Morals.

        First, I must start off by reminding you all that everyone has a unique opinion, in which they are completely entitled to share...if you're interested in mine, please read on. If not, you haven't hurt my feelings at all.

  No one is perfect, life is one huge learning experience, day after day. 

      To me, morals are the rules you've set for yourself (or your family). Rules between right and wrong.

Where no gray area has appeared, only where black and white sets the standard. To some, this may have all to do with your faith, and to others, it may not. In my opinion,

right is right and wrong is wrong.

   Now, I have no intentions in making this a serious and heavy post, because as you see the picture above, we can't take life too seriously around our house. We believe in a fun and happy environment for ourselves and the little ones. Life is just too short! 

But, when you become a parent especially, responsibility and integrity in every action you make becomes crucial.

Whether it's true or not, even at the age of 18 months, I've told myself time after time that Brady is picking up our habits, he's growing to understand our actions, and I would be extremely embarrassed to ever find out Brady grew to be ashamed of something I've done. Now, we all have things we're regretful of in our past. I have plenty, I hate to say, but I'm thankful for those things that brought great lessons.

To Brian and myself, our marriage and our children are the most important blessings we must protect and nurture in the best way we know how.

This means those daily decisions on right and wrong and how they may affect our relationships. Whether our marriage - where love and respect take lead. Where wandering eyes should stay focused on the husband or wife God has placed in our lives. 

Or with our children - where responsibility in our actions will reflect on their upbringing, whether we like it or not! 

The hardest thing about having a family is the gigantic responsibility to make the best decisions God's given you the knowledge to do. This means not making excuses for why something isn't that bad. If you're scrambling for reasons why it's alright...it's probably not alright. 

No marriage is perfect, no family is perfect, but there is a distinct difference between right and wrong. It's not always fun (I'll be the first to tell you.) But it's right & it brings no regret. 

And you can stand proud of the way you and your family live. 

Funny Things about Life and Growing Up.

Family Life.
Without boring all you folks without children, this post will either scare you to death or give you something to look forward to...
Read on, friends.

BEFORE Children:

-Last Minute Plans for Drinks out with Friends.

-Designer Sunglasses.

-Designer Bags.

-InStyle was secondary to the Bible.

-Never knowing the true meaning to a "clean house."

-Spa Days.

-Stress (HA!)

-Diet, Diet, Diet.

-Shopping for new clothes, about... three times a week.

-Our dogs were our children.

-My idea of a good meal was delivered pizza & any mixed drink.

AFTER Children:

-Plans with Friends must happen atleast a week in advance,

so that looking forward to a night out is half the fun.

-You'll do anything to fix the broken pair of $4.99 sunglasses.

-Switching out bags from your closet is like Christmas.

-The last time you opened a magazine, you didn't have kids.

-A routine to clean your house is made without effort. And your become your mother.

-Your definition of a Spa Day is taking 15 minutes before bed to polish your toes.

-Stress? No time for it.

-A diet means eating a salad once a week, and walking a mile on the treadmill...once a week.

-New clothes are ordered off the internet because that takes less effort than dragging your poor little boy on an eternal shopping trip that he'll remember forever. And likely hate you for it.

-Your neighbor rings your doorbell to let you know your dogs are playing in the street.

-Starbucks is a lifesaver and pizza is still a necessity.

And the bottom line to this ridiculous but true comparison to life before and after baby:

-The beauty of life and family becomes so clear. 

-The search for happiness in life through THINGS is over.

-Hearing him scream "Mama!" when he hugs your neck so tight...is unlike anything I've ever experienced.

The truth is, we definitely long for days out on the boat with friends, last minute trips to the beach,

late nights out with the choice to sleep in...but every lifestyle has its give-and-takes.

And at the very least: Life is learning, and certainly something to laugh at.

A Before and After, and Lessons in Between.

Before

&

After

Before

&

After

Even a back yard miracle was trying on me, and I didn't do one ounce of the physical labor.

The dirt however, accumulated in every crack and crevice in our house, and settled for 3 months.

Seems simple, a boring before, and a miraculous after...

but there were lots and lots of bumps along the way...

Like a neighborhood roll call to move the dog house...

(Thank you Daniel, Jake, Kyle, Andrew, Brett, John, and the nice guy who we've never met before...

You guys are the best.)

And a dirt playground.

Only three t-shirts were ruined by mud and I can live with that.

LESSONS LEARNED:

-Brian Cox knew what he wanted, and made it happen. 

(I admire that, totally.)

- To build our dream home one day...I trust Brian to make 98% of all decisions. 

-Brady loves dirt.

-I hate it.

-There's nothing more heart-warming than seeing your husband stand back, proud of his work, and your baby run wild through sprinklers with a grin on his face.

With all of this said, and more photos to come, our home will probably be up for sale in no time, and we'll have two crazy children running around, trying to build a bigger house, and losing our minds all together.

*CHEERS* to a fun summer ahead. You can catch us playing, tanning, cooking out, building a fire, (making s'mores YAY!) and hopefully soon watching a game or two out here...

Come join!!!