Go Hogs Go!!

Around our house these days it's all RAZORBACKS!! Woo Pig Sooie!

All of Collin's gear for the season!

Dad and Colling getting ready for the game!



Nana: the good luck charm

A few weekends ago we ventured to Heber Springs to see Nana. Collin had never been to her house before so I really wanted to take him.

It just so happens that my Nana is a good luck charm for Eric. Two years ago when Eric and I were planning our wedding, we went to Heber one weekend to eat dinner with Nana. That same year, Eric won his Fantasy Football League. Last year, we didn’t eat with Nana, and Eric did not win. So… Eric has attributed this to the fact that we didn’t go to Heber to eat with Nana.

A few weekends ago, we went so that we could all see Nana, and so that Eric can do whatever he thinks is good luck to win his Fantasy Football league! Ha!

We took Kyndall with us. It was like we were a little family of four that day! I loved it!

Kyndall and Eric working a puzzle. Kyndall is hardly ever STILL, so this is the best picture I could get.

Couldn't get a smile from Kyndall Grace, but that's okay. She's cute anyway!

Father's Day (a little late)

I realize I’m almost a month late, but really wanted to write about Father’s Day. This was Eric’s first Father’s Day. I wanted to make it special. Collin and I are very blessed to have Eric. He works hard to provide for our family. He is a true blessing.

The day before Father's Day we went to Benton to see Eric's dad. We had a great visit with them! I can't wait for Collin to be able to swim in their pool with us!

Eric, Collin, and Jack (Eric's Dad)

We started our Sunday with a big breakfast. I made Eric his favorite breakfast! Then we got ready for church.

 After church we stopped by my parents house for a little photo session!

On the swing in the backyard!

Telling Pa "Happy Father's Day!"

Then, we had a relaxing afternoon at home. Such a wonderful day!

Eric, in just a few short months (6 to be exact) you have become so much more confident with Collin. We both can tell you love him so much. Thank you for being a wonderful Daddy!

Day 1 being a father

Happy Father’s Day Eric! Collin and I both love you so very much!

Church

Going to a new church is always nerve wracking for me. Not that I've done it a whole lot in my life but the few times I have, I remember being so nervous.

Eric and I are looking for a new church home. This is very difficult for me considering I have been a member at the same church since the 7th grade.

A few months back Eric and I started talking about what church meant for us. We took time to pray for direction and a peace about this. We want to start a journey together as a married couple. We both didn't feel like our church home was fulfilling our spiritual needs the way we felt necessary. So... after much conversation and prayer we have begun visiting churches.

We both know we want to raise Collin in a church that we feel has a wonderful children's ministry.

We are looking for a Sunday School class for young married couples that we can bond with.

But above all else, we are looking for the church that we feel God could use us the most in.

Please pray for us while we are starting this process. We want what's best for us as a family and according to God's will.

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Thankful

I am one lucky girl. These two boys mean everything to me. I'm thankful for trips with them. I'm so thankful that God has blessed us so very much. I hope that I am as good as a mommy as they are son and husband. How did I get so lucky? Wow.

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Mommy AND Wife

We have been super busy lately. I’d be lying if I said things had been going great around this house. Life has been hard. Blogging has just taken a back seat.

I have said once before that the one thing I do not like about blogs is the pressure I feel to always seem like my life is perfectly put together. I feel like I always have to be so cheerful with my posts. Well, I’m not always cheerful! I am a moody, tired, and a very stressed Mommy and Wife sometimes. So as a result, I just haven’t posted anything.

Eric and I have been having some issues. I’m sure every married couple goes through this sort of thing. It’s so hard. We will make it through this, I am sure. Every marriage has its ups and downs. It just hurts so bad going through one of the downs. I seriously need to work on many issues, and he has his challenges as well. We are working hard on our marriage. It is the most important “job” I have. I have to remember it takes work just as much as our other jobs. Our lives have changed so much over the last year. It’s hard to even think about.

I am happy to report that things have been much better lately. We have gone on some date nights- just us. My mom has been wonderful. She has offered to keep Collin while we go to dinner, or just shopping at Target. We are always instructed to stay gone longer than an hour. We have really tried to focus on communication. I have made a sign that is on our back door. “Love is a VERB”. Such an easy thing to say, but sometimes very difficult to show. We are working hard on this.

Memorial day weekend was nice. We worked around the house, inside and out. Spent time as a family. Eric even took me to Olive Garden in Little Rock Saturday night to have a very nice dinner. Just the two of us. It was wonderful. Sunday we had a cookout at my family’s house. It was nice to have a relaxing weekend without fighting or getting upset.

I am very thankful for family and close friends. It’s nice to be able to be REAL with them when things aren't wonderful. Friends that have sent me encouraging messages, and just letting me know they are thinking of us and praying for us. I received this message Friday. It made my day. “Hey Friend! Just wanted you to know I was thinking about you. I love you, and miss you!!!” Absolutely wonderful.

Things are better. We are working on getting back to “us”. We are still learning how to be a married couple, AND parents to a sweet baby boy.

I have put so much time and energy into being the best Mommy I can be, that I have been putting my Wife title on the back burner. I have to do better at balancing these two roles. Any hints or suggestions would be wonderful. How to keep a marriage strong, new, and feeling refreshed… and not feeling like I’m being a bad Mommy. Surely I’m not the only mom and wife who has ever felt like this.

Stay tuned... I have lots of catching up to do. Especially pictures of this cutie.

March Madness Widow

Well, for the next three weeks I will be a March Madness widow. Eric is obsessed. He took off work tomorrow for the first official day of games.
When Eric was little he always managed to be 'sick' during the first couple of rounds so he could stay home from school and watch basketball.
I just asked him if he wanted to watch a tv show with me and his response was 'It's March Madness!' Ha! Should have known!
I love his passion! I have said it before- I'll say it again... He really should have been a coach! Love you sweetie!

A really good weekend

This weekend was one of the best weekends I’ve had in a very long time.

Saturday night Eric and I went out to eat for our anniversary. We took little man to my parents house so we could make our 6:30 reservation at Mike’s Place. It was so nice to get dressed up and spend some quality time with Eric. We had a wonderful time! I even tried his sweet potato fries for the first time ever! They were really good! I was surprised!

After we went and picked up Collin we went home and enjoyed our wedding cake! I can’t believe I almost forgot to call and order the anniversary topper from the place that made our cake. They were so wonderful and gladly got one ready for us at the last minute. Thank you Cake & Company!

We also used our champagne flutes that my parents got us for our wedding and did a little toast (with pink lemonade of course!)

We ended the night all three piled up in our bed and watching our wedding video! I’m so glad we have it! I want to make it a tradition to watch it every year. Hopefully, Collin will think it’s cool to watch when he’s a little older!

Sunday night was Baby Dedication at church! I’m a bad mom and forgot my camera. However, the church just posted some pictures! We all went up on stage and Brother Jason prayed for us as families. It was such a perfect night. It is important to us that we raise Collin in a Christian home and teach him all we can. It is our prayer that one day Collin will accept Jesus as his personal savior. Just the thought gives me goose bumps! Collin did great while we were on stage. He got a little upset afterwards while Brother Bobby was preaching, but he was very tired! He had fallen asleep on the way to church, and was not happy about me waking him up!

Collin was presented a Bible with his name on it! So cute! My parents were also able to come to church to see his dedication. Collin LOVES his Pa and LeLe!

AND just a little added bonus: My Husband Can Change Diapers Again!!! YAY for no more cast!! I walked in to Collin's room to find him changing Collin. It's the small things that make me happy!

Happy Anniversary to us!!

One year ago today I married my best friend.

My Eric,

The last 52 weeks have been filled with so much! I’m so glad you have been by my side through it all. Leave it to us to tackle our biggest challenge and excitement in the first year of marriage… our little Collin! I know we didn’t plan to have a child right away, but I wouldn’t change it for anything. I thank God every single day for you, our commitment to each other, and for the love I feel from you daily. You have been a trooper over the last year as well. Here are a little fun statistics I came up with, just for you!

Of our 52 Weeks of Marriage, I was pregnant for 36 weeks of those!

     - I am so sorry for every single time my hormones went crazy and I snapped at you. I was an absolute jerk sometimes. You never once lost your patience with me. You were so understanding with me. You know when I needed a little space. Thank you for understanding my weird cravings and going to get me peanut butter in the middle of the night because we were out.

12 weeks of those 52 we have had our precious baby boy!

     - I have seen a whole new side of you over the past 12 weeks, as you have become the best daddy ever! I love watching you with our son. I can not wait for the years to come as I get to see you experience new things with him. He is so lucky to have you! Being up in the middle of the night with me when we first brought Collin home, we learned a lot about each other. Looking back at those times we thought were so stressful, now are some of the sweetest memories I have with you.

That leaves 4 whole weeks of our marriage that it was just ‘me and you’. Fun stuff.

     *I wrote this back in November because I was so thankful for you and always want to remember these little things about you that make me smile.

I am thankful for you because…

I love you because…

1. You calm me down when I am stressed out.

2. You will go buy me peanut butter late at night just because I want a pb&j sandwich.

3. You take my car to get the oil changed.

4. I catch you watching our wedding video.

5. You go out the front door in the mornings so it doesn’t wake me up.

6. You give up things you would rather be doing to make me happy.

7. You protect me. (you have a willingness to get back up out of bed just to make sure the doors are locked.)

8. You love Kyndall.
9. You are who you are. You don’t apologize for that.

10. You have a sensitive side.

11. Collin is going to have the best dad ever! You get on the floor to play!
12. When you could get really mad at me for not keeping my Jeep clean, you just laugh at me.
13. You accept me for who I am.

14. You don’t get mad when a room in the house is REALLY dirty.

15. You do laundry all on your own (and even wash some of my stuff!)

16. You work really hard (even extra jobs) just to provide for your family.

17. You always say ‘hi’ to Jason and Bobby at church (even if you have to wait)

18. You make it known you are thankful when I cook dinner.

19. You have to wear socks or shoes in the house (never barefoot).

20. You get me something to drink at the gas station when you go get your newspaper.

21. Sometimes the smallest things excite you (especially in sports)

22. You are so passionate about sports- even though I don’t understand it sometimes!

23. You like my interest in sports and don’t think it’s weird because I am a girl.

24. You are a picky eater. I thought I was picky until I met you!

25. You let me clip your fingernails and toenails.

26. You are constantly trying to give YOURSELF a “3-count”.

27. There is NEVER a dull moment with you. I am always laughing.

28. You aren’t ashamed of your dance moves in the car.

29. You take out the trash and check the mail without being asked to.

30. You have never once put our relationship before your relationship with God. This makes our relationship SO MUCH STRONGER.

P.S. - I think you have finally realized I’m really not a morning person. This took you a while- but I’m so glad you now believe that some people just aren’t as happy as you are first thing in the morning! Ha! I LOVE YOU SO VERY MUCH! I look forward to many more years together.

Reese's & No More Cast

Monday when I went to Kroger for my medicine I just HAD to get some of these AMAZING things.

Oh, so good. I had to eat one in the car on the way home. Yes, here are some the wrappers, they are already gone. Don’t judge… I said I was having a bad week. Chocolate and peanut butter always make things better. AND you can only buy these things a few times a year. Hearts (Valentines Day) Eggs (Easter) Trees (Christmas)… you get the idea! I have to enjoy them when they are around!

Eric got his STINKY cast off!! Oh, I’m so happy. That thing smelled so bad! We had his appointment yesterday. Dr. G took the cast off and took some more x-rays to make sure it was all healed. Well, it’s not healed all the way yet. The part of his wrist that broke is apparently really difficult to heal. I was scared they were going to put another hard cast on. Instead, they gave him a brace to wear for 6 more weeks. He is supposed to wear it all the time, except to take a shower. Hopefully when we go back again in 6 weeks he will be completely healed!

Simple things…

It is incredible how much my interests, and what’s “fun” for me, have changed over the last year. This weekend, one year ago, was the last weekend before I married my hubby. I was counting down those short 7 days and running around like crazy! I look back now and it seems like so long ago, but other times it seems like yesterday. While maybe I wouldn’t have necessarily “planned” some of the events over the last year, I definitely wouldn’t change anything!

First of all, I vowed to love this handsome guy for the rest of my life…

 We visited this awesome place for a week! (I can’t wait to go back with him)

I got an amazing job here!

We were SURPRISED with this little cutie!

After an awful pregnancy we were once again surprised with the early arrival of our little guy!

He is growing like crazy! Almost THREE months old. Craziness!! All in all, I wouldn’t change a single thing over the last year.

I love my boys more than words can describe. Now our Friday nights are what I look forward to the most. What are we doing tonight, you ask? It’s movie and waffle night!! I could not be more excited. It’s the simple things in life that really mean the most to me. It makes for some amazing memories.

The Greatest Photographers EVER!

For those of you who know, and those of you who don't... I am a Facebook/ Blog stalker! :) Sorry. It's one of my favorite things to do. I love to learn about people. With my background in photography, I didn't want to just get anyone to take our pictures. I also wanted the same photographer to take our Engagements, my Bridals, and our Wedding. Pictures are so important to me, that I was willing to pay extra to get exactly what I wanted. So... I began the search. Searching Facebook, and random blogs, looking for other people's professional pictures. BOY- there were a TON! I ran across a friends wedding album on Facebook. I fell in love with her pictures! The only problem was that her photographer lived in Cabot, and I couldn't for the life of me find out how to get in touch with him! So, I kept looking. Nothing seemed to stand out as much as her's did.
One day while at work, it hit me... one of her bridesmaides was going to be one of MY bridesmaides! :) Duh Brittany! So I called Rachel and begged her to find out who this photographer was and how I could get in touch with him. I am telling you, within seconds (maybe more like an hour) Rachel had his name, email, and phone number. Actually, she had already emailed him and told him I was interested in using him. SHE IS AMAZING! :) That's one of the many many reasons she is one of my closest friends, and HAD to be a part of my wedding! LOVE YOU RACH!
So after searching and searching for the perfect photographer I was finally in touch with my dream photographer! Damon Hair! Here is a link to his Flicker, he is amazing! http://www.flickr.com/photos/dhair/

It didn't take us long to set up a day to do our engagement pictures. We decided on the Capital for some dressy shots, and then downtown Little Rock for some more casual pictures. We had to have a picture with the Hog that is downtown! Ha!
Here are some of my favorites...enjoy!

My bridal's are coming soon!

He asked... I said YES!

Eric and I met thanks to these two WONDERFUL/ CRAZY people, who really are great friends...

We were spending TONS of time together (we were pretty much inseparable after our first date)! We were getting pretty serious, I have to admit things did move quickly for Eric and me. After the first few dates, I knew he was the man for me. I found out later, that Eric was thinking the exact same thing- we were both afraid to say to each other. ha! From there, things started REALLY moving quickly. We talked about marriage, and both couldn't have been more sure. There was just one thing that needed to be done before anything else... talk to our parents. Eric was sure his parents would be super excited for us- and they were! However, I wasn't so sure about my parents! My parents loved Eric- but I just wasn't sure what they were going to say. After MANY long discussions and some very difficult questions answered- we had approval from both sets of parents! YAY! The only thing that we had to compromise on was the date. Eric and I wanted to get married in October. (yes, 3 months after we had met) we were that sure. However, my daddy wanted us to wait until spring. At our church, Upward Basketball is going on every weekend in January and February, so we decided we would get married the first weekend after Upward was over. We decided on March 5th, because I have always wanted to get married on a Friday night. The date was set! Only one problem still hung over our heads... ERIC HADN'T OFFICIALLY PROPOSED!!!

We went ring shopping- just to look around. Eric wanted me to show him what I liked, give him some options, and then he would come back and get the ring on his own. That way, I would still be surprised, but Eric would know he was getting me a ring I liked. We shopped around for a little while- I found I ring that I absolutely LOVED, but Eric told me it was too expensive. My mom and I made plans to go ring shopping that next Saturday, so I could report back to Eric what I found. The Thursday before that weekend, Eric and I both had gotten off work early. It was a gorgeous day! Eric asked me if I wanted to go to Little Rock. He told me that he wanted to take me somewhere. I said sure- so we were off to Little Rock. We ended up at Pinnacle Mountain.

 

I had never been to Pinnacle Mountain before, so I thought it was really cool. Since Eric hadn't told me where we were going, I didn't have on the appropriate shoes for hiking Pinnacle (I had on flip-flops)! Anyway, when we got there, he told me he had something in the back of my Jeep. I was really confused at this point! He got out a cooler. I am so nosey, it's ridiculous. I started asking a million questions! "Why are we here? What's in the cooler? Is there food in there? 'cause I'm really hungry! etc..." Poor guy! haha!  We started on our journey up the mountain. I got really thirsty, so I asked if there were any drinks in the cooler he had brought! ha! I think he was getting very frustrated with me by this time, so he stopped at the next little "rest area". He opened the cooler and inside there were sandwiches, drinks, and some chips. I was excited!! We started getting something to drink, and I noticed Eric wouldn't look at me. I thought he was mad at me because of all the questions... the next think I knew, Eric was down on one knee!! I was really confused now! All these thoughts started racing through my head. "Was he going to propose without a ring? and us just get one later?" I decided to stop thinking and just listen. Eric told me that there wasn't anyone else that he wanted to spend the rest of his life with, and that he couldn't wait to start our lives together (confession: I don't really remember everything he said. I was way too emotional!) Then, Eric reached in his pocket and pulled out a little box! I was really freaking out now... I do remember the next words that came out of his mouth... "Brittany Layne, will you spend the rest of your life with me?" Then he opened the box...

It was the ring that was "too expensive"!!!!!

My first words were "You told me that ring was too expensive!" haha! He said "I may have lied, would you like to answer the question?" Of course I said YES! Stinkin' boy tricked me! But, I love him for it! He made the day totally perfect!

Boy Meets Girl

For so long, I looked around at people in my life and saw how happy they were with their spouse or significant other and became envious of those relationships. If one more person said to me, “someone will come along when you least expect it” I was ready to SCREAM! I was starting to give up on finding that special “guy for me”. I focused my quiet times on being content with myself. It didn’t happen over night, but after a while, God really started to change my heart. I was content in being whoever God wanted me to be (single or married). God was showing me other opportunities that I could get involved in. He showed me that life isn’t all about “finding that special someone”. My life had been so caught up in that concept that my relationship with God was suffering. Boy was He quick to change my outlook! I started becoming VERY involved in my church’s youth group. I have formed friendships with some very special girls that will last a lifetime!

I wouldn’t change that for anything. For the first time in my life, I was happy with how things were going.

Well, “someone came along when I least expected it!” GRR! I hate that saying! Some friends began to ask me about meeting this guy. I absolutely hate blind dates, I hate being set-up, it just never works out for me! I was very hesitant. However, my friends were very persistent. So, I told them that I would meet him…

Our first date was for sure nothing you would ever see in the movies. It was a Thursday (July 16th to be exact), the plan was for us to go out to eat, and possibly go see a movie. Well, I woke up late for work that morning, and things didn’t get better after that! I had the WORST day at work. It was raining and SO hot outside. For those of you with curly hair (that you try to make straight) you know what rain and humidity do to your hair! Ugh. I was in NO MOOD to go on a first date with this guy. After work, I called him and explained how bad of a day I had, and asked if we could reschedule. He was so wonderful about it! He told me that he completely understood, and rescheduling was fine with him! I got home, put on some comfy clothes, and curled up on the couch to watch TV. Not long after that, my phone rang, it was Eric. He just wanted to check on me to make sure I was feeling better since I got home. How sweet! After we talked a few minutes, he “casually” mentioned that at some point I was going to have to eat something. After talking for a while the plan was set. I would go to his apartment and we would go get something to eat. I did mention to him that I was in comfy pants and a t-shirt and not to expect anything great! Ha! (I put on some jeans and re-did my make-up before I left!) I got to his apartment, we went to Zaxby’s to get dinner, and then went back to his apartment to eat. By this time, I had totally forgotten about how horrible my day had been, and couldn’t get over how wonderful this guy was. I was skeptical though, anyone can put up a front for a first impression! After we ate we watched a movie, and then I went home. It was a very simple, and spontaneous. It was exactly what I needed. Thank you Eric, for being so great that day!