Monday, August 4, 2014

A Year...

with longing,
with tears,
with questions,
with dreams,
with fears,
with struggling to be content,
with forced smiles,
with short answers,
with anger,
with sadness,
with frustrations, 
with joy,
with peace,
with hope. 

I didn't post as much this time around on our journey to Baby #2. 
But that doesn't mean it wasn't hard.
And in some ways it was even harder. 
On one hand, this time was easier because my expectations were set.
Or so I thought.
Of course, deep down I was pleading and begging with the Lord that we miraculously and surprisingly wouldn't be back on that emotional roller coaster. 
But there we were.
And this one took a few extra laps. 
I remained extremely thankful for the sweet girl that we've been blessed with. 
She was definitely a wonderful and much needed distraction to get me through negative, after negative after negative.
And on the other hand, having her- the baby obsessed, born to be a big sister, girl that she is- made each  passing month just a little bit harder. 

Last time I struggled with anyone who was pregnant, I thought this time would be a little easier because I was pregnant before and I already had my baby.
And then I found myself struggling with families with multiple kids, especially multiple kids close in age. 

This time around I had moments of sadness and tears, but I tried hard to stay strong, keep it together and positive as long as I could.
And then have a big break down pity party and regroup to take on the next several months. 

This time around I didn't struggle as much with my feelings of anger or frustrations towards God. 
It was more towards the idea of having to re-evualte what I had dreamed and envisioned our family to be like. 
As each month passed by, I had to face the reality that maybe that's not what the Lord has planned for us after all. 
And that hurt. 
I tried hard to be content.
To be thankful and confident in God's plan for our lives and family, regardless of the dreams I had for a larger family. 
And try to remember that God knows, God put those desires in my heart. 
He is faithful. 
Maybe our larger family will come in a different way than I had thought.
And that's okay.

I also reminded myself that the older Adalyn got the more helpful she would be. 
That was one of the few positives I had to hold on to! 
And of course, knowing that God is in control. 
That He knows the perfect addition to our family and it will come in His time.
Something that is so hard and you wish you only had to experience one time, but again…God has other plans! 

The Lord continues to work on our testimony. 
These babies strengthen our faith and our relationship with Jesus and each other. 
These babies demonstrate His goodness, faithfulness and provision and we have nothing to do, but seek His face and give him the glory every step of the way!



If you're struggling with infertility, I have a secret group on Facebook with a wonderful group of women- send me your email if you'd like an invite. Please know you're not alone, you're never alone. Your thoughts and feelings (that you have little to no control over!) are normal and okay to have. And remember, He is faithful. 

Tuesday, July 15, 2014

Announcement for Baby #2

Soon I'll be posting all the details on Baby #2.
Well, not all the details.
I'll spare ya on that front. 

We found out we were pregnant at the end of April and I was thinking of fun ways to announce once I was past the first trimester.
Timing wise it lined up perfectly with the 4th if July so I searched on Etsy and Pinterest to get some ideas and see what was out there. 
There wasn't much, but I found a sign that was just what I was looking for from MMasonDesigns
I had it printed at Walgreens on their 11x14 Poster Board. {With a coupon of course!}
I was a little nervous because I've never printed on a board before, but it was was just thick enough and perfect for something like this! 
Meghan from MMasonDesigns was quick and great to work with! 
She has so many cute printables to choose from!
Check them out if your looking for fun announcements, pregnancy boards, birthday boards, invites etc!

**I was given this file in exchange for pictures and a post, but I found it and loved it and the opinions are my own :)**


Saturday, July 5, 2014

Celebrating the 4th….


We are so happy to announce that, in His time, the Lord has chosen the perfect addition to our family!
{finally! :) } 

More details to come! 


Sunday, April 27, 2014

Strollin' through Mickey's House

As we were planning our Disney trip we kept going back and forth over the idea of bringing our own stroller vs renting one. 
It seemed a little silly to pay to rent one when we own one
BUT
we would be lugging it around the airport,
it could potentially get damaged on the way,
we don't have a rain cover,
it's just an umbrella stroller.
and plain and simple, it's not as fun!

So I did some research and found, Kingdom Strollers
We could rent a spacious BOB jogging stroller (which is borderline luxury and kind of a big deal in the normal "we only own a Chicco umbrella stroller" world), it would be delivered right us and it comes with a rain cover and a lunch box for no additional cost.  

Winner winner chicken dinner. 

The website was easy to follow, I reserved the stroller (and insurance for $25 extra- worth it!), told them where we were staying, selected a drop off time and we were good to go! 

You pack a million and one things when traveling with a toddler and it was so nice not having to worry about her stroller as we traveled to Disney!

We arrived at Fort Wilderness and our stroller was waiting for us outside the front desk. 
It doesn't get any easier than that! 
It was clean and came with the lunchbox and rain cover just as we requested. 
And it even came with a parent console too!

Someone climbed right in and was was excited about her new stroller for the week!
Actually, we all were and Mr. B and I fought over who was going to push it. 
You know you're a parent when...

We were so thankful for these simple instructions attached to the stroller! 
Shortly after we picked it up we needed to get on the bus to go back to our campsite. 
Not being familiar with a BOB we had no idea how to fold it and it was so nice to have that so we could hop right on!

The stroller was so easy to maneuver through the parks. 
These things are like pushing air. 
Seriously.

I loved having the lunch box that attached to the stroller for easy access and it made for extra room in the basket for sweatshirts, souvenirs, camera etc. 
Every.thing in Disney is expensive- including the food!
It was so nice to have the lunchbox to pack some snacks and drinks for us throughout the day. 

And Adalyn loved her special spot for her snacks and drink too.

Although the stroller did come with a large orange name tag on the break and the handle that were easy to spot,
I made our own at home and I was thankful that I did!
{thank you, Pinterest!}
Apparently we aren't the only ones who think it's a good idea to have a stroller in Disney. 

We loved the huge canopy and the reclining seat for her daily naps.
Disney is tiring when you're little. 
And when you're old….
 but unfortunately we didn't get the luxury of a comfy shady stroller to lounge in.

For the most part we had good weather, but of course, a trip to Florida wouldn't be complete without a 15 minute downpour.  
This is when I was thankful for the rain cover! 
We were still able to walk around to make our lunch reservation. 
And at least one of stayed dry!

At the end of our trip we were sad to say goodbye to not only our family and Mickey's house, but the awesome stroller too! 

Adalyn even snuck in one last nap on our way to drop it off. 
{PS. The stroller does come with a 5 point harness, but she's old enough, and the seats were deep enough, that we rarely used it.}

We dropped the stroller off right where we picked it up.
And that was it!
We loved our experience with Kingdom Strollers and will definitely be using them again! 

I was given this rental in exchange for a review, but these are 100% my honest opinions! 
We love Kingdom Strollers!

Tuesday, April 22, 2014

Happiest Place On Earth.

First of all, it's been two months since I last posted.
Ugh.
Second of all, it's been over a month since our trip to the happiest place on earth!
How can such a big event go unpublished?!
It's a big deal and I plan on sharing within the next five years our pictures, tips and magical moments.

Third of all, I think calling it "the happiest place on earth" is a bit of a stretch, but when you're home,  caught up on sleep, over the complete exhaustion and reflect on your trip then it feels like it's the happiest place on earth. It's funny how the brain works like that, isn't it?

 I'm still catching up on pictures from the trip (what's new!), but we had a fun trip and made some great memories!

Friday, February 21, 2014

4 Year Blogiversary!

This little ol' blog reached the 4 year mark a couple weeks ago. 
Unfortunately, my posts get less and less every year.
And it kills me. 
But obviously not enough to actually post more, so "kills me" may be a bit of an exaggeration. 

We've reached quite a few milestones over the past 4 years and I thought it would be fun to do a quick recap. 

This was my very first post in 2010.
 I started blogging when we were about 6 months into marriage and living in Florida while Mr. B was finishing up school. 
 I was a nanny/stay home wife and had way too much glorious time on my hands while living in the sunshine state.

So here's a quick recap of the past 4 years as well as a few of the most popular posts:

We were in newly-wedded bliss.

He graduated.

We moved back home. 

We bought a puppy.

The puppy grew.


::That winter we vacation and I although this is slightly embarrassing, one of my most popular posts over the years was written around this time: Bathing Suits and Butt Cracks
Always, keeping it classy around here!::

We struggled with fertility.

 We vacationed. 

We were excited

There was sickness. Lots of it. 
For 33 weeks. 

She was worth every minute.

We became mommy and daddy.

Our hearts exploded.

::Shortly after, I wrote another one of my most viewed posts:
Clearly, the heartfelt ones are the kickers::

We moved again.

We vacationed. {and I cut my hair}

We reached half a year. 

::Another most viewed post: Adalyn's Pantry. Again, the content is heavy, so please read slowly and take it all in. ::

We learned that time flies. F-L-I-E-S.

We reached a year. 

::Another popular post from this time {that I never finished}: 

We became homeowners.
{and moved again}

We vacationed some more. 

We reached a year and a half.

We soaked up the little things.

We captured sweet moments.

We snuck in kisses as much as we could.

We reached two years. 

We love where we've been and we love where we are.
And we look forward to where will be in the next couple years! 

And for the record, I'm back to the same hair dilemma...