Hi, Everybody!

I figure since this is how almost every single one of my days starts of lately (with Mickey saying it on top of that cartoon hill) "hi, everybody!" It was only suiting to start my first blog in 9 months off that way. :-) 

This year has just been flying by--but in the best way possible! Since I last blogged my husband, Kyle, and I have moved into our very own home in North Kansas City! It has tons of space for our rowdy 2 year old to run around in and a huge backyard for our sweet mutt, Jakobee. Up until a few weeks ago Kyle and I have pretty much worked our summers away trying to pay off debt and furnish this house without going broke. Needless to say, it is getting there......slowly. I'm learning that a house evolves with us as people. Right now we are doing Dave Ramsey and furnishing our house off of Facebook Swap & Shops. One day we will be debt free and I can take a page from Pottery Barn and make it happen LOL. But for now it is home, a roof over our head and it is OUR OWN little piece of this planet. What I love the most about our house (besides the fact that it's NOT an apartment) is the sky at night. We are just far enough away from the city that the light pollution doesn't really effect us. The stars are almost as clear as I remember them growing up in the middle of nowhere Nebraska. Clear enough that you can go outside at night with a cocktail in hand and just breath, look up and remember what life is all about. 

I have been blessed in 2016. Yes, I did go back to work as a measly server at one of the hottest places you can work in the Midwest during the summer. TopGolf. It was an experience I will soon forget lol the money was quick and easy but walking 6-8 miles a shift in the heat outside was M.I.S.E.R.A.B.L.E!! Seriously, I couldn't take it and counted down the days until I didn't have to go back. Don't get me wrong, the people were amazing, the food delicious and the atmosphere is one-of-a-kind for a date night, birthday party or work function. But as an associate I was not a fan. It was also a punch to the ol' pride to go from being a Sales Manager to just a server in the pits again with kids still in high school. (I can write an entire post just on the stupid things I heard in the last 4 months!) That's what I wanted though--a job with no responsibility,quick/easy money and more free time for my family---that is exactly what I got, so overall it was a success!!   

I also got to go on two amazing vacations this past summer with some pretty awesome girls =) I remember most of the trips but most importantly I got some much needed time away from life. I know that sounds bad, as a wife and a mom. But I needed the ocean and my friends. Buying a house is a stttrrrrreeessssffuullll process, people. Let me tell you! I am so lucky that Kyle did nearly ALL of the financial work and was amazing at doing his homework when it came to the loan, APR, interest rate, blah blah, googidy poo pah. (That's what it always sounded like to me when he would talk about it.) Even though that I didn't have to deal with the Lender and the Realtor I was still in a weird position. I wasn't working. We had to have a down payment and we needed more money---that's when I went back to work.  I love being a SAHM but our family needed me to work more so that's what I did. I was actually really lucky because with Kyle working two jobs and me working nights my mother-in-law basically helped raise Lilly this summer too. =) They say it takes a village and it truly does. Lilly was an angel though and was sleep trained in no time to go to bed around 9:30pm and sleep until 9:30am or 10am!!! It was nice to sleep in after working so late! 

One thing I don't want to make light of is how much of a weird place I was in when we were going through the house buying process. For the first time in my life I was not and had not been contributing to our family, financially, in quite some time. I was just staying home with Lilly and I LOVED it......But, we wanted a house so bad and our lease was about up in our apartment. We were running out of time and options. I felt guilty for enjoying staying at home but knowing if something didn't give we were not going to get a house like we wanted. One day, in May while driving on the highway I had my first severe anxiety attack. I had no clue what was happening to me--I was alone and driving 70mph. Before my hands were completely immobile, from my muscles in my hands being contracted, I was able to pull over and voice call Kyle. While talking to him the symptoms worsened and I couldn't feel my arms or legs---I had to hang up and call 911. I thought I was having a stroke or about to have a seizure or something. Hands down, scariest moment of my life so far. It was so unreal to not have control of body and just be trapped in my head. 

As I sat in the hospital bed waiting for my labs to come back I couldn't help but think 'I have diabetes or low blood sugar or maybe I'm pregnant. There is a biological explanation and solution to what happened to me today.' That was not the case. I remember looking at the doctor as she told me I had a severe anxiety attack caused by stress. I felt so weak minded, embarrassed and confused instantly. I was so stressed and unable to mentally control it that my body just shut down? How did I not recognize my increased breathing and heart rate? I'm a yoga teacher I should've done breathing practices to calm myself. Wait, I'm a yoga teacher and stressed out to the point of a physical breakdown? How does that make sense??? These are all questions that did and do run through my head still from time to time. I was so uneducated on anxiety and what it can do to our bodies. 

With the stress of house buying over and doing more research as well as talking to friends with anxiety I have been able to limit my frequency of attacks. Another helper of reducing my anxiety has been putting YOGA back into my life more frequently. It is very easy as a mainly stay at home mom to sit inside (especially when you work outside) but I had to get more physical activity in my life. Not only that but I have some other changes happening in life right now as well that have encouraged me to start blogging again =) 

In the past I have blogged in hopes of building an audience or helping just one other young mother out there. This is still a long term goal, but I have decided that this go round I am writing for me. I am  journaling on the world wide web. In dream world-people like it and laugh at it, maybe even cry once in a while. But if it does nothing else but get some stress off my chest by venting through my keyboard- so be it =) Life is about what makes me happy because a happy wife and a happy momma are always better! 

My other changes are two new jobs (more details to come) and Kyle and I trying for baby #2. Having had two miscarriages it is always an emotional roller coaster but we are excited about the thought of expanding our little family! <3 

I hope everyone has a great day and takes some time out for themselves, even just to breath. 

~Namaste

Living in the Moment. What does that mean and how do you do it?

One thing you need to learn about me is that I am somewhat impulsive. Once a thought or idea takes hold in my mind, there is no turning back. My first REAL exposure to meditation was last May when I was going through a week long Ashtanga intensive training at Maya Yoga. For those of you who don't know what Ashtanga is, it is the original yoga that all forms of yoga were derived from and it is NO joke!! I had never done Ashtanga yoga before signing up for this week long intensive....I was 20 weeks pregnant, not working, bored and going after a 200 hr yoga certification in a few weeks, so why not take this class and learn some more about yoga in the meantime?? I. Did. Not. Do. My. Homework LOL Looking back I am surprised I survived that week at all. However, when I take on a new adventure I want to drown myself in that subject and learn as much as I can--so I was going to do just that!

We meditated each day--started for a short amount of time (3-5 minutes) and by the end of the week was doing 20 minute meditations. My first day I could not clear my mind at all!! I could only think about was my tingling, sleeping feet, what I was going to eat next and my unborn child. As any mom knows, pregnancy (especially your first successful pregnancy after having a miscarriage) is a very scary and amazing process. Each day is a new worry: will this baby make it full term? Will I get to keep this one? Will it be smart? Will it be a boy or girl? Will it have all of its limbs, toes and fingers? Will it be born with any mental illness? Dear God, please give me a healthy baby!! That was about what my first meditation went like in my head. But the more yoga and meditation I did, the more  I realized I needed meditation more than ever at that point! The best pregnancy is one with a healthy, stress free momma!! As that week went on I worked passed my feet falling asleep and really concentrated on my steady breath to help me clear my mind. At the end of the week it was still a work in progress to get my mind clear, but the seed of meditation had been planted! 

When I REALLY began to love meditation was when I was going through my certification to be a yoga instructor. The school that I went through combined yoga certification with a meditation certification as well, so we were required to read two separate books about meditation and did a lot of studying on how to do it, why do it and when to do it. Meditation is different for everyone but if you have been wanting to live in the moment more, relieve stress/anxiety or simply just calm yourself down every day, meditation is something you should definitely give a try! 

Why to Meditate: 
Health and mental benefits! Meditation, with regular practice, can do so many amazing things for your body--inside and out! First and foremost, when you meditate your sympathetic nervous system slows down. This system is the one that regulates your fight or flight response so when this system decreases, it in turn relaxes and opens your blood vessels allowing for increased blood flow and oxygen to be dispersed throughout your body. Our bodies LOVE increased, fresh oxygen! =) Deep inhalation brings oxygen to our tissues while deep exhalations help our bodies to eliminate waste. So in a sense the more you meditate the more you are cleansing your body from the inside out.

Secondly, meditation helps to decrease the production of the stress hormone, cortisol, and who doesn't want that?! =) With this nasty, mean hormone running through our body less it automatically reduces our stress and anxiety levels. Sitting in silence with long steady breathing also helps to improve our concentration. Now a days I feel people go days, weeks or even longer without just sitting with themselves and their thoughts. It is hard to sort through everything that we see, feel and think in a day if we never take the time to appreciate what it all meant to us, in that moment of time  and in that particular place. As a result of doing this somewhat regularly I have really learned to live more in the present moment. Before practicing meditation I was a complete worry wort that was always waiting for that next thing....the next big event in life until one day I realized that I wasn't appreciating what was happening right NOW because I was so concerned about how my future was going to play out. There are two sayings that have helped me with this:

Anytime that I am having weak moments or know that I am worrying too much I remind myself of these two quotes. Also, being a religious woman my FAVORITE mantra to repeat when I am meditating or need to calm down is "Let Go(inhale.) Let God(exhale.)" I just say that over and over with my breath until I feel at peace internally. 

How to Meditate: 
When you are wanting to learn how to meditate it is always best to learn from someone who has had some training. But thanks to our technological advances you can basically learn how to do anything online. Meditation is much like yoga in the fact that there is no right or wrong way to do it. I found a great article with a ton of great information and step by step meditation instructions at the bottom of the article so feel free to go check that out----> HERE.

For me, personally, to really get into meditation I had to start with flame gazing meditation. (GREAT video with relaxing music---> HERE) To some this may sound like a super 'crunchy' hippie thing, but really it is just lighting a candle and staring at the flame while you focus on clearing your mind and steadying your breath. The MOST important thing is your breath! When I first started meditating I was in the wrong by thinking that I wasn't doing it right if my mind was having thoughts come in and out--but then a yoga student of mine, who went on a week long silent meditation retreat, discussed with me how it is not about completely clearing your mind but rather acknowledging thoughts without judgement. Our brain has thoughts, memories and emotions that it is constantly sorting through but during meditation the trick is to hear those thoughts without make any decisions regarding them and not allowing a single thought to overtake your meditation. If a thought just won't leave your head, take a mental note that you keep thinking about it and address it later. This is where music, flame and my breath came in handy for me. When I couldn't stop thinking about my thoughts I would really focus on what the flame was doing, making sure I was inhaling and exhaling FULLY and when all else failed, just listen to the music! Again, there is no right or wrong way to meditate. The main things I can suggest are to sit comfortably, in a quiet room with no distractions.

Where to Meditate: 
ANYWHERE!! I used to meditate for short bursts at work if I was becoming irritable or impatient--just step away, sit down, close my eyes and take a few deep breaths. That counts! =) If you read the article I posted above it talks about how beneficial even five minutes a day can be, so squeeze it in anytime/anywhere you can! When I am doing REALLY good with my meditation practice I will try and meditate in the morning and at night--but it has been a while since I was practicing that regularly. Although, this post makes me want to start doing it every day/multiple times a day again!

Please let me end this post by saying that I am not a meditation expert. I am certified, but I have also only been doing it for a little over a year and a half and like all things in life--it is a journey. The more we meditate as individuals the more we learn about ourselves and the more we are open to what is happening around us right now. It breaks my heart to see so many friends and family members on social media that allow themselves to be overtaken by the negative things going on in their life---if I can encourage ONE of them to meditate and recognize how blessed their lives truly are, regardless of the bad things---this post was 100% worth it! I also have a guided meditation I can email to anyone that would like it! Just email me at Laceybarrett0727@gmail.com and I'll send it your way! That one is easy because you just go to a quiet room, play some relaxing music and listen to my voice as I guide you through a 7 minute meditation! I hope everyone has a great day and takes a few minutes out to just breath and be thankful! #Namaste

What Christmas Means to Me

Anyone that knows anything about me knows that I LOVE Christmas! I basically watch my collection of Christmas movies (16 total and growing) all year round and usually start listening to Christmas music off and on in July. I know....it's a problem for some--but not for me! =) I don't know about you, but just listening to Christmas music brings a smile to my face. It always reminds me of my family and the time of year when most everybody seems to be a little bit nicer and happier. I am also one of the crazy few that adores and hopes for a white Christmas every year. Growing up in Nebraska the cold and snow is not something new to me; as long as I have a four wheel drive vehicle to safely get around in and am dressed warm enough-I'm a happy girl!! 

As I am newly discovering with most other things in life, having a child has changed my outlook on the holiday season as well. This year in particular, more than the past few, the world seems to be in an extreme state of discontent and chaos. There appears to be more hatred and judgment than kindness and compassion.  More mass shootings and fear of terrorist attacks than people volunteering at shelters. More people increasing their knowledge on foreign affairs and political topics than getting to know the human beings around them. These are dark times we live in---however, as a Christian I know that things will continue to get worse before they get better. With this being said I find it more important than ever to teach my daughter what Christmas is all about-Jesus Christ. God sending his only son to save us all from our sins. 

I have been a Christian for as long as I can remember. My mother was great at getting us involved in our church and attending regularly. But the stories and lessons I learned as a child and a young lady never truly sunk in until I decided on my own to surrender myself and follow him. Accepting that I belong to our God. He created me with a higher purpose and something more than this world. For those of you that don't know I just made this decision for myself less than two years ago and it was the best one I could've ever made! One day I will go in deeper about surrendering to God and asking him to show me where and what I should be doing with my life--but back to Christmas for now =) 

Doing the Christmas pageant at my church this year has also been another eye opener for me. Today is day 7 of push week which means after today's performance we will have done it 7 days in a row with 8 total performances. After listening to and seeing the full story of Jesus' life that many times in a row it has hit home more than ever this year what Christmas is really about. Beyond listening to and seeing the story for myself it has also been as a result of witnessing the reactions of others to seeing his story played out in beautiful music and dialogue. Hearing stories of others realizing through the pageant the extreme sacrifice that Jesus made for us is the reason everyone puts all the time and dedication into making the production what it is. 

  

This life and this body we are given is not about us or the here and now. Yes, as a yoga instructor I do believe that living in the present moment is the best way to get the most out of life but it is to be kind, generous, compassionate and present in each moment. This time, this place, these bodies are our middle ground--where we develop our soul and decide what we will be doing with ourselves after this life. Now, please remember I do not claim to be an all knowing Christian that can spit off versus (yet) to support my thoughts/theories. I DO have a great Christian support team that I ask a TON of questions ;-) ! All I know and believe is that there is a really old book, written by several different people over the span of hundreds of years that has a lot of really cool stories which tells us that there is something better after this life IF we take advantage of living this life the way he wants us to. No, that way is not always the easiest or the path of least resistance and YES we are all sinners; God knows that---which leads me back to CHRISTmas! None of us are perfect-we know that, He knows that and the Bible says so. The one and only way we can be forgiven and live that super awesome life after this one is to accept Jesus Christ as our savior and surrender ourselves to the will of God.  He sent Jesus to be born on Christmas, that is what we are celebrating! Our savior, AKA the man who died to save our souls, was born on December 25th!!! This was a real flesh and blood man who was born from a woman and lived a real life. He drank water, ate food and walked among man. He was not an angel or a holy spirit or a ghost but a man. This man, who later went through severe persecution, judgement and physical abuse to eventually die for us by being crucified (which might I add is WAY more gruesome than the average person thinks--watch Passion of the Christ if you want a better idea.) We all know this story but to actually think about him and the pain he went through for us has just humbled my heart this year in a way it never before has. It also breaks my heart to see that it is no longer only about him.

When judgement day comes how will you feel? I know when I hear those rapture trumpets, yeah it might be terrifying, chaotic and difficult (even for Christians) I know at the end of it all I will be sitting with the all mighty and all of my family-blood and religious alike (those that were saved, of course.) I know for a fact that not all of my friends believe what I do and I'm sure there may even be a few who 'unfollow' or 'unfriend' me on facebook for my 'God posts.' But ya know what? I don't care. What I care about is that I have never felt more whole in my entire life. I know I've never been more happy, less scared and more sure that I am right where I should be; doing exactly what I should be doing. I also know I've never had more loving, accepting and caring people in my life than I do now that I am so involved in my church and surrounding myself with other Christians. So for those on the outside looking in with judgemental eyes I have a question for you: If it's all a bunch of crock and God isn't real and there isn't a heaven what's the worst that believing in God does for a person? Because from my perspective it's been nothing but amazing since I have made my decision to surrender myself to God's will and if I can inspire ONE person to rethink what they believe in or even just to come to the pageant and listen to his story--it is all a success. 

Whether you believe or not--whether you know the true story of Christmas or not, I encourage you to attend First Baptist Raytown's Christmas Pageant this year. We have one more show today (12.6.15 at 3:30) and 4 more shows next weekend. This performance will also be streamed LIVE on the church's website next Friday and Saturday at 7pm so even if you do not live in Kansas City or can't make it you can still enjoy the performance and the amazing story of our savior. I have been beyond blessed by being cast as a speaking role that also has solos. =)  It has been hands down the most memorable  Christmas experience of my life so far! Have a Merry Christmas season, everyone!!   

  

Thanksgiving, Routines and Push Week!

Why hello all of you! I hope as you read this post you are full of thankfulness, food and family love! Thanksgiving is such a GREAT time of the year =) Plus anytime that I get my husband home from work four days in a row---I'LL TAKE IT!! It is so nice to wake up together and have all day to do whatever we feel like! Lilly also loves having her 'Dada' home all day/everyday!

The past few weeks have been great in my life as a full time wife/mommy. I wish I had some phenomenal excuse for my lack of posts this past month, but in all honesty I have just been enjoying my time with Lilly at home and continuing to develop our daily routine together. Initially when I started staying home I figured we would find one routine and stick to it---but with Lilly it can change everyday! One day she takes 3 hour naps and loves reading books all day-quite the angel, Some days she is a hellion just destroying everything in our house and sticking anything in her mouth that she can. Days like that I prefer to get out of the house---go walking, go to store or library, whatever it may be that I can do to stimulate her in other ways (i.e strolling down every isle in Sam's Club) lol Lilly loves riding in a cart and looking around--as long as she's not tired. If she's tired and crabby it's not fun for anyone =) I have also learned that I am not a window shopper. Window shopping just makes me depressed because I want everything and can't have any of it! It's pure torture--just teasing myself. I don't know why women do it!!??

The library has quickly become one of our favorite places to go. They have story time with the kiddos multiple times a week where the 'teachers' read, sing and interact with them. I love this for multiple reasons but #1 is the interaction with other kiddos. I think it is very important to continue developing her social skills with other people than just her family. I also love the library because they have tons of sensory bottles, magnet boards, games, and toys she can play with! Not only has this given me a chance to see which toys Lilly prefers without having to buy them but it also is a great way for her to be able to play with other toys with out us having an apartment full of them! Living in an apartment we just don't have the room for a ton more toys---even like five more toys is too many at this point haha. I really can't wait until we have a house and more SPACE! The other thing I love about the toys and sensory bottles that they have at the library is that they have given me GREAT ideas on things I can make for Lil! Then of course Kyle's favorite reason I love the library---ITS FREE!! Can't beat somewhere you can take your kiddo for quite some time that gives her something else to do, a change of scenery and costs us nothing! =)

We are saving up for a downpayment on a house and the budget is nothing I can be messing with right now. Infact, one thing I intend on blogging more about is how we budget and ways we save money--I feel that's something all families can benefit from sharing! Any friends/family/readers that have fun, unique ways of how their families save money I would love to hear them! =) I would also love to hear any FREE fun things and places I can take Lilly during the cold winter months. I really enjoyed going on long walks with her, but now that it is colder, that is out of the question. I was thinking that I'm going to start going to the mall and walking with her---can I get in trouble for that? I feel bad just wanting to go walk around for an hour or so without buying anything but hey---this mama wants to get her steps in and get out of her apartment every now and then!

Anyways, to finish this post Thanksgiving 2015 was a major success! We had two different 'Friendsgivings' this year! One with our good friends: The Silva's and The Gangle's. It is always so good getting together with these two families because we all have children around the same age and we have all been friends for going on 6 years---before all of us were married to each other actually =) Anyways, I absolutely adore my monthly gatherings so I can get some quality girl time in with these two lovely ladies and their families:

(L-R) Mrs.Carrie Gangel, Mrs.Margo Silva and Myself <3 

Our other friendsgiving was at Kyle's friend, Aaron's loft downtown Kansas City. This was our second year in a row attending this one and it was great! There are always new people there and there is always a focus on God which I absolutely adore! It is so refreshing to be surrounded by other Christians! 

Thanksgiving morning we woke up and went to Kyle's parents. We had a fabulous breakfast of waffles and fruit and got to spend some quality time with 'papa' and 'mawmaw'! Lilly hasn't quite gotten saying 'grandma' down yet but it is close! We even got to spend some time with Great 'Mawmaw.' Great Grandma Edna is amazing! She has so much sass and attitude in her--she always makes me smile when she is around. This Thanksgiving she gave us a gift we will never forget---she gave us a gold chain with a single pearl on it that she wants us to pass down to Lilly when she gets older. It is beautiful!!! I was so touched because I adore family heirlooms and this was Lilly's first (besides the first ring Kyle gave me...I want to give that to her on her 13th birthday!) She also gave me this little dish (see below) to be my earring holder. Last time I went to her house I saw she had all of her earrings on it and they looked to organized and pretty; I informed her that all of my earrings were just in an old plastic bobby pin holder. Every time I wanted to wear earrings I had to dump them all out, sort them and put them back in. LOL I was so touched that she gifted me this and now it adds a little bit more femininity to our bathroom I didn't realize was missing! <3

      

After Kyle's parents house we went to my parents out in Higginsville. It was the first time since Kyle and I had been together that we spent almost the entire day with them and it was nice! We don't see them as much as I would like so it was great to just sit around for several hours and chit chat, eat and watch football. The other thing I really enjoy at my parents house is that the Sprint cell service out there is basically nonexistent which means no facebook/pinterest for me and no Clash of Clans for Kyle lol just good ol' fashion Thanksgiving day fun! Only downfall is that I forgot to take a lot of pictures. =( Oh well--memories live in our hearts and our minds, not in our phones anyways. 

This week is push week for me and the cast of Raytown First Baptist's Christmas Pageant, which mean full dress rehearsal every night and Opening Night on Friday! =) I love feeling those performance butterflies every night and going through the whole process of fine tuning a performance, watching it all come together. What's even more awesome is going through it all in the name of God! He has done amazing things in my life and I am so honored to be able to help touch so many people this holiday season in his name. And let me tell you--there are some PIPES in this cast! So many good singers, dancers, performers and the orchestra is amazing! Last night was night #1 with the orchestra and a full run through and I got goosebumps several times!! =) This show is FREE folks and there are several performance times/days to choose from! Bring your family and enjoy a great production with an even better meaning behind it all! For ticket and time information click HERE!  Well time to get dinner ready so I can eat before rehearsal! Have a great evening and even better week, everyone!!! Happy Monday! 

My New Identity: SAHM

Hello friends, family and strangers!! I hope everyone has been doing as well as life can treat them! =) If you are in or around Kansas City, a LOT has been going on----in case you didn't know, our amazing Kansas City Royals WON THE WORLD SERIES!! 

In true Royals fashion that means a lot of extra innings and late nights, but totally worth it!! The World Series parade was two days ago and an estimated 800,000 people attended--it was CRAZY! Lilly and I attempted to attend but after driving around downtown for an hour and half and realizing I would NEVER find my friends in the crowd- we came home--Lilly napped and I watched the parade on television. No, I didn't get any cool pictures with the sea of blue behind me and Lilly but I also didn't miss a second of raising my child---and THAT, my friends is what makes me happy now a days. 

I knew that I would love staying at home with Lilly but I also expected to have moments of weakness where I needed to walk away, take a breath and mumble under my breath how I wish I was back in my office (AKA. my little corner of an office.) Now I still expect those to happen as Lilly is developing new and worsening temper tantrums daily but so far it has been more fulfilling than I had ever imagined!!

Lilly and I are still in the midst of developing a routine that fits us best but each day is something new and fun! =) So far, the little munchkin wakes up anywhere between 6:45am-8:30am (goooooodbye 6:15am alarms to get her to daycare!) Each day I make sure and play classical music, read her a few books, play outside (if the weather permits), work on her sensory development and just plain ol' play and spend time together. I have also found a new love in making her delicious and healthy food! There is almost nothing more I love than seeing her use her sign language to tell me she is full and then lifting her out of her highchair and seeing her  big Buddha belly. ;-D I also love seeing her feed herself---though messy it always proves to be very entertaining!

In the past few weeks I have felt my relationship with Lilly deepen on a whole new level. Don't get me wrong I have always been connected with our daughter and love her very much, but after finding out that my husband and I were joyfully expecting-then finding out it was ectopic and we had to terminate the pregnancy for my safety I came home, cried and loved on Lilly like I never had. Kyle and I lost a pregnancy before Lilly so we have always felt so incredibly blessed to have her, but even more so after losing a another hopeful baby it was so amazing to come home and love on our healthy baby girl. God's timing is perfect and we just have to trust it---even through the hard stuff. The good news is that since all of that happened, my levels are back down to normal and after a few months of taking folic acid supplments we will be able to start trying again for baby #2-----which leaves me a few months to get in shape and become the healthiest me I can be to be an ideal baby maker! =))

So with that being said I am starting on Monday with a cleanse and new lifestyle. Yes, yes, yes....as most females I have cleansed, dieted, and made lifestyle changes hundreds of times but hey, what is one more time? It is better to try and fail then not try at all, right?! =) My sweet tooth and love for pop are going to be the hardest hurdles for me...but one day at a time!! 

Other updates in my life: I have started a 30 day #GratitudeAdventure on Instagram and Facebook so follow me on there to see what I am grateful for!! In the past years the 30 days of gratefulness always got on my nerves but this year I think it is great idea! 

Not only to help ME remember all of the reasons why I am grateful but to also let the people around me know that I am thankful for THEM! =) I also made some super cute footprint Halloween plates for the Grandma's with Lilly's footprints. (I will post a tutorial blog soon-so stay tuned!) 

For now, Kyle is out of town with the boys and I have a date with a box of wine, my pjs/comfy bed and my girly shows on DVR that he never likes to watch =) I hope everyone has a great Friday tomorrow followed by a relaxing weekend! 

Life, Camera, Action!!

As a senior in High School I went with a few friends to see Grapes of Wrath in Warrensburg at what was then known as Central Missouri State University. Because we went for school to earn extra credit we were required to get our playbooks signed by a member of the cast and ended up backstage---I fell in love instantly!!! I had never been in a theater that size or to a show like that, let alone to go back stage and see the actors up close and see the sets! I was hooked!!!! I knew right away that I wanted to be a part of that! Throughout my two years at CMSU  I performed in a few different shows and I adored  being on stage! The rush and excitement was unlike anything else! 

*2005-Hanging out with some cast mates before opening night of Macbeth at CMSU

It has been almost exactly ten years since I have been on a stage but I still remember the feeling of my heart pounding in my chest before the curtains opened! ;-) Now you may be asking yourself "what does this have to do with anything, Lacey?" Well, my church, the FABULOUS First Baptist of Raytown, has an amazing Christmas Pageant every year that over 20,000 people come to over the span of about 8 shows. Last year I wanted to audition for it but Lilly was just days old and having a new born baby I knew I couldn't commit the time to it so this year, I auditioned. WOW talk about nerves! It has been so long since I have stood in front of other people (besides my husband) and read lines or sang aloud. I didn't get the songs until four days before the auditions and they are just a tad higher than I would like so it took some preparation to finally feel confident when I sang them. When I finally auditioned one song was amazing and one was....well....well it made you close one eye and tilt your head to the side ;-D LOL But, I was in luck. I got a call back--I had a second chance to nail the song!!! So I sang and I sang and I sang that song that I had botched at the first audition. I sang that song so much that my husband, Kyle can sing it word for word and I'm pretty sure Lilly, although she isn't really talking yet, will be able to sing it come December! 

As luck (and lots of practice)  would have it, I got the part I wanted!!!! I am beyond honored and excited to be a part of this amazing production this December and to help bring a little bit of extra love and joy to hundreds of peoples' holiday season this year!! I am also so happy that I get to stand beside a bunch of other amazing and talented people and spread God's word this Christmas! I have felt the Lord's presence in my life so much lately and am so thankful for the talents he has blessed me with and even more thankful that I get to use those talents for his good! =) 

If you are interested in coming to the pageant this year click on this LINK for more information!! 

Lilly's 1st Birthday and Easy DIY Fall Decor

Here we are almost a month after Lilly's 1st birthday party and I am just getting around to making a blog about it.......oh well. Better late than never =) I wanted to really share with you how stress free and simple her party was to plan! Granted I am not one of those girly girls that made a big hooplah out of it--I wanted it simple, small and easy. A day and time to really soak in every moment and relish in the fact that our child has survived her first year of life! 

*Lilly absolutely LOVED the frosting on her cake and we loved watching her dig into it! 

We had the actual party at Grandma Barrett's house which worked out great! I wanted a Fall Themed birthday party and Grandma's fall decorations looked perfect all around the house! We actually just took a few decorations from my house and put them outside on the tables to bring the theme outside!

The weather was absolutely perfect that day! If you look closely in the top left picture you will see our balloon pumpkins in the yard---this was a fun and easy party favor for the kiddos! We simply put a few pieces of candy in each balloon, blew them up, drew faces on and tied green ribbon on top. Then the kiddos got to pop the balloon to get the candy out! 

The other quick, easy and cheap craft I made was for our moms. I wanted to make them some fall decor that they could take home as a 'thank you!' for both of them helping out with her party! So, first place I went was the Dollar Tree and I hit the jackpot!!!! I bought some fake flowers and leaves and two Styrofoam pumpkins. I tore off the top of the pumpkin, cut the steams off of the fake leaves and flowers and just stuck the stems into the Styrofoam pumpkins. It literally took me about 5 minutes each to make! Will make great teacher gifts as she gets older =)

*The leaves had really pretty glitter on them that you can't really tell in these pictures. 

I think they turned out great and our moms really enjoyed them! In regards to food we kept it nice and simple as well. We just BBQ'd and my mom made some delicious salads. All in all it was a great day with great friends and family around us not to mention all of the awesome presents that Lilly got!

*Lilly with my dad after her cake smashing 

*Three generations of amazing ladies! Lilly, My mom and Lilly's Great Paternal Grandma