Home

I am delighted to announce that I am HOME.
For two whole weeks.
Geeked is probably a better term to use.

My parents are taking a trip to Israel with our church.
And they're taking my 87 year old Grandma Johnson with them.
But in order for Dad to leave anywhere, he's gotta get his chores covered.
Chores meaning, someone to clean kennels, feed, water, and of course play with our collection of Brittanys.
I think at this point we have somewhere around 15-20 adult dogs, and two litters of puppies, 5 days old and 4 weeks old. Throw in a mare and her colt, and four cute little ponies, and you've got yourself a...well...I don't know if I'd call it a farm, but something of the sort. There's a pigeon, too. And the girls, of course, a pit bull and shih-tzu that tolerate each other, but have wormed their way in to becoming part of the family.
So...a collection. And I'm taking care of them for the next two weeks.

I was a little nervous to ask for the time off, since it's quite a stint, but my job is decently flexible and I can do most of my work from a computer. So, I got the "ok" as long as I'm keeping up with my events via the world wide web. :)

So here I am. Gorgeous Virginia country, in the very beginnings of Fall, trees about to change over, and just loving being home. I haven't seen Fall since 2007, so I'm thrilled.

I thought maybe I would use the next couple of weeks to try and practice taking pictures. We'll see how that goes.

I also get to do some babysitting (sweet little nephew), so there's going to be lots of hugging and kissing those sweet little cheeks of my newest nephew.  Plus loads of Sister/Bro-in-Law time! And even some special stop by trips from the Mr.'s side of the family. Stoked! 

Here's to holdin' down the Homestead and enjoying the view!
(Wish you were here, G.) 

Dad with a 4 month old Brittany he calls Pup.

Do you see what I see? Dixie Dog head peering from the window?

Dixie Dog just can't stand being alone.

Bella Boo, on the other hand, is quite content lounging by the feet of sweet, gentle, reading a book Grandma J.

My two favorite ladies in the whole entire world.

Grandpa just can't get enough.

Kisses from Grandma.

If only you could HEAR this picture. :)

More pictures to come, I'm sure.
Lovely. It's just lovely to be home.

Labor Day Tradition

As far as holiday tradition goes, Garrett and I don't have much that we do the same each year. We've spent a Christmas in Colorado with friends, a Christmas by ourselves in Utah, and a Christmas back home with family. I feel like every year we're asking ourselves what we're going to do, 'cause it's never been the same. 

But there's one holiday that we automatically know what we're gonna do. No question about it. 

Labor Day. 

For the past four years, we've driven the long road North to Brad & Sharon's in Calistoga. (Brad is one of Garrett's older brothers) They have two girls that we adore, and they live in a small town where the pace is slower. All the locals know each other, and they know who the tourists are, so we usually get asked where we're from. The weekend is always so relaxing, a nice break from the much more crowded Southern California. It's a place riding bikes to the store, or to a bakery in the morning for fresh coffee and quiche is the norm. On our way in to town this year, as we rode behind Brad, Sharon and the girls on their bikes, Garrett and I looked at each other and said, "We've got to live in a small town." We love it. It feels so very right. 

In the summer months, May through October, there is a local farmer's market in town where townies bring their delicious foods, crafts, flowers, fresh fruits and vegetables (the list goes on) to a parking lot where they set up canopies and sell these delights to the crowds that gather. There's usually music playing in the background, and it's so fun to walk around with our four year old niece, who takes her money to the tamale tent and orders up her regular. She knows so many people in town, and they all smile at her and say "Good morning, Monica!" as she makes her way around the temporary thoroughfare. We enjoyed some tri-tip kabobs, a tomato/mozzarella/basil/oil salad, and blackberry pie. 

Brad, who owns the town's bike shop, usually stays pretty busy while we're there, as Labor Day is a great weekend for business. He does sneak away as much as he can to join us for whatever little adventure we're doing. This year we spent a couple of afternoons at the pool, where Monica has become quite the little swimmer. She's jumping off the diving board now, with no floaties, swimming to the edge of the pool, climbing out and doing it all over again. 

We also always come knowing that we're going to eat some very good food. This year we had all kinds of stuff, from tuna steaks and delicious salads, to gourmet burgers and sweet potato fries, broccoli salad, grilled pizzas, guacamole, corn on the cob, and many more mouth watering treats. For dessert, Brad whipped up a delicious strawberry/blackberry topping for vanilla ice cream that I just couldn't get enough of. So good. 

The drive is long at 7-10 hours (depending on traffic), but it's so very worth it. The company is great, we always get lots of good time outside, biking or hiking, running or walking around town. And it's just nice to be with family, even if it's a quick trip. 

Here are some pictures from the weekend. So fun. 

Vineyards in Napa Valley. It's beautiful this time of year. The grapes are almost ready to go! 

A castle at one of the vineyards! 

Uncle G throwing Mo in to the air! :)

Makin' silly faces with Myka and Monica

Sweet girls. 

Mykie was a little wary of Uncle G at first, but when she discovered that he was the only one who could teach her how to shell peanuts (we all pretended we didn't know), she eventually warmed up to him and ended up sitting on his lap the last day we were there! Win! We think the beard throws her off.

Already lookin' forward to our next trip up! :)

Two Things

This is an addition to Hunter's birth story. I left out a very important part, according to my Dad. :) He insisted I include this part.

Right after the nurse brought Hunter in the room for the first time, Dad went straight for him. We had to remind him that Stuart should probably get first dibs. He hesitantly agreed and waited patiently for his turn. :)

When he finally got his hands on Hunter, he sat down in a chair and pulled Hunter real close so he could whisper in his ear. At about 30 minutes old, Hunter got a lesson in the important things of life.

Dad said, in his sweet little "you only get this treatment because you are special to me" voice, "Hunter Levi, there are two things you need to know to make it in life. Number one, Jesus loves you. And number two, Roll Tide!"

He's only been a Grandpa for a month, and he's already knocking it out of the park.
Love you, Daddy.

Hunter's Birth Story

Note: This is very long. :) 

Sarah asked me to write down some of the details of Hunter’s Birth Story.

I was honored. :) I tried to document it as best as I could remember. Here goes! :) 

I have been excited about coming home since I first found out Sarah was pregnant. The anticipation of getting to be a part of this experience has been thrilling! I was so nervous I was going to miss it, but I made it home in time for lots of relaxation with a pregnant sister before she delivered, as well as plenty of Baby 101 after she gave birth. I am learning lots. :)  
 

Pregnancy pictures in the front yard. :)

Hunter was due on May 30^th. I took the last week of work off, flew home early, and thought for sure I was JUST going to make it in time for little Hunter to be born. We just thought little Hunter was going to be so big that he couldn’t stay in there much longer. Even the nurses at the hospital were guessing that he was going to be at least 9 lbs. So Sarah, Mama and I did a lot of sitting around, taking pictures, laying out, even counting contractions. But little Hunter wasn’t moving. Sarah was 1 cm a couple of weeks before Hunter’s due date. At her final check up a couple of days before, she was still 1 cm. Even after lots of contractions on Monday night, May 30^th, there was no change. So, after talking to her doctors, they decided that she would go in on Wednesday night, June 1^st for induction, into Tuesday morning, June 2^nd.

She and Stuart got their things together and headed to the hospital Wednesday evening. Thursday morning, excited and ready for action, Mama and I made a couple of stops on our way into the hospital. Sarah requested a Hardees’ biscuit. Mom headed that way, and I went to Wal-mart to pick up a couple of magazines and grab some Chick-Fil-A. I also took in a freshly made batch of blue-ish green Rice Krispie Treats. :) They didn’t LOOK super appetizing, but Sarah, her doctor, and nurses thought they were good enough to eat.

Mama and I got there around 8:30 am. At around 10:30, they inserted a Foley Bulb into Sarah’s cervix  to try and help her dilate. Sarah did dilate more and was now 4cm. She was working through some contractions and they were getting a little more intense. She got her epidural around 12:00pm and was able to rest more comfortably through contractions. They also put her on a pitocin drip to move labor along quicker.  Her nurse, Brittany, was a good friend of hers and she did a great job of keeping Sarah calm throughout her entire labor process. She would come in regularly and help Sarah move into different positions. We were not aware of this at the time but the reason for frequent position changes was to help with Hunter’s heart rate. He wasn’t responding well to the pitocin and when Sarah would have a contraction, his heart rate would drop. Because Sarah knew what all the sights and sounds of the hospital meant (this is the floor she works on and the people she works with), they turned down the monitor in her room so that she couldn’t hear Hunter’s heart beat drop. They didn’t want her to get panicky.  But what we didn’t know was that her doctor and a couple of her nurse friends were regularly checking the monitor in the hallway and getting increasingly concerned. They knew that Sarah didn’t want a C-Section, so they allowed her to continue to labor while closely monitoring Hunter’s heartbeat.

At about 5 pm, after lots of position changes including getting up on  her hands and knees, and trying to find the best possible position to make little Hunter’s heart happy, the doctor came in and told us about her concerns with his heart decelerations. She told Sarah that she was considering a C-Section, but that she wanted to give Hunter some more time to progress. At this time, he was at -2 station and the goal was to get to +2. We were concerned about this needed change as Hunter had not moved down all day. Dr. Visger told Sarah that she’d be back in an hour to check on the labor progress.

We prayed through that hour, hoping that Hunter would be able to come out on his own. When she returned at 6, we were delighted to hear that Hunter had progressed to 6cm and was now at 0 station.  Again, she gave Sarah another hour. The doctor was optimistic and was pleasantly surprised at Hunter’s progress.

When she returned at 7:00 pm, the story was different. His heart rate wasn’t doing any better and they were worried about his umbilical cord being possibly compressed. He had progressed to +1 station but at this point, Hunter’s decelerations of his heart had become significant and it was decided that Sarah would need a c section.

Sarah’s eyes instantly filled with tears. This was not what she wanted and not how she had envisioned the delivery of her sweet baby boy. Mama was also emotional. One thing we knew, though, was that Dr. Visger was aware of Sarah’s desire to deliver naturally and she had given her every possible opportunity to have a natural delivery, but Hunter’s heart rate was now a significant concern and it was time for him to be delivered. Sarah wiped her face and said, “Let’s just do it. Let’s just get him out.”

The doctor and nurses, one of them who was also crying along with Sarah, left the room for a couple of minutes and let us just take it all in. We prayed over Sarah and little Hunter. Stuart got all decked out in scrubs, and then, the labor and delivery staff returned to wheel her to the O.R. We kissed her sweet face and said we’d see her soon!

Sarah and Stuart dressed for the operating room!

The room was honestly so weird then. Just empty. I think it was at this point that we just felt helpless. Our daughter/sister was in another room, we could do nothing more to comfort her, and she was about to have her first baby.

This was also a bit of a comical moment. After sitting in the room for a while, we realized that it was dark. They’d turned the lights off. Mama and I thought for a second that maybe they’d forgotten about us. We knew that Sarah would be moving to a different room immediately after surgery, but we didn’t know where to go. We decided to turn the lights on, and then we stood by the doorway and just kind of looked down the hall. We thought, “Well…we’ll just wait here.” :)

After standing for a couple of minutes, Brenda (Stuart’s Mom) came down the hallway. We filled her in on what had happened so far. We chatted for a couple more minutes, and the next thing we knew, we saw a nurse at the other end of the hallway waving us down!! Hunter was in the nursery!!!

Hunter Levi Fairweather was born at 8:36 pm he was 20 ¼ inches long and he weighed 7 lb 10.6 oz.

You should have seen us move! We were running down the hallway, all holding hands, and just so excited!! When we got to the windows, they pointed him out. It was so surreal! Honestly, we were just like, “That’s him! There he is! Oh my goodness!” We were snapping pictures, before we realized that Dad and Bobby (Stuart’s Dad) were out in the waiting room.  Mama ran out to get them and then we were all huddled around the window. Stuart, who had gone into the operating room with Sarah, had carried Hunter from the O.R. to the nursery and  he was standing on the other side of the glass, right beside Hunter.  It was such a cool moment. One I will definitely never forget. Stuart came out a little bit later and spent some time with his parents. You could tell that he was now a proud Daddy for the first time. Wow. 

 Our first glimpse of him! 

Stuart is standing on the right.

Proud first time grandparents!

 We looked at little Hunter, took some pictures, looked at him more, “ooooed and aaaaahed” over him for about 20 minutes. He was perfect.

Then sweet Sarah rolled around the corner. She was pretty out of it, shaking quite a bit from having just had surgery. She’d lost some blood and had just had a baby. Her body was definitely responding. She was happy that Hunter was healthy, but she was in no shape to be able to celebrate with us. Poor thing. We had her room packed out. There was one point in time where there were 9 of us in there, plus 2 nurses. We were all so excited, but Sarah just needed some rest after laboring all day and then ending up having surgery.

One of the nurses who was also Sarah’s close friend, brought little Hunter in and we watched him get his first bath. We were quite literally paparazzi. We just couldn’t stop taking pictures. He was so sweet and hardly made a sound. After they bathed him, we started passing him around. Everyone got the chance to hold him. It was such a celebration. We just couldn’t believe that he was finally here. 

Family photo! Hunter was getting his first bath. :)

After a little while, it was obvious that Sarah needed some rest. Everyone began slowly saying their goodbyes. Sarah insisted that Stuart should go home and get a good night’s rest. They had already stayed the night before while Sarah was being induced. We then decided that I would stay the night with Sarah. A few minutes after Stuart had left, one of the nurses came back in with a little bottle for Hunter and I was the first one to feed him! He was darling. I got to burp him (my favorite part!) and Sarah rested across the room. 

I loved this moment. Little Hunter was sleeping and his Mama was sleeping
and I was just trying to take it all in. I held him for as long as I could. 

My tummy was rumbling, and Sarah’s night nurse brought me a boxed lunch which consisted of a drink, fruit cup, and a sandwich. Then, I made up a little bed on the couch for myself and Sarah and I dozed off for a while.

Around 4 am, Sarah woke up. She was wide-eyed and ready to see her boy! She rang for the nurse, and said, “I’d like to see my baby, please!” :) The nurse said sure thing, went and got Hunter from the nursery, and brought him in. It was in these next couple of moments that I think it really sank in. I crawled in bed with Sarah and we just sat there and stared at him. She looked at me and said, “I can’t believe he’s mine! He looks just like Stuart.” His eyes were open and he was looking right at us! It was so incredible! We took more pictures, checked all his fingers and toes, and gently touched his little face. LOVE. What an incredible moment. I was so glad I got to be a part of it.

Sarah was in the hospital all day Friday and Saturday morning. They released her around noon on Saturday. 

Ready to go home!

She was still sore from surgery, but was moving around pretty well and feeling like she wanted to go home. Mama, Daddy and I met her and Stuart at their house and we all sat in the living room and passed around the newest little bundle. All of us were pretty sleepy, so there was lots of napping, but it was such a fun time. I couldn’t stop touching Hunter’s little head and smelling his sweet newborn smell.  

Sweet Sister resting with her new baby boy.

Mama and Daddy's turn to take a nap with Hunter.

The next week was just a whirlwind. Long days of sitting and staring at a sweet little almost 8 pound bundle. I learned how to quickly, but gently, change a diaper, feed and burp, and do the whole rocking to soothe move. I loved wrapping his little fingers around one of mine when he was sleeping. Mama and I stayed the night at Sarah’s most of the week to help them with nightly feedings and changings. Sarah wasn’t supposed to go up and down the stairs because of her C-Section, and so we were able to do a lot of the running for her. It felt great to be helping, even though on my shift I didn’t do so hot. It’s hard waking up at 3 and being alert! J I couldn’t figure out the bottle warmer, and then Sarah was feeding Hunter but I wanted to stay awake in case she needed anything else. I laid on the floor next to the rocker and tried to stay awake. I said, “Sarah, don’t tell Mama! I failed my shift!” 

It was amazing to watch Hunter grow. He was born 7 lb 10.6 oz on June 2^nd. By June 13^th, he weighed 8 lb 7 oz! Originally, a lot of his clothes didn’t fit him because Sarah had been given 0-3 months instead of newborn. It didn’t take long before he really started filling out his clothes. He is growing so fast!

It has been thrilling being a part of this experience. Sarah is the first of the three of us to have a baby, so it’s all new and all exciting. We’ll see what the future has in store and if we can get this Hunter boy some cousins to play with. Gotta find that stork. :) 

I am one very proud Auntie.

 

Hunter's First Framed Picture

Sweet little Hunter boy. 

Making his grand appearance in a little over a month! 

This Auntie can't wait to get my hands on him. 

I have a feeling my family will be fighting over holding time with the little guy. 

He's gonna be kissed and doted on. 

Precious little boy. 

We love him already. 

Swimsuit Season is Coooooming!

It's the end of April. 
This means a few things. 
The weather in California is gorgeous. 
Garrett and I have been married for three years on the 26th! 
MB is very pregnant and due in 9 days! 
Lil' Sis Sarah isn't far behind and due in 5 weeks! 
I'm heading home to Virginia on May 24th! 
Annnnnnd.....
Summer is coming! 


With summer comes sun, lazy days, family time, and...of course...swimwear. 
Yahtzee. 


It wasn't long ago that I started thinking about what exactly I was going to wear to the beach this summer. 
I just don't think I'm a bikini girl.
I never feel comfortable in them.
I'm always afraid I'm exposing something I shouldn't be. 
And how do you know those things are going to stay on??!?!
You get hit by one good wave and...jeepers. 


So I've been peeking around some websites and thought I'd share some of my favs. 

J.Crew

Paradis Paisley Twist Front Tank

Retro Dot Underwire Tank

Water Lily Ruffle Halter Tank

Whisper Gauze Beach Dress

Ralph Lauren

Ruffled Halter One Piece

Tommy Hilfiger

Halter Striped Tankini Top & Striped Foldover Bottom

Target

Merona one piece with ruffles

Mod Cloth

Beach Blanket Bingo Once Piece

This last swimsuit from Mod Cloth is actually an exact replica of a swimsuit I received from my friend Robin today! We are both thrilled by thrifting and she found a vintage swimsuit that is identical to the black and white polka dot swimsuit above. It looks like it's never been worn and it was much cheaper than Mod Cloth's price of $89. She picked it up for $4. Awesome. It's good to have people lookin' out for ya. :)

Lookin' forward to beach time with my family!