It's Fall Y'all

So much for posting every month. I tried last month several times, but every time I sat down to post, I just couldn't bring myself to type or organize my thoughts, for that matter. Life is constantly changing and it seems like every day something crazy is happening.
October had it's ups and downs. I enjoyed spending time with family in Asheville for my cousin's wedding. Might I add, Erika wore one of the prettiest, if not the prettiest, wedding dresses I've ever seen. The ceremony and reception was wonderful. Well thought out and organized.

I also turned 27 in October. I almost said 26 and literally had to calculate the years in my head. Sometimes I think people "lie" about their age as they get older because they literally can't keep up with it anymore. haha.

October was also the 1 year mark from when we lost our beautiful Bethany. I miss her and think of her every day. October is such a hard month for the family. My birthday is October 16, which is also the day Bethany had her heart transplant on my 13th birthday. My Aunt's birthday is October 22, which is also the day that Bethany joined the angels in Heaven. And October 30 is Bethany's birthday. So the last two weeks of October will always feel heavy on our hearts, but I find hope in knowing that she is healed and we will meet again. One of mine and Bethany's favorite worships songs at one point was "I Can Only Imagine" by Mercy Me (granted that was before it was over-played and everyone did human videos to it), but still... the song always touched our hearts. Now that song has a whole new meaning to me. I tear up every single time I hear it. It never gets old. I Can Only Imagine...

November has been a fresh start. Beautiful weather. Daylight savings time. And basically a new husband. Haha. I'm not kidding either. Can someone please tell me who this man is living in my house that is waiting on my beck and call and what he did to my husband? He has literally been so sweet and helpful the past week that it has worried me! I'm so thankful for him though. He has been so great since I've started working more. Also, my kids are hilarious and so smart. There is never a dull moment around this place. Adaleigh is learning to read. She probably knows 100 sight words and basically phonics. She's read several books on her own and I couldn't be more proud of my little kindergartener. Aubriella is such a smart cookie too.. counting and knowing her ABC's, as well as surprising us every day with new words and sayings.

Funny story, when I got home tonight, I found toddler pajama pants in the toilet! haha. Like I said, never a dull moment. I'm not sure how and when they got there considering everyone was asleep in the house and I had just come home from picking up my sister's dog in Newnan. The only logical explanation would be a sleep-walking Adaleigh, but I'm not sure how logical that is?

In other news, life is good. The holidays are upon us whether we like it or not. I love this time of year though because it's a more evident reminder of the importance of faith, family, and friends. In case I'm not back before the end of the month because I'll be busy planning Adaleigh's ART pARTy and feasting on some turkey, Happy Thanksgiving y'all.

Blessings.

Well, August came and went. I must say it was an exciting month with lots of unexpected things that came our way, good and bad. I wish I had more time in my days to keep up with this blog, but I'm tired and need to catch some sleep tonight before the week gets started tomorrow, so I'll try to make it short and sweet.

Adaleigh started Kindergarten and she loves it. We adore her school and teachers. Don't mind the scratch on her face... she hit the pavement a couple days before school started.

Other exciting things that have happened in the past month... we've reconnected with some old friends and have gotten back into church. I shouldn't be surprised, but I really am, at how much it has helped our day to day life. Getting plugged into a church and having friend that share our beliefs and are in the same stage in life really makes a difference and holds us accountable.

I have to admit, being in church feels great after so many years, but it also brings back so many memories and emotions, good and bad, that I can totally understand why people that leave church don't go back. God's presence is everywhere, but there's something about being surrounded by a body of believers and getting fed a good word of God that you just can't get from reading the Bible on your own time or listening to podcasts or watching church on tv.

With that being said... God has been blessing us like crazy lately. I kind of stumbled into a job a couple weeks ago. I had finally given up actively pursuing a job because none of the job offers I've had in the past could meet my needs. But I suppose it's when you stop searching, sometimes you end up finding what you've been needing. My embroidery business was really starting to take off, so I was finally set on not finding another job until I got an email about my resume I had submitted to a local art museum. I honestly didn't even remember submitting it, but I set up an interview anyway. I went in and they hired me on the spot. I've already been there for 2 weeks now and I love it. It's definitely a God thing. I have the perfect schedule that meets my needs as a mom and wife (I always have Sat, Sun, and Mon off... woohoo!), I'm utilizing my skills and experience while I'm challenged to learn new ones, I'm active in the community, and the location of the museum is central to my home, and both of my girl's schools. Also, the daycare that usually has a waiting list, actually had an opening for Aubrie's age group and I got her in within a week. Total blessing!

So with all these blessings that have been flowing, I'm still struggling with the loss of my cousin Bethany. It's been almost a year since she went to be with Jesus and I'm still so heartbroken. My heart breaks especially for my cousins and my Aunt and Uncle. The loss they must feel is incomprehensible. I'm constantly praying for everyone that is still hurting and dealing with this grief. There is a comfort in knowing the Lord and knowing without a doubt that Bethany served God whole-heartily, but that doesn't make it easier, it only makes the world feel a little darker without her light and His light shining through her. I cling to the memories I shared with her and the hope that I will see her again.

I was going through old pictures and found this one of Bethany, gorgeous as ever, holding Adaleigh when she was newborn, Christmas 2007. Flash forward to last summer, July 2012, where Bethany was able to teach Adaleigh a little bit of her ballet techniques. :)

 

I'll leave you all with this song and pray for the blessings of God to flow in your lives.

"Cause what if Your blessings come through raindrops, what if Your healing comes through tears. What if a thousand sleepless nights are what it takes to know You're near."

What A Summer!

First off, my apologies for never keeping up with a single blog I start. Mommy fail. Now that that's off my chest, this summer has been great. I cannot believe Adaleigh starts Kindergarten next week. What a crazy thought. We did a lot of staycationing instead of vacationing this summer. We spent many days on the lake with my parents, we rekindled old friendships that we lost touch with, we had lots of playdates with friends at the park, our house and friends houses, we had a big birthday party for Aubriella's 2nd bday, we had lemonade stands, fishing trips and picnics, crafting days, family get togethers, and Adaleigh even got to go to Panama City Beach with her grandma for 3 nights! Nonetheless, it was an eventful summer in this small town.

Not only did the girls keep me busy all summer, I also stumbled upon a new business. I've started embroidering and monogramming things. I cannot believe how quickly the business took off. I've constantly had orders since I started, and I'm barely advertising. It's actually been a little stressful because there is only one of me and some days I have to make more than 5 shirts and it gets overwhelming. I'm having fun with it though and excited to see where it leads. Check out what I've been doing at http://www.facebook.com/SouthernJoyBoutique :)

Spring Breaking It // part 3

Before we left Florida, I promised Adaleigh a trip to the beach! We've been down to visit my family many many times without going 10 mins up the road to the beach. I know, that's crazy. So this time... the beach was a must! We went to Honeymoon Island one evening. Just my mom, the girls, and I. It was such a beautiful day out. The girls had so much fun!

Since we had beach time with my mom, we decided to have an outing with just my dad the next day while my mom was at work. So the girls, my dad, and I decided to take off to Tarpon Springs to visit the Sponge Docks. We ate lunch at one of the Greek restaurant's... I had a Gyro of course. Then we walked around, bought a sponge, and went for ice cream. Fun times.

I'd say, Adaleigh had a pretty awesome first officical "Spring Break" from school. :)

Spring Breaking It // part 2

We went to one of Adaleigh's favorite places when she hangs out with her Nana and Papa... Chuck E. Cheese's. We ate pizza, played pretty much every game in the place (including my personal favorites... Guitar Hero and Deal or No Deal), and even met Chuck E. himself.

Since I didn't get any pictures of the girls in their blue flower Easter dresses that Alex's wonderful grandparents sent us, my mom and I decided to take the girls down the street to the water to watch the sunset and see if I could snap a couple good pics of them. I did a lot of snapping, but they did a lot of running, so it was hard to catch them in the right lighting. It was beautiful to watch the sunset over the water and we even spotted a dolphin! 

Stay tuned for beach fun in the next post...