Boss Baby’s Birth

Family, Mommy Blogger, Uncategorized

8 days ago I gave birth to my easiest baby yet (knock on wood). I don’t know if it is the helping hands I have, the patience I have learned as a mom of three, or the fact that I am still high on baby fever BUT this boy is an angel. I am the most happy I have ever been probably in my whole life and our family just feels entirely complete. I am going to share the nitty gritty details in this one so I hope you enjoy, laugh and maybe learn a thing or two.

C-sections. My mom had two with my brother and I because we were breach and I truly think it is a hereditary thing. Kota and Gray were both breach and I also started running out of nutrients for them so their births were more complicated than I had anticipated. I went into my doctors on Monday 12/31 for Boss ready to hear once again that I was running low. Boss’ due date was Jan 13th but we fully expected to be two weeks early and rushed in. Fortunately he was doing well and we thought we would make it to my scheduled c-section on January 7th. Appointment went great, we had a blast with friends on New Years eve, New Years day we binge watched Mandalorian (highly recommend it) and I felt rested and good. Craig went to the studio on January 2nd around 9:30AM and I started having contractions around 10AM. I brushed them off and went about the morning with the kiddos. I ate, showered, moved around, rested and nothing helped. Come 2PM I was in full swing and decided it was time. Called doc, got kids dressed in their cutest matchy matchies, moms came and got us and Craig met us there. THIS WAS IT.

We got to Saint Thomas Midtown and Craig had gotten there early to fill out paperwork. I was in a bit of pain but not crazy so we walked to the hospital room, got gowned, set up kiddos on I-Pads and they give me an IV. Contractions began showing really heavy in the beginning but once I got an IV they started to calm down. At that point Craig and I looked at each other a little bummed. It takes a village to get everyone set to have a baby with our family of five and in our minds this had been it. Then we found out my doctor was actually off that day so they weren’t sure she would be able to come in. I was 38 weeks 5 days so we were past any scary points and good to go if Boston was ready. LUCKILY my doctor is amazing and knows our crazy life so she happily came in!

I have never experienced natural birth but I have felt contractions and cheers to every woman on the planet who has had a baby. No one is better or worse for having a baby whatever way they need to to bring that little into this life safe. I have zero fear of blood pain or needles. Mr. Boyd is the opposite he hates all of it and in the past I have encouraged a shot of whiskey before coming into the room. We were both in a really great place this time. We went in the room together, held hands, he played me new songs and we had a healthy baby. Boston came out crying but he was having a little struggle with breathing so they put him in “transition” and we waited the longest two hours for him to come into our room. I am not sure if Jaxon or I was more anxious to hold our baby…

Boston James Boyd came into this world on 1/2/2020 6 lbs 10 oz, 18.5 inches, great head of hair and the sweetest demeanor. We snuggled in the hospital together for 4 days while my husband took care of three kids and cleaned our house from top to bottom. As if I wasn’t convinced I was obsessed with CWB before, when I walked into our house with our new baby, three kids and the smell of Pine-Sol hit my nostrils… Ooooo buddy he’s my forever. 1 more week baby.

My only concern at this point is that Boston didn’t pass his hearing test. Right ear passed left ear didn’t. Twice. Sound is such a huge part of our life and I wouldn’t normally share such personal family information but I believe in the power of prayer and I would be so grateful if you could say a little prayer for us. Doctors consoled me by saying that c-section babies don’t get that “push” out to clear their sinuses so he might need a few more days to clear all of his passages but we go back on the 15th of this month. If you could pray for us I would so appreciate it. Love to everyone and I am very serious about baby cuddles. Come on over if you need some happiness!

Oh Brother, My Brother…

Family, Humor, Mommy Blogger, Uncategorized

Is the best there ever was. Period. It is his 28th birthday weekend and even though I know he had a blast with friends and family in Mammoth, CA I selfishly wish he was sitting here with me eating all the things. Blake always writes the most thoughtful posts to me on special days so today I thought I would one-up him and write a whole blog dedicated to the baby, boy and now man I have loved and watched over for 28 years.

Blakey aka Bwakey aka Unkie has been my bff since day one. We are two and a half years apart (coincidentally so is Craig and his sister. Also, best friends.) and we couldn’t have a stronger bond. I knew once I started having kids of my own I wanted them to be equally as close in age and friendship. I got exactly that. I see myself in Dakota when she calls Gray her “son” and I see Blake in Gray when he copies her every move including jumping off the playground to near death. I see Blake in Jax when he is the leader of the pack while daddy is away and nothing makes me happier than knowing my three are as close as Blake and I have always been.

It has been so hard being far from him these past five years but we FaceTime weekly and my kids all have a special place for Unkie. We have shared intense late nights of video games, he’s suffered through me singing into my karaoke machine 24/7 as a kid, I have cried with him during his football game losses, we have been through life’s best and worst, and we are now doing everything we can to maintain a close friendship half a country away. I truly believe Blake and my parents prepared me for my marriage and my now family. I will never be able to thank him/them enough for their kind hearts and kindred souls.

So Brother, on your 28th birthday I hope you know how much I respect you, I admire your tenacity and workmanship, your heart for others is insurmountable and so obvious, your humor is ALMOST better than mine, and your love for my loves is something I can’t wait to repay. Enjoy every minute of today and know that we all love you and are counting down the days till we see you once Boss baby gets here!

Fun fact, whenever we would pass over a body of water as kids Blake would always say “Take a bath!!!” Now every time Graydon crosses Percy Priest lake to pick up Jax from school he says “Waaaaayaaaa” knowing he will get laughs from Kota and I. Gray may look like CWB’s twin but I am pretty sure he has a lot-a-bit of Unkie’s personality. Always looking for a laugh.

Tag me in your sibling posts and stories and be sure to go show @BlakeBorland some love on his big B-Day!

Stepmoms

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I have only touched on this before in one instagram post but today she was there for me while Craig was on the road so I figured it was time to write about it.

Never in my life did I think I would be a stepmom. I have two stepmoms who I love to pieces but I just figured my path would be finding a man, getting married and having babies together. Little did I know God had other plans and the man of my dreams would be a dad already. Craig and I dated seriously for 4 months before I got to meet Jax and the day I met him was the day I meant “I love you” on another level. It was the day I fell in love with my family and not just a man.

Jaxon’s mom has become one of my best friends. We have had our phone calls, texts, and indifferences but she has half of my heart because she made my oldest son. She has Jax Sunday through Thursday and we do Thursday to Sunday. This is not easy. My other two munchkins wake up every morning asking when “Bubba Day” is. But knowing he is with an amazing woman getting to hang with his neighborhood friends, he gets one on one attention that he will never get in our house with almost three babies, and he gets to do all the fun outdoors things that I can’t do 7 months pregnant right now makes everything a little easier.

I don’t honestly know how Craig and her do it. I can’t imagine being away from my littles BUT I do know that they both have a lot to get done on their time without Jax so when Jax is home at either house he gets quality time. It takes really amazing people to do what they do and even though they weren’t the right match they have handled this life with grace. They made it easy for me to come in and she accepts me as Ms. Taylor. I am thankful for my husband, I am thankful for my stepson and the brother to Kota and Gray and Boss, and I am grateful to Natalie for trusting me with her baby half the week.

Now all seriousness aside, everyone always asks if we are sisters because Craig has an obvious “taste”. She is a badass bike rider, she is a blonde haired spitfire, and she is an independent woman. I am a kind of badass softball player, a lover of all things music, and an independent woman. We have so many random things in common and when people ask if we are sisters we laugh. When we are at the BMX track people question which is Craig’s wife and it has been asked so many times now that at this point we will probably just say to you we both are. It is not conventional, it is not anyone else’s normal, but it is ours and we are living our best life doing it.

Cheers to the stepmoms and to the moms who live with stepmoms. It’s tough. We do our best knowing that our kids deserve the world and ain’t nobody got time for anything other than happiness and love.

Boy oh Boyd

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I knew this would happen when I first started blogging so I won’t apologize I will simply say I told you so. I started out guns blazing and now it’s been 5 months since I have written but this whole mom life, turning 30 and creating another human deal has really worn me out! Thanks for keeping up with the short, simple insta photos on the BoydsRUs train. I am going to really try hard to blog during this last pregnancy so I have the memories I didn’t record from my other two. If you ask me, this is the Finale. If you ask Craig, this is the song BEFORE the finale… But I digress.

Party of SIX coming 2019 possibly 2020! You guys. YOU GUYS. This is still a bit of a shock to me especially when I think about having FOUR kids, three of which will most likely have the same or very close birthdays. We are truly so stoked but it took me a good month to wrap my head around. When I finally got the courage to make my first appointment with my OBGYN she just smiled at me and said, “You do know how this works… don’t you?”. I have made the joke now a hundred times but Craig is either going into the Dr.s come January and leaving with a frozen bag of peas OR he is moving out the month of April. As you have all probably learned I use humor to make it through life and this blessing warrants humor.

So, the good news is it is all good news! Craig would probably have 6 if it were up to him so he was an easy share. All our kids are THRILLED about another baby. It was a bit different telling Jax this time around because the pressure was off since he now has a brother and a sister. We bought him one of those cannons with confetti once we found out gender and it was the cutest thing ever to see his face light up at the realization of another bmx brother. Kota and Graydon found out the day before when Jax was at school and we had the Dr.’s appointment. Dakota might have had a tinge of sadness when she learned she wasn’t having a sister but quickly recovered with Skittles and the thought of cuddling a new baby. Graydon is Graydon and gave me a high five and fist bump. Sure he didn’t know why, but as the token “manchild” of the house, it felt appropriate. Family and friends called us crazy then hugged us hard so life is good and we know the drill so what’s one more!?

First trimester I felt like a million bucks. I am blessed with no morning sickness and once again didn’t know I was preggers until way later than I should have. HOWEVER…I’m not sure if it’s because I am no longer in my twenties, or because this is my third baby, or I have three kids and a lot of life going on BUT second trimester is kicking my butt. I look as pregnant now as I did at 9 months with Dakota. My body is essentially broken it is a miracle I can carry my kids at all. I am seriously considering putting on some Depends at night because the amount of times I wake up to pee is absurd. HEARTBURN IS A B!%$@. Finally, #Bossbaby likes to party from about 11:30PM-5AM so between me peeing, my kids waking up to pee, acid reflux and the kicking going on inside my body, I am finding this one a bit more difficult to enjoy right now. The best part is I can’t even drink wine to cope so if anyone knows an employee at O’Douls let them know I would be happy to form a partnership.

Right now we are at 22 weeks. This time around I decided to go with a new trendy app called “BUMP”. Previously I used “What to Expect” but with my ailments I couldn’t handle watching that sweet brunette woman tell me how beautiful I am over elevator music any longer. I need the real real, my baby is the size of a coconut and my body is starting to look weird, kinda truth. If you do the math on 22 weeks that puts us at Jan 13th due date however we are prepping for two weeks early. We now know my body quits creating nutrients for babes at about 37 weeks so again all in God’s time but we are assuming last week of December.

To wrap it up I have decided to include some fun facts at the bottom of each blog here on out so I can remember exactly what happened for this MAYBE PROBABLY, MOST LIKELY, LAST pregnancy. Love you guys, thank you for sticking around and throw out some ideas for next blog I read EVERYTHING at 3AM when my esophagus is burning.

~Belly is at 36 inches

~Graydon is almost potty trained so we hopefully won’t have two different sets of diapers going on which was the goal BUT we just got new carpets yesterday so now I am not sure about this plan.

~#bossbaby is exactly on point with measurements at his 20 week visit. HUGE relief

~Cravings right now include spinach with lemon, cottage cheese and ice cream ALL DAY.

~

All I want for Mother’s Day is…

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A day off. I love my kids. Anyone who follows me knows that I am obsessed with them and can barely go three hours without them. I love the way they smell (stinky breathe, baby sweat and all), the way they make me laugh, cuddling with them, and how they convince me every single day that I am the queen of the world. But sometimes… Mama just needs a break.

Today I went and got my hair done. I had a solid 4 hours to myself. I got to feel like a grown adult the entire time. I wore clothes I didn’t have to worry about getting drool on. I didn’t have to use the under part of my shirt to wipe a teething one year old’s snot. No one asked me for a snack or drink or to play a game. I got to talk about things other than my kids (that’s kinda true they were definitely still talked about) and I enjoyed every minute of it. I READ A MAGAZINE. Who has read a magazine in the last 5 years? I feel like I am Chrissy Teigen’s best friend on Instagram but getting to read People and finding out that J-Law is engaged was an exciting change of pace. I also had a blast spending time with a really good friend and just being Taylor alone.

So I think I speak for a bunch of mama’s when I say tomorrow is a super special day for all of us. For baby moms, kid moms, grand-moms, step-moms, dog moms, cat moms, animal moms, friend moms and every other kind of nurturing soul. We love so hard 365 days a year. Do we like chocolate and flowers? Yes. Do we necessarily need chocolate and flowers? No. What I know I need and the majority of the strong women I know need is a day of rest. A day to love on everyone in our house without the laundry (I talk about laundry in this blog soo much because I dislike it soo much) without the cooking (kidding I don’t cook), cleaning (I will probably still do that because I have an OCD problem), and diapers (tag YOUR IT Craig Wayne 🙂

Mamas/nurturers share your wants for tomorrow to your partners. Let them know what you need on this special day so you aren’t disappointed and then you will get your exact perfect day you deserve. I was always afraid of doing this because I didn’t want to crush his plans but sometimes they need to know your expectations so neither are disappointed in the result whether it’s my reaction or his plan. At the end of it all, if you are like our family just remember that “Men are from Mars and Women are from Venus” but we all love each other so hard. Below are our strong, beautiful, glorious women that we love to no end. And don’t worry I will do a similar blog for Father’s day too because sexism is so 2015 .

5 Things That Changed When I Became a Mom

Family, Humor, Mommy Blogger, Uncategorized, Working Mom

How did I pick only 5 things that changed when I became a mom you ask? Well, for the sake of my reader I chose mostly entertaining topics and snuck in a sentimental. In reality my life did a Sean White 360 degree frontside rewind backflip ally woop corkscrew with a 1080 in there. Basically a million things changed… most for the better, a LOT made me stronger, some I think God throws in for a good laugh but ALL contribute to my general happiness.

Body

I will start by saying I became pregnant at 117 lbs with my daughter Dakota. I am 5’6 on a good day so that is the least I should ever weigh and then with my tiny baby girl I gained 35 pounds. I had a c-section with her and my only real problems during pregnancy were loss of stomach muscles, acid reflux and fatigue. Aside from that… easy. My son Graydon on the other hand, I experienced exhaustion (probably because I had a 5 year old son, a 1.5 year old daughter, a musician for a husband and a full time job), bloody gums (you have no idea how painful this is until you have it) muscle cramping, strep of the eye (didn’t know this was a thing) and hemorrhage of the belly button. For anyone wanting to have their first baby or baby number two… do it, but your body will never be the same. You won’t be able to do crunches the way you used to and you will get gray hair soon after. My husband likes to say he gave me baby bearing hips and thank goodness he likes them.

Mind

This is a really interesting one. My mind before kids was consumed by how I was going to feed MYself, when I was going to do MY laundry, how I was going to dress MYself, and how I was going to be sure I got home at a decent hour. Thank God for my chef of a husband that feeds me and our munchies. When he is gone I make a carb (mac and cheese or spaghetti with butter) a green and a protein (chicken nuggets) if I am feeling ambitious. Laundry is something I do at 10PM when I am drinking a good glass of red and think I can stay up until midnight waiting for it to be done. But then I typically don’t stay up, wait five days and rewash and dry on Sunday so it doesn’t smell like mildew… again. We obviously love to match so we start with baby girl Dakota’s closet and work our way up. The boys have a lot of matching clothes, Craig has amazing pieces still that he got from The Voice, and I usually rock some leggings with a fun T and jacket (I used to buy designer jeans now I hope Target has my dream plaid pants). My hours of sleep went from 3AM-8AM to 12AM-7AM really fast. We are still night owls but now we snore harder and sleep less comfortably. If we are going to have adult time or date night, 9PM and after is it so we make it work the best we can.

Heart

There are no words for how my heart changed. I wanted to be a boy mom my whole life and I got that with Jax. He made me a stepmom, he made me a better person the second I met him and he changed my whole world. I have always been a tomboy with feminine qualities so, all of the sudden when little Dakota came around she was an eye opener. Jax is so easy for me (we bro down on video games, Pokemon and sports) and Dakota is sometimes not. When I look at her it is like looking in a mirror. We clash because we are the same. But we love each other so hard because we get each other. I cannot wait to see who she becomes and I am so glad she is my middle because no matter the sass, the late nights, or the crazy $h!t she says… she is our girl and we love her for it/ through it. The verdict is out with Graydon but so far he is everyones favorite baby that we never had. He has been a man child from day one so we are going back and forth on having one more. Stay tuned because it may or may not happen (praying hard about it because we love our sleep we are finally getting but we also have some more space in our hearts for one more).

Fears

Is it weird that when I am home alone with the kids I hear one noise and immediately sit up in bed and think about which lamp or belt I am going to use to slap an intruder with? I used to get into Uber’s with strangers alone and now if I hear anything at 1AM in our house I turn into Wonder Woman. The mom instincts are SO NUTS. I consider myself a very easy, happy go lucky kind of person but there are times driving when I see a river next to us on a bridge and plan my best escape route to save all three of my kids if, God forbid, we got hit by a truck. WHEN DID THIS HAPPEN? It is so morbid but it is so real. I don’t walk on egg shells but rather I run on mom craze. I am in a constant state of “mama bear”.

Day to Day

The moment I wake up I hear Graydon usually around 7:30-8AM. I run downstairs grab his bottle, get a diaper and wipes ready and open the door to the cutest morning hair and sleepy eyes. Game on from that point. Dakota and Jax usually get up around the same time. We tag team teeth brushing and hair brushing (so much hair in the Boyd house) and make our way down stairs for breakfast. Craig cooks it, we eat it then we head back upstairs, match as best we can and start our day. By 10:30AM I already want a nap. Work starts for me at 11AM and it’s a pattern of laundry, dishes, diapers, going up and down the stairs four hundred times, squats to pick up toys and clean up messes and playing with/teaching the littles as best I can with the time I have to spare. It is incredible the gifts God gives you when you become a mom. I never had the multi tasking ability I have now. I may not be able to iron a shirt properly but I can sure as hell pick up 10 pairs of shoes and 4 baby dolls with two arms.

After reading this through 2-3 times this sounds a little “complain-y” but I hope you know it’s not meant to be. These are the changes that happened in my life in the past four years. These are the changes I think a lot of moms go through and I want to hear about them. Share your stories, your body changes, your mind changes, your heart changes, your weird fears and your day to day so I know I am not alone and we can spread the mom craze together! Mombie Apocalypse 2019.

Working Mom Blues

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So I actually don’t have that many blues about being a working mom but HEEYYY I got your attention 🙂 I have worked since I was 14 years old. My parents instilled in me that you get what you give and I have been hustling for 16 years now (wow I am old). Are there some days I would rather spend without a computer and phone in hand… YES. Are there times I miss out on certain activities to focus and accomplish what I need to in my 8 hour days… YES. Are there some days I cry because my babies are sick and a model hasn’t shown up for a job and I am overwhelmed… YES. Would I change any of this… NO.

I get asked often how I got into the modeling industry because it sounds (and actually is) one of the most fun jobs in the world. My mom signed my brother and I up with a local agency in my hometown of Valencia when I was 12 years old. Our neighbors the Duswalt’s had their own agency, were family friends that we trusted and took us under their wings. We did a few local things here and there but the unfortunate news is at 12/13 years old I was painfully shy (and we had some serious buck teeth see below). That isn’t the best character trait for a kid wanting to get into the business. Needless to say my Covergirl spread never happened BUT I got something better… a babysitting gig.

Natasha Duswalt owner of Peak Models and Talent saw that I LOVED her three boys and asked me to babysit weekly for them. That evolved into personal assisting and by the time I was 17 years old she started to teach me the ropes of the modeling industry. I saw her killing it as a working mom which was inspiring. I graduated from babysitting, to personal assisting, to receptionist, to accounting, and then booking by the time I was 19 years old. The Duswalt’s gave me a “trade school” I didn’t have to pay for!

I have always had a passion for music so at 19 I took a break from the modeling industry to pursue music dreams at Berklee College of Music. My dad sang me Cash, Waylon, Haggard, Dolly and Miller and my mom sang me Etta James, Anita Baker, James Taylor and Carly Simon. I had a lot of cool musical influences thanks to them which blossomed into a love of country, jazz and blues. BUT within 6 months of living in Boston, I realized my love of music was more personal for me, I was not a front woman, I missed warm weather and my family, and was ready to focus back on being the behind the scenes lady. I had no idea at the time that this would set me up for my career not only as a booking agent, but as a wife to an incredible musician. Below is a painful image of me trying to be a rockstar… lip piercing and all (Dakota, never happening.)

Peak Models and Talent was fortunately looking for another booker upon my return to LA so I jumped right back in. I have worked on some of the coolest projects ranging from commercials (fav being the most recent Coke commercial with Izzi), print jobs (fav was booking my brother as Spiderman and Wolverine which has become years of blackmail), runway shows (booked Adam Levine’s clothing launch at KMart RIP) and fittings. I have traveled the country and world learning my craft and meeting some of the most talented people in the industry. It is not a business for the faint of heart. I have made tough moves, transitions and decisions whether they be for myself or for model’s careers and I have reaped the benefits and consequences of those decisions. BUT I have learned. I have grown as a woman, booker, wife, mom and all around human being.

I have since worked with numerous different agencies and clients but my home is PEAK. I am fortunate enough to say I am back there doing what I love today. I get to stay in the thick of the LA madness while cleaning up milk spills in between phone calls. I hustle hard every single day to get the bookings in, the emails out, the babies in bed and the laundry done. Tonight I had a conversation with a casting director/fellow working mom which I figured out from the screams in the background that matched my children’s. Once I heard those baby cries we immediately became best friends. It’s working mom code.

This all being said, how did I get into the modeling industry? I was blessed. Blessed with a beautiful neighbor that became my mentor, I was blessed with opportunity, and I had the drive to take it all in and run with it. SO RUN.

Side note, if anyone one wants to learn more about the industry reach out to me and if you have a brother’s sister’s cousin’s baby that wants to be signed to an agency email me and I will see what I can do 🙂 xo

Boyd Babes

Family, Humor, Mommy Blogger, Uncategorized

I want to remember every little thing. I joke about the crazy school pick ups and drop offs with three, the shopping sprees from hell, the sleepless nights and the chaos that comes with being a working mom but I love every second of it. I didn’t know my purpose in life until I had my littles and now I know. This family is going to try their best to spread love, humor and hope through our actions through our faith, through our love for each other and others, and through our music. This is a selfish post about where my babies are at right now in this phase of life so that it gets immortalized on the internet.

Jax got his report card this week and all “E’s” except in grammar but let’s be honest all men typically have trouble in this department. He is a genius and a leader in school. He comes home every day he is with us, gives his siblings some love and heads straight to the keyboard. Right now he has written two beautiful songs, he knows how to play the Indiana Jones themes, and he knows 2-3 classical songs that he is OBSESSED with. This kid is something else on a BMX bike. His mama and Craig are really into BMX so it is looking like that might be his thing. He has been riding since he was 1.5 years old and it’s crazy to see him flying on a bike down a track at 6 years old. We call Jax “Bubba”, Bud”, and “Action Jaxon” because this kid has athleticism and balance in his bones.

Kota Lynn aka “Babydoll” aka “Stinkerbelle” aka “SassMcGee” is all of these things and then some. Her most recent accomplishment is joining us other humans in peepeeing on the potty! We still do “dipe dipes” at night but honestly she probably doesn’t need them (Side note: I hope everyone finds that special someone that looks you deep in the eyes… the same way my toddler stares into my soul when she is sitting on the pot pooping). Her most fav characters are Mickey and Belle from Beauty and the Beast. Her funniest phrases are “I’m dum” (I’m DONE), when she reads me books they always end with “Amen”, every baby is baby Jesus, and she LOVES “im-skee” (ice cream). She sings everything everywhere and LOUD. She is very opinionated on what she does and doesn’t like when shopping and her favorite things to play are doctor and makeup. She is really coming into her own at 3 years old and it. is. terrifying.

BABY GRAY. I need to do a whole blog on this kid because he has done some exceptionally insane things recently. He is the great dane puppy I never had and always wanted. He has no idea of his strength or size. He walks around like a bow-legged cowboy thats been riding a horse for 37 years with his hands on his gun holsters. He loves giving open mouth kisses but then he will give you a sweet little head butt right after. His nicknames include “BamBam”, “Mr.” and “Gray Gray”. This little ball of man has been walking since 8.5 months old and really didn’t want to be a baby. I think having older siblings will do that to a kid. His most recent accomplishments include eating 2-3 bananas a day (if anyone knows anything about potassium over load text me, it’s a real concern), he climbs tables chairs and our pantry, and his first real actual words were “Tank Tou” (Thank you). One of my top 5 proudest parent moments 🙂

Update on the parents: We are now sleeping much much better. We learned Gray didn’t like co-sleeping/cuddling and does MUCH better in his crib all night with a sleep schedule. Jaxon is now rocking in his big boy room and most of the time Kota likes to sleep in there with him. We try and spend individual special time with each kiddo throughout the week and will keep that going forever. Now that everyone is older and we have the best babysitters we have been able to do a few recent date nights. So fun but always ready to come home to my babies by the end of the night. Right now Craig and I are slammed in business but our kids are the inspiration to keep it going and our love keeps this house sane. Kinda.

A Musician’s Wife

Music, Uncategorized

There was a moment where I thought I would marry a blue collared man and then later in life there was a moment I thought I would marry a business man. God dealt me my perfect card and I married a musician. This is where I tell the story of a #musicianswife.

Craig Wayne left three days ago and to be honest it wasn’t on great terms. My family vacation was always Lake Havasu and he played Havasu on Tuesday and then straight to Vegas. What no one tells you when you marry a musician is the amount of FOMO ‘feeling of missing out” you feel. I want to be there! I was on the bus and took the flights in the beginning of our relationship before babies but now trying to get a family of five anywhere is a small fortune. So to every wife that misses the concert or the trip I feel you and I feel FOR you.

And the counter argument to what I just said is IT IS WORK. My husband gives every ounce of everything he has every time he goes out. It isn’t a vacation or a party it’s meeting the fans that have made our dreams possible and giving them the time and love they deserve, it’s long nights and long days of rehearsals, tv appearances and shmoozing. It is as exhausting if not more than being with three kids alone. And now going into day 4, I MISS HIM. Yes the laundry is done, dishes are washed, babies are in bed and there are no boxers or socks on my bedroom floor but I miss all of it and I want him home dirty undies and all.

In retrospect I couldn’t have married anyone else. I would have been bored. I love our unorganized and spontaneous life, our long nights, our stress and I love the unknown. I would have become complacent with anything less. The amount of respect I have for my man and any man or woman that entertains for a living is huge. So to every fan that goes to the shows and shares the social media posts THANK YOU (you know who you are in our camp). You keep our fire burning and our passion for music going.

I am on a Facebook page of #musicianswives so here are some fun little tidbits I have come across that anyone married to a musician or around musicians can relate to and this will end my sorry excuse of a blog because MAMA IS TIRED. XO

YOU KNOW YOU ARE MARRIED TO A MUSICIAN WHEN…

You find guitar picks and sharpies in your laundry machine

You have a box of miscellaneous cords that you will never use but have to keep

Your kids use headshots as coloring books

Facetime is your best friend. Ever.

You could retire on the guitars in your closet

You have 30 jars of peanut butter and jelly and a case of coconut water because that’s what he has on his rider but somehow the whiskey never makes it home

Your kids like their microphones and drumsticks more than the toys you have spent hundreds of dollars on

Monday through Wednesday is the weekend

Quiet in your house is a fairytale

Your musician has more black clothing items than you do

You watch “Friends” on repeat when home alone so you don’t freak yourself out with any other nonsense

You’ve made more trips to BNA airport than an Uber or Lyft driver

#TOYFAIL

Humor, Mommy Blogger

I am going to excuse my below comments by saying it’s been a long freaking week and TGIF!!! Now yes, sometimes I do have the mind of a 13 year old boy BUT in my defense the toys I am about to share were really asking for it. I would love nothing more for you to read this blog and share your #toyfail with me anyway possible. I get the biggest kick out of these things. Here are some of our best!

This little beauty was my inspiration. Daddy is a sucker for his babygirl and whenever they do “dates” while I am working she comes home with a fun new surprise (one time it was an American Girl Baby don’t get me started on that one). Craig has learned to go a little simpler with the “prizes” and came home with this Minnie Mouse gem the other day. I am a fan of Lip Smacker. I have loved them since I took my first bite out of a Dr. Pepper one. In fact, Bonne Belle started Lip Smacker in 1973 launching the flavors strawberry, green apple, and orange chocolate and really reinventing the whole lip protection game! So my question is… Bonne… WTH were you thinking with this packaging? Don’t get me wrong the flavor and smell are still amazing but really? REALLY??? I won’t go any further but I do know a chihuahua that has a very similar “chapstick”. #TOYFAIL

Being a 90’s kid, all I wanted in life was a Teddy Ruxpin. A talking bear??!! That was just about the coolest thing around. My parents were awesome enough to get me one and he was my best friend for a while ( I may or may not still have mine). He batted his sweet little eyes and shared the most outlandish fairytales as I read along with him. So naturally, when the remake came out two years ago and it was the hot Christmas ticket, I fought my way through rabid parents and grandparents to get my hands on one (JK I bought it on Amazon). Christmas morning came and that was MY gift. The golden gift I couldn’t wait to see the kids open and fall in love with just like I had so many years ago. Well, below is what they opened and if you would like a TERRIFYING robot bear that scowls at you and has dead eyes when you turn it off… you can have it. For $80.00. #TOYFAIL

Fingerlings. Everyone loves them. Who wouldn’t love a multi colored burping, tooting little monkey?! We have about 57 in our house and sometimes they make unexpected noises in the middle of the night that are quit shocking. Well my mama aka Glamma bought us a special special present on one of her trips called the “Fingerling Tail Ring Fling”. I WISH you all could have seen mine and Craig’s face as we pulled the parts out of the box. It includes a bald cap with a tuft of hair on it, rings for tossing, and a multi colored curved strap o…. I mean velcro on tail. Another example of not a lot of thought going into this one. You’re welcome for the visual. #TOYFAIL

Yes our family has tattoos and yes our kids know they are real. I won’t be the mom going to take my kiddos to get tattoos before they are 18. I waited and they will have to too. HOWEVER, during a diaper change with Dakota’s Cabbage Patch doll she discovered a “butt tootoo”. Why??? You could have signed your doll ANYWHERE why did it have to be the bum. It is her most favorite doll and every time she shows someone you get to hear about the “butt tootoo”. If my daughter comes home one day with a “tattoo on her tooshy” (Sorry Craig borrowed lyrics from “Half a Halo Angel”. That line might not be so funny one day babe…) I am making a complaint. Thank you Cabbage Patch. #TOYFAIL

And the grand finale… MR. STRETCH ARMSTRONG. This guy is another classic and when they came out with little mini ones I had to get him for Jax. He loved it, played with it, stretched it for maybe an hour and then this happened. Was there no product testing done? Was there not a better ink that could have been used? This was quit possibly the hardest I have ever laughed at anything. Cheers to #TOYFAIL s!