This Mother’s Day was a special one for us, but it was also really different. A lot of things have been going on over the weekend that changed our plans. My mom was bitten by a brown recluse spider and has been in a lot of pain. You are welcome to google these spider bites, but I’ll warn you that they are a bit much and my weak stomach can’t handle seeing them. She has been in so much pain she can hardly walk AND she is doing a wedding this weekend, so we are all pitching in to help as much as we can (even though she is the decorating genius). So, we tried to make things as special as we could at home for her.

Ryan was caddying in the LPGA tour last week and was not around for the Mother’s Day festivities this year. I was bummed but the extra money that he made was more than worth it! We are after all trying to close on our new house this month and will be spending quite a bit of money. haha So, this side job came at a very good time. Plus, he loved every minute of it! It was therapeutic for him to be out on the golf course all week and I am so happy that he got that opportunity. We are going to celebrate with my Mother-in-law next weekend and I am really looking forward to that!

So, while last week/weekend was a strange one to say the least, it was also filled with wonderful memories. I got to spend lots of time with my kiddos and I even woke up to beautiful roses and the sweetest card from Ryan that brought me to tears. I felt very special and loved and I hope my mom felt half as special as I did. She is a wonderful lady who is selfless and is such a peacemaker. She is a hard worker and loves all of us unconditionally – and trust me, some of us have definitely tested that! Not me, of course 😉 (haha! Love you, mom!)

This past weekend was one filled with lots of joy and tons of emotions for this momma! My precious baby girl turned ONE. I still can’t believe it! That first year went by so fast. Even faster than Hampton’s first. I have definitely been feeling all the emotions as she has been taking more and more steps and seems to be really growing up quickly all of a sudden. We had so much fun celebrating her first birthday with family and close friends. We also welcomed my precious baby cousins into the world and I am so thankful and happy to announce that they are healthy and absolutely perfect. Zana, my cousin and best friend is doing well and I am so proud of the mother she is to these precious babies. I honestly can’t imagine having twins because having two, 18 months apart was very difficult, and I am so amazed at how well she is doing it. She is super mom!

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As I mentioned in Friday’s post, it had been a while since Ryan and I went on a vacation – alone – in over 3 years. Yikes! Heading to Destin was the best semi-spontaneous decision we have ever made and it was exactly what the doctor ordered for both of us. Sometimes, getting away from your every day life is exactly what you need to recharge, and that is exactly what we did. We relaxed and ate…a lot.

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Last year, we took Hamp to see Thomas the Train in Calera, Alabama and he loved it! Unfortunately it ended badly and we later found out he had hand foot and mouth and we really should not have had him out in the sun that day. #parentingfail This year was a million times better because we had no sick kids and with Hampton being a year older, I felt like he enjoyed it so much more!

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This year, it rained most of the day on Easter, so we scheduled our egg hunt for Saturday! It was so laid back and nice. We had a huge shrimp boil and ate outside after the kids finished hunting eggs and our hearts and bellies were very happy.

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We had a fairly casual weekend this week which was so nice and great timing! Ryan is out of town this week, so it gave us a chance to really spend some quality time together as a family before he left. My in-laws kept the babies for us on Saturday while we went out to eat lunch which was a much needed break. We were so excited to get out for a minute on our own and be able to eat at a restaurant without the marathon of sippy cups, bottles, toys, snacks, etc.

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Happy Monday, y’all! Oh, and happy leap day! Leap years are so cool to me but it definitely threw me off today. I definitely had March 1st written at the top of my to-do list. Whoops! Remember about a month ago when I announced that my cousin is pregnant with twins? I had the pleasure of driving to her hometown this weekend and celebrating these sweet little babies by throwing her a shower! A few of her friends and I got together to host a brunch for this beautiful mommy-to-be and let me tell you, she looked amazing! She is now officially less than 2 months from her goal birth date so we are getting so excited to meet these two little angels!

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There were times I thought my life was busy – during college, and then again when I was planning my wedding while being in 3 others during the same year. Then I had children, and I now have a whole new definition of the term “busy.” Between working, raising two children at home, trying to have a social and family life – things are just going to be busy for a while and I have accepted that. When my son was born, we quickly learned that he didn’t sleep like a normal newborn. After taking him to the doctor several times those first few months, we tracked that he was sleeping 6 to 7 hours in a 24-hour period. His pediatrician said that babies should be sleeping 18 of those 24 hours at that point. At 4 months of age, the pediatrician told me we needed to start sleep training him and that began with establishing a nighttime routine.

Last weekend we had the pleasure of getting the whole family together for my grandparent’s 80th birthdays. They are 4 months apart and so we decided to throw them a party in between their big birthdays. They are the most incredible people I know. At 80 years old, my grandmother still sews quilts and dresses and pants for kids in Panama and my grandfather serves in the most unbelievable way. He is stronger and in way better shape than I will ever be in. My cousins were all sitting around joking about how strong he is and how he can run circles around all of us. He takes food to the sick. He sits with people who are struggling and he comes over to my parent’s house often asking if he can fix anything or do yard work or help us with anything. Shouldn’t it be the other way around? They are truly incredible people.

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Moms can handle a lot, right? Blah. I don’t even know where to begin to tell you how crazy this week has been. We took a semi-spontaneous trip to Florida because we really needed to get away from everything for a few days. While it did us a world of good, we all got sick and have been feeling bad all week. It is not easy taking care of two sick babies while you yourself are feeling bad. On top of all that, I had a procedure done yesterday to take a spot off of my back and I have stitches and the works so I have been super sore. The icing on the cake? Last Saturday we got a call that the seller of our new house backed out. They have decided not to sell their home at all. While I am trying so hard to be okay with this, respect the sellers’ decision, and to know that God has a plan it has been hard. I have not had the best attitude about it. We had gone through the entire process minus the closing day. We had it inspected, the owners fixed the things that needed fixing, we had a contractor go over there with us and walked him through all of the changes we were making. We had plans drawn up, I had the entire place decorated in my head and Hampton has been asking to go to the new house every day for the last two weeks. Talk about a dagger in the heart. To say I am bummed would be an understatement because I loved that house. It was perfect for our family. Now, we are back at square one. So, who’s ready for the weekend? This girl! I am ready to blow a kiss at this week.

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