Happy 5th Birthday!

Friends.......

I'm a bit in denial right now, I feel almost overwhelmed that it's already a week before Christmas. No, not because of Christmas itself. I've finished 80% of all that needs to be done. I think it's more that this year is almost over.

The past week has been pretty emotional for me, shocking news, 2 deaths, family drama and an epic ice storm can do that though. Add that in the middle of the peak emotional-ness I was in, we fostered a sweet cat who was recovering from having her leg amputated and my plate broke in half.

I'm doing better, I'm healing. Thanks to our new addition and Avery and Alyssa keeping me blissfully distracted it's easier to let the things I cannot and will not control just....go! Just in time for a new emotional round to hit me though.

Today, our sweet Alyssa Jane is 11 months old! 11, as in almost 12. In 4 very short weeks our baby will be ONE. My uterus can't handle that.

Even worse? This amazing not so little human being is 5 today!

I know, I know, process that for a few...

FIVE.

Half a decade. 

I recently wrote this in my prayer journal.."A year is no longer viewed as a long time to me. Measures of time are now seen with different memories as time stamps. Blinks, days, quiet moments, happy tears, small achievements and somber tones to go with the sometimes overwhelming feeling of just being ridiculously blessed.

 How I wish I could capture so many moments and bottle them up for the girls to watch/witness when they are older."

So in keeping with my blog tradition:

Avery Claire-

 Today you are 5. Seems like yesterday your Aunt Desi was painting my toes and sharing in my joy and fear of heading to the hospital to have you. I love thinking back and reminiscing about all the struggles your pregnancy had. How truly insignificant they all seem now when at the time we were so fearful of the unknown and afraid to think we could lose you. As it was then, and continues to be now, God has great things planned for you.

 You are my joy. A bright light in our family that shines brighter everyday. You will never understand until you become a mother, just what you did to your daddy and I. We are eternally grateful for your birth because it brought with it such powerful revelations of what marriage is about. It showed us what love can create, just exactly who we are and how what we need to strive to be can easily be achieved when we put aside our personal needs and focus on others.

 You make me a better person. You make me laugh daily, cry from happiness and sometimes I feel like my heart is going to burst from joy.

 You have the sweetest spirit, you are kind and joyful. Your sense of humor is ridiculous at times. You are a protective big sister who loves to make her sister laugh and encourages her daily.

 I could brag about you forever my sweet girl.

 Our prayer for you this year is that you continue to let your love of The Lord shine through. Stay joyful. Follow your heart and stay true to what it says to you. Play more, get a little dirty, wear more dresses (for your mom!). Sing no matter who may be listening. Make silly faces to express how you feel and most importantly... Know how much you are loved daily.

Every year will be a flood of emotions as we celebrate you. No matter how old you are.

Happy Birthday Bayboo,

We love you! (Mommy & Daddy)

Thankful: Days 19-30

Thanksgiving is done and December is upon us. I know I'm behind but I really want to finish my "Thankful" list. December will be busy enough.

Day 19: I'm Thankful for volunteering. I find it to be uplifting knowing that the time I donate at the shelter is benefiting the animals. Whether it's helping get them new forever homes or just loving on them to ease the stress of a scary environment. It calms me as well. Love my days at the shelter.

Day 20: I'm Thankful for Evans Job. I won't go into details but starting in January, Evan will be on day shift. Something we've patiently waited and prayed about for a year! We love his job and the company so having him go to days is going to be a added bonus on a number of levels.

Day 21: I'm Thankful for young cousins coming in and visiting from Georgia. The girls loved it too.

Day 22: I'm Thankful for Alyssa's naps. Those two precious quiet times during the day allow me to get stuff done and spend one on one time with Avery. My girls are growing up too fast and I'm finding my sweet moments with them are getting shorter. Replaced by new ones of course but the days of snuggles and cuddles and rocking little bodies to sleep is slowly fading. :(

Day 23: I'm Thankful for books. I know in this day and age people rely on nooks, kindles, iPhones and tablets. For me though,Going to a book store and buying an actual book with pages to flip through in a quiet place is bliss. There's that book smell too that goes along with the escape of a story. I just love it, call me old school.

Day 24: I'm Thankful for our home. I love this place and even though it's no longer fitting our needs and we won't be here but for another year or two, it's my favorite home so far. All the memories here and blessings we've been given since I took that wrong turn and found the dinky "for rent" sign  are priceless. I hope we can just find a bigger house still in this neighborhood.

Day 25: I'm Thankful for comfy pajamas and a cup of hot tea on a cold day.

Day 26: I'm Thankful for the last 13 years with this man. 

Yep, 13. Years. From friends in high school to soul mates. 3 years as friends, 2 as a couple and 8 in marriage. Plenty of Good times and bad. Good health, bad health, the births of our two girls and the sad loss of a baby now in heaven. 2 tiny apartments, a house in a ghetto and now back where it all began for us. Road trips and family vacations, a million inside jokes, countless movie marathons and a few jobs in between. I am beyond Thankful for all of it.

Day 27: After that last topic, I'm Thankful for all the memories.

Day 28: Happy Thanksgiving! I'm Thankful for this holiday; to cook great food and spend a day eating it with family and friends and unwinding from the busy-ness of day to day life.

Day 29: I'm Thankful that my family agrees with me that "Black Friday" is the stupidest thing America has invented.

Day 30: I'm Thankful for Christmas music and sharing the true reason of the season with Avery and Alyssa. Putting up decorations and spending more quality time with them as we make new memories to remember for the next years to come.

Thankful: Day 13-18

This month is zooming by! Less than 40 days before Christmas!!

Day 13:  I'm extremely Thankful for my church and church family. When you honestly say daily "I love my church" and get excited about how busy your Sundays are because you are so deeply involved and surrounded by so many amazing people. It's the best. Pastor Dave is remarkable and his sermons are always eye opening and a bit scary how close they touch base with things I've dealt with during the week. The pastoral staff (Jay, Jeff, Guy and Dave) are a great group of guys and I love how involved they are with the kids, you just

Don't see that often at churches. I could go on for an hour about all the reasons why I am thankful to be a part of Gracepoint Church.

Day 14: I'm Thankful for quiet mornings with a cup of coffee and a real book in my lap to help me escape for a small amount of time in contented bliss before my day starts with the girls.

Day 15: Hard to believe it's almost 5 years since my world changed completely. I'm so beyond Thankful that God blessed me with such an amazing gift that is Avery Claire Hartfield. I love you to the moon, stars and back again baby girl. You are such a blessing to me and your daddy.

Day 16: I'm Thankful for beautiful days out in nature. Whether it's sitting in my backyard or walking 6 miles on a nature trail. Gods limitless skill in his creativity is amazing to see when you look close enough. Even if it's cloudy and raining or a clear day with sunshine it's amazing what you can see when you look with both eyes open.

Day 17: I'm Thankful for those super rare but oh so coveted mornings where Evan gets up with the girls and I'm allowed to sleep in. Sleep is precious.

Day 18: Tomorrow my sweet baby will be 10m old! How is it she is almost 1?! I doubt we ever thought it would be this complete or amazing having a second girl in our family but our sweet Alyssa Jane is by far what we were missing. Watching her and Avery play together and laugh is truly the best thing to my heart. I love my girls so much and being their mother is so awesome. I'm so Thankful for her opposite personality and characteristics from Avery, they both keep me laughing and on my toes.

Thankful: Day 8-12

Day 8: I'm Thankful for Evans awesome family. His Aunt Holly flew in from Georgia last week and will be here through Thanksgiving. Love her so much! But his cousins and other aunts and uncles are always funny and caring and even though we don't see them often, they are amazing people.

Day 9:  I'm Thankful for weekend girl trips to unwind and relax and have a good time. This past weekend I went to San Antonio with Nan, her sister Holly and my best friend Stacy drove in from Houston. It was to celebrate Nan's birthday last week but became more if just a nice weekend away. Very needed. Evan and dad took care of the girls and I didn't feel guilty by Saturday night.

Day 10: I'm Thankful for my crockpot and Pinterest. Today's high is 49* and I love it! I also love making soup in my crockpot and the smell throughout my home. Sooo yummy.

Day 11: I'm Thankful for my sister Desi. She may be all the way up in NC but her daily snap chats, txts, pics and FB make it seem like she's with me everyday. I miss her a lot and it's almost been a year since we've been face to face. Hopefully that will get fixed soon. :) I love you, Desi! You're the best sister in the world. Even if I don't understand your generation and trends. ;)

Day 12: Doesn't matter to me which Branch you serve, THANK YOU will never be enough at times. To all the service men and women, Thank You!

Thankful: Day 4-7

Day 4- I'm Thankful for solid friendships with some amazing people. Some I've known for 15+ yrs, some I've never met in person and some I don't even need to see or talk to for months at a time but when we do it's like we've never been apart! You beautiful ladies are priceless to me and my family. The past 3yrs I've made drastic and sometimes painful life choices, I've let go of friendships I thought I had to keep. I let go of toxic relationships/friendships and have never been happier and it's due in part to the company I keep and all the positive you bring to my life in a multitude of ways.

Day 5- This group of people. For too many reasons to list so I'll say it with pictures.

Day 6- For my "Maaaa". Happy Birthday , today, to the best Mom/Nina/Best Friend/Banana in the Universe. You are priceless. Your faith and wisdom are my constant. You get me better than anyone else I know. I love our chats, random texts, trips, projects, love for all things British,etc. I could write a book. I love you, Nan.

Day 7-  chocolate and desserts. Need I say more?!

Thankful November: Days 1-3

It's November already! Last year I succeeded in posting everyday about things I am thankful for and this year I plan on doing it again.

Day 1- I am Thankful for my hometown. There's just so much to say for Little D. Denton truly is an amazing city without the city feel to it. Love raising my girls here.

Day 2- I am Thankful for health. So many friends/ friends of friends have been deeply effected with cancer, accidents, medical issues and other health crisis this year and all I keep thinking is how truly Thankful I am that I have healthy children and how lucky we as a family are that we've only had to battle allergies on occasion. With the exception of my surgery in June and the scariness of not knowing what was wrong with me or what type of mass they removed let alone dealing with the staph infection that my body battled for 4m post partum that lead to the discovery of the mass and some issues from Alyssa's birth. I never felt like I wasn't in control. The entire series of events that lead to the surgery I feel was all Gods way of letting me know I'm human and need to take better care of myself. That being said, it kicked Evan and I in the rear on getting annual checkups, taking vitamins and overall just taking better care of ourselves.

Day 3- I'm Thankful as usual for Paris and Gus being my constant companions and stress relievers. True, they add stress periodically with Paris being too clingy at night when she has to be petted or how she literally takes the majority of my side of the bed with zero remorse or Gus whose bratty jealousy is always made known when he uses the bath tub as his litter box or feels like lying down in the middle of the room and yowling for attention. They are the best kitties ever and our family wouldn't be the same without them.

A pictures worth a thousand words

Pretty much sums up life lately.

Yeah well....

What can I say? Life's been busy. I really wish I had more free time to blog like used to but it'll be another month before that happens.

Summer is almost over but we have our big family trip this weekend to California and Oregon. To say I'm excited is an understatement. I've been looking forward to this trip since I left Oregon last April on our first trip to visit Evans brother Jarrod and his g/f Sarah.

Avery and Alyssa are doing great. Avery starts preK next month.....Pre-K! Hard to believe she'll be in kindergarten next year. Alyssa is now 6m old and crawling everywhere, she also says dada but I'm ignoring that. These two keep my busy but I have to say, I love how they are starting to play with each other and how protective Avery gets over Aly.

We went on a weekend trip to Galveston 2wks ago and it was mine and Alyssa's first trip to the Texas coast. Yep, lived here my whole life and never went south of Houston! Pretty sure Galveston will become an annual thing for us, so much fun. My best friend, Stacy, even joined us on the last day as she lives in Houston now and we hadn't  seen each other since after Alyssa was born. It was sweet to catch up and let her love on the girls for a bit.

One of the hidden jewels of that trip was we went to the sea turtle hub or the NOAA facility that is no longer open to the public. My sweet friend Beth went to A&M Galveston but had to move back after losing everything during hurricane Ike. She still has close friends in Galveston and one happens to be a biologist with the Sea turtle program and came in on her day off to give us a private tour! I'm not allowed to post the pictures we took but it was amazing and it's so cool to know the hard work they are doing for the sea turtles. Avery was in heaven, she still talks about it and got a stuffed sea turtle on the beach as a souvineir. Icing on top? They had a 20+ year old loggerhead female who was over 200lbs and as big as our dining room table that had washed up on shore a few weeks prior and the last time they've ever had one that big or old was in 1978! To see something like that being within arms reach was a once in a lifetime experience and she was magnificent to see. They will release her back soon.

Definitely a memorable weekend.

Could it be? A post?!

Six weeks until our family trip back to Oregon. We're all a little excited, can't you tell?!

As usual life has just been busy and I have had no time to sit and take a few moments just to blog out everything. for that, I really really really am sorry. (you know for a few, very few, faithful readers)

So where do I begin the entry? over a month actually! so many things it's kind of hard to take a collective breath so to speak, and just start. The girls are doing great. Avery is enjoying her summer break from school, her last year at Kidzone starts this fall and next fall she starts kindergarten. kindergarten people! MY baby is going to be in kindergarten this time next year. She cracks me up, right now her obsession is Master Chef the TV show and pretty much swimming every day, all day. she swears that when she grows up she's gonna be a master chef and loves to tell everybody that she's gonna be a master chef and she's gonna feed Gordon Ramsay her cookies. 

Allie is thriving! five months old already if anyone can believe that. (i swear i posted her birth story yesterday) she's five months and rolling over,eating veggies like crazy and is even attempting to crawl as much as Evan and I are just panicking this girl is in such a rush to grow up. So far she can only scoot backwards which is adorable. She's also a tummy sleeper to the max which means I'm up a lot checking on her at night.

As for me, I'm slowly getting back to normal. I know a lot of people been waiting for me to post about all the health issues I've had in the past six weeks and believe me I do want to talk about it because I think it's something that's very important.  Not to mention that a lot of people came and helped and gave help and offered help to me and Evan and the girls and that's just something that I will forever be grateful for. I promise, I'll post about it as soon as I can. Just know that I am healthy and I'm about 90% back to normal ( was I ever was normal?). 

What can I say? life has just been interesting for the Heartfields but we're all taking it day by day and were very much grateful and happy to be where we are at now. it's summertime, time when you get to be with family, is the time where you do things and stay busy in hopes that the kids go to sleep early and sleep in a little. ( I can dream, right?)

Alright. well, I'm  starting to ramble and we all know what that leads to so I'll end this entry for now with the newest favorite pic of mine. I swear I over share too much on Facebook and Instagram but you know you like it so enjoy. :)

Xoxo-

Britt 

MIA

Been awhile.

*No home computer for awhile but will soon be posting from my phone.

* lots to catch up on.

*summer is here and so is the traveling!

* miss my readers

Xoxo,

Brittnye

ZION

So, it's no secret if you follow my blog how I am a music connoisseur. I have no qualms sharing a song or album that just speaks to me or promoting a band that deserves love. I love music and am always into new tunes. So this is another one of those entries...

Lately, I have been listening to my old Hillsong United albums. Evan and I LOVE this group. I can't tell you how uplifting the music is and for some reason when we hear certain songs it just has me in tears and praising Jesus. I'm talking, ugly cry, hands raised, HALLELUJAHing it up. Shamelessly too I might add. Our new worship leader played a few acoustic versions last Sunday and once again I was falling in love with this group. Their newest album is called ZION. Do yourself a favor and check it out!

Currently I have "Oceans" on repeat. This song..... whoa. It's just perfect for where I am right now with the Lord and what he's doing to me as a new mom and this new season of my life. It also has me just constantly thinking of Peter....yeah, I'm getting preachy. Still this song is just so fitting and makes me cry but in a good, hands raised, halleluja-hing up way. :P




"Oceans (Where Feet May Fail)"



You call me out upon the waters
The great unknown where feet may fail
And there I find You in the mystery
In oceans deep
My faith will stand

And I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Your grace abounds in deepest waters
Your sovereign hand
Will be my guide
Where feet may fail and fear surrounds me
You've never failed and You won't start now

So I will call upon Your name
And keep my eyes above the waves
When oceans rise
My soul will rest in Your embrace
For I am Yours and You are mine

Spirit lead me where my trust is without borders
Let me walk upon the waters
Wherever You would call me
Take me deeper than my feet could ever wander
And my faith will be made stronger
In the presence of my Savior

I will call upon Your Name
Keep my eyes above the waves
My soul will rest in Your embrace
I am Yours and You are mine

For Every Season, For Every Reason..

So much sadness in the news this past week, just makes you want to hold your family closer and be Thankful for all you have and more. I have a sweet friend, Laura, who was in Boston supporting a friend who was running in the marathon. I remember when I saw the news of the blast, my heart sank and I got chills thinking "Laura is THERE!" checked Facebook where not even an hour prior she checked in at the finish line and proceeded to panic as I txted her and a few mutual friends hoping someone had heard from her. The more the news ran, the more the images were played, I just wanted to cry. Since Avery and Alyssa were up and about I didn't have the TV on much that day but watched that night waiting for Evan to come home and just praying....praying for those injured, the first responders, those who witnessed it all, the families affected, the Dr's and Nurses...

Thankfully, Laura and her friend were about a block and a half away on their way back to their hotel as her friend had finished the race around the 3:40 mark. Had it been a half hour earlier Laura would have no doubt been one of the hundred+ injured on the sidelines.

Then you add the horrible blast in West. I can honestly say that for many Texans...you KNOW West. It may be a small community, but you've stopped at least once at the Kolache shop for some amazing kolaches and desserts or you've eaten at the Czech cafe downtown. I have hundreds of memories in that town on my way to Austin 2-4 times a year since I was 5! Seeing the out pour of donations, blood drives and overall community of everyone in the area helping this small farming town is amazing. Naturally it's always how it works though, unity and strength in times of need in our country. Texas is also just known to have a different set of values and creed so to speak.

Praying for our state and our Nation this week. Too much hurt in such a short span of time and there's other news stories out about other things just as sad in other states and communities it's never ending. Be kind to one another and practice good works folks, humanity seems to be decaying slowly.

Easter

I'm terribly behind on updating the blog.

As promised I wanted to share some pictures from Easter, the girls looked super adorable in their matching dresses and enjoyed their goodies as we ate an amazing lunch with Nina & Pawpa. I loved cooking everything this year. I'm getting the handle on managing two kiddos, keeping up on house work and cooking real meals. Now looking good while doing it....meh.



Me & My girls.



Evan and the girls, how Blessed am I? Love my family. I accidentally cut off Evans head in the second pic but the girls looked to cute not to share it. (sorry Babe)



Our Family.

3 Months

Alyssa Jane is 3 months old today.

I seriously don't remember time flying by this fast with Avery. I guess since Aly has Avery to look up to she thinks she needs to speed up the baby process and it's showing. She is in such a rush to grow up while I am crying over NB outfits she can no longer wear. Perhaps it's the idea/thought that she's the last of baby-ness I'll have as my own as we're pretty sure we're done procreating since we've done it twice with amazing results. ;)

Some fun factoids on our sweet girl.
*She is a cooing machine, heaven help us when those coos become words.
*She's sleeping through the night! 7-11.5 hrs a night and I am not complaining.
* She has found her feet and loves sticking them in the air for no reason, tonight as she had them up she started wiggling from side to side, she'll be rolling over soon.
* You've never met such a smiley baby.
* We're eating cereal twice a week now, she likes it a lot and doesn't waste any!
*She can high five! (I swear)
*Her hair is falling out more in the back but we know it wont be gone long.

*insert title of substance here*

The weekend is here!

Well....yeah, that about sums it up. The weekend is here, my laundry is done, my kitchen spotless, now just to do the rest of the house. I always find myself not cleaning so much during the week yet when the weekend arrives and I know Evan isn't going to work I suddenly have to clean my house. Never fails.

Nothing else to really blog about. I mean I think of things that in my mind sounds so awesome and perfectly structured for the most epic blog entry ever! Then I get that free time which is so rare to me these days, sit here and am blank.

Let's see, summed up month so far....

Evan turned 29 on the 14th (go easy on him, he's upset about being almost 30). Since he took off for my birthday earlier this month he had to work but the girls and I brought him Texas Roadhouse for dinner and we had a picnic in the back of the car in the Peterbilt parking lot, awesome right? Yes, I try.

Avery, deciding since she was a big sister she needed something to show her age. So off to the salon we went where she requested she get her hair "Just like mommy" and I sat in slightly teary-eyed bliss and sadness as she said goodbye to a good 3 inches of ratty, unmanageable, pain in my patience hair and hello to a cute shoulder length do. I love it and so does she and now, all I do is brush it and she's good to go. How else did she decide to show us she's a awesome big sister? She decided (after a chat about me no longer buying them) it was time to no longer need that 1 pull-up a day for #2. Yes, we are officially into our 2nd week of NO PULL-UPS. Which means, we have mastered potty training!!!!!!! (parents of the world rejoice with me.)

Evan and I are so proud and excited for her. We celebrated with ice cream (well, I watched them enjoy ice cream) and a trip to Chuck E. Cheese.

Alyssa is thriving. 2 months old already. Gah, time needs to knock it off. She looks more and more like me everyday! She's also sleeping longer in the night. She usually goes down around 11 and will wake up to eat and be changed around 4-5:30 then will go back to sleep until 8 or 9am. I'm so okay with this! She looked so cute on St. Patty's day but of course I forgot to get pics until she was changed and down for her afternoon nap. We even mached a bit. :( I have got to do better about picture taking. Especially of her and Avery together as well as mommy pics. I do exsist, I swear. I just happen to take far better pics than Evan. Easter! Easter, they have matching dresses so I'll be sure to take plenty of pictures.

And with that, my rare moment of free time is now over. Off to do something.....probably clean, because, sleep is over rated....like showers....hot food.....sitting down for long periods of time, etc.

-Brittnye

Celebrate Good Times...Come On!

This past weekend I celebrated my birthday. Yeah, 28 years old and starting to realize I'm getting old. Perhaps having a baby and being sleep deprived doesn't help but there it is. Evan turns 29 next week and he's already freaking out about turning 30 soon. ha. I can not remember the last time I had such a fun and special Birthday. Don't get me wrong, I've had some good ones but this year was just nice and easy going with nothing too exciting happening and usually there's a group outing or small party with lots of friends and family. Not this year...nope. This year it was just Evan and I having a date night!

Evan used his floater day from work for my birthday so was off work all day! His parents came over and watched both the girls for us (Our first time away from Alyssa) while we went to Lewisville and had Hibachi for dinner to celebrate both our birthdays. There was only 1 other couple at our table and the chef asked if we wanted a full show or just a nice quiet meal to which we both said the latter. LOVED IT! He was amazing still with the fire and jokes and showmanship of cooking our food but it was a short/fast version and we got to enjoy our meal in a much quieter setting than the majority around us. The other couple was older and the husband asked me twice how long Evan and I had been dating which was funny seeing as my wedding ring was in plan sight. As we were both leaving I made a comment to Evan about checking on the girls to which the wife seemed shock to hear I had 2 children let alone a newborn at home. The husband started congratulating Evan for doing a "Good job!" and then adding how good it was for us to "Keep dating" He was British so maybe I was missing something? Anyway, they made our dinner kinda funny and not so hush hush.

After dinner we wanted dessert but didn't know where to go. We debated on driving to Frisco for Cheesecake when I remembered that most Barnes & Nobles have a Starbucks cafe with desserts, so we drove to the nearest one. As we walked in the cafe we both recognized the manager as a guy we went to High School with, not just any random guy but my freshmen year he was one of my closest friends, he was also in the Chemistry class where Evan and I met and joined in on the journal we passed around and wrote notes in! Evan wanted to see if he recognized us so we decided not to say anything until after we ordered our stuff. Once he saw us he made small talk but kept staring at me when suddenly he realized who I was and came rushing around the counter to hug me and Evan and was super excited to see us. We hadn't seen each other since our Wedding so he was so happy to hear and see we were still together and had kids now. When he asked what we were doing we told him it was my birthday and he gave us our cheesecake for free and also made me a special drink on the house. It was so sweet of him and getting to catch up was also great. Evan and I will definitely be seeing him soon.

We headed back to Denton and rented movies then said bye to Nan and Gary and Avery as they were taking her for the weekend to have some one on one time with her (she was so excited). Ate our cheesecake, snuggled up on the couch after we got Alyssa down and watched movies until we both crashed.

Saturday was amazing as we slept in until 9am (Alyssa has been sleeping 6-7hr stretches). Cleaned the house a bit before getting ready to run errands. We shopped for Alyssa and Avery then drove to Grapevine to BassPro so Evan could try to find ammo and a cleaning kit for his handgun and just look around. After that we went to Southlake where we enjoyed Central Market for some goodies for us as well as our friends Ross & Therese who were in the area for the weekend and having dinner with us in Arlington. I love Central Market, seriously...I could spend a whole day there. Got to dinner where Alyssa continued to be the best baby ever by never crying or fussing but being super mellow and sleeping off and on. She only fussed once in the car and we were out and about for over 5hrs!

So if you read my blog, you know Ross and Therese. We met back in Feb of 2009 at an engagement party for Evans best friend Nick, whose (now) wife Kate went to TCU with Therese. Evan and Therese were in the wedding party and Avery was only 6wks old so we had her with us and Therese being a NICU nurse was instantly wanting to see and play with her. We soon learned we had a lot in common and both lived in Fort Worth. Add that Evan and Ross were both Architect majors and we hit it off great. After the wedding we started hanging out, going on runs together, dinner dates, movie dates and enjoying our mutual love of Central Market. Ross and Therese became very special to us. They literally made living in Fort Worth not so miserable for me. Then Ross accepted a grad school offer in Kansas and they moved away to Kansas City. I even went with Therese on her trip to KC to find an apartment for them to live in and we also helped pack them up on moving day. I remember driving back home and just crying, I thought for sure I'd never see Therese or hang out with her again.

So wrong. Over the past 3yrs Therese has been down here to visit about once a year and once Ross surprised her with a trip down to Fort Worth just to have dinner with Nick, Kate, Evan and I. We also email, FB and Blog stalk each other and have random days where we txt nonstop and an occasionally phone date. Therese is just one of the biggest blessings in my life and our friendship although not big on face to face time is still one of the strongest friendships I have. So when she txt me and asked what Birthday plans we had I was super stoked when she asked if they could be a part of them since it just so happened they were coming to DFW for the weekend as Ross had a conference at UTA!!! Talk about awesome timing and an amazing gift for my birthday.

So we had dinner at our favorite Sushi place, Piranha Sushi, and got to catch up over delicious food. You'd never think we hadn't seen each other in almost 2 years! They also got to meet Alyssa which was neat since Avery was that little the first time we met them! I know they were sad about missing Avery this time as they adore her too. It was the perfect ending to such a nice day with Evan and it made my Birthday that much special. :)

 Meeting Alyssa.

 Just like old times.

 The original group. Evan, Me, Nick, Kate, Ross & Therese.

 Avery helping "Tree" Move to KC.

Just Chilling with Mr. Ross.

From Therese last visit in 2010

Girls Night Out.  Before she had to go back to KS.2010

                                        Us 2013                                      Us 2009

One of many activities together...

I said it on FB but I'll say it again. I've come to learn with age that when it comes to friendships I'll take Quality over Quanity anytime. Some friendships are just too special to let distance, time apart, life and other things take away from it.

March Madness

March is here already? Seriously didn't we just ring in the New year?

March is always a busy month for us, with birthdays, celebrations and spring break it tends to get filled up. This year having Easter being added to it means we'll be extra busy. Not that I mind that, it helps out in small ways to be productive and social but this year seems to be flying by as is and add a busy schedule, it goes even quicker.

Things I'm looking forward to this month:

• My Birthday (I turned 28 last Friday)
• Evans Birthday. (next week)
• St. Patty's Day!
• Good Friday
• Easter
• Dallas Arboretum Trip
• Averys room make-over
• 5k training.
• Starting back at the Shelter.
• Warmer weather

Add in a few dentist/eye and doctor appointments and there you have it. Avery also has spring break next week so I'm trying to think and plan a few fun things to do to make the days more fun for us. Anyone want to have a play date or park date?


-Brittnye

Don't Blink...

I have a few precious moments of solitude as both the babes are asleep and Evan is still at work for another hour so here I am. Yes, my sink is full of dishes, the trash is overflowing (ahem, Evans slacking there), the living room looks like a tornado came through a few times and quite frankly, you don't want to know the layers of spit up I have on me at the moment.

Isn't motherhood grand?!

The past 2 weeks have been interesting for me with a few realizations and eye opening "Ah-ha!" moments. I've learned in the past month that with having a second child you learn to just let things go easier. Things I now wish I had learned with Avery. Then again, we didn't have visitors in Fort Worth. Being back in Denton, we have visitors every week! That's not a complaint mind you, I love it. I love having this connection with so many amazing people and being 2-10min away from them at any given time. The support, help, social life and overall handy-ness of it is overwhelming at times whereas with Avery everyone was 30min away.

I've come to realize in the simplest of ways that some things just do not matter.

That easy.

My house will be dirty occasionally but I'll clean it when it matters. I may not get to shower everyday (I've literally debated over a shower or extra sleep this week) or it may only be allowed around 2am but my hair will always be clean. Dishes will pile up, laundry too. I will no longer spaz out over it or get anxious with the thought of a unannounced visitor seeing my house not look like the cover of Better Homes. (Don't we all wish we could have homes look like that that are actually lived in?!) and here's why...

• I have 2 small children who need me more than the dirty dishes. They also grow up ridiculously fast and I refuse to miss out on special moments due to needing to vacuum for the millionth time a day.
• I have 2 cats that are indoor only and occasionally forget where their little box is.
• My couches are hand me downs, mix matched and falling apart due to also being the gymnastic course for the 4yr old.
• Don't even ask about my carpet, I've tried every remedy to remove those stains, they refuse to permanently die.

Life is so short. I used to scoff and laugh at people who would say that since it always seems most convenient after someone passes away to say that? But with Alyssa's birth...I'm afraid to blink. She is growing so quickly and it seems that now with her arrival and joining the family that Avery has decided to just become a little lady and is a different child from 2 months ago.

 I'm so busy trying to be super woman that I'm missing out on the small memories, the little things that make it all so cherish-able. My camera has hardly been used!! Add to that how I'm becoming more aware that my free time from not nursing or comforting Alyssa I'm using to clean or pick up when Avery simply asks mommy to play with her and I have said no because of housework. Seriously!? I doubt I ever forget seeing out of the corner of my eye her shoulders slump and turn in the hallway to walk to her bedroom while whispering "mommy never plays with me" last week. My heart broke then and there in my dining room as I looked around the living room and kitchen and just stopped. Stopped letting the mundane and superficial garbage take priority over my girls, my free time and my memory making.

So here's to you freak of nature type a's out there.

Come see my dirty house, my messy appearance and shake your head as I run late to anything and everything. In the end, my children are healthy, happy and thriving and I'm more content and sated in bliss because of it all. Some things in life can wait. I can have that Better Homes house in 18 years.

-Brittnye

Alyssa.

I've already shared Averys pictures from the oh-so-amazing Emily Davis so I find it only fair to share some of Alyssa's Newborn pics. I know, I'm becoming that annoying mom who does nothing but talk about and flaunt pictures of their kids due to not having a life outside them lately. Deal with it. :)

She's already 5 weeks old and ever changing. Craziness. How precious and fast these simple times of just holding and feeding and changing her are flying by. Soon, she'll be like her sister and I won't be able to snuggle or cuddle unless she's under the weather or has a small boo boo. Such is the life of a parent.