A Glimpse of our January...

Our Summer……

The Barton Bunch had a great summer. The summer was full of a lot of traveling and summer activities.  There are some special moments that we had this summer. We were able to go to Myrtle Beach for nine nights with some of our family and we were able to soak up the sun and relax. Mia loved the beach and the pool and loved to say One, Two, And Three and then jump in the pool.

I also was able to be part of a Breast Cancer run with some of my friends. This was a first for me and really loved running for such a great cause.  Mia had some fun firsts this summer. Mia checked out her first library book, built her first tent in Hurricane Irene, planted her first plant and had her first Yoga class. It has been so great to share these moments with her.

Reed and I have been able to have more time for ourselves now that Mia is older. We both have been taking time to get back into shape, do the things that we love, and focus on our relationship again. We both were able to have weekends away hanging out with friends, just being Reed and Holly. I was able to have a great weekend in Richmond with some of my favorite ladies. We did some intense wedding planning for my cousin. We laughed and had such a great weekend. Now that the summer is coming to an end we are really looking forward to the fall. Some of the highlights that I can’t wait to share more about are our six year anniversary trip, and our 60 day insanity workout program. Until then, happy fall, love The Barton Bunch!

Our Independence Day...

It is not hard to feel like we are struggling as a country right now. Many of us watch the news and are wondering how long the freedoms that we hold so dear will last. We wonder if our children will have the same innocent memories of summer, eating watermelon and decorating wagons for July 4th. Yet this July 4th we were able to create these memories. Their was a feeling in the air of sweet freedom and pride in America Yesterday. We were able to have such a wonderful day of parades, watermelon, and even a Seafood Throw down! Please enjoy our pictures and our blog. Lets celebrate this year that we were able to have such a amazing July 4th, lets not forget all the people who sacrificed for us to have such a special day!!!

True Love….

I think that as little girls we are taught to wait for a knight in shining armor to come rescue us and take us to a Big Castle, and then we will live happily ever after. However, are these ideas really true, pure or real. Do they really help us to dream big, to want more. Or are we holding out for something that is so superficial, empty, unsatisfying???? I think so. I know this is a ramble of thoughts…However as I ponder being a Mother for the second year in a row I am afraid that I was waiting for the wrong thing, the wrong idea. I have such a better understanding of what true love is. Don’t worry I will explain even further…

I have come to understand what true love really us, at least for me. True love for me is found in many different pieces of my life. It is not one moment, it is not all day every day, it is in surprising moments. Six years ago this summer I was married to Reed, my husband. I was young and had no idea of what a marriage really meant or what it looked like day to day. Over these six years I have grown so much. I have learned to really love, to give, to be humble, to stand up for myself, to change, to be vulnerable. I am so thankful for that, I am so happy for conflict, for a love that pushes me, to grow, to change to be better than I was six years ago. Along this journey of ours I become a mother, and WOW, this is the definition of True Love. Love that is never ending, a love that fills your heart. A love that is so scary sometimes, because you could not handle ever loosing it. A love that makes you become more, to want more, to care about better things. I am so excited about this Mothers Day because I feel like I am more myself now, then I have ever been. There is something so pure about being a MOM, that makes all the sleepless nights, and sacrifices worth it. I feel like this kind of true love is a love that makes you love without the fancy dress, hair or castle. It is the love that makes you go for a walk, feeling the sun on your face, the wind blowing through your side ponytail, no makeup on, and just breathing it in, being so thankful for that exact moment. Now don’t get me wrong I want that Happily Ever After, I just understand now that it comes through hard work, perseverance vulnerability and sacrifice! So far I like this movie much better!

 

Happy Mothers Day to all, Mothers who are and Mothers who will be!

Aunt Ma Ma's visit!

My sister Amanda came to visit me in NC. Not only did she come to visit me she decided to ride the train! She had a blast and it was worth the crazy adventure. Amanda and I had such a great time with Mia and Clay. We were able to catch up, laugh a lot and enjoy our kids playing with each other. We had no idea how much we missed just hanging out with each other. We were able to eat at our favorite places, take the kids to parks and even go to a really cool kids museum.

Mia is Walking!

On Mia's actual Birthday she started walking! Now she is a walking machine.She thinks she is a big girl now. She loves adventures and is learning everyday!

Mia's Frist Birthday!

My little girl is one years old!

Months one and two I laughed and smiled, month three I learned to reach
Month four I rolled from back to front, by five discovered speech.
And in month six I learned to sit, then clapped and signed in seven
Month eight I was obsessed with light and Momma told me about Heaven.
Month nine I learned to say bye bye and wave my little hands
Month ten I crawled and stood and cruised and added words again!
Then at eleven months of age I’ve learned to stand alone
My dad and mom are very proud of how much I have grown.

Little Mia is such a sweet little girl, she loves to laugh and smile. Mia is our little party girl and we were able to celebrate her first birthday. Mia had a Pink Lemonade Birthday Party. We celebrated with her special friends and family!