How did 6 YEARS turn into 6 short WEEKS?!

Yesterday marked the 6 week count down until I start my new job, which means our family is in the process of relocating from Auburn, Alabama to Athens, Georgia.

• Am I excited? Sure.
• Am I ready for a new adventure? I think so.
• Do I have to continually remind myself that I am excited because my heart is breaking a little bit? Yup.

The word “relocate” seems so nonchalant – to locate again or to establish in a new place. It doesn’t really capture the whole “leave your friends, family, and community and start from scratch” part of it.

Those who know me keep telling me things like, “See? Auburn wasn’t so bad, was it?” Growing up in Georgia, I was raised as a dawg through and through. My blood runs red and black; my heart sings “Glory, glory to Ole Georgia;” and, I won’t lie, I get a little misty eyed on game days surround by 92,000+ of my closest friends!

Somehow even with all that Georgia lovin’, the Lord had different plans for me. He led me to Alabama to be a student at AU, and this is where I have spent the last 6 years – essentially my whole adult life. As corny as it sounds, I have truly experienced my highest highs and lowest lows in the greater Auburn/Opelika area.

Each day as I drive to work I am so vividly reminded of this beautiful, crazy roller coaster that I have been riding calledlife. I see:

• the building I was in when I found out my grandma had passed;
• the doctor’s office I wept in when struggling with infertility issues;
• the bank where I signed my divorce papers;
• my 1st solo apartment where I had to figure out life on my own;
• the homes of friends who loved me when I felt so alone;
• the office of my mentor who believed in me when I was filled with self-doubt;
• the restaurant where I went on a “group date” with my soon-to-be husband, Adam;
• the first townhouse that Adam and I moved into after we were married; and
• the hospital where I gave birth to the most beautiful baby girl.

All that to say, if you see a gold, Honda swerving in the road, don’t mind me! I am just reminiscing and probably leaning down to find a tissue :) What a journey the past 6 years have been. I came ready to learn as a university student, but I am leaving with life lessons and blessings that aren’t taught in textbooks.

Change is hard, and I am not 100% sure that I am ready for this move. Yet, here’s to believing that friends are just a phone call away and that new memories are ready to be made!

**The Greer Family**

And here's to hoping that I get back to blogging now that I have finished my dissertation!  

Parenthood: Bring it!

It has been 25 amazing, exhausting, glorious, hilarious days since we welcomed our sweet girl into the world.  My heart is bigger, my stomach is (kinda) smaller, & the number of funny stories in the LG household is growing exponentially!!
Here are a few highlights from our first few weeks of parenthood:

• Brotherly Love - Many people were worried about Cookie Monster (our 6 lb Chihuahua) adjusting to Adalyn.  Some would say that Cook is a little spoiled and maybe he is.  I can't help that he likes to play dress up, snuggle constantly, and go for rides in the car.  Well, lets just say that he LOVES Ady.  He doesn't let her out of his sight!  No, seriously. 
• If you hold her, he is two feet away. 
• If she whimpers at night, he hops out of the bed and sits next to her crib signalling for me to get her. 
• If I am feeding her, he is right next me.  Adam is an amazing husband, but Cook is the only "person" who has got up with me for every single feeding!  I even have a nursing pillow on the couch for Cook to sit on while "we" feed :)
• I really was startled when I heard barking over the baby monitor.  Of course, he squeezes in his nap when she naps.

• Best Advice We Received - My stepsisters sent a very sweet card and inside we received some very valuable advice inspired by football season.  They said to remember to HOLD Adalyn like a football, but don't THROW her like a football!  Excellent advice :)  Thanks!
• The Power of a Smile - In the past year, I can count the number of times on one hand that I have been awake at 1am.   I'm more of a 10pm bedtime-type-of-girl.  So, getting up every night at 1am and 4am has been...an adjustment!  I think God wired babies beautifully to keep tired parents sane.  After every feeding, our sweet girl sighs, leans back, and SMILES (usually with her eyes closed!).  I can just hear her saying, "Good meal, Mom.  Good meal!" 
• Poop Shoot - In our house the word POOP SHOOT has a whole new meaning now....a very literal meaning in fact.  Just ask Adam.  I guess he was using his softball skills to CATCH a handful of...yes, really!  Who knew that poo can actually fly out of a little hinny.  Love her, but ewww.
• Birthday Girl - Birthdays have always been a BIG deal in our family.  I, in fact, celebrate a birthday month :)  So, thinking about an ACTUAL birth day made me want to celebrate!  Thanks to our friend Kate Taylor for providing the cake and Kim for providing the birthday hat, we had a little party at the hospital.  I have a feeling Adalyn will kill me for this picture down the road, but it is one of my favorites.  Ba ha ha.

• Meeting Baby's Needs - Ady really is a low maintenance girlfriend (good sleeper, doesn't cry much, healthy eater), but when she does cry it kind of rips a little piece of my heart out and then her voice will do this little quiver and I just want to cry myself.  Ahh....awful!  :(  You don't know how many times I have said, "Please remember...I am on YOUR team!"   People say that you can differentiate the baby's cries.  One means hungry, one means dirty diaper, etc.  I dont know if my mommy-senses haven't kicked in totally yet, but I can't tell then difference.  They all sounds like, "AHHHHHH!  Do something, woman!"  BUT I do know one distinct clue she gives.  We call it the "focus face."  She gets real still, her face turns a little red, and she pierces her lips together.  You can guess what happens next.  Refer to previous bullet on Poop Shoot :)
• Soothing Baby - Many, many books say that singing to the baby is soothing.  If you have ever heard me sing, you will know that soothing is NOT the word to describe what you hear.  I'm not sure if Adalyn is tone deaf or is just used to my singing after listening to be belt out a note in the car for the last 9 months, but for whatever reason she likes hearing me sing.  Poor girl.  The thing is, I don't really know that many songs and I really don't know baby songs.  The other day, I was rocking her and singing:
• Hush little baby don't say a word,
  Mama's gonna buy you a mocking bird.
  
  If that mocking bird don't sing,
  Mama's gonna buy you a diamond ring.
  
  If that diamond ring don't shine
  Mama's gonna buy you a...porcupine?!?!

        Adam just looked at me like, "Seriously? A porcupine?" 
        I dont know.  I didnt take a baby lullaby class!

• So Thankful - I could go on and on with stories like the 700+ pics we have taken (sorry, if I am blowing up your facebook.  I promise to stop posting everyday!) or Adam's first night up with Ady, but one of the best things about having a baby is the overwhelming sense of grattitude that comes with it.  We are so thankful for our sweet girl and for the many, many hands and hearts who have stopped by to visit, prepare meals, clean our house, and love on us.  We are starting to figure out what this whole "it takes a village" thing means.  THANK YOU!  Here are a few pictures of sweet friends and, of course, baby Adalyn :)

Nine Months Later: Thankful, Blessed, and CRAZY!

Today = 39 weeks pregnant!  Which means ONE WEEK.  This time next Monday (Sept. 12th) is Adalyn's due date!

This is a little embarrassing to admit, but I am sitting here crying just typing those words....which bring me to the topic of EMOTIONS!

As a therapist, I can pretty confidently say that I am ok with emotion.  I don't get overwhelmed when others are red hot angry and cussing up a storm or crying or overwhelmed.  I think that expressing our feelings to others creates a sense of connection.  Our emotions can move us to be better people (but also to make very bad choices sometimes).  Blah, blah, blah. 

BUT never in my life have I FELT emotions so strongly as I have over the past few weeks.  About a month ago, I was feeling overwhelmed with everything that I needed to get done before the baby (e.g. finish her room, complete several assignments for work, "spring clean" the house, etc). 

I tried to express this to Adam, but all I got out was, "I..(sniff, sniff)...am...(sniff, sniff)...so (unstoppable tears)...over (sniff to make the snot stop dripping)...whlemed....(more tears and loss of my ability to speak)." 

I could barely get out the sentence.  I was frustrated & sad & lonely & mad (at myself because I couldn't communicate and at him just because) & sooo tired!

In that moment, I thought that an alien invader had seriously taken over my body.  Here I am, a competent adult who is paid to communicate with others, but all I could do was cry.  And you know what?  It felt sooo good to cry and be held by my husband (who was probably confused as I was). 

Since then, I have learned that it is a losing battle trying to be tough and "fight" these emotions.  So, I have just learned to embrace it and move on.  Many mornings I start out my day in the shower with a good cry.  I cry because I am thankful to be having a baby.  I cry because I am still tired, but my back hurts so bad that I had to get out of the bed.  I laugh at myself for crying and then I cry some more. 

The day time often doesn't get much better.  Recently, I have found myself:

• Crying at church when I saw an elderly couple with their arms wrapped around each other singing praise to God.  Then crying again 10 seconds later when I saw a momma holding her new baby.
• Laughing out of sheer joy in the stall of the girl's room at work because they put in a new toilet paper holder, soap dispenser, and paper towel dispenser. 
• Crying at those stupid Fancy Feast commercials (yes, cat food) when the couple is all in love and getting married.
• Worried...I mean heart racing, floor pacing worried...about all the changes over the next year with a baby and finishing school and likely moving.  Dude, they are just going to let us walk out of that hospital and take a little baby with us!  No test; no pledge to do right.  You just have to have a car seat!  That's it.
• Crying after talking to my sister, because I love her SOOO much and am SOOO grateful for her and SOOO proud of her!  She noticed something was weird when I kept calling her "sweetheart" and telling her how much I love her. 
• Feeling SOO embarrassed (you guessed it...to the point of tears) when I tripped in front of the church on Sunday.  If  you need to know how to silence 100+ people just have a pregnant woman run up the church stairs in the rain and fall down belly first!  Nothing but a uniform gasp and then silence.  Mortifying.
• And probably my personal favorite...busting out into tears when my major professor asked me, "How's it going?"  Any particular reason to cry?  Of course not :)

If you are a mom reading this, please, please, please do NOT tell me if these "intense" emotions continue after the baby is born.  I have convienced myself that this will all be over in a week or two, and I can go back to my calm, collected, tough self :)

Here's to hoping the next blog includes LOTS of pictures of sweet Adalyn!

Yard Work - Alabama Style!

You may know that my sweet husband is not actually a Southerner.  Gasp!

Everyone knows that Florida isn't really part of the South...duh!  BUT I will give him lots of credit.  That beach-loving Florida boy is now a truck-driving, tree-climbing, deer-shooting Southern-wanna-be :)  

Well...over the summer we have been presented with a few yard related challenges including a broken mower and falling limbs from our giant oak tree.

First, our riding lawn mower refused to start.   After hours of analyzing the problem, attempting to solve the problem, and finally going all Fred Flintstone on that mower, we decided to give the lawn mower to my dad who has been fixing mowers for 25+ years.  But how do you get a broken riding lawn mower from Opelika, Alabama to Columbus, Georgia?  The answer is...very creatively :)  Here is Adam's journey:

Task = Think of creative way to get mower in the truck
Answer = Get the mower on level ground with the truck bed

Task = Figure out what "ground" is level with the truck bed
Answer = The front porch!

Task = Get mower on porch
Answer = Well, you should see this!

First, you attach come-a-long to the mower

Then, attach the come-a-long to the front door.  Sigh...he attached it to the inside of the door to "decrease the chance" that it would rip our door handle off!

Next, crank come-a-long to pull up the mower.


























Note, you may also have to do some heavy lifting to get it over taller stairs!

Next step, celebrate your victory!  but not for very long because you still have to DRAG it across the porch leaving tire tracks that your wife will have to scrub up.

Finally, put mower in truck and vow to stick with smaller mowers in the future!

Our second challenge has been falling limbs from our 100+ year old oak tree.  When I say limbs, I am not talking about small branches that you may put in a campfire.  No, I am talking about limbs longer than the length of our house!!!!!  Granted we don't live in the White House, but these limbs were pretty substantial.

The first limb almost took out Adam's truck because he was parked in the front yard.  Missed it by 2 feet.

The 2nd limb wiped out our lamp post!!!!!!

And the 3rd limb...yes, 3 limbs down over the course of the month...remained dangling!!!  Sigh...the extension agent thinks the tree was struck by lightening.

Well, how does an Alabamian get a limb down?  Strap that baby to your truck, of course!

Here goes the truck vs. the tree!  Guess who wins?  I'll give you a hint: it isnt the one with 4 wheel drive.  Ha.

Enjoy!

Adjustments to Life when You are 8 1/2 Months Pregnant

Lots of people have asked if I still love being pregnant.  The answer is a definitive YES! 

In a lot of ways pregnant women have it made...esp. when you have SUCH a great husband and wonderful friends like mine.

• No one judges the food you eat (unless you try to sneak in a soda, then they pounce you!)
• You get to wear pants with elastic waistbands...again without judgment
• You have an excuse for just about anything...being tired, wanting to sit down, having gas  :)

BUT if you were to ask if I am ready to have this baby, the answer would also be a definitive YESSSS! 

I have realized in the past few weeks that I have had to make several adjustments to everyday life.  Some big changes, some small changes....but all the changes have to do with the squirmy little lady and extra 23lbs. that gather around my mid-section. 

I made a quick list that I call: "You may be 8 1/2 months pregnant if..."

• You measure the exhaustion of your day by the size of your ankles.  Need I say more!
• You have to make a plan to bend over.  These days bending over to get something off the ground is often associated with sighs and groans.  After watching this show of painful bending for a few weeks, Adam (being the helpful husband he is) offered me a suggestion.  Instead of offering to pick up various items for me, he said, "Why dont you spread your legs wide before you bend over, so that your belly doesn't hit your legs when you bend?!"   HA!  Thanks sweetheart.  Don't tell him, but it was actually a great idea!
• You are proud of your "talon toes." Similar to the story above and my recent challenges with bending, I have come to realize that I have "talon toes."  Why bend when you can pick things up with your toes?  This may have been embarassing a few months ago, but these days I am really impressed with my faux ambidexterity.
• You have a debate with yourself if a certain food is worth the heartburn.  Oh, I LOVE hot sauce, pizza, tacos, oranges, hot wings....well, lets be honest I JUST LOVE FOOD!   These foods and most others taste so good, but spicy/acidic foods + a wiggle worm sitting on your stomach = heartburn.  Sigh.  So, these days I have to continually ask myself, "Is this worth heartburn?"  Most of the time the answer is YES :)  As a side note, this would be a great time to invest in Pepcid A/C.  I am keeping them in business!
• You check your purse for your keys, wallet, phone, and SNACKS before you leave the house.  I don't leave the house unless I have enough snacks to feed a small army.  Sudden "snack attacks" can hit you at anytime.  Don't forget the girl scout motto: be prepared! 
• You had to switch to "adult" cereal because eating Lucky Charms and Coco Pebbles in the morning made you shaky.  I did just realize that almost all of my life adjustments have to do with food.  Ba ha ha.  It is what it is, and for me mornings now consist of cheerios and strawberries.  Boring!

I guess life is about being adaptable.  Here's to adaptability (and creative solutions) through these next 6 weeks.   

Come on Adalyn!  Mom and dad are about ready for you :)  Then, we will face a string of new challenges and creative solutions I'm sure!

Recent Updates - Top 10 and NOT So Top 10

We had a glorious great holiday weekend!  Yes, it was spent mostly close to home.  What can I say?!  I am a home-body by nature, so cleaning the house, loving on the family, and catching up on my tv shows is often the definition of a good time.  (Don’t judge me.) 

Well, Adam got his fair share of tv time in too.  So, during about the 100^th episode of Sports Center and the 50^th time I watched Derek Jeter’s “come back game” in the minor leagues, I decided to make my own list of “Top 10” events in our lives over the past couple of weeks!  BUT I think I’ll start with the “Not So Top 10.”  Enjoy…     

Not So Top 10

10. Morning Wake Up Call – Last week, I woke up to a surprising wake up call.  I opened my eyes to find Adam standing over me with a tape measurer!! He was trying to "prove" that I didn’t stay on my side of the bed!!  He said that I was taking up 68.5% of the bed.  How rude.  I tried to tell him I actually have TWO people and a Cookie Monster sleeping on my side, so I just need a little more room, ok?!

9.  Baby’s Room Disarray – I have read that new moms go through a “nesting” phase in which they prepare the baby’s room and have an overwhelming desire to have everything set up.  Let’s just say that I have an overwhelming desire that someone will come over and set up this room.  It currently looks a little something like this…

8.  Bending Over – I few weeks ago in church I realized that I couldn’t see my feet anymore (yes, I opened my eyes while praying…stop judging!).  Well, this week I had to find a new place in the fridge for the milk, chocolate syrup, and strawberries (my current favorites), because bending down there 20x a day just wasn’t working for me.

7. Kick and Shout – I love my little jumping bean (although she is now about 3lbs and the size of a squash).  She kicks and rolls all day long, which I LOVE, but whenever someone else tries to feel her she STOPS!  Ba ha ha.  A woman after my own heart…performs when she wants to!

6.  Roll Over, Roll Over – Do you know how much I’d pay to sleep on my stomach for just one night?!  This current game of “heave, ho, roll” every couple hours each night is not my favorite :)

5. Swollen Ankles – All the praying in the world doesn’t seem to help this.  Heat + humidity + walking + a baby in the belly = Swollen ankles (but they aren’t cankles just yet!)

4.  Midnight Snack Attack – I would be embarrassed if you saw the stock pile of snacks next to the bed!  What had happened was…we eat dinner around 6pm and I have a snack around 9pm, BUT by 11pm I have this attack of hunger (often after I am already in bed with the lights off).  For about a week in a row, I got up and made a little snack.  Finally, I just started bring food with me to bed.  Sorry, Mr. Dentist, I don’t often brush my teeth again.  I’ll work on it.

3. Sticks and stone will break my bones, but words… –  Scratch that.  Words do sting sometimes.  For instance, my well meaning dad said to me the other day, “Mal, I am really proud of you.  I thought that when you got pregnant you were going to get HUGE!”  Ha.  Thanks, dad!

2.  Did I mention that most days are in the high 90’s?  Enough said.

1. Bye, Bye Belly Button – It won’t be long now.  One of my pregnancy fears is about to come true.  I am sad to report my belly button is currently FLAT!  Soon to be…an outie (gasp!)

TOP 10

10. Extra, extra read all about it – ADAM GOT AN A IN STATS!!!!!!!!!  Go sweetheart!

9.  Braves Game – Family fun time + A grand slam/win + fireworks = A Great Night!!!!!

8. Sweet Treatment – You may have noticed that I LOVE being pregnant.  People are sooo kind.  At the Braves game, it started raining, so we went to stand in the breeze way.  I was there for just a second and the usher came out of his maintenance room with a chair…just for me!  Here’s to you, Mr. Kind Braves Game Section 425 Usher! 

7. Test Success – Had to drink Hawaiian Punch on crack to take the glucose test, but passed with flying colors.  Adalyn’s doing great!

6.  First Father’s Day – Recently, Adam celebrated his 1^st father’s day.  Adalyn got him a few goodies and left this note…

(Dear Dad, I love you.  Happy Father's day!  Hope you enjoy your gifts.  I wanted 2 get you a belt, but you know mom has no fashion sense & I needed her help!  Be nice to her & rub her back.  I LOVE YOU.  XOXO, Adalyn)

5.  On your mark, get set, walk! – Adam and I try to walk around the neighborhood most days although it is h-o-t outside.  Most days the best part of the walk is just being done, but last week a lady on her porch shouted, “You go girl!  You look great!”  Here’s to you Ms. Front Porch Encourager!  I’ll be back most evenings.  Feel free to continue your most excellent cheering!

4.  10 Weeks To Go!!!!!!!!!!!!  - 60 inches tall and 40 inches around :)

3.  3 Fireworks Shows in 4 Days – The greatest part of the summer (minus my birthday) is fireworks!  Adalyn was not so psyched about all the loud noise.  I bet she was wondering what in the world was going on! 

2.  Turned in my Qualifying Exam – Next step…dissertation!  After 21 years of school, graduation is within sight!

1.  Baby Shower FUN – Special thanks to Alison, Catie, Nadeena, and Patrick for hosting such a great baby shower!  From sniffing diapers to singing “baby” songs to fabulous food, we are so grateful for everyone helping us prep for Adalyn!

What I LOVE about Being Pregnanct (Part 2) and New Challenges to Daily Life

Tomorrow is June 12th, which means we only have 3 more months/13 weeks to go until we meet our sweet girl, Adalyn, as her due date is September 12th!  Through this journey over the past 27 weeks, I have thought to myself over and over, "I LOVE being pregnant!"  Of course for the obvious reason that God is blessing us with a baby, but also for all the other funny moments along the way.  Here are a few things I love most about being pregnant: 

• Having Adam use my bellybutton as a megaphone to talk to Adalyn.  They "chat" multiple times a day about everything...me if I am cranky, her brother The Cookie Monster, being nice and not jabbing me, the weather, etc., etc. 
• The new way that people look at me.  I get so tickled when I walk by a stranger or someone that I haven't seen in a while.  It isn't just that you make eye contact and smile anymore.  No, now it goes like this: eye contact, look at the belly, back to eye contact, and then usually 1 of 2 responses - smile or a look of horror!  The look of horror may be because my hands are swollen I haven't been wearing my wedding ring or because I work on a campus of tee-tiny, college girls and they cannot imagine their bellies looking like that!  I'm just speculating.  :)
• Laying in bed at night.  I am pretty sure Adalyn is training to be a gymnast or a black belt in karate and when I lay in bed that is when she begins to practice all her flips and kicks!  It is a riot to watch my belly move.  Not quite as funny when I wake up at 3am to her "practicing" but still a fun surprise
• Sympathetic looks and gestures from women who have been pregnant.  For example, I was at a conference last month and between workshops there was a LOONG line in the ladies room.  As I began to wait, the woman in front of me said, "Please go ahead of me...you're pregnant!"  Then the woman in front of her did the same thing over and over until the next thing I knew I was in the FRONT of the line!  Victory!!!
• The new excuse that my sweet friends and family let me have = "It's ok.  You're pregnant."  I seem to hear this line at least once a day. 
• In Bible study last week, I was mid-sentence and then had no idea what I was about to say.  My friend, Katie, said, "It's ok. You're pregnant." 
• Last week, I fell asleep at work in my chair for 30 minutes, my co-worker said, "It's ok. You're pregnant." 
• I burned the grill cheese sandwiches I was making last weekend, and Adam said, "It ok.  You're just being Mallory." HAHAHA
• My newly developed sweet tooth.  Before I was pregnant, I was a 100% salty fan.  I would pick Cool Ranch Doritos over any dessert in the world.  Now, I still have the same affinity for Doritos with an added dose of ANYTHING sweet....cookies, ice cream, popsicles, ahhh!  These sneaky marketing people and their tricky commercials have been VERY effective on this pregnant woman; from their hand-spun milkshakes to the ooey gooey dessert bars they display so beautifully on tv, here's to you Mr. Sneaky Advertising Genius. 

Even with all the excitement, I have found that there are new challenges to daily living associated with growing a human.  Besides the obvious of sleeping and walking around in the HOT June weather with an extra 13 lbs, here are a few other challenges to daily life:

• New wardrobe.  I thought I had this whole summer pregnancy figured out in terms of clothes.  I would just wear lots of sundresses to stay as cool as possible without my clothes clinging to me as much.  That was working out nicely until the last few weeks when I realized that, yes, I am much cooler than I would be in other outfits, but now I have a new challenge as I sit down to work...my belly sits on my legs!!!!!!  Bahaha.  Seriously, you have to just laugh (or you'll cry), so I am going with laughing.
• Bathroom breaks - do I really have to go or do I have a tiny person sitting on my bladder?  My new philosophy is that if you see a bathroom, just go.  :)
• How to stand.  I catch myself all the time standing like a pregnant woman.  You know what I mean...feet apart, hands on back, stomach stretched out!  It isn't glamorous, but it feels so good to stretch your back.  I also catch myself rubbing my belly!  I didnt think this was odd until I was watching Jay Leno last week and saw a pregnant Kate Hudson rubbing her belly the WHOLE interview.  While, I get it (it is fun to feel the baby kick and sometimes you need to reposition her), it just looks so strange!  Ha.  I'll work on it.

Here's to 13 more weeks of laughter at the joys of being pregnant and a lifetime to come of joy with our little girl!

Did you know that peacocks honked?! Our visit to Florida

Ah...the sweet sounds of spring time!  Bird chipping, the waves breaking, and peacocks honking.  You read that correctly.  On vacation, I learned that peacocks dont chirp or tweet; they HONK!  I also learned that not all peacocks are multi-colored; some are albino. 

Chew on that for a minute... 

Recently, we took our annual journey across the state of Flordia (Ok, ok....It was a few weeks ago. I'm behind!).  Either way we squeezed in lots of adventures.  Here are the highlights:

• First, we survived 1,055+ miles/18 hours traveling from destination to destination with a pregnant bladder that needed to stop frequently and a lazy Cookie Monster

• We went on a canoe ride looking for porpoise,  but only saw jumping mullets

• I won a rose at church on Mother's Day for being the "newest" mom
• Adam and Grant re-lived their "glory days" surfing. 

• I read murder mystery books on the beach...in a 2 PIECE!  It was liberating, but you do NOT want to see a picture of that :)
• We went to the beach with friends who had small kids, and I had the profound realization that it may be a LONG time before I get to read murder mystery books on the beach again!
• Adam showed the fish who was boss :)

• We spent LOTS of time with fantastic family & friends

Now on to summer semester...let the fun begin!



Mother's Day & Marriage

There continues to be lots of BIG changes around the Greer household.  Not only does the SIZE of my reflection startle me often :) but I find myself being enthralled with topics that I once bypassed more nonchalantly.  You can probably guess the things I am talking about:

• The debate on which way the car seat should be faced
• Data on breastfeeding
• Should the baby sleep in our room?
• Which garbage can really traps the smell of stinky diapers?

We sat in church on Sunday and while I was glowing from winning a rose for being the "newest" mom, I was also listening to the sermon with a slightly new perspective on parenting....because this was after all my 1st mother's day :) 

A lady led the Children's Church portion of the service as she spoke with about 15 lil' bears in front of the church.  She said that when mommies have babies that God plants a diamond in their hearts that fills then with so much love for their children. She went on to say that only mommies have this special diamond in their hearts....the love never ended...so on and so forth...

For some reason, this just did not sit well with me.  Yes, I know that it wasn't an actual anatomoy lesson and she was trying to break it down so that the kids could understand, but it still ruffled my feathers a little bit. 

Our good friend leaned over to me and said, "I'm glad that my cousin isn't here because he would not understand this message at all.  His mother is hardly around."  Ahh...yes.  That was part of it.  Not all moms develop a deep rooted love for their children just because they carry a baby in their belly for 9 months. 

Then, as I looked at Adam, I realized the other part of that message that bothered me.  It isn't just moms who have a unique love for their children.  It is dad's too, right?!  Again, not all moms and dads exhibit this unconditional love, but I believe with every fiber of my being that men can love their children as strongly as moms do. 

I am blessed to be walking this wild road of parenthood with my best friend and a man who will be an amazing father.  This week, we not only celebrated my first mother's day, but we also celebrated our 2nd year of marriage!!!  What a blessing to be part of Team LG and to be married to a man who is dedicated to marriage, to being a parent, and most importantly to God.   

Do we have the perfect marriage?  Nahh...
Do we still have lots of learn about being paerents?  Sure...
Am I excited about the journey to come and 50+ more wedding anniversaries?  You better believe it!

As we celebrate, I thought I would provide a quick history in pictures for your viewing pleasure:

3 years ago Adam and I started dating.  When his dad came to visit he MADE us take a picture together to show Adam's grandma...I guess to prove that I really did exist :)  We were at church, so he had us stand in front of the church sigh.  We were embarassed as everyone was walking by watching us take this picture.  PLUS, this was literally our first picture together.  I am not sure we had ever even hugged at this point!  Awkward...

Then on our wedding day, we decided to "re-enact" the photo by the 1st Baptist sign for fun!

Now, 3 years later when we added a new Greer to the family we just could not resist another pictures in "our spot!"  :)

Can't wait until September when we get to add the next picture to this series holding Adalyn!