We were so fortunate to be able to have a second baby. (And according to Blake --- our last baby) We have that "All American" family that so many people crave. I love my babies with every fiber of my being. I thank God daily for the chance to be a mother. I never truly understood the love that God has for us until they came to be. (The whole sending your only child to die for the sins of others thing, I see the value of that action like never before).
In the blink of an eye, my brown headed baby turned into the lightest person in our family ;) Blakely loves to tell everyone that he is our "white boy!" Haha! I never would have imagined that I would have a little man that looked so different from his sister! He's so sweet, loves music --- especially Anna Kendrick & Lorde --- and LOVES food.
While we are talking about food... Can we just talk about HOW CRAZY it is that I forgot to order his smash cake?!?! Fortunately the baker had my back... Shout out to Aunt Bea's Bakery in Tuscumbia for graciously accepting all my demands --- especially for something the week of Valentine's Day!! ( Word to the wise.... This is a busy week for your local bakery ... Apparently people like sweets on Valentine's Day... Who knew?) So, my little baby will now have his own little cake to gobble up & momma doesn't have to share (this girl doesn't like to share cake!).
Next week, we will throw a sweet little party with our family & friends, and really - I feel like Christmas was like two weeks ago. Miles has had about 5 toys that he has been playing with (but really, who needs toys when you have a crazy mommy & big sister dancing around the living room every night?) .... He still has two toy boxes full of toys that he hasn't been able to play with yet!!! So, I have talked with our friends & family about the possibility of asking for donations to a local charity of some sort, and everyone was on board! Honestly though, he will have some things to open, just for traditions sake, but otherwise he will not know any difference.
I first heard of the idea when Blake's cousin Katie used her party to raise money for her local zoo in Pensacola --- which just so happened to be the first zoo we ever took Blakely to, & it will hopefully be Miles' first zoo trip too :). I thought of how incredibly awesome that was for a little girl to do that.... And I knew I wanted to raise my children to want to give back to the community.
I honestly didn't know how many different charities were available in our area.... There are so many different ways to give back. I discovered many charities that I had never heard of after several people commented on a Facebook post! I looked over the list, and saw several that were close to my heart. One REALLY caught my attention, I had heard about some of the things they did before, but I did not realize it was an actual organization of people. I thought it was just some teachers at school or something.... The organization that we have chosen to help is The Sidney's Safe Foundation, and here is why...
I know a lot of my followers do not know me personally, even some of my close friends do not know a lot about my childhood, and that of my siblings. There were 6 of us once my mother married my step-father. My little brother has cystic-fibrosis ( and requires a LOT if medical intervention) and my little sister has Down Syndrome. Anyway, I mostly lived with my grandparents after 3rd grade, so most of the time there were five of them.
I knew that we didn't have a lot of money, but of course, as a child you do not really understand that. There were times when we were all loaded into a van and would go to find food in dumpsters... My siblings remember the exact locations of where to go to find food, and where to go to find clothes. I wasn't always there, but I do remember the times that I was. Had I not just told you one of my secrets, would you ever have known that? There are children that go to school with your children who have to do the same thing... They do not know where their next meal will come from. They come to school thinking about food, And they leave school thinking about it. A lot of these children only eat HALF of the school lunch they get & take the other half home to eat for dinner. Yes, there are 5 year olds that know if they do not save their lunch, they will not get dinner. Sometimes they even have to share that meal with younger siblings.
Try this tomorrow. Do not eat breakfast, then eat half your lunch & save the other half for dinner. See how you feel. And in case you are still remembering the school lunches where you piled on the French fries & got double pizzas.... Think again. School lunches today are HALF the calories.
The Sidney's Safe Foundation discreetly sends backpacks of food home with children in need so they can eat over the weekend! They currently feed over 300 children in our area!!!
We are politely asking that instead of bringing Miles a gift that will probably sit in his toy box until he makes his way to it, that instead you help us donate to this amazing organization! They do accept monetary donations (visit www.sidneyssafe.org for more information). They also accept foods that can be distributed to the children, here is a list:
- Weekly needs are; NON-PERISHABLE, INDIVIDUALLY PACKAGED, EASY TO EAT foods. Examples:
Apple sauce, granola bars, fruit bars, fruit cups, Little Debbie's, muffins, oatmeal, microwave popcorn, cheese & crackers, peanut butter & crackers, pop tarts, mac & cheese, pop top spaghetti meatballs, pop top ravioli, Vienna sausages, beanie weenies, yogurt, Ramon noodles
We also need regular size bags and boxes of; Mac & Cheese, jars of peanut butter and jelly, saltine crackers, graham crackers, cereal (the kind kids would eat dry)
Thank you all in advance! We cannot wait to see you! :)))
Love,
Kayla
