Friday Favorites-Back To School, Birthday Weekend & More

Happy Friday, friends! I hope this week treated you well. It sure was a fast and busy one for a short week. We had/have so much going on this week that I’m going to just jump right into my favorites. 

My birthday was on the first and we decided to head back to Cape May like we did last year, and I am so glad we did. We seriously could not have asked for better weather the whole weekend. Everyday was absolutely perfect which felt like a present in itself. We took our Airstream to a campground and enjoyed days at the beach, fishing on the lake, and some great seafood. The boys spoiled me with a massage at a great spa and we also went dolphin watching. Unfortunately we didn’t see any while we were out on the boat, which was a bummer. The amazing sunset that we caught totally made up for it though. The tour company was great, and took care of all of us on board with a free ride the next time around. We were one of only four tours the whole summer that didn’t see anything, and they have tours three times a day. Go figure. Wouldn’t you know, two other days when we were just sitting on the beach we saw dolphins swimming by. They’re always one of my favorites to see on the beach.

I also got spoiled by my sweet friend Andrea from Living On Cloud Nine. I think everyone needs an Andrea in their lives. To say she is thoughtful and so kind-hearted is an understatement. I cannot wait to wear my tree farm shirt and have been enjoying my other goodies she was so sweet to send.

I shared earlier this week some of my thoughts from the summer and also things I hope my boys will take with them. We took these pictures at a winery when we were down in Cape May and it was the perfect way to wrap up the unofficial end of summer.

You might remember I mentioned a few weeks back that I had the opportunity to visit with the executives of the American Red Cross and spend some time at their headquarters in D.C. I also shared this week some facts about the Red Cross that you might not be familiar with, and one of their campaigns that became important for my family to focus on.

It’s that time of year again where all the kiddos head back to school around here. I wasn’t sure how I was going to react, but the boys did great. I had a special breakfast for them before we headed out to take on the day. You all know I love a good breakfast with some random decorations.

I got really teary-eyed walking back to the car after seeing A walk into school. I shared more about this on my instagram because it’s just easy to pop on there and let out your thoughts. These past few months have brought so much change for us. From moving, expanding our family, the boys having to switch schools, and everything in between. This is A’s second time in kindergarten and while he might not fully understand why, we’ve tried our best to encourage him. Before he made the cut off date, and where we’re at now, he misses it by two days We thought about fighting things and trying to push him through, but ultimately we need to stand firm in our decision that we did the best thing for him. School is so different these days. The things our children have to face or be exposed to is scary. And while I would love to be there with them every step of the way, I have to trust and pray that God’s protection will be upon them. That He’ll be the one to guide them, that they will be a light to others and have the courage to stand up for what they believe in, and always choose to do what’s right. That even if we all don’t see eye-to-eye, that we can still be respectful of each other’s opinions and always be kind. Here’s to a great, safe, and successful school year for our little ones.

I wish I could say I’m calmer about his next surgery, but I’m human, and I’m nervous for him. After he had his first surgery there were moments that I felt so helpless for him. No matter how I held him, or what I did for him, he was screaming and crying. They had to give him morphine to calm him down and manage his pain, and I thought my heart was going to shatter right there in the recovery room. It’s so hard as a mom to feel like you can’t take away your baby’s pain. I know deep down that he will be ok, and that God is with us every step of the way, but the waiting to get to that point, is hard. Your prayers are always appreciated so if you wouldn’t mind saying one it would mean a lot. I’ll try to give an update at some point on my instagram (@beautifully_candid) if you want to check in over there.