Kendall's Graduation & Alabama Loves: Day 3 & 4

Day Three:
My beautiful niece graduated from La Grange College. We are so incredibly proud of her and all that she has accomplished over the last four years. We were so thankful to have the opportunity to celebrate her and be with our family on this special day.  Her graduation day was absolutely gorgeous and the view was perfect.

But with that I do have to say, I was a bit nervous with my two littles. With the outdoor setting, there was no where to hide when and if a meltdown occurred or the ever famous toddler tantrum. But again with a bag of toys, stickers, snacks, and literally anything I could think of to keep them busy, we were pretty set. Daddy did such a great job with distractions and we even were able to take this precious fam photo. I may have bribed my daughter with treats for that adorable smile.  #parentgoals
 

 {Our fam of four celebrating cousin, Kendall}

I do have to say these two were exceptionally good overall for the graduation. I did find that placing many stickers on my child made for a good 10-15 minute distraction and gave a few onlookers a good giggle.

From many thoughtful speeches, a beautiful singing performance, bag pipes, and a walk of those ready to make their mark on the world, the graduation ceremony was truly memorable.

 

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Congratulations to the class of 2017! After the ceremony, we made our way to Kendall's graduation party at Mountville Methodist Church. The decor was super cute and our niece was absolutely stunning. It was fun getting to celebrate, to enjoy a delicious BBQ meal, and a fun time to visit with family near and far.

And I'll have to admit, I put my camera down for a bit. I do have to brag a bit on my niece, Olivia. She was the perfect little sitter for the kiddos. They played with toys and games while mommy and daddy got a bit of a rest and enjoyed some time with the adults.

I couldn't miss out on these sweet photos of Liam with his cousin, Kendall, and Aunt Tassie. I adored seeing the sweet little snuggles and just knowing how much our little man is oh so loved!

After our day of celebration, we made our way back to Ryan and Tassie's house. It was a night of jammies, of naps, of sweet time with family.

Day Four:
On Sunday we said our good-byes to Papa Z and Grammy.

The boys left early to take them to the airport. Our day was more relaxed, an easy day of catch up, jammies, movies, and lots of naps. That night we made our way to Macedonia Baptist Church for Sunday evening service.

It was such a good service. I may have had to step out with little man a few times as he was excited and wanted some room to walk. When the preacher said hello, Aubrey  answered back with the sweetest little but not so quiet "hello!" It definitely got a lot of head turns and smiles. Everyone was so very welcoming. I am thankful we were able to share in their Sunday night service. Afterward, we went to Las Palomas Mexican Food Restaurant for some cheese dip, an unexpected birthday treat for Ryan, sombrero wearing, lemon taste testing, and time with family.

 {Happy Birthday to Ryan}

 {Tasting Lemons with Aunt Tassie}

 It was the perfect ending to a wonderful day.

Kendall's Graduation & Albama Loves: Day 1 & 2

This past May, the family and I were able to spend 10 amazing days in Alabama celebrating my beautiful niece and visiting with family. Kendall, we are so incredibly proud of you and your hard work. We are so thankful to be able to celebrate you and all you have accomplished these past four years at La Grange College. We can't wait for you to make your mark on the world.
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Even though many miles do stand between us, we love that we are able to take a small vacation to visit our Alabama Zs each summer. While we always partake in super fun adventures while we are there, it's also so nice just to relax at their home and catch up with sweet family. This year, our visit started a little earlier as we were excited to be traveling up to La Grange, GA to celebrate our niece, Kendall.
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DAY ONE: Our travels began at 6:30AM. This year we would be traveling with a 3.5 year old and 1 year old which did make our 14 hour trip a bit more interesting. With buckets of trip treasure, movies, and an arsenal of snacks, I figured we good to go. I will have to say, overall they did really well. Lunch was a bit rough. It ended up with a naked kid, lots of food on the floor, a few melt downs including one from mommy, and somehow some extra free pie. I think our waitress just felt bad for us. Again don't let the smiles fool you. Our trip was a challenge but totally manageable.

But after 13 plus hours, lots of snacks, movies, toys, a delicious stop for lunch at Chimneyville in Jackson, MS, caffeine treats, and wireless headphones for Ray and I (the best idea ever) and one full podcast, we made our way to Ranburn, AL.

I may have threatened (to Ray) that Aubrey was about to be voted off the island. I'm so thankful on our return, she changed her tune a bit.

 {God's Beauty: Country Roads}

Aubrey immediately made herself at home and started playing with Aunt Tassie and cousin, Olivia. Oh this mama's heart is so happy. We loved our first night with our Alabama Z's. Tomorrow let the crazy times begin!

Day Two:
Our day two began early. You will see the repetition of our mornings as little man pretty much would wake up every few hours a night for the full ten days. But even with early wake up calls, we wouldn't let anything stand in our way of a good time and fun with family.

Friday morning, we enjoyed some time outdoors. From frisbee to a few family photos, we enjoyed sweet time with the niece and nephew.

 

 

 

 

 

Friday we would make our way to La Grange. While the gents picked up Grammy and Papa Z at the Airport in Atlanta, the girls and I (plus our Liam love) made our way into Georgia for some Sutton's Restaurant & Bakery.

Our time at Suttons was filled with delicious food, fun family catch up, a little bit of toddler tantrums all while meeting a new little friend and learning to share, as well as the devouring of the best cheesecake. It was definitely a perfect and sweet date with the ladies and our little Liam love.

After our stop for lunch, we made our way to the hotel in La Grange. There we enjoyed an evening of hotel pool play and a full family dinner at Cracker Barrel.

 {My boys!}

While our time at the pool may have been a bit chilly, it was an exciting first swim for the kiddos. Aubrey surprised us with her daring moves of jumping into our arms in the pool and excitement of "swimming like a fish."

Our dinner at Cracker Barrel was loud and proud. We came out in full family force, excited for delicious food and fun catch up time with family. While our dinner was absolutely delicious, it was nice to walk a few feet back to the hotel and call it a night. Our morning would begin very early and we couldn't wait to celebrate our graduate!

 {left to right: Karl, Jacob, Kendall, Tassie, Alicia, Aubrey, Olivia, Liam, Ray, Ryan, MJ, Owen, and Kathie}

 {My nephew, Jacob, & niece, Kendall}

 {MIL & FIL: MJ and Owen}

 {Our little family}

 {Brotherly Love, Ray and Ryan}

 {Kendall's Grandparents: Kathie and Karl}

{My beautiful niece, Olivia and Liam}

Day one and two of our Alabama trip are in the books. Our days were filled with road trip adventures, delicious eats, special treats, pool play, and lots of family fun. Enjoy more to come!

My Mommy's Day 2017

"You are my MOMMY!"

 

My daughter's voice speaks in my ear. What a perfect truth. She is right and I am beyond grateful for the gift that God has given. While being a mother has its challenges, it is also my most precious gift and honored job.

This beauty made me a mommy over three years ago. We prayed to become pregnant for what felt like an eternity. I'll be honest. Our time in waiting was so incredibly hard. But I do have to say that through the waiting, we spent so much time in prayer. Many times questioning why and our heart filled with so many questions, but still with God. But knowing what I know now and knowing that  had we gotten pregnant before we would never had had this little ray of sunshine. I too understand the value in waiting.

Aubrey Rose,
You are my favorite little girl in the whole world. You are compassionate, kind, clumsy, a current sassy pants, smart, and a non eater. You do what I ask (most of the time... I mean you are three) and really do want to please. (Teacher's pet one day like your mommy and daddy?) You have a heart for Jesus and love to pray, to make toasts and cheers at dinner. You love your friends and family, dress up as a princess while still twirling a sword. You adore your brother and give him the biggest hugs. You are even kind when he loves on you a little too hard. You love to look for buried treasures (pebbles and rocks), and have such an incredible and creative mind. You do not like loud noises. You love to sing, dance, and act out your favorite movies, Moana, Ice Age, and Trolls. You can be the center of attention and also a little more cautious. You have the best manners ever. You are a helper. You are a sister. You are the little lady who made me a mommy. I love every piece about you. You can challenge me and grow me, but most importantly you are God-made perfect and I love you to pieces.

 

My littlest Liam Love,
You came to us a few years later but all in God's timing. You are my Rainbow Baby. Your story is a little different but I am so incredibly thankful for our journey, because without the storm, we would never have had our perfect rainbow.
Liam, oh Boy!
You are my laugh out loud, wiggle worm, always on the move, and all boy. You are my rough and tumble, my bulldozer. You love to give hugs, loud laughs, and sweet kisses. You are oh so loved. You love music and songs. I swear you are trying to sing. You are talkative like mommy and sissy. You are expressive and will let us know when you want something. You are determined. You are my cuddle bug and love being held. You also will hug when asked. You eat everything and really want to be big. You adore your big sister and want to be everywhere she is and have everything she has. You are smart and are learning to share. But if we are keeping it real, you are also a biter and hair puller. But we can all look past it with that gorgeous little smile and your precious little heart. I cannot get enough of you sweet boy and cannot express how perfect you are in mommy's eyes. 

This Mother's Day weekend was so special. It was a time to celebrate Mamahood and enjoy family. With graduation celebrations and sweet time with my mom and brother, I'm truly thankful for these sweet moments with family. On Mother's Day, Sunday after serving in the nursery and a sweet treat of snacks and mommy mosas by our church, my afternoon was a day of relaxation while my littles took the longest naps of their lives. I'm so incredibly thankful for the hugs and the sweet time celebrating one of my most treasured names... MOM!

I adore this man and our two littles.  (Aubrey had a few bug bites near her eye poor babe but boy was she a trooper!)