Dear Teenage Me.

Father's Day is Sunday and with it come many blogs about "Father's Day Gift Guides", but I'm taking a different approach.

My brothers and I are going on 5 years without our dad, so Father's Day isn't really celebrated with us anymore. We've put it on the back burner and haven't
looked back.

As I thought about what my blog could be about pertaining Father's Day, it came to me. A letter to my teenage self on all the things I wish I would have known before he died. It was hard to reminisce on this stuff to say the least, but it's a way to honor my dad on yet another Father's Day spent without him.

Teenage girls, if your dad is still well and very much alive listen up!

Dear teenage me:

Watch your words. I understand hormones are raging. You're 14 and think you know everything. Every time he says "No", you "hate him." He's looking out for you. Someday you'll understand. 

Dear teenage me:

When he hugged you and said "I love you", you pulled away, not saying it back. You thought you were too old for dad's hugs. He responded with, "one day I won't be here and you'll wish I was." Wow, he was right. 

Dear teenage me:

Tell him thank you every chance you get. After all, he has always been there like a dad should be. Providing and making sure food was on the table every night. 

Dear teenage me:

You're 15 now and a boyfriend seems more important than he does. I'm begging you to please break up with this guy and spend all the time in the world with your dad. Boys can wait. Unfortunately time spent with your dad can't..

Dear teenage me:

You're 16. Through tears I ask you to please answer his call. He leaves a voicemail, because you in fact did not answer. You were probably mad about some crazy adolescent thing. 

P.S. you will hold onto to that voicemail for the rest of your life.

Dear teenage me:

The last night you see him.... Hug him tight. Don't let go. I'm screaming to you from the top of my lungs to please, please hold onto him for as long as you possibly can. Tell him you love him over and over. Even if he is wondering why you sound like a broken record. He doesn't know why, but I do...

Dear teenage me:

Do not, under any circumstances hang the phone up on him!!! You did.. There you go again with that awful teenage attitude of yours. You think you know everything. If you did, you would heed my warning.

Dear teenage me:

It's the night of July 15th 2013 and you're in your room watching a movie. You are just a 16 year old teenager without a care in the world. Still a child. I don't know how to tell you this. He's already gone...

Dear teenage me:

I'm not going to sugar coat anything. The weeks following will be really, really tough for you and your family. Stay strong. God will see you through this trial. 

                                               

For my dad. Happy Father's Day ❤

5 Reasons to Have Another Girl!

As I talked about in my initial blog post, my husband and want another baby. Not at the moment. But, that doesn't mean I can't ponder the pros of having another girl.

It's no secrete with my first pregnancy how badly I wanted a little girl! I practically prayed for her since I was a child (not kidding) I always knew I wanted a daughter! 

There's so many reasons for wanting another baby wrapped in pink. The frilly outfits, bows, beauty pageants! I could go on all day, but we don't have enough time for that! 

I do have time for writing 5 reasons to have another girl. Stay tuned!

1. We Already Have Everything We Need

I pretty much kept the essentials and while that wouldn't stop me from going shopping for baby #2, at least I can say we have the necessities. Things Aubree either wore once or didn't get to wear at all. 

2. Aubree Would Have a Best Friend for Life 

Yes, of course you have a best friend in siblings brother or sister. However, brothers tend to go their own way as you grow into adults, but sisters are another story. You have a long term friend in a sister. Someone you can share clothes, secretes, laughs and tears with. 

3. Cute Girly Things 

I love, love, love dressing Aubree up! The big bows, frilly socks, painted toes. The whole shebang! You name it, I love it! 

4. Tons of Girl Names 

It's extremely hard finding boy names, or is it just this indesisive couple? I love having things planned way ahead, so therefore I wanted to be prepared by having names chosen for both genders, but would you know. We couldn't agree on any names for a boy! Thank God Aubree was an Aubree the entire time. Phew! 

5. Bonding 

You can bond with your son, true. I've learned that it comes easier with daughters though (after the teenage angst years). My hope and prayer is to have that distinct bond with Aubree as I do with my mom and how awesome would it be to have that bonding experience with two girls? 

Summer Must-Haves for Toddler!

Summer is just around the corner and you know what that means. Trips to the beach, poolside and mini vacations! I can't believe Aubree is old enough this summer to run around the beach and play in the sand! Making memories is what it is all about after all! And there are some essentials we can't live without when summer approaches.

● COPPERTONE WATER BABIES SPF 50

This is a big one! I leave sunscreen in the diaper bag at all times being that her skin is sensitive to sun rays. Coppertone Water babies is also my fav' choice of sunscreen for my toddler. 

●SUN HATS  

They're so cute, but also keeps our baby's heads from blistering.

●SUNGLASSES 

I am a huge fan of the cute sunglasses even if my 16 month old only wears them for a few seconds. My advice is that if your baby will wear the glasses, let them! It's also a nice touch for summer outings with your little ones.

●ROMPERS

Sporting rompers are the cutest fashion for summer and one of my favorite outfits to pair with sandals for Aubree! We get so many compliments with this choice of style. I'm sure this keeps her pretty cool as well in 90 degree weather.

 ●EOS LIP BALM 

Okay, this one may or may not be more for mom (it totally is), but it's a summer necessity if you're planning on being out in the sun for a few hours.

Side note: My little diva loves putting on lip balm! 

●SWIMWEAR
Cute, stylish bathing suits are in every summer! Of course I had to buy a few for Aubree. 

●WATER, WATER, AND MORE WATER  
Our babies have to stay hydrated. Keep those sippy cups near this summer and every summer! I GOT mine from Target

What's on your list? I'd love to hear some of your favorite summer essentials for Summer 2018! xoxo

We Want Another Baby!

Beside God sending his Son to die on the cross for us, having babies is the second greatest gift God could have given women. I absolutely love being called "mama", by my 16 month old daughter, it makes me feel superior knowing that someone so small looks up to me for her every need. I LOVE what I do! 

My husband and I have often talked about having another baby and the list of reasons why could go on forever! 

We Want Aubree to Have a Sibling:

I often reminisce on all the fun times my siblings and I had growing up. They were my first best friends! We did so much together. Depriving her of all the adventures she and her siblings could have doesn't seem fair. And oh the love they will have for one another! Personally, I couldn't explain how much I truly love my siblings.

Starting Over: 

That doesn't sound very appealing to every parent, but we would love nothing more! 

Being in awe all Over Again:

OH BABY! The teeny outfits, the new baby smell, sweet little baby feet! The unimaginable feeling when you hold your baby for the first time! Don't get me wrong, we're still in awe over our little girl. She gives us new reasons to be every single day! 

Having the Knowledge we Didn't Have With Baby #1: 

Obviously we're human and first time parents can't get everything right. Having baby #2 gives us the perfect opportunity to brag about how much we already know and saying things like "oh don't worry we got this. Been there, done that"! 


More to Love:

We have all the love in the world for our daughter and there's definitely room in our hearts for another baby! 







While a sibling doesn't look to be in the near future for Aubree, we would love the blessing of not just one, but two little blessings when the time is right! As of right now, we want to spoil our little girl with love and hugs while she's still so little. She deserves mommy and daddy's undivided attention. I'm sure she wouldn't argue with that statement! 

The Truth About Stretch Marks

It took me awhile to come to terms with my body. And by awhile I mean a year.  Pretending to be the perfect mother who didn't have stretch marks. Trying to cover them up every chance I got, because I was seriously terrified about what someone might be thinking. Well, I'm through with that noise! And here's why.

They are not going anywhere! Face it. It's the hard truth. I've spent money and time lathering oils and lotions all over my stomach in hopes that in a few months they would slowly fade, but they didn't! They won't! In time they will fade. That is true. But completely? No. Immediately? Nope. I know this isn't what you want to hear, but bear with me, I promise I'm getting somewhere with this.

If I waited until they're totally gone to show my face at the beach again I'd be waiting a lifetime. That's a lifetime of stress wondering what others think of me. It's a losing battle. I'm dropping the weight but the stretch marks are here to stay! I'm taking pride in them and you should too. We are the real deal. We carried and gave birth to another human being. 

Let's recoil from this dark place we've placed ourselves in, scared of what others are going to say or think. Our stretch marks have a story. Our baby's story. Would we ever feel ashamed of our children? Of course not! Why should we be ashamed of our stretch marks? That's where their story began. 

You are beautiful!