Perfectly Imperfect Mom

If you are just reading The Story of Our Girls you might want to go HERE to catch up.

When we got the ball rolling on our adoption we couldn't wait to find out what our newest little one would be. Since our friend was so far along she decided to find out what she was having so we could start naming our two little ones. When I found out I was pregnant I didn't have a strong feeling I was having a girl but for some reason when we decided to adopt I knew they would both be girls. It was a huge feeling I had. With Ace I never once doubted he was a boy. I just knew from the day I found out so I felt strongly we were having two girls this time around. The day of Ashlyn's ultrasound I was on pins and needles all day. We don't live in the same state as our friend and it's a 3 hour time difference so the day of the ultrasound felt like the longest day ever. She wasn't even out of her appointment when she text me "Are you ready to find out what the baby is?" I text back "YES!!!" And it felt like those minutes between texts were hours. "It's a…" "GIRL!" I started crying and told Branden "We are having a girl!!!" I can't really remember anything after that because I was so excited to know what this little one was. It made me feel even closer to her. We still wanted to wait to name her because I had two girl names I wanted to use but if only one baby was a girl she would get both names. Everly Ashlyn was my original girl name from when I was pregnant with Ace. By the way I screamed when Channing Tatum named his daughter Everly because I knew it would become popular haha. Anyway we were going in for our NT scan and I had made sure to schedule it closer to 14 weeks just in case our friend who does my ultrasounds could tell what we were having. She was able to tell with Ace but wouldn't give us a definite answer for our gender reveal party because it was too early but she was right so I figured it was worth a shot this time. We asked her if she could give us an idea of what she thought. I was looking at the ultrasound and thought I knew but she was nervous in telling me. "I don't want to tell you if your heart is set on one or the other." She knew we had a son and that we were probably hoping for a girl. So I told her "I promise we won't be upset because we are actually already expecting a girl!" We told her about our adoption plan and she said ok and told us she will not say 100% but that she is 80% sure this baby looked like a girl but for us not to tell anyone or get our hopes up. She told me to come in in two weeks for a follow up one to confirm and we did just that. We had my sister, sister-in-law, cousins, Branden and Ace there to find out we were going to be having another girl! This meant that our first little girl would be Ashlyn and our second would be Everly! There is another reason each girl got the name they got. I wanted Ashlyn to have the middle name Lauren because it is from her biological family and since my sisters name is Ashley Lauren I really wanted Ashlyn for her. I also wanted her to not have the only E name and none family-ish first name. I also wanted Everly for our last baby because it reminded me of my name. It wasn't a popular name, it was a bit more uncommon and she would get my middle name since she would also be born in March. Both girls got another middle name after each of mine and Branden's Moms. facebook ♥ instagram ♥ twitter ♥ pinterest ♥ bloglovin

September 29, 2015 No comments

This past weekend my best friend and her family stayed with us for a night. It was so fun for the kids to get together, for us to have some girl time and the guys to be able to go watch sports together. The only rough part was Ace was overly emotional. It was not like him. I think he might be acting this way because I am back at work. Last week was really busy for me and I am betting he needs some Mommy time.

That is the struggle with going back to work. You have to find a way to work and make time for each of your child and your husband. I can definitely seeing it affecting Ashlyn and Ace. Ashlyn is hysterical if I put her to bed because she doesn't want me to leave her. Everly, even though she is the most dramatic with most things, is also the most laid back. But I will say I do not regret going back to work. I really love my job. I have only had one little crisis and it wasn't anything to make me not like it. In fact in that moment I saw how great everyone was to help me out.

I also love that I get to work with one of my closest friends, Erin. I took over her old job so she has been my largest support at work. It's funny how you can see so many sides to a person when you are around them in different areas of their life. She is such a hard worker and always willing to help me. She has never made me feel bad if I am totally lost and can not figure something out. She seriously is a rock star.

I also love everyone else I work with. We work in guidance so everyone there is really sweet and funny. Shout out to DeeDee, Barbara, Joann, Anna and Daphne who are totally the Moms looking out for everyone and always so sweet and encouraging. I am so fortunate, I really am. Another cool perk is I get to work with two other ladies I have know forever. My best friend Josh's Mom and a family friend Tina. She has been a part of my family since before I was born because her and my oldest cousin grew up together so she is like a cousin to me. I never get to see her though because we work on opposite sides of the building but I do love that I get to talk to her if I take a little walk around. Julie, Josh's Mom is a comedian. She cracks me up. It's like having a little piece of him there too because they are both so sarcastic and funny.

People always ask me what it's like working with highschoolers' and honestly I love it. The kids who come to see me want information on college and scholarships so they aren't coming into my office with a negative tone. They genuinely want the help and I love being able to be there for them. There has definitely been a couple of students that have made my job even better by coming back to me and telling me they applied to college or ask me to proof read a scholarship essay. I love that they feel they can come back to me and ask for help or tell me what they are doing. It's very rewarding.

So even though two of my little ones are still adjusting to me going back to work I don't plan on changing that. I just have to work harder at finding one on one time with them and hopefully they will get used to it and be ok. I think being a working Mom is important just like I think being a stay at home Mom was important. They each hold their own pluses and minuses but overall I am glad I am working and Branden is able to be home with the kids. Link up Rules
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September 27, 2015 No comments

September 25, 2015 No comments

It's Wednesday which means we are getting closer to Friday which means I get to see my bestie!! We typically see each other about every month or every other month and it's like getting a breath of fresh air when I see her.

Today I had the day off of work and Branden and I decided we had to clean up the front yard. We actually got a notice from our HOA because one of the plants was too high. We were kind of in limbo with what we wanted to do with the front so this was the perfect time to get things started.

The previous owners had kept everything up so nicely and there was a lot of trees and plants but having three little ones meant less time to spend on the lawn. We knew we needed to do something to make it more manageable for us. We got the kids ready in some scrubby clothes and we all headed outside to work on the front. The kids mostly play with sidewalk chalk but they got really excited when we let them put gloves on and help.

After we were done the kids and I went in the pool to cool off. It was so perfect out today. I loved having a little mini break in the middle of the week since the day before I barely saw anyone since I had to go back to work at night for an event and the girls were going to bed when I got home.

I will post an after shot of the yard once we finish it but for now you can see everything cut down and it looks so bare! We have really nice palm trees in the front so they will really stand out now!
On another exciting note we have a winner for the Excel Skincare $30 Gift Card! Joan K. you are the winner! Please check your email for details on how to claim your prize. Here is a special note for the awesome people at Excel Skincare…

Thank you to everybody who entered the giveaway. Even though there was only one winner we previously mentioned believing everyone should be a winner and that we would be back following the giveaway. Here we are, you previously entered the giveaway, now here is your opportunity to get those products at a discount price with this limited time sale with free shipping included as well. Enter discount codes of 30% off for the entire order and free shipping appropriately for Amazon and Etsy orders. Thank you kindly once again.

Amazon

30% off enter 8AWMX5Z9

Free shipping enter KOWRTZLT

Etsy

30% off enter AEQPOJG

Free shipping enter XAOPMKHG

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September 23, 2015 No comments

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