The Good Life

This has been an interesting month for the Neal family. Ryleigh got her first "cough/cold/congestion" on top of teething and that was NOT FUN. Colton was sick more than not. The sickness tried to get Matt but somehow he did escape it. I've been working on a healthier lifestyle so (if you saw my Instagram post the other day you know...) I've been wine-free, sore and HANGRY!! In the midst of all the craziness, somehow Colton decided he wanted to stop pooping in his pants, so praise the Lord for answered prayers. I know that as soon as I say it publicly, there's a great chance that I will jinx us but I don't care. We're going on 2 full weeks of zero pull ups and no accidents so I'm pretty confident we've made it over the biggest hurdle and fully expect us to have some set backs so I'm ready (and happy)! Ryleigh decided to roll over on Sunday. She rolled from back to front and hated it. As soon as she realized what she did, she was mad about it...

You know those moments when you're so tired/frustrated/emotionally spent and you feel like you're at the bottom of your bucket and then you get a little "check-in" or call or text or note or look from a friend and you know that everything is going to be just fine?!? At that moment, you feel your bucket slowly starting to fill back up? Those moments happened for me yesterday. All at different points, through different outlets throughout the day and all just exactly when I needed them most. I had a few friends "check-in" on me and offer some emotional support, Matt came home and "took over" so that I could just take a shower and right before bed, I got a text from a special friend that said "sleep well friend, thankful for new mercies each morning". That text made my mind go to one of my absolute favorite songs, titled "Great is Thy faithfulness". “Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father, There is no shadow of turning w...

Postpartum depression is a real thing. I can look back on the early days of Colton as a baby and see that I had a little bit of it. I didn't know in that moment that I had it, but looking back now, I know it. I love that the second time around, I can embrace these feelings and emotions and recognize them. I know, three months in with baby #2, that there are days when I'm suffering from just that, postpartum depression. Maybe part of it is just being a Mom, period...but I know there's a bit of those baby blues in there from time to time. I used to be afraid to even hint at those words, much less SAY them for fear that people would look at me and think that I was crazy. Now, I don't care what people think, I care about me and the outlets I need to be able to deal with my emotions. I can't keep them stored up or hidden. Plus, I figure that I can't be the only woman in the world who has had these feelings or will have these feelings in the future, so here's to u...

I don't think I ever write about "just" Ryleigh. Poor second child. :-) So today is dedicated to my sweet baby girl. Today is Ryleigh's 3-month birthday. Wow, that was fast. She is the perfect fit for our family. She is sweet and happy. She is loveable. She has the most kissable cheeks (and lets me plant them on her all day long). She adores her brother and can recognize his voice from a room away. Her smile is absolutely contagious. She has adorable leg rolls that I just want to squeeze (and do almost every time I change her diaper). She is laid-back but extremely alert. She has eye lashes that I'm envious of. She has pouty lips and has the "duck face" down pat (though I hope she forgets how to do that or even better, that the duck face is not even a "thing" by the time she is a pre-teen/teen). She is everything I prayed she would be and I'm thankful. At 3 months, she is on a pretty consistent schedule. She's eating every 3 hours d...

There's something about starting into a new year that feels so much like a fresh start. It truly is like a new chapter full of opportunity, excitement and (of course) resolutions. I don't really like to make "resolutions" but I do like to reflect on the year past and take note of things I did well/liked/succeeded in/became a better me in doing as well as the areas in which I struggled and need work. It's nice to have a goal and a vision of what I want for the new year ahead. This year, I really want to focus on my physical health. I was pregnant for a good chunk of 2015 and with that pregnancy came lots of cravings for ice cream...and brownies...and bacon, egg & cheese biscuits...and coke...and pancakes...and McDonald's French Fries...and...you get the idea! My physical appearance does not concern me (I've always been pretty confident and happy in my own skin) but my physical HEALTH does. I was really feeling sluggish and heavy with no energy and lac...

I’m sitting here on the eve of a new year, thinking about what 2015 was like for me. As I look back on the past 12 months, I find myself doing a “re-cap” in my mind of events and special moments. Some of them make me smile, some make me laugh, some make me cry but all of them make me the person I am today! What did 2015 look like for me? January After months (and months and months) of trying for baby #2, I decided to focus on my health at the start of 2015. I joined the YMCA. Colton turned 2 years old. This was a REALLY hard birthday for me. I had so many mixed emotions. My “baby” wasn’t a baby anymore and I was feeling lots of crazy feels. I started teaching clogging classes again after a break for the holidays. I attended a Rodan+Fields business presentation and training session in Knoxville. This sessions changed my outlook on my R+F business, connected me with new friends/business partners and confirmed my belief and potential in this opportunity. January 31, 2015 ...

I'm sitting here, in a cabin, with a clear view of the Smoky Mountains. Even though I live in East Tennessee, I'm still in awe of their beauty. We've planned this trip for months. Matt's family traveled in from Ohio and Texas to meet us in Pigeon Forge for a long weekend to celebrate Christmas (and family time)! We found the perfect cabin, we made the arrangements, we got excited...and then Colton got pneumonia. The way this past week played out, I really wasn't sure this trip was going to happen for us. We just prayed and did everything we could to take care of Colton and trust that we would be able to make the right decision. Since Tuesday, Colton has been on an albuterol nebulizer 3x a day, antibiotics and steroids. He has had a really rough week (still isn't out of the woods completely) but has been fever-free for the past few days. You know those decisions that you hate making as a parent? The scenario is like this. We're going to be in a cabi...