Friday High Fives

We made it, friends! Cheers to a short week thanks to the amazing works of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., which always falls on the weekend of my birthday. Lucky me.

This week's high-fives were brought to me compliments of:

Aveda Stress-Fix- This cream smells ah-mazing, y'all. I feel like I'm at the spa every time I crack it open and my skin cannot get enough during these ridiculously dry winter months.

The return of my favorite TV shows after the holiday break. I probably watch too much TV once the Munchie goes to bed, but for now, I welcome the mindless entertainment. Judge if you must.

 

Snuggle time with our Munchie in the morning. With the low temps and our living room being a wall of 15ft windows, it's much more cozy for Nash and I to snuggle in our bed while he drinks his bottle. We watch Mickey, cuddle and dream of staying there all day.

 

 

This fellow below, and not because he's handsome, but because I've been digging his music for awhile now. He's a welcomed change of pace from the other country stars I've heard lately.

Give him a listen.

 

 

 

 

 

These beauties brightening up our kitchen for over a week now. If you're local and looking for flowers that last, give Kings Flowers a call! Special shout out to the Hubs, for sending them for my Bday. There's nothing better than a floral delivery, am I right?!

 

 

Welcoming Bessie into our family. I have been waiting patiently for Bessie to circulate back through DecorSteals and when she did, I snagged her up. What's even more fun, you ask? Placing her on the Hub's pillow for a creepy, little surprise:) Side note, friends who don't live in the Midwest will most likely not understand why anyone would anxiously await a cow head décor piece.

#WeLoveCows #FarmhouseChicForTheWin

 

 

Receiving pictures from daycare. These snapshots into Munch's day make me oh so happy. AND how adorable is our baby holding a baby?! I can't even. He just looks so proud and so happy and so handsome. He'll make a great big brother some day, Lord willing.

 

 



Sticker fun when we're prisoners staying warm on a -9 degree day.

Nash is just now starting to sit still long enough for activities like this, so I sneak them in when I can.

#NationalHugDay. Who doesn't love a good hug??!!

Who gives you the best hugs?

Happy Friday, y'all!

How Can It Be

Today is a good day.

The sun is shining.

There's a Midwestern heat wave (y'all, we've crept into the 20's for the first time in days and I can feel my toes again!).

And I'm just going to leave this here for you...



Our wrongs have been righted. Our causes pled. Our chains broken. Our dirty made clean. Our olds made new. We are free.

Today is a good day.

Show & Tell: Momfessionals

Today I'm linking up with Andrea for the January edition of Show & Tell: Momfessionals (aka...mom confessions). I've already read a few of the momfessionals over on Andrea's page and many of them had me laughing and nodding my head in agreement. There's a certain unity in our survival mechanisms of which I am pleased to know I'm not the only one.
United we stand, mommas!

Without further ado...

• I loathe the bedtime routine of changing the diaper, changing into jammies and brushing Nash's teeth. He screams and fights the toothbrush the entire time and by the end of the day, I have zero fight left in me. I do, however, rule the bedtime story, rocking and singing of a lullaby or two. Once in his room, I nail bedtime every night. Everything leading up to that I gladly hand over to his dad. Sorry, Hubs.
• I've recently noticed that I overuse the phrase "I'm going to let you do that" when it comes to changing a rank diaper, brushing of said teeth, putting Nash in his car seat, etc... I'm hoping that if I word it as though I am "gifting" my husband the task opportunity, that it will appear more appealing and super selfless. Let's not ask Tim how he perceives it, OK? 
• There is one act of toddlerhood that cuts right through me and can make me see red on the spot...throwing of food. I truly make an effort to prepare things for dinner that I think Nash will enjoy (that are also nutritious) only to have some of them thrown on our floor, table or even worse, at me. Momfessional alert here>>>>I almost lose my mind if the food hits me. Oh, no you didn't!
• I stay up WAY TOO LATE watching mindless TV or playing on my phone and Facebook simply because I can. No one needs me after 9pm, no one needs anything for that matter, so I can simply just be. Are there more constructive things I could be doing? Duh. But I've been constructive all the live-long day and I'm done. DONE. I just want to be a blob who will pay for it the next morning.
• I still put my 17 month old in his baby swing when I need a break (minus the mobile so don't panic). He's a little peanut so he still fits comfortably and he enjoys the coziness of it while watching a show, so why the heck not milk that thing. I joke that I'll still put him in that thing when he's 7 but secretly I'm not joking. Seriously, do they make them in big kid sizes? Graco, I'm talking to you.

• I'm a proud germaphobe. P.R.O.U.D and I make no apologies. While 9 months pregnant, and already exuding beauty from every angle, I got pink eye and the doc thought it was probably from a grocery cart. Picture being almost 10 months pregnant in the heat of August AND you have a swollen shut, gooey eye. Ain't nobody got time for that. I felt bad that people even had to look at me as I looked freakishly similar to Sloth from the Goonies. I will forever sanitize grocery carts, restaurant tables, my child, etc... If it's not moving, I'll probably sanitize it.

Hang in there fellow mommas! We've got this, secrets and all.

In My 36th Year

For the last few years (read last year's here) I've taken a moment on my birthday to reflect on all that life has taught me over the last 365 days. These are by far some of my favorite posts as they show me that although some days are hard, some days hurt, some days make my sides hurt from belly laughing, the sum of these days and moments show me growth and life and faith and love. This year was no exception.

In my 36th year I learned that the term "new mom" is relative. I'm thinking at this rate, I may always feel "new" in this arena. Seriously, just when I get a stage or phase nailed down, boom, onto the next parental learning curve. I've also learned I'm sick of changing diapers, but that I can't do a darn thing about it.

I've learned that owning three homes with three mortgages is zero fun. Selling two of said homes feels fantastic and makes me want to never buy a home again.  Renting looks pretty darn good to me in the future. I've also learned that not owning a boat whilst living on the river because, ummm, 3 mortgages, is painful. Watching everyone soak in the rays and the breeze on the water while we watch from our deck in 97 degree weather is definitely not as fun. In my 37th year I hope to have learned what it does feel like to be ON the water, but I digress.

I learned that standing before God, our pastor and my family and committing my son and his faith journey to God and the church is a moment I will never forget (even if the pastor called me Bethany the entire time). We cannot make Nash believe, but we can lead him in the right direction and we can show him a God who loves him and ALWAYS has Him in his hands and heart.

I've learned that watching a human grow and develop into a person with a personality is a miracle which unfolds moment by moment and day by day. How lucky are we to have front row seats to this masterpiece? I've also learned that being a boy mom is not for the faint of heart. Seriously, upon birthing a boy, they should give you a helmet and a "get ready for this..." manual. I may or may not have mini heart attacks daily as I try to stop Nash from head diving off of everything.

I've learned that watching those you love battle mental or physical illness can test your faith, but that you have to believe things will get better. They will. I know they will.

I've learned what it feels like to lose your best furry friend and that the realization in that moment brought me to my knees. I heard a part of me cry out from deep inside my soul that the audible sounds startled me. I learned that even 6 months after his passing, I'll still forget Piggy's gone when I run home at lunch or see something at the front door window. There will never be another Piggy. He was irreplaceable and I was the luckiest person to have him love me for so long.

I've learned that although you know your grandparents won't be around forever, their mortality still sneaks up on you. I've learned that the greatest gifts are time and that I never want my loved ones to be alone when they're failing and ailing.

I've learned that being a parent makes you finally understand when your folks used to say "you'll understand when you're a parent." I get it now. Parenting is incredibly hard for a love that comes so easily. It is challenging and energizing and exhausting and exciting and important and silly and it is a gift that isn't promised to all. I've also learned that watching your parents lose their parents is heart wrenching and makes you want to soak in all of the moments with yours while you still have them.

I've learned that goodbyes on this side of earth are not fun, regardless of timing or preparation or warning, but they are not final. This is not our final destination.

I've learned that friendship, both near and far, makes me incredibly grateful. Nothing beats a good friend. Nothing.

And lastly, I've learned that true love takes work and I'm thankful for everyone in my life who works at this crazy stuff with me and alongside of me daily. You all make this journey, and my 36th year, worthwhile. Cheers to 37!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2015, You Pretty Much Suck

If I were a cursing woman, this post would probably read much differently, but I shall try and keep it classy. "Sucks" is about as harsh  as I shall go outwardly, while inwardly cursing 2015. 2015, you are dead to me.

This year, my 36th year, has brought many blessings. Do not mistake this post for me being ungrateful for yet another year of life, love, family, accomplishments, good health for the Freiberg 3, and prosperity. God has been so good on so many fronts. We have a roof over our head that is bigger than what we need. We've never gone hungry. We haven't let a single day slip by without being grateful for the beautiful son God has chosen for us. On many fronts, this has been a good year. Thank you, Jesus.

On some other fronts, not so much. Some other fronts simply SUCK. In this 36th year, I've lost and buried my fur-baby and first-born, Piggy. There was no time to prepare for that goodbye and the hurt and shock was crushing. I miss him daily and still forget that he's gone a couple times a month.

I've watched a sweet friend's 5 year old son battle an awful illness while they try to figure out how to live within their new normal that looks nothing like what they had envisioned at this stage in their lives. There is no break for little Walker's body and there are no words for what they must feel every day.

I've watched my mom suffer through a life-altering illness for the last 7 months without being able to do a dang thing to help her. Try as I may, there aren't the right words to alleviate her pain. There's no magic pill to take away her ailments. I want to make it better. I want to make her better. I want to see her full of life again. I am confident she will get better. I'm confident she'll fully regain her footing. It just might not be in 2015. 2016, you've got some work to do. You hear me?

I've seen an incredibly challenging year unfold and fall upon us at work. We've weathered a very public strike and layoffs all within our 50th anniversary year. A year that was meant for celebrations,  felt more like defeat on many fronts.

And as we near the end of 2015, I will saw goodbye to my grandfather. Grandpa Meyers is on his way to be with the Lord, and although we don't know the day or the hour, his leaving is in motion. There is absolutely no good time to lose a loved one, but to lose them at Christmas time stings just a tad bit more. Merry and Bright aint feelin so merry or so bright.

My brother and I have been so abundantly blessed to have him in our lives for as long as we have, and Nash was born on his Great Grandpa Meyers' birthday which makes him even more special. My Grandpa, who called me Brittany Joe Billy Bob throughout my life, will be incredibly missed. His body will find rest and he will be with us in spirit on Christmas day, just as he has been for my last 35 Christmases. It just sucks that "in spirit" will be our reality. Christmas won't be the same this year. It may not feel the same for a long time. Grandpa was always in the best mood on Christmas so we'll all try our best to do the same for him this year.

2015, you have taken two of my loved ones and physically and/or mentally crippled others and I'd just like you to move along, please. Take all of your crap with you and be gone. I'll count my many blessings from your 365, but that's about all the use that I have for you.

You pretty much sucked.

2016, I'm counting on you to rally the troops. Renew us, revive us and Jesus, please redeem us.

My Bae is Cray.

 

What do you do when your 15 month old son is fearless? Like head diving into the floor on purpose fearless? You have mini-heart attacks eeerrrrryyyday, all day. That's what you do.

Whilst pregnant with said cray cray, I read all the blogs about being a "boy mom" and how my life would be covered in missed-the-potty-pee-splatters, dirt and boogers, crotch adjusting and injuries caused by a lack of fear that is somehow woven into boy genes, but none of those bloggers mentioned a dang thing about the injuries and fearlessness happening at 15 months. Somehow my precious little went from crawling to walking to crowd diving in a matter of weeks, which I can assure you is not nearly enough time to prepare this momma's heart. Or mind. Or insurance provider.

What started as a friendly and innocent game of tackle mom and dad if they're laying on the floor has escalated into "I'm just gonna put this throw pillow on the floor and proceed to run and face plant into it repeatedly while belly laughing." Our Munch thinks flying face first into the ground is the coolest thing ever no matter how many times we try to redirect to an activity that is a bit more gentle and parent approved.

Trying to climb off the backside of the couch? Sounds totally fun to him! Trying to fling yourself off the bed? He's game! He. Has. No. Fear. And the forehead bruises to prove it. I tend to joke that his little still forming body will see stitches by his second birthday, but truth be told, it's not funny when I say it. It scares me to the core.

How do you tame a child's sense of independence and fearlessness without squashing their spark and sense of adventure? How do I walk the line of ensuring he's just the right amount of afraid of danger? And more importantly how do I wrap our entire house in bubble wrap in a completely Better Homes and Garden sort of way?

Any and all suggestions and advice are welcome on this one. My son's poor forehead thanks you in advance, as does my heartburn.

I Believe

I believe.

Those two words are so simple, yet so profound. Those two words are life changing, life saving, and life giving. Without those two words, my life would probably look much, MUCH different than it does now. Those two words are my daily compass, my gut check, my end all, be all and my promise that no matter what happens today, tomorrow or decades down the line, I am spoken for, I am loved, I am held and I am His.

Heavy. Heavy is the one word that I would use to describe how I feel lately. My heart is heavy. My mind is heavy. My chest just feels...heavy.

Over the past six months, I've watched someone I love tremendously battle a serious illness and there was such a feeling of helplessness. I've watched a dear friend struggle through the even more serious illness of her precious child, all while trying to sort through and navigate through a very real and altered "normal". I've given my all through my work and found myself tossing through sleepless nights wondering if it'd be enough. If I was enough. And most recently, I've found myself sitting next to hundreds of coworkers, waiting to see if our positions will survive the budget crisis facing Illinois. Some of us will not have jobs at the end of this month, regardless of how much our employers wish they could keep us. Heavy. That one word is ever present for me and so many others right now.

As I stood in church yesterday, a wave of emotions flooded over me. It was heavy, but it was also LIGHT. For the first time in weeks, I felt as though I couldn't breathe, not because of the heaviness, but because of the lightness. Everything that I had been carrying was caught in my chest, and for the first time in awhile, there was hope and there was promise. There were two small yet HUGE words that delivered so much. I believe.

In those moments as we sang out to God, I was reminded how much I take for granted my belief and what that truly means. I DO believe in God our Father. I DO believe in Christ the Son. I DO believe in the Holy Spirit, Our God is three in one. I DO believe in the resurrection, that we will rise again, for I believe in the name of Jesus.

It is because of these beliefs, that although I may feel heavy, I do not need to allow that to consume me for I'm not alone in these matters. The God, the Father who I believe in is with me and always has been. I am held. I am loved. I was fought for for an insurmountable price. In Him, there is a rise after every fall. There is redemption following our failures. There are great wins following our loses, and there is always, always hope. I just need to remember to believe. And not just to believe inwardly, but to declare it. To sing it. To stand shoulder to shoulder with others who believe with me. And to repeat it. And repeat it again.

I hope to remind myself every single day, no matter what lies ahead, that there is freedom and LIGHTNESS and hope in the declaration of my beliefs and in the name of Jesus. No other two words carry as much weight, do they? They are the perfect type of heavy.

A Spooktacular Halloween

Who goes there???

Have I mentioned how much I love Halloween? From the candy to the festivities to any excuse to dress up and decorate my home, it all just makes me oh so happy. I hope our Munchie grows to love it as much as I do, because this momma will be dressing up for a long, long time. Embrace it or be embarrassed by it. The choice is yours, kid.

With us being in New York last year for the Hubs' NY City Marathon, we missed our first Halloween in our new neighborhood which meant this year I sort of guesstimated on how many kiddos we'd get. I knew there were a lot of kids in our area, but how many, well, apparently I had zero clue.

Armed and ready with "tons" of candy (or so I thought), Little Debbie Halloween cakes, glow bracelets and small rubber duckies for the littlest of ghosts and goblins, I was READY. For approximately the first 30 minutes. When my neighbor said they've gotten between 200-300 kids in 2.5 hours, I laughed. He was not kidding.

After taking our un-cowardly lion to a few houses, I hopped in the car and ran to buy 8 more big bags of candy, which was still not enough. If you came to our house in the last 30 minutes of trick or treating, my sincerest apologies. I hope you enjoyed your gluten free crackers, Mardi Gras beads, and anything else I could rummage from our pantry. I was one knock on the door away from handing out, K-cups, y'all.

Next year. Next year I'll be ready and we will dominate this holiday like the Halloween bosses we are. There will be mounds of candy, cakes and non-food treats. We've got this.

And although I've already started to brainstorm costume options for 2016, I have to give a shout out to the Hubs who didn't fight me on throwing on a scarecrow costume so we could escort our little lion to the neighbors' homes and then to a party later that night. He's a good sport and that lion of ours, he loved handing out candy and roaring at the kids at our door.  And I loved having our families over for chili, cornbread and pumpkin bars. Is there a better way to spend a cold, rainy Halloween night? I do not believe so.

I hope you all had an amazing evening of costumes, candy and creating memories together!

 Welcome to our home. Knock if you dare.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Happy Halloween from the Oz crew!

 

This little lion has my heart.

 



That tail though.

"Roaring" at the treaters with grandma.

 



 

 

Off to see the wizard!

 

 

How could I pass up this shirt?

No truer words.

 

 

Until next year...

 

 

 

 

 

Boo, Y'all!

It's been way too long and I promise to be much better about my radio silence as we move forward, my friends! The last few months were a whirlwind and time was of the essence on almost everything in my life, or so it seemed, which meant no blogging for this momma.

But, things are a slowin' down, so I'm bbbbaaaacccckkkkkkk.

And because it's the Eve of Halloween, I thought I'd break the silence with a little walk down memory lane of Halloween's past. Enjoy!

Why not squeeze ourselves into toddler costumes?!

 

 

Halloween circa 2011 with my cadets.

I always loved making Halloween special for them if they had to spend it with me at work.

 

Rachel Zoe, CSI detective, Super Woman and a bat!

 



 

This costume doesn't quite make sense without being able to see me next to my date, but that year I went as Katie Holmes and my date was Tom Cruise from Risky Business.

It turned out to be a pretty fun combo.

Obligatory haunted house photo.

 



The cutest little hotdog I ever did see. 

 

 

 

One of my all-time favorite costumes thus far, Gnomes.

I'm pretty sure we'll circulate this one back through the rotation at some point.

Act surprise when we do, would ya please?

 

 

What are you going to be this year?

 

Happy Halloween, friends!!

Friday High Fives

I'm baaaacccccckkkkkkkkk.

It's been a LONG time, my friends. I've missed you fiercely.

Due to massive amounts of cogs and gears all moving at the same time in every direction in my life over the last few months a hiatus seemed inevitable. That being said, I figured I'd ease back in to this ole blog of mine with an easy post. So without further ado...

Friday High Fives go out to:

• A gorgeous weekend with NOTHING on the agenda. Not a DANG thang, y'all. We're gonna wake up when we wake up. We're gonna eat what we want, when we want it. We're gonna do us. You do you, we'll do us. All weekend long. And that my friends, smells a bit like freedom.
• A trip to either the farmer's market or the county fair tomorrow. Not totally sure which one yet, but there will be local, outdoor fun had by the Freiberg Three.
• Fun new kicks with bling. Sometimes you just want your feet to get a little bedazzled action.

• Knowing that Nash's BFF, Travers is being celebrated this weekend in SC as he turns ONE. Happy early Bday, buddy! We hate we can't be there to hug you and toast your parents, but you'll be on our hearts this weekend for sure. *Here's the little duo when they were 5 months old. They'll be reunited in October and I can't wait!

• A lunch date today with my dad. No matter how old you get, your dad is just good for your soul. Especially when cheese fries are involved.

• A random chance to visit the hospital where Nash's journey began on his actual birthday. We had a family member there, so we took the opportunity to recreate the last photo we ever took of me before I entered those doors to meet our man. It's crazy how times flies and what losing 50lbs does. Yep, I just admitted that I gained 50lbs whilst growing a human. It wasn't pretty. Everything on my body touched each other, which is super fun in the heat of August.

• Bachelor in Paradise. I know, I know. It's crap TV, but it's entertaining crap.

• Watching Nash relish in the aftermath of his first Bday party that is toy chaos to the enth degree. Can you spot the baby in this photo? I promise he's in there enjoying his new toys.

• Seeing so many of friends last Saturday, many of whom we see 1-2 times a year now that we live in different states. The Jim Olson Memorial Golf Tournament is always a great day to catch up with old friends, watch everyone's babies grow and celebrate the life of our friends' dad who left way too early.

 

Happy Friday, y'all!