I guess I should apologize for my absence, and go ahead and apologize for my continued absence... Things have been a little quiet around here, and I imagine they will continue to be a little quiet for the next week or two. Because... O N E Well, this week I had the absolute pleasure and honor of teaching Vacation Bible School at our church. I taught last year, too, and I have honestly been looking forward to this week since last summer. It.is.awesome! Exhausting, yes - especially as a pregnant mama of two littles - but it is totally worth every ounce of exhaustion. CK talked and sang about Jesus all week long, and I was able to teach a pretty amazing group of second graders who, really, taught ME.
T W O Another reason things have been quiet around here is because last weekend all of us Peeles were out of town! As I mentioned, I was in South Carolina spoiling my stepsister as we celebrate the upcoming debut of my newest nephew, Sam! I got to snuggle my recently born, perfect nephew, Finn, the baby shower was a huge success, and I loved every kid-free minute spent with my sisters, Mama, and Gram.
Meanwhile, CK and E were being absolutely spoiled by their Grammy and PaPa in North Carolina while TJ golfed in a tournament! We all returned late on Sunday and crawled into bed not too long before the alarms went off for our week o' VBS. Whew!
T H R E E And the reason things will continue to be a little uneventful around here - T minus four days 'til my hub and I are Canada-bound! Thanks to my awesome "job" via Rodan + Fields, we're being treated to an all-expense paid trip to Banff Springs. To say I am excited is an understatement. To say I am nervous is also an understatement. You see, we are not the "traveling type," rarely if ever going away sans kiddos, much less out of the country. BUT, I know this trip is going to be so, so good and the kids will be so, so happy while spending time with their Meme. And in preparation for the trip, I will be crossing off to-do's while soaking up time with my kiddos. THAT is why I need to step away from here for a bit! F O U R But before I do, I have some exciting news! I'm going to be an aunt, AGAIN!! I have been dying to shout this from the rooftops... my older sister is adopting!! I am already so in love with our niece-to-be, and can't wait to meet her. In the meantime, I'm asking for thoughts and prayers for my sister and her sweet little family, and any advice you have for me as I try to support her every step of the way! If we're friends on Facebook, you'll see me sharing different ways they are fundraising to assist with the adoption, if you're at all interested. And also, please follow her journey so you can get each and every update via her blog, Doc Momma! Cannot wait to snuggle the precious girl we are already praying for, and cannot wait to add another to our big, crazy, beautiful family. <3 Have a wonderful weekend, and a wonderful week next week, and hopefully I'll be back from Canada in one piece to tell you all about our adventures! TGIF!!
I feel like I keep saying this, but whew this week has kicked my butt. I've gotten some second trimester energy going, but my body is like NO THANK YOU. My back, my hips - it all already hurts! Craziness, since I still have about 14 weeks to go. Anyway, on to some randoms, because this big mama is t-i-r-e-d. *Hi #3! Can you believe we only have about three months to go?! Yeeeikes! I've been in a sort of is-this-really-gonna-happen mental state throughout this entire pregnancy, and now that we're a few months away from the big day, I'm starting to stress. Like maybe it's time to get a nursery in the works, start stocking up on some essentials (like an infant car seat and stroller since I sold ours... oops), and begin some what-are-we-gonna-name-this-baby conversations.
*So, I just finished a book and it was sooo good. It's called The Good Girl. I forgot how much I love to read! It's really one of my favorite things to do - get lost in a book - but to be honest, it took me about seven months to finish this one as I tried to get through a page or two in the nooks and crannies of my day. *Thanks to my older sister, I discovered Aldi. Y'all. Life-changing. I am obsessed with this grocery store and how much money it's going to save us! *I scheduled a deep cleaning of our house! When I was working full-time in NC, we had a house-cleaner come once a month. When I transitioned to stay-at-home mama, we agreed I was in charge of all things household - including cleaning. Well, since becoming a pregnant mama of two, I just feel so behind and like no matter how much I try, I cannot get caught up on cleaning this house. To say I am excited to have someone come clean next week is quite the understatement. YIPPEEEE! *I had a little pregnancy scare a couple weeks ago that totally caught me off guard. After calling the OB about feeling constantly itchy, I was asked to come in right away for bloodwork. The worry was that I may have this. Y'all, I was a nervous, emotional wreck. Praise the Lord, everything came back clear - so I guess this itching is just a result of hormones and my constantly stretching, growing skin! *You guys, Everette has been such a handful lately. He is a STINKER. And gives us a run for our money, all day everyday. Whew. Timeouts are now in full-force, as are lots of deep breaths and trying to hide my giggles because even though he can be so bad, he's so stinkin' cute!
*And in some selfish news, I was recently selected to be a contributor for the Atlanta Area Moms Blog! Ahhhhh!! You guys, in a perfect world I would write for a living. So even though this is just another tiny corner of the internet, I am both thrilled and honored (and so nervous!). The blog launches next week, so make sure to stay tuned and follow along - and also look us up on Pinterest, Instagram, and Twitter! *This weekend T is playing in an annual golf tournament in NC, and he's dropping the kiddos off at his parents' house for the weekend. He can't wait to play golf, the kiddos can't wait to soak in Grammy and PaPa time, and I can't wait to cash in my Mother's Day spa gift certificate tomorrow!! *So... my friend and I were out walking some trails with our kids last week, and ended up on the news. To make a long story short - we were both un-showered, un-makeuped, and did all we could to avoid the cameraman. But we both ended up interviewed and blasted all over the 4 o'clock, 5 o'clock, 6 o'clock, 11 o'clock, and the next morning's news! I was so embarrassed!!
*I've said it once and I'll say it again - I am Scandal-obsessed. The BEST show. Thank you, Netflix. I'm almost caught up to the current season, and want to catch up, but also don't want to catch up! #firstworldproblems *We had such a fun Memorial Day weekend! We soaked in tons of time with our little family of four, T squeezed in some golf, we ate lots of yummy food, and we spent hours and hours and hours at the pool with some of our favorite friends!
*And speaking of the pool, I am so proud of my CK! Thanks to her swimming lessons with a woman I affectionately called the kid-whisperer, she has become quite the little swimmer. Jumping off the side, swimming under the water, going to the bottom... cannot believe it!
*Next week is Vacation Bible School!! I have been waiting for this since last summer, when I absolutely fell in love with VBS. I am teaching again this year, and cannot wait to spend time with some of my favorite people while soaking in talking about Jesus with some precious seven-year-olds. <3 *And with that, Happy almost Weekend! I'll be hanging with my sisters (yahoo!!) while throwing a baby shower for my stepsister - can't wait to spoil sweet baby Sam! I hope you have a great one with your people!!
