Love this little girl

I realize I'm extra sappy and a bit more hormotional than usual, but I have been thinking a lot about how the 24/5-Ava and mommy- one on one time is coming to an end. Did that make sense?
I enjoy our time together as a family of three on the weekends. But I really enjoy the one on one time with just she and I when Aaron is at work. It's so fun to have girls days with her now that she's older.
So far, I am loving the 3's. We can joke around, have conversations, get pedicures even, and she is at the age where I'm still her lifeline and number one best friend!
(one day before church)



Each morning we snuggle and watch cartoons before we start our day. And maybe because I'm still a big kid myself we always do a little something fun while taking care of "life" at the same time. I'm so, so blessed to have this life, work from home, and my little girl is just such a joy!
As excited as I am for her upcoming year(s), it makes me sad to know that soon she will be in school 2.5 days a week, and she will have to share my attention with the baby. And with that I think about how this is just the beginning. I think about how in just the blink of an eye she will be in school and will spend more time with her teacher than with her mommy. Tear!!
It's thoughts like these that help me (when I'm not overly emotional and depressed about it) remember to not take this time for granted and to cherish it all.
I've been without my machines the past month (thanks to a great assistant!!) since we were moving and now that we are all settled and I can breathe again, I'm ready to get back to work. But I have definitely enjoyed the extra time & the fun things Ava and I have done while I've been "unemployed". On Thursday we started our day at a new park. The weather was 75 and perfect!



We played tag until I was barely breathing and then I asked her to climb this {little} 7 ft rock wall. Her reply? "Mom you're ridic-uh-less. I'm very too little." ha!!
She says the funniest things!
After the park we went to our local animal shelter as I was on a mission to adopt a long haired dachshund that had been posted on Facebook. We got there and it was adopted the previous day. We decided to take a look at the other dogs and cats to see if we needed any. Y'all! That place is sad. It was my first time visiting and to think all those pets were abandoned and possibly about to be euthanized broke my heart. But Ava? She was in heaven! She loved all the animals. Especially the cats!!




She would get close to their cage and say "Hi sweetie." I love her heart. I love this next picture because you can tell she's deep in conversation with these cats...



We didn't leave with a pet on this day but we will be back to see if we can find a potential match for our family. I really want a smaller dog thats already potty trained. After this we headed to the movies to see Rio. It was a cute movie about Ava's favorite bird; the blue Macaw.



She loves the movies! She also loves the popcorn! Not real sure which she loves more but she is a good little movie buddy. She wants to see Kung Fu Panda 2 but first we must see the first Panda movie!
All in all we both had the best day. I love my girl and I enjoy our special time together!

17 weeks

(ignore the blue tape. painter is coming tomorrow)

Pregnancy Highlights:

How many weeks: 17

Size of baby: The size of an turnip

Total weight gain: 5 pounds

Maternity Clothes: Mostly maternity pants and some shirts. Regular dresses and stretchy clothing.

Gender: It's a BOY! His name is Judd. We are still so pleasantly surprised.

Movement: I felt the baby move twice so far. Found out I have an anterior placenta which means I won't be able to feel real solid movements until around 18-20 weeks. Poop:(

Sleep: I am up to use the bathroom about 3 times a night and have insomnia but the dreams have gotten WEIRD this week. And scary. I HATE dreams where they involve Ava being hurt!!

What I miss: Sleeping on my stomach.

Cravings: Baked potatoes, peaches, salads, and ice cream. Also craving tortillas and queso. And today I have been craving a burger SO BAD! Hungry much? Ha!

Symptoms: Having lots of headaches but found out today that it's because I'm not drinking enough water. I STINK at drinking liquids. Also pretty tired lately. Need to get my iron checked I'm afraid:(

Best moment this week: Wouldn't this mean the best moment last week? Anyhow, best moment LAST week was finding out the baby's gender.

My new work room!!

I finally worked on the sewing room this weekend!! We started Saturday morning with a trip to Ikea. Wow! That place is just incredible. I'd never been and I was actually a tad overwhelmed as they didn't have a craft room showroom set up so I was picking a choosing and crossing out pieces written down and rewriting others and it was just a bit nerve wracking trying to envision all of the furniture in my room and setting it up in such a way that was as functional (AND CUTE) as possible! 

And folks, I was more than pleased with all the pieces I picked and how it all came together. 

HERE IT IS! The SheShe Made work room.

Aaron's brother was painting while we were getting the furniture. When we got back home my brother came over to help assemble the furniture. We worked until 10:30 and this was the final outcome. I'm missing most of my inventory, all of my TONS of ribbon (which I still don't know where to put by the way) and my big embroidery machine. I will get those back this week and THEN I will be ready to rock in roll.   

To the left is where I will hold completed orders and do all the shipping. I will put a printer on top of that bin holder (as soon as I make some money to get that printer, ha!) The red shelves will mostly hold baskets of supplies, unless I can think of something better and more functional. 

This cube shelving will hold the inventory and my embroidery materials needed such as stabilizers and fabric scraps. 

This nifty little red shelf will hold my fabric. I can't wait to sort all of those fabrics by color!! Isn't that a fun shelf? You can also turn it horizontally and hang it on the wall. And even better, it was only $39! 

This other shelf holds small items. I will put some sort of glass jars in most of the compartments and hold various nick knacks. Any other ideas? 

Here is the sewing/embroidery area. I got a small flat screen TV because I am always out of the loop as far as TV goes. I promise it won;t slow me down though! The metal bars will hold my embroidery frames and scissors/etc.  And I'm pretty excited about that stool bc I've always just stood at the machine and my pregnant self can't stand 8 hours a day for much longer! 

My project this week involves making two valances for the windows in here and adding the rest of my inventory and then I will be all set up. 

I'm so happy about this cheery room and the colors are sure to keep a smile on my face every minute that I am working:) I just know it!! 

If you think of anything else I need to add or have a cute idea for storage I'd love to hear! 

It's a BOY!!!!

I am still in shock.
Our family dynamics have changed today.
And we could NOT be more thrilled to share that we will be parents of a bouncing baby BOY!!!

He was a bit shy, but looked oh so sweet! I am so in love with him my heart could burst.

And his name....

Most people expected his name to start with an A. Well we really weren't crazy about any names that began with A for boys, so we decided to go with Judd; our very first boy pick when we were pregnant with Ava. I was stuck on the fact that he would be outnumbered in the A initial department, so here is what we "shook" on back in February...

If it is a girl, we are naming her Anniston Lake and we will have no more.

If it is a boy, we are naming him Judd Richard and we will have ONE more and name that child a name beginning with something other than an A so Judd isn't left out.

Sounds so silly, but I really want 3 kids so it works out perfectly. And Aaron is not the kind of man who just HAD to have a boy so he was happy with that plan.

So THAT, my friends, is how we came up with his name. Nothing fancy. Just a name we both love. I don't even know what it means yet. I should look it up, huh?

His middle name is from his grandfather, Aaron's daddy. His first name is Richard. Ava has my mom's middle name and Judd will have have Aaron's dad's name. We are so thankful for our parents and it is the least we can do to honor them and continue to carry their names.

As for little miss Ava...she is THRILLED! All along she has said I was having a girl but that she really wants a "bruvver". So when we showed her the baby on the big screen and told her it was her brother she said "Ahhhh so cute little boy."

She is going to be the BEST big sister to a little boy.

And as far as SheShe Made boy's line is going.....you can expect to see LOTS of baby boy gowns, JonJon's, and matching brother/sister sets in the future. My head AND heart are exploding with the ideas!

16 Weeks Pregnant

Today I am 16 weeks pregnant with baby #2. I have yet to do a pregnancy post and so I think it's about time!

Pregnancy Highlights:

How many weeks: 16

Size of baby: The size of an avacado

Total weight gain: 4 pounds

Maternity Clothes: Mostly maternity pants and some shirts. Regular dresses and stretchy clothing.

Gender: Find out this afternoon so STAY TUNED! My guess has been girl all along. In fact, all three of us say girl. So if it's a boy we will be so surprised. And thrilled either way!

Movement: I felt the baby move once last week and then again today. Little baby flutters that make me second guess what I'm feeling so I'm still anxious to feel those "real" movements. Haha!

Sleep: I am up to use the bathroom about 3 times a night and have insomnia at 3 and 6am. It's so wild because normally I'm a narcoleptic and can sleep 14 hours in one stretch if left alone.

I don't have many crazy dreams. In fact, I rarely dream at all. Unusual for pregnancy I think!

What I miss: I'm not gonna lie, I miss a good glass of wine or a really cold beer on a hot evening. It's the hardest part about being pregnant this time of year I have discovered. But SO WORTH IT!

Cravings: Baked potatoes,peaches, and ice cream. I also am in love with Wendy's salads at the moment.

Symptoms: Not really any other than my super sonic strength nose. WHOA DUDE! I can smell anything a mile away.

Best moment this week: Ava kissing and hugging my belly. Now that I am showing she is all about loving on this baby. Such a sweet girl!

I'll be back on later to reveal the baby's gender.



16 weeks

Today I'm 16 weeks and this is the best picture I have. I intended to get dressed decently and show my face but the Direct TV guys were at my house from 10:30-4:30 today. Cuh-razy!
Will post pregnancy highlights in a later post tonight:)



And here's a sweet picture of Ava just for fun.

While I was away...

It has been SO SO crazy for us since Ava's birthday. Life has gone full speed and I can't believe it's almost June. Let me catch you up to speed on our crazy life...

Well, there is really only one big thing. We moved! That was a whirlwind of a deal too. We got an offer on our house around April 10th and moved out on May 6th. 

We had been praying so hard to sell our house as we had just simply grown out of it. We seriously knew it would be a long shot to sell it due to the economy and because we weren't willing to lose money on the sale. Well, God sure blessed us. And the selling process was painless. We closed within an hour on both houses and moved into a newly constructed house in a great neighborhood!

Here is our new home...

Here are a few pics from the inside after we finished 99% of the decorating. 

downstairs bathroom

eating nook and living room

kitchen

living room

master bedroom (I fixed that bed skirt after snapping the pic)

upstairs (Ava's favorite)

loft/playroom

upstairs bath

I still need to finish Ava's room and the master bathroom, along with add a few finishing touches to the formal dining room and then do baby's room. Oh! And I haven't even touvhed my office/sewing room. Hoping for tht to be done this weekend! I'll share those in the next few days. Well, minus the baby's room! That comes in a few more weeks:) 

We've had a few ups and downs since moving in a week ago, but for the most part (and by most I mean 95% of the part) we are loving it!!!! Our neighborhood is just great, we live directly in front of the park, and we just love all the extra space. We are blessed.