live shop give

I recently joined the Sharing Spree Nashville team on facebook...basically a group of ladies who are into deals and into Sharing Spree and happy to tell our friends about it. I really like that they support local business as well as giving some of their profits to non-profits. It's pretty cool. (it is similar to groupon or living social just to give you an idea)

Anyhow, they run a blog and they asked me to guest post.  So head on over to the Sharing Spree blog called Live Shop Give and check out my blog!

If you decide to join sharing spree, would you use my link? and if you make a purchase would you also use my link? it just gives me a little boost, and once you join get your friends to use your link and do the same. It's a great referral program.

Okay friends! let me know what you think of my guest post :) Have a blessed day!

Jamie

A Thanksgiving Embrace

A year of blessings,
laughter and fun,
our little turkey
is turning one!


Birthdays and Holidays go together like...

...Black and Navy Blue.
Oh wait, they don't go together...or do they...hmm...they seem so different at first, like they should clash and send you running for a new outfit...but the crazy thing is, if done right, they compliment each other.

...Pickles and Ice Cream.
These are also not supposed to go together, and yet...for a certain season of life there are many people who swear by it and love the contrasting combination.

...Bitter and Sweet.
That's right...seems like they conflict...until you take a bite of that dark chocolate delight and all of a sudden it makes sense.

...Fries and Frosty's
Again, it makes no sense, until you TRY it!

I could go on...but you get the idea.

I grew up with a double wammy in the holiday/birthday sharing department.  December 30th...close enough to Christmas to ruin the gift portion of your birthday, and close enough to New Years Eve to make it so you never had a birthday party that didn't involve staying up until midnight. Or no party at all because people were all partied out.

And yet...I can't imagine my birthday any other way.

I will never know what it means NOT to share my birthday with those holidays.  And really, I am okay with it. I tried celebrating my half birthday in July...it was odd. It felt strange to celebrate only me, not in combination with anything else...it was actually really uncomfortable. I can't imagine that kind of pressure year after year, birthday after birthday. ha.

So now I'm a mom.  I have two boys, the first one was born the day after Easter and consequently celebrates his birthday near that holiday each year.  My second boy was born two days before Thanksgiving.  And this year, his 1 year old birthday fell exactly on Thanksgiving day.

So I guess because of my own birthday experience being so closely tied into holiday celebrations...I know with no one telling me, what a bummer it is and what a joy it also is.  So as we celebrate Thanksgiving and also the birth of my son on the same day, all I can think of is the word "Embrace".

Rather than try to celebrate them separately, or try to distinguish the events from each other...I have decided to embrace that these two events go together. While everyone else was thinking of what they were thankful for, I already knew what was first on my list this year, I thank God for my son Lucas and the wonderful first year of his life I was able to experience and be apart of. We ended the day with birthday singing and presents torn open by baby hands. It really was a great thank-irthday ;)

Sweet as pie!

going flying

did I tell ya about the time we took the boys flying? just for the fun of it?

well, we loaded up a back pack with a few distractions and treats and took ourselves to the Nashville Airport and flew to Birmingham. It was great fun for all.

flight path!

Judah had been asking and asking to go fly with daddy, and Lucas hadn't been on a flight yet so we decided that while Lance had a couple days off, we would fly just for the fun of it.

We literally got to our destination and then turned right back around and came home.  Well, I did get a starbucks while we were waiting, so I guess I could say I flew to Birmingham to get a hot chocolate ;)

We also took a few pictures of the boys in airplane waiting area chairs. gooooood times people.

It was exhausting.  And fun! ;)

The boys really liked it.  Judah got a little scared when he realized how high up we were, but was quickly reassured. Lucas just had fun with all the new sites and sounds and people.  He did great.

It was a great father/son outing (even though they kindly brought me along).

the ceiling fan incident of 2012

...it was an innocent moment, daddy scooping son up and tossing him in the air to encourage a smile, father and son separated for days enjoying each other in a rough and tumble way that only a daddy can do.

when all of a sudden.

tears. pain. and less than 2 seconds later mommy scoops in and hugs the crying son like only a mommy can do. more crying. failed attempts at ice packs. big sobs and heaving chests. deep breaths and big hugs. shuddering breath.  assessing the damage. prayers to the one who heals. instant regret and guilt, accidents happen we tell ourselves, but our hearts don't understand.

trauma handled with all the grace that was possible in the moment.

back into daddy's arms, more tears and lots of hugs.

now who's in the mood for some turkey? sigh...yeah. that was a hard one. even the bystanders felt the pain.

the ceiling fan that is normally not on because it clinks and makes noise...on full power to help beat the heat of a thanksgiving day oven...we all despise that fan now...particularly the son, especially the daddy.

sweet jbyrd ate a LOT of turkey despite the tears.

I am thankful for health, and for bodies that heal.
I am thankful for daddies who scoop sons up for rowdy hugs.
I am thankful for grace to get through a hard moment with the people I love the most and hold the dearest to my heart.
I am thankful that Jesus is in the business of healing ears.  (just like the guard in the garden of Gethsemane was probably really thankful)

sweet as Pumpkin Pie!

Happy Thanksgiving everyone!
Today is a double holiday around here...

For a while now Judah has been asking everyone he knows "what's your number?".  It is his way of saying "how old are you?" ha. It's pretty cute. It's not an easy one to answer though when he was trying to figure out how old his baby brother was. "He doesn't have a number!?!" It was hard to comprehend.

But no more!

Today, Lucas gets his first number ;)

Little sweetie is 1 year old and sweet as pumpkin pie.

Some Lucas stats:

He is not quite 25 lbs

He is 33" tall, which is off the charts of course.

He has 7 teeth and there are 5 on the way, soon, poor baby. I can see that last front tooth almost coming in and he is teething on his molars really hard right now, his doctor said they were coming really soon!

He says "what?!" clear as day. 

He says "mama" and "da". 

He says "ahh dah" which translates to All Done! (he also does the sign for it)

He says "muh" which means nursies. It's not the right word, but he communicates quite clearly what he wants!

He says "uh-oh!" every time he drops something, or sees something on the floor, or is about to throw something...you get the idea.

He says "mmmmmmuh" when he's giving kisses.

He mimiks lots of noises and sounds and words people say, but those are the staple of his word diet. 

He loves to read books.

He loves to play ball. 

He loves laughing with his brother, they are gigglers together. It's sweet.

He loves nursies.

He love love loves his daddy.

He loves the dirt pile in the back yard.

He loves the baby monitor, he swipes it every morning and walks around the house with it.

He loves fishy crackers.

He loves to make monkey noises.

When he doesn't love something, he lets you know! He lays on the floor and throws baby fits. It's kinda hilarious actually.  He also screeches...which is not hilarious, it's painful to the ears. Hoping these little stages end soon cause oy!

Lucas really is a joy. Even his bad isn't so bad. It has been a wonderful first year. I can't imagine our lives without him.

Happy Birthday little turkey!

Your mama loves you.

little thing

miss my dad...what he smelled like...

desperate times desperate measures

Today was rough, I spent most of it in bed.  How is this possible with two kids and a husband who is gone for several days at work? It's called "hire a babysitter". Not how I wanted to spend my money, but it was worth every penny.

wait, who am I talking to again?!

Judah talks a lot. Like non-stop. It's great cause he's smart and learning and all of that, but it also tests my patience to levels I never knew I could be tested...cause it's not like I can just smile and nod, he requires interactive talking...and sometimes a mommy just wants 5 minutes of time to think.

We take "quiet breaks" in the car, mostly because whoever is driving needs to be able to concentrate on driving instead of all the talking...plus we are all confined in one space so nerves get rattled quicker.  Usually the "quiet break" is full of "can I talk now mommy" moments, so they aren't really all that quiet...but we try.

All that to say, today as I was yelling (sigh...yes, I yell) in the car "Judah! Stop being so IMPATIENT!!!!" as he was asking me about when something was going to happen and asked me about 7 times in a row...I questioned whether I was yelling at him or at myself.  Because in that moment, I had lost all patience. All.

Judah got quiet for about 10 seconds (an eternity for him) and then he said "mommy, you are talking really sassy to me". ha. it was true, and I had to apologize for yelling and being "sassy".

It is a challenge to teach your child patience, when you are learning the lesson right along side them.

Superbaby!

Lucas was Superman for Halloween...He played the part well I think ;)  Judah was spiderman and he also did his part in representing a superhero well.

We spent a weekend in St. Louis visiting my little bro and his family and we brought the costumes along for some good cousin fun. On our drive home to Nashville, we stopped in Metropolis for a photo opp. It was so fun :)

Isn't he Super? :)

Well, I had a chance to put this little darling into a photo contest and boy was it fun...tons of friends voted on facebook and we took 2nd place...lucky for us, it is a small business and they are generous and kind...they offered us a prize package as well!  So we get 3 free haircuts at Snip-Its as well as a free cheeseburger at this local place and the cool prize was going to a Zinghopper show! It was sold out and boy was it a blast...the boys loved it!

Don't know what a Zinghopper is?  well, watch PBS kids in Nashville and you will find out pretty quick...or click the link and browse their website :)

Here is Lucas enjoying the show!

Judah loved meeting the Conductor afterwards...Lucas was fixated on grabbing his hat ;) ha.

Here's a picture of us on actual Halloween evening...it was fun going through the neighborhood and gathering candy ;) yum!

Our Halloween was SUPER!  Hope yours was too!


***photobucket keeps changing things...need to figure out how to resize photos...but can't do it now...sorry if it bugs ya...I'll fix it in a couple days.***

it's beginning to look a lot like...

Christmas movies have started on the Hallmark Channel.  I am a happy girl.


once upon a time I had time. to do things I like, like blog. But alas...it's a rarity these days.  what is it about having two kids that is more than double the work/exhaustion? I don't know. I just know it is.

by the time my kids are in bed. I am toast. my brain is mush. my thoughts are mixed. and I still have things to do so I can do it all over again.

I'm in the process of making these things called "busy bags" I'll link to the pinterest page I have that shows what I'm talking about. better than me trying to explain. but the idea is basically a bag with an activity in it that will occupy a preschooler long enough for you to accomplish something.  Tonight I made dinner while a busy bag did it's job. I have hope. Plus it has been fun to be creative.

okay. I realize this isn't a riveting blog post. but there ya have it.

I should add, we do post a lot of pictures with short bursts of what is going on in our lives...and the link to that is here on instagram, I actually think it's more interesting than my blog at the moment. It's easier for sure, I can do it from my iphone and bam, it's out there for all the world to follow. So pop over there for some fun pics of my sweet family.

blessings!