Memorial Day Weekend Camp Out

yes, you read that right. we went camping this weekend. i know i know, i am 8 months pregnant indeed but no that didn't stop me.

i'm so glad we went. we had such a fun time and i learned a few things about us.

1. pretty sure she was meant to be a boy. loved all things dirt, dead fish, worms, and eating off the ground.

2. she will keep the title of  "amazing sleeper" even when camping. naps included. ( i was worried)

3. upon adding another member to our family we will need a bigger vehicle if we plan to do this again. the versa  was literally packed to the brim. i could barely see my child in the back seat.

4. i married a saint.

5. trying to roll over in a sleeping bad when you are 8 months pregnant is near impossible and would probably be amusing to watch.

6. i love the comfort of my king size bed.

7. i need some sort of cleanse after the amount of junk food i inhaled this weekend.

8. smelling like a campfire really isn't all that bad.

all in all it was a successful weekend and we can't wait to do it again! we might just become a "camping family." 

here are a few pictures to sum up the weekend.

all tucked in ready to go

these are literally 30 minutes after we got there!

her worm friend.

carried these guys around with her.

wasn't too sure of it at first but then she kept wanting to pet it and touch it.  

yes, i'd love some soda pop. think again little lady. she seriously loved the mass amount of junk.
it sure does beat her daily banana, yogurt and applesauce.

loved having her own little spot.

harper and her friends

we will definitely be doing this again! a big thanks to the Shinns for letting us tag along on their family camping trip. we love you guys!

thank you also to the men and women who serve and have served our country!

hope everyone had a great weekend. looking forward to this summer and all it holds for our many adventures!

whitney

so i'm a week late

well technically i am a week late, but really may 2nd is the day we originally wanted to get married, but the venue was all booked up.

so yes, it's been 3 years since travis and i got married. people always say that it goes by so fast and i didn't want to believe them,  but truly time is flying. i don't know if it's because in three years we have an 18 month old and another one due here in 3 months or what, but it is just cruising by.

i know to some who have been married for a long time 3 years sounds so little and not much to be proud of, but to tell you the truth, i am proud of 3 years. i delight in knowing that every year is another year that we chose marriage and commitment.

people who know travis know what kind of man he is. i mean the ladies want to be with him and the men want to be like him... i know i know, nobody is perfect, but with this man, what you see is honestly what you get. he is the same as when we were dating as he is almost 4 years later. it still feels like he is courting me.

even after 3 years i still smile when he thanks the Lord for me every night out loud when he prays.

even after 3 years i still smile when we catch eyes across the room and he sends me the "i love you" wink.

even after 3 years he doesn't let me carry in groceries.

even after 3 years he still starts my car for me in the morning when i have to work.

even after 3 years he still never walks in a door before me.

even after 3 years we still never go to bed with out the other.

i probably could go on and on, but with that i just want to say that i am truly grateful for God giving this special gift to me. I always think of it like other people have natural God giving talents like singing, sports, public speaking etc. my husband's God giving talent was to be a husband and a dad. it just comes so easy for him. I'm still waiting to hear from God what mine is, i was really hoping for this piano thing, but things are looking too hot.

also with marriage comes work. hard work. don't get me wrong just like everyone else we have those ups and downs and patches, but it's what you do with them that counts. a friend once told me that love is a choice. you choose everyday to love your spouse or not. whether he is driving you nuts or you just can't stand the chomping of chips one second longer. that same friend told me that sometimes she has to remind herself why she fell in love with her husband. i literally say these things out loud to myself sometimes. i remind myself why i love travis so much.

i will say, "he's so hot." or "he is such a good dad" or "he is so good to me even when i am unbearable" (i can be kind of a brat)

it really does help. also asking God to change your attitude toward your husband and to thank Him for him. i almost every day thank God for travis. i call him "my gift." he really is a gift from God and i need to show my gratitude for him.

if you aren't married or thinking about getting married. start praying. now. pray for the man you want to marry, pray the man God wants you to marry. He WILL deliver. trust me, more importantly trust Him!

so travis jay, i choose you, i choose us for as many years as God gives us together!

choose love,

whitney



you're going to have all of me

about a week ago were delivered some unnerving information about our precious unborn baby girl.

she has ventricular septal defect also known as VSD. layman's terms: she has a hole in her heart in the lower chamber between the right and left ventrical. they are hopeful it will close on it's own before birth but if not then she will possibly need open heart surgery sometime between the age of 4-6 months.

to some this may sound like really positive new which yes, of course i am hopeful too that it will close, but coming from a mom who knew that she had a chance of passing on a congenital heart condition before she conceived is devastating. immediately i was feel with guilt as if i did something wrong or it was my fault that my baby had this and second filled with fear for my unborn baby that she may have to have surgery and it is totally out of my control.

today i don't feel that. i was in the car driving listening to the radio and a song by Matthew Hammitt came on called, "All of Me."

i lost it. the tears streamed down my face as i started to think about my baby.

at that point i felt God saying "stop." stop all negative thinking and to start focusing on the positive. to stop letting satan into my thoughts and to start trusting Him that He ordained life to this baby and life is what she will have.

there is a part of the song that goes like this...

and i'm so close to what i can't control
i can't give you half my heart
and pray He makes you whole

trusting is so hard for me because i do like to control things and honestly who wouldn't give half their heart to make their child's whole? i can't do that. God is making me trust Him. He has never given me a reason not to and so that is where i will start.

honestly, i don't know how people survive any moment in life good or bad without Jesus. i couldn't do this without Him.

not only do i have God, i have my wonderful husband, family, and friends that have been so supportive. thank you to everyone!

if you have time you should listen to this video. very touching song.

to my baby girl,

you're going to have all of me

'cause you're worth every fallen tear

and you're worth facing any fear.

we decided to name her tatum. the meaning of her name is "brings joy."

how suiting.

trust always,

whitney

helping daddy in the huddle

its hard to spot but a little someone sneaked over to daddy's huddle after the game just to let the boys know how good of game they had.

last game tonight. sad but also excited to get my husband back.

good luck tonight boys!

game on,

whitney

why God made daddys

for this very reason.

yep, you guessed it. to blow up these toys that were obviously not designed by a mom.

i feel terrible. she has had this toy since Christmas and i knew it would be so much fun for her but I refuse to blow it up.

1. it wouldn't be safe. i'd probably pass out in the making

2. it takes up so much space in my living room

and 3. i just plain didn't want to :)

well daddy saved the day saturday and blew it up for her. boy has she had so much fun in it.

she even "helped" him blow it up.

He also made daddys to watch the same cartoon over and over.

am i the only one who gets annoyed hearing the SAME episode over and over? I guess it's better than hearing my own voice all day.

oh and  probably the most educational one of the day was...

watching youtube videos. i came out of the shower and this is what i found.

how can you help but to smile.

most importantly God made daddys to keep mommys from having more break downs than usual. so thankful for the time they spend together.

you would have thought i would've done something productive with my time, but no i just sat and watched them play.

all in all it was a great saturday spent in our pj's.

thankful,

whitney



day of love

wanna know what i woke up to this morning? a swollen tear duct.

my husband wants to know how a tear duct gets swollen when they are always flowing.

i blame the water works on the hormones, ok.

anyways back to my. . .

big.red.puffy eye.

nothing screams "will you be my valentine?" like a swollen eye.

he asked anyways.

i told him forever and ever babe.

turns out my husband out does me every holiday. it's just him. he is an over achiever. i'm not complaining by any means but for once i'd like to be a good gift giver. either you are or you aren't. i feel like i can be, but not for him. he's hard.

this is what harper and i got to come home today after work...

spoiled, huh? i love having a girl. matching toms?? heck yes.

if this next one is a girl he better get another job.

can we take a moment to stop and thank the women responsible for this man. my mother-in-law susan. did she do great or what? i'm thankful for women like her who are invested in their sons life and helped shape them into wonderful husbands because some day my precious little angel will be seeking a man and he better live up to her daddy.

if you want to read more on making future husbands, read this post. it will make you smile.



what did i get him you ask? nothing. well yet. my sister is coming over to sit with harper while she sleeps the second he leaves for basketball practice so i can go to the store and get him some gummies or something. his favorite.

then i will come home and make him a therapy rice bag. yes he already picked out his fabric and is patiently waiting for me to sew one for him. he finds them very relaxing. should it be heart shaped? too much?

nothing like last minute. it's the story of my life these days. my intentions are pure but it's just actually getting anything done.

thank you Lord for giving the gift of love.

oh, and my dad called me and told that i was still his valentine. love you dad.

happy valentine's day travis... you're my favorite.

be loved,
whitney


 



Dedication

yes, you guessed it. we finally got around to our "baby" dedication. 16 month olds are still considered babies aren't they?



getting ready for her big day



well, i guess i wasn't worried about her salvation because i already know that she belongs to the Lord, but this was important for travis and i to vow to raise harper up to know the Lord and to first and foremost for us to lead by example.

seems like an easy commitment, but in all seriousness it's harder than it sounds. thankfully by the grace of God He gives me more chances than i deserve.

so most baby dedications (the ones i've seen throughout the years) go like this...

called up on stage, pastor reads some verses out of the living word, lays hands on your child, says a prayer, and ask if you are willing to commit to raising your child to know the Lord.

no, not our church. turns out they don't take this lightly. with good reason i should say. i am very happy that they prepared us for this. we first had a potluck at one of the leaders house and we talked about what we were expected to prepare for this dedication.

we were to each write two things that we would do to begin making a consistent investment in ourselves to be the kind of parent that God wants us to be and then also two things that we were going to do to invest in our relationship with our Heavenly Father. Lastly they wanted us to write a letter to our child to say what we hope for our child in 18 years from now.

lets just say that i was a wee nervous to go up in front of the congregation and read these things, but i know that it is important and there is power in saying it out loud.

the leaders went first so i had some time to prepare. then, it was my turn.

shaky hands and voice, i said a quick prayer in my head to ask God to help with the words because i didn't think i'd make it through.

and this is what i said.

Dear Harper,

to be honest there isn't anything that is "good" that i don't hope for you. i hope that you will be a humble, respectful, honest, and caring young lady. lady, meaning someone who has self-respect for her body and honors herself to know that she is worthy enough to find a man of God who understands that you are worth the wait. I hope that you will be candid with feeling and a light that will shine for Jesus. i hope your faith is contagious and you will always have a heart that swells for the needy. i hope that when your dad and i mess up or make a mistake (which will probably be daily) you will have grace and understand that we will only ever do anything because we love you. i hope this world doesn't steal all of your innocence and you still believe in good.  i hope that you can honestly say one day that your biggest fans are your mom and dad. Lastly, most importantly, above all else i hope that you will walk intimately with Jesus Christ and call him Lord. i hope that your relationship with him will grow more mature each year and that you would love Him with all your heart, mind, soul and strength. knowing that you are only on borrow to us for this short time on earth but yet you will spend eternity with Christ gives me peace and comfort. although i love you more than words, God loves you more than that and he is in control of your life and with that i hope His will be done. 1 John 4:19 says we may love because He first loved us. i am so thankful that God chose me and trusted me to be your mom. i love you so much and will always cherish our relationship.

love,

your momma.

wow, even hard the second time around.

travis did great too. he didn't write anything down because he said he had it in his head. brave if you ask me. turns out he couldn't even get through his first line. it brought me back to when he proposed. lets just say there wasn't a dry eye out there, including men. i had two guys come up to me afterward and said they were doing fine until travis spoke and then they couldn't help but to cry.

something about a man who isn't afraid to show emotion when it comes to their babies.

i am so thankful for everyone who came. both of our families were there and even my dear friend tiana came to show her love and support.



best of friends



pretty little girl came too!

this is a big day for us and i can't wait to re read this yearly to see how we are doing and see the kind of young lady she is becoming.

God is good,

whitney