Things I'm Lovin' Thursday

I'm at the tail end of being a mama of three kiddos this week (CK, E, and my 1-year-old niece) and miraculously all three are napping right now!  So I thought I'd visit my little corner of the internet for a mindless, lighthearted Things I'm Lovin' Thursday:

*Cotton Candy Oreos.  I love cotton candy.  I love Oreos.  Put 'em together, and it's a masterpiece!

*Sweaty Bands!  My friend gave me one for my birthday, swearing they were the best thing for those of us with fine, thin hair.  I feel like I've tried every single headband-type-thingy for running, and I always end up having to readjust them constantly because they slip off my head.  And then I was introduced to Sweaty Bands!  I am obsessed, and I now own four.

*Summer baseball games!  I mentioned a couple weeks ago that we were headed to a Braves game with some friends, and we had a blast.  The weather was great, seats were perfect, and company was even better.  T and I haven't been to a Braves game sans kids since CK was born, and I forgot how awesome it is to sit and enjoy good baseball with a beer and a hotdog and my hub.

*And at that fun-filled Braves game, I was introduced to Redd's Apple Ale!  I'm not one to like a too-fruity drink, especially when it comes to beer.  But this ale is the perfect summer beverage and I am now keeping it stocked in my fridge.

*I'm also still loving The Skimm!  If you sign up (it's free!), you get an email Monday-Friday with a brief rundown of current events - from what's going on with ISIS to Tom Brady's deflated balls scandal.  It's brief and in layman's terms so you can really understand what's going on.

*The Go Pod.  I was torn on whether or not to get one, but finally took the plunge and I am so glad I did.  We use this thing almost everyday when we play outside.  It was also great for teeball, and I know it'll be perfect for our summer beach trip!

*Speaking of playing outside, I am also lovin' our back yard play time after naps everyday.  Anytime after about 3:00pm, you can find us out back - popsicles, swingset, water table, baby pool, bubbles, and some Redd's Apple Ale!

*And we'll be spending even more time out back now that SCHOOL'S-OUT-FOR-SUMMER!  Today was the last day of school for CK, so I have to include Tabernacle Baptist Preschool as part of my Things I'm Lovin' Thursday.  She had a great year with the absolute perfect teacher.  She has grown up so much, and I am incredibly proud of my little lady!

*And speaking of CK, something I'm also loving is her cute little friendships.  I really feel like she has learned what it means to have a friend, and she is always so caring and considerate toward her buddies.  And also?  My heart just about exploded when one of her sweet little friends came over after her surgery with balloons and a surprise for her.  CK felt so special, and still talks about that day. <3

*Rodan + Fields eye cream!  Y'all know I'm obsessed with these products, but this eye cream is one of my most faves.  It's gotten so popular that it recently sold out.  Luckily it'll be back next week, thank goodness, and I will definitely be stocking up before it sells out again.  Because check out this picture, where a fellow consultant used it on only one eye for a month!

*Neutrogena Pure and Free Baby Sunscreen.  This is my absolute favorite sunscreen for babies, and I've already started slathering it on this little butterball to protect his sweet skin, which appears to be much fairer than his tan sister!

*Sibling love.  Oh, my heart.

 Those hands, y'all.

*My morning quiet time.  I cannot believe I didn't start doing this sooner.  It has completely changed the way my day starts.  I'm up, ready, and drinking my coffee, in a quiet house, spending some alone time with Jesus.  I am loving my devotional, and also this book my older sister gave me for my birthday.  Both have been perfect for me, and I am so glad I now start my days like this!

*And the last thing I'm loving today?  All of my time with this adorable, sweet, wild little girl!

It has been perfectly chaotic since we started taking care of Addy on Saturday, and she has fit right into our little family.  I don't think I could've survived without the help of my mother-in-law, though!  Also, you should see the looks we get when we're out and about with a three-year-old, one-year-old, and six-month-old.  Ha!  My brother and his wife fly in tonight to reunite with their girl and they'll spend the weekend with us here in GA.  I know they're excited to see her, but I'm sad to see my time with her come to an end!  While it's definitely been nonstop, it has been so special having her here with us. <3

See you next week, when our house is sure to feel quiet and empty!  Have a great Memorial Day weekend!!

Five on Friday!

Whew.  Excuse my absence.  

We've spent this week meeting our health insurance deductible.

Because...

O N E
So, my OBGYN ordered a pretty detailed blood panel (just because I'm 32 now and she's awesome about being thorough, which is why I love her).  Anyway, I didn't think twice about it.  Then the nurse called to tell me I have Hashimoto's Disease.  Wait, what?!  That's how I responded.  You hear the word "disease" and kinda freak out.  But in the world of health crises, this really is small potatoes and for that, I am thankful.  Basically, it's an autoimmune disease where my body is attacking my thyroid and my thyroid refuses to fight back.  Step up to the plate, thyroid!  An ultrasound showed a small cyst on the ol' thyroid, but the cyst isn't big enough to biopsy or remove at this point.  So all of this means I've started some meds to help give my body what my thyroid can't because it's under siege.  I go back to the doc in a month to assess how the meds are working based on another blood draw.  And I'll have yearly ultrasounds to monitor the cyst.  And word on the street is that this medicine could make me feel better all over - not that I've been feeling bad - but maybe I didn't even realize I was feeling bad?!

Got a tiny bit nervous when I showed up at the hospital for my ultrasound and they made it so serious and official.

T W O
And also, CK had surgery yesterday.  Again, in the world of health crises, it was a minor surgery, and for that, we are so thankful.  But anytime you put your child under anesthesia, it is so scary.  She had tubes put in back in November of 2012, and they were life-changing for her and for us.  Well, long story short, one of those tubes came out, and that ear has been full of fluid for over 120 days and continues to fail a Eustachian tube pressure test.  So after lots of prayers and discussion and giving her body a chance to resolve the issues on its own, we ultimately decided to put in a new set of tubes and have her adenoids removed.  Because of the adenoids, she had to go completely under - like IV, breathing tube, the whole nine yards.  Good news is they pretty much gave her kid-safe valium before they took her away, which made her drunk as a skunk.  It.was.hilarious.  No really - we took videos.  Provided quite the comic relief while I was a nervous wreck.  Bad news is just like last time, she was OUT OF HER MIND when she was coming out of the anesthesia.  I heard her coming down the hallway, looked at T, and said, "Uh oh.  Here she comes."  Y'all, it was awful.  It's hard to see your child lose her mind - she was screaming, exorcist-style, rearing back and slapping T across the face multiple times.  But she had no clue what she was doing.  And she'd go back and forth between acting possessed and then crying and saying, "I'm so scared."  Oh my mama heart.  Luckily it's behind us now.  A couple viewings of Frozen, some donut holes, a trip to Target to get a surprise for being so brave, and our girl is on the mend.  She's still a little puny, but hopefully she'll be back to her wild, silly, threenager self in a couple days.

Being so brave.

SO drunk, y'all.

Oh, my girl.

T H R E E
And lastly on the topic of meeting-our-deductible, E has been referred to a neuro doc for plagiocephaly.  Or flat head, for all you who don't speak doctor.  I've brought up my concerns about his flat head at each of his well checks, but our ped has said she wasn't worried about it one bit.  Honestly, we try to keep him off his head at all times, unless he's in his car seat or in his crib.  And he sleeps about 13 hours at night on his back in his crib, so there's really only so much we can do!  Anyway, we saw a different ped for his 6-month well check and she thought it was time to see a specialist to determine if a helmet is needed.  To be honest, I'm a little miffed because if we were going to do this, I would've preferred to do it months ago.  His head has almost fused together, meaning our window to reshape it is closing.  But, it is what it is.  If we have to put him in a helmet, he'll rock it.  And if he has to live his life with a flat-ish head, then he'll rock that, too!

Hi!  The back of my head is flat!

F O U R
Ok, no more health updates.
CK had her last tball game on Monday!  While it got a little crazy sometimes have 2-3 games a week, I am definitely sad that the season is over.  I absolutely loved watching her "play."  And by play I mean pick grass and ask when they would get to say "Good game!" so they could eat their snacks.  But she actually ended up being a pretty good hitter!  They pitch to them three times, and if they don't hit, then they get the tee.  Well, a few times she hit a pitch!  I will always remember seeing her in her uniform for the first time, watching her turn around and smile so proudly at me as she ran to first, giving me a thumbs up when she knew she was doing a good job, and how excited she was to get her first trophy.

F I V E
I'm babysitting my niece Addison, starting tomorrow!!  My brother and his wife are taking a much-deserved trip to Cancun, and I (maybe crazily?!) volunteered for Addy to stay in GA with us.  So I'm meeting them at the airport during their layover in Atlanta tomorrow morning to scoop up sweet Addy-girl, and she's gonna be at Camp Peele all week!  My brother and his wife fly back in next Thursday, and then they are going to spend the weekend with us before they drive back home.  As y'all know, my family is pretty big, so even when we see each other, we rarely get to spend QT with individual people.  Therefore I am SO looking forward to soaking in so much one-on-one time with this precious girl:  

Luckily for me, my mother-in-law is coming to help me because THREE KIDS THREE AND UNDER y'all.  And to all of the people out there who have said, "Well, now you'll know what it's like to have three kids!" Um, no.  Most people don't have a one year old and six-month-old because it's not physically possible (and probably for good reason, ha!).  But I'm ready for the chaos and have stocked up on diapers, wipes, cotton-candy-flavored Oreos (yes, those exist), red wine, and a Blue Moon summer sampler pack.  

Have a great weekend!

I Love You, Mom. And Here's Why.

Happy Mother's Day to my Mama.  To the moon... <3