Curb Appeal Progress

When we started our house hunt two and a half years ago ( I can't even believe it's been that long) I had one thing on the top of my "must have" list. A front lawn with grass and a pretty exterior. I was a typical first time home buyer who wanted something I wasn't going to really be able to afford in the neighborhood we wanted to live in. I guess that's why it took us nearly 6 months to find a house. I eventually came to my senses and realized A. being house poor isn't very appealing and B. I wasn't going to get my pretty picture house for the price we wanted to pay in our ideal neighborhood. It just wasn't going to happen. So I had to....compromise. It was hard but well worth it. I've learned to appreciate a house that has a good structure and has "potential." It's actually been a driving force to make me much more patient in the last two years. I guess God really is working thru everything, even our vain desires for a pretty house:)

Last weekend Lawton and I spent all day on Saturday landscaping. It's been a slow process getting some grass in the yard and reviving the plants we do have, but it's been worth it. It's not there yet, but it's getting there. We're definitely making progress.

This is what the house looked like when we moved in. Yes, that is Lawton's 87 year old grand mother doing my yard work. As you can see, zero grass, a lot of weeds and the shrubs were butchered. The house color was pretty bland too. And the wall...ugh.

Here is the progress. Half of the wall removed, Holly trees out, painted front door, new plants and revived old shrubs. Looking much better. The next item on our agenda will be to paint. Not the whole house, but details of it. Hope to get it done before baby comes in September!

Cousins.

Weslyn, Kobe and I made a trip to Raleigh last week and had a fantastic time with her cousins. Poor Lawton had to stay home to work, but we took lots of pictures for him so he could see what we were up to. Weslyn had the BEST time with her cousins. She warmed up to them very quickly and really enjoyed being with them every waking moment. Kobe enjoyed the attention too. Chesson and Anna Corbin took turns feeding him every day. He and Chesson also had some great male bonding time. I wish I had pictures of Chesson pretending to be Kobe and laying down with him. So cute! We were all pretty sad to leave, but we're looking forward to our next visit!

Going to a restaurant with three kids is easy...if two mommas are there to control the chaos!

These two princesses had so much fun dressing up and playing. Weslyn wore this dress everyday she was there. 

Lots of silly faces to send to Uncle Lawton/Daddy, Gigi and G daddy!

Finally some down time. It's a good thing these kids
enjoy the quiet time as much as Kobe.
 Notice him taking a snooze in the background. :)

Back to the dance party

Lots of dance parties!

All three in the Yukon. It's a good thing Corbin and Byerly have this car with their third child on the way. Plenty of room for all of them!

Can't wait for all of them to be reunited again! We've got to get ready to have two more added to the bunch:)

Baptism.

This was one of the happiest days of my life and also one of the most emotional. A year ago from Easter my sister gave her life to Christ. Almost exactly one year later, she made a proclamation thru baptism that Jesus is her Lord & Savior. My words were few. My heart was grateful. My faith was changed. Jesus changes people.

My sister did a video that she resisted to do for some time. Once she realized the reason for doing it, she was ready to go. Not without tears and heart break, but also with a new perspective and an open mind. She killed it. I know in my heart that her testimony changed someone's life. Her testimony was used to bring someone closer to Jesus. That's all that matters.

If you have some time, hear her story. It's pretty amazing. Be careful, it might change your life.

http://vimeo.com/62211549

I was sent this picture from our good friend, Matthew, who was filming. I've had butterflies in my stomach ever since. 

Pure joy.

Spring Is Here.

I've been counting down the days to Spring. I have had some serious issues with the cold weather and been yearning for the warm sun! Spring is so fun in Florida because...it's pretty much Summer. My friends and I have big plans to spend most of the warm days at the beach. I think this is our last week of cooler weather. Yay for Spring & Summer!

There's another reason I love Spring. This is a reason my friends tolerate and love me anyway. I love Spring cleaning. I do. I love cleaning stuff out, making new plans for the house and beautifying the yard. I have zero energy to do it during the winter, but once Spring rolls around I'm ready to put some gloves on and get to work. Luckily, my sweet daughter loves helping around the house and being outside. She pulls weeds better than any other person I know. She usually tries to pull all the other plants up with the weeds, but we're learning. We've already made our list and planned out our budget. Someone is a little too excited for home depot trips and adventures to the antique stores...any other HGTV/DIY nerds out there with me?

Spring also means spending a lot of time outside. Weslyn has such a great time outside, so I hope to be outdoors everyday, all day. The other day we spent the afternoon with my sweet friend, Heather and Weslyn's friend, Izzie. These two have almost as much fun together as their moms:)

Both of them love to be outside!

I think they're agreeing to be BFF. "Let's shake on it."

Oh, trying to get two toddlers to sit down and look at a camera is almost impossible. Okay, it is impossible. 

Alright warm weather, get here quick!

A Little R&R

We had a wonderful time in Atlanta and Cashiers this past week. Weslyn, Kobe and I went up to Atlanta so I could attend a church leadership conference at Northpoint. Lawton's cousin, Kim, was so sweet and let us stay with her. Not only did she let us stay there, but she kept Weslyn the ENTIRE time I was at the conference. I mean, this was sun up, sun down for two days. Oh, did I mention she has two children of her own she was also taking care of? This lady is a saint to me for sure. As nice and sweet as can be, she continued to tell me how happy she was to have Weslyn. Talk about feeling extremely blessed to have someone so wonderful take care of your child for two days.

Weslyn had a wonderful time with Kim and her boys. She was sad to leave and asked about them the next day. I'm so grateful to have people in my life who love my child and can take care of her for me. Kim, you're a life saver!

We dropped Kobe off with Lawton's Uncle Bryan. He's a big dog lover, so we new Kobe was going to be on a permanent vacation with Bryan. They had so much fun together and I'm pretty sure Kobe loves Bryan way more than he loves me. Something about those Graves men I guess!

While Weslyn & Kobe were having the time of their lives, I was having a pretty great time too. I learned so much at my conference and I can't wait to go back  next year.

After we left Atlanta, we headed up to Cashiers, NC for a little vacay with our friends. Lawton's grandparents were so nice to let us use their mountain house for our vacation. Let me tell you, this vacation was exactly what I needed and pictured it to be. Good times with old friends and lots of resting. Not to mention the 2 1/2 hour hike we did on Saturday. The two pregnant ladies (myself and my friend, Grace) stayed with the group though and finished the whole thing. Don't worry, we had lots of ice cream later that day to congratulate ourselves on the great accomplishment.

Weslyn had a wonderful time with everyone. It was great to see my friends getting to know her more. I want her to learn from them and love them as much as I do!

We made it back on Sunday and got back in the swing of things by Monday. It's great to be home, but I miss everyone already!

Being at Drive with our church staff was so much fun! Can't wait until next year!

Finding good seats was a challenge, but we were able to get close enough to the action.

Waumba Team! 

Finally in the mountains. We had one cold day, the rest were beautiful!

The two pregnant ladies on the ends made it to the top. Only took us 1.5 hrs...yikes!

This hike wasn't nearly as difficult, but poor Lawton carried a 25 lbs child on his back the whole time.  My hero!

Weslyn made new friends. Fell in love with Grace and Audrey real quick!

Audrey provided her with lots of entertainment. She was truly missed on the ride home.

Game night! Three hours of mexican train dominoes. Serious stuff.

The girls on Adrienne's birthday. We were full of cookie cake and ice cream!
 We had such a wonderful time! Can't wait until next time:)

A Growing Family.

That's right people, the Graves family is growing this year! In January we found out we'll be expecting a little one at beginning of September. I should just say, some time in September since Weslyn was 10 days late. I don't think a due date is something I rely on anymore to help me know when the baby is actually coming. We're pretty thrilled and glad to share it with the world. I've had two doctor's appointments that have brought me to tears, in a good way. Seeing and hearing a baby's heartbeat is absolutely miraculous.

Weslyn has no idea what is going on, but we're hopeful that she'll adjust well with the little babe, considering she really loves playing with her babies now. Rocking them, putting them down to go "night-night" and giving them a paci. I know she'll be a helpful big sister.

Here's to yet another hot summer being pregnant!

Baby to Toddler

It's true. Weslyn is definitely not a baby anymore. I mean, let's get one thing straight, she will ALWAYS be my baby, but she's certainly grown up in these last couple of months. It's really made me feel...old. When you no longer have a baby and you have a kid you're officially an adult. At least that's how I feel. I also feel like I'm officially a parent. Only because with this new toddler stage now comes, discipline. Oh goodness, of all the years I've studied child psychology and behaviors, never did anything prepare me for correcting my own child's behavior. It's been heart breaking at times, but those times have been worth it for my proud mama moments. It's an exhausting task but very, very necessary. I'm so happy the Lord guides us in this area because there are too many books to look thru that have completely opposite directives. I really can't complain though. All in all, she's a really great kid. A little fiesty (you won, mom) but still a really great kid.

I see Lawton and myself in her everyday. She loves the outdoors, being with her friends and being really, really silly We've had a great time experiencing her as a toddler. I'm so excited for what the next year will bring us with her.

At the library doing an art activity

She was very fascinated with the paint. I see many finger painting day
in our near future!

Our new Saturday ritual. Going to the park and walking around for...hours. Kobe and Weslyn. They just can't get enough of it. 

In the backyard enjoying a snack. This was one of those moments
that I had to capture. Nothing special about it, but I just hope I
remember it forever. 

Just so you know, I realize most of my blog posts are about the child.
Don't worry, Kobe is still around and still the best dog ever. 

Happy February everyone! Hope you all are having a great start to 2013.