Easter 2015

This year, Easter came earlier than last year so it was Mac's second Easter. Friday evening we went to Easter service at our church. Saturday Mac went with his Queenie & Poppie to see the Easter bunny, while mommy & daddy started packing the house. It's just a few weeks until we move, so we are trying to get prepared. Mac loved the bunny, and we got a great picture of them together this year! Like I said in an instagram post over the weekend, at our house we see no harm in the Bunny as long as we teach our children why we celebrate this beautiful time of the year. Saturday evening we went to church with our family, then Sunday morning the Easter bunny hopped by our house and that afternoon we had dinner with family and the little ones played. It was a great weekend celebrating our Risen Savior!

Mac's 1 Year Pictures

My sweet friend, Kylie, from OK Momma did Mac's 1 Year Photo Shoot a few weeks back. She also took his newborn pictures last year, so it seemed completely appropriate to ask her to do these too. I couldn't be happier with the way these pictures turned out! She was so patient with us as Mac had a couple of melt downs during our little session with her. 

Kylie did a fabulous job capturing his personality. I am so grateful for these little memories that I'll cherish forever of our little nugget. Mac looks like such a big boy in some of these! In some his hair looks like it has a red tint, but I think it was the red background and lighting. He is definitely transitioning to a toddler and isn't a baby anymore. (You'll also notice that he loves the cake!) I still cannot believe he turns a whole year old in just a few days!

March Wrap-Up.

Time marches on! The sayin' is true. It's hard to believe the first quarter of 2015 is already over and we're now in April. Where does time go these days?! March was a big month around our house and lots of exciting things happened.

At the beginning of the month, we officially listed our house with a realtor and it sold within 2 days! We'll be moving to our new house later this month, and there will be more to come on that in another post. We've found the perfect home for our family to settle and grow in for several years to come!

My sister and I had a GNO and went to see Miranda Lambert in concert. It was a great time! I've already been to more concerts this year than I've been to  in the last 5. Ha!

We started having gorgeous weather here in OK, and we spent lots of time outside. Mac LOVES being outside in the sunshine!

Mac's daycare was closed a couple days for spring break, so my grandma came to stay a couple days and keep him. While DeeDee was here, we also paid a visit to his great MamMaw Mac. 

I celebrated my 28th birthday, and my boys spoiled me. That's pretty much how we ended the month. April looks to be very busy, as lots of exciting things are going on for our little family. Stay tuned... until then, that's a wrap!

Dear Mac,

I cannot believe that almost a whole year of your life has already gone by. It seems like only days ago we were all anxiously awaiting your arrival into the world, and now it's nearing time to celebrate you turning one. You are the light of our lives, and have brought our family so much joy. Your daddy and I never dreamed being parents would be so much fun and rewarding.

I sit here and look through old pictures of all your firsts and can't do anything but smile and cry. You are the biggest blessing to our little family and I'm so grateful God picked you for your Daddy and I. You have grown so much over the past year, and it's been pure bliss watching you change and develop your little personality. From the first time you opened your eyes, the first time you rolled over, the first time you crawled, and those first steps you took..every little thing you've done has been amazing, and made us so proud! You remind me every day that God knows best. The day we found out you would be joining our family hundreds of emotions ran through my head, but as I sit here tonight while you're sleeping in your crib, I know without a doubt that God's timing was (is) perfect.

I love the way you adore your daddy! Your face lights up when he comes into the room and I pray that you two always share the special bond you have now. You love when daddy chases you before bedtime, and squeal happy sounds when he gets you. It makes mama's heart smile watching the two of you together. I love seeing you get so excited for bath time in the evenings, and I cannot wait to see you play at the beach this summer. You're a little water baby! I love hearing you say mama, and enjoy seeing you and your furry sister play so well together. She was your mama's very first baby you know. ;)

I see characteristics of both your daddy and myself in you! Some people say you look like daddy, while others think you look like mama but we feel like you're the perfect mixture of us both. I promise that your daddy and I will always be your number one fans.You can count on us to always be there for you. We will always be together, and we promise to never involve you if we ever encounter problems between the two of us. We are a family, and we're in this together.

We will soon go from counting weeks and months, to counting years. While that makes your mama sad that a whole year has already flashed by, I know the best years are yet to come! We now cannot imagine our life without you. We love you to the moon and back times 1000, sweet boy!

XOXO,
Mama

28 things to know...

Last week I turned 28. I know I still am young, but I've learned a lot in my life thus far. I've still got a lot to learn, but today I'm sharing 28 things I've learned that I feel are important things to know about life.

1. You are only in control yourself. 
2. Some things you will never understand. 
3. Being a grown up isn't fun. 
4. The older you get, the faster time goes by. 
5. Saving money is important.
6. Your opinion is your own. Don't try to force it on other people.  
7. Real friends are hard to come by. 
8. Your mother usually does know best.
9. Things always work out the way they're supposed to be.
10. You reap what you sow. 
11. Be kind.
12. Never let anger get the best of you. People don't forget what you say and how it made them feel.
13. Hard work will always pay off.
14. You are capable of doing anything you set your mind to as long as you're willing to do the work it takes to achieve it.
15. Almost everyday is filled with new learning experiences if you just open your eyes.
16. There are times when it will be necessary to agree to disagree with others, and that's okay.
17. Always look out for yourself.
18. Love yourself, just the way you are.
19. Laugh often.
20. Happiness comes from within, not from others.
21. Dream big.
22. When you're having fun, time flies by.
23. Communication is key to successful relationships.
24. Don't wait for the storm to pass, learn to dance in the rain.
25. A pet will always show you unconditional love.  
26. Being a parent is the biggest, most rewarding, but also the most difficult, responsibility you'll ever be given. 
27. Be patient. Some things just take time. 
28. Love hard, but guard your heart.

Party Planning for the BIG #1!

It's hard to believe that it was a whole year ago when we were planning for our little man's arrival, and now we're beginning to plan for his first birthday extravaganza! I don't know where time goes, but I do know it goes by way too fast once you have a little of your own.

If you follow me on Pinterest you've probably noticed the planning of Mac's first birthday has commenced. I have been pinning lots of ideas lately. I've chosen to go with the theme of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse because that's Mac's favorite. If you could just see the smile that comes across his face when the boy sees Mickey come on TV, you'd understand why I say that. Plus, it's a theme that will be relatively easy to find and make things for. Kylie from OK Momma will be helping me with some fun ideas for the party. I am so blessed and grateful for her creative self and our friendship. It's been so much fun getting ideas together and collaborating for this BIG celebration, but it also makes me so sad that my baby boy is transitioning into a toddler. ::sigh::

Here are some of my favorite pins on Mac's 1st birthday board. You can see all that I'm pinning by following me on Pinterest!

11 months old

Mac is 11 months old today. I'm not too sure how I feel about this, but I don't really have any control over the time that passes by. I say it all the time like a broken record, but it's going by so fast. These past 11 months have been the best months of our lives, and we are grateful to God every day for blessing us with our little nugget!

This month started off a little rough for our little man. He was sick for the very first time over Valentine's weekend and it hurt this mama's heart. It was just a little cold with runny nose, fever, and a cough but it was still sad not seeing him feel good. He's all better now though, and back to his happy self again!

Mac started WALKING this month! Our baby boy is not so much a baby anymore, he is transitioning into a toddler. It's so much fun watching him grow and get his personality. He is definitely going to be all boy! He still loves bath time, and is now taking his baths in the big bathtub. He loves to splash and kick around in the water. I cannot wait to see him this summer when we go to the beach! I just know he's going to love it since he loves the water. Mac enjoys playing in his room with his toys and likes reading books. He still isn't fond of nap time, at least at home on the weekends, but he does sleep well at night. He is mr. independent, and we are discovering his temper. The boy can throw down a mean fit when something isn't going his way. He loves watching TV, and Mickey is still his favorite! He is talking all the time and can say, "no no," "dadda,"and "mama". He is wearing 12-18 month clothes, size 5 shoes, and size 4 diapers. He is taking a few bottles a day, and eating soft foods.

Mac,

It's so hard to believe that you are almost 1 year old! This year has flown by and we cannot imagine life without you. This time last year we were preparing for your arrival, and we're now planning your first birthday! You are the light of our life and have brought so much joy to us. We love you more than you'll ever know, sweet boy!

XOXO,

Mama