28 days and counting

T-Minus 28 DAYS UNTIL SPRING!

Such beauty blooms in my own front yard

Spring is exactly 28 days from today and believe me I am counting down.  Spring is my absolute favorite (ok, when Fall is here it's my favorite and when Spring is here it is).  I am a Spring baby as well as my brother and mom (whose birthday is actually the first day of Spring) so we do a lot of celebrating! There are so many things that I am looking forward to this Spring so I thought I would just compile them into a Top Ten List

1. Planting our 2nd annual Vegetable Garden and actually having some clue of what we're doing this time :) (although our first garden was pretty fruitful!)

2. 'The Last Song' coming out on April 2nd- The book was amaaaaazing! It's such a good read and the movie looks like it's gonna be just as good! (And after being disappointed in 'Dear John' the book and even more the movie I feel like Nicholas has really redeemed himself  :)


3. The Smell of Fresh Cut Grass and Cutting the Grass 
(Yes, I love to cut the grass and it's MY John Deere hehe)


4. Going and picking out flowers and planting them in the evenings


5. Sitting in our Breezeway 


6. Easter- because it's one of the main family events in my extended family AND it's at my parent's house this year! Wahoo! 


7. Taking out the Winter Wear in my closet and Replacing it with my Spring/Summer attire


8. Spring Cleaning! -I may not be good at keeping things picked up, but I really like to deep clean!


9. My brother coming in town to finally meet Baby Kate!


10. Spring Dance Recital because it means Summer break! 

Today was absolutely GORGEOUS! I want nothing more than to be outside on days like this.  We felt like it was warm enough to take Kate for her first stroll so we loaded up and headed to Lee to walk.  I love to walk at Lee because you can walk forever without having to walk the same path over and over again.  The sun was shining and I was loving doing even the simplest form of physical activity! I have been sooooo ready to get moving again it's not even funny! I even broke a little sweat :) Here's a few pics from our stroll

She was sooo good (slept most of the time) LOVES that paci!!! :)

Kiss Me Kate

"love...

comes from a pure heart and a good conscience and a sincere faith" 

(1 Timothy 1:5 NIV)

With Valentine's day just a couple days away, I can't help but think of the precious book "The Princess and the Kiss."  A dear friend of mine read it and used it as a devotional in high school and after she shared it I thought it was one of the best illustrations of purity I had ever heard.  

The story is all about a Princess who's parents give her a special gift when she is born- her first kiss.  The kiss is put away and when she is grown her parents give her the kiss and tell her the importance of that kiss.  They tell her how special that kiss is and how special it would be to be able to give that first kiss to her husband one day.  All kinds of suitors start to pursue her, but she knows that none of them are special enough for her first kiss.  She even finds herself questioning God and asking if she is ever going to find her true love to share her kiss with.   It isn't that much longer until a young farmer pursues her and even shares with her that he has a gift his parents gave him when he was born- a first kiss.  They end up getting married and sharing their first kiss on their wedding day and of course live happily ever after.

Even though I probably won't expect or even tell Kate she should wait until her wedding day to kiss her husband, I still think the story has such an important message behind it.  I just want my baby girl to guard her heart and be cautious of the relationships she forms when she does start dating- A LONG, LONG, LONG time from now :) I know she's just a month old, but I believe it's never too soon to start praying for her future relationships, husband, and decisions she will make.  I pray she becomes a young woman who loves the Lord with all her heart and guards her heart so she can give it wholly to her husband when her wedding day does come.  I may not have saved my first kiss until my wedding day, but I think it's pretty special that Steven is the only man I've ever shared a kiss with.  I pray she realizes that in this world where purity is hard to find, it is not impossible and under the pressures of our society she stands strong.

How I love you sweet Kate and can't wait to share this precious story with you one day.  And mommy and daddy should be the only ones saying "kiss me Kate" for a long, long time :)

Happy Valentine's Day!

(My poor baby gave herself a massive scratch
during a diaper changing fit. :(

I guess Mommy needs to do a better job of cutting those fingernails!)

Canned Heat

Thank goodness it's cold, rainy, snowy, and yucky outside because if it wasn't, I would be going even more crazy right now.  Don't get me wrong I'm absolutely loving my time home with my new sweet baby girl, but this is all new to me.  I'm the kind of person who is usually "burning the candle at both ends" as my parents like to describe me.  There are a few things that I cannot wait to get back to as soon as the doctor gives me the green light.  

Center Stage wasn't a huge blockbuster hit, but it's still one of my favorite movies.  As I think about all the things in life I can't wait to return to, the song "Canned Heat" from the final dance scene, plays in my head. All because I've "Got Canned Heat in my heels tonight baby"

And when I can release this canned heat....

I'll be doing a little of this... 

Oh Exercise how I've missed you!

I've been dreaming of my return to the YMCA

Maybe a little of this...

If not in the mountains, at least in Hilton Head this summer :)

A lot of this....

And hopefully landing a date with this incredible man... :)

Home is where...

It's been almost 4 Years since Steven and I purchased our first home and I could not imagine living anywhere else. I LOVE our house! We were so blessed to find this house and really felt that it was due to God's perfect timing that we stumbled upon it when we did.  It has so much personality and character and I could imagine living here for a really long time (if that's in God's plan for our lives of course!)  It's where we started our lives together as a family and started growing our family with the birth of Baby K.  I love landscaping and gardening and after starting our first vegetable garden last year, I can't wait to get outside this Spring plant some veggies and work on my flower gardens.  I know the saying "Home is where your heart is" really means that it doesn't matter where you live as long as your heart is there, but this house will always be so special to me and no matter what life brings us or where it moves us, I will always have a special place in my heart for our first home.  It is where Steven and I began our marriage and our family and I could not think of a better place to start either one.

This is right after we signed for our new Home! February 7, 2006 

Our First Christmas 2006

Molly Bojangles joined our family December 2007! 

How we love Her :)

I LOVE Fall. Especially decorating for it! Halloween 2008.

We've always worked a booth at the Fall Festival for Halloween every year (even when we were dating), but this year (2008) we stayed at home and handed out candy.  I loved being at home and visiting with all the lil' Trick & Treaters!

Our Little Family of 3....

And about to Make us a Family of 4! :)

Our Sweet Little Girl 

Welcomed Kate January 2010!

Crazy Hair Day :)

How I look forward to all the many memories we will continue to make in our home and what God has in store for us as our little family grows!  

Family Visit

Steven's family came to visit us the day we got home from the hospital with Baby K.  Steven's step mom Angie spoiled us by cooking two delicious meals (her food is ALWAYS so yummy!) and we also got to visit with Steven's sister Nichole and niece Lydia and Steven's dad Clint and nephew Bradley.  It was so good to get to spend time together, especially since we all live in different parts of the country!  I so loved the fact that they all drove at least 8 hours to visit even if it was just for the weekend! Here are a couple of pics from the visit.

Steven and his Sis Nichole and her sweet daughter Lydia

Kate and Nah- Steven's dad Clint

 

Kate and Meme- Steven's step mom Angie

Bradley (4) and Lydia (3) Playing with "their" iPhone and iTouch

How Funny is that?!?!