May is for Moms {An Interview With Myself}

This month I'm linking up with Amy for a 3 part interview in honor of Mother's Day. Being a mommy is the best ever so I couldn't resist.

An Interview With Myself

1. Before you ever even had children, how did you feel about being a mother?

Being a mother has been my dream for as long as I can remember. Growing up, when people would ask "what do you want to be when you grow up" the answer was always "a mom", without hesitation. Anybody who knew me before I had children knows that that is all I have ever wanted. 

2. Since becoming a mother, what is something that has happened that you never thought would?

The amount of times I've cried thinking about the future. I'm a naturally very emotional person so I was prepared to shed some tears at each big milestone, but I never imagined that seeing a teenage boy eating lunch with his mom would make me tear up. It's hard for me to imagine my little baby growing to be an 18 year old boy towering over me. 

3. Is being a mother less difficult, more difficult or exactly how difficult you imagined?

It is definitely more difficult than I imagined. I knew it wouldn't be all sunshine and roses, but I had no idea how emotionally and physically exhausting it could be. That's not to say that it's not wonderful, because it is the most wonderful, rewarding thing I have ever done.

4. What is your fondest memory of being a mother (so far)?

There are so many! Probably giving birth and the moments right after. Literally nothing compares to the feeling you get when you first meet your child face to face. 

5. If your children only learn one life lesson from you, what do you hope it is?
To know, love, and serve God in everything that they do. If they aren't sure what to do, make sure they're doing those things and they will be fine.

Check back next week for an interview with my Mom!

preparing for a little one- birth story

happy friday y'all!

today i'm linking up with Kaitlyn for her "preparing for a little one" mini series. this weeks topic is birth stories and whether or not you should have a birth plan.

you can read Owen's entire birth story here, it is long but beautiful.
that day was literally the best day of my life thus far. nothing compares to the high that comes with giving birth. i actually enjoyed it so much that i can't wait to experience it again with Baby 2. i'm not a huge fan of being pregnant but it is all worth it for that one day and of course the lifetime that comes after it.

as for having a birth plan, i would highly recommend it. not because you should have everything planned out and follow your plan to the T, because yeah... that didn't happen. birth plans are important because its nice to prepare and have some idea of how you hope your labor will go. it is also SO important to get on the same page with your spouse and doctor and anyone else who will be joining you in the delivery room.
i recommend using this template. it basically covers everything before during and after delivery.

if you have a little one link up your birth story too!

reality chic: boho chic

today i'm joining Samantha for reality chic.

i put together this look for a date night Beau and i had recently. the weather is warming up quite nicely so i was dying to wear a cool breezy outfit!

boho chic by womaninamansworld featuring leather handbags

Splendid shirt, $130 / Sleeveless vest, $74 / 7 For All Mankind short shorts, $155 / Sperry Top-Sider multi colored sandals, $95 / Jérôme Dreyfuss leather handbag, $650 / Sam Ubhi, $108  / R.J. Graziano yellow gold bracelet, $38

the total cost of the outfit i put together on Polyvore was a whopping $1,250! definitely more than i can afford, so i put together a very similar outfit for much cheaper.

^^props to my awesome hubby whom you can see taking my picture in my sunglasses :)

Forever 21 shirt $12/ Charlotte Russe vest (clearance) $4/ Forever 21 shorts $21/ Target sandals (clearance) $6/ Target cross body bag (clearance) $9/ boho necklace (gift) $0/ Forever 21 bangles $3/ H&M sunglasses $6/ earings (gift) $0

total: $61 

that's more like it- and i even added sunglasses!

what my loved one says about me

i'm linking up with Becky for "what my loved one says about me." after a lot less pleading than i thought it would take, Beau agreed to make his blogging debut and write a post listing 10-20 facts about me. i think he did pretty well!

so apparently all these bloggers (such as my wife) are trying to pull the spouses (me) into this wonderful world of blogs by MAKING (just kidding) us write a list of things that many people don't know about them. if you haven't guessed it yet i'm Beau, Katie's husband. i'm not really good at all this blog stuff or anything that has to do with me writing, my spelling and grammar suck so i wouldn't be surprised if this is proof read before its posted. it was :) anyways here's my list.

Oh p.s. this is supposed to be 10 to 20 facts..... well see..

1. Katie has the most beautiful singing voice and it brightens my day every time she sings
2. when she raps she likes to throw "gang signs" in the air
3. Katie might say she doesn't know what shes doing but she's so good at everything that she can play it off real good
4. she is just like her mother, if her mom looked into the mirror she would see Katie on the other side
5. she has many different faces to answer you but three you learn fast- happy, angry, and play anger 
6. that she has the most loving heart
7. her smile is breath taking 
8. she hates me taking photos of her even if she asked it's true. i'm not very patient and kind of a perfectionist
9. she has so many shoes that even after building her a shoe rack 4 ft tall and 4 ft wide all the shoes don't fit
10. she loves her blog so much that even after i was sprayed with pepper spray for work and i cant keep my eyes open to save my life i had to write this.... its okay i offered 
11. her mental strength is amazing
12. she truly loves my jeep even though she wants to get rid of it i'd love to have a house more
13. she would rather bake then cook 
14. she has the best teeth with no flaw but the biggest sweet tooth
15. every time she goes to the groceries store she stops at the "oops we baked to much" 

-Beau

my husband is a hunk and is the best ever for doing this for me even though i know he hates stuff like this. i love you babe!

reality chic

being a stay at home mom is hard work and often doesn't give much motivation to look your best on a daily basis. i'll be the first to admit yoga pants and a loose t-shirt is my go-to outfit. thing is, i deserve more than that. i deserve to look and feel pretty every day. i've been attempting to step up my dressing game lately so when Samantha announced that she was starting a mini series/link-up on mommy fashion i knew i wanted to take part. (if you haven't met Samantha yet she is one hot momma with a killer wardrobe)

the gist of the link-up is you put together an outfit on polyvore and then recreate that outfit in real life using pieces that are just as fashionable but much more affordable. 

this is what i threw together this week

neutral casual by womaninamansworld featuring a x armani exchange

you aren't going to believe the total for the items listed above...

$1096
yeah... i'll never afford that.
but after doing a little closet shopping i was able to recreate this outfit for way less

the total cost of my version is

$59
now were talking!

Owen's Easter basket

this is Owen's first Easter and i am very excited! it's a lot of fun to experience each holiday "for the first time" again with O.

because he is so young this Easter, we aren't doing too much. no dying eggs or egg hunt, but i knew i absolutely wanted him to have an Easter basket to wake up to. i bought his basket and the eggs to fill last year while i was still pregnant with O and the rest of the fillers have been picked up here and there at Target.

 the basket includes: sidewalk chalk with a holder; toast stampers, a Peter Rabbit chocolate bunny (O won't be eating any chocolate but it was too cute not to buy), baby mum-mum rice rusks, plastic eggs filled with puffs and yogurt drops.

what's in your little one's Easter basket this year?

link up with Sarah and check out all the other baskets!

february cara box reveal

i signed up again this month to take part in Kaitlyn's cara box exchange.

she paired us up with girls from our state, so i got to meet two new Georgia bloggers!

Katie & Erin

this month's theme was #clubsexy

 i got to spoil Katie and send her a box full of stuff for the perfect girls night out

Erin completely spoiled me! she sent me a box full of things to make a perfect night in with my hubby.

bath bombs, baby lips, and nail polish (in my favorite color) to pretty myself up for our date.

she wrapped the wine glasses so nicely, but only one survived...

i love the one that did though, and it all works out ok cause Beau would rather drink a beer!

a cooking magazine and chocolates for while we prepare dinner

popcorn and a romantic movie to top the night off!

she also included a sweet note explaining what each item was for. 

me and Beau were both so excited to get this box- i think he really liked that this month's box was for both of us!

if you haven't participated in the cara box exchange yet i encourage you to go sign up for march.

it is such a fun way to make friends and meet fellow bloggers!

what i wore sunday

i'm linking up again with fine linen and purple for what i wore sunday

today we were blessed with gorgeous weather, so i of course took advantage of it and wore my favorite warm weather dress. i bought this dress at target a few years ago from one of the designer lines they bring in. i fell in love with it instantly and it's still my favorite dress. i might have a slight obsession with floral print that will become more and more obvious as the weather gets warmer.

{dress- tucker via target; leggings- forever 21; shoes- madden girl}

{earrings- from kohl's about 4 years ago; headband- forever 21}

h54f

HAPPY HAPPY FRIDAY! 

today Beau has a morning shift ride along. that probably doesn't mean much to most of you, but to me that means i get my hubby home early on a friday! 

and that, my friends, is cause for celebration!

i'm linking up the highlights of my week for h54f!

1. i found this adorable pair of boots for 50% off at target!

2. Owen had his first taste of ice cream courtesy of Grandda {of course he loved it!}

3. i scored this basket for the living room for 75% off at michael's

4. i love dates with Beau. even when we just go to zaxby's and kohl's

5. my cara box arrived on wed night! YAAAY for bloggy friends!

h54f {link up}

HAPPY FRIDAY!

i couldn't be happier that the weekend is here! Beau's been working late all week busting his butt at the academy, so a long weekend is just what we need!

i'm linking up with Lauren again to bring you the top five highlights of my week.

1. we found out Owen's heart murmur is innocent, which means i can breath again

2. this little friendship has been blossoming lately- Tiger is so sweet and patient with O

3. we had fun getting dressed up and going out for an early valentine's date

4. O got his first ashes on ash wednesday, and loved being up way past his bedtime

5. our son is a musical genius! his new favorite activity is playing music on his mini piano

i hope everyone has a great weekend!

Beau has been working late all week, so i plan on taking full advantage of the extra time with him.

every love story is beautiful, but ours is my favorite

i remember the first time i laid eyes on Beau. 

i was working as a cashier at Zaxby's. it was a busy night so he got into the end of a long line. i can remember speeding through each order praying that he would end up at my register. then, finally, he was up. "hi! can i take your order?" i said as i beamed up at him trying to look as pretty as possible in my awful uniform. he ordered his food as i told my self he was being extra friendly and he must be flirting with me, and then it happened... he asked "is Leslie here?" my heart sunk. i got Leslie for him and then spent the rest of the night totally bummed out. that cute guy gave Leslie a ride home from work almost every day that next week in his big red jeep. i remember feeling terrible, Leslie and i had become good friends and i had such a huge crush on the guy she was with.

then one magical saturday, march 19th 2011, Leslie and i were tanning in her driveway when she got a text and said her friend Beau was coming to get something he had left at her house. i didn't think much of it, i didn't know Beau's name yet. all of a sudden you could hear this loud music blasting from a car and then that big red jeep came swerving around the corner. i started panicking when i realized it was that cute guy that gives Leslie rides. he was going to see me all sweaty from laying out in the sun and oh God i was totally not ready for him to see me half naked in my bikini. he pulled up and i tried to play it cool as he said hey, ran inside and got his stuff and then chatted with us for a while. after about 10 min Leslie needed to go to work, so Beau left and i gave her a ride. on the way she got a text and then asked me "so, what do you think of my friend Beau?" i was like "um, i don't know. he's funny. why?" "he thinks your cute." "what!?!?" "yeah! he just texted me 'your friends cute we should all hangout sometime'." 

i was over the moon excited! so that night when Leslie got off we went off-roading with Beau and his best friend Joey. I remember not being able to take my eyes off him the entire night and being oh so impressed by his off-roading skills (we are so redneck). then on the way back to Leslie's house we stopped at a gas station to get some drinks. Beau helped me out of the back of the jeep and as he took my hand and i jumped down, he gave me the sweetest kiss.

we spent all night talking and kissing more and then spent the next day together and the next and the next. about a week later he officially asked me to be his girl friend and the rest is history. 

from the night we met were inseparable. it was one of those things where you meet somebody and it's like you've known them your whole life.

i later found out that the reason he gave Leslie rides home from work was so he could see me and he came over to 'get some stuff' from her house because she had told him i was coming over. 

 almost exactly 8 months later, on november 18th 2011, Beau took me up to the mountains to a spot with a beautiful view and he asked me "do you feel like you're on top of the world?" i was mad at him about something (i can't remember now) and i said "not really" and then he got down on one knee, pulled out a ring and said "how about now?" i was in shock and so filled with emotion that i couldn't even respond at first, but as soon as i was able to speak i of course said yes!

almost a month later, on december 14th 2011, i took a pregnancy test and it came out positive. we were so happy and excited, but nervous and scared at the same time. 

we got married at the court house on january 27th 2012 and then had our marriage blessed by the church on may 19th 2012.

on july 25th 2012, four weeks before his due date, Owen Beau made his grand entrance into this world and all the love i had for Beau since the summer of 2011 tripled.

seeing Beau as a father has made me fall in love with him so much deeper and for so many reasons that i didn't notice before.

our love story may not be traditional, but i wouldn't change it for the world.

it is my favorite and i feel so blessed to get to continue living it for the rest of my life. 

happy Valentine's Day!
hope everyone's day is filled with love- no matter your relationship status
if you do have a significant other link up your love story, they're so much fun to read!

weekend update

happy monday y'all!

the majority of this weekend was spent house hunting which i am so so so excited about!

it is exhausting though, we'll go look at 10 houses and 8 or 9 of them wont be right for us. but we are really excited about one of them an we'll hopefully be able to look inside sometime this week.

in other exciting news- this guy is getting closer to crawling soon!

saturday we also started our 9 week course of financial peace university! we are really excited and hopeful for what we can learn through these classes. our big goal is to be able to put 20% down on the house we purchase.

sunday we had a lazy morning before heading off to Mass. i volunteered to help with registration for the annual precious feet 5k coming up on march 9th. i am so excited for it! all of the proceeds go to birthright which is an awesome organization that offers help to women facing a crisis pregnancy. 

we spent the afternoon hanging out with my brother Joey and his new fiance Chelsey. I am so excited to be getting such a sweet new "sister!" 

i'm also linking up with fine linen and purple for what i wore sunday

{shirt- merona via target; pants- merona via target; shoes- xhilaration via target ; bracelet- pier 1}

weekend update

friday

friday was our typical pizza and movie with my family. we watched touchback and it was definitely a tearjerker!

saturday

saturday was a lazy day. we spent most of the day hanging around the house and then went for a walk in the park in the afternoon. Owen is getting better and better at feeding himself finger foods but it makes for quite the mess!

sunday

sunday morning we went to Mass and one of our decons gave a beautiful homily on loving your neighbor and what it means to be Catholic.

as i'm sure you all know sunday was super bowl sunday! just to give you an idea of how little i know (or care) about football- i thought the 49ers were the 69ers... yeah, i'm probably never gonna live that one down.

i do, however, love to make themed food so i was very excited to create a festive 7 layer dip for the party we went to.

Owen loved watching the game (of course) and we spent the evening with some family friends. i was so excited to get to spend a little time with one of my very best friends!

Owen is quite the ladies man ;)