Erin Akin Carroll

our weekend and other things

May62013

1. We had a great anniversary celebration on Friday night. We went out to eat at Ristorante Divino. We hadn’t been there in years, but it was absolutely delicious. I love living in a city with amazing restaurants!

2. After dinner on Friday night, we drove by the new house to check on progress and could tell a lot of the first floor had been framed! We were just so excited! We drove back over on Saturday morning and got out to walk around. It was so nice to get a feel for how big everything is and be able to see it in our minds a little bit more.

I post fairly regular house progress pictures on Instagram and use a hash tag so I can look back at the progress and the dates. It’s so much fun to see it come together. Hudson gets so excited every time we drive by.

3. Hudson had another soccer game on Saturday morning. He is getting more and more into the game. He was a little intimidated at first, but now he really loves it and is getting really good at it. Our team is still a little timid, but I heard that they’ll be focusing on “the attack” this week at progress. Ha!

It was so stinking cold on Saturday morning, and the kids were just trying so hard to stay warm despite the wind. And I just love Mary Mac’s pink bow with her soccer uniform. Definitely the most adorable player on our team!

My sweet friend, Michelle, is our unofficial “team photographer” and she took this darling photo of Hudson. I’ve been cracking up over his funny grin.

4. We celebrated Hayes’s birthday yesterday. We went to church and came home to take naps and eat lunch. We had planned to go to the baseball game with Rachel and her sweet family, but a really rainy day messed up those plans. We also went to Bailey’s birthday party at My Gym, and Hayes absolutely loved that. We came home and had pizza with RC, PC, and Nana and then gave Hayes his Winnie the Pooh cake. He was so excited. And that plastic Pooh Bear has been his favorite thing that he got for his birthday. We opened presents, and Hudson “helped,” of course.

Hayes loves the happy birthday song. He sings it all the time and just changes the names each time. He was super excited to get to hear it over and over again yesterday. It was a great day for sweet Hayes! (And Hudson’s chin is just fine. He just likes to wear band-aids as a fashion accessory.)

5. Some of you asked me about this dress from my Greenbrier post. It’s a Lilly Pulitzer lace dress that I got in the fall of 2011. So if you wanted to find one for yourself, you may have to search eBay. But I have loved the versatility of the dress and wear it to lots of different occasions.

It looks black in the Greenbrier photo, but you can see from this picture from January 2012 that it’s actually navy. And this picture kind of makes me nostalgic for dark hair. But don’t worry, Mom, Dad, and Todd, I’m keeping the blonde.

6. Don’t forget that tomorrow is Build ‘Em Up and we’ll be talking about what we do when we come unglued. Should be interesting…

reads for your week(end)

Filed Under: weekend reading

May62013

With all of the fun events from the past week, I forgot to share some of my favorites with you. One of my very favorite things to do on this blog is to share with you some of the amazing women and blogs I’ve found. So here goes, a little bit late!

1. Sister Fitness

Okay, y’all. You need to add Sister Fitness to the list of blogs that you read. My sweet, stunning friends (who are also sisters), Hillary and Natalie, are the writers behind this blog. But they’re also the fitness instructors of an incredible fitness class and ministry at Madison Park Church in Anderson, Indiana. They have beautiful hearts for fitness, faith, and community. They also share their hearts in their blog posts and have been linking up with us for Build ‘Em Up.

These two girls were great friends of mine in high school, and I just love what they’re doing. Y’all… you would not believe the number of women that show up for their classes every week. It is incredible. I just wish I lived closer and could attend their class more than once per year!

To see a fun introductory video about what they’re doing, look at this post. And you can even take one of their classes online! So fun!

2. Courtney DeFeo

I’ve shared my deep appreciation for what Courtney DeFeo is doing before, but I really want you all to subscribe to her blog. She has put together a great group of contributors, including some great friends of mine. And Courtney, herself, is a fantastic writer and a beautiful sharer. (And I’ll be posting over there once per month.)

If you’re looking for some encouragement and some life-giving reading material, you need to subscribe to her blog!

3. Living With Marble Countertops, a cautionary tale from Life{in}Grace

This post made me laugh and it was super informational. I love Edie’s voice, and love her style. If you’re considering a kitchen remodel or are building a house, like we are, this is a great post about marble countertops.

Happy 2nd Birthday to Hayes!

Filed Under: Hayes, Uncategorized

May52013

Dear Hayes,

My Hayesy-Boy, Hazer, Hayesbo.

May 5, 2012

We love you so much!

Your Daddy and I were just saying today how it’s so special to us that when we mention you to anyone, they always say, “Oh! He is just the sweetest kid.”

And you are. You have the sweetest little heart.

Summer 2012

You have grown up so much this year. You finished up with your doc band around 14 months, and then we got you started with speech therapy around 17 months. We’ve been doing speech with Mrs. Sarah since October, and recently started occupational therapy through Baby Net with Mrs. Juliet.

Your fine motor skills have improved so much. But your speech is just incredible! The improvement is so remarkable. This is all due to your hard work and Mrs. Sarah’s help. She has helped me understand how to help you. And you have been so focused during our sessions with her.

Your vocabulary, Hayes, is so big! I can’t even list all of the words that you say now, and, I don’t take one single word for granted. You and I worked hard for those words!

Fall 2012

There was a time when I just ached to hear you say, “Mommy,” and now you probably say it one thousand times a day. And I am just so thankful.

Hayes, you are so happy. Of course you have your moments. You’re a toddler, and those “terrible twos” are upon us. But you are always smiling at everyone. You say, “hey!” to anyone that you see. Whether they’re a stranger or not doesn’t matter to you one bit.

You run into Hudson’s class every morning when we drop him off, throw your hands up in the air, and shout, “heeeeyyyy!!” You’re just so friendly.

Fall 2012

Hayes, you give the absolute best hugs. You rest your head on our shoulder and throw your chubby little arms around our necks and say, “awwww” when you give us a hug. And I really don’t think there’s anything that feels better than that. (Your Daddy wanted me to be sure that I mentioned how fantastic your hugs are.)

You are also a wild thing. Goodness gracious. You love to go, go, go. You love to dance. You love to jump. You love to run. Anything active and fast is your jive.

But now you’re also starting to enjoy more focused, indoor activities now like puzzles, reading, and anything having to do with using your fine motor skills.

April 2013

Hudson is your favorite person in the world. The two of you can irritate the mess out of each other, but you are always asking for him. The days that you don’t go to school, you ask me about Hudson no less than 20 times per day. You’ll say, “Mommy!? Where Hudsy go?”

And when I tell you that he’s at school, you always try so hard not to cry.

You always try hard to be tough. If you’re throwing a tantrum, you let the tears go, but if you’ve gotten your feelings hurt or if you’re sad, you very quietly start to sob and try so hard not to let anyone know you’re crying. This absolutely breaks my heart. I hate for you to be sad, and I hate for you to feel embarrassment for anything at all.

You adore your grandparents. All of them. You’re always asking for at least one of them and you just love them all.

Hayes, your laugh is so infectious and full of joy. Hudson can make you laugh like no one else can. That’s what makes you so fun to be around.

You still take excellent naps and sleep a good 12 hours each night.

April 2013

When I look at you, my heart just aches. Because of your cuteness, your smallness, and your unbelievable sweetness. I’m always having fun when I’m with you and your sweet, wild, adventurous little personality shines through in everything that you do.

You and Hudson are so very different, but the relationship that the two of you are developing is something that is so special. There’s a bond that can’t be spoken and it’s hard to put it into words. And watching this relationship develop is one of the greatest joys of my life.

Hudson knows exactly what you want before you ever open your mouth to say what you want or cry for something. It’s something that I imagine only brothers or sisters share, but it is so special.

Your favorite toy is the train table. You and Hudson, both, stand around it all the time and just play with the trains. You fight, of course, but you both love that train table. You also love your Little People Wheelie track and cars. You’ve had so much fun with that toy.

But mostly you want to be outside to run and try to play soccer like Hudson.

You’re a big little boy and are still off the charts in height and weight. I’ll know exact numbers soon. But you’re a bruiser just like Hudson was.

May 5, 2011, the very first time I saw your sweet face

Thank you for your sweet heart. I am so thankful for another amazing 365 days with you. I’m so thankful that I got to hear your sweet voice say, “Morning, Mommy!” to me almost every day this year. I’m so thankful that you giggled at me every time you get your diaper changed. I’m so thankful for the times that you said, “again! again!” when we listen to “You’ve Got a Friend in Me” in the car on the way to school, despite Hudson demanding to listen to “Life Is A Highway.”

May 6, 2011

And I am just so thankful that God chose us to be your parents and your family. What a precious gift you are. I am so proud of you and how smart you are, how sweet and fun you are, and how you love everyone.

We love you so much, Hazer!

Love,

Mommy and Daddy (and Hudsy, too)

five.

Filed Under: Marriage

May32013

Five years ago today, we were here. I couldn’t imagine that anything would make me happier.

And then there was this.

And then this.

And my incredible, strong Todd has been by my side the whole way. Leading our family, guiding me, and teaching our boys.

It’s been a big year with lots of changes. And, yet, Todd is my constant comforter and protector. Reminding me to pray and turn it over to God. Reminding me to focus on our blessings. And loving me despite my unlovable ways.

I’m excited about the next five years and can’t wait to see where we are at our 10 year anniversary. How our family grows as we settle into our home. And then at our 50 year anniversary when it’s just back to Todd and me.

Todd is the strong, level-headed one that keeps us all grounded. And I’m so thankful he chose me.

I’m thankful for all the laughs and his quick wit. I’m thankful for his kindness and humility. And I’m thankful for his big heart and the way he loves me and loves our boys.

Happy anniversary, My Todd.

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