February Goals

Oh, y’all! February could very easily be “baby month.” I’ve been thinking we’d be able to hold out until my March 3 due date, but after having consistent contractions all weekend, I’m just not so sure. For now, he’s staying put, but I’ve got a lot of work to do around here to make sure we’re ready for James Walker’s arrival.

So what’s in store for February?

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Pack my Hospital Bag

I need to repost my hospital packing list from a few years ago because a few things have changed. But after a weekend of contractions, I’ve decided that the bag needs to be packed and ready to go. I’ve never gone into labor before and we’ll have a scheduled repeat c-section, but if I’m in labor I won’t want to be packing my bag in those moments.

Get a Jumpstart on Influence Conference Projects

I haven’t announced this on my blog yet, but I posted it on Instagram a couple of weeks ago. I am the new Events Manager for the Influence Network. I’m incredibly excited about this opportunity to serve the network that I love so much and get to work alongside such amazing women. And I’ll also be using my college and graduate degrees! It’s a big undertaking and I’m thrilled about it. I want to get a head start on a few different projects before James Walker arrives so I’m not as worried about it after he arrives.

Host One Family for Supper

We’ll take a few weeks off from hosting dinners after James Walker arrives, so I want to be sure to fill our home with friends once more before his arrival.

Have a Consistent Prayer Time

Our Sunday school class has committed to pray together for the month of February. We’ve each committed to a time slot and my time slot is 6:00 a.m. So, I don’t have a set amount of time that I “have” to pray, but at 6:00 a.m. I am praying for our church, our class, our family, missions, friends, etc. And then when I finish, I am texting the next person that has committed to pray at 7:00 a.m. The first few days were a little more distracted than I expected to be, but I’m excited to see what happens at the end of the month and how this habit makes an impact on our prayer lives.

Go on a Valentine’s Day Date with Todd

We have plans to celebrate Valentine’s Day with another couple. I know I’ll feel huge and not much like going out, but I want to have one last date night before the little man arrives. And if he arrives before Valentine’s Day, we’ll do a date night at home!

With the addition of the Influence Network position and getting ready for James Walker’s arrival, I have really cut back on a lot of other things. I’ve slowly started pulling away and even quit a couple of things that I’ve been involved with for a few years.  Hudson and Hayes are starting t-ball and soccer this month and I know that life won’t be slowing down a ton when our third baby arrives. We’ve got to maintain some normalcy for the big boys. So I don’t really know what to expect as far as a normal every day schedule goes. We’re just thrilled that he’s almost here and I just cannot believe that it could actually happen this month!

What are your goals for February?

 

 

Welcome to the new site!

Good Monday morning, friends! I’d love for y’all to click on over to my blog so you can see the new rebrand and site design.

This fun project has been in the works for about 9 months or so and I’m really pleased with the results.

About a year ago, I started thinking that I wanted to move away from Blue-Eyed Bride. We’ve been married for almost 7 years and the name just didn’t really make sense anymore. And the simplest, most obvious choice for a new name was my name. Go figure!

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My dear friend Whitney English recommended Katelyn Brooke Designs to me, and between Kate and Whitney, they came up with a new design that looks exactly like what I wanted. I wanted it to feel like you were stepping into my front door to come over for coffee.

 

Erin Akin Carroll color code style guide

 

You can subscribe to the new blog in the sidebar and my old URL will automatically redirect to the new site.

I’m excited about a new look and a more focused direction. Blogging has evolved so much over the years and through that time I’ve found my voice and lost it and found it and lost it. I’m hopeful with such a beautiful new site and more focused categories, I can hone in on my voice again.

So explore! See what’s new around here and feel free to follow me on social media, where I’m most likely to update consistently.

Meanwhile, I’ve got lots of fun things to catch up on and an ever-expanding baby bump, so I have lots of updates in the works.

Thank you for reading along and for hanging in there with me!

Classroom Valentines from Minted

With Valentine’s Day quickly approaching, I started thinking early about what kinds of Valentines the boys would bring to school for their classmates. In the past we’ve done big printable Valentines, we’ve gone to Target to pick out Valentines, and we’ve done treat bags. My kids are still at the age where they get into it no matter what kinds of Valentines they give to friends.

This year, I wanted to keep it simple for me since I’m pregnant, so I sat down with the boys and we picked out some classroom Valentines from Minted. I love that the designs are adorable, we can personalize them, and they’re shipped directly to our door.

Classroom Valentines

The designs are really really cute and classic and I love that we could personalize them. Hayes picked out a rocket ship design and Hudson picked out an alien design. When they arrived at our house, the boys were so excited to see their names already on them, but they still have space to write their friends’ names on them.

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The Valentines are printed on amazing quality Minted paper, and are the typical small size that you see for classroom Valentines. (They are too small to be mailed.)

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I just love Hayes’s little face on the rocket ship! And some of the more girly designs are the cutest things I’ve ever seen. I’m tempted to get some and pass them out to all my friends, too!

*This post contains affiliate links that may provide me with a small commission at no extra cost to you. Thank you for supporting my writing here. As always, all opinions on products are my own.

What I Want for 2015

Over the last year, I have come to love goals. I was never a resolution gal except for the annual declaration that I would lose 15 pounds and then I’d fluctuate for the next year. But I love having a place to write down things that I want to accomplish and a way to hold myself accountable.

In 2015, though, we’ll be welcoming our third baby boy. Okay, in the next five weeks we’ll be welcoming our third baby boy. Five weeks! How did this happen? And with a third baby, I’m not really sure what to expect. I’ll have a good bit of weight to lose. I’ll want to get more sleep, but I know that with a baby, sleeping regularly takes time. I’ll want to read more, but know that I’ll have my hands full, my mind occupied, and just be doing my best to adjust to our new normal.

So what do I want for 2015?

Time outside with my boys. Hudson is going to “big school” next year when he starts first grade. Hayes is growing up so much every day and as a soon-to-be middle child, I want him to have his own little life aside from Hudson’s life. And I just want us to soak up time outside. Playing on the playset. Swinging. Riding bikes. (Hudson can ride his without training wheels now!)

Exercise. After months of pain and carrying around extra weight, I want to move more. I want to push my sweet newborn in the stroller and have meet ups with friends at the gym.

Binge-watching television. I know. Who makes goals to watch more TV? Some of my best memories are from when Hudson and Hayes were born and my mom was staying with us. My mom and I would binge watch shows. Todd and I watched all of Friday Night Lights when Hayes was born. It’s just something we love doing and we can do it together- at the house, while holding a sleeping baby.

Open doors and family dinners. With our third baby, it’s unlikely that life will come to a screeching halt. We want friends visiting and eating dinner with us. We want as much normalcy as possible for our kids’ sake and for Todd and me to maintain our friendships that are so special to us. Our community is important to us and I want these people in our home and in our lives.

Less obligation. I want that the things I do to be done with my whole heart. Laundry, cooking, cleaning, blogging. I can love those things! I want to step away from the things that I find I’m not doing with my whole heart. The things that are better suited for someone else. The commitments and obligations that take me away from doing other things well.

Thanks for your patience as I’ve been enjoying a little hiatus. I’m excited about 2015 and so excited to get back to recording memories as we welcome James Walker!

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