Hannah Morrison

How My Son Made Me Love My Body

Ladies, let’s chat. Cool?

Whether you are single, in college, engaged, newly married, married with a kid, a high schooler, or a single mom… I think it’s safe to say our bodies are a hot topic, regardless of what stage of life you’re in. I always thought when I was younger, “Oh, when I am “older” I won’t be so weird about my body anymore.” HA. Gosh, I wish. The reality of that thought is that your insecurities don’t disappear with age, they disappear with truth. So, let’s be honest with ourselves. I would venture to say it’s safe to bet that at some point every single one of us has struggled with our body image. I will be the first to raise her hand and say, “I sure have!”

My story? I was a dancer my whole life, and slowly felt the pressure of being “small enough.” Mind you… I was 5’1 and definitely never was overweight to begin with. It was all self-inflicted pressure. I lived my life with calorie counts and checking my side view for years until I withered away to basically nothing. Then, unlike I had hoped would happen as I got older, my insecurities didn’t disappear. They just followed me into college and marriage. It was my insecurities that absolutely subtly effected my perspective on becoming a mom for a long time. I definitely had a list of other fears ranging from no sleep, already hectic schedules, and figuring out how to keep my marriage priority with a kid. But, my greatest fears when it came to the idea of having kids was labor itself, and then the fear of my changing body.

I knew deep down all those other things could be figured out… but what would happen to me? That terrified me most. Funny enough, I was in the best health and shape of my life when I got pregnant. Mentally and physically, I was doing awesome. I had spent years figuring out what I could and couldn’t eat from allergies, and just spent over a year reversing -thanks to a crazy scientist doctor- years of misdiagnosis and doctors telling me “nothing is wrong” when I knew something was. Finally, I wasn’t sick all the time. Finally, I had answers for my fatigue. Finally, I felt like more than a shell of a human being walking around. And, above all, I was so secure in my own skin. And then… I got pregnant. HA. I had to accept my body was about to change drastically. Again. I was about to be exhausted… all the time again. I was about to be nauseous… all the time again. Different reasons this time around, but I was about to feel like crap again. It seemed silly to me. I worked so hard to get healthier, battling both mental and physical sickness, and then as soon as I was feeling great… I felt like it was time to become a mom. Funny how that happens.

But here’s the best part you guys. I realized through pregnancy just how much I love my body. God used my greatest fears to reveal my greatest joys. I found freedom in the midst of my biggest fear. What I thought would be my greatest road block in pregnancy became my favorite part!

Question: What is your biggest fear that, if you took bold steps into, COULD actually be the deliverance you’ve been needing? 

Alright, so pregnancy went great. I felt awesome and I was proud of what my body and I just did for 9 months. *high five, body!* And then, my labor didn’t go at all as I had expected and I had to have an emergency c-section. I felt a little betrayed by my body that I had grown to love so much over the last 9 months. For the first time in my life, pregnancy made it feel like we were on the same page. It felt like we were working together… and then, I couldn’t deliver my son. I tried. I tried so hard, and nothing was working.

I thought my body had tricked me, stabbed me in the back. But then I realized it actually was my son’s saving grace. It knew better than I did to not progress or the baby inside of me that I loved so much would die. I have nothing but gratitude for my body. More than ever I can say, “I love this body!” I owe my son’s life to it in more ways than one. It grew my son, every ounce of weight gain and expanding hips, nausea and fatigue… It was all worth it. All I have to say to you, body, is thank you for bringing my best little friend into the world exactly how you knew it needed to be done. So sure, my body lays a little differently now. My tummy region is shaped differently, and no matter how hard we work at it, that bottom little pooch just won’t seem to disappear yet. My ribs legit look different now. They set outward and a little higher than before. But, I love you anyways, body. And, in fact, I vow to never speak ill of you ever again. 

I wrote that to my body a couple of months after Knox was born. It’s taken me almost 9 months to talk about it. But, that’s where I am at. Thank GOD our bodies were designed by a creator to do more than we could have ever imagined.

Now, listen. Whether you’re pregnant, just had a baby, or having children is NO WHERE on your radar… It’s amazing how God can use situations we dread in order to show us freedom.

Jesus walked into a situation he absolutely dreaded by saying “yes” to death on a cross. Don’t believe me? He sweat blood he was so anxious and terrified for what was about to come while praying in the Garden of Gethsemane. He begged God to allow this cup to pass… He didn’t want to die a gruesome death. He DID however want you to experience freedom. So, He went. He carried the cross for you, for me, for every insecurity. Through death, freedom was found. Life for all of us came through a painful situation. Aren’t you so thankful Jesus went to the cross? Let Jesus’ example be what leads you into freedom from whatever it might be in your life. Maybe it’s body image, or maybe it’s a tight hold on things you cannot change. Whatever situation you are seeking freedom in, perhaps walking into the depths of what you fear most will reveal a freedom you didn’t even know was possible. Jesus will meet you in the darkness and shed light. You can’t see what parts of you need light, though, unless you do in fact go into the darkness to expose where shadows are dwelling. Perfect love casts out all fear, and darkness literally cannot exist where light is.

Find freedom, friends. I hope you know you’re beautiful. I hope you see there is freedom from whatever your insecurities might be. If you find yourself pinching, poking, and turning to the side to see if it’s a “skinny” day… please, go to the darkness with a torch in hand (psssst, that’s Jesus!) and expose what parts of you need truth.

You are beautiful.

You are made exactly how the Lord designed you.

You are irreplaceable.

You are knit and woven by God, The Creator.

You are special.

You are perfect as you are.

You are enough.

You are worthy.

xoxo, Han

This shoot with Knox is my favorite I have ever done with Hannah from Cottonwood Road Photography. I told her I just wanted something simple. My hair is its natural straight style, these jeans are 3 years old, and my top is from last winter. My nails aren’t painted, and my headboard has a button missing. There was something freeing in and of itself showing up just as I am for this shoot. Also, I mean, look at this kid. WOW. It hurts how much I love him.

Hey, I Have Missed You!

Wow, y’all. It’s absolutely crazy how much has gone on in the last couple of months. I have felt so behind on EVERYTHING, and work honestly has come last in the overwhelming race against the clock every single day and constantly just trying to keep it together until nap time. (I get two times a day that bubba goes down- I will share Knox’s latest schedule in the coming weeks!) Now, because we are family around here, I wanted to just fill you in, say “hey!”, and keep this good thing we’ve got going. Because, listen, I like you. I want to keep you and I connected. 😉

To be frank, The Cake by Hannah has taken a back burner the last two months to a baby who has discovered he wants to always be vertical (and is now crawling like a champ!), the month of May that was swallowed by sickness (multiple times for all three of us!), and the month of June which was dominated entirely by travel/camp/Paul gone for 10 days. You guys, sending your husband off to a remote village in Africa with zero contact for any amount of time is unsettling, but DANG 10 days. We had never been apart for that long before, and definitely not without contact! I feel like I have been out of my routine since the beginning of May. And in case you’re wondering… it’s July… JULY. I went to the gym today for the first time since May, because I can’t ever figure out how to align getting someone to watch Knox so I can go to barre. I often start writing posts and can’t finish them. I literally have 5 open documents at the bottom right corner of my computer of posts I haven’t finished yet. It’s just so hard -all of it- when you are trying with every fiber of your being to be a good mom, good wife, good mentor, and oh yeah… when I get the chance, good writer and find “me time” to do what I love.

Because of the challenge this season of life has brought, I have longed for simplicity in every little nook and cranny of my life. What I focus on and who I focus on. How long I take to get ready. How much less I care about what I am wearing. How much more I care about if I am investing my time and thoughts in something that matters. You see, the best part about the last couple of months has been that despite this season being a challenge, it’s also been so life-giving and helpful. I have never been happier, I don’t think. I have never felt so sure of myself, despite the chaos around me and my (countless) shortcomings.

Sure, there’s a lot to figure out in this act of balancing life, work, motherhood, being a wife, and… well, everything. But here’s what I know: I have never been more happy with simple than now, and I am just glad you guys want to be part of whatever that looks like. That my friends is so freeing. I have never been more content with less for the sake of more than now.

**Literally just stopped writing this post for a good 40 minutes, because Knox just said “mama” for real for the first time. I about died. And I then proceeded to lay on the floor making him say it over and over again… Case and point… this is why my focus is so divided, but I don’t mind it one bit. My family and being a mom will ALWAYS trump work. I will share videos of him saying “mama” at the bottom of this post. You will also see how much of a monkey my child is all of a sudden… literally none of this is staged. (Feel like I have to say that O_o) **

For a quick update on us: Knox is crawling and climbing over everything. And, as of .2 seconds ago, apparently saying “mama”. I am still absolutely freaking out. Paul just traveled to Africa for 10 days where he served with Mission Massai, preached to the village at their Sunday service, and helped lead a VBS for the kids. We then had camp for our students, and then preached this past Sunday with Emma Mae Jenkins. *She is actually my pastor’s niece. And, she is just as amazingly kind and precious in real life as you hope she will be.* This was my first time to ever PREACH from the stage (I sing from it all the time!), and despite being incredibly nervous… I had so much fun and have a new love for speaking. Not a bad gig to work and experience so much in life with my hubby literally at my side. I am so grateful for life, y’all. SO GRATEFUL. You can listen to our’s and Emma’s message from Sunday here.

Anyways, clearly life has been wild. I have been trying to figure out what to focus on and how much time to put into things. Here’s what I can guarantee you will always get from me:

  1. Instagram: I am always there. Let’s hang out. And if you like following along with my life, my family, my faith, and just keepin’ it real… tell yo friends, too. 😉
  2. Sweet Thoughts: Every single Tuesday, without fail, at 6 AM you will receive my weekly devotional. (Except this past Tuesday, because it’s a holiday week and I gave myself off.)
  3. The Blog: I will continue with weekly blog posts. Some weeks there may be more, but I am promising myself and you at least one a week.
  4. The Cake Shop: This is ALWAYS there! I currently have Signature Tanks, Because He First Loved, and Sunny Days ball caps in full supply for the summer. The Cake Shop is an extension of the heart behind The Cake by Hannah. The mission to always be sweet, find joy in the little things, and to spread kindness like buttercream frosting.

I love you guys so deeply, friends. You celebrate and cry with me, and everything in between. I am grateful for each and every one of you. I am grateful for what we’ve got. 😉 I was going to do a photo shoot for this post, but honestly… I just found it fitting to share some pics from the last few weeks from the every day simplicity of our life lately. Like, 4th of July parades, lake days with friends, our first movie theatre date in years, a breakfast date, and such. You know, life. *insert a shrug here*

Love y’all. I have linked everything I am wearing to the best of my ability.

xoxo, Han

What’s in my closet:

Free People Denim Shirt (similar) | Knox’s 4th of July Outfit | Kortni Jeane Striped Swim Suit | Diff Eyewear Sunnies (Paul) | Diff Eyewear Sunnies (Hannah) | Nike Sports Bra | BareMinerals Face Make-Up | LAW Designs Earrings | LA Ball Cap

 

Videos as promised of Knox today:

 

IMG_0301-1 from Hannah Cheves on Vimeo.

The Sounds of Simplicity

The sounds of simplicity.

I have been on a journey to simplifying over the last few years. Not only my physical schedule, though that has changed drastically, but also my mind and in my spirit. I got to the point a couple summers ago that everything just needed to stop. My adrenals were shot, my body was failing me. I wasn’t me anymore, because at all hours of the day worry swirled through every fiber of my being. I drove across the metroplex on a daily basis, and my lowest points were being stuck on the Dallas North Tollway at 4:30 PM trying to get back home on time to then make it to whatever evening commitments I had.

Life was a constant leg bounce. Know what I mean? When somebody is on edge and their leg is obnoxiously bouncing mindlessly under the table. That was me… always. I finally said “enough.” I quit my job in the city. I quit anything toxic that was filling me up, including friendships and ways of thinking. I quit trying to keep up with things that weren’t even who I was, but I felt I had to be. I quit trying to be like the other thousands of bloggers in Dallas, TX, and I pursued my own niche. We quit cable, and I quit watching the news every morning.

It was so freaking freeing. I don’t know how else to say it. *insert shoulder shrug here* It has been three years this week since that journey started, and dang it’s still an uphill battle. I mean, yesterday I had my first day to rest after what was arguably the craziest two weeks of Paul’s and my marriage, and I chose to lay mulch in the front flower beds rather than sitting. I don’t always nail rest, and I am always trying to figure out how to simplify, but gosh am I miles ahead of where I was.

Like I said, this past month truly has been the craziest month of my life quite possibly. I had to pep talk myself for the month of June as it inched closer in the final days of May. I pumped myself up the first week as we prepared Paul to leave for Africa, and I told myself I was going to be fine. The dialogue in my head was a little something like, “Oh my gosh, there’s no way I can do this… Hannah shut up. You can do this. Stop telling yourself anything else. You’ll make it. Oh my gosh I am never going to make it.” … back and forth, back and forth.

Know what’s funny, though? Despite this chaos of June- and believe me it was chaotic- I have never felt more alive in simplicity than I have in the last few weeks. I know, I know. It’s crazy. It doesn’t mean things weren’t challenging, I had a meltdown or two, but the purest forms of simplicity were put in front of me like a refreshing leap into a pool after a hot and sweaty run in the heat. Or like a PB&J at the waterpark with Cheetos. If you know, you know. You know- simply happy.

I got to spend 10 days back in my hometown while Paul was in Africa, and being home always yanks the realest self out of me. It reminds me who I am. It takes me back to a 16 year old self that exists inside of me who loved to dance around her room with her best friend to Taylor Swift and take night drives to the grocery store to pick up pints of Ben & Jerry’s. I spent my 26th birthday with my grandparents, daddy, and best friend with dinner at home telling stories until 10 PM at the table. Ah the sounds of simplicity.

Know what else is the sound of simplicity? Children in a remote African village who love every ounce of life, and don’t have but a care in the world as they sing songs in their sweet, high voices and dance. They love life, love Jesus, and love each other. Pretty simple. Pretty wonderful. I want that love for life. I envy their approach to simplicity.

The sound of simplicity is rain on the windows while the coffee maker drips a fresh brew into the coffee pot at your best friend’s house in the country. Looking out the window to see squash growing up the fence and chickens clucking around.

Simplicity.

The sound of simplicity is silence. No TV, no emails dinging in.

The sound of simplicity is the turning of a page in a book you’ve been wanting to read, but just haven’t had the time to. Simple.

The sound of simplicity is falling asleep in your damp swim suit after a long day in the water while the fan clicks above you.

The sound of simplicity is a crappy cup of coffee at camp on the lake shore as the water hits the dock.

The sound of simplicity is 150 students singing the same worship song for 10 minutes in total surrender.

I was driving out to camp a couple mornings ago, a 35 minute trek I did every morning this last week, because Knox just couldn’t handle staying there and being out of his nightly and morning routine another week after 10 days away from home just the week before. (Simple doesn’t always mean easy… haha. You have to fight for simple.) But as I drove through the winding back roads to camp, I rolled the windows down and I actually felt a bubbling giddiness inside me. I thought to myself, “God, why am I so happy right now? I should be exhausted. I should be stressed out”…. But I thought to myself, “This is the good stuff. I could live like this for the rest of my life.”

When I allow simplicity into my life, I allow my truest self to come out. The Hannah who loves to free fall off the high platform at camp and slide down the waterslide. The Hannah who loves to sit and chat about life with her best friends for hours without much of a plan other than being together. The Hannah who would give anything to walk into a restaurant more often with family and see at least 10 people she knows. The Hannah who lays on the floor of her son’s room for two hours while he belly laughs and discovers crawling.

Simplicity is my site breaking for four days and not having a panic attack about it.

Simplicity is going to see The Incredibles with my husband and ordering chocolate chip cookies, because I can.

The sounds of simplicity. What are they for you? I hope whatever they are for you, you get a whole lot more of it. I hope you figure out a way to cut out noise, and get more sounds of simplicity into your life. There is nothing like the sound of simplicity.

How We Changed The Way We Fight

Paul and I are celebrating 4 years of marriage in about a week. Bonkers! Time flies so fast.

When I think about each of the years individually that have led us to where we are currently at in our relationship, it’s almost hard to connect the dots. What I mean is that who we were 4 years ago to who we are now both as a couple and as individuals is so drastically different (praise God for that!) that it’s hard to see it as the same people in a lot of ways. I will speak for myself when I say that Hannah 4 years ago was a fresh college grad 21 year old who was (and still is) incredibly stubborn, had a lot of expectations for both marriage and life, and was unsure of what she wanted to do. This caused a lot of bitterness, feeling depressed, and just feeling overall joyless. We were living in a sparsely filled loft with about one whole penny to our name on a good day. We didn’t live together before marriage either, so let’s just say we had a lot of learning to do in every area in the midst of some of the most transitional years as early 20-somethings.

So how can I put this gently?… We were that newlywed couple who fought, and I mean A LOT.

Marriage was most shocking to me at first with the fact I had never felt comfortable enough with someone before to say how I actually felt. I remember thinking to myself, “Wow, I have never felt so angry before in my life.” I am overall a very passive person and I avoid confrontation at all cost… that is until Paul. I can joke about it now, but geez, people surely must have thought we had full on beatings in our apartment behind closed doors.  I vividly remember weeping in an empty bathtub in my pajamas with the door locked, because it was the only place in our loft that had a door. I would love to know how many times our neighbors just listened through our paper thin walls to our fights. It was a spiritually, emotionally, and physically exhausting season of life, and above all else we knew this wasn’t what we wanted in marriage- fighting daily- but we didn’t know how not to. Big picture, it boiled down to not knowing how to give a little on both ends to meet in the middle. For me, I had a whole lot of expectations and circumstances I wanted control of but just couldn’t get the reins on. Does this sound familiar to any of you? I am here to say first and foremost that if you FEEL stuck in your marriage, like there will never be resolution to whatever that fight is that you have daily-weekly-monthly, I promise there is always an end. And then, there will surely be a new battle on the horizon to face, but there is always an end to them.

The feeling of being stuck is real, but it’s also 100% an attack from the enemy to make you believe there is no way out. The enemy says leaving is the only solution to when things get this hard, but that’s just a bunch of crap. Truth is, if you always leave when it gets hard, you’re always going to find what you are running from in every new attempt. You can either stay and duke it out over and over deeply rooted with one person you know loves you and wont leave, or have a whole bunch of wounds from every person you try to have the perfect relationship with. (pssst, it doesn’t exist) Faithfulness is found in staying rooted. (Paul preached on this last night, and I thought it was pretty darn good ;)) There is always resolution if and when you choose to stay and meet in the middle.

God is a God of restoration, and he hates when there is brokenness. Love is sacrifice- God sent Jesus to die on the cross. It’s compromise- Jesus left heaven for humanity in order to save us. And though I will not say Paul and I are experts by any means, I will say our marriage has changed drastically over the last 4 years and I believe that what we’ve learned can help you. If you’re a newlywed looking for a spark of hope, I hope our story encourages you and that these things we have done gives you the energy to move forward and fight FOR one another.

  1. Same Team: Almost always our fights went a lot like a boxing match. It was him in one corner and me in the other, and neither of us were willing to budge from our stance. We were listening to each other only for our next great comeback. It took about two years in, but when Paul and I started taking a step back and reminding each other, “Hey, I am on your team and want to figure this out with you”, it changed entirely how we attack a disagreement. We are no longer attacking one another, but rather the dispute that’s come up and is putting a wedge between us.
  2. Tone: Listen, I am the master of sass. I am really good at letting Paul know I am mad at him, and giving great verbal and physical cues that he is on my “bad list” right now. I hate to admit that, but I really can be like that. What I have learned is that tone is everything. How I tell Paul I am mad will either check him in or out of my concern, hurt, or frustrations. If you want your spouse to respect your emotions, you can’t beat them up in the process. Sure, we are human, but taming of the tongue is not only biblical but it’s the best plan. The Lord tells us to use our lips wisely, and that they can be sweet as honey. They can either put out or set fires, both from the same origin.
  3. Letting Go: I get it, if you’ve made your mind up about a certain way of doing things or why ‘x’ is not going to work, it’s really hard to let go. But, here’s the best and most freeing news ever, not everything needs to be called out. Not everything is as “sinful” as you think it is. Some stuff that gets under your skin might in fact just be annoying… As a spouse, you’re called to refine and make one another holier. How the dishes are placed or your hubby maybe always forgetting where he put his keys, these are not sins. Let go of always correcting one another. I love this line- Mercy triumphs over judgement. Stop judging where you spouse is at in their journey of x,y, and z. Extend grace upon grace, mercy for mercy. Forgive as we have been forgiven. Bottom line… you don’t deserve any of the forgiveness you’ve been extended from your creator, and we are called to mimic that love as believers.
  4. Pray For You First: When my prayer life is all about how other people can change to better convenience me, that’s the perfect set-up for a whole lot of disappointment. Someone recently said in a sermon I was listening to, “If your prayers all came true, would it change other people’s lives or just make things “easier” for you?” DANG- soak that in for a second… When I stopped praying for Paul to just stop doing ‘x’ or get better at ‘z’, and started asking God to remove silly worries and my need to control… DANG did my life become a lot more free. There is liberty in asking God to remove the planks from our own eyes first. He doesn’t say that in scripture (Matthew 7:5) just because God wants us to feel bad and focus on our own sins. He wants us to remove the plank from our own eyes first, because there is so much more life waiting for us when we do.
  5. Mentors: If you find yourself praying for your heart, letting go of silly worries and annoyances, and have attempted to work out a dispute together and just cannot seem to get on even ground, take it to trusted mentors. Some of the best conversations that have moved us forward in arguments that seemed to have no end in sight have happened over the table with a couple we trust and love. When you come to one another/mentors, the best way to find conflict resolution is to be humble and admit where you have failed in the process. Where have you hurt your spouse that you can admit to and ask for forgiveness in? What have you held onto that the grip can be loosened a bit on? Humility, y’all. It will save your marriage. Pride will destroy every good relationship you have in your life so fast. It will rot trust.

There are so many other things and little details I could write about I suppose, but these are the main actions I can say have personally changed the way I fight with Paul and how our marriage began to thrive over the course of 4 years. Instagram captures the “good stuff”, right? And, though we have a healthy marriage now and really are as mushy as Instagram shows we are, it is by no means perfect. We have to fight for one another daily, and we often say “Hey, I am on your team” when one of us says something sharp in response to circumstances. I have to shut my mouth to things that don’t actually matter, and then other times I totally fail at letting Paul be human. Marriage, relationships in general, are a constant pruning process. It’s a constant run trying to keep pace with one another side by side, but it’s worth the effort. It’s worth walking through the fire and trial.

xoxo, Han

All photos by Cottonwood Road Photography for The Cake by Hannah

My top is PERFECT for a casual date night for Valentines Day! It says “I am all yours” in french. 😉 You could pair this with some good denim, a pair of heels, and blazer for a bit more dressed up approach.

What Was and What Will Be

Hey Hey lovely Cake Community!

How are we doing today? It’s hump day, and I ain’t gonna lie… I have been dragging a little with a fussy babe who is a little off schedule from a long (but super fun!) weekend conference at our church. I left Knox for the first time with other people, down the hallway… but still, and it was really hard. I felt that mommy guilt, I had that postpartum anxiety for the first time to be super transparent, but it felt good and I know it was a necessary step to get completely back to normal. It felt so good to get back on stage leading worship. Sort of like that final puzzle piece that needed to be put back into place to feel 100% back to myself post-baby.

Ugh, new mommy stuff y’all. But enough about that, because I am SO EXCITED about this new year. There is so much new in my life in all areas, and I have been dreaming a lot about how to take our community to the next level. We have to keep in touch better through all the crazy Instagram changes (derp), and besides, who wants our community and contact to be limited to squares.. am I right?

This year, I will be sending out weekly emails with words of encouragement, scripture and devos, things I am reading and loving, and by being signed up for my emails you will be the first to know about new products and limited collections in the shop. You’ll never miss any new posts, because I will make sure you know what came out since the last email was sent and we will basically feel like best friends. 😉

As we move forward to all the new things, I have taken into account my top posts up to this point on The Cake by Hannah as a way to gauge what to bring for you this year. You all have sent me a lot of DMs and commented on posts I asked you about what you’d like to see on The Cake, and it ranges from fashion to what I am eating to mommying, and (most important to me) my faith and marriage.

So, first off, how do you sign up for my emails?

It’s real simple. On the right-hand side of this post is “Sign Up For Emails From Hannah” and “Subscribe”. Signing up for emails from me is going to get you my weekly, personal emails with thoughts/products/devos/etc. (this is the sweet stuff!). If you want an automatic email that simply let’s you know when I have a new blog post go live, that’s the “Subscribe” button. I suggest both, because I will have new posts go live different days than my personal emails. Easy enough, yeah?

(You are looking for this)

 

Now, let’s wander down memory lane a little.

Below are my top posts of 2016 and 2017. Say whaaa?! In the middle of the whole “I just had a baby” thing, I totally missed my blogiversarry. So happy birthday to The Cake by Hannah! You have made this small town girl’s dreams of writing and encouraging people for a living a reality, and I am so grateful.

  1. Positive Body Image ft. Kortni Jeane Swimwear- This has been my top read post (next to my Gender Reveal Party) for two years straight now… sounds like we ALL are on the same page about loving our skin and cheering others on! Read here.
  2. Gender Reveal Party- This has gone viral on Pinterest and I don’t even know how… but it’s so fun to hear from so many of you doing a similar box for your own parties!! LOVE IT. Check it out here.
  3. Change of Plans- The story of our almost farmhouse I left a letter on the front gate for and how we got into our first home. Read here.
  4. We are…- Announcing we were PREGNANT, which was the most exhilarating “Publish” I have ever pressed. It also somehow went viral on Reddit because someone posted I was a dumb Christian woman whose husband forces her to have kids. LOL. Thanks for the traffic, haters! Read here.
  5. Welcome To Our House- The process of buying our first home and the scripture I held onto throughout the LONG process. Read here.
  6. Nursery Reveal ft. DaVinci Baby- Our cute ‘classy safari’ themed nursery came out even better than I could have hoped, and I am so obsessed. I have ALL THE THINGS linked in this one. Read here.
  7. How We Started Sleeping Through the Night With Our Newborn- One of my newest posts, I shared our routine with Knox and how we are sleeping on average 6 hours a night straight with our newborn baby. (SAY WHAT?! It’s true!) Read here.
  8. Welcome Knox Chandler!– The (not so easy) story of how bubba came into the world. Read here.
  9. Welcome To Our House- How we got into our first home. Read here.

LET’S GET SOCIAL