Cheers to the Weekend, Natty Edition

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!! You guys!!!!!!!!!! My Clemson Tigers are the 2017 NATIONAL CHAMPIONS. We won the Natty!!!!!!!

And if you think I'm making this sound like a big deal, well, it IS a big deal. To us at least. I know it's just football. But also? It's the stories. 

It's the story of the head coach who was given a crazy shot eight years ago to take on a floundering program mid-season. The same coach who had been a small, walk-on college player at Alabama while having his own mom move in with him because she couldn't afford her own home. The same coach who places God above all else, lives his faith out loud, takes his team to chapel hours before the national championship game, and constantly reiterates that all the skill he, his staff, and his players have are 100% due to the glory of God.  

It's the story of the quarterback whose mom battled cancer, eventually having to have her tongue removed, and all during his college years. The same player who lost a heartbreaking national championship game one year ago, after having a solid lead until the 4th quarter. The same player who lost out on the Heisman twice. The same player who smiled and told his teammates, "Let's go be legendary," before marching his offense 68 yards down the field with two minutes left in the game. The same player who was awarded offensive MVP after winning the Natty. 

And also? It's the small, walk-on player who was told he wasn't big enough to play D1 college football yet turned down a scholarship to App State for a chance to play under Coach Swinney. The same player who was allowed to don a Clemson jersey as a walk-on, as a member of the scouting team, but who worked hard and eventually earned a scholarship and then, a place as a starter. The same player who caught the winning touchdown with 0:1 second left on the clock.

You see, it's not just a game to us. It's the stories of the coaches and players we love. And it's the fact that this has only happened for our team once before, in 1981. We die-hard Tiger fans have been rooting on our team since then but to no avail. Until Monday. Until January 9th. Until we traveled to Tampa and stood in that stadium and cheered our hearts out and held our breath, with teeth chattering as the wind whipped around us and the minutes ticked by. With nerves shot after being down the entire game. With baited breath as we watched our team come back, against the Goliath of football. And then, we watched our beloved Tigers score the winning touchdown with 0:1 second on the clock. And the crowd went WILD. Absolutely wild. We. Went. WILD.

I tried to take it in. The players dog-piling on the field. The coaches tackling one another in celebration. The orange and purple confetti flying. Tiger Rag blaring. The fans roaring. The tears and joy and excitement and relief and celebration EVERYWHERE. I'm not sure there was a dry Tiger eye in that stadium. It's what dreams are made of, and I will never take it for granted that I got to be there, in that moment, standing alongside my husband, my brother, and my best friends. I will never forget getting to be there, when our Clemson Tigers won the 2017 National Championship. It was one for the books. 

So. We are definitely saying cheers to that on this Friday! We are also trying to catch up on sleep ('cause when the game doesn't end until well after midnight and then you just have to go celebrate because we just won the Natty!!!!, well, it's awesome but also a great reminder that we grown-ups can't recover as quickly as we once could from so much celebrating and so little sleep). So, we say CHEERS to it being not only Friday but a long weekend. And we say CHEERS to...

Tampa fun. In addition to cheering on our Tigers, we made the most of our quick trip (arriving around 9:30 pm on Sunday and heading home around 9:30 am on Tuesday). My hub, brother, a friend, and I were lucky enough to have a free place to stay, thanks to a very kind and hospitable friend of my sister-in-law. Not only that, but our hostess lives in an apartment in the heart of downtown Tampa, making us easily accessible to the major championship hotels, which were just a short walk away. So, on Sunday night, we spent a little time on the town, brushing elbows with some ESPN big shots and and tons of Clemson fans, before heading home around midnight to get a little shut eye. 

The next morning, we were up and at 'em bright and early to take in the full experience of being at the Natty. ESPN puts on a huge, fun tailgate. So, after grabbing a quick (and quite frankly, delicious!!) lunch, and while waiting for my girls to arrive to the stadium, we were able to have plenty of fun taking in all the sites there (think Game Day filming, a huge stage with live music playing throughout the day, ending with a show by headliner Dierks Bentley, the Heisman House (where Heisman winners visited throughout the day), plenty of food and drink stations, ziplining, contests, games, etc.). 

The man on the left is Doug Flutie. He made my hub and brother's dreams come true by spending some time throwing the ol' pigskin around with them

We then met up with our peeps and continued the festivities until it was time to head into the stadium. 

And well, the rest is history. 

Snow day fun.  Last Saturday, we were anticipating 2-4 inches of snow. Well, imagine our surprise disappointment when we woke up to....nothing. Actually, there was a smidge of snow on our mulch. I was worried about how bummed the kids would be when they woke up to it. And then they looked out the window and were SO PUMPED. "Wow, Mom!!! Look at all the snow on the dirt!" I quickly realized they were in glass-half-full-mode and that I should follow suit. And then, it really did start snowing! And we ended up with...a small dusting. ;) BUT it was enough of a dusting for us to head to the golf course for lots of fun sledding. Honestly, I don't know that they would have had more fun if we actually had gotten all those anticipated inches. They had a blast, and so did we grown-ups. :)

Birthday party fun. Although Raleigh's birthday was on the January 5th, I scheduled her party for January 14th, way back in the beginning of December, with the hopes that we would be in Tampa the weekend right after her actual birthday. And well, we were! So, it turns out that was a good decision (priorities, people). ;) So. We will be closing out the celebration of our girl turning 5 at her party tomorrow, and I can't wait! And neither can she! More details on that next week. 

For now? I am off to close out this Friday and couch dive into the 3-day weekend, where we'll be trying to catch up on the last of our missing zzzzz's. Have a GREAT weekend, y'all! I hope you, too, are able to kick back, relax, and enjoy the downtime.  

 

And one more time, I'll say loud and proud, GO TIGERS!!!!!

 

Raleigh Turns Five

With the return to school and routine and Raleigh's birthday and her impending party and preparing to head to Tampa for the Natty (Go Tigers!) and LifeGroup and starting a new online devotional and adoption fundraising baking and a potentially scary trip to urgent care and well, LIFE, things have been a smidge busy this week. But to me? Birthdays are a BIG deal. So we put all the craziness aside to focus on our girl for the day, making sure she felt so special and celebrating the fact that she turned one whole hand! 

And because this lil' internet space is also my online family scrapbook, I wanted to make sure I documented what we did on Raleigh's actual birthday (with more 5-year-old fun coming next Saturday when we celebrate with her party!). So. Here's how we celebrated our 5-year-old Raleigh Jane on her golden birthday (turning 5 on the 5th): 

As always, Rals woke up to decorations on her door before heading downstairs to see her gifts from us. Because she is currently gymnastics obsessed, we got her a mat and beam (thank you, IKEA!) and a new custom leotard (more on that soon!). We also got her and her American Girl doll matching outfits (knowing I'd be surprising her with a special lunch that day) as well as a teacup to add to the eclectic collection I started for her on her second birthday (so that she will have a full, fun, whimsical set by the time she leaves our nest) :

Then, she was whisked away by her Daddy for their special birthday breakfast, which has become a tradition. Her choice? Dunkin Donuts. Which was perfect because she was able to then take donut holes to school to celebrate the big 0-5 with her sweet friends. 

Next, I picked her up from school and we headed straight to lunch at the American Girl Cafe. We did the same thing two years ago, and y'all, good Lord is it precious. They have highchairs and cups and plates for the dolls, adorable hair ties used as napkin rings (that of course, you get to take home!), a fun questions game at the table, and really yummy food!

After we ate, my girl was able to shop 'til she dropped, as one  of her aunts/uncles and one set of grandparents gifted her with gift cards to the American Girl Store. It was so fun seeing what she chose after perusing the whole store (a new kitty with leash, collar, and bed so that she/her doll, Riley, could take good care of it at home as well as a cell phone for her doll). :) 

We then headed home where she was spoiled with gifts from her aunts/uncles and other set of grandparents. We spent a couple of hours playing with her new toys...

....before enjoying her dinner request, pancakes and sprinkles! She then blew out the candles on her momma-made cake after being serenaded, of course! We ended the day by watching a movie as a family...her choice, Mulan. Then, we tucked in our 5-year-old and called it day. 

In her words, it was the "best day ever," so we will count that as a win as we anticipate her birthday party next weekend. Yes, we are in birthday overload over here and loving it! But for now? Momma needs a nap! ;) Happy 5th Birthday, Raleigh Jane. We hope you felt as special as you are, baby girl.

Five

You know that ray of sunshine that peeks down through the clouds

Once the storms have passed and the thunder settled down? 

You know the middle of the brownie, between the crispy sides

That ooey gooey meltiness you taste with that first bite?

You know the exaltation you feel when June's arrived

No books nor work nor bedtimes because it's summertime?

You know the fresh smell of a newborn just after being bathed

All clean and dry and cozy, those snuggles that you crave?

You are all of those and more, my dear, 

the yellow to my gray, 

the best life has to offer

the sweet part of my day. 

My lovely Raleigh Jane, you are the spice of life, and I don't know what in the world we ever did without you. Happy 5th Birthday to you, my best pal. 

With All My Heart, 

Momma

 

Highlights from 2016

Wow. It is absolutely NUTS to know that 2016 is coming to an end. Without a doubt this was the fastest year of my life. I seriously cannot get over the fact that 12 whole months have come and gone. But. We managed to fill those months with plenty of love and laughter and memories. As per tradition with my lil' ol' blog space, here are some of our highlights from 2016: 

JANUARY 

January was a BIG and busy month for our little fam! My hub and I headed to Arizona with family and best friends to cheer on our Tigers in the National Championship game. We may have lost but we had a ball (and hopefully, we'll be doing the same in Tampa next weekend #fingerscrossed). Banks also started his first season of basketball, and we had a big ol' snow, which was so fun! Most importantly, we celebrated our girl turning the big 0-4 with a Rainbow Arty Party. <3

FEBRUARY 

In February, we cheered on our Panthers in the Super Bowl, Daddy took Raleigh to their second Daddy-Daughter Dance, and we rooted for Daddy during his big F3 race.  

MARCH

March started off all fancy as my hub and I attended the Greenway Gala and had so much fun with great friends! Daddy took Banks and Raleigh camping, we celebrated Easter, and I took kids to Charleston for a few days over Spring Break.

APRIL

April included a getaway for my hub and me down to Isle of Palms, along with some of our dear friends. When we got back, Banks lost his first tooth! And of course, we loved celebrating our baby boy turning 2 in April by taking him to Riverbanks Zoo. 

MAY

We loooooved May! May was the conclusion of school (Banks finished kindergarten; Raleigh finished the 3s preschool class) as well as the end of Banks' flag football and Raleigh's dance year. We also celebrated Daddy's 36th birthday and headed to Daufuskie Island with some of our best friends to kick off the summer.

JUNE

We dove head first into summer with lots of pool days, football and VBS camps, and our annual Lu family trip to Edisto. An absolute blast!

JULY 

July meant more lazy days and pool days and our second big beach trip with the BLOMPS side of the family!

AUGUST

Before we bid adieu to summer, I took my trio down to Panthers training camp with dear friends and we had fun at a neighborhood back-to-school party. And just like that, summer came to an end as Banks began 1st grade and Raleigh and Harrison met their new teachers. 

SEPTEMBER

September was Raleigh and Harrison's turn to go back to school, for Raleigh's last year of preschool and Harrison's first! My hub and I headed to Auburn for the Clemson/Auburn game before taking our trio to the first home game later in the month. Additionally, Raleigh started a new activity (gymnastics!) and Banks began his third season of flag football. The month ended as we celebrated Banks turning 7 by inviting two of his best buds to join us for a Clemson game. Fun for all!

OCTOBER 

October meant field trips for the littlest Lus, our annual trip the Fall Frolic, more camping with Daddy for the biggest Lus, and all things Halloween!

NOVEMBER 

November was another full and fabulous month. We voted, continued to cheer on our Tigers, co-hosted our first annual Friendsgiving, and feasted with family.

DECEMBER  

And finally, December. A whirlwind of a month but by far my favorite of the year, with all things Christmas (and my 36th birthday thrown in there somewhere amongst it all). :)

The biggest highlight of our year, though, was making our decision to adopt. We were offically approved to adopt on April 29, 2016, and completed the process (i.e., had our completed dossier "logged in" in China) on October 18, 2016. Over the course of the year, we have been fundraising via my cookie baking efforts (#docmommabakes ;) and through several generous and thoughtful supports from our dear friends (Tupperware and jewelry parties; professional photo session revenues; custom-designed bracelets, to name a few). And now, we await news that we have been matched with our daughter. While we absolutely ache to have her with us already, we continue to make memories as a family and prepare our hearts and home for our new addition. We hope and pray, with all we have, that our second daughter will join us sometime in 2017. In our waiting, we continue to covet your love, support, and prayers. We know God has already chosen her. 

Thank you, God, for a full, faith-filled, joyful 2016. We cannot WAIT to see what 2017 has in store for our Lu Crew. <3

Happy New Year, friends! May this be your best year yet!