Eric Takes On Clemson

There are no words powerful enough to describe the immense amount of pride I have in my husband. In all that he is and does. He is truly a remarkable man in every aspect of his character. Every little drop of that man is beautiful and everything I ever prayed for and more.

When we met and immediately began life together never to be separated again...Eric explained his current career which he loves dearly. He also explained to me how he was led to this position, and all that he had dreamed and desired to do in life. His passions. Eric ultimately always saw himself taking his current career a notch further by being a chemical engineer. He talked to me about how he had finished school initially with an Associate's degree at Ferris State University in Michigan. He got as cleaned up and professionally dressed as possible, and with resume in hand went to a networking career event. He made a huge impression on Cytec who hired him and gave him his first job in Kalamazoo. Eric has been with this company ever since, now. Though, Cytec is now known as Solvay. Eric works with carbon fiber materials. He is currently in research and innovation. Over the past 5 years, I have watched Eric excel and rise higher in his career as well as mature and truly put forth every ounce of effort he has for the sake of the good of the company, benefiting the company, working efficiently for them, and with a drive of passion. Mr. Modest would tell you he just does his job. But wifey over here tells it like it is. I know how dedicated this man is because I see him more clearly than anybody. I see his drive, determination, goals, and work ethic. I know when his alarm goes off insanely early in the morning. I know when he gets home. I know when he is so busy he takes barely any minute to slow down. All this while still arriving home sweetly with smiles, kisses, hugs, and serving arms. No complaints. No negativity. Just a beautiful and clean perspective and good attitude to strive to give his best for the benefit of both his employers and his family.

At one point in life, before Eric and I had met....I was still in high school....he had been working for a little while now and was still living in Michigan. He took a chance to go back to school then at Western Michigan University. However, due to his selflessness, he allowed the person in his life at the time to put an end to that in order to further herself, instead. Good for her most definitely! But I hate that for Eric. Hearing that broke my heart. Eric is always, always, always, putting others before himself. He never revisited the idea until we met 5 years ago. (He needed me, his blonde little southern belle, to cheer him on!) We would talk about it and I could hear the pang in his voice in deep dreamy desire of the title, "chemical engineer." The desire to achieve his Bachelor's degree. He was 30, then. I told him and told him to go now, go now!! Go while you can! His walls he had built up of everything before himself were slowly coming down. Finally, some years and a wedding later, we decided it was time for us to have a baby. And prepare to sell our house. And GO BACK TO SCHOOL!! So, a year and a half ago, God laid the groundwork beautifully with a clear as day path for Eric. Eric was offered a beautiful opportunity by some superiors in his department to finally have the opportunity to obtain this dream he had always had! They told him they would do whatever was necessary to help him go back, and achieve this dream. God is so good. So, Eric started with some of the lighter courses at Greenville Technical College.

Now, today is the day. Eric FINALLY begins his journey to Clemson University to work towards finishing necessary engineering courses to become a chemical engineer!! He has taken his time and will continue going nice and steady. Maintaining full time work, school, daddy life, husband life, and life in general. He is incredible. Again, all while remaining happy, loving, helpful, involved, and positive with his family! It may be a few more years still until that finish line has been crossed. But Ellie and I will be here by his side every single day to cheer him on. To feed him. To help him. To take all the loads off his shoulders we can! I have the greatest respect for Eric Duane Gladden. He is the most deserving of this opportunity to conquer his dreams. He is so in love with science and math and chemistry. Logic and function. He has quite the brain. God has really created a beautiful person in Eric and I am so thankful he is mine!! I am very blessed to be his wife and Ellie is blessed he is her daddy!!

We love you, Eric! Our Tiger!!

The Three E's First 5K

I thought it was pretty "romantical" when Eric emailed me from work with an attachment to the Greenville Zoo's annual 5k, "Zoom Through the Zoo." His memo saying, "Maybe it would be fun to run this together as a family?" Melt my heart! Yes, PLEASE!! This and food are a love language to me.

I had ran this race a couple years ago. Eric is a runner, too, for those who were not aware. He has been caught up in work, school, and dad life lately and has not ran with me since just before I got pregnant. But he loves it, too. He ran in high school along with wrestling and football. We are an athletic little family! If you are one of the fortunate souls who knows Ellie well and gets to play with her often, then you know that she is never slowing down. Always active. She even eats her meals while playing. She cannot stand to be still more than a few moments in the high chair. She crawls, climbs, walks with her toys, scales walls until she basically passes out with exhaustion. So, this family loves physical activity. Of course we would run together. I have been just waiting for this day to come! We can't do it together as often as I can run races alone due to our schedule, however, it sure was a treat to finally get started. I cannot wait for more 3E races!

I wasted no time registering our family for the race. I gave us a team name which of course was the one given to us by friends..."The Three E's." I then wasted not another moment in searching for Ellie the PERFECT race attire. Home girl needed a bib number. So. Etsy. Of course.

Race day came, and we headed out early to run with the monkeys! My intentions/goals for this race were to NOT focus on time, yet, to simply run comfortably with the stroller, pushing Ellie, with Eric alongside me. We started at the back as this is proper when not worried about your time and carting a stroller.

Yet, we were still quite fast considering the extra weight and mass of that stroller and our third teammate, Miss Ellie. One of my strong suits in running is actually dominating the hills. I HATE hills SO much that I actually beast them. I want to get past them so badly, that I just do it. I just push push push so I can get it behind me. Well, yankee boy is still not properly acclimated muscularly to the Greenville hills. So, I did not realize until long gone, that at the first big hill, Ellie and I had left Eric in the dust. If I stopped though, momentum and determination would be hard to rebuild as well as I would have to fight through the same crowd I had just worked hard to get away from (strollers and running crowds are rough....I will never start at the very back with the stroller again. We will start in the middle.) I knew he would want us to keep pushing forward. So that we did. It was still super cool. Because we finished ahead of Eric, Eric was able to experience what I experience every race...his family cheering him on to the end!! I hope he felt as empowered as I always do at the end! They always make me cry!

After the race, we cooled off on the playground munching bananas, chugging water, and pushing Ellie in the swing. We changed clothes in the car because swampy sweaty running shorts and undies...let's just be real here folks, is NA-STAY! And we had other places to go. Like artisphere! So we got cleaned up and freshened up and went and bought two beautiful pieces of art we have had our eyes on since last year.

That evening, Eric and I left Ellie in the care of Mimi and G-Daddy, showered up, and went to grab a to go pizza from Sidewall in TR and listened to the tunes at "Party in the Park." Eric picked me up and threw me over his shoulder in front of everyone and carried me to the dance floor to slow dance with me. I got so shy, my foot popped, and I buried my head in his shoulder. His "romanticalness" makes me shy. (Hence why I couldn't stop twirling at the altar on our wedding day!) It was a truly wonderful family day!!

I cannot wait for more race days as a family tribe! I am thankful that whether we race together or my babies cheer me on, we do it together! It feels incredibly bonding to run together as one family, though. That was my favorite! I truly am a blessed little lady!

My First Mother's Day (with Ellie outside my belly)

I had so many excited feelings and thoughts as Mother's Day weekend carried about. I wondered what my special day would be like!? It felt like a birthday was coming only better!!

Sunday morning came and Eric and I woke around 7:45 as usual with our alarm clock...Blondie. (Ellie sleeps most mornings until 8 ish). Blondie had left her bed on the floor and joined us for warm snuggles and kissies.

Soon, I heard Ellie, shortly after donning my robe. I told Eric to grab her bottle because I simply could not wait another minute to run into the nursery and start kissing her face and playing with her! Then Eric fed Ellie while I got ready for church.

As I was mostly finished dressing, I came downstairs to join my family for breakfast. Waiting for me on the dining table were precious cards from my little family and a beautiful canvas print from Eric and Ellie. Ellie loved reading my cards with me...especially the card from Blondie and Cajun. We will be purchasing Ellie cards that sing or move from now on. The giggles and smiles are just too good. After gifts, Ellie napped.

Church was wonderful. The service was very powerful. Praying for our children. I have been praying for Ellie since before she was conceived. Specific, deep, and meaningful prayers for that little Flicker. The message really encouraged my prayer life over my daughter, husband, and the 3 of us as a family. Our church even set up a photo prop station for us Mommies!

After church, it was my clear understanding that we were going to my Mama and Daddy's for lunch. I had packed Ellie a lunch bag of healthy things, and her sound maker to nap at Mimi and G-Daddy's. A few minutes on the road, and I got into a tither because I realized Eric was not en route for my parent's! I said, "You missed the turn!" to which he explained that he was simply driving where Ellie had instructed him to go for lunch. I said, "And where would that be?" Eric told me, "I don't know, this is all Ellie's idea! I just am going to the address I was given!" So I sat back and watched our drive curiously. We passed many roads I would have thought possible. The next thing I know- we are nowhere remotely near my usual spots. We ended up at a brand new restaurant in the Verdae neighborhood...Stella's Southern Brasserie. Son. That mess was good. The service was incredible. The cuisine divine. We got sangria. I started with a greek yogurt with nuts, raisins and granola. My main dish was this incredible and truly indescribable unique French Toast. It is honestly like no other I've had before. Until Mother's Day, my favorite French Toast resided in IOP at The Sea Biscuit Cafe. This french toast had a pumpkin spice flair. And still that doesn't do it justice. For dessert I had creme brulee. Yum!!! Ellie enjoyed a grilled cheese and fruit.

After lunch, Ellie passed out in the car and Eric and I drove around looking at all the new residential construction...intrigued by some of the architecture. We love talking about lifestyles different from ours and imagining these people's lives. Hint...multi-millionaires. I could not be given a mansion for free and want to live in it. Not for me. Too many stairs and too much to clean. But that does not mean they do not fascinate me and capture my attention! So beautiful! Then, we went to see my mama and get some pictures and let Ellie play with Mimi. Of course, Mimi fed Eric and Ellie again, just like a good southern Mama does! hahaha!

We went home, and I just enjoyed the rest of my evening preparing Ellie for bed as usual, cooking dinner for Monday and Tuesday and preparing my family for the week ahead. I love serving my family. It is exhausting but the best job in the world. Eric told me to sit down and rest but I assured him it was my joy to do this. And, I am blessed to have a husband who helps lighten my load as much as possible on a daily basis. He didn't have obligations to be different for me on this one special day. He treated me as special and treasure like as he does truly truly every single day. That is why I never mind the hard days. The days that are crazy as a wife, mom, homemaker,chef, maid, teacher, planner, etc....are made all worth any tiny trial by the daily love and appreciation I am shown. I am so glad that my family makes every day feel like "Mother's Day." I hope I display the same gratitude to Eric on a daily basis and not just one or two days a year! He certainly deserves to feel and know he is so special every single day, no matter how busy we are. And trust me, we are incredibly busy these days!

I am so very deeply blessed to a point of tears when I realize the miracle it is that I get to partake in this day. I am truly humbled. honored. stunned. gracious. To the greatest power I feel these things. Thank You, God. Thank You with every fiber of my being for Your gracious love and blessings You have bestowed upon an undeserving foolish sinner, like me. I love You Lord, and I love my family!

Mother's Day Feels

My First Real Mother's Day is coming up! That feels so special! I am so thankful that I get the honor of being able to partake in this day as a Mommy! Ellie Clardy Gladden's mommy! I was not sure I would ever see this day for myself. And now that it is upon us, I have all the feels.

I have always LOVED the Proverbs 31 woman that God breathed in His Holy Word. That woman is a fierce, strong, and powerful, selfless woman. Here are some of my favorite excerpts of that chapter.

She brings him good, not harm,
    all the days of her life.
 She selects wool and flax
    and works with eager hands.
 She is like the merchant ships,
    bringing her food from afar.
 She gets up while it is still night;
    she provides food for her family
    and portions for her female servants.
 She considers a field and buys it;
    out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

She sets about her work vigorously;
    her arms are strong for her tasks.

Her children arise and call her blessed;

    her husband also, and he praises her:

29 

“Many women do noble things,

    but you surpass them all.”

The entire chapter is amazing. It reminds us women, daughters of God, that we are special creatures. It reminds us that we have a major role in His world and in the lives of many, starting with our families, first. I am a stay at home mom. All moms are incredible, whether you work, or stay home. So long as you are where God has called you to be and you serve Him, your spouse, and your children before yourself, then you are truly incredible. It takes so much to put so many other's needs above our own. In order to be a wonderful mother (not perfect, yet still wonderful), you have to consider all the needs of your family. 

My life has changed incredibly so. If I am being fully transparent...I remember not so long ago when I told everyone and even Eric (because we were not having children... #lifechanges) that I was too selfish to be a mom. I wanted to be able to take a luxury vacation every year, buy all the Anthropologie dresses my heart desired, eat all the lobster and filets, get up and go wherever and whenever I wanted, have no big responsibilities other than to explore and live life to the fullest.

What I could not comprehend at so young, was that living life to the fullest meant being a mommy! But I had to grow up. God had to mature my heart, my desires, and my mind. He had always planned Miss Ellie. God just had to set my eyes on a new desire for the most incredible adventure, role, and life I could ever dare to imagine!

And having Ellie didn't mean that my life ended. In fact, she has enriched my life far more deeply than any words could ever describe to make anybody feel my passion and love for this little girl and my new title as Mommy. I would never ever want a life without her! She gives me so much life and purpose and joy and adventure!!

My arms are most definitely stronger, too...God wasn't lying! And people have noticed! Too hilarious! "What is your workout?" ....."Ellie." 

What I love about this scripture of this Godly woman...the example for all of us...is her determined spirit to do the best she can for her family. Beginning with serving and loving her husband. She honors him and it is visible to all who see. He is respected and honored for his nature but also because he has such a woman as this supporting him, helping him, and following him. Because of her character- he is a better and stronger man. He is a trustworthy man. This role as wives is important for a strong marriage. And that is important for the children to see, as well. As a mother of a little girl, I want Ellie to see what strength (and not weakness as some feminists believe) it is to be an equal partner in marriage as a helpmate, and one who ties the family together by providing on her end with good healthy meals, a well ran home, a husband who is cared for well so that he can successfully provide, and babies who know they are loved, well educated, disciplined, adventurous, and happy. It takes a lot of energy, preparedness, non laziness, anticipation, carefulness, thoughtfulness, selflessness, love, dedication, ambition, strength, peace, and joy to carry out the tasks of being a good wife and mother. 

I truly believe the husband is the head of the house, but the woman is who binds it all together. She is the backbone. The neck. She holds a lot and is in charge of a lot. I have learned this. I laugh and mock my childless self of how I could be so judgmental of other parents. I laugh at all the things I said I would never do, be, or say. Being a mommy (especially a new one) is a daunting and experimental task. And my brain never turns off even when that cute little one is in bed. My wheels are turning until I fall asleep. Planning, preparing, setting up for the next day. I am thankful for God's guidance for us with the description of a Godly wife and mother in Proverbs 31. I am nowhere near that woman but she is something to strive for daily. For the sake of my family!

Becoming a mommy has opened my eyes to an entirely new world. A beautiful, wild, crazy, challenging, amazing, and fantastical world full of more love and joy than I could have ever known. 

I knew I loved Ellie when she was just a faint, barely visible pink line on a stick. I knew I loved her when I first felt her kick my tummy. I knew I loved her when I first heard her cry. (Still one of my favorite moments in the past 9 months.) I knew I loved her when I first held, snuggled, nursed, kissed, smelled, and calmed her. That love intensifies every. single. day. How can I love somebody that I love more than anything more and more every passing day? Even when we have a tough day and I want to pull my hair out and pack a bag and go drive through the mountains with the windows down so I can breathe and think clearly without having yogurt sneezed all over my face and hair, having my hair pulled out of my head, getting Ellie poop all over my arms when she flips and runs away in the middle of a diaper change. (She is a ninja, I swear.) I only need to look at her little face and all is right in the world. I would never want a life where I wasn't covered in yogurt, body fluids, and a few less hairs on my head. Because that life wouldn't be worth nearly what it is today. (That life also only lasts a small season.) Ellie enriches life indeed. She makes me better. She makes me stronger. She makes me happier. She makes me meaningful. 

Think about it mamas. YOU are a mommy! Somebody's little mama. Somebody's entire world and need. You are the person that your baby, child, teenager, adult will come to when wanting to share stories, have a boo boo kissed, show off a good grade, a new talent, a new friend. You are the person that child will seek advice of, lean on, cry on, trust, (even when they do not heed that advice), they learn from you. They will probably be hardest on you and treat you the worst, sometimes. They will also love you the most and need you the most. You are an irreplaceable asset with an immeasurable amount of value. You raise your baby to take on a whole world. You raise your baby to be somebody to and for others. You raise your baby with values, purpose, and personality. You are the one who may not feel glamorous at all anymore. You feel overlooked for all you do, and exhausted, beaten down some days, and time flies by before you because you are constantly rushing around for your family, putting yourself last. And that is the most beautiful thing about you. IT is what makes you shine and glow. That baby. That little one and who they become is your legacy and your greatest thing. You are responsible for who they are when they grow up. And it is only a few short years we are given. 

I LOVE being a mommy. It is my most favorite thing I have ever done with my life! I have bucket list upon bucket list of trillions of activities, places, experiences, things I want to do for Ellie. I live for her joy and smile! I want to be present for every single sports game, choir performance, musical concert, science fair, chess tournament, gymnastics meet, dance recital, debate, spelling bee, swim meet, and horseback performance. No matter what she ends up doing, I want to be at every single one of them and cheer her on with T-shirts and pom poms! I want her to know she is loved to the point I smother her with "I love yous" and hugs. I want to give her the world, even if it means sacrificing mine- because she IS my world! (After God and Eric as always, of course!)

So, this season of Mother's Day weekend.....I feel the happiest, best, and most sappy and sentimental I have ever felt in my life! And for my final thought note-let it be known- you do not have to  be a biological mommy to be a mommy. If you are a woman who has taken that role for someone in any way- it all holds the same truth and value. Stepping up to the plate to better the life of a child is the most selfless act. 

Happy Mother's Day, loved ones! I hope you feel loved and special every day!

  

YANNI

I have listened to Yanni all of my life. My mom had all of his CD's and would play them throughout the home and in the car and in her classroom. I grew to listen to him through all seasons of life and have always loved his beautiful and unique compositions. I listened to him while pregnant so that Ellie could hear, too. Now, he is what we listen to (if not Jesus music or motown) when we cook, eat, and play together, softly in the background. It is special for me to share this artist I grew up listening to now, with Ellie.

So, when Eric surprised me with tickets to see the YANNI as he performed a celebratory tour of 25 years ago having performed Live at the Acropolis, I was utterly ecstatic! How awesome to be able to see the music brought to life in color and movement right before my eyes!

We started our evening at Smoke on the Water. We sipped some wine and watched all the beautiful prom kids, talked about Ellie, and life, and devoured fried green tomatoes, loaded potato cakes, mac n cheese, steak, and crab cakes. Mmm Mmm Good! Then we scurried off to the main event!

You can imagine I was the only person under 30 at the Bon Secours Wellness Arena with the exception of little children who were brought by their parents. Walking from the car to the arena, I was literally skipping and hopping in my gold Lilly Pulitzer strappy wedge heels. I was so excited! The older crowd got a kick out of me and my pep, but y'all...YANNI!!!!

This was by no means Eric's cup of tea but he made sure that my cup was overflowing with joy, happiness, excitement, and a good time!! He smiled, and he had a great attitude and he actually enjoyed the drummer solo! He is seriously the most amazing human being and husband ever!

Yanni was incredible, y'all!! He played all of his beautiful compositions from that particular concert 25 years ago. He set the stage for us to bring us back to that concert 25 years ago. He touched our souls with his words and compassion for humanity. He spotlighted his orchestra beautifully. It was very apparent his musicians love him and love being part of his musical family. He has a very kind and humble manner. Everyone was laid back and just having fun. Like a big jam session with many close friends.

The violinists were my favorite. I love me some violin. Such a cool instrument. The drum solo, again, was incredible and also a minor comedy act as well as the talented drummer displayed his bright and funny character with some goofy tricks and stunts as he performed his skills. Eric was cracking up and leaning in to watch!

Yanni performed all of my favorites: One Man's Dream, Until The Last Moment, Felista, The Rain Must Fall, Nightingale, The End of August. But really everything he does is beautiful and brings so much culture from different parts of the world to blend with one another.

It was a beautiful evening and an incredible experience! Thank you so much, Eric for this lovely opportunity and special date night!!

Grace in the Race

Last night I ran in the Swamp Rabbit 5k. From the very beginning of the day I had all this anxiety eating me up about the race. I was anxious for the evening to come so it would be race time. I knew I really needed to stay hydrated all day long and eat well to keep up energy all day. I'm so used to running first thing in the morning whether racing or just at home. On the way to the race which was in Traveler's Rest, I was eaten up with nerves and I have no clue why other than maybe I was putting too much pressure on myself to compete with myself? Ellie was in the backseat having a cow. She was ready for bed and hungry so I rode to TR backwards feeding her a bottle. Did not help the nausea I was having. The traffic had me on edge of just so many cars, and so many people and nobody paying any attention, stop and go, stop and go. (If you actually know me...you know I get really anxious over nothing pretty easily- especially when I am already anxious with my own self about a race.) I just sat there silently waiting to get parked.

We park and we go to the race site and it is so crowded. If you have ever been to TR you know the main area is an adorably cute, quaint, and small, mostly easy going little place. There were over 5,000 runners and their families there. I don't know exactly why I was so "off" yesterday. It was likely my anxiety taking a hard hit on me yesterday ( I managed it well, but it doesn't change the effects I feel on my body)....but before the race even got started, I was too hot and I could not get a good deep breath. I was having to make myself yawn to breathe deeply. I had the frame of mind that I was not going to do well because I did not feel well. I was exhausted, hot, and unable to breathe deeply. I couldn't relax and just have fun, which is normally how I feel.

Waiting in my que for the race to begin, I looked ahead of me...way, way, way, up ahead to the sideline and saw my adorable husband holding our beautiful daughter. He was smiling. I don't know for sure if he saw me or not but he was smiling, and waving, and getting Ellie interested and involved, helping her to be proud of her mommy. I started welling up with happy and thankful tears. Y'all I was always sappy and sentimental but, now that I am a mommy, the feels are at an ultimate high. I thanked God right there that my family loves me so much and that they support me. Eric knew my nerves were as high as could be and he knew I was not feeling my best. He knew I was doubting myself. And he told me before I left him to enter the que, that I simply needed to have fun and just enjoy this one. Just relax and enjoy the run and not to worry about my time tonight. I held those words at the front of my mind and boy, did I need them.

The race began and to keep it kind and mild, the entire 1st mile was a doozy and a waste of energy dodging participants who did not understand race etiquette. I got all in an angry huff  internally all in my mind (sorry. I'm not perfect. I have flaws and sometimes my attitude is one of them.) And that angry huff in my mind did not help my poor breathing. I burst forth ahead of this crowd but did so far too hard and I burst my "mid-race" energy all in the first mile. If you are a runner you will understand. It is frustrating when you can't break free to get going at your pace until you get past the crowd who doesn't care about their times and are apparently unaware of how to properly line up. So the first 2 miles were the hardest simply because I had expelled so much energy just trying to even get to a forward moving momentum instead of bouncing side to side to get free.

The rest was me having a hard time with me. I could not breathe well, still. Normally I thrive on hills and leave people behind as a hill approaches. I had to walk 3 times. I never walk during 5k races. I had to walk simply to take care of my body. I had to remember Eric's words and channel in a sweet and Christ like attitude over my own selfish ugly attitude. I was so frustrated and mad at myself. I am a weak human body who needs the grace, strength, power, and love of Jesus every single day. Sometimes, we won't be successful and we have to praise God for that. I am thankful God made me walk in order to take care of my body. I don't like it from a competitive view, but I still know it was the best thing to do. I had to walk in order to get air back in my lungs. I think the heat, stale air, and my anxiety had just ruined easy breezy breathing for me that evening. As soon as I could get my lungs comfortably filled back up I would run again. But, my legs were still sore from a big hill filled stroller run I had done with Ellie on Monday. Nothing about my body wanted to run last night. Not even my mind. I wanted to lay down on the road and take a nap. I actually almost stopped a few times to text Eric to just come get me. I'm done. I'm over it. I do not feel good. I can't breathe and I am worn out and my legs are not recovered enough for this race. I saw a medic truck and considered letting them take me back. Y'ALL!!! I run 5ks for breakfast. I have been running them forever!! What was happening?! I decided to just run it slow and steady and finish. If I needed a walk, so be it. Do what is best for keeping my body safe. I finished the race at 27:08. About 2 minutes slower than my best time of 25:16. I was thankful to be under 30 but disappointed in myself for that time. But, again God had grace and love for me in this time. On the sideline, cheering me to finish, was my beautiful little family again!! All smiles and pep! Eric had found Ellie a pretty pink pom-pom to wave for me and it pushed me to finish strong. I felt so loved and while I was not very proud of my performance or my body, I was proud to be the woman of this amazing little family. A family who makes me feel incredible when I feel my worst.

Ellie and I shared a banana together and then we came home and bathed Ellie up and put her to bed. Eric and I unwound together outside talking and laughing and being goofy. So while I felt my worst, did not do my best even though I gave the best I had to give, God showed me so much love and grace in reminding me that it is ok to not always "be perfect." It is ok to "fail." It is most important to take care of my body and follow the instructions and signals it is sending me, and to not beat myself up over my struggles and failures. And it is the best thing ever that no matter if you win or lose, you have love in your life to make it all count and to make it all "perfect", again.

Our next race will be a family 5k together! (Definitely not worried about time on this one! We will start at the back with the stroller!) I'm so excited!! Ellie also has her own special race attire.....

Thank y'all for loving me through my crazy little spit fire self! Until next time, loved ones!!

Guilt Free Paleo Strawberry Crumble

Y'all. After picking strawberries with Ellie, the first thing I wanted was a pie....but a healthy one filled with trustworthy, non overly sugary ingredients. So who do I ask for help but my darling friend, Laurel Hardy. And of course she came through for me, instantly! I am a healthy eater but this girl is far more educated on good healthy food!

So, here it is. Thank you Laurel, darling!!

Prep Time: 15 min
Cook Time: 30 min

INGREDIENTS: FILLING

* 4 cups fresh ripe strawberries halved
* 2 Tbsps of Tapioca Flour
* 1 Tbsp Lemon Juice
* 2 Tbsps Maple Syrup

CRUMBLE TOPPING:

* 1 cup Almond Flour
* 1/2 tsp kosher salt
* 3 Tbsp coconut oil
* 3 Tbsp Maple Syrup

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F

2. In a mixing bowl, toss together the strawberries, tapioca flour, vanilla extract, lemon juice, and maple syrup. Put in an 8x8 pan.

3. Mix crumble ingredients in a mixing bowl, evenly spread it over the strawberries and bake for 30 mins until strawberries are juicy and bubbly, and the topping is golden brown.

4. Let stand 10 mins before serving.

Blondie was ready for a taste test!

Happy Strawberry Picking, loved ones!

Ellie: 9 Months

Ellie is *APPROXIMATELY* (based on my rough measurements, will update tomorrow after her 9 mos check up) 29 inches tall and weighs 19 lbs.

She is officially a green hazel eyed blonde.

She wears 18 mos clothing comfortably, now. Most 12 months are too tight and short.

She loves fluffy sparkly dresses, bows, mommy's jewelry, and trucks.

Something new was she learned to clap her hands at the beginning of the past month and give a high five- thanks to her Daddy who taught her! Eric is am amazing daddy! He reminds me of my daddy with all the sweetness, excitement and thrill, and doing anything and everything to make his baby girl happy and to make her laugh! I love watching them play together! She has learned "all done" in sign language and does implement it to tell me she is finished with food...unless she is just completely over it- then she slaps her tray and throws her food on the ground.

We continue working on walking and stable standing without holding anything. She can stand alone but when she does it is like it freaks her out and she plops herself down as if to save herself from falling...ironic. Ha!

Ellie loves to kiss us- including Blondie, to be tickled, and to tickle other people's feet, be chased, wave hello, squeal very loudly with joy, eat, play outside, play peek-a-boo, and walk with her walker.

Ellie does not like the vacuum cleaner. I get a very good work out holding her in one arm and pushing that thing around. She looks at it like it is the most mean and suspicious thing. It does have a really loud roar and squeaky wheel. She holds onto me with a death grip.

She says, "Hey, Dada, Mama," "Blondie" - which sounds like "blah" or "blon", "Cajun", which is pronounced by her as "Cay-cay, Cay, Cay-zhun".

She is obsessed with other people's dogs. She is a dog lover to the extreme. Just like Mommy and Daddy. Every morning, she looks for Blondie and Cajun, cranimg her neck and whipping her head around to find them. When she does, she smiles so big and says, "Hey!"

Ellie started this month off with flashing me a TWO toothed pearly smile. How incredibly exciting to see her growing and to see these little teeth that are part of her smile!! Beautiful!! I am definitely the mom who will be bargaining with the tooth fairy to keep her baby teeth. I know....its a little weird. But I am so in love with her. Baby teeth and all.

Ellie celebrated her very first Easter this month. On April 1, as a matter of fact. The same day she turned 8 months, and April Fools, of course. Big day. To celebrate her first Easter, Ellie, Eric and I introduced Ellie to the traditions Eric and I have shared in all of our past Easters together. Therefore, once Ellie woke up, she came downstairs to hunt for all the Easter eggs the bunny left. Ellie had sparkly/glittery Easter eggs. Then, amidst the egg hunt, she had to also find the Easter basket the Bunny filled and hid. She found it hiding with another egg behind the couch. She looked through her basket to discover the Bunny had brought her bubbles, a stuffed bunny, some books, race cars, and a princess dress up kit. Then, we went to church together as usual and we were joined by Mimi and G-Daddy. After service, The three E's went to Mimi and G-Daddy's for lunch.

We continued our hiking this month and made some new friends I feel like we have known for years. Ellie and I performed a Hike It Baby 30 challenge and saw so many beautiful waterfalls, friends, and views. I LOVE where we live! We finished the challenge together accumulating 62.82 miles total.

Ellie got to have some good cousin time which as always is very important to me. She had many play dates with them. She had play dates with Sam, and Grant and Miles. She also made some new friends, hiking! She learned how to kiss from Sam, who gave her a sweet kiss one day. Now she kisses Mommy ALL the time and I just love it!!! She also discovered she could kiss her other baby friends. Is there anything cuter than a baby kiss?! She holds you, then slowly leans in, mouth wide open, little tongue somewhat stuck out, then she lays that wet little mouth on you and holds it there for a second. The sweetest!!! She kisses her baby dolls and puppies now, too.

We took Ellie to the Greer International Festival that Eric and I have attended since its very first year. We love it. It was the best ever this year because we got to share it with Ellie. She got to attend a petting zoo, make a mask, and dressed as if she were from South Korea (and so did I!)

Ellie went to pick strawberries for the very first time with me. We wanted Daddy to be able to join us but with our weekends booked at least until June, there was no other time apart from during the middle of the week. Ellie loved the experience. She picked a strawberry from the patch and ate it entirely and nibbled another. Now, every morning, Ellie goes to the open refrigerator (as I am working from it myself) and grabs herself a strawberry and plops down to eat it. (The bucket is at the very bottom.)

We also went hiking with our good friends, the Hardy family. Ellie and Sam held hands, played in the dirt, and watched the creeks and waterfalls together during a 7.67 mile hike at Jones Gap Falls and Rainbow Falls. Time with them is always so so so much fun!

We ended her 8th month to bring on 9 months with attending the Peter Rabbit Festival at the South Carolina Botanical Gardens. It was positively incredible! We arrived a little late and there was so much to do and only 2 total hours but it was soooo perfect! We met Peter Rabbit himself, saw Beatrix Potter herself, saw Mr. McGregor's garden, petted several fluffy rabbits, saw many wild animals and farm animals, and got to experience the feel of many animal skins, and paws, wear rabbit ears, and attend an interactive nursery rhyme musical performance where she played with drums, scarves, bells, egg shakers, and a tamborine. She got to keep two egg shakers, too! She loved it!!! Now to purchase her more little musical instruments to have at home and explore with! There were many more activities they hosted at the event but we had to pick and choose with the limited time we had. There was a scavenger hunt, and story time with a farmer, and games! A totally free event. So thankful for the people that put these on so our baby can learn, explore, and play!

I can't wait to see what her 9th month of life brings! We love you, Baby Ellie!!