A Special Date with My Girl {Monsters University}

My sweet girl LOVES Monsters Inc... She has watched it a hundred times and still squeals with excitement when we pop it in the blu-ray player. "Boo! Sully! Mike Owskiii!" She yells. She recently took a birthday trip with her Auntie Naenae to Build-a-Bear and as girly as she is, I expected a pink and purple, sparkly, princess bear. She came home with a Teddy in a Monsters U t-shirt and a Mike Wazowski stuffed friend. She carries them around everywhere.

I wanted to take her on a special date, just for her, after Liv was born. She had been so good with Sissy getting so much attention, and this Mama was missing the one on one with her as well. When Monsters University came out this summer...I knew it was time for her very first movie theater experience! Daddy happily agreed to stay with Liv so we could have our date. I packed up some of Hannah's favorites (gummies, strawberry milk, and Joe's O's), she grabbed her new Owskiii and off we went...

We met my dear friend Lindsey and snapped a few pictures before heading in. I was worried about it being so dark, but she didn't seem scared at all! At only 2yrs old this girl sat through the previews, Disney short film, and the WHOLE movie and never got off my lap! (She was way too tiny for the theater seats.) Lindsey and I kept laughing because she was so engrossed in the movie that she'd yell "Oh No!" when Mike or Sully were in trouble, or "Woo Hoo!" when something good happened. So. Stinkin. Adorable. 

 

The movie was super cute and I really enjoyed getting to do something new and special with my girl. It was long past nap time when we left, and I was so proud of Hannah for not having a toddler sized meltdown. I'm not sure we made it out of the parking lot before she passed out...love that about her. 

 

This age comes with lots of changes and challenges... Some days I feel very tired from redirecting, timeouts, and teaching. The days like this one though, outweigh all of that. It's a privilege to raise this sweet girl...the memories we make, the hilarious things she says, and the ornery bits too. I'm so incredibly in love with this child.

Insta-Friday!

I'm so incredibly excited that it's Friday y'all! It has been a loooong couple weeks and this Mama is going on a DATE tonight! Bri was out of town last weekend, at The Worship God conference in Louisville and boy are we excited to have him home! Life with out Daddy is hard... and I'm so thankful for friends and family who came to help while he was away. It's so very different with two littles... we're learning, and getting it all figured out slowly. Here's a peek at our days...

Our 1st date since Liv came along! So giddy!

 



Happy Girl... those reflux meds are working!

 



How we spend our days...

 



Some cuddles with my girls while we were missing Daddy

 

A rough day for this one... lots of crying for Daddy

 

Oh Liv... love this sweet girl so much!

 

A lunch date with my girl... of course we had Chick-fil-A!

 

Passed out during tax-free weekend shopping!

 

Sister love and matching outfits... love it.

 

A rare and blessed nap for us all!

 

Have a wonderful weekend y'all!

 



Olivia Grace {Weeks 5-8}

 

Poor sweet girl's colic set in... Weeks of a very sad baby. Mama and Daddy worked so hard to get her feeling better. She made such a turn around after sticking to the meds for a few weeks! More on that HERE. We keep her swaddled tight, and let her nap on her tummy when we can lay her down.

She's gaining weight so quickly! This month I put away all the newborn clothes and got out the 3 month pieces! Hannah didn't wear those until she was 4 months old! We think Liv will catch up with her quickly. She's eating every 2 hours during the day and about 3 hours at night... Hungry girl! 

 

She has the cutest little chubby hands... always putting them over her face and trying to suck her thumb. Such personality already! She startles easily and when her sister comes running into the room she throws them up in the air. She seems to be very particular... she wants her diaper changed immediately and only likes to be held over our shoulders, on her blanky so she can hold it tightly in her fist.

We saw our baby girl smile for the first time this week! So precious it melted this Mama into a puddle! Her eyes light up when I talk to her, especially after she eats...This is our special time together when she interacts and shows her sweet little personality. 

We love our Livi girl more and more each day... 

Weeks 1-4 HERE. 

Hannah's Photo Project HERE
 

Surviving Colic {An update on Liv}

It's hard to put into words how these past weeks have been. I've said to Brian more than once that I felt like I was just floating through our days... not soaking them in and trying to memorize every precious moment, the way I did when Hannah was tiny. The days were SO much harder. It's just so very different when your sweet baby cries so hard that she can't take a breath.... for as many as 4-5 hours in the evenings and throughout the day as well. She's not a "fussy baby," as many moms have told me, or "spoiled" as another said. She hurt... her tummy HURT!

We've been giving her Zantac now for a few weeks and the change has been AMAZING! I have seen my sweet girl smile at me! She has actually laid on her playmat without screaming, and she's smiled and cooed while looking around! She's still not all that content after eating and that means keeping her elevated and making sure she gets those blessed meds twice a day which can be tricky... But she is a whole different child than weeks 4-8!

As far as her lip-tie, we saw an ENT last week who commented that she does have pretty good mobility- meaning as long as we assist her in getting a good latch, that shouldn't be affecting her colic issues. We're still seeing a specialist at Children's Mercy next week to see if surgery is neccesary to avoid long-term complications (problems with speech or dental work).

I've been so incredibly encouraged by other mamas who survived Colicky babies... for those of you who have stopped me at church, or sent me an email... THANK YOU! It means so much.

Oh goodness how we love our sweet Liv... we are so happy that she feels better!

 

A Princess Party for my girl!

 

My sweet Hannah Renee turned TWO earlier this month. Although most of my friends consider me a "girly" person, I don't like glitter and I don't like character-themed parties. I'm a vintage-fabric, handmade party kind of girl. Somewhere along the line, however, I decided that I'm a GIRL Mama. I needed to fully embrace the Princess themed, purple glitter and gemmed tiara kind of party for my super girly girl. You know what? I had a great time and I actually LOVE how it turned out! Not to mention that my sweet Hannah seemed to fully enjoy every minute of her special day!

 

Sofia the First... Bri and I have read this book fifty-bizzilion times. I have to admit, it's pretty cute book and show on Disney Jr. We think Hannah looks just like the little Princess, who is as sweet as can be--just like our girl! I bought the crowns at Target in the party aisle. The book was from Target too. I bought the adorable star wands at Shop Sweet LuLu.

The cupcakes were made by a dear friend from our church. She did a wonderful job! I ordered the custom topper printables HERE. I already had the cake plates and I just used glitter scrapbook paper from Hobby Lobby to make them pop!

I punched out lots and lots of circles from scrapbook paper and sewed them together with heavy-duty thread. We love our new Pottery Barn chandielier and I loved that the confetti garland brought attention to it!

The paper medalions weren't as easy as I thought they'd be. Lots of glitter everywhere and we ended up stapling some, while using hot-glue on others. It all came together though... thanks Casey!

 

I'm super excited to show you the Poufs above the drink bar! My friend Monica worked her crafty magic on those and I absolutely LOVE how they turned out! They're just tissue paper and twine and I strung them up with heavy-duty thread, and used a bit more confetti garland too.

 

 

The Mason Jars I always have on hand, and my Mama ripped strips of purple fabric I had laying around. I bought the stripey straws at Shop Sweet Lulu.

 

 

Our little princess! Hannah's big present from her Daddy and I was a customized chair from Pottery Barn Kids. We really wanted her to have a special place to sit to watch her favorite Disney movies... especially since baby sister was getting a whole lot of attention around her Birthday.

 

 

We are so incredibly in LOVE with this child. She brings so much joy into our days. She's sweet and kind, and loves to cuddle and give kisses!

 

She's growing up so fast! She speaks in full sentences and hilariously refers to Mama and Daddy as Brian and Candace sometimes. She spends her days "cooking" and loving on her baby dolls... my little Mama. She's so good to Livi, always kissing her and bringing her a binky. We are SO blessed to be given the gift of raising this precious girl!

Insta-Friday {Night}

Another late Insta-Friday post for this Mama. It has been a rough few weeks y'all. The words "We are drowning" have been uttered. More on that HERE. Through it all though, I've been so comforted to remember that God's mercies are new EVERY morning. We are so incredibly blessed by family and friends who have rallied around us during these hard days. They have listened, encouraged, held a screaming baby, and just showed up to do whatever was needed. I will never forget their kindness. I'm slowly learning that it doesn't mean I'm a failure as a Mama to ask for help. It means I'm human and can only take so much.

Once again, I'm also thankful for IG and the glimpse into the sweet moments and joy that is present in our lives everyday. We are so very blessed... and I love the way I can look back on these moments and see that so clearly.

Family... nothing like it!

 

So proud of my Hubby for leading our congregation in worship!

 

Cuddling her burp cloth after nursing.

 

Mama got her hair done! Liv survived a day at the salon.

 

Hannah's favorite part of everyday. Crazy fruit-lover.

 

My sweet girls... a glimpse into the years of sister-love.

 

A mid week pick-me-up at Chick-fil-A. Ice cream always helps!

 

A happy moment with my girl.

 

Our little chunker finally wore herself out.

 

Happy Friday y'all!

 

A Blog Redesign {and our newest family pictures!}

 

Like the new look? I am so excited to show y'all the new blog design! I've been working with the VERY talented Danielle Burkleo to redesign the blog and I LOVE how it turned out! She was wonderful to work with ... even through this sleep deprived, hormonal Mama's pickiness! Danielle is one of the hosts of Hope Spoken 2013, an amazing women's conference that you should definitely check out.

I also want to thank Freeland Photography for our amazing photo shoot! They did all of Hannah's baby pictures and we were so happy with their work. Tiffany came out to our house to take pictures of us, and was so patient, even though Olivia screamed through most of the session. If you are local, we highly recommend them!