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It took us so many years to get ready for babies, then we wanted one overnight. (Like that happens for anyone!) Four years later, we finally conceived our first child. #MyBoy has been the greatest gift ever, and I can only thank one person for that gift. My dear hubby! (Okay, if God were still in human form, I would thank Him too, just like I do everyday in my prayers!) Would you look at these faces? God has truly blessed me with two of the most amazing boys I could ever ask to have in my life. My husband takes care of us, working hard (mostly in the hot Georgia heat) so I can stay at home with this boy, he supports me, he is my voice of reason, and he keeps us laughing! So, today, I wish him the happiest of Father’s Day – his second with boy in arms! I want to thank him for sharing this life with us and making parenthood possible for me. Happiness means so much more! Happy Father’s Day, TBone! I love you! XOXO, TT #community #motherhood

We all have addictions, and since a few of my favorite people are sharing their favorite things, I wanted to jump in and share a few things that I’m totally obsessed with right now! YOUNG LIVING ESSENTIAL OILS. No surprise, I know… but I am seriously obsessed because they smell sooo yummy, and they’ve brought my family better health and wellness! Woodsy Smells are my current favorite. Most of them keep me focused and relaxed. Cedarwood, Vetiver and Lavender are what you’ll find diffusing in my bedroom diffuser almost every night because they promote a relaxing, deep sleep.#YLEOs #YLlifestyle #YourOilyFREEK DIFFUSING. My #1 Favorite way to use Essential Oils is through Diffusing. They make our home smell so good, help set the mood and keep #MyBoy asleep all. night. long. Currently, I’m diffusing Lime and Northern Lights Black Spruce. The citrus promotes energy, while NLBS promotes emotional, calming support! RED WINE BLENDS. I’m finally giving into the fact that I’m a wino. Who cares, right? Well, if you know me, you know I love my red wine, but my favorites are really the red blends, such as Apothic, Cocobon, Dark Horse, Primal Roots and Mmmhmm… 14 Hands. Have you tried 14 Hands? OVER. Do you like to edit photos on your phone? Do you like graphics? You’ll L.O.V.E. this app. It brings out the creative side in me and keeps me feeling creative even when I’m uninspired! SHUTTERFLY BOOKS. I started this incredibly organized and detailed baby book for #BabyT, but haven’t touched it in almost a year. Guess what? #MyBoy is almost 2. Shutterfly Books have saved my pride because I’ve been fairly consistent ordering these as a substitute for the “baby book”. Tell me what your current favorites are and why, in the comments below! #community #shopping #younglivingessentialoils

I have this real simple Lemon Icebox Pie recipe that I’ve used for years and years. I think I got it from my cousin, years ago, and a lot of you probably make it too because it’s always been a big hit! 1 graham cracker crust 1 can of evaporated milk 1 tub of cool whip 1 packet of lemonade Recognize that? I thought some of you would. Well since I began using essential oils and fell in love with the Young Living Vitality line (adding lemon, lime, grapefruit or even Citrus Fresh to my water every day), I decided why not try to replace that packet of lemonade with fresh lemon juice & essential oils. So, I did. 7 drops of lemon essential oil 2 drops of lime essential oil 2 tbsp of lemon juice My pie filling has NEVER fluffed up so much, nor has it ever been tastier!! You have to try it! The reason I sat down to share this with you today is because I’m in the middle of preparing for a few guests. As you see, I am always multi-tasking, jumping from one thing to the next… especially when time restrictions are in place. Tonight, I’m serving lite, refreshing appetizers, since my guests will not come until after dinner. To go along with the oh so delicious lemon icebox pie, I made a FRUIT DIP (courtesy of Amy’s Finer Things). It also uses essential oils and is out of this world. It tastes exactly like the original creamsicle. YUMMY!!! I cannot wait to eat this on a tub full of strawberries, and YES! I will eat an entire tub of strawberries myself. Once we put out the finished products, I’ll come back and update this with everyone’s response and photos of our finished products! For more information about the essential oils that I use and trust, click here. Love, Your Oily FREE.K #cooking #diet #younglivingessentialoils

I am a stay-at-home mama, but my husband and I have owned our own business since 2001. Needless to say, my duties for our business didn’t completely go away when mommy duties arrived. It is very important to have #MyBoy sleep good and for long stretches because I get my best work done fast, when he is sleeping. What do I use and how do I use it? Lavender + Cedarwood + Peace & Calming + Roman Chamomile DIFFUSING I pre-blend my essential oils for diffusing, in order to always have the right combo and cut down on the time it takes to prepare #MyBoy and his bedroom for nighttime. In an empty essential oils bottle, blend 40 drops of Lavender, 10 drops of Roman Chamomile, 20 drops of Cedarwood and 20 drops of Peace & Calming. Shake well, and add the right amount to your kiddos’ diffuser before bedtime. (Each diffuser holds a maximum number of essential oil drops. Read your diffuser’s instructions. Ours holds 8-12 drops; therefore, this blend last us 10-12 nights.) If they don’t sleep all night the first few nights, I bet you at least see the number of straight sleep hours increase each night. Be patient and look for small changes that will add up over several nights. Lavender (40 drops) Roman Chamomile (10 drops) Cedarwood (20 drops) Peace & Calming (20 drops) TOPICAL For topical use, I have a roll-on bottle with Lavender made up for boo-boos and sleep. This is one of the amazing things about essential oils! One oil can be the solution for so many things. For us, I blend a 1/4-1/3 Lavender to 3/4-2/3 Carrier Oil. (I prefer Grapeseed Oil for roll-ons that will be applied anywhere to my head, face or neck. It is less greasy.) This roll-on is great for calming #MyBoy while getting him ready for bed. I apply it to his feet, wrists and/or the back of his neck. As mentioned, this is also our boo-boo roll-on. I put it on any boo-boos, to help reduce recovery-time and reduce left-over blemishes. I also have a roll-on bottle with Gentle Baby. This can be made & used the same way as lavender, for sleep or boo-boos. I keep both roll-ons handy and use them interchangeably. If you want to know which essential oils I use and trust, please click here. Now that we are in a good sleep-routine, I am sure we could change our recipes and use of essential oils without affecting the number of hours #MyBoy sleeps, but I haven’t taken the time to experiment with other blends. If you have experience reducing the amount of essential oils you use after creating good sleep patterns, or a blend that works well for your children, share in the comments below. I love to collaborate, and would love to receive your feedback. Please Note: the FDA would appreciate it if you would make note that I am not a doctor. I cannot offer medical advice, diagnose, treat or refer you to any anticancer oils for disease. I love essential oils, and I am passionate about sharing what I discover and experience as they support a healthy lifestyle for our family. I encourage you to ask your doctor about essential oils, do as much research as you can, take it slow and learn your body & how it responds to essential oils. Essential Oils are amazing little drops, but they are also very powerful. Take control of your body and change the way you look at wellness. 33.1799574-84.7002041 #momboss #motherhood #younglivingessentialoils

This will probably be a short and sweet little post, but I can’t help to write about the current transition I am in and ask if any of you other mommy’s felt the same way when you were in this stage? I have a 17 month old, amazing little boy. I have new baby fever – I really want #2. I really love motherhood. Yet, I’m in the stage of finding myself after baby, so I need time to do things that make me feel accomplished; such as, writing & other things I love and interaction with other adults. I feel guilty when I consider leaving #MyBoy in the care of someone else to fit some of these things into my life, but I cannot chase him around and do these things too. So, how did you find a balance between full-time mommy and finding time for self or is it just not my turn yet? Please comment below to start the discussion. 33.1799574-84.7002041 #community #confidence #momboss #motherhood

To Give or To Give? What kind of Holiday Giving do you experience? If I’m honest, I am only accustomed to giving to my family and friends. Christmas Giving, however, has even gotten a little out of control through the years. I blame this on trying to meet expectations, but who’s expectations? Maybe the spirit of the holiday has changed through the years or maybe we have just forgotten the true meaning of Christmas. Call me a new mother being sentimental, but I haven’t been able to stop thinking about how I how I can help my son experience the true meaning of Christmas. After posting about The Trifecta of Shopping Days, my girlfriend tagged in me in a Facebook post that really helped me put some things in perspective and helped my family make some decisions. Rather than giving just to put gifts under the tree, we have decided we are going to implement the 3-Gift Christmas in order to help keep CHRIST in our Christmas. The Three Wise Men each brought gifts to Jesus on his birthday, Christmas. Three Gifts from Three Wise Men sounds like a great reason to keep it simple and just give three gifts, but we will also adopt these three categories of gifts… 1 need, 1 want, and 1 surprise gift. After all, our goal is to provide for our family year around, not just during the holidays. Piling the gifts up once or twice a year doesn’t seem to send the message that we would like for him to receive… “Give and it will be given unto you.” Yet this tradition alone doesn’t feel like enough. How are we going to teach him to give? We want him to enjoy giving to others! Therefore, we are going to give from the heart. Rather than shopping until we find something that ‘Aunt May’ might like, we are going to make sure everything we give is from the heart. Whether it is crafty, sentimental, or purchased, we will give to others before we give to ourselves. We will give to someone in need each Christmas, trying to share the love of God. In the future, I would like to find someone near Rhett’s age, so he can pick a toy and personally give it to them. He’s still a bit young to understand, so here’s what I did this year. While we were decorating our tree, my hubby admitted how much he hated some of our ornaments. I thought, ok, we’re a family; let’s decorate as a family. We can start collecting ornaments that we all love, and in the meantime, these beautiful ornaments that aren’t appreciated here, surely will be appreciated by someone. Let’s find someone who needs these and brighten their holiday. I started by reaching out through my local mamas group and yard sale group on Facebook, asking if anyone needed these items or knew someone who did. I quickly got a response saying there was a family in need. When I verified the need by asking for details, I got the goosebumps and was excited to help. Our Father’s House is a local mission at The Legacy Church in Senoia, GA. This group of volunteers mentor disadvantaged children from the Senoia area. One of these families was left without a tree or the decorations. Although my donation of Christmas Ornaments was a small gift, it helped decorate a tree that was provided through faithful prayer warriors who trusted God would provide for this family. (Note: it is my understanding that each of the children have been adopted for Christmas, so they will not be left without gifts this Christmas.) If you want to help assure these or other children in the program have everything they need, please contact Mrs. Jean Bright, 404-455-2914. Walking away from giving something so minor left me wanting to do more, and since my sister & I had recently discussed looking for a family we could buy gifts for I started the search, again through my local mamas Facebook group. That’s when I came across this image of Nathan Allen Baisden and his three kids. After work on December 4th, Nathan was in a Fatal Fiery Crash on Hwy 16. He left behind 4 beloved children. The mother of these children, 6 years (girl), 4 years (boy), 2 years (girl), and 2 months (girl) is out of work; therefore, I was quickly motivated to contribute to this family. Nathan’s childhood best friend, Kristen Morgan, also mourning his death, shared this story with our group because she wants to be sure these children are not left without at least a little Christmas. Anything we can do to help distract from the grief they are experiencing during the holidays sounds like a win to me, so I quickly shared the story with my sister and we’re going to give what we can, and *I hope you will help too. The mother, Megan, confirmed a family has already committed to helping take care of all the baby’s needs, but the three older children do need jackets, rain boots and pjs. The girls are size 8 & 4t and the boy is a size 5t. If you want to help provide toys or other gifts for the children, Kristen said the little girls love everything Frozen and the little boy loves anything Hot Wheels. If anyone is able to give gift cards this will help their mother as she looks for a job and gets on her feet. Please at least keep this family in our hearts and prayers as they lay Nathan to rest today and learn to live without him in the days ahead! I am not sharing this story to boast that we did a good deed, but to talk about getting back to the heart of Christmas. If we all do a little more for others before ourselves, won’t this world be a better place for our future families? Just a little something to think about. So… will you give by putting things under the tree, or will you GIVE FROM THE HEART and experience the joy and true meaning of Christmas this year? 12/9/2015 UPDATE :: Nathan Baisden’s children (all four) are going to live with Kristen Morgan while the children’s mother gets on her feet. The 2 month old little girl went home with Kristen immediately following Nathan’s funeral yesterday. Today, she posted the following picture and request for help through social media. Kaylyn, 6 years, Size 8 Girls – Loves Frozen Kayden, 4 years, Size 5t Boys – Loves anything Hot Wheels Kaylee, 2 years, Size 4t Girls – Loves Pickachu & Frozen Kali, 2 months, Size 0-3 months and Size 1 Diapers God Bless and Merry Christmas! 33.1799574-84.7002041 #community #faith #motherhood

I am not one for crowds, nor do I typically have a shopping lists for gifts. Yes, I’m that gift giver. I have to browse for something that pops off the shelf at me for you! However, now that I have a kid, I am trying to come up with gift ideas early and take advantage of the famous shopping weekend after Thanksgiving. I need some tips though! So, if you can tell me how to create a gift list to shop from, I think I could benefit from my own tips even better, so please share with me in the comments below. I have been trying to ease into this weekend a little at a time, one year at a time; therefore, I do have a few tips to help you stay sane during the trifecta shopping weekend of Black Friday, Small Business Saturday and Cyber Monday. Start with one of the three days! If you are not a shopaholic who normally shops until you drop, pick one of these three days and just have fun. Not letting this weekend or one day stress you out might allow you to come back for more in following years. (Tip: use Young Living Stress Away Essential Oil to lighten your spirits and fight the surrounding stress of crowds and shopping goals.) Only shop at the stores you love! There are a ton of deals available and the ads WILL overwhelm you. Instead of browsing all the ads, just check out the store ads for your favorite stores. If you do have a gift list, let Google do its job and search item by item to find the best price. See what deals your friends are getting! Browse your social media accounts for deal links shared by your friends. You may discover that you shop for a lot of the same things as your social circle. If you take the time to browse your Facebook, Twitter or Instagram feeds, you may just find YOUR DEAL OF THE DAY!! Last year, I shopped Small Business Saturday through Instagram. I felt super good about supporting small business moms who are doing what they love and just trying to make enough money to share it with us. Then, I may have done a little Cyber Monday browsing that turned into a purchase or two, but I didn’t let any of it stress me out. Who knows if I’ll ever get out into the stores on a Black Friday or not, but if you can teach me how to make a Christmas Shopping List, I might get a little more serious about this weekend. I’m open to tips, so please send them to me in the comment below! One more place that I look for great deals for myself (shh!!! sometimes, you just have to shop for yourself too!) is AliLuvs.com. Ali Fedotowsky wears the cutest outfits and writes my favorite Blog EVER! So, when she makes a #CyberMonday list of Sales, I have to read. And, since we are talking about shopping deals, I have to end with the deal I’m offering. You know that I am a Young Living Independent Distributor, so, of course, I have a deal to offer you too! I love it when you interact with me, so please comment below and let’s discuss this trifecta weekend of shopping deals or my Essential Oils. #mombossencouragement #worldevents #younglivingessentialoils

I just received horrible news! A dear real estate friend has just encountered a horrific, tragic loss. I’m lying here with so many confusing feelings and not sure if this is even real life… It was just this week that I was thinking about some of the losses in my life. In the moments, weeks, and even years past losing someone unexpectedly, much less tragically, it’s hard to find peace. It’s hard to understand why someone would be taken from this life when you expect they have so much life ahead of them. Until one day, it hits you! God has a plan & a purpose! I have asked “why?” so many times. What could His reason be? I’m sure He doesn’t do anything for one reason alone. I’m sure His purpose is broad. However, I can finally look at some of my personal losses of close, dear friends, like family, with a sense of peace. My life could be very different! Their lives could have turned out even more tragic than death. It’s hard to think that about those that I’ve lost, but it’s possible because I do think there are worse things than dying. Holding my precious baby boy, praising God for him… One different turn, and he wouldn’t be mine! My epiphany is probably way different than others who have shared my same losses. God knows that He will affect each individually in a different way through one act. This week’s thought about death isn’t the only time I’ve found peace or purpose in past losses, but the timing was purposeful because tonight I received news of another tragedy. You may have heard about a seventeen year old girl being stabbed to death in Acworth, GA this weekend? That was sweet Abbey. Abbey, the daughter of my friend, Debi Smith. I don’t know anymore about her death than the Internet or news has offered, but I know it’s horrible, tragic, devastating, and I don’t know how Debi or Abbey’s father and their families will move on. I do know that they need our prayers, our love and support. I hear that their local community has already outdone themselves with support of all kinds. I’m sure they need it now, and I know they will need it later. I hope we don’t forget Abbey and how much her family will need us as they learn to live without her and learn to find peace after this loss. I have been in tears over this news. I have, unfortunately, tried to put myself in my friend’s shoes. No parent should have to consider what life would be like without their child; much less, live life without their child… but some do! I‘m thankful that I have #MyBoy to hold, hug & kiss and believe me… I will be cherishing these moments; trying not to take them for granted. Leave your words of encouragement and love for Debi & her family in the comments below! Update, 11/17/2015 Read Abbey’s Obituary here. Service Information Visitation Thursday, November 19, 2015 1:30 pm – 4:00 pm Northstar Church 3413 Blue Springs Rd NW Kennesaw, GA 30144-1082 (770) 420-9808 Funeral Service Thursday, November 19, 2015 4:00 pm – 5:00 pm Northstar Church 3413 Blue Springs Rd NW Kennesaw, GA 30144-1082 (770) 420-9808 33.217523-84.735163 #community #faith #motherhood #worldevents

DISCLAIMER: I am not a doctor. I am not recommending that anyone use Essential Oils (EOs) on their infant or child before the recommended age or without consulting a Doctor first. I am posting about this subject because it has recently been a hot topic in my circle. Specifically, how can we help make our babies more comfortable, build their immune system, etc.? We all want to do this in the most natural way possible. And let’s be honest, a screaming, crying baby will send any mom looking for alternative solutions that have not yet been suggested to them. So, let me first say that I didn’t know about Essential Oils (EOs) until #MyBoy was 8 months old. By then, I had already found a solution for his gassy, fussy tummy. I don’t think he had colic, and if so… it wasn’t bad. However, he let me know when he was uncomfortable, just like they all do! Anyway, before he was born, I had heard about Gripe Water, how amazing it was and had been gifted a bottle. The first time he seemed uncomfortable, I used it. It was like magic. Though within a few weeks, I realized that I never read the ingredients. Once I read, I was floored. This was not a natural product like I thought. Don’t ask me why I thought this! Therefore, I began searching for a replacement. Everything had citric acid, except one product that someone posted about on a mommy board. What was it? Rhett’s future tummy saver? Catnip & Fennel by Nature’s Sunshine. It’s an Alcohol-Free Herbal Extract and it is AhMazing!! To remind myself how amazing it is, I used it tonight. Yes. I ate Mexican tonight and my tummy has been so uncomfortable & gassy since. So, when I looked for this bottle, so I could attach a picture, I decided… dose yourself again. Remind yourself how good it is, if you’re going to recommend it. No kidding, as it went down, the relief took place. It has a strong flavor, but it can be diluted as needed. I diluted by at least 1:3 for Rhett. All that to say, this is something I personally used in my household with great results. ​I know you thought this post was going to be about Babies & Essential Oils, specifically, so let me get down to the nitty gritty… I don’t have any personal experience with EOs and babies under 8 months. Therefore, I’ve been gathering a lot of information on the subject from other moms who post in Facebook Groups about Essential Oils (which I participate) and narrowing down the topics to include babies. First of all, there are a ton of opinions and a lot of different solutions. The gathered that the general consensus is to experiment (safely) and find out what works for your baby. However, if you want an oil that is safely blended for your child, choose one intended for children. Young Living has a blend called Gentle Baby that is safe for mothers during pregnancy and newborns. One description I found says, “This oil is a soft blend made for the tender body of a baby to relax and moisturize the skin. It can help calm newborns, but can also be used to calm emotions for mothers in pregnancy.” I read where several mothers have blended this with a carrier oil and rub it on baby’s tummy and back to sooth a baby with colic. Some mothers mentioned using diluted DiGize too. Of course there are other oils suggested for aiding in sleep besides Gentle Baby, such as Peace & Calming, SleepyIze, & Lavender. The last thing to note is the dilution rate seems to be 30:1 (Carrier Oil to Essential Oil) for infants. I don’t own this book yet, but will one day very soon because it’s apparently the Bible of Essential Oils for Babies & Pregnancy. So, in conclusion, I have to recommend referencing this book, Gentle Babies Essential Oils and Natural Remedies for Pregnancy, Childbirth, Infants and Young Children by Debra Raybern, for more suggestions and verification of any information I’ve mentioned above. Here are a few pages from the book that will help cover some of the topics at hand. If you want more information on Young Living Essential Oils, please ask. I’m a Young Living Independent Distributor. What is your experience with Essential Oils and Babies? Tell me in the comments below. #confidence #motherhood #younglivingessentialoils

The first year of parenting #MyBoy has been so much fun that I had to go all out for his first birthday. What mom hasn’t said or done that? I did have so much fun planning Rhett’s 1st Birthday though! I chose the Gone Fishing theme because we had recently moved to The Pollard Plantation on the lake and why not? his name is Jameson Rhett FISHER Teel. I wanted to be creative and knew if I was thrifty, I could do more. Making my own banners, food labels, photo booth props and food was a lot of fun. It made the whole experience so much more memorable for me. After all, is a first birthday party for the child or for the parents? Let’s be honest… its for the parent and the non-baby guests!! Let’s just hope everyone had as much fun as I planned for them to have. 😉 My most favorite craft was a faux-chalkboard. You know the adorable birthday chalkboards with all the kids stats from the year? Well, Etsy.com sells those for $30+ dollars and they were amazing, but I felt I could duplicate for a lot less. So, I bought a $1 Foam Black Board from the Dollar Tree and created my masterpiece with bright, everyday, every-household colored pencils. We had BBQ because what’s a better outdoor food, mid-summer food? For dessert, I offered a Candy Bar, Cupcakes and a First-Birthday Cake (which was another favorite creation. See pic below!). Making fondant was much easier than expected, but coloring fondant was much harder than expected. Lucky me after getting the base and fence on the cake, my artistic mom created the cake toppers for me! It was adorable. RHETT’S GONE FISHING with MILLER TAGGING ALONG Of course, the very best part about the entire party was having our friends & family share this event with us. The kids had fun fishing in the “catch-n-release pond” & the lake where they all caught a lot of fish, and everyone helped entertain & shower Rhett with gifts that he has so much fun playing with on a daily basis. Thank you for leaving notes in his Message-In-A-Bottle for him to read on his Twenty-1st Birthday, writing in his Guest Book and for your presence. We love each of you and we are very blessed by your love and friendship! Please enjoy the following photos. If you didn’t make the blog, please don’t be sad. The photos were chosen at random, and I love you too! Did you go all out for your little’s first birthday? What kind of crafts did you do? Tell me in the comments below.

Tonight, I am feeling quite sentimental. It’s something about having “the best time of my life”… In my last blog, I told you that we were growing our family by two feet. Those two feet arrived on July 26, 2014 at 1:42 a.m. Jameson Rhett Fisher Teel was 8 pounds and 20 inches long. The last 6 months have flown by and been more than amazing!!! Motherhood has come very natural for me. I feel peaceful, harmonious and a love that has no end. I’ve said to many of you “there is no timing like God’s timing.” Here’s a little history to help explain what I mean… When Matt and I married, we weren’t sure if we every wanted children. For those of you that know me well, you may relate this to the fact that I am the eldest of 6 children; you may not understand because you saw that I helped nurture those younger siblings; or you may understand because who would want to do it again, when you feel like you already helped raise a lot of kids. Regardless, we did reserve the right to change our minds… which we did! It wasn’t until we enjoyed each other as husband and wife, had a lot of ups and downs, and traveled to a lot of places around the world. Finally, we changed our minds. Around 2010, we decided that we did, in fact, want a family. It took a long 4+ years to conceive. During that time, we had many questions about our future; why us, did we wait too long; are we too old? Questions ga lore; emotions galore; and then one day… we were pleasantly surprised! We had a little peanut on the way. This is what I meant by “there’s no timing like God’s timing.” I don’t reflect on the past with much regret. It’s a wasteful emotion. Rather, I try to take the good and learn from the bad. Therefore, I can tell you honestly, God waited until the perfect time to give us our blessing He had for us all along. If the timing were anything else, I wouldn’t have the reflection on my life as I do. Today, my life is full of blessings that I adore and acknowledge. My husband, Matthew B. Teel, is such a marvelous man. He projects genuine, unconditional love on us daily. The kind of love that teaches me to be a better mother, wife, sister, daughter, in-law and friend. I know that he thinks about his family before himself; works to provide for us and not himself; and wants everything for us and less for himself. For the last year, I savored pregnancy, preparing for our first child, and since our son’s arrival, the freedom to be a full-time mother. I have taken more delight in this than any of my other jobs. Watching Rhett change, grow and learn is a miracle. (I do believe we have a baby genius on our hands, folks. Ever heard that from a mom? Seriously!! I will have to save all of my favorite things about motherhood for another blog because I could go on and on. Rather…) I want the world to know that it is because of my hubby that I am having “the best time of my life!” And, therefore, he is my definition of love! Thank you, babe, for allowing me to mother our precious son. Being a full-time mommy to him has already been the most amazing experience of my life, and I’m overjoyed to be sharing it with you! Here’s a little photo tour of pregnancy, newborn and a few between newborn and 6 months… If you’d like to follow Rhett’s growth, please follow him here. Maternity Photos by KMS Photography Newborn 4 Months 6 Months Post your favorite newborn-12 month photos below in the comments!

I have lost a handful of important people in my lifetime and experienced more than a handful of insufferable losses. On November 24, 2012 I lost another friend, who many would consider too young to die. The death of Charles P. Cooper IV (Proctor or Coop, as many of us knew him) has heightened my senses of these loved ones. Though Coop and I were not currently a part of each other’s everyday lives, I find myself thinking of him daily. These thoughts and memories lead me into my prayers for everyone who was a part of his everyday life. They will continue living without him. His wife and daughter, along with his unborn daughter due to join this world on Christmas Eve, will have to move forward living a life on this earth without the one person most important to them. Though it sounds so insensitive, it is reality. The road will be sad and happy, hard and fun. Thankfully, time does heal, as cliché as it sounds. I pray that all of those closest to Coop are able to find a way to keep him close, as I have found a way to hold my loved ones close to my heart and soul. In my experience, reminiscing through conversations, experiences, and photos helps to enhance my dreams. At night when I close my eyes, I find the chance to spend time with my loved ones once again. If spending time with them in my dreams is all I get for now, I’ll take it because the sense of picking up where we left off is so consoling; we talk, laugh and experience things together that are possible on earth. Though they are only dreams, it often feels so real and it helps me to never forget! It comforts me and guides me through life. My dreams are where I can bring these people back into my life, if only for a instant. Since my thoughts are consumed by all of this, I will be gathering a few memories and favorite photos of the loved ones that visit me in my dreams… Please tune in again to hear about Marcus Joseph Brown, Matthew Joseph McCurry, Patricia Louise Bird Freking (Memaw Pat), Henry Freking (Pops), Martha Louise Higdon Pollard (Granny), Alvin Byron Teel (Daddy T), Arvin James Pollard (Papaw), and more about Proctor! How do you remember the loved ones you’ve lost? Tell me in the comments below.