Opinions Wanted

Now, I'm not usually one that cares what other people think BUT I need some advice. Tonight I purchased a rug for our formal living room. I already have two sitting chairs and have been on the hunt for a loveseat or settee for weeks. I have narrowed it down to two I love and would like to know y'alls opinions. In case you don't know our walls are grey, we have wood floors, and our coffee table is a dark espresso that matches the legs of the chairs.

 So, which would you choose? 

Option one or option two? 

Help a sista out and tell me your favorite!

PS I do have a favorite...but I'm not telling you. That just wouldn't be fair would it? ;-)

Cozy Coupe Cutie

Today has been a great day so far. This morning EC and I headed to bible study and despite massive traffic delays we made it on time. She just looks so cute in her pumpkin dress I have been rotating it between Sunday service, MOPS, fun outings, and BSF. I think she has worn it to each of those places at least once now. I didn't go too crazy on fall outfits...but Christmas is a different story. We are 3 or 4 outfits away from her having a different outfit to wear each day of December. Yes. That is crazy, I know. But I have been collecting cute smocked outfits all year.

After bible study we headed to Chick-Fil-A. I happened to have exact change today, don't you love when that happens?

 When we got home we ate lunch and I thought for sure EC would be so ready for a nap, but she wasn't. Shows what I know! Ha! So I put some play clothes on her and we headed outside. Yesterday Emma Claire's Daddy "red neck baby proofed" her cozy coup. He screwed some boards in the bottom so that she has a little foot rest and can't drag her feet. The newer models have a removable floor board to keep baby toes safe. Well what can I say...Emma Claire's is a $3 yard sale find that needs some TLC and it does NOT have a fancy floorboard! ha! She doesn't seem to mind though!

I can't get over her. She is like a little car model. she knows where to put her hands and everything. I sent this to the hubs and he said it's his new favorite picture.

We drove the coupe around the neighborhood and checked the mail on the way to the park. 

Park fun. I can't believe how big she is now. We spent most of our time at the park running around, climbing, sliding and playing like a BIG girl! I was chatting with my mom on the phone and didn't snap any pictures of our fun.

I am loving the fall trees up here. I'm sad they're already starting to fall. 

Headed home with my cozy coupe cutie. We are having so much fun this fall. The weather has been great and now that EC has another transportation device I foresee many more afternoons spent outside.

 Happy Fall Y'all!

Streamlined

I feel like being a busy blogger is a blessing and a curse.

It's a blessing because we have been so busy doing, and going, and crafting, and playing...

but that also means I'm taking the time to ENJOY life and choosing not to blog about it. 

I wish I had more motivation to blog at night. But lately it's been the LAST thing on my mind.

My in-laws arrived in town a few days ago, my parents are coming on Thursday, and Aunt Paige will arrive Thursday evening.

Emma Claire's party is Saturday.

READ: This momma is busy busy busy getting everything ready. 

Today I'm going to let my phone pictures update you on our life right now. 

It is my go to life documenting device. 

 Baby girl and I snuggling on the couch. Love moments like that. They are pretty rare

 Cuddle moments are rare because of this...baby girl is a walking machine. She is getting so fast and almost never crawls anymore. I can't hardly get any "outfit of the day" shots anymore. She's too busy running away! 

 Sweet baby lashes. Beautiful. 

 I just adore this picture. Poor thing didn't know she was "helping" daddy baby proof her favorite cabinet in the house.

 Daddy was working in the backyard so little bit and I did some walking around. She was WAY too interested in the water. She was not happy that mommy wouldn't let her go swimming.

 Free zoo. Enough said.

 Fun new fall feet craft. Note: MOMMY is the one who's footprint is messed up on this one. oops!

 Oh I love her and her endless expressions.

 A rare morning when daddy was home when we woke up in the morning.

 Today we pulled out Emma Claire's cozy coupe for the first time. She LOVED it.

 Love those baby blues.

So there you have it.

A streamlined post.

A little bit of a life update.

Phone pictures.

And that's all I've got for now, folks!

Guest Post: Getting REAL with Courtney!

Hey y'all! I have been really slacking in the blog department lately! Today I'm getting out of my blogging slump and I have my bloggy friend Courtney to thank for that! We are doing a little blog swap today. I'm writing over at her blog for the day So head on over to One Fine Wire to hear what I have to say about my ideas on motherhood. And enjoy reading some great material from miss Courtney. 

Alright Mom's - it's time to get real!  And I mean...real.

As a first time Mom there were many things that I could read about, many people I could ask questions to, but nothing truly prepared me for motherhood and all of the changes that were coming.  I was excited, scared, thrilled, nervous and living in the unknown.  The pregnancy was fairly easy - but I had no clue how much work was coming my way.

Now, I love my child more than anything in this world, but he definitely changed our lives in more ways than one.  I suppose this post is more of a "what I didn't expect" kind of rant.  I had many ideas in my head of how I was going to do things when Preston arrived - but those changed quickly because being a first time Mom - I had no clue what I was doing!

No TV
Pat and I had talked it over beforehand and we knew that we didn't want to have the tv on when Preston was spending time with us.  We made that choice and we stuck with it which I'm really proud of.  Is it hard? YES!  We were movie/tv people.  So it was quite a life change for us to not watch that tv as much anymore. I know it sounds trivial, but our relaxing days changed forever.  But overall, it's made quite a difference in Preston's social personality - he doesn't need it, he doesn't want it, and he'd rather spend time with people. :)

Social Life
I think Pat and I have had about four dates in the past year.  We were used to going out whenever we wanted, catchin' a movie when a new release was out, and being really creative with dates.  Spending time with Preston is amazing, and wow has he changed in the first year of life.  Daily life completely changed when Preston arrived.  I feel so blessed to have had the maternity leave that I did and was able to get that much needed one on one time with Preston.  But with all of that one on one time with Preston came no time with my husband.  Make time with your spouse!!  We are working on this constantly to make sure that we are showing Preston what loving parents are.  Which means, sometimes we need alone time - even when Preston is awake!  

Mommy guilt does set in, though.  Leaving my baby is hard.  I already leave him for eight hours a day in order to go to work, so leaving him at night too to go on a date is hard and makes me feel like a bad Mom.  I know I'm not, but my heart does hurt.  It does get easier, though, the older they get.  

A New Community
Not only has blogging brought a new community of people to my world, but so has motherhood.  I now have something so positive in my life to share with others and many other Mom's my age who share in their joys as well.  We also share in the hard times and how tough Motherhood can be.  Whether it's not being able to take a shower one day, not getting enough sleep, not having enough time with the hubby, or never feeling like we have time for ourselves anymore.  It's a great community to be in, but also a tough one. 

My advice to you - be the Mom you were meant to be and don't try to copy someone else.  This is something that I am still working on as well, because I always feel like I'm doing something wrong.  But I'm not.  I'm just doing it my way and that's ok.  Be confident, ladies and don't let pressure from someone else mess with your gut decisions.

Post Baby Body
Yup, that's right - I am NOT a Hollywood super star with a personal trainer to whip my body back in shape.  I'm a working Mom, I love food, and I love spending time with my kid.  All of that equals - not a huge amount of time or energy for exercising.  Now, I'm certainly not on the same diet that I was when I was pregnant (man do I miss those cheese steaks!) so that has helped a ton.  But my body is NOT the same.  My feet are a size bigger, my hips are wider, I still have a tummy that is not suitable for public view, and have gained a few stretch marks.  Reality, folks.  It took me about a year to get back to my pre-baby weight, and I'm ok with that.  I'm trying to stay as healthy as I can and taking walks when I can, but more importantly, spending my free time with my family.

A Love Like No Other
Having a baby was the best decision Pat and I have ever made.  Our love was already so strong between us, but adding another human to the mix only made our lives THAT much better.  I never knew that love at first sight really existed...and it does, my friends...it does.  I was in love the minute I saw Preston Warren, and Patrick and I created a whole new level to our love for one another.  What an experience...and I thoroughly look forward to watching Preston grow into a lovely young man.

A Purpose
Life has become purposeful.  When I was younger I used to think that being a strong woman meant working in a man's career and kicking major booty.  I never thought I would get married so early or even think of having a child until my mid-thirties.  Crazy, right!?  That's what I always thought...boy was I wrong!  God leads you in the right direction and you have to let it happen and succumb to the fact that we are not in control.  And I always tell myself - when my day arrives and the time has to come for my family to write something on my tombstone - it won't have anything to do with my job, but it will say loving Mom.  That's what matters.

So for all of you Mom's to be - get ready for a roller coaster ride of emotions - but all in all it's worth it.  It's not easy, but it's the best ride you've ever been on!

Thanks, Mallorie, for doing this with me - and I hope all of you come to visit One Fine Wire soon!  Thanks for letting me take over for a day :)

Hi y'all..It's me again :-) 
Thanks to Courtney for this awesome post! And are they seriously not the cutest little family!? Sorry I just had to add that in! 

Happy Monday!

Tiny Toes

I snapped this picture when Emma Claire was playing this afternoon. Every once in a while I capture a moment in time that is perfect. The way her foot was tucked under her leg. They way she stayed perfectly still as if knowing I was trying to capture a sweet moment. For a few seconds her busy little body was still.

I cannot believe that in just thirteen days the owner of these teeny tiny baby toes will turn ONE. It just doesn't seem possible! This year has flown by and I know time isn't going to slow down now.

It's hard to believe that this time last year I was anxiously awaiting her arrival. I had no idea what the next year would hold. I cannot put into words how much I have loved this first year of motherhood. It was everything I thought it would (and wouldn't) be and more.

Fun on the Farm

Today Emma Claire and I met our MOPS group at Cox Farms. If you're from the NOVA area you know that Cox Farms is a must in the fall for those with little ones. Today was a gorgeous day and we had a great time with our friends. 

The drive out there was just beautiful. The trees are just starting to change and I LOVE it! 

I wasn't kidding about the gorgeous day and beautiful trees. The proof is in the picture! 

One of the things I was most excited for was the hayride! I'm just a kid at heart.

Here we are waiting for the hayride. Please note my child is STANDING waiting with all of the big kids. I'm not ready for this! She didn't want me to hold her at all. She stood at the fence and watched the tractors with our other little moppetes. 

 Hayride time! Baby mary janes and momma's boots. Love.

The cemetery. It was full of famous people. My fav was Michael. Too funny!

EC and the Alpaca. There were also baby goats running around inside the pen and she LOVED them. She squealed and talked to them the entire time we stood there. 

 And you know we had ourselves a little photo shoot before we left!

I thought it would be nice to get a picture of the two of us before we loaded everything up and headed home. Apparently Emma Claire did not. She was SO MAD at me because she was having a great time playing with pumpkins and more importantly walking around. She wanted to keep walking around. Bless her little walking heart. 

Despite the last picture we really did have a great time! We are planning on going back once more this season on one of daddy's days off.  I need some smiles in the pumpkin patch! ha!