I’m not a convenient friend

On Friday in my coffee date post, I talked about how friendship has been on my mind lately. Friendship is something I’ve struggled with since becoming a mother. I lost quite a few friends when I found out I was pregnant and I tried not to let it get to me because I was 18, almost 19 at the time. Most of my friends were partying and I couldn’t, but it was still hard to accept that my “friends” left me when I needed them the most. As time went on, I found best friends through family members and the memories I created with them were amazing, but things happened. Some things I’ve opened up about on here and some things I haven’t. For the other friendships that didn’t end for a reason, life just got busy and we just kind of went our separate ways. Then I found wonderful friends through blogging. I never expected to connect on such a level with people I didn’t personally know, but it wasn’t long before most of those friendships faded as well. 

It also wasn’t long before I began questioning certain friendships falling through the cracks because of me. I know not all of it is my fault, but I can take responsibility for alot of it. The thing is since my back got messed up, I am no longer a convenient friend. My life changed in a very drastic way when my back decided to go and eff up, but I try to deal with it the best I can. I’m still trying to do all the normal things mothers & stay at home moms do on a daily bases while trying to maintain relationships with family and friends, but I get it…

Live.Laugh.L0ve. // I'm not a convenient friend



I get that it’s not convenient to have to text or call me first. There are days that I just have quite a bit going on, especially days where I am hurting alot, that I just don’t think to pick up the phone and say, “Hey, how are you?”

I get it that it’s not convenient to ask me to lunch last minute or invite me over and I can’t just drop everything I’m doing anymore to be right over. There are quite a few days where it takes so much out of me just to keep my house somewhat in order, take care of my kids, our new puppy, my husband, and doing things that I like to do, that I have to have an advanced notice because there are just days where the pain stops me from being able to do anything.

Live.Laugh.L0ve. // I'm not a convenient friend



I get that it’s not convenient to read my blog and comment on it, when I’m not doing the same to yours all the time anymore. Especially lately, between everything above and now being pregnant, I barely have time/energy to blog, let alone do everything that comes with blogging.

I get that it not convenient to be my friend right now and I’m sorry for that, but I try to make an effort with those I care about. Whether it’s a text message, answering a phone call when I don’t really want to talk, sending a quick tweet, or leaving a little comment on IG. I put in the effort in even with all I struggle with so, it always baffles me that my friends can’t do the same. It’s not everyone and I know every one’s busy. I have friends who take the time to text me or call me and it’s always nice and I always make the time to respond or talk. 

It would just be nice to know that the people I thought would be here when it’s not convenient, to actually be here. Ya know?

I truly appreciate all the friends and family who have stuck by me during this hard time in my life.
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A little coffee date

Happy Friday friends. Who’s ready for the weekend?! I’m hoping it doesn’t rain this weekend that way we can spend it outside, playing in the water. :) I haven’t joined in for Coffee in a long time and I would love to just sit down and chat because we haven’t just chatted in awhile. Amirite? ;) So, grab a cup of coffee, a glass of tea, or some wine and lets get to it.

Live.Laugh.L0ve. // A little coffee date

If we were meeting for coffee… I would tell you that my house is a bit of a disaster right now. This stupid weather we’ve been having is hard on my back and it makes it to where I can do next to nothing and since it’s been raining/storming for way too many days now, I’ve barely gotten anything done. I have a mountain of laundry to wash, dry, and put away. Dishes are in the sink from yesterday, my floor needs a good vacuuming, and everything just needs to be picked up and put where it belongs. I plan on getting most of that done today. Have you ever just gotten so busy or things have happened where you can’t maintain your house and then you look at your house like, what in the world happened in here?! That’s how I’m feeling right about now! Who wants to come help me with laundry? ;)

If we were meeting for coffee… I would tell you I had a bit of a scare on Wednesday. I woke up on Wednesday morning with a really strange feeling. I climbed out of bed, went pee, and when I wiped there was some blood on the toilet paper. Not alot, but enough to make me panic and panic is what I did. I called my doctor and I was assured that it was normal as long as the spotting didn’t get worse or I didn’t start cramping. My husband held me as I cried and I muttered, “I don’t want to lose my babies.” Thankfully it never got worse and the spotting finally stopped about four pm, but that seemed like the longest day of my life. I never dealt with that with either of the boys and I know quite a few family members and friends who have miscarried and it just shook me up really bad. I am so beyond thankful that didn’t happen. Did you spot when you pregnant?

If we were meeting for coffee… I would tell you that I am beyond looking forward to 4th of July weekend. Hubby has four days off and not only are we going on a date that weekend for the first time in forever, we will be watching fireworks on the river this year and I am beyond stoked. We are also going shopping because I am need of clothes since everything is starting to get tight on me. I don’t really care for maternity pants, but I love maternity tops… any shops you recommend that sell cute maternity tops? Or any favorite store for maternity tops? It’s been so long since I’ve had to shop for maternity clothes that I don’t know what place has what anymore.

If we were meeting for coffee… I would tell you I miss caffeine something fierce and if you are drinking coffee, drink one for me. I’ve cut back a ton on my soda intake, I used to drink soda like crazy and now I have maybe once a day, otherwise I’m drinking water or my new favorite crystal light flavored water. What’s your favorite non caffeine drink? I would also tell you that this stage in pregnancy has never been my favorite. I’m at the “fat” stage. You can’t really tell if I might be pregnant or if I’m just gaining weight and when I sit down there isn’t a cute little bump, there is a nice roll of chunk. It’s annoying! I can’t wait to get to the actual bump stage.

If we were meeting for coffee… I would tell you my boys have been driving me CRAZY on the days we are stuck inside. Especially Kage, he has been whining and throwing fits like crazy. We are in the full swing of freighting fours and I’m about to lose my mind. I think it’s just my patience has gone down, pregnancy tends to do that to me, but I can’t take whining for no reason and I’m running out of options on what to do about it. Soooo… on that note, HELP! ;)

If we were meeting for coffee… I would tell you I miss having friends and I have a whole post about this topic coming soon. I would tell you I am chopping my hair off today and I am excited and nervous about it. I don’t have the energy to straighten my hair right now, it’s summer, and I normally just throw it up in a pony tail. I miss wearing it down, therefore, I’m cutting it short so it’s easier to deal with. Have you ever drastically cut your locks off? Did you wind up loving it or hating it?

If we were meeting for coffee… I would ask you, How are you? How’s the family? How is your summer going? Do you have any fun plans this summer or anything exciting coming up? It’s our first coffee date in awhile so… chat away in the comments! :)

Thanks for joining me for coffee! 

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Water fun

We kicked off the first day of summer by going to walmart and buying a little pool for the boys to swim in. They had a blast swimming around and playing while Hubby and I sat on the swing and watched them. Since then we have had lots of storms and rain so they boys haven’t gotten to swim anymore! We are all going kind of stir crazy being stuck in the house when we are supposed to be out swimming! I just wanted to share a few pictures from our first official summer day, be sure to pop back in tomorrow because I’m doing a coffee date for the first time in forever! :)

Live.Laugh.L0ve. // Water fun

Live.Laugh.L0ve. // Water fun

Live.Laugh.L0ve. // Water fun

Live.Laugh.L0ve. // Water fun

Live.Laugh.L0ve. // Water fun

What did you do for the first day of summer?

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5 Tips for Easy & Fun Summer Days

Live.Laugh.L0ve. // 5 Tips for Easy & Fun Summer Days

Summer is in full swing and it’s one of our favorite seasons in this house. I created a summer bucket list for us, most of the things I put on there, are things I absolutely know we are doing and a few of them are just things we can do on days when we need something fun to do. I also read a really great post about how it’s not our job to make every single day amazing during the summer for our kids and I completely agree. I thought it would be fun though, to share a few simple things to do with the kids or that the kids can do, without it being something that’s just ohemgeeamazing. These tips are actually really simple and the kids still wind up having tons of fun with very little effort.

Live.Laugh.L0ve. // 5 Tips for Easy & Fun Summer Days

One. Get a sprinkler or a slip and slide. Seriously, this is by far one of the easiest, cheapest things for your kids to do. It provides hours of entertainment for them. You can either be sitting outside with a book, listening to their laughter or watching them through the window as you get some cleaning done around the house. Either way, they are having fun without you having to make it a “spectacular day.”

Live.Laugh.L0ve. // 5 Tips for Easy & Fun Summer Days

Two. Water balloons. Another really cheap and easy idea. The most you have to do on your part, unless you wanna get in on the fight, is filling all the balloons with water for them and then let them just have at it. It creates tons of laughter and fun summer memories.

Live.Laugh.L0ve. // 5 Tips for Easy & Fun Summer Days

Live.Laugh.L0ve. // 5 Tips for Easy & Fun Summer Days

Three. Invest in an outside swing or hammock. I know that’s a little bit more pricey, but the amount of time you will use it, will make it worth it. We have a swing and soon we are going to have a hammock, but these create some of the best memories. I love sitting with my boys on the swing, having the breeze wash over us, and listening to them tell stories or just talking. It really is relaxing and so fun.

Four. Have a small picnic. We did this quite a bit last summer and I can’t wait to do it again this summer. You don’t have to go anywhere for your picnic, your backyard will get the job done. Make little sandwiches, cut up some watermelon, put some grapes in a bowl, grab a blanket, and grab y’all’s favorite drink, and head out back. The boys and I love sitting on the blanking and munching on our food or laying back on the blanket and seeing what shapes we can find in the clouds.

Five. Get a small pool. We found one last year at Walmart, I believe it was, for a really good price and it provided hours of entertainment every single day for the boys. Kids imaginations go wild in the pool and they wind up having so much fun and it creates fun memories!

Live.Laugh.L0ve. // 5 Tips for Easy & Fun Summer Days

Those are my five easy tips for having a fun summer without having to do something spectacular everyday. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to spend the whole summer running around to a bunch of different places to create fun summer memories. I obviously want to take them out to do fun stuff this summer, but I have zero problem creating fun summer memories right here at home!

What are some of our favorite things to do at home with your kids during the summer?

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A big surprise at our first sonogram!

Thursday, we had our first sonogram. Hubby and I got to the office, checked in, and the receptionist told me that my doctor was running a few minutes behind. I told her that was fine and we sat down, prepared to wait. When we finally got called back to a room, the nurse told me that my doctor had to run to the hospital to deliver a baby unexpectedly. I wasn’t too happy about that because I didn’t have time to eat before the appointment, but we shrugged it off and turned on a movie on Hubby’s phone and decided to wait. An hour went by and the doctor still wasn’t back. I told Hubby that if he wasn’t back by 11:20, we were rescheduling because I was really hungry by this point and my back was starting to hurt from sitting on the table for so long.

Well, about 11:15 the nurse walked in and let us know the doctor was back and he would be in in just a moment. I forgot my hunger and back pain as excitement coursed through me. This was it, we were going to see our baby and hear his or her heartbeat for the first time! {This was also the first time we were meeting the doctor and we really liked him.} He got everything prepared and got started, he was taking a few minutes before he turned the screen towards us and I started getting worried. “Can you see it?” I asked. He assured me he could and then finally, he turned the screen toward us. There was our precious baby on the screen and you could see the baby’s heartbeat. My face lit up with a smile and warmth spread through me.

“Pretty cool huh?” The doctor asked. Hubby and I both mumbled a “Yes” as we stared in awe at our baby on the screen. “Wanna see something else cool?” The doctor asked and without waiting for an answer he moved over a bit and there was another baby! “THERE’S TWO? OMG!” I exclaimed! I met my husband’s eyes and the same look of shock was on his face as it was mine. After a moment, we recovered and the doctor let us listen to both babies heartbeats and we couldn’t stop smiling. He said they are both perfectly healthy and everything looks great! =D

Live.Laugh.L0ve. // A big surprise at our first sonogram! - Twins!

We are still a little bit shocked, but we are more excited than anything. The outpouring of love, excitement, and congratulations from our family and friends since we told them has been amazing. I also announced it on IG and the comments from my blog friends & readers has been so wonderful! We feel the love and it’s warming our hearts!

Thank you so much everyone! This is going to be a crazy adventure, but we’re embracing it!

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My worries about pregnancy with a messed up back

If you have been reading my blog for a little while, you know I have two herniated discs in my back and I’m often in a lot of pain because of it. Well, now I’m pregnant and we are so happy about that. I really am because I’ve been wanting another baby for awhile, but I’m worried. I try not to worry too much and just trust God’s plan, but there are times I majorly worry about being pregnant and having a messed up back. Obviously I can’t take all the medicine I was taking that was helping my back & leg so, I’m already experiencing more pain than I normally am. I have to be really careful not to overdue it because if I’m hurting too bad, then my blood pressure goes up and the pain & blood pressure isn’t good for the babies. I have to limit myself to little spurts of cleaning. Little spurts of playing with the boys. Little spurts of doing anything basically.

It’s definitely hard and I’m trying not to complain too much because I had told my husband that if we had another baby I would deal with the pain for nine months. While that’s true and happening, it’s frustrating. I’ve been told by both my pain doctor and my obgyn that the pain is only going to get worse as I get bigger and wow, when I really think about that… it scares the hell out of me. I don’t want my pain even more intensified, but I also want a baby so I’m willing to go through the pain for these sweet babies. I didn’t have a bad back when I was pregnant with Jay or kage so this pregnancy is going to be different. Heck, it’s already been different with all the morning {all day} sickness I’ve had, which by the way, throwing up multiple times a day wrecks havoc on a messed up back. Thankfully my baby doctor called me out Zofran and {knock on wood}, I’ve only thrown up twice since taking it.

My family members also think I’m going to have to wind up being put on bed rest later in my pregnancy because of my back and that sends me into a state of panic when I think about it. I have two active boys, now we have a puppy, I have an entire house to clean, and laundry to do. I don’t have time to be on bed rest!! I’m furiously praying and hoping that bed rest doesn’t happen, but something tells me it’s going to and I’ll just have to suck it up and deal with it. This time around I’ll also be having a c-section. I’m not too upset about that because I had horrible delivers with both of the boys and I wanted a c-section if we ever had a third child, but there is no way in hell I’m going to be able to push with my messed up back so a c-section is the way we are going. Hubby isn’t too thrilled about this, but I reminded him of my previous births and how long it took me to heal from them and he’s warming up to the idea.

I’m really just nervous about everything I guess. It’s been five years since I’ve been pregnant. Five years since I’ve had to worry about a baby in my belly. This time around it’s different and different is sometimes scary. I know I’m probably worrying over nothing and I keep trying to remind myself to trust God because he knows what he is doing. Does anyone else ever struggle with that? Just trusting his plan and believing everything was going to be okay? I do, but when we first found out I was pregnant, I had this calming feeling that everything was going to be okay and if you know me in real life, you know I’m not normally like that. I am a natural worrier so, for me to have that thought. I knew it came from God and now I just have to trust his plan and prepare myself for the pain that is to come. I love these babies so much already though, that I will deal with the pain for them.

{If you didn’t catch on to the “babies” reference – surprise, I’m pregnant with Twins!!!}

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Our summer bucket list

One thing I love about summer, is all of the fun that comes with it! Especially with Jay in school now, I want to make our summers really memorable. I was talking to a mom a couple days before school got out and I told her I was excited for summer break. She looked at me like I was crazy and said, “Really?!!!” Which I replied with a smile, “Yes, I love having my kids home.” It’s true and if that makes me crazy then so be it. Anyways, like I said, I want to have a fun summer. So, I sat down and started brain storming some really fun things we could do and I even asked my readers for a few ideas. I want this summer to be one for the books and I think it’s going to be. :)

Live.Laugh.L0ve.'s summer bucket list

If for whatever reason you can’t see the picture. Here is what is on our bucket list this summer:

- Water balloon fight
- Camp out in the backyard
- Make S’mores
- Star gaze
- Family vacation
- Visit the zoo
- Go to a water park
- Take a weekend trip to the beach
- Go fishing
- Blow bubbles
- Go to a drive in movie
- Splash pad
- Have a picnic
- Go hiking
- Road trip
- Make Popsicles

Do you have a summer bucket list? Is there anything I should add to ours?!

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I never knew…

When I first found out I was pregnant with Jay, there was so much I was told about motherhood, good and bad things. When I held him in my arms for the first time though, the whole world seemed to change in that moment and as I’ve been on this journey through motherhood for six years now, I’ve realized there were so many things I never knew about motherhood.

Live.Laugh.L0ve. // I never knew...

I never knew motherhood was so hard. I want to go ahead and get this one out of the way. Because, let’s face it… motherhood really is hard. Motherhood is no walk in the park. There have been so many days that motherhood has tested my patience, made me question myself & how good of a mother I am. Motherhood has pushed me over the edge into tears and some days, into complete frustration. I know that these moments I have while my kids are young, are nothing compared to what they are going to be when my kids become teenagers. I know because I was a teenager and I know some of the hell I put my parents through and some of the hell my friends put their parents through. So, while I have days where it’s hard, I know it’s not as bad as I make it out to be on those bad days.

I never knew I could love so much. I’ve always been the type of person who loves deeply, but when I fell in love with my husband, it consumed me and wrapped me in warmth. When I became pregnant for the first time, I knew I was going to love my baby beyond words, but I didn’t know just how much until I felt his first kick & held him in my arms for the first time. This was a different kind a love. A kind of love that is absolutely instant. The kind of love that makes your heart swell and double in size. There was so much love in my heart that I didn’t think it was possible to love anyone else as much as I loved my husband and Jay. Then, I got pregnant with Kage and I always wondered how I was going to love them both. How was there going to be room in my heart for that much love? Again, it was like my heart grew in size. It grew and love simply overflowed from my heart. There is always enough room in your heart for more love and now that I’m pregnant with baby number three, I know my heart will grow even more to hold the love for this baby as well.

Live.Laugh.L0ve. // I never knew...

I never knew how proud I would be of being a mother & how proud of my children I am. I know that moms don’t get a lot of credit for simply being a mother and everything that comes with being a mother. There is nothing I am prouder of though, than being a mom. Being a mother is one of my greatest blessings and one of my most rewarding jobs. I may not be paid for it. I may not have climbed a corporate ladder to get to it, but I grew babies in my belly. My body nourished them and I kept them safe inside of me and when I welcomed them into this world, I cherish and love them and keep them safe the best I can. I am paid in hugs & kisses, in love so big that it is as wide as an ocean, in whispered I love yous and the sheer pleasure of cuddling with them, playing with them, or simply watching them sleep. I am proud of the little boys they have become. How smart, kind, and helpful they are. I am proud of their sweetness and their manners. I am proud of so many things they do, that it amazes me.

I never knew how many friends I would lose. I became a mother at the age of nineteen, an age where most of my friends were in college and partying and doing their own thing and it became apparent who my true friends were at that point. I never knew how messy my house could get. I never knew how tired I was going to be. I never knew how chaotic life would become, but I wouldn’t change any of it for the world.

Live.Laugh.L0ve. // I never knew...

I never knew how much fun I would have randomly making big red floats in the middle of the day or eating watermelon outside with my boys. I never knew I would have fun building towers and making car noises. I never knew how much fun it would be to spend the day having water gun fights and playing at the park. I never knew how much fun it would be to throw my to-do list out the window and just have a day filled with fun.

Live.Laugh.L0ve. // I never knew...

Motherhood is so much more than I ever imagined and I love it.

I’m linking up for On My Heart.

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Meet our new puppy, Tiny.

For about two years now, I’ve been really wanting a puppy and so have the boys. Hubby wasn’t to sure about this, he wanted to wait until the boys got a bit older that way they could help take care of a puppy and be partly responsible for a puppy. I couldn’t argue with that, but every time I saw a little puppy, I definitely wanted one. Well, a couple years have passed and it just so happened one of my sister’s dogs had a litter of puppies. At this point though, I wasn’t sure it would be a good idea. I have a bad back and I already struggle doing everyday things & I’m exhausted most of the time. {the fun of the first trimester. ;)} My momma got one of the puppies from my sister once they were old enough to leave their mom and the boys fell in love with that puppy. I kept going back and forth and decided to talk to Hubby since my sister still had one puppy left to get rid of.

Wellllll…. he obviously said yes. ;) Meet Tiny. He’s a Chiweenie.

The white dog in the pictures is Taz, Tiny’s brother.
  Live.Laugh.L0ve. // Meet our new puppy, Tiny.

Live.Laugh.L0ve. // Meet our new puppy, Tiny.

Live.Laugh.L0ve. // Meet our new puppy, Tiny.

Live.Laugh.L0ve. // Meet our new puppy, Tiny.

Live.Laugh.L0ve. // Meet our new puppy, Tiny.

Live.Laugh.L0ve. // Meet our new puppy, Tiny.

He’s adorable and so perfect for our little family!

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My little kindergarten graduate

Dear Jay,

Live.Laugh.L0ve. // My little kindergarten graduate

It’s been a little while since I’ve wrote you a letter. I hope one day you cherish these letters as much as I cherish writing them to you. This is a really special letter though and I don’t know how I’m going to get through it without crying. On Thursday you graduated Kindergarten. Let me say that again, you.graduated.kindergarten. I still can’t get over it. I still can’t believe my sweet boy, the boy who made me a momma, is a kindergarten graduate and will be in first grade next year. Time really does fly baby boy.

I just want to say how proud of you we are. They do graduation a little different at your school then some of the other schools. You preformed with your kindergarten class on stage before the awards. We we were running late so we had to sit in the back and I could see you looking for us because we are normally in the front when you have a performance. I could see the slight disappointment on your face that you couldn’t see us and in between every song, you were searching. We kept trying to get your attention, Daddy even stood up and clapped real loud, but we were too far back. You performed like a champ though and I loved every moment of it. Daddy and I had the biggest smiles plastered on our faces and I recorded every song y’all sang. I can’t wait for the day far in the future, where we sit down and watch old family movies that we’ve recorded through the years. If there is one thing daddy and I try to make a point of, it’s capturing your moments on camera & Kage’s too, that way y’all can look back on them.

Live.Laugh.L0ve. // My little kindergarten graduate

After the performance we went back to your classroom where your teacher asked you two questions while giving you your awards: Your Teacher“What was your favorite part of Kindergarten.” You“P.E.” I couldn’t help but laugh. That was my favorite as a kid too. ;) Your Teacher - “What do you want to be when you grow up?” You“A firefighter.” You’ve had that answer for a couple of years now whenever I’ve asked you that question. =D I wonder if that’s going to change through the years or if you’re going to hold on to that dream.

You received three awards and daddy & I are so proud of them. You got a “caught being good award.” You were literally good every single day at school and I couldn’t be more proud of you for that. You got a reading award, which made my heart soar since you know mommy loves to read too. You also got a good sport award, which lets me know you play well with others and that makes us SO happy!

We took you out to eat at a restaurant of your choice for lunch and then we spent a few hours at Mimaw’s house playing in the water and playing outside in general. I would say it was an amazing day and you had a blast.

Live.Laugh.L0ve. // My little kindergarten graduate

Live.Laugh.L0ve. // My little kindergarten graduate

Live.Laugh.L0ve. // My little kindergarten graduate

Live.Laugh.L0ve. // My little kindergarten graduate

Live.Laugh.L0ve. // My little kindergarten graduate

You continue to amaze me Jay. I can’t wait to see how you grow, learn, and become even smarter through the years. I just wanted to take a minute and recap your little graduation day and let you know how insanely proud we are of the wonderful boy that you are. I love you so much Jay Jay.

Love,
Mommy.

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