Final Countdown!

So we are on the final countdown of the school year until summer time! 37 school days for us... they definitely can't go by fast enough! 

It is hard work being a mommy and working full time. Often times I find myself feeling guilty for working and not being able to stay home full time with my little one. I am a teacher and I do the job for the time off for sure more than liking what I do. (I did not go to school to be a teacher lol). It is nice to have all of the time off that we do so that I can be with my little one more than working a regular 9-5 all year job. I don't know how those mommies do what they do (working full time all year with only two weeks vacation and major holidays off). I would be even more sad than I already am being away from him. I totally like having some time to myself outside of the house and I definitely think every mom, working or not, should make sure to have alone time. I just don't like being away all day Monday-Friday.. hurts my little mom heart! Thinking about someone else being with him all day throughout the year instead of me makes me so sad... Irrational thoughts definitely float through my mind throughout the day... is he going to love her more than me? is she going to make him smile more than I can? Will she be the one who gets to experience baby firsts with him because I am at work? I know right now, we are not in a place where I can be a stay at home mom, but we are working toward that goal sooner than later! (THANKFULLY). I want to be the one who gets to experience everything with my babies not someone else. I have many ideas of things to do to help me stay home super soon! Anyone else feel this way more often than you would hope?

xoxo

Five on Friday!

O N E

                     I have never been so thankful for it to be Friday like I am today! This was my first week back at work after maternity leave. Lets just say that I am EXHAUSTED. My little one has been wanting to wake up more during the night than his normal one time.


T W O
                     We are on the countdown until summer at school. Only 39 more school days until I can go back to being with my little guy everyday for about 3 months!!


T H R E E
                     Blaze is in full baseball mode now! Getting closer to the draft, he tends to get busier! The Indians extended his territory this year as well. So instead of JUST having North Texas (which is already a huge area itself) he now has all of Oklahoma AND Northern Louisiana! Crazy little life we live!

F O U R
                    Had a total mom moment today. Little Lake pooped on me the other day on my jeans, well I washed them right after with other laundry. I put those CLEAN pants on today annnnd I noticed they still have some baby poop on them!! HA! AND my tshirt (that lets me wear jeans at work) that I have on, has some weird throw up stain down the front!! HAHA! Whoops!


F I V E
                    I was thinking the other day about how exciting it is to be able to celebrate mothers day and fathers day this year!! I need some cute ideas for fathers day to do for Blaze though!! Any thoughts?

Maternity Photos

So trying to find cute outfits for our family photos/maternity photos has been so hard!! Of course I feel like nothing looks good on me when I try it on, so there is that struggle. Then there is Pinterest and TOO many cute outfit ideas to choose from!! I absolutely love fall photos (fall is definitely my favorite time of the year) and I love the outfits that fall brings!! Here are a few of my favorite ones that I have found so far! Luckily our photos are still about 5 weeks away so I have time still to find some outfits!!

maternity shoot by aschleif on Polyvore

Monday Ramblings

So it’s another Monday and luckily we have a staff development day which means no students! It might not be a day off, but if any of you are teachers, you know that staff development days are better than regular days! Though, staff development days mean long trainings that you are forced to sit through where you would rather be in your classroom, with your subject team, making lessons, planning or even grading papers… but hey, what can you do!

October is a crazy month in the Lambert household! The next few weekends will be crazy too!! This past weekend Blaze was gone again on the road out in east Texas/Louisiana. He got back last night and then had to fly out to Arizona today until Thursday. THEN he is in Lubbock this coming weekend. I get to have my first baby shower this Saturday so that will be fun to look forward to! Having most of my favorite ladies in one place again!! It’s crazy how fast this pregnancy is flying by! Next weekend is Brooke’s wedding in Austin! Then it’s already Halloween the weekend after with our second baby shower that Sunday! Our annual family photos/maternity pics will be in November too!!

Lots and lots to do these next couple of months!! Baby Lake’s room is almost done (sort of). Only 100 more days to go (or less) J

44 days until Thanksgiving!

73 days until Christmas!

100 days until BABY LAKE!!

Woohoo! Have a blessed Monday!!

Welcome Back!!

Its been OVER SIX MONTHS since I have posted last. I am finally bringing it back!! Woohoo!

A TON has changed over the past six months as well, it's crazy!

For starters, I'M PREGNANT! (Shocker for those who don't know) 

I will be 23 weeks this Friday and couldn't be more excited. 

Blaze and I were in the middle of our adoption and found out in May! So now our adoption had to be put on hold for a year (per the adoption agency's requirement). We are so excited that God has given us this gift! Little baby Lake is due January 22! 

It's funny because I have those friends who said 'omg I just LOVE being pregnant, I'm sure you will too'.... HA! While I am extremely blessed to be pregnant, I could never imagine saying that I love, much less enjoy being pregnant. You moms out there know what I'm talking about! It might be because I started out so tiny and can just feel every stretch and pull of my muscles, but good grief! At least I read a ton to prepare myself of what to expect! I feel for those girls who go into pregnancy thinking it will be great and pleasant... my tip is BE PREPARED! HA! Especially for hormones! Even Blaze wonders who I am some days.. it is kind of funny.

Another change is that I am back teaching high school again! Thank goodness because middle school is a beat down! I praise those women who A) actually like it & B) who have taught it for 10+ years. It's true when they say it's harder to go down in age & easier to go up in age for sure. 

Weekend Update

Today we are going to our adoption orientation with what will hopefully be our agency! Blaze and I are super excited, nervous, anxious etc. Please please say a little prayer for us that everything goes smoothly and works out like we are wanting! The more and more people come up to us and ask about adoption, the more we get excited thinking about it! We are hoping that the 'thinking' will turn into it actually happening soon!! :) I will tell you though, everyone that we know of that has actually gone through the adoption process has told us how hard and trying it will be and how emotionally and physically draining it can be. They are definitely telling the truth. I overheard Blaze on the phone the other day with one of his buddies who had asked about how everything was going and Blaze was just telling him how no one can really prepare you for how stressful and emotional this whole process is, but Blaze made a great point by saying that in the end, it will all be worth it! I hope that we can look back someday at these types of posts and just remember that everything we are going through right now wont even matter then. That we will be willing to go through this time and time again just to have our beautiful babies! :) I can't imagine what being pregnant and expecting that way is, but I will say that this is just as an exciting and nerve wrecking experience as that I'm sure! 

I found two quotes on adoption that I think are very fitting! I have seen and experienced biological families that love each other and then those who don't. The latter breaks my heart but just because someone isn't 'blood' doesn't mean you cant love them just as much or more! 

Here are a few pictures from my weekend as well. Blaze was out of town for work so that means I was with the animals by myself haha 

xoxo

Check out this Link Up for Monday

Truthful Tuesday

I had sat down to write this post many many times before and eventually wrote it down but kept it for just me. I figured with sharing our story of becoming parents, that sharing this would give more insight into our life (or at least my side of the story). People who don't actually experience difficulties with fertility will never be able to understand but for those who are like me in some ways, I hope that while being able to relate to what I wrote, it will give you some hope that you definitely are not alone on this stressful and trying journey.

"Some days are easier than others for sure. Some days I find myself in great spirits, my husband is amazing, everything is going great around us. I go throughout the day in such a great, loving, happy mood.

Then there are the days that I read or see that the teenager is pregnant, kids are being raised by the aunt or uncle or grandmother, and the mom that didn't mean to get pregnant or doesn't want to be bothered by raising a baby and aborts.

Those my friends, are the days that upset me the most. Those are the days that I want to put my head down and cry. Those are the days that I find myself asking "Why God? Why does SHE get babies? Why her and not me?"

Those days I find myself being in the worst place, I find myself getting jealous and angry. The thoughts that go through my head and control my attitude towards everything. Why does the girl who misuses your gift get it? Why does the one who would treasure it, not? What part of any of this makes sense in your All-Knowing mind? It saddens me to get upset at things that I have no control over. To let it control me into such thoughts and feelings. I just can't stop asking the questions "What about me God?"

And the phrase brings to mind another person who spoke similar words--Peter. Peter a lot of the times was short tempered and rash. He probably questioned God all the time about his all-knowing mind, especially when God told him about the death that was upon him. A death that Peter would stretch out his hands and be led where he did not want to go. And afterwards, Peter saw another disciple-- the one that Jesus loved-- and he asked, "What about him??" Jesus then said to Peter, "Whats that to you? You must follow me"

When reminding myself of such stories, my heart slows to anger. Peter got his answer that day and so did I. Jesus answers all of us. 'Why does she get babies" "Whats that to you? You must follow me."

Every day, I need to wake up, take up my cross, and serve Him. Give all the glory and honor to God and everything He has blessed me with. What is it to me who received the gift of a child? It isn't my call or my business as to why or why not. 

I am a girl who loves God and wants to serve him every day of my life. And so far... I cannot bear a child. I've been asked to give up and give up and give up but when I stop and question, Jesus answers every time. "Whats that to you? You follow me."

My business is simply to just Follow Him.

And friends, your questions, Jesus answers as well.

Why does she get a husband who will actually work at their marriage? Why does she have a husband that is faithful? Why does she get a husband at all?

Why does she/he get a job that they love? Why does she get to stay home? Why does she have extra spending money? Why does she get to have a nicer house?

Why does she have a mother who cares? Why does she get a relationship with her family that is healthy?

Why...why...why...

Just remember what Jesus will say.... "Whats that to you? You follow ME."

www.youcaring.com/babylambert

Talk about it Tuesday

I swear I am going to get back into the swing of things with this blogging thing again!! Lots of things have been going on lately in the Lambert household! School started back up for the spring semester last week and thankfully we get a 3 day weekend this coming weekend! #AMEN  Students always come back very chatty and unfocused from the Christmas break.. and add on that I am teaching 7th graders this year.. yeah I know I'm crazy! Also, starting next week my grad school classes start up again! Taking 3 classes this semester! I am hoping to be done this December! All while this is going on, we are undergoing infertility tests AND trying to adopt a baby or babies! Oh and I forgot, we are ALMOST done finishing the house! 

I know, I'm crazy. Lots on our plate for sure but we Lambert's wouldn't have it any other way! Im planning on uploading tons of before and after photos of the house once we get more furniture set up and it looking super pretty! Buying a foreclosed home is a ton of work but definitely worth the price cut for the home we got! 

We have also submitted a few applications to different adoption agencies lately and I have to fill out two more as well! Prayers would be greatly appreciated right now as we are trying to get everything together for the case that we do get chosen- both financially and with our home!

Wedding Wednesday is tomorrow and I definitely plan on showing some of our wedding photos! 

I'm Back!!!

It's been awhile since I have been on here!! Things have been crazy around the Lambert household.. yes the LAMBERT household! :) 

So the last time I was on here, it was before our wedding happened!! Our wedding was BEAUTIFUL and I am so thankful for all of those who helped with the wedding and came to celebrate with us! I will forever remember that day as one of my favorites!! We went on our honeymoon to Costa Rica for a week and it was even more beautiful! Lounging at the pool, drinking, eating like kings, going to shows every night, meeting other great couples, going on adventures... shall I continue?? Let's just say it was amazing and we didn't want to come home!! 

When we got back, I started my new job as a middle school math teacher! Talk about a different world that I am still adjusting to!! I love all of the people that I work with though--they are awesome!!

AND... we are FINALLY closing on our house Friday!!! We are over the top excited to finally have this process over with! Let me tell you, buying a HUD home is something else!! So many things that needed to be done with paperwork but we are finally at the end of this long process!

I will post pictures tomorrow for #WeddingWednesday 

Friday Five

FRIDAY FIVE!

SO... I have been MIA lately because of all of the many things going on!! 

One// We moved back to Texas a couple months ago!! Things have been nuts since moving back!! Blaze's new job is very cool but very busy! 

Two// Our wedding is EIGHT days away!! Next Saturday is our big day and then we are off to COSTA RICA!! Blaze let it slip a couple weeks ago.. lets just say that I was excited to finally find out!! 

Three// My second semester of grad school is over on Monday. In the middle of all of this craziness, I have been trying to work on my final that is due Monday! 

Four// My bachelorette party was last weekend and it was so fun! I wish I could see my girls like that every weekend!! Love them so so much!

Five// Hope yall all have a great weekend!! :)

It's finally Friday!!

ONE// SO thankful for this 4 day work week!! It's been a busy one but Im not sure I could do another day! haha

TWO// ONE more week until my first Bridal Shower!! I am SUPER excited to see all of my girl friends and family!!

THREE// There are lots of exciting things happening in my life right now! Can't wait to share more later! :)

FOUR// It's been raining a TON lately and this little girl has been helping me clean all around the house! So funny.

FIVE// I came home to the PRETTIEST flowers after work last night! Little did I know, my lovely Maid of Honor sent these to me! The past few weeks have been kind of rough but from 8 hours away, she tries to help!! LOVE YOU Albosta Pasta!

Hope yall have a great weekend! 

xoxo

Five on Friday

ONE// If this video doesnt warm your heart, I dont know what will!! So sweet!!

TWO// This video has one of the best messages!! Beauty comes in different forms!




THREE// This is BY FAR my favorite SNL skit hahah



FOUR// Im going to be in DFW Sunday!! I'll be working from home for the week but I will be there to take care of some stuff!! So say a little prayer for me that everything will work out in a positive way!! AND I am super excited to see my BESTEST friends who I miss dearly!! I'll be back in Southern Louisiana with my man by Saturday though!! I really dont like to be away from him! :(



FIVE// 98 DAYS UNTIL THE WEDDING!!!!! WOOHOO!!

Weekend Update

 Friday night I went and watched the baseball game. They won so Blaze was in a great mood afterwards!! 

Saturday, they ending up playing a double header because it was supposed to rain on Sunday. So they started at 3 and didn’t finish until about 10:30 that night. The second game went into 15 innings!! CRAZY long day of baseball. They won the first but lost the second—so that meant Pepper’s Pizza for dinner!! YUM! It started raining about 10 mins after the game was over—it was awesome timing! 

Sunday we drove out to New Orleans so Blaze could find suits for the wedding!!! AHH! It was fun to see him get somewhat excited! Makes it seem like it is all getting a little closer!! Then we ventured out to Whole Foods (that is the closest one to us) and the New Orleans Whole Foods was super neat looking! It was in such a cute little area of New Orleans. Then came home and just relaxed (finally).

Not too much went on this weekend. Next weekend Blaze will be out of town so that means I will be finishing our taxes, finishing painting the hallway, and maybe some wedding crafts! 

Hope yall have a great Monday—I’m on my second cup of coffee…

Happy Thursday!!!

HAPPY THURSDAY!!

This week has been flying by—THANK GOODNESS!! I am so ready for this weekend, but who isn’t?? The weather down here is finally acting normal! It is supposed to be warm and sunny—makes great baseball-watching weather! J No big plans this weekend but relaxing, homework, & maybe finishing painting!! 

So there are lots of changes coming our way!! Just know that they are all good and we are super excited!!

Well, we finally are getting into the fun stretch of all of this wedding stuff! About 4 & a half months left (EEK) which means bridal showers, bachelorette party, pictures, etc! Woohoo! I just wish I was closer right now to have my girls really help out because I know they wish they could!

I am needing someone who plays the guitar really well for our wedding ceremony, hmmm what should I do?? I don’t really know anyone who can play besides guys that are in the wedding!! Any ideas??

I heard this on the radio the other day--LOVE it!! So cute!

This is one of my favorites right now--so catchy! The other day I had the chorus stuck in my head ALL day!

)

Thursday Rant..

My dad and I were talking last night about frustrations with our society lately. If you have an opinion, it seems as though you aren't being given the freedom to express it without being called homophobic or racist or discriminating, etc. People get so offended by taking things WAY out of context and seem to be looking for an argument. Why is one side entitled to their opinion but the second you go to give yours, you are labeled something negative? It just doesn't make any sense.

Today I saw a couple articles on this exact topic. I'm sure most of you have heard of the 'Fit Mom' on Facebook. If not, this is a picture of her and her THREE kids just simply asking "What is your excuse?"

She started the page to try and motivate moms to become educated on healthy living and showing their kids the same healthy lifestyle. She wrote about stats of high child obesity rates etc. Well people were writing the rudest things on her page saying that 'normal women dont look like this'.. 'Looking how they do is perfectly fine'.. etc.

I totally agree with her when she said she believe people are celebrating unhealthy habits and they make excuses for those-many moms using the excuse that they have kids.

I LOVED reading her posts though, she is a great example of just because you are a mom, that doesn't mean that you necessarily have to embrace and accept the normal weight gains that come along with it. I think she looks amazing and is a great role model in getting fit with not just one kid but THREE!  I think more women should try harder, not just for their husbands, but for themselves and for their kids.

The other article that I read was about a transgender athlete that is sueing Crossfit by saying that they are refusing to let him compete in the womens division at the upcoming Crossfit games. He is legally recognized in California as a women, but I mean come on, let think about anatomy here... That is just SO NOT FAIR! "She" was still born as a man, with man muscles, man build. etc.. Any and every day, that would beat a women in crossfit, not because women aren't strong, but men are and always will be, stronger. It is what it is.

Well this 'women' and her supporters are saying that isn't right and they should let 'her' compete with the other women. And since they are saying that 'she' has an unfair advantage, she is now demanding 2.5 million dollars to "make things right"... well this is what the Crossfit board had to say..

'"Our decision has nothing to do with 'ignorance' or being bigots -- it has to do with a very real understanding of the human genome, of fundamental biology, that you are either intentionally ignoring or missed in high school."

"She cant really get offended, it is what it is... you were born a MAN and you definitely would have an unfair advantage over any women competing..."

People have turned issues into such touchy topics... whether it is religion, politics, sexual orientation, etc.. what happened to the days where you didnt take things SO personally and just looked at things for facts or just let people have their own opinions and just left them alone? Why does EVERYONE have to have the same opinion on these issues? Isn't that why America is supposed to be such a great country? We can all have our OWN opinions and NOT be discriminated against or labeled something negative for it. I don't get what has gone wrong... but it is frustrating.

I am a Christian, always have been and ALWAYS will be. I live my life the best that I know how, I try and treat people equal and I try to not judge for whatever life decisions they may make. I believe in a traditional marriage but I don't hate those that don't agree with me. I believe blacks, whites, hispanics, asians, etc. are all equal and we are all given the same rights when we are born, now whether one decided to do great things or not is their own choice. Do I make mistakes? ABSOLUTELY. But why do I get yelled at and called negative names for believing in God and being a conservative republic who is Pro-Life & who agrees with a traditional marriage/family and who thinks that when you work hard, you should get rewarded, not punished? I'll never know

Wedding Wednesday: The Details

So everything is starting to slowly come together with the wedding being less than 5 months away!!

So something that most people that are planning a wedding DONT do is change their reception venue with this little time left!! BUT... let me just say, the venue we originally were going to use was going to need a lot of work to make look pretty!! This new place is in downtown fort worth and it is SO pretty!! It is called the Marquis on Magnolia!

Also, my dress FINALLY came in!! My awesome stepmom went to pick it up yesterday!! I am SO SO excited. I wish I could wear it all the time!

These are the two dresses that my bridesmaids will be wearing.. they will be alternating these two colors!

Everyone (guys/girls) will be wearing cowboy boots!

All will have Hydrangea Bouquets

WEDDING WEDNESDAY: SEATING ARRANGEMENTS

Seating Charts... this is a difficult task to go about doing. I decided early on that I wanted to make a seating chart just because I feel like it would be easier for me to know where everyone is. It gets tricky when actually writing it down and trying to fit people that know each other together. I know you are supposed to put the families together and up front, along with the bridal party. You are supposed to put the bridal party with their dates right? I've been to weddings where the bridal party are together and their dates are at separate tables.. I dont like that. Im also trying to find a cute way to create the seating lists like in the pictures below. Do any of yall have any tips on seating charts and arrangements?? I would love to hear some!! :)

It's finally Friday!!

So it's FINALLY Friday!! Can I get a woohoo?? Hopefully everyone has an eventful weekend planned like I do! 

Once I get past working today, I will be finishing some last minute homework assignments and hopefully relaxing tonight with a good glass of wine while Blaze works late! Tomorrow they are having a banquet to kick off the baseball season (which starts NEXT weekend!!) And we get to get all dressed up and there will be food, drinks and a silent auction. It shall be fun!! I'm excited to get all dressed up and see Mr. Blazer all fancy in his new suit!! Sunday, the head coach and his wife are taking us all out to New Orleans for a fun night out! This weekend is the last weekend before the season starts and things get crazy!! Next weekend is their opening weekend at the University of Houston!! That means I get a weekend away from the animals and get to possibly go shopping! (Blaze don't read this).

So I don't know if it is just me or if any of you ladies out there were/are the same way, but our wedding is less than 6 months away and it is so hard for me to get motivated to get my butt in the gym on a regular basis!! I always say 'okay I am going to really start working out this week' but I just can't get into the groove. I am hoping that since it is getting into crunch time, that I get this sudden spark of interest in the gym again! I used to LOVE working out and I worked out 5-6 days a week. I don't know where we are going on our honeymoon (Blaze won't tell me) but I do know it is a beach and that I WILL be in bikini for a week... that should be enough motivation right?? Any tips out there?? 

Hope yall all have a great weekend! 

XOXO

Pretty Dresses

So I have been looking for fun dresses for the bachelorette party! I think it would be fun to have all of the girls wear cute black dresses and then I could wear a fun-colored dress!! I have found a few that I LOVE!! What do yall think?? Which one would be the best 'Im getting married" dress?? I think they are all super cute and could work! I favor the yellow ones I think because you don't ever see yellow dresses that are cute!! 

Bachelorette Party Dresses by aschleif featuring an alice olivia dress

To the New Year

So I have been slacking on my blog posts the past couple weeks, I know!! It was nice to take a little break though, but I guess I will fill you in on what has been going on in my life.

We came back to Texas the weekend before Christmas (which feels like forever ago) and had 5 different Christmas' to go to between our families! It was so nice to see everyone and just relax. Of course there was plenty of wedding talk going on between us girls in both the Schleif and Lambert families! Blaze and I got to go out to Sweetwater for a few days to visit his grandparents and we had the best time!! Even though we didn't see anything while freezing our butts off in the blinds, we had such a good time away from everything and the city and just enjoyed the country and peace & quiet!! Let's just say, we definitely didn't want to come back to DFW! He is at a baseball coaches convention all weekend so I know he is excited to see all of his buddies that he hasn't seen in awhile!! 

Sadly, we have to leave this Sunday to get back to Louisiana! His baseball season starts so so soon, we have less than 7 months until the wedding, & I start grad school this month. So our lives will be busy busy!! We will definitely have to make sure we keep our weekly date nights going!! I have a few weddings that I have to come back for and my own wedding showers and BACHELORETTE party in July!! I am so excited for all that is going to happen this year! I feel some big changed coming in Blaze and my life!! I am excited to share it all with you guys!!

So I've decided for 2014, I am going to take one picture a day for the entire year!! I will be making a separate page for that so keep your eyes out for it!! :) I think it will be neat to look back next year and see all of those pictures (because I am usually bad about taking pictures).

Hope yall all had a great Christmas and New Years!!