My Sister's Baby Shower

Saturday we threw a baby shower for my sister. The shower was at our church which was the church my sister grew up in. It was so nice for her to be able to come back home and see friends and family that love her. Paige has the biggest heart of anyone and has the ability to make everyone feel like they are important and valued.

With everyone's busy schedules and Bo due to make his arrival in about five weeks, Memorial Day Weekend was the only time we could have the shower. There was still a great turnout despite some people being out of town or at the lake.

 

My sister is a go with the flow type of person and she left all the shower preparation to us. I had a hard time deciding how I wanted to theme it but I saw these pastel plaid tablecloths at my Mom's house and I thought it would make a beautiful backdrop.

I took some of Jack's baby pieces and hung them for a little boy touch.

And of course, hydrangeas. I don't know if I've thrown a spring/summer party without them!

We kept it simple and just did cake, fruit, nuts, coffee and punch.

Gina Howard made the beautiful sheet cake that said, "Baby Bo".

I did this at another shower and thought it was genius. I think this would be super encouraging for a mom with a newborn to see in the witching hour when all you want to do is sleep. Some were uplifting, some were sweet and some were just hilarious. Either way it will put a smile on her face.

My beautiful mom-to-be sister! Her pregnancy has went so well and we are five weeks away from meeting my nephew.  

Five weeks give or take, I'm calling a Fourth of July baby! Both of my babies are born close to holidays so it's only fitting for Paige to carry on the tradition.

It brought make memories of our shower when I was expecting Georgia Grace nearly four years ago. Looking back I can't believe I made my shower dress, I barely have time to buy a dress these days. Full hands but a full heart :)

Daddy came to the shower too. Eric grew up in Corbin and traditionally in that area men do not attend showers, not even their own but dads-to-be do here so he agreed to come. Marcus thinks we should adopt the Corbin tradition ha!

The babies came and Georgia was a big help with the gift opening and Jack was super tired so he napped through most of it.

My beautiful mom who looks more like a sister and gets mistaken for one often.

I love this of my mamaw, sister and mom <3

My sweet mama

My favorite picture from the shower :)  This girl loves her watermelon, especially when she's eight months pregnant.

It was a wonderful shower celebrating Eric, Paige and Bo. They told the story of how they chose their baby name (Boaz Bailey Salmons). Ruth 4:21 states "And Salmon begat Boaz..." and that is the only time Boaz is mentioned in the Bible. I think it is perfect!

Thanks to our family and friends that came and showered them with so much love. Eric and Paige are in the process of becoming foreign missionaries and we do not know how much longer we will have them here in the states with us so every event with them I am cherishing. They feel like God is calling them to the Asian region and once they are overseas they plan to make the area their home. Life will never be the same once they move but they are fulfilling His prophecy and living life with no boundaries. They will be His hands and feet and I am so proud of their obedience. The day they leave I will probably cry a hundred buckets of tears but in my heart I know this is God's will for their lives and we should support that wholeheartedly.

And you can bet I will be hopping on a plane over there every chance I can get :)

School's Out For Summer

Yesterday afternoon we officially started our summer break. The 2015-16 school year ended for students and the excitement of a little extra sleep, relaxed schedules, playing in the pool and long summer nights has us giddy.

Sweet boy got to drive his Pa's Camaro for the first time last weekend. He thought he was the cat's meow.

I found these pictures on Marcus's phone and they just melt my heart. That's one proud daddy and one little girl that reminded me of a porcelain doll with her recital makeup on. She LOVES makeup so she was all kinds of happy about her makeover.

I wasn't crazy about the idea of putting makeup on my three year old but it's all part of the theatrics so I put on my big girl panties and did it. She enjoyed every minute of it. I had to wake her up from a nap to get ready for her recital and the promise of putting on makeup made her hop right up.

I love how Jack is still attached to me while I apply. He always wants in the middle of the action, especially if it involves his mama.

Ta da! Our beautiful ballerina. She was proud as punch of herself.

Sunday we attended the gender reveal party for our friends James and Ashley. I wasn't sure for the longest time but finally decided I thought it was a boy and I was right! They had a huge gathering which is just a testament to how much this baby boy is loved already. Our friend Juleah came down and it was great to see her. Baby Boy Runion will be here in November and we can't wait!

Jackster checking out Ash's tassels. I think everybody there held him at least one time. He knows how to work the crowds.

I took a video of him walking all over the place with a balloon tied to his collar which we joked was to keep up with him and a buoy if he fell in the pool ha!

Sunday I celebrated six years of marriage to my person. He completes me in every way. We never take pictures together so a selfie (his favorite ha!) on the porch to commemorate the day will have to do. Thank you for giving me your last name and whole heart. I love you the most and happy anniversary, honey.

It's summertime! We have had constant rain lately but we're dressing like it's sunny and 75 anyway. And you know it's been a good morning when she will let you take her picture that early :)

If a week of sleeping in a big girl bed wasn't enough, she also decided she wanted to walk to her preschool's door (aka Grandmomma's house) by herself in the mornings. She told me "I can do it by myself" and then she said "Get back in the car!" HA! She didn't even want to share the sidewalk with her old mama. I tucked my tail and watched from the car window (Daddy had taken Jack). She's three going on thirteen.

School's out for summer! AKK ends their academic program and transitions to a summer schedule on the last day for public schools. She learned so much this year and I give them all the credit. She can identify every letter and sounds and can even recognize common words. She loves to be read to and likes to pretend to read. She actually told me tonight that she's ready for kindergarten. Thank goodness that is still two years away.

Lots of change from August to May. We fall more in love with her everyday. Watching her grow is a privilege. I am so so blessed to be her mom.

I hope everyone has a relaxing and safe Memorial Day Weekend! I'm so thankful for servicemen like my grandfather that made this day worth celebrating. Freedom isn't free and I'm forever grateful for that right they fought and died for.

Playschool Graduation

Last week was a doozy for us. Georgia transitioned to a big girl bed, had her first dance recital AND "graduated" from playschool. I felt like we jammed six months worth of milestones in six days instead. There was a lot of happiness and pride accompanied with acceptance that she is growing up. Growth is beautiful and humbling as a mom. I relish it and loathe it all at the same time.

Georgia went to three of the four playschool sessions and her graduation was on Thursday. She did amazing in her first two playschool classes and would walk into a room full of strangers and start playing without hesitation. The third session she became scared for some reason. That carried over to the beginning of the ceremony and she really wanted to cling to Mommy but reluctantly went with her class and teachers.

I was really thinking that she would not walk across the stage to receive her diploma but she surprised us and did amazing! She just needed a little backstage reassurance from Mommy and she was good to go. I love my baby girl.

She was in the youngest class that was mostly three year olds. Her favorite things about playschool were playing with playdough, eating lunch, rolling like a pig (?) and her big high school friend, Gracie.

Her friend Hudson received his diploma right before her and when she came back to her seat he pulled the seat out for her like a true gentleman. So sweet!

2016 playschool graduate

Even though Georgia is socialized on a weekly basis through preschool, I'm glad she had this opportunity to adapt to a new environment and meet new kiddos her age. She was forced out of her comfort zone and sometimes we have to get uncomfortable to grow and develop. I am so proud of how she overcame her fear. She amazes me everyday and makes me the proudest mommy on the planet.

First Dance Recital

Georgia Grace started taking ballet in January and on Saturday she had her very first dance recital. She LOVES to dance but I wasn't sure how being on a stage with bright lights and 300 people watching would go. She was also in four dances which gave me anxiety since she's just three and this is her first dance experience. There were lots of insecurities as a mom but I trusted her instructor and the process. After several years of dance myself I just knew it would all come together just in the nick of time.

The recital was called "The Four Seasons" and had 6-7 songs for every season. It was a true theatrical production. Georgia danced to Zippity-Doo-Dah, Somewhere Over The Rainbow, Teddy Bear's Picnic by Henry Hall and Let It Go by Disney.

My tiny ballerina who put on an amazing show for her first recital! She worked the crowd with lots of sweet grins and she did her best to be in the center of the stage as much as she could ;) I couldn't believe her stage/audience awareness and how she truly turned it on for the show. There were some practices that I wondered which Georgia we would get-wild, defiant, distracted, disinterested ha! Thankfully we got Georgia the dancing queen.

 

She loved getting to wear makeup. She would wear makeup everyday if I let her. This was our first true ballerina bun and after some practice we got the hang of it and it did not move the entire night.

The lighting was low because of the stage lights so I took some black and white pictures that I love. Don't let this picture fool you though, she sat down just long enough for a picture and then she was back up running around like the energizer bunny. She was totally in her element.
 

Here are a few pictures of the behind the scenes recital fun:

An ipad and food helped us survive dress rehearsal night.

We were in a gymnasium so a lot of this was going on :) This is our sweet friend Graceyn.

We had professional pictures made for every costume. This one was probably my favorite costume. I can't wait to see what the photographer captured.
 

Our Frozen group picture attempts were hysterical. This was our first attempt. It was two hours past our friend Analin's bedtime and she was rioting!

Her sweet mama tried though and stayed positive. I think we may submit these to The Ellen Show :)

And then show night our friend Hannah wasn't feeling the Frozen pic so her mama improvised. We make the best out of every situation. I love my fellow dance moms!

Lined up and ready for the opening act, Zippity-Doo-Dah. The baby class was the first group on stage and Georgia led the line, that was a proud moment for her.

After the show we snapped a picture of all the girls that go to AKK preschool together. You can tell how much they love each other. Sweet sweet friendships! 

Ms. Moira and Georgia, she was also my dance teacher two decades ago. I appreciate her teaching and instilling a love for dance in Georgia. She's still got it!

Daddy was so proud of his tiny dancer. I mainly stood in the back to help with costume changes but I spotted Daddy a few times during the show and he was grinning from ear to ear.

Jack was the best little boy during the recital. They said he made it to the last song and then started saying "bye bye" HA! He even spotted his sister and kept his eyes glued on her.

Baby butterflies practicing their opening number

I love this sweet picture that Holly took, they were grinning and happy the entire time.

The hide-and-seek part of Teddy Bear's Picnic

Thank you to all her family and friends that came to support her in her first recital. She had 27 people that came to watch her and four bouquets of flowers! The bigger the crowd the better she performs :) She is one very loved little girl.