4 year anniversary!!

I'm a day late with this post but yesterday was crazy!!! As of yesterday I have been Mrs. McNeal for 4 years!! I can't believe it has been 4 years already. I know to some (most) we're still  "newly weds", and that is probably true, but I can't seem to remember life without Mr. McNeal!

Oh our wedding day... We chose late September because we just knew it would be a cooler fall Saturday. Boy were we wrong!! . Living in Florida you take chances with outdoor weddings in late summer/early fall for several reasons... #1 - Rain... well it's Florida and it rains... ALOT! and hurricane season is right during September. #2 - Heat. I like to think that Florida has some bipolar tendencies. Today the high is 82 degrees with a low of 62... I know to some of you that sounds hot, but after coming out of August, 80 degrees sounds like heaven to Floridians. September 26th of 2009, the High was 97 DEGREES!!! I mean goodness... Tim is already hot natured and will tell you that he could sweat in a snow storm so 97 degrees was not the greatest news for him. #3 - Love bugs. If you're not from North Florida you have no idea what I'm talking about. Love bugs are these little black bugs that the University of Florida created to eat the mosquitoes. If you've ever been to Florida in the summer time you're probably wondering why they don't do their job... because they don't. I don't know which is worse... diseased mosquitoes or the annoying little bugs. Thankfully they only have 2 seasons per year. One at the beginning of summer and one at the end. You may wonder why love bugs would be a big deal... Well the little pests are attracted to the color white. So for a bride on her wedding day these nuisances can be known to be very annoying and ruin pictures as they swarm around a beautiful white wedding dress. But enough about the bugs because thankfully they weren't one of my problems. Neither was the rain... but the heat was dreadful!!!

Moving on and trying to block out all of the sweat and sticky hair from that day,I can truly say it was a stress free and smooth day other than having an allergy flair up and being congested and having an awful cough. HA! But really, even with 10 Bridesmaids and groomsmen, 3 flower girls, 1 bell ringer and a ring bearer everyone managed to keep me relaxed and stress free all day. Here are just a few pictures from our great day!

We had an awesome photographer who took everything in stride. I know it wasn't stressful for me but for everyone behind the scenes it was a little chaotic. Anna Weaver did an amazing job with capturing our day exactly the way it was :) 

Now...our wedding day was wonderful and happy and I'm so glad it turned out the way that it did. But, the memories that Tim and I have made over the past 4 years has definitely put things into perspective. All the planning and stress leading up to your wedding day is worth it for the Wedding but even more worth it for the times that you'll share with that wonderful person you're marrying. Here are some memories from the past four years that I will cherish just as much as the hundreds of photos from our wedding day.                                                                                                                                                     

     

These are all taken the during the Fall and Winter right after we got married. We were living in Raleigh/Durham, North Carolina and were loving it! We had great friends and we got our first "baby" Bella. 

One of my favorite things about our marriage is that we haven't forgotten how to have fun :) I put just one dab of whipped cream on his face and this is what happens!

I have realized that we love Fall.... most of our favorite memories and pictures are taken during the fall. Here are two taken the Fall of 2010. One is at the NC state fair (amazingness) and the bottom one is from a trip we took to my aunts cabin in Cherokee, NC with several of my cousins.

Fun times with our NC favorites :) 

In December of 2010 we found out we were expecting our first baby and  we were beyond excited! Just 1.5

months later we were packing up and moving home to Florida.

On August 24, 2011 we were blessed with this bundle of joy and our lives had never felt more complete!!

Just a few shots from our family session by one of the best! 

July 4th, 2012 with our sweet boy!

My Sweet Pea and I at my best friends wedding. 

and to end the picture extravaganza our newest addition. With only being 7 days from my due date I figured it was appropriate to include Miss Ayda in our walk down memory lane :)

My hope and prayer is that Mr. McNeal and I always share the laughter and joy that you can hopefully see in these pictures. Not that everyday is easy or even that the majority of them are but with the help of Christ we seem to always make it work.

 I love you more than I loved you then and I promise to love you more tomorrow than I do today.

 Happy Anniversary, Sweet Pea!! 

-xoxo-

Melissa 

Hospital Bag Checklist

Hospital bags.... There are so many things that a mother to be could stuff into a bag before she goes to the hospital thinking that she will just HAVE to have it. But in reality the things that a woman in labor needs is minimal. Being 37+ weeks pregnant I finally decided to make my list. I know, I know I'm a tad behind according to most people with getting this together but with a busy 2 year old running around and the demands of keeping our daily routine going, it was placed on the back burner. Also, this being my 2nd go round at labor and delivery I know that less is best when it comes to packing that bag.

The more you pack, the more you have to carry into the hospital and not to mention out of the hospital. Who wants to be worried about 17 bags when you have a precious new baby to get to the car?!? Not this Mamma! So I have compiled a list of things I learned the first time are essential and threw in a couple "nice to have" items as well. My list will probably look somewhat similar to most but I thought I would share it for those of you who might find it helpful!

The list -

- Insurance info - Now, I don't have to worry about taking this because I have pre registered at the hospital already. If you have this option (most places it's required) take advantage of it! That way when you get up to labor and delivery you don't have to fill out tons of paper work and they have everything they need from you to get you checked in. When you're in labor and having contractions every 3 minutes, signing papers and remembering names and addresses may be harder than you think :)

-Birth Plan if you have one. I personally didn't have a birth plan written out with Gabe and don't have one written this time either. Tim and I (as well as my doctor and I) have talked about different scenarios just in case and he knows how I want things to run and I trust him. I also have full trust in my doctor which is oh so important!
 For me personally, having a written plan made me feel like if I didn't stick to it I had in someway failed and I want to keep an open mind to things because you never know what is going to happen when delivering a baby. Keeping baby and mommy safe is number one for Tim and I when it comes to decision making time.

- 2-3 days worth of clothes. Most hospitals you will be there at least one day after the baby is born and to be in your own clothing makes things much more comfortable. If you have to have a Cesarean you will be there for about 3 days so it's always safe to have enough just in case.

Glasses - I think that most hospitals won't allow you to wear your contacts while in delivery so if you want to be able to see, haha, you may want to bring your glasses.

Breast feeding needs
- Maternity/nursing bra if you plan to breast feed.

- Nursing pads - these are nice to have if you are leaking at all after you start breast feeding to keep your breasts from sticking to your bra.

- Lanolin - I personally loved the medela  brand of this stuff. It was a life saver with Gabe. No one tells you how painful those first days of breastfeeding can be and the lanolin helps to soothe sore or cracked nipples.
(cracked nipples?? I know, my thoughts exactly :)

- nursing cover

Toiletries
The hospital will have your essentials, but if you are picky you should plan on bringing your own preferred products from home.
- Shampoo and Conditioner
-Tooth Brush and Tooth Paste
-Hair brush
-Deodorant
-Razor
-Lotion
-Make up - this isn't a must have, but it has become very popular for hospitals to have photographers on site to come and take pictures for you after your baby is born and you may want to have on some make up for those pictures. You may also feel better after delivery if you can throw on some mascara and powder for all of the snap shots that will be taken by family and friends.

-Pads - The hospital will also have some of these but once again... if you're picky you may want to bring your own.

Nice to haves
-Hair ties or head band - You may want your hair out of your face while you're pushing and bobby pins or clips may become uncomfortable after a while so these are nice things to have just in case.

-Hair dryer - kind of like your makeup... just something to have if you don't want the air dry look ;)

-Chap stick- sometimes the hospital can be very dry and it's nice to have some chap stick or lip balm to keep your lips from drying out.

-Bath Towel- The hospital should have one for you, but it will probably be a small, thin towel and it's nice to have some comforts from home.

-Computer/tablet and charger - We will be taking our tablet for Tim to have (and Gabe when he visits) to avoid going crazy while sitting there. It can get rather boring for your husband or partner in the first several hours of labor. Also, Tim is not good with blood or me being in pain so it's a good distraction for him.

-Camera - This is a must have on my list, but that may not be the case for some of you :) If you do take your camera make sure that you have the battery charger/extra batteries and PLENTY of space on your memory card. You don't want to have to think about deleting pictures when you're in the moment of having that new baby in your arms.

- Slippers/skid free socks- Most hospitals will provide socks, but if not you will want to have something to wear.

-Thank you cards - I saw this on another list and I think it could be a very good idea! If you're like me, writing thank you cards has not happened yet, sigh...There will be some down time after all of the excitement and if you're not holding your baby what a great time to whip out some thank you cards for all of those precious gifts you've gotten at baby showers.

-Snacks for your hubby/partner and after delivery - You'll be surprised how hungry you may be after delivery depending on the last time you ate and if you deliver at 2 a.m you may be hard pressed to find something to eat!

Baby List
-Carseat (duh) haha
-Going home outfit
-PJ's to keep baby warm in the hospital
-Blankets for the ride home

Things you don't need!
-Diapers and wipes - the hospital provides all of the diapers and wipes you will need while you are there.
-Breast Pump - Most places don't want you to pump if you are going to breast feed, but just in case you have to, the hospital will have a pump you can use during your stay. One less thing you have to carry with you!


I hope this list is helpful to some other soon to be mommy's out there.Try not to worry too much and if there is something you forget I'm sure that someone can run and get something for you or the hospital will have a spare :)

Hopefully we'll be having a baby girl soon and I can follow up with my hospital stay and some do's and don'ts for you guys!

xo,

-Melissa-

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Randa - Senior Portraits

This is one of two sessions that we're going to be doing for Randa. This one was a spontaneous one on Tuesday evening. With it getting darker faster this time of year we were pushed to get what we could in to the time we had. I think we did pretty good to get some great shots even racing the clock. 

Randa is one of the most genuine 17 year olds that I know. She is a natural beauty and with a dab of mascara and powder (her everyday routine) she is a knockout. :) She is always smiling and I hope you get a glimpse into her awesome personality in some of these pictures! 

If you're wondering why all the cows are involved, it's because Randa is the bomb.com in the show ring with her heifers. She is involved in so many aspects of raising and handling her animals and she is so sweet with them that I won't be surprised if she ends up doing something with livestock or large animals in the future. 

I love getting to capture photos of people I love and Randa is no exception :) I hope this gave you a small glimpse into Randa in her senior year!

-Melissa-

Baby Huck - Newborn photo's

Some of you may not know this, but Kayla and I are first cousins, best friends and more like sisters most of the time. . From the time we were little girls, until now, we have always been close and have always been there when our "fair weather friends" came and went. I can't imagine not being close to her and I'm so excited that we get to be mommy's together.

Huck will (hopefully) be about 7 weeks older than our little girl Ayda Jean and I can't wait for the two of them to meet and grow up together. I hope that Gabe, Huck and Ayda will be just as close as Kayla and I are. :) Here are a few pictures from Huck's newborn session. Hope you enjoy!

Isn't he just adorable!! And I have to say that they are one beautiful family!! For this little guy to have to have been born 2 weeks early I'd say he was right on time :) 

-Melissa-

Gabe at 2.

So tomorrow will be two weeks ago that our little guy turned 2. It's hard for me to believe that the Lord blessed us with such a sweet and loving boy to take care of over 2 years ago!! I can remember the exact moment I knew I was pregnant with this bundle of joy. I was at work and I knew I was late, but my body had just gone through some pretty intense distress and I thought it was just taking a while for things to get back to normal. But after the persistent egging on from my mother I took a test and it took about 2 seconds for it to read positive. SO many emotions ran through me all at once but the one that stood out the most was joy. pure joy. I had a little baby growing inside of me and I couldn't wait to get home and tell Tim! We still lived in North Carolina and we were getting ready to head home for Christmas and we couldn't wait to share the news with the rest of our family!! Now, almost 3 years later the joy I felt that day has not only sustained but has continued to grow every minute of every day. Gabe is so funny, loving and kind. I think I laugh more hours in a day now that ever before. He continues to change and evolve into this little person that I couldn't be happier to call mine.

Our little girl is due in just 4 short weeks and before the madness begins I wanted to take time to right down just a couple things about the coolest kid I know.

 At two, Gabe is saying so many words that I can't begin to count. He speaks in full sentences most of the time, which makes things so much easier and enjoyable for us because he communicates so well! He is potty trained except at night. He would live outside if I let him. He LOVES dinosaurs and anything with wheels. His love of books makes me smile. He idolizes his Daddy and wants to be just like him (it may be the sweetest thing I've ever seen). He is very strong willed about the things he wants which can make me want to pull my hair out sometimes, but I hope he is always that passionate about the things he wants to achieve. He could live off of grapes and tomatoes. He doesn't like most meat but put any type of vegetable in front of him and he'll try it. Running is possibly his favorite thing to do. Mommy and Daddy can kiss any 'ouch' better. Catching frogs (meaning mommy or daddy catching them) makes him squeal and laugh so hard that it's okay if the frog pees :). He brings more joy into our lives, and so many others, than we could have ever asked for and I know he is going to be the best big brother in the whole world. I hope everyone gets to experience the love of a sweet two year old one day because I can honestly say there is nothing like it.


 Gabe, you are such a little light and I can't thank our gracious Lord for giving you to us enough. I pray that as your parents we will be able to teach you and raise you up to be a Godly man. I know the Lord has a plan for you even now and I can't wait to watch you grow and do those things that he has planned for you. I  love you more than you know and I can't begin to imagine life without you!!

Love,

-Mommy-