My 2nd love...

As many of you know, I coach a high school majorette line in our area and LOVE every minute of it.  Last year, my friend and fellow coach, Ashley and I joined forces to open a baton twirling studio.

Baton twirling is my 2nd love behind my boys of course! I have been twirling/dancing for 27 years and am so thrilled to be teaching others my passion.  We just finished registration and have MORE than doubled our students from last year.  It is so exciting to see other little girls love this sport as much as I have.

Here is Ashley, Alison and I at our registration this year.

Our first event for this year is Mini Majorette Day.  Our studio was invited by the high school to perform with the band during pre game at homecoming.  We could not be more excited!!  Here are the little girls last year. 

Friday is the big performance wahoo!! I am sure the girls will do fabulously! This week will be filled with sparkles, hair bows and sweet girls anxiously awaiting their performance.

Wish us luck! 

Cute boy

I think I need a light hearted post to follow the last one I wrote.

Can I just tell you how cute my baby is?  He really is THE MOST adorable child.   These are all pictures from my phone but I love them none the less.  

Right before nap, I rock Gray in his room and he gets SO giggly! 

Probably not the best thing to do before nap but I love those sweet belly laughs! 

Grayson loves ALL things pirates these day! 

He goes around saying "Yo Ho Ho"

I try to take a picture every time we leave the house-

this helps me have daily pictures of him.

PLUS! If the unimaginable were to happen and Gray would go missing-

I would have a current photo and know what he was wearing.  

 Oh sweet face.  Never leave me! 

Cooking dinner with Mom...I have no idea where he learned to lick the beaters? ;) 

Oh just goodness!  

He put those sunglasses on and his hands on his hips. 

Uh Oh!  His face here makes me so sad! 

The people next door are doing some construction and

 there are BIG TRUCKS every where.  It is a toddler's dream! 

Grayson "mowin" (as he says)

Have a great week!   

Contentment

(this post is about to get real...and is super long- FAIR WARNING)

So a few month ago I eluded that something had shaken me to my core....this is the story. 

 In June we found out that my husband's best friend and his girlfriend were (still are) pregnant.  To say I was shocked would be an understatement.  The shock wore off (quickly) and the deep deep sadness set it.  In my head and my heart I was having a pity party.  Here is a couple that I love, celebrating one of the happiest moments of their life and I am nothing but bitter.  I had just turned 30 and the fact that we have been trying for 4 and 1/2 years made me so jealous.  

Once I thought I had a handle on my sadness, a new friend would announce a pregnancy.  Poor Artie would walk into the kitchen and know exactly why I was crying.  Every. Single. Time.  This summer has been one of the hardest emotionally for me.  

We were on vacation in August and I was just waking up for the day.  I woke up with the words "It is well within my soul" in my head.  I rolled my eyes because, well I don't really know.  It was like I WANTED to be unhappy. We got back from the beach and I was launched into crazy Heather mode. Busy from sun up to sun down.  I really didn't have time to assess how I felt.  Ever heard the adage "Old habits die hard"?  One day I was looking at facebook and saw someone with a negative/complaint pregnancy update.  All of the emotions surfaced and I was right back into pity party mode.  

Every new baby or pregnancy announcement had me reeling.  I was spiraling out of control with my emotions...so much that I spoke to Artie about maybe getting help. 

I was standing at the kitchen sink, washing dishes when I heard the words "spoiled brat".   I knew that it was God telling me that I was acting like a child.  

Seriously.  I needed a wake up call.  

At that moment I said out loud " I CAN NOT DO THIS ANYMORE!" I needed to release that sadness/jealousy/anger and give it God.  I needed something bigger than me to handle it.  Later that day the word contentment started popping up in my head.  Then I remembered a verse in Hebrews

Let your character be free from the love of money, being content with what you have; for He Himself has said, "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you,"  Hebrews 13:5  

Whoa.  Be content with what you have. 

Is that hard?  Yes.  Is my pain in vain?  No.  I simply look at the tiny hand prints on ALL the windows or the mound of toys in my living room and remember that there is a reason.  There is purpose in my pain.  

Repeat those words.  There is purpose in my pain. 

Do I need to prepare that Grayson might be our only child?  Yes.  Does that stink? Absolutely! God said he would never forsake you..not grant your every wish. Just because I want something doesn't mean that it is in God's plan for my life. The way Grayson came to us was not in my plan but look at how wonderful that turned out.  

So maybe God's plan is cooler than mine?  

The only thing I can leave you with is that I am a work in progress.  I am still going to have sad days and I am still going to want more children. I fully believe God gave me that desire for a reason.  But! Grayson is one cool kid and if he is it then-we hit the JACKPOT! 

Grayson's 2nd Birthday-THE PARTY!

I promise this is the last post about Grayson's birthday!  I seriously love birthdays and love for them to be over the top special so we celebrate in a big way.  Plus- why wouldn't I celebrate such a blessing? ;)

The theme for Grayson's party was vintage picnic.  With his birthday being at the end of July, I knew it would be too HOT for a traditional picnic.  There is a cute little farm in Greeneville that I LOVE LOVE LOVE and they happen to have a pavilion for events!  Wahoo!  It always has a nice breeze and I wouldn't have to worry about rain.

I feel like I did not get very many detail pictures but I did get a lot of people pictures.  In 10/20/30 years, when Gray looks back, he will see how much love was at his party.  I was not too worried...

Picnic quilts-empty cake stand ready for a pie

Birthday cupcakes

Vintage (looking) Cracker Jacks

Artie and Gray

Austin (Awkin) and Gray

Gray insisted that sit with Austin to blow out his candles!

He LOVED Austin singing Happy Birthday to him

Aunt Margie and Uncle Homer

Grayson's great-great Aunt and Uncle

Sweet friends 

Miss Mary

Grandma Rosanna with Autymn

Uncle Tyler

Austin, Ashley and Rachael

The only darn picture of us and I look a bit disheveled ha!

Gray and his new Lightening chair

 

Sweet Rachael

Grayson's cousin Autymn riding his new tricycle

Sweet face!

Grayson was not exactly happy about it.

Cute shirt made by Rebecca

The back

 I love this picture haha

Chalkboard that sat with the snacks! 

Grayson and Pop Pop

Playing with his new toys

Centerpiece

I made little signs and pinwheels to go in the centerpieces

What wasn't photographed-

Cokes in glass bottles, mason jars with cute straws, strawberry shortcake and lots of yummy food. No biggie right?  

It was such a fun day!  In fact- it was so fun that I am already planning Grayson's 3rd birthday ;)  

Hope you had a great weekend! 

2 Year Photo Shoot

Have you ever been so busy that you have no time to blog? No? Oh....moving on!

The theme for Grayson's birthday party this year was "vintage picnic".  Being the ridiculous obsessive crazy person I am, Grayson's 2nd year photo shoot had to reflect that theme.  The goal was to be able to use these pictures at his party, so the had to match people!  The problem began when I could not find any suspenders for his size of person.

Does anyone know what is up with that?

Was there a major incident with suspenders that I am unaware of?  Maybe it was the wrong time of year to be looking?  Alas...no suspenders.

Which meant that I was going to dwell on that until it was almost too late to take pictures for his party.   On my quest to find the elusive suspenders, I spotted a girls headband bow that might work.  It was cheap and I so bought it hoping I would use it as a back up.

The day of Gray's birthday, with Artie there to help, we hauled a few props outside (bow tie included) and shot as much as a 2 year old would allow ;)  Which is 15 minutes...in case you were wondering.  

So I will leave you with one million pictures of my child because he is THE most beautiful baby ever born ;)

This one is out of focus but I loved it. 

 I thought it looked like a page out the Ralph Lauren catalog. 

The 15 minutes that I did shoot went well!  I was SO thankful that Artie was there to help because little man is WILD.  He wanted to explore in the field the whole time.  I can't believe how big he looks in these!  Sweet boy is my joy!  

Click here for last year's birthday post