♥ Valentine's Day ♥

Happy Valentine's Day!! I have always loved Valentine's day, even when I was single. It's always been an excuse to indulge in sweets {I am addicted to sweets if you don't know me} all day long. It got even better when I met my Mr. Hot Hubby back in 2004. From there on, Valentine's has always been amazing. I started looking back through old pics trying to see how far back I could find them of Trevor and I on Valentine's Day. I didn't make it back too far, I guess I didn't have a digital camera back in 2005. Or if I did, I didn't save the pics to my computer and I couldn't find any printed out. Anywho, here's a few good laughs for ya'll =)

This was in 2009. I surprised Trevor with tickets to see the Tar Heels play {his fave basketball team}. We spent a whole weekend in Chapel Hill. I remember how excited he was when he opened those tickets at dinner. Aaahhh...if only I was still that sweet. Lol - maybe one day I'll surprise you again hunny =)

Obviously this isn't me or Trevor...it's my dear sweet Mama whose birthday is Feb. 13. This was in 2010. I did find a pic of me and Trevor, but it was so hideous I couldn't bring myself to post it. Mama turned 80 yesterday...she's the absolute love of my life and the best Mama ever! Happy Birthday shout out Mama...love you!

Big momma in tha house {with my adorable lil Mags}! This one is seriously for jokes ya'll. I was prego with Tanner and had him 6 weeks later. Trevor took me out to a wonderful dinner at Stellar. It was amazing, just like every date with him is. Awww...I know, so sappy. Love my hubs though!

This was last year. I believe we went to the Melting Pot {my fave}. Man what a difference a year makes =) 

I most certainly can't leave out the other little guy who has my heart and makes Valentine's even better than it already was before he came along.

It's a whole new ballgame when it comes to Valentine's Day and kids. We don't go crazy on gifts mainly because we spend all of our money on Tan man {thanks to diapers and a child who eats like he's 15}. Totally kidding. We are having a very romantic dinner tonight {with Tanner and I'm sure his cartoons blaring in the background}. We decided to make our own fondue at home this year. I'm excited to just be at home with my two boys that I love the most. And chocolate. And fondue. And Tanner's candy from school. Totally kidding again.

I LOVED making Tanner's snacks for his class. He goes to Mother's Day Out one day a week and this year it fell on Valentine's Day. YAYYY!!! They were super yummy. I look forward to making sweet treats for him and his buddies for many, many years to come. 

I made these delish red velvet puppy chow mix that I found here on Pinterest. They didn't turn out red like I thought, but your mouth turns red after you eat them. Oh well. They looked pretty.

Speaking of food, can I just tell ya'll about the amazing meals I've had today?! Casey and I eat breakfast at the Bakery and Bistro almost every Thursday {check them out here}. Seriously, it's the best food ever. I've never had a single thing from there that I didn't fall in love with. Then for lunch I had a toasted flatbread pimento cheese. OMG. This came from the food cart in TR that's outside of My Sister's Store on Main Street. They have homemade pimento cheese and chicken salad, plus sandwiches/wraps that change daily {Tuesday-Friday}. Sorry the pic has a bite taken out of it, but I couldn't resist. I've certainly been Ms. Piggy today, but it's Valentine's. Momma's gotta grub too, right?!

Cheese and herb scone and a homemade cinnamon bun. Casey and split the scone to save a few calories. =)

I am so full from eating this awesome little creation, that I'm not sure I can divulge in as much fondue as I had hoped tonight.

This little stud muffin says Happy Valentine's Day ya'll! He had some crazy hair and was half asleep. I tried to bribe him into saying cheese, but obviously that didn't work.

I hope you all enjoy your Valentine's Day. If you're single, oh well. I bet you've got some amazing friends that you could celebrate with and pig out on chocolate. And if you're married, engaged or dating someone be sure to show them lots of love on this speical day....and still pig out on chocolate. Remember that Valentine's Day should be everyday! Love is a sweet, sweet thing ♥ I'm off to prepare for my special valentine's arrival from work. Until next time...

Magan 

John 3:16 
For God so LOVED the world that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. 

Needed...

Each night we have the same routine. {Routines keep me sane and I love them.} We give Tanner a bath, give him his milk, let him watch a few cartoons to wind down, brush our teeth and put on the night time diaper. All we normally have to say is go get Mr. Bear, it’s time to go night-night and he’ll run and find the bear, kiss his daddy good night and up the stairs him and I go. I sometimes hold his hand and other times he holds the rails and does it all by himself. When we finally reach his room, he runs to the recliner in his room, jumps up in it and we rock. This is the most precious time ever for me. While we rock we say his prayers and then I sing a few songs (I would never want myself to sing to me…poor Tanner). He normally falls asleep in my arms, but quickly wakes up when I stand up and he grabs a hold of my neck. He doesn’t want to leave his momma’s arms…that’ll make you feel like a million bucks. I lay him down and he immediately cries. Being the tough momma (not really) that I am, I shut his door and walk away. When I turn the monitor on I see him sitting there crying while holding Mr. Bear. {Our monitor has a screen where you can watch and talk to him} All I have to do each and every night, and sometimes during naptime, is ‘shhhh’ him on the monitor. My family thinks I’m crazy, but it works. All he needs is to hear his mom or dads voice gently shhh’ing him to sleep and he lays down and goes right to sleep. We’ve done this since he was a little baby and it always works. I don’t think the trick is in our shhh’ing or technique, but the reassurance of him hearing our voices over that monitor and he knows everything’s okay.

That led me to think the other night after I did that about how much he really needs me. I am needed by a lot of people. By my husband, my parents, my siblings, my friends, my many jobs, but the most important is that I’m needed by my son. That is how special being a mom really is.

He needs …

My comforting touch and caring arms

Momma’s love

Me to do the Umizoomi shake with him every time it’s on

Nutritious breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks prepared by me daily

To see his parents love each other

Mom to rock him, even though he’s not a wee little baby anymore

Me to play with him and help him put puzzles together

For me to teach him about new things and explore what the world has to offer

Discipline from each of his parents

For his tears to be wiped away and boo boo’s to be kissed

A partner for the hot dog dance…who better than mom?!

My attention to be focused on him

For us to teach him about Jesus and take him to church on a regular basis

To hear ‘I love you’ a million times a day…and that’s just what we do!

Today at lunch. It was a dirty hot mess, but he enjoyed it =)

I know there are a lot of other things he needs, those are just a few. But as I write those down, I’m in awe of how much this little, almost 22 month old needs me. I always knew when I had a child I would be needed in a different light, but definitely not in this capacity. He needs me on all different levels…emotional, physical, and spiritual. The one thing that I know I will never fail at giving him is my love. He is most certainly my sunshine on a cloudy day. 

I hope you all had a great weekend! Ours was low-key and I enjoyed every second of it. Trevor decided that we’d all go to the grocery store on Sunday afternoon, instead of me going by myself. We were already out, so no need for me to go back out. I think he got a glimpse of why I go by myself now. He entertained Tanner by vroom vroom’ing in the buggy, going down the aisles fast and even a nice shoulder ride after he almost jumped out of the buggy. What can you do besides laugh? It was pretty funny {and fun for me to watch while I easily shopped}.

I wasn't even lying about the shoulder ride. In the freezer section of Bi-Lo. Nice. 

Enjoy the rest of your Monday! And if you’re a mom (or dad) take a moment to reflect on how much your child(ren) need you. It will make your day 10x better. Until next time…

Magan

Reflection...

One more year till 30 hits…wow! 29 years ago today my wonderful mom gave birth to me {thanks momma}! As I reflect on the past 29 years, there are many happy, emotional, sad, thankful and blessed moments that I’ve experienced in my life. I just want to take a moment to remember some of those sweet moments…

-         Giving my life to Jesus…I am a sinner saved by grace.

-         Walking down the isle in my hometown church 7 years ago and saying ‘I do’ to the man of my dreams.

-         Giving birth to my precious baby boy almost 2 years ago. This memory tops the charts. Being a mom is the most amazing gift I’ve ever received.

-         Saying goodbye to my daddy after a long battle with cancer. One of the hardest times of my life, but it made an almost 16 year old way stronger than she could have ever imagined. If you still have your dad, hug him tight.

-         Buying our first house as a married couple and purchasing our second beautiful home this past September.

-         Graduating from college…most proud, stressful, encouraging and hardest time of my life.

-         Working at a company with the best co-workers ever for 8 great years. I made the best friends there and am thankful for the many things I learned while I had an official day job.

-         Thankful that my job now is taking care of Tanner. Never in a million years did I think I’d be so blessed to stay at home with him. Trusting God and praying…it works people!

-         Having my mom as my best friend…she’s one in a million.

-         Family – I have some of the most amazing family members. I’m blessed in this department.

-         Summers going to the lake with my Mama and Papa when I was younger. My bffeih, Elizabeth, would come with us and we would spend all summer together. Kinda wish I was young again and could do it all over again.

-         Taking home our sweet fur baby 6 years ago. I never knew the love a dog could bring to your life until we rescued Maggie. She was quickly taken from us 8 months ago and I still miss and think about her every day. Losing her was one of the hardest things I’ve ever been through. I truly believe I’ll see her again one day though and that will be such a sweet day.

-         The birth of my baby brother 15 years ago. He makes me smile.

-         Friends – it’s not about quantity, but quality. I have some pretty amazing people that I call friends in my life. So thankful.

-         Getting to enjoy my favorite hobby ~ embroidering!

-         Receiving a call a little over a year ago that my Papa had passed away unexpectedly. One of the saddest days of my life. He told me all of the time that he was ready to go whenever the good Lord called him home. What an inspiration and blessing he was in my life.

-         Holidays spent with my family and friends. I have the best childhood memories with my mom, dad and brother at Christmas time and Easter. Memories that I’ll treasure forever.

-         Many countless fights I’ve had with my older brother growing up. After many years, I’ve finally realized he’s one amazing man and daddy to his girls. I am proud to call him my brother.

-         Moving to Georgia when I was in the 3^rd grade. I was scared to death to make new friends and move to a different state. Thankful that I still call a lot of those GA peeps my friends/family.

-         Moving back home to SC my 10^th grade year of high school. That was scarier than moving to GA. I reconnected with a lot of old friends and made new ones. High school is so awkward, but it was a fun ride. Definitely wouldn’t want to go back lol =)

-         Opening Cotton Blossom Boutique with my best friend, Casey. I have so many amazing memories with her and this one tops the list!

-         Yearly vacations with my family…one tradition that I never want to miss.

-         Growing up in church, Sunday lunch at my Mama’s, church camp, revival, Wednesday night services, VBS. Thankful that I grew up learning about the Lord and what it means to be a servant for Him.

Those are just a few of the memories I have over my 29 years of living. While some may be sad and others are happy, they all have meaning in my life and have helped to mold me into the woman I am today. I am in the happiest place ever. I love my family, my friends, my drama free life, my job, my home, and most importantly my God. If you want to see just how blessed you are, write it down and reflect. It’s good for the soul. As 30 approaches in another short year, I say bring it on! I’m ready! Cheers to 29 and counting!

Me & Elizabeth...bring on the boa and glasses! 29th birthday celebration at its finest!

My birthday has been wonderful so far! I received a sweet kiss and 'happy birthday' from my hubby as he was leaving super early for work this morning. Tanner gave me a hug and a nice slap in the face because he was so excited that it was my birthday. My momma called me shortly after I woke up to give me her wishes. I then received a call from Casey and her two sweet angels, who sang happy birthday May May Magan to me. I got to see my in-laws who gave me a sweet gift and wished me happy birthday. And then my amazing little brother called (he's on his way home from a youth retreat) and the whole youth group sang to me. What could be better?! I feel so loved, not by gifts but by calls, texts, Facebook messages and just plain love that others display to me. Thank ya'll so much!!!

I'll update on the amazing weekend I had tomorrow! I'm off to enjoy my birthday by being absolutely lazy until the wild man wakes up from his nap! Hope ya'll have a great Monday! Until next time...

Magan