Crafty Betty

A precious friend of mine has amazing talents. Not only is she a mother to four children, and in school, and has a husband in the military. She also sews! And is so very crafty. Not to mention, the nicest person you could ever meet. I took some photo's today of our sweet Clara girl wearing a one of a kind Crafty Betty Halter Sundress. This is by far my daughter's favorite dress to wear.The quality and design is just amazing!

So without further Ado, Clara wearing Crafty Betty.

You can Purchase your very own custom Crafty Betty dress, or many other cute items, 

on her Etsy Page. Also Follow Her on Facebook! She is always having specials and giveaways!

Love Wins.

I have not written anything for a while. And there is no other good reason, than having writers block. And feeling quite overwhelmed with all things "life".

My husband knew this. We have had a rough time as of late dealing with said hard "life" stuff. And I casually mentioned to him last week. Like on Wednesday night of last week.. "I'd really like to go meet Glennon. On Tuesday. In Atlanta."

To which he said "Who?"

And I said "Oh you know, the lady who writes, and blogs, and played a huge part in our lives last year, when a bunch of "her Monkee's" decided to bless our socks off?"

He remembered. And maybe it was that I texted this link to him multiple times told him to read this post. On Wednesday of last week. And then when I asked him if he read it, and he said he hadn't I told him. "Husband, while I put our many children to sleep, you read it. And I will make you a cookie. or a dozen." So he read it.

 And maybe it's because I was really challenged by it too. And I was working on loving him better. Interesting how that works. When we love them better, they love us better. Hmm. 

Whatever it was. I thank God for my man and hallmark.

On Thursday morning, I was taking our son Elliott to yet another Doctors appointment. But this appointment had my nerves on edge. A Pulmonologist. A doctor who treats kids who can't breathe. And last time I checked, breathing, is very important. And I was scared. And anxious. And running late. And husband called to tell me he put something in the glove box for me. And I thanked him quickly as I hung up and fought through traffic. I pulled into the parking garage, Put Elliott in his chair, REMEMBERED the paperwork I filled out the day before. Huge people. HUGE. And forgot to check the glove box. 

We went to said appointment, me navigating a big scary hospital, with a child in an adapted stroller. Had x-rays. Waited two hours. Got unexpected news, that more tests are needed. (Link to information) And held it together until I got back to our van.

Then I remembered to check the glove box. To my surprise, a very sweet card awaited me, with a handwritten note that said "Go see Glennon, I've already asked for the day off." And more mushy stuff you don't want to know about. So, I am really glad I did not open it before I went into the doctor. As I drove home maskara burned my eyes. And I heave cried and it was ugly. It's okay. 

Just the whole "schlepping" your beloved baby into a childrens hospital for the millionth time, but always feels like the first, from navigating a parking lot, to finding your way to the specialists office, to waiting for two hours and freezing your buns off, to getting news you were not prepared for, THAT ALONE makes me cry.

Every. Single. Time.

But then to be blessed with a man, who has had his heart radically changed, who can admit when he is wrong, and make it right. And loves me and my messy, emotional, irrational, blog stalking self, to bless me with a day, a WHOLE DAY to myself. To meet GLENNON. I was a mess.

So, Monday night I tried on a million outfits, and went to bed early. Only to be woken up all night long by my sweet boy Elliott who could not breathe and was in pain. And I realized then "Hmm. This is not going like I planned. Prepare Bethany. Tomorrow may not be your best day. Just embrace the best moments."

There were amazing moments yesterday. And not so much amazing moments. I wish I could say I said something profound to Glennon when I met her. What did I say? Well. I took Clara girl with me. I love to be with her. Really I do. And she begged me to braid her hair. And I never do. So, for the first time. Ever. I did a braid like a headband over her head. She loved it. And I laughed thinking "Oh goodness, maybe I should do this more often".

So I get to Glennon and I am holding Clara's hand and I say something like 

"I swear, this is the first time I have ever braided her hair like this, and I did not feed her an avocado, but rather, a lunchable in the car on the way here." 

Okay, so if that does not make sense. Read this.

Just driving to Atlanta by myself was me being brave. I showed up to her book signing, a stressed sweaty mess after navigating Atlanta traffic with a broken GPS. Thank goodness husband at home stayed on the phone with me and gave me turn by turn directions. All the while I swore the van was being weird and was convinced it was going to break down at any moment. Come to find out, the van was not shaking, it was me. Van would have been cheaper to fix.

Glennon spoke, and I took it all in, Sitting RIGHT BEHIND her husband and daughter and SISTER! Crazy.

Then they opened it up to questions. I wanted to be brave. I really did. But, my butt stayed planted. I was hot. And emotional. Okay, REALLY emotional. And my story is long. And messy. And what the MANY monkee's have done for my family...it would have taken forever. 

And I reminded myself of this:

I did those three things. And. Today, I am resting. And Guess what?! I can try again! Thank Goodness! And to confirm my great parenting skills. Kids just woke up, and I begged them to stop whining for five minutes gave them permission to eat chocolate chip cookies and Pringles. I am resting. Tomorrow I will make an amazing breakfast. No wait, who am I kidding, tomorrow they go to the dentist. Bananas will be breakfast tomorrow. Or maybe I will feed them an avocado for lunch. Balance people. It's all about balance. And that is what I appreciate most about Glennon. While we may not be exactly alike, no one is. And that is OKAY! We can still be friends, we can choose to love each other. We can Be Brave and Kind. Because LOVE WINS! Every time! 

{Family Fun}-Lane Packing

Last week we decided to take a last minute pic-nic lunch out to a local attraction. Lane Packing, a magical place that packs peaches, pecans, strawberries, and more. I called my sister in law, Olivia, It was one of those "It's beautiful, the kids are happy and healthy, we don't want to do housework, quick pile in the car and lets go!". My favorite kind of last minute fun! I love being Aunt B to my adorable niece and  nephew. I love that my nephew say's "Aunt B(ea)" with a little southern drawl. Gosh that boy has stolen my heart, and his little sister, heavens to Betsy  when she starts to talk, I'll never be able to say "No" to her requests. They are sweet as pie! Thought I would share a few photo's from our fun trip. We have decided that when our family and friends come to visit, Lane Packing will be a "must visit" location.

They have old tractors you can sit on. Also known as "Little boy's heaven!".

My beautiful sister in law, Olivia and my adorable niece Mali.

"Oh you know, just relaxing on a tractor."

This cutie LOVED sitting on the tractors.

Mali wanted to try too. She ADORES her big cousin Clara, and I assure you the feelings are mutual.

Mali "Driving" the tractor.

Liam looking super cool in his Mommy's sunglasses. He kills me.

Not the best picture, but darn it, I'm never in any photos. So. It's going up!

My sweetheart of a girl, Clara.

If your ever in town and need a fun place to spend an afternoon, we highly recommend Lane Packing!

Laundry Room Organization!

We have a cozy little rental house we call home. And though our laundry room is not very big, it stores many things. It had been a mess, and a place where we just put things that didn't have a "place". I was tired of not being able to find something the moment we needed it. And got to work organizing and giving everything a "place". This is the fruits of my labor. But mind you, this project cost a total of about $25 dollars.

To find the free printables I used (including the labels), you can visit my Pinterest page HERE. I want to say, that this project did not cost me much of anything. I already had all of the containers/baskets on hand.I was just using them in different spots around the house. But, most of them I have purchased here and there at thrift stores and goodwill. The plastic white containers I purchased at Dollar General, it's a great place to get containers (cheaper than wal-mart!) The picture frames used to display the free printable artwork, I bought at The Dollar Tree. For $1.

I keep an old mason jar that says "Mom's Jar" to put loose change in. Then I use the change to do fun things like get dollar cones with the kids. Or bless others by giving quarters away at Aldi for shopping carts. Or we give a child a penny to ride the horse at Meijer while we are shopping (when we lived in Indiana). It makes finding loose change in the washer/drier that much more fun! A fun tip for artwork when your on a budget: Simply use a hot glue gun to glue a clothes pin to the wall. (make sure paint is high gloss, if flat paint it can damage the wall) It's also nice because you can switch pictures/art work out easily. I keep a basket for random socks without matches. Sometimes the match appears...and if not, we have a nice stash to make hand puppets with or use for rags. I keep all of the cleaning supplies up high. Even with child locks on cabinets, children can get in cabinets. I choose to use all non-toxic home made cleaners, but even then, keep them far out of a child's reach.

The rugs I found at goodwill. Great place to find bath-rugs! The bag holder is from Ikea (from a friend, Thank's Becky!) I believe it was $2. The broom/mop holder is from Lowes, though after I purchased ($8.99) I found cheaper at the Dollar Store. Live and Learn. I keep the Arthritis Foundation bag packed with snacks. It's handy for me to grab and go in an emergency, or just a fun run to the park. In the light blue bag I keep dogs leashes,treats,toys etc. Again, easy to grab if we head out to the park last minute.

The Iron holder is from Wal-mart I think it was around $4.99. I like to buy detergent when it's on sale, and keep extras in the big canvas bin. All of the random baskets are from goodwill. Great place to find different baskets. The black "Bread" container is from Dollar General.

I have this little cork board on the door to the laundry room. One of my favorite pictures of Clara, a few free printables, a pin from my first Mission's Trip overseas to Russia (to remind me to pray for my best friend who went with me, and now serves as a missionary) and an arthritis pin to remind me to pray for so many of our Systemic Juvenile Arthritis friends. Every time I open the laundry room door (hundreds of times a day!) I have a visual reminder to pray for those I dearly love.

 So there is our little laundry room. That packs a whole lot of stuff into it!

Most of all, love. We are blessed to have a place to wash our clothes. We don't have to walk miles, to a stream of dirty water, and rinse our clothes. For that, I am so thankful. 

5 Tips- {Photographing kids}

Being a Mom, and photographer. I know how difficult it is to capture a great picture of a child.

 It's as though the stars have to be aligned. Or it can feel like that at least. But there are a few things you can do to prepare to make it SO much better!

1.) Chill. Relax. and have FUN! I know, easier said than done. But kids pick up on EVERYTHING! If you are stressed (and lets face it, family photo's always stress us out!) kids will be stressed too. Talk about it a lot before hand, weeks before hand! Make it sound like it will be so much fun. 

Make it something to look forward to, not dread.

2.)Less is More. You really only need a handful of good pictures. Snap fast. I almost always find, the first picture of my kids, is the best. The most natural too. So, have the settings on your camera ready to capture that first perfect smile! And for photographers, work fast! Kid's attention span isn't very long,

 don't drag it out!

3.) Pack prepared! I keep an old diaper bag packed with my photography must haves. 

And this is what is in it.

a.Baby wipes

b. Spray bottle with water (for hair)

c.First aid kit

d.Finger nail clippers (especially for newborn shoots)

e.Baby oil and cotton balls. (great for dry skin on kids of all ages.)

f.Comb and brush

g.Small mirror

h.Noise makers (like this)

i. Fruit snacks and a bag of candy or suckers.

j.bottled water for each client

k.rubber band hair ties
l.extra hair bows,and headbands

When you pack prepared, there will be less melt downs!

4.) Let the kids participate. Too many times when I am doing photo's of kids, their parents stand behind me and tell their kids "smile" or "come on honey, look at the camera". Typically, this does not work. And it backfires. It's okay if they don't look at the camera, or smile. Saying silly jokes, or saying kind things, "You are just a little ray of sunshine, look at how awesome you are!", almost always draws a smile. 

Barking commands, never does. And there is always my favorite "If you smile, I have candy for you!".

Yes that always works.

 5.)Let the kids lead the way. Ask them what they would like to wear, or where they would like to have pictures taken, or what poses they would like, or what toy or stuffed animal they want in their pictures. Doing so, makes the child feel validated, and important. 

Because, they are WAY more important than any picture of them is!

{Elliott Update}-Systemicjia

First I want to say Thank-you for all of the prayers for Elliott! God has moved mountains in the last few weeks and I know it is because so many of you are going before The Throne of God on Elliott's behalf.

We were able to see a different Doctor at Emory. He is a much better fit for us. The way it was orchestrated is completely of God. Elliott is needing to begin a stronger medication. But due to insurance issues, he can't.
We have been accepted into shriners hospital in South Carolina.  If we can not get insurance figured out quickly, we will have no option but to travel to shriners.

Elliott has felt pretty miserable.  Constantly running fevers and begging me to make his pain go away. It is so hard to see him in pain.
So here are the ways you can pray!

1.) Insurance. Its a mess. Pray we can get it figured out soon.
2.) If we need to go to shriners that Elliotts rheumotologist will be understanding and even willing to be the consulting physician.
3.) Brandon and I need wisdom as we make decisions for Elliott. We need discernment.

PRAISES!
1.) Elliott was measured for his adapted stroller and insurance covered it all!
2.) Elliott really liked the new rheumotologist. We are so thankful for Dr.P!
3.) Elliott felt good on Tuesday and we had a fun day out and about. (Picture is at a local peach grove, he loved that tractor!) Good days (ie: pain isin't paralyzing) have been few and far between, and we were thankful for a good day!

My Home State pt.2-Marco Island Florida

Here are a few more pictures from our beach vacation. The kids loved swimming, everyday, in the swimming pool. It was heated to a toasty 80+ degree's. Good thing too, considering it was pretty chilly outside!

I tried to get them all in one picture.

When we went to the beach we saw DOLPHINS! Of course, the sun came out at about the same time, and this over exposed picture was all I was able to capture. Dolphins are fast...and unlike the trained dolphins at sea world, these ones would not jump on command again for me. And I wasn't going to stand there all day to attempt to get one picture!

My little fashionista. I love this swimsuit on her! Mostly I just love her!

Jackson had so much fun digging a hole, and burying his little brother.

 Riley kept giggling, and making the sand crack.

Elliott checking on Riley. 

(Ignore my bad photo shop job. I didn't want the half naked, large lady in the picture. Your welcome)

Elliott wanted to give it a try. Then after about half way, decided he couldn't sit that long.

Jackson LOVED digging "forts" on the beach. Here is my mother in-law helping him. With my kiddos and husband in the back ground.

Marco Island has the BEST park for kids! We had fun exploring it, and playing basketball, four square, etc.

My sweet boy Riley...telling me about something, every so seriously. I love that you can see the remnants of babyhood still in his face in this picture. I know that is swiftly fleeting. Thankful to have captured this moment.

Elliott. This look always makes me swoon. With all that this sweet guy has been through, he still manages to flash his million dollar smile. He had so much fun at this park. 

This playground was "Under the Sea" themed. Jackson screaming 

"AHHH, I'm being swallowed by a whale!".

My father in law,and my husband enjoying some fishing. 

Poor guys, faithfully fished. And caught one tiny fish the entire week. Bummer.

Brandon did catch one little fish...Riley was SO excited!

Riley showing me Daddy's fish. The boys loved playing with the bait in the bucket, and the prize fish.

The view from my beach towel. Will never ever tire of that view.

I snapped quite a few photo's but decided to just share a few of my favorites. 

A huge thank's to my in-laws who invited us to tag along on their vacation. We had a wonderful time. 

The kids haven't stopped talking about it. It was a much needed break from the daily tasks of life.