So my precious friend, Lulu, requested that I jump on board the accent vlog bandwagon. It seems she has an interest in Southern accents, so I felt I should oblige her this once. I have only watched one vlog so far, but I really want to go watch others now!

I got the list of words and questions from Jenna’s Journey blog and she has a link up going to see all of the others. So visit her blog to see more videos if you want to. I’m sure I’ll spend nap time watching them. Sounds like a great use of time! I got to watch part of Jenna’s vlog before the viewing was interrupted by something around here.

Here goes… as always, I ramble. And I say something about having a “happy weekend” at the end of it. I guess I’ve got the weekend on my mind since it’s Wednesday night? I have no idea.

The instructions are to say these words:
Aunt, Route, Wash, Oil, Theater, Iron, Salmon, Caramel, Fire, Water, Sure, Data, Ruin, Crayon, Toilet, New Orleans, Pecan, Both, Again, Probably, Spitting image, Alabama, Lawyer, Coupon, Mayonnaise, Syrup, Pajamas, Caught

And answer these questions:
What is it called when you throw toilet paper on a house?
What is the bug that when you touch it, it curls into a ball?
What is the bubbly carbonated drink called?
What do you call gym shoes?
What do you say to address a group of people?
What do you call the kind of spider that has an oval-shaped body and extremely long legs?
What do you call your grandparents?
What do you call the wheeled contraption in which you carry groceries at the supermarket?
What do you call it when rain falls while the sun is shining?
What is the thing you use to change the TV channel?

Hey, y’all! It seems that there are some new commenters and readers around these here parts. If you’re new here, welcome to Blue-Eyed Bride! I hope I haven’t scared you away yet.

And if you’re a long-time, faithful reader, welcome back and thanks for sticking around!

I’d love to know where everyone is coming from, so today’s post is pretty simple. If you’re reading today, leave a comment! My old faithful readers and my new readers. I want to hear from you! Just tell me your name and your blog address if you have one. If you want to, tell me what what state you live in or even your city. I promise I won’t try to visit you if I come to your town!

I just thought it’d be fun to see where everyone’s coming from! So please don’t leave me hanging…

Then I wanted to encourage you all to visit each other’s blogs. This is the best way to find new blogs and it’s a great way to bring people to yours. It’s how I found most of the blogs I read now.

On Friday, I’m going to link up with Kelly from Kelly’s Korner to tell y’all about my favorite blogs that I’ve found over the years. I actually have a little bit of anxiety about this because I have made so many friends through blogging and I am so afraid of leaving someone off the list and hurting someone’s feelings!

And just because I love him so, here’s a picture of my sweet baby Hayes. This little guy just lights up my life and I look forward to seeing his happy little smile every morning.

I’m sorry it took me so long to announce the three winners. I am so excited that so many people entered. There were 510 entries! If you didn’t win one of the three seminars, please go ahead and purchase it and watch it online. It is absolutely worth the $29.00 just to see if it’s the right fit for your family. I think you all know by now that I’m a big fan. I truly wish everyone could be a winner. This is life-changing!

Visit Moms on Call for more information! And be sure to follow Moms on Call on Twitter {@momsoncall} and “like” them on Facebook.

{The three winners were picked randomly and I had to keep looking sometimes until I found one that matched the correct category.}

If you’re a winner, email me at eeakin11{at}gmail{dot}com and I will make sure you get all the necessary codes to watch the online seminar. The seminar will be available to you for 6 months.

Congratulations to the 0-3 Month Seminar Winner!

Congratulations to the 3-12 Month Seminar Winner!

Congratulations to the Toddler Seminar Winner!

Thanks to the American Safety Council for making this giveaway possible.

I’ve been blogging for nearly four years now. How did that happen? What began as a little hobby that I paid attention to maybe once a week has become so much more than that in my life.

I’ve had so many opportunities to let it die and forget about it, but I never have. And will I ever? I just don’t know.

In the past few weeks, I have noticed myself becoming more and more emotional. I guess those part-partum feelings of overwhelming, gut-wrenching love are finally catching up with me. I have become more and more aware of how precious every single day is with my boys. Each milestone causes my heart to break.

When Hudson was little, I celebrated every milestone. I praised him and encouraged him to do everything again. I was so excited for him to move on to each new thing.

photo by Angela Shea Photography

Now that Hayes is here, I feel a hint of sadness when he rolls over or when he reaches up and grabs the toys on his activity gym. Those are just the smallest little milestones, but I’m not ready to say goodbye to each phase. When he hits one milestone, I know another, bigger milestone is coming soon.

Even though I don’t always blog about my kids or the specifics of what they’re up to, blogging helps me memorialize every day. There are words from my heart occupying a tiny space in the world wide web.

I’m no longer working outside the home, so I don’t see the fruits of my labor coming to life in that way anymore. In a way, blogging has helped me find my voice. I am able to record my emotions. Share my stories. And there is always at least one person who tells me that they’re going through the same thing or feeling the same way. This is my little journal and it has become such a great little outlet for me. Sometimes days pass and I don’t have anything to say. But most days I can’t wait to just sit down and write just so I can find a way to express the way I feel. This blog is my voice and it’s a place where I can catch up with friends.

Over time, I may find a new way to express myself. I could start painting (highly doubtful) or crafting. Or maybe I”ll become a runner (again, highly doubtful). Or I could start becoming a serious cook! But it’s important that as I get overcome with responsibility for my little loves that I still maintain a place for myself. So my voice can be heard.

I love looking back to read what was going on just two years ago. And I know that someday I will look back and read that I was completely emotional about the fact that Hayes is almost four months old and how I never want him to grow up. I’ll read about how it was so crazy to watch Hudson become so big overnight when his brother was born.

photo by Angela Shea Photography

Taking twenty to thirty minutes every day to sit down and write has become a priority and it makes such a difference in each day. I do it for them and I do it for me.

I am still me. I am a mom, but I haven’t changed in every way. But it would be a lie to say that motherhood hasn’t changed me at all. My heart has completely changed. Who knew your heart could accommodate so much love? But I’m so happy the evolution is recorded in this blog. I can always go back to read about my kids and I can read about what was going on with m in my early life as a mommy.

What is your outlet? Where do you find your sweet spot?