Fathers Day

Fathers' Day was a little nutty this year. I really tried to plan ahead and have some thoughtful gifts ready for David, but it largely backfired. The Earleys were planning to come to town on their way home to Indianapolis from Hilton Head, but we thought they were going to be here much later in the day (like, after dinner). Turns out, we (probably I) had a major miscommunication. I had scheduled a tee time for David, Greg, Chase and Eric to play 18 holes of golf at Bear Trace. At 1:30pm. This is a huge gift for David because a) he loves to play golf, but doesn't get to often. b) When he does play, he tries to get the first available tee time and he races through to get home quickly. c) He plays at cheap courses. Oh, and it was a surprise! Until I learned that the Earleys were going to be here at 11am. Womp, womp. It was such a bummer because we really were so excited for the Earleys visit, and I just screwed the golf thing up royally. Eric and Chase ended up playing without Greg and David, and they will have to reschedule sometime. I also bought David two new golf shirts that he said he didn't need so I returned. Nice.

The two redemptive gifts were a Baskin Robbins ice cream cake (perfect for celebrating Matt's birthday Sunday too!) 

and these framed silhouettes of our boys. Obviously we'll have to wait to make Lawson's, but I was pretty pleased with how Crawford's turned out. It was quite a project, but well worth it in the end. And David loved them (it?). I even hung them up!

We had such a fun visit with Matt, Arrington, Stevie (8), Savannah (2.5) and new baby Benson (2 months). The girls have grown so much, and Benson was a dream baby! It was so fun to have a little guy in the house to get us thinking about what it is going to be like when Lawson arrives. 

David and Matt took Stevie with them to watch Chattanooga FC play soccer, and of course Uncle Dave spoiled her with ice cream.

I mean, seriously.

Sunday we played at the park, and these kids worked up some sweaty heads! They all had fun running around together, and it was so sweet to watch them interact. 

Crawford loves big kids, so he was glad to watch/play nearby/laugh at Stevie and Savannah, but he didn't want much to do with Uncle Matt. Though he did like to say "Matt. Matt." over and over again. Even after they left. 

It's so fun to be with the Earleys and to think about how far these two boys have come since their friendship began freshman year of college. Now with (almost) five kids between the two of them, life looks pretty different than it did in the early days. I don't think they would trade any of it to go back!

We didn't talk to my dad on Fathers Day (it was a little nutty around here), but we face timed with them a few days later, and that is always so fun! Crawford LOOOOVES Babu. He seriously gets more excited about seeing him (even in the phone) than any other person he knows. They are coming to visit next weekend and I know Crawford will have a blast. I love seeing my parents as grandparents. They are the best!

I don't want to neglect an opportunity for a sappy reflection of David as a father, so here it is: 

Dave, 

Thank you for telling Crawford you love him about 20x a day. He will never doubt the truth of those words because you live them out non-stop. Thank you for praying for our family faithfully every single night, even when I sometimes fall asleep halfway through. Thank you for cleaning the poopy diapers I can't stomach (which is pretty much all of them) - without complaining. Thank you for being a grilling champ, and for cooking as much as you can fit in. Thank you for being so excited about having boys that you get giddy when you just say "my sons" (I'm sometimes more overwhelmed than excited). Thank you for purposefully working to break negative cycles of past generations. Thank you for being a peacemaker in our families. Heaven knows we need one! Thank you for regularly wearing your shorts twisted, your shirts inside out and the same socks for several days in a row. Seriously, it makes me feel needed :). 

Thanks for loving me and setting such a beautiful example for Crawford, Lawson and anyone else to come of what marriage looks like. I am so blessed to get to stand by you through this crazy journey of life!

I love you! 

Em

ch-ch-ch changes

The decision to stay put in this house has meant that we are going to move forward on a few house updates/changes that we've been noodling on. So far, here's the list we're working on:

Boys' room:

• paint! - Dad is coming next weekend to help (slash, do it)  
• add 2nd crib (for Lawson) - we have an offer to borrow one! yay!
• move bed out 
• buy large dresser
• add more storage... somehow

Guest room:

• switch mattresses with the one from Crawford's room
• get rid of old mattresses - CHECK! The only accomplishment so far :)
• switch bedding with white stuff from Crawford's room

Living room:

• new furniture! couch, 2 chairs, side tables and storage something-or-other

Dining room:

• everything! 

Rest of the house: PURGE. I've been a getting-rid-of-stuff maniac! Thank goodness for the Chattanooga Area Moms Resell Facebook page. I've actually made a little bit of money, and hopefully we'll be able to sell several other big things (piece of junk breakfast table, bistro table, bakers rack, bed/dresser/nightstand from C's room, anything else not nailed down) to make a dent in funding the new stuff we plan to buy. 

I know, this is a boring post, but it is helpful for me to be accountable to the plans we have in motion! And, it will keep my future posts a bit more organized as we accomplish some of these things. Stay tuned!

life lately

By "lately" I mean, yesterday. 

I take a boatload of picture of Crawford. On my phone. To send to David. 

Poor guy pretty much gets a play-by-play of our day. I don't want him to miss anything! 

Crawford had his 15 month appointment (at 16 months...oops) yesterday. We waited forever (which seems to always happen...) then had a very good visit with Dr. Brannon. Our guy is tall (77%) and thin (14%), and advanced developmentally :). Just what mom wants to hear from the doctor! 

linking up with Blair

dining room - the before

This is the current view looking towards the screened-in porch. We're going to remove the door and open the wall to the right of it to the bar counter. 

I definitely am going to miss this relaxing space in our house! Though, let's be honest. "Relaxing" time these days is spent in my bed asleep (or in my bed reading a book, or in my bed watching tv... etc.). We inherited the chairs/ottomans/tables from David's parents and we need to find a temporary place for them because they are awesome and we aren't getting rid of them! Same goes for the amazing heater (a Christmas gift from the Bryants a few years back). 

This is the current view out onto the deck. We're going to move the door from the house to this door space.

And... the wall to the house. And the box. David and Matt moved it into the yard beyond the deck, so we'll be able to keep our storage without taking up valuable deck space.

We have ordered the windows, but now have to pick out:

• paint color (should we repaint the kitchen too [we really don't want to]? the same color as the dining room??)
• tile (should it be exactly like our kitchen tile? travertine?)
• light fixture (probably a fan to help with airflow... we'll need it in there. something like this?)
• table!! yay!!! no idea what we want... or what the space will actually accommodate. We'll probably have to wait until there are real walls and no furniture in there to figure this one out.

The windows have been ordered so there's no turning back!

change of plans- again

So, here's the saga.

We have listed our house for sale - and taken if off - several times in the past two years. It has been quite a journey (of keeping a clean house with a toddler).

The first time we took it off the market we really felt the Lord leading us to stay put. The second time was because David lost his job. And today we took it off again. Out of all the showings we have had (and we've had a lot), we've gotten the same feedback about 80% percent of the time - "adorable house, shows great, lack of a designated dining area is the kicker." And... we agree. That has been one of the leading factors for US to sell and find a different house that better suits us. We bought this house five years ago, just before we were married, and we didn't know what life looked like for us down the road. Now we know we love to host baby showers and play group and small group and the set up just isn't the best.

However.

We, once again, feel the Lord leading us to stay put. And we're ok with that. The biggest change this time is that we are turning our sun room into a dining room! We're going to take out a bit of the wall between the two, widen the doorway and have a full-fledged eating area. Cue the angels! Not only will this make it wayyyyy easier to sell one day, but it will make our house so much more livable for us in the mean time. We have a guy who will do the framing, windows and exterior work, and David will likely do the rest himself (drywall, tile, electrical, heating/air) (unless dude is worth the money to get it done quicker because David will be working nights and weekends... we'll see).

And the new, new house plan? (It changes regularly, obviously, so don't hold us to this...) Stay in this house until we are ready to build. Building has always been our dream, but for some reason we had talked ourselves into thinking we needed an "in between" this house and a house we built.

Last week's sermon was on 1 Samuel 8, and Pastor Frank talked about how the Israelites weren't mindful (of the power and goodness of God), careful (about what they watched and how it affected them) or grateful (they thought what the world had was better than what they had). And it really spoke to us about our desire to move. Frank said "when we want something beyond reason, we're cruisin' for a bruisin'" and we realized we were maybe entering into the "beyond reason" area of thinking.

So, yay! I'm super excited to get the ball rolling on the new dining room. AND, making the decision to stay here means we're also going to make a few other changes (new living room furniture! redo Crawford-and-soon-to-be-Lawson's room! some paint updates, etc.) and I'm really looking forward to it.

I am in full-blown nesting mode and purging like a mad man. One bummer of this house has always been a lack of storage, but it's always made us keep things sparingly. Fortunately, Ash & Chase have a fabulous basement and they are generous enough to let us store things we may want for the future, but we're trying to be very liberal on what we give away or sell. Stuff's gotta go! I'm sick of stuffed-full closets full of "what if we need it one day" things, so out it goes!

Hopefully all of these projects and changes will inspire me to blog more often. Here's to hoping! And dining!

PS- I blogged every day this week! That's a Christmas miracle, y'all!

going private

I have avoided doing this for a long time, but due to learning about some recent circumstances I feel like I need to make my blog private to protect my family.

Comment with your email address if you want to be on the list and keep reading about the Geyers in Chatt :). I'll make the switch in a week or so.

play dates

We have the best friends. All of them. I was just looking back through some recent pics on my phone and realized how many fun times we've had with friends recently. I had to document them!

A few weeks ago David took Patrick Bryant with him to volunteer at a Young Life camp going on at CVP. Since it was YL, Bryan Spillman was working too so I suggested Camille and Collette come over to have our own play time. We set up the pool and other water toys in the front yard (like rednecks) and let the babies loose. First of all, I need to make clear how much these two LOVE each other. Crawford has lots of little friends he hangs out around on a regular basis, but Collette is his favorite. They actually play together, and it is so sweet. Also, "Lett" is the only friend name he says voluntarily. He loves her.

I mean, seriously. Could these two be ANY CUTER??? No way.

She was dumping water on his head and he just let her. Awesome. 

After play time and bath time (also ridiculously adorable), we grabbed a pizza and had a picnic! I have such fond memories of having special treat "picnics" on the living room floor growing up, and though I was worried they were still too young for it - they did GREAT! They both could tell it was a special treat, and they were extra well-behaved. 

The icing on the cake is that I LOVE Camille. It has been such a joy to become close to her this year. We have traded hosting dinner nights back and forth every few weeks, and we've squeezed in lots of walks and play dates. We love the Spillmans!

We met Patrick and Hayden for a "yay! school is out!" lunch at Crust a few weeks ago. Crawford seriously loves her. He doesn't snuggle with anyone, but he was giving Hayden some serious love when we left. We met them at the pool after his nap that afternoon and the fun just kept on coming.

PS- this girl is all grown up and stunning. When did that happen?!

Last week the Jenkins girls had their first swim meet of the summer against Stuart Heights! We always try to make it to a few meets, and that one especially since it is in our neighborhood. I didn't know how it would go with our tiny little runner, but he stayed occupied eating a lot and the girls helped him play tetherball to his heart's content. They are SOO sweet (to us, to each other, to Crawford, etc.) and they are growing so fast. Literally. Laney is taller than me! It was the highlight of our week to spend time with that precious family that we love so dearly.

We've been enjoying the nice weather by playing outside and with water toys a lot. C is loving a good plastic spoon/shovel these days... weirdo! One day we went to Cooper's house and then straight to the Linhosses! This kid is rotten getting to play with his friends so much (and maybe his mommy is too :)).

Obviously we forgot a hat and had to borrow one...

And lastly, David essentially had a play date last week when Andy and his new wife Reisha spent the night on their way through town. It was so sweet to get to know her better and to let the boys do their thing. I think she was a bit overwhelmed by these two together. They are the best :).

halfway there!

I can't believe I am now more than halfway finished with my pregnancy with Lawson.

**Ooops. I started this post a whole three weeks ago. Back when I was 20 weeks and halfway pregnant. Oh well. Here's the up-to-date update on me and baby Lawson.

19 weeks

He is very active and very low, just like Crawford was at this point. He's in the breech position, not that it matters for delivery yet, but it means I'm feeling his kicking suuuper low.

When I went to the doctor around 18 weeks I weighed 1 pound less than I did at the first appointment of this pregnancy, but now (at 23 weeks) I have made up for the loss! My doctor said he wanted me to gain a good bit before my next appointment, and he was not disappointed. I've gained 10 total pounds.

21 weeks

21.5 weeks

My nose is extra runny, which David reminded me was the case when I was pregnant with C too. I had forgotten.

I've had some really bad tailbone and back pain... I've started stretching a few times a day, and as simple as that sounds it really does seem to help. Also, Tylenol. I'm usually not one to take much medicine, but for a few weeks I couldn't sleep AT ALL without popping a couple Tylenol PMs. And, one day I accidentally took a PM instead of a regular Tylenol- at lunchtime. I may or may not have fallen asleep on the living room floor before nap time.

I'm having tons of Braxton Hicks contractions. I started noticing them pretty early this time around, and now they are strong! They have lessened as my back pain has, so that's a good thing.

Cravings: ice cold water, ice cold fruit, nutty bars (don't judge), peanut butter and honey sandwiches (seriously. don't judge.)

22 weeks

23 weeks. Awesome play room shot.

I know I'm going to blink my eyes and it will be October and time to meet our new little boy. It's crazy how quickly this is going!