Hi 2017 (And What I've Learned Being a Mom for One Month)

Happy New Year Everyone!! I literally can't believe it's already 2017 and as I look back on the last year...2016...I wave goodbye to it with a sense of bittersweetness in my heart.  2016 was the year of fulfilled dreams for me - quite possibly the greatest year of my life thus far.  I'll get into that later.  So I'm waving goodbye to this past year with mixed emotions...a full and happy heart for the things that were, and an excitement and nervousness of what's to come.  To be honest, I know 2016 sucked all around for a lot of people.  And if that's you, I'm really sorry.  I hate that. But you know what? Today is the FIRST day of a BRAND NEW YEAR.  This year will be what you make it.  So 2017 - Let's DO this!

2016 was the best year of my life so far for so many reasons - we bought our first house, traveled to cool places together, my family all moved here from Chicago, I found out I was pregnant, we made so many new friendships with people, and so many other things...but the one that tops them all is the birth of our Emmett Rhodes on December 1st.  So as of today...he is officially ONE MONTH OLD.  How is it that a month has already passed since the day he was born?  In some ways, I still relive that eventful day like it was yesterday...I almost remember every detail still.  And then in other ways, I feel like I can barely remember my life before Emmett was in it.  But I CAN tell you..I've learned a whole lot in the last month about being a mom...

What most of my days look like now...

First of all, it's HARD.  Like...really hard.  Throughout my entire pregnancy, I had friends of ours who have already had kids tell us how difficult the first few weeks are with a newborn...one even called it "walking through actual Hell" (which I'm fairly certain I wouldn't use those same words to describe it (Haha) But I will say, Caleb and I were not prepared for how difficult those first few days would actually be.  And to be completely honest with you...I would rather do my 24 hours of labor all over again before I would do that first night back at home with the baby again...no, seriously.  Let me paint that picture for you...

So Caleb and I bring a tiny, new baby home to a perfectly clean house that first night.  We settled in and realized there were a few things that we didn't buy ahead of time that we needed at home for baby...so we grabbed those things at the store real quick and my parents met us at the house later to help us get settled in for our first night alone with him.  (By the way, we came home to a giant banner on our garage door announcing Emmett's arrival...which made us cry...and then walked into our home where candles had already been lit, blue balloons were placed in a couple different rooms and another "Welcome Baby Boy" sign was hanging in the doorway of our living room...all thanks to my sneaky daddy who did some prep right before we pulled in with the baby) Anyways, my mama made dinner for us that night and stayed until around bedtime to help us get everything situated before we would try and take on the night...we could this, right? Oh my word. 

So we decided to camp out that first night in our bedroom...so we lugged the rocking chair from the nursery into our room, the bassinet for Emmett to sleep in...(because he would sleep at least some right?? LOL at that) and we proceeded to get ready for bed - when the crying first started...about the minute after my mom headed for home (of course). We took turns attempting to soothe him. Tried feeding him.  Tried rocking him.  Tried the bassinet.  Tried the MamaRoo.  Tried a pacifier.  Tried walking around the house with him.  ALL TO NO AVAIL.  Our puppy Romo showed her concern by staying awake with us...and so we literally forgot for about 24 hours that we even owned a pet at that point.  We both started to go insane...just a little. By 8am, I called my mom in hysterical sobs, begging for her to come rescue us and try to get Emmett to stop screaming.  She walked into a filthy house (in less than 12 hours)...no listen...there was dog poop scattered about the kitchen (because you know, the whole "we forgot we had an animal" thing because SCREAMING BABY) and we didn't let Romo out to potty.  Our room looked like a bomb had gone off in there...blankets and bedding everywhere, the furniture seemed to be in different places by morning than it was when we went to bed the night before, and my mom walked in to find me shirtless, attempting to feed Emmett...BOTH of us crying and Caleb taking his turn trying to catch 2 minutes of sleep with a black sock over his face. This...was parenthood that first night. And WHOA.  We weren't ready. 

Needless to say...the following few nights were nearly as terrible as we desperately tried navigating this whole "parent" thing with absolutely no sleep.  But somehow at the same time, Emmett has already been in our lives for one entire month and it's the greatest, most rewarding gift we've ever experienced.  No, we don't really sleep anymore.  We don't get hot meals (unless our amazing friends bring us dinner, which they've done for a month now...THANK you guys!!) and yes, there have been days on end that neither one of us got to take a shower. But we are gratefully happy.  Exhaustingly fulfilled.  And so very overjoyed at this precious baby boy that has made our lives infinitely more difficult, yet infinitely more beautiful.  It's hard to describe this love we have for him.  But a month has gone by and I thought I'd let you in on 10 things I've learned being a mom so far...

Taken exactly 3 weeks apart

1.  I don't matter anymore.  This sounds harsh and victimizing and I don't mean it to be at all.  I just mean my needs come after Emmett's...every. single. time. And that's the way it should be!  (This is why showers have ceased to be important...at least at the moment haha)

2.  Hot meals are overrated. Although I'm breastfeeding...so meals in general are important because I'm starving ALL THE TIME.  But sometimes a bowl of cereal is the greatest thing I'll experience in a day. Seriously, if you bring me food, pretend it's for a grown man triple my size because I guarantee I'll finish it all. 

3.  It takes a village. This phrase has always been tossed around among other parents we've known in our life circles and we didn't realize how true it was until we had a baby of our own.  It takes SO many people taking care of us, so that we can take care of him. (At least these first few weeks anyways.)

4.  Babies don't need stuff.  We were prepared with every amazing piece of baby technology you could possibly have beforehand...all the seats, and bouncers, and strollers, and sound machines, and soothing agents...and guess what?  Emmett hates ALL of it.  Babies just want to be held by their mamas and daddies.  And right now, that's my full time job.  And I love it, because someday (and all too soon I fear), that will change.  

5.  Going anywhere with a baby takes about 5 hours longer to get ready for, than it did before baby.  It literally takes a year to get out of the house with a newborn it seems.  (Although today, I got out to the grocery store with E all by myself and it was a success!)

Proof that we got out today successfully...

6.  Marriage becomes a lot more difficult.  And this is where it gets weird...because in my one month experience of being a mama, I learned my love for my husband is so much deeper now than it ever even was before...BUT, marriage itself is more difficult now than ever.  Finding time for each other seems unattainable these days.  But we're making a diligent effort to still have date nights and chat at the end of every day together.

7.  Keeping owners' manuals of all your baby gear is a MUST.  This stuff is more complicated than you think guys.  The only really easy thing to use is a diaper genie I've learned...and let's be honest...how hard can those be?

8.  Letting other people help is a gift that I need to accept.  This one has always been hard for me.  I'm very much a "I can do-this-myself person" and in the last month of being a mama, I've learned I definitely can't do this myself.  And it's okay to accept (and even ASK!) for help.  With everything.  Baby, laundry, cooking, cleaning, etc.

9.  There is an endless supply of laundry to be done.  I think I do like 6 loads a day...and somehow there is always STILL laundry to be done...I guess this makes sense when you have a baby pooping and spitting up on everything you own.  :)

10.  The most important thing I've learned so far is to take every day, just one day at a time.  Every day has been a different set of challenges with Emmett. Some days, it's just about keeping him from screaming until his voice gives out (I wish I could say this has never happened but...) and other days, it's a serious victory when both E and myself have been bathed.  All I know is, I have never been more grateful for something or someone in my life.  This baby has made me realize what I was created and born to do...and that's to be a mama.  

These difficult days of having a newborn are fleeting and short in the grand scheme of things.  These incessant sleepless nights and constant feedings won't last forever.  The mornings of surviving on coffee and a prayer should be treasured because I can do them while holding my precious, healthy baby.  Yes...it's hard.  But it's EVERYTHING I've ever wanted.  Someday, Emmett won't cry for me to hold him anymore.  He won't get his nutrition solely from my body forever.  And I won't get to wake up with him right next to me in bed someday soon either.  These moments are to be treasured.  Even the hardest ones...because being a mama is a privilege that I feel I don't even deserve. But I can promise you this, I will do everything I can to be the greatest mama to my son that I can possibly be.  

So 2017...I'm not sure what you've got up your sleeve - but I'm ready for you.  And you've got some BIG shoes to fill from last year.  But I'm looking to you with excitement and anticipation. 

AND finally...happy ONE MONTH to my precious Emmett Rhodes - you have fulfilled my forever dream of being a mama and you'll never know how much I love you.

Cheers to 2017 everybody!!!!

The Birth Story of our Emmett Rhodes Grimm

12. A significant number. 

I’ve struggled and wrestled for 12 days now— the number of days Emmett was past his due date, and also the number of days that he has now been in this world with us…

to find the courage and strength to write about his journey into our arms.  I am already sitting here in tears just thinking about how I’m going to write this. But then I look down next to me, at this perfect little baby boy, sleeping and dreaming peacefully, and I remember he is a good and perfect gift that God has entrusted Caleb and I with…and he is ALIVE and well. 

I loved being pregnant.  I loved watching my belly grow, and feeling every kick, wiggle and movement, right up until about the last 2 months or so when Emmett decided to start practicing his kickboxing skills in my ribcage. Turns out, he was a pretty big baby for my body to handle and he was just as uncomfortable in there toward the end as I was…and yet, he still decided he would never come out on his own. Isn't it amazing how our plans for ourselves and our futures can change in an instant?

4 days before our due date, we finally had some maternity pictures taken. Photo credit: Jewel Hernandez

About 23 weeks into my pregnancy, Caleb and I transferred our prenatal care from the hospital to a birthing center here in Nashville called Baby + Company, a center that provides a holistic approach to birth and babies.  We were able to do all of our appointments there in the posh, cozy birthing suites— each equipped with queen sized beds, birthing tubs, pilates ladders, and other natural pain management methods.  I had decided about halfway through my pregnancy that the hospital setting/doctors’ office environment wasn’t for me…I didn’t like the idea of how ‘sterile’ it felt, the fact that hospitals can seem like businesses just trying to turn beds over, and how often women seem ‘rushed’ through their labor and delivery, which can ultimately lead to unnecessary C-sections.  I did my research and decided Baby + Co. was the place for us to have Emmett.  I wanted to feel the natural pains of labor while bringing Emmett into the world.  I wanted to feel like I was in control of my labor, and I trusted that my body was designed to do this. Oh, how different things turned out to be. 

My body never went into labor on its own.  I tried ALL the natural things in the book to try and bribe my body to do what I thought it could on its own.  When I turned 41 weeks, my midwife required me to get an ultra sound at that point, because I was late enough that concerns of decreasing amniotic fluid levels could lead to potential dangers for the baby…so I went in at the beginning of that week for an ultra sound to check on little E.  The tech informed me that E was measuring to be about 9 pounds…which, if you know Caleb and I AT ALL…you’d understand why this sounded so ridiculous to us! (laughing as I even type this…) We are two of the smallest people in the world, and yet somehow, this ultra sound tech was telling us we were going to have a HUGE baby.  Naturally, I panicked immediately and started to second guess everything I had planned for my labor and delivery.  I immediately began doubting my body’s ability to birth a 9 pound baby naturally and I burst into tears on the ultra sound table.  Caleb assured me that I was absolutely capable, and that I was strong, and that I needed to trust the people taking care of me to help me bring my baby into the world the way I wanted to and had planned.

We followed up with my midwife that day, who told me that ultra sound techs were almost always off in their predictions of baby’s weight and size and that I didn’t need to worry about that.  She did however, tell me that if at any point, I wanted to forgo the birthing center option and opt for a hospital induction, that I absolutely could and they would support that.  I decided to give it few more days to see if E would decide to come on his own.  This appointment was on a Monday.  After careful consideration, prayer, another phone call to my midwife, and the support of our family, Caleb and I felt it was best to abandon our birth plan at the birthing center and schedule an induction for Wednesday, November 30th at 8:00pm at Vanderbilt Medical Center.  I was 11 days late at this point and no signs of labor whatsoever.  I was devastated to go another route with my birth plan that I had so carefully written and prayed over for so many months.  In a way, I already felt like such a failure to my son for ‘giving in’ and opting for drugs that would force my body to go into labor.  I wrestled for those two days and prayed earnestly that God would still allow my body to go into labor on its own…before my scheduled induction. But alas, God just had other plans for Emmett’s arrival. Needless to say, Wednesday was a crazy day of cleaning the house (a desperate attempt to distract from my nerves about that coming night), last minute errands, and nursery tweaks to make sure everything was perfect when we would come home with our little one just a couple days later.  As 7:30 drew closer and closer that day, the time when we would get in the car and head to the hospital, so did my nerves and anxiety about our decision.  Even in the quiet ride in the car on the way there, Caleb and I discussed our decision to induce and while we both outwardly told ourselves it was the right decision, we both inwardly were so hesitant about it.  But the decision was made and we were on our way. Emmett was coming whether he liked it or not. 

We checked into the hospital that night and were taken to our birthing room.  I went into this process still wanting to stick as closely to my birth plan as possible, even though the environment was going to be different.  I wanted to labor naturally as long as I could and experience everything that comes with that. Soon after we arrived, my parents arrived, a couple of my best friends Autumn and Jewel (who was also our birth photographer) arrived at the hospital and the excitement and nervousness was palpable in that room. 

They started my IV and not long after that, gave me a pill that was supposed to begin ripening my cervix.  In other words, a pill that would thrust my body into labor about 45 minutes later.  I explained to the midwife there that I wanted to labor naturally as long as I could and her response was this: “That’s totally great Kelsey, and I respect your decision to do that.  But I just want you to know that induced labors are SO different than natural labors when the body does it on its own.  Induced contractions are much more difficult to withstand because they are not the body’s natural way of getting the baby out.  You may experience fast and furious contractions that don’t give way to breaks in between.  I can count on ONE finger…(she said “finger”, not hand by the way), the number of women who have been induced and been able to give birth naturally…it’s just very hard.  But you are welcome to try as long as you’d like.  And if you change your mind, an epidural is right around the corner and there’s no shame in that.”  She instilled the fear of God in me at that point a little bit…but I was still determined to try.  About 45 minutes later, I experienced my first contraction.  And it wasn’t a slow fade into contractions…it was as she said—fast and furious.  All of a sudden my body was contracting faster than I could breathe almost, and again, she was right—there were about 10 second breaks between most of them before I would try and survive the next one.  They seemed to get stronger and stronger when I thought for sure, it was impossible for them to get worse. 

I labored this way with the support of my mom and Caleb for about 3 hours.  We were deep into the night by now and I was in excruciating pain.  The midwife came in to “check me” and see if I had made progress after those grueling hours of contractions, because surely, they wouldn’t be for nothing…surely, I had to have progressed, right?  She checked me and I was still at 2cm…what I entered the hospital at before my labor ever even began.  She told me that I was still the same and that my body wasn’t responding to the contractions.  I instantly burst into tears.  Yet another failure it felt like.  My body couldn’t even figure out how to progress with the drugs they were giving me?? How was this possible?? At this point, I knew it was going to be a really long night.  I also knew that I could not withstand induced labor pains if it meant no progress.  I gave in.  I opted for the epidural.  Minutes later, the anesthesiologist came into the room and Caleb stayed with me while they administered the spinal needle.  While I was sitting there having this done, my water broke on the table. Of course.  And immediately following that, another massive contraction…but I had to hold ever so still while they put the needle in that would finally bring some relief to the last few hours I’d spent laboring.  After the epidural, my labor became tolerable.  It definitely wasn’t pain canceling, but it made my contractions less obvious to me, and much more bearable.  The next 12 hours or so, I labored in the hospital bed with the help of the drugs and my sweet husband and mama who never left my side.

I was so tired.  Worn out. Still progressing so slowly…even with upped dosages of Pitocin constantly.  Finally, around 5:20pm the next day and after about 21 hours of labor at this point, it was finally time to start pushing my midwife said.  But at this point in time, I was so exhausted and out of it, that I’m told I literally responded with, “I can’t push today…let’s do it tomorrow instead.  I just need to sleep”…

Isn’t it funny what your mind thinks is rational after no sleep and some trauma to your body?  I actually thought in that moment that it would be possible to put off pushing until the next day…unfortunately my midwife informed me that’s not exactly how it works, and that I needed to dig deep and get this baby out.  I mustered up some adrenaline and motivation because I knew that I was finally about to meet my baby.  What I didn’t know, what that for the next 3.5 hours, I would be pushing for all I was worth to try and bring our little E into the world.  The first hour of pushing was exhilarating.  I felt like I was so close to meeting him, but after that hour and a half mark of pushing, I started to feel defeated and overly exhausted again.  I lost some willpower around this point and started to doubt that I could push him out at all.  I began to come off the rails a little bit.  I started crying and telling them that I couldn’t do it anymore…I couldn’t push like that anymore.  I was literally pushing for 30 seconds at a time during a contraction, and then completely falling asleep until the next one.  I just couldn’t keep my eyes open…but I felt every contraction coming on, which would bring me right out of my sleep and into push mode once again.  Another hour and a half later…(24 hours of labor, people at this point), I was losing it.   At this point, it took an army of people to motivate and encourage me that I could and NEEDED to get him out.  His heart rate was dropping with every contraction at this point from being in the birth canal for so long.  They were giving me oxygen between contractions to help keep E going too.  It was starting to look bleak.  Finally, Jenna (one of our midwives) demanded the attention of the room (which was very full at this point with my entire family and a couple close friends…also never what I would’ve planned, but am SO thankful for looking back now) and asked my dad if he would pray aloud over that moment…that Emmett would make his appearance very soon. He prayed.  Everyone prayed. 

My daddy's prayer over us.

My body forced me to sleep between contractions, even though I tried desperately to stay conscious enough to hear my daddy’s prayer over me and my son.  Minutes after dad’s prayer, with my family very literally cheering me on, taking turns counting the seconds as I was pushing, and Caleb coaching me through every contraction, Emmett finally entered the world at 8:41 that night.  They immediately placed him on my chest and the room burst into loud cheers and sobs with joy, excitement and relief— that would only last about 45 seconds before everything would change and terror would take the place of our joy as we waited for that first cry…

It didn’t happen.  The room changed.  You could’ve heard a pin drop in that place.  I instantly knew something was very wrong.  My son started to turn blue in my arms.  The midwives furiously rubbed and prodded Emmett to try and initiate that first sound every mother longs to hear when their baby enters the world…but silence still…except for the sound of my voice starting to rise and panic.  I asked why he hadn’t cried yet and the voices of my midwives shakily told me he would…that he would be okay.  But their actions didn’t line up with their words.  They quickly pulled Caleb over to cut the cord (which I originally wanted to be delayed for the baby’s benefit), but they informed me it needed to be done, and done quickly because he still hadn’t cried…or taken a breath.  At this point, the memories become a blur to me.  In an instant, my beautiful son I had worked 24 hours to bring into the world, was whisked away from my chest…and 9 NICU surgeons and nurses poured into the right side of our room to try and get him to breathe. I laid helplessly without my baby on the table bleeding.  My family, friends and husband were all on the left side of my hospital bed, the medical professionals to the right.  And I laid trapped in the middle of the room…with the panic and terror of a mother’s worst nightmare rushing over me.  I began screaming irrationally…psychotically really, about my son.  Why hadn’t he cried or made a sound yet?? Was he going to be okay?? Could someone PLEASE tell me what’s going on?? I screamed, crying hysterically and my village turned to weeping, and praying…crying and begging Jesus to help our son breathe.  Caleb draped himself over me to try and keep my thrashing body from flying off the table as I wailed uncontrollably.  He tried to yell over my screams into my ear—prayers for our baby that wasn’t breathing…encouragement that he would be okay, all the while thinking himself, that we may not leave the hospital with a baby after all. These moments felt like hours.  In the sheer panic and chaos that ensued for the next few minutes as the NICU teamed rushed to save my baby boy, there was a moment in time I will never forget.

I remember feeling trapped between two worlds almost.  I looked to my left.  There was my village.  My mom, Tyler (my brother) and Autumn hit the floor on their faces to pray.  My dad sobbed and prayed loudly near my head as I screamed.  My other brother, his girlfriend and my friend Jewel also praying as we all sobbed and waited for what seemed like hours. Caleb secured me to the bed and prayed loudly into my ear.  I looked to my right.  Blue lab coats everywhere.  The sound of my screaming, and the voices of the doctors flooded the room.  But still no cry from my son.  No one turning around to tell this terrified mama that her son was going to be okay.  In that moment, I looked left again and through my screams, I heard someone yell the name of Jesus.  Then I heard Caleb’s voice pierce through all the others and utter “Jesus”…and before I knew it, I too screamed out what only I had left…”JESUS”.  Our village prayed Heaven down into that room.  It felt like Heaven was on my left, interceding for my son, while Earth was on my right, using their expertise working to keep him alive.  Heaven and Earth collided for me in that hazy moment, and out of the chaos and noise that filled that room, somehow my son’s first tiny murmur cut through it all and hit our ears.  That first tiny cry.  Then moments later, a big, loud wail— the sweetest sound my ears will ever hear in this lifetime.  A rush of relief swept through the room and a NICU doctor finally turned to me and said “He is breathing, we are helping him…but he is breathing”, before he quickly turned back around to tend to my still blue baby that was struggling to breathe on his own.  

About 5 minutes later, they finally brought him back to me, wrapped in a blanket, eyes wide open and skin still very white.  But he was ALIVE.  Breathing on his own.  And looking into my eyes as if to tell me he had fought to find his way back to my arms.  Caleb and I sobbed with relief and gratitude as we stared at our son together. 

Our first moments as a family of 3

His life was spared and entrusted to us, and at that very moment in time, we realized the depth of the priceless gift we had been given.  Emmett Rhodes Grimm, you were and are the most beautiful miracle we will ever witness in this lifetime.  We couldn’t love you more than we already do, and we will spend the rest of our lives trying to show you that.   You are our greatest joy, our most precious treasure, and our proudest accomplishment.  We love you with the fire of a million suns.  Thank you for making us mama and daddy. And Jesus, thank you for trusting us with him.

Our precious Emmett Rhodes Grimm

MEAN GREEN SMOOTHIE TIME

Hi friends!!

I don’t know about you guys, but as far as those New Years’ Resolutions go…it’s not even been a month and sometimes I’m ready to just order a pizza…feel me? But I know it’s important to stick with your goals, and my goal was to try to eat cleaner this year. So I’m doing my best, getting creative with recipes at home to both save money eating out, and to save my body from all kinds of junk that restaurant food has (even though is always tastes amazing) in it. 

I started making these green smoothies for breakfast every single morning in the first week of the New Year, and I feel amazing.  I’m not drinking coffee anymore because I want to stay away from caffeine, so I was searching for a new, healthier way to be energized in the morning when I wake up.  It feels great to know I’m at least starting off the day with fruits and vegetables in case I accidentally run to Taco Bell for a crunch wrap supreme or order a pizza at night…oops. At least the morning had good intentions. :)

I’ve been learning a lot over the past couple weeks about food and the various different nutrients that the right foods have and it’s made me want to put those things in my body everyday.  Did you know that kiwis give you as much as energy as a cup of black coffee in the morning?  And they had more potassium than a banana? Kiwis are like a magical fruit!  Did you know that spinach and kale both has protein? I mean, it’s a LEAF.  Did you know that coconut milk is dairy free, soy free, AND tastes better than regular milk in a smoothie?  Well, these are all things that I’m learning too.  We’re 27 days into 2016 and I’ve probably consumed 24 or so, of these green smoothies and let’s just say…I feel like a million bucks. I wanted to share the simple, easy recipe with you so you guys can know exactly what I’m talking about here. 

Here’s the ingredients:

2 cups baby spinach leaves

1 cup kale

5-6 fresh blackberries (or you can use strawberries)

1 kiwi

1/2 squeezed lemon

1 tiny slice of ginger root (This stuff is STRONG, lemme tell ya!)

1 tablespoon of nonfat Greek plain yogurt (I use Chobani)

1 tablespoon of chia seeds

6oz sweetened coconut milk 

Instructions:

Here's a quick little time-lapse video for you visual learners... :)

Blend ingredients together and enjoy!!

I want to point out a few things about this smoothie that make it particularly good for you.  For starters, a lot of people have a few misconceptions about smoothies in general.  If you’re drinking smoothies that are primarily fruit based, that’s okay, but keep in mind that fruit is chock full of sugar, and that even though it’s ‘natural’ sugar, your body still processes it like sugar, and too much can keep you from leaning down.  This recipe has 2 fruits, the blackberries and the kiwi.  Berry fruits are the lowest fruits in sugar.  Strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, etc are your best bet to try and keep the sugar content low in your smoothies.  This smoothie also contains no dairy, apart from the Greek yogurt used to add some protein.  However, cultured dairy is a super food, so keeping your diet high in cultured dairy, is a GOOD thing!  Cultured dairy is a probiotic, which means that it aids in digestion and stomach function.  It helps keep a healthy colon.  Overall, this smoothie is low in sugar and HIGH in nutrients!  It’s super easy to make and I hope you enjoy it as much as Caleb and I do!!

Xoxo,

Kelsey

It's Already 2016?!

Hiiiiiiiii Everybody!!

I’m literally sitting here wondering how the HECK we’re already in 2016!  Like, where did the last month go?  Anyways, I hope that each and every one of you had the most memory-filled holiday season to date, complete with friends and family, good food and lots of laughter.  I also hope you’ve had a great jumpstart to this new year of 2016 so far.  We’re only a couple weeks in, and let me tell ya, I’m excited for what’s in store.  Here’s to reaching more of our dreams and goals this year!!

So, I love the holiday season just as much as the next girl, but can I be honest here?  The holidays are absolutely EXHAUSTING.  I’m not sure about you guys, but the holidays for us usually involve a ton of traveling, which means packing and unpacking, and trying to fit everything and everyone in.  And even though this holiday season was one I’ll cherish and remember forever, I must admit…I feel a bit like I’ve been run over by a train post holiday festivities.  Anyone else starting the new year off already worn out?? I may be alone in this, but I gotta be real, I’m already feeling the need for a vacation! :)

I’ll try to recap my time over the holidays briefly and catch you up with how it all went down…

Caleb and I actually flew to Chicago this year to spend Christmas with my family and it was absolutely wonderful and full of amazing moments, but it also came with a pinch of chaos and stress as well.  Growing up in the church (some of you may know) means giant productions for holidays like Christmas. In the days leading up to Christmas, we spent a lot time getting ready for the Christmas Eve service at my family’s church.  So for those that don’t know, my dad is the Worship and Arts director at his church south of Chicago and they do an amazing service the week of Christmas Eve. They put on a production every year complete with their own rendition of Transiberian Orchestra Christmas tunes, a “stomp-style” garbage can beat performance led by my brothers, a video montage of their church members giving back to their community by buying people’s groceries and handing them money, and on top of it all, Caleb and I even got to be a part this year and we sang “Oh Holy Night” together.  It was a really special service and we were blessed to get to be a small part of what’s going on there…

Needless to say, it was an incredible experience overall, but it came with a few hiccups…such is life, right? Most of you wouldn’t know this, but my dad has a kind of life threatening asthma that he’s dealt with his entire life, and when it’s not under control, it can get pretty scary.  Well with the stress of the holiday season, combined with a nasty chest cold and his asthma, my dad landed himself a spot in a hospital bed in the early hours of Christmas morning.  We woke up that morning around 8:30 and my parents were already gone to the hospital because my dad was having a pretty severe asthma attack.  It all turned out to be okay though and they made it home before noon.  We were still able to be together, have my mom’s “famous Christmas Eve brunch” and exchange gifts.  There were many tears, laughs and memories made this Christmas, and I’m mostly just thankful that everyone could be together that day.

My fam from top to bottom, left to right:

My brother Tyler, my Grandma Sue, my brother Elliot, my brother Chad, my Grandpa George, my daddy Gregg, myself, my hubby Caleb, and my mama Tammy.

Anyways, after a family filled amazing time at home, we flew back to Nashville and a couple days later…I was turning 26…how am I twenty-freaking-six already?! So, most of my life growing up, my friends were out of town around the time of my birthday because it’s 4 days after Christmas, and 2 days before New Years.  So my parents would always get super creative when celebrating my birthday and they always made me feel special, but it was difficult to throw a real party when everyone was out of town. Anyways, THIS year, my friends and my hubby had some surprises up their sleeves…

I was told by Caleb that the two of us were going to spend the day together, going out for lunch, doing some shopping, and I wanted to take Romo girl to the dog park for a bit too.  So we did those things, and Caleb told me that evening, that he had made reservations for a special dinner with Chad and Fallon (some of our best friends) but he refused to tell me where we were going.  We were supposed to be picking up Chad and Fallon at 8 and then heading to the restaurant together. So around 8…we get to the Grahams’ house and Fallon texts that she was running late and asked me to just come inside for a minute.  I get to the door, open it and nearly passed out of fright when a giant group of people screamed “SURPRISE!”  My friends from North Carolina drove down to throw me the biggest black light birthday bash of the century.  I was wisked away upstairs to Fallon’s room where she painted neon paint designs on my face, and even had a outfit picked out for me to wear.  Almost all of my favorite people got to be in the same room for my birthday and we had SO much fun dancing to my favorite 90’s music, having my very own comedy roast by two of my close guy friends, and cutting a specialized, monogrammed birthday cake.  There was even a splatter paint backdrop for photo ops and lemme tell you, we took full advantage…

The two masterminds behind the surprise...Miss Autumn and Miss Fallon

Fallon, the hostest with the mostest, and her house-turned-blacklight-party deckout...

Needless to say, it was absolutely one of the most memorable birthdays I’ve ever had!  What a HUGE surprise by such special friends in my life.  I felt so loved and valued that night and I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t still having dreams about it… :)

Fast forward now to New Years…and all of a sudden it’s somehow 2016.  It’s a brand new year with a brand new start, and I think we all have good intentions to set new goals for ourselves for 2016.  Maybe you’re trying to graduate from high school or college this year, or maybe you’re goal is to start a new job in a field you’re passionate about.  Maybe it’s a physical goal…you want to log more hours in the gym, or eat healthier, or maybe it’s to save more money this year.  Whatever it is, we all have different goals and things we want to do better or differently this year.  I think it’s super important to set specific goals in each category of your life.  Dave Ramsey, “America’s trusted voice on money” has a plan for setting goals for yourself that my husband and I have implemented for this year.

Set for yourself:

1. Spiritual goals
2. Intellectual goals
3. Physical goals
4. Career goals
5. Financial goals
6. Social goals
7. Family goals

It’s important when you're creating these goals for yourself, that you consider a couple things.  These goals need to be measurable and they also need to have a timeline, otherwise you’ll never get around to reaching them.  The other thing that will help you reach your goals is to write them all down.  I took about 10 minutes at the beginning of the year to write down my specific goals for this year.  If you’re like me, setting goals can be intimidating for fear of failure or not meeting them.  Let’s not think that way, and just do the best we can.  How ‘bout we kick 2016’s butt this year, and become the best we can be…we’re all in this together.  

What are some of your 2016 dreams and goals??

All my love this year,

Kelsey