I can't look away for a second!!

Presley is 10 and a half months old. She is crawling and standing... She is a mess and into EVERYTHING! She is very inquisitive... which essentially is a nice way of saying nosey:) Her new thing is emptying everything out.. purses, diaper bags, drawers, cabinets, boxes.. you name it! If I walk out of the room for a second, Presley tears into anything she can get her chubby little hands on. Here she is in action:)





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Need for acceptance..

I am going to preface this post by saying this is not a woe is me..poor me, no one loves me, post! This is something that I have struggled with for years that I feel like finally the light bulb has clicked on for me! Maybe this will encourage people that have felt inadequate at some point in their life. I have moved around a lot in my life... I am 26 and if I were to do some quick addition I have moved.. roughly 12 times. I am a friendly person, so I don't have a problem making friends... just making them stick around:) In most aspects of my life I have a "I don't care if you like me or not so deal with it" kind of attitude until it comes to my friends. I think a lot of my insecurities stem from high school. I had a rough time in high school with some mean girls that at one point had been my best friends. They just turned on me one day.. I went from having a great group of close friends, to being totally alone. Because of that experience I really want people to like me! I know that there is nothing wrong with that.. UNTIL... my identity and self worth is wrapped up in my friends and how "others" make me feel. I try SO hard to be a good friend, but it never seems to be enough. I am the person that the people I consider to be my best friends don't consider me to be theirs. People like me for a while.. then they move on... It makes me never feel good enough. The other night I was lying in bed, sad, wishing I had a friend that liked me as much as I like them.. when it HIT me! I should not be looking to friends for acceptance and self worth. God is the only One that will never disappoint me and will ALWAYS love me! It is nice to have friends and be liked, but I don't have to fall apart when I don't feel loved or appreciated, b/c the only person that can fill that void in me is God! NOt to mention, Satan knows my weaknesses and plays on those. I am sure a lot of what I feel is in my head.. So i have decided.. as of today... Satan will no longer make me feel worthless b/c God thinks I'm priceless!

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Presley's first flight!

Last week Presley and I flew to Arkansas for Rachel's (one of my best friends from college) wedding. It was Presley's first time flying and I was super anxious about it b/c it was going to be just the two of us. BT was not there to help out or to pawn Presley off on when she starting getting fussy on the plane. (I am not a fan of dirty looks from strangers!) but she did great! No problems... She was all in the business of the person next to us... But can you blame her... The airlines practically has you on eachothers lap! We flew into Little Rock and hit the ground running.... Lingerie shower, hotel, rehearsal, rehearsal dinner, bed..wake up, bridesmaid luncheon, get ready, pictures, wedding, reception, bed... Home! Crazy!! But SO much fun! It is always amazing and such a blessing to see my friends. The only bad thing is... Once I see them I forget how much I miss them... And it makes it even harder to go home. However they are the types of friends that I know we will be in eachothers lives forever! I love y'all!!














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Father's Day

This was BT's first Father's day.. We went to church Sunday morning, then came home and ate lunch then BT had to go back to church. I am so incredible lucky to have such an amazing husband.. who is also an amazing dad!
Here was the present Presley and I made for BT:
Presley and Dada:
On Monday we went to my parents house so I could celebrate Father's day with MY dad! We had a cookout, ate homemade ice cream, and Presley swam in her pool:)
Presley stole an oreo off my sundae and LOVED it!

Swim time!


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Daddy's Girl


I am a horrible blogger! I think about it all the time... but my access to a computer is limited during the day. I have got to get better at this! Anywho....
Presley is such a Daddy's girl! I'm not gonna lie... it kind of hurt my feeling in the beginning.. b/c I was like, I am home with you ALL day.. I bath you, feed you, play with you and you say "dada"?!?! Not acceptable! Presley totally lights up when her daddy comes home from work. When I get her out of bed in the morning and finish nursing her.. she sits up, looks at the door and says, Dada! Dada! Dada! Now that I have gotten over that initial stage of resentment:) I am glad she is a daddy's girl b/c I am know how amazing daddys are.. b/c I too am a daddy's girl. I am 26 years old and somehow my dad still has a way of making everything all better. My dad treated me and my sisters like princesses, he took care of our needs, he fixed all our problems, and fought battles we couldn't fight for ourselves. My husband always jokes and says.."remind me to thank your dad for setting the bar so high.. he makes me look bad:)" That is the kind of dad BT wants to be to Presley.. He says it is b/c he doesn't ever want a guy to measure up to her daddy so maybe she'll never get married and live at home forever:) haha! I am glad that Presley is a daddy's girl.. she has an amazing dad that I know will always treat her like a princess. I just hope that like me and my mom, Presley and I can be best friends.. then I'll be fine with her daddy being her hero:)

Love at first sight!

SO happy to see dada when he gets home from work!




Here are some pics of me and MY daddy





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My First Mother's Day

I kind of forgot about my blog there for a little bit.... But my first Mother's Day had to blogged about. I am a huge birthday and Christmas person, but I have to admit the anticipation for this new holiday was huge! I couldn't believe there was a holiday where you get presents that I hadn't been a part of! Needless to say I was super excited. I woke up Sunday morning and hung out with Presley for a while before we had to get ready for church. We headed to church and got to see Dada, and our BF's Lauren and Max. My sister Bethany met us at church with her new "sorta" boyfriend Jordan. After church it was back to my house for my FAVORITE ribs for lunch! My Mom and Dad came over and brought the food from Rib City.... then my favorite part.. PRESENTS!!! I got a gorgeous diamond and sapphire ring from my hubs and Presley. Sapphire is Presley's birthstone. My parents got us a Red Lobster gift card.... my 2 faves, jewelry and food:) I had an amazing mother's day and am so happy that I am Presley's mama. She is the most incredible little girl anyone could ever ask for!

Here is a picture of Presley and I am our BF's Lauren and Max on Mother's day!

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4 Wonderful Years of Marriage!


BT and I just celebrated our 4 year Wedding anniversary! I'm sure most of you know how me and BT (my hubby) met. My parents were missionaries in Brazil for most of my life and every year all of the MK's (missionary kids) ages 13-18 would go to camp. It was just a time to hang out with our friends and listen to amazing speakers and amazing music. Well.... My senior year in high school, the speaker (who was a friend of the family) brought BT with him to lead worship at the camp. We met then but nothing ever came of it for 4 years! An incredible chain of events had to take place for us to end up together. It was definitely meant to be and God's timing and plan was perfect! We just celebrated our 4 year anniversary and I love him more every day. Do we have the perfect marriage... No, far from it. We have disagreements and at times want to rip each others heads off.. but there is NO ONE on this planet I'd rather fight with:) BT is an amazing husband, father, youth pastor, son, son-in-law, provider, leader, and example. He is my best friend and he loves me at my best and at my worst. In the past 4 years we have made some incredible memories. We have taken fun vacations...we've built a house...But by far the most amazing memory yet...is the day Presley Kate was born. Tomorrow she will be 7 months old and she is the most perfect baby in the world and just looking at her makes me love BT even more. I had very high expectations for BT b/c my dad was the best dad a girl could have... and he has not disappointed! BT is great with her and she has him wrapped around her little finger already and I know that 26 years from now she will be telling someone how she had the most amazing dad that a girl could have! Thank you Lord for my Precious Husband BT!


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Music Class, New Friends and the Walk that almost Killed Me!

Today started out like most Wednesdays... awake at 9:30... Presley and I headed to the library for Baby Music with our BFFs Lauren and Max. Last Sunday, I met and invited Taylor and baby Isabel to join us, and she brought 2 friends, Sarah and baby Caleb! It was so much fun to meet more moms! Yay! After class we hung out a little bit at the library and then we headed to the park to take advantage of the beautiful sunny day. We decided to go for a stroll that turned into what felt like a marathon! Try pushing a 20 pound baby up a hill and it doesn't feel leisurely any more! Despite being out of shape, it was tons of fun. We were all out of breath by the of the 26.2 miles;) I am excited to start a weekly tradition! Here are some photos of our day!

Presley and Caleb at baby music!

My little Poo Poo! :)

Here are all our new friends! That is my finger on Max! Sorry Max!

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Prayer

How often do you pray? Do you use it as a last resort? Do you only use prayer to ask God for things? "…The prayer of a righteous man is powerful and effective" (James 5:16). It is a way for us to communicate with God, to strengthen our relationship. More often than not, we use prayer as a "well nothing else worked," when we can't "fix" our problems on our own. We try everything in our power, when that fails, we finally turn to God. We choose to worry which changes nothing, instead of pray, which changes everything.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus" (Philippians 4:6-7).
We would waste a lot less energy and have a lot less heartache if we turned to God in prayer, immediately. Why would you try to take down a concrete wall with a toothpick when you have a bulldozer, right there, waiting! It sounds crazy, right? But that is what we do... we go at our problems with a toothpick, (on on own) instead of reaching out to God for the bulldozer. Remind yourself everyday, that you don't have to get through life on your own. God is right there, ready and waiting... all you have to do is pray!

Prayer was not created as some kind of wish list for God! Dear God, please do this... I need this... fix this. He is NOT a magic jeanie! He is NOT a wish granter! God desires to have a daily relationship with us.. a friendship. Have you ever had a friend that only contacts you when they need something from you? You dread hearing from them b/c you know they are only calling because they want your help with something, or need to borrow something. Those people are users.. not friends. A friend is someone you talk to often and share the bad AND good with. You spend quality time together, you lift each other up, compliment each other, encourage one another, and yes... every once in a while you ask them for something.
Don't USE God... that is not the relationship that He desires with us. He wants us to talk to Him about everything, not just our needs and wants. If you feel disconnected from God, spend more time praying. You can't feel close to someone you never talk to. So talk to Him, he is ready to listen!
"Be joyful always; pray; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus" (1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).






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A visit with my BFF

This past week started out on a bad note.. but turned out pretty great! One of my best friends, Rachel, was supposed to fly in to visit. I have not seen her in 7 months and she hasn't met Presley yet so I was SOO excited about her visit! The day before she was supposed to come, she got Rota virus and ended up not coming. I was bummed b/c I had been looking forward to her coming for weeks, but she got an airline credit to be able to come at a later date. (YAY!) The plan was when Rachel arrived we were going to drive to Marysville, OH (about 3hrs away) to see my BFF Ashley. When I found out Rachel wasn't coming I decided to go see Ashley anyways. Ashley and I were roommates in college and we've been sisters ever since. Now our children are growing up together and it is really fun! Presley and I had a blast! We ate A LOT.. and played with our babies and talked, talked, talked.... It is always so nice to be with friends! The Lord has truly blessed me with amazing friends! Here are some pics:


Her are our 3 beautiful girls together: Presley, Annabelle and Adelyn!
Annabelle was kind enough to let PK take her car for a spin!
Presley is WAY too big for Adelyn's swing!
PK and Aunt Ashley!

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Baby Dedication

Today was Presley's baby dedication at our church. My mom came to watch... My dad couldn't come because he was preaching at his church, but he met us for lunch afterwords. BT's parents and grandma couldn't come b/c they are in Florida. Everyone LOVED her flower! Here are some pics:

Here we are waiting our turn to go on the stage.


Here Presley is trying to take the mic Pastor Marcus
Still trying to take the mic!




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Sacrifice

One thing people don't really talk about before they have kids is how much you sacrifice for them. Presley is only 5 1/2 months old and I have already sacrificed a ton! I am not saying that this is a negative thing, just something I have never thought about. First-you sacrifice your body (try as you may.. it will NEVER look like it did before!) 2nd- you sacrifice sleep (sleeping in becomes a faint memory). 3rd - (at least for me)... my sanity! And the list continues: me time, date night, long relaxing baths, free time, extra cash, sick days, hanging out with friends after 9 pm, doing anything quickly, and eating spicy foods or dairy (they upset Presley's stomach). These are just some things I thought of off the top of my head. Nothing is about you anymore! The moment your baby is born it becomes all about this new little person in your life and immediately your focus shifts from being completely selfish to completely selfless. On days when I am exhausted and dragging myself out of bed, or I am missing out on hanging out with friends b/c I have to be home for Presley's bedtime... I look at her and can't imagine my life without her. I would sacrifice everything for her! When I think about it like that, they don't seem like sacrifices anymore.


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A day out!



Today, Presley & I met our friends Lauren & Max at the library for baby music & story time! We had so much fun. Both babies were a little grumpy at first because the class was at 10:00am. It was cool to be around other moms & babies and have some fun interation. I definantely want to go back!


me and PK
My friend lauren, Max and PK

Afterwords, we went shopping at the GAP clearance center for the kiddos. I got 2 really cute dresses for Presley for $4.00!


Here are Max and Pres playing together at church. She loves her Max!



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My heart felt like it was going to explode

The past couple of days have not been super exciting. Presley went to the doctor, she weighed in at a hefty 18lbs. 9oz. (96th percentile) She got 2 shots, which was a huge ordeal for me. When Presley was first born I had decided she was not going to be vaccinated at all. But after talking with BT, he said he would feel more comfortable if she did get her shots. He brought up very good points. We do travel out of the country.. etc. Me being the submissive wife that I am..(haha! I think that would make BT laugh:) I agreed that for us, that would be the best decision. On a side note those of you that don't know BT very well, he is very laid back and doesn't express his opinion very often. He knows how much joy I get out of being in charge so he just sits back and lets me make the decisions... that being said.. when he DOES express his opinion, I KNOW that it must be important to him and I take it seriously! However, Presley is on an alternate vaccination schedule. She didn't get any shots until she was 4 months old.. and she will only get 1 or 2 per visit. Deciding that this was the best option for us does not make it any easier. As a parent, seeing your child in pain is the worst possible feeling in the world! When it came time for Presley to get her first shot, I started feeling very dizzy and nauseous. BT was like, "I can't watch this!" So I held her hand and watched her scream louder than I ever have. I wanted to take her pain away, but I couldn't. I knew that in the long run this would benefit her (keep her from getting sick) but she didn't know that. I am sure in her mind she is thinking why would mommy just sit here and watch this happen to me, doesn't she see that they are hurting me? I wished I could explain to her that I was trying to keep her from further pain. I wonder if God feels the same way? When he allows things to happen in our lives that are painful. We don't see the big picture. We do not see how this pain or struggle will benefit us in the long run. We just sit there and ask God how he could allow this horrible thing to happen to us. I am sure God hates to see us in pain just as any father or mother hates to see there child in pain. But He knows that this momentary pain will benefit us in the future.

After BT and I finally got Presley calmed down and smothered her with love, we packed her up and headed out. As I paid our copay I could barely breath, my heart was racing and felt like it was going to explode.... The whole drive home I kept telling myself.."this is for her own good.. this is for her own good... she will be OK!"
As parents we allow our child to experience"pain" to prevent worse pain, just as God allows painful circumstances to make us stronger! Realizing this does not make that struggle any less painful, hopefully it will just remind us of the big picture and that God (our father) hates to see us in pain too!

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My Cutie Pie

This is Presley's new favorite thing to do!





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Negative Nelly

I'll be the first to admit it... I am a negative nelly.. a glass half empty kinda gal. I can find the negative in ANY situation! The most amazing thing can happen and I will find the one less than perfect detail and focus on that. I am not proud of this at all.. I have tried and tried to fix this character flaw..... but it is really hard for me not to complain and focus on the bad. The worst part is.. I have absolutely nothing to complain about! God has always provided for all my needs. I have never wanted for anything! I grew up as a pastor's kid, then became a missionary kid, and now I am a pastor's wife... We needed something and God provided it. I have witnessed and experienced the provision of vacations, money, cars, houses, friendships, and jobs. Growing up, I never knew that we didn't have a lot money.. no clue! We had everything that we ever needed! However, I still found a way to complain.. "Ugh! My blow dryer won't plug in at this hotel in Paris!" (ridiculous I know!) Every now and then, God reminds me that I have NOTHING to complain about. I have an amazing family, house, church, friends, health, a car and a God that provides for all of my needs. I will continue to pray that my half empty glass becomes half full.. that my negatives become positives and that I become the type of person that can ALWAYS find the positive in every negative situation!

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Snow Days!

Ugh! I hate winter, I hate snow, and I hate to be cold! In Northern KY where I live, it is all those things now.. FREEZING cold... and a foot of snow. The bad thing about living in the north, not only is it SUPER cold in the winter and snow alot.. but when it DOES snow... life keeps going! Down south, you so much as see a flurry and schools shut down, offices close and life gets put on pause. Everyone FREAKS OUT! Up here.. they pour a little salt out, run the snow plows and say "be careful out there!" They EXPECT you to get out in this stuff! It is simply miserable! You get out of the car and get snow ALL over your pants.. that snow turns in to water once you finally get into a heated building.. then you are drenching wet! Your clothes are wet, your hair is wet and you can't feel your nose so, more than likely, you have snot running down your face! Not fun.... or attractive! I like giving myself snow days.. when it snows, we stay in, watch movies and Presley and I stay nice and warm. I am ready for it to warm up, so we can get outside! Walk around the neighborhood, go to the park, swim... all the fun things that spring and summer have to offer! As I am writing this, I am sitting on my couch, with a blanket and a heater pointed right on me.. Praying for warm weather! :)

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Don't blink......


"You better enjoy every minute, they grow up so fast.... Next thing you know she'll be graduating high school" that has always sounded like such a cliche to me..something I heard a million times while I was pregnant and I just nodded politely and smiled... but now I am acutely aware that it could not be more true! Presley is 4 and a half months old and has already hit so many milestones.. smiling, talking (gaga, mamama, nanana.. not real words of coarse!) laughing, reaching for things, holding things, lifting her head, holding her head up, sitting up, standing (assisted) recognizing voices and faces, putting her paci back in her mouth on her own, and physically growing! We tend to take all these things for granted! Yes, we acknowledge them when they happen, but after that it becomes the norm. Presley has just started wearing size 3 diapers. This was truly traumatizing for me.. she has gone up 4 diaper sizes in 4 months! As I put on her last size 2 diaper I was tearing up.. my little girl is growing up so fast! In my mind she might as well have been pulling out the driveway on her way to college! It is like Christmas.. (i know this is weird.. but stay with me) Every year.. in October as I am anxiously awaiting the arrival of THE MOST WONDERFUL TIME OF THE YEAR.. I always say to myself, " this year I am going to REALLY enjoy Christmas. I am going to make the most of it.. soak in every minute, live it to its fullest and make this Christmas more special than any other year! I don't want to look back at Christmas and be sad that it passed by too fast" And so you know what happens? Every year, December 26th rolls around and I'm like dangit... I didn't soak it all in... Christmas came and went and I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have! I blinked and it was over! That is how I feel about Presley.. I have the best intentions of making the most of every day, celebrating every milestone and memorizing every moment.. but next thing you know.. I turn around and Presley is 5 months old and I haven't enjoyed every second as much as I should! It is just the daily grind that I am trying to get through with my sanity still intact! I don't want to look back and regret taking my days with Presley for granted. I fell so incredibly lucky that I can stay home with her and actually be a part of every milestone. So from this point on, " I am going to REALLY enjoy every moment with Presley, soak in every minute, live it to it's fullest, not take it for granted and make every day more special than the day before!" I hope:)

: )

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Crazy times

It has been a hectic couple of days to say the least... On Friday, BT, Presley and I traveled to Louisville for the night for one of BT's friends 30th birthday. We had a great time! Presley made all of BT's friends want to have babies.. she has that effect on people b/c she is so happy and easy going! We had to hurry back on Saturday b/c BT had to get to work. He is a youth pastor at 7 hills church and he was baptizing for the first time.. so he needed to practice:) Once we got home, me, Pres and my mom went shopping for a new couch. I am giving my couch to my sister (the one getting married in May) I want a darker one so as not to show all the spit up and etc. I am a little bit OCD about dirt, and my current couch is really light, which was fine for me and BT, but not super kid friendly.

I feel like I am just rambling. I am so tired. Presley still isn't sleeping as well she used to now that she is teething. I feel like I walk around like a zombie all day.. just nodding and smiling at people b/c I don't have the energy to listen or respond to what they are saying... but I am sitting here watching Presley jump in her jumparoo and I just feel so incredibly lucky. I see her smile and it is worth a lifetime of sleepless nights. Thank you Lord for my Precious Presley!

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fried chicken and beauty sleep!

oh goodness...The last week or so has been pretty rough. I am pretty sure Presley is getting her teeth. It is a nightmare.. she fusses during the day and screams at night.. no one is getting much sleep around here. Poor little baby, she has no idea what is going on she is just in pain! I wish I could fix it. Today I am breaking my diet (more on that later) for the BEST fried chicken in the world. The place where I had my reception has recently opened up a small room and has an all you can eat buffet during the week. It is becoming kind of a tradition with my in-laws... 11:30 on Tues. BRIARWOOD! Tonight, I am having my dad over for dinner b/c my mom is in Chicago doing wedding stuff with my sister Danalee (who is getting married May 28th).

So about my diet.... I have a few pounds of baby weight left that I am trying to get rid of. I decided on the special K diet.. It sounded easy enough.. eat cereal or another special K approved meal for 2 meals and the 3rd meal you eat as you normally would. Today, however, I am eating 2 normal meals!(fried chicken for lunch, roast and potatoes for dinner) I have kinda been cheating all along though... the serving size of cereal is 3/4 cup.. that is NOT very much or even near enough... and the chocolate snack bars don't seem to satisfy my cravings.. so I have added desserts to my diet.. we'll see how that works:) I started the diet Saturday and so far I haven't lost any weight.. I wonder why that is!

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New Blog.. New Year.. New Goals

OK... So it is 2010... This is my first blog ever so I only find it appropriate to start my first blog of the new year with goals!!! I have TONS of goals for this year. First and foremost to be a worthy example for the Lord. Second to be a better wife, mother and friend. Thirdly to be more patient.. WAY more patient and to learn to relinquish control. There are plenty more.. those are the main ones...

I found this verse during my quiet time a few weeks ago that really describes the kind of person that I want to be.. So I am going to REALLY work on that this year.

Romans 12:9-21 (The Message)

9-10Love from the center of who you are; don't fake it. Run for dear life from evil; hold on for dear life to good. Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle.

11-13Don't burn out; keep yourselves fueled and aflame. Be alert servants of the Master, cheerfully expectant. Don't quit in hard times; pray all the harder. Help needy Christians; be inventive in hospitality.

14-16Bless your enemies; no cursing under your breath. Laugh with your happy friends when they're happy; share tears when they're down. Get along with each other; don't be stuck-up. Make friends with nobodies; don't be the great somebody.

17-19Don't hit back; discover beauty in everyone. If you've got it in you, get along with everybody. Don't insist on getting even; that's not for you to do. "I'll do the judging," says God. "I'll take care of it."

20-21Our Scriptures tell us that if you see your enemy hungry, go buy that person lunch, or if he's thirsty, get him a drink. Your generosity will surprise him with goodness. Don't let evil get the best of you; get the best of evil by doing good.

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My precious daughter, Presley (who is now 4 and a half months old), is napping right now and as I look at her so sweet, and innocent, I wonder what kind of woman she is going to turn out to be. Will she be outgoing, will she be shy, will she be bright, funny, quirky, athletic, artistic...? I can't wait to find out.. but none of that really matters to me.. BT and I love her regardless... I just want her to seek the Lord everyday and serve Him with all that she is. I am praying Romans 12:9-21 for her. Thank you Lord for my incredible family!

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