31 Days of Being Imperfectly Intentional

I've alluded to 2013 being a hard year for our family on my blog a few times over the past 9 months. I haven't provided a whole lot of details. It hasn't been in the spirit of being vague, which is something that makes me a little crazy.

No, it's been in the spirit of a very sensitive and tender heart and in a spirit of wondering just how God is going to use the first six months of 2013 to further His name and His cause. Not if, but how, because I know that He will. Recently, I finally felt Him say to me that it's okay if I never tell this story in it's entirety. There's a lot of freedom in that and a lot of freedom in waiting on His timing for everything. It's nerve wracking, but it's also freeing.

Because of the way our year has gone, there have been lots of things that have been cast aside in every single area of life: my relationship with the Lord, my husband, my son, my home, my friendships, etc. The list is long and there's no excuse for it. I got so wrapped up in my own problems and my own difficulties that I lost sight of the things that matter most in this life.

Mid-September, I saw that Nester was going to do her 31 Days series again. I hadn't even thought of doing it again and didn't even consider doing it once I read her post. However, I realized a few days later that I couldn't get the idea of doing something out of my head. I thought and I thought and I even prayed about it.

This is what I came up with.

I have felt so lazy and unmotivated in all the areas of life I listed above, plus more. I need something to kick my rear back into gear and I thought, "What better way than to blog about it?" This is truly a blog series for me and it's my hope that blogging daily about the intentional, on purpose ways that I'm using to work on my own personal improvement will serve as the boost I've been needing. I've added the word "imperfect" because I know it's going to be just that. There's no right or wrong way to be intentional about life, but I know I don't want it to make me feel limited. I simply want to be intentional about something or someone daily for the next 31 days and hope that it serves as a good motivator.

I don't know exactly what this is going to look like. Some days will be focused on bigger intentional tasks and many days will be smaller, seemingly mundane ones. Some days will be focused on my walk with God, as unfaithful as I am. Some days will be focused on people and relationships, primarily my husband and my son. Some days, I'll even focus on doing something intentional for me.

Like I said above, my goal to do something "on purpose" every day... something that I've been intending to do or even that I haven't been intending to do. I'm not here to tell you how to live a more intentional life because I think that looks different for everyone. Plus, I obviously have no expertise on the subject, which is why I'm blogging about my journey through it and what it looks like for me. I can't wait to see where this leads me and what life looks like on October 31.

Here's to a good 31 days!

Day 1 :: Packing & Unpacking

Day 2 :: Coupons & Cooking

Day 3 :: Taking Time for Myself 

Day 4 :: Being Thankful

Day 5 :: Quality Time

Day 6 :: Church Family 

Day 7 :: My Quiet Time & My Boys 

Day 8 :: Sleep

Day 9 :: Scary Mommy

Day 10 :: #onebigtruth

Days 11, 12, & 13 :: Friendships

Day 14 :: Everyday Tasks

Day 15 :: Too Much Stuff

Day 16 :: Starting to Purge and Organize

Days 17-20 :: New Rooms

Day 21 :: Meal Planning

Days 22 & 23 :: 26 Weeks

22 Weeks

22 Weeks

September 18, 2013- September 24, 2013

How Far Along: 22 weeks

Size of Baby: She's approximately 11 inches and almost a full pound. That's about the size of a spaghetti squash, which I've never actually cooked, FYI.

Total Weight Gain: Not sure if I've gained this week or not. Actually, I'm sure I have; I just don't know how much. I'm okay with that. Ignorance is bliss, right? 

Maternity Clothes: Yep! For the most part, maternity shirts are finally noticeably more comfortable than non-maternity shirts. Old Navy has some darling maternity tops right now!

Gender: Girl!

Movement: I saw my belly move this week when she kicked! She's a powerful little stinker! She's still moving mostly in the morning and evening, but if I lie down, she starts making herself known. 

Sleep: I'm still sleeping fairly well! I don't have trouble falling asleep and I although I always wake up in the middle of the night at least once, that's very normal for me, pregnant or not.

What I Miss: I'm not really missing anything this week! 

Cravings: Still sweet things and red meat, but NOT hamburgers. Isn't that weird? I've been loving any kind of red meat, even in ground beef form, but the thought of a hamburger still makes me want to cry. Pregnancy is weird.

Symptoms: Acne and hair loss. I keep forgetting to mention this, but I've been losing hair by the fistful since I was about 6 weeks pregnant. This happened during my pregnancy with Griffin as well. I'm one of the lucky ones who loses hair for 9 months and then for about 4 months after I have the baby. It's a good thing I have so much hair; otherwise, I'm pretty confident that I'd have bald spots!

Best Moment of the Week: On Friday, Tyler felt the baby kick! I promised him that no one would be allowed to feel until he felt her move and she decided to show off big for her daddy! He had gotten home on Thursday night from a trip and I was so excited that he finally got to experience her moving. It was such a special moment!!

Five on Friday!

I'm back with Five on Friday! I love this link up, but I really should get back to blogging things of substance. This will have to do for now!

1. Girl's Night

A few Saturdays ago, some of my girlfriends came over for an appetizer/ craft night. We hadn't all been together in a long time and it ended up being the most laid back, wonderful night! Tyler had been gone for 4 days at that point and I desperately needed some time with adults. We had Greek dip, smores dip, baked brie, buffalo chicken dip, macarons and mini pies (both from Trader Joe's) and wine (water and sparkling apple cider for me!). 

After we ate, we made these DIY glitter mugs. If I can offer any advice, here it is. Use a larger sized glitter (fine glitter didn't work so well) and spray the adhesive very lightly inside your mug. A little bit goes a long way. 

I loved the way my mug turned out and I know I'll use it for many years to come!

2. Fabric Softener

I don't know about y'all, but I'm very product loyal. Once I find a particular brand or scent of something that I love, I tend to stick to it. I was at Target a few weeks ago and needed to grab my fabric softener. I've used Snuggle Exhilarations Lavender and Sandalwood liquid fabric softener for probably three years now. I love it the way it smells... basically, what I'd imagine heaven to smell like. So you'd imagine my panic when I realized that Target no longer sells it. I might have raised my voice a little bit, who knows. I bought the Target brand fabric softener, but make no mistake, I was not happy about it. 

Then last week, I ran to Walmart to grab a few staples we were out of and decided to check and see if they had my beloved fabric softener. I'd thought about it quite a few times and had even checked on Amazon for it, but they'd marked it up and ain't nobody got time for that.

Lo and behold, I FOUND IT. Praise the Lord! My life is so hard and also, you should try this. It's my favorite, in case you hadn't noticed. 

3. Overcoming Fear, Worry, and Anxiety

I'm currently reading this book by Elyse Fitzpatrick about working through your anxiety and fear with Christ. I'm loving this book! I'm noticing that as I apply strategies that she talks about and put on the truth of who Christ is and learn things about his character, I'm learning how to manage some intense fear that I deal with on a daily basis. I would recommend this book to any woman. Truly, anything by Ms. Fitzpatrick would come highly recommended. This was a quote at the beginning of the first chapter. When the first thing you read in a book steps squarely on your toes (in a good way), I think it's a positive sign that it's going to be something you need... just speaking from loads of experience here.

4. Soup Friday!

Soup Friday starts tonight for the Haneys with the return of cooler temperatures and Shark Tank! I sent Tyler my soup Pinterest board and he picked Creamy White Bean Stew for supper tonight. I'm so excited to cook a big pot of soup and snuggle up for the first night of one of our favorite fall traditions! 

image via

5. Sugar and spice and everything nice

With the impending arrival of baby sister, I've started accumulating some sweet little girl things-- a fun addition to our house full of all things boy! Sweet Nina sent sister some headbands in a package of things I'd purchased from her and Griffin found one the other night. He wouldn't rest until I let him "wear baby sis-ser's headband!" I wasn't about to tell him no, especially with all that beautiful hair. His dad was less than pleased by this picture, but it made me laugh and laugh! And would you all just join me in hoping that Griffin's sister is blessed with hair like him? I guess we'll see in about 18 weeks!

21 Weeks

21 Weeks

September 11, 2013- September 17, 2013

How far along: 21 weeks

Size of Baby: She weighs about 3/4 of a pound and is 10.5 inches long. She's the size of a carrot and that's a good thing because I do love carrots!

Total Weight Gain: I had to go to a non-OB appointment on Friday and I'm up 10 pounds from my pre-pregnancy weight. Grow, grow, grow!

Maternity Clothes: I'm only wearing maternity pants, yoga pants, and running shorts. Comfort is key! I'm still in some non-maternity tops, but I've found a few simple maternity t-shirts and long sleeved maternity shirts at Target lately that are good, solid colored basics. 

Gender: Our little girl child!

Movement: I primarily feel her in the morning and in the evening. I've felt her a few times when I've put my hand on my belly, but she usually stops moving immediately when I do that. Stinker! I feel her mostly on my right side. She's definitely getting bigger and her kicks are getting stronger!

Sleep: I'm sleeping well! 

What I Miss: My belly is a different shape this time. It kind of has this weird indentation that I didn't have with Griffin. I had some surgery in the spring, so maybe that has something to do with it? So, if I had to say something, I would say I miss my round Griffin pregnancy belly. ;)

Cravings: Oh my. Let me tell you something. Thanks to my friend Meme, I found these mini pumpkin pies at Trader Joe's. They are the most delicious things I've ever had. I've been saving my last few for the season finale of Big Brother, but I've thought about them every single day since I picked them up on Monday. So... two days? Ha! Also, donuts. I could eat 5 donuts a day, but I usually have zero. Sad.

Symptoms: I did get a little nauseated a few times this week, but I think it was a fluke. I finally saw a dermatologist for my acne and she gave me some stuff that is pregnancy safe. I have a follow-up with her in a few months, but I've already seen a small improvement. I'm really hoping it continues because Poison Ivy Face here isn't the most attractive. 

Best Moment of the Week: We went and looked at double strollers on Saturday. I'm pretty sure Tyler's heart stopped when he realized how much they can cost. Bless him. Griffin loved "test driving" the strollers, though! He's going to be such a good big brother. It was also my first experience at Buy Buy Baby. It was a little overwhelming! I need to go back when Griffin's at school and I can browse a little bit. I just love looking at stuff that we need for our second baby. I'm still so, so thankful that God has blessed us with this little love! 

Also, if you have double stroller recommendations, leave them here! We're looking at the City Select with the extra seat right now, but I'm definitely open to other options. We need something that works with our Graco Snugride baby seat. We've loved our single BOB and are planning on keeping that, but I need something that's a little less... massive... for our everyday stroller. Let me hear what you think!

20 Weeks

20 Weeks

September 4, 2013- September 10, 2013

Halfway there!

How far along: 20 weeks! We're halfway to meeting our baby girl!

Size of Baby: She's about 10.5 ounces and 10 inches from head to heel. That's about the size of a banana! 

Total Weight Gain: Nothing more, but I haven't gone back to the doctor yet. But I'm still growing by the day, trust.

Maternity Clothes: I'm definitely in all maternity pants now, but I still don't own any maternity shorts because I'm praying that the 90 degree days will end soon. It's so blasted hot. I am basically living in my running shorts and t-shirts. I can still wear my regular t-shirts, but they're tight.

Gender: Girl!

Movement: I'm definitely feeling her multiple times a day now. This girl is spicy! She moves most in the mid to late afternoon, and I usually can feel her off and on at night when I lay down. I can't wait for Tyler to be able to feel her kicks!

Sleep: I slept pretty well this week! Tyler was gone most of the week and although I prefer to have him here, I wasn't complaining about having the bed all to myself. Amen.

What I Miss: Even though my doctor has assured me I'm fine, I miss not worrying about my caffeine intake everyday (one cup of a coffee or a pop). But that's really it!

Cravings: Soup, yogurt, and cinnamon rolls. Normally, I don't like cinnamon at all. Yuck. However, I've been craving cinnamon rolls like crazy over the past few weeks. My neighbor brought us some cinnamon roll cake which was incredible and while Tyler was gone, I might have put down an order of Pizza Hut's cinnamon sticks in one sitting. Stop judging me.

Best Moment of the Week: I love watching Griffin interact with my belly. Once every day or so, he'll remember that his "baby sis-ser" is in there and want to tickle her... which still feels like I'm being attacked with a rake. He also loves asking me to open my belly so he can see her. He's started telling me I'm "so cute, Mommy!" and this week, he told the baby she was so cute too. Love that sweet boy! 

And just for a little comparison, here I am at 20 weeks with Griffin. I guess what they say is true; you really are bigger with your second baby! Lord, help me. Just kidding. I'll gain 100 pounds if that's what it takes... but I really hope I don't. Happy Wednesday! 

Five on Friday!

I'm linking up with Darci, Natasha, and the girls again for Five on Friday!

1. Preschool!

I can't believe it, but my big boy starts preschool bright and early on Monday! He's going twice a week for 2.5 hours. It's the perfect set-up for us both! It gives me a few months to get stuff done and go to appointments on my own and then it will give me a few months of some alone time with baby sister. Tyler and I attended his orientation this week and we both feel so much peace about his class and his sweet teachers. I just can't believe that he's old enough to be going to preschool! Time really does fly when you're having fun... and disciplining a toddler. Here he is doing his first "homework assignment" which was an About Me paper. When I asked him some questions to be sure I knew what he liked, the favorite food portion went something like this:

Me: Griffin, what do you like to eat?

Griffin: Food! And paper.

Okay then.

We went to meet the teacher yesterday morning and he had the best time! When we left he asked to "go to school more", so I'm hoping that means I won't be prying him off my leg on Monday. He decorated his homework with some stickers and was very proud of how it turned out!

My sweet, big boy. Where does the time go??

2. Sparkling Grapefruit Izze

Obviously, I haven't been indulging in any summer cocktails this year. While it's totally worth it, I do miss having a glass of wine while I cook dinner. I discovered these sparkling grapefruit Izze beverages and they are delicious! I love citrus and so they're perfect for me to sip on any time of the day. I've tried some other flavors and the grapefruit is definitely my favorite so far. It's a perfect "mocktail" for me! 

3. Fall, Fall, Fall!

As much as I'm painfully ready for fall to be here, the temps are still in the 80's during the day which makes it hard to feel like the leaves are getting ready to change. The mornings have been delightfully cool, but by lunchtime, it's sweltering. I popped into Bath and Body Works for some gifts this morning and came out with a few fall candles; I couldn't resist! My very favorite scent that I bought was an Autumn Day candle. I can't wait for the first cool day so I can bust it out! The Blueberry Pumpkin Patch and the Cider Donut candle are on my list for my next trip. Oh, and while I was there, a representative from the BBW home office asked me some questions about a new product line and then rewarded me with a gift card! Such a fun surprise! 

4. Popcorn Night

When Griffin and I find ourselves with a night alone, one thing we love to do is pop some popcorn in our Whirly Pop and watch a movie. Nine out of ten times, his choice is Finding Nemo, but last night we borrowed Ratatouille from the library. He didn't love it as much as I did, but we still had a good time snuggling and chowing down on popcorn! I know these are the moments I'll remember when he's 15 and wondering where my baby went. 

5. A deer for little sister 

If you know me well, you know that deer are my favorite animal. Not to KILL and EAT, but to gaze upon. I don't eat venison. Not now, not ever. Anyway, I stumbled upon this precious little outfit yesterday at the mall and I immediately texted my friends because I knew they'd love it as much as I did! Maybe I'll finally have someone who appreciates deer like I do! One can only hope. :)

Happy Friday, friends! 

19 Weeks

19 Weeks

August 28, 2013- September 3, 2013

How Far Along: 19 weeks! 

Size of Baby: According to our anatomy scan, the baby is 9 ounces and 9 inches total! Baby Center says that it's the size of an heirloom tomato. Yum. I love tomatoes.

Total Weight Gain: I've put on 3 more pounds for a total of 9 pounds. Big mama coming through!

Maternity Clothes: Yesterday, on the last day of my 19th week, I gave in to the glory that is maternity jeans and tops. I have no idea why I waited so long! I forgot how much I love maternity jeans. All jeans should really come with an elastic waistband of sorts.

Gender: We're having a baby GIRL!!! 

Movement: I'm definitely feeling her a lot more, but primarily at night. Sometimes it still feels like a butterfly and sometimes it feels like little kicks and punches. It's the best!

Sleep: Again, it's hit or miss. It seems like I'll sleep well for a few days and then have a few days of being up for a few hours. 

What I Miss: Nothing this week! It was a great week!

Cravings: I have craved soup this entire pregnancy, even on 95 degree days. I could eat a cup of soup at every single meal! I hope this continues into the fall because it will make dinner really easy. 

Symptoms: I didn't throw up this week! Hooray! My skin is still pretty bad; I haven't seemed to be able to find anything that works for me. I'm also much more hormonal this time around. I was fairly normal during my pregnancy with Griffin, but I seriously feel like a raging monster some days (most days). I cry at everything and I'm not the most pleasant person. Is this because I'm having a girl? I can't figure it out. 

Best Moment of the Week: Finding out that we were having a girl last Wednesday was definitely the highlight of the week! I'm still in shock that we're going to have a daughter. What joy! Bless her heart; she's got a lot of years ahead of her to deal with her crazy mama! 

It's A...

Last Wednesday, we had our anatomy scan appointment! They scheduled us at 19 weeks as opposed to 20 which is when we found out Griffin was a boy. 

Going into the appointment, I had a little bit of anxiety over whether we would find a healthy baby or not. I've had a lot of fear surrounding this pregnancy, but it's something I'm actively working on. I really need to do a separate post on that because I know I'm not alone.

I guess I am improving because my blood pressure has been way too high at all my appointments thus far until I hear the baby's heartbeat. I've had it taken at the beginning of every appointment (way high) then at the end (back to normal). However, this time, my BP was great at the beginning, so progress! Yay!

Our appointment was scheduled for 9:15 but there must have been something going on because we weren't called back to the ultrasound room until almost 10:00. Thankfully, Griffin entertained himself and everyone else in the waiting room. 

I was able to relax for the most part while we waited and tried to just soak up those last few minutes where the baby's gender was a mystery. I'm trying to do that as much as I can since I'm treating this as my last pregnancy... just in case. 

We got called back and let me tell you-- seeing our baby on the ultrasound screen will never, ever get old. It was the most wonderful moment seeing it's little profile. Our ultrasound tech knew we wanted to know the gender, so she got on it right away. 

First of all, she did ask Griffin what he thought the baby would be. He answered with, "Baby girl!" Honestly, he's said that since we knew we were pregnant. He's said boy a few times here and there, but his primary answer has been a girl. She told us that in her experience, toddlers are usually 95% right about their siblings. Crazy!

She started poking around and we got our answer very quickly. I think my heart skipped a few beats when she said...

"Well, big brother was right! You're having a baby GIRL!" 

It's a good thing I was laying down on the table because otherwise, I think I would've had to sit down. A girl! Our girl! I couldn't believe it! The anatomy scan progressed and it was clear we have a healthy, growing daughter! I could've sobbed and sobbed over how grateful I was. 

We got to see her beautiful little profile, her hands and fingers, her arms and legs, and her perfect little feet and toes. Everything looks great and she's measuring two days behind my due date at 9 ounces and 9 inches. And again, the TOES! Have you ever seen sweeter toes!? 

After the ultrasound, they showed us to our room for the follow up with my doctor and I had to go give my urine sample. I was so excited and distracted that I actually dropped the cup in the toilet after I had done what I needed to do. Awesome. That was a fun thing to go out and tell my nurse. She was very sweet and assured me that it happens to women more than you'd think. 

The doctor came in and talked to us about the scan and reaffirmed everything the tech had told us. We have a healthy baby GIRL! While we were waiting to see the doctor, I made the mistake of saying to Tyler, "Let the shopping begin!" All the color just drained from his face. Poor man. As you can see below, sister has already started to accumulate a few things for her wardrobe thanks to her mama and her grandmothers! Griffin actually picked out that little balloon shirt at Carter's. He picked it up, said "Ooh cute!" and handed it to me. SOLD. 

After we left the doctor, we called our parents and brothers and then started telling our friends. Everyone was so excited for us and it just made our excitement grow and grow. We are so thankful for our sweet sugar already!

Prior to knowing, of course a question I was often asked was what I thought the baby was and which did I prefer. 

In my heart of hearts, I was pretty confident it was a baby girl. With Griffin, I was 100% sure I was having a boy. In fact, I wouldn't have believed them if they'd said differently. With this baby, I was about 88% sure it was a girl. Tyler thought it was probably a girl, my mom said she thought it was probably a girl, and ALL my friends said girl. I don't think one of them said boy! This pregnancy has been so different than my pregnancy with Griffy, but I know that doesn't necessarily mean anything. 

In terms of preference, if you asked my husband and my closest friends, they would tell you exactly what I've said since the day we found out we were expecting-- it truly didn't matter what we were having as long as it was a healthy baby. I know that's so cliche, but after the road we walked this year, it just didn't. I've always said I would love a houseful of boys (five to be exact) but I've also always dreamed of having a little woman in the house to balance us out. We were excited about the prospect of a brother for Griffin but also excited about the prospect of him having a baby sister! We couldn't lose!

We are so completely over-the-moon excited for this angel girl to join our family in January! I can't believe I am going to be blessed with both a son and a daughter. Griffin is so excited and talks to his baby sister in my belly quite often. He also loves to tickle her which feels more like a rabid cat scratching at my stomach, but it's so sweet and he makes the most hilarious squealing sound while he does it, so I can't deny him. 

Thank you again for all your love surrounding this baby! We are beyond thankful to the Lord for giving us this grace. We know we don't deserve it and that He didn't have to give us this baby, but we are so grateful that that this baby is a part of His plan for our family! 

"Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given."

John 1:16