Barrett's Mustache Bash

I saw the caption "I MUSTACHE You a Question..." on a t-shirt was what started this whole birthday party theme swirling in my head and then of course PINTEREST.com made this SO SO easy to plan for our little MISTER!  I got my color scheme, invitations, posters, etc. HERE and several of the party favors, tshirts for us, Barrett's outfit, etc. from ETSY.com.

I CANNOT believe my baby is ONE (that will be another post in itself) but this party was SO MUCH FUN that I barely had time to be sad!  I apologize for the picture "dump" but it'll fill you in on what a great party it was!  We SO APPRECIATE everyone who came to celebrate Barrett's first year!  We LOVE all of our friends and family who care so much about us.  I have to give a HUGE shout out to my parents who allowed the party to be at their home.  Especially my Mom, regardless of what she had going on, cleaned and decorated right alongside me to make this such a special day for Barrett and everyone! 

I love you Mom and Dad!

The Party Decor...



Barrett's First Taste of Cake...

The Birthday Boy - ONE!!!



Party Guests

(some were hiding from the camera)

 Photo Booth Fun...



Swim Time!!!

I hate to see you go...but I really MUSTACHE!

My Little Prayer Warrior

My sweet co-worker, Cassie, has been diagnosed with lung cancer. She is SO young and vibrant, was our teacher of the year last year, her students and their parents LOVE her and she is a dream to work with! This has been one of those situations in my lifetime where I have found myself over and over asking God, "WHY?" and "HOW?".   It just hits so close to home when the person is your age or younger.  I have been praying continuously for her and her family. I would love to ask you to pray as well. God has already answered so many prayers in regards to her situation, and I know that He is "Mighty to Save" and the ultimate HEALER and can perform a miracle of all miracles on her behalf. Will you please pray for her?   I know she would be so grateful...

My sweet Anna Claire has such a spunky personality, full of HILARIOUS-ness that has kept us in stitches for these last several years, and because of that "spunk" I often overlook the tenderness of her precious heart. God is doing a work in her, shaping her into the amazing woman I know she will become. She hasn't fully given her life to Christ, by asking Him into her heart, but I know she is so very close to fully grasping life's most amazing reward...becoming a follower of Jesus Christ. She says sweet, sincere prayers at night and has the most theological, grown up conversations with me sometimes. She really grasps the phrase from one of my favorite songs "Break my heart for what breaks YOURS". She shared this story (below) with my Mom, so it is NOT verbatim, and I am sure I will mess up some of the details, and leave something out, but I had to record it to remind her someday that God began a stirring in her heart at such a young age. She teaches me more than she knows... (updated since clarifying the story with Nana)

Anna Claire: Nana, did you know that Mrs. Cassie, Mommy's friend and a teacher at our school has cancer?

My Mom: Yes, sweetie, I am sad about that.  A lot of people are praying for her.
A.C.:  Yeah, I've been praying and fasting about it.

Nana: What do you mean fasting?

A.C.:  Well when you fast and pray God hears your prayers better.  Like instead of eating 3 crackers, ou just eat one and pray when you would have eaten the other two.

Nana:  Where did you learn about that?

A.C.: The preacher.  A lot of people don't listen to the preacher, but I did.  AND...
In honor of my Mom, to pray for Mrs. Cassie, I've started a prayer group on the playground at recess with 7 girls. We are praying for various people and animals that are sick. We are asking God to heal them. My friend was upset because one of her tadpoles ate the other tadpole's leg and so we are praying for it to grow back.  And now they are frogs and one of the frogs is just stunning.  Nana, what does stunning mean?

Just LOVE her innocent child-like faith...Oh Lord, let her never lose sight of YOU...

Parties Make my heart happy...

I'm a planner  OCD, and I LOVE a fun theme to swirl my thoughts around!  Anna Claire turns 7 in May and Barrett will be 1 in July and I've already picked their FUN party themes!  I mostly chose them early, so I don't have to rush around last minute ans so I can take my time being creative and spreading out the cost over several months.  I have been "pinning" many ideas on Pinterest, but I also welcome any fun things you find out there as well!  I need to collect some old ties, and top hats for Barrett's so let me know if you can spare anything!  I'm excited...this gives me a creative outlet when I feel like my days are about grading papers, changing diapers, assisting in homework and doing laundry.

  YAY for birthdays!  I love making my kids feel special!

Anna Claire will have a SMALL Rainbow Sleepover this year with a couple of friends...

Picture from Homemade by Jill blog

For the Little Mister...a small gathering of family & friends...a MUSTACHE BASH!!! 

Can't you see my roly poly buddy with a hilarious 'STACHE? 

Can't wait!

Picture from SWANKY PRESS

My BONUS Daughter

Today Kelly's Korner is doing a link-up for step-parents. I can totally jump in on that topic! Do I think I have it down? NO WAY! But, I am hoping to gain wisdom from some of these ladies that also are part of this step-parenting world.

This is Shelby Elizabeth. I prefer to call her my "BONUS daughter". She likes that. She is a beautiful, special and delightful girl...one who has taught me more about myself (good, bad and ugly) than I ever dreamed.

When Brad and I met, I knew he had a daughter.  When I decided I loved Brad, I agreed to love Shelby too...Heart AND Soul.  I have a daughter, so I didn't know how in the world I would feel when I became a "step-mom" to another one. I'm going to be really honest right now and say...THIS IS HARD STUFF Y'ALL. Our situation is FAR from the norm, so we've had to create our own normal.

We are the true YOURS, MINE and OURS situation. Shelby is Brad's, Anna Claire is mine, and Barrett is ours.  But we are The Duff's...TEAM DUFF...a FAMILY in every sense of the word possible. Shelby isn't with us full time, Anna Claire and Barrett are, so it creates an odd family dynamic at times.  Brad is such a great Daddy to all three.  He takes Shelby to dinner once a week so that they can have alone time.  It is THEIR time...uninterrupted and although at first I had a hard time understanding why they just HAD to have that time together, now I understand it and see its benefits.  Shelby visits us on the 2nd and 4th weekend of each month and utimately it is HER choice when she comes over.  We make sure and stress this to her often that we ALWAYS want her, but we do understand that she may have something fun come up that she'd rather be a part of.  My daughter, Anna Claire,  is with us almost full time, aside from 2-3 day visits a month with her Dad, so I don't consider her situation that quite as difficult to handle.  Anna Claire and Shelby love eachother (most of the time) just like real sisters do!

The hardest parts have been building trust with Shelby.  It is up to me to show her who I am when she is with ME, and let HER realize that I am a genuine, good person and mom, and that I really do love her.  When asked about her mother, even though she and I don't speak very often, I say all the time that her mother has to have some wonderful qualities for two reasons...one because my husband did love her at one time and I think he is pretty great, and two Shelby is such a sweetheart!  I pray that both of her sets of parents continue to focus on Shelby's well-being!

 Another hard part is fitting in enough FUN, but living a realistic life on the weekends we have her.  Those who know me know that I am a little OCD and have it all mapped out at times.  Sometimes to a fault...so "letting go" of the little things has been very hard for me at times.  I want her to be a part of so much, but she can't always be...but when she's not there she is ALWAYS in our conversations, our prayers and our hearts.

Do I have all the answers...no.  Is it a "picture perfect" life...NO.  Is it what I thought I'd be doing at 31 years old...NO, but God is teaching me to be patient...give HIM the control and show his love to all three of these little lives that are entrusted to me, even if one of them is part-time.

The advice I can give is to excercise PATIENCE, let go of the things that don't really matter (which is a lot to kids), don't question your husband's loyalty to his child (I've never done this...ha!), don't expect things to be perfect (nope...not me!), make memories when you can, but don't be upset when your time with your step-child(ren) wasn't picture perfect, pray...PRAY...PRAY!!!, and make decisions TOGETHER.  Also keep in mind that the child is the one that really has the stress.  They have to go back and forth, juggle two SETS of parents and several different sets of grandparents, family members, etc.  Check in with them often to see how THEY are feeling and make sure you do not speak ugly about their other home.  Also, realize that their two homes may be VERY different , so don't expect them to fall right in line with the way you live each time they come over...give them GRACE.

I want nothing more than to leave a Christ-like legacy for my children, something that changes the course of our families' future...no more divorce...no more broken homes...a family that honors Christ and shows his love to others...even if one of those children is my "Bonus daughter".

SEVEN MONTHS

Dear Barrett,

You are SEVEN MONTHS! I am not sure where the time has gone, but in order to not get even further behind, I am going to record this month RIGHT NOW! No more worrying about fancy pictures or the "right" words to say, but just making sure this Mama doesn't forget just how precious you are in this VERY MOMENT!

Age: 7 months (February 22, 2012)

Weight: 24 pounds (100%)

Length: 28.5 pounds (99%)

WOW!

You are the sweetest, laid back "little" guy. You babble saying "Ba-ba", "Bubba", Dadadada, Ya-Ya-Ya-Ya, and sometimes I think you're saying "Mama". You've even made the "N" sound when I've said "Say Nana!" We think you're pretty smart!

You reach to grab for anything and everything, but especially our i.phones, Penny the dog and MY HAIR and jewelry. You are chewing on a lot of toys and your paci and seem to be wanting to cut a tooth or two.

You are eating very well...that is obvious...HA! You LOVE all fruits and veggies, yogurt, your milk and sometimes water in a sippy cup. Your favorite food so far is a yogurt/avocado/pineapple/banana pudding. Your least favorite I would say is carrots. You eat about three or four, 6 ounce bottles a day, 2-3 jars of baby food and one 8 ounce bottle at bedtime. The doctor was shocked that was all you are eating for your size.

You wear a Size 3 diaper during the day and a Size 4 at night. I LOVE the Huggies overnight diapers. You are wearing some 6-12 month clothes and a lot of 12-18month outfits.

Your naps are interesting. At school you nap about 2-3 forty-five minute naps and at Grandma's, Nana's or our house you will sleep 2 hours or so! You are so social at school that sleeping is LAST on your priority list! At night, you sleep in your crib, with a white noise machine and I'm ashamed to admit, for the first time last night you slept without your SwaddleMe blanket.

You roll over sometimes, but mostly like to sit or lay on your back and play with your feet. You sit up really well on your own and LOVE your exersaucer and play mat! You enjoy your Praise.Baby and Baby.Einstein videos and being sung to or read to. You also love to watch Penny the dog or your sisters entertain you! Last night you hid your face in my shirt several times to play "Peek-a-boo" with me. Daddy is my witness.

You LOVE your family and the fact that Grandma, Granddad, Nana and Pop ALL have a hand in your childcare is pretty fun for you! We are so very blessed!

You go to anyone still and just almost always have the sweetest smile on your face. I'm waiting for the separation anxiety to set in soon. You notice when I leave the room and start to whimper a little when that happens. You also lift your arms now to be picked up.

I am so blessed to be your Mommy. I honestly never pictured myself with a son, and now I cannot imagine my life without you. You have taught me to let the little things go, hold you more, and cling to more precious moments with your sister as well.

SO SO proud to be your Mommy William "Barrett" Duff!

Love - Mommy

Love is...

Jesus - that died on the cross and saved me from my ugly sin....

My husband - who was made just for me, whom I love more now than when I married him...

Loving parents, sister and extended family and in-laws - that I thank God for every day...

My "BONUS" daughter (we choose those words instead of stepdaughter) Shelby -

that I adore and who has taught me more than she knows...

My co-workers that are more than just that...they are my friends

Friends - that are like family

A SON - that God blessed our home with and that he is so healthy and happy...

My sweet Barrett...

Anna Claire - sweet princess of the house, who keeps me in stitches and makes me want to be a better person on a daily basis...

what fills our home... and our hearts...

Fallen Blogger Once again...trying to find a balance...

I doubt anyone even checks to see if I'm blogging any more. I'm sure one would assume I've decided not to blog for various reasons, but the fact of the matter is I didn't have the energy or time when the baby was first born and now it has been SO LONG that I feel overwhelmed when I think of it...it's snowballed on me! I've even thought of closing it completely and giving up, or starting over, but I decided this weekend that I really do have SO many great pictures and posts to document our family's adventures over these past SEVEN MONTHS. So, I am going to take baby steps to getting caught up. Be prepared - it may take me a LONG TIME, but I need to document all of our happenings somehow! I even got a great new camera for Christmas that has been put to good use and need to share those pictures with you as well.

You know the fact of the matter is, I am having a hard time finding BALANCE in my life. How do I work full time outside of our home, keep an orderly house, bond with my baby, pay attention to my six year old, teach them both important life lessons, be a good step-mom, organize our life, spend QUALITY time with my husband, check on my friends, cook, eat healthy, save money, do laundry, be creative, crafty, spend time with Jesus, volunteer more, make sure I am taking care of JILL, etc....the list goes ON AND ON AND ON...and in the end...what REALLY matters to me, my family and GOD? I am figuring out, little by little, that I need to try to keep everything in perspective and not drown in the "little things". I am praying much more, letting some things go that I never thought I would, and really just trying to BREATHE.

Here's to more updates! Starting with baby Barrett's BIRTH day! :)