Strategic Parenting...

Bedtimes, bathtimes, naptimes, diaper brands, solid food, breast milk, no television, Santa or not, trick or  treat, head hitting, bed falling, so many toys, sleeping (mostly not), teething, sign language, flu shots, cry it out, sleeping arrangements, 15 second rule, ok 50 second rule, dog kisses, recalls, dust bunny diet,  dating age, driving, boys, oh my, cell phones, sleepovers, curfews, college funds, etc. 

There are endless choices and decisions to be made in this world of parenting, so much I want to protect my little angel from.  But every day God is showing me just how much mercy and grace He has in store for me.  He’s showing me how to not sweat the small stuff, go on with a messy house,  live in pajamas, and most importantly that love isn’t calculated, researched, scheduled, or even close to being deserved. 

I am by no means a planner, but something welled up inside of me when I became a mother. Something that said I would never measure up, and wasn’t fit for this gig.  I found myself compensating for my insecurities, not seeking the Source, and trying to do it all myself.  I failed. I learned an invaluable lesson that being insecure does not equal being humble, because essentially my thoughts are of myself, good or bad both are wrong.

In a nutshell, this process has brought me to one conclusion, one strategy.  Show her love.  And with a big sigh of relief, this my friends, is grace. 

“If I speak in tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and If I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love I am nothing. “1 Corinthians 13:1-3

6 months...

In my perfect little world I had envisioned myself being a great blogger once our baby got here.Monthly updates were definitely in store. So here we are, 6 months later and I received my huge dose of "reality check" right in the rear! From day one I have been on this journey of learning that grand ol' lesson of  things just don't always go like planned. Maddox has been the biggest challenge and yet one of life's biggest blessings in my life. We are so grateful to raise up this precious little tater tot.

Isn't she just as cute as a button? I love everything about this girl.

Age: 6 months

Weight: 16 pounds

Length: 26ish (I think) dr says she will be taller than her mama, woohoo!

Head: (not that anyone but us really cares...)17

She is sitting up on her own.

She just started crawling. It's definitely not pretty, and she still crashes and burns, but her determination is unbelievable. It's so funny to see her crawling because she is so young it seems like, she's just too big for her britches! 

She is sleeping in her own bed now. This was a hard transition for her momma and papadady. I think we stared at her sleeping for an hour the first time we put her in the crib. She takes 2 two hour naps per day. She is going 6-9 hours at night without eating and sleeps from 8-8. I actually look forward to our 4 am date every morning. It's about the only time of day that she is calm and snuggly! Sweet moments.

She is a great communicator. She doesn't hold back when she wants something. We keep telling ourselves that one day this will be a blessing that she is so vocal, no boys will be taking advantage our baby, ha! Strong willed children are tough, but totally worth it!

She got her two bottom teeth at four months, and now we are working on the top two! 

Maddox is the most active little wiggle worm I've ever seen. She loves to be in her jumperoo, jenny jump-up, and her jeep walker! She wants to be on the move all the time and  is so curious. She is definitely not a laid back baby, and keeps us on her toes. She has learned a couple of very hard lessons in gravity, both that were harder on us than her. (Praise God for making His children so resilient!)

I probably don't even have to mention how beautiful she is, pictures are above. I could just stare at her all day long (and I do).

She is a momma's girl through and through.I guess milk machines always win, but she is certainly wrapped around her daddy's little finger. Have you ever seen Chad's fingers? That's a totally different blog, but they are like sausages. So anyways, she is wrapped around his little sausage finger. I love that she is a momma's girl, and I am just enjoying every second of it. I am sure I will not always be her favorite once she figures out the whole little sausage finger thing, (and when the milk comes from wal-mart.)

Everyday is truly a gift. I have never felt more like I was designed to do something than here in these moments being a momma. No days are glamorous, many days are thankless, most days I'm a wreck, some days I shower, always a sacrifice, but everyday is making an impact.

meet the new babysitter...

New Creations!

Once upon a time, a prince charming said to his princess the most romantic words that ever existed. "Do you want to go to Hobby Lobby?" Usually this prince charming pushes the Hobby Lobby baskets huffing and puffing trying to blow the place down, but this day was different! He gave her a budget, but with a catch...

Like a mother bird pushing her little birdies out to fly, (but in a much more husbandly/manly way, of course) "I think it's time you get a booth at the local craft mall" She trembled in her skin a little, because she'd always had the vision, but never the confidence. But, no princess in her right mind would resist that shopping spree, how exciting! So that romantic day turned into a small business adventure.

 Let me give you the tour! Business cards with contact info...

Products in these old drawers I got for free at a garage sale. Silly guy did not see the potential in these, he chuckled and said "honey if you have a use for these they are yours." Little did he know they are now making  money. Well, that's the hope anyway, haha.

School Spirit Car Charms, Go Harvs! Meagan is making the tutus for the booth and maybe even a few other things when she has time aside from her husband, 3 year old, 1 year old, school, cooking dinners, changing diapers, playing pricesses, you get the idea.

My fan club, and set up crew. If there is a certain odor near my booth, please don't be alarmed. You can see the culprit here. This mommy forgot to bring a spit-up rag, so I had to smush it into the carpet to hide the evidence! But it's a great way to find my booth, just follow the smell.

So, there it is folks! I am officially a business woman. I am so grateful to have an encouraging husband that encourages this funky girl to do her thing. (I think he secretly knows it's cheaper than sending me to the looney bin.)

And, there will be a post about how I spend the other 99% of my time shortly. The true princess of this house is growing so quickly, and there is nothing that makes me happier than being her mommy. Even if I need crafts to keep me sane!

second chances!

A couple of weekends ago, my hubby took me on one of my favorite Saturday morning adventures of all times. It all started with a McDonald's chicken biscuit and a mocha frappe, yum. I could write an entire blog about Saturday morning Mickey D's breakfasts, but then my 5 readers would turn into none in a hurry, ha! We figured out we make quite the team at navigating our way through the local garage sales. Here are a few of our finds.

This poor ugly ducky got sold to me for fifty cents!

He got made over into this. I added a magnetic board behind in lieu of the duck burlap that was goin' on before, painted, and then distressed and made a home for it here..

I found this old frame for one dolla.

And made miss Maddox a bow holder. I painted, glazed, and added ribbon to it.

Not a bad day for less than 2 dollars, and maybe I did enough walking, sanding, painting, etc. to burn off that biscuit.

Bold Moves

This week we made a bold move, bold I tell ya. We won't be cruising around in our

much longer. Instead, you will find us in...

Which will bring us 10,000 smack-a-roos closer to calling our friend Dave,

to let him know we're debt freeeeeeeeeeee! We can't wait to say those words, and are looking forward to having financial freedom in our lives. Our desire is to be good stewards with what God has given us. I don't think in ten years when we have no mortgage we will remember not having cheek warmers! Here's an interesting fact for ya while we are on the subject: The bible speaks approximately 700 times on the subject of love, and nearly 2100 on handling money. Stubborn humans.

Chatty Maddie!

Maddox is really starting to get loud these days! Here's a quick video I took this morning. Forgive my video skills, turn your head to the side if that floats your boat.

Modern Day Morgan

Me at 2 months...


Maddox at 2 months!


P.S. I vow to never fix her hair like this again!

That N' This

From that...

To This...



From That...

To This..

From That...



To This...



From that...

To This...

Just wanted to share a few recent projects. The first one is my craft room, and I can't take any credit for that. My hubs did that one. Let's just say a craft room was a part of the negotiation process that took place when we moved here! It has been a work in progress for two years. It is so nice to have a place for everything and to be able to leave things out and not worry about a mess.

The closet, again, my inspiration but all the handy work done by Chad. We needed a little extra storage and did not want to splurge nor have the room for an armoire for Maddox.

The patio furniture, well it just needed to be updated. It was blah and making me depressed.

As was the belly.

I am certainly liking the this in my life!

One Month!

Ok, so obviously I am catching up on our blogging on this rainy Friday! Five weeks ago I was in hospital, naive to the world ahead of me. Chad and I have learned so much. We used to be expert parents...until we became parents, ha! I have learned very quickly to put my expectations of how things will go aside and take them as they come.

Some things I have learned in the past month:
1. I hate hospitals.
2. If you tell the hospital staff you are going home, they will discharge you, despite their "recommendations"
3. When people tell you to "sleep when she sleeps", listen.
4. Babies have a way of crying every time you are on the phone, it's like the opposite of the ol' take your car to the mechanic and it works perfectly adage.
5. Babies also have a sense of timing while changing a diaper. She literally excretes every time we change her.
6. It is possible to project poop so far that you need carpet cleaner when you are done changing a diaper.
7. A shower is now like a spa day before. Five minutes=total refreshment, and ready to keep on going.
8. Time really does fly when you have kids. Again, one of those statements I always heard but never understood.
9. You can never start getting ready too early.
10. Adding one person to the family logically means increasing the laundry load by approximately 33.33%, however, a mathematical phenomenon occurs when you add a baby, and it actually increases by 500%.

Baby Dedication

"Train a child in the way that he should go and when he is old he will not turn from it." -Proverbs 22:6

This Mother's day we had the honor of dedicating Maddox to the Lord. It was such a great day and a beautiful gift on my first Mother's day.

Each set of parents read a scripture over their child. Ours is our deepest prayer for our precious baby girl.

"When I think of all this, I fall to my knees and pray to the Father, the Creator of everything in heaven and on earth. I pray that from his glorious, unlimited resources he will empower you with inner strength through his Spirit. Then Christ will make his home in your heart as you trust in Him. Your roots will grow down into God's love and keep you strong. And may you have the power to understand, as all God's people should, how wide, how long, how high, and how deep his love is. May you experience the love of Christ, though it is too great to understand fully. Then you will be made complete with all the fullness of life and power that comes from God." -Ephesians 3:14-19


I will never be able to comprehend the love of God, but having a child has made it all the more real that He sent His Son, once a precious baby, to die for my pitiful undeserving self. Amazing love, how can it be?

A month in review...

This is the start
This is your heart
This is the day you were born
This is the sun
These are your lungs
This is the day you were born

And I am always yours

These are the scars
Deep in your heart
This is the place you were born
This is the hole
Where most of your soul
Comes ripping out
From the places you’ve been torn

And it is always yours
But I am always yours

Hallelujah!
I’m caving in
Hallelujah!
I’m in love again
Hallelujah!
I’m a wretched man
Hallelujah!
Every breath is a second chance

And it is always yours
And I am always yours

A Completely Inappropriate Introduction

This isn't your typical introduction of a new baby, but I'm far too tired for that post. That one will come, no worries. But this, was worth the lack of sleep. Maddox Mae is healthy, beautiful, and growing already. Chad and I are enjoying our time with her and she is falling into a schedule very beautifully. She is really a good baby.

She's such a stinker, watch and see!

So without further adieu...




Maybe we're just tired and simpled out, but this was a moment most definitely worth sharing! I think the funniest thing is probably papadaddy's reaction more than anything.

Random Happenings...

Due-under engagement as to time; expected to be ready, be present, or arrive; scheduled

Not true in our case! We are still waiting the arrival of our little one. My dr. likes to let his patients go one week past before inducing labor. I can honestly say I did not think a week past was an option, let alone possible. It seems like everyone I know is being induced days or goes into labor before "due date", not after! So, if this baby doesn't make his or her appearance before Monday, April 12 then an eviction notice will be served! An epidural wasn't really my idea of the cocktail I'd be having on my birthday, but hey. I do have mixed emotions about sharing my birthday with my child. As a mom, there are very few days to herself. Chuck-E-Cheese isn't really my idea of my birthday dinner! But, on the other hand I can see great traditions on the horizon. And, what a great lesson for our child (and myself) about sharing. On my side of the family April is that month. I can think of 5 April birthdays and I am sure there are more. The diamond birthstone is nothing to complain about either!

While we have been waiting we have stayed quite busy. Chad and I are enjoying our last few days of being just the two of us. We can't wait to welcome our little one, but there is something bittersweet about closing this chapter of our lives. We have had an amazing four and a half years of marriage, travels, and ups and downs. We not only still love each other, but we still really like each other. So many things are changing and right now it is hard to picture it any other way. I know this will diminish and we won't be able to picture our family without our new addition. I was talking with a friend about my struggle with letting go of the two of us and embracing the three of us and she spoke so beautifully on the topic. She reminded that our child is God's symbol of the two of us becoming one. The transition phase of becoming parents is tough, not knowing what to expect, and waiting. But, this week my prayers are with the women who struggle to conceive. Because, while becoming unpregnant is tiresome, overwhelming, and painful, it is nothing compared to not being able to become pregnant. I knew the Lord was calling me to be a mother and when I finally responded I prayed that he would make it happen quickly and show Himself through that. He did. It wasn't so much of a challenge to Him, but rather I needed to know that this was the calling on my life. Because He breathes stars, calls them by name, and I am still, at times unable to put my trust in Him.

36 weeks...


40 weeks about to pop!

Baby Flood!

Last Saturday, Baby Brown was flooded with gifts. It was such a humbling experience and we are a blessed family. I really enjoyed having all of the special people in our lives together for one day! I know most of these occasions are called "showers" but I'd really like to say that it was no shower, rather, a flood of love! Chad and I cannot thank everyone enough for all that was done for us. Kye or Maddox is all set. Here are a few pictures from our special day...

The table


The cake that Dana made! It was perfect and very tasty! She is going to have to start a business soon.


The wonderful hostesses, minus the wonderful Della, our photographer!


My lifelong friend Meagan and her precious girls, they wore pink, hoping for our little one to play dress up and dolls with! The Wells family is so special to us.


Me, Tasha, Madeline, and Baby Brown. If you know Chad and I, then you have heard about our best friends Reid and Tasha. They have a little miracle baby, Madeline, on the way just 6 weeks behind Baby Brown. Isn't God's timing perfect?!


Opening gifts!


The tool belt Sarah made for Chad. Thanks Sarah, now I am going to have to call you when Chad tries to walk out the door with it on! A great gift for the father to be! He has been such fun to watch in his excitement of becoming a dad. He had to have his own special baby bag and has already specifically dedicated each pocket and pouch to hold supplies. I cannot wait to watch his heart melt when our little one gets here.


Thanks so much to everyone who made our "flood day" so sweet and memorable. We could not ask for better a better family, friends, and church family.

And Thanks Lindsay for all of your help with setting up a blog! You are so sweet! My intuitions for Baby Self were wrong, so now I am wondering if my intuitions about ours could be too!?!? He really threw me for a loop!

Counting Down!

Five months...


Six months...


Seven months...


Eight months...


We are down the final few weeks and are getting things in order for our little girl or boy! We have had this child in our hearts for quite some time, but are so ready to have it in our arms! I am constantly reminded of Hannah in praying for Samuel.

"I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord."
1 Samuel 27-28

Being a parent is such a gift and great responsibility, but I take great comfort in knowing that my God is in control of it all.

This little face is soon to be covered in kisses!



Here is where he or she will sleep...




Will post pictures of Baby Brown's shower soon.