My First Post...EVER!

Hi, my name is Kelly and I am brand new to blogging.  I'm not doing it to see how many people read my blog or to become jealous of how great I am, but the opposite, actually.

I am a Facebook addict.

I find that more and more I am needing to be validated by the number of "likes" and "comments" I receive on Facebook.  I wake up in the morning and immediately check my account.  I sit outside, watching my children play, but find myself refreshing my newsfeed several times or taking pictures of me "enjoying" my life or my kids and posting the pictures with just the right filter.  I then refresh my newsfeed even more to see how many people liked that post.  For a fleeting moment, I know people think I'm living the good life.  Meanwhile, my kids are growing and I'm missing it.  I never wanted to be that mom.  I never wanted to be that person.

So, the reason I say all of this, and the reason I decided to start a blog, is to eliminate my Facebook, become more self-reflective, and still keep a record of the amazing things my kids are doing.

About me:  I am 28 years old, 29 in September.  I am married to an amazing man that is my absolute best friend in the world.  He makes me crazy.  Really crazy.  But he's an awesome dad and loves our kids with everything he has.  He is very smart, opinionated, and ridiculously observant.  We need more date nights, like a lot more.  We have been married 6 years and been together for 11!

At this moment, I have two little girls.  Layla is 3, about to be 4 in August.  She is almost exactly like her dad.  I know I sound like a typical mom saying this, but she is such an amazing little girl.  The things she says and questions she asks just astound me and I know that soon she'll be smarter than me and I'll have to try and figure out ways to make sure she doesn't find out.  She is a smart-mouth which totally comes from her dad, but she also has the absolute sweetest and biggest heart.  Her love for people is such a gift from God.  I hope she never changes in that way.

Ava is my second little princess and this girl just melts my heart.  She is 1 and will be 2 in September.  Since she has started talking, I've found out that she's as strong-willed and as amazingly smart as Layla.  I love watching her learn new things every day.  In my opinion, so far as a mom, this age is the absolute hardest, but also the cutest.  She decided a few weeks ago to begin going on the potty herself, something I was not mentally prepared for and had decided not to tackle until...later.

As I said, I am the mother of two right now, but I won't be for long.  I am actually due with baby girl #3...today.  This is going to be named Alivia Marie and we are all dying to meet her, but I am starting to think she is is never going to grace us with her presence.  I'm trying to be patient, but I feel totally normal right now and am beginning to get tired of everyone asking me where she is!

The idea of 3 kids, especially 3 strong-willed girls, terrifies me.  I grew up with 3 sisters and decided that I was content with my 2 girls.  I could handle 2.  No more.  God had other plans though and because of that, I am so excited to meet Alivia and find out why this little miracle was put in my life.

When I have this baby (and it's totally my plan for this to be the last one!), a new chapter in my life is beginning.  I will be the mother of 3.  I will go from being a part-time teacher to a full-time mommy, I will be finishing my Master's Degree in Instructional Technology on July 16th, and my husband will begin his new career in teaching this fall.

I know that not working at all and being a "stay-at-home mom" with 3 kids under the age of 4 is going to be an interesting experience for me.  I am a little nervous since I don't like cooking, cleaning, and I can't sew for my life, BUT I love my kids more than anything in this world and would sacrifice anything for them.  My goal in life is to raise my kids to be independent, well-rounded, God-fearing women who show everyone around them the love of God.

That being said, I know that the best years of my life are yet to come.  I know that God has big plans for me and my family and that I can do anything with Him by my side.  Life is a journey with mountains and valleys.  Luckily, I have a great family and God by my side to help me through it all.  I'm excited to see what happens next.