I'm Back

Hey everyone!  I am back to blogging with a fresh, new look and name to my blog!  I have been a little out of touch with my techie side for the last couple of months and haven't had the time to get online a whole lot.  I'll go ahead and blame it on the fact that I have been potty training not one but TWO princesses!  I am happy to report that they are both doing very well and Princess #2 has almost caught up with her sister in the potty training race.  I still have to pinch myself to wake up from this dream of not buying diapers in 2 weeks!

So here is a quick run down on what has been going on in this palace since the last time I blogged.  In May, we celebrated Princess #2's second birthday.  We officially have a terrible 2 and a trying 3 year old, which I think is absolutely terrific!  I'm really enjoying these ages and stages.  I love watching my girls develop their little personalities and learn so many new things! 

I can't think of anything super, significant that took place in June.  In July, we took a 3 week trip to Texas to visit my parents.  We had an amazing time with our family from Texas and New York!  The girls got to be with their cousins, Charlie and Levi, from Brooklyn, NY.  My times with my cousins are some of my favorite memories, so I am especially thankful that the princesses are able to make those same memories at Mimi and Poppy's house. 

August consisted of the wedding of Justin's cousin in Little Rock and a week long trip to Mimi and Poppy's house for the girls.  They had so much fun and I got my house organized! 

September was a fun month spent mostly at home enjoying my babies!  I also joined a MOPS group in Jonesboro and I am so enjoying meeting with other moms of preschoolers for support and encouragement in our mommying journeys!  My girls are loving it too!  If you have a child that's not in school yet, I highly encourage you to find your local group here and join! 

So far October has been a  beautiful month full of activities, and to top it all off we will be taking another trip to Texas the last week of this month!  I am officially "homesick" and need my mom.  These princesses are also having Mimi and Poppy withdrawals.

So basically we've just been living, loving, and learning life together.  I hope all of you are doing the same!  Remember to never take one day for granted.  Go kiss your spouse and babies before another minute goes by!  Love to all of you!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Happy Wednesday!  Hope everyone is having a fabulous week so far!  I know it is a busy week for many since Easter is on Sunday.  I hope everyone has a wonderful Easter!

Easter baskets and bunnies are FUN, but don't forget to be EXTRA grateful to Jesus for making the ULTIMATE sacrifice on the cross!

Today I am loving that our power is back on and that we are safe after the terrible storms yesterday.

Thankfully we didn't have any damage at our palace, but we are praying for those who did.

I am loving that this past weekend I was able to attend a ladies conference near Little Rock with the other ladies in my church.  We had a wonderful time and I can honestly say that I was changed after this conference.  The speaker was Rachel Coltharp and she did AMAZING!  It's unbelievable how God can speak right through a person and it is exactly what you need to hear!  You can read this great lady's blog right here.  I'm loving that I am adorned for Him!  Oh yeah and I'm loving my fantastic husband for watching the princesses while I was gone.  He did so great with them and even matched their clothes and hairbows.  I am a proud wife!

I'm also loving this amazing Boston butt that we bought from our church's fundraiser this weekend!  We paid $25 for it and it has already fed us three meals this week and I have a ton in the freezer for later!

We made it into BBQ pulled pork sandwiches, ate it in wraps, and over baked potatoes.  DELICIOUS!

I'm also loving my fenced in backyard this year!  AND the wooden swingset that will be sitting in it this weekend!  The girls and I have had a blast outside this year and I never have to worry about them running in the street!  So glad we moved!

Last but never least, I am loving my man and the princesses in the most impossible way!  How can it be that I am so blessed to have these three in my life?  So thankful!



What are you loving today?  Link up and let us know!

Life's Not Fair

Hello everyone!  I hope you all are having a fabulous week!  I did not get to do a What I'm Loving Wednesday post yesterday, but definitely look for one next week.  I've been busy enjoying this amazing Spring weather that we've been blessed with.  The princesses and I have been outside everyday for hours on end, which has been so special for them.  We are sick of being inside, for sure!

There is not a ton of new going on in this palace, but there are a few things.

Sadie is now talking better than ever.  She asked me, "Mommy, dressed?"  I said, "Yes, Mommy got dressed."  She touched my jacket and said, "Cute!!!"  How is it possible that my baby is turning two in exactly one month???

Emma magically acts and looks like she is 5, now that she had her 3rd birthday.  How is it that they automatically grow up a little more on their birthdays?

And in other exciting news!!!  My wonderful parents are up and moving to Orangefield, TX!  The have been elected to pastor the Orangefield United Pentecostal Church.  So after 5 years of traveling and evangelizing, they are excited to call Texas their new home.  We are super happy and excited for them in this new phase in their lives, and foresee many trips to Texas in our future.

I have had the honor of teaching princess #1 a new lesson in her young life, lately.  She watched her beloved Clifford movie a couple weeks ago and learned the phrase, "It's not fair!"  Oh and did I mention that she knows exactly how to use it too? 

"Mommy, can I have fruitsnacks?"  "No baby, we're about to eat supper."  "But, it's not fair!"

I give Sadie a cookie after dinner because she ate all of her food and Emma is still picking at her's so she can't have a cookie yet, and what do I hear?  "It's not fair!"

So my response is exactly what I was taught and that is, "Life's not fair!"

A little harsh for a 3 year old?  Maybe so, but if I make everything fair for the princesses their whole lives they are going to be in for a rude awakening.   Because no matter how equal things may seem, there will always be an unfair outcome for someone.

I could go into all the reasons that life hasn't been fair to me or to someone I love, but the list would never end!  As parents, we have to learn that life will not be kind to our kids at all times.  I don't claim to know one bit about parenting, as I have only been a parent for 3 short years.  I was, however, raised by pretty awesome parents.  Who, by the way, give fantastic parenting advice if you need any!  They have been experts at teaching my brothers and I that life is not going to always go the way you plan or want it to, but in order to be blessed with something better or more you must always give thanks for the little that you do have. 

Although, I don't necessarily enjoy this part of parenting where I have to differentiate at times.  It is teaching them and me amazing lessons that I know my kids will appreciate me for later.  So for now, princess #1 will have to just deal with the fact that, "Life's Not Fair!"

But aren't you glad for the amazing blessings that we DO have!  Be thankful on this Thursday!

I'm especially thankful for the three most amazing people in my life today!

"In everything give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you."  1 Thessalonians 5:18

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Hope everyone is enjoying their Wednesday!  We have had a fun day of playing with all of Princess #1's birthday gifts today.  Emma Grace had a wonderful 3rd birthday yesterday and we are so very thankful for her!

Today I am loving that Emma Grace had a fun birthday party at Chick Fil A yesterday!

I'm also loving this vanilla cupcake body lotion and body wash that my sweet pastor's wife bought me for my birthday!  It smells just like cupcakes and I literally want to eat it, but I will refrain!

I'm loving my new Karen Kingsbury book, Leaving!  Sooo good!  If you have not read any of her books, READ them!  They are awesome.

I am also LOVING that I have officially lost 15.2 pounds this week!  Weight Watchers and going to the gym work!

The thing that I am loving most this week is my wonderful mom!

My mom just left today after being around for a couple weeks and I am going to miss her big time.  She has been a huge help around here!  I love you, Mom!

As always I am totally loving my three favorite people!

What are you all loving on this gorgeous Wednesday?  Link up here and let us know!

Have a wonderful day!

Happy Birthday, Princess #1

Hey everyone!  I have arrived back in the blogosphere, after a week and a half break.  My mom brought the princesses home, and it seems like we haven't stopped going since they arrived back last Tuesday. 

I am back just in time to wish princess #1, my Emma Grace, a very happy 3rd birthday!  I cannot believe it's been 3 WHOLE years since the wonderful day that Emma "Graced" us with her presence.  Time flies when we're enjoying the wonderful blessings that God gives us.

I love you so very much Emma Gracie.  You are the light of our lives and I can't imagine life without our beautiful tornado/princess.  You storm through life with excitement, dramatics, and happiness.  God has amazing things in store for you and I love watching you grow up.

Enjoy these photos of Emma's magical life so far...

My baby doll...only a few hours old

Daddy's girl...

Emma Gracie and her boys, Char and Pebi...

First Christmas...

One of Emma's many hilarious expressions...

First birthday portrait...our little ballerina...

2nd birthday...

The best big sissy in the world...

Cousins...and best friends...

Emma Grace with her Mimi and Poppy, sister, and cousins...

Mrs. Incredible...

Loving on her Sadie Rose...

Building her first snow man with daddy and Sadie...

Hope you all enjoyed this sweet picture journey of Emma's first three years of life!  Have a great week!

24 Will Be Fabulous...

Hope everyone is having an amazing weekend so far!  My weekend has been extra wonderful and it's not over yet!  For those who don't  know, it is my birthday weekend.  I will reach the whopping age of 24 tomorrow!

So I'm going to tell you guys what I've done so far this weekend and what I have plans to do!

My sweet mom took the princesses home with her on Thursday and they are gone until Tuesday.  I miss them a million times over, but I am loving having some date time with my hubby.  So once the princesses left, my sis-in-law, Loren, and I went and got pedis.  Mine was fantastic!  I had extra birthday money from my mom and dad and my Mamaw, so I spoiled myself with the super deluxe pedi from Diva Nails.  Let me tell ya if you have about 2 hours and extra money, I highly encourage you to go and get one.  AMAZINGLY relaxing! 

I also went shopping and bought some much needed summer and spring clothes.  It's honestly just been nice to spend money on myself!  A little selfish?  Maybe...but I'm enjoying it! HA!

The highlight to my day on Friday was having lunch by myself at San Francisco Bread Co.  I know I am a loser!  But I seriously love those rare lunches alone where I can just think and people watch.  It's peaceful!

So today is actually the day before my birthday, but since we will be busy with church all day tomorrow we celebrated today!  First, Justin went shopping for me this morning.  He came home with a gorgeous Kathy van Zealand purse from Dillards.  If you have never felt her purses, you owe it to yourself to just go in Dillards and touch one.  The SOFTEST leather ever!  I'm in love!  However, he didn't just buy a purse.  He stuffed it with a beautiful blouse and cute flip flops and the Karen Kingsbury book that I have been wanting.  Oh and he didn't forget a card!  It was the sweetest card from him and the princesses.

I'm super proud of him!  He did awesome!

Tonight my man took me out to Outback for a yummy steak!  Next, we went and browsed at Barnes and Noble.  The perfect end to my birthday date was a trip to Cracker Barrel to enjoy my favorite dessert, the apple dumpling.  Such a fun night out with my sweetie!

Tomorrow I will turn 24 and I will spend my day in the best place I can think of.  I will be with the people I love at church!  That just sounds like an incredible start to 24!  24 will be fabulous!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

Happy Wednesday everyone!!!

Today I'm loving listening to Francesca Battistelli's new album!

I seriously feel like she wrote her songs about me!  They speak to me so much!  Check her out, she's awesome!

I'm also loving this wonderful new snack that me and the princesses found at Sam's Club!

Try them they're so yummy!

I'm loving that my husband is such a fun and good daddy to the princesses!

Check out these pictures of him teaching them how to play teaball.  Can you say ADORABLE?!

I'm also loving these beyond cute dresses I bought for the princesses to wear on Emma Grace's birthday next month!  I can't believe my princess will be 3!!!

Oh and what I am loving most today is that my girls Mimi and my mom and bestfriend is COMING today!!!

Emma and Sadie are on the edge of their seats with excitement!!!

What are you all loving today?  Link up here and let us know!





The Stuff That Drives Me Crazy...

I just finished the most magical weekend with my sweet family!  It included a trip to the park, eating lunch at Chick Fil A, a brand, spanking new gas grill, absolutely gorgeous spring weather, Emma sleeping through Sunday night service (which hasn't happened since she was an infant), Sadie puking in the middle of church and at Chili's, Emma taking a bath in ranch dressing, etc...

Oh wait did I say magical?

My weekend, or shall we say life, can all be summed up by one song, "This Is The Stuff" by Francesca Battistelli.

I lost my keys
In the great unknown
And call me please
'Cause I can't find my phone

This is the stuff that drives me crazy.
This is the stuff that's getting to me lately.
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I'm blessed

This is the stuff that gets under my skin
But I've got to trust You know exactly what You're doing
Might not be what I might choose
But this is the stuff you use

45 in a 35
Sirens and fines
While I'm running behind

This is the stuff that drives me crazy
This is the stuff that's getting to me lately
In the middle of my little mess
I forget how big I'm blessed

This is the stuff that gets under my skin
But I've gotta trust You know exactly what You're doing
Might not be what I might choose but this is the stuff You use

So break me of impatience
Conquer my frustrations
I've got a new appreciation
It's not the end of the world

This is the stuff that drives me crazy.
This is the stuff
Someone save me
In the middle of little my mess
I forget how big I'm blessed

This is the stuff that gets under my skin
And I've gotta trust you know exactly what You're doing
Might not be what I would choose but this is the stuff You use

This is the stuff You use


I look back over my weekend and so many ridiculously, silly things drove me up the wall.  I often think about this life I lead and I'll admit at the craziest times I've thought, "Lord, what have I gotten my self into?"  It's at those times that God miraculously uses Emma to say, "Mommy, it is so pretty out today!", or Justin to wrap his arms around me and calm me down as only he can with the Lord's unbelievable help.  Haha, thank you God for such a patient man in my life!

So Emma decided to use her ranch as lotion instead of a condiment.  Oh well, she also kisses me everyday and tells me that I am so CUTE!   So poor Sadie can't stop projectile vomiting in the most inconvenient places.  Who cares!  She's normally healthy as a horse and thank God we have never had more serious health problems. 

The weekend may have been a little wild at times but God gave us the perfect Monday to recuperate and love on each other.  Today was a day for me to look back and see how totally blessed I am, no matter how messy my life seems at times. 

I am definitely living the GREAT life!

Blessed beyond measure today and everyday!

Hope everyone else had a blessed weekend, and remember your little messes in life are not the end of the world!  God has a plan and you are blessed to be a part of it!

Princess Sadie Rose loved eating the sand!

Princess Emma Grace loved everything about being outside today!  (Except the bugs...I'm raising a true princess here, folks!)

Magic Princess Castle that Daddy built the princesses...They were ecstatic about it...Justin is such a good daddy to the Princesses!

Our awesome new grill which is our 4th wedding anniversary gift!

Lead Me

So I was driving the princesses to the park today and was rather thrilled to hear my favorite song on the radio.  I love when that happens and it's a song that I have adopted as an anthem for my marriage!  This song has been such a blessing to me in the past few months as I have been learning to be a more submissive wife and Godly mother.  It is Sanctus Real's Lead Me which just happens to be KLOVE's sixth top song right now!

Although the song is about a husband and father stepping up and letting God lead him to be the spiritual leader of his home, it has helped open my eyes to the numerous shortcomings that I face on the journey to becoming a Godly, submissive wife and mother.

The past four years of marriage haven't always been pretty in this palace.  We might look like the perfect family, which is mainly because my princesses are picture perfect.  BUT it wasn't too long ago that we were facing some hard times. 

You see patience, understanding, and letting someone else take the lead do not come easy for me.  I want to lead!  I want control!  These traits have caused major downfalls in my family's lives.  Thank God for forgiveness and mercy though, right?

So these traits that I have on top of getting married and immediately starting a family have not always mixed well.  Impatience on top of crazy pregnancy and postpartum hormones is just a disaster waiting to happen.  So by the time my youngest princess was a year old, you could just say I WAS OUT OF CONTROL! 

Yes, I made up every excuse in the book.  I am snapping at my husband, because the princesses are driving me crazy today.  I don't feel good, because I was up all night with a sick princess.  I'm mad at you, because you forgot to take the trash out and I would never stoop so low as to take on a chore like that.  After about three years of those excuses, I began to realize that I had become a very self-centered person.  Actually, it wasn't me that realized it.  My extremely patient, loving husband and God helped me to see the selfishness that had overcome me.

I began to faithfully read the Word again, because of course I had stopped and didn't have time with the princesses and all.  I once again found a relationship with my Creator that I had lost amongst the clutter that I had allowed to fill up my life.  I finally began to dig myself out of the pit of depression that I was neck-deep in.  Basically, I took control from the devil and turned it all over to God.  I have found that I can be a strong woman, and still be the wife and mother that God has created me to be.  God has totally transformed the resentment that had built up inside me and he has formed lots of thankfulness and  some patience and gobs of happiness and abundant love in me once again.

Today, I am proud to say that I am celebrating 4 incredible years of marriage to my man.  You might be thinking, "Incredible?  It sounds as if your marriage has been terrible so far!"  And I would tell you that marriage and motherhood have NEVER been terrible!  What has been terrible is my selfishness and pride! 

So on this Thursday I am thankful!  I am thankful for God's unfailing love and mercy in my life!  I am thankful for the gift and calling of motherhood!  To see my princesses living faithful, Godly lives is my highest calling! 

I am MOST thankful today for my AMAZING husband!  The past 4 years have been an incredible journey that I would take again in a heartbeat!

Proverbs 12:4 tells us, "A wife of noble character is her husband's crown, but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones."  I don't know about y'all, but I am striving everyday to be the noble and virtuous wife that my husband needs!

Justin, you are my everything and I am so grateful for a Godly husband who is doing an incredible job of leading me and the princesses spiritually in our palace!  I'm so excited about spending the rest of my life with you! 

And thank you God for continually being my portion...

Happy Anniversary to us!!!



What I'm Loving Wednesday

Hey everyone!  I know it's a little late on this Wednesday, but I just got the princesses to bed so it'll have to do!

I am going to be doing a What I'm Loving Wednesday blog every week and it is just a fun little blog that a lot of my fellow bloggers are doing!

So I hope everyone has had a wonderful Wednesday!

I'm loving these adorable, pink metallic ballet flats that my wonderful mom bought for the princesses as their Easter shoes at Gap.com ...she got a sale though....unfortunately that's not the case anymore unless you have a good coupon.

I'm loving the extra $50 a month that I am saving because Emma Grace now wears these...

instead of Huggies!!!

I'm loving this sweet face...

And yes those are fairy wings on the back of her jammies...

And yes she does consider herself a diva/fairy/princess...

What I'm LOVING most today is the fact that tomorrow I will be married to the love of my life for

4 YEARS!!!

What are you loving this week?  Link up here and let us all know!

Happy Wednesday everyone!

Blogging Mama

So I am officially becoming a blogging mama.  I read many mom and other blogs faithfully, and I have decided to take the plunge and begin documenting the chronicles of my crazy life.  My blog is going to mainly be about my little darlings, Emma Grace and Sadie Rose, and things that are important to me in my life.  These things may include anything from my wonderful marriage to my fantastic man, Justin, to something as simple as getting my life and house organized.  Oh wait!  Did I just say simple?  Yeah not so much.  Mainly, I just want to be an encouragement to other young, overwhelmed moms, soon-to-be moms, or wanna-be-moms.  God has brought me through so many hard times in my 4 years of marriage and 3 years of motherhood and I hope that my blog can be a testimony to someone in need.  Life may seem to be overwhelming you, but look around at all of your blessings and enjoy this beautiful time in your life.  God is faithful...