Over the bar mason jar lights

This is a home improvement project I have been wanting and wishing for since day one. I knew I wanted mason jars, but because of where the existing recessed lights were, I thought it would be a much harder task than it ended up being. The light on the left was right against the wall so I knew a drop down light wouldn't work without sheetrock repair and all that mess. Turns out if you just cover it up with a beam you don't have to worry!! So we did just that. 

So first off, Jake took the old recessed lights out. *Note* if you're not familiar with electrical work, please call an electrician. 

Then we got this gorgeous old barn beam from Jake's awesome uncle. It was cut to length and Jake predrilled the holes for the lights and bolts. I gave it a light sand, but I didn't want to take anything away from it. 

 

Once the beam was up, it was the lights turn. We found a few tutorials via Pinterest about making your own lights from lamp repair kits, but then we found these! They were more expensive, but made it so much easier. 

I took the mason jar lid, traced my circle, and used a drill bit to punch it out. Sorry I didn't get a better picture of that. 

And finished product!!! 

I absolutely love it!! It changes the whole feel of the house. Now onto my next project...

Tytan turns three

How is it even possible for me to have a three year old? Today has been a fun filled birthday. We (by we I mean I) decided to skip the birthday party stress and just do something fun. So we went to the zoo. I asked Ty if that's what he wanted to do and he replied yeah with the most enthusiasm. We loaded up (with half of our family in tow) and traveled to the Birmingham zoo. 

We had a very memorable day. 

Tytan,

Momma loves you so much! I thank God for choosing me to be your mom. You are so very rambunctious and wild but have the biggest heart of gold. I love your sweet smiling face. 

Also...thank you for being potty trained!

The meaning of Zayn

When we found out we were having another boy, we had the hardest time picking a name. I have had a girl name (that I'll probably never get to use) picked out for years. I finally got serious and compiled a list of names I liked. I then had Jake narrow that list down. He really liked Barrett, but it didn't sound good with our last name, so I crossed that one off. I narrowed it down to Zane or Beckett. I googled their meanings and it said it Zane was a variant of Jon from Hebrew meaning "God's gracious gift". As soon as I read that, I decided that would be the winner! It wasn't until later that we decided to spell it Zayn (since Tytan is spelled with a y). After his traumatic birth, his name means so much more. He truly is God's gracious and perfect gift!

6 weeks of Zayn

Today our miracle baby is 6 weeks old! He's growing so fast it's scary. I'm already failing as his mom. Easter was last weekend & his first real holiday, and I didn't get a single picture!!! I realized it that night, and took a picture of him in his pjs. 

I did get him in this cute outfit the day before. 

Zayn is still breastfeeding and sleeping great. We are incredibly lucky. I have the best boys in the world!

2 weeks of Zayn

Friday, Zayn turned 2 weeks old. He is seriously the best baby! I thought Tytan was a good baby, but thinking back he had a temper. He only cried when he was hungry or sleepy, but he went from 0 to 10 in seconds. Zayn never cries. He fusses a little when he's hungry or sleepy, but he doesn't have the temper his brother had. 

Today, we took Z to church for the first time. Everyone said he looks like his brother or daddy. I still think he favors my baby pictures. 

Here's both of the boys newborn pictures I'm going to have put side by side somewhere in the house

His umbilical stump fell off today also. We get to take a real bath tonight! Yay!! 

This kid is nursing like a champ. I'm so thankful for that! 

I really hope to do a better job posting updates on here. I love the idea of having milestones recorded. 

Introducing Zayn Forrest

This sweet miracle baby was born February 27 at 5:10. His birth was not what I planned, but when does life go according to plan? I wanted a vbac, but it ended up being an emergency csection. We are completely smitten with this babe. Even big brother is on board. 

October 2014

I can't believe October has come and gone! It always flies by, but man! This time was insane. October is always jam packed for us. Unfortunately, I didn't get as many things knocked off my fall list as I had hoped. The first weekend consisted of crumby weather, so we stayed in. The second weekend, we had planned to hit up the pumpkin patch, but it was super hot, and we had a heartbreaking family situation. The next weekend, we went to Talladega. (Go Jimmie!) The last weekend was our annual Smokie Mountains trip. Just like that our weekends were gone. Luckily Jake took off that following Monday and we made our yearly pumpkin patch visit. 

I was nervous about Halloween this year, but it was a success. I tried to get Ty to wear his costume a couple weeks ago and he refused. Thankfully, Halloween night, he wore it without much fight. I don't know if I have mentioned this before, but this kid is obsessed with cars. So naturally, he was the cutest race car driver ever! I found his costume for $5 at a consignment store. Score!

It was pretty cold that night, but he was a trooper. He seemed a little confused at first, but he was on board after he saw the candy going in his bag. He said "trick or treakin treakin" at every house. It was so cute and I wish I had recorded it. 

I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween and are still munching on candy like we are!