1 month ago..

Yesterday marked exactly one month since Seth and I got married on the beach! So I thought I would bring back a few pics from the good ole Florida days! I seriously can not believe we have been married for a month already. And I am happy to say that we are still madly in love and even more solid in our relationship than a month ago. :)

So how does it feel to be a married woman? Well to be quite honest- not too completely different than before. But I must say, with the addition of rings and the exchange of vows, there comes the assurance of stability-even though it was already there before. I guess I mean, I knew we were right for each other and would be together before we got married, but it is just even more for sure knowing the commitment is there. Seth is my best friend and I dont think there will ever be anyone I am more myself around than him. We know what each other is thinking and finish each others sentences and I love it! Its so amazing to have someone who knows you at your best and worst and loves you all the same no matter what frame of mind you are in! We laugh together every day-well together or at one another, but it is all in good fun, and we love our life. I am sure we could be a little bit richer, work a little bit less, and play a little bit harder, but for now, we will stick to where we are. I am sooo excited to see where we will be a year from now, and to see the strength and love in our family!


Not only has it been a month since Seth and I got married, but it has been a month since my little baby boy walked me down the aisle to marry his daddy! And what a great job he did doing that! haha! He continues to grow every single day to the point where it is almost scary. This morning he was eating breakfast and being absolutely adorable and I said, "bubba I love you" and he was like "bubba" "bubba". He is so dang smart! Here we are on the beach together.


Together we are such a strong force and I hope Elem feels the crazy amount of love we have for him. He has totally made our family complete.


And we cant forget Sage-my true first child. My baby girl. Crazy hair and all, we love really love this dog!

My favorite "words" these days

...yes my favorite words these days that Elem is saying is right before he goes to bed he will go: "nigh, nigh" for night night. It makes me melt every time I hear it! I can not explain how super sweet it is every time those two little words come out of his mouth. Its always late at night, and his voice is raspy, and he is being lovey dovey, and it is just the cutest and most sincere "nigh, nigh" you have ever heard! I dont want to forget how special night night is every single night.

And the best part is, he has no idea it is cute-he just says it in this way like-see you guys tomorrow, I am tired and going night night! I love it! To me night night is one of those moments when you look at your kid like-whoaa!!!!!, you are so growing up right before my eyes cause you totally know you are going to bed AND you are telling me goodnight! Wow! I love you Elem Zane and every little thing you do amazes me these days. Thank you for your sweet "nigh, nigh"s, they make me happy.

Water is our friend!

Elem is one busy little bug in the water these days! He is obsessed with it! Although he is not swimming like a fishy just yet-in a big pool anyways-he IS splashing like a champ anywhere and anytime he is in or near water! He loves the bath tub, the water table, baby swimming pools etc! I am so happy that he is a water lover because Seth and I love to be outdoors and swim or near the water any chance we can get. In other words if he wasnt born liking it-he would eventually be forced to like it. haha. No not really, but thank goodness he is a water friendly baby. Now the tough part after a nice day in the water-is the taking him inside away from the water. It is like we are killing him, and he just doesnt understand why we have to go inside.

The other day we were outside playing with his water table and I got some of the funniest and best pictures of him. I already uploaded a few of them the other day so here are the rest:

Oh mommy it is cold! But I think I love it.


Yay I do! I love my water table -best birthday gift ever.


My pretty blue eyes are hard to say no to.


and now I get for real wet! What you lookin at ?


Wahoo! water water water!




hahahahahahahaha! hehehehehehehehe!


oh right in the eye! but it is still all good!


I LOOOOOOOOOOOOVE it!


Could I be any cuter? I think not.


NOOOOOOOOOOO, please dont take me in no!


daddy its not fair I want to stay. :(

Happy belated Fathers Day Seth!

And when I say belated I mean very very belated. But I have been so busy I seriously have not had a chance to get to the fathers day pics until just now!

We had a very awesome and low key Fathers Day this year. Elem and I woke up around 7:30am and let daddy sleep in while we made his fathers day card. We had lots of fun looking at old pictures and trying to find just the right ones to put for his card. So we picked 2-one from when Elem was itty bitty just about 1 month old and sleeping on daddy's chest, and then 1 from March when we went to Wye mountain-so Elem was just about 10 months old. Then we got out the pain and went to town on Elems feet to get some good foot prints. Here is how it turned out:



After a chilled morning we headed over to Grammy and Poppas for some swimming and for a chance for Seth to break in his Father's Day gift! We got daddy the best gift ever! Baggo! Arkansas Razorback Baggo that is. Here is Seth, Elem and Poppa takin their first toss of the day.


For those of you who do not know what Baggo is...you are totally missing out. It is basically a game where you throw 4 bean bags to a whole 20 ft away and you play with a partner to 21. If you add in the fact that this is a classic tailgating game-you get why it is so much fun. I mean what more could you want to be doing getting ready to go to a football game than throw bean bags into a whole. haha. No for real it is sooo much fun and daddy is obsessed with it! (Britt-you should totally consider this as one of your next gifts for your Seth if you have not already gotten it for him!) Now-not only are Seth and Poppa obsessed with this game, but Elem is too! He LOVES it! And every time he sees the game out, he runs from across the yard to go play.


AFter a big game of baggo, Elem and Cecilia take a break in the shade.


And then back to baggo.


Then off to the pool it is! This was Elem's first time to actually stay in the water at Grammy and Poppas! I think the water has been a little too cold for his taste, but here he actually got in some good quality swim time with daddy.


And some good swim time with Poppa too.


Dustin and Cecilia on his big Father's Day. Who by the way I might add are both HUGE baggo fans as well.


And then some more lovin from Poppa! I LOVE LOVE LOVE this pic of them. This captures the true essence of Poppa-always given his little man some kisses. They are best buds if I do say so.


And last but not least, a family pic-even though Elem is a little fuzzy here. It had been a long day, what can I say!


Oh and as a side note-yes Elem has like 5 different bathing suits but for some reason the swimmy diapers are just sooo much easier! haha, we really are not THAT redneck, I promise!

Good Bye Formula-Helllllloooooo Whole Milk!

And basically that is it! As of this week, Elem Zane has officially said good bye to formula-and helllllloooooo to milk! Yay! It was way easier than I had anticipated, and actually I don't even think Elem has noticed that I changed anything out, but whatever the deal is, I am just glad to be buying whole milk that costs a whopping $3 instead of formula that costs $14. What an expense! And to think I only had to buy it for like less than 4 months. Insane! And to all you people out there who do not breast feed...I can not even imagine how much money you spend on formula. I dont think I would have made it to Elem's first year-we would have been so broke. So far I have seen no symptoms of the milk not agreeing with him, and I would like to keep it that way! Elem is growing up so fast, its kind of weird to think that I dont have to mix him a bottle (or from way back, thaw it out, or get out the ole boob!) Good times they are a happening!

Latest check up

Yes I have been a little behind on the blogging this week due to tons of work and no time for play! So I want to post this before I forget and to hopefully pacify those thinking I have forgot to document on my little dude.

On Wednesday I took Elem in for his 12 month check up-yes I was a little late on that, but I actually did it on purpose because of the shots. Now that I think about it, I should have takin him in on time for the 12 month check up and just sad I want to wait on the shots. Anywho-he is doing great and passed with flying colors. He is 31 and 1/4 inches long, and is weighing in at 26lbs. WHich sounds like a lot to some of you people whose kids weighed 19 lbs at their yearly, but it is actually really good for him, because he has thinned out a lot in the last month or 2 months, and has only gained 1 lb in the last 2 months. He was in about the 75% for everything-weight, length, and head, blah blah. So that was fabulous to get all those stats. As a momyou just wanna know your kiddo is okay in every aspect.



A few things the doc asked:

Lets see his teeth?-he currently has 8 now with the latest addition of two on the bottom

Is he drinking from a cup? yes drinks form one most of the time except at night

Can he speak a few words? yes tons of them! his latest is bannana, or Nana- and he just learned Poppa yesterday!

Does he dance and clap? yes all the time, he is a dancing machine-and started dancing on the spot for the doc!

Is he sleeping all night? yes! Just about every night all the way through and he does wake up around 6 for a bottle and then goes back to sleep immediatly.

Is he drinking milk? no, but I had tried it that one time and he got sick. Doc said keep on trying-and so I have been and he has been drinking it ever since. I dont think I am going to buy any more formula! wahoo. We will see how it goes this week like that!

Can he eat with his fingers?Of course! He eats on his own with his fingers and with utensils-which is soo awesome!

He continued to ask a series of questions which I am happy to say Elem is way above and beyond where he needs to be at his age. He said his motor skills are incredible and he couldnt believe he has been walking since he was not even 10 months old! I was very happy to brag on my little boy during the visit at the doc! haha!



After the check up, he did receive three of the five shots needed at the yearly check up. I have read the studies that show that after males receive their 1 year shots, it is at that time that some signs of autism are detected. I am not sure if this is accurate, but at this time, it is my feeling that all those shots are way too much medacine to be putting into my little boys legs! and body! So for now, he will go back in a month to receive 2 more shots, and then I will most likely get his 15 month shots about a month or 2 late-just trying to spread it all out. I believe it is the MMR shot that I should be post worried about, and I am going to do my best to get that one split up into three separate times. I know that is a lot of doctors visits and a lot of shots, for something that has not even been proven yet, but I just feel like if it is something I can prevent then I want to prevent it. I have also read about those horror stories where children have awful seizures the night after they have received various shots. I guess I am just scarred but I want to be as precautious as I can. Thats all for now!

1 year, 1 month, 1 week, and 1 day!

Wow what a mouthful huh? But it is true. Elem Zane is officially 1 year, 1 month, 1 week, and 1 day old. I thought it was kinda of cool and well deserving of a post. As if there is anything that is not deserving of a post in my mind. Okay so Elem has just recently-in the past 2 days- cut another tooth! The bottom right tooth, to the right of his already 2 middle bottom teeth-is breaking its way into the world. Make sense? And I think he is cutting the one on the left of the bottom two as well. But I just can't actually see that it has broken through yet. So hopefully, sometime this week, we will see those little suckers come on through and give my baby boy some relief. He actually cut all the teeth he has sooo long ago, like when he was 6 and 7 months old, and he has been stuck with those 6 forever it seems. So although I hate to see him in pain, I was ready for him to get a few more chompers!

He also is currently obsessed with feeding himself. With a utensil I mean. He is always happy to feed himself, but seriously with the addition of silverware, it is like a whole new world and Elem loves it! He can totally do it with a big spoon and a baby spoon, and a fork too, but he just gets a little excited and when he can finally scoop the food onto the fork, he loses most of it on the way up. So he is trying hard to actually get it into his mouth. I'm sure soon that will not be a problem at all. I do however love to see him -mouth open WIDE-looking at the food on the end of the spoon and then bite down and the look of "where is the dang food I just scooped up" comes across his face. hahaha.

He is getting a little rougher and tougher around the edges as well this week. Although he is a BIG time momma's boy, he also is a "temper tantrum thrower" when he does not get his way and he has recently been taking things away from kids at school, and even scratching them on the face! Today, I literally dropped him off in his room (which is like I just put him over this half door), I turn my head to say good morning to a few people, and before I know it I hear screaming. This little boy had grabbed Elem from behind and in retaliation he scratched the poor little guy right in the corner of his eye. So he had a whelp on his face and it wasnt even 8:05am! ha! I guess boys will be boys, it just always sucks to tell a parent, uhm hey your kid has ANOTHER scratch on their face and uhm, yes my child-who is smaller than yours-did it to him. Luckily, the parent is super cool and didn't mind. Geez I can only imagine the boyish rough housing to come. Elem Zane hopefully will get his act together and quit beating up on people.



Aside from his recent temper tantrums and aggressiveness, he has been a super happy baby. Finally, on a great schedule and sleeping just about thru the night every night. And on a good nap schedule during the day-which on all accounts leads to a happy baby! Which in all accounts leads to a happy mommy and daddy! He has also gotten to the point where he loves to run up to me and give me huge hugs on my legs. And he pats them from behind while he hugs me and I love it! It is so sweet and I just can not get enough of those big boy hugs. He is so loving and seriously no matter what I am doing, it melts my heart every time he gives me those hugs.

Last weekend he did do something quite funny which I will document just for laughing purposes later in life. Seth and I were sitting on the couch and Elem had just had a bath or something and Seth leaned over and was hugging me and kissed me; and Elem ran across the room and tugged on Seth's shorts and started saying "nah, nah, nah" which means NO, no, no! He just kept tugging till Seth stopped! It was sooo funny, that he did not want anybody, not even daddy, given mommy any lovin that he was not included in. And then we have of course made it a point to do stuff in front of him like give each other hugs where it is way overplayed and he does the same thing! Gives us something to laugh at and makes me feel loved. hahaha.

He is also running like a mad man every where he goes! It's like he very rarely has a walk in his step, but is always on some crazy mission. Good to know he has a plan and needs to get there fast I guess. We just bite our tongue and hold our breath every time he takes off, because he is still only 13 months old! And even though he has been walking for a long time, he still "eats it" often. Which usually means he hits the floor as well as something else along the way. And each time we pretend it is no big deal and hope all his teeth are still there and no harm has been done to his face! Gosh, It stresses me out, but hey, he has got to learn sometime!



Lastly, I would like to end on a complaint, which I rarely do! Due to my line of work, I am pretty much on point with what Elem should be doing at what age etc. And I try to ensure that he is exposed to things early and hopefully is always a step ahead of where he should be. I mean every mom wants there kid to be smart right???Now on top of that he is a big kid. He is most likely a little over 25 pounds and he is tall, so people naturally assume he is older than he really is, which is a good thing if you are referring to like his motor skills, and talking skills, alertness etc. But this lady at work the other day heard him crying for his bottle, and was like-"dang, when you gonna get him off of that" !! My initial reaction was, well I am trying-he doesnt really take one during the day at all, only at night time, and sometimes nap time. But then I was like, hold up, my baby has seriously just turned 1 year old and he is totally okay to be having a bottle!!!!! I mean he is big, there is nothing I can do for the fact that you think he looks like an 18 month old who I obviously know would not be taking a bottle during a day time nap. Okay whew! It just got to me and has pretty much set me on a mission to go ahead and get that baby off the bottle. However, he is slightly addicted, much like he was when I was breast feeding, so we will see how fast this journey to the land of cups and whole milk is! Wish us luck!

Beach Wyatt

So while on vacation and getting married, I was uber excited that my sis and her hubby and new baby boy could make it! Not quite sure how Wyatt made the trip but he did! They came all the way from Rossville Georgia with a 2 month old so from the bottom of my heart I am so thankful for yall for coming! I didnt get too see too much of them, but I did get to see them enough to get a little bit of time to luv on my little nephew! But sadly I have NO pictures from it! Beck did you get any of me an Wyatt? :):) Please tell me you did!

Here are some pics of their insanly cute family. They are like the most picture perfect itty bitty cute family I have ever seen. And I love every single one of them to death! Becky of course is the best sister ever, and was -although it was not official-my maid of honor-or matron of honor I guess you would say. And I must say she did the most excellent job of holding my flowers of anyone I could have asked! haha! Love you sis!


True love:


The Beasley fam of three


and to the left :)


tryin to chill with dad under the tent on the beach!


wow on the beach with a 2 month old and he actually loves it! good boy Wyatt.


so he cant quite see and is forced to squint


but gosh he looks cute. him little red headed white self.


It was so good to see you sis, but sad to see you go. You are such a great mom and keep on doin what you are doin with Wyatt. More tummy time, more tummy time more tummy time. And one day I will have to tell him that you think he has a big head. Wyatt-for the record I think your head is perfect. Your mommy is the one who says such things! :)

Later in the beach week

It has been a crazy week with school being out for the older kids living at my shelter, so I have been taking care of them from 8-6 every day, on top of trying to get their summer program ready to go which starts on Saturday, so needless to say it has been hard to find some time to jump on here and not try and do work on the computer.

Back to the beach right!?

After chillin for the first couple of days and not really doing too much of anything but laying out and playing with the kiddies, we decided to head to a new area called Pier Park, which is kind of a nice little area of town where they have cool shops like Ron Jon Surf Shop, Margarittaville, etc. We got the kids all dressed cute and tried to get into Margarittaville, but it was too hectic and crazy so we ended up at this place called the Back Porch. It was super cool and chilled and actually right next door to Margaritaville. We had some appetizers and enjoyed the view and relaxed for a little while people watching-which I LOVE to do.

Elem and Cecilia being sooo good waitin on something to eat and playing with toys!


Ali in Dustin in what we like to call "their movie star pic"-big classes and all.


Seth and I in OUR movie star pic.


And here we have Elem Zane trying his first orange. At least that I know of. I am not sure why he has never really wanted to eat one, but he LOVEd them and he is addicted to them still to this day! I know it has only been like a week or so, but seriously, he loves loves loves oranges now.



We ran into a few high end places to shop but actually the clothes really weren't that great and the prices were insane! So we walked around for a few minutes let the kids play in the sandy area in the middle of the Pier Park area, and then we were off to the house. Here is a family pic of Ali, Dustin, and Cecilia before we headed back! They are so cute here.


After we got back, the sun was starting to set and the kids started playing around on the beach kind of up close to the house, so I took the opportunity to grab a few shots. Fr some reason I couldnt get them together because they were super hyper and every time I sat them down, one got up and then ran the other direction giggling. So whatever! This is what I could get!

Elem running and giggling all the way. :) so precious.


Miss priss-


Just a giggling:



The next day, Spoon finally arrived and we picked him up from the Airport on Wednesday morning. For those of you who dont know Spoon, this picture pretty much describes him perfectly! He is one of our greatest and dearest friends and has been Seth's best friend since junior high.



As you can see, he doesnt like attention at all-hmm.