Tag: Family

31 Lessons for 31 Years

LeahLeave a comment

As I wake up another year older today, I’ve been reflecting on all of the things that have lead up to today. Some amazing highs along with some insanely low lows, but the thread that’s connected them all is the grace of God getting me through!

So in honor of turning 31, here are 31 things I’ve learned over the years:

  1. Love your people hard.
  2. Don’t let someone’s lack of effort change the standards you hold yourself to.
  3. You are the company you keep, so choose wisely.
  4. Some people are not meant to be in your life forever.
  5. You will never regret being kind.
  6. Two (or more) conflicting things can be true at the same time. 
  7. The best investment you’ll ever make is in yourself.
  8. Quality or quantity.
  9. Learn to be comfortable being alone.
  10. When someone shows you who they are, believe them.
  11. Your timeline and life are completely your own, so don’t compare them to anyone else’s.
  12. It’s okay if you’re not where you thought you’d be by now.
  13. Life is short, eat the dessert.
  14. Therapy is your friend.
  15. And on that note, go before things get bad.
  16. “No” is a full sentence.
  17. Time with family and friends is never time wasted.
  18. Always wear your sunscreen
  19. Courage and bravery are being scared to death but doing it anyways.
  20. Hugs from your littles is truly the best medicine on earth. 
  21. Stay hydrated.
  22. We can’t control life, but we can control how we react to it.
  23. Saying “yes” can be just as important as saying “no”.
  24. Make time for more of what brings you joy.
  25. It’s never too late to start over.
  26. It’s okay to walk away from toxic situations.
  27. Life can happen when you least expect it to.
  28. Wash your face.
  29. It’s better to be overdressed than underdressed.
  30. Baking is an amazing stress reliever.
  31. If God brings you to it, he’ll bring you through it.

Cheers to 31 years and many more to come!

XOXO,

Leah

New Year, Changing Me

LeahLeave a comment

Happy 2025, y’all!

2024 was a year, and while I’m still not able to go into too many details, I’m hopeful that 2025 is the year that brings the freedom to do so. I’ve always said that I’ve felt like the last several years of my life have been such a testament to God’s goodness and grace, especially in the valleys! I can’t wait to be able to share more with y’all.

For now, I will say that 2024 was a struggle, and somedays it truly was just putting one foot in front of the other and doing the things that needed to be done; loving and caring for the boys, keeping the house up and running, making the time to take care of myself, the millions of curveballs the Army has thrown our way, and the ever changing dynamics all of this brought to my marriage. I’m not going to say it was perfect, but we made it through together and by the sheer grace of God!

We lived so much life in the midst of the hard that I’ll always be grateful for; graduations, birthdays, road trips, trying new things, holidays, quiet and cozy days, baking lots of yummy treats, and kitchen dance parties just to name a few! It’s true when they say “the days are long, but the years are short”! I feel like I blinked and the boys are almost another year older and have grown so much.

So, what does 2025 have in store for me and my little family?

While we’re looking forward to more of the joy filled moments from the last year, 2025 is already shaping up to bring about some BIG changes. Some we knew were coming and ones that we never would have even guessed would be a possibility! For now, we’re taking things one day at a time as we work through the unfolding and developing of it all. A big goal of mine is to document and share more. I love being able to look back and reflect, but I’ve always been so amazed by the power of connecting with others and how our stories can resonate.

2024, you taught me so many lessons I won’t soon forget. 2025, I can’t wait to meet you!

XOXO,
Leah

Remember Them All

LeahLeave a comment

It’s never felt right to say “Happy Memorial Day” when the day is meant to remember those that have paid the ultimate sacrifice, but not acknowledging the day doesn’t seem right either

As a military family, we always honor and appreciate the price others have paid. The loss of those around us has always been felt, but this year knowing and loving families that have been left to pickup the pieces, the holiday hits a little differently.

This Memorial Day I think of sweet friends that are missing their husband and daddy. He may have been gone before our paths crossed, but I just know he’s smiling down from Heaven and so incredibly proud of how they are living their lives and keeping his memory alive in all they do.

I think of the ones that said “goodbye” not knowing it’d be the last. I think of the spouses whose kids will only know their parent through stories and pictures. I think of the parents that will never hold their child again. I think of the empty chairs at kitchen tables. I think about the hearts that shattered from a knock on the door that turned their whole worlds upside down.

At our church, the guest speaker, Lieutenant General Xavier T. Brunson gave a special Memorial Day sermon and shared the following verse:

“Two men will be in the field; one will be taken and the other left.” Matthew 24:20

Hundreds and thousands of brave men and women have answered the call to service, but not all come back.

This day is so much more than the start of summer, barbecues, pool parties, and beach trips, but I also know that these are the very things so many men and women have given their lives for, so that we are able to enjoy ours.

Everyday, but especially today, I hope you take a moment to reflect on and remember them.

“Greater love have no on than this: to lay down one’s life for one’s friends.” John 15:13

xoxo,
Leah

Dandelion Lion Craft

LeahLeave a comment

Happy Wednesday, y’all!

With spring being fully here (and almost summer), the dandelions are out full force!

Kaz loves picking flowers, and dandelions are not exception. A friend shared this fun and easy craft, and I just knew it’d be a huge hit!

You only need four things, for a craft your kids can do over and over again!

What You’ll Need

  • Cardboard or a paper plate
  • A black marker
  • A hole puncher or screwdriver
  • Dandelions

Take your paper plate and marker and draw your lions face on; eyes, mouth, nose.

Next take your hole puncher or screwdriver to poke the holes around the outside edge. These holes are where the dandelion stems will go. This definitely took me a second to do with a screwdriver, but I have no clue where our hole puncher is.

Find lots of dandelions, and have fun!

xoxo,

Leah

That’s What Faith Can Do

LeahLeave a comment

John 13:7 says, “You do not understand what I am doing now, but someday you will.”

If we’ve talked at any point in the last several months, you probably know that this season of life had me crying out to God on a regular basis. I had never been broken down in this way before, and I wouldn’t wish it on my worst enemy. This kind of soul crushing is relentless and comes and goes in waves, but it’s revealed just what I’m made of and who I truly belong to.

On the bad days, it’s had me questioning God in every single way. I just couldn’t understand why Kaz and I were being put through this. How could a good God allow this kind of thing to happen? That’s exactly what the devil wanted me to believe though, and it would have been so freaking easy to ya’ll.

The crazy thing though? I am so incredibly grateful for this breaking down of what I thought my life was and who I thought I was. You see, it’s easy when you’re in something to make the excuses and convince yourself that things aren’t that bad or maybe if I would have done or not done something it could have been prevented. That’s a whole other issue to breakdown another day though.

Without going through this, I know I wouldn’t have been able to be rebuilt so much better than I was before. I wouldn’t have been forced to strengthen certain relationships in my life. I wouldn’t have specific people in my life at all had I not gone through this, and something about that is so beautiful to watch unfolding in the midst of everything else.

People tell me how strong they think I am. They say that they don’t think they’d be doing as well as I am right now, but I can also tell that people are waiting and watching to see if I fall apart again.

The truth? Part of me knows it’s expected of me to be sad and upset at the way things are unfolding. I did the whole sitting on the kitchen floor at 3:00 AM crying my heart out. I did the struggle through the day while pouring absolutely every last bit of energy I had into taking care of Kaz only to crumble the second he was asleep thing. I did the crying out to God when all I could get out was, “Why?”. Looking back, I’m starting to be able to see why this had to happen though.

I may never fully understand. That thought alone was paralyzing at the beginning of this all but not anymore. It’s true; I may never full understand, but I no longer feel the need to in order to move forward and on.

This season of life will always be marked by some of the darkest of days I have experienced thus far, but also some of the brightest. I have had family step up and in in ways I didn’t even know to ask for. I’ve had friends, both old and new, love me (and Kaz) so fiercely and be there for us especially when family was so far away.

Life has a crazy way of doing that though, and God has an oh so perfect way of giving and taking exactly what is needed in or out of our lives.

These days I know I still have mountains to face, but instead of being scared by the size of it I’m reminded every single day that my God will always be bigger!

XOXO,
Leah

Military Life: Reintegration

LeahLeave a comment

When most people think of a solider coming back from a deployment, they think of the videos and pictures they’ve seen on social media or talked about on the news. A person in uniform, kids to be surprised, and lots of tears.

Don’t get me wrong, those always bring a smile to my face and the waterworks of pure happiness that those families are finally reunited after being apart, but what you rarely see is what happens after that initial high.

When it was getting close to my husband coming home from his deployment I did all of the things I thought I was supposed to do; decorate, make ‘Welcome Home’ signs, clean the house from top to bottom, stock the fridge and cupboards with all his favorite foods and drinks, buy a new outfit, etc.

Needless to say, I did all the things. In the end though, while they were nice, they didn’t really help prepare us for reintegrating my husband back into our family after being gone for so long and during a global pandemic.

For starters, our almost seven month old was now almost fourteen months old and getting into all of the things. Kaz and I had gotten into our groove of living life just us and Ailey. We had certain ways of doing things and a schedule (or as much as you can have with a toddler).

When my husband got back, we had a few weeks of him not going to work and being home with us. The first few days I think we were all riding on clouds of adrenaline and pure bliss from being reunited. When the dust settled (like it always does), we found ourselves stumbling. If you know me you know that I get set in my ways, I like routine, and knowing what to expect.

With all of the trainings, schools, deployments, etc., over the years, I’ve had to learn how to be pretty self reliant. This deployment was no different, and I had gotten so used to doing everything by myself. If I didn’t do something, it wasn’t getting done. With my husband being home, it was harder than I thought it’d be to let some of those go and fully accept that I didn’t have to be a one woman show anymore.

Now almost two months post deployment, I’d be lying if i said we weren’t still trying to figure it out. Here we are, just doing the best we can for ourselves and our little family.

It’s one heck of a crazy ride, but I wouldn’t want it any other way!

XOXO,
Leah

Photography by: Allison Vrhovac

Happy Birthday, Baby Boy

LeahLeave a comment

Happy Thursday, ya’ll!

If you’re reading this, you can already guess from the title, what today is; It’s our sweet baby boy’s first birthday! One whole year ago on July 9th, this sweet boy made his debut and has stolen our hearts a little more each day!

This first year, we decided to not share a ton about our little babe just out of wanting to be overly cautious while we got the hang of this whole parenting thing along with navigating this Army life of ours.

While this is certainly not the way I had always imagined a first birthday would be (global pandemic, hundreds of miles away from family, deployment…) I wouldn’t change a thing.

As crazy as that sounds, this last year has stretched and challenged both me and my husband in ways we never thought possible. I didn’t even know growth in the ways we have was real. Don’t get me wrong though , we’re still just winging this whole parenting thing and doing the best we can. We are by no means experts nor will we ever be!

There is something so incredibly beautiful in all of this though.

Our sweet baby has had his daddy gone more than he’s been home. He’s lived (and still living) through a global pandemic. We stayed with Grandma and Pa for several months. 

He is silly and so expressive! He loves his Ailey girl and giving her pats. Reading stories and singing songs are his favorite things to do. He has ten teeth and knows how to sign and say different words. He crawls around the house like nobody’s business, and walking isn’t too far off! He has been so incredibly sweet and patient with his mama while she’s navigated this (temporary) single parenting gig. We really did luck out!

Happy 1st Birthday, sweet boy! If you remember nothing else I say to you, I hope you’ll always remember this; You are kind. You are smart. You are strong. Mama and daddy (and Ailey) love you!

Hi world, I’m Kaz!

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XOXO,
Leah

Military Life: Month of the Military Child

LeahLeave a comment

Happy Monday, y’all!

Did you know that April is the official Month of the Military Child? This is the month we recognize and celebrate the strength, bravery, flexibility, resiliency, and sacrifice that the littlest members of military families make everyday.

When my husband and I decided we wanted to try to expand our family, we knew that our little one would have a wildly different life than either of us did growing up.

In Baby K’s first year of life, his daddy will have been gone more than he’s been home. Heck, my husband was even gone for training over my due date!

While he doesn’t know life any other way, my husband and I do. We often wonder if this path we’ve picked is the right one or not.

We may not regret a second of this life we live and how far we’ve come, but that little bit of guilt is always there.

For our sweet baby it means a lot of confusion as to why we sometimes only talk to and see daddy through a screen. It means crying out for him in the middle of the night and him never coming. It means seeing a whole lot of mama and always looking for daddy.

As he gets older, it will mean having to say goodbye to friends more often than if we weren’t part of the military world. It will mean his daddy will have missed being there in person for major milestones like crawling, first words, and maybe even walking and first days of schools.

We are not the first family to face a deployment, and we certainly are not the last. There will be many more times where duty will take daddy away.

Our little boy is so kind and loving. He is made of tough stuff. He is resilient and flexible beyond belief. He is sacrificing more than he even knows while his daddy is away.

Today and every day, I am in awe of this military child of mine!

XOXO,
Leah

Finding Joy During Chaos

LeahLeave a comment

Happy Monday, y’all!

Gosh, have these last few weeks been a wild ride! i hope that this post finds you healthy and safe during these crazy times!

When 2020 started, I never would have guessed that this is where we would be at now. Then again, I don’t think anyone really would have!

I definitely believe that it’s important to stay informed and up to date on the happenings, but these days, I try not to focus too much on all of the nitty gritty details. I think if I did, I just very well might lose my mind in it all.

10 Things That Are Bringing Me Joy

1. My sweet baby boy and his endless giggles.

2. Being able to keep in touch with my husband via FaceTime while he’s deployed.

3. Being in a place that we’re able to get outside in the fresh air and sunshine during the day.

4. Such great friends that check in on us not only during these crazy times, but just in general.

5. Good health; both mine and those I care about.

6. Having the best parents ever that have let Baby K, Ailey, and I stay with them throughout this all.

7. Taking this time and #socialdistancing to give my skin a break from makeup and just breathe.

8. The best pup ever that snuggles in bed with me every night.

9. Being fortunate enough to get the things we need, both my husband and Baby K and I, without having to worry about money.

10. Having this space to connect with y’all.

What’s something that’s bringing you joy right now?

XOXO,
Leah

Military Life: Real Talk About Deployment

LeahLeave a comment

Happy Monday, y’all!

I had another post written and all scheduled to go up today, but in wanting this to be where I share about real life and not just the pretty things, this post felt more real for right now.

If you’re part of a military family, chances are that you’ll face a deployment sooner or later. It’s just part of the job. Now that our sweet baby boy is in the world, I was hoping it would come later, but the Army had other plans for my husband.

Where before we would go about our days and wait for my husband to get home, now we wait for FaceTime calls or text messages. Somedays we’re blessed to get a nice long call in and other times we hear nothing at all. Sometimes, no news is good news!

With this being our first deployment, it’s taken me some time to get used to single parenting and finding a new normal for Baby K, Ailey, and myself. If I’m being honest, I’m still trying to figure it out.

Even what seems like the easiest of deployments for the soldier can be freaking hard for the ones left back home.

Don’t get me wrong, I am so thankful for this life we live and everything we are able to do and the amazing people we get to meet, but there are definitely days where I count down the minutes until I can start getting Baby K ready for bed so I can have a moment to breathe.

So while for the most part, this little family of mine is doing really well, even thriving, there is nothing I wouldn’t give to have our number one guy back home with us!

XOXO,
Leah