Valentine's and 18 month update

HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! Welcome to our home where chocolate is served for breakfast and candy mustaches are a must. And by the way when the title says "18 months" what that really means is my kid is almost 20 months and I forgot to post an update. Not to mention putting 20 months just sounds so, so weird old. 

That's right Brady Walker has made it through a whole year and then some! We can't believe how much this kid has soaked in the last few months. It seems like every day he says a new word (or something that sounds like a word.) Also, his walking has seriously improved with the help of his leg braces. He is even wearing them in these pictures and I bet you couldn't even tell! ; )

Here are the latest stats:

Height: 31 Inches 

Weight: 22 lbs 

*We bumped up from 2nd percentile to 5th percentile on both of these! 

Likes:

Trucks, cars, buses planes 

Bath time or the dogs bowls depending on which one he can reach first

The stairs

Car rides

Being outside

Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood

Applesauce 

Dislikes:

Diaper Changes 

(I am pretty the neighbors think we are beating him the way he screams.)

Anything touching his head or face

When Mama or Daddy leaves the room

Having to come inside after playing

We have had so much fun watching Brady develop this incredible personality over the last few months. He is deciding what he likes and does like; as well as what he has to put up with for the betterment of our family. Brian and I have really learned to adapt over the past 2 months as he has become mobile and curious. Long gone are the days of tummy time and relaxing dinners while Brady sits in the swing. Dinner is a full on circus and play time has a whole new meaning now that we have a TODDLER! 

Valentine's has been extra sweet. Brian and I were able to get a night away from home while Brady had a sleepover with Pop-pop and Nana. However, we were excited to get back and love on our little valentine. We are keeping Sunday super laid back since we celebrated earlier this weekend. Brady is catching some z's while Brian and I work on a few small house projects.  I am excited to share them in a few weeks as we clean up and out for Spring.  This cold weather has me begging for the new season. 

Before signing off I just had to share a cute flashback of Brady on Valentine's Day last year. This is one of the reasons I love having this blog. Going back and looking at this look munchkin makes me fall in love all over again! HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! 

XOXO.

Disney Vacation 2016

It was almost a year ago that Brian came home from work and told me he had put a deposit down on a Disney cruise. WHAT?! I have never been to Disney World and would have died perfectly content without doing so. I have no desire to walk around a hot park with a bunch of screaming children. So when I heard the word "Disney" I was a little turned off. Butttttt.... the cruise part seemed pretty awesome. I have cruised before and figured what the heck.

Well guys I can't say I am down for the park anytime soon, BUT I am completely sold on Disney cruises. My sister was teasing me this past weekend. She said she had never seen me this excited about a vacation and wouldn't be surprised if I showed up with a mini van tricked out with the Disney stick figure family on the back. (Let's not get crazy! Me. In a mini van. HA!)

I can't say enough positive things about our trip. We have even went ahead and reserved our spot next year. I have learned so much from this trip that will help make next years even better! I am hoping to put together a small cruise 101 post since so many people have asked for the run down, especially since 18 month old Brady was along for the ride.

We boarded the boat around 11:00 and went straight for the buffet. Talk about amazing food! Seriously anything and everything you could possibly want to eat was available for the taking. After getting settled in our room around 2:00 we got Brady dressed up for the first night's dinner. Not all families do costumes, but our friends' were dressing their little girl up as Tinkerbell so we thought a coordinating Peter Pan outfit would be fun!

HUGE kudos to Grammy for making an awesome outfit complete with felt sword! We took it pretty easy the first night and learned the lay of the boat for the most part.

We woke up in Nassau, Bahamas the next morning. I had previously been to Nassau and wasn't overly impressed. Any of the Atlantis excursions were either crazy expensive or not kid friendly so we opted to stay on the boat. I am SO glad we did. We basically had the whole place to ourselves and Brady was able to have free run of the splash pad and pools. We ate tons of food and I headed off for my spa day complete with massage and facial. Totally worth every penny spent. 

Day three was my absolute favorite of the trip. We spent the day on Disney's private island, Castaway Key. Brian joined in on the 5K. Brady and I hit the beach around 9 am and did what we do best.... laid out. The water was a little chilly for me, but Brian and Brady could have cared less about the temps! 

It was absolutely the most beautiful weather with clear, sunny skies and 75+ temperatures. Disney has two large Cabanas that serve a picnic lunch with all the fixings. We headed there around noon and stuffed our faces with bbq, burgers, fruit, and of course ice cream.

After much needed naps we headed out for Pirate Night. I am not one for dressing up, but my sister had a beautiful pirate costume she let me borrow. It was so fun seeing everyone's costume. We got our picture with Mickey and after dropping Brady off in the kid's club we headed to off to meet Jack Sparrow. (One of the major highlights of the trip for me. And yes, I know it wasn't Johnny Depp. Brian only reminded me a million times.) 

We picked Brady up from the Small World Nursery and debated on whether to go to the Pirate Deck Party. Brady was still awake and semi happy so we chanced it. It started around 10:30 pm which is pretty late for little guy, but the amazing Pirate show and fireworks were totally worth it! Poor buddy fell asleep in the middle of the show and slept through the entire fireworks finale.

Our last day was the day at sea. We hung at the pool (and buffet) and watched what I am pretty sure was every Disney movie made. I truly did feel like a kid again experiencing so many of the wonderful memories of Disney characters I had with my own siblings growing up. We have to give a huge shout-out to the Hester family for letting us tag along and for helping make our trip so amazing. I can't wait to make this trip happen again next year! As always feel free to message me with any questions! 

Happy New Year!

It feels like it's been awhile, but that's probably just me recovering the holidays. I have spent a lot of time reflecting over the last year and setting my focus on what's to come for 2016. So when Brian told me he was going in for his five year evaluation at work I had to stop and think, "Has it already been five years since we moved to Charlotte?" Holy. Cow. That flew!

Five years ago we were broke and jobless and mostly living off love and McDonalds (we still do some nights.) Oh, how far we have come in five short years. It reminded me that seasons are short and that the old saying "this too shall pass" speaks volumes. But back to 2015. This time last year we were newish parents and were worrying ourselves sick that baby boy wasn't hitting milestones and wasn't growing adequately. We went through series of tests and doctors and finally got into a groove of PT and neurology visits. I didn't think we were ever going to come out on the other side. Our long terms goals included sitting up, standing unassisted and walking. Once Brady was walking we would finally see the light at the end of the tunnel.

Well summer came and then fall. Not much progress in the standing/walking department.  We were tired and worn down. I just needed to be more available to my family. That's when we finally made the HUGE decision that I would quite teaching and start my own business. We prayed and made the decision to do it and wouldn't you know it; God dropped SIXTEEN new students in my lap. It has been an adjustment, but such a sweet, sweet one. There has been so many situations that could have brought strife that God has just surrounded us with grace. I have been so blessed to only work two and half days a week and I have gained the most amazing families as clients.

We have felt so at peace and so content over the last few months. The second the stress melted away Brady seemed to just flourish. And just a couple of weeks before Christmas he did the one thing we have been waiting for the last few months. He took his very few steps! Can you believe I caught it on video?! (Consistency paid off since I have about a million 'baby fail' outtakes before capturing this one.)

This precious little video makes me tear up every single time. It is so symbolic of not only hitting a major milestone, but more so a lesson on what hard work and persistency can do. Seasons in our lives can be tricky and messy all too often.  But when we put our faith in something great amazing things will happen. I never would have thought my son's first steps would have taught me such an important life lesson. 

As we begin a new year my resolution is to focus on my own growth. Growth not only in my business and in my relationships, but mostly in my faith and personal testimony. I want those around me to see someone that is persistent and hardworking. I want Brady to see me as the mom that never gave up. So as we begin a whole new year of introducing Brady to new foods, words, and behaviors  we know that there is going to be so much more he teaches us about ourselves. And to that I think we can all say "Salud!"

Happy 2016! 

Christmas Joy

Merry Christmas (+1 day) from our family to yours! It was a crazy day, but would I really have it any other way? We spent most of the week down in Charleston since Brian was still working. However, when we found out he had gotten Christmas day and the whole weekend after off we made plans to come back that day! It truly was a Christmas miracle.

My family celebrated Christmas on the 24th. We did it up right with a Christmas breakfast complete with reindeer pancakes and bacon.  Why can't every meal be in the shape of something festive? Brady was able to open all 231449385 of his presents. His big gift was the Radio Flyer trike. Between that and his latest haircut I officially have a big boy on my hands. 

We woke up pretty early on Christmas morning and raced home to arrive in time for gifts and breakfast with Brian. I didn't take a ton of pictures the morning. I was so wiped from the week. Instead I grabbed a cup of coffee and a piece of Christmas cake and simply watched Brady (and Brian) enjoy their new toys. 

After cleaning up and doing some baking we headed over to Brian's parents for a quiet dinner. There is something to be said for silent nights. I love when the whole family is together, but I find I enjoy the peace just as much. But not for too long. That night we hosted a dessert and white elephant party with some of our very best friends. The kids played hard and boy did everyone sleep well that night! 

I will be spending the rest of the weekend goal setting for our family and my music business. We have already decided on our word of focus for the year 2016. Quiet time and reflection is just what this mama needs as we head into what can only be expected as another busy year! HAPPY HOLIDAYS! 

Holiday Pregaming

We are kicking off our holidays with a little 75 degree weather in the tropical state of South Carolina. So much for cute Christmas sweaters and fleece tights. Despite the sweat we kicked off our holiday with a little fancy smancy Christmas party at my Aunt's house. (Can you say "DREAM KITCHEN!") The food was amazing as always and everyone was dressed to impress. And of course the cousins had coordinating outfits! 

Brian had to work again this holiday so little man was my dapper date for the evening. Don't be fooled though after a few pictures he made his way into sweats and a t-shirt. Even this high maintenance mama knows her boundaries. We played a few present games and I landed a beautiful globe that is perfect for my office. However, the best gift was my uncle being home from Egypt. My aunt and I both know what it's like to have our guys working so hard. So I was ecstatic to know that he was home with her for the holidays. 

The last few pictures were naturally taken after the last of the wine had been finished off. I was in love with Kelly's graphic Christmas sweater. What a night! Tomorrow Brady and I are headed home to celebrate with Brian. We can't wait to watch Nugs open his presents and celebrate with our little family of three. 

Family Photos

We got our holiday photos done about a month ago and I have been dying to share them on here!  Christmas cards are so fun, but unfortunately our photographer gets SO MANY great pictures I always feel sad only choosing 1 or 2 to send out.

I am quickly realizing that coordinating just Brian and myself for pictures was once a luxury we won't be getting back anytime soon. Photography is seriously an art and I in no way have any patience to be dealing with all that. I was a little nervous that we weren't going to get very many good ones since Brady was more concerned with eating rocks. But as always Kristin Dustman proved me wrong!

My sister was able to come down for the weekend with her family. We used these pictures as an early birthday present for my mom. It was so special to have some beautiful pictures with my precious sister.

Sharing all of these fun photos makes the holidays seem that much closer! Can't wait to dive into some hot chocolate and big bows!