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April 24, 2020

My New Website

Hey Friends! It’s been a while. I have been working on something new and exciting over here and wanted to share it with all of you. As most of you know, I have been working for a nonprofit organization for the last two years in a position I absolutely loved. Unfortunately, with the way our funding model works, we have had to pause all programs for the rest of the year due to Covid-19 which means I was laid off, along with the rest of the staff. I have always been a firm believer in the phrase, when one door closes, another one opens and it did.

I have been reaching out to friends, family and former colleagues for the past couple of months to let them all know to keep me in mind if they hear of anyone needing Virtual Assistant work. I started working with a new company a few weeks ago (just a few hours a week for now) and I absolutely love it so far. Since I obviously need more hours, it got me thinking to just do this on the side for a few different companies. So if you or anyone you know is looking for an amazing Virtual Assistant, please send them my way!

Also check out my new website: www.juliehorne.com and share with your friends and family!

Thank you all for reading.

December 19, 2019

Happy Holidays From Our Family to Yours!

Hey friends! Merry Christmas! I know it’s been a while, but wanted just hop on this little outlet and wish everyone a very Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year! I cannot believe there are only 6 more days until Christmas! Have you finished your holiday shopping? I haven’t…

I cannot believe we are already approaching 2020! This year FLEW by! It seriously feels like I was just 10 months pregnant with Kennedy and wobbling around Target in Texas trying to finish Christmas shopping and now here I am with a 10-month old girl living in sunny Arizona! It is crazy how fast a year goes by and also how much can change in such a fast time!

We are all settled in our new home and have been loving Arizona! This year has brought us so much joy with adding Kennedy to our Family in February and purchasing our first home in August. Kennedy is now 10 months old, she has 6 teeth, saying mama, dada, bubba, clapping, waving pulling up on everything, and just started walking with her walker.. It is so crazy to me how fast they grow. I wish time would stand still.

Brady is now 3 and we have experienced the “three-anger” stage. I have a love/hate relationship with this age haha! I love it because he is constantly doing and saying new things and it is SO cute and he is so so sweet (most of the time). On the other hand, I don’t love the eye rolls and back talk. Any other parents experience this?! Tell me it gets easier please! ha! We do love this age though and I am so so so thankful for these 2 blessings of ours. I wish I could just pause time.

On a more professional note, I have been so thankful and blessed this year to work for an amazing nonprofit called the Global Autism Project. We help train staff at Autism centers all around the world! For the first time in a very long time, I feel so fulfilled by the work I am/ we are doing! The other bonus to my job is that it has allowed me a chance to work from home with Kennedy so I feel very blessed for that. It isn’t always easy working with a baby at home. In fact, most days it is very hard, but I wouldn’t trade it for anything. You know what they say, nothing worth having comes easy right? I have to remind myself that from time to time. 🙂

Overall that is 2019 in a nutshell. We have been very blessed this year and I am looking forward to embracing 2020 and all that it may bring!

Love to all,

August 20, 2019

Life Update – We’ve Moved & we’re moving again!

That’s right, you read it right… We’ve moved and we are moving AGAIN! 🙂 This makes the 15th move in my life and the 6th being with Drew. They say that moving is one of the most stressful things on a marriage so if that’s true, I’d say we are doing pretty darn good you guys! We moved across country again back in May from Dallas to Phoenix for Drew’s job! Hence part of the reason I’ve been MIA over here. That and well ya know -a 3 year old & a newborn (not so much newborn though as she will be 6 months old tomorrow) Can you believe that?! It is crazy to me how fast time flies when you have kids. It is so true what they say, the days are long but the years are short.

I took the photo above shortly after we were settled in our new home, little did I know it would be one of the last few photos on my camera roll of our precious Duke. He has been with me since I was 21 & through all the trials and tribulations of life in my 20’s. Duke crossed the rainbow bridge on July 22nd just 2 days shy of his 12th birthday. It’s hard to believe it has already been a month without him. We love and miss him so much, but know he is in a better place after a long battle with congestive heart failure.

On a more positive note, in the midst of moving across country, unpacking, and getting settled in a new place, our dream home popped up on the market so we decided to buy a house! We close on Friday so WE ARE MOVING AGAIN (please say some prayers for us) ! 🙂 I am hoping this will be the last move for a lonnnnnnnng time and luckily we aren’t moving across country this time around! We are so excited to finally plant some roots somewhere and so far we are both loving Arizona. Everyone thinks it is so hot here, but honestly I think the summers in Texas are way worse! Ha! For those of you who have never been here, you should definitely plan a trip. It is seriously one of the most beautiful states I have been to (other than California).

That’s all the news & life updates I have for now, but I can’t wait to share some new house pics and decor with you in the coming weeks & months! This will be the first house I can really use my creativity to decorate since it will be our own so stay tuned!

Thanks for reading as always!

March 25, 2019

Kennedy’s Newborn Photos

How has it already been a month since she has been here? Well technically last Thursday was a month. Are you guys tired of hearing about her yet? Because well, I don’t care! We are all completely obsessed with her over here! People keep asking how it is now with 2 kids and it is really hard to say because we have been fortunate to have lots of help for the first month, BUT what I can say is that she is such an easy baby and has been the perfect addition to our little family. I am not going to lie though, it is totally different having a newborn and a toddler haha! I mean don’t get me wrong, I knew it would be, but those scenarios you don’t think of until they happen make you think “one kiddo is a breeze” haha!

On another note, we had our newborn session a few weeks back with Lauren Junker Photography and she absolutely nailed it! We got so many amazing photos and I wanted to share a few of my favorites with you below. If you are in the Dallas area and in need of a good photographer, I highly suggest checking her out!

There are so many other good ones, but these are just a few of our favorites! I am sure you will be seeing more through my blog soon!

As always, thank you for reading!

March 23, 2019

Breastfeeding & 3 Things That Helped Me

One of my friends texted me the other day and said ” what would you say is the worst part post pregnancy” and I said BREASTFEEDING! And don’t get me wrong, I think it is a beautiful thing and I feel very blessed that I get to do it and experience this but, for me, it was very hard the first time around and everyone told me that breastfeeding isn’t easier the 2nd time and boy were they right! Sure, there are some moms who are fortunate to have the perfect experience, but I found it challenging both times and for different reasons. Luckily, this time, I knew it would get easier if I just pushed through the pain and the sore/cracked nipples!

I am working on a lot of good blog content over the next few weeks for all my mama friends (or going to try my hardest to at least ha!) I have a lot of people I know expecting right now and wanted to share the 3 main things that have helped me through the process that some of you may already know, but I didn’t and I am so glad I know now.

Newman’s Nipple Cream – You guys.. I cannot rave about this cream enough! I had to go to a lactation specialist with Brady in San Diego and she suggested for me to try this. It is a prescription so you will need to request it from your OB Dr. and I had to get it from a compound pharmacy both times which insurance didn’t pay for. It costs around $50 or so out of pocket, but it is SO worth it and look at it this way, if it saves your nipples and is the thing that keeps you pushing through the pain of nursing until you get over the hump, then the $50 you spend will save you a ton of money from having to buy formula! If you want to read some others remarks about it – check it out on this forum. I noticed there are a lot of people talking about whether to wash it off or not before you feed – I was told I didn’t need to, but I normally wipe it off either way.
Switching nursing positions – In the birthing classes and in the hospital, all the nurses suggest the football hold when they are infants. I tried this both times for the first few weeks and I was to the point to tears bc they hurt SO bad! I found when I switched up the holding positions during feedings, it gave me so much relief. I don’t know if this is a personal thing or if it actually works, but if you are having trouble and doing only the football hold at first, then try the cross-cradle hold or the cradle hold.
Kelly Mom.com – The best online resource for ALL THE THINGS regarding breastfeeding. I use this for any questions I have! It has been a game changer.

I hope this has helped you as much as it did me! And remember FED IS BEST! So if you don’t want to nurse or can’t for any reason, that is okay!

PS: How sweet is this image above? It is one of my favorites from our newborn session by Lauren Junker Photography! I will be sharing more from our session soon, but if you are local in the Dallas area, I highly suggest checking Lauren out! I have been using her for the past couple of years since we moved to Texas and she is seriously the BEST! If you are a loyal blog reader of mine, you have probably seen other photos she has done for me. Check out a few other shots she did here and here.

As always thank you for reading my blog and much much love to all!

March 12, 2019

Kennedy’s Birth Story

I don’t know about you guys, but I love reading birth stories and I have been so excited to share Kennedy’s. For those of you who don’t know, I had to have an emergency c-section with Brady. You can read his birth story here. So I always just assumed I would have a repeat c-section for the next time. That was until I got pregnant and I decided I wanted to try for a VBAC.

There are several risks for having a VBAC and I am a huge hypochondriac so the fact that I even wanted to do this kind of surprised myself. My reasoning was not to “prove I could do it” but it was simply because of all the thoughts I kept having of the c-section recovery with a 37 pound 2.5 year old in tow that scared me more. I thought what’s the worse thing that could happen (yes other than a uterine rupture)? I try for a VBAC and if at any point I decide I want a c-section I will ask for it. So, at my very first appointment, I discussed the thought with my Dr. to see if it was possible for me. Sure enough, she said since my first labor was due to his cord being wrapped then I was a great candidate for a VBAC. That’s when I started to rethink this whole thing. At least I had 30 weeks to decide.

Truthfully I discussed this with my Dr. at every single appointment and had a list of questions for her every time. And, I have to say this now, if you live in the Dallas/Plano/Mckinney/Frisco area and need an OB – Dr. Bradley at North Texas OBGYN is AMAZING! She is seriously the BEST Dr. and I cannot say enough good things about her. Okay so back to the story. We finally decided to schedule the repeat c-section on Kennedy’s Due date (2-28) and if she comes on her own before then, then I would try! Good plan right? I thought so.

Fast forward to when I was 37 weeks and I went in for a weekly routine appointment to see if I had dilated. I had not, but my Dr. was concerned I may be leaking amniotic fluid. She did the test in the office to check, but still was unable to tell so she sent us to the hospital for more tests. Dr. Bradley had told me before we left that if in fact it was amniotic fluid, then she would recommend having a c-section since I had not dilated by that point. When we arrived to the hospital and we were waiting for the results, this is when all the nerves started setting in and I decided okay maybe I just want to have a c-section regardless of how this all pans out. Every bad thought was entering my mind and all the risks of things that could go wrong. Luckily, the tests came back that it was not amniotic fluid thank goodness, but as soon as we got in the car I decided okay maybe I do want to just have a c-section so I called my Dr. to see if we could push it up a week. BUT I still said “if she comes on her own – I will try for a VBAC.”

The following week on Friday I went in for my weekly check and GUESS WHAT? I had dilated to a 2! Dr. Bradley decided to do a membrane sweep at that appointment to try to make me progress faster in hopes perhaps Kennedy would come on her own that weekend. Our scheduled c-section was the following Thursday at noon. I was for sure she would come on her own that weekend due to having contractions, but nothing happened.

On Wednesday, February 20th we went to the Dr. for our last appointment before our scheduled c-section the next day. Dr. Bradley, being the amazing Dr. she is, did another membrane sweep and told me if I wanted to try for a VBAC I could go to the hospital the next morning and she would break my water and we could still have the c-section at noon (or later if need be). This would be more of a “natural induction”. Our plan was that we would not use pitocin or anything. So if she breaks my water at 7 am and I don’t progress then we will still have a c-section that day, but if I progress on my own naturally then I would have a vaginal delivery. All afternoon and evening of February 20th, I was having pretty consistent contractions, but they were still very mild and not 5 minutes apart. However, I was sure I would go into labor on my own before 7 am because they kept getting stronger and stronger. Well needless to say- it didn’t happen.

I arrived at Baylor Frisco (BEST Hospital EVER btw) at 7 am the morning of February 21st. So nervous, but I had my game face on and ready to do this. Dr. Bradley arrived around 7:45 am or so – I was dilated to a 3 at this point and she broke my water. It hurt. Not going to lie. It took 3 tries, but she was able to do it. After she broke my water, the contractions got stronger and stronger and stronger – 5 minutes apart, then 3 minutes apart. I asked for the epidural around 11:00 am. Yes I am the biggest baby there is, but Dr. Bradley also highly recommended for me to get an epidural anyway since I was a higher risk being a VBAC because if anything goes wrong at any moment when you have a VBAC, then they basically send you to the OR for a c-section immediately and she said I would have to have an epidural because if not, and something emergency happened, the alternate would be having to be put to sleep so epidural it was (not that there was any question in that from the beginning).

They checked me around 1:00 or 2:00 pm (can’t remember the exact time, but I had dilated to a 6!) This was exciting and nerve racking because it meant I was progressing on my own and that meant this baby girl was making her appearance one way or the other very soon. At around 5:00 pm I was dilated to a 9 and at 6:00 pm I was at a 10- it was go time. We waited on Dr. Bradley to come in which allowed Kennedy to drop further down. At 6:15 I started to push! If you read Brady’s birth story, this is where everything went wrong so of course I was a nervous wreck, but I had some great coaches! Drew, my mom and my mother-in-law were all in the room cheering me on. 🙂 I pushed for an hour and baby girl made her appearance at 7:14 pm! Praise the lord! She came out healthy and happy and we couldn’t be more blessed!

So far, the recovery has been SO much easier this time around. I am so happy I went through with everything and tried for a VBAC. If any of you are in the same situation and are contemplating this (and are a good candidate as I know every woman situation is different) then I highly recommend going for it! I hope you enjoyed reading!

Xoxo- Julie

March 4, 2019

Introducing Kennedy Ann

Photo Credit: Brittnie Renee Photography

Our baby girl was born on Thursday, February 21, 2019 at 7:14 pm. 6 Pounds 14 Ounces and 19.5 inches long. We are all obsessed with her to say the least! She made her appearance a week early and I cannot wait to share her birth story with all of you in the next week or so- so stay tuned!

Thanks for reading!

January 31, 2019

28 Days and Patiently Waiting

Photo Credit: Christa Robey Photography

I can’t believe we are only 28 days away (or less) from meeting our baby girl! We have the hospital bag packed, all the newborn clothes washed, her nursery is finished, and her closet is finally organized. I must say though, even though I feel like “we’re ready” I have been getting kind of emotional lately thinking this is the last few weeks of Brady being our “only child”. I know every mother probably goes through this when they are expecting baby #2, but I just can’t help but think about how he is going to adjust and how much different life is going to be as we know it as our little family of 3. I recently came across this article my cousin shared on Facebook and it was exactly what I needed to read at the right time so for all of you mamas expecting your second, I highly recommend reading it! I am so anxious and excited to see Brady as a big brother and I know he will be the best!

Thank you all for reading!

January 28, 2019

Kennedy’s Nursery Details

Happy Monday, friends! I am so excited to share photos of Kennedy’s nursery! It has been a work in progress to say the least. I had originally planned on doing our next baby nursery in black and creams because I loved everything I kept seeing in this combo, but when I found out we were expecting a girl of course my mind shifted to “all things baby pink!” haha! After spending weeks on Pinterest, I knew I wanted to have a “light and soft” nursery similar to Brady’s (see here) with light pink accents. When I came across this inspiration blog post by the Posh Home, I absolutely fell in love with the idea of a pink dresser and quite honestly, this whole nursery all together! It has been my “nursery inspiration image” the whole time when picking out items for her nursery.

We ended up converting our spare bedroom into her room so it was quite the task of moving furniture and cleaning out before we could start it, so the fact that it’s finished is such a good feeling! I would be lying if I said I haven’t sat in there to work or just stare at all of her “girly things” and imagine what it’s going to be like when she is here!

I searched high and low for the perfect used dresser I could paint. I searched Craigslist in Dallas, the surrounding areas and in Arkansas. And low and behold, I found this dresser on Craigslist in Fort Smith, AR for $35! The brand is Saga Broyhill and you will never believe this part. When I looked it up, the same dresser online is selling on multiple sites for $1500+ — can we say SCORE! Trust me, part me of me was contemplating just reselling it and making a little extra $$, but it was honestly exactly what I wanted and envisioned in her nursery. A mid-century style with middle drawers I could use for bows, diapers, wipes, etc. It was a brown color when we got it, so I asked my dad if he would paint it for me! So he painted it and we rented a suburban and hauled this bad boy to Texas! All in (with the suburban rental), the dresser only ended up costing us $185! That’s not too bad in my opinion!

I have linked everything below for any of you who are expecting and need some nursery inspiration! I know this has always helped me when I see things in photos I love so I hope it helps you too!

Shop the Nursery:

Crib: Wayfair

Rug: Magnolia by Joanna Gains

3 Floral Prints: Etsy (frames are from Ross)

Elephant Rocker: Pottery Barn Kids

Crib Sheet: Etsy

Crib Skirt: Target

Light Pink Pillow: JoAnns

Pink Plaid Pillow & Throw: Marshalls

Mint Green Lamp: Target

Gold Lamp: Target

Faux Pink Peonies

Pink Vase: Hobby Lobby

Changing Pad Cover: Amazon (Burt’s Bees)

Ruffle Black Out Curtains: Target

Chandelier: Pottery Barn Kids

Kennedy Ann Wood Circle Sign: Three Cubs Designs

White Faux Fur Ottoman: Target

3 Floating Shelves: Ikea (35 inch – These exact ones are not online I don’t think, but only $12.99 each in store!)

Round Gold Mirror: Target

Dresser: Old (found on craigslist) Paint Color is Gilden – peach daiquiri

January 10, 2019

Kennedy’s Baby Shower

Happy New Year friends! It sure has been a while and I have missed you all! I am 33 weeks pregnant today and definitely feeling it! This pregnancy has FLOWN by. It seriously feels like I just found out yesterday that we were expecting and here we are with only 7 weeks left to go! I guess it’s time to start packing those hospital bags! We still have so much left to do!

We have finally decided on a name though so that’s the good news- Kennedy Ann. Drew & I have always loved the name Kennedy. It was actually on the “girl name list” before we found out Brady was a boy and it was the front runner this time around when we found out we were having a girl! We chose her middle name because Ann is my middle name and Brady has Drew’s. 🙂 This past weekend we celebrated our girl in Arkansas with family and friends and I couldn’t have asked for a more PERFECT baby shower! It seriously looked like a live Pinterest board. A few months ago my friend Natalie asked me what I had in mind for my shower and I sent her a few things I have pinned and they all came together and absolutely NAILED IT! Thank you to my mom, mother-in-law, my sister Jenny, sister-in-law, Lindsay, and my best friend Natalie for everything you did! We had the shower at my moms best friend Vicky’s house and it was seriously just so amazing I had to hop on here and share a few photos with all of you! If any of you are local to Fort Smith you need to check out some of the places tagged and if you’re not local and just wanting ideas you can pin them by just clicking save on each image!