Archive | Friends RSS feed for this section

Recap.

18 Oct

Soooo…it’s certainly been awhile. In over 7 years of blogging I’ve never once taken a month off from it and somehow I just went 4 solid months without blogging. Oops! To say life has been crazy would be an understatement but as things are starting to mellow out I finally have the time to get back to the blog. I wasn’t exactly sure how to catch you all up to speed so I decided I’ll just go a month at a time and “Recap”.

May:

The movers (from hell) came and packed up all of our belongings onto a big semi and then on the 4th we left Florida for Colorado. I have to tell you…the nerves and uncertainty we felt while driving those 40+ hours in the car were like nothing we’d ever felt. It’s a very scary thing moving across the country, but add on the fact that there was no job lined up and no real plan of where this decision was taking us and we were TERRIFIED! All we knew was that God had led us to this decision and we could only trust Him through it as we moved. We knew it would work out just had no idea of WHEN. I’m a planner and having a plan in place is where I’ve always found my comfort. This time…no such luck. All we had was a leap of faith (felt like off a cliff) and trust that God would catch us before we smacked the ground.

We arrived in Grand Junction on the 6th and began settling into my mom’s house, which would be our home until we were able to establish ourselves. Still very anxious and wondering if we had just made the biggest mistake of our lives, leaving our safety net of the Air Force, we were blessed and amazed when Scott received a call on the 8th saying he got his dream job that he had interviewed for the month before!! Scott now works in Greece as a military contractor doing a similar job to what he did in the Air Force. He is there for 2 months then he gets to be home with us for 2 solid months. It’s amazing to have him home for that whole time without any interruption. It’s like a vacation when he’s home. I do still hate those 2 months when he leaves though. It is a blessing that we’re now able to live where we want and that I have the family support I didn’t have in Florida while he’s away.IMG_1896For the year leading up to our move back to Colorado I kept a pretty close eye on the housing market and we had a pretty good idea of what we wanted for when the time came to buy a house. There was a neighborhood in Fruita that I had my eye on and a very specific floor-plan that was our “dream home”. I knew it was a long shot that we would ever get it but when one with the exact floor-plan we wanted came on the market and they were having an open house on Mother’s Day Scott said we needed to go look at it to see if it was even what we wanted when we saw it in person. We walked through the house and every time we rounded another corner of it I laughed and said “Oh, crap!” because it continued to be everything we had ever wanted. Soooooooo…on the 14th we got everything in order and put in an offer on our dream home. The very next day our offer was accepted and we began the work of making it officially ours! How amazing God is! Exactly a week before we woke up stressed about where our future was taking us and then Scott got the job and a week later we found our Home!! Lord, thank you for leading us to this leap! These blessings were beyond what we could have hoped for and here they were…easily and quickly falling into our lap. I’ve never experienced anything like it.IMG_E2074The rest of May was spent catching up with our friends we had missed so much, house closing checklists, and Scott had orientation with his new company. Oh, and Scott had to fly back to Florida to get his car and drive it here. (Not jealous of him on that one.)

 

June:

Scott left for a week long training the beginning of June and luckily made it back on Haven’s first birthday. The next day we had a party for her in the park where Royal had his first birthday party and where we had the rehearsal dinner for our wedding. I love places that continue to come full circle with us. (I’ll blog about the party in another post so that I can share details and have picture overload.) It was special to celebrate such a big milestone with family as we’d been missing that.

We were supposed to close on our house on the 11th which was perfect because Scott was leaving for Greece on the 12th but we hit a snag trying to schedule the appraiser so it was pushed back until the 13th. Of course he would miss the closing by one day! (Haha.) We (mostly me) just had to suck it up because there was nothing we could do about it. Scott put me as his power of attorney so that I could sign for him at the closing. It was hard to see Scott go but we had to be thankful for the job and opportunities it was opening for our family.

On June 13th we became first time homeowners! What a crazy feeling that was!! Once the cramping in my hand, from signing “Scott Dearborn by Alyssa Dearborn attorney in fact” on every line his name appeared along with my own signature, wore off I was in such disbelief that it had actually happened! We have waited and worked so hard to get to this moment and it was such a wonderful feeling to hold those keys and know we finally had a home that was all ours.IMG_3156The next two days we had new carpet installed and then the movers came!! I had really missed our stuff but that feeling was fleeting when I realized I would be unpacking over 7,000 pounds of stuff alone with 2 littles running amuck! (Haha.) I knew it would be worth it though so I jumped right to it! We had a family trip to Wyoming planned and I knew I wouldn’t be able to relax unless I got it all done (I hate being type A sometimes) so I busted it all out in 4 days of unpacking! I didn’t sleep much, as you can imagine, and my body ached at the end of every day BUT I was determined!!IMG_4070We had a blast in Wyoming and it was just what we needed after all the chaos of moving to Colorado, Scott starting the new job, and moving into our home. Sometimes you just need to slow it down for a few days and do hardly nothing to recoup!

July:

This was a pretty mellow month in comparison to the months before. I went bridesmaid dress shopping for my friend Ashley’s wedding, we went to “food truck Friday” a few times, went to the science museum, Royal started swim lessons which was a good distraction and great way to finish up the time Scott was away, Royal got a big boy bed for his new room, and we celebrated his 4th birthday with frozen yogurt because he wanted to wait to have his party once his dad was home. Royal also had his first experience at the demo derby and it was LOVE! I mean…what 4 year old boy wouldn’t love cars smashing into each other?!

August:

On the 2nd Royal graduated his first swim lesson level!! Woohoo! He gained so much confidence in the water and finally started putting his face under! It was funny to me that he was so fearful of pools after being so confident in the ocean but…I guess you’re only comfortable with the things you’re used to and he hadn’t spent much time in a pool before moving here. Waves and sharks seem a bit more intimidating to me…just saying. (Haha.)IMG_5908The last weekend before Scott came home we decided to go visit my brother and Rachel in Steamboat Springs. We always have so much fun there and it was the perfect way to speed up the last weekend without Scott.img_5978.jpgWe traveled back Monday the 6th and Scott came home that evening! YAY! I love our reunions and it’s so fun to see the excitement on the kids’ faces and this time Scott got to see Haven walk for the first time!! Oh yeah…she started walking full time while we were in Steamboat! Before that she was just taking a few steps here and there. She would take a couple steps then the second she saw you watching she would smirk and then naughtily sit down. Stinker!

The best part of Scott being home was having him finally spend a night with us in our new home! Seeing he left the day before we closed he had never even been in the house besides the two walk throughs we had. It was rather surreal living here without him almost like it couldn’t be true until we all spent a night here, so that part made it officially feel like home.

I always love the first week Scott’s home. We fill the week with everything we have missed doing as a family and squeeze in things we’ve been waiting to try together as well. We took Royal to his first movie (Incredibles 2) on the 16th and had Royal’s Blaze themed birthday party the 18th, which was fun to have our first event in our new home! He loved it and we loved having a house full of people we love to celebrate our boy with us. (I’ll try to blog about his party later too!)

On the 20th Royal started Preschool!! I cried…a lot. It’s hard as a mommy to watch your little ones spread their wings but you have to allow them do it. He was ready. He was begging to go and off he went. Royal has loved every second of it and he’s just like a sponge soaking in every social and learning aspect of it.

August finished up with a visit from our good friends from Florida! We have been friends with them since the beginning of Scott’s Air Force career and they moved to Vegas the month before we moved to Colorado. We had missed them so much so it was wonderful to show them Colorado life and catch up! I’m so thankful that we are able to keep our friendship going! I do miss them only living 15 minutes away though!

September:

September was busy! I threw Ashley a tea party themed shower at our house and we had her bachelorette party that same night. The next weekend we went to Steamboat to celebrate my brother’s birthday. The 22nd was Ashley’s wedding which was so beautiful!! Then the 24th I surprised Scott with date night in Glenwood Springs for his birthday!

And the grand finale was finishing up September with a weekend of camping. We haven’t been camping since before kids and it was certainly a different experience! Although it was exhausting we had such a blast and the kids so enjoyed being wild and covered head to toe in dirt!

October:

Woo! You’re almost caught up! Scott went back to Greece on the 7th and should be home in time for Christmas this year!! The kids and I are trying to find our routine which takes a couple weeks every time he leaves but we’re getting there. We’ll be soaking in the fall season and trying to toughen up before the winter months hit. (We’re kinda cold wimps after living in Florida for 5 years.) I’m just thankful that I’m not moving into a house alone this round and grateful that Royal has school to distract him a bit from his daddy being away.

Thank you for all your thoughts and prayers as we adjusted to life here! God has blessed us so much and I’m constantly amazed at how different our life looks now. We miss our Florida friends but we sure are loving life here in Fruita Colorado!

I promise I won’t wait so long to write again!

xoxo

 

 

 

Slow down.

29 Mar

I’ve always counted myself a strong woman. I can pretty much handle anything life throws at me and still stay standing. It’s mostly because I can plan my way through it. As long as I prepare I feel ready for it. My Type A personality tells me that as long as I stay busy and organized it’s going to all work out.

The problem with a Type A personality mixing with pregnancy is that you lose pretty much all of your organizational skills and brain sharpness to preggo brain. It’s really really really extremely frustrating when you’re waiting for your brain to engage and it never seems to catch up to the speed you’re used to functioning at. Then you end up working twice as hard to complete tasks that used to only take you a matter of minutes. You add that to the waddling that slows you down, doubling your daily load because of deployment, a two year old who you for some reason decided to toilet train a week after your husband left, running a business, missing and worrying for your husband while he’s deployed, preparing for a new baby, stressing if the Air Force will let your hubby come home early so he doesn’t miss the baby’s birth, being far from family, and tons of appointments, and I’ve gone almost completely mad!!! Seems like as soon as I start one project 6 more appear and I get interrupted 26 times in the process which then takes me a solid 10 minutes to remember where I left off. The proficiency is gone. I miss my brain. (haha)

During a deployment you need to be at your best and sadly I feel like I’m at my worst. I’ve found myself overwhelmed from the second I wake up to the minute my head finally rests on my pillow at night. I’ve been forcing myself to have even a few moments a day to just rest. It’s certainly taking a toll on my body and as I am now in my 30th week of pregnancy I have to remind myself that it’s okay to slow down a little. It feels like actual torture to sit when I have lists upon lists adding up in my mind. I’m telling myself that it’s alright if some things slip a little, no one else is going to notice but me. But…we’re always our own toughest critics.

The thing that has broken my heart the most this round is just how badly Royal has missed his daddy. He will wake up crying and when I ask him what’s wrong he says “I cry Dada. I miss Daddy.” I don’t know how to comfort his hurting heart and it’s impossible to explain the reasoning to a two year old.  He’s been dealing with separation anxiety too which rips my heart in half. I’ll hear him talking in his bed at night saying “Don’t leave me. Please don’t leave me” and if I go in the garage he’ll come running full speed from the other side of the house yelling “Mama!! Don’t leave me!!” I can’t even stand it. All I can do it hold him close and reassure him that I’m not going anywhere. I tell him that Dada will be home soon and I remind him of all the ways his Daddy loves him. I hate all of that the most. I wish I could just take away all the pain from his little tiny self.

I’m also working on being better at asking for help from others, and I’ll admit this is humbling for me. I HATE asking because I actually enjoy handling things on my own, but I know those around me want to help and I need to let them. Being a burden to others is my biggest fear, so I’m truly striving to be okay with it. I’ve found that people love you through their actions and I shouldn’t rob people of that by always saying no to their offers.

Hands down this has been the most difficult of all the deployments but every situation is temporary and soon it will end. Until then I need to sit when my body says sit and rest when my mind needs rest. The goal is to keep this little girl in as long as possible, to up the chances of Scott being home for her arrival, and for that to happen I need to take it a bit easier. Another goal of mine is to soak in as much time with Royal as I can before he’s no longer my only baby. It’s bittersweet so I want to make the most of these next 10 weeks with him. Both goals involve me slowing down to breathe and ignoring the 102 lists that are constantly building up around me. As long as we’re fed and healthy the rest can wait.

“My flesh and my heart may fail,
but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.”
-Psalm 73:26

Goodbye, 27.

30 Jan

Earlier this month I had my last day as a 27 year old. I spent that final day reflecting on the past year of my life. It wasn’t really a happy remembrance.

On the day I turned 27 I deactivated my Facebook account, because I didn’t want any birthday wishes. I just couldn’t handle the idea of everyone celebrating my birthday so close to my Dad’s passing. I knew it would be a hard year, and not one of those days would my Dad be a part of. It was just too much. I decided to pretend that it was just a regular day and continue on.

The rest of the year went pretty much as I had imagined. So many tears. So much time spent staring into space. A lot of denial went into this year. I spent more time, than I ever have, learning about myself. What exactly makes me tick? What sets me off in a positive or negative way? I didn’t necessarily always like the person I was learning about. I found my flaws more frequently than I found my beauty. I would then be surprised to find strength in an area I felt I was weak. It was shocking to realize I wasn’t who I thought I was anymore. I had changed.

Once I had a grasp of who I was, I finally felt ready to start the growth. I can say this year really grew me up. I had to face some difficult things and I had to push through until I had overcome them. I feel stronger now and better. I feel closer to whole.

Not all of this year was hard. Not all of 27 was sad. I made some wonderful memories with people who mean so much to me. I started a new business. We tried boating for the first time and it became our new obsession. I spent my time really soaking in the everyday moments with my son. We found out we will be expecting a new baby, and new life brings joy like nothing else can. I guess that right there sums up my year. Where there is death there is opportunity for new life to come forth. My life seems to always follow the theme of “beauty from ashes” and this year was no exception.

Goodbye to the year of ashes. Hello 28-a year of beauty and new life!

But He said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships,in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong. -2 Corinthians 12:9-10

 

Boating.

29 Sep

Since we moved here to Florida, over 3 years ago, we would always drive over the Destin Bridge and see all the boats. It looked like such a blast and we would always say “we should do that!!” but it took us until this summer to actually go for it!

We have now gone out 4 times in a 2 month period. We’re kinda boating addicts now. It’s so relaxing being out on the water, looking at beautiful scenery, wading in clear blue water, and soaking up the sun. Seriously like being on a little vacation just 20 minutes from your house.

Royal loves it too! He will skip his entire nap because he’s having such a blast. I’ve never known this child to skip a nap-time but he is just so busy looking at all the other boats and swimming that he doesn’t even notice how sleepy he is.

Now anytime we have visitors in town we’re going to of course suggest this as THE MUST DO during their stay. It’s just so fun!! You simply throw some sandwiches in a cooler, grab lots of water and sunscreen, and then you’re set for a whole day of relaxing and chilling with your friends. Perfection!

Although I’m sad we waited so long to try this boating thing, I’m really thankful that it came to us in this season of our lives. We needed fun this summer! We needed relaxation! We needed friend time! We really just needed to have an escape where we could be carefree for a little while. It was everything I needed this summer.

I hope we can at least get one more trip in this year, but if not…next summer will be full of weekends like this! I can’t wait!!

IMG_4515 (1).JPG

Project patio.

29 Jul

When we first moved to Florida we realized you can’t really enjoy being outdoors. The bugs are TERRIBLE year round! In our first home we constantly talked about how we would love to have a Florida Room (that’s what they call screened in porches here). When we decided to move it was the top thing on our list along with a large backyard. We hit the jackpot with our new home because it has BOTH! The minute I knew we would finally be getting our Florida Room my mind started spinning with plans! We waited until we were completely moved in, and the last box was unpacked, and then we started the building of our patio set.

I will admit, I was maybe a little optimistic on how easy it would be…nope…so.much.work. I first spent DAYS searching the internet for the cushions that would fit the dimensions of the chairs. The cushions also served as a great motivator to finish the project, because we kept staring at a huge pile of pillows knowing they needed a place. We then spent every weekend for two months building this together! Scott cut and sanded, and I brought him the wood and organized it. Then we built each chair during Royal’s nap-times.

Once they were all completely built we stained and used top coat on each. I’m so glad we did the sanding before we built them because it made the staining process that much easier. We started with a darker stain and we HATED it. We lost a chair to that but we figured it was better to rebuild one chair than to hate all of them. We finally found the perfect stain and busted them out! Phew!

The building plan we used also had a table plan, but at that point we were so over the project and I had the idea to get a statement piece for the coffee table. I got my mind set on an antique trunk and the search began!! We spent a full day antiquing and couldn’t find one that we loved. All I found was an antique peacock that matched the pillows I had purchased. I laughed because I got something to go on top of the trunk but we didn’t have one yet. I felt defeated and it looked like we would have to build the table after all. I then jumped on craigslist and there it was…the perfect antique steamer trunk!! I loved it and immediately had Scott go pick it up! The trunk was just what the patio needed to really “pop!” It’s my most adored part of the whole set.

This is my favorite place in the whole house now. I spend the mornings out there reading my Bible and drinking coffee while Royal and the dog play in the yard. It’s like a piece of heaven to me. One of the best things is lounging on the patio set and watching the rain during a storm. It’s also the perfect entertaining space. You can find us out there most nights, with our friends, just laughing and enjoying great conversation. Best part…no bugs!!!

IMG_2631IMG_2643IMG_2645I’m so glad we never gave up on this project because it’s the room that makes me love my home the most!

IMG_2617“My people will live in peaceful dwelling places, in secure homes, in undisturbed places of rest.”      -Isaiah 32:8

 

 

 

March.

31 Mar

Whew!! This month was a busy one!!

We started March out with packing up everything we own and moving it into our new home. I was amazed at how much STUFF we have accumulated in the past 3 years of living here!! Somehow Scott and I were able to get it all into the giant U haul by ourselves in just 4 hours. We then picked up our new keys and two of our buddies helped us unload everything into the garage of the new house. I still can’t believe that in less than 12 hours we were completely moved out!

I have an annoying quirk where I feel the need to immediately finish a task once I start it. I can’t do anything until that project is finished. Somehow I got it in my mind that settling into the house was just one big project. I unpacked the entire house in 2 days and hung the very last picture on the 6th day in our new home. I exhausted myself but I knew I wouldn’t be able to enjoy living here until it was complete. I also knew that my friend, Danielle, would be coming in two weeks so I didn’t want to be worried about a “to-do list” while she was here.

Royal and our doggy love the new yard, even more than I thought they would, and we spend every morning and evening out on our screened-in-porch. I love sitting out there, drinking my morning coffee, while Royal plays. The porch and yard alone made this move completely worth it to me.

After we were all moved in we celebrated our first holiday here! I love Saint Patrick’s Day! It was a hard day for me though, because it was also one of my dad’s favorites. I thought of him as I ate my corned beef and wished, as always, that I could call him up. Each new holiday brings a new difficulty but I know they will be easier next year when the wound doesn’t feel so fresh.

Danielle came to town on the 22nd and we were thrilled to have our first house guest!  I was so excited to have her here. Since my dad died it hasn’t felt like there has been much to look forward to, but just knowing she was coming would lift my spirits instantly. Her wonderful boyfriend, Alex, had surprised her with the plane tickets on Christmas and the timing could not have been more perfect! I smiled the entire way to the airport to pick her up!  Unfortunately, her visit was filled with many many rainy days. I think she maybe got two days without rain, and only one where the sun came out from behind the clouds. We always have a good time together though so we made the most of it!

We spent the week shopping, eating at our favorite restaurants in the area, drinking coffee and wine on the porch, watching movies, chasing around my wild son, coloring eggs, and talking-talking-talking. Easter and the beach day were my ultimate highlights. I loved watching Royal run around the yard, looking for eggs, and then having a day of sunshine was just what we all needed after many days of rain! We maybe soaked in a little too much sunlight because we all limped away with sunburned legs. (Haha)

This past week was just what I needed! After all the chaos, having a little carefree fun was the perfect medicine. I didn’t want to see Danielle go, but I know she’ll be back!

So, there was our March! It was stressful at the start but we were able to reap the benefits, of all our hard work, at the end! Lately my life is just one big roller-coaster, but I’m up for the ride.

xoxo

 

Moving homes.

24 Feb

As if life hasn’t been stressful enough we’ve decided to move houses.

Our lease is up at the end of this next month and we’ve needed a home that better meets our needs. We love our current house but the backyard is literally 3 feet wide on the three sides of the house, and is constantly muddy with all the rain we get here in Florida. Royal is starting to show more interest in being outdoors and there’s absolutely no way that this yard can be played in. The new home we’re moving to has a large backyard, with a swing set and slide, and a nice screened in porch which will better suit our needs. The house size is comparable to what we now have but also has a two car garage, verses the one car garage we have now. The neighborhood is a step up as well and is much more quiet than our current one. We’ll also be closer to the beach which we love!! The only big down side is that I’m now much farther from a Starbucks! Wahh!! ;)

It’s hard leaving this home knowing the memories we have here. This was our first Florida home and the place we brought Royal home from the hospital to. We have had such good times here with friends and family, so it’s difficult leaving a place that has been so comforting to us. We know that the new house will hold a whole new set of memories and good times and we look forward to that, but it’s still bittersweet.

I have to say that I was really looking forward to having some normal and boring for a bit, but that’s not how life has been lately so I have to embrace the chaos and realize that calmer times are up ahead. Maybe the project of moving and settling back in will become a welcomed distraction.

I have had a hard time, the past few weeks, realizing that my dad’s death is an absolute reality. I so badly want to speak to him about what funny things Royal has been doing or to call and tell him about the new house. It hurts to not hear his voice and know that I won’t again. I still wake up every morning thinking it was a bad dream and every morning I’m slapped with the cold reality that it’s not. I just want him back.

We have two weeks before our move so I’m trying to rest and soak in the calm before my life is once again upturned for yet another change. I can’t wait to be settled into our new place and for Royal to play in his new backyard.

God is always working good into our lives even when it all feels completely crazy! I thank God for the homes He’s always provided for us and for the way He’s comforting my broken heart.

ISpl9vv74ai0as1000000000

 

 

Chicago.

29 Sep

If these deployments have taught me one thing it’s that busy is your very best friend!

I’ve had one big thing to look forward to every month, and that works as my light at the end of the tunnel. As long as I have something to work towards then it breaks up the full length of the deployment. If you’re only focusing on the end then it seems impossible and you easily get discouraged and depressed. When there is something each month then you’re only allowed to get sad for a little while because you know something fun is right around the corner.

This month’s fun activity was a trip to Chicago to see my brother and his wife. Our buddy River was making a trip to that area to see his family so I asked if I could tag along. He was happy to have company during the drive so he said yes! Our friends Tonni and Michael volunteered to watch Clover (our dog) while we were gone, so with that final detail figured out we were able to go. I’m so thankful for our wonderful friends here in Florida. We have such a close community that has helped us through this deployment.211209I was really excited for this trip because I had thought that we wouldn’t see David and Rachel this year, because we’re not going home for the holidays. Although it was a long 15 hour drive, and we pulled an all nighter so that Royal could sleep the whole way, it was completely worth it. We did some site seeing but the only two things I really had on my list of MUSTS was that I wanted to try Chicago style pizza and a Chicago Dog. (Of course my priorities involved food. I.love.food.)192189197204205217218I enjoyed the pizza but it isn’t my favorite style. I have completely converted to the Chicago dog club though! I have never tasted such a delicious hot dog in my life! I now have some intense cravings going on for these things. Royal enjoyed the food as well! He had his first taste of pizza and ate an entire hot dog! I can’t believe he’s able to eat these things much less have the appetite to demolish them.269272314316315The best part of the trip was definitely when Royal started walking! He had been taking 3 steps in a row for a couple months now but never anything more. On the 16th something clicked though and he took off! I was cheering like the biggest dork, because I was so excited, and Royal had the most proud look on his face. I love these milestones but they remind me that my baby is escaping me. He did this after eating a chocolate bar he found on the couch! (haha.)

260We also had the pleasure of celebrating David’s 25th birthday with him. That was the night we went out for Chicago style pizza. I hate always missing each other’s birthdays so it was nice to finally be there for one with him.274I was so thankful to have the adult company of David and Rachel as I’m now used to being home in an empty house with just Royal and Clover since Scott deployed. You miss the simple things of having a meal together, going to the park, and watching Netflix with someone else. I most enjoyed these lazy moments during the trip. I love these two and was dreading the time ending.243225304311The visit somehow flew by and River was there picking us up from my brother’s apartment. We then spent the night with River’s family, 4 hours away, to break up the length of the trip and had an amazing visit with them. It was the perfect end cap to our trip. I love families that take you in and treat you like you belong right off the bat. River’s family is just like that. I so appreciated them opening their home to us and loving on my little fellow.181Then came the 12 hour all nighter back home!! BLEH!!!!! I’ll be happy if I never have to road trip again in my life. I’m completely kidding but I’m thankful for a break. Now I’m nursing a cold and we’re trying to settle back into our daily routine here in Florida. Royal is happy to be home and enjoys practicing his new walking skills around the house.

I just need to find the next big thing to focus on for next month!

The love and prayers mean so much to us during these deployments, so thank you all for them! xoxo203

First Birthday.

12 Aug

I first of all can’t even deal with the fact that I now have a one year old!! What a year! It’s been wonderful but such a blur!! I’m really at a loss for words and the emotional aspect chokes me up so I’m just going to write about his wonderful birthday experiences instead of blubbering on about how my baby is no longer a baby! (Haha.)055We found out a few months ago that Scott would be deploying right before Royal’s first birthday, so we decided to fly home to Colorado for a big party with all the grandparents, friends, and family who live there. It was our way of making up for the fact that Scott would be missing the end cap of Royal’s first year.113I’ve always loved the “Hungry Caterpillar” and have read the book to Royal on numerous occasions, so I set that as the theme of his party. I had a blast finding cute things on Etsy and crafting the rest myself. My friend Danielle was such a help with decorating as well, and did a wonderful “First Birthday Board” for me. I had so much help with this party that I felt overwhelmed by all the love!!090It was raining on the day of the party but thankfully the rain passed just in time! Sadly, in place of the rain came such strong wind! We never have days like that but of course it had to be windy!! I’m not going to lie to you and say that I stayed calm and collected when the wind started foiling literally every plan I had for decorating. I was getting more and more frustrated as each thing I placed went flying across the park! I was barely holding it together when suddenly all the plates went soaring!! I lost it…I sat down on the bench near me and cried. I had such vision for this party and I wanted it to be perfect for my boy. After a good pep talk and a good hug from Danielle I was ready to take on this party again. I reminded myself that it wasn’t about the decorations, Royal wouldn’t even notice them or remember them! It was about the cake smashing and everyone celebrating his first year!080099095Finally everything got put together!! (In other words we taped everything down so it couldn’t move!!) Just as the last details were being finished people started showing up! It was so great to see everyone! We feel so very blessed to have all the friends that we do! It made me realize just how much I miss our little Junction community. Hopefully someday it will be home to us again.109104115My dad said a sweet prayer over Royal and then everyone started eating and visiting. Royal was happy to sit near whoever would feed him watermelon or goldfish. He was in such a “mommy phase” at the point of the party that I was truly worried that he wouldn’t let me put him down the whole time, but as long as he stayed distracted he was a social butterfly!094098097096092073Then came time for the cake!! He wasn’t so sure about it at first but once he got a taste of that icing he was hooked!! He was so gentle as he ate the cake. I expected him to rip right through it but as always…he surprised me. I finally had to smash his hand through the center just so he could get the full experience. He wasn’t a fan of the cake but the icing kept him eating! It was such a sweet moment for us as a family watching our guy eat his cake and listening to our close friends sing him Happy Birthday! I will always hold that memory close to my heart.119 124 149 royal bday 004

He loved opening his presents too! At one point I took a pause in helping him open them and he started signing “more”! He cracks me up. He quite enjoyed the whole experience of birthdays!130 136A few days before his actual birthday we went to have his cake-smash shoot! I’ve been looking forward to this shoot since his newborn pictures! It just looked like such a blast and the pictures are always so fun!! Tiffany has been taking Royal’s pictures since he was 2 weeks old so we were very excited for her to take these milestone photos for him! She’s so wonderful with Royal and I love visiting with her! Royal made us WORK for those shots though! He was more enjoying to explore the studio than to eat cake, but we just kept putting him back and finally he took a taste of that icing and he was all about it! Again, I had to smash his hand through it because he was being so gentle. He’s so funny. As always the pictures turned out spectacular!!00710431517_846714245425175_8593692023883860364_n 11703197_846716722091594_6103647146563320174_nOn Royal’s real day of birth, July 31st, I woke him up singing “Happy Birthday” and we immediately opened a few of his presents and played with them until nap-time. When he got up from his nap we watched “The Jungle Book” (his first Disney movie experience) and opened the next round of presents and played with them until we left the house to meet up with friends for frozen yogurt. Royal loves ice cream and frozen yogurt was an immediate love! I couldn’t spoon it in fast enough! He was spoiled by lots of love from our lovely friends and even got a few more presents! After yogurt I got Jimmy John’s for dinner (out of remembrance for the first meal I ate after labor) then we spent a quiet evening at home enjoying all of his new toys and I flipped through the pictures I’d taken over the last year. It was a sweet day made even sweeter by a Skype date with Scott.042 (2) 044 050 053 063 066 067059So there you have it! Royal’s birthday that kept on giving!

Thank you to everyone who helped us celebrate!!

We love you all!

Guest room.

4 Jun

Now that we’ve entertained our first guests in our newly redone guest room I figure I should post the pictures because I’m proud of it. This room was the difference between loving and hating our home. I couldn’t stand it for a very long time because it looked like some sort of storage room instead of a place for our loved ones to vacation in. We get a lot of visitors here so I wanted it to become a home away from home for those who fly to see us. I’m pretty pleased with the results! Enjoy the tour!!

Let’s start with a before pic. YAWN!:

17First I purchased a memory foam mattress cover, to add comfort to the bed, and then I found a new bedspread and sheets at 60% off during a Kohl’s sale. This gave me a color palette to work from.

203I didn’t want to part with my Beatles theme but I felt pretty stumped on what to do for decor especially when I found these flower watercolor pieces that I immediately fell in love with! As I searched Etsy I finally stumbled upon this Beatles watercolor that ended up tying it all together. Phew! I love this look!

206

I also found this Beatles’ quote that not only matched the bedspread but made a cute addition to the guest room with talking about “slumber”.

205Then came the side table. T.J. Maxx and Etsy to the rescue!

207My friend (Danielle) made this awesome clock for me out of an Abbey Road record and I placed it above my canvas from the same album. Perfection!

212

I had the most fun putting together this guest room cart for our visitors to enjoy. I purchased the cart from Amazon and found the metal baskets at T.J. Maxx.

208

I have a deep love for succulents so I knew I wanted to add one to the room and I planted it in this teacup from Ross. I collected travel sized products (shampoo, toothpaste, shaving cream, deodorant, body wash, etc) and placed them in this jar from T.J. Maxx. I didn’t want our guests to stress if they forgot something while packing for their trip.

IMG_2962

I also wanted a little “goody basket” for our friends and family to enjoy during their time with us. I want them to know that I personalized the room, just for them, and that we are excited for them to be here.

209

The bottom basket I filled with extra towels, washcloths, and a few toothbrushes.

210

We also have this little table in the room and some reading material. (Hope everyone likes The Beatles. haha.)

204

So there you have it. Come visit!! :)

213

← Older Entries