How to manage life with 2 kids and other random things

HA!

i kid, i kid.
i know nothing about managing life with 2 kids

16 days into this gig and I have, most definitely, NOT figured it out.

and i assure you that I will never have the answers to life with kids.

except to live next door to your mom...

for years i have loved the name Everly and thought that i would possibly name my daughter that one day, if i had a daughter. The only place i could recall ever hearing that name was in a song I listened to in college.
1. we haven't had a girl yet
2. the name is getting more popular (thanks Channing Tatum)
3. i couldn't remember what song it was
so, the other day i had the "singer-songwriter" station playing on the tv and I heard it.
Brandi Carlile, "Happy"
and wouldn't you know? it ain't Everly. it's Amber Lee.
"I'm happy, can't you see? I'm alright, but i miss you, Amber Lee."
close, Kate. real close.


i have decided to quit trying to wear my regular jeans and wedding rings
i thought my hands were just pregnancy swollen
but 2 weeks post-partum and the rings still won't fit...perhaps it's not just edema. yikes!
we'll try back in a few weeks or months.
perhaps i'll just get a "GT" tattoo on my ring finger!?

speaking of GT, he has been building stuff like crazy lately and it's awesome!
he fashioned us a fence around our A/C and trashcan last weekend. 

with some stellar help!

ain't it grand???
so straight and pretty!

he also built this little wall thing for Townes little nook in our bedroom

out of pallets
i love it
just love it

Townesy is treating us well, still a dreamboat!
unfortunately i am still in school this semester which meant, i had to get in some clinical hours
which meant, i had to give him a bottle
and i was sad, but he took it like a champ!

JR wanted to "hawp"
and help he did
he is surprisingly a good helper.
not mad about it.

i have about 2 weeks left in this semester and then i get a 2 week break and i am living for those weeks!
so, once that break rolls around, i will do some major blog catching-up.
for now, i am catching up on a LOT of work that i got behind on when i-you know- had a baby.
yesterday was my first day back at clinical and i think i delivered more than just a baby in that hospital room, i delivered every single ounce of knowledge and thought-processing potential i ever had.
hopefully it's still filed away in there somewhere, as i have a final next Monday.

happy thursday peeps.
hope this random post found you well and chipper.

1 week young

i've heard that the baby stage goes by more quickly with each baby that you have.

i will verify that, as this was the fastest week i can recall to date.

we have done a whole lot in this week

and i so don't want to rush this

Townes Wesley, you are the best 1 week old that I know!

you are an easy keeper and are very alert 

probably questioning all of the ruckus going on around you

we have spent a lot of time snuggling you and your unbelievable sweetness

but, we have also been getting out and about. 

to the mall

to a night with Kari Jobe and Christine Caine. which was incredible!!!

you slept the entire time, except for waking up to eat

and it was LOUD, but you were sleeping beauty

we have had your cousins, aunts and uncles over to visit

gone to your Aunt Chrys and Uncle Johnny's for lunch and cousin fun

 to your Mamaw Jo's for Sunday lunch with the fam

and out to eat lunch twice!

of course, we have spent quite a bit of time at your Honey and Pa's

your Honey spoils us and we really don't know how we'd survive without her next door

we are really enjoying every second with you!

you eat and sleep really well and i am hoping that continues FOREVER!

after you eat, you nuzzle up on my chest with your arms folded under your chin and i can't even handle it. 

you had your first doctors visit and you are already back up to birth weight 

packing on them lb's....or ounces

which will come in handy, since you will need to keep up with your big cousins and brother

i praise God for the gift of YOU!

even though you've only been here for 1 week, it seems that you've been in our family forever.

so quickly, i have forgotten what life was like without you in it.

your brother is pretty fond of you, too.

he asks for you each time after he wakes up and gives you kisses before he goes to bed.
if he doesn't know where you are, he will call out, "Town?" and search until he puts his eyes on you.
he's going to teach you lots and take good care of you....until you can fend for yourself, i'm sure.

we praise God for you, little Townes Wesley

He has truly blessed us beyond what we could have asked or imagined!

new in Townes

a clever gift from Bella

we are just smitten with the newest Taylor.

all of us.

his face is irresistibly kissable and his little body fits perfect in my arms.

life with 2 is proving to be incredibly sweet, rewarding and high-maintenance (is that the right word??)!

therefore i have been unable to share on this ole blog.
also, i had a paper due on Sunday and i've chosen to use JR's nap times to make my Mamaw Jo's oatmeal cookies (amaze-ING!), clean the house, do homework and stare at Townes.
priorities!

T-dubs has had a very busy first week of life and has been a dreamboat!
seriously, he is the sweetest thing.
you should meet him!  you'd fall for him- hard and fast.

more pictures, more details, more stories to come but, for now...i'm gonna cuddle one boy and chase another

Townes Wesley Taylor

Townes Wesley made his grand debut Tuesday, July 8th at 2:15pm, weighing 7lbs 12oz and 19 3/4 in long.

he is learning how to function in this world beautifully!

so far, in the 40 hours that i've known him, he is fitting into our family quite well and is proving to be a fine young man.

at this point, i just can't get enough kisses and he seems to enjoy giving them

 his big brother has taken to his new role like a champ (kind of surprising me, if i'm honest) and seems to genuinely be interested in his new bff. 

he constantly asks about "bay-bay" and gives him the sweetest snuggles 

he is actually way more interested in Townes than me!

we are going home today and i am pretty eager to have our new family of 4 under the same roof. 

in the meantime, little buddy is still trying to figure this whole thing out

thank you so much for all the congratulations, sweet texts, phone calls and visits!

we are so grateful to be surrounded and loved by so many and to know that our boys are loved so well.

more to come on our newest!

for now, we shall spend all of our time staring at him 

celebrating, rejoicing and waiting!

CELEBRATE!!!

Today at noon marked 4 years since I became a wife.

4 years since GT became a husband.

and I think it's been the best year yet! 

we have accomplished a lot in these 4 years.

we sure have learned a lot

and changed a lot

our family has changed and grown 

and for all of that...the growth and changes, i am thankful.

four years have been good to us

and because of that, we celebrate!

REJOICE!!!

we have a niece!!!

Grace Monroe Taylor was born last evening to Chelsea and Ty (GT's bro) 

isn't she the prettiest thing you ever did see?

I just can't wait to love on her and kiss those cheeks

a niece

how does that sound? pretty perfect, to me.

yet we will have to wait to meet her in person

WAITING.....

waiting, waiting, waiting on our little guy to arrive.

i'm ok with waiting.

really

i've never known a baby not to come out.

i'm all about some full term, healthy lungs

so, waiting is our game 

 i feel pretty great actually and i'm getting a lot of schoolwork completed

so, waiting isn't the hardest part, so far...

let me officially reach 40 weeks on Monday and we'll talk then.

a Good Times Garden

This was mine and my dad's 1st year to do a summer garden.

So, we allowed ourselves some grace and didn't expect much.

Luckily, we have had a rare rainy month of June and our little seeds have sprouted some incredible produce!

We have planted, tended, weeded, watered, nurtured, harvested and eaten.

the verdict is out: it is good.

and we are already giddy thinking about next years or this Fall's bigger and better garden!

plans include
1. better deer proofing- those suckers are sneaky and greedy
2. more purple bush beans- so, so, so good!
3. less squash seeds per pod- they are very productive and get heavy very quickly
3. more tomatoes, better spacing- can never have enough and they need some space, me thinks
4. more blackberries, inside of the fence- more for us, less for deer and other sneaky animals
5. longer rows
6. higher fence
7. wider walking paths- maybe?
8. more aesthetically pleasing gate (that's my idea, obviously)
9. add zucchini and some type of greens
10. perhaps maybe not be pregnant and not in grad school

my dad is definitely the planner, organizer and realist.

i'm the excited harvester, cook and overly hopeful (and not perfectionist)

some photos.

from planting day- April

to roughly 2 weeks ago- June

we have so enjoyed this little garden

i have really loved learning alongside my dad
some trial and error, adjusting our plans and harvesting our rewards!

it's fun to get excited over a new cucumber or a tomato turning red with him

i'm excited to watch Judson become a gardener and grow up learning to appreciate good food and how to work with the earth.

there really is so much more to this little garden than the veggies

it's good for our family, good for our bodies and good for the soul.

it is good and it is satisfying to eat something that you planted and watched grow from a little seed.

and the tastes!!! oh, how those tomatoes and peppers taste...so tasty!

it's not much, but it's ours.

our little garden.

our Good Times Garden