tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-80303128887514985582024-03-09T20:46:37.578-06:00Living Life AbundantlyBrittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418346942758242780noreply@blogger.comBlogger480125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030312888751498558.post-73169908126647090032014-11-06T23:15:00.001-06:002014-11-06T23:15:15.425-06:00Catch Up {Long Post Ahead!}Well, hello! I'm playing a lot of catch-up here since I've taken a little hiatus! We've had so much going on and the more time that passed, the harder it seemed it would be to get back on track with blogging. But I want to capture some of these memories because I know this time in our life is a big, important chapter! We left Arkansas and moved to the Kansas City area the last week of June. Joe finished up his fellowship at Arkansas Children's and started his new job at Children's Mercy in early July. We had about a week to get situated. We moved in with my parents with only a few suitcases, on their farm, and decided to actively start looking for a house.. or decide to rent and build something. Well here we are more than four months later and we are still living with my parents (hah!) -- but we do have a big update in that area I'll tell you about later! :)<br />
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Emory turned six months old in June and right before we left Arkansas we had our photographer take her 6 month portraits so we had them done. I'm glad we did because we've been living in limbo for so long and I've been so unorganized with pictures of our sweet girl! Here were some of my favorite shots, which we took in Arkadelphia, AR at a pretty little lake! <br />
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Of course, Landon has loved being on the farm with his grandparents and has been a little shadow to his PaPa. I typically have to drag him in the house after hours of "helping" with farm chores. :) <br />
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I just love this picture I took of him, his sweet timid (slightly ornery!) smile and big blue eyes. This is exactly him, captured in one single frame. :)<br />
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One of the benefits to Joe being a full-fledged Attending is that he gets much more time off now! As a resident/fellow he did not have the luxury of many weekends off, but with his new job he gets six weeks of vacation a year and most weekends off too! What a huge blessing we won't take for granted!!!! We have taken several small trips to Silver Dollar City in the past few months. I love SDC - good old fashioned fun and an awesome place for little ones!! And please tell me my child is not the only one obsessed with the frog ride??<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">99% of the time I wear Emory in the Ergo carrier!!</td></tr>
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One of the biggest changes in the last couple of months has been that Landon has started "official" pre-school! We've had him in great church Mother's Day Out programs the last two years but we decided to move forward with a more solid preschool. This one in particular follows a Reggio Emilia philosophy and the director has SUCH a neat story about starting the school, involving moving to Italy for a couple years to immerse herself with this schooling approach. We are strongly considering homeschooling the kids, but for now I think he's doing so great with his new school two days a week! Here he is on the first day..<br />
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The school did a cute little garden party in September. Each family brought foods/herbs to plant in the fall garden beds. We got to meet several of his friends and spend some time chatting with the teachers and staff.<br />
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Let me also share with you a few pictures of our pumpkin patch adventure this year! Landon took his first ever horseback ride and I was SO proud of him! I hope he shows more interest in riding as he gets older :)<br />
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Let me wrap up with a few sweet shots I took of Miss Emory last month. I hadn't set anyone up to take her 9-month pictures and I sort of had a panic attack one night and decided to do them myself. I know they're not perfect (and definitely not perfectly edited!), but I'm happy I captured her. We are so crazy about her. :)<br />
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Whew! I think I'm caught up now.. on the big stuff! Except the house! I'll share about our hew house next time! :))Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418346942758242780noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030312888751498558.post-24113295649416628172014-06-16T01:27:00.000-05:002014-06-16T01:27:20.404-05:00LifeWell our little lives have just been marching on. I wish I could keep up better here! First of all, these two. They're both getting so big. I keep telling them to stop but they don't listen. ;-)<br />
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Let's see.. what else has been going on? We are moving in less than TWO weeks. Finally, to Kansas City to be near our families! Joe had a ceremony for the completion of his fellowship this weekend. It was so nice to spend an evening honoring him. I know how hard he's worked! He is going to be a GREAT anesthesiologist for his new hospital. <br />
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Speaking of, we finally had Emory's GI specialist appointment we had anxiously been awaiting since January. I had gone off dairy for almost five months and she still had bloody stools; we were really concerned there was something major going on. But we got good news - she has a condition called Lymphoid Hyperplasia which means she has little nodes of blood in her colon that sort of burst when things pass through. The good news is she will grow out of it and it's not painful to her! Oh! And mama can go back on dairy! :) Praise The Lord! Ha!<br />
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Emory was also dedicated at our church on Mother's Day. It was a really special moment. :) (Yes, we wore matching dresses. I know she will probably be so embarrassed of this in 18 years! Ha!)<br />
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Landon wrapped up his last day of MDO a few weeks ago. He has already been asking to go back to school. I know I'm not as fun as MDO - ha! What a great year he had with some wonderfully loving teachers!! Next year he will be in preschool so I'm "mourning" the end of this little period of his life. Tear. :) But we are also doing a lot of research and praying about how we want to proceed with him in school.. whether to start him in Kindergarten as a young 5 year old, or to homeschool?<br />
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We did have some bad news in April, which is sort of why I fell off the planet here for a bit. We found out that Joe's younger brother was diagnosed with stage four cancer. I won't talk about it much here, but we pray he can be healed!<br />
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Despite all of this, we went ahead and booked our "yearly" Disney trip for the first week of December. We're going to try staying on property this time, so I'm really excited!<br />
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So that about wraps up where we're at. I hope y'all are well!<br />
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xoxo!Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418346942758242780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030312888751498558.post-49100445467414306962014-03-12T23:07:00.000-05:002014-03-12T23:07:23.476-05:00February Favorite ThingsI am loving keeping up with my "monthly favorites". February was cold here in Arkansas and we stayed inside most days. I've just stayed in my sweats or jeans and a t-shirt for the most part. Hibernation mode! I've also been working on my new.. ahem.. dairy-free diet. So that puts my favorites in context pretty well! Let me share them with you...<br />
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1. My favorite pants of the month were <a href="http://www.gap.com/browse/product.do?pid=7667170321802&cid=&locale=en_US" target="_blank">these</a> electric blue numbers from Gap. They're a little Elvis, I know. We are only two hours from Graceland. But they are so comfy and I somehow feel "put together" in them when I throw a basic tee on top. I've even worn them to church. Hah! I've been wearing them with a smoking loafer and I love the look that gives. <i> </i></div>
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2. Best snack of the month.. Stacy's Cinnamon and Sugar Pita Chips. Oh my word - grab some of these with a bowl of sliced strawberries and you can thank me later!! </div>
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3. This is sort of a revisited favorite because I've had this perfume for probably a year now but I got out of the habit of using it for a long time. Then I discovered it again and have not looked back: <a href="http://www.polyvore.com/pacifica_island_perfume_spray_vanilla/thing?context_id=116043759&context_type=collection&id=105059660" target="_blank">Pacifica Island Vanilla Perfume</a>. It's just pretty - not too sweet, not musky, not too floral. I am so obsessed!! I rarely ever use just one perfume at a time - I usually like to layer two different perfumes (one squirt of each) to create a unique scent but with this one I never do. It's just perfect exactly as it is!</div>
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4. I don't even remember how I stumbled across the Facebook page for <a href="https://www.facebook.com/householdmanagement101" target="_blank">Household Management 101</a> but I have spent hours pouring over the info there! It's all about keeping your house organized and improving all areas in keeping house. She puts out a monthly calendar with a new 15-minute task each day like "organize your tupperware cabinet" -- things you NEED to do but never get around to! I'm just feeling much more on top of things by following this group. </div>
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5. This is my favorite makeup brush of all time - would take it with me on a deserted island - Sigma <a href="http://www.sigmabeauty.com/Sigma_Flat_Top_Synthetic_Kabuki_F_80_p/f80.htm" target="_blank">F80 brush</a>. It all started way back when I saw a YouTube video of a makeup artist putting foundation on Kim Kardashian. Instead of using his fingers or a sponge to apply it, he used a kabuki brush. My head exploded everywhere at the idea and since then I've been using a kabuki or flat top brush to put on liquid makeup and it makes the makeup look absolutely flawless! I got this specific brush a couple months ago and I have now committed my undying love to it for all of time. </div>
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6. <a href="http://www.pandora.com/" target="_blank">Pandora</a>... need I say more? This month especially I've been trying to turn the tv off and get back to playing music in the house for "background noise". The station changes over the course of the day. For play time I love the Music Together channel because Landon and I used to take music classes and know many of those songs. I also love the Lullaby channel. For quiet time or rocking the baby to sleep I love my classical music channels. While we eat dinner I often put Country Love Songs on. I ended up buying the Pandora One subscription last month to eliminate the ads and have been loving it!</div>
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7. Best "Come on, Summer!" snack - <a href="http://www.samsclub.com/sams/luigi-s-real-italian-ice-24-4-oz/116749.ip" target="_blank">Luigi's Real Italian Ice</a> (I get a variety pack from Sam's Club). They're a nice cold and refreshing replacement for ice cream. I usually grab one in the evenings and just sort of close my eyes for a second and pretend I'm on the beach in the Bahamas. Hah! </div>
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8. I have finally found the easiest way to carry two kids, my purse, diaper bags, church bags, mail, grocery bags, coats, etc to and from the car and her name is the <a href="http://www.thirtyonegifts.com/catalog/product/28/" target="_blank">31 Large Utility Tote</a>. I put everything inside and carry it to/from the car in one load. Thank the heavens! I love that it's flat on the bottom so I can sort of organize everything inside the tote and then just simply carry it to my car and sit it in the passenger seat and I'm set to go! </div>
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Hope your February was great!!</div>
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Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418346942758242780noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030312888751498558.post-79891447803059652262014-03-02T14:18:00.000-06:002014-03-02T14:18:12.250-06:00Emory's Birth AnnouncementI love birth announcements - there is nothing else that brings such a smile to my face when I get one in the mail. I now have two special memories of being big and pregnant and shopping for that one special card that would allow me to introduce our new baby to our friends and family. This, above other cards for holidays or events, is the one that is most likely to be kept as a special keepsake so it's important it be thoughtfully chosen and well made! :) This time around, I had already chosen the <a href="http://www.tinyprints.com/baby-photo-birth-announcements.htm" target="_blank">Tiny Prints</a> "<a href="http://www.tinyprints.com/product/47392/girl_photo_birth_announcements_dazzling_arrival_chenille.html" target="_blank">Dazzling Arrival</a>" style before Emory's birth. I just loved the pink with the gold metallic touch - it was very unlike anything else I had seen. And I just loved the phrase "She's Arrived" -- it seemed so lovely and celebratory to me!!<br />
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When we had our photographer come out to take pictures my MAIN goal was capturing a picture for the birth announcement. I knew the announcement would be something I'd end up framing for Emory to have as a keepsake and I wanted a special picture for it. The day our photographer was set to come to the house for the shoot, I was nursing Emory in her room and just having a quiet minute looking at her little Christmas tree. I hadn't hung any ornaments on it but a strand of pears and a golden pair of angel wings. I immediately knew I wanted a picture with the wings on her back for the picture. I think it turned out so sweet - it truly captures our little angel from Heaven. We are so blessed. <br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">My birth announcements were furnished at no cost to me by Tiny Prints but all opinions are my own. :)</span>Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418346942758242780noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030312888751498558.post-25557195803350974802014-02-04T21:56:00.003-06:002014-02-04T21:56:45.028-06:00Emergency RoomWe had an eventful week here last week... Last Monday I just had a rough time with Emory. She woke up really fussy and then throughout the morning and afternoon it got to a point where she was inconsolable - just hysterically screaming. I spent several hours trying ALL of the tricks in my "mom repertoire" to get her to settle and I ended up just putting Landon down in his crib so he could relax, because I could tell even he was getting rattled, while I troubleshooted. I changed Emory's diaper right around this point and was alarmed to find that she had quite a bit of blood in her stool. I texted Joe and luckily his cases wrapped up within a couple hours and he came home. Our pediatrician's office was closing but Joe talked to the nurse and also the staff at the urgent care facility and everyone recommended we head to the Emergency Room with her. By this time she also hadn't nursed in about eight hours and was running a fever. I just knew something wasn't right.<br />
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We made it to the ER at the hospital Joe works at and they quickly triaged the situation and started running some tests and X-rays to rule out major problems like a bowel obstruction, a urinary tract infection or bacterial colitis. At this point I called my mom really upset and she jumped right in the car and headed from Kansas City to Arkansas! (she ended up staying a few days and helping me with Landon and I was so thankful!!!)<br />
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After several hours of tests and running through scenarios with us, we finally got her to take a feeding and then settle down. They ruled out major things and told us that the best case scenario was that we were looking at some kind of allergic reaction in her GI and decided not to admit her. I was so thankful we didn't have to stay the night at the hospital!<br />
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The next day we saw our pediatrician and she decided to set me up on an elimination diet of soy and dairy to rule out or identify an allergy problem. She also set us up with an appointment with a pediatric GI specialist. So that's the current update. Emory has been doing much better these last few days! I've been working diligently on eliminating soy and dairy from my diet which has been a struggle - I'm just being honest. It's hard to come up with meals that Joe (a meat and potatoes guy!) and Landon would eat that fits within my diet. I've also been struggling with keeping my calorie intake up enough given all the restrictions to maintain my milk supply.<br />
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I have had so much weighing on my mind this week. I have so much guilt that my diet has caused this, but also so much sympathy for the parents who have babies in the hospital for much, much worse diagnoses! Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418346942758242780noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030312888751498558.post-21047836430310513182014-01-26T15:07:00.000-06:002014-01-26T15:10:40.336-06:00January Favorite ThingsI thought it would be fun to make a little "favorite things" post for every month this year. It's fun to think about what things I'm loving at the moment.. everything from food to makeup, nothing is off limits. I'm feeling a little bit like Oprah, thinking about my favorite things -- I just wish I could give each of you all of these products! So here we go...!<br />
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1. <a href="http://www.skinnytees.com/skinny-tanks-1/basic-tank.html" target="_blank">Skinnytees Tank</a>. I am OBSESSED with these layering tank tops. I wear one almost every single day. They are one size fits all and super long (to the point you could almost pull them down long enough to be a dress but you can also have them at a good shirt layering length and they aren't bunchy) and just kind of hold your *cough* post baby belly in.. and they don't roll up when you sit down. And no embarrassing back or bottom showing when you bend over to get the kids out of their car seat. Winning! They are my new BFF. I discovered them right after I had Emory and I own six now. I don't want to remember my life without them.<br />
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2. <a href="http://tartecosmetics.com/tarte-item-lights-camera-flashes-statement-mascara" target="_blank">Tarte Lights Camera Flashes! Mascara</a>. I had been going steady with Covergirl Lash Blast for years. I was committed and hadn't even really tried anything else for a while. Then I got a few monthly makeup gift subscription boxes for Christmas/Birthday and this was inside. Holy lashes batman. This mascara has the perfect formula - not too wet that all your lashes stick together and I love that my lashes aren't brittle after three (five) coats. <br />
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3. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Sabra-Hummus-Classic-10oz/dp/B00GP5V0QW/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&qid=1390770111&sr=8-8&keywords=sabra+hummus" target="_blank">Sabra Hummus</a>. I'm not sure why but I have re-visited hummus this month and it's been awesome. It's like I'm singing "Reunited and It Feels So Good"!!! I have taken up a new hobby that involves thinking of as many different food items I can now dip in hummus while holding a newborn. Pita chips and pretzels are still my fav. Love!<br />
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4. <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Redeeming-Love-Paperback-Study-Guide/dp/B004SODZ9W/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&qid=1390770068&sr=8-2&keywords=redeeming+love" target="_blank">Redeeming Love, by Francine Rivers</a>. I have been reading this since December but it's definitely a January favorite because my new favorite thing to do is put Landon down for a nap and sit with Emory in my lap nursing while I read this on my iPad with one hand. It sounds horrifying but it's just the best little mid-day mental break I need! In all seriousness, I urge you to read this book. It was recommended to me by someone who used the word "life changing" and I totally get it. <br />
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5. <a href="http://www.cleanwelltoday.com/our-products/foaming-soap/" target="_blank">Clean Well Foaming Soap</a>. I can't even enumerate how much of this we've used this month. New baby and flu season don't mesh. I love that this doesn't have any nasty chemicals, it's not drying and the scents are nice and refreshing. <br />
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6. <a href="http://www.hm.com/us/product/22979?article=22979-E" target="_blank">H&M Jersey Top</a>. If I told you I owned eight of them would you judge me? Ok then. I bought one of these in early January and had to go back for every color when they marked them down to $4.95 with free shipping. They are the perfect t-shirt top with a long swooping hem and super soft jersey. They remind me a lot of my Piko tops but they are so much cheaper! I of course wear one of my skinnytees under them and bam! ready for the day. <br />
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7. <a href="http://www.benefitcosmetics.com/product/view/posietint" target="_blank">Benefit Posietint</a>. There's not much time for makeup these days but this little gem has been the holy grail in terms of looking awake-alert-alive-rested this month! I am none of those things however! It's totally foolproof too - I just glob a little product straight onto the apples of my cheeks, blend outward with my fingers. The result is an angelic dewy cheek! Yes!<br />
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8. <a href="http://shop.nordstrom.com/s/ugg-australia-ansley-slipper-women/3164992?cm_cat=datafeed&cm_ite=ugg%28r%29_australia_%27ansley%27_slipper_%28women%29:348916&cm_pla=shoes:women:slippers&cm_ven=Google_Product_Ads&mr:referralID=876cdf04-86cc-11e3-beb7-001b2166c2c0" target="_blank">Ugg Ansley Slippers</a>. These were a Christmas gift from Joe and I daresay I have logged more hours with them on my feet than off this month. Which also probably gives you a sense of how much I am not sleeping. But we will move on. We are talking warm, soft and cozy but they also have a durable sole so I can wear them outside and down to the mailbox! I just love them more than any footwear I own right now. <br />
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9. <a href="http://oklahomajoesbbq.com/" target="_blank">Sweet Potato Stuffed BBQ</a>. Now this is kind of random, I know. But it's my new favorite super-super easy meal. I bake a few sweet potatoes until they're soft, then I stuff them with bbq pork (pre-packaged) and drizzle Oklahoma Joe's sauce over the top. You must have the Oklahoma Joe's sauce or it doesn't work. Because it's the best. But so easy, hearty and gooooood! <br />
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Whew! There we have it! This month is wrapping up and I definitely look at this list and think it pretty much sums me up right now!<br />
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Happy January!Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418346942758242780noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030312888751498558.post-27731887266516750292014-01-20T12:17:00.002-06:002014-01-20T12:17:33.044-06:002014 GoalsComing off the year of "transition" as I called it... :) I thought it would be nice to set up some little goals for 2014. I've never done that before! It will be interesting to re-visit this list (maybe monthly?) and see how I'm doing. <br />
<br />
DO<br />
<ul>
<li>Blog twice per week</li>
<li>Try the "photo a day" challenge; compile into a book at the end of the year</li>
<li>Take my grandparents out for lunch (maybe weekly/bi-weekly when we move to KC) </li>
<li>Host a craft club for friends</li>
<li>Host a book club for friends</li>
<li>Take a special mommy day with each child</li>
<li>Have wedding dress cleaned (finally) and stored</li>
<li>Improve calling/texting/messaging friends (I HATE this about myself: but I hate talking on the phone) </li>
<li>Watch Star Wars and The Godfather (two movies I've never seen!)</li>
<li>Have LASIK</li>
<li>Learn Photoshop</li>
<li>Research starting piano lessons (I regret not taking them as a kid)</li>
<li>Host a family holiday</li>
<li>Start a workout routine</li>
</ul>
BUY<br />
<ul>
<li>A nativity set</li>
<li>A monogrammed Bible for each child</li>
<li>Copies of grandparent's wedding picture</li>
<li>Silhouette of Emory's profile</li>
</ul>
MAKE<br />
<ul>
<li>Photo book of the year</li>
<li>Homemade laundry soap</li>
<li>Homemade baby food for Emory</li>
<li>Fabric scrap pennant</li>
<li>DIY new kitchen table</li>
</ul>
GO<br />
<ul>
<li>Disney World (looking at November, 2014)</li>
<li>Silver Dollar City </li>
<li>Starlight Theater in Kansas City</li>
<li>Missouri State Fair when we move</li>
<li>Memphis before we leave Arkansas</li>
<li>Visit Wichita</li>
<li>Visit Oklahoma </li>
</ul>
EAT<br />
<ul>
<li>Try a bean-free chili since I don't eat beans</li>
<li>Try green tea again (didn't like it the first time)</li>
<li>Try spaghetti squash</li>
<li>Find some recipes I love for my Vitamix </li>
</ul>
<br />
What goals have you set for 2014?? Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418346942758242780noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030312888751498558.post-5050156138341341882014-01-14T17:23:00.000-06:002014-01-14T17:23:41.201-06:00Emory's Nursery<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I wanted to share Emory's nursery - it is still a work in progress but I took these about a week before she was born and I know they're good to have for posterity. We are in a rental house this year while Joe is in fellowship and the nursery is <b>small</b> - it is a huge design challenge - ha ha!! We did manage to fit a crib (Graco brand from Wal-Mart), a glider and a dresser in. But there's not much room to turn around! ;-)<br />
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I pinned this <a href="http://www.babybedding.com/love-bird-damask-fabric" target="_blank">fabric</a> (called Love Bird Damask) on Pinterest before I was even pregnant. I just loved it. Joe's aunt so so kindly offered to make all the bedding for us. I ordered several yards of it and some coordinating fabric and she created this. I love it! She added so many sweet touches and trims. She also made several coordinating pillows that aren't pictured because she sent them around Christmas. I made the curtains myself with some linen type fabric from Hancock Fabrics that has little pink pom poms on it. <br />
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We ordered the glider in a beautiful peacock color from Nebraska Furniture Mart (they deliver to Missouri, Kansas and Nebraska if you're local!?). Joe's parents picked it up and brought it to us in Arkansas. I really wanted the same model that I have in Landon's room... I knew I liked how I fit in it for nursing and also I figured I might eventually have both of them in a living room type situation and I can have them re-covered to match for a nice pair down the road since they're the same in style. The brand is Best Chairs and it's the Peyton style. <br />
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I have a small little nightstand beside the glider. I put a vintage style tree up for Christmas, sitting on an antique platter. I can't wait to create a little display here with some vintage books and "pretties" Emory has gotten as gifts.<br />
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I only have a few things on the wall since we're here so temporarily. I moved these vintage castle prints from our master bedroom to the wall above the glider.<br />
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I found an old solid wood dresser at a garage sale years ago. I bought it as a "future project" and then when we moved I almost got rid of it (at Joe's insistance! Ha!) but I'm glad I didn't! I ended up painting it with Annie Sloan chalk paint in Coco and distressing it. I love it and it works great as a changer with a little contoured pad on top!!<br />
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<br />Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418346942758242780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030312888751498558.post-22604994975429977722014-01-13T17:29:00.000-06:002014-01-13T17:29:54.832-06:00Emory: One MonthMiss Emory Leigh, you are already a month old! You have been such a JOY to have in our family! We can't believe how fast time is flying. Here is a little bit about you...<br />
<br />
Your Schedule:<br />
You are following a rough 3 hour 'eat, wake, sleep' pattern although I haven't worried too much about a rigid schedule just yet. You're exclusively breastfeeding although I've had to supplement you with formula three times while I've had a few supply issues. You take a bath every night in the bathroom sink while your big brother bathes in the tub. You go to bed around 9pm and wake up at around 1:15am almost every night. Then you have another feeding at 4am and it's always a little touch-and-go to get you back down after that. Most mornings we start our "day" around 4am and then you take a "nap" around 6 or 7am. It's working for us right now and mama's not too tired so far!<br />
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-Your hair is not as thick as your brother's was but it's dark. You have a tall section at the crown of your head.<br />
- For the most part you are a calm and content baby! This is SO nice after Landon who was colicky!<br />
- Right now your eyes are a pretty blue/green color - I can't wait to see what they settle on in the coming months.<br />
- You are sleeping in your Fisher Price Rock 'n Play in our room. We aren't ready to put you in your crib yet.<br />
- You nap in our arms or in your swing.<br />
- You are somewhat sensitive to your brother's noise as he plays around you, and he sometimes wakes you from your naps. We are working on that. :)<br />
- So far you do OK in the carseat - you've fallen asleep in it on a few drives.<br />
- You usually like being "worn" by mama in her Moby wrap if she needs to have both hands free.<br />
- You HATE being cold - we learned right away that you need more layers and extra bundling to be comfortable.<br />
- You are using your green soothie pacifier from the hospital - you need it to fall asleep for most of your naps.<br />
- We've learned you prefer to sleep with your head tilted back - a very unique personality trait of yours!<br />
- You are wearing newborn sized diapers and still practically swimming in your newborn sized clothes. <br />
- You are so curious about your big brother. He will often sit next to you and talk to you and you stare at him with such interest. <br />
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Here you are compared to your brother at one month. I think you do look alike!<br />
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The outtakes.. :)<br />
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Emory, we love you so much! You are the light of our lives!Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418346942758242780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030312888751498558.post-84031381769803268772014-01-06T17:12:00.004-06:002014-01-06T17:14:15.110-06:00Back to workJoe went back to work last Thursday. He had Friday off. So today was my second day being "alone" with both kids! I have been working on my juggling act! I have been trying to have a new activity set up for Landon when I'm sitting down to nurse (so he doesn't tear the house down while I'm preoccupied - hah!). We also changed our nap routine a little bit. But other than that we are getting back into our old schedule. I'm tired but it's feeling manageable right now! :) This little lady just gets sweeter by the day. I am obsessed with her eyes - you can't tell in this picture but right now they are the most gorgeous blue-green color.<br />
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Joe and I watched about 1/2 of the Downton Abbey season premiere last night! It was worth staying up for!! :) <br />
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Tonight is Monday night. Did you know that every Monday night you can get <a href="http://www.carinos.com/menu/daily-specials" target="_blank">family platters</a> of Johnny Carino's best meals for 1/2 off? It ends up being about $16 to feed our family which includes salads and bread too - and we always have leftovers. We do carry out at Johnny Carinos every single Monday night and it's nice to not ever have to worry about fixing a meal the first day into the work week!<br />
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Happy Monday!Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418346942758242780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030312888751498558.post-75563942545051157132014-01-03T14:46:00.001-06:002014-01-03T16:22:42.444-06:002013 HighlightsI am sitting here reflecting on 2013 now that we are a few days into the new year. I think it may have been one of our biggest transitional years ever. Yes. I think my word for 2013 is "transition". We had a big move to a new state we had never visited (Arkansas). Joe transitioned from anesthesia resident to fellow. And then there's the big transition from one to two kids. They are all great and exciting changes but my 'need to be settled' soul is yearning for the year ahead when we can make some roots in Kansas City and grow into a family of four and be settled. But who knows what the year ahead holds!!<br />
<br />
<u><b>January:</b></u><br />
<ul>
<li>Landon turned 18 months old and his language skills exploded</li>
<li>Mom visited and we enjoyed the premiere of Downton Abbey with tea and english treats</li>
<li>Landon and I visited my college friend Rachael in Oklahoma</li>
</ul>
<b><u>February:</u></b><br />
<ul>
<li>Joe and I went to see The Jersey Boys play when it came through town</li>
<li>Our friend Katie took "Lifestyle Pictures" at our house</li>
<li>Joe and I had a date night to the casino</li>
</ul>
<b><u>March:</u></b><br />
<ul>
<li>My parents visited for four days to help us get our house prepped to sell</li>
<li>The three of us traveled to Kansas City to see my college friend Jill get married!</li>
<li>Joe traveled to Las Vegas for a work conference</li>
<li>Got our house on the market and sold nine days later!</li>
<li>Boomer was diagnosed with diabetes </li>
</ul>
<u><b>April:</b></u><br />
<ul>
<li>Packing, packing and more packing</li>
<li>Joe traveled to Chicago for a work conference</li>
<li>Had a garage sale with my friend Robyn to purge before move </li>
<li>Found out we are pregnant! </li>
</ul>
<u><b>May</b></u>:<br />
<ul>
<li>Celebrated my second Mother's Day</li>
<li>Landon finished up Mother's Day Out and celebrated his birthday on the last day</li>
<li>Traveled to St. Louis to see Joe's younger brother graduate from medical school</li>
<li>Closed on our house and moved to a furnished apartment temporarily </li>
<li>Enjoyed a final night out with the other graduating anesthesia residents</li>
</ul>
<u><b>June:</b></u><br />
<ul>
<li>Hosted a baby shower for my friend Jill in Kansas City </li>
<li>Celebrated Landon's birthday with a train theme at a park in Wichita</li>
<li>Attended Joe's graduation ceremony!</li>
<li>Enjoyed the local River Fest in Wichita</li>
<li>Moved to Arkansas</li>
</ul>
<u><b>July:</b></u><br />
<ul>
<li>Celebrated our 7th wedding anniversary at a local steak house in Arkansas</li>
<li>Celebrated the 4th of July at a local park and watched fireworks </li>
<li>Found a new church we love!</li>
<li>My parents visited for a week and explored Arkansas with us </li>
<li>Boomer passed away</li>
<li>Had a gender sonogram and found out we are having a girl!</li>
</ul>
<u><b>August:</b></u><br />
<ul>
<li>Landon and I drove across I-64 for the "Bargains Galore on 64" garage sale</li>
<li>Joe's parents met us in Branson for a weekend trip</li>
<li>Landon started Mother's Day Out twice a week at our new church </li>
</ul>
<u><b>September:</b></u><br />
<ul>
<li>Landon and I drove to Kansas City and then Wichita for visits with family and friends for two weeks</li>
<li>I flew to Chicago for a four day girls weekend with my friends Katie and Trisha</li>
<li>Joe worked long hours for the Cardiovascular rotation of his fellowship </li>
</ul>
<u><b>October:</b></u><br />
<ul>
<li>Joe turned 30! We celebrated in Branson with our friends Nate, Becca and Jackson</li>
<li>Had family pictures made</li>
<li>Landon had his 2-year well child visit with our new pediatrician (a few months late!)</li>
<li>Celebrated Thanksgiving with my family, who all travel to Branson because I can't travel </li>
<li>Celebrated Halloween as the "royal family and guard" </li>
</ul>
<u><b>November:</b></u><br />
<ul>
<li>Met Joe's parents in Branson for yet-another weekend trip; Landon visited Santa while there</li>
<li>Traveled to Rogers, Arkansas for a spa weekend with my friend Rachael</li>
<li>Celebrated my 30th birthday with a maternity photo shoot</li>
<li>Received a visit from friends Nate and Becca for a long weekend</li>
<li>Celebrated Thanksgiving 'just the three of us' in Arkansas</li>
</ul>
<u><b>December:</b></u><br />
<ul>
<li>Bad ice storm was predicted so my mom came to Arkansas in case I went into labor</li>
<li>Had Emory!!</li>
<li>Enjoyed having our families visit with the new baby </li>
<li>Celebrated Christmas 'just the four of us'</li>
</ul>
We are looking forward to another evenful year!Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418346942758242780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030312888751498558.post-28305160975071517162013-12-30T16:29:00.001-06:002014-02-05T17:12:15.374-06:00Christmas 2013Exactly two weeks after Emory was born, Christmas was here. I really made it a point to be organized this year and have my shopping, cards, etc done early because I knew I'd be in no shape to do it after her birth. I'm glad it worked out that way because my mom was here to help and we were really able to just relax and enjoy those two weeks leading up to Christmas.<br />
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Our card was from <a href="http://www.tinyprints.com/shop/picture-christmas-cards.htm" target="_blank">Tiny Prints</a> as usual :) I just love their cards -- their paper is nice and thick and I think the print quality is excellent. I actually had Tiny Prints mail our cards for us this year, we just supplied the addresses. <br />
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Our first outing as a family was when Emory was 6 days old. Landon had a Christmas program at his Mother's Day Out (which is at our church) and I really wanted to go and hear his class sing. It was SO cute and I'm so glad I went because originally we had planned to just have Joe go and record it. <br />
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My parents let Landon open his Christmas present early, which was a green tractor. We are OBSESSED with tractors right now. :) Joe's parents got him a workbench for his bedroom, complete with a set of matching wooden tools. It is so cute to see him walking around with a little hammer or wrench. We scaled back in terms of traditions leading up to Christmas. We didn't do Elf on a Shelf (I don't know that we will ever do the regular Elf on a Shelf anyway), but we did bake some cookies and just have a lot of "the four of us" time.<br />
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My mom went home a few days before Christmas so she could spend it with my sister and her kids and the rest of our family. The night before Christmas Joe put together our big gift to Landon -- a train table. The stockings were stuffed and we arranged everything neatly under the tree. The first thing Landon said when we went to his crib the next morning was "Santa!!" - haha! <br />
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We had such a nice and low key Christmas and it was perfect for 2013. Next year I'll be glad to be able to incorporate some more traditions because our kids will be older and I'll be glad to be able to see more of our families because we'll be living in Kansas City. :)Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418346942758242780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030312888751498558.post-30046143182714252662013-12-26T17:00:00.000-06:002014-01-03T14:47:41.166-06:00Welcome, EmoryTwo weeks ago yesterday Joe and I welcomed our precious daughter into the world! We have had such a WONDERFUL two weeks enjoying her.<br />
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We named her Emory. It's a name I've always loved -- an old family name on my maternal grandpa's side. We thought about using some other more popular names but we always came back to Emory and now that she's here she really is an "Emory". The name just suits her! We used Leigh as her middle name; it's my middle name and I'm named after my Grandpa (he spells it Lee, my mom "feminized it" -- hah!). <br />
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I had a scheduled C-section this time (after some complications with my labor with Landon) and I have to say - this recovery has been MUCH smoother! I rested quite a bit the first week but since then I've been up and going and now I'm pretty much back to normal. I was on heavy duty pain medicine for 13 weeks after Landon and I'm glad to say this time I only needed them a week or so. This has been such a blessing because I have a spunky little 2 year old who I still want to chase around ;-)<br />
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Emory is a tiny little thing - she was born at 7lb, 1oz - but she feels so little after holding Landon. She is swimming in her newborn sized clothes still! Speaking of Landon, he adores his little sister. We've made sure to really make him feel special for being a big brother and so far he has loved on Emory as much as we have!<br />
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Joe got a full three weeks off work to be home for paternity leave. We figured out it has been his longest break since his 2nd year of medical school in 2007! He goes back to work on January 2nd and I've already begged him to quit his job because it has been SO nice to have him home!! <br />
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I am so grateful for being blessed with a healthy and beautiful daughter. Daughter. It still sounds weird to say! We are just so in love with her :) I WILL-will-will be back with more updates. I know I will kick myself if I don't document these precious (and crazy) days. Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418346942758242780noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030312888751498558.post-9411722552985269852013-10-17T00:31:00.001-05:002013-10-17T00:31:46.133-05:00Pinterest Inspired PlayJust like everyone else I find myself getting overwhelmed by all the decorating, food, house and style inspiration pictures on Pinterest. I sort of have to force myself to lie low every once in a while because I feel like I will never have the "perfect Pinterest life" with the amazing house, designer clothes, perfect Paleo meals on the table every night, and so on. BUT, I have really been inspired by some of the homeschooling and toddler play ideas there lately!!<br />
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My favorite pins almost always come from <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/playfullearning/" target="_blank">Playful Learning</a>. I think they post a great variety of activities and a lot of them are sensory things that I am very into with Landon right now. <br />
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I saw <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/pin/241294492509079673/" target="_blank">this</a> pin where you make your own indoor ball pit with a cheap inflatable pool and plastic slide and thought that would be right up our alley. We already had a slide we keep in the Living Room (I know..) so I ordered a <a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B000SN61UC/ref=oh_details_o03_s00_i00?ie=UTF8&psc=1" target="_blank">pool</a> for $8 from Amazon. Plastic balls are expensive so I waited and kept an eye on Amazon to see if I could find a price drop.<br />
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Then one day I was in Goodwill looking for a piece of furniture for a project and found a set of 150 balls almost new in the bag! For $4! So we now have a ball pit in our Living Room we are loving for getting our energy out. Other balls and balloons have been added - it has been a big hit!! <br />
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Recently I also saw a pin on mirror play on one of the homeschool boards I follow. I loved the idea of using a simple mirror (who doesn't have one at home) to create a new experience with blocks or toys. Kids can learn a sense of symmetry by organizing materials onto a mirror. What a cool concept! We already had a set of plastic shapes I had gotten last year at a garage sale (tip: look for garage sale ads that say "homeschool" or "teacher" for awesome learning supplies!!), similar <a href="http://www.amazon.com/Plastic-Pattern-Blocks-Set-250/dp/B00004WKPP/ref=sr_1_1?s=toys-and-games&ie=UTF8&qid=1381987714&sr=1-1&keywords=plastic+shapes" target="_blank">here</a>. I was amazed how long Landon played at the mirror! He even got different vehicles out and built a tunnel for them with the pieces entirely on his own. :)<br />
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One of my "go to" activities when we are bored at home is to do some kind of sensory play with sand outside. I buy sea shells from the Dollar Tree and bury them, or I hide coins for Landon to dig up and then put in his piggy bank. He also likes to just pour sand from one container to another. I saw on Pinterest several <a href="http://www.teachpreschool.org/2011/11/everyday-sensory-play-in-preschool/" target="_blank">ideas</a> using rice, noodles and corn instead of sand -- which is more "inside friendly" because it they can be vacuumed up! I made a rice tub for Landon's diggers and it has been a huge hit! I think this might be a good thing I can pull out when I'm nursing the new baby to buy some time??<br />
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Thank goodness for Pinterst! If you want to see all of my Pinterest boards, click <a href="http://www.pinterest.com/brittanyhuffman/" target="_blank">here</a>:)<br />
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<br />Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418346942758242780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030312888751498558.post-87770823477061262092013-10-14T22:44:00.000-05:002013-10-14T22:46:52.835-05:00RandomsDaily blogging fell off the bandwagon last week but we are back! Let's try this again shall we? :)<br />
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Some random thoughts:<br />
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- I am obsessed with the company <a href="http://www.sevenly.org/" target="_blank">Sevenly</a>! The mission from their website: <br />
In January of 2011, two young Entrepreneurs <a href="https://twitter.com/dalepartridge" target="_blank">Dale Partridge</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/Aaron7Chavez" target="_blank">Aaron Chavez</a>
got together with the mission of leading a generation toward
generosity. With a belief that people mattered, they began a journey to
change the world. On June 13th 2011, Sevenly was born. By creating
weekly cause campaigns where customers could purchase products that gave
$7 to a weekly charity, Sevenly successfully unlocked not only a way to
crowd-fund for causes, but to drive massive social awareness as well.<br />
I bought this sweatshirt and I want to get a few more things too (maybe Christmas gifts??) :) <br />
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- I have been watching this YouTube makeup tutorial and re-creating it at least a couple times a week. LOVE.<br />
<iframe allowfullscreen="" frameborder="0" height="270" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/BNLNFvWDVSQ" width="480"></iframe><br />
- I decided I'm going to make Landon a Queen's Guard for Halloween and I will be pregnant Kate Middleton (I know.. I am really reaching here! Hah!) and Joe will be Prince William. I got <a href="http://www.hm.com/us/product/18090?article=18090-A#campaign=1OG_RR_4133_All_For_Children&campaignType=Transactional_Planned" target="_blank">this</a> sweatshirt for Landon which is what gave me the idea. :)<br />
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-<a href="http://www.stockpilingmoms.com/2013/07/crockpot-chicken-dumplings/#_a5y_p=897207" target="_blank">This</a> recipe, which I found on Pinterest, has made it into our weekly rotation over the past two months. So good!</div>
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-Last Sunday in church our preacher announced that we had a 7-year old girl in the congregation who had memorized the entire Sermon on the Mount (over two chapters of the Bible). He had been preaching on it for 30 weeks and had challenged members to try to memorize some or all of it. He asked the girl to come forward and recite it for us and it was the most <i>moving</i> thing to watch that I embarrassingly cried when she finished. </div>
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That's all friends! Happy Monday! :) </div>
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Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418346942758242780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030312888751498558.post-57104986016672323082013-10-08T23:18:00.001-05:002013-10-08T23:18:26.927-05:00Joe's 30th - Branson TripLast weekend we celebrated Joe's 30th birthday in Branson with our friends Nate, Becca and their son Jackson. Jackson is Landon's best friend - they are only two months apart in age. Landon and I used to see Becca and Jackson almost every single day when we lived in Wichita. We have missed them <b>so</b> much since we moved.<br />
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We decided to book a 2 bedroom villa at the Marriott Willow Ridge Lodge when they were running a 40% off sale and split the cost for three nights. It was a total retreat and we felt like we were at a fancy resort!! It was so nice to be able to do that for Joe's birthday, which was Sunday!<br />
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The husbands played golf one day while we girls (and little boys) shopped at the outlets and the rest of the time we ate and played and visited Silver Dollar City. The weather was chilly and perfect :)<br />
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This is Landon's favorite ride at SDC - we always ride the frogs first thing when we get to the park! Hah!<br />
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We had such a fun time. On the way home we stopped in Conway, Arkansas which is about 40 minutes from our house at Arkansas Pineapple Whip. This has become an obsession of ours since we moved here. It's a little ice cream truck that makes pineapple floats almost exactly like the Dole Whip at Disney. What more could you ask for on your 30th birthday??? :)<br />
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<br />Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418346942758242780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030312888751498558.post-4327832153238456262013-10-07T15:29:00.001-05:002013-10-07T15:30:54.310-05:00My Fall MantelSince we are in a rental house for the year while Joe is in his fellowship I decided to scale back on our Fall decor and just do a nice mantel and some other small touches in the house. I love buying Halloween and Fall things but I didn't get anything new this year because I don't want to have to move it in June! :) So here is my "shop what I already had" Fall mantel. :)<br />
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I had an antique window that used to be in our bathroom and I put an old twig wreath in front of it. If there's any <b>one</b> piece of advice I've picked up over the years that really makes a mantel look great, it is: <i>layering</i>. I also had a weathered mini tree I got an an antique store in Wichita. I had used it on an end table to hold mini Easter eggs last Spring. Next to it I have an antique brass candlestick set I got at Goodwill for less than $1. I added an old leafy swag under the window and two white pumpkins from Hobby Lobby. And I love a Fall mantle with some black crows; I use them every single year. :)<br />
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I'm so glad Fall is here!!Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418346942758242780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030312888751498558.post-73644698986779690162013-10-04T19:00:00.000-05:002013-10-04T19:00:02.133-05:00Landon-ismsI realize that this post will not be interesting to <b>anyone</b> but me but I want to document some of the quirky and fun things Landon is doing these days at 2 years old. I feel like I've totally dropped off the bandwagon of doing updates on my little sidekick so here's to me getting started again! :)<br />
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<b>Things He Says:</b><br />
-If you ask Landon where Daddy works he says "hop-i-down" for "hospital". I pray he never actually says it correctly because it is <i>so cute</i>. I remind Joe to pronounce it "the Landon way" so he keeps saying it like that. Hah! :)<br />
-He calls us Mama and Daddy about 50% of the time and "Babe" the rest. That's pretty much all Joe and I call each other so it makes sense that he picked that up. There are times from another room I will hear him yell "Babe..!!" calling for me.<br />
-He can count to 10 easily but then starts counting by 2's after that. I have no idea where he picked this up, but it goes like this: "one, two, three, four, five, six, seven, eight, nine, ten, twelve, fourteen, sixteen" and so on!<br />
-His little manners are really starting to come out (and it's something we really work on). His little "sorry" is adorable. He will often trip and say "Oop, sorry!" to himself - hah! Or if I accidentally bump him or scratch him he will say "Sorry! Ok, Mama!".<br />
-He always uses the term "tweet, tweet" for "bird". If you ask him to say the word Bird, he will respond "tweet, tweet".<br />
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<b>Foods:</b><br />
-Favorites: oatmeal, fruit of all kind, peanut and butter sandwiches (called "butter jelly"), cheese, yogurt "wu-gurt". <br />
-We don't give him juice but they serve it in the nursery at church so he always tells us "yellow juice!" when we pick him up.<br />
-He thinks granola bars are candy bars and fig newtons are cookies. We are sneaky! ;-)<br />
-He drinks 2% "nok" milk.<br />
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<b>Personality:</b><br />
-He still carries around and is generally obsessed with his lovey, "Blue".<br />
-He is very ticklish!!! Quite possibly the most ticklish person I've ever met! :)<br />
-He loves to "help" by carrying the keys and unlocking the car door, carrying groceries, helping me off the couch (ha ha!), cooking, carrying the mail inside, etc. I love letting him help!<br />
-He's becoming more interested in t.v. so we let him pick a PBS show or two to watch every day. He almost always picks Bob the Builder. Which I kind of like because Bob actually does a lot of cool DIY projects! :)<br />
-He loves doing crafts so we usually do one each day.<br />
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I love my little man. I can't imagine living without such an adorable, sweet and funny sidekick with me. :)Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418346942758242780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030312888751498558.post-79282022163110851282013-10-03T12:24:00.004-05:002013-10-03T12:24:45.573-05:00Top Five Dollar Tree FindsIf you love a deal like I do then maybe you already know how awesome the Dollar Tree is. But I get the feeling a lot of people think the store is full of complete junk and I'm here to dispel that myth! :) I go to the Dollar Tree 3-4 times a month and I'll be honest - I usually don't have a "list" of things I'm looking for. But I <b>always</b> find something I can use! These are the top five "categories" of things I can always count on for a good deal!<br />
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<u><b>(1) Holiday Stuff</b></u><br />
The holiday stuff goes fast but you can score some awesome deals in this section! I always buy thing I can use for crafts at home or for DIY seasonal decorating. A few weeks ago I found a solid satin-type cape (DIY tutorial coming soon on how to personalize it) for Halloween costumes. These are around $30 on Etsy, so $1 is a steal! We have also been obsessed with window clings in our house. They are so fun for toddlers to stick on windows and move around every day. The ones at Hobby Lobby are smaller and start at $2.99!<br />
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<u><b>(2) Cleaning Supplies</b></u><br />
I always get my bleach here (almost 1/2 price from Walmart!) and also their version of the Mr. Clean Magic Erasers are fantastic! One box of two erasers lasts me a month and they are $3-5 at the big box stores.<br />
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<u><b>(3) Pregnancy Tests</b></u><br />
Now, go with me here. I'm going to tell you, they are the <b>same </b>exact test you get at Wal-Mart or Target except you don't urinate on the stick itself - you urinate in a cup and use a little syringe they give you to drop your pee on the stick. It is <b>not </b>bad and they are just as sensitive as the other tests and $7-15 cheaper! In fact, it was a Dollar Tree pregnancy test that picked up my pregnancy with Landon at 9 days past ovulation, earlier than a First Response did. :)<br />
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<u><b>(4) Homeschool Supplies</b></u><br />
Joe and I are considering homeschooling Landon. Until we decide to proceed formally or enroll him in regular school, I am trying to do some easy curriculum at home. I always get great teaching supplies at the Dollar Tree! They not only have classroom decorating and organizing items but also workbooks, art supplies, stickers (you can buy a book of 400 for $1!!), posters, the list goes on. <br />
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<u><b>(5) Office Supplies</b></u><br />
In the same thread as homeschool supplies, I always get our office supplies from Dollar Tree too. Some of the things I keep stocked on that are cheaper than anywhere else are: bubble wrap for packing mail or moving, sticky notes, packing tape, notepads and Sharpies (do you know how expensive Sharpies are at Target?!). I even found this 2014 monthly planner there last week! It's nice quality with thick pages and a faux-leather bound cover. To be honest, I will still probably use my Erin Condren Life Planner but I can keep this in the Kitchen for meal-planning because I don't like keeping that in my personal planner!<br />
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So there you have it! Don't avoid the Dollar Tree because you think the stuff inside is junk. There are some great deals to be had! :) </div>
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<br />Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418346942758242780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030312888751498558.post-25122587728462166642013-10-02T00:28:00.003-05:002013-10-02T00:47:16.755-05:00Wedding Registry: What We're Still Using 7 Years Later..<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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I had the idea to write a post about what wedding gifts we received 7 years ago that we're still using when we were using our electric griddle for breakfast recently. The electric griddle we did not register for but use<i> all.the.time</i>. Ahem. ;-) Now that we're old married folk, I think it's really fun to think about the things we still use and the things we just <b>had</b> to have on our registry that we never use. Some of them are probably still packed in boxes because we've moved at least four times since then.<br />
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So let's take a step back to 2006 and have a look...<br />
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We were both 22 years old and had never lived together so to say we had no clue what we needed to "make house" would be an understatement! :) Thankfully, some of the older and wiser guests at our wedding clearly had a better idea of what we needed than we did! I thought this list might be helpful when I'm thinking about what to buy for upcoming weddings or if you are soon to be married maybe this will help you while trying to strategize your own registry list. And if you're already married I would love to hear what things you're using and what things you aren't!!<br />
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First of all, a couple things we <b>did not register for</b> that we use all the time!<br />
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1. Non-glass/non-fancy cups for drinking.. yes, by all means register for nice glasses but please don't be like us and not think about the fact that 99% of the time you will not be entertaining guests. You will be laying on the couch in your yoga pants, drinking a coke and eating Cheese-It's straight from the box. Oh wait. Is that just us? No seriously though, we received a set of nice <u><b>Tupperware brand large cups</b></u> that we use every single day. They wash well, they hold a ton of fluid and they stack nicely in the cabinet. And they are still a heck of a lot nicer than the bar-b-que joint souvenir cups we could be using. The exact ones we have aren't available anymore but they're similar to these :)<br />
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2. <u><b>An electic griddle</b></u>. I don't even think I knew this existed before we got married but I'm so glad someone at our wedding had the wherewithal to gift this to us! As newlyweds our weekend routine would be to sleep in on the weekends and get up and make a big breakfast. You need this griddle if you'll ever do that. We can do sausage, bacon, pancakes, toast, etc etc all right from one pan! I've even used it to host a <a href="http://queseraaasera.blogspot.com/2013/01/paris-baby-shower.html" target="_blank">baby shower</a> where I did a Grilled Cheese Bar! See!??<br />
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This isn't the exact one we have, but I think they're all about created equal and they're an awesome affordable gift for a wedding!!<br />
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3. We did register for nice <u><b>Lenox silverware </b></u>(yay us for doing something right! Hah!), and since silverware is something you will use every single day, I think a couple should go high end on this one. But please take a word of advice; register for at least two sets! We only got one set which was perfectly fine for the first five years of marriage or so.. then we started hosting small family events, our friends started having bridal and baby showers, we had a baby and we just started using a lot more silverware than we had ever before. And you know what? Our design had been forever discontinued. We still haven't been able to find a second set. <br />
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4. I am so glad we received the<b> nice salt shaker and pepper mill </b>set we registered for! We use it daily too, like the cups. I hadn't done much meal cooking before we got married but I am so glad to have a nice set that looks classic sitting near the stove and a pepper mill is a necessity if you're going to be doing any type of intensive cooking! Ours wasn't expensive ($20) but it's so much nicer than the pre-filled shakers at the grocery store.<br />
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5. I still have and cherish all of the <u><b>personalized gifts</b></u> we received at our wedding. The one example that immediately comes to mind is an elderly friend of the family that hand knitted us pot holders and kitchen towels and made me an apron. I still use them a lot! They are personalized to our taste and since they're not things that get grimy with food regularly they have lasted us years and years. They are similar to these from Etsy. <br />
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6. Finally, we registered for two types of cookware for our wedding and received both: stainless steel and non-stick. The <b><u>high end stainless steel pots and pans</u> </b>we received have been used so much that I can't imagine our home without them. And they show no wear whatsoever! Our Teflon pans, on the other hand, have long since been replaced because they have gotten scratched and dinged along the way. If I had to do it over again, I'd still register for a very nice set of stainless steel equipment but I'd get cheap non-stick pans, knowing they don't have the longevity of stainless anyway.<br />
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7. I am so glad we got a <u><b>neutral colored Kitchen Aid Stand Mixer</b></u>! We have used it so much in the last 7 years! They are a kitchen necessity in my mind because they can do so much! Plus, you have the added benefit of being able to add attachments over the years to make it fit your changing family/entertaining needs. <br />
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Now can we talk about the things we registered for and don't use anymore?<br />
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1. <u><b>Bedding</b></u>! We registered for colorful bedding that was adorable and perfectly suited our tastes! Our tastes in 2006. Those bedding sets have been replaced several times because we (1) upgraded our queen bed to a king sized, (2) moved to a home where they didn't coordinate well anymore, (3) our tastes evolved.<br />
<u>If I could do it all over again: </u>I'd register for a nice plain white down comforter that I could use duvet covers over as our tastes changed.<br />
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2. <u><b>Towels:</b></u> We registered (again) for a colorful set that we happily received and used... for a couple years. Then we decided to upgrade our set so we had a full set of towels in our guest room. Then we upgraded again because I decided (finally) it was smart to have all white towels so they could be bleached and kept looking cleaner over the years. <br />
<u>If I could do it all over again: </u>I'd register for a small set of white towels knowing my tastes would change but that I could add to as we needed more over time.<br />
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3. <u><b>Fancy drinking glasses/wine glasses: </b></u>ours have been infrequently used. We didn't register for enough to manage a full dinner party and we never use the fancy stuff when we're at home by ourselves. They are definitely shoved to the back of the cabinet right now.<br />
<u>If I could do it all over again:</u> I'd register for one simple, large set of affordable glasses that I could pull out for entertaining.<br />
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4. <u><b>Electronics:</b></u> It should go without saying that these things have all been upgraded over time. We did have a slim kitchen radio we used for years, until we moved over to an iPad with a stand a few years ago. But the camera, alarm clock, etc have all been sold or donated in just 7 years time.<br />
<u>If I could do it all over again:</u> I'd register for one or two affordable items I really wanted right away knowing they'd be replaced in a short period of time!<br />
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Now I want to know from you -- what things are you still using from your wedding registry? What were your most used gifts? Please link in the comments if you do a blog post yourself - I'd love to read it!<br />
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Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418346942758242780noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030312888751498558.post-27419773049494021232013-10-01T00:06:00.000-05:002013-10-01T00:06:17.153-05:00September Wrap Up!I am so disappointed I haven't blogged for the entire month of September but let me tell you - I had a FUN whirlwind month! In one month I was in five states, which for someone who usually only ventures out of the house to go to the kid's museum or Wal-Mart, that is a big deal! :)<br />
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{Do you have a comfy seat? Nice cold drink? Because this post is long! :)}<br />
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Since Joe is on the heart team and busybusybusy right now I decided I would try to drive the 7 hours north to visit my parents for a few weeks at the beginning of the month. I was so nervous about the drive. I told Joe he may have to send a helicopter to come get us along Highway 65 because Landon wasn't cooperating. But (as it usually works in parenting - it's the things you stress over that turn out to be no-big-deal and the stuff you don't see coming that rock your world!) he did great! We stopped halfway in Branson at Silver Dollar City for a few hours and the drive was super easy after I had thoroughly worn him out ;-). And the homemade kettle corn didn't hurt anything.<br />
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We finally made it to my parent's house! The next morning we got up and went to a 5th birthday party - it was for the daughter of my best friend from high school. She had it at a gymnastics/tumbling studio and the kids had such a fun time playing. This picture just melts my heart - Landon loves to watch the older kids and do what they're doing.<br />
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We got to spend a lot of time with my sister and her kids while we visited. These cousins love each other so much - and again Landon loves having older kids to play with!!<br />
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One night my sister and I went to one of those BYOB painting classes in Kansas City. I am NO artist (my sister is the artsy fartsy one in our family!!!) but it was fun to relax and do something just the two of us. My mom hung my painting in one of her hallways although I wouldn't blame her a bit if she took it down once I left! Hah! <br />
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I also had a chance to order the glider for the new nursery. I am very particular about gliders and rocking chairs in general because I know I'll be spending a lot of time there nursing. I got the same style I have in Landon's room from the same furniture store we ordered his from, but in a pretty dark turquoise fabric (middle of picture).<br />
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We also just spent a lot of time doing farm things.. Landon is in heaven riding tractors with Papa, working in the garden (picture below), feeding the cows and running wild! I want him to grow up doing those things and have that slow-paced upbringing I did. :)<br />
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Speaking of farm, one day we went and spent the day and night with Joe's parents. We got to go to Deanna Rose Farmstead - if you are ever in Kansas City it is so neat and f-r-e-e. My favorite thing was bottle feeding the baby goats. Squeal!!!<br />
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One day I drove around to look at a few lots of land that are for sale around the city. Our ultimate goal is to buy some land within 30 minutes of the hospital Joe has taken a job at, and live the "country" life near the city. I hope it pans out but we will probably rent to begin with once we move in June.<br />
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After nearly two weeks we headed on back to Arkansas, but I decided to take the "scenic" route and go through Kansas and visit Wichita for a couple days on my way home. We stayed with our friends Becca and Nate, and Landon's best friend, Jackson. It was like a 24/7 playdate!<br />
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We were so excited to finally go home and see Daddy! We came home through Oklahoma and Landon did great in the car! He is a road trip pro: we had done four states in a little over two weeks, just the two of us!!<br />
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The day after we came home I had my OB appointment! Bumpity bump bump! :)<br />
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Then, that afternoon I went to the airport and headed for Chicago! I didn't even unpack my road trip suitcase first! Hah! I met my two best friends from residency, Katie and Trish, there and we had three glorious days in the Windy City!!<br />
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One of the most fun things we did besides stay up late and talk and laugh for hours was visit the restaurant RPM - the one owned by Guiliana and Bill Rancic! It was so neat!! I had the best spaghetti and meatballs of my life and also there was a chocolate ball dessert involved that was filled with gelato. I dream of it every single night. <br />
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Joe and Landon had "boy time" for three days which was such a treat for Joe because he had the time off from work and he had just gone two weeks without his sidekick. I don't think he enjoyed it one bit ;-) ;-) based on the pictures he sent me.<br />
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What a fun month we had! Now that we're all caught up I am going to make a bold goal for October. Daily weekday blogging!! Maybe I will finally get around to showing you our Arkansas house and fall decorations! Maybe I will post some more about pregnancy and how the nursery is coming along? And I have some other ideas floating around in my head too. I hope you'll come back and join me! :)<br />
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<br />Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418346942758242780noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030312888751498558.post-74145600302612330182013-08-28T13:50:00.001-05:002013-08-28T13:50:53.669-05:00First Day of MDOI'm so excited for Landon because he is doing Mother's Day Out again this year and yesterday was his first day. It happens to be at the church we've found and been going to since July so I'm excited that he will have consistency from Sunday to the weekdays of MDO. One of the things I was <b>most</b> dreading about moving was finding a new MDO and church and we've easily transitioned to a great place for both that's really close to our house!<br />
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This year he is going two days a week for 5 hours each. The program follows a Christian curriculum and he has two really special teachers. Most of all, I think these programs are perfect for giving kids who normally stay-at-home a chance to be in a structured "school" setting where they are learning to interact with other kids and teachers other than Mom! ;-)<br />
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One of the things I was most worried about was that they have the kids nap on a nap mat on the floor. I was so flustered that Landon wouldn't stay down, wouldn't understand to be quiet, etc. but we did a lot of pretend play on his nap mat beforehand so he would hopefully understand what to do! Evidently he laid right down and went to sleep yesterday!!<br />
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I was so excited to pick him up at the end of the day and see what kind of projects he worked on. It is so hard to think that he won't be with me every single day but I could tell he was proud to be learning to be away from me independently!<br />
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What a difference a year makes!<br />
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<br />Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418346942758242780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030312888751498558.post-13393686727886593412013-08-20T11:25:00.000-05:002013-08-20T11:25:03.509-05:00Baby GirlYou read that right! We are having a girl in December! I am SHOCKED because I always thought I'd be a mom to all boys. But BOY am I excited!!<br />
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I thought I'd share a few updates on the baby. I feel so guilty that I have not documented this pregnancy like I did with Landon. The truth is I'm so busy running around with him that I have usually forgotten I'm pregnant at all! I've felt great for the most part and I'm so thankful for that!!<br />
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I'm just a little past 23 weeks now and I'm starting to show a baby belly! I've been digging out some of my old maternity jeans and ordering a few things to wear with my expanding midsection. I'm so excited because H&M just opened their website for online shopping and <a href="http://www.hm.com/us/product/08312" target="_blank">these</a> have become my ultimate favorite maternity jeans. They are seriously a revelation in maternity wear!<br />
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I have started working on the nursery. I was so torn on if I should even set one up because baby sister will only be 6 months old when we move to Kansas City and I know she will spend the first few months in our room with us. But at the end of the day this is probably our last baby and I wanted to indulge the experience of decorating a nursery again! ;-)<br />
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This is the fabric I've decided to use for most of the bedding. I think I'll end up going for an English type theme with a few touches of vintage castles/crowns. Joe's aunt will be making a lot of the bedding for us and I'm so excited to see what she does!<br />
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I already had an antique dresser I bought at a garage sale in Wichita as a project for a future nursery. A month or so ago Joe and I painted it with Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in Coco and I distressed it so it looks worn and well loved. I love it!<br />
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I found this framed picture of Jesus in a gorgeous ornate frame at a garage sale two weeks ago for $1 (!!). I'm going to paint over or remove Jesus (sad face) and hang it above the crib.<br />
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We have NOT decided on a name. We have two front runners right now and we will probably either use Lucille or Mae for a middle name. Mae is my grandma's middle name.<br />
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Well that's a quick update on where we are with sister! <br />
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Happy Tuesday!Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418346942758242780noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030312888751498558.post-4074365448428310622013-08-16T14:53:00.001-05:002013-08-16T14:53:42.791-05:00Hot Springs, ArkansasOne of the best things about moving to a new state for a year for Joe's fellowship is getting the opportunity to explore a new region we probably wouldn't have done otherwise. I'm so glad we moved to Arkansas because it really is a vacation-zone with little towns, B&Bs, antique stores, and touristy type things in many of the little cities here. Last weekend we decided to spend a couple days in Hot Springs. I'm <b>so</b> glad we went - it was only a couple hours from Little Rock but it was like being on vacation a million miles away! :)<br />
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Sidenote: on a whim I decided to be "old fashioned" and try to use a real map to navigate us there, instead of our iPhones. I had no idea how spoiled I had gotten with Google Maps until I tried to do this! Hah!<br />
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I had always heard there was a place you can mine for diamonds on the eastern part of the Arkansas. We did some research and got up early Saturday morning and drove to Murfreesboro which is the 8th largest diamond mine in the world! It is a tiny itsy bitsy town in the middle of nowhere but there were tons of people there! You rent all the mining tools (pans, buckets, etc) and go out into this huge open mine and start digging, sifting the dirt through water and searching for diamonds! I was SURE we'd find one. Or probably not. Hah! It was SO hot that day but Landon was in heaven digging! :) After a couple hours we had a little bowl of rocks we thought could be winners.<br />
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You take your "diamond hopefuls" into the lodge and an expert looks at them, tests their hardness and tells you if they're diamonds or not. None of ours turned out to be diamonds (oh well!) but we had so much fun with it! On the same week we were there a 12 year old boy did find a 5ct diamond - my mom texted me the <a href="http://m.cnn.com/primary/cnnd_fullarticle?topic=newsarticle&category=cnnd_travel&articleId=cnn/2013/08/14/travel/arkansas-diamond-park&cookieFlag=COOKIE_SET" target="_blank">CNN article</a> a couple days later!! <br />
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That night we went to a hole in the wall fish place and we stayed at one of the hotels in town. The next morning we got up and walked around the downtown area and decided to do a Duck tour. The Duck is an old army vehicle that rides around the streets like a bus but it also is a boat that can go straight into the water. We did a tour of Hot Springs and they touched on some historical areas like where Al Capone had stayed and gambled and also took a tour around Lake Hamilton. Very neat!!<br />
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That afternoon we also went to a little water and amusement park. <br />
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Landon had so much fun on the rides. There was one ride that he was
allowed to ride alone and I took this picture and wondered where my tiny
baby had gone. He looks 22 years old to me. <br />
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We had such a fun time in Hot Springs and I wish we could have stayed longer. It's such a neat little town that is perfect for a little getaway! We definitely didn't want to come home :)<br />
<br />Brittanyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00418346942758242780noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8030312888751498558.post-51414195716449581012013-08-02T14:53:00.001-05:002013-08-02T14:53:58.400-05:00Lifestyle Shoot PicturesWay back towards the very beginning of spring my friend Katie from <a href="https://www.facebook.com/novellaphotography" target="_blank">Novella Photography</a> came over to our house to do a "Lifestyle Shoot" for us. I LOVE the concept of a lifestyle shoot - Katie literally just sat in the corner of the house and captured moments as we ate dinner, played, did bath and bedtime, etc. She was at our house for nearly four hours I think! It helps that she has done 100% of our family photos since Landon was born - we are super comfortable around her and she's also one of my best friends! :) We did have her take some posed shots at the front of the house while she was there since we knew we'd be selling and moving. I love these pictures so much; I know when we've forgotten the details of our first house and when Landon is moved away at college I will treasure having these moments on film :)<br />
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I am extra thankful that Katie was able to capture Boomer for us. Little did we know we would lose him several months later ~ we said goodbye to him just a few weeks ago. I haven't been ready to talk about him or how much we miss him. But he's left a huge hole in our family. I love looking at these pictures to remember him. <br />
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