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Family

Home Build Update

Hi friends,

Hope you are doing well! It’s been awhile since I’ve done a house update, but so much has happened. Here are some snaps I’ve taken of our home progress.

Our built ins got installed. Above is Jayden’s book shelf and toy storage window bench. He has the best views of the farm and I just want him to have a place he can read and get lost in his imagination. This is what I always wanted as child, so its a childhood dream come true.

Below are my closet built ins for my shoes and bags. I can’t wait for my very own closet and place to escape.

Above is Josh’s office, and below is our fireplace built ins. We will have floating shelves above it.

Testing out paint colors and wallpaper in Jayden’s room. Below is the flooring in our butler’s pantry and pantry.

Our oak steps and post are in. And below is our kitchen! I am most excited for this room!

There is so much going on now, and I think we are only a couple months away from moving in. If you want to see more updates you can follow my Instagram account here!

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Family

Daisy’s 6 Month Update

Hi friends,

Hope you are doing well! Can you believe it my little Daisy girl is six months already! Time has flown by. It’s definitely harder this time around to keep up with the monthly updates, but I am going to do what I can. Daisy is just the sweetest happiest baby, and I know I say that about every one of my kiddos, but they really are. I feel very blessed to have happy babies. Check out more below!

Daisy has officially transitioned out of our bed. It was a bittersweet moment because I thought it would last longer, but she grew uncomfortable and didn’t sleep well with us. The moment we put her in her bassinet she slept so much better. Daisy is almost on the same sleep schedule with Ella which makes it so much easier for this mama. I’m hoping once we move into this house they can sleep in the same room. I love the idea of sisters sharing the same room. My sister and I grew up sharing a room and loved it.

We love watching our sweet Daisy grow. I hope she keeps her little chunky legs for a while. I can’t stop squeezing them lol.

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Family

Happy 36th Birthday To My Hubby

Today is my best friends birthday. Happy 36th birthday to my wonderful hubby. I can’t believe we’ve celebrated ten birthday’s together already. Below is a throwback to our first year together. I can’t believe how we looked like such babies! Thankful for another year I get to celebrate my favorite person being born, hopefully we get to celebrate together when we are 90 years old.

I am obsessed with this two piece set! It’s the perfect set for the  New Years. Even though we will probably be in our pjs with our babies, getting to dress up every once in awhile with my hunny bun is always fun. Plus it’s a good way for me to document my hubby aging like fine wine! I honestly can’t get enough of him even when he annoys the heck out of me. I guess that’s how you know you married the right one!

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Photos by BanAvenue Photography

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Family

First Matching Christmas Pajamas with My Girls

Hi friends,

Hope you are having a great week! It’s crazy to think last year when I was taking matching pajama pictures with Jayden and Ella that a couple weeks later I would be pregnant with Daisy. And here I am now with two babies at each hip with our matching Christmas pajamas.

Now that Jayden has gotten older he doesn’t always want to be matching with his mama. It makes me sad to think about it, because they really do grow up too fast. One Christmas you are wearing matching pjs and then the next Christmas you are not. And it just happens without warning. Thats why I am taking every opportunity to match with my girls as much as I can because I know my time is limited as a mom.

I love Walmart because they always have the cutest matching pajamas for the whole family. We got these cute red plaid ones last year. So this year I decided to go with the black buffalo plaid pajamas. I love how soft these are and that they don’t itch or make you feel hot when you wear them. Plus they are a great price too! I’m always looking for ways to save as my family gets bigger. And even though Jayden didn’t want to take matching family pajamas I still got him a set too because he loves his Walmart pajamas and wears them all the time. And

Check out a few of my favorite matching family pajamas below! You can now shop Walmart directly through the LTK App, which makes it easier if you are following me!

SHOP Christmas Family Pajama Sets Under $35:


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I can’t believe I am a mom of three and I have two little girls to do mommy and me with. I am so blessed to be celebrating Daisy’s first Christmas and our first Christmas as a family of five!

Check out last year’s matching Christmas pajamas when Ella was just seven months old with her big brother!

Christmas Family Pajama Sets Under $25

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This post is sponsored by Walmart. All thoughts and opinions are all mine.

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Holiday Time Toddler Unisex Plaid Matching Family Pajamas Set
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Family

Daisy’s 3 Month Milestones

Hi friends,

Hope you are having a good one! Can you believe it that Christmas is just around the corner. Time has been flying by with a baby, a toddler, and a new home build. I’m two weeks late but wanted to share these cute family photos we took for the holidays and to share Daisy’s three month milestones.

Even though Daisy was born four weeks early man has she caught up. I can’t believe how big she is getting and the fact that she is already in 6 month clothing. She is getting so strong with her tummy time too. Best part is this sweet girl sleeps through the night already! Just like her big sister we implemented Taking Cara Babies sleep schedule and it worked like a charm. She might be my easiest baby yet. But really though she is just so sweet and easy going. I don’t know how we got so lucky again.

My sweet girls look so cute in their coordinating dresses!

SHOP POST:

I had to share a reality of how photoshoots are now that we have our hands full. But we wouldn’t want it any other way. Thanks for stopping by!

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Photos by BanAvenue Photography

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Family

Overcoming Secondary Infertility

Hi friends,

Hope you are doing well!  It’s been a whirlwind full of joy and anxiety especially after going through the losses we had with our previous miscarriages. For two years I experienced secondary infertility and we didn’t know why until we visited a fertility doctor and saw the root of our problem. After taking accountability of my own health I was able to make the changes I needed to conceive two natural back to back pregnancies resulting in to two beautiful baby girls. For more details on how I overcame secondary infertility read more below!

Overcoming Secondary Infertility

Alright guys,

In order to get the full concept of this story I have to start from the beginning with my first pregnancy. At that time my I was on a health kick, training for fitness competitions, and I wasn’t on birth control for years because I didn’t want it to interfere with my fitness goals. I ended up getting pregnant “unplanned” after a fitness competition with my first son. Because me and my husband at the time were unprepared, not married, living with my parents, I decided after having my son to get on the IUD Mirena birth control.

For four years I was on the IUD. It was so effective I didn’t even have a period once during those four years, which for me was a plus, because who likes having a period right? Well when we decided we were ready to have another little one we got pregnant again quickly after removing my birth control. However unfortunately that ended in my first miscarriage in the first trimester of my pregnancy.

 Six months after that ordeal we decided to meet with a very well known fertility specialist in Houston who unfortunately retired last year. During her check up she saw that my endometrial lining was so thin that it was preventing me from keeping a baby. Now it made sense to why I hadn’t been getting my period with my IUD, even with it out it had created long lasting negative affects to my body. We decided to go with the least invasive procedure to remedy the situation by doing progesterone treatments.

After several months of the treatment I got pregnant again, but unfortunately it also ended in a miscarriage. My lining had gotten thicker but wasn’t thick enough. My doctor assured me it would take time for my body to heal itself. but I was mentally  and emotionally exhausted. I needed a break.

I prayed so hard and gave it to God to guide me during this time of unknown. I came to peace with myself and decided just to focus on being a healthier me and if we get pregnant naturally then that would be amazing, but we weren’t going to stress ourselves over it.

During this time I started to research natural ways to build up my endometrial lining. I focused on changing my diet and eating healthier, as well as getting active to create blood flow in that area. I also added to my diet these fertility supplements. Within two months of taking these supplements along with my diet and exercise I became pregnant. I remember not thinking it was possible at the time, so I was shocked when I took that pregnancy test. I shared more about that moment in this post.

It’s crazy to look back at those two years where I struggled with secondary infertility, and to see me know with two more healthy babies. God does provide. I refuse to be on birth control knowing what it did to me. Now we use other protection and family planning methods that are less invasive and damaging to my body. I still continue to take fertility supplements even postpartum, and continue to stay active and eat healthy.

I know not everyone story is the same, but I highly suggest if you are experiencing secondary infertility after having no problem your first pregnancy to check your hormones, check your body, and check your birth control. If it were up to me I would recommend against any invasive birth control. I hope my story helps someone else who is going through this, and know you are not alone. Don’t lose hope and trust in God’s plan for you.

I wore this maternity dress when I was pregnant with Ella in this post. I loved it so much I decided to rewear it for this photoshoot. Check out the full photo session below!

Thankful for my family and for all of you who have read my story.

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Photos by BanAvenue Photography

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Family

Snow White Halloween

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Hey friends,

Happy Hallows Eve! First Halloween celebrating as a family of five!  When Ella was born I knew I wanted her to dress up as Snow White. She had the fair skin as white as snow and the dark hair just like in the story. I found this dress and it was the perfect Snow White dress and under $15! And then I had to get her these sparkly red shoes to match! Josh and I improvised with things we already had in our closet, but I did get this fun necklace to create my evil queen look. For Jayden we accessorized his suit and added the cape and the crown. And last but not least, our sweet Daisy was the poisonous apple. I found the cutest little baby apple onsie online that fit her.  Check out our full Snow White family costumes below!

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SHOP COSTUMES:

How adorable did our family costumes come out this year? I am definitely taking advantage of the family costumes while I can with my kiddos. I know there will be a time where they won’t want to dress up for Halloween. Now I have to plan for next year! Any ideas?

Check out last year’s Halloween family costume here!

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Family

30 Bible Versus To Write In Your Home

This past weekend we visited our house, and wrote bible verses throughout the framing in our new home. We wanted to make sure we found bible verses that were meaningful to us as a family. We found some for protection, for blessings, for our children, and for our marriage that resonated with us. So if you are building a home and plan to write bible verses in your home check out these thirty bible verses below.

Home Bible Verses

  • Proverbs 24:3-4 – “By wisdom a house is built, and by understanding it is established; by knowledge the rooms are filled with all precious and pleasant riches.”
  • 1 Samuel 25:6 – “And thus you shall greet him: ‘Peace be to you, and peace be to your house, and peace be to all that you have.”
  • Hebrews 3:4 – “For every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.”
  • Psalms 91:10 -“No evil will happen to you, no disease will come close to your tent.”
  • Deuteronomy 28:6 –Blessed shall you be when you come in, and blessed shall you be when you go out.
  • Numbers 6:24-26 – “The Lord bless you and keep you; The Lord make His face shine upon you, And be gracious to you; The Lord lift up His countenance upon you, And give you peace.”
  • Samuel 7:29 – Now therefore, let it please You to bless the house of Your servant, that it may continue before You forever; for You, O Lord God, have spoken it, and with Your blessing let the house of Your servant be blessed forever.”
  • Matthew 6:11 – Give us this day our daily bread.
  • Joshua 24:15 – As for me and my household, we will serve the LORD.
  • Jeremiah 29:5 – Build houses and dwell in them; plant gardens and eat their fruit.
  • Isaiah 32:18 – My people will dwell in a peaceful habitation, In secure dwellings, and in quiet resting places,
  • Psalm 121:8 – Yahweh guards you as you come and go, now and forever.

For husband and wife:

  • Proverbs 14:1 – The wise woman builds her house, But the foolish pulls it down with her hands.
  • Ephesians 5:25 – “As for husbands, love your wives just like Christ loved the church and gave himself for her.”
  • Colossians 3:13 – “Be tolerant with each other and, if someone has a complaint against anyone, forgive each other. As the Lord forgave you, so also forgive each other.”
  • Corinthians 13:13 – “Now faith, hope, and love remain — these three things — and the greatest of these is love.”
  • John 4:19 – “We love because God first loved us.”
  • Corinthians 13:4-7 -“Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.”

Children’s Rooms:

  • Jeremiah 1:50 – “Before I formed you in the womb, I knew you. Before you were born I set you apart.”
  • Samuel 1:27 – “For this child I prayed and the Lord has granted the desires of my heart.”
  • Luke 2:40 – “And the child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.”
  • Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.
  • Psalm 46:5—“God is within her, she will not fall.”
  • Philippians 4:13—“I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me.”
  • Proverbs 31:25 – “She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.”
  • Psalm 28:7 -“The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusts in him, and he helps me. My heart leaps for joy, and with my song I praise him.”
  • Psalm 127:3-5 – “No doubt about it: children are a gift from the Lord; the fruit of the womb is a divine reward. The children born when one is young are like arrows in the hand of a warrior. The person who fills a quiver full with them is truly happy! 
  • Proverbs 3:5 – Trust in the Lord with all your heart, And lean not on your own understanding;
  • 2 Timothy 1:7. – For God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.

I can’t believe how fast our house is getting built. We are almost done with framing and have already started the plumbing, hvac, and electrical. I also did a preliminary cabinet walk through as well. Check out more of our home build on Instagram or read these post here!

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Fashion

Two Months With Daisy

Hi friends!

Hope you are doing well!  Can’t believe Halloween is just around the corner, and our sweet Daisy is already two months old. She is truly such a sweet baby and we’ve been loving every minute. Check out these sweet photos we took, including some funny bloopers that show the reality of taking photos with kids!

My sweet family! I love them so much. Now for the bloopers. So at the beginning Ella was not having it. She cried for a good fifteen minutes until we turned on Ms. Rachel and then she got distracted and eventually warmed up to the fact that we were doing family photos. Look at Jayden just trolling in the background. It is never a dull moment with these kiddos, but we wouldn’t have it any other way!

 

My sweet girls! I am loving this stage with Ella. She is just the cutest and funniest little babe!

 

SHOP OUTFITS:

Thankful for my sweet family! We are so darn blessed with our beautiful little babes. Just soaking this time with them and trying to capture every moment while I can. They grow up too fast. I still can’t believe I’ve already had eight years with Jayden. It seems like yesterday when he was just a little babe.

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10 Unexpected Cost Before Building A New Home

 

 

Hi friends,

Hope you are doing well! Today I am sharing our first update of our new home build, plus sharing Ten Unexpected Cost Before Building A New Home. I asked on my Instagram what ya’ll wanted to know about home building and financial cost was a big topic. There is so much that goes into that topic, so I thought I would break it down and first share some hidden cost that took us by surprise when we started the building process.

You never really know how much it takes to build a house until you are in the thick of it. I wish someone had told me this before hand, because we were clueless. Building a custom home can be very stressful financially, and when unexpected cost arises it can be even more stressful. Here are Ten Unexpected Cost Before Building A New Home below!

10 Unexpected Cost Before Building Your New Home

  1. Architect – If you are building a custom home having someone draw up your dream home cost money. Even if you pay for semi custom house plans off the internet you will pay hundreds if not thousands for it.
  2. Survey – Getting a survey of your property is required for obtaining a building permit and a construction loan. We paid thousands up front to get multiple surveys of our property before building. 
  3. Permits – Building permits are required before building a home. Our builders obtained our permits from the county for us, but it was an added cost to our home build.
  4. Soil testing – Before your foundation can be built, a soil test must be done by certified engineers to gauge what type of foundation your house will require.
  5. Electricity – this is one thing we were lucky with. The previous owners of our property paid to get a electrical pole placed. However depending on how far your home is built from the nearest electrical pole could cost you tens of thousands for every feet of electrical line that needs to be installed.
  6. Water well – If you are building on raw land like we are, where there is no city water attachment, you will have to get your own water well dug up. This was an additional 10k – 20k plus added to our home build.
  7. Sewage – A sceptic tank was another thing we had to add to our property since we weren’t on the city sewage plan. This was an additional 10k – 20k plus we had to budget in our home build.
  8. Dirt Pad – This could be one of the most expensive things in a home build. Because we were in a flood zone, we had to build are home up. Luckily we saved 50k+ because there was an existing pad. But we still had to spend 10k plus in addition to get it where we needed to be.  
  9. Builders insurance – When we took out our construction loan one thing we had to pay out of pocket is builders insurance to cover the home while it is getting built. Depending on the size of the home, if it’s in a flood zone, will determine the cost. But we paid several thousands up front for our insurance.
  10. Interest rate payments – As soon as we closed on our construction loan, we paid interest payments on the first initial builders draw. We didn’t realize interest payments could be as much as a monthly mortgage payment!

Building a custom home is a huge undertaking financially. It can be more of a sticker shock when you find out the unexpected cost that comes with it. I hope this post helps prepare for those looking to build in the future. Stay tuned for more home updates!

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new home build, building tips, new home construction, new home cost, cost to build a house

Family

One Month With Daisy

Hi friends!

Hope you are doing well! Just wanted to hop on here and share the cutest family photos we took as a family of five and to celebrate one month with our sweetest little Daisy. It’s crazy to think it’s already been a month! Time does fly by when you’re a busy family five. We’ve definitely been navigating through our new schedule with a newborn, two under two, and back to school season. But trying to cherish every moment, and thankful to capture memories like this with our babies.

Ella and Jayden are just smitten with their new sister. I love watching their growing sibling relationship. It makes my heart burst seeing all three of my babies together. I’m so thankful and blessed with all of my happy beautiful babes.

  The transition from two to three has not been as difficult as I thought it would be. Yes it takes a little longer to get out the door in the morning, and yes we are tired from our nightly feedings, but Daisy has been easy to assimilate in our family schedule. We do have help when it comes to Jayden’s sports schedule since it’s usually me with the kids most of the time with Josh’s work schedule. So we are very thankful for our family and all their help.

I tell people one child was harder than having three. But only because when you are a first time mom you really don’t know what you are doing. But after the second or even third time around you don’t stress out so much about the little things, and you find a schedule that works for you and your family. I’ve definitely found my groove as a mother. My expectations are low. I don’t try to do it all, I am receiving of all the help I can get. I prioritize my mental health. I make sure to get moving and sunshine every day to combat postpartum depression, and I give myself more grace. I’m definitely in my “motherhood era”.

Also how cute did Ella and Daisy’s sweater came out? I crochet it myself using this easy sweater tutorial I shared last year on my blog. Having two girls to dress is going to be so much fun!

SHOP POST:

Thankful for this sweet family of mine and our cutest little addition. These photos captured our little ones so perfectly and their individual personalities. I am so grateful to call them mine.

 

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Family

Introducing Daisy Persephone Darnell

Hi friends,

Hope you are having a great week! Gosh I can’t believe our baby girl is here! Last week August 16th, 2023 our newest addition Daisy Persephone Darnell made her arrival. I went in for a scheduled C-section for the first time because I had placenta previa with my pregnancy with Daisy. I was worried and a little scared going in because if my previous birth scare with Ella , but my doctor was amazing and made me feel at ease through the whole process. She delivered Jayden and it was a happy delivery too. I truly believe having the right doctor makes a big difference. I wish she had been there to deliver Ella. Maybe my delivery wouldn’t have been so traumatic, but I am glad she was there for this one.

Daisy came out a little less than six pounds and is the smallest of my babies. She had a little issue with breathing on her own for the first day so had to stay in the NICU over night, but the next day she overcame it and was able to come home with us the day after. Overall we were in and out of the hospital in 48 hours. It was the shortest stay and super easy process. Daisy is doing great. I am still recovering and learning to adjust with my c-section scar, but overall thankful everything went well. Check out some of these photos we took at the hospital, and her first baby photos I took of our sweet Daisy girl.

Our first photo as a family of five. I am so thankful and blessed for my family. They are my greatest blessings. Jayden is already such an amazing big brother and has been so helpful throughout my pregnancy. I know when he grows up he is going to be a great dad and husband one day just like his daddy. Ella isn’t sure what to think of her little sister, but she is very curious and wants to touch her every chance she gets. It’s the cutest thing!

For Daisy’s name, I wanted her to have my initials since Ella has my first name. I always loved the name Daisy from the book Little Men, and the name Persephone the Greek Goddess of Spring. Even though she is a summer baby I felt the name just fit her. I sweet little wild flower. We are over the moon in love with our sweet girl and thankful she has finally joined our family. Can’t wait to watch her blossom and grow!

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