Teagen's Birth story

You were a bit of a surprise. I wanted another baby but it happened sooner than I thought. From the start we were so excited to add another little bundle of joy to our family. When we found out you were a girl we were excited to see the sister bond form between paisley and you. I had a great pregnancy no problems throughout.
 We were anxiously waiting for you to come in God's perfect timing. It was a test of our patuents. He decided 11 days after the due date would be good. He also decided a C-section would be best.
No one saw this coming but God has a way of doing things His own way to teach us and mold us. The weeks leading up to you birth I prayed that God would use your birth to reveal his presence and glory in whatever way he would. I also prayed that your birth would be smoothe process. Well he did those two things. It was smooth but completely His own way.
I finally went into labor Monday evening after taking castor oil. By 5:30 mild steady contractions started. This was not the first of mild steady contractions so I was in doubt this was really going to happen. Well the contractions continued throughout the night. Me and daddy slept a little off and on and uncle Cees came over to stay with Paisley. By 12 I was getting very uncomfortable so we headed to the hospital. On the way we were still in doubt as the contractions slowed a bit. As we walked up to the correct floor, I had to run to the bathroom twice. Then when we got to the floor I had to go again. They wanted me to walk down the hall where we came from to use that bathroom. I told them I was not going to make it. Then my water broke right there. I wanted to cry. They let us in the triage room and started checking us in. I started to see meconium and began to worry. Tammy my midwife arrived and said it's ok. That helped a little. They moved me to a room and decided to do an ultrasound where we found out in surprise you were breech. I was all ready 8 cm and did not want to hear I would have a csection. I had to wait patiently to be prepped for surgery before I could get pain relief from the  contractions that were all a waste.
 Well God knew what he was doing. If I had tried to deliver you naturally you would not have done well traveling through all the meconium. A huge blessing in disguise. So despite a unplanned C-section you are here and healthy as can be.
Week old photoshoot.

Showing off her strong arms!

One year olds party

Paisley's First Birthday

Cannot believe it has been a whole year since we brought our sweet bundle of joy home. The day we chose to have her party, coincidentally was the day we finally got to bring our sweet little one home from the hospital and had a house full of friends and family.

For months leading up to her birthday, I was busy pinning away ideas on Pinterest. Crafting and decorating was the real reason I wanted to have a big first birthday party. A couple weeks before, when the school year ended for me, I began crafting away.

I got this crazy idea to cut out star shapes out of cardboard we had from boxes. I had a set of star shaped cookie cutters of all sizes that came in very handy.

The theme "Twinkle, Twinkle little star" and pink and glitter

After cutting all the star out I wasn't quit sure how to make them sparkly, first I thought spray paint would be the easiest but I had lots of glitter. So glitter it was. I hung them all over the house. Paisley loved them, she looked up at them in awe.

 

I also had fun making a Paisley sized one to hang on the front door. I covered it in tissue paper squares and spelled out her name down the center.

 

 

WE did a one year old photo shoot a couple days before, so then I decided to use the pictures as decorations.

 

I also printed out pictures from her first holidays to use as decorations. These will be going in her baby book.

 

I decided to write a note thanking everyone and explaining that it was the exact day we got to bring Paisley home last year.

 

A centerpiece for the dessert table I decided to throw together with left over stuff.

 

I had to make this after seeing them on Pinterest. It was a little big so Paisley did not really wear it.

 

Another idea I saw on Pinterest and loved. The guests enjoyed the pictures and casting their votes.

 

Most of the kids that attended were girls hence the girly party favors, also two of Paisley's favorite things.

 

I had to make a birthday banner or two. I also hung extra glitter stars and one year old photoshoot pictures. This was behind the dessert table. I kept is simple and did cupcakes and cake mix cookies.

 

Another birthday banner. Too much fun making them. More glitter stars above it too.

 

Another idea I saw on Pinterest crape paper.

 

Monthly pictures as decorations.

 

Balloon and tassel garland.

 

 

I got this idea from Pinterest too, my brother created the design. Thank you Uncle Ceej! 

 

For the kids we had a ball pit and a failed water blob. I should have practiced the day before instead of trying to make it the day of.

 

 

I had so much fun crafting for the party.

 

Our small house was full of family and friends that love our little Paisley Grace.

 

A successful party despite the tropical storm.

God continues to bless our little family and we are beyond thankful!

DIY Family photos

So after realizing the price you pay a photographer, I decided to pull the ole' family card and use my father-in-law. Guess what!?! Turned out just how I wanted. 

Well to me photos are about the moments, the looks, the laughs, the people and expressions. I could care less about the filter, the hours of editing and the perfect background. So if you are like me and you know someone with a decent camera, just ask them. 

Here are some tips I thought about:

- dress in colors that compliment or match.

- include an accent color (ours was pink of course) 

- search Pinterest for pose ideas

- explore and ponder good places to take pictures before hand.

- really you only need one good background

- you don't really need an outfit change. 

* A side note, how many pictures do you really need of your family in the same scene, the same year. I have had many photo shoots done and in the end, as long as you have one good picture that's what matters. I usually end up with tons of pictures and wonder what to do with them. Bore or overwhelm people on Facebook with pictures of my family!? 

- remember that you really only need one good picture maybe two or three to hang up in house.

- go 1-2 hours before sunset. 

- be ambitious, if you have a vision create it. ( my vision was to have both our dogs and 4 month old in pictures and guess what it worked. I love how they turned out) 

Go try it and post all of them on Facebook because to be truthful I love looking through all the pictures you post! Every single pose! I'm a little obsessed with pictures, hence the hundreds I have of my little 4 month old. 

 A sneak peak at some of the pictures, posting more after christmas cards are out. 

Bucket lists

November bucket list 

✔️Oak  Glen road pumpkin patch

✔️Apple picking

Bake a pie

Kiss in three new places

Carve pumpkins and bake the seeds

Make a thankful tree

Attend a football game

✔️Make carmel apples or popcorn or both

Donate to a food bank

✔️Make pumpkin something

Take family pictures

Have a campfire and roast s’mores

Only a week or so more, got to get on this!

Whole I'm thinking ahead here's plans for 

December bucket list

Thourough Bred christmas lights

Make gingerbread houses

Cookie exchange 

Christmas carol

Advent devotion 

Christmas Eve service

Watch elf

Give gifts to neighbors

Drink peppermint and/or salted carmel hot chocolate 

Bake like crazy with my mom

Visit the mission inn

Tell 50 people Merry Christmas with a smile

Tune my heart

So my heart needs tuning. 

Hospital bills, adjusting to life as a stay-at-home mom, contemplating working again, missing my husband who works too many hours....the list can go on! 

Then one day She Reads Truth (a great daily blog devotional, Shereadstruth.com) addresses the idea of tuning your heart. So I'm a visual picture kinda girl so think tuning a guitar. Yep this struck me not the first day I read it but the second time. Anyone have this happen, you ponder an issue then a day or hours later it becomes clearer. 

Well the second time I read it, it all became relevant. I need to tune my heart, like tuning a guitar. I need to twist and listen, twist and listen. Pray and listen to God. Draw in close so I can hear and be in tune to what he wants from me. 

My all time favorite hymn is

Come, thou Fount of every blessing,

tune my heart to sing thy grace;

streams of mercy, never ceasing,

call for songs of loudest praise.

Teach me some melodious sonnet,

sung by flaming tongues above.

Praise the mount! I’m fixed upon it,

mount of thy redeeming love.

Here I raise mine Ebenezer;

hither by thy help I’m come;

and I hope, by thy good pleasure,

safely to arrive at home.

Jesus sought me when a stranger,

wandering from the fold of God;

he, to rescue me from danger,

interposed his precious blood.

O to grace how great a debtor

daily I’m constrained to be!

Let thy goodness, like a fetter,

bind my wandering heart to thee.

Prone to wander, Lord, I feel it,

prone to leave the God I love;

here’s my heart, O take and seal it,

seal it for thy courts above.

 "Call for songs of loudest praise" so I know he wants me to bring glory to him name by loving those around me but how specifically should I do that being a stay at home mom?

Some of my thoughts: 

-Join mom groups to share, inspire and encourage other moms. 

-Host a cookie exchange

-Have people over more

-Give to the people struggling on the corner or in front of the store

-Start working again and be a light in the work force

-Dedicate time to seriously pray for people in need; sick people, missionaries, uhreached people

-Write more on my blog in hope that it touches people

Would love to hear other ideas.

Paisley's first Halloween

We started the morning out with a trip to Oak glen with our mommy group to get some yummy doughnuts. Costumes and all, which resulted in free doughnuts. There was cuteness overload with all the little ones in costume!

It was sunny and cold unlike when we left and it was drizzly. 

We decided to stay home and invite the grandparents over for pumpkin inspired food. Pumpkin bacon pasta, canon pumpkin soup and moist pumpkin bread, yumm! Of course snacked on candy too! A great delicious idea until, 2 am when little miss paisley woke up with gas. 

So we had just enough trick or treaters to make it fun and not overly ridiculous. We did not run out of candy. Me and the grandmas decided to walk up the street to the fall festival with our little cow. Boy was that a mistake. It was too cold and dark for miss cow she cried the whole way home. The minute we steped on our lawn she started to stop and the minute we walked inside she was fine. By fine I mean smiling. Her first little tantrum...boy our we in for it! She sure does know how to let us know she does not like something, even at a young age. 

Cousins Ezra Caleb and uncle Ryan came by. Paisley enjoyed their company.

A pretty eventful first Halloween. We shall se what next year entails, will she even want to go trick or treating?

Craft time!

I love when I can do Pinterest crafts!

So it started when I was looking online at a headband website, super cute head bands Baby Bling! However, if your like me and can't afford $12 headbands. They are super cool though

Ike soft material that won't leave an indent. The dreaded baby headband indent that makes every parent have that horrible parent moment! But headbands are just so cute and if your anything like me... " I want to train her when she's little to like headbands so put it on before she notices!" 

Ok so after the overpriced soft headbands I went to Pinterest, my go to when thing are to expensive to buy. Of course I found numerous diy headband ideas. What is even cooler is they told me to recycle an old shirt. Yippee! One old shirt that was laying around making clutter turned into two and could be more cute head bands! Ready for the outcome....

I think I might have the cutest little model!😊