Memorial Day Weekend Recap

Long weekends are the best and become even more amazing after you have kids and you realize that your help (aka daddy) will be around for one more glorious day... and all the momma's say AMEN! We managed to squeeze a ton into this holiday weekend and I slept for a total of about 10 hours and it was great!

Friday night Austin's work had a block party with food trucks and a big bounce house. The burgers were amazing and we had a blast hanging out with all of his co-workers. We headed home for an early night after that because we had a busy weekend ahead of us. Saturday we headed to a wedding in Peachtree City to celebrate our sweet Karpiak. Out of our little nursing school friend tribe she is the final marriage and these weddings are always a sweet reunion. Nobody knows you quite in the same way your nursing school friends do! The wedding was gorgeous, she was a perfect bride, and I loved getting to catch up with these beautiful girls! 

We didn't get home and in bed until around midnight Saturday night then I was up at 5am for work on Sunday... not my wisest choice haha! I had it so set in my mind that I would get called off of work and didn't take into account that women still like to have babies on holiday weekends! It ended up being a great day at work and went by fast. Came home to our friends/cousins in from out of town to be with us and a bunch of family at our house. Jace had spent the night with my parents on Saturday night since we got home so late from the wedding. She sent me a few pictures and I couldn't get over how old he looked in these pictures... sweet boy! 

Saturday night we ended up staying up until 2am talking to Lauren and Nathan... who am I?! Lauren is Austin's cousin and Nathan is her husband and we love having them as friends that are also family. Monday morning the boys went and played basketball while Lauren and I talked and drank entirely too much coffee. Lauren is an avid reader and I love talking about life, Jesus, home decor and books with her! That afternoon the rest of Austin's family came over to grill out and play games. The family is super into badminton right now so a lot of that was played. Also my friend Amy and her husband Max introduced us to Jackbox games on the Xbox and if you have an Xbox just go ahead and trust me and GO BUY IT! We had so much fun with these games all weekend long!. 

I think we totally wore Jace out with all of our shenanigans because he has slept in late every day this week and been taking super long naps. He's got about 4 teeth coming through right now, two of which are molars. Thankfully the only time he's fussy is when in a big group and anyone but mom or dad try to hold him. I am hoping he will start going to our friends more often but also enjoying the extra love because I know the days are numbered that he will just want mama or dada to hold him. He also sleeps A LOT when teething so I really can't complain. 

It was a wonderful weekend and made me thankful for all the men and women that have laid down their lives for this country. They are the ones who have made it possible for us to have the freedom that we do. I am so thankful for this life that Jesus has blessed us with and our amazing family that are our best friends. Here's to the beginning of a beautiful Summer!

-Gemma 

Five On Friday

Hello Friends!

Happy Friday and for many of you happy end of the school year! Sharing a few of my current favorite loves with you as we head into Memorial Day weekend. We have a wedding to go to Saturday night, I work all day Sunday, then grilling out with family and friends Monday! Should be a wonderful weekend to kick off the summer! What do you have planned? Hope you enjoy!

one. This magnolia wreath! I have been drooling over the magnolia wreath from Fixer Upper since the show first began and could never stomach the $95 price. The other day I found this little cutie at Kirklands for $30! It's no Jojo but definitely does the trick! I love it!

two. This book! The Broken Way by Ann Voskamp. I read her book 1,000 gifts a few years ago and it changed my life. I loved it so much I gave it to all of my bridesmaids on my wedding day. I have been pretty hesitant to read this book because I was afraid I would be disappointed after 1,000 gifts... but it did not disappoint! This lady continues to be one of my favorite authors!

three. These bralettes! To be perfectly honest here, I hate bras! They are so uncomfortable and I think one of the worst parts about being a woman. Enter the bralette! These babies are SO comfy and pretty and the ones at Dress Up fit amazing and are usually around $10-$12 each! Can't beat that! And the best part is they are all so pretty so if your strap pokes out from your tank top because it is crazy hot here in Georgia it looks like it was intentional! Win win! 

four. My new hammock! I don't have a link for this one because it was a birthday gift from Austin's parents but I think it is from wayfair! Such a thoughtful gift and something I probably wouldn't buy for myself but absolutely love it! I've spent a good amount of time out there reading and watching the birds already and it feels like a little mini vacation when I'm out there. 

five. These tan towels! Almost 3 years ago I was diagnosed with malignant melanoma and had to have it surgically removed and my lymph nodes tested. In a nutshell... my time in the sun has to be limited. In order to fake that sun kissed glow my favorite sunless tanner I've found are these tan towels. You just wipe them all over your body and it ends up looking very even and natural! I love them! 

                                          

Hope your weekend is full of joy and is the start to a beautiful summer!

I'm linking up with Carolina Charm for Five On Friday!

Gemma

Life Lately

We are in full blown SUMMER mode around here and so excited for all the warmer weather has to offer. Bring on the pool days, playdates, baseball games, grilled food and ice cream! Kids make everything so much more fun and really make me look forward to each and every season that much more. Now that the month long celebration of Jace's birthday, our anniversary, my mom's birthday, my birthday and Mother's Day are over we are enjoying a slower pace. I have found that in order to truly soak up these days it is important to be Intentional with our time. To have a healthy balance between taking it easy and actually making plans to do fun things. We are working on a Summer Bucket List and would love any and all ideas that are on your Summer Bucket List! Here are some pictures of a few of our favorite things we have been doing lately!

Jace has had a bit of a pillow obsession lately and loves to go get pillows and lay his head down! It is just the cutest thing!

This cutie doesn't love hats so we are working on getting him used to his pool hats!

 We love going for walks!

I sure do love when this boy comes to visit at work!

                 
We love visiting da-da at work too!

My in-laws got me a hammock for our backyard for my birthday and I LOVE it! Such a good gift and one that I've already gotten a ton of use out of!

We have taken Jace to 2 Braves game this year! The new stadium is only about 25 minutes away from our house so it is a great activity to get us out of the house! Surprisingly enough he has loved the games and sits with us the whole time and is so entertained!

Jace loves playing outside in the mud!

We had a sleepover at Nana and Pop-pop's one night when Austin was out of town! 

Curious little cutie loves to look through Nana's cabinets!

Here are a few of our Summer ideas so far! Would love to hear your Summer plans for more ideas!

Summer Bucket List:

1. Atlanta Zoo

2. Atlanta Aquarium

3. Kayak date

4. Movie night in the park

5. Play in the sprinklers

6. Snowcones on the Marietta Square

I am loving these warmer days and can't wait for all the memories to be made this Summer!

27th Birthday Goals and My 2nd Mother's Day

This month is flying by and I can't believe we are nearing the end of May. May is always so busy with graduations, birthdays and lots of celebrations. My birthday (May 8th) always falls right around Mother's Day so this year we spent a solid week celebrating and I think I ate cake every night for a week. The actual day of my birthday Jace and I slept in until almost 10:30am which was the best present that little cutie could have given me! Later that morning my mom came over and we went shopping and out to lunch. That night my mother in law came over to surprise me to babysit Jace while Austin took me to a birthday dinner at our favorite local restaurant, Henry's. From there we headed to Austin's softball game which was fun because he plays with all of our friends so we had cake with them! It was a perfect day!

The rest of the week was full of celebrations as we celebrated my birthday with my family, then Austin's family, my best friend Stacy's daughter had her 2nd birthday party, helped host my friend Amy's baby shower, and a friend of ours had his 30th birthday party! Then that weekend was Mother's Day weekend so I got out of cooking dinner for a week straight! I have come to appreciate cooking more in the last year but it's definitely not my favorite duty. 

Another thing I love to do around my birthday is set some goals for the coming year. My mom and I use to go to lunch at Rafferty's every year and set out my goals and I love the freshness that it brings when going into a new year of life. I am so incredibly thankful for life and setting goals always keeps my perspective fresh and my eyes focused on what is truly important in life. I came up with 4 goals that I wanted to share and I'm sure will add to them as the year goes on!

27th Birthday Goals:

1. Give financially every month- I struggle a lot with materialism and contentment. One major way I have found to combat this feeling of never having enough is by giving. It completely re-directs your focus and brings so much more JOY than any material present I could buy myself. My prayer for Austin and I this year is that we would truly be led by the Lord to give and view our finances as a resource to further the Kingdom of God instead of clench it tightly like we are often tempted to do.

2. Keep a workout routine- starting Beach Body has been AMAZING for me. I have felt so good in my own skin and had more energy. Another way for me to walk in contentment is to care for my body so I feel good in my own skin and don't have to constantly worry about it. I want to keep that up this year. 

3. Read/listen to 2 books/month- I love to read and listen to audio books and it is so much more refreshing to me than watching tv. I already do this goal for the most part but want to stay more consistent in it this year. I think I could go for more than 2 books but want to keep my goals attainable. 

4. Visit a new place- not sure where this will be yet but I've definitely been bit by the travel bug and am ready to GO! 

Mother's Day was a wonderful relaxing day. We went to church in the morning and had lunch at Austin's parents house afterwards. Then Austin and I decided that a quiet night at home sounded amazing after such a busy week. We made a pallet on the living room floor and ordered pizza for a movie night. It was the BEST and one of those moments where your heart feels so full. I have always imagined being a mom and one of the things I have always dreamed about is movie nights with my kids. We watched the pixar movie Boss Baby and Austin and I loved it! Jace wasn't too interested but still sat with us and played while we watched. I didn't realize at the time but later did that last year on Mother's Day we ordered pizza and laid around also! I'm thinking this should be our Mother's Day tradition. 

I am SO excited about this summer and Austin and I started working on a Summer To-Do list this past week. Jace is at the age where he will enjoy all the pool days and Summer activities a lot more this year than last year. Last year was all about surviving the newborn stage and we still loved taking him to the beach and pool so I can't imagine how much more fun this year will be! I also have about 500 house projects I want to do! I CAN'T WAIT! 

Back to the Basics

People tell you that having kids complicates your life. In many ways that's very true... you need more luggage for vacations, there are more steps to getting out the door, and it definitely complicates your brain as you have way more to think about than you did before. But more than it's complicated my life, it's really simplified it. In some ways, kids are very simple. They need a lot of rest, food, play, and love. It brings you back to our very basic needs. There's such wonder and joy that children bring and I think a lot of that is because it brings you back to the basics. 

Children require you to slow down, spend more time outside, put your phone down, and re-discover the wonder of things that have become so ordinary. It requires you to release the tight-fisted grip of control we so desperately clench onto. When I look at Jace my heart feels literally FULL to the brim... like at any point it's going to just tip over and create a tidal wave. My heart is so content with these simple days. 

Wake up, eat, play, sleep, eat, play, sleep... it seems so mundane some days and there are days I really miss wandering the aisles of Home Goods leisurely. But I know that my heart is more at rest now. Crawling around in the dirt in the backyard instead of crawling through the crowds at the mall. There is such a simple joy to the little years that I feel like our generation is robbed of sometimes. Our mom's didn't have a constant influx of comparison making them feel less than worthy of motherhood. They simply lived and did what they thought was best without every single opinion cramming itself down their throats. I want to take it back for us young mom's. To remove ALL of the pressure, anxiety, comparison and expectations we place on ourselves and take back the simple joy of mothering littles. So go outside, play in the dirt, take a nap, put your phone down, eat some goldfish, read a good book and let your heart be at rest. These are the best days.