Celebrating Five Years! An Anniversary to remember.

Five years ago, I stepped out of my wedding reception and into the beautiful adventure of marriage to Mike Harder.  I was wearing my grandmother's ellegant pillbox hat and a smile that you couldn't steal from my face! From that sweet moment on, I have absolutely loved being married and I am so thankful to have Mike by my side for every adventure along the way. 

I consider myself to be a very sentimental person and I love celebrating every little anniversary and milestone of our relationship.  I love to look back and remember exactly what we wore and what we ate and what our conversations entailed. 

After our first year of marriage, we backpacked through Italy on what will always be the most romantic adventure of my life.  We made memories eating gelato in Cinque Terre and sipping wine on the Rialto Bridge in Venice.  I remember sitting underneath the stars on the porch of our bed and breakfast in Tuscany and dreaming of having children and going on incredible mission trips together.  Anniversaries are really special to me!

Looking toward our five year anniversary, we dreamed of going back to Italy and hiking the Dolomites.  We planned to take a side trip into Switzerland for a few days exploring where Mike's relatives originated.  At the time, I was absolutely sure that I would be able to leave our child for a week to ten days and go on an international trip of a lifetime.  But then my sweet Abigail was born and I began to laugh at my silly ideas of jumping on a plane and leaving my baby!

Our overseas trip quickly turned into a wonderful little weekend getaway at a beautiful home on the Lake of the Ozarks.   Problem solved, until I found out my only brother was graduating that weekend.  Cancel that.  I had the perfect back up plan to celebrate at a quaint bed and breakfast tucked away in the mountains!  The perfect solution, until I realized his graduation was not in the afternoon, but early morning.  Cancel that. 

As the week of our anniversary approached, Abigail came down with a virus and I realized my " all day long" sickness was not quite over.  So....instead of an international trip or a weekend getaway at the lake or a romantic evening at a bed and breakfast, we celebrated our five year anniversary right in our living room.  And it was perfect!

Here's what I want to remember and document for our five year anniversary!  I am four months pregnant and rocking my sweats because my clothes don't fit.  We ordered J.Alexanders and ate in our living room which was sprinkled with baby shoes and random toys.  We ate carrot cake and drank sparkling juice from our wedding champagne flutes.  We watched our wedding dvd and eventually ended up talking about our baby girl and our new blessing that's on the way most of the night! My sweet, thoughtful husband remembered that I mentioned wood was the traditional five year anniversary gift and bought me the most adorable wooden keepsake box from my favorite store! It was a perfect evening!

And honestly, I wouldn't trade our night for any trip in the world or romantic dinner for two at a five star restaurant.  I am so blessed and my life , though messy and slightly out or sorts at the moment, is such a gift and I am grateful! 

16 weeks!

Happy Anniversary to us!!

Mother's Day at Nanna's house

Yesterday, we took a trip down to Columbia to celebrate my sweet Grandmother Shirley and all the amazing moms in my family for Mother's Day.  Nanna is such a great example of a mom and love simply radiates from her through the generations of her family.     

It was a beautiful day to celebrate and all the kids enjoyed playing outside, especially Abigail!

The driveway at Nanna's is about a quarter of a mile long and that seemed like the perfect place for Abigail to take a walk.  She finally started walking at 15 months old and now she can't seem to stop!  I remember dribbling my basketball up and down this driveway as well as riding my bike so it was really fun to see Abigail try to keep up with her big cousins doing the same thing!

She is such a happy little girl and I love watching her explore!  In fact, this little girl is so busy these days that I have to grab her and steal a kiss when I can because she has a lot to do! 

I love you sweet Abigail.  It's so fun to watch you toddle around exploring the world.  You are such a blessing from the Lord and I have learned so much about His great love for me just by being your mom.  I can't wait to tell you all about Jesus and how much he adores you too.  

As we anticipate the arrival of our new bundle of joy later this year, I find myself thinking about how much my heart is about to stretch again.  Mike and I feel so blessed to see our little family growing before our eyes!

{Mother's Day 2013}

My thoughts this Mother's Day

Mother's Day is a day that wasn't always joyful for me, but now is one of the most precious days of the year for me to reflect on!  This morning, my heart was heavy for so many friends that are experiencing pain or heart ache on this day and I feel like the words expressed below truly capture my heart for all of you.  No matter where your heart is this Mother's Day, I hope this blesses you or someone you love dearly.  

To those who gave birth this year to their first child—we celebrate with you

To those who lost a child this year – we mourn with you

To those who are in the trenches with little ones every day and wear the badge of food stains – we appreciate you

To those who experienced loss this year through miscarriage, failed adoptions, or running away—we mourn with you

To those who walk the hard path of infertility,– we walk with you.

To those who are foster moms, mentor moms, and spiritual moms – we need you

To those who have warm and close relationships with your children – we celebrate with you

To those who have disappointment, heartache, and distance with your children – we sit with you

To those who lost their mothers this year – we grieve with you

To those who experienced abuse at the hands of your own mother – we acknowledge your experience

To those who lived through driving tests, medical tests, and the overall testing of motherhood – we are better for having you in our midst

To those who will have emptier nests in the upcoming year – we grieve and rejoice with you

And to those who are pregnant with new life, both expected and surprising –we anticipate with you

This Mother’s Day, we walk with you. Mothering is not for the faint of heart and we have real warriors in our midst. We remember you.

Spring Break 2013

Mike and I have started a new family tradition of taking a mini-vacation to the beach after Easter Sunday.   A few weeks before our trip this year, we found out we were going to be expecting another sweet baby!  After trying for a year to get pregnant with Abigail, we were both thankful and surprised by our little blessing!  I was 9 weeks pregnant when we finally left for the beach and very, very sick...

Nonetheless, we headed south right after our second service and I prayed for a little " Spring Break" from morning sickness! I am so thankful for my husband because he takes such good care of me when I am feeling bad. 

The Gulf welcomed us with warm sunshine and peaceful views!

I learned something very valuable this year.  When you have a baby, your beach day starts around 7:30 A.M. which is actually pretty perfect because it is the most peaceful part of the day!  I really enjoyed getting down to the beach early and having a few hours of peace and quiet with my little family.  

We took long walks in the mornings with Abigail, happy as could me in the baby ergo.  I spent a lot of time looking at moms running around chasing TWO small children and wondering what crazy beach adventures were headed my way in the future! 

I am so thankful that Abigail is a little beach bum!  She was perfectly content hanging out with us by the ocean.  We set her up each day under the umbrella with our portable swing, a few snacks, and her sippy cup.  She was pretty happy I guess you could say. 

The sand was a different story.  She was not so thrilled about that part. 

She discovered sunglasses however, and that made all the difference!  I thought I would have to make her wear them, but she fell in love with them.  In fact, she enjoys them so much that we wear them inside, outside, to church, out to eat.  We don't leave home without her shades! 

I was so proud of myself for doing my homework and having all my gadgets ready for Abigail at the beach.  I had beach toys, a blow up pool, a little baby tent, and her swing.  But this little one was not interested in getting anywhere near the little pool.  She loves to play in the bath tub, but she was NOT getting in the pool!  She did enjoy sitting on the towel with me and watching people walk by.  She sat so still with me and just watched the kids play along the shore.  I hope I appreciated how chill she was for this trip, because I'm pretty sure she will be running around soon enough! 

The last two days of our trip were pretty miserable for me.  I was very sick and out of it, but I am so thankful for a little break from nausea and a good dose of sunshine!  We will be heading back to Gulf Shores in June and I should be feeling much better by then!  We'll try that little kiddy pool again! 

These last pictures are my favorite because I love the innocence in Abigail's little face.  She is in her daddy's arms, with her baby doll, looking out at the ocean.  She's a happy girl for sure!

{Spring Break 2013 Gulf Shores}

Mule Day 2013

Oh my, it's already April and I am so behind on my blog!  What better way to catch up, then with a Mule Day post of course!

Last weekend, we packed up our car and headed down to Columbia for a fun day with family and friends.  I have enjoyed the Mule Day Parade since I was a little girl, and I love that Mike looks forward to all the festivities each year too! Here are a few flashback pictures from Mule Day.  I actually rode in a cage with a Llama one year for the parade...no pictures of that. 

I can remember getting so excited for the parade when I was a little girl!  I always had a fun outfit complete with a cow girl hat and boots of course.  My family usually camped out directly across from the Polk Home which was a great spot for the action.  It isn't allowed any more, but years ago people would toss candy down to the children as they drove by on their floats.  Think small town family fun day! 

We are actually really lucky now because Dee Dee lives right along the parade route.  So, instead of tail gaiting or getting out super early to save a good spot, we just show up for good food and sit in the front yard!  Here we are this year with Miss Abigail waiting for the parade to begin!

It was a beautiful day and I hope Abigail grows up enjoying this tradition as much as I have!  She will definitely have a little pair of cow girl boots ready for next year ya'll!  

Bedtime Fun!

Sometimes I think back to before we had Abigail and wonder what I did with all my time at night.  I'm sure Mike and I watched more television and read a few more books, but I would still trade every novel for a little story time and a bath with Abigail. Of course, I love my alone time with Mike after Abigail is fast asleep, but it's funny how we find ourselves laughing and talking about our baby girl and all the funny things she does during the day! 

Abigail loves bath time!  This was a post I did on her very first bath and from that day on, this little smile has gotten bigger and bigger! I am so excited to take her to the pool this summer because I think she will love splashing around and pouring things over her head. Sometimes she even tries to stick her face in the bath water!

After her bath, Mike and I usually fight over who will get to read her a story.  I usually win that one!  But every so often, I try to let him enjoy this sweet time at night with her too.  Here are a few pictures I got recently of Abigail with her daddy.  She loves this book!

I am so very thankful that my husband is so involved with his baby girl.  He is right there for every bath and bedtime routine.  Abigail is one lucky lady!

My latest project! {Abigail's Bow Holder}

I totally used to be one of those people that thought it was a little strange to take pictures of what you are working on as you go, but I now REALLY appreciate all the bloggers that explain to me step by step how to make something cute and not spend a lot of money.  That being said, I thought I would share how I learned to make a Tutu Bow Holder for Abigail!  

I had my eye on the cutest bow holder at Once Upon a Child and I would stare at it each time I went in the store, but it was $35.00 and I couldn't justify spending that much on one, so I decided to search Pinterest for a way to make my own.  It turns out they are really inexpensive and easy to make so I thought I would share what I learned!

This is what you will need:

~cardboard box
~batting material
~scissors
~glue gun
~ribbon 
~fabric
~tulle

First, you want to make your bodice.  The easiest way to do this is fold a piece of paper in half and draw the shape you want and cut it out.  That will give you a symmetrical shape.  

Now you can use this cut out to trace the shape onto your cardboard and cut that out.  I used an old box that Abigail's baby gate came in. 

Then, you will cut out your batting material and glue that to your cardboard like this. 

Next, you cut your fabric to fit your bodice leaving a little extra material around the sides.  Cut small slits in the fabric being careful not to get too close to the cardboard, and then pull the material around to the back and glue it down.  You will want to start with the middle first and then the shoulders.  Leave the top and bottom for last so you can pull out any wrinkles and get a smooth fit.  

To make your skirt, you will need to decide how long you want it to be and then make several bundles of tulle.  I read a blog that mentioned buying a bolt of tulle but I didn't have that so I used what I had and wrapped it around an old chalkboard and then cut it at one end.  The idea is to have several layers of tulle and then tie it off at the end you didn't cut.  I also used twine that I had because it was smaller than my ribbon and easier to get a good knot.  Once you have made all your bundles you can line then up and get an even cut at the bottom. 

Once you have finished making your bundles, glue them to your bodice starting with the outer two, then the middle, then the rest.  

Next, cut the ribbon you will use to hang your bows the length of your skirt and glue each one near the top of the bundles.  I chose three pieces of ribbon for this one.  

To make your waistband, cut 2 pieces of ribbon in a different pattern to place over your bundles and to hide the top of the ribbons and glue that down.  Then cut one more piece of ribbon to lay on top and cover your seam.  

Now, you can add any embellishments, flowers, ribbons, etc.  I wanted a simple one, but there are lots of cute ideas to dress these up!  Last, you will glue a piece of ribbon at the top so you can hang your bow holder and voila!  You are finished!

This was a super fun little project and only took about 2 hours to make.  Mine is definitely not perfect but it was fun to make and I love having somewhere cute to hang all of Abigail's cute hair bows!