Hot Springs/New Orleans vacation

Family vacation was so fun this year!  We decided to go on a week long getaway with the Morgans family.  I am adding some pictures from our vacation, but to see all the pictures, there is a Hot Springs and New Orleans album on my facebook page.

 We left on Saturday, May 31st to go to Erin Lang's (Grant's life long friend) wedding. We went to a lunch and a jumphouse with Mimi and Emily before the wedding.  Then, we went to the wedding and we had a lot of fun.  The boys danced all night long!

Then, on Sunday, June 1st we went to brunch with some of Grant's relatives in Little Rock before heading to our campsite at Catherine's Landing in Hot Springs.  We met up with the Morgans there.  Then, Janna and I went to get groceries and we cooked a yummy meal over the campfire that night.

We stayed at the campsite in a yurt, which had nice beds, a mini fridge, air conditioner, and a table.  It was really nice.  The bathrooms were a short walk away.  On Monday, June 2nd, we went canoeing/kayaking, swam in the pool, and Grant and Justin went ziplining.

On Tuesday, June 3rd, we went into Hot Springs to the Children's museum, then ate lunch by the lake, then went to downtown Hot Springs to see the bath houses.  We then, of course, swam at the resort again.

Wednesday, June 4th, we slowly headed to New Orleans area.  We took our time and stopped at Paul Michaels, ate lunch at "The Dock" (one of our favorite seafood stops), and stopped at a nice rest area over looking the lake.  When we got to Kenner, we got to see Mawmaw Barbara, Aunt Kathy, Anna, and ate dinner at a restaurant there before heading to our hotel.

Thursday, June 5th, we went to the New Orleans zoo.  It was very hot and humid, but was also very nice.  The kids loved it! That night, we ate dinner at Mawmaw Barbara's house and got to see Uncle George, Aunt Sue, Mary, and sweet little Hudson.  We then, went and swam at the hotel.

Friday, June 6th, we walked around the French quarter a little bit, watching a band, the boys got a balloon, and looked at the sights.  Then, we walked around the mall by the Riverwalk, and ate lunch in the foodcourt,  before letting the kids play on the indoor playground and watching the big ships and boats in the water.  That night, we ate dinner at Mawmaw Barbara's house. Then, we went back to the hotel to let the boys swim. 

Saturday, June 7th, we were going to take the kids to City Park, but instead chose to let them play at Mawmaw's house with their cousins.  We also got to see Jeralyn, Ivory, and Eden this day. We got to eat po' boys yum yum.  We then went back to the hotel to get ready for the wedding.  Sarah Schultz wedding was beautiful and it was great seeing all of our family.

 Sunday, June 8th, we took the 10.5 hour trip back home.

We made so many memories on vacation and are so glad we got to get away for so many days.  The boys were definitely worn out after going to bed so many late nights in a row and only getting cat naps here or there, but it was worth it.    

Brady is 2

Brady,

You turned 2 years old on May 21st!  We cannot believe that our little baby is 2 now!  You have grown up into a funny, spunky, adorable toddler.

You "had a ball" at your birthday party in our backyard.  We had your closest friends and family over and you had so much fun celebrating with them!  We had a ball pit, a tent with balls in it, a water bag with beach balls, and swingset, sandbox play.  You had a jello cake and loved it! 

You are starting to speak so much more and are your personality is starting to develop more also.  You make us laugh every day and are so busy all the time.  You are always on the go and love to play.  Owen loves to play with you now that you are a little older and you two are becoming best friends. 

You still have your food allergies, but you are doing so great with eating.  You love chicken nuggets, turkey dogs, beans, rice, veggies, bananas, applesauce, and chips.  You also love rice milk and apple juice.

You are 34 pounds big boy and are pretty tall for you age. 

You still love to snuggle on daddy or mommy's shoulder when you are going to sleep, love to read books and sing songs, love to give kisses, love wrestling, and love baths. 

You are so sweet and are a good friend.  You are such a delight to be around and we love you so much our sweet Brady boy. 

Owen is 4!

Sweet Owen,

We cannot believe you are 4!  You have grown up so much right in front of our eyes little man!

You celebrated your birthday at the YMCA and had a superhero party.  A lot of your friends from preschool and church came and also your cousins, Brady, your Aunts and Uncles, and Mawmaw and Pawpaw!  You had a lot of fun playing with the balls and the parachute, eating cake, and opening all of your presents! You have had a lot of fun since your party playing with all of the new fun toys you have gotten. 

You are getting smarter, funnier, more honory and outspoken, and independent every day.  We have amazing days with you where you are hilarious and fun to be around and challenging days where you are very defiant and don't want to do a thing mommy or daddy ask you to do.  But buddy, we love you more than words could ever express.  We love your personality and the unique person God created you to be even on the most difficult days. 

You love to learn new things at preschool and at home.  You know all of your letters, shapes, are learning to recognize numbers, and know your colors.  Your favorite shows are Daniel Tigers Neighborhood, Superhero Squad, Special Agent Oso, and love to watch movies.  You love to play with hot wheels, trucks, superheroes, play dress up, puzzles, and love to read books. 

Your allergies have been flaring up really bad lately and a test revealed that you are super allergic to trees and mold.  We give you daily medicine that helps you and you have an inhaler in case it flares up.  When you aren't feeling good, you end up being super emotional and act up more. 

Owen, everyone you meet is your friend.  You love to meet new people and play so easily with others.  You are a great helper and love to help clean up.  You are constantly trying to help Brady and asking me how you can help.  I love this about you.  You are so sweet and loving.

You are not a big hugger, but when you ask to snuggle or for a hug, we immediately take you up on your offer.  You love to give knuckles and high fives and love to wrestle with daddy.

You are so sweet and say the funniest things.  You will randomly look at us sometimes and tell us you love us or if we're leaving, you tell us you will miss us.  These are the times we know how much you love us. 

Owen, we cannot imagine our lives without you.  You have brought so much joy and laughter to our lives and we are so happy we have you.  We are excited to continue watching you grow up and to see you grow into the man that God created you to be. 

Being a Stay At Home Mom

As I'm sitting here listening to my two boys playing by themselves, I started getting teary eyed. Yes me. Mrs non-cryer and non sentimental me. You see, I love these two sweet kids more than anything (besides God, my fantastic husband, and family and friends of course.) I am finally in a place in my life where I am enjoying them so much. Let me explain...

When we decided to get pregnant with Owen, I knew I wanted to be a working mom. I loved my job and was using my degree and I was convinced I could do it all. So I did. He went to an amazing home daycare and I went to teach music. When Owen was right around a year old, I started to have a heart change. God totally changed my perspective and I knew I was ready to find a way so I could stay at home with Owen. 

So, after deciding to stay home, I found out my school I had been at for 6 1/2 years was closing, Grant got a job at Walmart IT in Arkansas, and we found out we were pregnant with Brady. So this was definitely confirmation to me that when one door closes (or several) another will open.  This was also confirmation to me that I was feeling led by God and was seeing that He had a plan all along. He definitely was ordering our steps.

But once again, I thought when Brady's at a good enough age, I will go back to work. I started struggling with the whole "I can be a working mom" idea again. But God reminded me of all of Brady's food allergies and I feel so much more comfortable at this time in his life knowing he is in my care. 

Fast forward to a month ago...I had been looking at job postings, updated my resume, had enrolled to take a class so I could get certified in Arkansas, and then God stopped me. I all of a sudden became content in my job "just" being a mom.  I became ok with the idea that I can still use my musical gifts on the side, but letting the role of wife and mom take center stage right now. 

You see, I have had an inner conflict for so long about missing out on my career and not using my degree and feeling guilty that I was "just" a stay at home mom. I know I probably was listening to other voices asking me when I was going back to work too and that would always get me thinking about when was I?  There were days I was physically present with my kids but not 100% mentally and emotionally here. I wasn't giving them all of me and was not happy in my "job". Also, my whole life I was known as a musician and that's what my dream was growing up.  I knew I wanted to use my musical gifts in some capacity for my career.  I was never one of those women who talked about wanting to get married and have kids.  It was a desire of mine of course, but it was not a priority.  So, talk about a heart change. 

I don't know what it is about the title of "Stay at Home Mom" or why society looks down upon this title. If I can be honest, I was one of those women who honestly had no earthly idea what a stay at home mom did all day. I had it all wrong. Stay at home moms don't simply just stay home. There are days where we enjoy staying home all day playing and doing activities, but we also get out and do things too. For a while, I didn't know how to be a sahm and didn't know what to do all day. I felt like I was stuck somewhere between being a working mom and a sahm and didn't belong to either world.  Let me be clear, I do not think there is ANYTHING wrong with being a working mom and will be a working mom again when the boys are school aged.  I think everyone is free to make their own decisions for their families and no outside voices should ever make any mom feel guilty about her decision.  

I now think of it like this: when you first start a new job, there is a year or two where you are learning as you go and by time that third year rolls around you feel comfortable in your position.  Maybe it is because I have been staying home with my kids for 3 years now that I am starting to feel more comfortable in my skin.  I am able to stay home with them to teach, take care of, guide, mold, play with, nurture, read to, and love on them. I have just never felt such a peace as I do now in this season of my life. I am enjoying my children so much. They are really becoming best friends. 

I know that my degree will never go away and that music will always be there too, but for right now I know God is wanting me to feel settled in taking care of these sweet little people that He gave me. I know listening and following His voice is the best decision I could ever make. If Jessica 5 years ago had told Jessica today that this is what I would be doing, I would have laughed at her.  Isn't it funny how sometimes God has other plans for our lives that are even better than our own? I'm so glad I finally stopped to listen to Him.

Jess

Owen's funnies

At 2 1/2...
-He started calling Grant and I "babe"
-Me "Owen you're being super whiny, you need to use your big boy voice." Owen "I not 'Super Why', he's right there" as he points to the tv that's not on. Oh geez... Fyi...super why is one of his favorite shows
- Owens bed time prayer "Jesus thank you for mommy and dray (Brady) and mommy and mommy and daddy and Owen and mommy and mommy"..."and trucks."
-Owen told Jess that she's a "good boy"
- Owen "knock knock" me "who's there" Owen "Owen" me "Owen who" Owen "Aunt Jeralyn"
-I walked into Owens room to see why he was laughing so hard and looking up at me he lets out some huge farts and starts cracking up and I started laughing with him. You know you have a son when...
-"Mommy this is scary Pete. Don't worry he's not scary for you. He just eats my pizza."
- Apparently my brother in law Ivory has some hidden talents I didn't know about. While we were in the car Owen told me Nuckle Ivory was flying the airplane that flew over our car and he was singing the Christmas song on the radio

At 3...
-Chica get out of the chicken! (Translation...Tinka get out of the kitchen.)
- Owen "Mommy you know the muffin man? Well he needs to go to timeout because he ate all the muffins and didnt leave any for Brady, me, and my mommy."
- With our new big blocks, Owen was helping me build a house complete with a couch, bed, pool, and trees. Then Owen takes a block and says here comes the monster and starts hitting all of them and says "you'll never be a house now hahahaha!"
-Owen in the car on the way home from church "Mommy Brady talks but he doesn't make real words. He makes no sense."
- While having dinner at Chilis, Owen yells out he has to pee, asks the waitress if she's a nurse, what a spider and snake are, and tells me there's a waterfall and mice on the floor. Needless to say our waitress was cracking up!
- "Mommy Donald Duck is a duck."
-Owen licked sand and said "I wanted to see what it tasted like."
-Owen "mommy Brady took your belly belt (bra) and won't give it back."
-Coming home from preschool "Owen did you make any new friends today?" Owen "Mommy I don't make people, Jesus does."
- Me "Owen what did you do at preschool?" O "mommy I was the policeman and I got all the bad guys except there was one good guy."
- Owen asked "mommy who are my 'aunts'?" I answered "Jeralyn, Janna, and Emily" He sat there for a minute then asked "but who are my grasshoppers?"
- Brady said "ahwahwah". I said "Owen do you know what he said?" Owen said "Brady said when its summertime the trash truck will stink up the car.
-"Mommy you need a boocabooca and daddy's gonna give it to you"
-While in Walmart "Everybody get out of the way!  We need groceries!"

Christmas, Jess Bday, and New Years

Before Christmas, the boys took pictures with Santa. Owen ran right up to him and jumped in his lap and Brady was a little unsure of why I was wanting him to sit on this strange man's lap.  He followed big brother over to him though and took a picture. Owen had his class play and party.  He was a shepherd and was so adorable.  He sang songs too and loves music!

 

For Christmas this year, we had the boys open their gifts Saturday the 21st so they could have all weekend to play with their new toys.  We had a fun family day of listening to Christmas music, playing with toys, eating cinnamon rolls, watching movies, and just being together as a family.

Christmas Eve and Christmas day we went to Mimi's house and celebrated Christmas with daddy's side of the family.  We had a lot of fun hanging out, opening gifts, and eating yummy food.

The Saturday after Christmas, we had mommy's side of the family over for our Christmas celebration.  We had so much fun exchanging gifts, eating, watching football, shopping, playing with cousins, watching movies, and reconnecting.  Brady and Owen love playing with their cousins so much!

Jess's birthday is on New Year's Eve.  I had a lot of fun going to breakfast and shopping with Grant while Aunt Jer watched the boys.  Later on, Jess went to dinner with some awesome girlfriends and Jeralyn while Grant took the boys to Chick fil a (one of their favorite places) with some other guys and their kiddos.  Then we went bowling with our kiddos and friends.  It was a super fun day!