Anniversary Weekend

Our 10th anniversary weekend celebration was this past weekend and it turned out to be one of our most memorable ever. It actually turned out to be one of our favorites! Which is really funny once you hear the whole story. Haha. It wasn't elaborate at all. We didn't travel very far. It wasn't a big romantic get-away. But it was special, crazy, unique, and so much fun! I'm so grateful for our time away together to reconnect and celebrate. I loved almost every single minute of it. =)

We started our weekend Friday around lunch time when Terrell got off early and we dropped off all 3 boys with my parents. We had planned for the big boys to spend the whole weekend with Granna and Papa (as is our tradition) and decided earlier in the week to let Layton spend the night with them Friday night so we could actually go to a hotel for the night. As far as Layton staying Saturday night, we'd just planned to play it by ear. 

It felt so good to feel so relaxed about dropping off my babies. It's always been a struggle for me to leave them overnight or for a weekend but this time felt so much easier. Thank you Lord! After getting our babies settled and ready for their special summer weekend with Granna and Papa, Terrell and I got ready for our mini get-away and fun weekend. 

Anniversary weekend underway!

We started our afternoon with shopping. We are hoping to close on our new house later this month and really wanted to make some upgrades with our furniture and decor. Almost everything we have is 10 years old because it's things we got when we got married and bought for our first house... so lots of our furniture has seen better days. Haha. Plus after having the same general "look" for 10 years you're just ready for a change. Plus, in this house we'll finally have an eat-in kitchen and we needed a kitchen table and 3 bar stools for our 3 little men. =)

So Friday afternoon was filled with browsing and brainstorming. It was so fun! We talked and planned and discussed rooms and measurements and drove around all over the place in search of different stores. Terrell was the calculator and I was the decorator. He steered me away from things and I steered him toward things. =) We had such a good time!

We checked into our hotel early Friday evening and quickly got ready for our dinner reservations. We went to one of our favorite upscale restaurants that we haven't been to in years and had the best meal. Oh my cheese grits!!! Sooo good. Everything about our day and our meal and our time together had just been wonderful. The start to our weekend had pretty much been perfect.

Then, when we got back to our hotel room around 9:30 Friday night, the craziest thing that has ever happened to us, happened to us. So. Bizarre.

When we got to our room we couldn't get in. We tried several times and the key card was giving us the green light but the door wouldn't open. So we went and told the front desk and she gave us another key... and that one didn't work. So then she came with us to try with her own special key. That didn't work either. Then she said in the sweetest most apologetic voice ever, I'm just going to be honest. This has never happened before.  

Oh no.

She called the maintenance manager who arrived within about 30 minutes and we sat in the lobby waiting to be let into our room. We sat and we waited and we sat and we waited. Around 11:00 or so they offered us another room (for free obviously, plus cut our reservation cost in half) because they hadn't had any success getting into our room.  They also called a lock smith around that time too. And by that point we were both feeling nervous. Tired and nervous. All we had were the clothes on our backs. No toiletries, no cell phone chargers, no contact solution for Terrell, no pjs, no toothbrush, nothing. We weren't panicking but we were definitely antsy. They had to be able to get in the room eventually right?

So I fell asleep in my dress and Terrell watched TV and was in and out of the room checking on the status of our regular room and hanging out with whoever was working on the door to our room. At 2:30 AM, he gave up and apparently so did the lock smith. He left the maintenance manager to go get a tool out of his truck and never returned. Classy.

Around 7:30 Saturday morning we called to check on our room and unfortunately everyone was stumped. There was talk of breaking into the window. There was talk of cutting the window glass. There was talk of another lock smith. Talk of cutting into the door. It was craaaaazy.

They were having a hard time getting in touch with someone on a Saturday morning so we had no idea when we'd be able to get into the room and no idea what to do. About anything. I mean, I slept in my dress! I woke up throughout the night hearing Terrell and expecting we'd be going to our regular room with our bags anytime. I had no brush, no make-up, no deodorant, and no cell phone since mine was dead. I was feeling just about as pleasant and well rested as you can imagine.

After having a mini "moment" and shedding a few tears over I just want to take a shower! I just want to brush my teeth! I just want to change out of these clothes! I just want my phone to work so we can have contact with the outside world! I got myself together.

We got all the toiletries possible from the hotel and were able to freshen up the best we could. Which for Terrell meant a shower. I couldn't take a shower because of not having a brush or make-up or anything. It just wasn't an option. I just had to try to make myself presentable and get over it. We ventured out in a sleepy, we're wearing the same clothes as last night state, and continued with our plans while also waiting, hoping, and praying they'd be able to get in our room SOON.

We bought a charger for Terrell's phone at a gas station and kept right on trekking. The hotel knew to call us as soon as they could get in our room. And all the while we were starting to question if they'd EVER get in the room. It was starting to feel like the President's room or something. Gracious.

We kept shopping and kept in touch with the hotel. We wanted to make sure we were top priority and we wanted updates. Our whole day had been interrupted and thrown off after all. So after making a couple of stops we made the decision to go out to lunch and then head back to the hotel in the hopes they'd be in our room or almost in our room. We laughed and shook our heads and made the best of crazy situation we found ourselves in. It really was like an adventure and I'm so glad we made the best of it instead of sulking all day.

Right after lunch, around 12:30 or so, the hotel called with great news! Our bags had been freed from the room! No longer hostage! No longer trapped! No longer inaccessible! Woooooohoooooo!!! I was so thankful for a shower and a change of clothes!! It really is the little things.

We gladly checked out of the hotel (They were all great by the way. It was just a really bizarre thing that was nobody's fault) with 3 free nights at the location of our choice whenever we want. A nice consolation I thought. =) Then we continued on with our day and had so much fun... and so much success! We filled the suburban to the max!

Yay for a huge sale and coupons at Kirklands!!

Saturday night we made the decision to leave Layton with my parents again since we were way behind schedule and wouldn't be home at a good time to pick him up. Plus, apparently they really wanted to keep him. =) So we took our time, ate Mexican for supper, and came home to unload all of our new stuff. And by that point it honestly felt like the night before happened a long time ago. We were cracking up remembering the craziness of it all.

Sunday morning we woke up and started our day with a breakfast date. Such a treat!

Then we finally completed our last few stops and checked off the remaining items on our list! We are so thrilled and excited to move into our new home... hopefully later this month!!

Terrell and I really did have one of our best anniversary weekends ever together. Especially if you don't count being locked out of our hotel room! Haha! We were totally back to just us instead of mama and daddy. And it was so good for us and such a fun weekend. I fell in love with my husband of 10 years all over again. =)

By Sunday afternoon though we were very ready to see our boys! They had the best weekend with Granna and Papa. So much so that our big boys didn't want to leave and weren't excited to see us at all. Austin cried when we got there. So that was nice. Ha. At least Layton was still happy to see us! I love that they had such a great time with their grandparents and that it's become a special summer tradition for them. They're looking forward to a similar weekend with Terrell's parents later this summer and are already making plans for more sleepovers with Granna and Papa. =)

HUGE thanks to my parents for all the fun they planned for our boys and for taking such great care of them!!

All 4 babies accounted for and ready to head home! Sort of. One of the 4 may have cried his eyes out leaving. It's hard going home with mama and daddy.

Thankfully he isn't scarred from being forced to leave against his will. =) 

Our 10th anniversary weekend is in the books and it was a GREAT one! Looking forward to many more anniversaries with my love and many more weekend get-aways!!

Friday Favorites: Summer Lovin' Edition

This week has been a lot more calm and lovable than last week. Whew! So thankful for that! We've enjoyed quite a bit of summer fun with some lazy days, and evenings, thrown in too. The best!

Here are my favorites from our week of summer lovin'...

*Last Friday night our T-ball team had such a fun banquet celebrating our special, undefeated season! Both of my big boys loved eating pizza and hanging out with friends at the kids only table. Big thanks to Granna and Papa for coming over to put Layton to bed! It made our evening a lot more relaxing. =)

Garrison was tickled over coach daddy giving him his trophy. 

*After we got home from the banquet, Garrison Cade lost his very first tooth! Finally!! It took forever to come out but Granna was apparently the tooth whisperer because she was able to get it out even though it had been nothing but stubborn and difficult for both me and Terrell. Haha. Garrison was just a little traumatized at first from the blood, but then super excited. And the tooth fairy visiting was the highlight of his whole weekend. =)

*Saturday morning (and Sunday and Monday mornings), our biggest boy fed our littlest boy his oatmeal. It was the cutest, most helpful start to our day!

*First summer outing to Dauset Trails with this crew was a big time favorite. =)

*A cancelled baseball practice meant early baths and pjs... and movie night! Such a perk to enjoy on a summer week night.

*This little love is running me ragged! He is soo busy and In. To. EVERYTHING. Oh my gracious it's a never ending workout! Thankfully I've experienced this craziness before and know it won't last forever. This week he discovered how to push a button on one of the big boy's books for it to play a song... and then he dances away. It is so adorable and funny! And the cutest way possible to keep him entertained and contained. =) 

*We went for our first swim of the summer this week! It was a little overcast and the water was cold but we still had a lot of fun. Garrison got in a lot of good practice swimming and loved every minute, Austin warmed up to the water just a little like he does the start of every summer, and Layton seemed to be totally smitten. =)

Thank goodness AnAn is available for some swim duty this summer! 

*We signed up for the summer reading program at the library last week and went back yesterday to check out our 2nd round of books this summer. The boys love the library (yay) and this summer's theme is Superheroes so it's absolutely perfect for us. We're looking forward to making a visit every week for new books and seeing lots of special guests too. =)

Favorite quotes of the week (both by Garrison)... Mama, sometimes it feels good to make the right choice. I can feel it in my heart. Yessss!!!!!

Mama, I'm so glad I have Austin as my brother. And Layton too. Melt my heart!!

Favorite not-pictured moments: Little anniversary celebrations! We had 2 nights off this week from All-Star practice (yaaaay!) and one of them was Wednesday night, the day before our anniversary. So Terrell grilled us steaks and we had a delicious meal as a family and then we enjoyed ice cream for dessert later. =) Last night it was back to practice but since it was our anniversary we decided to get take-out... a treat for me to have the night off from cooking! And we reminisced some and started packing. =)

This weekend is our annual "Anniversary Weekend"! We're looking forward to getting away and having the weekend to ourselves for dates, shopping, and a fun time celebrating. I'm even feeling pretty relaxed about leaving the boys with Granna and Papa. (It has to be something to do with us living here now because leaving my boys is typically always a source of anxiety. Or maybe with them getting older and us doing this every year I'm just getting used to it. Haha.) I'm a little nervous about Layton spending the night but hoping and praying he does okay and SLEEPS for my parents. The big boys are sooo excited about their special weekend... and we are too! Happy Friday, Happy Weekend!!

10 Years

10 years ago today we got married! What a journey we've shared. Full of blessings, full of memories, full of challenges, full of fun. 

Terrell and I practically grew up together. (Here's a detailed look at the beginning of Our Story.) Our families have known each other since before I was born. We grew up in the same hometown. We attended the same church growing up and eventually the same youth group together. (Our church today. =)) We became best friends as teenagers and eventually started dating at the ripe old ages of 16 and 18, and knew then that we would get married one day. We shared in each other's high school years and college years and were married on June 4, 2005, a semester and a half before I graduated from UGA. So I'd say we definitely, without a doubt grew up together. =)

As soon as we returned from our honeymoon to Hawaii, we jumped right into grown up life and moved away to where Terrell would be working and I would commute to Athens to finish my degree. That 1st year was a tough one. Everything was new and different and a huge adjustment. It was a challenge for sure. But I'm so thankful I was able to experience it with my wonderful husband and best friend, and that every year since that 1st one has been better and better!

We've learned SO much these past 10 years. We've learned to compromise like never before. Still a work in progress, by the way. We've learned to lower our expectations. Nobody here is a mind-reader or a perfect spouse. And it's crazy and unfair to expect such. We've learned to trust God with the uncertainties and challenges of life. Which are numerous. We've learned to be parents. Of 3 boys! We've learned to tag team like pros. We've learned to make time for each other despite the busyness of family life with 3 kiddos, work, school, and extracurricular activities. 

 And we are still learning! Still figuring out how to love, serve, appreciate, forgive, communicate, accept, and compromise better.  

The day we got married we had no idea what God had in store for us. No idea that 10 years later we'd finally be back in our hometown after 3 moves, 2 cities, 3 jobs, and 3 boys. We only knew that we'd face all of it together. As Team Selph. =) And even then Team Selph was a yet to be discovered thing. 

That's the best thing about marriage. Experiencing the journey together. Facing the challenges, obstacles, and trials together. Sharing the good, happy, fun times with each other. Taking on the world together. Knowing you're stronger and better together, as a team. 

Marriage is hard work. And ours is no exception. We aren't perfect, we definitely have our weaknesses, and we most certainly continue to face challenges. But God continues to work on us and we continue to learn and grow, and hopefully get better and better. We still have a ways to go but I know we can both appreciate the way our marriage has matured over the past 10 years.

Sharing life with Terrell Selph is my favorite. Even though he can drive me crazy like nobody else, he is perfect for me. He balances me out and lightens me up. He makes me laugh constantly and keeps life fun. He's my right hand with the boys, with our home, with our multitude of responsibilities. He's an amazing provider and financial expert, which has meant more to me and our family life than he'll probably ever know.  He loves me so well, so unconditionally. Life with him is a fun adventure and I'm so thankful God brought us together for always all those years ago. The commitment and covenant we share is a priceless gift from The Lord.

From excited, nervous, overjoyed, naive newlyweds...

To a decade later full of wonderful memories, some tough challenges, and mama and daddy to 3 precious little boys. 

God is good. 

Not to us, LORD, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness. Psalm 115:1

The blessing of these 10 years can't adequately be described. Praying for many, many, many more! Happy Anniversary to the love of my life and the one God made for me!!

1st Outing of Summer

The boys and I, along with some friends/cousins, headed out for our first outing of summer yesterday. It turned out to be the perfect day, the perfect company, and the perfect outing! We all had so much fun on our first summer adventure!

We went to our (somewhat local) Nature Center, Dauset Trails. They have lots of rescued animals and birds including a reptile center/room and a pond full of turtles, ducks, and fish. My boys were in awe. Especially my firstborn who is the biggest, most curious animal lover around. We started the day early, shortly after they opened, and pretty much had the place to ourselves. Such a nice bonus!

We visited the reptile room first and saw alligators, turtles, and lots of snakes. Plus posed for a picture. =) The reptile room was a huge hit!

Our first animal to visit on the trails was a river otter... and he came out of hiding in his hole in the rocks just for us! He slid down the little slide for us and swam around some. We were smitten after that! He loved having an audience and was so friendly. That made him my favorite. =)

We saw a sleeping black bear that refused to wake up despite the boys' best efforts, haha.

We saw a bald eagle. The boys were fascinated. The workers were going around cleaning cages and giving the animals fresh water... and threw in some animal info for us too. Garrison asked if the eagle had any eggs in it's nest and that's how we found out the eagle was a boy, the huge nest was man-made, and female eagles are almost twice as big as the males.

We got to see several deer and wild turkey, plus a bison. Last summer when we visited they were really far away so we were excited to see them so close.

Loved these 2 foxes watching us. They looked young and mischievous. =)

This raccoon statue became quite the popular photo prop. Ha. Everybody started requesting special pictures with it. Haha. 

My big boys' favorite animal by far was the cougar. We had a super up close and personal view of him. Wow. Such a pretty but also scary animal. Garrison was totally amazed. He just checked out a book about cougars from the library so he was our little cougar expert. We loved being so close (but still safe!) to the cougar.

The boys loved feeding the turtles, fish, and ducks. We hung out turtle watching for quite a while. =)

Not-pictured animals we saw were hawks, several owls, a hiding, sleeping coyote, a bobcat, another fox, and a raccoon. Those are all I can remember. We loved all the animals but especially those that were awake and happy to have visitors. I still think that river otter could've been our pet. =)

After leaving Dauset Trails, it was almost time for lunch so we drove up the road to our nearest state park and had a picnic lunch and let the boys play. The boys had a ball! And it was fun for both moms too. =)

Our first outing of summer is in the books and was a huge success. This summer may feel a little wild and overwhelming with everything we have going on from All-Stars, to celebrating a 10th anniversary, to hopefully packing, closing, and moving, but keeping things normal, simple, and fun for my kiddos is still in tact! YAY!!

Friday Favorites: 1st Week of Summer Edition

Our first week of summer has been both a huge success and a huge challenge. Yay for the successes! Despite our challenges I have been sooo thankful for how well our first week has gone. The big boys are having so much fun together already and are getting along GREAT, and mama has been pretty laid back with our summer days so far. Double yay!

Here are my favorite happenings from our 1st week of summer...

*Friday was our 1st official day of summer so the big boys and I sat down together to make some summer goals. This is the very first summer I've asked for their input and what they'd like to do. During previous summers I've been very organized and structured and had lots and lots of plans to keep us busy and having fun. This summer all that jazz just isn't going to work. We have too much big stuff happening. So I asked my big boys what they'd like to make sure we do this summer. At first they only said really big things but eventually with hints and suggestions from me, they were able to come up with a good, well rounded list. =) This is now on our fridge and they've already done a few of them!

*Garrison's T-ball team winning the championship was a definite favorite! Our first ever big team celebration was so fun!

*Finding out Baby O is a girl!!! So excited for all things girl headed our way!

*I've been getting Garrison to read a book or two to me everyday while Austin and Layton are napping and one afternoon after Austin woke up, he read his book to Austin. It was the sweetest. =)

*This little man has been ON THE GO. He is one busy boy! I think I'd forgotten just how busy this age is and how much they can get into. He gives me a daily workout for sure! Even though he wears me out, he is the cutest thing and I can't get enough of him!

*The big boys have spent quite a bit of time at their table coloring and making cards this week. This table used to be in their room before we moved to the rental house and was probably used weekly for special crafts or a special picnic, etc. Since it's in the kitchen area in the rental house it's used daily. Multiple times a day. All the time. It was Garrison's homework area during the school year. Mine and Austin's school area everyday. They color and craft at this table every single day. So we may need to make space for it in our kitchen at the new house... Hmmmm... Decisions, decisions.

*We made cloud dough this week! This was in the plans for me and Austin to do together as part of our Ocean/Beach theme that we didn't get to. So we did it this week with Garrison! It's messy but super fun. They used scoops and measuring cups and baby spoons to play in it while the babies napped one morning. I'm sure we'll be playing in it again soon. =)

*Oh, All-Stars. We just aren't feeling the love from you at the moment. Big sigh. While I am thrilled my baby was chosen and excited for him to experience this first, the practices and upcoming tournament are just way too much. When did T-ball become an Olympic sport?? It has been both a huge and exhausting commitment and sacrifice for the whole family. Thankfully we *hope* we've reached a turning point. Because practicing every single night for 2 hours just isn't working. For any of us. Our family of 5 has been together for approximately 15 minutes a day all week. Boo. We did decide to go to practice together on Wednesday night. And even though Terrell and Garrison were on the field the whole time, it was nice all being there together and getting to watch Garrison and daddy. I'm praying this turns into a better experience for everybody... especially my biggest and his teammates.

*While our evenings this week haven't been the best, our days have been awesome! These 2 brothers are loving all of their play time together. Fighting bad guys has never been so fun!

*And we can't forget about baby brother who loves getting in on the action too! =)

*The big boys have also played lots and lots of games together this week. I've played a few with them and they've played some on their own. The current favorite is War. =)

*Getting this sweet baby up from his naps every day is one of my favorite things! He is always so happy to see me and so excited to see what his brothers are up to.

Sometimes he's so excited he just picks up Scout and gives him a big hug! =)

We are so thankful it's Friday and so thankful for our great 1st week of summer! Even though our evening schedule has been challenging, disappointing, and exhausting, we have been BLESSED with some great 1st days of summer. I am counting my blessings big time!! This weekend we have a special T-ball banquet, yet another All-Star practice, and we hope some good quality family time! Happy Friday!!