Thankful: Day 1.

Day 1:

I am THANKFUL for Health.

Not just my health, but the health of my family. So many people take it for granted until something happens. This year alone we have witnessed 3 sweet families deal with cancer in their precious children all under 3yrs old.  As a mom, I can only hold them in prayer and selfishly thank God for keeping Avery happy and healthy.

We've seen small colds, bad allergies and even Evans dad being diagnosed with diabetes. With the one and so far ONLY issue this pregnancy being Gestational Diabetes I must say we are thankful for health, for being healthy and for Evans job giving us the health insurance to cover the costs in case we ever need a doctor.

So many people do not have this, so many people have had trials with their health this year or struggle with medicines, disease, cancer, not being able to afford health care or just poor health in general. So many of us oftentimes take it for granted.

November.

It's here, it's here!

November. The time of year where FALL officially comes to life in Texas, Thanksgiving arrives and the shopping and countdown to Christmas begins. I must say it saddens me how stores try to rush the holidays on us. Halloween is less than a day past and yet most stores have had Christmas decor/gifts/themes/etc. out for weeks now!!!

Slow down people.

Don't even get me started on how commercialized Christmas has become either, people forget far to easily what the TRUE meaning of Christmas is and why we celebrate it.

I woke up this morning just excited about November. I have no real reason why, it just lifted my spirit. I think the realization that the end of the year and holidays and so many events are fast approaching just makes "Little Miss's" arrival more real for me. As I said before, there are so many changes happening for us and we are so excited about them.(Such As)

1. Family pictures/ Avery's school pictures.
2. Avery's Thanksgiving feast at School.
3. Starting on the girls room.
4. Thanksgiving. (super low-key this year)
5. Avery's Birthday pics.
6. My Baby Shower.
7. Avery's 4th Birthday.
8. Christmas
9. Our 7th Anniversary.
10. NYE
11. Jarrod & Sarah's visit.
12. Little Miss's arrival.

All within the next 79 DAYS!

Also, in an attempt to blog more and not drive FB people crazy, I will be doing my DAILY November Thankful post. Rather than waiting for the end of the month I plan on taking a few moments a day to blog about something I am truly Thankful for this year.

Can YOU think of a few things you are Thankful for this year? Anything you are looking forward to in the coming days/weeks?

-Britt & Co.

Things are about to change around here....

I feel like I am repeating myself a lot and sounding more and more like a broken record. Time is just rushing by it seems and this pregnancy has been proof of just that! It's already the end of October! Weren't we all just talking about the end of summer and school starting again?!

Life is still blissfully busy yet mundane for the Hartfield house. We are getting geared up to start organizing and redoing a lot of the house to welcome Little Miss come January. Hard to believe I am already 6m into this pregnancy. Avery is getting excited about being a big sister and has had her ups and downs with dealing with the reality that she is about to share the spotlight. I knew it would happen, I've prayed about it and have tried my best to just reassure her that she is still my girl and she is still loved by everyone. Some days are good, others are a trial. Bless her sweet heart.

Since the girls are sharing a room I have been in full on decorating and envisioning mode. Between Nan and I though, this is going to be so fun and Avery will have more room to play and still have her own space while Little Miss has her side too. I think that since she will be in our room the first several months that Avery will get used to the transition and will probably throw a fit that her baby sister isn't in her bed and is in her bassinet all the time. Anything to make it easier for everyone. I'm secretly starting to panic about being a mom of 2!!

I feel very huge but I know I'm not. Other than having gestational diabetes, this pregnancy has been AMAZING and I am loving it. Little Miss is a mover and a kicker and getting to share those kicks with Avery has given me such sweet memories. Avery is all about her sister, and loves to kiss her and blow bubbles on her and make her kick her hand and talks to her about her day at school to her fave cartoons to laying down the rules once baby sister "comes out to play with me". Let's hope it stays that way well into the teen years.

Other than pregnancy, getting ready to start getting ready for another little one, Avery and her school and Evan busy with work...life is just life and I don't have much to report on. Avery is going to be a Princess for Halloween and last night we carved pumpkins. No trick or treating as I just don't feel safe with her doing that let alone she's 3 and doesn't need all that candy so she will wear her costume for school and our Church's trunk or treat. Nina and Pawpa may be taking her to the Malloween next Saturday but they may have a better plan of spending their time together. :)

I'll end with a few pictures of life lately.

Until next time,
Brittnye

Feeding her piggy bank...

Can you believe she will be 4 soon!?

Decorating her Pumpkin.

She touched the inside of the pumpkin then told Evan it was icky and she couldn't help him with it because she was a girl. He made her Hello Kitty pumpkin from her shirt and she was sooooo happy.

11yrs later....

I honestly had no intention of blogging about today. Yes, I'm well aware it's Patriot Day and as an American who was alive on September 11, 2001 I still have a very, VERY vivid account of my life that day and the following weeks after the attacks on our country. I know I have posted throughout the years about it, I know I've shared  feelings, thoughts and emotions about it but tonight, it shifted for me. Tonight it was brought back anew for me and I had to have a conversation about it I really wish I didn't have to.

I got caught up in the news on CNN and flipped to another channel which happened to be the history channel, not thinking much about the time I watched coverage of the events of 9/11 and listening to peoples accounts of that day.  As I went to get a tissue since I was crying I realized Avery had left her bed at some point and was leaning against the couch watching the TV.....

My sweet 3yr old was watching the first building fall with big wide eyes and then looked at me as I stood there crying and just said "Mommy! What happened!"

What do you say? How do you respond? How do you explain something so horrible and so life altering for millions of people to a 3yr old?!

So I grabbed a tissue, put the TV on mute and sat her beside me as she wiped my face and kept asking if I was okay. I literally didn't know how to have the conversation with Avery, I didn't want to. I know it's important, I know it's history for her but she's 3!!!

So I just started with "Mommys okay, just sad at watching the TV show what happened when mommy and daddy were in high school, it happened 11yrs ago, before you were born." She grasped that part easy enough and just said "What happened?" So I continued with "well, some bad men did something terrible in NYC and in Pennsylvania, they took over some planes and flew them into some important buildings and a lot of people got hurt and went to heaven that day."

"Why they do that mommy?"

Why indeed! I sat there trying to figure out how to answer this and just tried to sort out what I felt and what many Americans felt, we still have soldiers over there fighting because of these events!

"Baby, some people have hard hearts towards our country because they don't understand our freedoms, you know what freedoms are? Like how you get to go to school, go to church, college some day...other countries don't get to do these things. Mommy can't tell you why they did this but it happened and it hurt a lot of people and now we have soldiers fighting on the other side of the world to make sure we stay safe."

She sat with me for a bit, wiped my face then just said "That's so sad mommy, but we have good people still"

I didn't really say much to that,just smiled and asked if she had any other questions or if she wanted to talk about it anymore. "It happened?" "Yes baby, way before you were born" "You and daddy saw it?" "Yes baby, we were in high school." "It made you sad?" "Still does." "Okay mommy."

As a parent you have a few moments where certain topics get brought up and you prepare for them, like  death, puberty, driving, high school, graduation, first heartbreak, first lost friendships, etc....but having to explain terrorist attacks on your country past or present or war or things of that nature...I wasn't aware of!

I wish I could protect her sweet innocence longer, I wish she wasn't so keen on things but I also know she can handle these facts of life because of her personality and because of her sweet nurturing nature. I know she will ask questions if she feels like it and I also know she won't let it haunt her. I just wish I knew the magic words, I fear of failing her in understanding why things happen and in this day and age it's just sickening to know what some people are capable of doing to strangers.

I still, 11 years later, cry over scenes and stories of 9/11. I still get a little angry, I'm still confused. I'm also proud of our country, proud of the soldiers who fight willingly, proud of those who enlisted shortly after, proud of the victims families who still have pride in their hearts and never let their loved ones be forgotten.

September Already!? :)

I feel like such a broken record with my poor blog. I could have sworn I updated a few times in August but apparently I didn't! Same with my HLC blog which I'm starting to wonder was worth all the hype but I know it's just the pregnancy and summer-ness getting to me on that end.

SO much to catch up on and I warn you now you oh-so-AMAZING reader, I've got much to update and just pour out about. Maybe need to hash things out in a 2-parter and just keep this entry as simple as possible.

Life at the Hartfield casa seems to finally be slowing down after a busy summer. We just got back from a weekend trip with Evans parents (always and I mean ALWAYS fun being with those two amazing people!). Avery started school this week too which means new routine and schedule and not too mention a little free time for mommy and daddy.

Check out my big girl!!!

She is Blessed with two awesome teachers this year and I just can not tell you how EXCITED Evan and I are that she gets to have this experience. She really loves her school and the 1st week is done and she already has made new friends! She's also ridiculously taller than her classmates.....

We had 2 more foster litters come and go and we even got our sweet mama kitty, Layla adopted! I know it sounds dumb but after having her be at our fence, deck and slowy into our home after 2 years, I kinda didn't expect her to get adopted and she was adopted just 2hrs after I took her to the shelter!! When I was notified about her adoption, I sobbed. I'm talking...wailed! Boo-hooed and did the full blown ugly cry. I loved her and was so used to her ALWAYS being with us even though she really wasn't ours. After the last kitten was gone it took me 3 days to realize I wasn't hearing kittens or needing to get up and feed them. Paris and Gus are sure happy and Evan has asked that I not bring home anymore Little's until after our own new little arrives. :)


Speaking of our Little.....

IT'S A GIRL!!!!!

We are having ANOTHER girl! We found out 2wks ago and are super excited. For now she is referred to as "Little Miss" since we are not sharing her name until she is born. (I told 2 friends on accident and Evan told his parents so now we are being VERY strict with this rule!) Sadly, this is the best sono pic I have so far but I have my anatomy scan on Tuesday so hopefully I will get a better pic to share.

I'm 21wks today! Crazy to think we are already half way there! I started feeling her at 16wks but as of last week she has decided to let me know EVERY move she makes! With Avery it was a few stretches in my ribs and hiccups but this one....she's a roly poly!! Usually around 7am and 10pm she is most active and I am loving every second of it. I'll get a 20wks picture uploaded soon and show my 14wk/16wk & 20wk belly shots. :)

So far we know she has her daddy's booty, chin and profile, just like Avery did. She is super long and has little feet.

I'm finally getting the reality of it I think. I've been telling people how weird it is for me to be so lax about EVERYTHING with this pregnancy but once we found out SHE was a SHE I started planning and thinking and list making. Evan and I went to Babies R Us and started a registry, we've got her and Averys room laid out so I know where to start from there. I just wish I could narrow things down and stop being so indecisive. SO much has changed on the market since we had Avery and we both feel weird about asking people to buy Little Miss gifts for her shower which.....hasn't even been planned or talked about and I'm not even sure if I'm having one.

Her colors are Gray and Lilac with no theme for her nursery. I'm just going for colors and patterns. Super Hartfield, I know. ;)

Alright, that should do for a sufficient update. I'll get belly pics and another update out and about before the weekend hits full throttle.

Thanks for sticking with me and my lazy, nonblogging self.

-Brittnye