Thanksgiving in Pictures

We started the week of Thanksgiving off at Bibi and PopPops's house. My brother and his girlfriend came to visit and meet James. 

They, of course, came with gifts for the littles. Jo got this adorable tutu that she absolutely loves to dance around in!

Jo's favorite thing now is to color and her favorite person to color with? Mere!

We took a day to go shopping at Ikea for Christmas presents. The babies both did great and we were in and out of there, which is saying something for shopping at Ikea. I think I could get lost there. This is what happened on the way home. 

This is how we spent Thanksgiving morning. I am so thankful for these two little blessing and the mess they bring!

We shared Thanksgiving dinner with the hubs's family at his grandmother's house. All six great-grands were there, five girls and this dapper dude!

I love my little ones! Jo's a mess and this is the best picture out of many that we were able to get.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, with so much to be thankful for. This time last year, we had just lost our little one and James wasn't even a thought. We were raw with the loss and enjoying the season was very difficult for me. This year was very different. I miss my angel very much, but I also have my rainbow in my hands. I am so blessed by what God has given me.

If you're looking to keep up with us over here Our Family Grace, follow the craziness on Instagram {at}_familygrace

Just Call Me Pacifier

Oh the dear pacifier. Binky. Passy. Or "pa" as Jo calls it.

Jo took to one immediately and still has it at nap time and bedtime (boy, do I dread the day we have to break her of that habit). She loves her pa. And I love it too. It soothes her and calms her when she needs it most. Slowly she's transferring that job over to her beloved beats, but for now her pa does the trick. And when she was an infant, it gave me a moment to rest. She didn't need to nurse to settle. That was okay for me. I needed that as a new mom. It was a chance for me to be able to go and do and not have her strapped to my boob.

Her brother,  Mr. James, is another story. I was very much okay with getting him to take a pacifier. We bought some like his sister's in preparation for him to enjoy them too. And at first we thought he would. He took one when he was two days old. It didn't last long, but I just figured that was because he was still trying to figure things out. So we kept trying to get him to take. Bought different brands. Tried different types. Nothing worked. Each time he put one in his mouth he would gag on it.

This was a new world for me. Jo loved her pa. I was used to that. Now I have a son who, at almost 3 months, still refuses. And it's brutal. When he gets upset, he needs to nurse to settle down. If he gets too worked up, it's back to the boob he goes. Lately, he's upped his game. Now he only naps if he's latched, and to get him to go to sleep at night, he has to first fall asleep on the boob.

This is his comfort. This also means I don't get much done most days. This means I am his pacifier.

Some days I soak it up. The extra cuddles. The knowledge that I am his comfort. The fact that he needs me.

Then there are days where everything is a mess and I just want five minutes to be able to do something without having him latched on. There are days where I just want to get him settled so I can eat in peace. Or just take a shower. Or even go to the bathroom.

Days like these are hard. I feel the mommy guilt creeping up. Saying this like, "you should spend more time with Jo" or "why are you thinking these things? Enjoy the time you have. You're a horrible mommy for wanting five minute." The homemaker guilt accompanies it. This says things like "you are a horrible wife because your house is a mess" or "you're just being lazy, you need to do it all."

Mommy Moments Blog Hop!

Welcome to Mommy Moments! Last week we had some great new link ups! Let's keep it up by sharing and promoting Mommy Moments and the wonderful community we have here! I have enjoyed getting to know all the new mamas linking up and sharing their lives with us! Wishing you all a happy Thanksgiving week! 

Motherhood has its seriousness and frustration as well as its laughs. That's why we are here. Life is much easier when traveled with companions! So mamas, let's join together in the spirit of motherhood and share our moments together. We want to hear the happy, sad, tough, terrible, hilarious moments that make being a mother the best job in the world!

Our top viewed link from last week is from Made to Mother: An Unexpected, Full Quiver. Katie shared with us her story of infertility, adoption, unplanned pregnancies and the blessings of her unplanned 7 children! What a wonderful story of hope and blessing! Katie, your family is beautiful!

The Life Of Faith

 The Not Quite Military Wife

Our Family Grace 

 Like A Morning Cup Of Coffee

The Mommy Glow

Now, link up your post!

Post can include anything related to mommy-hood, children, homemaking, pregnancy etc. If you aren't a mom yet, feel free to link up your preparation for motherhood, your journey as you try to conceive, or even a post that would be encouraging to the other moms in the party!

Then, explore some of the other posts in the link-up and say hello to some new blog friends! 

Please, pretty please, we'd love it if you would tweet or share the link up on Facebook so we can all make even more friends!

Tweet

We would also love it if you could add the Mommy Moments button to your post or blog so everyone knows where you are linking up! If you are not able to copy/paste the code on your page, please e-mail one of us and we would be happy to send you the code!

<div align="center"><a href="http://the-life-of-faith.blogspot.com//search/label/mommymoments" title="The Life Of Faith"><img src="http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k537/faithkonrath/cfa5ba11752f4e898055d03d33cf24e0.jpg" alt="The Life Of Faith" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

P.S. We will be having a new guest host every week! Want to be a guest host of the Mommy Moments Blog Hop? Send Faith a message at farmprincess14{at}gmail{dot}com. We would love to have you!

Colossians 3:17 
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

An InLinkz Link-up

Our Family Grace

Welcome to a new layout, a new theme, a new blog, a new name.

Beautiful Family Affairs is now:

Why the change?

I honestly just wanted this blog to be so much more than it was. Though I loved Beautiful Family Affairs, I wanted to bring more to the blogging world. I felt that I had more to give.

So welcome to Our Family Grace.

Where did the name come from?

I am probably the pickiest person when it comes to making decisions. I agonize over them for days. Weeks. Months even. It's why I am a horrible decision maker. So when it came to a name what I wanted this blog to become, it took me forever to come up with something that fit just right. I wanted a name that was inviting and that told readers right off the bat what this blog was about: "Family Grace." No family is perfect, and it is because we give each other grace that we are able to live in harmony with each other. This blog is about the grace that is given between families.

What's going to change?

Honestly? Not much, though I am planning on "getting real" with y'all. In the midst of photoshop and those picture perfect lives that we see daily through social media, I want this blog to be an outlet for "real life" moms. Moms who aren't perfect, that don't have time to do their hair and make-up just perfectly every day, that stay in their pajamas more days than they wear jeans. I want this place to be a safe-haven. To let moms know that it's okay to have dishes left in the sink or books strewn across the floor. 

Will there be any new series?

Yes! Be on the lookout for a couple new series: Messy-life and Because of Grace.

***

Now this is really just phase one of the changes that this little blog is undergoing. If you have any questions, please email me: ourfamilygrace(at)gmail(dot)com. You can still follow me on instagram (at)_familygrace and on facebook www.facebook.com/ourfamilygrace

Also, feel free to grab a new button over on the left hand side!

More Changes

I know I've been absent once again. Life here is still trying to find a new normal. Then my computer goes and decides to break, which is just lovely. It'll turn on every once in a while and I'm hoping to magically get it fixed one of these days. So I'm left using the hubs's computer, which of course doesn't have anything I need on it...

Anyway, enough of the rambling.

There are about to be some changes made to the blog. Changes I'm really excited about and can't wait to share with you! 

For now though, I'll leave you with some cute pictures of the kiddos!

Mommy Moments Blog Hop!!

Welcome to Mommy Moments! Last week we had some great new link ups! Let's keep it up by sharing and promoting Mommy Moments and the wonderful community we have here! I have enjoyed getting to know all the new mamas linking up and sharing their lives with us! I can't wait to hear more from you all again this week!

Motherhood has its seriousness and frustration as well as its laughs. That's why we are here. Life is much easier when traveled with companions! So mamas, let's join together in the spirit of motherhood and share our moments together. We want to hear the happy, sad, tough, terrible, hilarious moments that make being a mother the best job in the world!

The top viewed link this week belongs to Allie from Baldwin Brood and her post 36 weeks! Check out her adorable baby bump and stop by to show her some love before she gets to meet her little guy. We are so excited for you Allie!

The Life Of Faith

 The Not Quite Military Wife

Beautiful Family Affairs, 

 Like A Morning Cup Of Coffee

Now, link up your post!

Post can include anything related to mommy-hood, children, homemaking, pregnancy etc. If you aren't a mom yet, feel free to link up your preparation for motherhood, your journey as you try to conceive, or even a post that would be encouraging to the other moms in the party!

Then, explore some of the other posts in the link-up and say hello to some new blog friends! 

Please, pretty please, we'd love it if you would tweet or share the link up on Facebook so we can all make even more friends!

Tweet

We would also love it if you could add the Mommy Moments button to your post or blog so everyone knows where you are linking up! If you are not able to copy/paste the code on your page, please e-mail one of us and we would be happy to send you the code!

<div align="center"><a href="http://the-life-of-faith.blogspot.com//search/label/mommymoments" title="The Life Of Faith"><img src="http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k537/faithkonrath/cfa5ba11752f4e898055d03d33cf24e0.jpg" alt="The Life Of Faith" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

P.S. We will be having a new guest host every week! Want to be a guest host of the Mommy Moments Blog Hop? Send Faith a message at farmprincess14{at}gmail{dot}com. We would love to have you!

Colossians 3:17 
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

   

An InLinkz Link-up

Mommy Moments Blog Hop!!

Welcome to Mommy Moments! Last week we had some great new link ups! Let's keep it up by sharing and promoting Mommy Moments and the wonderful community we have here! I have enjoyed getting to know all the new mamas linking up and sharing their lives with us! I can't wait to hear more from you all again this week!

Motherhood has its seriousness and frustration as well as its laughs. That's why we are here. Life is much easier when traveled with companions! So mamas, let's join together in the spirit of motherhood and share our moments together. We want to hear the happy, sad, tough, terrible, hilarious moments that make being a mother the best job in the world!

The top viewed link this week belongs to Tickled Pink and her post Our Little Pumpkin. I LOVE Amanda's pregnancy announcement. We are so excited for more babies to be added to our little community of mamas here! Thank you for sharing your excitement with us, Amanda!

The Life Of Faith

 The Not Quite Military Wife

Beautiful Family Affairs, 

 Like A Morning Cup Of Coffee

The Motley Moments

Now, link up your post!

Post can include anything related to mommy-hood, children, homemaking, pregnancy etc. If you aren't a mom yet, feel free to link up your preparation for motherhood, your journey as you try to conceive, or even a post that would be encouraging to the other moms in the party!

Then, explore some of the other posts in the link-up and say hello to some new blog friends! 

Please, pretty please, we'd love it if you would tweet or share the link up on Facebook so we can all make even more friends!

Tweet

We would also love it if you could add the Mommy Moments button to your post or blog so everyone knows where you are linking up! If you are not able to copy/paste the code on your page, please e-mail one of us and we would be happy to send you the code!

<div align="center"><a href="http://the-life-of-faith.blogspot.com//search/label/mommymoments" title="The Life Of Faith"><img src="http://i1114.photobucket.com/albums/k537/faithkonrath/cfa5ba11752f4e898055d03d33cf24e0.jpg" alt="The Life Of Faith" style="border:none;" /></a></div>

P.S. We will be having a new guest host every week! Want to be a guest host of the Mommy Moments Blog Hop? Send Faith a message at farmprincess14{at}gmail{dot}com. We would love to have you!

Colossians 3:17 
And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

An InLinkz Link-up