*This post was written intermittently on my phone in a semi-productive attempt to keep myself awake.*
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This post is brought to you by the fact that one of Abiella's musical stuffed animals went off accidentally at 4am, loudly playing a tune right into her ear, and now I'm holding a completely awake, totally wired 2 year old... at 4:52 am. I'm trying to keep a low profile, super-nanny style... But it's hard when girl's got such a zest for life that the first sign of morning has got her laughing and kicking... Which is actually pretty darn awesome to witness...even at 4:52. I keep telling her, "If the sun's not awake yet, we shouldn't be either."
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Now it's 5:30 and we're swaying and rocking to Jack Johnson's The Sharing Song and I'm about two verses away from giving in and making a pot of coffee...
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It's 6 am. Coffee is made and I'm growing increasingly aware of my choice to stay up late last night and watch Netflix with Sean until 1am... Oh Biggest Loser, why must you be so addictive?? 3 hours of sleep should treat me just fine today. (Said with only minor panic in my voice...)In other unimportant news, I saw this on pinterest recently and became immediately smitten.
They're for sale on Etsy HERE. I think I may have to indulge.
"There's a colonial woman on the wing! I saw her! There's something they're not telling us! She was churning butter!" Oh Kristen Wiig, your genius gets me every time...
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7 am. Abi eats. She gets upset. Sean comes in and plays guitar. She gets happy. We all fall back to sleep.
Boom. There you go. The chronicles of an early morning. And please forgive the massive spacing issues in this post. Blogging from a phone is no easy task.
Our first Easter with Abiella was so very, very special.
I would tell you the details of our morning service at home or her beautiful reaction to the Easter story but it's too sacred to put into words, honestly.
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Thank you Jesus for your outrageous love.
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"Jesus came and stood among them and said, "Peace be with you!" After he said this, he showed them his hands and side. The disciples were overjoyed when they saw the Lord. Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit..." (John 20:19-22)
Remember that time I was so busy I forgot to tell you that my husband and I got a pod, put our home on the market, had 14 showings, got two offers, and looked at 20 other houses in the last few days? Oh right... I didn't tell you because I barely had time to remember to shower... Oh wait, I forgot that too. Many thanks to this gal who came over tonight to play with Miss Abi while I took a much appreciated relaxing shower.
So, yes, we're moving! We have been talking about needing a larger space for some time, but once we made our minds up, our minds were made up. We flew into energizer-bunny-go-mode and haven't looked back since. It's been a whirlwind. I will be sad to leave (don't even get me started), but I am VERY excited. Are we staying in Nashville? Yep. Do we know where? No. Not yet. Does that make you nervous? Surprisingly, it doesn't make me nervous. Apparently, I like living on the edge, (and writing in the form of questions.)
Soooo, that's what I've been doing... How are you?
mae mae
PS: Don't forget about THIS giveaway! Do you want $1,000 to spend on you, your friends, your family, a stranger, or whomever your heart desires?? Enter to win!I want to give you those cards!!!
Just look at all of these fabulous new faces!! Many of you are seeing my face pop up in your reader because you want to win the INSANE $1,000 shopping spree! I can't WAIT to see who wins because I have the awesome job of sending that lucky winner all the gift cards. I picture myself typing the email while speaking outloud in my best Ed McMahon sweepstakes voice. If I could show up at the winner's doorstep with a video camera and balloons I would. Come to think of it... I may have to do that virtually somehow... wheels are turning, wheels are turning... Anyhow... in hopes that you may decide to stick 'round these parts I figured I should briefly introduce myself.
My name is Mary Susan but I often go by my nickname Mae. (Or 'Mae Mae' as my little sister calls me.)
This is me last summer when I had blonde hair. I now have red/brown hair. It changes often, don't be confused.
I write about everything from being married to a musician, to crazy stories from my past, to my journey as an adoptive mama. And in honor of the fact that I'm a chronic-list maker AND a lover of random facts... (I was definitely the kid who memorized The Guiness Book of World Records each year...) I thought I could introduce myself with a compilation of 10 random facts about me...
Soooo, here we go:
1) I’m married to a singer/songwriter. We’ve been married for 8 years
and we live with ourtwo dogs and precious baby girl in a small cottage in Music City.
2) I’m 28… so if
you just did the math, then you are correct, we got married shortly after exiting the womb. Getting married young may not be right for
everyone but it was exactly right for us :) We had a 70's themed wedding and here we are at our reception.
Just kidding. We had a normal wedding. That's us at Halloween three years ago... Although now that I think about it, a 1970's wedding would have been fun... :)
Moving on...
3) I used to teach middle school and loved it. I'm taking a break to be a new mama and pursue my doctorate in Education. Working with middle school kids was a blast though and I hope to get back to it one day in the future.
4) My husband and I became parents last year! Although we want to have biological kids later, we chose to adopt first and are now the proud parents of our precious baby girl,Abiella.
5) Abi has some special needs including cerebral palsy and microcephaly. I LOVE talking about what miracle she is and the insane amount of joy she brings into our lives. I have been SO blessed by the connections I've made with other moms of children with special needs via the internet. Wanna talk feeding tubes, standers, and physical therapy? Come join the party. Show me your blog and I'd love to follow your story. I love sharing our experiences, gaining courage from others and advocating for kids all over the world who need homes.
*****
Now onto some true… but less recent (or serious) facts…
6) I once cut my finger off at school, broke my arm riding a mule, and caught a 98 pound halibut
all in the same 18 months. It was an
exciting time in a child’s life… oh, and don’t worry, the finger was sewn back
on…
7) During this time I was also the proud owner of a pair of rabbit teeth…that lived in my
mouth.
Aren't you so jealous??
8) As a child, I
had a pet zebra named Zelvis and a deer named Daisy. I'm serious.
10) I was a dancer for 12 years and tap was my favorite. If you meet me in real life, ask about my triple time step. It comes out more often than it should. So there you go; we're better friends already :) Now tell me a few things about yourself! I love meeting new bloggers!!
Wooohoooo!!!! Today's the day!!! Spring is FINALLY springing and I've never been more ready to hop into some shorts, throw on some shades and wave a big ole sayonara to Ole Man Winter. See you next year, old man! Sooo, to celebrate the changing of seasons and the glorious departure of Cabin-Fever, Maddie and I have been gathering a few of our favorite bloggers to put together this incredible giveaway.
Want a fabulous day to yourself? (Or with whomever your heart fancies...) Then enter to win the best. day. ever. Grab some Starbucks, head over to Target, get a new pair of shoes, try on that summer dress, swing on by Pier 1 for some Spring decor, grab some new duds at Anthro, and then end your day on the couch, with your computer, searching for your latest treasures on Etsy.
It's worth writing home about, folks.
So alas, without any further adieu, I present to you this Spring's $1,000 Giveaway!!!!
Today I've got the itch to get going. To travel. To go to the beach. To rent a lake house. To stay in a cabin at a state park. To have campfires and s'mores and good drinks and great company. To just get in the car and gooooo.... So that's what I'm going to do. After all... this chick would love it.
A giraffe that also plays the drums? It's just too much to handle :)
There's no reason why we can't travel with Abi. We are blessed to have a car seat that fits her well, a feeding system that is mobile and a child that enjoys car rides :) (Most of the time.) She also loves new experiences and while she will often get quiet and pensive in new situations, she seems to really thrive on the change of scenery.
This week I had a baby sitter come for the first time. It was so weird pulling out of the driveway. But I did it. I went and had lunch at Panera by myself. A greek salad, a turkey sandwich and a Sprite. By myself. It was a teeny bit life changing. After my meal, I walked to a bookstore and browsed, then ran a few more errands and was back before Abi even woke up from her nap. Let me repeat that: I walked to a bookstore and browsed. Sweet Hallelujah. Seeing how much I needed those two hours was wildly eye opening. I'm an introvert at heart and having zero alone time can really derail me. When I returned I felt refreshed, rejuvenated and like I had been filled with endless amounts of energy to dedicate to Abi.
In fact, after she woke up, we went on a walk... for an hour. She loved it. I loved it, and with my large Chick-fil-a tea (with crushed ice) as our only companion, we had quite the time.
Speaking of getting in the car and going... please tell me you've seen this. I cried laughing both times I watched it... Seriously. Hit play.
