10 year anniversary

In the midst of all hustle and bustle lately, today is a special day. It is our 10 year anniversary! I'm not quite sure where 10 years have gone, but they have came and went. So many memories with Shawn flood my mind when I start thinking about us two and our history. We started dating at the end of my sophomore year in high school. {I'm sure most of you know this story, but for those who do not, I'll share!} I played softball in high school and he came to one of my games to cheer on a buddy's girlfriend, who happened to be my friend. He was acting like a crazy man in the stands, cheering and carrying on. It caught my attention for sure. I ended up asking my friend who was with her boyfriend and she told me: Shawn French. That next week, we were introduced at school, you know, by the lockers, and the rest is history. Aside from a short 6 month break my junior year, we have been together ever since.

We dated the rest of my high school time {attended senior prom together} and all throughout college as well. If you would have asked me, I would have been married in college...I was ready! Ha! He on the other hand was not. I had to learn to respect that {which was not easy} and we enjoyed our time together as a couple. We both finished college and as we moved back to our hometown, we both began to seek The Lord as individuals and as a couple. We both feel like this was key to furthering our relationship. I can't speak for Shawn, we've talked about it before, but our priorities changed once Jesus came into the picture. I think the fear that Shawn had of marriage subsided greatly once our spiritual life began to flourish.

I'm so thankful for the Lord's timing in our relationship. While I would have not chose to date 8 years before marriage, the Lord had different plans and His plans are far superior than mine. I honestly feel that if Shawn and I did not have the biblical foundation prior to marriage, that our relationship would not be as strong as it is today. Are we perfect, no, far from it. Do we get in arguments, of course we do. Do we have it all figured out, not even close. But over the course of time I do feel like we have been able to extend grace {forgiveness} to one another, which definitely is not something we can do without the Lord's help.

I wish I would have went through old pictures prior to the movers boxing everything up, but no use crying over spilled milk. I did manage to find a picture of a picture from our wedding day! I had just turned 24 and Shawn was 25.

And this was the sign-in canvas I made for our wedding day. I still love looking at the signatures from our special day!

Shawn is a great guy. And I'm not just saying that because it is our anniversary. We have grown up so much over the years together, and we have so many memories, which I love! He loved to take me fishing. He still remembers fishing spots we went to in college and how many we caught that day! His memory when it comes to the outdoors will blow you away! I like that about him! He can make me laugh. And if you know me, I enjoy laughing, so this is a big deal for me. He is tenderhearted. He sees someone in need, he doesn't hesitate to reach out to them. He loves his children. I love that he enjoys spending time with our bundles of joy. Tickle time, linebacker, princess dress-up, story time...he's your man!

He's devoted to me. I love that he loves me. As a woman, it always feels good to know that you are wanted or feel pretty, and I'm thankful that he reassures me of that. He loves the Lord. Apart from the Lord, we are terrible, sinful people, all of us. But with God's grace and salvation, He shines through us with His fruits of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self control. {Galatians 5:22-23} We cannot act out of love or show kindness on our own, that is of the Lord. And I know that the love Shawn has for us, comes from the Lord. So thankful for the 10 years of marriage {18 together} and looking forward to the rest of our lives together.

Surprise Baby Shower

I know, I know, you're tired of the all the sappy "I'm leaving posts"! I promise, I'll try not to make this one like that!! Last night I had plans to go to a Girls Night Dinner...or at least I thought I did! I walked into Gringo's and told the hostess that my party was already there "Michelle, party of 12." She said, "we don't have that, but we do have a baby shower set up for 15." WHAT?!?!? Surprise! It was totally unexpected!!

What a nice surprise. And dinner with girlfriends would have been more than enough, but a baby shower!! Wait, who's having a baby?! Oh yeah, I am! Crazy town over here!

Look at these cupcakes, too cute! So fun to celebrate the upcoming birth of Miss Maebry! She will be here in 10 weeks or less and is already loved by many!! And inside that little bag below: a piece of heaven!! Nutter Butter Truffles. So, so good!!

Here are the ladies that came out to celebrate with me! So blessed to have each one of them in my life! It was great chatting with them last night and catching up!

One of the sweet outfits I got yesterday. I would enlarge the picture, but I figured my arm looked big enough as it is. All I am missing is a tattoo that says "MOM" on my arm. It's ok, you can laugh, I did!!

Here are some snap shots of my sweet friends putting together the goodies for my shower. Just love them {and will miss them!}.

And today when I was back at my sisters, I was going through all of the gifts again and I found a surprise in one of the bags!! Sorry Gringo's, but somehow a place setting ended up in a gift!

It was a nice and relaxing evening with great friends. I'm so thankful for each one of them and will miss them dearly.

And...we're out!

Monday morning came bright and early! We stayed up wayyyy too late Sunday night/Monday morning wrapping up our packing for the next two weeks. The movers showed up at 8:30 am and they were ready to go. There were 6 men to tackle the job. Day 1 was to pack the whole house and boy did they do just that. By 1:30 pm, they had finished everything; packed the inside of the house and the garage in 5 hours. It would have taken me forever. It was such a blessing and a much needed day to be honest with you. Talk about stress free. Whatever we didn't want them to pack, we simply piled on our beds. As you can see below, mine was packed!

Here's a little video from my bedroom from Day 1. The guys were professional and pretty comical too. It was nice conversing and laughing with them.

Day 2 was game on for the movers. I took the kiddos outside on the back porch to eat breakfast and hang out for a while, otherwise we were sitting on the floor or getting the way. Late August...it is rather warm outside, so we did not last but an hour or so outside. I ended up taking the kids over to my sisters house for a little some AC and TV! 

We went back over there later and the house seemed completely different, so empty. Your voice echoed when you spoke! Feels weird to call it our home with it so being empty. Speaking of home, Shawn said that he was inside with Jase yesterday and he could tell that Jase looked a little sad. He asked him what was wrong and Jase answered "nothing". Shawn left him alone for a few moments and then asked him again and asked if he was sad because of the house. Jase said he was sad to see all of his stuff get moved out. Shawn told him that all of our belongings do not make a house a home, that our family is what makes a house a home. 

We have bags galore, everywhere! It's a good thing I am collector of bags!! Ha! 

Today Shawn wrapped up loose ends at the house. Crazy to think that our home is now empty.  I am thankful for all the memories {big and small} we were able to make in that home for over 6.5 years. I'll miss watching the kids run around the kitchen/living room area. I'll miss wild and crazy birthday parties! I'll miss our back porch and playing with the kids on it. While it is natural to miss those things, I will always have those memories and plenty of pictures and videos to reminiscence on. It does feel good to have this piece of the puzzle behind us. It has been a lot of work getting the house in showing condition, garage sale, and packing for Disney/life for 2 weeks. I've been shedding some tears here and there when I stop and think about friends and family and the fact that they're not moving with us. I know I signed up for this and am trying to stay upbeat and positive, but some days it just hits me like a ton of bricks. I am thankful it is only 4.5 hours away and with technology, we can keep in touch as often as we'd like! Praying for God's guidance and peace as we start this new journey!

Frozen Birthday Party Fun!

With us moving out this week and vacation starting next weekend, we scheduled Allyson's birthday party a week earlier than we usually do. It doesn't seem possible that she is almost 5 years old! I know she is my daughter, but she is so lovable, tender and sweet. Every morning when she wakes up, she stands at the top of the stairs and says "Good morning". I mean, every morning! I love hearing that. And every time I leave the house, she absolutely has to give me a hug and kiss. There is nothing sweeter.

Allyson went back and forth on themes. Finally, about a month ago, I had to cut her off and tell her we were sticking with a theme and she decided on Frozen. I really wanted to have a party at the house, but sitting here, looking around...Ha...glad I did not do that. She mentioned Chuck E. Cheese {CEC}, and we have never had one there, so we decided to give it a go.

My best friend hit it out of the park on the cake {again}!! It was adorable and delicious. And I ordered cookies from the same lady as before, so so fun!! I thought the cake and cookies were a perfect match!

Ally hasn't seen her best friend, Rylee in a few months, so it was great for them to reunite, especially with us leaving. Sweet girls have been friends since birth!

Who doesn't love playing games?? You're never too old for some CEC fun!

After all the games, they headed back to the table for some pizza! It was a little hard for me to "let it go" and let it be a normal CEC party. I bought some Frozen table clothes, plates and napkins for our tables. And it was nice because at CEC you drop off the table wear off the night before and they had it all set-up for you when you arrived for your party. We had the Frozen movie playing on the iPad during pizza and cake time. Not sure if many people watched it or could even hear, but I was trying to theme it up! My kids get it honestly! Ha!

She was a fan of Chuck and got some one-on-one time with him. Poor Finn on the other hand was NOT a fan of Chuck and cried nearly the entire time Chuck E Cheese was visible. Walt Disney World should be interesting! Yikes!

Ok, so this was too funny. I wasn't sure how she would do in the ticket blaster. She is not a fan of loud noises or the powerful hand dryers in public restrooms, and the ticket blaster is basically a combination of both of those! She ended up loving it. Watch the below video of her, she squealed through the whole thing!!

She got several super cute gifts and loved me reading the cards to her. Some kids don't care about the cards, but several times she stopped opening her gifts and asked me to read the card. It's probably because she loves making cards herself!

The time came to wrap up the party and our sweet friends and family departed. Looking at all the pictures, it is definitely bitter sweet, knowing this is our last birthday party here for a while. I felt so blessed by all the guests who showed up for her party, she is loved for sure. Allyson and I even talked about this at bedtime and thanked the Lord for our friends and family.

Surprise, you're going to Disney World

Ok, so I have been planning a trip to Walt Disney World for probably 7-8 months now! We have kept it a secret from the kids this whole time, until tonight. We are leaving next Saturday for our trip and we are getting down to the wire on our house, so it was time to let them know. I guess if you have to be homeless for a week or so, might as well be at Disney!! Haha! I ordered some more cookies from the same lady who made Finn's Elmo cookies and they turned out too cute! Belle and Cinderella's dresses are missing from the picture because my two oldest snagged them before I could take a pic!!

Below is the YouTube video of us telling Allyson {and the kids} that we are going. It is a family vacation, but the main focus will be on her since it is for her birthday. We did the same for Jase's 5th birthday as well. I think we expected screaming and jumping up and down when she found out, but she was pretty reserved. It is no secret that she is very scared of loud noises, particularly fireworks and guns, and over the last few months we have been telling her if we ever go back we will see some of the nighttime shows with fireworks. Well, I think that is her current association with Walt Disney World. After the video she told me that she is a little nervous, but a lot brave!! Please excuse Finn's crying in the video. Poor guy has been crying at the drop of a hat when he gets startled or people get too loud/excited. We are trying our best to be patient and understanding with him and hope this phase does not last long!

I bought some inexpensive goodies to give each of the kids for the car ride and they opened them up right after we told them about the trip.

Then I broke out the Magic Bands...their eyes lit up!! They were so excited to see them! Jase told my mom that he is never taking his off!! My mom will be joining us again on the trip, which will be a big help because hey, I have another kid this time and what do you know I am also pregnant...again! When we went in 2012 that was my first trip there and I was 29 week pregnant with Finn. Here we are in 2014 and I will be 31 weeks pregnant this time! Wouldn't trade being pregnant for the world, but the next time we go I will NOT be pregnant...I want to ride some rides too! ;-) 

Here we are with our upcoming birthday girl! She will have 2 weeks of birthday celebration since her actual birthday is not until September 1st. Oh well, we love her and she is worth every minute of it!!

And later this evening they were on our bed studying the Disney maps! So so fun!! Stay tuned for more Disney posts!

Thursday Fun!

Yesterday morning we were able to get out with some of our best friends and have a little fun!! It was great to visit and let the kids roam and be wild and free.

I was honestly so surprised how well Finn did. He jumped and jumped and jumped. I was able to keep an eye on him the whole time from where I was sitting, which allowed him to have free reign of the entire place practically. I know he thoroughly enjoyed it. Below is some jumping video of him! It completely wore him out. After lunch I laid him down and he took over a 3 hour nap and I had to wake him up!

After we jumped, I took the kids into a furniture store to look around. In the new home Shawn wants a recliner...that is his only request. Of course the kids found this one and loved it for Daddy. I sent it to Shawn and he said "GET IT!" Even though it has to do with nature, I'm not sure it will fit in with our beach color scheme in the living room! Ha! I promise you'll get a recliner Shawn, just not in camo!

I had planned on running an errand or two last night and told Ally she could go with me while the boys stayed with my mom. Well it ended up getting a little late, so I decided not to go to the store, but Miss Allyson had her hopes on going to the store. So, we got out anyway. We pulled up to the first store and guess who is asleep?!? My little shopper! Looks like Jumping World wore her out as well!

It's getting real!

Well, it's getting real. We are less than a week away from closing on our home. We moved here in December 2007, when Jase was 8 months old. Fast forward nearly 7 years and we are switching gears.

This past weekend we had a garage sale. Man, those are a lot of work! You quickly forget how much work it is until the week of the garage sale. Sorting and pricing, pricing and sorting. Then you find more stuff that you intended to sell. It seemed like a vicious cycle, but at the end of the weekend it was well worth it. I also sold our playset and trampoline this week. The backyard looks big and bare! I think when I saw it this evening, it really hit me that things are moving right along.

Shawn visited our new home yesterday and things are moving right along with it as well. He was able to walk through the home with the builder and ask questions and check on the progress of certain items. It felt great to know that he was able to do that.

The movers are coming early next week to pack us all up. Since they are doing that, we have been trying to buy some new things for the new house to go in the shipment. Below is a sample of items for our living room and kitchen area. The big rug to the left {picture of a picture - Target} is for the living room area. And the pillows {clearance at Target} are for a new couch that we have yet to buy. Ha! We have our eye on a beige one at a store, but want to check around just a little bit more before purchasing. There is a reason we have had our current set for 10 years now!! They are not cheap at all, and it doesn't help that we ARE cheap!! LOL! The rug and fabric on the bottom right are for the breakfast area. The rug {Walmart} will go under the pedestal table that we have recently purchased {it is used and we have painted it}. And the fabric {Hobby Lobby} is for a window seat that I will make for additional seating in the breakfast area. Do you feel a beachy theme going on? I don't have any plans for seashells, but the beach color palette I am loving. For some reason when I started looking up ideas on how I wanted to decorate, shades of blue just really stuck with me. And to be honest, I am loving it! I am usually a green/neutral kind of gal, but I am really feeling the blue color scheme. I will probably throw in some other pops of color, like coral or yellow as well, whatever I can find on sale!!

Park Fun

One evening last week I took the kids up to our local park for a little playtime. We picked up Subway and ate at the park. I realized that we do not do that enough. It was kind of like a picnic and it was during the evening so it had cooled off quite a bit and there was a nice breeze blowing through. We all sat at a table {on the same side} and people watched while eating. There was a boot camp going on, so we got to watch them run and do all sorts of exercises. In the moment I was living vicariously through the boot campers. Ha! I really enjoyed the boot camp I participated in last year.

The kids soaked up the outdoor play and I loved watching them. Even with all the hustle and bustle I'm glad we were able to fit in some park fun!

Houston Texans

Last night Shawn and I had a little date night, it was nice. Plus, it was a Texans preseason game, double bonus. And we were in great company...triple bonus!! It was nice to have a little down time after a busy weekend. We had a garage sale on Friday and Saturday and while it was successful for us, man oh man they are a bunch of work. I'm not wishing away time, but I sure am glad that is behind us, especially since Shawn was gone all week long and missed out on Day 1 of the garage sale! I know he was bummed. Ha!

Ok, so I bought this bracelet set forever ago, probably 1.5-2 years ago. When going through my jewelry for the garage sale, this set almost went into the sale since I had never warn it. But then I remembered the game and thought I would hang onto it. I will probably be sporting it a little more frequently this fall/winter since we are moving up to the Dallas area...I will be representing! Ha!

The East Club area {below} was very nice. At one point during the game I said "I love football season!" I have always enjoyed it and the boys in the house do too, so it's nice to have that in common with them. The Texans ended up winning 32-7 over Atlanta. Clowney played in a few series and had some great take downs in the short amount of time he was in. Definitely looking forward to him and JJ Watt teaming up on some quarterbacks! Let's go Texans!