I am...

I am...

• Adjusting to life in a small town. Coming from Atlanta, Fort Mill is slightly smaller. This means there is no longer a Starbucks on every corner. This means I have to drive more than 2 miles to get to the grocery store. BUT this also means that there is this soothing, peaceful calm that welcomes us on our back porch each evening. This means that everyone, and I mean everyone, waves as they drive by my children and I as we go on our afternoon walks around the neighborhood. This means that I am forced to slow down and enjoy the small things, which just so happen to be the big things when I step back and get some perspective. 
• Absolutely, head over heels, in L.O.V.E. with my new job as a stay-at-home momma. Oh, there are some trying moments for sure, and I am more physically exhausted by the end of the day. But even my hardest day is better than my best day was as a working momma. Because I get to be with my babies and see the world through their eyes. So, tiring? Yep. Rewarding and an absolute dream come true? You betcha. And I hope anyone and everyone who reads this knows that again, I feel very, very, very lucky to get to have this job at this point in my life. The blessing does not go unnoticed, and there have been grateful tears to my hub more than once a week so far. 
• In complete disbelief that my little buddy is turning 3 this week. Say wha?!? Y'all? I swear I was just being wheeled into the OR for his delivery after my body opted not to proceed with labor after a looooong day of progress, that later stalled, that I was later quite grateful for, after he was born and weighed 9 pounds, 15 ounces and was 23 inches long. Thank you body. But I digress. Y'all? My little buddy is turning 3 this week. Which means in 3 more years he'll be in kindergarten. Which means 3 years after that he'll (hopefully!) be a fluent reader and, likely, having to re-teach me those elementary school math tricks. Which means 3 years after that he'll be a TEENAGER. Which means 3 years after that he'll be driving. Which means 3 years after that he'll be in college. Which means SLOW DOWN time because I am not ready for him to leave home yet! We still have footballs to throw, basketballs to shoot, and bugs to collect.
• Feeling so, so blessed that I am the lucky one who was chosen to be Raleigh's momma. She makes me want to be a better woman, every single day, just to make her proud. Her two-teethed grin and genuine belly laugh make my heart soar. Seeing her crawl with all she's got, often to keep up with her big brother, tells me that she is a determined little soul, one who does not let anything get in her way. She likes to sit back and take things in but then will dive in head first when she is ready. But also? She is going through quite a bout of separation/stranger anxiety right now. This means she is only happy when her momma is within her sights (or, in contrast, when her momma is out of her line of vision and thus momentarily forgotten). I don't mind though. I just soak up these extra snuggles from my girl. Because one day, when she is a teenager, I have a feeling she won't be as welcoming to her momma.
• Thankful, blessed, grateful, in awe of true and genuine friendships. Some (the best!) take the form of sisters. Others (the other best!) take the form of women I have known for over 10 years--those who love me, love my hub, love my babies, support us, support my life. Lift me up. Let me fall. Pick me up. Share their lives with me--what a privilege to know them. To love them and their hubs and their babies. They know who they are. They make life, well, full. And fun. And fantastic. 
• In love, love, love with my hub. That is all.
• So excited that Fall is upon us. If not for the leaves changing, bite in the air, smell of autumn, arrival of college football, time for hearty soups for dinner and hot coffee accompanying breakfast (okay, who am I kidding? Coffee is a must for every season, every month, every day), at least for the arrival of Pumpkin Spice Lattes. 
• Admittedly, tired. We are still unpacking, still making lists of things we need for our new home, still figuring out my daily cleaning schedule (since the house cleaner was left behind, along with my job, in Atlanta), still trying to learn how to cook (hopeless), still in the midst of final party preparations for this weekend's birthday bash, still recovering from a very fun weekend full of family, and still learning how to be the best stay-at-home momma I can be. It is the best kind of tired, though.
• Still so happy that all three of my biological siblings were in town, at our new house, at the same time, over the weekend. After a day spent wedding dress shopping for my baby sister (!), my sibs, their spouses/fiances, my niece, my hub, my babies, and I were able to kick back, relax, and enjoy a little football, family, and fun. And adult beverages. Perfection.
• Tired. Did I mention that? Time for bed...