Weekend Adventure: Michigan Trip

Two weeks ago...

We'd all been fighting illness; Bronchitis, Bronchial Pneumonia, and Laryngitis, but we still decided to proceed as planned and head to Michigan for the weekend.

My grandparents live on a lake in central MI and my family was planning on spending Friday and Saturday there then head over the South Haven on Lake Michigan to well, first of all see the lake, and to visit with my uncle, aunt and cousins who were there on vacation, we we had decided to join them.
In our own car though.
My family would have to own a school bus now if they wanted to be able to haul around themselves plus the four of us ;)

Albeit short we enjoyed a fun, mostly relaxing, trip.
We went on a pontoon ride around the lake, we went tubing and Wesley went for the first time, and undoubtedly the most memorable part of our visit with Grandma Jan and Grandpa Larry was our attempt to find "The Pines".
A few trips ago we went to "The Pines", a local area of woods that mommy had gone to as a kid. It is one of the coolest places I have seen. Pine trees stretching as far as the eye can see. There's no undergrowth due to the density of the trees themselves so it makes for a beautiful and comfortable picnic area or just somewhere fun to take pictures and monkey around for a while.
Well.
This trip we had a little difficulty finding the pines. No one could remember exactly where they were so we ended up at this little sand "parking lot" with a trail leading off into the woods. We hadn't come prepared to hike because we didn't remember having to in the past. Well after fighting off mosquitoes and deer flies, lugging children, suffering through fits of coughing, shuffling in sandals along a sandy trail, and going in a loop, we found a tiny patch of pine trees that resemble wherever the authentic pines are. We called it close enough, took pictures, and enjoyed the small patch.
Here are some pictures of the pines:

These are some pictures of tubing; I believe the first is of me giving the thumbs up of survival and the second of Wesley heading out.

 Also, there are some random pictures.

We left Sunday morning and headed over to South Haven. It was our first time seeing Lake Michigan and it was very neat. 

I'm Feeling 22

Yesterday I turned 22 and for the first time since I was 19 I think I'll claim it.
For some reason I've been stuck at 19. When anyone asks my age a big '19' pops into my mind and I've had to catch myself and often correct myself "nine-er-twenty-one, right? Yeah, twenty-one." I think I was stuck there because it's when I got engaged, married, and found out I was pregnant with my first child. A lot happened. It was a defining year.
Now, I feel like I'll remember that I am twenty-two, though. I'm not sure why it stands out to me but it does. Maybe Taylor Swifts catchy "I'm Feeling Twenty-Two" (a song I don't even know but as I have a T.S. fan for a sister I have heard it a time or two), maybe its because I'm finally looking around at my life and realizing there's no possible way to claim 19, or maybe it's simply because it started with such an awesome and memorable day.

Things that make me feel 22:
I feel like I've been married to my best friend forever, so, I can't still be 19.
I'm a mommy of two..
I'm finally beginning to feel like an adult; I answer the phone, occasionally make necessary phone calls, write and mail checks for bills, took my daughter to the doctor, go shopping with a baby, and feel like I may be doing a decent job keeping house.
I successfully run our household and haven't stepped too far into insanity on weeks when my husband is out of town for work.
Yes, I'm twenty-two.

My twenty-second birthday was memorable, if not only for the fact I am beginning to feel my age.
Wesley was home in the morning and I knew he'd be back for dinner.
The girls were sweet and fun most of the day.
My out-of-state sister texted me a happy birthday message.
A friend stopped by to visit in the early afternoon.
Wesley came home and took care of the girls while I grilled steaks and zucchini for dinner.

(and before you frown and shake your head thinking "shame on Wesley for not doing the grilling" realize that I think I know what I'm doing when it comes to charcoal grilling so in spite of the fact I bought the grill for Wesley's 23rd birthday I enjoyed using it more than I would have enjoyed entertaining the girls for another hour; it was a  nice break)

While waiting for the grill to be ready I opened my gifts. Wesley had thoughtfully picked out a card and gift from the girls to me, as well as ones from himself. 

I love both of my cards, and each gift given is special and it makes me warm and fuzzy inside thinking of the one who gave them and the thought behind them.

Meet Arlen, my beautiful blue-eyed 

husky that was a gift from my girls:

This gift from Wesley I am super excited about. I've always loved traditional polaroids, everything from the science behind them, to watching the picture form, to the fact that I never order digital prints and this way I'll actually end up with a hard copy of a picture! 
Now the only hang up will be actually taking pictures, each picture is so precious because you can't just delete bad ones. Every picture counts and I'm a little afraid that I won't take pictures because I'll be afraid of wasting a precious piece of film.

Here are the first two pictures taken. 

I now realize that I didn't even take either of them because I wanted to be in them! :o :P

Wesley also got me the one gift I requested: a new glass water bottle as the plastic spout on my other one had cracked. He picked out an awesome one that I have enjoyed using today.

Thank you, honey, (wow, I called you honey, I must be getting old) for the wonderful gifts. They're all perfect and even more so because you put thought into them and "wasted" money on making me happy. <3 I love you, not because you did great but, you certainly did do great ;) <3

My birthday evening didn't end there. 

Dinner was eaten and although I over cooked the steaks just a tad, they were still good. Then we waited until 9:30, the ETA of my family coming home from Oklahoma,  and we headed to their house for cake which my mother had prepared in advance. Don't worry, it tasted fresh as ever because I always choose the same Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream Cake for my birthday ;)

We stayed until 10:30 listening to stories from their trip, discussing birthday presents, and sharing in the joy and love of a big-awesome-crazy-family. 

I'm so blessed to have each and every one of those who celebrated with me. From my mommy who went through 9+ months of pregnancy only to have to go through the terrors of labor to deliver me (not to mention put up with me for the rest of her life), to the siblings I grew up with and the ones I'm watching grow up, to my honorary sister Shay who puts up with not only my brother but my entire crazy-annoying-family; I love you all and felt honored to stay up past bed-time to get to celebrate with you. Thank you for making me feel loved and making the first day of being 22 absolutely perfect.

I am so in love with my life and blessed to begin another year of this awesomely beautiful bubble I get to call mine.

~Haley

(I know that once again I am incredibly behind in blogging. Hopefully I catch up but if not you can always hope that I at least post again before eons go by.)

Of Babies, Birthdays, & Blessings

Jerusha helping out at
diaper changing time

Adjusting to two children has gone surprisingly smoothly.
Jerusha loves little Eowyn and is happy watch me change diapers, outfits, feed, and burp her. Jerusha tries to be helpful and is always wanting to pat Eowyn or give her a head-lockish hug but I know she means it with love.
Last week was rough for me but not because of the girls; I'm sure it was simply post-partum hormones combined with Wesley's absence.
Wesley had to spend the week in Iowa, for work, which left emotional me home with our girls. I cried a lot, in fact, I may have cried more last week than I did through out the entire #babybumpthesecond pregnancy. Maybe?
Every time Jerusha would bring me her book titled "I Love My Daddy Because"; I cried, each meal time as I would pray for "daddy to be safe while he is away", as I folded and put away his laundry, and especially on Thursday as he was away on his birthday.
You may remember from last year that birthdays are special to me and how much I enjoy watching loved ones celebrated. Needless to say I was probably more sad and disappointed on missing his birthday than he was. I had planned in advance to make him a peanut butter pie, a newly discovered favorite of his, I had picked out and ordered his gifts what I was hoping to be far enough in advance and one had arrived; then Wesley was given his schedule and I realized I wouldn't even see him on his birthday :(
In the end his second gift arrived over the weekend and when Wesley headed out Monday morning he stopped to check the mail and ended up taking the package with him; so, he at least got to open a gift on his birthday.

birthday gifts: a new wallet
& watch

Friday he arrived home and opened his second gift but it was too hot to want to stay home in our little un-airconditioned house so we spent the evening at my parents. We filled up on pizza and had no room once home for peanut butter pie.
Saturday was sure to be a busy day with a graduation cake for me to decorate, two graduation open houses to attend, and a church softball game to be played (watched by me;)) so we had pie for breakfast :)

Things have been easier on me this week and hopefully they will continue to be. 

I can't possibly convey to you, my reader, the warm fuzziness that fills my heart as I watch Jerusha drop her toys and stand by Eowyn's bed at the slightest whimper from her sister. Or seeing Jerusha's face contort in empathy if Eowyn's cry becomes more insistent. It is going to be the greatest of blessings to watch my girls grow up, so close in age, and I pray close in heart. I long to see them grow close to God and to watch them serve Him, someday. 

I am absolutely in love with the life God is giving me. The husband who works hard to provide for my heart and spirit as well as our physical needs, he who is the daddy to my girls. I love attempting to care for the home He has blessed us with and know that I ought to be doing a better job of it. I am just thrilled with where God has put me and what He is filling my bubble with.

I hope you enjoy reading my little tid-bits about it.

~Haley

sweetly sleeping Eowyn 

The Waiting Has Ended

I hadn't posted in a while because my time was primarily occupied with caring for Jerusha and taking naps and, well, that just isn't very interesting. I kept trying to work on my rug but the only thing to say about that is... hand stitching is going slowly. I continued my "nesting" re-cleaning and re-organizing all area's of the house. Really, not much, besides my size, changed throughout the month of May.
My grandparents came through town on their bi-annual visit the weekend before my "due-date" and I was hopeful the baby would come so Grandma Jan would get to meet it. However, the baby wasn't ready to join us yet.
I was 40 weeks on the 23rd but 40 weeks wasn't when our baby wanted to come either.
We kept waiting and the busiest weekend of May approached. The 27th I spent baking for our Farmer's Market and then the rest of the day I worked on preparing for my brothers high-school graduation open house. The work didn't induce labor.
Saturday, May 28th I got up and made cinnamon rolls and spent the morning at Market before heading to my family's and once again preparing for the open house. 4:00 arrived and people came and went and everyone commented on not only my brother's accomplishments, awards, and achievements but also my size and apparent appearance of misery. The baby still stayed put.
Sunday I paced myself, hoping that by resting more my body would decide it was ready to face labor; it didn't agree.
Monday, Memorial Day arrived and with it my sister, brother-in-law, and nephew from out of town. Again, I had hoped the baby would have come so they could have met it. I spent the day with family and friends attending my brother's baseball games, our traditional Memorial Day service, eating, sitting in the water at my parents beach with Jerusha, and bemoaning the end of May as I had so hoped for a May baby.
Tuesday, May 31st, I woke up at 12:37 with contractions that, although not very intense, were coming about every six minutes. Maybe I will get my May baby! I thought but soon found the contractions relent and myself waking up over an hour later. My thought was well, I guess not. But then I realized what had awoken me again was another contraction and it may not have been as close as the last ones it was more intense. I kept waiting and soon realized that every eleven to fifteen minutes I would have another pretty intense contraction. Eventually I woke Wesley up and consulted him. If I prematurely called the midwife and it turned out not to be labor that would be embarrassing. As it neared 5AM the contractions had remained painful, intensified, and were coming every seven minutes so I decided to call the midwife.
12:51, Tuesday, May 31st, 2016 sweet little

                    Éowyn  Harper  Smith

                                                                                       joined our family.

She weighed 8 pounds 12 ounces and was 20 and 1/4 inches long. 

The labor was much easier than Jerusha's (or so I am told, it was all a long painful blur, to me ;)), Jerusha excitedly accepted the addition to our lives and enjoys patting little Eowyn and would love me to let her hold her more, and the transition hasn't been too rough from mommy-of-one to mommy-of-two. It does feel like over night Jerusha suddenly grew up. As I type she just climbed up onto the coffee table, since when could she pull herself onto furniture?! She came home after the birth and pulled herself right up onto the couch, last night she climbed up and down our front steps unassisted, and suddenly so many of her babbled words have become clear. 

I want to issue a huge thank you to my sister-in-law Suzannah who starting in January encouraged me to walk 3 miles twice a week and joined me in the endevour. In the last month she was unable to do it with me but still supported my intentions to try and do it on my own and although I slacked a little I did stay much more active than I would have otherwise. Thank you so much Suzannah; I am sure walking helped me maintain a better weight this pregnancy, and helped with stamina through labor, at the least I know it helped me feel better about myself.

Also, thank you to my mommy who offered advise and help continually through the pregnancy and labor.

Thank you Mrs. Smith for attending the birth of your newest granddaughter and giving me quick drinks of gatorade between pushes; it truly did help energize and prepare me for the next contractions.

Thank you Shelby who is forever and always my helpful little sister who gives selflessly, babysitting Jerusha, catching up on my laundry, fixing meals, and doing anything I ask of you.

I'm certain there are more thank you's I could issue; to the midwives who attended the birth and cared for me and Eowyn throughout the pregnancy, labor, and deliver, the siblings who came to visit us and joyously welcomed their newest niece, the friends who have brought food, and I'm sure there are yet others.

Wesley; thank you most of all for being the daddy of our little girls and supporting me and caring for us all <3 I love you.

Now I will put down my computer and go back to enjoying my girls.

Nesting

Today I am 37 weeks pregnant. I have reached that point when everyone; stranger, acquaintance, friend, or family, all stare in shock at my giant belly and assure me I "look ready to pop" and "can't possibly go much longer". 
I try not to sway with optimism. You have three weeks to go I tell myself Three weeks and maybe even more, its still awhile, don't start counting down. I was two weeks late with my first baby so why assume this time would be any different?
I have been feeling pretty well, lately, maintaining energy, keeping up with my normal activities, and most definitely nesting. 
If I get it into my mind that I want something done, it becomes my main, no, my only focus until it is accomplished. 

Our dressers are uncharacteristically neat and organized, winter clothes have been put up since that first week of 70 degree weather we had.  I decided I needed kitchen curtains one weekend and by the following Monday I had purchased material, sewed lovely green curtains, and hung them myself. I bought pots, gardening gloves, a shovel, seeds, and plants and they are now all planted and carefully mothered by me. I have a major lack of a green-thumb (what is the term for that, anyways?) so I am hopeful my "pot garden" survives and this summer we get to enjoy fresh tomatoes, peppers, spinach, and herbs. 

I turned over the empty flower beds in front of our house and planted rows of my favorite flowers. I am thrilled that they are all coming up in beautiful lines full of expected bright, cheerful zinnias.

my creative
"watering can"

I have cleaned out my refrigerator and freezer, organized my kitchen drawers and cabinets. 

I make list after list of meal plans, projects, things to clean, and what prep work needs done for upcoming events such as the start of our Farmer's Market and the eventual arrival of our baby. 

I fixed our front door which had sprung in a wind storm. I painted the trim and put up new house numbers out side the door. 

Yesterday afternoon my husband put up a clothes line for me and I can't wait to begin hanging laundry on a real line instead of the miserably stretchable cotton string I used last year; unfortunately today was overcast and cool so I wasn't able to give it its debut. 

Items currently left on my "nesting list"(a.k.a. my obsess-over-until-accomplished-and-play-the-pregnancy-card-as-an-excuse-to-do-so-list) are: 

find a night stand to replace the bookshelf beside my bed

paint my bedroom door

clean out garages

gather supplies for my midwife's home-visit

freezer meals for baby's arrival(?)

I like to believe I'll accomplish them all, but really, if I don't it's okay; I am 37 weeks pregnant after all and if I spend most of a day sleeping or reading or whatever, it's really okay.

In other small town news; an ice-cream and food shop opened a couple blocks away last week and our little family has already walked there twice to enjoy frozen delights!

We purchased a new camera recently and Wesley is learning lots about professional photography and beginning to build a portfolio with hopes that someday we can make a small side business as photographers. 

Bigger news on the home front is the promotion my husband received which took him from store manager of our local Casey's General Store to a Regional Trainer. It will be a lot of adjusting but it is a blessing and I enjoy watching God direct the orchestra of life that He Himself wrote for us.  

 I hope you've enjoyed this installment of my beautiful bubble. In spite of the weather putting a hamper on my laundry ideals of the day I am enjoying it, there is just something entirely refreshing and romantic in an overcast, drizzly, dreary, London like day. (And no, I've not been to London but I hear that's what it is like.)

~Haley

Fort Morgan ~ 2016

I promised a post about our recent vacation so here you go!

Saturday, March 19th, at 1:49AM Wesley pulled out of my family's driveway in the 15 passenger van filled with 13 people, 13 people's innumerable belongings, sports equipment, beach supplies, snacks for the trip, food for the week ahead, and I am convinced that my youngest sister smuggled her entire collection of toys along with, as well.
We had planned on driving two vehicles in caravan with my family but, as it was, my parents were in the hospital with my youngest brother who had RSV. Thankfully they were able to drive down and join us after a couple days. :)
The weather in Fort Morgan was quite cold and windy the first few days we were there but it was redeemed by the end of our stay. The water was never warm enough to just go out for a swim and be enjoyable but three days in a row the gulf gave us great adventurous waves. I  wanted to spend much more time than I got to playing in them but my seven month pregnant body refused. I got to fight waves for maybe 20 minutes before giving in and joining my mom on the shore. Somehow, now that I'm a mom, the beach isn't quite the same. I get to live vicariously through others though, watching them fight the waves for hours, cheer them on as big waves come towards them, and laugh as they are defeated.
This was my sixth trip to the Gulf Shores/Fort Morgan area of Alabama's coast, Jerusha's second, (my family took her and I along mere days after her birth), and Wesley's first. I was excited to show Wesley "My Beach" and to give him a tour of the Fort. Wesley searched trip advisor and took me on a couple of dates into Gulf Shores to places I hadn't been before. Hope's Cheesecakes was definitely my favorite outing ^_^
Wesley and I imposed a "kaper chart" system onto my family drafted roughly from the version his family has used for years on their beach vacations. We made and named teams of 3 and divided the making and cleaning up of meals, cleaning of bathrooms, and straightening of living room among the teams. Having done the beach both ways, (with structure and responsibilities opposed to leaving most work up to mommy) I think the outcome of our teams and chore chart was a success!

Jerusha is quite certain I've spent enough time on this post and need to play with her so I'll put up a few pictures and move on. :)

Together <3

Jerusha hijacking my diary

Sunshine on one of our walks :)

Hope's Cheesecakes. Sooo yummy!

Jerusha enjoying the
sand & sun.

A couple pictures from Fort Morgan

 A very
worn out
Jerusha <3

Our traditional "Last Night at the Beach Banana Splits"

Our family pictures for 2016





I hope you've enjoyed a glimpse of our vacation :)

~Haley

Memories of a Wedding Two Years Past

{I interrupt my normally scheduled posts (HAHA) today to spend a few moments reliving the events from two years ago. }

April 5th, 2014; the day that my best friend and I committed the rest of our lives to one another. The day truly was a blur as I soared past on excitement and anticipation so I have been thinking about it a lot over the past couple of days, trying to piece together the emotions of myself and those around me.

In my opinion, it was one of the happiest, most light-hearted weddings of all time. (I note my own bias;))

In a wedding the important things are the ones that you will remember and cherish for years to come, and for me, here are a few of those things:

The officiant.

       A good friend of ours was willing to be ordained in order to perform the ceremony. He and his wife took us out to eat prior our wedding and offered pre-marital counseling and advice on living out a God honoring marriage. 

The guests.

      Having the family and close friends there to witness our union but more importantly to share in the joy of it all. It didn't need to be every person we'd ever met, every distant relative, or a day about spreading our "success" to the world. I hope all who came, came because they wanted to join in the fun, not simply because the received an invitation and thought it their duty to attend.

Not waiting for perfection.

      This one I can't stress enough. To any unmarried out there, you may have dreamed up the perfect wedding but I caution you now; waiting until you can have exactly that, won't be worth it. When you know you have met the person you need beside you for the rest of your life; don't wait. Start spending the rest of your life together. Plan a simple wedding, one that you (your families?) can afford, scrap all your extravagant ideas and make a list of what is truly important. For me: 1. Starting life with Wesley. 2. Giving God the glory for being the author of our story. 3. Family. 4. Real flowers. That is all I had on my list, sure I had ideas and pictures of what I wanted in mind but once the ball is rolling and you have a date set, venue reserved, and your wedding parties picked out the rest falls into place. At least mine did.

Its just not worth waiting until he's made his fortune or you've made your own name in the world, well, I can't say with absolute certainty having not done either of those ;) But I can tell you that I can not imagine being happier, certainly not if I hadn't spent the last two years by Wesley's side, or added Jerusha to our family's lives, or even the love and joy in the life of the baby on his/her way. <3

[Whoops. Got a little carried away preaching the virtues of marriage :P]

My dress.

     I bought it for $20 at a garage sale before I was even engaged and altered it to be what I wanted. Sometimes I feel like I missed out, having not gotten to go dress shopping, but in the end my dress is as special to me for the price I paid, work I put into it, and that is enough. I may not have gotten the same experiences as most but mine was special and maybe someday I'll get to go with sisters and girl-friends and watch them "say yes to the dress".

My earrings. 

     I wanted the perfect earrings to go with my dress and never found any. However mommy told me she had ordered some she hoped I would like and they arrived just in time for me to wear. They were perfect, exactly what I'd envisioned. I still keep them on their original packaging and break them out for special occasions; I will be wearing them tonight on our anniversary date.

Daddy giving me away.

    We haven't always had the clearest of relationships so it means the world to me that Daddy found someone he was willing pass me on to. We didn't talk much about "giving me away" but we didn't need to. I know and love my daddy and I should hope it wasn't too hard on him to pass the responsibilities of caring for me on to Wesley. It was honestly probably a relief to him, I'm not all that easy to care for ;) It wasn't a huge emotional ordeal and for that I am thankful. Daddy loved me and he still does, and he rejoiced in God's plan as he gave my hand to Wesley. To summarize; I am thankful that it wasn't a huge deal, that it was simple, daddy giving me to Wesley. The simplicity and peace of it is what I remember and love.

Our Families.

     Our parents and all of our siblings were able to be there. (Some barely, due to the flu.) We were missing some grandparents and in-laws but our best friends, the siblings who "chaperoned" us on dates, the sisters who listened to endless praise of Wesley, the one's who picked up our slack as we texted, talked, and dated, the one's who gave us advice, the one's who we know will be with us throughout the rest of our lives to pick on us, cheer for us, and make memories with us; they were present and they were the most important ones to share the day with. Followed up closely by the friends who are like family and who helped so much with our wedding and praise God with us as He continues to bless.

The flowers.

     We ordered bulk flowers from SAM's club. We ordered what came in the colors we chose for our wedding, we ordered what was in season, and we arranged them ourselves. They were perfect. 

The food.

     We didn't serve especially exciting food but we had plenty for all of our guests and I thought it was pretty yummy. I wanted it to be lunch, preferably sub style sandwiches and salads and that is exactly what we had. We ordered the subs and chicken salad croissants from Wesley's Casey's. Some people may have found that somewhat lame but I thought it was special since Wesley actually went in and helped make them and Casey's is a pretty important part of our life; I don't mind claiming them. Note: We didn't serve them in Casey's paper wrapping. If you didn't know they were from a gas station you, well, would never have known.

The pictures.

     I love the job our photographers did. They were new to doing weddings so very budget friendly but the moments they captured and images they created will forever offer me a glimpse back at that wonderful day.

My bridesmaids.

     I chose only to have three, my best-friend-sister, and two very close friends. They did a lovely job leading up to the wedding with a bridal shower and wedding preparation, and the night we spent together leading into the big day filled with stories, laughter, and prayer is cherished. 

I suppose that is it. The things that stand out to me as most important on my wedding day.

As I reread this I realize I didn't dwell much on the emotions of the day. I have stopped and pondered and tried to remember but from my perspective, it wasn't especially emotional. Or maybe I didn't see past my own to notice emotions of those around me? I was marrying my best friend. I was thrilled, ecstatic, over-joyed. There was not so much as a prick of sorrow at being given away, or leaving forever, or anything of the sort. I was given away, I did leave my family's home forever, but for what? To join someone else and have our own home and family. It's addition, it's multiplication. Never did it feel like subtraction or division. A new step was taken, a new family created, and I at least, and I believe my family as well, found nothing but joy in that. Two family's joined and another was created.

I'll leave you now with the vow I made and a few pictures of our wedding day.

Before God and these witnesses

I take you - Wesley

to be my best friend,

my faithful husband,

and my God given love.

I promise to encourage you

and to inspire you.

To love you truly 

through good times and bad.

To submit myself to you

and follow as God leads

I will forever be here to laugh with you,

to lift you up when you're down,

and to love you unconditionally

through all of our adventures in life together,

as long as we both shall live.

  

And I know I've thanked you before, but again, Thank You to everyone who helped make our wedding day perfect, from Mr. & Mrs. Smith who raised the perfect man for me to the guests who came to take part in our day; you friends who worked hard to set up and tear down, you family who put up with the chaos of a wedding: Thank You All. <3