You Asked, I Answered: Part Two.

Welcome to my office...

I received some great feedback on the question and answer post the other day, and I am so glad we were able to discuss all of those things! Today's post is getting to the more personal questions I received. 
1. I noticed that little Miss P has her ears pierced. What age was she when you had this done? I really want to get Emilie's done but I'm worried that at nearly two years old she is going to be pulling at them! 

We got hers pierced when she was six months (I think haha) and at Claire's in the mall. It was a totally random decision, but Z was getting ready to deploy and wanted to be there when we got them done. I never pictured myself piercing my baby girl's ears if I had one, but once she was here, we decided it would be better to get them when she was young so she wouldn't tug or notice. I'm not sure how she will do at two, but it still may be young enough where she's not really interested. But I would ask around for sure! 2. How do you always have cute hair styles?? Can we get some tutorials? I'm not kidding when I say this, but I literally laughed out loud at this question. Because I never think my hair looks cute! So thanks :) But I have discovered a few new ways I like doing it and I will gladly share those in tutorials. I've only ever done a video once (sock bun), but I would love to try to do some more again!My hair is naturally wavy, so I usually get out of the shower, scrunch it with Biolage Gelee and let it air dry. I always find blow dryers, even with diffusers, leave my hair flat and frizzy. I've recently started showering the night before and then using a wand to go over curls the next day. I'll demonstrate that in a tutorial. But otherwise, it's a messy bun or hippie headband. 3.How do you make mom friends when you're new to the area? We moved to a new place and I don't have any friends with kids so it gets lonely. -Mandy from Through the Hanson LensThis is definitely one of the hardest things about moving so frequently. To be honest, I usually go through a few different friends before I find ones I click with. I do this by meeting women in my neighborhood Facebook groups (if you have one) or in other local Facebook groups. I know that sounds so super weird, but you will find at least one or two people you connect with. And they may introduce you to more people, etc. Nolan and P are also in activities and I haven't really made friends through that yet. But I've heard that once kids start school, you get to know the other room moms. I lucked with our past two moves and ended up with really good girl friends at each place. Friends who I still keep in contact with. But making friends as an adult can be a challenge so you just have to step outside your comfort zone and head to a dance class, or pottery class. Look for classes, events, etc where you have the chance to strike up a convo. True story: I met a mom at McDonald's last week who was new to the area. I gave her my number without even hesitating because I know how it feels to not know anyone and need human interaction. Point of the story? You never know when and where you'll meet someone :) 4.How did you decide when the right time was to start your family? This answer is a little complicated. Mine and Zach's relationship progressed very quickly. Within two weeks of being married, we found out he would be deploying to Afghanistan. This hit us like a ton of bricks. And not to be morbid, but there was a very real chance something could happen and he wouldn't make it home from his tour alive. So we said we weren't trying but weren't preventing. And if God wanted to give us a baby, he would. Well after two weeks of this "not plan", I decided I wasn't ready to be a mom and that I wanted to start preventing. Well it was too late; I had gotten pregnant. But I honestly believe it happened for a reason and when it was supposed to. And we planned Miss P because we wanted them close in age so that they could grow up together. Had he not been deploying, we probably would have waited a few years and had some time with just the two of us before having kids. But that wasn't the case and I wouldn't change my little family for the world. I don't think there's ever a right time. You'll never feel 100% ready to be a mom and be solely responsible for another human life. But once you meet them, you'll know it was the exact and most perfect time to start your family. 

5.How has your daily wardrobe evolved from college to mommy? I actually cringe looking back at some of the things I wore in college. Since most of my social life was spent going to the bars and parties, I was always buying "going out" clothes. These usually consisted of shirts that I passed off as dresses, sundresses, jeans with sparkly halter or tube tops, and heels. Always wore heels. Well obviously things have changed a little. And while I still shop at some of the same places I used to back then, my choices are different. I've become a hoarder of jeans and now jean shorts since I live in the south. I love basic things that I can layer and accessorize rather than super showy. Of course I have things for special occasions, but I would say my basic go-to outfit is shorts and jeans with a top.Shoe wise, I don't really buy heels anymore. Wedges are the perfect compromise since they're comfortable and give me that extra boost of heigh and make me feel pretty. But I love sandals, flats, and boots. It's still fun to buy a pair of heels here and there but my casual sandals are what see the most wear. 5. When you started dating your now-hubby and then got married so quickly, how did you stay focused on just the two of you and your love together when others would question it? Did you have doubts? -Brianna from Sincerely, Brianna Leigh

Great question. I wasn't so much worried about how quickly we got engaged and then married, but I panicked when I got pregnant. I cared so much about what people were going to say and how they would react. Would they think we got married because I got pregnant? (Not that there's anything wrong with that) Or because he was deploying? So many things ran through my head and I really let it get to me. But at the end of the day, I loved him and he loved me. He made me feel a way no one else had ever made me feel. I was happy, I was able to be myself, and we spent every waking minute together before he left for basic training and then before he left for Afghanistan. I never doubted my love for him. I was leading with my heart at that point, not really with any other logic. I knew I wanted to be with him and I was willing to do whatever that meant. No one knows your relationship like you do. There are people who know each other for years, get married, and then get divorced. There are also people who get married after a month and get divorced. But then there are people who know each other forever or for just that short amount of time and are happily married for 50+ years. Just go with your gut and focus on your love. The rest will work itself out. 6.What are your guilty pleasure TV shows? -Chanity from Chanity Dawn Oh there are a few! Dance Moms, Keeping up with the Kardashians, Teen Mom (2, OG, all of them), The Bachelor/Bachelorette, Little Women: NY (one of my new faves), and then there's HGTV. Property Brothers and Fixer Upper being my favorites :) And there you have it! I had so much fun answering these questions and I hope to do this again soon! Do you have anything else to add or can you relate to any of my answers?? Happy almost Friday! xo