Amy's Wedding

We got to travel to Raleigh for the weekend for my cousin, Amy's, wedding. As little girls Amy and I would dress up in our mother's wedding gowns and pretend to be brides. It was special to be able to see her walk down the aisle in the gown she chose, and as expected, she was STUNNING.

Friday night began with the rehearsal dinner and party. Although it was raining, it was a fabulous event and the weather didn't matter! The picnic tables had a burlap and lace runner, a white lantern and two mason jars with gerber daisies -- they were so simple, yet pretty and perfect!!

We took this opportunity to take pictures with our family. You'll see that my children aren't loved at all -- not one single bit -- ha!

Emma and Poppi

Caroline and Susee

Jim helping Caroline with cake.

My sister, Katie, my Daddy and me

Saturday we had lunch at Jim and Lindsay's house, naps for the girls and then headed to the wedding. Unfortunately the flash on my phone camera was off, so those pictures turned out a bit dark :(

The flowers were absolutely gorgeous!! The main flowers were white hydrangeas that were HUGE and just beautiful!! The staff at the club converted the ballroom from wedding site to reception area during cocktail hour and it was fascinating to see how they used the flowers for each part of the day.

Caroline got to order a Shirley Temple during cocktail hour. Five minutes after we ordered it we realized this was her first soda EVER. She drank about two sips and then wanted her water. It was fun to let her indulge in something special.

My sweet girls.

Open bar text to Tyler's parents who were at his cousin's wedding in San Francisco. We had a play-by-play of that wedding via text all night!

Caroline made new friends and she danced the night away. She told my mom, "I like the band, it isn't too loud." Ha!

Tyler and I got to reconnect with a WFU friend -- Glenn -- who is Spencer, Amy's good friend and bridesmaid's, boyfriend. I love how with most WFU friends you pick up where you left off and really enjoy hearing about each other's lives. I also love how small the world is with family and a Wake friend in the same place. It was great to meet Spencer, too, she's great!

We had a wonderful weekend and we wish Amy and Ryan all the best!

Five on Friday

// one //
This is my first ever link-up. I'm trying to be more social in the blogosphere and I thought I would give this a shot. You can meet Darci, the creator of this link-up, here.

//two//
My family is attending my cousin's wedding this weekend. Amy, the bride, and I used to dress up in our mother's wedding dresses and pretend to be brides. I'm excited to see her as a real bride -- she is going to be beautiful!

//three//
Hello, The Good Wife!! Who saw last week coming? I love capping off our weekend with The Good Wife and I cannot wait to see how the season ends.

//four//
I am ready for summer swinging without hats and jackets. Winter is so overrated -- especially when it overstays it's welcome!

//five//
Coming up with five random things was harder than anticipated today.
Cheers to the weekend!!

This Girl ...

IS 2.5 YEARS OLD TODAY!! My sweet first girl is growing up entirely too fast, but she is so very fun! She has a gentle spirit and loves all people. It amazes me that she doesn't see differences in people as a bad thing -- her heart is so pure. 

Some of her loves include: 

Dressing up

Sliding at the park (that took a while)

School

Chapel at school

The story of The Last Supper

STICKERS

Coloring

Reading

Playing with Emma

Telling Emma what to do

Giving Bella treats

Swinging 

She also loves to twirl and dance. She loves music and I love to hear her little voice belt out songs from the back seat.

To you, sweet Caroline, we thank you for blessing us with your joy and smile each and every day of your life. We thank you for your imagination, your humble spirit and the way that you give to others.Your Daddy and I look forward to watching you grow up even more.

The Artist's Daughter

I am not a huge New Year's Resolution type girl, but I did start 2014 with a few goals in mind. One begin that I want to read more -- both fiction and nonfiction books throughout the year. The Artist's Daughter is the theme book for MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) this year and one of my MOPS friends led a book study in February. Of course, eager to continue plugging into the church and MOPS and anxious to check a title off the goal of the month I jumped in.

This inspiring story goes through the life of Alexandra Kuykendall and how her parents and their decisions shaped her. When discussing the book, we found that the same is true in our own lives. Decisions that we make for ourselves and our children often stem from experiences of our past -- be it good or bad.

I appreciated how real Alexandra's story is. It is one that twists and turns through excitement, rejection, pain, finding Jesus, meeting her husband, dealing with life, making friends, having babies, losing friends, losing loved ones, and being here to tell about it all. She was open about how situations made her who she is today and how she is going to take those experiences to become a better wife, mother, and friend. I encourage anyone who wants a gentle push to be "the real you," someone who isn't afraid to be real about what life throws at you, to pick up this book. I promise it will not disappoint.

Tips on Taking Meals to Others

Many of my friends are having babies and one of the most helpful things anyone can do for a new Mama is to provide dinner for her family. Although this is an extremely helpful task, it INTIMIDATES me like no other. I want the family to have enough food, I want them to like it -- and oh by the way -- I want to time everything so it is still warm when I get there. This isn't an easy task for me, but as I've taken meals, I have learned a few things to make it a little simpler.

1. Most of my friends are using Meal Train to organize meals for the family. This isn't just a baby-meal web site, so it can be used for any large group organizing meals for one specific family. It is a life-saver for everyone involved!

2. Cook enough for both your family and the family your feeding, thus creating less work in the long run for you. I usually also put something in the crock pot to make it even easier (see menu below).

3. Use disposable containers for the new Mama, this way she isn't concerned with returning your personal dishes.

4. Pay significant attention to their allergy requests. Funny story: the last family I cooked for said no nuts and no apples. I had this in my head the entire time I was planning, but when I began making the NUTella brownies I panicked. I simply called the mom and they were okay. Just remember that allergies include all ingredients not just the actual food.

5. Take paper plates and napkins, and plastic silverware to the new family so after-dinner clean-up is easy.

6. Bag it up neatly, put your pantless, shoeless children (no joke last Wednesday) in the car and deliver the meal. I leave the girls in the car to hint that I'm not staying long and definitely not impose on the new, tired mama.

Last week I took:
Pulled BBQ chicken (dump raw chicken and BBQ sauce in crock pot and cook)
Buns to make sandwiches
Macaroni and Cheese
Salad
Nutella Brownies

Do you have any tips or great recipes that you deliver for friends?

My Sweet Emma

Emma has a unique story. For the first seven weeks of her life, it was just the two of us and Caroline. My Mom was with me during delivery, and I traveled on the weekends to my parents, but for the majority of those weeks it was just us because Tyler was away. She came into the world on her own time, precisely when the Lord wanted her to appear, but it was still her time, not mine. AND this sweet girl came into the world SIDEWAYS, you read that correctly, sideways.

My Emma is a good baby; one who, even as a newborn, would sprawl out to sleep and when her tummy was full. She is energetic, strong, and super happy!

Yet in all the positive, I had trouble reading her, particularly from two months old until recently. I have felt so much guilt and angst about this. Thoughts of "you've done this before" or "what are you not trying or doing right?" crept into my head and stayed there, especially on nights when I just couldn't find a way to console my precious baby. I felt so embarrassed to admit these thoughts and feelings because she is my baby and I should know her better than anyone else. I also thought that I was the only Mom in the world to ever have these thoughts -- I now firmly believe I am not alone.

So this week we tried something new. Yes, my friends, 6.5 months into her life we're still figuring out Emma. I have been more aggressive about her napping and eating real food. I have found that Emma will happily push through whatever we are doing instead of napping as she should. So, I have discovered her little cues and when she is more clingy than usual, off to bed it is for her.

This new awareness of Emma's cues has made the last week better for all of us. Emma plays more and is less clingy, particularly around dinner time and she has even slept through the night a few nights this week -- a giant blessing from above. 

Feeling Lucky?!

Today is your LUCKY day! Let's kick off this dreary week with a little good luck! Here's the deal:

1) Anyone who comments on this post by 10 PM EST tonight will be entered in a drawing for a LUCKY 2-month supply of Night Renewing Serum ($90 value)

2) Anyone who takes this skin quiz will receive a FREE MINI-FACIAL in the mail (just send me your address)!  https://ginnavanzandt.myrandf.com/Pages/OurProducts/GetAdvice/SolutionsTool

3) Anyone who becomes a preferred customer TODAY, gets a LUCKY Essentials Product (lotion, sunscreen, self-tanning foam or lip balm)....see all products here: https://ginnavanzandt.myrandf.com/Shop

HAPPY ST. PATRICK'S DAY!!

Athleta

Is premiering on Zulily Wednesday morning at 6 AM. They are an activewear company that is owned by the Gap/Old Navy/Banana Republic corporation. I like their products and was just going to place an order; I think I'll wait.

I'm pretty excited to check out what they have for sale -- I'm sure it will be super hot, so be sure to check it out bright and early!

**Photos courtesy of Zulily**

Recovering ...

What a week this has been for us!! It began Wednesday morning at 3:40 am -- a morning I had vowed to wake up early for quiet time during this Lenten season -- but alas, Emma had different plans. She woke up early, but was remarkably clingy, snotty, and drooly, can we say teething?

Goooood morning, teething baby.

I found that the day/week wasn't a complete loss because I was homebound and could just enjoy the girls. Caroline and I made play dough with Emma strapped to me.

We read, cuddled, and just enjoyed each other. We hosted our "first Army friend," Kevin Larrabee, Thursday night for dinner. It was quite fun to see him and catch up about our different, yet somewhat similar lives. Hop over to Kate, his wife's, blog for beautiful pictures of their boys and life in DC. We hope to visit with him and Kate again soon here in Fayetteville or in DC.

On Saturday morning, Tyler's weeks-long cold finally caught up with me and I sound like a muffled, raspy person. Fortunately, you cannot hear my voice. So I took a 2.5 hour nap yesterday and he let us indulge in ice-cream for dinner .. a practice he is not remarkably fond of!

But, today is a new day and the beginning of a new week. The sun is out and we are hoping Spring is here to stay!

How was your weekend? Are you ready for Spring?

Go Deacs!!

Need I say more? One of Wake's greatest traditions is rolling the quad with toilet paper after our sporting teams win. I had the privilege of attending Wake Forest when we were remarkably good at football and basketball (and field hockey and golf and soccer and and and). I did not see Wake lose a basketball game until sophomore year and I helped cheer the Deacs onto the Orange Bowl -- our greatest football season to date.

Tonight, I am thrilled for the seniors who finally got to beat Dook. I am excited that they finally got to see the basketball team beat Carolina, State and Dook (a NC sweep) in one season before they graduate, BUT, and this is a HUGE BUT, I pray this does not mean that Wake will keep our dismal basketball coach. #buzzoutimmediately Go Deacs!!

I've Missed This...

Hello!! As you know, it has been quite a while since my last post and I am sorry for that. For a time I felt as though I had nothing anyone wanted to hear or read, particularly when it came to the ho-hum, day-in, day-out rhythm of our life.

I spent an enormous amount of time thinking about what I am not ... I am not a great photographer nor do I have the ability to dump ingredients into a pot to produce a delicious meal on a whim. I am not a huge party planner or a girl with great fashion sense or a thriving social life.

In comparing myself to others I lost sight of who I AM and who I was purposefully created to be.

I AM a child of God. I AM a wife, mother, daughter, and sister. I AM a writer, I HAVE a voice (and a brain) and I CAN use it for good. Although I don't always get it right, I make an effort to be the best I can be in the roles I have defined. I have stories to share and mistakes you can learn from. I have more to learn and more love to give. And so my hope is to use this space, this space I have missed, to write and I pray that through that writing I will find my voice, my gift, and my unique way to share the love and encouragement I have to give.

"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work."

1 Corinthians 12:4-6

Please share this blog, comment, and offer thoughts and questions along the way. Cheers to coming back into the blogosphere!