Almost time!

Well, it's been an entire week since the moving company came and packed our household goods and we've basically been living like hobos ever since. I am so ready for tomorrow to get here so we can pack up the cars and hit the road! We originally weren't supposed to be leaving until Wednesday but we got a call from the moving company saying they needed to deliver a day early, which means a slight shift in our plans. So now we are leaving a day early and going to split the trip up into two days. We should be in Biloxi by Wednesday afternoon and Thursday morning we sign the lease for our new house and get our stuff delivered that same day! It's going to be an exciting/stressful day but I will be so glad to have our belongings again.

This past week has been a challenge when it comes to entertaining our toddler and I'll admit I'm so grateful we still have wifi so he can watch netflix on our laptop. We also got him a coloring book and some markers so we could draw together and keep him occupied. Yesterday we spent the afternoon at the base pool and splash pad which was really nice and a perfect way to beat the heat! I'm so disapoointed that we just now made it there because they don't even charge admission and Jeremiah loved it so much! I'm very excited about the fact that our new housing community also has a pool and that we will be able to take him there often before the end of summer. He is definitely a water baby! :)

Other than that I've been trying to get our house cleaned up a little each day so we are ready for inspection before we leave on Tuesday. I've also been working on teaching Jeremiah some new words and I'm excited at how many new words he has learned this month. Some are only ones I can understand because I hear him say them enough but it makes me happy none the less! I'm hoping once we can communicate better there will be less frustrations for both of us. We got him a vtech learning book that says the names of objects when you touch them and he really seems to like it so far. I'm hoping it will help with learning some new words too. ♥

I hope you all have a Happy Monday and enjoy these pictures of my little guy playing in Mommy's suitcase. Here he is saying the newest word he learned..."Cheese!"

I love his little cheese face! Have a great week everyone! ♥

The perfect name

When you find out you're expecting, choosing the perfect name can feel like a monumental task. I wanted a name that was beautiful and sophisticated that could grow with our baby girl as she got older. A name that sounds adorable as an infant, but also respectable as an adult. When I was pregnant with my son, we were able to choose his first name the very same day we found out he was a boy. This time around it took us a little longer, ok actually a lot longer, to agree and find a name we both loved.

 I scoured baby name sites and tried to seek inspiration from family and friends but one name just kept coming back to me and I knew it was the one. My husband on the other hand needed a little more convincing, so I kept giving him other options. After about a week or two of this he said, "You know what, I actually think I like this name best..." and I was so happy because I absolutely love the name we chose. We have yet to decide on her middle name, but our baby girl's first name will be Addison. I am in love with her name and can't wait to meet our sweet girl. How did you choose your baby's name?

One step closer

Well yesterday was the big day! The packers came and by the time three o'clock rolled around they had already packed up our entire house. It was a bit stressful at first because I didn't have much time to get things in order before they arrived, but it all went smoothly in the end. I worked all the way up until Friday and Jeremiah gave me a pretty awful cold, so needless to say I didn't accomplish much this weekend in terms of packing and sorting things we didn't want packed. I was so incredibely thankful to have my husband here this time around and for the fact that Jeremiah was so well behaved while they were here. We put on Tarzan for him and he literally just sat on his couch and watched it while they packed everything up! Then he decided he was tired and took a two and a half hour nap, which was amazing because that meant my husband and I could run around and make sure everything was going smoothly along with trying to get some cleaning and organizing done. I couldn't have asked for it to go better. :)

So now we are just waitng for the driver to arrive tomorrow morning and haul all our stuff away! :) The one thing I'm not looking forward to all that much is having no furniture to sit on for the next week. We'll have our air mattress of course but no couches or table, so that should be fun since I'm nearly six months pregnant. We've also got to do a thorough deep cleaning before we hit the road, so hopefully we'll get most of our deposit back. Other than that we are one step closer to getting this move over with and coming home to our new house in Mississippi! I have so much to write about these days, and I'm excited to finally have the time to dedicate to my blog again. Wish us luck on this next chapter in our lives! ♥

Gender Reveal!

Hey everyone! Two posts in one week, I must be on a roll right? ;) For those of you who already follow me on pinterest, twitter or are a facebook friend then you already know this, but if you're new around here I figured I'd share. When I was pregnant with Jeremiah and we found out we were having a boy there was no containing our excitement. We announced it right away and didn't bother with a gender reveal photo shoot. That was before it was a "big thing," I guess, but I have always regretted the way we told people. This time around I knew I wanted to do a gender reveal shoot, and with the help of my husband and son I think they turned out pretty great. ♥ I hope you love them as much as I do! We are beyond thrilled to be welcomg a baby girl into our family this December. ♥ I always said I wanted my children to be two years apart like my sisters and I and it looks like I got my wish. ;)

Next on the blog I'll be talking about our baby's name and how hard it was to choose! I hope you're all having a Happy Monday!

And so it begins!

Last year when we got our orders to Florida, the last thing we thought we'd be doing was moving again in less than a year. However, life is funny sometimes and although I was disappointed at first I am actually very exited for our upcoming move. Our time here in Florida has been short and bittersweet. This year I went back to work for the first time since having Jeremiah, and started a new job in a city where I didn't know a soul. Over the last eight months I've struggled with balancing motherhood, my marriage, a full time job and trying to keep up with all the housework. (Which hopefully explains my lack of blogging). I sincerely had times when I felt like there just weren't enough hours in the day to get everything done that I had on my plate. There were also days when I felt so incredibely lonely. I missed all my friends in VA and having people to hang out with a lot. I didn't really have time to make a lot of friends while we were here, but I did make a few good ones. :)

Then April came around and my husband and I found out we were expecting baby number two! It was definitely a surprise but a very happy one. :) Add on the first trimester exhaustion, morning sickness along with working and caring for a toddler and I was out for the count. My mom did come and stay with us for a few weeks for my birthday and she was a tremendous help. I was so, so thankful for the time we got to spend together and the fact that she got to see her only Grandson so much. I know we both loved having her here with us! Since then I Slowly but surely feel like I've regained some of my energy and am now well into my second trimester. Thankfully our baby is growing well and is healthy. ♥

Friday was my last day of work and we had a delicious potluck luncheon. My sweet coworkers also threw me a beautiful baby shower last week for our little one. I definitely felt very special and loved! It's amazing to me that I only worked there for eight months and they did so much for me before I left. Just goes to show how kind people can be down here in the south. :) Friday was also my son's last day of daycare and his wonderful teachers made him a precious book filled with pictures of him, all his drawings and art work from throughout the year and letters from each of his teachers. Looking through it and reading their sweet words made me cry! My son loved his teachers but had a special connection with one in particular so knowing he won't get to see her anymore really breaks my heart. The military lifestyle does get easier the more you get used to it, but one thing that never hurts any less is saying goodbye to people you care about, people who have been there for you and helped you out along the way.

 I am very thankful for the good people God has put in our lives while we've been in Florida, and it's defnitely been a year full of challenges but also one full of blessings. Now as we get ready to pcs again, I am incredibely excited and hopeful for what the Lord has in store for us. We are leaving for Biloxi, MS next Wednesday and already have a house waiting for us! I can't wait to decorate our new place and get to know some ladies that I've already met via social media. I am so excited about living in military housing again, and for the fact that we will have a fenced backyard and a park right down the street for Jeremiah to play. We also have a community pool and I believe there's a splash pad in one of the neighborhoods so I'm also excited about that! Jeremiah loves the water and I'm hoping we can make it to the beach a few times before it starts to get cooler.

I still  have to worry about transferring all my medical stuff and getting an appointment with my new o.b. as soon as possible but it shouldn't be too bad since I'll still be going to a military hospital and all my records will transfer over. All in all things have gone pretty smoothly considering we just found out we were for sure moving about a month ago. Well, it's been fun playing catch up and filling everyone in, but I'm off to make dinner for my family and FINALLY start setting aside the things we don't want the packers to take tomorrow. I know, I'm a huge procrastintor! Tomorrow the PCS madness begins! Happy Sunday ya'll! :)

Moments

Last night I was looking at random photos on my computer, mostly from my instagram account when I realized how quickly time has passed over the last year. Going through old photos of Jeremiah makes my heart ache something fierce. Childhood is so fleeting and there's nothing more bittersweet than watching your children grow up. It's a privilege that tugs on your heartstrings and makes you remember to revel in each moment, because one day those moments will be gone. One day they won't be so little and you'll look back on those memories and cherish them. 

Jeremiah turns 15 months old today and I can hardly belive that as I type it out. There are days when motherhood tests my patience, my spirit and my sanity. Moments that make me want to cry as I lay in bed after a hard and frustrating day. And then there are the moments that make up for it all. Seeing him smile and splash in the bathtub, watching him dance to Frozen...The enormous smile when he wakes up in the morning, his excited little dance as he throws his arms in the air and reaches for me to pick him up, and the feel of his soft chubby cheeks as I kiss him good morning 100 times. These are the moments I live for, the moments that make everything worth it. And I'm so lucky I get to have them. ♥ 

Adventures in St. Augustine

Since moving to Florida we haven't had the chance to explore too much, but one place I can't get enough of is St. Augustine. Maybe its the history geek in me but I absolutely love visiting the oldest city in the U.S. We've been several times over the last few months and still haven't had time to do everything on my list. While my mother in law was here we went and walked down the historic streets and ate at a couple little restaurants and did some sightseeing. We visited again a few weeks ago with some of our friends and I was lucky enough to get lots of good photos. ♥ 

[The husband and I...The first picture we've had taken of us in forever!]

 [Sightseeing and shopping...]

 [yummmmm]

 [Mother and son enjoying the day together. ]

[Palm trees everywhere...I love it!]

 [All the shops are so adorable. Almost makes you feel like you've gone back in time.]

 [Bubby was ready for some french fries ;) ]

[French Fry Heaven, and belive me it was...♥]

[Loaded baked potato french fries] 

 [Castillo De San Marcos off in the distance]

 [Crepes Elizaveta from The Mermaid Cafe] 

 [An old spooky graveyard]

 [Flagler College...This photo reminds me of a postcard.]

 [I love the architecture of this building]

 [Bubby and Daddy bonding time]

[Overlooking the water on top of The Castillo De San Marcos]

 [Mommy and son ♥]

 [Overlooking the water...my happy place.]

 [Be still my heart] 

[The most beautiful view I've seen in a long time...]

Being able to visit gorgeous places like this is what I love most about being a military family. I doubt we ever would have made it out here otherwise, and I'm so thankful for days like these. ♥ 

New Look & Catching Up

I've been missing writing my blog lately, (as weird as that sounnds) and was thinking it was about time for a change. So this is it, The new me. If I have any readers left after my horrible lack of blogging over the last two months I'd be amazed...I guess thats what happens when you work 40 hours a week and have a toddler and husband to care for. ;) 

I'll be the first one to admit I was pretty unprepared for it all. I'm still getting into a routine and trying to juggle everything, which seems impossible most days. Let's just say I have a new found respect for all you working moms out there and especially my mama who worked and raised four children. Despite that, overall life has been pretty good. Things aren't quite what I was hoping for with this new job but then again they usually aren't. I'm praying things get easier as time goes on. 

[Enjoying some snuggle time with Grandma in St. Augustine]

My son is growing like a little weed and it seems as though he's doing something new everyday. He makes me smile and helps me forget even the most awful of days. I really wish I could slow down these sweet moments just a bit so I can enjoy them a little longer. In January we celebrated Bubby's first birthday and really enjoyed our visit with his Grandma. She loves him so much and we had a great time visiting St. Augustine and getting everything ready for Bubby's first birthday party. I was a little sad that the rest of our family couldn't be here with us, but so thankful we were able to share it with my mother in law. 

[The Birthday Boy, One Year Old!]

[La la la la...it's birthday time!]

[Finger Lickin' Good...]

Since then we spent the entire month of February and March being sick one time after another, (thanks grubby little daycare kids...) and Bubby ended up with a bad cold that turned into a double ear infection. We thought he had gotten better when another ear infection came on and he had to get more antibiotics. Not two days after he was done with his second round he caught another cold and he is still fighting it. We've been told by his doctor along with everyone and their mother that it's normal for kids to catch 7-8 colds their first year in daycare and I can't even think about how we are going to get through the next nine months of this!

 Every time he gets sick he passes it along to my husband and I which makes for an unusually cranky household. My job doesn't pay sick time until you've accumulated so many hours over the year so it has been extremely difficult to schedule doctors appointments and take trips to the er when I technically can't leave work and not get paid for it. I could care less about losing out on the money when it comes to making sure my child is healthy but it really frustrates me how behind the times America is when it comes to this sort of stuff. As a parent when your child is sick it's stressful enough without having to worry about being fired if you leave work because they need to see a doctor. Since we are a miliatry family and we recently pcs'd here we don't know too many people or have any family close by that could help out during these times. Sometimes I really wish we lived closer to home! 

Anyway, there have been lots of exciting things going on along with all the crappy stuff. Bubby started walking last month and I still can't get over how adorable he is walking all over the house. ♥

[Walking around with his basketball♥]

 I also found out that my husband was planning to surprise me with a visit from my mom who I've been missing so much lately. She'll be here in a little less than two weeks and I absolutely can't wait! I'm still going to be working of course but we will have the weekends together and will get to celebrate Easter and my birthday while she's here with us. :) I can't wait to take lots of pictures and do some sightseeing around Florida and hopefully Georgia. I'm so ready for what this month has in store for me and am thankful for all my blessings. If you stuck around and made it through this neverending post then God Bless You! Lol ;) Until next time...XOXO.