Travels...

This year has been full of travels. We started off the year in California, LA to be exact, and I just got back last night from Charleston, SC to mark both sides of the coast. In between, we visited Kiawah Island, Birmingham, Atlanta, Huntsville, Ryan to Vegas, and then we head to Auburn this weekend for the LSU game. To finish our travels for this year, Ryan and I will be headed to Highlands, NC for our 5th, yes FIFTH omg, wedding anniversary. After that, no more traveling, hence the babe on the way. Thankful for friends coming at the end of this month, and family coming for the holidays so that this pregnant mama can stay put!

Charleston was a blast with my friends from Huntsville! From shopping, eating way too much, walking a ton, sight seeing, laughing, ghost tours, a catamaran water ride, and SLEEPING in, this mama had a great relaxing time!

Thankful for lifelong friends who we can pick up where we left off and pretend like we live closer! 

Baby update

We have had lots going on with Mae starting school, daddy busy working, bible study, play dates, out of town visitors (my mom and later Ryan's mom), trying out Sunday School classes, a little redecorating around the house (as always), and to top it off, the stomach bug hit us all.We are now on the mend and things are looking up! Praise Jesus!

Mae is growing like a week and we are loving every second of watching her change and mold into a little girl. She is going to be the best big sister. Speaking of sister:

Maggie is growing lots! She is measuring around 11 inches and is the size of a spaghetti squash. She is just shy of a pound by now I think. (I get emails, but to be honest, this time around I give a quick glance and move on, I have a 1 year old to chase around)

I am horrible at baby bump pictures, so this all you get, first is 4 weeks, 2nd is 22 weeks:

I went to my 22 week check up yesterday. I did not gain any weight this past month, due to the dreaded stomach bug, but doctor said it is fine and I my belly is measuring right on track. Total I have gained 9 lbs. I have no clue how much I gained with Mae at this point...I should have kept up with that better...I am friends with my doctor and her nurse from Auburn on fb so might get the guts to see if they can email me my stats, ha! We shall see.

I have felt lots of movement lately and Ryan has felt Maggie as well. (sometimes he exaggerates saying he feels her, and it cracks me up, because I know she didnt move at that moment...I think its the anticipation he has!) Maggie moves the most when I am laying down, which is not very often. This was the same way with Mae. I could only really feel her when I would take a breather and actually concentrate on feeling anything. Of course as it got later, I felt her more and more throughout the day.

I am working out and loving having the gym to have some me time. I didn't work out at all with Mae, so proud of still hanging in there this go around. I am still smaller than when I first found out I was pregnant with Mae, but I know I will be passing that soon! People in the workout classes are finally starting to realize I am pregnant instead of just getting fat! yay!

Maggie's nursery is ready. That is the good part of having another girl. Her clothes are washed and hanging up and I even saved a few things of Mae's that were brand new that I kept waiting for the perfect moment for her to wear them and then never did, so Maggie has a few cute outfits that are not hand-me-downs.

Mae is still in the crib but her big girl room is ready when I feel like the time is right! We shall see! No earlier than December that is for sure!

I went ahead and ordered another monitor camera and a sound machine. Other than diapers and a double jogging stroller, we are good to go! My sweet Charlotte friends are throwing a much needed diaper shower since I will have 2 in diapers at one time! Praise the Lord! and SUPER sweet of them!

So things around here are wonderful! Ryan is currently out of town and I am thankful for Mae's school days and bible study to keep me hanging in there! The days are long when he is gone! Looking forward to a girls trip with my Huntsville friends on Thursday for a long weekend in Charleston, SC. Then the next week we head to Auburn for the LSU game! So excited to see friends, it has been too long! War eagle!

Weeschool...

So it is official. I have a student living in my house. My very own student for me, the old teacher. I can not believe it. I know she is still a baby but so thankful for Mae's new weeschool to help her socialize, learn to respect and listen to other adults, follow rules, have fun, and most importantly learn about Jesus! She had a great first day and we are both looking forward to her day tomorrow! 

It's a....

GIRL! Margaret Ryan Harbuck, "Maggie" will be here the end of JANUARY! She is very healthy, has all of her organs and body parts and is measuring a week ahead! I make big babies! We are so excited to add another girl to our family! I have come from a family of only BOYS out of all of my cousins on both sides, so it is super fun to have girls! I NEVER thought I would be a girl mom, and ALWAYS JUST KNEW I would have a boy at some point! But God laughed at my plan, and I am humbled by his! Ryan and I have always said we will have 2 kids, and unless some God throws us a curveball at some point...we are done! Love our new little family of 4!


Mom and I spent all weekend sorting through all, and I mean ALL, of Mae's baby clothes and man God sure knows what he is doing! I need NOTHING clothes wise for this baby! We are SET! Mom and I also went ahead and put Mae's big girl room together and Maggie's nursery together, minus Mae moving from crib to bed. We are going to do that in December some time.

(sorry for bad quality, dark pictures...blame it on the phone)

(The plates are being replaced with some antique pink ones mom got as a wedding present)

We have out own little Maggie and Mae...plus we have a t-shirt! We bought this the beginning of April before we were pregnant, knowing it might happen!

Now I am on the hunt for a double BOB stroller, diapers for 2 babies (Lord help me), and some cute matching outfits! Ryan already asked for me to get him a tea party set, since he foresees lots in his near future! ;)

Home Tour: Kitchen

I have slowly been adding our kitchen updates on here as we have gone along. We are now finished (I say that with my fingers crossed, lying a bit). We eventually will add hardwoods in here, to match the rest of the downstairs hardwoods and will replace the ceramic sink with a drop-in, stainless one.

List of upgrades we (Ryan) has completed:
-added molding to the top of the cabinets
-took out 3 cabinets and added open shelving
-added a subway tile backsplash
-new stainless appliances
-new electrical outlets (were cream, now white)
-added a chalkboard wall with framing
-added bead-board to the ends of our cabinets
-painted the kitchen table from a aqua to a neutral white

I am so thankful Ryan was able to do all of this work on his own, and willing to do it after long days of work at the office and using his weekends to complete these upgrades! Thankful is an understatement. Beyond appreciative. He never complains and works so hard, actually seeming to enjoy it. I am so proud of him.

I have tried to budget in my head how much it would have cost to have this work done. I would GUESStimate somewhere in the 3-4000 range. Thankfully I think we have spent less than 1000 (not including new appliances) So thankful to save some money, but also have the look that I want, for less!

We have a list of contractors coming to our house tomorrow to give us estimates and quotes for totally gutting our bathroom. I am more than excited and cant wait to get the ball rolling. It was one of the things we said we would do immediately when we moved in, but smaller projects have just gotten in the way! Stay tuned for a before and after on that one! Plus, more of the home tour!

18 Months

Baby girl will be 18 months on Monday. 1.5 years. 547.5 days. 84 weeks. I just can not even breathe thinking about how quick it went. The other day I thought 17 more of these years and she will be off to college. Talk about needing a Xanax and a brown paper bag! ugh. On top of that I am exactly 30 1/2 today. Vomit.

Life has been nothing but a fun ride with this cute little girl. She is hilarious, fun, all over the place, sweet, feisty, cute, spunky, and makes every day better. Here are some milestones since she turned 1 along with our recent photography session.

-She is a wonderful sleeper. She goes to bed around 7:30, used to be 7. She sleeps until 8 or a little after. She naps around 1:00 for at least 2 hours, sometimes more. She goes to sleep wide awake, as she has always done, and never fights sleep. She loves her crib. She sleeps with her silky pillow and blanket and is good to go.

-She started walking the week of her 1st birthday and has been running ever since. Scrapes and bruises are a plenty. She also gets ATTACKED by mosquito's. They love how sweet she is! Me, too.

-She can pretty much repeat anything we say. We are working super hard and sound like broken records with "Yes/no Ma'am, Yes/no Sir, thank you, and please". She can sign "more, all done, and help"

-She is obsessed with baby dolls. She has 2 baby doll strollers that are pushed all day long. She has a million baby dolls that she kisses, puts night night, changes clothes, plays with, etc. She lifts my shirt and says baby. Ryan taught her that. Anytime she sees a baby on TV, a magazine, her diaper box, etc she says 'baby'.

-She loves the water. Baths, showers, pool, ocean, hose, you name it.

-Mae loves loves loves her Daddy, K-Paw, and Bup. There is nothing more important than a strong daddy/daughter relationship and it is the cherry on the cake that she has 2 more father-like figures that love her just as much. It is the sweetest thing I have ever witnessed.

-Mae will eat pretty much anything as long as she is in the mood or super hungry. Her favorite is any fruit.

-She weighs approx. 23 lbs. She is as tall as all of her 2 year old friends here. Taking after her uncle TJ.

-Mae loves to be outside. I sit in a tailgate chair almost daily and she plays in the cul-de-sac, driveway, or yard. Our neighbor Saylor and her are best buddies. Saylor is in 3rd grade and loves to pretend she is her child. Reminds me of myself when I was her age. Mae loves Saylor.

-Mae still has a big love for our dog Eli. She loves to watch him eat in the morning, run around the yard, and be around him at any time. If she is upset, going to see Eli always makes things better.

-Mae drinks whole milk and water. I am that weird mom that has not introduced juice and dont plan to for as long as I can stand it. Hoping when she does have it for the first time that it is only for special occasions. Do not see the need for it while I can control it.

-Mae HATES having her teeth brushed. She never liked me feeling for teeth when she was a baby and fights us brushing her teeth each night. She loves to do it herself, but it is WWIII when we do it. Hoping this will change soon.

-She still has the stork bite on her head from when she was born but it is smoothing out and lightening already. She has 3 birthmarks. One on her ankle, one on her shin like Ryan, and one to the bottom right of her chest like mommy.

-She is wearing a size 4 diaper and size 4 shoes. Her head is huge, like mama (Ryan says...ugh)

-She loves to get dressed each day and loves putting on shoes. Thanks to her grandmothers, she is always dressed so cute and never has gone a day without getting a compliment on her outfits. They spoil her rotten.

-Being a teacher's child, I am beyond proud that she LOVES books. She likes to pretend to read them but also to be read to by anyone.

-Mae loves to dance, clap, spin and shake her head. I see her enjoying band parties in the future like her mama!

-Thankfully, we have met lots of friends for Mae in our new city. We have play groups all the time and she loves being around other kids. She gives hugs, kisses, and gets so excited to be with other friends. She loves going to the church nursery and the nursery at the gym and does not cry when I leave her. My favorite is going to pick her up, she acts like she has not seen us in years. It is the highlight of our day!

-Mae starts her first mother's day out, or Wee School, in 10 shorts days. I am very excited for her because I know she will learn so much and it will be so good for her. I am sick to my stomach about leaving her for "school" and never thought I would be this way. However, ready to roam the aisles at Target sans baby, and eat a meal without sharing!

-Mae can climb into her high chair all by herself, work an ipad/iphone better than I can, and loves to facetime. It is like she is 15.

-The best way to get me to smile is when Mae sees we are pulling up to the playground, or a food she is about to eat that she loves, or I ask her if she wants something that excites her, she says "ooooohhhhh" and it melts my heart. It is the cutest thing on the planet.

-She says No or shakes her head, and she means it. So cute, but makes us have to turn out head because we dont want her to think its funny. Still working on 'No Ma'am' but hard to reiterate when you have tears from laughing! :)

I could go on and on and I bet no one cares about all of these little quirks about our girl. Just glad I can document for the years to come! By the time Mae turns two she will be a big sister! Time stand still! Trying to soak it all in! Be still my heart!

Kiawah, again!

We just came back from a wonderful trip in Kiawah, for our 2nd time this summer. We miss the Gulf beaches, but are loving having beaches close to us here that are just as great! We invited my in-laws, BB and Bup, to come with us! Mae loved having them there, as did we! I will just let our trip be described via pictures! Let's just say our trip was full of fun, relaxation, food, the beach, wagon rides, bike rides, fun restaurants, and family time!

Thankful for my cousins who own the beautiful home on the island! 

We had a great time and look forward to next year!