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easy kid birthday: reptile rowan turns four

10/21/2018

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Easy Reptile Critter Birthday party: Ed's Pet World, Birmingham, AL
Oh look, guys! I still have this blog! Our year has really put a damper on my documenting efforts (and man do I LOVE documenting... so that's been sad). I can't let a milestone like a birthday party fly past me though, so here is a month-late, phone-photo recap on our first "big kid" party!

The year was 2018... It was days before Rowan's actual birthday... We had no plan. He had asked for a rainbow party, then a fall-pumpkin-halloween party, then reptiles and snakes. Calm down, child! The darkness was closing in around us, and I had no ideas, no time, no faith, no hope. Then Zack cries out, "WE JUST NEED TO GET THE PET STORE TO BRING A SNAKE."
Cake! Snake! Text the neighborhood kids! 4 year old birthday party done! By golly, this just might work!

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our little firecracker's first july 4th birthday

7/4/2018

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Little Firecracker Girls First Birthday Party on the 4th of July
Mountainside Photo Co.
One insane part of life is how your opinions of things can change on a dime. I was never really into the 4th of July celebrations for some reason.  Maybe it's my love for so many other cultures or my dislike of the summer heat, but good ol' Independence Day just was never a highlight of my year. Don't ask me why! I know fireworks are fun! But turn all of that upside down now, because it will forever be one of my favorite days to celebrate with this little firecracker-angel-blessing being "Born on the 4th of July."

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review: ergobaby omni 360 carrier

3/23/2018

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REVIEW: Ergobaby Onmi 360 in Navy Blue
​When I was first contacted to review the new Ergobaby Omni 360, my first thought was that I didn't need a second Ergobaby carrier. But I thought, hey I can at least share my thoughts and give it away afterwards. Now that I've tried this one this year, you can pry it from my cold, dead HANDS! (Hahaha, kidding. Dramatic much?) 

No but really, I love it. This is a great improvement on the previous Ergobaby designs. Here's why...

I was given this Ergobaby Omni 360 in exchange for an honest review, and this post contains affiliate links. All thoughts and opinions are my own. 

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a natural birth story: joie arrives

7/21/2017

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Picture
Photos by Heart
My blog has been a little silent recently, but I have a really great 7-pound-11-ounce reason, you guys!  On the 4th of July our daughter Joie Flannery made her debut.  It took me a long time to write and have the nerve to publish Rowan’s birth story from 2+ years ago, but — as I said then and even know to be truer now -- reading birth stories while pregnant was really helpful for me personally. So sharing this topic is important to me. 

Birth is a CRAZY thing, y’all. It’s insane how it can even be possible and how *differently* it happens with each mother and each baby.  I expected things to go similarly (or at least partially the same) as Rowan’s birth, so I was really surprised with how unique it was. 
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And cue the DISCLAIMER: This is a natural birth story that went the way I was hoping… which is not how all births go.  I hope this journal is encouraging for anyone fearing birth or wanting a natural birth to know that sometimes it CAN go just as you plan and hope.  I also don’t like for people to call me a hero-mom for having a natural birth… All moms are heroes for undergoing the most life-altering experience that exists. Those who endure complications should get way more props than me.  I’m a proponent of being patient and trusting God with your birth — and then (when 100% necessary) welcoming the help from modern medicine when it’s needed. ​​

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5 surprises about 3-day potty training

4/25/2017

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5 Surprises about the three day potty method by Lora Jenson
Wow, I’ve seriously been trying to write this post for over a month now and can never seem to finish! Ha! #momlife.  I’ve had some friends ask about how the 3-day method went, so I didn’t want to give up on sharing my thoughts. 

Before actually getting started, you really must read the entire method created by Lora Jenson. There are so many things I heard about potty training and was doing *mostly* right. Rowan was even interested in it and used the potty at 18 months old!  Had I not known this FULL method though, I don’t know if I could’ve sealed the deal for him to be fully trained before he turned 2 1/2… maybe not even by three! He's a strong-willed one.   
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Here are the 5 things that surprised me the most…


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mom's DNA ancestry test results + thoughts

3/28/2017

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DNA Ancestry Test Results + Thoughts on the Ancestry.com testing
I've been wanting to write this post for a long time.  Since this blog serves as a journal for our kids, I thought it would be interesting to share the results of my ancestry testing that my dad got us for Christmas.  Has anyone reading this done one of these tests? I'd love to hear your thoughts as well... especially if you did a different kind. 

We did the ancestry.com spit-in-a-tube test and mailed it off.  I've been into working on my family tree for a whole decade now, and it has been very interesting to me. I've found criminals and queens and that my paternal grandmother is first cousins 8-times-removed with Elvis. 

I found the exact town in Ireland where my maternal grandmother's family lived before immigrating.  When I took her there, I was able to say, "Well this is it! We are driving through the town!"  It was basically just a farming area with not much to see... but it was special to us.  
"Suddenly all my ancestors are behind me. 'Be still,' they say, 'watch and listen. You are the result of the love of thousands.'"
So to my results...

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to the 20-somethings in coffee shops who roll their eyes at me with my kid 

2/2/2017

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Latte Art Hot Chocolate Revelator Coffee Birmingham Alabama
Before I begin this story... I'd like to say that I am not a "ranty" type of person. I hop on soap boxes very minimally and briefly, and I like to keep it that way.  I also like to keep it within real life conversations and not in long, annoying facebook statuses.  With that said, I just needed to get a parenting dilemma off of my chest.

So you know that baby or toddler who's been so loud in a restaurant, on a plane, or at a coffee shop... the one who caused you to think to yourself "MAN! Why did that mom bring that kid in here? Or why don't they leave or give some discipline?!"  Well, today my kid was the one crowing like a rooster in the middle of a quiet, trendy coffee shop, and it just came out of nowhere!  His little 1 year old cousin who he hasn't seen in a while was there, and he literally COULD NOT help but show off with all of his (to him) hilarious jokes and animal noises. Also he was super excited about going to the zoo, and was not having much patience as we let the rain pass. 

​This is where you guys come into play...

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slow down for a snow day

1/7/2017

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First toddler sledding day
We are big fans of snow days over here! They usually only come once or twice a year, so we don't usually have time to get sick of them. Our city also doesn't have enough salt trucks or plows to handle all of the icy roads, so we get to completely shut down for a day or two.

It's even better when no ice has weighed down power lines, and we are still cozy with all the comforts of home (internet, heat and all) like today.

Rowan wanted to sled like the big kids for the first time, so we had to improvise with a plastic storage box. It was a pretty good solution thanks to Zack's ingenuity, and he didn't topple out even once! I'm also proud of myself that I didn't take any pregnant-falls on the ice, even though everything is pretty much like ice skating.

I don't really have anything monumental to share other than our funny storage box idea.. hahaha! But I just wanted to remember this day, because it's been really fun. I also have a recent obsession with Enneagram tri-types and instincts this week, and I just really want ALL my friends to take Enneagram tests so I can know what everyone's dominant type (and wing) is. In between building snowmen, taking naps and playing board games, you should get on that right now and tell me what you are. If you don't, then I'll feel like a big piece of my friendships are missing -- like the type 4 wing 3 that I am. Ha!


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additions and announcements

12/28/2016

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Baby Announcement Photos
If you're wondering why my blog has been a little quiet the past month or two... I've got some pretty good excuses like morning sickness, sleepiness, and extreme irritability! Ha! We are finally about to start our home addition (after months and months), and it will literally come *just* in time for our other addition that's on the way -- due July 1, 2017.

That pea of an ultrasound is a few months old, so I'm really looking forward to our half-way ultrasound in a few weeks.  Right before Christmas, we got the call about healthy chromosomes + the baby's gender, so we had an exciting Christmas day surprising our families. 

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5 tips for riding the "hogwarts express"

11/18/2016

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5 tips for riding the Jacobite Steam Engine
In honor of a fun weekend enjoying the premiere of another J.K. Rowling story, Fantastic Beasts and Where to Find Them, I thought I'd share more about our little experience in the wizarding world. Over in Scotland, the Jacobite Steam Train known to many as the "Hogwarts Express" is packing up its coal for the winter. However, if you are planning a Scotland trip for this upcoming summer, tickets for the 2017 season go on sale today, November 18th!

​The train will run from May 1st to October 27th next year
(with the exception of special Christmas rides) and all of those months are prime for visiting Scotland. We especially loved our September visit (as opposed to our last trip in March), because everything was so colorful with loads of purple heather and red rowan tree berries in bloom.

So here are my top tips for including this excursion into your Scotland itinerary.

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