Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween from this nerd and her little peanut!

We hope you have a wonderful day!  

But not so much fun that you want to slap yo' mama!

Since this little peanut is too small for candy, we aren't going trick-or-treating this year.  

But maybe my hot new dress will get me a date with the hubs?

Foster's Curious George 1st Birthday Party {Part 1}

We had a wonderful time at Foster's Curious George Birthday Party.  It was held at the same place that Wood and I got married.  I just love how pretty everything is at W's aunt and uncle's home.

I'm going to break down the party details into several posts, so I hope y'all will just hang in there with me!

The forecast called for beautiful sunshine, but mother nature decided to throw in some crazy strong wind!  I was not expecting it at all.  I went to set up some things on Friday and as soon as I would get something up, it would blow half-way across the pasture!  Saturday morning before the guests' arrived I was still trying to anchor things down.  Despite the wind, everything still turned out just fine. 

Lesson learned.... next years party will be held indoors!

There was another hay bail that said happy birthday that welcomed the guests' into the driveway.

These popcorn containers filled with rocks still didn't withstand the wind, so I switched them out for the pots of mums.  The mums actually worked really well with the pinwheels in them.

Do you see the table cloths taped down? Pretend you don't see that, okay;)

I absolutely loved the time capsule idea!  I am definitely going to be doing this with all of our children!  That jar is now packed full of sweet notes and mementos from the party.  I think it is going to be so much fun to look back in seventeen years and remember his special day!

Foster and Rives.

The baby pool full of balls turned out to be a big hit with all the smaller children.  

They loved climbing in and out of it and rolling around in the balls.  We now have this baby pool of balls in the play room!

I painted this old window pane with chalkboard paint and it makes for a pretty good little message board.

I used a Curious George book at the entrance as a "guest book" to be signed by everyone as they came into the party.  This will be a great keepsake to look back on to remember his birthday.

Photography:  Kelli Alfreds Images

Foster's Birthday Outfit:  Buds n' Branches

Invitations:  etsy

Much more coming soon!

hey, what's so funny?!

Today, we had "family day."  We went out of town, because that is what you have to do if you live in Selma and want to go shopping.  Well, shopping for some things anyway. 

I got my pumpkin spice latte and then we just piddled around while I tried to soak up the awesomeness of just being with my hubby and little man without several other people being around at the same time.  I absolutely love time with these two!  

If you have been around here for awhile, you know that Foster is a total character.  He has the silliest little personality and he makes us laugh all the time.  

As I was putting him back into his car seat today, and he was all buckled in, he looked over at me and starting laughing... at absolutely nothing.  

Yes, just laughing at nothing. 

For your viewing pleasure:  The Happiest Baby on the Block!

If you needed a laugh today, I hope this helps! :)

fill in the blank

Today I'm linking up with Lauren @ The Little Things We Do.

You should go link up too and then let me know so I can read your post!

1.   When I was a kid I wanted to be      a stay at home Mom   when I grew up.

2.   As an adult, my dream job would be  an interior designer/event planner.

3.  W hen I was younger I wanted to be just like  my Mom .

4. The childhood Halloween costume that I remember most was when I was    a gypsy.  I had long red fingernails to go with my costume and I thought I looked so funky.

5.  My favorite childhood toy was    dolls.  I had tons of them and I treated them like real live babies. I cared for them so carefully and pretended to be a Mommy non-stop.

6.  The time I got into the biggest amount of trouble when I was a kid was when I    brought home a puppy after a weekend at a friend's house.  I told them that my parents said it was fine, but I didn't even ask!  The puppy was a mutt, covered in fleas and hadn't had any shots.  All I wanted to do was take care of it!  My Mom was so mad!

7.  I get daily inspiration from    bloggers, Pinterest, design books & magazines, friends.

oh, the waiting game...

God has definitely taught me some lessons in my lifetime so far.  Some easy and some have been down-right painful to endure!  But I'm better for it now.

I know that we won't ever stop learning and growing in Christ until we are in His presence forever.  We shouldn't ever think that we have all the answers.

The current lesson I'm learning is ..."wait upon the Lord"  Y'all have heard me say it before but..."Wait...ugh!"  

It's so hard!

When we moved here, to the big city, (Ha!) we knew it would take a little time to find a house, but it is taking even more time than that!

I won't go into all the details, but the gist of it is we are super picky about neighborhoods. When we find something we like- it needs a gazillion dollars in work.... or has major foundational issues.... or the people don't want to move until next year! 

Basically, God just has not opened up the door.

 via weheartit.com

We have been in much prayer about this. And now, I have joy in my heart knowing that my God cares enough about me that he is picking out the perfect house for my family. He knows how bad we want this and he is carefully putting the pieces together.  

As frustrating as this is to me now, I know that what we end up with will be so much better than what we would have if we just went with something because we didn't want to wait.  There is a big life lesson right there!

Yesterday Wood told me that the Lord told him to read the Proverb for the day.  Yesterday was October 24th. 

Proverbs 24:1-4

Do not be envious of evil men, or desire to be with them; 

Their minds devise violence and their lips talk to trouble. 

By wisdom a house is built, And by understanding it is established; 

And by knowledge the rooms are filled 

With all precious and pleasant riches.

I'm thankful that God has a plan and a purpose for our lives.  I know that He is going to do a better job at working this out than I could!

Have you ever had to wait a long time for something you really wanted? 

we did it again....

On Friday I took the little guy to the pumpkin patch.  The church school was taking the kindergartners, so we rode up there and then split up to do our own thing.  

There were a lot of things that Foster wasn't big enough to do yet, but he and I still had a great time together!

He had fun playing in the Indian's tee pee...

and playing with the pumpkins...

There were a lot of school children there and this one little girl couldn't stop saying how cute Foster was! She wanted to touch him and show him all the pumpkins.  

The way he is looking at her just makes me laugh!

I hope y'all had a great weekend!  What did you do?

Liebster Award

The Liebster Blog Award...



The cute Ashley from The Christian Wife Life gave me a little blog award the other day.  It was so nice of her to think of me!  Ashley loves the Lord and is new to the blessing of marriage.  She is honest and humble in her blog posts and seeks to live a life of passion.  Go meet her-  you will be glad you did!

What does the Liebster Blog Award mean?

The Liebster Blog Award is given to up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers. Liebster is a German word meaning dear, sweet, kind, nice, good, beloved, lovely, kindly, pleasant, valued, cute, endearing, and welcome.

To keep this award going, pass the award along to 5 other new deserving bloggers who have less than 200 followers.

The rules for the Liebster Blog Award are:

1. Thank the giver and link back to the blogger who gave it to you. 

2. Reveal your top 5 picks and let them know by leaving a comment on their blog

3. Copy and paste the award on your blog 

4. Have faith that your followers will spread the love, too!

My 5 Liebster bloggers:

1.  Gail at Sophisticated Steps is beautiful inside and out!  You may already know her, but if not you should head over there and meet her.  She is a great Mom and wife and a very talented photographer AND she can sew!  She is my muli-talented blog friend. While you are over there you should also check out her boutique The Pea Closet and order something.

2.  Kylee at Learning to Abandon is a cute college student.  She has such a sweet heart and is very honest in her writing.  She also has a lot of love for her family.  Go meet this sweet girl!

3.   My awesome friend Angie at Living like Kings is so much fun!  She is so easy to get to know and you will feel like you have known her forever once you start reading her blog.  She has an adorable family and I think you will be so glad you met them!

4.  I just met Taylor from The Presutti's so I think y'all should go meet her too!  She and her hubs are so cute and she is also a bit crafty!  She is also a law school wife, so I know specifically how to pray for them!

5.  Rayne, from Osborn Originals, is so down to earth and kind.  She has a cute little boy that is going to be good friends with Foster when they are bigger. She and her hubs are both dentist and they love the Lord.  You will love getting to know them and getting glimpses into their life!

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5.  I just met Taylor over at The Presutti's, so I think y'all should meet her too!  She and I may have a lot in common and she is also very crafty.  Her hubby is in law school so I know specifically how to remember her in my prayers:)

5.  I just met Taylor from The Presutti's and I think y'all should go meet her too!  She is very crafty and I think she and I may have a lot in common.  Her hubs is in law school so I know how to specifically pray for them!

Well there you have it!  Go check out these lovely ladies' blogs!

Lately

Hello Friends!  

I've been a little absent lately and really bad about returning emails and phone calls.  I have been so super busy!

 I have been running everywhere I go!  Seriously running.  And also speeding around town in the Camry. Ha!  All while talking on the phone and trying to answer messages (but only at the red lights, of course.)

I'm going to number the recent happenings to keep it organized, ok?  Each of these things could probably just be a post of their own.

1.  We started a Bible study this week and my MIL is doing it.  I have the privilege of taking her and I think it is going to be great.

2.  Foster started Mother's Day Out this week.  They don't exactly call it that but its only for 3 1/2 hours, two days a week, so that's MDO to me!

His first day... he was not so sure about this! Surprisingly, they said he cried a lot. He never does that, but I guess it's just his age now.   Thankfully, his second day was better.

3.  My "Aunt Martha" passed away and her funeral was this week.  She was 94.  She wasn't really my aunt more like my grandmother's first cousin, but that's what we call her.  I was going to the funeral until the babysitter canceled, so I had to stay home and miss it.  

4.  On Wednesday, Wood got sworn in to the Alabama State Bar in Montgomery. That was a long, kinda boring thing, but they were all official and slammed the gavel.  I was happy to see him finally accomplish everything he set out to do. 

5.  Also, this was my very first week at my new job as the youth leader at church.  You heard right, I'm the lucky one that gets to hang out with teenagers, listen to attitude, take them on fun trips and teach them more about Jesus.  We have a lot to get in order but I'm excited and humbled about this new venture.  I'm not surprised though-  God has told me for years that I would work with youth.

I am so dependent on the Lord. I need Him and want Him more than anything to rule my heart in every way. 

via

I don't feel like a typical youth pastor.  You know, don't you have an idea in your head of a youth pastor?

I pray that God will use me in spite of myself.  

My heart's desire for these students is that they will not give in the "norm" or what our culture says is okay, but they will be filled with the Holy Spirit and want more from this life!  I want them to live with ONE purpose and passion for God's best!

I would be continuing to run around like crazy woman, because we are supposed to be on the way to Birmingham to see one of my favorites- Brett Dennen tonight, but the hubs is not feeling well, so we aren't going.  I love Brett's music-  it just puts me in a good mood.  Do you know it?  I added one of his songs to the left sidebar at the top, so go click on it and listen while you finish reading.

Go ahead... I'll just wait here.

6.  Foster went to his new doctor today for his 12 month appointment.  Its much more practical to go here in town instead of keeping our doctor in Tuscaloosa. Everything looks good and his cough and ear-grabbing is nothing.  

I let him tear up the paper and he thought it was so much fun!  You know, I'm a fun Mom like that.

We have another fun day planned tomorrow and I just got a CD in the mail of Birthday pictures, so come back tomorrow for more!

the weekend

Saturday we went to Market Day in downtown Selma.  I like to look around, but I specifically wanted to see if Amos Kennedy would be there with his prints.  I've seen him at different events and I've bought a few of them in the past.  He wasn't there this year, but I found a couple other little things.

 There were these miniature ponies that were giving children rides.  Foster loves animals and this was his first time to see a horse.  He sat so still on the pony and then he very quietly talked to the horse in his squeaky voice.  It's so sweet!

Wood's friend Ben, that he met at UA, rode down on his motorcycle with his girlfriend Alana.  

Check out the handle bars on that thing!

                      

 We gave them a tour and showed them all the sights of the City of Selma! 

I left Foster playing with his Uncle Luke today and I came back to find this little man!

Oh my word, that backwards hat.  It's just too much!

12 things i love about you

I'm still stuck on pause that Foster has turned one and he's moving into toddlerhood.  Maybe being a toddler doesn't start until walking, so I'm still good.  At any rate, in honor of this big milestone I want to make a list of 12 reasons that i love my little guy.

12 reasons that I love you....

-  i love your joy that is radiating

-  your contagious laughter

-    your beautiful blue eyes

-  your chubby little fingers and extra wide baby shoes

-  your voice and the way it sounds hoarse sometimes when you 'talk' to me

-  the overwhelming thankfulness i feel when i'm rocking you to sleep

-  your wild curls

-your love for people.  I pray you always keep a love for all people

-  the heart shaped birthmark on your foot

-  the happiness people feel when they get to spend time with you

-  your still gummy little smile

-  your love for laughing, playing and being silly

Foster, thank you for blessing your Daddy and I with a fantastic first year!  We look forward to many more wonderful years with you!

*image via  weheartit.com

the pumpkin patch

Yesterday we met Wood at his office after closing time, so I could see what else I need to do in there for decorating.  It's still a lot!  He's been telling me everyday to finish, but it's hard to get a lot of extra things done when caring for a one-year old.  He just won't sit still in the frame shop!

We are thinking about putting him in "school" a couple of days a week and I think it will be great for my little social guy!  And I could catch up on my blogging- KIDDING!

After a quick evaluation of his decorating needs, we walked over to the pumpkin patch so Foster could get his own little pumpkin.

I think this is his first time in a wagon.  

He thought it was fun, but he held on so tightly.  I think he is going to be very careful- just like his Daddy!

 

He is still not walking.  I work with him everyday, but he wants nothing to do with it!

After picking out his pumpkin he had to throw it, of course! 

We had a great time looking at all the pumpkins!  As I was putting this post together, I remembered where I was at the first of October last year....

Just being "as big as a pumpkin patch!" and waiting on my little pumpkin to arrive.  

Wow, how things change in a year!  Happy Fall Y'all!!