Marathon Training Update

Well, we're 6 weeks away from Dooms Day....

Er...

I mean, my very first full marathon.

I've run many races before, but never this far. And this training deal is no joke. It's almost like having a part-time job with the amount of time it takes. I'll be honest, it hasn't been fun. I whine and moan to Bryant before every medium to long run I have to do... which is every other day or so.  So he's probably excited this race is only 6 weeks away now. Only 6 more weeks of him having to listen to my complaints.

So I've finished my longest run to date (3 hours of my life spent on the Germantown Greenway and at Shelby Farms last Sunday) and have come to the conclusion that I am actually going to finish this race.

26.2 miles.

REALLY??

Who does that??

Well, lots of people... but whatever. You can pick up what I'm throwing down.

Despite all the whining I've been doing to everyone who will listen Bryant and a few close friends. I'm super excited that this is going to happen.

What I'm MOST excited about is this race works to raise MILLIONS of dollars for the precious kids at St Jude Research Hospital and their families. I don't think I would have signed up for any other marathon to be my first (and possibly my last), because of that.

Donations and fundraisers like this marathon work to fund research and treatments of childhood cancer at St. Jude. But I think one of the coolest things about this hospital is that no family ever has to pay St. Jude for anything, including lodging, food and travel.

As a mom - that tugs at my heart. That, because of donations from generous people (both small and large), families with sick children have one less thing to worry about (and let's be real... it could be a $$HUGE$$ issue) besides their child's health.

So, here's my plea.

If you are willing and able, I would GREATLY appreciate it if you would help the cause at St. Jude with me. Any and all donations are welcome! My goal is $500, and I have already raised $285. So we're 57% there! And all my funds have to be raised by Nov. 15th.

If you are on-board, click over to MY FUNDRAISING PAGE to donate. Thank you so much!

And wish me luck in not breaking myself during the actual run!! Ha!

Cast Iron Annoyingness

Recently, the husby and I decided to switch out our trusty Calphalon cook wear for something newer. After over seven years of use, it was time for them to go. Bryant was convinced the exterior coloring that was wiping off on our hands was going to cause us to grow three heads or something.  (It turns out the non-stick pots and pans we had are NOT dishwasher safe. Oops. It only took seven years to figure it out.)

So anyway, we decided to not only replace our set, but also cut down on the number of them we owned. 

We went from six or seven pieces to only three. (We kept an extra large stainless steel pot). Because let's be real. Bryant only uses one pot to cook Quinoa and one other to saute veggies.... and me? Well, I don't cook. 

So without any research or anything, we jumped on Amazon and ordered these two cast-iron pieces.

 

Now, remember when I mentioned above that we have been putting our non-stick items in the dishwasher for the past seven years? Well, I'll be honest with you - it was due to sheer laziness and not a lack of knowing how to properly care for them. But don't judge me. Who likes to HANDWASH anything these days?

Not me.

Well...

I'm here to inform you.

These items above? Well, they are not dishwasher safe either.

NOR can you just wash them and put them away.

Oh, no...

You must "treat" them after every use.

SERIOUSLY????

After HANDwashing them, they must be dried immediately, and then "seasoned" with a light coat of vegetable oil.

SERIOUSLY.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that these things are heavier than a dead preacher. The label should come with a warning sign that reads: 

Not a joke.

I almost broke myself last night lifting the Dutch Oven one into the sink. Water and soap was everywhere.

However, with all that being said, they cook great!! So if you are interested in pre and post treating all your cookware and throwing out your back on a daily basis, I recommend investing in this bad boy and this bad boy!

100th Birthday Parties

This past weekend, my family & I drove up to Kentucky for my great aunt's 100th birthday party.

Yes.

100.

A century.

No big deal.

Anyway, my Aunt Chris has been saying for the past few years that she hasn't wanted a birthday party until she turns 100. It's funny, because I never doubted she would make it to see 100. As I sat with her in her room (while she read the birthday cards she had opened and read already... she's totally forgiven that her memory slips sometimes. I mean, it's been working hard for 100 years.), she told me she never thought she'd make it to 100.

I told her I always knew she would.

She laughed at me.

My sister said it best on FB.
"So blessed to have this lady in my life, grew up just blocks from her. She taught me how to play cards, taught me that there was nothing better than a cold orange soda on a hot summer day, let us bang around on her piano and with such patience taught us to play (a little!), showed me that a love for Jesus and living for him is the key to a long, happy, fulfilled life! She let us turn her basement into our extra playroom and never once got mad at us if (WHEN) we broke or messed something up. So blessed to have her in my life!!!"

HAPPY 100th BIRTHDAY, Aunt Chris!!

Below are some other photos from the weekend. It's always a good time heading back home to Kentucky with family!

Surprise early b-day party for Kailee!

I'm Published

So for those of you who don't know... I was a cheerleader. For years... more like eons, it feels like sometimes. Besides coaching, I even worked full time in the cheer industry for a number of years for a company called Varsity. (UCA, to be more exact). If you don't know anything about cheerleading, Varsity is the mecca of all things spirit-related. You know those cheer competitions you see on ESPN in the spring? Yeah, that's Varsity.

I'm lucky enough to still be involved in the activity too, judging regional and national competitions during the fall and spring.

Recently, I was approached by American Cheerleader Magazine to be a freelance writer for them, and because of my love of cheerleading and sharing my random thoughts the written word I jumped up and down and did a jig calmly and cooly accepted.

Well, the latest issue is out and my first article with them is printed! I'm pumped. I've had multiple articles published online and locally, but never in something you can purchase in Barnes & Noble. So I'm excited.

So go check out the latest issue... give it a looksie... hell, just go ahead and purchase it... and let me know what you think of the article.

And if you don't like cheerleading... indulge me anyway! ;-) Ha!

What I'm Loving

Here's a quick list of my current obsessions interests.

Book 1 of the
"Mark of the Lion" series

• I have read a TON over the past couple months. And I am hoping to keep it up, but am not optimistic with the kids getting crazier and crazier by the day. Right now, I get my reading done roughly every 3-4 hours or so... that includes the middle of the night... when I'm feeding Meda. I'm smack dab in the middle of the Mark of the Lion series by Francine Rivers, and it is phenomenal. I highly recommend it. I'm currently also reading a few other books at the same time for my bible studies too. If you are on Goodreads, send me a request. I love that site! Other books piled up ready for me to start are:

As Sure as the Dawn

Brain on Fire

Seriously... I'm Kidding

Gone with the Wind

(*who doesn't know this story? But I want to actually read the book instead of just the movie!)

• Shhhh... this next one is a secret from my frugal husband.... but I've been working on stocking up on my shoe collection and recently added these babies to the mix. My friend had them, so I copied her and ordered my own pair. (Hey, imitation is the best form of flattery, right?)

• I am becoming OBSESSED with eBay. Thankfully, not as a buyer... but I am literally cleaning out my closet and selling everything I haven't worn in a while! When I say obsessed, I mean I literally check it every few hours to see if I have any more "views" or "watchers." And when there's a bid?? Oh, man... you better believe I do a jig. (Said "jig" may have remnents of The Tootsie Roll in it too. Oh yes. Get pumped.) I mentioned this before, but I also sold some old iPhones I had and made a decent amount of money. I've lucked out and sold multiple clothing items already this week! WHOOP! I even had to run the post office to stock up on shipping supplies. I plan to keep updating my seller's page with items.... (so I can pay for the shoes listed above and the City of Collierville what it is due.)

• Something else I am obsessed with these days? FashionABLE scarves. I've been ordering them from True Boutique in Louisiana because the service there is awesome. The store's goal is to make a difference by using shopping as a platform to help others. (This is not a paid post, I "truly" love True Boutique. Ha! See what I did there... "truly" love "True..." I crack myself up. #NotReally #LameAttemptAtAJoke) But seriously, they carry FashionABLE there and I now have the below items in my closet thanks to Mary Helen's (she's the owner) speedy shipments and very helpful service! My sister has the white one in the picture at the bottom now, because I'm super awesome and got it for her for her birthday. Each of these was handmade in Africa and they are much more beautiful in person.

Happy Birthday, Katie!
You're welcome!

• This last one is a tad hokey, but I'm loving watching my girls together. McKenna is the best big sister and Meda just stares at her all the time. Once she is mobile, Meda is totally going to follow MK around all the time, I can already tell. I know they're going to be great friends as they get older (when they aren't trying to kill each other because one stole the other's toys, clothes, and boys, of course). 

Amendment to My Last Post

It was brought to my attention that as Kroger stockholder, in my last post I inadvertently made a mistake in the following paragraph:

Where it says "Target," should actually read, "Kroger."

#oops
#gobuyfromkroger

;-)

Adventures in Breastfeeding

So with a number of friends with young babies, including myself, and more babies on the way for people I know, the topic of breastfeeding comes up. A lot. So I thought I'd share my thoughts.

*If you're not into this type of topic, I recommend exiting now.*

Ahhh, breastfeeding. It is such a beautiful thing... right??

Riiiggghhttt???

(insert awkward silence)

I know the topic of breastfeeding can be highly controversial...
Will you or won't you?
To feed in public or no?
Football hold or cradle hold?

The topic questions go on and on...

And somehow, for some reason unknown to me, once you have a baby, the topic becomes everybody's business. Strangers who never would have given you a second look in the airport, seem to suddenly have an opinion about you breastfeeding in the corner of the terminal, completely covered up and not drawing any attention to yourself of quiet, settled child. I am willing to bet these are the people who have never had kids before (that say "when I have kids, I'll never do that..." HA! We'll see...), so they don't understand the debacle that traveling with infants can be. Not just traveling, but going out to dinner or lunch as well.

(This is me jumping on a soapbox right now... when you see a breastfeeding mom... or just a frazzled mom, in general... traveling with her kid(s), do yourself and her a favor and extend some grace. As much as I try to ignore it - nothing irritates me more than people grunting and complaining about parents and their kids while traveling (especially those who do not have their own children). I guaran-damn-tee that mom wouldn't be traveling with her kiddos if she didn't have to. And she's probably doing EVERYTHING she can to make herself and those other adults around her more comfortable - even if that means breastfeeding. A baby eating is a baby that ISN'T crying. So get over it and look away.)

Anyway... sorry about that. Just had to get that off my chest. ;-) Moving on...

While I was still pregnant, I would have complete strangers ask me some of those breastfeeding questions I listed above.
(Here they are again, in case you forgot:
Will you or won't you?
To feed in public or no?
Football hold or cradle hold?)

And that's not okay.

Because let's be real. What they are really asking about is the Holy Grail of breastfeeding - my boobs. Friends and family asking is one thing... but strangers??

Well, I'm here to set the record straight. (At least my record.)

In my world, there was/is a love-hate relationship with the Holy Grail. It isn't all rainbows and hearts, flowers and unicorns, perfect necklines and smiling babies.

Allow me to elaborate.

They are loved because they are the life blood. The precious gold. The absolute best and healthiest option for feeding your precious little one. And they allow your pocketbook to stay relatively better stocked than the alternative would.

However...

You don't want to look at them.

You don't want to touch them. 

You don't want to even acknowledge their existence.

Rather than a nice "accessory" to an outfit, or shirt filler-outer, or even (ahem!) a sexual accessory of sorts, they immediately turn you into your child's own personal Turner Dairy Farm, pumping out milk in quantities that would fully stock your local Super WalMart....
(Or in my snobbish-case, Target. I tend find myself too fancy for Wally World these days. Namely because I like to still feel clean when I leave the store.)

Now, have you ever been to a dairy farm? Coming from a girl with relatives that own one of the larger dairy farms in the state of Kentucky, it ain't a pretty sight behind the scenes. I'll leave it at that and let your imagination run wild with mental images of cold, hard steel strapped to thousands of milk clogged udders. 

Upon the birth of your child, your boobs are immediately turned into feeding machines and nothing more. And as with all machines, they have to be taken care of. Which isn't so fun.

Let's start with showering. 

Ah, showering. Who knew taking a shower could be painful? Well, ladies, it is. With 57 gallons of milk literally just hanging out on your chest, the pain of standing up without some sort of bra support holding them up sucks. (No pun intended.) And it's hard to wash your hair and body using one or even two hands to support the feeding machines so they don't rip right off the front of you.

Also in the maintenance department, they must be drained every few hours. If not, this causes a multitude of problems that include, but are not limited to:
-aches
-leaks
-fussy babies
-mastitis
-fever
-chills
... the list goes on. And I've suffered from all of the above. #tmimaybe?

I breastfed both my children for a few months - and at the risk of sounding like a heartless and awful mother, it was awful. I wish I could say otherwise. I know TONS of moms who loved every sweet moment of breastfeeding and bonding with their baby and produced enough milk to feed their kids and starving children in Africa. (Literally - that's not a joke.) How awesome it that? I'm truly jealous.


Because it wasn't like that for me. I struggled to produce enough milk for my own two and my babies struggled because of it, no matter how often I fed or "pumped it up." They weren't happy and I wasn't either. They were hungry. I was tired and (quite literally) drained - all the time. I spoke with lactation consultants, OB's, pediatricians, friends, relatives... it didn't help. I know others who have had the same issue too. :-(

So with that being said, I will never, ever, EVER judge a mother who decides to fore-go breastfeeding. Yes, it is the healthiest option for our little ones, but sometimes Mama's gotta do what Mama's gotta do.

And for those of you who enjoy breastfeeding and your children thrived because of it - rock on, sister!! Keep it up!! (But just don't look down on those of us who weren't able to.)

Bad Boys, Bad Boys... Whacha Gonna Do When They Come For You?

If you follow me on Intagram, you probably saw this picture from me a couple weeks ago.

I about peed myself. I was on a new stretch of road in Germantown and wasn't quite aware of what the new speed limit was/is.

Then the cop gave me this.

Whoomp chak a laka chack a laka chak a laka chak a!!!

I literally called the cop "Amazing" as I leapt out of my seat with excitement.

To which he replied, "I know" with a stoic and dead-pan face.

My mom was with me and died laughing the whole way home.

I was so excited I got out of the ticket (driving school sucks, by the way), I excitedly ran into the house to inform Bryant.

He was not as amused as my mother, lecturing me on my driving and how I would have been returning my new iPhone if I had indeed gotten a ticket. :-/ It wasn't a pleasant conversation.

Well, not 5 days later, I received THIS in Collierville.

I swear, y'all... I am seriously not that bad of a driver! I was just distracted that day and pretty stressed out. Besides... what city keeps a mere 20 mph speed limit?? 25... (or 45... whatever...) is much more condusive to my driving, as well as many others' I would believe.

Well, anyway... I probably shouldn't even be posting this because my husband is beyond irate about it. :-/ I owe the City of Collierville quite a bit of money. (But he's been doing a great job hiding it. That is if you don't count the parental tone of voice he holds with me these days and the belittling and snide remarks about money. Other than that, he hides it well.)

So I'm working on selling everything I own in my house on ebay to pay for it AND my new iPhone.


Moral of the Story: GO CHECK OUT MY EBAY AND PURCHASE SOMETHING FROM ME BEFORE MY HUSBAND DIVORCES ME!!!  #notajoke #getyourcheckbooksout #mymarriagedependsonit

Seeing Gold

AHHH!!!  She's HEEEERRREEE!!!

And she's beautiful!

This is the first phone I've purchased in years. Before I left Varsity, I had a company phone and I've been rocking the iPhone 4 since it came out (that I won for free in a contest) and I'm so glad I waited.

Yes, you read that above phone style correctly. The iPhone 4.

No "s" after the 4.

No Siri or anything.

And it was black.

I know...

Gross.

I have been lusting after a white iPhone since they came out a while back, but when I heard Apple was making a GOLD one... well, the skies opened up, angels sang songs of praise and my heart almost internally combusted with joy.

Because what girl doesn't like things glittery and shiny and pretty?

It was then I realized I have NEVER upgraded my phone since moving to my own AT&T account. A phone upgrade has been just waiting for me to come give it a big 'ole hug and welcome it home. #squeeze

Sort of like this GOLD iPhone had just been waiting to come out once I realized I had an upgrade available.

It was destiny.

That is, until my husband announced I would have to sell my soul to pay for the upgrade. #bahhumbug

Insert my new eBay account.

Well, I went ahead and ordered it the day the iPhone 5s came out, but was forced to wait 21 days to receive the gold phone.

I do want to let you know that before I ever hit "place order," I was enlightened to the fact how Daniel Tosh had announced on his show Apple was releasing the new iPhone 5s in "black, white and douche colored." HA! Of course, this brought on a slew of "douche" jokes from my husband and friends on my choice of phone color. Which, of course, I expected and would have been slightly disappointed had the jokes never arrived.

But I hit "Place Order" anyway.

Well, douche phone has arrived and she is magnificent. I proudly tote around my douche-y phone and throw her in the special little compartment in my purse, happily transforming my purse into what one might call a "douche-bag."

I am not above said "douchey-ness."

Because while everyone else is speaking into their plain black and white Apple versions of Zack Morris's phone, I am chatting with my friend Siri on how to cure cancer or something really important and profound like that through a gold plate of amazingness.

#doucheforlife

Wud Up Wit Me (Part 2 of 2)

So this is the second part of my update from being M.I.A. from my blog over the past couple months. Just a continuation of what I've been up to... because I know you're dying to know...

~ Marathon Training!

Can you believe I'm actually still committed to this marathon? 

Yeah, me either.

I'm up to about 2 hours & 45 minutes for my long runs (which is about 14-16 miles, depending on how little water I drank or food I ate that day... I really need to get better about staying hydrated and watching my nutrition. My trainer husband would say has said the same.)

Speaking of my trainer husband, he is totally annoyed with me, because he thinks I've been sandbagging on my runs recently. #rude

Who does he think he is?? Just because I run like crap one day, doesn't mean I can't have a great run the next. I'm still trying to get out of post-partum shape, so I'm just happy I'm running. And he should be too, right?? ;-)

Because he is convinced I'm a sandbagger these days, he has me set to do a run assessment so he can really see what I can do currently. Ugh. This is what my training program says I have to do.

Greeaaattt... this is going to suck. A 5K isn't bad, but whether I do well or not, that means he'll have more accurate readings on me and what I can do.

And it's all thanks to my new Garmin 910xt that can upload my pace, heart rate, time, distance, incline, decline, blood pressure, internal temperature, social security number, and credit card information into his online training program. (Not really on the last four, but you catch my drift.) 

This watch is awesome, by the way.

It's a multi-sport watch, which will work well once I start training for my first triathlon here in the near future. (I need to get this blessed marathon over with first before I get all endurance happy in other sport areas.) Anyway, I recommend this watch, fo shizzle.

PS - this run sucked. Wrong time of day to run with the heat,
not a well planned course on my part, and I lost my car key
at one point. I won't do that again. 

So I guess this marathon is actually going to happen. Whether I like it or not. I have a snazzy new watch, have invested hours per week training, and have donors and cancer-stricken kiddos depending on it.

(They're depending on YOU too... check out my FUNDRAISING PAGE if you haven't already! Your donations are appreciated MORE than you know!! Thank you for those who have donated and thank you in advance to those who are going to by clicking HERE!)

~ New Friends & Church!
I'm in the middle of my 3rd bible study held at my church. Hope Church in Memphis has the most amazing Women's Ministry program and they hold a multitude of bible studies each semester. I'm currently reading Principle of the Path (Andy Stanley) with my small group and it's pretty good. (I recommend it to ANYONE... and the cool thing is, it's not too "church-y"of a read, either.) I've been with the same group of women over the past 3 semesters and I can't tell you how utterly uh-maz-ing they are. There are 3-4 older women in particular who have sort of "adopted" myself and two other friends (Molly and Ashlee). Molly, Ashlee and I are among the younger women attending, which is why these other women have so-called "adopted" us. ;-) And we love it. They've become amazing mentors in faith for all three of us.

Molly and I have even joined the women's leadership team with the church and are loving that as well. We get to spend our Monday evenings prior to Bible study with the incredible group of ladies who help run the ministry. We've loved gathering with them (both inside and outside of church) and getting to know them better, as well.

This fall, I also started meeting weekly with a group of moms. I have a feeling these women may become my saving grace when it comes to parenting. We all have children around the same age and can lean on each other when we're about to rip our hair out after the tenth fight to get our kids to eat their veggies or go to bed on time. We are reading the book Desperate: Hope for the Mom Who Needs to Breathe (Sarah Mae & Sally Clarkson) together.

Alright, let me stop right there. Full disclosure: this book couldn't have come at a better time in my life. It's for those of us moms who sometimes wake up and pray to the Good Lord how we don't have the energy to be a mom again that day. If you're a mom - especially of young ones - I recommend you pick this book up and give it a looksie. You don't have to necessarily be at a "desperate" stage in your mom-life, but it's good for any mama at any stage of their kids' lives.

~ Writing!

I've been doing a lot of writing recently and it's been awesome. This is what I feel like I'm called to do, for sure. It's only taken me 30 years to figure it out. ;-)

For starters, I'm almost done with the book!! EEK!! It's been sent to a developmental editor, been through one round of edits, and I've consulted with publishers already. It's all very surreal.

Now, there's still a lot to be done with it... (more editing, legal jazz, writing conferences to attend, and agent/publishing queries and pitches to be made)... but I'm on the right track. And I'm jazzed. Keep the prayers coming for me on this project. It's a pretty big deal... at least for me. :-)

I've also started doing some writer's training with Proverbs 31 Ministries and author/writers, Lysa Terkeurst and Glynnis Whitwer. I started that this past week and am loving it thus far. :-) I think it's truly going to help me grow in my writing. Not that you'll be able to tell on this here blog... I sort of skip over the "editing" phase before hitting publish and don't stress about being creative in my post topics. #oops #lazy

Last week, I got a sneak peek at my article spread that will be published in the next issue of American Cheerleader Magazine!! I'm so excited to have my first article in a national magazine! I remember subscribing to and reading this magazine when I was in middle school, and now I have an article being published in it! WHOOP! Don't worry - I'll be updating you once it goes to print!! I'm also excited because they have asked me to submit more stories/articles for upcoming issues too. Speaking of... I should probably wrap this post up so I can go finish the next one...

But who would have thought I'd ever really call myself "a writer?" Definitely not me. The term "writer" has always been a little scary and reserved for those who were "real" writers... whatever that means. But what is boils down to is this: writers write. And I've been writing. And I plan to not stop. And I am excited about it.

Alright, I think that's it for now... I'm sure I probably missed some life-altering situation that happened to me, but oh well... I've probably bored you enough already!

What's Up, World? (Part 1 of 2)

Long time no-blog! What's going on in the lives of my favorite readers? I've enjoyed keeping up with a lot of you via my blog feed. Just because I haven't posted, doesn't mean I don't keep up with those of you out there who blog yourselves!

I know - it's been a while (again) since I last posted. And a lot of everything and a lot of nothing has happened since August. I'll give you the run down as quickly and painlessly as possible, but will probably break this post up into two different ones.

So here is Update Post 1 of 2!

McKenna & Bryant - 2009

~ Kids!  
So McKenna is (FINALLY) back in school (Praise, Jesus.) and loving her new teachers. (So is Mama!) There are lots of new kids in her class, but a lot of her old friends as well. She's back in gymnastics too and we're thinking about starting up piano lessons soon. (Speaking of which - does anybody have $100/month I could borrow for said lessons? I accept PayPal, check, or cash.)

Meda is now 5 months old! Holy Baby Growing Up!! And she is the best baby ever. Which, in hindsight, has made both Bryant and I realize how absolutely terrible McKenna was as an infant. By no means is a baby that you have to walk in circles (or on the treadmill for hours) to get them to stop screaming a "good" baby. Now, maybe she had her issues of being colicky and what-not, but still. Her first six-nine months of life is what made us invest in multiple forms of birth control until four years later, when we apparently forgot what a nightmare the second half of 2009 was. (Sorry, McKenna... Dad and I still love you, but geez... those lungs of yours gave your parents some issues.)  It is probably a good thing she was our first child, when we were ignorant and did not know any better.

Meda the "Snapping Turtle"

On the contrary, Meda laughs and smiles at everything and maaaayybe will whine every 3 hours or so, but that is is either due to sleepiness or hunger. But once those two issues are resolved, it's back to smiling and laughing. We call her our "Snapping Turtle" because her mouth is always open in a wide, happy smile.

Speaking of Meda, on the 29th of September, we had her baptized. She did so great and was beautiful in her christening gown. The church service interrupted her usual nap time, but she did so well, despite being tired. Below are a few pictures from that day. :-)

~ Family!  

We just spent the last 3.5 weeks with family members visiting us. Now, that may sound like a lot, but it's never enough time when your closest family member lives 5 hours away. I won't sugar coat it and say it's alright not living in the same town as any family.

Because it's not. It's not okay at all having to raise your family without any of yours around. 

(But don't worry... Bryant & I are about to start "Operation Get Our Parents to Move To Memphis" here in the VERY near future. They won't know what hit them. It's only logical they would want to be around us, right? Riiiggghhhttt???)

So Bryant's parents came into town... and with them brought 9 dogs! HA! Their two dogs recently had puppies, so we had a litter of Boston Terriers living with us for a couple weeks! (Yes, I realize 12 dogs (9 of theirs, 3 of ours) in 1 home is extreme. It definitely was. But it was temporary, and they were ADORABLE.)

Luckily, despite falling in love with two of the baby Boston's, I was able to stand strong and we didn't end up keeping any puppies. Whew!

MIL and FIL and DILs (dog in-laws) stayed two weeks. While they were here, my mom came to stay as well, so everyone was here for Meda's baptism. I can't tell you how much McKenna loved having them all here. (So did Bryant and I, for that matter! The ratio of 4 adults to 2 kids is juuusst about perfect!) While it was crowded, it was busy and fun.

(I will admit we all got our workout chasing the pups around the house before (and after) they pooped and peed all over the floor! HA!)

My mom left today, and it has been so quiet around here over the past few hours. I'm not sure when it'll be normal just having 4 of us around again.

(Probably not too long. HA!)

(Stay tuned for more updates on my life over the past couple months. Get pumped, people. Get. Pumped.)