Lauren..The Handy "Man"

I want to preface this blog with this explaination for those of you who don't know me as well as others..I don't consider myself a particularly "handy" girl, but I'm certainly not helpless. In my family, when something(like chairs, a table, etc.) needs to be put together, I'm the one that gets called. I put together all the furniture for my cousin's nursery. I also put together my aunt's table and chairs plus countless other things. However, anything electrical I leave for Ryan.

For Christmas, Ryan bought "me" some chairs for our kitchen table. We've been using wooden fold out chairs. They're better than the metal ones and they actually look nice, but they're still, after all, folding chairs. When we got our table, the seating made to match it were benches and it's just wasn't a practical choice for us.  We decided to find some other seating that would look nice.  That was 3 years ago.  Anyway, I decided that that's what I wanted for Christmas and started looking online and in stores.  I found a set of 4 chairs on Overstock for $134 with no shipping.  By far the best deal I could find. I ordered them on the 28th and they were on my porch by 10 AM yesterday(30th)!  I got the 65lb box in the house and set it down. When I opened it up I immediately realized that this was not going to be a one person job between putting the chairs together and keeping Hannah happy, fed and occupied. My Mom came over and we got to work. An HOUR later, we had one chair finished. ONE. It was absolutely miserable. I won't bore you with a play-by-play, but 3 hours later, all four chairs were done and in their place at the table. At about the 2-hour mark, I was convincing myself that we didn't need the chairs and we'd just get by standing at the table.

So, after I got the chairs finished, I fed Hannah and pulled out the programmable thermostat that Ryan got for Christmas.  We needed this desperately.  Ryan's always pretty tired when he gets home, so I thought I'd install it and surprise him.  I mean, after putting together the chairs, how hard could it really be? I get it installed without a problem at all. I was really impressed with myself. I got everything wired up and set up. When Ryan got home, and told and showed Ryan what I'd done, but asked him to open it back up and make sure I wired everything correctly. It had been 75 degrees in our house since I set it up so I figured I'd done something wrong. Apparently, I didn't tighten the wires down so it wasn't really doing anything for us.(I didn't know this was a necessary step) Ryan got everyting tightened and a got a pat on the back and a "Good job".  A few hours later, the house still wasn't getting cooled down.  I bumped the temp down a few degrees trying to jump start it and went to bed. Fast forward to me, laying miserably hot in bed at 3 AM. The heat woke me up. I got up and went step-by-step reprogramming the thermostat. Finally, an hour later the house was slowly cooling off and I know way more about our thermostat than I really need to. And still wide awake..at 4:45 AM


And so ends the tale of my day as a handy "man". A hat I hope I don't have to put back on for a while...

Ladies and their clothes

First, let me say that this post isnot directed at any one person, but, rather, a group of women.  Women who wear clothes that are too small for them.

I do not claim to be the most fashion forward girl on the planet, but I like to think that I know what looks good and what looks bad.  People come to me for fashion advice(which is the leg I'm using to stand on here).

Now, ladies, when you try to squeeze yourself into a size small shirt, when you actually wear a medium or large makes you look WAY bigger than you actually are.  The same goes for pants.  If you go up a size(or two) and wear the size that's meant for you, it will make you look smaller! Nobody sees the tag but you!!!

It's like they say about weight, don't pay attention to the number on the scale, pay attention to how you look and feel!!!  The same goes for your clothes(ALL OF YOUR CLOTHES), don't pay attention to the size, pay attention to how it looks on you and makes you feel.


That is all.

Which One Are You?

Does anyone watch Modern Family? I was watching this past Thursday's episode from our trusty DVR and there was a quote at the end that I wanted to share!

"There are dreamers and there are realists in this world, you think the dreamers would find the dreamers and the realists would find the realists, but more often than not the opposite is true. See the dreamers need the realists to keep the dreamers from soaring too close to the sun. And the realists? Well without the dreamers, they might not ever get off the ground."

Teething and other random happenings

Hannah TWO teeth!  We're very excited about it, but the little girl that resides in my house currently, is NOT the little girl we all know and love.  Atleast not with me anyway.  I'm convinced that I am her least favorite person in the whole world and she only puts up with me because I feed her.  She wont even smile at me when I go get her out of her crib in the morning.  I'm a little sad about it. No, I take that back.  I'm VERY sad about it.  Teething Hannah doesn't seem to like any of the things she liked before.  Her bouncer keeps her busy for about 10 minutes, where before, she'd spend HOURS in it if we'd let her! Her swing does her no good. I'm ready to have MY little girl back!

Our doctor told me to start introduce Hannah to a sippy cup.  She's 6 months old.  She wont drink out of a bottle if it doesnt have a 'slow' nipple on it(not that we haven't tried countless times!)  Is this weird?

Have any of you seen the Account Now commercial? I tried to look it up on YouTube, but couldn't find the one I wanted to talk about.  In the commercial, there's a line that bothers me. "Before Account Now, payday was such a hassle."  Really? A hassle? If getting paid is too much of a hassle for you, send your paycheck this way, it wont be a hassle for me!

We FINALLY have a washing machine that works! We had to take our washer back to Lowes and they gave us a store credit that we used to buy a brand new washer.  While we were sitting in the Customer Service section of Lowes on #6, one of the women that works there asked me how old Hannah was.  I told her she was 6 months old. Her response: "WOW! SHE'S FAT!" Then she proceeds to come out from behind the counter and starts getting in Hannah's face and mashing on her cheeks. I was so astonished/appaled that I couldn't even say anything to her! I was literally frozen where I stood.  I know what my kid looks like.  She's not the smallest baby ever, but she's certainly not fat. Do people really think it's ok to call babies fat? And why on God's green Earth do people think it's ok to touch and get in the face of a baby THEY DON'T KNOW?! 

They just released the "Top 10 Baby Names of 2011".  Hannah is #19(I found an extended list here.) Am I the only mom who doesn't want to see my kid's name on a list like this?

We're Alive... I Promise!

Life in the Shumpert household has been crazy the past month and I haven't had much time to blog. Here's our updates!

Our washing machine is still out - kind of.  After a month of being broken, we finally got in "fixed".  I was overjoyed and didn't even wait for the repairman to be out of my driveway before I put a load of clothes in!  TWO days later, it quit again and it's a complete toss up now when I go to turn the thing on.  It's getting ridiculous. 

I'm having a cookie exchange on December 10th.  I'm REALLY excited about it and cannot wait to have everyone over!  (I'm also using the party as an excuse to be on Pintrest more!)  I'm sending the very cute invites out this week!

We had Hannah's 6-month pictures taken last week.  The sneak peek we've seen is awesome and I can't wait to see all of the pictures!!!  She turns 6 months old on November 26th.  I can't believe Ryan and I have been parents for almost half a year!!!

Can you all believe that Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK?  Where on Earth did the time go?  Have you all started Christmas shopping yet?

I want to get Hannah some toys for Christmas.  When we're in a store, I'll take her to the baby toy aisle and let her see and play with some of the toys to see if she likes them.  She NEVER does.  Are all babies like this or is my child just that picky about her toys?

Our Wonderful Photographer

I absolutely ADORE our photographer.  Her name is Jamie Dodson.  The name of her buisness is Lulo's Photography.  She's so nice, so good to us, she's wonderful with Hannah, she rolls with Ryan's punches, and most importantly, she does AMAZING work.

We're doing a year-long photoshoot with her.  We started with a maternity shoot and got some great shots.

Next, we did a newborn shoot.  Hannah cooperated for the most part and Jamie was so wonderful!



Most recently, we did Hannah's 3-month shoot...

My in-laws have loved Jamie's work since we started using her and wanted to do a family shoot before Sara left for college.  They turned out wonderful!

If any of you ever need a photographer for anything, look Jamie up.  She has her own website and Facebook.  Go check her out!!

The Water Saga

Two weeks ago, I went to fix Hannah a bottle.  She'd just woken up from her nap and not being very patient.  I pulled the knob on the faucet and nothing came out.    Screaming baby. No water.  Luckily, I keep bottled water in the house, so I just used that.  When Hannah finished her bottle, I got online to check and make sure I'd paid the bill.  I had, so I picked up the phone and called Ryan to let him know.  He listed off a few things it could be (none of which I understood).  When he got home, he checked our pressure switch(If anything, that's what we wanted to be wrong.  It's less expensive to fix) and the switch was fine.  Our pump was bad.  This pump(from what I understand), pumps water from our well, up a pipe to the house. We had to go without water until Ryan got home the next day to pull our pump up.  On his way home from work, he stopped and bought a new pump and gathered a few of our wonderful neighbors and they tried pulling our pump up by hand.  This did not work.  Our next door neighbor and the people who live in front of us combined their hoses with ours and they hooked us up to their well so we had water with a small amount of pressure.  Ryan had to bring home his work truck the next day to help pull the pump up, which worked THANKFULLY!  Ryan, along with our neighbors, replaced our pump and lowered it back down.  Now,if any of you know anything about our situation, you know that now, we should have water.  We didn't.  There was a short in the wiring way way down the pipe.  Over the next few days, Ryan was outside every night working to get the pump and wire up by himself.

At this point, we've been hooked up to our neighbor's well for a week and Ryan called a company his family works with to come and fix our problem and they will be there the next day.  We were having family over for dinner and to watch Survivor this particular Wednesday, so Ryan got my dad and my uncle to help him pull the pump out(Ryan hates having to pay someone to do something he can do)themselves.  Unfortunately, when the guys had to pump half up, the pipe breaks, sending the pump and half our pipe plumetting to the bottom of the well.  How lucky are we?  We decide to go to my parent's house that night and spend the night and get a nice shower.  You know, one that has actual pressure. 

Currently, it's been 2 weeks since we lost water.  We've returned the pump we bought(it was bad) and gotten a new one, bought, and returned a control panel for the pump(The well people told us to get one, then realized we didn't need it) and we finally got water Sunday night. 

This has been the longest 2 weeks I've had in a long time!  I hope noone has the same problems with their well that we've had.  Now, I know that it's a longer blog of almost nonesense, but I hope that someone benefits from my rambling.  Trust me, it's a lot of money to get someone out to fix the well problem, but trust me, it's a lot less stress!!


P.S. To top this whole saga off, I went to start a load of laundry yesterday morning and our washing machine won't turn on.

Taking the message to the people

http://pinterest.com/pin/212669262/

"Be the change you want to see in the world"

Thank you Gandhi.

In the spirit of "being the change"...let's conference.

I really need people to learn how to work on 4-way stop. They're really not that hard to master.  The order in which the cars stop, that's the order in which the cars go through the intersection.  Why is this so hard for people?



I like to think that I'm a "real" person.  I don't put on airs for anyone, or whatever the phrase is.  If  you read my blog and then have a conversation with me on the street, you'll see that it's all the same.  I don't use the "good china" when you're at my house (that's for holidays - you coming over does not qualify as a holiday).  If you show up to my house, I promise that it looks exactly like it did yesterday, just a little cleaner.  The table actually does stay halfway set (there are plates with napkins in napkin rings) because Ryan and I don't eat at the table.  We eat on the couch so we can interact with Hannah more, plus our couch is comfy.  People that change the way they look, the way their house is decorated (with the exception of holidays), the way they talk, bug the absolute snot out of me.  Stop it. Be real, you're not fooling anyone.



I realize that this next little rant is going to probably offend some people, but I just don't get it.

Dirt bike - DIRT
Motorcycle - ROAD

Explain (please!) why people use dirt bikes as a form of transportation on the road.  It seems like they're trying to make them seem like motorcycles. They're not, really, they're made for riding on dirt.  I just don't understand why, if you want to be on the road, you don't just go buy a motorcycle and stop playing charades.

What I'm Loving...

I'm loving.. that this time next week, I'll be on vacation!!!!!!!!!

I'm loving.. that Thursday, Ryan, Hannah, and I are going to the new San Jose. Finally!

I'm loving..that Ryan & I are going to do a small group through our church!

I'm loving.. that Hannah slept all night last night & is just now waking up - that's a whole 12 hours ladies and gentlemen!

I'm loving..being a stay-at-home Mom. 

I'm loving..that I'm learning how to applique!

The Shumperts are headed to the beach!!

I've mentioned before that we have a vacation coming up.  We couldn't be any more excited!  I'd like to think I'm on top of everything, but know that sadly, halfway to the beach, I'll realize I've forgotten something!

Since this will be Hannah's first beach trip, is there anything I should know/make sure to take?

I know she's too young for sunscreen, so she has a hat, but that can only do so much.  Did anyone buy one of those tents? How did they work? Are they worth the money?

It's OK!

It's OK...

...to let your child nap on your chest because you don't want to get off the couch

...to start packing for vacation 2 weeks before you leave

...to wake your husband up to take care of the baby even though you're already awake

...to use just about any excuse you can think of not to have to cook dinner

...to crave Chick-Fil-A every single day

...to beg your husband to watch Weeds on Netflix every night so he'll be caught up with the current season

...to put off folding/putting away clean clothes until you need that seat of the couch or are getting in the bed

...to try and fit a dish in the dishwasher that you know is too big because maybe this time, it'll fit

...to buy flowers for yourself

...to ask your husband to watch the baby while you shower and then give yourself a pedicure

...to be a fan of Carolina football, but not be so happy about tailgating at every home game

...to wear a t-shirt everyday

...to, instead of cleaning & organizing, just throw everything in a trash bag & take it to the dump

...to watch reality tv shows you'd never want to admit you watch

...to want to tell every married woman you know about the book I just read

Oh what fun!

So much has happened since I blogged last!!

1. Hannah went & got her 2 month check up and got shots.  She was less than thrilled.  Shots are NOT our friends!  She weighs 11 pounds and 1 ounce(that's 4 pounds more than when she was born!) and is 22 1/2 inches long(she grew an inch).

2. We moved my little sister to Charleston! I'm sure it won't really sink in until next summer when she won't come home!

3. We let some friends babysit Hannah and Ryan and I went to Brew at the Zoo with my family.  It POURED down rain, but we had so much fun! Here's a picture, please ignore the fact that we all looked like wet rats...

4. Ryan and I celebrated our first wedding anniversary!!!  We went to dinner & then came home and put on PJs and watched a movie on the couch with our little family!  We also bought a new washing machine (for those of you that really know us, you know what an exciting thing this is!!) I can't believe it's been a whole year!!  Here are a few pictures from our wonderful day..

Running

Forrest Gump: That day, for no particular reason, I decided to go for a little run. So I ran to the end of the road. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd run to the end of town. And when I got there, I thought maybe I'd just run across Greenbow County. And I figured, since I run this far, maybe I'd just run across the great state of Alabama. And that's what I did. I ran clear across Alabama. For no particular reason I just kept on going. I ran clear to the ocean. And when I got there, I figured, since I'd gone this far, I might as well turn around, just keep on going. When I got to another ocean, I figured, since I'd gone this far, I might as well just turn back, keep right on going.


I used to run.
I used to LOVE to run.
I used to run all the time.

Now, I never run.  I really miss it.  I don't think I've been out running in probably a year.  I used to run in my parent's neighborhood because I didn't have to go anywhere except out my front door.  Where I live now isn't anywhere I want to run.  AT ALL.  It's a dirt road and very very sandy.  Plus, it's not very stroller friendly.  Which brings me to my next point...

I know you don't HAVE to get a jogging stroller, but our stroller isn't one I think I want to run with(however, we absolutely LOVE our stroller so if you're in the market for one, take a look at them!).  So, for you runners out there with jogging strollers or whatever, do you have any suggestions as to what I should be looking for?


Anyone else want to start running?

Bittersweet.

Things are wonderful in Shumpert-land.

Ryan is done moving portables in Charleston so we get to see him more than just on the weekends, vacation is paid for and we leave in a few short weeks, our house is almost fully painted & decorated, our 1 year wedding anniversary is just around the corner, I'm hosting a *girls-only* party very soon and I cannot wait(you are all very much welcome to come, you can message me and I'll get you all the details), Hannah is growing & is starting to babble, and JP is still on The Bachelorette.

I am so thankful for the blessings God has given Ryan and me. Not just lately, but every single one of them ever. And also, not just us, but to our friends and family.

Sadly, everything is not so wonderful in a few friends' lives currently. And for those dear friends & acquaintances, I share this with you:

The God of all grace, who called you to his eternal glory in Christ, after you have suffered a little while, will himself restore you and make you strong, firm, and steadfast
-1 Peter5:10


I hope that no matter what is going on in each of your lives right now, good or bad, that you look to see Him in everything that happens.
He truly does have a reason for everything.

Pool Time!

My mom & I took Hannah to the pool yesterday to catch up since we haven't seen or spoken much in the past two weeks since she's been gone!  This went MUCH better than our trip to the lake.

Here are some pictures!

Thank You, Daddy

My dad is retiring at the end of August.  He works for the Army National Guard, doing I'm not quite sure what.  This is the only job I've ever known my dad to have.  When Lindsey and I were little, during the summer we'd go to work with him.  We loved going to the armory every day(but HATED having to get up early!).  We'd play and play all day!  We used to sit on some rollers they'd use to move big heavy things around and use them as "cars".  We'd play in the sound studio and get in trouble for being too loud.  We also learned to love Bernie's & would beg to have it for lunch(which rarely worked). 

An added plus to my dad being in the National Guard is having my dad's unit be like a second family.  They're all very special to my entire family.   We've been babysat by them, we've had all kinds of parties with them, they've celebrated & cried with my family - and us with them. 


With all of this said, my Dad(and 2 other men friends) had their last AT. For those who don't know, AT is the "2 weeks in the summer" that you hear about in the commercials.  It was pretty emotional, much more for the wives than the guys.  My little family went to Charleston & Greenville to see them. 

The last gig they had was in Greenville on July 4th.  It was a pretty special time for our family.  Every year until Lindsey and I were old enough to stay by ourselves, we were sent to spend 2 weeks with my grandma while my parents went and toured the state with my dad's unit.  We all were reunited for the July 4th concert.  This was the last time we'd see my dad play on July 4th in uniform. 

My entire family is so proud of my dad, and his entire unit, and more than thankful for serving our country.  There are no words to describe the sense of pride I get when I see my Dad standing at attention in uniform.  You hear a lot of women say "There's nothing like a man in uniform".  Usually they're talking about how good it makes a man look, but for me, it means something completely different.  It's for that reason, I asked my dad to walk me down the aisle in his dress blues.

Thank you, Daddy for serving for 33 years.  We appreciate it more than you know. 

P.S. Ryan says you're a badass :-)

Charleston - June 26th

Greenville - July 4th

My Dad is the one playing the trumpet

Yes, I made us all match.  Thank you Old Navy...

The retirees & their wives

Please excuse the glare from my glasses and my mom's lack of eyes...

 

Swamp Baby

Let me start off by saying that the girl had absolutely no chance.  She was either going to have to like the TV show, Swamp People, or just deal with it on Thursday nights for as long as History has it on.

She turned away from me to watch the show.  She's never "watched" TV before.  Not intently anyway..until tonight.  She's been watching it since it came on.  It's freakin' hilarious!!

Like I said, she didn't really have a chance.  After everyone left the hospital the night we had her, Ryan and I started to really relax and get settled.  We turned on the TV and realized that A - it was Thursday and B - it was time for Swamp People.  That's right, ladies & gentlemen, the first TV she was ever exposed to was this guilty pleasure show.

This show is somewhat of a big deal in my family.  My uncle even applied for a gator tag after watching the show.  It's crazy redneck - I know.

We have created our own little monster :)


CHOOT EM!!!

Could I Be Any Cuter?

YES.

Father's Day

Ryan got to celebrate Father's Day for the first time yesterday!  He was VERY excited!  Hannah & I made him a shirt, we got him a camo Tervis Tumbler(basically all we drink out of at our house!), and Hannah left Ryan little notes around the house thanking him for being a Daddy.  They said things like, "Thanks for changing my diapers - even when they're messy" and "Thanks for hanging out with me on Friday nights when I want to be awake and Mommy needs sleep".

Happy First Father's Day!

After we gave Ryan his gifts, we all got ready and headed to Ryan's parent's lake house to celebrate Father's Day with Ryan's dad.  We had a wonderful time!  We decided to put Hannah in the water and see how she liked it. This did not go as planned...