Big Eater

My two little ones have always been so wonderful about eating. Charli has always been a veggies and salad girl. Green beans and carrots were her choice of meal when she was smaller. Bryar will practically eat whatever we give him but if it is meat, he loves it so much more.

At times people that sit next to us crack up at how excited Bryar gets as his food comes. I suppose our kids get it honest since we love food just as much. Thankfully, lately Bryar has taken upon a new found love for blueberries. Even though they can break the bank, they have been a life saver in more way then one.

Charli on the other hand has became obsessed with ramen noodles for snack or quick lunches. It's so odd yet so funny. She still eats fantastic and is totally ready to try alligator bites and crab legs in Florida.

Hopefully, these silly kiddos will continue to always eat well for us. I can only imagine the stress it causes when one isn't eating well.

Strep Throat, again.

Charli Beth has fell victim to strep throat yet gain. I believe this makes #4 of the year. I really wish this mess would leave her be. My heart hurts to see her feel so bad and to be honest my wallet is selfishly getting tired of the visits to the doctor and pharmacy.

Her fevers typically stay around 99.5-100.5. But we caught this to late in the day to make it to her pediatrician. When we arrived this morning her fever had spiked through the night and her blisters were even more icky. Today was the hardest strep test this far. But after looking at her throat I do not blame her. I feel terrible that she is having to miss Vacation Bible School tonight. She received a speaking and singing part in the end of the week play. We will practice at home, but hopefully they will still let her attend.

Her doctor requested us to see an ENT. Finally... We have an appointment on July 8 but may be changing to another one. There seems to be a lot of opinions on every doctor out there. I seem to not typically be so picky. But when it comes to Charli or Bryar, I assume that I am allowed to be. It will also depend on timing as well. I hope to have her scheduled for surgery (if they pick to do it) before school starts. Last year Char missed a lot of days due to illness and I prefer to not have a repeat year.

Hopefully, by the morning Charli will be feeling much better. We are crossing our fingers that the sickness will skip the test of us as well!

10 Things I Live For; 52 weeks of Blogging

Today I am linking up with From Mrs, To Mama. I may be using some of the same things as everyone else. But we are all Moms. So why would we not? We have the same goals and love our families unconditionally so I have no shame in being a repeat :)

Being a wife is one of me top goals. Some days I may fail miserably but I strive to be that great wife. I want to be the old couple rocking on our front porch, laughing while we reminisce about our younger years. I want to make him happy and give him a reason to smile.

Making memories with my family is one of my favorite things about life. Watching the kids make memories, and thinking "They will always remember this."

Being able to watch my babies grow. Seeing Bryar learn new things, listening to Charli read or solve a math problem, watching her get the reins right with Ranger and making the turn she struggles for.

Good ole' southern sweet tea. Oh my heavens. It's my drink of choice and the sweeter the better!

My favorite time of the year is fall. The cool crisp air, crunchy colorful leaves, Bon fires for s'mores..yes, that is what life is all about. I love Summer months too, but experiencing the Fall days and all the fun memories to make in the fall is by far my favorite.

Arbonne. Not just for our extra income that will help me stay at home with my children, but is all about the self improving that this company is allowing me. The top ladies that come to me, say they are praying for me and are just friendly is what these network companies are all about. It's the friendships, the growth and the positive influence that I love the most.

Being able to stay at home with my children. I have always known that I wanted to raise my children my self. I wanted to be the one to fix breakfast, lunch and dinner for them. I want to read books to them at night, bathe and tuck them in tight. It may not always be this way, but I am so thankful for the past year that has allowed me the moments.

Date nights, are my breath of fresh air. Even though we may rarely get them die to schedules, they are my favorite!

Holidays with families may be included into making memories. But days spent with the entire family, cherishing moments and celebrating the day are always some of my favorite days. It can be with our close family or even cousins, grandparents, uncles and aunts.

Time spent at church is apart of my life that I am falling in love more with as I grow in my Christianity. Being able to listen to a wonderful sermon, and even being able to take the smallest quote from is the greatest feeling. Having a church family to call upon for prayer or hardships. Looking over and seeing your little one so intact to a sermon or seeing what they learned in Sunday School is an amazing feeling for me.

My days may be filled with things that I sometimes honestly roll my eyes about. But most of all my days are always filled with joy as we grow and simply just be a family together.

Ranger

Before we left for our trip a friend of Curtis' that trains horses asked to take Ranger for a week to work with him. We were surprised and could not appreciate the help more. At first Charli was very concerned because she did not understand that he would indeed be coming home. After lots of explaining and tears shed, she understood that this would help him and would help her as well.

John Thomas and his Mom are so incredibly sweet. You can just tell that Charli Beth thinks the world of them both. As she sat next to them on a hay bale last night having horse talks I could not help but to think of Charli as an adult having as much love for horses as she does now.

Ranger with 4 days of riding is practically a new horse. His trot is smoother, his stop is on complete verbal command and he is just not as stubborn. Even though Charli has things to work on with her riding and reins, this will be a tremendous help.

We also learned that he has Western Pleasure in his line. Evidentially this means he could be a great show horse with some extra work. For now, he will coming home this weekend and we are excited to see where he goes from here.

Sin.

We all know that it is human nature to go against God's will at some point or another. We have all lied at some time, or maybe even cheated. But I never knew how deeply it would hurt my so called, "Mommy heart" to see my child hurt by her own self doing.

No, this isn't a big deal. She actually didn't even lie, and she is over the top kind of sleepy.

On the walk home tonight Charli started crying as she looked at the barn. Explaining to me that she did not mean to lie and say that she was finished scoopin' the barn. Oh dear mercy, I just wanted to grab her up right then and there telling her that she never even told me she was finished. I was the one who told her that she could finish up tomorrow if need be, but to still work hard on it. She was incredibly upset an continued to tell me that she was only hungry and that was her reason in stopping.

As we prayed together I listened to her thank The Lord for her blessings and asking for safety of her Daddy, Gunner an Ranger while they are away. How much sweeter can a precious prayer get I though to myself? Then I realized the most precious one of all is when we ask for forgiveness. This hit me hard as I realized that I was in a God moment with my daughter.

I took the time to explain sins as I have in the past then explained how we ask forgiveness as Christians. For her to see that her possible lying could be forgiven and her slate could be wiped clean was such a relief to her tender heart. And yes, Charli Beth does have a tender heart. Even when explaining to her that she cannot just lie and get away with it, that we are human and will make mistakes she seemed to be taking it all in.

As I came to bed still feeling like I am on cloud 9 because I know The Lord is working in her heart I just feel the need to request prayer from every possible aspect. I request that you remember us as we guide, teach and love her. Her family, Sunday school and her vacation bible school that is coming up next week. This is such a precious time and I pray that these moments keep filling her heart.

Hammond, New Orleans, and Gulf Shores

What a week. Seriously. I am dragging my rump back into the life of motherhood. I am sleepy and trying to keep my sanity and to be honest the only thing helping is reminiscing on the week I was able to spend with my Husband; and new found friends. Remember the post where I cried that I was having to leave them. Call me crazy, and I will totally get it now!

We left on Sunday morning and headed to Hammond, Louisiana. If you ever get the chance to visit it, don't. No, I'm not even kidding. Maybe I just love the country and sweet southerners a little to much because everyone I came in contact with until a maid the day we ever leaving was rude.

We traveled down with a nearby sheriff, one of his deputies, their wives and a trainer. We were even able to meet some great officers from other agencies and their even more awesome k9s. The competition was busy and stressful some days because the dogs were working so hard with no pay. But we were able to make the best of our time.

Curtis was able to experience New Orleans for the first time. Bourbon street pretty much had him baffled, and even though I have visited before the smell of trash is still haunting me. Not to mention, the craziness that we came across. We did enjoy some beignets and they were completely amazing...totally worth going for.

Gunner and Curtis did an amazing job for their first nationals. I believe they were 8th in outdoor searches and 20 overall. I was very excited for them and enjoyed being able to spoil the fur baby all week. He was so much fun and made me dream of day that we have hardwood floors when he can stay inside to play all day.

On the last day of the competition we had planned to stay the night to rest up for our drive home. But instead, we took the plunge with everyone else and headed to Gulf Shores for two nights. We had a mission to get pictures with Gunner on the beach. We had to hurry but our mission was accomplished and thankfully so because Gunner was not a fan of the waves.

The ride home seemed to last forever due the wrecks we came upon and the forever #2 breaks that Gunner had to take. But when we arrived home the hyperness of Miss Charli and the smiles on her face let us know that we were dearly missed.

Away

Hey y'all! I am away from the blog world for a few days, besides tomorrow for a sweet post. While I am away cheering on two handsome men, I will have some guest bloggers. Please come check these ladies out and go read there blogs as well.

It's amazing how the blog world works and how many true friends you can find. Even though they are only a text message away at times, I am so blessed to have them!

{The photos below are of two of my guys being interviewed on a local news channel about the competition they are in this week.}

Guest Post: Mandy {Beauty Products}

Hi everyone!  I'm so excited to be taking over Paige's blog today while she's busy cheering on Curtis and Gunner!! 



For those of you who don't know me, I'm Mandy and I blog over at Mommy Musings. 

I'm a Jersey girl teacher turned SAHM.  I'm lucky to be married to my best friend, Skip, and we are blessed with two sweet little girls.  My husband is a former Marine and for the past almost ten years, a cop.  I am a former-teacher turned SAHM, and I wouldn't change it for anything in the world.



Today I thought I'd share some of my favorite  beauty products with you.  I'm not expert, that's for sure, but just a girl who feels like she's tried a lot things out there. 

Victoria Secret So Sexy Nourish shampoo and conditioner.  This is one of the few things I splurge on for myself.  Not only does it make my hair super soft, it smells absolutely amazing.

Eucerin body lotion.  I get such dry skin, especially during the winter, and this is my most favorite lotion.  It really heals my dry skin, and isn't too thick.

I have never actually bought Clinique eye shadow for myself, but I've gotta a few trial sizes and left overs from my mom recently.  I do have plenty of super cheap eye shadows, but when I want something that lasts all day/night {literally} I always turn to Clinique.  The above colors are the exact ones I use and they are just perfect for my eye color.

I have probably tried every single foundation they stock at CVS.  I have never been able to find just the right one, and I refuse to pay lots of money for one.  Then I stumbled upon CoverGirl Trublend and I swear my world changed.  It has great coverage, lasts a long time, and gives my skin the perfect dewy look.

Maybelline Lash Stiletto is my most favorite mascara in the world.  The waterproof one is the one I use every single day.  It literally lasts forever!

I read about Milani blush all over Pinterest recently, as a dupe to NARS, so I had to give it a shot.  At around $8 it is really a great price for the coverage.  I've tried two colors and both have been long lasting and super pigmented.





So what are your favorite beauty products?

Guest Post: Jamie

Hello everyone!  I'm Jamie from Jamie's Journey Through Life!  I am very excited to be guest posting for Paige today!  If you haven't seen it go check out Paige's guest post that was on my blog 2 weeks ago!  Before I start I want to give a little bio on myself :)

I am a 17 1/2 year old recent high school graduate!  I am working at a local daycare and love it!  In the fall I will be attending college perusing an Elementary Education degree!  

When I got asked to guest blog, I thought what did I want to write about.  As I thought about it I decided to do it about something with kids.  You see kids are very close to my heart and i figured since Paige is a mother that kids would be a very relatable post!  



So that lead me to this post, Things I've learned from working at a daycare! 

Just know that this is all my opinions before we begin!

1. You WILL be attached to the kids.  No if ands or buts, it's true.  They will become your whole world and you will love them all.


2. You will run into many different kids at the daycare with different backgrounds.  Some will be the oldest, some will be the youngest, some will be foster child, some will have parents together, ect.


3. The kids love shaving cream.  Don't ask me why but they love it!


4. Some kids will get jealous of your attention on others.  They will throw fits to get attention if they fill like you don't play/be with them.


5. You will deal with tantrums  tears, missing mommy & daddys, screaming, throwing, not getting along, ect.


6. Everyday is a new day, you never know what to expect!


7. At the end of the day, you will love the kids and enjoy every crazy hair pulling moment no matter what :)

I hope you all enjoyed this post & I want to give a big thanks to Paige for letting me guest post for you all day! :)

Happy {Belated} Birthday Curtis!

Curtis turned 29 on June 2 but I totally lacked as the greatest wife ever in making him the sweetest blog post to read. But I must confess that I believe he had a pretty wonderful birthday! The weekend before his actual day him and I enjoyed a day in Nashville picking out the perfect pair of boots for him. We finished off the day with his favorite meal in Nashville at Demos.

On his birthday we attended church together then as tradition his Mom made a favorite Sunday lunch. Afterwards we spent the afternoon at a nearby creek fishing the day away. Which just happens to be one of his favorite past times. Sadly, he didn't catch the "golly whooper" him and Charli were looking for. But Charli did catch her first fish and it was the tiniest little bluegill. She surprisingly didn't ask for any help and didn't tell us until it was already out.

I hope he enjoyed his day just as much as did spending it with him :)