Life Lately

I feel like life has been moving at 2x since December...where has the time gone?!  We're on our second No School day for snow in as many weeks, and I'm here.for.it!  If only I got the day off, too!  I'm itching to get on the lake this weekend!  My parents are also coming to help me work on a few projects around the house -- fingers crossed!  They were supposed to come down last weekend, but I made them stay home because we got a huge ice storm. :(  Anyways, here's a little recap of what we're all up to these days...

Jordyn

She's in second grade now & loving her teachers.  She's had a little bit of hurt feelings with her two best friends being together in the 'other' class, but it's been a good learning experience for her and overall she's handled it well.  She's doing piano each week and is doing really good!  She's also in basketball which she enjoys.  Other than that she's in Clover Kids {4H} and loves youth group at our church.  Additionally, she's been begging me to let her do Girl Scouts -- I wouldn't mind, I just don't know that we {I!} can handle one more thing logistically on Thursday evenings right now.

Cullyn

He's in first grade already & doing really well.  He loves the social side of school, but could really do without the actual learning portion! ;)  Wrestling season is almost over for Cullyn, but he has done so well this year!  It's been super fun to watch him excel in this area.  In addition to wrestling, Cullyn is busy with basketball, taewkondo {another huge passion of his!}, Clover Kids, youth group {he refuses to miss!} & piano {the one thing he could ditch and not think twice about -- also the one thing I actually feel passionate about him doing, sigh.}

Lola

She's 2 1/2 already -- how is that possible?!  She is such a good girl for the most part!  She now roams the house when we leave.  She loves playing in the snow as much as she loves swimming in the water!  Unfortunately, she currently has a yeast infection {in her ear} and a staph infection {on her tummy} so we're treating those and giving her some extra love right now. 

Adam

He's enjoying a little reprieve from the crazy-busy year he had at work in 2019.  Appointments are slowly picking back up and he's been able to do some speaking for his new job.  The job change last year was such a great decision for our family and I couldn't be more proud of him for it.  We just got back from Las Vegas, a trip he earned through his company for their performance in 2019.  Unfortunately, with work being so full, the band has slowed down a bit, but he's getting back into it.

Me

I still feel super thankful to work in the same town as the kids' school.  Dropping them off and picking them up is gold!  My position at work has stretched me a lot this year -- I can't believe I've almost been here a year already!  At times it's been stressful, and demanding, but I am loving it!  It's fun to learn new things.  A bonus to me working in finance now, I am super driven to make more aggressive financial decisions at home, so that's been fun!  Traveling is still my most favorite thing in the world {behind family!}.  I just booked our RV for this summer {eek!}  My only hobby these days {besides reading & driving my kids everywhere} is small group.  It's been life-giving to me when I feel like Adam and I are ships passing in the night. Which reminds me, the thing I'm most excited for in 2020 -- Adam and I are bringing back weekly date nights!  Whoop Whoop!  I've also committed to keeping this space better updated now that the kids aren't as needy at night.

Photo of our lake from the first snow of the season -- we're on like our 7th now! ;)

10 Things that Changed our Marriage

Today we've been married 10 years, so I thought I would share 10 things that have changed our marriage over the years.

1. Making time to connect - weekly date nights are our favorite

2. Learning their Love Language - physical touch does not come natural to me, but understanding the importance of it for Adam sure helps!

3. Grace - Growing my relationship with God has made this easier, but it's important to remember to give your spouse {everyone!} a little more grace.  Most of the time, people don't do things to hurt/annoy/upset you but that can be easy to forget sometimes.

4. Remembering what you loved about each other when you were dating - man, these days are full!  It's important for me to step back and remember why I chose Adam to be my partner to begin with.

5. Giving each other space - It's important for each of us to have our 'thing' -- I love reading, napping, or walking when I need some space, but Adam recharges in the complete opposite way -- he likes to catch up with friends or host family.

6. Doing something small every day to make them smile - a text message, a smack on the booty, or just a favorite meal.  Don't forget to keep your spouses' needs fresh in your mind.

7. Dreaming together - one of our favorite things to do.  Adam is naturally better at this than me, but I love to dream about the next 5, 10, 25 years when the time is right.  What can I say, I'm a very practical person! ;)  Adam is naturally the dreamer in our house!

8. Apologizing - Whew...this is probably where I've grown the most in the last 10 years.  I just didn't grow up in a house were we apologized.  It was more of a give them space until they can just move forward.  Adam has really taught me how to apologize -- and mean it! ;)

9. Talking about the little things - Adam is really good at this too.  I think being a night owl helps him to want to chat after work.  I'm drained, and kind of over talking to people by the time he gets home, so I really have to remind myself to chat about all the little details.  They do matter!

10. Not giving up!  In 10 years, we've had our ups and downs but it's so important to just keep giving it your best.  Communicate when you're frustrated.  Ask for help when you need it.  My mom said it best when she said, "someone always has to be in love"  It's best when you both are, but lets be honest -- it ebbs and flows.  As long as one of you are in love at all times, you're good to go! :)

Low-Country Seafood Boil 2019

Yesterday we hosted a seafood boil for Adam's Birthday.  This meal is always a crowd pleaser -- you cover a table {or 2 if you have a family as big as ours} with newspaper {tip - cover the table in wax paper first} and spread out the food.  Everyone crowds the table and eats like scavenges.  Bonus :: easiest cleanup ever!

I will admit, the guys always cook this meal, but it looks pretty simple! ;)

We fill a turkey fryer with water and bring it to a boil.  Then add Zatarain's crab boil {we cooked 2 pots, so we had 2 boxes of seasoning}.  Add potatoes and Andouille sausage {we cooked 3} for 10 minutes.  Add corn {6-8 ears, cut in half} on the cob and cook until tender {DO NOT OVERCOOK!}  Add jumbo shrimp {5lbs}, crab legs {7 lbs}, crawdads {1lb}, large prawns {1lb} & mussels {1lb} for an additional 5 minutes.  Drain & dump on the table.  {this fed 15 people}

*In previous years we've added blue crab.  While they look cool, we find them to be too much work for the amount of meat you get.  

Our Family Photos | Fall 2016

Mid October we had family photos taken at the lake, our first family photos without Murdock {besides the ones we did with my family this summer}.  The plan was to take the first half of the photos {seen} and then end the session with photos of us in the Jeep.  Unfortunately, despite just being back from the shop, our Jeep wouldn't start!  Of course once I came to terms that we wouldn't get the photos I planned the sun set and the photographer was leaving, it fired right up.  sigh.  Regardless, I was happy with the limited shots we got.