Two Years Ago Today.

Man I love the Timehop app.

Especially on days like today, where I lazily pull it up to check out what I was doing 1, 2, 3 years ago and then BAM the picture is like a kick in the stomach.

I remember this exact day, this exact moment, two years ago.  I remember sitting on a balcony with my husband, a balcony that overlooked a town completely foreign to us.  I sipped a much-needed beer and we talked at length about whether or not T should accept his job offer, whether or not we should pick up our little family of three and move to a town we'd never even heard of.

I remember exactly how I was feeling.  Unsure.  Scared.  Excited.  Anxious.  The thought of moving to Georgia felt so surreal.  Would we really do it?  Could we really do it?  Were we supposed to do it?

If I was being honest with myself, I had already felt a little nudge from God... I felt him there, on that balcony, in my heart.  Before our conversation was even finished, before we even uttered the words, "Omigosh... Let's do it..."  I knew we were going to make the move.

And now, two years later, I cannot imagine my life without the memories we've made here in Carrollton.  Without our sweet E who likely would not be here had we not moved.  And without some of the most incredible friends I've ever known... Friends who truly make me feel like I'm home. <3

By the Numbers

3 ~ the number of inches I had cut off of my hair on Saturday, while also having it dyed a little darker.  It was a glorious hour-and-a-half, sipping wine and feeling a tiny bit pampered.

4 ~ the number of days of preschool CK has had, and she absolutely, positively loves it.

20 ~ the number of days until our fall family photoshoot!  I'm so ready to get some quality, non-iPhone pics taken of my family of four.

10 ~ the number of weeks left 'til fall television really gets going - yippee!  While I am loving Big Brother, I'm pretty much over our DVR list and ready for some of the new shows that are about to start.

16 ~ the number of days E has left wearing his helmet.  Cannot WAIT for him to "graduate"!

3.5 ~ the number of weeks until I have a four year old - craziness!

7 ~ the number of weeks until my baby turns one - even more craziness!!

6 ~ the number of days I typically run in a week, and it's starting to feel so repetitive.  I'm definitely itching for a change in routine, and plan on ordering some Pure Barre videos next week!

1 ~ the number of cars we have right now because T sold his old, 1990-something, embarrassing minivan.  Hallelujah!  But also?  Only having one car is a PAIN!

19 ~ the number of hours left until I'm on an airplane, Texas-bound!  I'm headed to Austin for the annual Rodan + Fields convention, and I am so excited.  The kids will be home with T for a few days while I soak up all things skincare and work on building my business, a business that has been life-changing for us.  So prayers for safe travels for me would be greatly appreciated!  I know the kids are going to have an absolute blast with their daddy while I'm gone!!

Eating the Icing First

The other day CK and I went to get cupcakes (shocker, I know).

We sat down in the booth and as soon as she got the paper off of hers, she dove right in - icing first.  I laughed as I realized I eat my cupcakes the exact opposite... I eat part of the bottom/cake portion, saving the top/icing half for last.  Saving the best for last, in my opinion.  But not my Cameron Kate.  Girl knows the icing is where it's at and goes right in for what she wants, not holding back.

Isn't that how kids are?  They don't wait to live their lives - they don't save the best bite for last.  They aren't always postponing something until this happens, or until that is finally done.

Why can't we be more like that?  Why can't I be more like that?

I am SUCH a planner.  To a fault.  Everyone who knows me will tell you.  And while it does benefit our family in a lot of ways, and while I believe I do have to be a planner to an extent to be a successful matriarch of our four-person family, sometimes a lot of times it's a little much.  Like I even plan how I'm going to eat my meals so that I save the best bite for last.

Recently, a friend said she wanted to have us over for dinner.  It sounded so fun, so I quickly agreed!  And then I told her we would love to have them over, too, as soon as I felt like we were a little less frazzled around these parts.  Her exact words:  "Girl, if I wait until our lives are in order I will never have anybody over again."

She was SO right.  I'm always thinking, "Ok, well, we can do (a) once (b) is finished."  And while that may be appropriate and necessary in some circumstances, it should not be the case when it comes to LIVING YOUR LIFE.

Who cares if many of our walls still remain undecorated, a year-and-a-half into our move?  Who cares if we still haven't unpacked our suitcases from our Labor Day travels?  Who cares if I didn't get a chance to mop the floor this week?

At this stage of parenting with CK, I feel like I'm constantly trying to use moments as lessons, trying to impart my motherly wisdom (ha!) on her.  When really, there is so much I can learn from my girl.  So much.

I'm going to that friend's house for dinner in a couple weeks and am already finding a date to have them over, too.  And tonight I plan on opening a special bottle of wine I've been saving... because I'm not even sure what I've been saving it for?  And moving forward, I really am going to try to live a little more like my almost-four-year-old.  

And you should try it, too.  Be a kid... even for just a moment... It really changes everything ~

Dance whenever the mood strikes you, always say yes to fun adventures, don't take yourself too seriously... eat the icing first.

"Just imagine becoming the way you used to be as a very young child, before you understood the meaning of any word, before opinions took over your mind.  The real you is loving, joyful, and free.  The real you is just like a flower, just like the wind, just like the ocean, just like the sun." Don Miguel Ruiz

A Few Favorites on Friday

*Ebates.  I've said it before and I'll say it again - if you do any online shopping, you are crazy not to use Ebates.  All you do is go to their website first, click on the name of the store you want, and voila! That's it.  I promise it's not too good to be true!  So far I've gotten $210.23 back, just from clicking through Ebates.  If anything, it totally justifies my online shopping addiction.  AmIright?!

*Newborn babies.  Y'all.  E is only 10 months old and I already miss this squishy, rolled up, sleep-on-your-chest, mushy little ball of goodness.

*Kind bars!  With life feeling like a big ol' frazzled mess these days, I've needed a healthy grab-n-go bar that's not terrible for me.  I tried Kind bars, and love them.  They're not full of all that processed yuck, and I'm obsessed with the salted caramel and salted dark chocolate flavors.

*And another food-related favorite?  Homemade Energy Balls!  My friend told me about them after she discovered them on another blog, and I whipped up my first batch yesterday.  They are DELISH.  And so much better than store-bought granola-type bars.

*Races.  After running the Peachtree 10k back in July, I really have the itch to do another one, and possibly a half marathon this time.  I've done one before, but it was five years ago!

*This mineral powder.  Y'all know I am an Executive Consultant for Rodan + Fields and have been for two-and-a-half years.  I recently bought and started using the only makeup we sell, which is a loose, full-of-peptides mineral powder.  And I am obsessed.  Wear makeup and treat your skin at the same time?  Win-win!  This stuff is so awesome, it's currently unavailable!!

*TJ Maxx.  Shopping in good ol' Carrollton is slim pickins.  But we do have a TJ Maxx.  I wandered in there a couple weeks ago and forgot how much I love that store!  It's like hunting for treasure, and I always walk out of there with the most random, but most awesome things.

*10-month-olds.  While I miss having a squishy newborn, I absolutely adore this stage with Everette. While it's exhausting having an into-everything and eating-everything wild little boy, he is just the cutest thing these days.  I remember 9-12 months being a favorite stage with CK, and it's proving to be the same this time.  E is just such a sponge, learning something new everyday and constantly making us laugh.

*Having our own fruit and vegetable garden in the backyard.  It's a tradition for CK and her daddy, and I love how much they love it.  We've had luck with some things, and failed with others.  But there's just something so rewarding about going in the backyard and picking corn/tomatoes/watermelon/squash to eat!

*New running shoes!  Except when they disappoint. :(  I got new shoes about a month ago, and ended up just getting a new pair of the same shoes I already had, but in a different color.  I loved them at first, but now, not so much.  I'm assuming my body has just changed since my last pregnancy and my running-shoe needs must be different.  But I guess I'll have to suck it up and run in these bad boys until they've seen too many miles.

*Caramel Iced Coffee from Dunkin' Donuts.  Yummmmmm.

*Baby hineys in the air.

*Post-preschool conversations with my almost-four-year-old.  One of my most favorite, favorite things.  She has grown up so much over the last year and has started back at preschool without missing a beat.  She loves preschool, probably because her teacher is so, so awesome.  And as soon as I pick her up, I turn the radio off, turn my phone on silent, and we talk the whole way home.  I read an awesome article that suggested questions to ask your child other than just, "How was your day?"  Things like:  "Who did you play with today?  What made you smile?  What was your favorite part of the day?  What made you giggle?  Who were you kind to?  Who was kind to you?  What did you eat for a snack?  What book did you read?  What's one thing you learned today?  What is something that was hard for you today? When were you proud of yourself today?"  My little girl is just growing up so fast, you guys, and our conversations these days... they are definitely my favorite.  In all the survival-mode-mess, motherhood really is magical. <3

TGIF... Have a wonderful weekend!!

3K

What's your name?  "Cameron Kate Peele."

How old are you?  "Three-AND-A-HALF."

What are you starting today?  "Pweeschool."

What is your teacher's name?  "Ms. Tina."

Why do you go to preschool?  "To have fun and so Mommy can do some work."

What are you most excited about doing at preschool?  "Sitting next to Allie."

What are you least excited about doing at preschool?  "I'm not least excited about anything because I love it!"

What's your favorite color?  "You know, Mama.  RED."

What's your favorite cartoon?  "Paw Patrol."

What is your favorite toy?  "My Paw Patrol toys and Ellie and Mel Mel."

What's your favorite song?  "The days of the week song and the birthday song."

What's your favorite fruit?  "Oranges and peaches and watermelon."

Who is your best friend?  "Hollis and Banks and Raleigh."

What makes you happy?  "Getting a hug and kiss from my mommy."

What makes you sad?  "When Mommy is upset of me."

What is your favorite restaurant?  "Chick-fil-a."

What is your favorite movie?  "The Fox and the Hound."

What is your favorite store?  "Target."

What do you want to be when you grow up?  "I want to be a mommy because it's real."

What do you mean it's real?  "Well, I used to want to be a giraffe, but then I wouldn't be able to talk so I want to be a mommy because that is a real thing."

Well, why do you want to be a mommy?  "Because then I will have kids who love me and I can tell them what to do and if they don't do it I will put them in timeout so they will be good listeners."

So incredibly proud to be this little girl's mama. <3

Also?  Don't blink...

Six on Sunday!

So, lately I've felt like I have too many balls in the air.  I'm in a constant state of keeping said balls above ground, juggling and tossing and struggling to not let one hit the floor.  Entertaining and raising an almost four-year-old, keeping a ten-month-old from eating too much dog food, maintaining a clean house with clean underwear in everyone's drawers, being a loving wife, cooking breakfasts/lunches/dinners, running a business, planning birthday parties, exercising, keeping our finances budgeted and organized, trying to be there when family/friends need me, etc. And for the past couple of weeks, I had to let a couple balls drop... One of which was this blog.  And that may seem trivial to many people, because really, who cares about my narcissistic corner of the Internet?  But for me, this blog is a place to document this precious moment of our lives.  And also?  Writing is incredibly therapeutic for me.  I need to write like I need to breathe.  And while many of my recent posts have certainly not been noteworthy, my weeks feel incomplete without at least jotting down what's going on inside my crazy brain.  But - when Everette is eating dog food and I'm burning boiling water and the floors need mopping and CK is climbing up my legs, I have to take a deep breath and realize that it's okay to let a ball (or three) drop.  One of which is going to be this blog.

All of that to say, last week's intended (not very interesting) Five on Friday turned into a Six on Sunday!  We're on the road, and with both kids contained in their car seats and not much else I can accomplish on my to-do list, here I am, blogging from my phone!  So excuse any weird formatting, I have no clue how this will end up looking.  Also? I hope to work on my juggling skills to keep more balls afloat.  For now, though, enjoy this Six on Sunday!

O N E

This week I added another ball to my juggling act when I got some kind of crazy infection/reaction/MISERABLE craziness.  Long story short, I had some sort of insect bite on my toe, said bite got infected, and days later I ended up with these weird hives all over my body. Miserably, itchy hives and a NASTY big toe (sexy, huh?). And another long story short, a trip to the dermatogist, an unsure diagnosis, and an armload of prescriptions later... I'm still not sure if we're getting things under control. So it looks like I may have to find time to go back to the doctor when we're back in town.

T W O

And why are we out of town, yet again, you ask?  The other day one of my GA friends was all, "Y'ALL ARE ALWAYS ON THE GO ON THE WEEKENDS."  Yes, yes we are.  We have zero family in Carrollton, and coming from a big family, there is always something going on on the weekends.  Last weekend my older sister and her crew came to visit (we had the best time, by the way!) and this weekend we're in NC visiting some of T's childhood friends and his parents.  We've had an awesome trip so far watching CK and her buddy George play and laugh and play some more, and were even able to cheer on UWG as they won their first game of the season yesterday!  And now we're gonna squeeze in a quick visit with Grammy and PaPa before we head back to GA tomorrow morning.

T H R E E

And yes, hellooooooo college football!  I love love love all things fall, especially waking up on Saturday mornings and immediately turning on College Gameday on ESPN.  Trying not to get my hopes up, but I have a really good feeling about my alma mater this year.  Go Tigers!!

F O U R

CK starts preschool on Wednesday!  And the angels sang, HALLELUJAH!!  Don't get me wrong... I absolutely adore being home with my sweet girl and am going to miss her like crazy.  But I truly feel like she needs the learning and socializing and stimulation of preschool.  I think there's only so much I can do for her at home, education background and all.  Especially with my wild little E, who requires constant attention these days.  We had CK's Peek 'n Greet last Thursday to meet her new teacher and see her new classroom, and y'all - I am so excited.  Her teacher came highly, highly recommended and just listening to her talk made me realize how perfect she'll be for my girl.  Bring it on, 3K!!

F I V E

The groundhog saw his shadow - 6 more weeks of helmet... Well, 4 for now because I was so upset that we didn't "graduate," so they said they'd re-scan and reevaluate E's noggin' in 4 weeks. His ratio dropped from 98 to 93 (end goal was 91-93), but the problem is that his head hasn't grown much at all in circumference. The doc really wanted him to hit a growth spurt and doesn't believe that he has yet. So she basically left the decision up to us, because it's kind of a gamble from here if it'll change anymore. T was all "what's it gonna hurt, let's just do 6 more weeks" while I was almost in tears. I know that seems silly, and I realize this is such a trivial issue all things considered, but my sweet baby boy is getting closer and closer to not being a baby anymore... And I don't want the rest of his babyhood to be in that (literally) stinking helmet.  So for now, we're gonna re-scan in a month and hope his head hits some kind of growth spurt.  The plus is that she said we could do more non-helmet time (we've been doing 23 hours per day of helmet-wearing), so you'd better believe I'm gonna be snuggling that sweet, rounding out dome and snapping pics of his wild, cowlicky hair!

S I X

And just like that, my baby boy is 10-months old!  He loves life, loves to eat anything he can get his hands on, and continues to be incredibly easy-going and oh so joyful.  I truly cannot imagine life without him, and I'm not sure how I ever fully existed before I had my son.  I fully intend on soaking up every single second before our sweet little E is one!