Life as we know it...crazy!

We were able to celebrate our little Evie's 1st Birthday with our family and some close friends. It was a tropical theme. It started off as just a pineapple theme, for a few reasons. E loves pineapple, she is so sweet, and has made our little family stand taller with happiness. Also... Spencer and I love Hawaii and all of the fresh pineapple there. As I started trying to get decorations, I sort of went a little crazy and that's when I decided to change it to a tropical theme. Most of you probably don't even care about this, but one day I am going to look back and want my free time and excitement planning parties (at least that's what I am telling myself). I did keep the decorations pretty simple, but the simplicity of them made the whole party pull together. I decided to give balloon arches a try, as they seem to be simple but so cute to look at. I did two different ones, a "pineapple" one and "pink tropical". I got all of the balloons at Zurchers....

Now I know throughout life we all endure "life changing" events. First love, first kiss, graduating high school, break-ups, starting and graduating college, getting engaged, and getting married, etc. Yes all are life changing, in many different ways. All bring their rewards and all bring different challenges. For me the biggest life changing event thus far in my life is by far giving birth to my sweet Evelyn Rue. It is a day I hope to never forget, as it truly did change my life and shaped me into someone I had no idea I needed to become. It has been one year since my rough labor that brought her to us. It has been one year of growth (for me and Evelyn), one year of laughter, tears, and more. I thought I could make time freeze, but time laughed at my request and said "No way," So this blog is going to be different compared to my other blog posts. This blog is for my Evelyn, Evie girl, Evie Sweetie, Evie Rue, E, baby girl, sweetie, honey, sweet girl, sis, little miss...

So after my almost year of being a mom, I thought I would write down some things that really worked for use. Now, by no means am I a professional and I know every baby is different. I come from a big family so I thought I was prepared. All of my life I grew up watching my cousins children, my neighbors, and my nieces and nephews. I was convinced I was 100% prepared to become a mom. Boy was I mistaken. Being a mom is not something you get paid to do. It's not something you leave after a few hours of playing in the sand. It's not watching movies all day while eating candy. It is hard work and a full time job. I know this will be long, but I also know that there might be one person who this will benefit. So buckle up, it's going to be a bumpy ride. Pregnancy: Now, not everyone who reads this will have to be as strict as I had to be or be considered a high risk pregnancy, but here is what worked for me (do I sound like a broken record yet?). -Spencer and I talked about havi...

Hello friends and family! It has been so long since I have posted. Let me tell ya, mama hood takes a lot of time, which I am so grateful for. However, I had a spare minute (literally, Evie is napping right now) where I wasn't doing anything. Which quite honestly is very rare . I don't even know where to start on updates. So bare with me as this literally might be word vomit with no sense of order. First and foremost, we are HOME OWNERS! It was quite the whirlwind getting moved and settled in, but after about a month of rearranging, organizing, getting new things, our house is now a home. Going from a small two bedroom duplex to a 4 bedroom+living room+big kitchen+office+basement+3 bathrooms, we had to do some splurging. We will probably have empty rooms for a while, but sometimes it's nice to go sit in those empty rooms and escape the piles of things that are starting to appear. I still have lots to do, but I going to be ambitious and build (with my Dad and probably  Gran...

As I am nearing 4 months post-partum I wanted to take a moment and reflect on some things. As I have thought about what I wanted to say, I got nervous because this post is making me very vulnerable. I hate being in the spotlight, but I feel that many moms can maybe relate to this in some way. I’ve said this before, but being a mom is the most difficult, most rewarding thing I have and probably ever will experience. There are things about motherhood, I never knew about until I had Evelyn, even though I knew many moms and talked with them about almost everything. Toward the end of my pregnancy I got real big. Spencer and I laugh at pictures showing how big my belly got those last few weeks. My skin was stretched out to the max and I remember on the daily I would lotion my belly several times a day. I was convinced my skin was going to rip that last week. I am amazed by what the human body is capable of doing. I loved being pregnant, and I am loving being a mom. Somehow my body knew ho...

Family and Friends! We want to wish you a very Merry Christmas! Time to do a year in review- I cannot believe that this year is coming to a close. As I reflect on the many, many blessings we received, a lump starts to form in my throat. At the very beginning of 2017, (January 15th to be exact), we found out we were pregnant. I never knew that becoming a mom would be the most challenging, most rewarding  gift I would ever receive. I will always treasure 2017 as my favorite because a new life (Evelyn's literal meaning of her name is LIFE) was brought to us. For the duration of my pregnancy, I was very blessed and never received bad news from my OB. Evie was (if you follow me already, you know this!) so healthy and set the bar high for her future siblings. January 2017: The first two weeks of the year, both Spencer and I were really sick. We had colds, the flu, fevers. We were so nice to each other and bounced this sickness back and forth. Funny thing, looking back, I believe I wa...