Charleston

Last Friday we hit the road to Charleston to spend the day with Auntie Elizabeth. She drove all the way from Lynchburg, VA for the weekend, and had the opportunity to attend the Marine Ball at the Citadel on Saturday night. We hadn't seen her since the beginning of August, so we were glad for even a short visit to get us through until we're home next month for Christmas. She absolutely loved her time with Eli...we're finding that our presence isn't really as important to many anymore! We're completely fine with that, and so is Eli!



We went to the Friday afternoon parade at the Citadel...Eli had the best seat in the house



We ate dinner at California Dreaming (AMAZING!)





Eli ate a good dinner for his Auntie



And then decided to eat her new Blackberry



Had to show her how big I am!



All in all it was a fun day trip filled with lots of memories.

Here's a fun video of Eli in the car on the way to Charleston.

Blessings

One of my greatest blessings in life...


Today as I was driving down the road, I was hit with some pretty powerful lyrics. I usually change the radio station when a song with this type of meaning comes on, mostly to avoid the tears that are sure to come. If it weren't for my love for country music, I would probably have a much easier time avoiding sad songs and painful memories.

I haven't been able to listen to any form of daddy/daughter songs since my dad past away. The words always just hit way too close to home. One in particular that I have the hardest time with, is the song that my dad and I were to dance to on our wedding day. It's called 'I loved her first,' by Heartland.

"...I was enough for her not long ago
I was her number one
She told me so
And she still means the world to me
Just so you know
So be careful when you hold my girl
Time changes everything
Life must go on
And I'm not gonna stand in your way

But I loved her first and I held her first
And a place in my heart will always be hers
From the first breath she breathed
When she first smiled at me
I knew the love of a father runs deep
And I prayed that she'd find you someday
But it still hard to give her away
I loved her first"

I have even more appreciation for this song now that I'm a mother. What a huge blessing our children are, and we simply want the absolute best for them.

Babies don't keep

I came across the most wonderful poem today, and it really hit home with me

Song for a Fifth Child.

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,
Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,
Hang out the washing, make up the bed,
Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?
She's up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I've grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,
Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.
Dishes are waiting and bills are past due
Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo

The shopping's not done and there's nothing for stew
And out in the yard there's a hullabaloo
But I'm playing Kanga and this is my Roo
Look! Aren't his eyes the most wonderful hue?
Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow
But children grow up as I've learned to my sorrow.
So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!
I'm rocking my baby and babies don't keep.

Being a mother is one of the hardest, most absolutely beautiful things I have ever done. It is without a doubt the most rewarding thing in this world.

I truly feel that even after a 'bad mommy day,' I walk away with lessons learned to help transform me to be an even better mother the next day. I love being a mother in spite of all the sleepless nights, the constant worry, the projectile vomit and other bodily functions that I'm always wearing. Have you ever been so tired that you would sleep straight through an earthquake, yet your on your feet after the first cry from the nursery? That's me, almost every night. Again...wouldn't trade it for the world. And let's not forget...we're only on month 6! Whatever tomorrow may bring, I'm ready for it. It's totally worth every single second of it.

Some people feel they were born to be a doctor or maybe an athlete, but I have dreamed of becoming a mother since I was old enough to understand what it meant. I feel so blessed to have found my soul mate at such a young age, and to be making a family with him.


I pray that our home will always be one in which our children can share whatever it is that's on their minds, a place of comfort, one full of laughter and cheer, and most of all, an unimaginable amount of love.

Tonight, Danny and I spent a solid hour on the couch with Eli, laughing hysterically. We've already made the sweetet of memories in just his 6 short months with us. I can only imagine what's to come.

I know that there are plenty of hard days to come, but I feel that the Lord has given me the strength to overcome whatever may come our way. Once you become a mother, you simply just do what you have to do to make it through each day. You take advice from more experienced mothers, and you figure out what works best for yours truly. You learn to get a lot done in a very short amount of time, and rest whenever you get the opportunity. I've become more laid back, and have learned to slow down and really enjoy life. At the end of the day, I shut down and relax with my husband.

This is the reason I can't wait to do it all again tomorrow...

Happy Halloween!

Halloween is kind of a big deal in our neighborhood...let me correct myself...it's a HUGE deal. We've never seen anything like it before. Cars line the entrance to our neighborhood, as families from ALL over find our neighborhood to be the Halloween hot spot. We even had neighbors using a big projector to watch football games from outside in the lawn...it's just hilarious! We ran out of candy in no time, but luckily Billy and Amanda decided to come over and enjoy the crazy sights at our house, and came with their extra candy! I was just completely disgusted by the number of adults trick or treating...we had a grown man take our last 2 pieces of candy. He's lucky that I hate confrontation!

Other than it being miserably hot for the end of October, we still had a blast. Eli surprised us and kept his cow cosutme on for the entire night, despite how sweaty he was!



He's already a sucker for candy...he never hesitated to dive into the candy bowl!





We've already found the perfect costume for next year, and look forward to taking him trick or treating for the first time.

I'm so excited about the Holidays being right around the corner. I can hardly wait to start hearing Christmas music, shopping, decorating, the whole deal, I'm just in the mood this year! We're heading to Florida for Thanksgiving this year, and we're so excited to be able to spend this holiday with Danny's parents and grandparents. I'm hoping to learn a thing or two in the kitchen from the finest of cooks while we're there!