30 things

Today is Pete and I's 5th wedding anniversary! I feel like in some ways he hasn't changed a bit since I met him way back in, uhh, 2004 at the Jackson City Pool. In other ways he has changed a lot. All good changes, of course (like becoming a husband and daddy). I never in a million years would have thought that you are who God had planned to be my forever mate, but boy and I thankful that you were placed in my path! 

I wanted to post a list of 30 reasons why I love Pete. Often times I don't do a great job verbalizing how important and special he is to me, and so I wanted him to be able to see some of those reasons written out as well as share them with you...maybe you don't know him very well, or even at all and this will give you an opportunity to see how blessed I am to have him as my husband!

In no particular order...

1. I love how Pete leads our family. He leads the way in making our big decisions, showing our children what its like to love his wife, giving of his time, energy and love to others and the things that he's passionate about.

2. I love how Pete will dance when the girls ask him to go "dancing in the wibing room".

3. I love how Pete remembers my favorites things and will surprise me with them, just because.

4. I love how Pete allows me to be a part of things that I'm passionate about. He supports me when I take time away from our family to be a part of something bigger, like American Caner Society Gala committee, or church functions. He supported me in my decision to be a wedding planner for a while and live out that dream before we had a family.  

5. I love who Pete is when he's around his close friends and family. He opens up and has such a great sense of humor. He doesn't always show this side of himself, but its when he's comfortable with who he's around, that you're able to see just how awesome he is!

6. I love how Pete is always willing to step in to help or take over cooking dinner and dishes.

7. I love how our responsibilities of having a house and raising two children is a team effort! We don't have assigned roles; we work together and help out when we see that its needed. Pete knows how to work the washer and dryer. He knows how to cook. He does a great job at cleaning, and he's the best when it comes to playing with the girls and keeping them calm during our "witching hour".

8. I love how Pete respects my parents and my grandparents. He is interested in knowing their background and hearing their stories of childhood and how things were for them. 

9. I love how hardworking Pete is. I have never met another person that can manage a family, a lot of really great friendships, and 3 full time jobs flawlessly. 

10. I love how Pete provides for our family.

11. I hate ;) love how Pete reminds me that not everything is a big deal and sometimes its okay to just slowww down. I can see his little "crank the breaks" hand motions as I type this! :) 

12. I love how Pete plays with the girls. Sometimes it makes me nervous when he's barrel rolling across the floor with them in his arms, but it brings so much joy and laughter, it doesn't matter!

13. I love that (for the most part) we enjoy the same kinds of movies and tv shows. I mean we have a few shows we watch separately (you know..walking dead, Real Housewives of the OC, Bachelor, etc) but making a point to wait for each other on certain shows is always a little special. 

14. I love how Pete gives me time away to be by myself or to enjoy time with friends, to be someone other than just a mommy. and he never complains about it!

15. I love that Pete enjoys traveling.

16. I love that Pete loves me for who I am and never tries to change me into someone that I'm not. He accepts my faults and still loves me anyway.

17. I love when Pete kisses me on the cheek.

18. I love when Pete will play with my hair.

19. I love how Pete takes pride in caring for our yard.

20. I love that Pete is a man of God. He wants to raise our children in the church and strives to raise our girls to be genuine, caring, and thoughtful of others.

21. I love how Pete will get up in the middle of the night with either of our kids. From the very beginning, he would be up in a second with me and never complain a second about being tired!

22. I love when Pete mans the music in the car. Music use to be a large "thing" in our relationship way back when. I love when I hear one of "our songs" and the feelings that instantly smack in my the face and remind me of how lucky I am to have him in my life. 

23. I love how Pete loves me. He is kind, forgiving, affectionate, supportive, and my rock!

24. I love how darn attractive Pete is. I'm one lucky lady! :)

25. I love how Pete cares for everyone else. He has always, always been a giver, but he is so humble.

26. I love how Pete will drop anything to help a friend. He is the most loyal friend, and truly wants the best for everyone.

27. On that some topic, I love how Pete cares about my friends and is interested in making sure they are doing okay and things are going good for them.

28. I love how I have always felt safe with Pete.

Little side story to go along with this one!A story I will never forget and really confirmed that Pete is the most caring and thoughtful person I have ever been around...Back when Pete and I were dating (we only dated 6 months before we got engaged), we went on a bike ride with his family. It was on a gravel trail that was pretty flat and an easy ride. On one side of the trail there was a small hill that went down into a creek. Pete slowed down and switch side with me as we were riding and I thought it was so weird. When I asked him what in the world he was doing, he said that he needed to be on the outside because he didn't want me swerving off the trail and wrecking down the hill. It still bring a smile to my face that he is that concerned for my safety. :)
Sometimes I get a little annoyed by his overly cautious ways (like always wanting closed toed shoes on the girls, or wants them to wear pants instead of shorts in the summer to protect their knees when they fall :)). but when it comes down to it, I am so so thankful for the man that he is and how much he cares!

29. I love how Pete is always trying to find the best deal on anything and everything. Yes, it can get hectic when he comes home with 25 containers of Lysol wipes, 50 rolls of paper towels, or even 35 new pairs of pants for the girls. But, it is also really handy to know that he is always watching out and never has made me feel like shopping is only a mom duty. Most of our close friends and family know this about him as well, and he has a list of 20 different things to "watch out for" for everyone and he never forgets about anyone and genuinely wants to help everyone! No matter if it is groceries, appliances, carpet, clothes, electronics...you name it, he will usually find the best bargain for you!

30. I love that I get to be married to my best friend forever!

Thank you Charles, for being there for me the past 5 years. We have been through a lot of changes, some good and some bad, but you have always been there! Here's to praying for many, many, many more anniversaries! I love you! 

Currently

I figured it was time to hit the high points of what I am currently up to these days!

Binge Watching: All the new Fall shows! 

Craving: A salted caramel white mocha (with half the syrup and skim milk ;))! There is nothing better! 

Lunching: Considering I am trying to finally drop that last bit of weight I gained when I was pregnant and have yet to lose my lunches are pretty boring. 2 hard boiled eggs, carrots, 1 bell pepper, and some sort of protein (lunch meat, or turkey sausage). 

Doing: As many Fall activities as I can with the girls! And a lot of laundry!  :)

Obsessing: About how I am going to decorate for Christmas! Don't get me wrong, I am a lover of all things fall, but I have a fireplace mantel I can decorate this year and a perfect place for a Christmas tree. I am excited.

Loving: The age of my girls right now! They are really starting to show their little personalities and although they are a ton of work(obviously), they are super sweet.

Reading: Ungluded by Lysa TerKeurst! STILL.

Wanting: a whole new wardrobe. Fall is my time of the year where I get suckered into buying things that I probably shouldn't. I can usually be pretty rational about my purchases until September 1st. Then I want it all and have a hard time saying no. I know no clue why that is, but I just can't help it!

Pinning: Ideas for our next house. Darn it, I just can't stop. I see us moving again in the year 2016. ( Don't tell my mom ;))

Dreaming: Of all the fun holiday events in the upcoming months!

Writing: About what we are currently doing and what we are up to! I want to do another day in the life post soon since our schedule is pretty set these days and a lot different than it use to be!
Crafting: I did a few craft projects for Fall decor around the house and I am sure it will be even more excessive come December.
Listening: To Jeremy Camp, Carrie Underwood, and Phillip Phillips. Great mix, huh?

Wearing: jean or leggings. Tunics, tshirts, or plaids. boots, booties, or flats #basic

Needing: To slow down and enjoy life! I can get pretty caught up in the minimizing the clutter around the house and before I know it my nights are gone. I need to enjoy some time with my girls in the evenings! This time of year we get busy busy! I know it is exhausting for me, so I can't imagine what it does to my girls! I need to say no a few times this season and enjoy down time with my family of four.

Planning: Zetta Mae's THIRD birthday party!..I am still doing this! 

Trying: To eat better and care about others more!

Weekend Recap: a get-away

This past weekend Pete and I headed to Columbia to celebrate his (super belated) birthday and our anniversary! It was homecoming at Mizzou so the town was a little crazy but it was still fun!

I met my mom at the park with the girls around 4:30 pm and headed our pretty quickly. I needed to pack and pick the house up a bit before Pete got home. I also wanted to make sure I had enough time to squeeze in a solo trip to Target and TJMaxx before we left! :) #reallife

Had to get the essentials! ha!

 Pete got home from work about 8 PM on Friday and we loaded the car and hit the road. It was a little later than we planned on leaving, so we ended up just eating dinner in St.Louis and spending the night at my sisters house. We didn't want to be driving until 1 AM and make us tired the rest of the trip. We got up fairly early on Saturday and hung out with my sister and her fam (thanks for the donuts and coffee!!) for a bit before getting back on the road!

 We stayed with one of our favorite couples and Hannah had made a "Happy Birthday Pete" banner to celebrate! She's the sweetest! :)

We headed out for lunch and then just came back to their house and watched part of the Card's game before heading to the Stadium. Unfortunately, the Cardinals AND Mizzou lost, but it was a great weekend!

Somehow I didn't get a picture with Hannah or Matt all weekend, but they were really there! ha! As we were sitting at the game the clouds and sky were so beautiful and then the sun started setting and it was seriously an amazing view!

After the game we went to this local Jazz bar that had great music and some delicious food! We got back around 1 AM and headed to bed ready to see our girls on Sunday!!

It was a great trip! Much needed adult time! The parts I like the best are the simple parts. Of course we were going to have a great time at the game and such, but going to dinner and getting to order whatever I wanted without trying to feed my girls off of it too, or the uninterrupted car conversation with Pete on the drive. Those are the little things that you take for granted when you have kids. It was a great weekend away, but I can't wait to go again and take the girls!
Thank you Matt and Hannah for being such AMAZING hosts! We are thankful for friends like you!!

Friday Favorites

Hello! I have had a super busy and exhausting week! When that happens the blog is the first thing that my mind lets go of! Here are some of my FAVORITE moments from the past week!

Last weekend we went to Sam A. Baker State Park with my mom's side of the family. We have went every year of my life (and my parent's before that). It is a perfect way to kick off the fall season. With Pete getting a new job, he couldn't make it work this year. The girls are I rode out there with my parent's and just enjoyed the weekend. I really like when I spend time with the girls away from home because it just forces me to focus totally on them and not stress about anything else. When we are at home on the weekends I try to get the house cleaned, laundry done and everything else that working moms have to squeeze in the hours of 6 -10 PM and the weekend hours. One of my biggest faults is letting my to-do list cloud my brain and I cannot just enjoy the "mommy watch this" or "mommy can you play with me?" It is a hard balance, and that is why I really like weekends with the girls away from home. I went into the weekend knowing that my only task was to give the girls 100% of my attention and basically let them do whatever they want..because why not--we're camping! We spent a lot of time at the playground, the nature center, taking bike rides, and just enjoying extended family around the campfire! Hands down, one of my FAVORITE weekends of the year!

I got a new camera last week (another FAVORITE), so I will do a whole picture post from the weekend once I upload those pictures.

This coming weekend Pete and I are taking our first little get-away since having kids! We have went out to dinner, or a wedding without them here and there, but we have never taken a trip together! Normally when we have to get a sitter it is because I have a girls trip, bachelorette party, or one of us is in a wedding. I am so excited that we get to get out of town without any events or obligations! It is definitely going to be a FAVORITE of mine! We are headed to Columbia for Mizzou homecoming! Not to mention it is our 5th wedding anniversary next week! Woo!

The girls had pictures at "school" this week. They are my FAVORITE! Could they be any cuter?!

My sister in law is one of my FAVORITE people, and it was her birthday yesterday! We have family dinner every Thursday night with Pete's family, and we made it extra special last night for her birthday! Pete and I got engaged 6 months after we started dating and his sisters didn't live here. Therefore, I really didn't start building friendships with them until AFTER we were family. Emily has been there for me through some of the toughest points of my married/mom life and always has the most level headed advice. She goes above and beyond and really bends over backwards for anyone. She makes me want to be a better person! Isn't that the type of friends that you want? The one that with be compassionate about what you are going through, but always make you see the best in the situation and helps you find the good instead of dwelling in the bad. I am beyond thankful for the friendship we have gained in the past 5 years and was so happy to help spoil her on her birthday!

I have decided that I love Fall for more than just the season. Yes I love the leaves changing colors, the cooler weather and pumpkins everywhere, but I also love it because everyone is in such a good mood! I feel like Fall is a fresh start, a new beginning and it just makes people happy. That is another reason Fall is one of my FAVORITES!

LINK

And a few of my FAVORITE quotes to leave you feeling inspired!

Happy Friday!

Linking up with Erika & Andrea; Karli; April, Natasha & Christina; & Amanda

Georgia construction

I don't think I have posted much about the house we are currently living in. I am really starting to love this house. I love the family room, the fire place, and the kitchen layout. We have a big back yard that we don't use nearly enough and the bedrooms are a great size, too. Right now it is perfect for our family. I didn't take nearly as many before and after pictures as I usually do, which stinks, because we changed quite a bit in this house. Anyways, construction pictures for your viewing pleasure. I am slowly working room by room, but I will try to post some picture's of what our house currently looks like soon!












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