September 8, 2018 by Stephanie

George Gabs

I could listen to George talk all day. His sweet little voice just melts my heart, and he says some of the funniest things. So I want to start documenting those things before I forget.

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Here are some of the phrases and words that he has had.

For the longest time he called his cousin Ava, Eva.

He likes to drop parts of words like “liveries” is deliveries, and “arm” is alarm.

Broccoli is “backoli.”

A piggy bank is a “moneyer.”

Uses is “oozes.”

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Caterpillar is “lalapiller.”

Pretzels is “printzels.”

He says “full it up” for fill it up. And “hot it up” to warm things.

For a long time he called a police car a race car.

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We live next to the capital of Missouri, and every time we drive by, George says “There’s the catapult.”

A yoyo is a “sticker roller.”

A peacock is a “peahock.”

Before we got chickens, he used to call them “brockers.”

A pepperoni pizza is a “macaroni pizza.” He does know the difference of pasta macaroni.

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A chimney is a “smoker arm.”

An ostrich is a “raustid.”

Fire sparks are “jumpers.”

A microwave is a “counterwave.”

He is so smart, but there are moments where he uses these phrases that remind me how small he really is.

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August 26, 2018 by Stephanie

My Georgie

Today you turn FOUR.

The day you were born I knew that everything I expected about parenting was thrown out the window.

Experiencing the NICU with you, I was terrified. I felt like it was a mistake to be trusted to take care of you since I couldn’t keep you out of harms way as soon as you came out. You didn’t come with an instruction book. No matter how many books or articles that I read, I knew watching your sweet face fight to breathe on your own that I would fight to catch my own breath for years to come when I look at your face.

You are nothing like I imagined, but you are everything I need. It was no mistake that we were put together.

I still have no idea what I am doing most days, but we are on this ride together.

You make me laugh every single day with your stories. I love listening to your sweet voice. I wish I could just record all of our conversations. You see the world for its beauty and simplicity, and you remind me all the time to pause and to breath it all in. How you piece things together is astonishing to me.

You are so smart, and I am so proud of everything that you learned this year. You know your ABCs, and you can write most of your letters. You know how to spell your name, and you can count to 20. You love doing crafts and infusing your own imagination into it all. You sing the sweetest songs, and I hope I never forget how you sound right now. You know things like what a counter weight is and why it is necessary. You use words like humongous and adorable and a whole host of adverbs that I feel are above a 4 year olds vocabulary.

You had new experiences this year like Vacation Bible School and Gymnastics which both made it clear you have no concept of how to stand in lines.

You are so passionate, and you love so hard. Georgie, I hope you never lose that sense of wonder towards those around you. I wish I had your confidence and commitment.

Energy just pours out of you, and while it can be frustrating trying to reign that in at times, it is also one of the things I love most about you. When you put your mind to something, you go all in. I also love how much you release your emotions through your facial expressions. Your face tells me everything I need to know about how you are feeling inside. I hope that you never lose that sense of sharing your feelings with me or the world.

And I forever want to remember this time where you hardly go anywhere without your purple shoes (crocs), and that you put your pants on backwards because the drawstrings give you a tail.

Ever since you were born, God has been teaching me to let go of you and trust in the plans He has for you. You have been my greatest teacher. As I said last year, I continue to pray that I can gracefully let you go and let you grow, even though it may leave me breathless.

Georgie, you bring so much life to our days. My favorite moment of every day is waking you up and seeing the smile on your face as you embrace the day.

You are my bestest boy. I can’t wait to see how you continue to grow and see how you knock the wind out of me this year.

August 19, 2018 by Stephanie

Hot Air Balloon Party

Since George’s birthday is this week, I figured I should finally post about Daphne’s first birthday party that happened in May.

I am not an event planner by any means, but I love planning their parties.

I knew I wanted to do this hot air balloon theme almost as soon as she was born. It is so sweet for a sweet little girl.

I got this invitation from this shop on Etsy.

We also used these invitations for the centerpieces. My sister-in-law blew it up, and just cut out the balloon. Then she put it with some other balloons in these gold jars she had. We used battery pack lights in the clouds.

Emily also made a huge hot air balloon photo booth prop.

I did her monthly photos in balloons hung up like they were flying. I found some scrapbook paper that fit the color scheme, and then just used construction paper for the basket parts. I didn’t get a great picture of them at the party, so here was from the night I made them.

We got her onsie from this Etsy shop, and the skirt was from Carters.

And every girl needs a wardrobe change at her parties. Her grandma got this bubble suit from Target.

Tom made the board for the gift table, and then my mom painted the picture. Whenever we change her to a big girl bed, we’ll try to incorporate this into the theme. It is so beautiful.

For the favors, I got these tags from this Etsy shop. I glued them to little favor boxes I got from Party City. Then I filled them with cotton candy I had gotten from the dollar store.

Hot Air Balloon Birthday Party Favor Bag Tags; Digital or Printed

Y’all Hy-Vee impressed me once again! They provided me with two cakes. This is the one that I initially ordered. I just took in a picture and they were able to do just what I wanted. When they found out that it was for a smash cake, they made me a smaller version for free! My love continues to grow for Hy-Vee.

I think there were two many people around that Daphne was a little conservative going into the cake.

She ate it at her pace, and she was insistent she was not going to become a spectacle. The videos were pretty anti-climatic.

It was the perfect first birthday for the most perfect little girl.

She has already grown so much since this party, and I can’t wait to see where she goes before the next party.

August 14, 2018 by Stephanie

GratiTuesday

August is insane in Higher Ed, so I am back for another GratiTuesday to keep me in check.

WHITNEY COLE BYRON PAIDOUSSI Personal Training Pilates Nutrition Corrective Exercise Sports Performance Weight Loss

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This last week was jam-packed, but there were some definite good moments.

My sister-in-law and I went to our yearly baseball game with our favorite Missouri teams. I love this tradition we have. It’s hard not to have a good time when the atmosphere is baseball, and hot dogs are available. I am so thankful for this time with my seester in matching shirts.

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At work, we have a new system that we have been working on configuring all summer. I am part of the core team, and I am the campus administrator moving forward. There was a lot of pressure with the timeline and all the decisions we had to make about implementation. It has pretty much consumed my life, but there have been so many positive out of the configuration process. I have gotten to connect with people around the institution that I had either little contact or none before this. I always enjoy creating relationships and understanding how other offices work. I am really proud of all that we have accomplished over the past few months, and we went live with the product this week. The response to the system has been overwhelmingly positive. I am really looking forward to all the possibilities it is going to bring and how it will help us be more intentional with students.

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Today, my office did a planning retreat. It was a great space to share our vision and talk about pain points and new ideas. I love the women I work with, and they really inspire me with their passion and dedication to our students. We talked through a lot of things today, and I am really excited about the year and how we plan to support our students. I am thankful for that time with the people I work with.

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July 31, 2018 by Stephanie

GratiTuesday

One of the podcasts that I follow does a campaign every Tuesday to show more gratitude and to remember the small joys of each day.

I wanted to follow suit, especially at this time of the year when we go full steam ahead until September. I need to remember to live in the moment at times and be grateful for all that I am blessed with.

So here I am, giving my blessings.

This last week marked a new beginning for Tom and I. With Tom’s job change, we are actually able to get lunch during the week. Being married to a police officer is difficult. For the better part of 4 years, we have not had regular time carved out for just us. It can take a toll on a marriage, so I am glad that we get to have this time to focus on us. And I have always wanted to have a place to become a regular!

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This last weekend I had the opportunity to celebrate my best friend. and her impending wedding. I had a great weekend throwing her a bridal shower and her bachelorette party. How we ended the weekend without a picture is beyond me. But I am so grateful for Annette and how we can pick up like no time is lost.

I will end with these two nuggets. They have recently started playing together, and it is everything to this mama heart. I am so thankful to be a witness to their bond. And watching George’s imagination is one of the best things of my day.