Evie: 18 Months

18 MONTHS. YEAR AND A HALF.

Time is absolutely FLYING and this Mama is really not ok with it. Of course we have had another MAJOR LIFE CHANGE in the last couple of months, which doesn't help that, but still! The second year goes by so much faster than the first.

Evie brings all kinds of spunk and sass to our family. This girl is majorly dramatic, screams for fun, definitely stands her ground, and is stubborn as a mule. She also loves to sing, dances to music anytime it's on,  and gives the sweetest hugs and kisses (when she wants to). Her vocabulary is absolutely exploding and she understands so much. Y'all, she even POOPED ON THE POTTY the other day!! Granted, that was a total fluke and hasn't happened since, but still. The fact that she grasped the concept already gives me a lot of hope! Also, the girl could live off of Eggo blueberry frozen waffles. Yes, we reference Stranger Things ALL. THE. TIME. My little "Eleven" LOL!

We still have a paci, but she is slowly weaning off of it. There are a few times we have forgotten it at home on "school" days and she has done absolutely fine without it. Gives me lots of hope because after the first of the year, we are starting the process of "bye bye paci."

She has popped all of her I-teeth FINALLY. Poor thing has been teething those for about 3 months and they broke through the other day. Just in time for her molars to start coming in. *sigh*

Here's what has been happening the last 3 months:

*started MDO

* we have played outside and been to the park A LOT

*playdates with our best friends

* Labor Day with RoRo and Melly

*started Bible Study Fellowship

*Mama and Daddy got to go on VACATION for a week and Holt and Evie stayed with my parents

*we painted pumpkins

*Evie went to her first wedding

*Evie got to pet a baby cow at our church small group fellowship

*Evie got her first haircut

*we had our Family Fall Festival at church and Evie was a little pig

*I started working outside the home with Rhea Lana's! Read all about that HERE

Height: 31 inches (20th percentile)
Weight: 22 lbs 4 oz (45th percentile)

Favorites: *her Bubba *her Daddy---my goodness is she a Daddy's girl! *music *jewelry *shoes *anything sparkly *baby dolls *brushing her hair *Moana (still) *basically she is ALL GIRL!

Sleeping: She is still a pretty good sleeper! We had somewhat of a regression with Daylight Savings where she started waking up at 6/6:15 AM, but after a week or so we settled back into our normal routine. She naps one nap a day still for about 1 hour 45 minutes---just about on the dot. She NEVER wakes or cries during the night, so a couple nights when she has we have somewhat freaked out. Thankfully, I think it's just her molars starting to come in. We are getting ready to break the paci though, so pray it goes as smoothly with her as it did Holt!

Feeding: The girl can eat! Still! She eats a waffle and banana (sometimes two of each) for breakfast with milk. We normally have a morning snack and then lunch is PB sandwich with a pouch and another side (string cheese, goldfish, pretzels, etc). After nap we have another snack with milk and then she eats whatever we eat for dinner.

Typical Day:

7/7:30AM  wake up & breakfast
playtime
mid morning snack
11:00AM  lunch
playtime
12:30-2:30 nap
mid afternoon snack
playtime
5:30PM  dinner
playtime/bathtime
7/7:15PM bedtime

Photo Dump:

A New Adventure with Rhea Lana's

Well it's been a couple of months, but I wanted to document our journey of the Lord led us to Rhea Lana's.

If you had asked me this time last year if by the end of 2017 I would be a small business owner, I would've laughed in your face. God certainly has a sense of humor.

Last August, I drove to Conway to shop the Rhea Lana's Fall/Winter event like normal. Afterward, my dad just casually mentioned to me, "Hey I think you could totally do this." "Do what?"
"THIS. Rhea Lana's. You could run one of these." 

Well, that got me thinking. With Daniel being in ministry, we have always known that more than likely I would need to go back to work at some point in the future. I LOVE staying home with my babies and the thought of not doing that makes me physically ill. So this could potentially provide a perfect solution--I could make this work around our schedule. My family would still be priority, but I could run a business that I fully believed in and loved on the side. I did some research, talked it over with Daniel, prayed over it, and met with Rhea Lana a few weeks later. She told me they were not opening any more franchises in Arkansas. Well, there went that.

BUT....

The franchise in Muskogee was possibly interested in selling.

Muskogee?? Oklahoma? I'd have to commute back and forth? I don't know ANYTHING about Muskogee!

But the more we prayed over it and as we continued to get information on this location and franchise, we just felt this inexplicable peace to keep moving forward. Initially, my parents were going to go in on it with us as co-owners. But after they prayed about it, they did not feel at peace. So they backed out, but have continued to support us as we explored this possibility.

To be honest, we kind of dragged our feet a little bit. From the time I initially met with Rhea Lana until we pulled the trigger was about two months. But the Lord in His perfect timing worked everything out. And we just couldn't say no.

So we signed papers on October 28, 2017, and I went to training up in Northwest Arkansas the first week of November. I have hit the ground running ever since!

This company has absolutely blown me away. Their support of one another, willingness to help each other out, their heart for helping other moms and giving back to their communities. It truly is a family and I am SO PROUD to be part of it!

Be sure to keep up with Rhea Lana's of Muskogee and all the fun things we will be doing! You can like our Facebook page HERE and follow us on Instagram HERE!

Thank you for all the love and support y'all have given our family as we make this exciting transition! Continue to pray for wisdom and direction in making decisions as well as grace and patience within our family as everyone adjusts to mom working outside the home.

So excited to join the RL family!