Cleaning up the cobwebs...

Pardon me as I clean up the cobwebs and swipe away the dust over here. I can't believe it's been so long since I've blogged. I could bore you with boring details of all that's been going on around here, but save us both some time, here's a brief list:
*I turned 30 and didn't die because of it.
*I still haven't lost the full 30 pounds, but I'm about a pound or so away from reaching the halfway point. I bought a treadmill recently and some new athletic shoes that don't make my feet go to sleep when I walk. I was finally able to pack up my "fat pants" and am starting to see a big difference in the way my clothes fit.
*We had an amazing trip to the beach for Memorial Day. The weather was gorgeous, the food was ridiculously wonderful and spending time with some of our favorite people was just what we needed!
*I spent a few days a few months ago redoing our guest bath. I'll try to post some pictures of the finished product soon.
*My niece finally said "Auntie" for the first time. I love that kid so much I can hardly stand it.
*Back in January, I started playing and singing with The Andrew Brown Band. I've had such a great time traveling around and leading worship with Andrew and the crew.

We've got quite a few things/projects lined up for the summer, but one thing on my to-do list is to get back in the swing of blogging. (Bet you've never heard that one before, huh?!?!) So, hopefully I'll be back soon!

What's Going On?

I'll give you a few seconds to get that song by the 4Non Blondes out of your head. Go ahead, sing loudly. I'll wait. Finished? Ok, let's continue.

May was the month that just wouldn't end. My calendar looked like one big black ink mess. At one point, I was ready to unplug my alarm clock, turn off my phone and just stay in bed...for days. Each day, it seemed like the things to do were so many, that I didn't even know where to start. I didn't feel like I was able to really enjoy many things because my mind was so wrapped up in what was coming next. I didn't feel like myself, but more like I was on auto-pilot...no emotions about anything (I didn't have time for that), do this, go there, buy this, check this off this list, wear this, yada yada yada. And I didn't like it.

So, what's been going on around here? Let me tell ya...

We spent some good quality time with these dear people...

Eli and me

Bella, she's 6

Eden, she's 4

Caleb, he's 2

They live far enough away that we don't get to see them as often as we'd like. But, we were thrilled to have them visit us for a weekend!

I've also been working on some new things for my Whatta Cute Baby collection. I'm trying out a few new designs (thankfully, I have a cute little model!) that I hope to launch on the website in the next few months. Here's a little ruffle butt onesie. TOO cute!


Thanks to one amazing sister-in-law, I got a last minute ticket to my fav-o-rite Broadway show...WICKED!! We were able to see it in Charlotte with Brooke and some friends who were seeing it for the first time! It doesn't matter if you've seen it once (like them) or 4 or 5 times (like us), it's so exciting and amazing every single time!! This was the best cast I'd ever seen and it was so great to share that with such great friends!

At the end of the month, we spent about a week here...

Seaside Beach, FL. We traveled to the gulf coast for our annual Memorial Day trip. The weather was GREAT and the time with friends was GREATER! We had some good times, amazing food and got lots of rest.

And last but definitely not least, I've been spending all kinds of time with this sweet little thing :)
My brother got a job (other than the job of stay-at-home-dad) so I've been keeping Reagan 1-2 days a week. She's almost 8 months old now and SO MUCH FUN! She's rolling around, starting to crawl, learning to clap and pull up. And she laughs...at herself, at other people, at the tv, at the dog...and it's so darn cute!! She loves music and watching shows on Nick Jr. She likes bath time and meal time, but not so much bedtime. Being an aunt is one of the best things in the world!! Every time I see her, I just can't even believe how blessed I am just to have that little girl in my life. She's growing so fast and it's exciting to think about her getting older and coming over for slumber parties with Auntie Sarai and playing dress up. But then she falls asleep in my arms and I get to looks at her and pray over her and love on her and I'm reminded that she's still so small and I should cherish every single moment with her at every single stage because it won't be like this for long!

And so, here's to June. We have less than a month until we head off to summer camp, so it's gonna be a busy one. But with some free weekends here and there and some days at home to curl up with a book or a movie, I'll hopefully be restored to my normal (is there such a thing?) self before long.

Reagan's New Dress

I've been making Reagan some cute new summer dresses and here she is modeling one of them. Maybe I'm a little biased, but I think I have one of the cutest little models around :)

Check out my dress tutorial over at Three Simple Girls.

Proud Auntie Moment

If you're not up for hearing me gush over my sweet little Reagan, then I suggest you go ahead and close this window. Gushing WILL take place in this post!

Earlier in the week, I stopped by my brother's house for a quick visit. When I walked in, I could hear Reagan in the bedroom crying. Staci was trying to console her during a meltdown. A few minutes later, Staci came into the living room and I, of course, ran to shower Reagan with kisses. As soon as I walked up to her, something amazing happened.

She. Reached. For. Me.

My heart nearly melted into a pile of goo. My brother said that was the first time she had ever done that, which sent me into an Auntie high! It was a moment that made me realize just how much I love that little girl. She could have asked for a pony at that very moment and I would have given her one. She might have me wrapped around her little finger. Just maybe.

And because her cuteness cannot be contained, I thought it only appropriate to have her as a model for my Whatta Cute Baby website. If this doesn't make people want to buy onesies, I don't know what will!


My heart=melted.

Excuse Me...

...while I brag a bit :)

I try really hard to keep from forcing photos and stories of my new niece, Reagan on unsuspecting folks. But seriously, people, she's so darn cute, that I just can't resist! So, bear with me while I morph into proud Auntie mode! She's 3 months old now. She's laughing and smiling and really interactive. She's almost rolling over and tries really hard to sit up on her own. And did I mention that she's really cute? Anyway, I'll spare you the rest of the obsessed Auntie details and just show you how cute she is!

My mom ADORES this little girl. It's so sweet to watch them interact.

Reagan will laugh and smile all day, but when you bring the camera out, this happens. It's hilarious!

This one's a little blurry, but it totally captures her personality, so I didn't have the heart to delete it!

She loves playing on the quilt that her Nanny ( my mom) made for her.

This picture always makes me say "Hooray!!"

See, told you she was cute :)

She's Here!!

I'm finally an aunt!! Little Miss Reagan wasn't supposed to make an appearance until Thursday the 29th, but due to Staci's blood pressure we got to meet her a few days early! Thanks to the ever increasing drama surrounding flu season, I only got to see her for about 2 minutes while she was in recovery. Thankfully, they're headed home today and I'll get to spend tomorrow lovin' on her!
Here's a little about her:
Reagan Marie Ensley
born October 23, 2009
6:12pm
9lb. 9oz.
19 inches long
Blue eyes
Lots of dark brown hair
Chubby little cheeks
Cute as can be :)

Here she is with her Auntie Sarai. Proud aunt? Nah, not the least little bit :)