Month: June 2016

Mommy Milestone: I Love You.

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From the moment she was born I said it. I whispered it, prayed it, sang it, and repeated it over and over and over again. Even though those three little words couldn’t possibly describe my emotions bottled up inside, I said them anyway. “I love you.” From the moment she was born and for no reason at all I loved her. (It is in these moments that I feel I can see a glimpse of our Heavenly Father’s agape love towards man. We are nothing and could not possibly earn his favor, yet he so richly lavishes his love upon us.)

God has blessed our family with a sweet, sassy, silly, social butterfly named Addie. She has turned our world upside down, and we wouldn’t have it any other way. Since she was born we make sure to tell her we love her each and every day so that it will be one of those undeniable truths that she can hold fast to when she becomes a teenager and thinks she knows it all, or her world is rocked by some unforeseen future or lingering doubt.

Most of our professions of love have been monologues spoken over her as she lie asleep, during late night rocking chair sessions, or fleeting and hurried moments throughout our time together. One day something different happened. She said it. Not “I love you too” as in a reply, but just out of the blue.  “Mommy, I’ll always love you.” And at that moment my heart grew three sizes and burst into a million tiny pieces all over the floor.

Now don’t forget, she is two…so shortly after this heartfelt moment she can usually be heard demanding another snack, drink, or negotiating five more minutes of playtime before her bath. But, in this moment I realize that another milestone of motherhood has come and I love her more with each passing day.

 

Painting pet rocks from the stones she collected at Granny Layne and Papa’s house.

 

Addie and April Take Over Summer 2016

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Well, week two of Addie & April Take Over Summer is almost in the books. I think that I can speak for us both by saying that we are having a blast. Last Summer was complicated for many reasons and I didn’t get to spend as much time with her as I would have liked, but oh we are making up for it this year in true list-making, adventure-seeking, task-oriented, action item crossing-off fashion! When I look back on this Summer I don’t want to say…we sat around and watched TV. I want to make memories and grow closer together this Summer. Not trying to brag, but you should be jealous because…we are on a roll! 🙂 In all honestly, my prayers each night seem to be summed up in two simple words (Thank you.) Thank you Jesus for the blessing of this sweet time. Thank you Jesus for this crazy little girl that you have entrusted to us. Thank you, thank you, thank you.

Check out our progress below!

Summer Bucket List—2016 Edition

-Go see a $1 movie

-Make homemade ice cream

-Go camping

-See Sesame Street Live- check! Addie is in love with ELMO!


-Tiedye t-shirts– check! When the Tori and Mariah came down for the weekend we snagged a quick opportunity to tie-die a few shirts! This was so much fun, and the best part is that Addie and I still have some left over!!


-Pick black berries- check! Okay, so it was a little warm today when we finally got out to the farm today, but it was still fun. Addie is fighting a little Summer cold and doesn’t like to be sweaty, so she told us that she was “really, really thirsty and ready to go to Addie’s house” about 15 minutes after we got there. She DID love eating the fruits of our labor at lunch though!


-Make jam & can tomatoes

-Host a yard sale- check! We didn’t make a ton of cash, but we had a lot of fun trying! It was nice to spend a Saturday morning together with the family and get rid of some clutter in the process. 

-Get play make-up and have a makeover night- check! There really is no limit to the fun that $1 makeup from the corner Dollar General can provide!

-Paint Pet Rocks/Character Rocks

-Go to the Library– check! Addie absolutely LOVED Story Time at the library. I can’t say that I am not a little bit proud that she took a seat in the front row and tried to be Miss Star Student, even if she did tell some of the other kids to “shh….because this is a library.” 


-Finish Thanksgiving table cloth

-Make flash cards

-Homemade pizza night

-Oatland Island nature walk

-Throw a Tea-Party

-Make a Pillow Fort & hold a Disney Movie Marathon- check (sort-of). We haven’t had a full-on Disney Movie Marathon, but Hubby and I have been binge watching Black List while Addie watches a plethora of different DVDs in the evening time. By the end of the day the Summer heat has gotten to everyone and nothing is better than some lounge time in bed with the whole family!

-Make a Stepping Stone- check! The stepping stone turned out to be the cutest thing ever, thanks to the help of my Papa, Granny Layne, and Aunt Jenny. I can’t wait to make this a Summer traditions and get to see these precious pavers in the yard for years to come!

-Take swim lessons- check! Addie had a blast swimming with Mrs. Loren. She talked and talked about her each day until we finally arrived for her lessons!




A Few Saturdays With Addie (and Crew)

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I am not trying to brag here, but the last couple of weekends have been pretty amazing. A girl could really get used to this. School is out. Summer is in, and a whole lot of fun is about to be unleashed in the Harvey Household! We have some catching up to do!

A few weekends ago, Addie and I had visitors of the best sort! My most best-bests came into town for a Mini Friend-cation. We spent literally five minutes at the beach, ate some fresh local grub, and headed home for a night of tie-dye, take-out, and Disney movie marathons. Yes, this weekend was quite perfect, especially because of who we shared it with. No matter the distance or time between visits, spending time with these gals is always my favorite.

The follow weekend was equally fun-filled. We went to….Disney’s Animal Kingdom with my mother and grandmother. I can’t think of much more special than getting to take a four generation picture at the base of the Tree of Life. There were rides to be ridden, faces to paint, characters to dine with, showed to see, and of course food to be eaten. We all took naps and then ended the night at Magic Kingdom. Addie had a blast, and so did we!


This past weekend we hosted a five-family yard sale. To be fair, it was five different households, but we were all in the same extended family! Although I was happy to get a few items gone, I can’t say that we made a ton of cash. We did have a lot of fun. We ate Little Debbies, drank Coke, and sat in the shade talking (gossiping), laughing, and relaxing with each other. When it was all over we packed up the remaining items and sent them off to GoodWill and a local ladies’ charity organization. It feels nice to have a little extra cash for Disney World, a donation tax deduction, a good deed done for charity, and a little less clutter in the home.

So, as you can see….this Summer is stacking up pretty nicely. I am soaking up each moment of this precious time. Bring on the next weekend!