10 Years Vow Renewal

When I think back on Friday evening, perfection doesn’t do the night justice. Is there another word that is better than perfection? I looked this up and was given the following adjectives to choose from; flawless, out-of-this-world, to-a-T, dead-on, splendid and excellent. But the one that I feel does the best job describing the night (besides perfect) is “beyond compare!”

Walking into the house Friday night to be greeted by my two babies and walked to the back door to then find my family standing there waiting for us to arrive under romantic lighting was beyond compare.

Hearing my dad conduct our vow renewal and profession of the love he has witnessed from George and me in our ten-year marriage and how we raise our children was beyond compare.

IMG_2982Looking into George’s eyes as he spoke about loving me and growing together as a couple over the last ten years while staying true to our vows was beyond compare.

Renewing our vows in front of those we love was beyond compare! 

Here are some photos and a video of the evening, I still pinch myself thinking about how complete I feel….beyond compare!

IMG_2915 IMG_2917 IMG_2912 IMG_4709 IMG_4708 IMG_4707 IMG_4706 IMG_4705 IMG_4704 IMG_4703 IMG_4702 IMG_4701

Inspirational Love, Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad

There have been many times in my life, countless even, where I find myself reflecting in awe over the love my parents have for each other. I’m having one of those moments right now and thought I would share – how fitting on their anniversary?! Perhaps this is inspiration for you and your spouse or you have similar moments while observing your parents? I haven’t interviewed my parents nor do they know that I’m writing this blog post. These inspirational blurbs or moments I’m going to share have been based solely on my observation, which is cooler to have that perspective anyway, right?

IMG_0285When watching home videos of life when I was younger, specifically it was Christmas morning, Matt and I were coming into the living room to see the presents that Santa left for us. You could see the sparkle in my mom’s eyes as she looked back at the camera to my dad and you could hear him say {and if you know my dad you could literally hear this} “heyyyy babe-ahhh.” If I think about my current life and the stressful (yet joyous) moments that creep into the “everyday” with two kids, still having that flirtatious tone and to really see the love is cool.

Other moments captured on camera of the flirtatious Carol and John show include dad zooming in on mom’s butt {gross, but still} and making an “ow-ow” comment. Or zooming in on mom’s face and saying, “there’s my baby” {I’m sure you are even more grossed out, but still}. There were even moments when you could see their solidarity in being stern with my brothers and I {yes, this is caught on camera} then sort of chuckling to the camera together and really enjoying each other regardless of the stressful situation, ahem Halloween of 94. Or when they were holding baby Brian in the NICU the day that they were scheduled to take him home and the love and pride towards each other as they were being interviewed by the local news stations, really is inspiring!

As I think and type out these moments, it is cool to think they have all lead up to the unified team IMG_0282 (1)they are today. We’ve had some interesting life events and family scares recently (Dad’s cancer is an obvious one) and never have I ever seen my mom so worried about dad or my dad so thankful for my mom than the day of my dad’s surgery. It was like all the other moments they had lived through were prepping them for this next speed bump. To see a selfie sent from my dad {yes, he takes selfies} to my mom and then for my mom to respond with “I’m proud of you babe” brings me such joy! The love they share for each other is even more prevalent today {to me} than it was in the “early days” caught on camera.

My parent’s love for each other, respect for each other, support for each other and pride for each other is inspiring! I know that I’m lucky to have such great role models in my life.

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad, I love you very much.

 

#CincyBloggers are COOL {plus many Giveaways}

Today I met some super blogging rockstars and heard about many of their blog content, success stories and how they conduct business with PR firms on sponsored posts. No joke, these bloggers are so cool! It was like watching some documentary on talented athletes when they give you a “behind the scenes” tour and talk about how they were able to have so many slam dunks, home runs or touchdowns. The other awesome vibe I took away from meeting these superstars was that they all were so transparent and helpful towards each other – there was never any blogger-on-blogger crime but more of “you aren’t charging enough” and “congratulations on that awesome opportunity” which was great to hear. I met a blogger who contributes to Pillsbury and one blogger who’s daughter was just found out she will have a line with J. Crew {p.s. she is FOUR years old}. I’m telling you – CRAZY talent in Cincinnati. So because I was just bumping elbows with the best of blogging in the city, I thought I would share with you some of their Giveaway posts that allows you to not only add great reading material to your daily/weekly intake but also potentially win some cool swag.

Two tickets to the Nutcracker (ends today – HURRY) Adventure Mom & The Little Things

Fazoli’s Frozen Appetizers (love this blog for all things FOOD) The Food Hussy 

Home Depot Gift Card ($100 value) ahhh, yes please! Womanly Woman

Wild Kratts autographed photo and toy prize pack 4 The Love of Family 

Krohn Conservatory’s Magic & Mistletoe (I’ve heard this is amazing) The Little Things

 

Thankful for My Family

Here are the latest updates in the world of The Herron Nest – lots of sibling snuggles and LOTS of upgrades around the house to prep for Thanksgiving. To say that we are busy is the understatement of the month but we are all healthy and happy and that is the biggest blessing.

IMG_3829Abbey – she is turning THREE in a few days and that makes me want to burst into happy tears! She has been such a light in our lives with her sparkling personality and witty words. {More on this in another post, can’t fit it all here} She is the best big sister and prides herself on knowing that she can get Jack to laugh at her all the time. Dinner takes about two hours but we are lucky to have them act so sweet to each other. The picture where she looks like Hollywood is from her very first dentist appointment. On the way into the building she grabbed my hand and told me she was going to be brave and that she was! It took a few minutes to get her in the chair but with the help of a Doc McStuffins book and the great staff, she was in the chair in no time and really enjoyed checking out her teeth. Our dentist, also our neighbor, gave us the grim news about binky and how it is effecting her teeth. We tried to get rid of the bink cold turkey and MAN did George and I pay for this dearly. We have cut her back to only at night and it feels like I’m weaning my toddler off crack or something. Lucky it is not her thumb!

IMG_3862Jack – my little monster is almost 8 months old, has two teeth and is THIS.CLOSE. to crawling. Little boy can get up on all fours, rock back and forth, has moved ONE knee then he falls to the ground and army crawls instead. He is super fast in his walker keeping both Ab and Housch on their toes. Or keeping Housch hiding from Jack in the living room where he is safe…for now. There are lots of babbles and some “da-da-da” going on these days plus his new favorite game is playing peek-a-boo with big sister. He has constant entertainment with all the toys, Abbey, grandparents, Abbey, cousins, Abbey, the dog, and ABBEY! Jack’s world is 100% his big sister, she makes him laugh, she plays with him, she snuggles him, she squeezes him and basically they adore each other. Not sure if it is the age difference or how what we have done but so far it has been the right formula. Sleep….well, we are working on that. He is doing better in his crib but man we were spoiled with princess sleeps-alot!

IMG_3786George and I are trying to not kill each other with the house updates, I have the HARDEST time focusing on what needs to be done and therefore try to tackle one hundred projects at once. My mom has begun painting the family room and our goal is to have that complete before Thanksgiving. The bedrooms are mostly complete and I seriously am in love with our bedroom, in the words of Abbey, it is “comfy-cozy.” We did get away as just the two of us to two amazing concerts, we saw Paul McCartney and Garth Brooks live in Kentucky this past month. If you ever get the opportunity to see either, DO IT! Loved seeing Paul again and Garth was a fantastic entertainer in the LOUDEST arena ever, Rupp. #BBNation was insane and I can’t wait to go back to Lexington, seriously loved it.

IMG_3828Many more exciting things are happening at The Herron Nest, we couldn’t be more blessed! So many people and opportunities to be thankful for this year. We are surrounded by our family who loves us all so much, George is doing great at work and was just promoted to a new position which gives him the title of B.A. (truth) and the house is slowly coming together which feels like a home more and more every day – even though we are exhausted! As you know, when one project ends the other is just beginning and so we feel like we are chasing our own tail sometimes. P.S. buy stock in Ikea and Home Depot, QUICK!

Being together as a family during the upcoming holidays is such a blessing and I hope that all of our readers are just as lucky!

Four Months Big

This journey of becoming a mom of two has been pure joy! Yes, my house is an absolute disaster. Yes, I have little time for friends. Yes, my weekends are mostly comprised of laundry and kiddo activities. But, hey! That’s what I always wanted and I’m blessed to have such a chaotic messy home that is filled with laughter and love all the time. And can you believe it? Jack Edward is FOUR months big!

Jack has been to California and back, he has begun this amazing personality filled with baby giggles that are crazy infectious and he has won over his big sisters heart (well, ours too). Jack-Jack is lovable and so “squishy” as Ab used to call him while I was prego. His chunker cheeks and thighs are so kissable and I love his looks that he gives me, there is already a mother-son bond growing.

Needless to say, I know that people have said that every mom deserves a daughter (I think the motive here is payback) but every mother needs a son too. My friend, Kristi Jones, explained her relationship to her son and her daughter to me once and I’m really starting to scratch the surface of understanding what she was talking about that day. So much to look forward to but in the meantime there is still so much to enjoy. Check out the pics below of Jack at four months (wish I could find his stickers that aunt Kat gave me, messy house remember!)

4 months big

4 months big

What else is Jack doing at 4 months? 

We gave him a taste of cereal, he did pretty good! Mostly tried to suck it off the spoon like a nipple but hey, can you blame him? That’s all he knows! Jack also started rolling over from tummy to back and did it two times the Monday we got back from California (7/21) and he is trying to go from back to belly. Jack is also trying to sit up from a propped position with him still lying on his back he will try to use that big belly to pull himself up! Or if he is propped up at angle on the couch he will try to sit up. Most of the time he will topple over to the side or go straight forward and land his head into his lap. 

We we couldn’t be more proud of big sister Abbey, she is so sweet to Jack. Sharing toys, lots of kisses and her general concern is genuine. One of my favorite one-liners from Ab about Jack is when you ask her what he eats, she will say “bottles and boobies!” Thank you to our sitter for that one 🙂 

 

Super Stars in the Making

The ladies of this Herron household are never shy around the camera and this time there is an informative video to prove it. Abbey and I were stars in the latest video produced by US Digital Partners for Pampers Kandoo to help introduce the Kandoo Potty Training Guide and Tools.

Timing is PERFECT! George and I are ready to introduce potty training to Abbey and we think the Potty Training Toolkit that Kandoo offers is the right tool and system for us and our family. We’d love for Abbey to be walking into preschool this fall wearing her big-girl-underwear versus packing the diapers and wipes. Not too mention that we are already using diapers for Jack so one less would save us a lot of money.

Check out the video to hear my advice on potty training and check out the cuteness of Abbey, as she is really the star!

Don’t forget to checkout the free tools with your very own free potty training guide, bathroom chart, door hanger and certificate provided here: http://www.kandookids.com/kandoo-potty-training-toolkit/

Circus Review via Guest blogger: Jami White

When you commit to events at 37 weeks pregnant there is sure to be a few that just don’t work out, the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey ® Presents Built To Amaze!℠ circus happened to be one. Lucky for me, I have a fantastic family who is always willing to jump in and help a sista out when she needs it the most (oh and the free tix were the bonus). Guest blogger, Jami White, was able to attend for me with my nephew, Bubby or Mason and my brother, Matt. Despite the fact that poor Bubby was puking in the middle of the night, they were one family that was not going to miss the chance to see elephants, tigers and clowns – OH MY!

Check out the wonderful pictures captured by Jami:

photo 1 photo 2 photo 3 photo 4

{Giveaway} Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey ® Presents Built To Amaze!℠ – WINNER is Travis!

Circus 2013 017

Abbey and Papa at the 2013 Circus at U.S. Bank Arena

The weather is heating up in Cincinnati and so are the fun-filled-family-friendly events. What I’m trying to say is that the CIRCUS IS COMING TO TOWN! Last year we took Ab to her first show and she was literally bright-eyed and full of squeals with all the excitement. I will be 9 months pregnant this time but too excited to see her reaction again to miss the Greatest Show On Earth!

Excited to take your kids to the greatest show on Earth?!?

“Rin­gling Bros. and Bar­num & Bai­ley ® Presents Built To Amaze!, the 143rd edi­tion of the Great­est Show On Earth. Sur­prise and won­der delights audi­ences with over the top feats of strength, agility and courage. As the momen­tum builds so does the antic­i­pa­tion, any­thing can hap­pen when Rin­gling Bros. Presents Built To Amaze!

Cir­cus per­form­ers from across the globe cre­ate the per­fect blend of ath­leti­cism and brav­ery, where power meets fear­less­ness and amaze­ment has no bounds.  Magnificent ele­phants, fero­cious tigers, aston­ish­ing acro­bats and awe-inspiring aeri­al­ists are engi­neered into one spec­tac­u­lar performance.

Cel­e­brate the tra­di­tion TODAY and expe­ri­ence it’s mod­ern flare of twists and turns where excite­ment and sus­pense are so intense you’ll be tempted to cover your eyes.

From the blue­prints to the band, the crates to the clowns, the ham­mer to the high wire, wit­ness the spec­ta­cle as we mea­sure out the per­fect mix of mar­vel and majesty in an imag­i­na­tion equa­tion where the impos­si­ble comes to life. Rin­gling Bros. and Bar­num & Bai­ley®Presents Built To Amaze!

Details on the show: 

Where? US Bank Arena

When? March 12 7:00pm; March 13 7:00 pm; March 14 7:00 pm; March 15 11:00 am, 3:00 pm or 7:00 pm; March 16 11 am, 3:00 pm or 7:00 pm.

Open­ing Night tick­ets are just $12 – No code needed! Fam­ily 4-pack offer $99 includes 4 tick­ets, pop­corn, marsh­mal­low pops and lemon­ades. Get your tick­ets here: http://www.ticketmaster.com/venueartist/180631/1788389.

Feld Family Entertainment

Win your Family 4-Pack of passes here:

Win­ner will receive a Fam­ily 4-Pack of passes to the Rin­gling Bros. and Bar­num & Bai­ley Cir­cus open­ing night on March 12, 7 PM at US Bank Arena in Cincin­nati.  Manda­tory entry is to answer this ques­tion? What’s you’re favorite act in the circus? Would it be the lions and tigers? How about the clowns? Tight rope walkers are pretty fun too! Share your favorite in the comments section!

For a few extra entries you can do any of the fol­low­ing (please leave a sep­a­rate com­ment for each):
  1. Sign up for my newsletter.
  2. Check out and “like” Rin­gling Bros. and Bar­num & Bai­ley Circus on Face­book.
  3. Tweet about this give­away, includ­ing: @JesyHerron and @RinglingBors Built to Amaze!

That gives you four ways to enter.  You must be 18 and a res­i­dent of the Greater Cincin­nati area in order to qual­ify to win.  Win­ner will be drawn on  Feb­ru­ary 27 at 7 PM using Random.org and will be noti­fied via email. The win­ner will have 24 hours to respond or a new win­ner will be drawn. Tick­ets will be made avail­able at Will Call at the US Bank box office by Noon the day of your event.  Photo ID required in order to claim your tickets.

Here’s other blogs also host­ing giveaways:

http://www.littleworldafterall.com/2014/02/11/ringling-bros-and-barnum-baileys-built-to-amaze-at-us-bank-arena-giveaway/

http://www.inagalaxy.com/2014/02/10/ringling-bros-and-barnum-bailey-presents-built-to-amaze-at-us-bank-arena-giveaway/

http://imlivingthegoodlifeblog.com/2014/02/11/circus-giveaway/

http://www.familyfriendlycincinnati.com/2014/02/10/ringling-bros-barnum-bailey-circus-presents-built-amaze-giveaway/

http://www.thelittlethingsjournal.com/2014/02/11/ringling-brothers-and-barnum-baileys-built-to-amaze/

Dis­clo­sure: I am a Feld Fam­ily Ambas­sador, and in exchange for my time and efforts in attend­ing shows and report­ing my opin­ion within this blog, as well as keep­ing you advised of the lat­est dis­count offers, Feld Enter­tain­ment has pro­vided me with com­pli­men­tary tick­ets to Feld shows and oppor­tu­ni­ties to attend pri­vate Feld pre-Show events.

{Prego with Jack} 28 weeks and some change

This post was intended to go out before I started my 29th week of pregnancy, guess what? Right, that didn’t happen and now I’m on my 29th week. Either way, most of the update is still valid and fun to read nonetheless.

28 Weeks Pregnant comparison photo

If you couldn’t tell, I’m 28 weeks with Abbey on the left and 28 weeks and a few days pregnant with Jack on the right. As much as I feel HUMONGO with Jack right now I still feel pretty great.

{How far along?} 28 Weeks and 5 days (or so)

{Total weight gain} I have actually gained quite a bit of weight with this pregnancy, I think I have gained over 20 pounds and I’m inching close to 30. Damn, it is seriously in my belly and thighs!

{How big is baby?} Jack should be about 2.5 lbs and around 16 inches in length. Here are some 3D images of our little photogenic baby boy from our Becoming Mom Spa ultrasound (love that hubby and Abbey for getting this for me).

26 weeks 3D Ultrasound

 26 Weeks 3D Ultrasound26 Weeks 3D Ultrasound{Maternity clothes?} YES! I have been in a buying frenzy with new maternity clothes this time around.  For some reason, everything looks cute and I love the whole black tights with loose fitting shirt and boots look. Totally rocking the bump!

{Sleep?} I’m doing okay, I have a few nights where sleep is more tossing and turning than others. I think I’m due for a pre-delivery massage at BecomingMom Spa. Yep, I’m doing it!

{Best moment this week?} With Abbey around, this pregnancy is so enjoyable from her point of view. We talked about sharing mommy and daddy and Ab didn’t want to have any part in sharing her daddy with Jack. “That’s my daddy!” Okay then, we’ll have to work on that a bit. I also love that Ab will look in my belly button and say that she can see him. She also has one of the 3D ultrasound pictures framed in her bedroom and she talks to him. Adorable!

{Movement?} I love these posts and doing comparisons with my pregnancy with Abbey is so much fun. This is what I had for 28 weeks with Ab: “LOTS! She is still a night owl and likes to move around during the 9-10:30 time. She does move some during the day and normally mid-morning she is pretty active. I’m wondering how many naps this little girl is taking everyday and sort of wishing I could take them with her.”

This is pretty true with Jack too! He is so active at night, it ping-pongs around but mostly stays in my lower right part of my belly and is VERY low so he just about makes me pee myself at least one time a day.

{Food cravings?} I love BREAKFAST!!! No super duper cravings right now but I do love to eat so I need to watch that!

{Labor signs?} Well… I think I was having a braxton hick over the weekend. George said he is going to rat me out to Dr. Caligaris, I think it was nothing.

{Belly button in or out?} In….barely!

{What I miss} What the hell is wrong with me, I miss B E E R!!!!

{What I’m looking forward to} I just had a freak out moment where I remembered a few things that we need to get for Jack so I’m looking forward to some SHOPPING!

{Milestone} I’m still working out, staying active and enjoying every second of this blessing.

A couple final thoughts:

1. I put together a Pinterest board “Baby/Toddler Products We Love” for a few 1st-time mommy friends. Thought I would share in case anyone wants to send it off as reference.

2. Take a minute to pray for baby Conner who gained his wings late Friday night while snuggling in the arms of his mommy and daddy. Conner was just 15 months old and had survived so much as a baby born with CHARGE syndrome. Babies are a blessing and when they are 100% healthy it is an absolute miracle. Prayers and love to Nikki and Josh as they mourn their baby boy.Baby Conner Logsdon

2013 at The Herron Nest, Not Too Shabby

I know that I’m publicly sharing this post but I have to admit that the reason I wrote it would be more self serving. Reminiscing about 2013 and thinking about all the great moments and happy memories that we created makes me well-up a little but also makes me proud of hubs, myself and Ab. There were a fair share of ups and downs (we’ll get to those) but an overall great year. Here are the highlights by month:

{January} NYE Spaghetti

  • Rang in the new year with our little girl at LaRosa’s, there was spaghetti sauce EVERYWHERE! I remember that we actually tried getting into a semi-nice restaurant first, which was a joke.
  • Celebrated George’s birthday
  • George lands a new position at Kroger and is uber happy
  • Ab started swimming lessons

{February}

  • The only thing I can think of was really training for the 1/2 marathon
  • And Valentine’s day
  • Does anything else happen during this month?

{March} 

  • I participated in the Cinciditarod which was one of the biggest mistakes of 2013 – it SUCKED!
  • George and I saw an awesome Beatles tribute band at Belterra Casino
  • I started a weight-loss transformation that changed my body, our family’s health and made me a different person (after the sucky Cinciditarod)
  • We started tearing up our kitchen which turned into THE major project of the year (or so I thought at the time).

{April} BeachBaby

  • Florida vacation
  • Our first trip to Disney
  • Visiting with Aunt Sue and Uncle Jack in Florida
  • Celebrated my parent’s 36th wedding anniversary.

{May} Pig Ladies

  • I ran in the Cincinnati Flying Pig 1/2 Marathon with my best friend and cousin, Kat.
  • I turned 31 (blerg)
  • I became a health coach for Take Shape For Life and started coaching others to optimal health
  • George started another season coaching for Butler County Challenger Baseball

{June}

photo (68)

  • Many awesome weekends spent at Fox Run
  • Time spent on Papa’s new pontoon boat on Brookville lake
  • Fun at Gower Park and the Sharonville Pool (our favs)

{July} Nashville_July'13

  • George and I took a family of three vacation and trucked ourselves down to Nashville for a long holiday weekend….in the rain. Literally, rain the ENTIRE time.
  • I made my 40 pound goal
  • George and I saw Willie Nelson in concert, 4 rows back!
  • George coached the Butler County Challenger Red Sox during the 2013 Butler County State Tournament – it was hot but he did a fantastic job.
  • and apparently got pregnant!
  • Celebrated my in-laws anniversary and started to share the news of my pregnancy with family
  • THEN found out my brother-in-law and sister-in-law were also pregnant and due 5 weeks before us

{August} 

  • Spent a lot of time together as a family playing at “Abbey’s Park” and “Abbey’s Pool” in Sharonville
  • Put new gutters on the house and put the final touches on the brand-spankin-new-kitchen (thanks to Grandpa and Uncle Tom)
  • George had his tonsils removed (YAY) and miraculously stopped snoring (bonus)
  • Abbey and I did the Super Hero Run for Pro Kids with Grandma Herron, Sarah, CJ and Henry

{September} 20130921-174809.jpg

  • Started to share pregnancy news with all family and friends!
  • Celebrated a combined loss of 216 lbs in just the women of my family
  • Celebrated my nephew’s, Henry, 2nd birthday
  • Celebrated the wedding of Zeek and Nicole and watched my dad actually marry a couple, good job Rev!
  • Spent the majority of our “extra” time and money at Home Depot, Lowes, and Menards

{October}

  • Put the house on the market
  • Got an offer 2 days later
  • Was under contract 1 day after that
  • Celebrated our 8th Wedding anniversary
  • Then the offer fell threw, whomp whomp whomp
  • Abbey went to Disney On Ice and because of my killer blogging hook-up we got to see Mickey and Minnie backstage!

Abbey and Mason Meeting Mickey & MInnie

{November} revealboy_TheHerronNest

  • 20-week ultrasound to see our healthy baby
  • Gender reveal party with family and friends to find out we are expecting Jack Edward Herron in late March 2014!
  • Updated our electric
  • Celebrated my 5th year anniversary at US Digital Partners
  • Bought a brand new furnace
  • Celebrated Abbey’s 2nd birthday with her little buds Mickey Mouse Clubhouse style, “we’ve got ears, say cheers!”
  • Spent Thanksgiving with all of our family, blessed!

{December}

  • Took said house off the market for the winter (we’ll be back on in the Spring, don’t you worry!)
  • Celebrated Mason’s 3rd birthday, my silly Bubby!
  • Celebrated the Christmas season all December long thanks to WARM 98 and the non-stop Christmas music Ab demanded 🙂
  • Spent time with family in Louisville, KY at the Galt House and Christmas Village (highly recommend)
  • Got through Abbey and George colds
  • Celebrated Christmas about 6 times and loved every crazy-lovin moment!