molars... and fireworks from God

I have loved seeing everyone's pictures from their amazing 4th of July!

BBQ's, fireworks, parades, picnics, pool parties...SO much fun!

I LOVE the 4th.

The pictures from our 4th are a little different this year.

(my sad little punkin cuddling close)

Abigail's little body decided to finally bring TWO molars to cut through at the same time this week. I've read that its like a constant migraine headache in an adult because

it is so painful.

So along with that came fever, tummy issues, runny nose, major clinginess, no sleep,

and lots of tears.

(if you're a mommy you KNOW molars are no fun for anyone.)

SO, needless to say, we couldn't attend the fun things we had planned.

(esp with a fever in 106 degree heat outside. yes, 106.)

As with many days (ahem, EVERY day) of being a mommy,

sacrifices had to be made for the benefit of our little one.

But I at least managed to get a pic of her in her super cute 4th outfit...

trying on mama's flip-flops, one of the few happy moments of the day!

I was so disappointed we couldn't go see fireworks as a family...

I just knew A would LOVE them!

But we made the decision to put her down when she needed to sleep and

just wait til next year.

But God wanted to give us a little gift.

(just because!)

Abigail happened to rouse a little bit in bed right as we heard some fireworks from our house.

Parker went to get her and brought her in to the guest bedroom window...

where we got to watch a 20 minute magnificent fireworks show.

up close. out of the heat. in our PJ's. as a family.

Oh, and God didn't stop there...because we are in a two story house near the top of a hill,

we got to see not one, not two, but SIX fireworks shows going on all around us,

in our town and the nearby towns!

Parker and I were like little kids running from window to window trying to see the best ones.

SO. It turned out to be a great 4th! a little different than most.

A day of molars and tears, instead of picnics and parades.

But a night of cuddling and fireworks....just what we needed!

so for now,

we will push through the next few days of painful teething and

hopefully do lots of cuddling and resting with our bums in the air. :)

PS....

I am hosting an awesome little GIVEAWAY tomorrow (Wednesday)!!!

It's my first one ever and Im SO excited!!

Be sure to check back in and enter!!!

sharing a cup of coffee with other ladies over here today...

<

BIG NEWS......in clues!!!!!

are you wondering about the excitement I told you about yesterday??

Can you figure it out by the pictures?!

Ill even throw in a few words to help you out...

yummo. lots of yummo.

tired. (lots of tired)

sweet sentiments from the hubby...

Any ideas yet? :)

ok I'll give you some more...

remembering how much I loved those tiny toes.

sicky. lots of sicky.

You're getting warm, I just know it.

oooooookkay....one more big clue for you.

YOU GUESSED IT!!!!!

Abigail is gonna be a..........

YAY!!!!!!!!

That's right!

We are SO THRILLED to share with you that

our little family is growing!

Early estimates put Baby #2 to be due around the beginning of January,

(I'm somewhere around 13-14 weeks now!)

We will know more next week after our first appointment here.

(basically this means BUSY holidays for us,

with Abigail's birthday being Christmas Eve!)

We are

FILLED WITH JOY

and cannot wait for God to multiply our love for another little life!!

this is what's definitely on my heart today!

sharing with others here....

excitement to share!!

wonder why I'm SOOOOO excited?!?

COME BACK TOMORROW TO FIND OUT!!!

:)

one. point. five.

one point five.

1.5

one year and 6 months.

18 months.

a year and a half.

on the road to 2. (woah, I think Ill stop there)

or, in other words...

TIME IS FLYING BY!

A few days ago, Abigail turned 18 months old.

yep, I have a year-and-a-half-year-old.

Im so loving this age, but also so sad its gone SO quickly.

(PS this means Christmas is less than 6 months away, just in case you were wondering.)

Abigail was born on Christmas Eve, thats how I know.

She is a million things all rolled into the sweetest little package.

...in no particular order...

sweet. opinionated. loud. strong-willed. compassionate. verbal. observant.

precious. adventurous. curious. strong-willed. (oh sorry did I already say that?)

loving. pretty. funny. expressive. mischievous. caring. social. sassy. friendly. growing.

LOVED.

My sweet baby girl,

I cannot believe how big you are.

I cherish every single moment God gives me with you

and I am so proud to be your "mama".

(if you look closely, you might be able to tell she is asking for "cheese!?" in this picture)

I LOVE YOU ABIGAIL JOY!

blog award, blog love, and about US...

My sweet sweet bloggy friend (and fellow Baylor Bear AND Aggie fan!)

from Elizabeth Ann's Recipe Box,

blessed me by passing on this award!

Go check her out! She is the queen of encouragement and you can tell God has given her a heart to speak truth and sweetness into other people's lives... even when she only knows them through blog land! :) She (and her blog too) is a treasure you need to know!

Elizabeth Ann's Recipe Box

Here's how the award works:

1. link back to the giver of the award

2. spread the love by awarding 10 other blogs

3, contact those bloggers to tell them you're giving it

4. share 10 random things about yourself

SOOO...

here are the 10 blogs

I would love for you to go check out and be blessed by!!

(links are below each picture)

Name Your Joy

she not only makes the cutest stuff (check out her shop while you're there!), but throughout her writing you see her heart for finding the simple joys around her!

June and Bear

this momma is such a sweet one whose love for her little ones exudes in her posts!

She is also an amazing decorator, and recently threw the precious party for her littles that you see in the picture above!

Undercover Mother

Hyacynth (such a gorgeous name right?)

This beautiful lady takes my breath away every time by her writing, her honesty, and her heart!

Bradford Road

Isn't this momma and baby girl just gorgeous?!

Grace writes with sincerity and heart and I love reading about her little family and

what God is showing her daily.

The Easily Amused Mommy

I recently "met" this mommy, Jamie, and have been so blessed by her comments.

Her blog is witty and sweet all at the same time. I love her heart!

Peanut Butter in my Hair

Love this blog,

She is honest, funny, and sweet in her accounts of motherhood,

including the very real ups and the downs.

Finding Joy

Another blogger I've recently discovered,

I love "finding joy" with this sweet mama to 7 and precious wife,

you def will too!

s, d, and double e

this sweet lady always blesses me with her comments,

and I love seeing her life through her amazing and talented photography.

She is beautiful in front of and behind the lens.

Resourceful Red

another new blog Im following,

I love this girl, her heart, her creations, and her awesome tips to help live a better life in our environment! check it all out for sure!

Art For All Ages

You will love Danett's art ideas, her heart for art, and her precious little family!

You'll be drawn in by her artsy kids stuff from the get-go!

---------------------------------

SO NOW, the next part of this award is to share with you 10 things about me.

Since I did that not too long ago in another post,

(see that here to learn more about me)

I decided I'd list 10 things about me AND my hubbs!

(Ill keep it short and sweet)

1. Parker and I will celebrate 8 years of marriage in August!

2. We love to just hang out, stay up late talking about serious things, and almost every morning we say we shouldn't have stayed up so late...but then we do it again!

3. we actually went to the same high school, but are 5 years apart

(6 grades...scandalous right? hehe :))

dont worry, we didn't meet until I was in college!

4. We have been through a ton of medical issues (including 8 surgeries), and a lot of financial struggle in our life together. More than most our age it seems.

But God has proven faithful through it all.

5. Parker LOVES being a daddy to his little princess.

He laughs about how he was so "scared" of this baby in my tummy and what it would bring,

And then when she came, he was so instantly in love.

6. We love the beach ALMOST as much as we love the mountains.

7. We have been through two of life's most impactful events together:

the death of a father (we lost Parker's dad suddenly last year),

followed 3 months later by the birth of our first baby.

Emotional roller coaster, but it has strengthened us.

8. We love watching House Hunters International (on HGTV),

and have friendly arguments about which house the couple should pick.

9. He loves sushi and seafood.

Anything that swims should not be on my plate. Eww.

10. We do agree on this: Happiness and Joy are both good things.

One you can have when things happen that you like, and the other is actually

found by knowing a Person,

and which can be had no matter the happenings.

Thanks for learning more about US!

so now,

go check out those lovely blogs I mentioned,

and if you like them leave some love, or better yet, follow them!

And feel welcome to follow us too...we'd love to have you!! :)

Lovely Monday!