Today is my last day as a thirty-two year old. Tomorrow I wake up another year older. But it's hard to say goodbye to thirty-two, because this year has been the best year of my life, with the exception of losing my sweet papaw.

We kicked off the start of thirty-two by meeting Stephanie (aka Plain Chicken) and Tadd for the first time at Chuys. It began the start of a great friendship, and it was the perfect way to celebrate my birthday. And little did I know, I was pregnant with AC.

On July 1st, we found out I was pregnant! Talk about the best birthday gift, ever. I'm not sure any gift could ever top that!

We celebrated the Mr's birthday with my parents in the Smoky Mountains.

We got to share with the world in August that Baby Sowell was due to join our family in March of 2014.

We found out our baby was a GIRL in October. And we were convinced she was a boy until the day before our ultrasound.

We celebrated Thanksgiving with family and friends, our last with my papaw.

We got baby gifts (that we asked for) for Christmas, visited my grandmother and spent most of our week in Meridian at the hospital visiting my papaw.

We began 2014 laying my sweet papaw to rest.

We celebrated the upcoming birth of AC with a huge baby shower at my home church in Meridian with family and friends.

And in February, yep, not March... we welcomed the most perfect, precious, and biggest blessing of our life so far into the world.

We celebrated our first Easter as a family of three.

I had a Mother's Day I'll never forget with the dedication of AC.

And we celebrated the Mr's first Father's Day.

Thirty-two was more than I could have ever asked for. And I'm so thankful to have all these memories of such a special year. I'm praying thirty-three is another wonderful year for our family.

Father's Day Weekend Recap...

Father's Day 2014 was different in so many ways. It was the first Father's Day for my husband to celebrate as a daddy himself. And it was also the first Father's Day that we didn't get to celebrate with my papaw. Bittersweet. This year we made new memories, memories that will last a lifetime.

We started off our weekend early Friday morning headed to Meridian. The Mr took the day off (even though he worked by phone most of the day) so we could have a little extra time to see everyone while we were home.

He had a business meeting in Tuscaloosa before we could really get moving on the road, so AC and I had us some fun in the backseat. She loves Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, and talking to her mama so that's what we did to pass the time.

Once we made it to Meridian, we headed straight for Papa's office to see Ganny and Papa. We planned to have lunch with them and spend the afternoon hanging out at his office to see everyone. Lunch was quick at O'Charleys before Papa's board meeting, and AC decided she would help kick off that meeting. You can tell she was really excited. Ha!

While we visited with friends and family at Papa's office, the Mr stayed on the phone working. Yeah, vacation days don't equal much of a vacation. But we were excited to see Mrs. Barbara and Angeline, and AC got to meet little Bradley and visit with his mommy and daddy. He was born two weeks after her birth day.

We ended our day at the Mr's parent's house for dinner and to settle in for the night. The nieces were there and they asked to hold her before we crawled into bed. It was a long day for Miss AC.

Saturday morning we got ready for another busy day. Our day started out with Granddaddy making AC giggle. And then I had a business meeting with my job. This time daddy and AC got to hang out and have some fun together. After the meeting, we met up with Abby and Drew for some yummy San Marcos and then back to Abby's for a little birthday celebration which included some Baskin Robbins ice cream!

We made it back to the Mr's parent's house for AC to take a quick nap, but I think her daddy got more of a nap than she did while I played beauty shop with the nieces. I took some pictures of the girls, and then some with AC and her cousins. I'll show all those pictures with another post because there are so many that I like! After the photo session we headed off to Ole Farm Beef House to enjoy celebrating Father's Day and an early celebration for my birthday.

On Sunday morning we got the Denali loaded up and ready to head south to attend church at our home church, and spend some time with Ganny and Papa.

And the afternoon was spent at Ganny and Papa's house. Uncle Bubba had the magic touch and got AC right off to sleep. Before we left to head back to Bham, we stopped at Mrs. Barbara and Mr. Billy's house so we could visit with Sheila and the girls some. I still can't believe how fast Vashti has grown up. I used to babysit her and now she will be a freshman in college in the fall!!

We had a great weekend, but a weekend back in our home town wears us out. And this little one was definitely ready to get back to her house and be around all her "stuff". I'm pretty sure if pictures could talk, this one would say... "ARE WE THERE YET?"

We hope y'all had a wonderful Father's Day weekend. I know we made lots of memories for the Mr's first Father's Day. Thankful for this new and exciting chapter in our lives.

To My Husband...

Finding out we were expecting last July changed our lives forever. After losing our first baby way too soon, we both were very protective over this little life we were blessed with. You put up with my crazy hot flashes, weird cravings and did more around the house than I ever dreamed any husband would do.

Then I had her. Wow! The moment I laid eyes on you holding her, my love for you grew deeper and greater than I ever knew could exist. The way you cared for both of us in the hospital showed me exactly what kind of husband and father you would be. Being married for two years, we shared a lot, but those three nights and two days in the hospital brought us closer together than we've ever been before.

Once we were home from the hospital, you made sure you were a part of each and every moment with AC and taking care of me. We've never used the bathroom in front of each other, but that all changed once she was born. You probably never thought you would see the day when you would have to help me up and down from the potty, but after the c-section you took one for the team. Thankfully, those moments of awkwardness didn't last but a few days after we were home. And I'm sure neither one of us will never forget the laughter we shared during those experiences, even if I did cry out in pain after every laugh.

Next week will make four months we've had our little one in our arms. Things definitely changed after having her. Our home looks like a babies r us showroom. We sleep with a burp cloth and paci in the bed most nights. Our conversations include the words poopie and tee tee most of the time, and I'm not sure which one of those words makes us laugh the hardest. Our nighttime routine isn't what it used to be, but I'm sure one day we will miss those weekly photo sessions. Even if you roll your eyes every Thursday. The house isn't spotless. The meals have sorta become routine. But I wouldn't change any of these things because this is our life, and we are so happy and blessed that we get to live it with each other every single day.

There are things that we both said we would never do, and most of those we've had to eat our words. Like having our baby sleep in the bed with us at times, yep, that's happened. But one of the funniest is the one that you said you'd never do... buy me tampons. Last night as I was taking videos of our beautiful little girl, I went to the saved photos to send it to my email. However, I did a double take, and then doubled over laughing when I saw you had taken a picture of the tampon box under my sink in our bathroom. I remember you asking me a few weeks ago if I needed anything while you were out, and I mentioned those. Since you didn't want me getting out with the baby just to buy those, you said you would purchase them for me. But seeing that you actually took a photo of them to make sure you got the right ones, now that is LOVE.

Thank you for laughing with me after I came across this photo last night, and thank you for loving me so much that you would endure purchasing "those things." The fact that you were caught by another female on that isle holding your phone up to the many selections to make sure you got the right ones solidifies the fact that you are the perfect, loving and caring husband for me.

Here's the photo from his phone... I'm still tickled he took a photo of the box. And pray he forgives me for blogging about this. Ha!

Schedule/Smedule...

Hello. My name is Joy, and I'm still alive. Our little family is great, and life is happening every day. However, I seem to be having a problem with scheduling everything during the day. Which is why this blog has taken a backseat in my everyday activities. Right now AC is attempting to take a nap in the swing just a few feet away from me. So let's be honest, this post could publish a few minutes later, or it could sit in my drafts folder for another week or two until I can find another moment to come back and finish it. I'll try to let you know at the end which occurs!

First, I'm loving my new job title — mommy. It's probably the most fun I've had in my life. Is it stressful? Absolutely! But I love it, and I'm so thankful we were blessed with this little one.

Now back to why I can't seem to blog on a regular basis... life. Life with an almost four month old is wonderful, but she rules the roost. In our birthing class they mentioned that babies take a lot of your time, and they depend on you for everything. We laughed because we knew all of this, but when it becomes your reality it takes on a whole new meaning. She needs mommy and daddy for everything: eating, sleeping, etc. (I just looked up and she's asleep! This post might actually get published today, whoop whoop!)

Not only am I a stay at home mommy, but I also work from home. Being in a still somewhat new city to us, we don't know people like we do back in our hometown in Mississippi. And, I'm overly protective of this little one that we are so happy to have, so I'm not about to leave my baby with just anyone. Thankfully, I'm blessed to be able and stay home with her every day. My husband is a very hard worker and makes sure that his family is provided for. However, my full time job of taking care of our AC is just part of my daily routine, I'm also a social media manager for a design, marketing and media agency. I love both of my jobs, and I'm so thankful I get to do both of them from our home.

We can't forget that before either of those two job titles came about, that I was/am a wife. And, I'm also still a friend. Wow, my title sure is getting longer. I feel like a doctor with a bunch of specialties... Joy H Sowell, W, BF, MM, SMM, SAHM.

So I'm finding it harder to schedule all of those roles in one day. I wouldn't change my life for anything, and I'm happy to be where I am today. I got an Erin Condren life planner, and when I find time to write in it, I feel better about my day/week. Maybe I should write a schedule for each day... and yes, I'm one of those people who thought schedules were ridiculous before AC came. Maybe when I get our schedule/smedule down pat, I'll find a moment at least a few times a week to blog. Or at least finish the six drafts I've already started. Ha!

PS — she's still asleep, it's only ten minutes after I started this post, and it's about to publish. So make that five drafts in my folder! Phew!