“Best Of”

2012 was one for the record books. So. Much. Happened. Last year. It’s been one hell of a week getting back into the swing of work, new arrangements and diets for Lane, and new journeys being started for me, but I’ve been saying I’m going to write this blog so dammit…here it is. I’ll be glad down the road that I did.

So 2012 brought us so many things that should be documented….and so many things that changed the direction of our lives…..in no particular order…..

1. I had a BABY! 8 days early and in a crazy, emergency fashion I had little Benjamin Lane on January 3rd. That’s a pretty BIG way to start off the year I’d say.

2. We took our kids to the beach. Twice. Ok…not as big as bringing life into the world. But we went once with the Meechams and once with Ben’s sister and her family. There’s a part of me that feels so home at the beach. Maybe it’s the escape from reality….maybe it’s all the fresh air and sea salt. Either way…we learned that little BLT has a mini set of gills growing and loves the pool. Ocean? He’s like his dad and is just as content to skip that part altogether. Chase falls in line with his mom and could play in the sand/waves all day. Either way, we got the traditional “first beach” videos and pictures and I am hoping we can make this a yearly tradition.

3. I turned 30. In style. With some of my absolutely favorite people on a perfectly gorgeous day on the lake. We rented a boat, acted like we were way more fabulous than we really are, and partied our asses off. My husband made the best of the day despite the time spent in the ER the night before (totaling his car TOTALly could have made this list….but let’s not think about that too much eh?). Bandaged, medicated, and liquid couraged up he went down the slide, rode the jet ski, and helped make my 30th the BEST birthday I’ve had in my life. So many people I know dread being in their 30’s….but today, 30 feels good.

4. My brother got married. (“Wait…you have a brother??”). I know. I feel that way sometimes too. But I do, and when we both finally slow down enough to spend time together I remember just how awesome he is. His new wife compliments him beautifully. His wedding also meant getting to see Philly family (which is ALWAYS a lovely time), and the inevitable family drama that comes with too much time spent together. The wedding was gorgeous, the food was delicious, my boys were handsome as ever and the wine flowed. Looking back…it stands out as a great event in the past year.

5. My oldest turned 10. TEN. Double digits. Sometimes I think to myself “in one year he’ll be in middle school…..in six years he’ll be driving….”. But then I stop. And cherish what little bit of “my baby” I have left. I can honestly say I try my hardest every single day to be the best I can for him and most days I fall short. Not because I fail. But because despite my best efforts he always deserves more than I can ever offer him. He’s a beautifully amazing, funny, smart, LOVING child.

6. We bought a house. As I type this I’m thinking maybe this should be up there with having a baby? At times it FELT like we were having a baby. When people say buying a house is stressful they aren’t lying. We didn’t stop for 6 weeks straight. I still feel like I am adjusting to my new surroundings, my new community, my new…..everything. But I also feel so blessed to be able to call this gorgeous house “home”, and I know it’ll only get better with time.

Thanks 2012! You were amazing. After the ball drops, let’s keep it rolling in the right direction for 2013….

Babys at the Beach!

We have amazing friends. Honestly. The Friday before Memorial Day weekend SB gets a call asking to go to the beach for the weekend. Um. YES! The last few weeks of school are brutal for a teacher so I was in desperate need of a getaway. We packed, bought sunscreen, and hoped in the car by 8pm that night. 6 sleepy hours and one speeding ticket later we arrived in the middle of the night to the beach house. I could hear the waves in the distance. I swear I could live at the beach. I’m sure having sand in every place possible would eventually get old, but…..nah, it wouldn’t. I LOVE the beach. Chase does too. Also, this was baby Lane’s first trip to the ocean! Now I can’t downplay this next statement: taking a baby to the beach is one of the hardest damn things ever. After lugging chairs and beach tents and bags and coolers (well yeah), and sand toys, and SAND SPURS….well you get the idea. However….once you do make it down to the water, unload the loot, get that baby in the water and open a cold one…all is right in the world. Thankfully Lane loves the water and slept like, well, like a baby for hours on the beach. The fresh air and natural noise maker made for some good Zzz’s for all of us. Kit and Bob were fabulous, gracious hosts and we owe them big time. Their little one is very close to Lane’s age, so it’s really nice to spend time with another couple that understands the ups and downs of infants. Here are some pictures from the weekend. Thankfully, we are heading BACK to almost this same location in July with some of SB’s family. This time for a whole week. That way we can drag the shit down to the beach and leave it there for 7 days. Happy Freakin’ Summer!!

Easter Happened….

…and in typical fashion we had lunch with the Turner family. Most of the family has not seen Lane since he was born so it was fun to show him off during a yummy lunch. Chase with was his dad, and Lane is too tiny for eggs, but maybe next year we’ll dye some eggs. Until then, here’s a few pics from our little bunny’s first Easter.

So I ran this 5K……

And it was so much fun! It’s called The Color Run and it’s making the rounds from city to city. I found the info while I was pregnant and made this 5K my first post baby run. I wasn’t as ready as I’d hoped to be, but I’m super proud of myself for getting out there! My boys were there of course and by the time we were heading to the car we were ALL covered in color. I love crossing a finish line or completing a huge goal to see my sweet little family waiting there to congratulate me. It fills my heart with happiness. 🙂 Lately Ben and I have shifted our focus from running to P90X (him), and spinning/step classes (me). Running will always be a passion we share though, and I secretly can not WAIT until we can manage to run a 5K together. With our new little one, working out together has been difficult…but if I know us, (and I do), we’ll make it happen. Check out the pics! Fun!

I now pronounce you…

The Turners!

It’s been three weeks and we are still going strong! Good sign, right?? What an amazing few weeks it’s been. We have an awesome concert and unforgettable honeymoon to blog about soon, but nothing can overshadow the big day. I knew just as much as I was forcing time to fly by, the wedding day and events would go by just as fast. I remember heading to the ceremony wishing I could press a pause button for a day or so. Everything was so perfectly beautiful. Thunderstorms moved the ceremony inside, but considering our number of guests I think it turned out more intimate and special anyway. All of our favorite people showed up to wish us well. A great friend of mine told me recently that “as soon as you say ‘I do’ everything will just calm down and make sense”.  She was so right. I am generally anxiety driven, and this honeymoon phase has me feeling calmer and more peaceful than ever. I see a path for our family, and for once I don’t feel like it’s a path I ‘should’ be on, but a path I want to be on. I will bookmark this post so 5 years from now I can remember how blissful we were….in the midst of bitching about his socks in the floor. Although, as my husband confirms, we are the exception….so maybe I’ll just come back to check the pics. 😉

Speaking of pics. They are shit. The woman who runs Le Bam got her husband to be the “photographer”. I get this will save her money, and I saw what he was shooting with so I figured “well…that camera will work for itself”. Wrong. SB emailed her about our dissatisfaction, and she claims they were “not ready to be released and needed more editing”. Ya think? Either way, there are a few keepers and enough to get a couple framed. Other than the pics and the DJ playing ALL hip hop songs, this wedding was my favorite so far! Now it’s time to just calm down, push through these last three weeks of school, and spend the summer with this amazing little family of mine that I am just sickeningly in love with. <3