So Close!

Well, it is clear that Emersyn takes after her parents and is incredibly stubborn, haha. She has not arrived yet.

The upside is that tomorrow we will begin the process to coax her sweet self out! I will call at 5:30am to ensure that they have a room ready and we will head in to get ready to meet our little girl. I really can't believe that we are finally to this point. 7 years of fertility treatments, surgeries, and 41 weeks of pregnancy have finally led us to this moment!!! 

My family will arrive on Friday and I can't wait, it's going to be such an amazing experience to share with this them and then Kyle's mom when she arrives at the end of September.

This sweet girl is our little miracle and we are so excited to start this journey as a family.

I can't wait to share with you all the news of her arrival!

20 Years!

It is hard to believe that 20 years ago I met my future husband! We met in the 6th grade but did not become friends until 7th grade when we had history and math class together. However, this day 20 years ago certainly changed my life in ways that I never thought possible.

To go from this:

To this:

And then to this: 

is pretty amazing to me! 

I am so grateful for this day all those years ago, even though Kyle is convinced that I thought he was a nerd and wanted nothing to do with him haha.

Happy Thursday, everyone!

Life In The Smith House

Well here we are, 39w6d pregnant and still no Emersyn haha, this child certainly is stubborn. I have an appointment this morning, so we are hoping for progress. :)

Besides thinking about the arrival of this little peanut here is what is happening in our neck of the woods.

Kyle is crazy busy with this rotation (even when he is home his work blackberry is buzzing like crazy) but he got home early enough on Saturday night that we could order the UFC fight. I am that wife that actually enjoys this type of stuff, Kyle laughed and said that I was going to put myself into labor with how hyped up I get. It was nice to have that extra time with him to just relax and do something fun that didn't involve leaving the house.

I officially registered for the Rock n Roll New Orleans Marathon in February! I am going it solo but Kyle and Emersyn will be my cheering section on the sidelines. I have had some people tell me that I need to slow down and just relax but when you go from running 8-10 weekly to maybe 1-2 it's hard and starting October 3rd it's game on!

I have also been focusing a lot of attention on budgeting lately, when you are adding a new person to the mix it becomes even more important to ensure that you are being smart with money. This is entirely my lane, Kyle trusts me to handle the money and I have been focusing on monthly transfers to savings, principle payments on our car loan, and transfers into a college we set up for the baby. All of these things are so important and something that I take pretty seriously. We have an amount that is our zero, it helps to have that so we don't completely deplete funds. Excel has been my best friend haha.

Emma has been perfecting her sassy face lately haha...this is what she does when she is waiting for Kyle to come up to bed. She will only do this to him, I am chop liver to this pup.

Hope you all have a great day!!! :)

What I'm Looking Forward To

As the month of August is winding down I have begun to compile a list of things that I am looking forward to in the coming months. I love doing this because it reminds me to plan and make it a point to live in the moment.

Here is what I am looking forward:

1. Obviously, #1 is the birth of Emersyn haha. I am scheduled to be induced on 8/31 if she has not arrived before then. :)

2. Fall weather! While we don't get a true winter here in Central Louisiana, I still have the chance to wear sweaters and boots so I'm happy (I am wishing away summer because 90+ degree temperatures with 100% humidity gets old after a while). I am ready for the leaves to changes and to have that crisp air.

3. I can't wait to take Emersyn to her first pumpkin patch, ride her first hayride, first Halloween, her first visit with Santa, tree lighting, etc. I know she will be really little but all these firsts are exciting. 

4. Starting school again on October 3rd. I mentioned to Kyle last night that I actually miss it and it was weird not starting with everyone else a few weeks ago. He will begin his final grad school class at the same time which is very exciting!

5. Spending lots of time with family. Since we are looking at a likely June 2017 move I want to spend time with family when we can. 

6. Our races we have lined up for the rest of the year which include six 5k's and 2 half marathons ( I am stoked that my sister will be running her 1st half marathon with us!!!). Speaking of races, I normally don't wear my wedding rings when I run because I'm afraid of them slipping off so I ordered these silicone rings from amazon. I'm excited to test them out.

7. Settling into our new routine as a family of 5 (yes Emma and Fishy count). It's going to be pretty amazing.

8. Finding out if Kyle made the promotion list and the location of our new home. We know we likely won't find out until December but man we are anxious haha.

What are you looking forward to?

Have a great weekend!

Let's Jump!

Yesterday was National Airborne Day! I have to say that this is one of the coolest things about Kyle being in the Army. Watching him fulfill a dream of his is pretty amazing, I've been able to watch him jump a handful of times and we joke that he is like a lawn dart. Last one off the bird and the first one to hit the ground haha. 

He is a Senior Rated Jumpmaster (30 jumps and can perform duties inside the aircraft) and would love nothing more than to become Master rated (65 jumps) before he retires. He has jumped out of a C130, C17, Chinook and Blackhawk helicopters, as well as received foreign jump wings from Cambodia, Canada, and Chile. Of course it can also be dangerous, he has had some bumps and bruises, plus minor concussions but he keeps on jumping because he loves it and his knees and back haven't given out yet. :)

Receiving his Cambodian Wings.

 Receiving his Senior Jump Wings

I love being there to witness his accomplishments and watch him do what he loves to do. However, I will never understand how someone can love jumping out of a perfectly good airplane haha.

Do What Others Say You Cannot

A few months I posted about how I was toying with the idea of continuing on with my education after I complete my Master's degree and go after my doctorate.

When I mentioned it I had a few people tell me how hard it would be with a small child, which I completely understand. However, I also feel that having kids shouldn't be a reason to not complete the goals that you set for yourself. So, with that being said I have decided to pursue my doctorate. I will complete my Master's in May and we will be moving shortly after that, but we will only be in our new home for a year.

As of right now I plan to begin this process in Summer 2018. We will be at our new duty station (fingers crossed for Fort Lewis haha) and Emersyn will be almost 2 years old, so that seems like a great time to me to start. I am excited to begin this journey and see where it takes me.

I never thought that I would have the desire to continue my education in this way, but I have a true desire to work with children, especially military children. It is going to be challenging, overwhelming, but also rewarding, and I can show Emersyn that no matter how long you wait you can still achieve the goals you have set for yourself no matter what.

Have you ever accomplished something that others said you couldn't do?

Friday Favorites

I love these Friday posts, they are really fun for me! :) It makes for a great way to end the week.

Here is what I am loving right now:

1. Olympics! I have always loved the Olympics, but this year seems especially good. I am loving all of the countries that are winning medals for the first time.

2.  I am loving that I have chosen my next marathon! I was supposed to run the Rock n Roll New Orleans Marathon this past February but a sweet little miracle happened so 2017 it is!

3. Roasted Red Pepper Pasta. I found this recipe on the Pioneer Woman's page and oh my goodness it's amazing. I could eat the whole pan of it haha. Here is the recipe!

4. These Under Armour outfits I found for Emersyn. Oh my goodness, I could not pass them up haha. She will be with us when we run races and she had to have her own little outfits. Thank you Amazon for the awesome prices.

5. Snuggles with this sweet girl. It's not very often that she will just sit with me but we have been having stormy weather lately and that means she will. She is and always will be my 1st baby girl.

What are you loving lately?!

I hope you all have a great weekend!

1st Day!

Today is our niece and nephew's first day of school! For those who have followed my blog for long enough you have watched them grow up too.

Grayson is starting kindergarten and Kylie will be in the 4th grade. I remember the days that they were born and it makes me a little teary eyed thinking about how big they are getting. I am so proud of them and the people they are becoming.

I can't wait to see them after Emersyn is born!

To all those who have kiddos starting school today, I hope they all have an awesome day and a great school year!

Monday Musings

How are we already 8 days into the month of August?! My mind is blown. This weekend was a relatively quiet one and I'm not hating that.

*Let's discuss how I'll be 38 weeks pregnant this week! Where did the time go?! I am really hoping that this sweet girl decides to show up sooner rather than later. We are ready to go, carseat is installed and bags are packed. I even created a list of phone numbers to all the buildings that Kyle could potentially be in if I go into labor during the day (he can't have his cell phone in the secure buildings he works in).

*Emma had a vet appointment on Saturday to see how she is adjusting to her new medication. She was clearly traumatized and felt that I should share my donut with her. She may or may not have gotten a little piece of it. I couldn't resist that face.

 

*My final grades were posted for my classes and I could not be happier. To pull out 2 A's is definitely a rewarding feeling. However, I am excited for my break but I know October will be here before I know.

 

*My sister found these amazing trunks on a buy, sell, trade page in her town and knew that I would love them. I wasn't sure I would have a place for them until Kyle suggested using them as toy boxes for Emersyn. Sold! haha. 

*Thanks to the Olympics my weekend was spent mostly on the couch, I tried to venture to the pool on Saturday but they closed it early because they were understaffed. Hopefully that isn't the problem this week because this lady needs pool time lol.

I hope you all had a great weekend!

Postpartum Goals

As of today I am 20 days away from my due date! Let that sink in and blow your mind haha. 

I've had a lot of things on my mind lately (obviously) but one thing I do think a lot about are the postpartum goals that I have set for myself. I know that I have to wait roughly 6 weeks before I get the go ahead from my doctor to work out but I have to say that I am already looking forward to that moment. I've had people telling me to enjoy this time and just relax but when you go from running on a consistent basis to an inconsistent basis it's hard. 

I am the type of person that has to have goals, I have to have something to work towards. I am already signed up for 2 races that I have been looking forward to all year. There may be a few other smaller races sprinkled in between just to get out and move, plus it will be so fun getting Emersyn used to her stroller and running (well riding for her). I know it will take time to get back to where I want to be but I'm excited to start that process.

November 13, 2016: Pensacola Half Marathon. I will be running this with Kyle and my sister! I can't wait.

December 10, 2016: Cajun Country Half Marathon

 

This will be my 3rd year running the Cajun Country, last year was interesting because I had my fastest half time during this event and I was also 4 weeks pregnant and had no idea! :)

 These will be half marathons #14 and #15, I really can't believe we have done so many. I may even throw a full marathon in there the early part of next year.

I am excited to continue on this journey!

Getting To Know Me

Over the last few weeks I have gained quite a few new followers and I thought it would be fun to do a getting to know me post. Just a way to introduce myself in a different way to everyone who is relatively new to my space.

* I was born and raised in Las Vegas, Nevada. It was definitely an interesting place to grow up but it's a place that I have zero desire to move back to.

* I am the mama to these 2 sweet furbabies, Emma (12) and Fishy (9). They were mine before Kyle and I got married but they clearly favor him now haha. I am also the soon-to-be mama to a precious little girl that we will be welcoming in a few short weeks, Emersyn Kay. :)

*I am extremely close to my family, which consists of my Dad, sister (Lisa), niece (Kylie), and nephew (Grayson). I am so grateful for the relationships that I have with them, they are amazing. My Mom passed away 5 1/2 years ago after a 10 month battle with cancer, it was and is still hard to deal with some days.

*I became an avid runner 3 years ago and have loved every second of that journey, it has definitely changed me. It has led me to complete 1 full marathon, 13 half marathons, and a variety of other distances. 

*Kyle and I met almost 20 years ago in middle school. He was the nerdy kid that had a crush on me and I was thought I was too cool for school haha.

*I have been living the military life for the last 8 years as Kyle is active duty Army. It has taken us to North Carolina, Arizona, Texas, and now Louisiana. I am excited to see where this journey takes us.

*I have a bachelor's degree in Psychology with a minor in Child Development and certificate in Family Studies. I am currently working on my master's in Psychology and have a tentative plan to continue on for my doctorate in the future.

* I am not the most adventurous person but I do enjoy getting tattoos, I have 8 and have plans for many more after this little girl is born haha. I've also gone skydiving with my sister and have vowed to never do that again.

*I LOVE to bake and cook. Most days if you need to find me just look in the kitchen. I do have a food blog that I need to revamp and get up and running again.

I thought I would end this post with a request for questions. Is there anything you want to know about me? Let me know, I'm pretty much an open book haha.

Have a great Tuesday!