Liam, my sweet 2 year old (27 months,) is incredibly smart, understands literally everything we say, and has met every milestone ahead of time. All except one. He had the hardest time with talking. He would jabber all day long with a small handful of words thrown in, but man was it discouraging when other kids his age were talking circles around him.

After writing down every word he could say, he was at the level a typical two year old needs to be able to say (50 words) but barely used them and flat out refused when we would give him prompts like "Say dog!" Because he was at that 50 word vocab, he didn't qualify for speech therapy; however, I knew in my heart he needed help.

I started looking up videos online for speech at home. It. Worked. Miracles. I found a fantastic lady named Alina Mihai Coaching. Her videos are so simple but helped me learn how to coach him along through play and music. He loved watching the videos with me and really enjoyed her alphabet sound song. Best part? They are free!

We started watching these about a month ago, and randomly over the last two days he started busting out new words like crazy! In the past 48 hours he has said at LEAST 50 new words or more, plus started saying short sentences!

This morning he brought me my shoes from the closet (he wanted to go outside) and said in the sweetest voice "Momma? On!" I've waited SO long for my boy to address me by Momma! It was such a breakthrough for him and such a relief to my heart.

If you're a momma with a slow-to-speak tot, check out these videos. I can't recommend them enough! I hope this brings you a small little piece of comfort. Now that he's started talking we can't get him to stop. ;)

So proud of this boy!

Half a Decade of Marriage

As promised, I wanted to share some pictures from our big day FIVE years ago. I still can't believe it has been that long. We've been together nine years this month. Strange to think that I've been with Joe for 1/3 of my life! A little background for you: We met when I was around 2 years old. We both went to the same little church and went through the Awana program together there. It's so strange to grow up with someone and fall in love with them. I love looking back at our childhood pictures together and seeing how far we've come.

We were married at Castle Farms in Charlevoix, Michigan. If you ever have a chance to visit DO it! It's absolutely beautiful. Our wedding was actually very budget friendly. I was surprised that we were able to get the Castle rented so cheaply during a promotion they were running. The best part? You get to bring your own food! So much saved in just that!

My dress was by Maggie Sottero. Funny enough, I never tried it on before I bought it. I fell in love with it after seeing it on another bride and scoured bridal resale pages to be able to afford it. I found it brand new (a bride had changed her mind!) for less than 1/4 of the original price. It fit like a glove and no alterations were needed. I felt like a princess! The beading was incredible and it was so well made.

I'm so thankful for the man I married! It hasn't always been easy, but it's been so good doing life with him. We've grown up together. I am forever grateful that I'm loved by him.

Fifth anniversary and the realization that we are not the camping type

June 25 marked our FIFTH wedding anniversary. I can't believe how fast it went by, but I also am completely shocked at all the changes five years brought! Four different cars (oops!), our first apartment, our first house, two babies, two jobs, moving from my corporate office to a home office...and that's only the beginning!

We decided to join a group of friends of ours camping in northern Michigan. We proooooobably should have known better as we started to pack the car and the bags were piled to the ceiling.... but hey, we're newbies. Our two year old was literally acting the craziest he ever has in his life. Tantrums were abundant and I'm pretty sure I saw horns popping out of his noggin a few times. He's always been a relatively easy toddler. He's pretty laid back and is great at entertaining himself. This trip? Nope. Boyfriend was bonkers. The highlight of the trip came as we all sat down for a calm dinner in our little wooden cabin by the lake. Stories were being told, friends were laughing, memories were being made... then out of the corner of my eye I see a little stinker HIGH tailing it to the waterfront. With. My. Husbands. Phone. In. Hand. He looked back with a devilish glimmer in his cute little eye and as my husband yelled "Liam, NO! Come back here!" I watched helplessly as he confidently shaped his little 35 inch body into perfect diving stance and DOVE IN. IN THE WATER. WITH THE PHONE. Keep in mind my dear child cannot swim, so the phone was thrown into the murky lake and he was struggling to stay above water. My husband jumped in the throw him out of the lake and then desperately searched for his phone. RIP iPhone 2016.

We immediately took the kids back to the cabin to put into bed so missed out on the times with friends. We went to bed cracking up at how our anniversaries have changed. Joe sighed as he glanced over at me in bed that night, "We just aren't the camping type." HA.

The next day we remedied the situation by heading over to Lake Michigan where my child finally transformed back into his sweet self and away from the little terror he was the day before. If you've never experienced the Great Lakes, do yourself a favor and go NOW. It is absolutely beautiful here. Lake Michigan especially has incredible beaches and sights. This is the time of year I love my state.

Stay tuned for some wedding photos as I glance back on our five years together!