Holiday Season

It's the most wonderful time of the year! This holiday season has been so much fun. It is Callie's 3rd Christmas (where does the time go?), but her first "real" Christmas. This is the first year she knows who Santa is, gets excited to see the lights in everyone's yard, and LOVES opening presents. It really brings back the magic and joy of Christmas watching the innocence of a child. 

What's Baby Brother up to? Growing and moving around like crazy. He is a lot more active then Callie was in the womb. I know I will miss those little butterflies. We FINALLY picked a name out for "Baby Brother" and can't wait to share it with everyone soon. It's hard to believe we are less then 1 month from the due date. His room is almost all finished up and I am in full blown nesting mode and very thankful for a husband who understands. He made sure all the Christmas decorations were gone within 8 hours of Christmas day (thanks babe!). The countdown is on! We can't wait to meet our sweet little boy and watch Callie go through the transition to becoming a big sister. For now we will enjoy her last few moments as an only child.

Here are a few pictures from the last month and a 36 week bump update for everyone! 

1st Build-A-Bear trip & of course she picked out Peppa Pig  

School Christmas party. We had a blast! 

We were able to go out on a date night to celebrate Daniel's birthday at our all time place. This was the meal we got serious & finally picked out baby brother's name :) 

Thanks for reading & hope you enjoyed! We will see you all in 2016 as a family of 4!

Social Media Free

I gave up all social media exactly a month ago. Let's start by saying giving it up isn't the "right thing" for everyone, but for me it was a great decision. We have been talking about deleting them for about a year now and never had a good reason to do it. I knew I spent way too much time and energy on it, but like everything else in life we enjoy it's hard to admit it's a problem. Walking out of church after hearing a sermon completely unrelated to social media I picked up my phone to do the normal routine..check Facebook, Instagram & Snapchat. It was in that moment I realized just how much control social media had over me. I had been away from my phone for a max of 90 minutes. What was so important about everyone else's life that I needed to know? I deleted all of them right then and never looked back. It's amazing how much more laughing, loving, talking, and time we have now. I feel so much more connected now that I have been disconnected. Daniel followed and deleted his account as well. If you would like to keep up with the Joyner family feel free to text, call, FaceTime, and keep the link to this blog for monthly (hopefully) updates! When Baby Boy Joyner joins us in a few short weeks we will be sure to let everyone know :) About a week after I was social media free I was talking to a good friend and found this sermon from a church online. If you spend any amount of time on social media I highly recommend listening to it. Click HERE.

What's Callie been up to this month? Growing up way too fast! This week she has eaten the same amount as her pregnant mother (for real). Her new favorite snack is Christmas tree cakes or what she calls "Santa Cakes". She's really excited about meeting Santa (stay tuned for those pictures soon). We finished ALL our Christmas shopping last week. Callie had a blast and we shopped until she dropped..literally. Only 40 more days!

We are still preparing her for the big day in a few weeks. She seems to understand that there is something going on, but doesn't really fully get that she is going to be a big sister. As my belly grows and his room comes together she is starting to process it more. We can't wait for them to finally meet in 10 weeks. She still carries her baby brother doll around with her and reads "I'm a Big Sister" every night before bed. 

A quick story- I was cleaning out our wrapping paper bin and she saw a roll of paper with Santa on it. She got really excited and I asked her if she wanted to go see him..trying to prepare her so she doesn't panic like she did last year. She said "Yes!" and ran for the garage door to get in the car. When she got about half way she turned around and said "Callie go get baby brother and take him to see Santa too". It's those moments that make me excited for him to be here and proud of the caring little girl she is growing up to be.


Stay tuned for pictures of Thanksgiving, Christmas & the big meeting in January. Thanks for reading!

Big Girl Bed & Pumpkin Patch

This weekend was family weekend! Back in August I started to notice our weekends before the baby arrived were all filling up. I marked this weekend off on the calendar and made sure we didn't make any plans. It's crazy how busy life can be with work, volunteering at church, and friends/family stuff. I get to spend my 7 days off with Callie, but we finally got some quality time as a family of 3.

Task #1= Starting Callie's big girl room. Callie was served her crib eviction notice back in May and since he will be here in 15 weeks we decided it was time to start the transition. Do you know how hard it is to find toddler bedding for a full bed that doesn't look like a teenager? Maybe we are just picky, but after looking high and low we finally found the perfect set. Callie was really excited about her "big girl bed" and was thrilled about her mermaid sheets when she was tucked in for the 1st time last night. She slept in her bed all night with no falls yet! We are sure she will figure out she can escape soon enough. This week we have Daddy has some painting to do :) Then it's on to little brother's room. 

Her first reaction was perfect

Task #2= Pumpkin patch trip. Last year Callie was obsessed with the pumpkin patch. Well, nothing has changed this year. After  church, lunch, and a nice 3 hour nap we told her where we were going. We haven't seen her more excited to get ready and jump in the car. She picked out 3 pumpkins (after looking at every single one..a few times). When we got back to the car we let her hold the 2 smaller ones. I turned around to her holding the bigger one and she put the smaller one in her baby brother's lap. I asked her if she liked her pumpkins and she said "This is Callie's pumpkin, that is Baby Brother's pumpkin." Hopefully she still wants to share with him when he gets here for real and isn't just a baby doll.

Too heavy! Help!

Stay tuned for a post all about the newest Joyner. We have one excited big sister!  

The Other Bed

This week we took a short trip to take Daniel's Dad to the mountains. We rented a little cabin in the middle of no where about 20 miles from Asheville and didn't really do much for 2 days. It was a lot different from our "normal" life style. Callie was staying in the room with us and brought her pack and play along. It was the first trip in a long time that she didn't have her own bed. We went through the typical routine..dragging it in from the car, setting it up, & getting her sheets/blankets perfect. On the first night we did the normal bedtime routine. Brushing teeth, laying down for story time, and bedtime prayers. We both noticed that the pack and play must have shrunk. She had no leg room, but she seemed comfy curled up and was snoring away. When did she get so tall? On the second night we decided she was too big so we would bite the bullet and let her sleep with us. I honesty can't remember the last time we let her, so why not? We did the normal routine and when I turned off the light she curled up next to me on my pillow. I knew I wasn't going to sleep good from the constant moving and kicking, but it didn't matter I had my little snuggle buddy for the night and wanted to enjoy her.

About 30 seconds later she sat up & said "me get in other bed". A cry worthy moment. Without letting her know she had broken my heart I walked her across the room and she was asleep within the minute. What happened to that tiny baby that used to only sleep good when I was holding her? When she was a baby she would cry until I put her in bed with us. It was the normal 3 AM battle we fought for months. As heart breaking as this little statement was we know it's a good thing. We pouted for a little while and then Daniel said "maybe we are doing something right."

It's a bitter sweet thing and a huge step for her finding her independence. As much as we try to hold her and keep her small, she's growing up. We will enjoy every single second. I am sure there will be a night she wants to be my snuggle buddy again, but until then I will help her grow up and figure out life the best I can. I love you sweet girl. You'll always be my baby! 

Callie is 2!

Our big girl turned 2 on Sunday! Last month while we were watching her play one night Daniel asked me, "Do you remember what life was like before her?" We both agreed that we didn't recall much about life except we kind of remember being able to stay in bed on the weekends until lunch time if we wanted. It's amazing how much more value life has these days. We try to soak in each and every moment. The good and bad because we know it isn't always going to be this way. In the last few weeks we have started to look at Callie as a little girl instead of a baby. I caught myself using the word "kid" instead of "baby" in a conversation a few days ago. It really feels like just yesterday I woke up to the best view I had every seen in my entire life. A tiny little bundle topped with a bow in a bassinet laying beside me. 

What Callie doing these days? Her words are getting clearer, she is speaking more in sentences, and she already has a few sassy phrases. My personal favorite is "Oh my goodness" when she drops anything. She loves her puzzles, singing The Wheels on the Bus, playing in her kitchen, M&Ms, reading books, baby dolls, princesses, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and brushing her teeth (twice a day, everyday..and sometimes she likes to do it before nap time too)..looks like she might be a little OCD like her mother.

We spent her birthday in Disney World this year. She had a blast! 

Love always,
Your Forever Embarrassing Parents <3

10 Reasons I Love My Daddy

10 of the endless reasons I love my Daddy:
1. He flies the best airplanes. It's so much fun pretending to fly. I don't think he will ever get tired of hearing "Plane, again!"

2. He wrestles with me which makes me giggle. He even let's me win most of the time. Power bombs and attitude adjustments are my favorite. 

3. He shares all his yummy snacks with me. Chips, cereal, cream bars, and popcorn are our favorites! He introduced me to the deliciousness of ice cold coca-cola at the ripe age of 3 months. 

4. He gives the best snuggles. I know as soon as he walks in the door I am going to get a big hug and kiss. Running to the door to greet him is one of my favorite times of the day. 

5. He sticks to his guns. I know one day I will thank him for not letting me eat M&Ms for breakfast..until then I will throw a little fit in the morning to test his patience.

6. He provides for me & never lets me go without. Even the absolute essential things in life..like bracelets, my 200th book, or that baby doll I spotted in the store and just had to have. 

7. He is teaching me to love God. He makes sure we pray before each and every meal. I make sure we all hold hands and I scream "Amen" really loud at the end. 

8. He's patient with me. I'm almost 2 and he never seems to get frustrated with me. Enough said. 

9. He loves me and shows it to me each and every day. Not the occasional, on his time kind of love. 

10. He loves my mommy. He has always said this was the most important thing about being a good Daddy. I will understand one day :) 

I love you Daddy! 

Easter 2015

Sorry for a late Easter post, but as promised here are some pictures from our Easter weekend! We had a great, relaxed weekend with our friends and family. To check our awesome church's Easter service click HERE.

Thanks for reading :) 

Daddy's Girl

Well, today I decided to stop being lazy and write a blog myself.  After 1 year, 7 months, and 27 days of getting thrust into fatherhood, I can honestly say that I've learned more in this stretch of time than I had in all of the rest of my life.  While few people know this, I'm actually one of the most emotional people on Earth.  And the reason I don't write on this blog is because the thought that goes into it will undoubtedly bring me to tears.  Many times in life, I've asked myself the question, "What makes me special?"  I always feel like everyone else has things figured out and have amazing things about them that make them special.  Meanwhile, my life seems like the most ordinary thing possible.  That isn't to say that I don't have an amazing family and great friends, but it just means that I don't view myself as being special.  It sometimes makes it hard for me to find meaning in my life.  That has always been a tough inner demon to fight.  That was until Callie.  The first time I knew my life had meaning was when I held her in my arms.

So here we are, a few days removed from my little angel turning 20 months old.  Caitlyn and I decided to take her to the playground today because it was so nice out.

 

 I honestly don't know what life was like before her.  She gives our lives more meaning and purpose than we could have ever imagined!

 

 

And that smile just melts my heart.  I sit and watch her sometimes and think about how fast the minutes are flying past me.  I catch myself reciting the words to a Kenny Chesney song in my head, "Gotta grab each moment that I can, 'cause I'm never gonna feel like this again!" The thought creeps in that my time on Earth with her is fleeting.  And I need to start making sure I spend it wisely.  Daddy loves you Callie bug.  Thank you for being the thing that gives my life meaning and I promise to never forget it!