MIA...

I've been a little MIA recently... We have had my dad living with us for the past week after he experienced a stroke. He is doing well but still needs 24/7 care due to his chances of falling. Although it is not ideal for him to have a stroke (obviously) we have taken this experience and are making the best of it. He is getting to spend a ton of time with his grandson and also his daughter and son in-law. What could be better! :) 

I am loving cooking delicious meals for him and taking good care of him. Zach is taking full advantage of his wood working skills and getting lots of ideas (and moderate help) with our Florida room renovation. And Zane is loving a new playmate and cuddle buddy. My dad is loving it. Just look at these two besties on the couch.. 

My dad also helped Zach put Zane's new toddler bed together.. 

Zane loves his new bed! Whenever someone comes over to the house, he always run to his room and hops on his bed and shows how proud he is of it. We are not fully transitioning him to sleep in it yet (we have quite a bit going on right now). We have used it for naps though and he does really well! 

This week, my mom and I also tried some new recipes for Zane. I posted my pics on Facebook and had quite a few people ask for the recipes. Here is the article we used.. http://eatlocalgrown.com/article/13878-processed-kids-snacks-you-should-avoid.html

We made the smoothies, crackers, and fruit snacks. 

These recipes were very simple and sooo much healthier for little ones. Surprisingly, Zane absolutely loves the green smoothies. I was having a hard time getting him to eat any other veggie than corn and peas. I snuck kale, spinach, and all kinds of other yummy greens in these smoothies. Haha momma wins! 

Update on Nash-- this little guy literally moves all day long! And I LOVE it! He is so active and he makes me so happy when he's dancing around.. :) I caught some kind of crazy bug the other day.. Ugh. Not fun! And definitely not what I needed right now. But 2 days later.. I'm feeling better and still just really tired. 

I stopped working completely (again).. That part time job just wasn't worth it. I am focusing 100% on my family and myself. (That feels good to say). 

This weekend we plan on lots of relaxation, family time, and some Florida room renovation... 

Our family has had many obstacles thrown our way recently.. But we are as strong as ever and truly feel blessed on a daily basis. My daddy's stroke has opened his eyes and helped him realize that he wants to be around for a long time to enjoy his kids and grandkids for many years to come. He is already talking about lake trips this summer. We just can't wait! :) 

Daddy's Girl

I have always been a daddy's girl... And I have to say that I am even more incredibly blessed to not only have 1 amazing daddy, but two.

My (actual) dad has had a very rough week... Looong story short, he had a stroke this week. But the doctors didn't catch it right away. They sent him home from the hospital and it wasnt until 2 days later that he returned to the ER that they finally found something wrong.

With everything I have had going on with my pregnancy, this is the last thing I was expecting. My daddy means the absolute world to me. He has always been the most supportive man in my life. He always stood by my side, help guide me, and help raise me to become the woman I am today. I never want anything bad to happen to him. What broke my heart the most was when I talked to him every day. He seemed scared, unsure, and nervous. I hate that my daddy was feeling that way. Nothing scares me more than when one of my parents is scared.

We finally have answers now though and I am beyond thankful for that. Today, my brother, sister in-law, and husband will be visiting him at the hospital. I can't wait to see him and give him a big hug and kiss from his little girl. I know he is a strong man and will overcome anything that is thrown his way..

These are some of my favorite pictures of my daddy and I from my wedding day. He was such a proud daddy this day.. you can just see it in his eyes.

We danced to "grown men don't cry" by Tim McGraw.

Updates...

So, I am not the best blogger.. In fact, sometimes I'm not sure how to do it. HA! I have several "pages" that I constantly update and only do an actual "post" every once in a while. If you are on the mobile app, you won't see the pages unless you go to the actual website or "web version" at the bottom of the mobile app screen. I update my "pages" the most. I usually add my most recent post to the bottom. So if you want to stay updated, know that you can go to my different pages and find my updates at the bottom of each page. I have recently updated "My Little Superheroes", "DIY love" (always has new additions), and "Feeding your children".

I have been a little MIA lately because of other life events happening. If you read "speechless" or are a close family member or friend you know what I am talking about. Please remember to keep my little family in your thoughts and prayers. Also my daddy could use just as many thoughts/prayers. They say, "when it rains, it pours"... and boy are we unfortunately going through that right now. This momma is trying her best to stay positive!

Speachless

Recently, my little family has been going through a whirlwind.. I have chose to talk about it with my family and close friends, and have started writing about it as well on my blog. I haven't published it yet, but plan on it when I am ready to get it all out there in the open. It takes me awhile to do this sometimes.

When I experience something heart wrenching- I do not like to throw it out there on facebook. Some things are private or maybe I'm just more of a private person when it comes to personal things. People can choose to put whatever they want to on facebook, but I am not that person. I have been needing an extreme amount of support from those around me- and I am one lucky person to have so much support, love, and prayers from the people I love and trust.

When Zane went through his surgery, I didn't reach out to people until after a week.. I didn't post anything on facebook until I was finally home relaxing with my family (over two weeks). I regret not reaching out to my family and friends right away- I needed their support but chose to hide instead. This time, I wanted to get the love and support from those around me quickly, because I needed it badly. As of right now, we don't have as many answers as we want.. Nash is just not growing the way we would like him to. This involves lots of tests and appointments. Not easy on this momma.

The reason I'm writing this post is because of the amount of love I have felt from my family and friends over the past week. The calls, the texts, everything means the world to me. Sometimes you have to stop and think about how incredibly blessed you really are in your life. When you face something extreme- everything else seems so small. Why stress about the small things? It's not worth it. This experience has opened my eyes even more. I need to just focus on my little family and myself. This is all that matters. And boy am I lucky. I am married to an incredible man, I have a smart, healthy, funny, incredible, loving, and caring little boy, and I get to welcome another one into our lives in just 4 1/2 short months. WOW! What a life I lead. Step back, and look at yours. Sure, we stress about things, things don't always go right, but at the end of the day, look at what you have and are blessed with.

Speaking of blessed... have I mentioned how incredibly amazing my husband is??? Maybe a thousand times or two- but even that is not enough. He is the reason I am who I am. He leads me, lifts me up , protects me, guides me, and provides for our family. Oh boy, am I grateful for him in my life. Not only do I know this and  am thankful every day for him.. my family tells me on a daily basis. "He is your soulmate, the man you are meant to be with, a supportive and caring husband and father". Yes, he is all of this and more. It's even more amazing to hear it from the ones you love. If you are married to your best friend- you are one lucky girl. I am reminded of these things especially when we are faced with a great obstacle. We have gotten through many of them.. and I know Zach and I have the strongest relationship that we can overcome anything together.

My friends are perfectly perfect. They sent me the most uplifting and heartwarming texts and my best friend even sent little Nash some sweet flowers to our home. One text that my cousin sent me made me tear up..

She wrote, Psalm 139:13 "For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb." Nash is fearfully and wonderfully made.

All I can say is, AMEN.

I am really speechless at times with the amount of prayers we are receiving and the love and support from those around us. My little family appreciates it more than you all know. We still have some time before we get all the answers, so we would appreciate everyone still keeping us in your thoughts and prayers.

Much love,
The Bourelle Family

Weekend Project

It is almost impossible for me to just sit around during the weekend and not do anything. I'll be honest... I have been losing my energy lately and it can be depressing. But I try my best to stay busy and doing something. This weekend, I spent time in Zane's old nursery. This room is going to be my new craft room and basically just an overflow room for extra stuff... We have a lot of it!

Here are the "before" pictures... I had to fill quite a few holes in the wall from where I hung stuff in Zane's nursery.

Next I measured and taped the wall. Each line was 12 inches. It worked out perfectly because my white baseboard flows into the last white line which ended us measuring at 12 inches.

Then I painted every other stripe white. I originally was going to buy new white paint.. But my hubby and I decided to save money and use the extra trim color from the rest of the house. I was skeptical at first because it is a semi-gloss white and our walls aren't a semi-gloss. But, it actually turned out perfect! And I saved $$$. I put 2 coats of white paint on- pretty thick.

I still have some touch up to do in the grey areas (we need to go get more of our wall paint). I also plan on hanging my old mosaic mirror I made awhile back on this wall. I still have to get my hubby to move it for me.. It's heavy!

 

In the end, I LOVE how it turned out. I originally wanted to do a striped wall in the house when we moved in.. But when you are remodeling and repainting every inch of the house- you kind of want to just get it done! So I eventually got around to doing it :)

OH and I have to add one more thing.. I did this ALL BY MYSELF! haha I just love when I do things all on my own without any help from my hubby. (And I'm sure he loves it too). He spent the day relaxing and playing with Zane while I was working away!

Table Topics

One thing Zach and I love to do is have family dinner with the 3 of us at our dinning room table. Zach was very specific about one piece of furniture in our new home- a dinning room table that seats 8. After weeks of shopping, we finally found the perfect one. Ok, so usually we only use two seats... But it is nice for big family meals.

 For Christmas, my mom got Zach and I (what I think is) the cutest gift. It's called Table Topics- Questions to start great conversations. They have all different kinds but we got the "family" version.

They look this this...
 

They have different kinds including-- Cocktail, Original, Dinner Party, Family Gathering, Couples, Girls Night Out, Teen, etc. etc.

I found them online here for $25 each- http://www.tabletopics.com/Sample-Questions

However, I think my mom found them at Marshall's for cheaper. They bring up fun and interesting topics to talk about during dinner or any type of gathering. My husband and I enjoy it with just us, but they are even more fun with more people.  

Just a really cute way to bring up fun topics while eating dinner. I am definitely looking forward to seeing how our kids will answer questions when they are old enough to play. They make us laugh and really think about certain topics. 

Here are some of the example questions in the family edition...

• What's your favorite family tradition?
• Which wild animal would you like to tame and keep as a pet?
• Would you rather live for a week in the past or the future?
• Which famous athlete would you love to meet?
• What family or school rule would you most like to change?

We spend more time on some questions than others. We always elaborate on our answers and talk about what each other said. 

Try it out! They are super fun! :) These can also be a great gift for a friend or family member!

Nash Edward James

Today we had our "gender" ultrasound! Well, we already knew the gender, but this one was actually with our regular doctor. And there is no doubt this baby is a little HE!

 I did have a hot second where I thought "oh no, what if it's really a girl and the ultrasound tech was wrong"... Lol the places my mind goes. But, sure enough, it's (still) a BOY! :)

He is a very active little guy and liked to have his hands all over the place. One second he was playing with his feet and the next he was covering his face. 

Zach and I have been going back and forth on names for the past month. We have considered a ton! But, in the end we are going with the name I originally wanted in the first place. Nash. His middle names will be Edward (after my grandpa, dad, and brothers middle name) and James (after two of my uncles - one on my moms side and one on my dads). 

Whew! Finally, a name :) and it's the original name I had in the first place.. Haha 

Prays that he continues to grow to be a healthy baby boy!!!

Side profile 

Little footsies! 

Here is our weekly picture at 21 weeks! 

I did weekly pictures when I was pregnant with Zane (well, almost weekly... Sometimes we got busy and missed some). I just had to do it again with Nash. It's so fun to see my belly grow with my little bundle of joy inside. 

Here is Zane feeling his baby "bubby". Whenever I ask him where bubby is, he lifts up my shirt and touches my belly. It just melts my heart. I know he doesn't actually understand, but I think we are off to a good start. 

Baby Names...

I tell you what... One of the most difficult things to do is name your child.. lol

Seriously though. You want them to have a great name- In my opinion, I want my kids to have a name that is not common, unique, and for a boy- masculine.

My mother in-law actually named Zane. She sent me a text one day with his name- what it meant "God's gracious gift" and said me it was my husband's grandfather's favorite authors name. I was sold as soon as I saw it. I love his name... AND I don't know anybody else with it- and I have never met another person with that name. But, then again it's not too "out of the ordinary". Also, his middle names were a given- Marshall Buddy. these are his daddy's middles names (both of them) and it was a definite that our first son would have them as well.

Well, we are having a more difficult time with our second. We still don't have a name officially chosen yet. Not only that, every time we have a name, someone says they don't like it- and then I get discouraged. I don't want to chose a name noone likes- but then again it is my child and not theirs. We have our middle names for sure- they are after my side of the family (my brother, daddy, and grandpa, as well as my uncles). And yes, we are going with 2 middle names again. Why? because our first has 2, and because I love 2 middle names.

So stay tuned, because we STILL are not 100% set on a name yet. But we will get there!  However, I have to say that I am wanting to name this child asap... It's killing me!