We're a family of six!

We're now a family of six!  Wait.....whaaaat?!?!?  First of all, NO, I'm not pregnant with twins!  So ya know, it's me, Brandon, Coco Chanel, and Cheyenne....and now we have two extra kiddos at our home. Basically, Wednesday midday, Brandon called frantic because DCS had some babes needing a home for awhile, and they wanted us to take them. Sooooo after much deliberation, we took them!  (aka Brandon saying "what do you think?" And me saying "you know I can't say no to kids....I would house all the needy ones if I could!"  This was literally a five minute convo while I was on break at work.) They've been at our home since Wednesday night and are learning all about us and our dogs while we figure out this parenting thing. 

Let me just say something.  NEVER would I have expected this to occur. Like....we always joked that if we had a kid in our current house, it would sleep in the dresser drawer or Cheyenne's crate. Well, God is HILARIOUS sometimes and does crazy things. It's not like Brandon to just make a quick crazy decision like this, so when he said he thought we should do it, I think he knew it would be hard, but good. Y'all. We've been so blessed already. A serious shoutout to ALL of our friends and family who have called, texted, dropped off clothes and toys, helped build bunk beds, and even dealt with my crying self!  I just look around our home and think of the things people have already done and I'm just in awe. This is ALL God!  We went from having a garage in our second bedroom to it being a bedroom for two tots in 5 hours. FIVE!  Thank you to everyone who has helped so far. If you've called or text me and I haven't responded, I'm sorry!  The past two days have been a whirlwind. Please know that we love you all and will get back to you ASAP. 

Let me also just take the time to give a HUGE "thank you" and "I'm so proud of you" to my husband. He's amazing. He's currently working late into the night to fix my car so it will be drivable tomorrow when I go work hard for the money. This was literally the ONLY time we had for it to get fixed. Thanks to his friend for helping, because we'd be lost without all the help. Brandon likes kids, but our plan was to wait a few more years. Even as I've had baby fever over the last six months or so, he's talked sense into me. Welllllll now we've got a four year old and a five year old!  Heyyyyy life. Haha.  I love him more and more everyday, but my admiration for his huge heart and beautiful soul has grown TONS in the matter of two days. He's my rock. He's amazing. I'm so grateful and honored to be Mrs. Brandon Lawson. 

On the way to court this morning, we were laughing about how life was so different Tuesday than it was on Wednesday. Our lives have COMPLETELY changed. But I know it's for the better. These kids are hilarious!  "Well Doug is just sittin here being lazy!"  "Guys, I need to make some phone calls. Can you please be quiet?  Well why don't you just put it on speakerphone or go outside?!"  We are learning all about manners and routine. It's insane. I still kind of can't wrap my head around it. I woke up yesterday and thought, "wait, did that happen??"  And sure enough, there were two sleeping babes in the other room!  So, here we go on this crazy adventure. I would say it's the crazie.... Nevermind, if I say that, God will throw more crazy at us!  It's one of the crazier decisions we've made. So, here we are, in our almost second year of marriage, with a family of six!  My heart is full and I love our little family. 

Late night captain crunch Wednesday night!  (Laiken, 5 and Issac, 4)

"I told you I have bushy hair in the morning!"

Bunk beds!!!!

Until next time, we'll just be cartin kids around and giving them lots of love!

The one about my momma.

I heard the phrase, "rest in Him" often as a child. Growing up in the church, I think I often knew what sayings/teachings meant, but didn't always do a good job applying those lessons to my heart or soul. Don't get me wrong, I had a really wonderful upbringing, a very strong family whose faith was unshakable, and a loving church family. Looking back, I just hadn't quite applied those teachings to my heart.  I'm here to share with you what I've learned. 

We are encouraged to have peace, kindness, forgiveness, compassion, and love in our hearts as Christians. We are also taught as wives to be godly women who serve our husbands. I know that people talk about the Proverbs 31 woman often, but I'm going to pull a few verses from there today anyways.  They're just too good not to share. A specific woman comes to mind when I think about this, and she'd never want this kind of attention because she's not an attention-seeking person at all.  She's a servant, a mother, a daughter, a friend, a wife, and so much more.  Who might I be talking about?  Some of you may have already guessed. She's my mom. 

Let's get to know Miss Audrey. She's a home health nurse. She takes care of my father (he had a stroke a few years ago and is doing MUCH better, but still needs a little extra help).  She's a volunteer. She's a mom to seven children (4 of her own, a son and daughter-in-law, and her new dog Wylie).  She  likes to take walks to get her exercise.  She'd rather shop for others than for herself. She and dad like to have date nights often to the movies, restaurants, museums, you name it. They love spending time together. She's a hard, diligent worker.  She's a LADY. She taught me how to be domestic. She loves her life and is a God-fearing woman. She's a great example to me for the kind of wife and mother I would love to become. Here's a few verses to describe her. 

"An excellent wife who can find?  She is worth far more precious than jewels. The heart of her husband trusts in her, and he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not harm, all the days of her life."

Proverbs 31:10-12

Y'all.  My mom is amazing. She and my daddy love each other so much and I am so very thankful for their strong example of what an amazing marriage looks like. 

"...Her lamp does not go out at night."  

Proverbs 31:18

She comes home after a long workday and takes care of my father's needs. I've never heard her complain ONCE. She's taken this life God has given her and is using it to glorify Him.  She's simply amazing. 

"She opens her hand to the poor and reaches her hands out to the needy."

Proverbs 31:20

She would help anybody in need. I have so many memories of her helping others:  whether it was the family that needed beds for their kids to sleep in, the woman who needed a ride on Christmas Eve, or someone in the hospital that just needed a visit to cheer them up. 

"Strength and dignity are her clothing, and she laughs at the time to come. She opens her mouth with wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue."

Proverbs 31:25-26

She is the strongest woman I know. When my dad was really sick, she just pressed on. She'd work during the day and visit the hospital every night and sometimes during the day between her patients.  She was faithful and knew that God always has a plan.  I've never met a kinder soul. She's a good one.  

"Give her the fruit of her hands, and let her works praise her in the gates."

Proverbs 31:31

I'm here to tell you. She has lots of treasures stored up in heaven.  She is amazing. I love her so much and am so grateful to call her my mother. She truly is a remarkable woman and an amazing role model. 

So, I now know how to "rest in Him". As I look back, I realize that I have had an amazing example of that kind of life in my mother. I've learned not to sweat the small stuff, to give it all to God, and to love life no matter what. I could go on and on about her, but I'll stop for now. 

Mom, Kaela, and me at Dollywood last year. 

Mom and dad at Kellen's high school graduation last year. 

Mom, dad, and grandma at Jared's college graduation last year. (2 kids graduating in one year, they're doing something right!)

All the fun ladies in our family: mom, me, Kaela, Aunt Kathy, and Grandma. Not pictured: Aunt Carolyn. Not sure how, but she managed to dodge the pic!  Every one of these ladies deserves their own blog post. Because they're all amazing women. 

Mom and I on my wedding day. She's the best. She's my role model. She's my mother. Love you mom!

Fun Fun Fun

Recently I've been having to learn a hard hard lesson about patience. We have a chocolate lab puppy. She's 9 months old and pushing 75 pounds. She chews everything in sight. Seriously ya'll. It could be my workout weights (yes, she drug them to the couch and started chewing them), socks (I have several loner socks now due to her love of the left foot only), or even the wall!  We're still learning to deal with her crazy antics. She's getting better, slowly but surely. 

Look how cute she is! 

Brandon's birthday was last week. I'm glad we got to spend some time with friends to celebrate a few weeks early at JumpJam, because we were SO busy during his actual birthday weekend!  My father-in-law and I did manage to make him this really neat cooler for the deck. We tend to have lots of cookouts, so I thought this might come in handy!

Doug drawing up the plans. He's very on top of these things, ya know. I'm glad I have him around, because all I knew was that I needed to purchase a cooler!

The finished product. Brandon thought we were building a doghouse, so he was DEFINITELY surprised for once!  

I also got to have some girl time a few weeks ago. Look how fun we are!

Julie and Amia posing for the camera. 

If you look closely, Lee made it to girls' night via FaceTime!!  Love these beauties. (Oh, and we like Lee too). 

Jess the porte-manteau (aka coat and purse rack). 

Em and I got to see our fun French teacher from high school!  Mme Corum was always our fav!  She owns a few booths at Nostalgia in Knoxville and had some very cute items!  

Jess, myself, Julie, and Em. Love them!

Tonight I went to something at the Big Brother office with Haley. We got to make jewelry with some staff members from Lily's Bead Box. So fun!!!

Selfie!

Haley was lots of different people tonight. 

THIS is how they were all night. Haha. They needed somewhere to run around. Absolute craziness!!  One thing's for sure, Haley, her sisters, and her cousins all love each other very much. It was a blast. 

Aaaaand now we shall discuss the weather. Y'all. In the last three weeks it's been spring, almost summer, and frigid winter. I can't deal. If coco doesn't get warm weather soon, she may freeze. 

Last time it snowed.  She's clearly over it. She told me yesterday that she's ready for it to be warm enough to sunbathe. She does that, ya know. 

She loves firecracker pops. One of her all-time favs for our sunbathing sessions. 

Until the warmer temps arrive, she'll continue hibernating, and I just might join her. Or fly down to Florida like Grandma Jean used to do. I need some warmth. It will officially be spring in 17 days. Hallelujah.  Bring on the warmth. 

 

Words of encouragement. (And a little Sochi, of course!)

Words. Comments. Remarks. They can be nice, funny, compassionate and encouraging. Or they can be spiteful, rude, mean, and hurtful. I've just come to realize how much emphasis is put on what comes out of our mouths. It could be gossip, mean-spirited remarks, or just downright hurtful things. Y'all. Let's encourage one another!  These verses have really been running through my mind often lately. 

"Iron sharpens iron and one man sharpens another."  Proverbs 27:17

"Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear."  Ephesians 4:29

I want to be an encourager. A friend. Someone that friends come to when they are in need of prayer and a kind word.  Women are the worst about it. We over-analyze.  We chat it up with our girlfriends instead of coming before God and asking Him to help us through our trials.  Bad thoughts harbor bitterness. I don't know about y'all, but I'd prefer to be happy than be in an ugly mood.  Being angry is a CHOICE.  Drop your pride, and choose to listen to God.  Choose to smile and think positively even through your frustrations. Pray to God in the moment-I know I can't do it all on my own on a daily basis!  I'm only here through His grace and unfailing love.  I think everyone will agree when I say this. Anger, ain't nobody got time for that! Be compassionate and love others.  Be happy.  It's just a better choice all around.  Enough about that. 

Next up, the "surprise" birthday party that Lindsey and I planned for Josh and Brandon last weekend. I say "surprise" because they both guessed what we were doing almost immediately. Come on, guys!  Even if you know, just play along with us!  Regardless, a fun time was had by all. We went to JumpJam. It was HILARIOUS!  Just imagine:  boys in their mid-twenties gallivanting around on trampolines, foam pits, and a faux ninja warrior course. It was SO FUN!  It also reminded us all of how old we actually are. As Brandon put it awhile back, "I'm just not a spring chick anymore!"  Ohhhh learning to embrace our old creaking bodies is such a blow to our egos. Good thing I'm just choosing to think positive and laugh about it all!

Look at these birthday boys!  Yes, Josh's mustache is real. 

And lastly, we shall discuss the Olympics. Sochi 2014. Now I know there's some controversy about watching them this year. Well, we are red-blooded Americans at my house that drink milk and eat hamburgers once a week, so we are watching the Olympics.  Shaun White. Bode Miller. Gracie Gold.  Jamaican bobsled team.  (They're not American, but this is the first year in awhile that they could attend, so we cheer for them too.). Speed skating. Ice skating. Ski jumping. Slopestyle.  Ice hockey. I'm hooked. It could be curling for all I care, and yet I still stay glued to the tv, screaming and yelling for USA athletes to, "Go for the gold!"  I LOVE THE OLYMPICS!  I would love to attend them sometime if I were given the opportunity.

I've read the athletes' stories. The death of Bode Miller's brother unexpectedly last year to a seizure. The Canadian that ran to the sidelines to hug his brother with cerebral palsy. Shaun White's attempt to win a triple gold in the same event, only to not even medal at all. (THAT was hard for me to swallow. I found out at work, and I'm a sore loser.  I'll continue to choose to blame the poor terrain on the halfpipe at Sochi for his loss.). They are athletes, but they're also people with real lives just like you and me. So, as this is the final week, I encourage you to all watch and support our country. Be patriotic!  Let's get our medal count up so we are back in first place!  USA, ALL THE WAY!

Life Lately

Life has been super fun lately. We went on a girls' trip to Wilderness in the Smokies (better known as WILDerness). We had an underwater camera too-can't wait to see how those pics turnout!  Imagine-water slides, goofy girls, a wave pool, and an underwater camera. Those pics will most def be hilarious!  I know I say it often, but I can't say it enough. I LOVE MY GIRLS!!!!

Lindsey loves America!

First stop:  Mexican for dinner!!  Julie, we missed you!

We swam, we laughed, we ate, we ate, we prank called Julie, and we ate some more!

Last weekend we spent lots of time with friends. What a fun weekend it was!  I got to go visit my cousin in Chattanooga and have some girl time. I rode with my aunt and let me just tell you something-we had so much fun chatting while we drove down there!  I'm so blessed to have such wonderful women in my family.  

Brandon and I got to share some meals with some of our couple friends. Lots of laughs were shared. I just love my friends and husband so much. :)

We also made it to the dog park and met mom, dad, and my brother Jared with their dogs. Needless to say, THAT was an adventure!  

Cheyenne would chase frisbees and jump in the pond all day long if she could.

THEN, there was this hilarious dog and his owner. She thought he was so naughty, and we couldn't stop giggling. 

Meet Dennis the Menace. No joke, that's the dog's name!  He was cute!  He barked at dad's scooter and slobbered on him. His owner just couldn't handle his shenanigans. Haha!  Dad loved every minute of the dog park. It was too sweet!  

Cheyenne after the dog park. It's a ruff life. (See what I did there?). Not pictured:  Coco Chanel. She was painting her paws or taking a bubble bath or something girly to pamper herself after such a traumatic experience around all those stinky dogs at the park. 

It was also Julie's birthday weekend. We started off her birthday with an afternoon workout. 

Julie and Samuel. Happy 27th, Julie!

Workout buddies!

Julie spent the remainder of her birthday at my house. We watched football, ate dinner, and relaxed together. I love my bestie so much!  She's such a blessing to my life.  

Haley and I are going swimming at the YMCA soon!  Should be an experience!

Can't wait to see her play basketball this weekend!  She just doesn't understand why I'm not very good at basketball. What she doesn't know, is that in my short two years of rec league basketball, I never scored a basket!  Ever!  Needless to say, I just stuck with cheer and dance. 

Until next time, stay warm!  I don't know about anyone else, but I'm ready for warm weather and a tan!

Coco is ready for the lake too!

In honor of Alice.

Last week wasn't the greatest. My sweet Aunt Alice battled ovarian cancer for five years and she passed away early Monday morning.  I had hoped to go see her Monday afternoon, but she just didn't hang on that long. A friend of mine was so encouraging this week by saying, "God knew your heart. Perhaps he didn't want your last moments with her when she was suffering. Remember all of the lovely times you had together instead."  What an uplifting thought. She's right, you know. For I turn into somewhat of a basket case in situations as these.  Had I made it there on Monday, I would've been a hot mess. 

Aunt Alice. She was so beautiful inside and out. 

We grew up going to "Aunt Alice and Uncle Randy's" often. They lived on the lake on a houseboat. A floating house. On the lake. What's more fun than that?!  They had jet skis, paddle boats, canoes, water bicycles, and the list goes on. I had many birthday parties there. My cousins and I used to play barbies for hours at that house. I learned how to do a flip off the roof into the lake too. One summer, my aunt paid me to come and dust all of Uncle Randy's memorabilia/model cars/figurines. He had so many that the top of every cabinet was full of his stuff. Aunt Alice is the one that taught me how to paddle in a canoe. She taught me that in the summer, there was no need for a shower. A quick dip in the lake with a bar of soap and bottle of shampoo would suffice. 

They later moved on from the lake house to a house in Knoxville. Of course, they still had a pool. One must be able to catch some rays somehow, right?  I have many fond memories of enjoying time by the pool with her, family, and friends. They later moved to another house out in Corryton. The house in which she and my uncle cared for my sweet grandmother until she passed away. Alice was a hospice nurse by day, then came home to care for my grandmother daily once she couldn't live on her own in her apartment anymore. She was so selfless. I think what resounds the most are the afternoons and evenings I spent with my grandmother over there until Alice would come home. We would share meals together often, laughing and playing cards until my uncle came home from work. She also was generous enough to host a wedding shower for me at her home a few years ago.  And somehow, no matter what the occasion, there was some kind of ice cream in the freezer. 

Alice was a fighter. She loved life. She was a busy-body.  She was active. She was a grandmother.  A mother. An aunt. A wife. She taught me what marriage looked like. She was compassionate. She was spunky. She was late often. She was a bad driver (like me, according to Brandon). She was fun. Charismatic. Caring. A sister in Christ. She took in her patients' animals when they passed away. One was a blind poodle. Another time she took in two ferrel cats. Whenever she was around, everyone was sure to have a good laugh and see her smiling. 

I'm going to be completely honest. This week has sucked. I've been in the ugliest of moods.  Not only did my aunt pass away, but I have a few friends dealing with their own struggles and hurting too. Haley moved out to Mascot too, so until they're back in Knoxville, being able to hang out will be much more difficult. Thankfully, my sweet husband has been there everyday for me. I don't deserve him. I really don't. We have been through so much together. Although we've been married a year and a half, we've been together for almost a decade. We've been through several family and friends' deaths. New life. Dad's stroke. Remodeling a house. Wedded bliss. Crazy new puppy antics. Vacations. The list goes on.  And through it all, I cannot think of a single person I'd rather do life with. He's absolutely amazing. For better or for worse.  In sickness and in health. Til death do us part. 

Wearing blue, in honor of Aunt Alice's battle with ovarian cancer. I love him. :)

Happy 2014!!

The past few weeks have FLOWN by! My sister-in-law, Hannah, graduated from UT. Our Aunt Carolyn came in from Texas-she is so much fun! When she's around, there's NEVER a dull moment. We're always busy doing something or going and eating treats somewhere. We managed to squeeze a Dollywood trip in while she was here. Lots of laughs and memories were shared during the week she was here. One of my favorite nights was a night we went to my grandmother's house to enjoy some dinner. We all just sat around the table telling old stories, laughing, and crying together. Here are a few pics we managed to take while she was here.

Dollywood fun!

More Dollywood!

We celebrated Aunt Carolyn's birthday the day before she left. 

A few weekends ago, Brandon and I took the dogs for a little walk through the Fourth and Gill neighborhood. (Historic old old homes in North Knoxville) It was hilarious because the girls still don't LOVE walking together. Coco might be a little snobby. It was so nice to walk through the neighborhood and check out all the old homes to get some ideas for the big remodel that Brandon is tackling at my parents' home. I also enjoyed exercising together and laughing about life. I just love my husband. :)

Christmas was a fun few days of eating, visiting family, baking, and eating some more! Last year we celebrated Christmas at our current house, but moved in on Christmas Eve. (I know, we are CRAY CRAY!!) Anyways, we didn't have time to put up a tree or anything, so it was Christmas, but just wasn't Christmas-y since we were missing a tree and the holiday baking (we didn't have countertops or a sink when we moved in...we were a little antsy to move!) This year was so NICE! Brandon and I got to sleep in and enjoy the morning together. Although, he was kind of sick on Christmas Eve and Christmas day, so that was no fun for him. We used the other time we had off of work to just be lazy and rest up. Sometimes you just need a day to do nothing. So that's what we did last weekend. It was glorious! We're suckers for Netflix and Tv on DVD, so we caught up on a few of our favs.

My brother-in-law, Drew, modeling his tacky Christmas sweater. 

Myself and my sweet niece, Taylin. She's a cutie!

I was blessed enough to go to Dollywood a few more times in the last few weeks. One trip was with Julie. We had so much fun!!! Lots of laughs were shared. The next trip was with Haley, Doug, and Toni. I was a little apprehensive, because I had no idea if Haley would like DW or want to do the roller coasters. Ya'll. She. had. a. blast. Here are a few pics of us, thanks to Doug. He LOOOOVES taking pics to document life. Thanks, Doug!

Dollywood with friends. 

New Years' was fun. We celebrated with some friends. I got to see these beauties. I just love their souls.

Emaleigh and me. 

Lindsey and me. 

Me, Linds, Jess, and Marna

I also made some of these delicious cinnamon rolls. Shout out to Liz, my co-worker, that gave me the recipe. If ya'll like cinnamon, butter, and a little cream cheese icing, holla!!! I've got the recipe here for all my baking friends.

Clone of a Cinnabon Cinnamon Rolls

Ingredients:

Dough:
1 c warm milk (110 degrees)

2 eggs, room temperature

1/3 c butter, melted

4 1/2 c AP flour

1 tsp salt

1/2 c white sugar

2 1/2 tsp yeast (or 1 pkg yeast)

Cinnamon filling:
3/4 c brown sugar, packed 

2 tbsp ground cinnamon

1/3 c butter, melted 

Cream cheese frosting:

1 (3 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened

1/4 c butter, softened

1 1/2 c confectioner's sugar

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Mix dough ingredients in stand mixer with dough hook for ten minutes. Let dough rise for 45 minutes to one hour. (My girl Liz suggests that you preheat your oven to its lowest temp, then turn it off prior to putting your dough in to rise.)

2. Mix cinnamon filling and set aside. Take dough out and roll flat onto a floured surface. Spread cinnamon mixture onto flattened dough. Roll up dough longways and slice into 12 rolls. 

3. Place rolls in a glass dish and put back in oven for 30 - 45 minutes or until doubled in size.  Bake rolls at 325 degrees for 20 minutes, then cover with aluminum foil to avoid burning and bake another 10 - 15 minutes or until center roll is approximately 180 degrees. While rolls are baking, beat cream cheese frosting together and spread on warm rolls prior to serving. 

Seriously. These suckers won't be in the pan long. Share with your friends. They'll love you even more than they do now.

The other day, Brandon mentioned something about how old I'll be turning this year. 27!!! Whoa baby, next stop is the big 3-0! Its funny how when you're a child, you can't WAIT for your birthday and then once you hit 23 or 24, you're like, whoa life, slow down!!! 2013 was SUCH a fun year. We've almost finished remodeling our current home. We've begun remodeling at my parents' home. (When I say "we", I mean Brandon remodels, and I pick up lunch. I help when I can. I'm just not very handy. At all. I try, so that counts for something, right?) Friends had babies. People graduated high school and college. Our marriage has grown. We've celebrated our first wedding anniversary. I've found a new love of cooking. Brandon has found a love of doing woodwork. We grew another year older together. We got a puppy-we're a family of four now, peeps! We've welcomed a new child into our lives. I cannot begin to share how much Haley has touched my heart and she just loves to hang out with Brandon when he tags along. I began a new job and passed my certification test. Brandon's business grew. We learned the joy of blessing others together, as a couple. And God has blessed us more than we could even imagine.

I am so very excited to see what 2014 will bring! More babies, more marriages between some sweet friends, and many more exciting events! I hope to cherish everyday, since, hey, I'll only be 26 a little while longer! One of the first events of 2014? WILDerness in the Smokies with my girls!!!! Every girl needs a good set of girlfriends, and I am so blessed to say that mine are the BEST! I've known these girls since we were practically babes. We all cheered together through Baby Bobcats, middle school, and high school. I am so pumped to laugh, swim, laugh, snack, and laugh some more at the indoor waterpark!!! Julie usually comes too, but the holidays fell weird this year so she'll be missing it. However, she's going on a cruise in a few weeks so she has plenty to celebrate! Lucky her!

Going forward, I hope everyone has a wonderful 2014. Remember to always enjoy the moment, because before you know it, you'll be turning another year older wondering where the year went. Oh, and PLEASE wash your hands. The flu is TERRIBLE this year. I've had several friends and their family members get sick in the last few weeks. For the sake of everyone, wash your hands and clorox everything you touch!

It snowed tonight on our way home from dinner. If y'all haven't tried it, Starbuck's salted caramel hot chocolate is like heaven in a cup. Yummmm