3 weeks ago...

Three weeks ago I went back to work. And the last 21 days have been a whirlwind. It is a lot of work to work outside the home.

Anyway, my blog has taken the bottom of my to-do list. I have bigger, more important things like caring for these guys...

I will be back soon...I do have lots to write about!

Such a perfect day...

Today we celebrate 6 wonderful years of marriage. Crazy in just 6 short years we've been blessed with a wonderful home and two beautiful kids. God has a BIG plan for us and it's awesome watching the plan unfold as we walk the path He has laid out for us.

Just for reminiscing purposes - here are a few of my favorite wedding pictures. That day was absolutely perfect. Praise God!

Lord, I pray you continue to smile upon our marriage as we strive to let you lead us. We lean on your for all our needs. Thank you for our blessings and our struggles. We are better together as a cord of three strands that is never broken. Amen!

 

It's a....

GIRL!!!!

Introducing Selah Grace

Born May 6 at 6:39 am

6 1/2 pounds and 19 1/2 inches 

I would like to document how my girl made her entrance into the world. 

It started around 6:00 pm on Saturday, May 5th. I had been feeling sick all day but really was pushing through and enjoying my time with Finn. Before dinner I noticed contractions coming every 8 minutes. But that was nothing new - I had been having contractions off and on for 14 days. We went out to eat (Moe's of course for the $3 burrito deal). And at dinner, I noticed the contractions getting worse. We finished up, went to store, and by the time we got home I was really hurting. I tried taking a bath, a shower, then ended up laying down. By 10:00, the contractions were 5 minutes apart and lasting 1 minute and 30 seconds. We decided better get to the hospital. Once we packed up, got my mom over, and got admitted - it was midnight. I asked for my epidural immediately. Thank goodness, because when the doctor checked me I was already halfway there. I had to wait about an hour til I got the epidural. That was a LONG hour. Once the epidural set it, the rest went super fast. And she came out very easy. 

When G announced it was a girl, I cried. I am so excited for so many things. God has truly blessed us with an angel. And I could not be more ready for this challenge of raising up a woman in this broken world. So grateful! Below are a few pictures...lots more to come!

 Just got my epidural and I'm happy!

 It was so cold in our room. Plus the IV fluids were making me shake because I was so cold on the inside. So we snuggled up - couldn't sleep. We were too excited to find out who this baby was...

 Seeing Selah's sweet face. She looks JUST like Finn.

 Welcome to our family Selah!

 Finn meeting his sister just a few hours after her birth.

A blessed decade!

Today I turn 30 years old. Hard to believe I've lived 3 decades. And I don't feel 30, I still feel like a teenager some days. But as I was reflecting back on this past decade I realize a lot happened. So I wanted to make a little list of it all. It started with college and ended with a wonderful marriage and 2 kids. WOW! God has really changed me in these 10 years. So very grateful...

1. Attended college at Kennsaw State University
2. Attended college at Reinhardt College
3. Declared my major as Business Entrepreneuship
4. Met Natasha and her mom (here's where the path turned)
5. Met Gregory
6. Graduated with honors - Bachelors in Business Entrepreneurship, minor in Accounting & Management
7. Moved to the big ATL and worked at Van Michael
8. Realized I didn't like working at such a big salon
9. Moved to Alpharetta and lived on my own for the first time in an apartment
10. Got a job as an account executive at Beneficial
11. Started management training 
12. Got engaged to my soul mate!
13. Gregory graduated college and we got married 2 weeks later on the beach that I grew up going to with my grandparents every summer!
14. 2 months later we bought our first house 
15. For 3 months we watched our home be built then we moved in!
16. I decided to leave the corporate world
17. Was offered a job at North Point
18. Joined a mentor group that would really grow me as a woman (thanks Regina)
19. Got to be a matron of honor to my life long best friend
20. Went to Cambodia for the first time 
21. Got pregnant
22. Had a healthy sweet little boy - Finn Wallace
23. Started attending Birds on a Wire group
24. Changed jobs to work for North Point Resources
25. Lowered my hours to focus on family
26. Ran a half marathon with G
27. Got to be a matron of honor to my sister
28. Celebrated 5 years of being married to my soul mate on a cruise to Bermuda
29. Went to Cambodia again
30. Got pregnant again
31. Now just waiting to deliver another sweet baby! 

I praise you Lord for all the blessings I have. I also praise for all the difficult times as you have simply pulled me closer to you through each one of them. 

Father and son

Pictures taken on Sunday, April 1st outside at the Avenues of Forsyth. 

I just love seeing my boys together. They are so cute! The love they share is something special. And it makes me smile to see them together. 

I know that relationship being built is so important. G is leading Finn to be a leader himself one day. I have to brag on my husband and say he is doing an awesome job so far. 

I know he is taking the lead from several great books and being mentored. Below are a list of the books he'd recommend. 

1. Raising a Modern Day Knight by Robert Lewis

2. Better Dads, Stronger Sons by Rick Johnson

3. Personality Plus for Parents by Florence Littauer

And last but not least, here is a link to the mentoring program G did last year. He still meets with his mentor now that the year is up. But for him, I know this program was life changing! http://www.radicalmentoring.com/

Baby shower #2

On March 24, I had a wonderful shower thrown by my two sisters/best friends - Natasha and Kristen. It was a great time! They both did a great job putting a beautiful shower together for me. See pictures below for how wonderful it was.

I feel totally blessed to have had 2 showers so far to celebrate this miracle #2. We are getting the house ready this week. Baby is only a month away!!!

 This was a tree of encouragement for me. Everyone wrote on the baby outfits.

 As guests arrived, they put their thumbprint on the trees. This one had pink thumbprints for Selah.

 And this one had green thumbprints for Micah.

 The framed invitation - so cute!

 Little onesies going up the stairs, the theme was yellow and grey.

 Punch and mimosas. Man, I sure did want a mimosa :)

 Mason jars for cups

 The food was all my pregnancy cravings - Mexican, spicy, girl scout cookies, and apples. Kristen even made a fruit pizza bar - sugar cookies, with cream cheese icing, and all types of fruit to top it.

 This was "wishes for the baby" that all the guests filled out. So sweet!

 Me and my mom in law!

 The girls - Natasha (sis/best friend), Me, and Mom

 They prayed over me and the baby. I loved that!

 Opening gifts was fun!

 Me and my sis/best friend of almost 15 yrs!

 Nani and I are only a month apart. Wow, I'm so much bigger!

Me with my sweet nephew, Everett. This is Kristen's son. Isn't he so handsome?!

Bad days, good days

We all have them. Good days. Bad days.

But what happens when the bad days last for 3 1/2 weeks now?

Finn has been sick for 3 1/2 weeks now. First it was just a cold. Then at 1:00 am on a Saturday night, it turned to croup and we found ourselves at the emergency room.  Then only 5 days later - he wasn't getting better. So I took him to the doctor and it was a double ear infection. So he started an antibiotic. Then just 10 days later, he got hit with a stomach bug. Poor little guy. It was so sad seeing my baby throwing up and just miserable. The next day he was all better and I thought it was over. But it wasn't 4 days later - he threw up again and spiked a high fever. So back at the doctors office we went...his ear infection wasn't gone. And doc thought the stomach bug came back. Oh and one more thing - it seemed like he had either strep or a sinus infection on top of that.

Now that is a lot of bad days. Bad days for my baby boy!

And me - Well, I've had my own ups and downs. Days where I cried. Days where I was pissed all day. But today, today I gained perspective. I had been praying for it. And I'm glad it came.

It could be worse. It could always be worse.

The fact is i'm thankful. Thankful for a God who loves me more than I can imagine. Thankful His mercies are new each day. Thankful for a husband who knows when I need to get out and away. Thankful for friends who call, text, and pray for us. REALLY thankful for a boss and an organization that make it ok for me to miss work to take care of my child.

It's been a rough 3 weeks. But I'm hoping Finn is fully recovered soon.

Thanks for listening to me vent.

9.11.11

I still remember exactly where I was when I got the news. Do you?

Hard to believe it's been 10 yrs.

Here's a tribute video the media department at my church put together for 9/11. It was too good so I have to share!

Live. Love. Laugh

Live. Love. Laugh.

I have always loved that motto. But I feel like it really describes my marriage. We do life together. We love fully. And most importantly we laugh. And laugh a lot.

This Friday, May 20th, 2011 - we will celebrate 5 years of marriage. And add that to our 3 years of dating and we have been together a total of 8 years. 

The truth is - my husband is my best friend. He is always there for me. He is an amazing leader for our family. And I'm blessed that God put us together so early in life. His love for me is just as its described in 1 Corinthians 13:4-8.

As we get to the 5 year mark, I wanted to list my top 10 most favorite things about marrying Gregory. In no particular order.

10. I love how silly we can be around each other.

 9. I love that coming in to the Walkup family I was given a HUGE love and appreciate for Puerto Rican food. Where would I be without my Goya Adobo and Olive Oil???

8. I love what an amazing person Gregory is. Thank you Abba and Papi for raising such a wonderful son!

 7. So happy that I gained a sister by marrying Gregory!

 6. I love that I turned a cat lover into a dog lover. Savannah was our first baby!

 5. I got a mini-Gregory when Finn was born. :)

4. Happy to share in life's triumphs with my best friend - G running a full marathon and us running a half marathon together.  We just keep crossing off items on our bucket list!

 3. I'm so grateful to have a husband who really enjoys yard work. This is my favorite part in our yard - in the back, it's a trail leading to a tree he planted when Finn was born.

 2. Pictures with Jason Pendley. Forever grateful to him for capturing such wonderful memories of my family! I love the little family God has given me. And yes, I would like more children if God blesses us with them.

May 20, 2006

May 7, 2011

 1. Most of all, I just love sharing life with an incredible person. I am so blessed. Happy 5 years my love! Praying God continues to use us to minister & show Christ's love to others. We are here for others to see Christ in us-Amen!

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails." 1 Corinthians 13:4-8