The next morning though…

Surprise, surprise!

Colby went to check on him and came back with him in his bassinet. Praise the Lord! Just like that, the Lord had healed him within a few hours, and he was safe to be back with us in the room full time. So once again, family and friends filed in to see our boy.

We are so thankful that Drake has been totally fine minus a trip to the ER at Sacred Heart when he was making wheezing type noises when he fed. Luckily, they cleaned out his sinuses with what looked like a Roto-Rooter, and he has been good to go since aside from just doing a saline spray and suctioning him out every day.It’s a small hiccup, but we are just thankful that he is totally healthy according to all of his doctors and will not be affected by this in any way. Praise the Lord!

And today….Drake is One Month Old!

And because Landry wanted to get in on the action…

Happy Weekend, Everyone! Enjoy the sunshine!

One Person’s Trash

Is another person’s treasure!

In a dumpster diving adventure, Colby and I found a pretty great table. We brought it home with us even though I had no idea what I was going to do with it. It has sat in the garage for several months, and I finally had the time to think about how I could use it within our home.

It was a decent table. It had some stickers stuck on it, so I sanded them off and gave the rest of the table a good sanding over, so the finish would be roughed up and easier to paint. It probably took about ten minutes to do all of that.

Then came the fun part! I chose to paint the top of the table with chalkboard paint. The top of the table is not wood and has lots of indentions in it. I figured this would make a great homework table one day. I can just see the kids {yes, we will have more one day} doing math homework and using the table to write on and solve problems.

At this point it was looking more like a science lab table than anything.

Just a tip….I did several coats of the chalkboard paint on the top just to make sure it would be usable one day. While I haven’t done it yet, you are supposed to turn a chalk stick sideways and go over the entire surface to break it in so to speak.

For the bottom half, I just used some left over white paint that is a paint and primer combo. It’s not perfect, but it’s good enough!

I’m thinking of adding some stools like these {below} from Overstock to put beneath it since the table is too tall for regular chairs.

I brought it on inside and made it a nice addition to our {my} office space. Obviously, I am always cramped for time and can never accessorize properly. Sorry folks! If I waited on things like that, there would never be any blog posts. You’ll always see the work in progress version.

The man of the house {so he thinks} was a bit cranky and demanding it seems.

And just for those who might think my house is always clean….

Here’s the proof it is not! This is the dropping ground!

There you go, folks! Trash to treasure! I can’t wait to share with you what else I’ve found lately!

Spring Breakin’ It

I have been unable to contain my excitement about spring break throughout all of March. I am sad to report that today is our last day before we return back to school to finish out the final two months of school.

I love my school babies, but I love being at home with my baby. We have been basically inseparable aside from a trip to the grocery store and a short shopping trip while he stayed with a babysitter.

We’ve slept in {until 8} every morning. There’s nothing like laying in the bed with your baby and watching or sleeping cartoons while he sips on his chocolate milk.

 

We’ve went on Easter egg hunts and hid eggs in the neighbors’ yards.

We’ve planted flowers and mowed grass and pulled weeds.

We’ve DIYed projects and scored some deals shopping.

 

We’ve even gone fishing and been visited by the Easter bunny.

 

It’s been a fun-filled spring break, and I can’t wait for the summer to come. It’s going to be a great time!

38 days not including weekends and holidays, teacher friends! Summer will be here before we know it! Until then, enjoy all the sunlight we now have during each day and the lovely weekends!

Coming Out of Hibernation

 

When Spring starts to appear, I start thinking of all the things I want to do. You see….I like to say that I hibernate in the winter. You know the kind. As soon as it is dark, I am done for the day. The pajamas are on. The blankets are out, and I basically shut down the house and think about all the things I can’t wait to do when it is warmer.

But then Spring arrives! And it is finally warmer! And I can’t seem to decide what I want to do first.

I have a to-do list a mile long, but then I can’t wait to be able to finally go outside my house and soak up the sunshine and play in the yard with my sweet boy. He would rather be outside than anywhere, and I can’t half blame him.

The weather has been gorgeous for nearly two weeks. In those two weeks, we have been to the farm to relax and ride the mule {not the animal} and just enjoy the little moments in life that God blesses us with and we often take for granted.

I am thankful for these little moments because I know one day {that will come too soon} those moments will disappear, and I will be wishing I had them back.

So, I take too many pictures and videos. I put projects on the back burner, and I spend time with my little family.

It’s the simple life, folks. Take a step back and take a deep breath.

Enjoy every moment.

A Love-Hate Relationship

Day Light Savings Time arrived once again.

Knowing that I’m losing an hour of sleep makes me loathe the time change this time of year. I hate losing that one hour, and I especially hate when my already struggling sleep schedule gets all out of whack. I have trouble sleeping as it is. I certainly don’t need to be staying up any later because my brain and body thinks it’s an hour earlier.

But….then there is the love part of my relationship with time change…..particularly the daylight part. Can you say more daylight?!?!? One little boy in this house is going to be very happy with all of this daylight left to play outside in when we get home in the afternoons.

So, after I recovered from the hour of sleep I lost….plus some, we took advantage of the beautiful day and ventured out for the first time in a while. Temps in the 70s and sunshine. There’s not much more I could ask for  in a day!

We enjoyed some time at the farm. Landry is so much fun at this age now because he recognizes and talks about nearly everything he sees. We saw cows and fed the fish.

He’s definitely going to be a Daddy’s boy when he gets old enough to hit the farm with his dad to explore, work, and just have fun out there.

Anyone else looking forward to the first signs of spring?

That Time I Cheated On My House

Yes…I did it.

I cheated on my house. I did it right in front of its face, too.

The house across the street from us went up for sale. From the moment I saw the For Sale sign, I wondered what it was like inside.

It’s a huge house. The price was right. So many options. So much space. I dreamed about it. I talked myself out of it. I pretended I wasn’t even slightly interested in it. And then….I would bring it up to Colby all over again.

I knew I just had to go in it. See it for myself. Quit dreaming about it and see if it was the right move for us.

The problem? I liked the house. I didn’t love it. I LIKED the exterior of it, but I LOVED our home’s southern style and charm. I wasn’t much a fan of all the beige across the street.I couldn’t see myself in it. I wasn’t even sure I could drive down our street, past our house now, and know I had made the right decision.

I was a cheater, cheater pumpkin eater. There. I said it.

I finally gave in after pouring through the realtor’s photos on the realty app I may or may not look at once a day and called our next door neighbor and realtor, Ms. Sandy English.

We met her one afternoon and took a tour.

Y’all….if you’re looking for a house for a large family, this is the house for you. It’s huge! Plenty of space for everyone…plus a little extra.

You know what I felt when I walked through it though? Relief. I didn’t LOVE the house in comparison to ours. Sure, it was bigger. It had tons of potential. But? It wasn’t ours. I didn’t see myself living in it.

The craftsmanship in the house is amazing! Colby loved the size of the yard. If you’re in the Brewton area and would like to have us as neighbors, we encourage you to go look at it. Call Sandy, of course, though!

 

Afterwards, I walked back across the street and asked our house to forgive me. I love LOOKING at other houses, but it will take an amazing house to make me move again.

Side note: I’ve had this post typed forever, but wouldn’t get my lazy behind up to take a picture of the house across the street. Now, I have.