bethany victoria | three years old.

Happy birthday to my very best girl in the whole wide world! You are THREE today, and I’m really having a hard time believing that it’s true. You have grown up sooooo much this year, and we have loved watching you take in the world around you. You have such a zest for life, and I believe with all my heart that your voice will carry on for generations. So much strength is inside of you, my girl. So much!

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You currently love alllllllll the girlie girl things — baby dolls, princesses, lipstick, nail polish, dresses, and high heels. I feel like I’m looking back in time watching you play, because I remember loving all of those things when I was a little girl, too. Your favorite princesses are currently Ariel and (drum roll please) Belle, which makes me suuuuper proud. I gotta be honest — Ariel has always been my least favorite princess, buuuuut seeing your excitement over mermaids has ignited some affections for her in my heart. LOL. You love the water (you little beach bum!), so it makes sense that you love a princess who lives in the water. Side note - that was part of the reason I’ve always struggled with Ariel. I hope you grow up more content than she was. *insert praying hands here*
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It has been a FUN year for us, little lady. Lots of hiking and traveling and learning new tricks. You mastered the balance bike over the summer, and you ride that thing like a pro now. It’s so surreal to see you on Braxton’s hand-me-down bike, because you were ITTY BITTY when he first started riding it. You weren’t even out of newborn clothes yet! You, also, love to go on walks around the neighborhood and jump on the trampoline. Although your favorite thing to jump in currently is the piles of leaves that Daddy and Braxton make every few weeks. Leaf jumpin’ is the best, and you’ve already learned that! You are officially potty trained (since late spring), and you dressed up as the Pink Power Ranger for Halloween this year.
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Although we have spent most of the year at home, we’ve still been able to do quite a bit of adventuring! We have visited five different beaches this year, with one more trip on the horizon before 2020 ends. One big reason for that is our (near complete) quest for State Park stamps this year! You’ve seen nearly all of South Carolina since January, and you have loved all the exploring and hiking we’ve gotten to do. You’ve also loved all the movies you have gotten to watch in the car on said road trips; movies are a treat around here! Annnnd speaking of road trips, we took a BIG one this summer. We roadtripped to FL for two weeks in July/August for 1) a week with our beloved Haltis (yep, you’ll see all the pictures of you and Maddox on your wedding slideshow one day) and 2) two days at DISNEY WORLD! We were so thankful we still got to go in the midst of a pandemic, and we made the most of it. You were in HEAVEN — we ALL were! We’re planning to go back again in a few years, and I’m already itching for it. Watching you and Braxton be so excited made me so happy. Being a mommy is the best!
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We didn’t get to have a big birthday party for you this year because of the state of the world, but we did have a few close family members over for dinner, cupcakes, and presents a couple of days ago. You got all your favorite characters as toys, and you’ve been playing with them non-stop since. It’s nice to finally have some girl toys in the house (LOL), and even Braxton is having fun playing with them with you. Your favorite phrase is “Awwww!” and you’ve used it A LOT since you got these new toys to play with. Everyday is the best day when you’ve got mermaids and princesses to play with, right? ;)
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You are so very, very special, my girl. A big ol’ personality with big ol’ emotions and an even bigger heart. Since Braxton has gone to school (which is still bittersweet for you, by the way), you and I have had more time together just the two of us. It has been soooooo good for us! Lots of snuggles and playing uninterrupted. Daddy is still your favorite, buuuuut this time together is giving us sweet memories that I am so grateful for. I hope you remember some of these sacred days we spend together as you grow up. I know I will never forget them.
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The day before your birthday will always be full of grief. Your birthday will be one of celebration. And every other day of the year will be a little bit of both. That’s okay, though, because your story (and ours as a family) will be this — because of the depth of love we have come to know, we will always press into this sacred space where joy and sorrow meet.  I will always fight for you and for us. And even on the days where my best isn’t all that great, I hope you never doubt my love for you. Because so much of the good in me has been thanks to you. We have all done a whole lot of growing these past three years!
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So, happy birthday to you! My darling and daring Bethany Victoria. Every day is the best day because I get to spend them loving you. And in the words of AC/DC, “she’s got eyes of the bluest skies as if they thought of rain. I hate to look into those eyes and see an ounce of pain...” Keep growing and shining, baby girl. No matter what, we will always be in your corner!

bargeron barn | voila!

 Eight posts and eight months later, we are officially DONE renovating our barn! EEEEK! When we moved into our home nearly four years ago, those were words that we hoped we'd get to say out loud one day but seriously doubted we would. And now, after a year of intentionally saving and eight months of intentionally spending, we can say it with big smiles on our faces.

Here are the past updates I've made since we got started (because y'all know how I love to document things, LOL):

Bargeron Barn | The Original
Bargeron Barn | Dirt + Concrete
Bargeron Barn | Walls + Roof
Bargeron Barn | Plywood + Wrap
Bargeron Barn | Siding
Bargeron Barn | Electrical +Drywall + Ceiling
Bargeron Barn | Barn Doors

All of those steps were taken with a whoooole lot of planning and love, and Teesh did most of it himself. That's my man for ya -- give him a challenge and a chance to save some money, and he'll find a way to make it happen. I love him for it, too, although let's be real -- sometimes, I'm all for paying someone to do it to save us the headache. We outsourced a few things out to people we trust, and we're glad for those decisions. We did 90% of it ourselves, sometimes with the help of friends, and we're super proud of that.

Time wise, this project took a little longer than we wanted it to because of unforeseen issues popping up here and there (that's always the case, huh?). And financially speaking, we ended up going about 25% over our original budget. We were content with scaling back on other things to direct some extra money towards this project, though, because everything we spent more on came back to this: better quality. After spending so much time out there and feeling the aches of our bodies from it, we 1) wanted it to be as nice as we could possibly make it without investing too much into it and we 2) wanted to be proud of our accomplishments and not feel like we cut corners or settled for less than our best. Hence, a blown budget! But hey, that's the power of a budget -- knowing how much money you have to spend, and adjusting when necessary if things happen.

Soooo, without further delay, here is the beautiful inside of our beloved barn...

This is the large middle room (formerly two open bays) that will be used as a hang out / recreation area for us and friends / family / neighbors (you know, once Covid is over):

Looking in from the sliding doors

Looking towards the man cave / tool room

Looking toward the out (Chevelle) room

The beautiful beam that our friend, Aaron Hood with Carolina Columns built and installed. Swoon!

Standing at the front wall looking toward the sliding doors

Next is the Man Cave / Tool Room (you know, where Teesh will do his best tinkering):





And finally, here is what we are calling the "Chevelle Room." This is where Teesh's beloved girl (ahem, Blaze, his first love) now lives:

TAAAAADAAAAAAAAAAA!!!

And there she is, folks. It may not look like much to you, but we are DANG PROUD that we made this dream a reality. It's fun to do hard things with my man, especially when the end result is THIS great!

Eventually, we will build / install doors for the room, sand / prime / paint the two outer rooms, and maybe do something to the floors in the large room. Those things are more luxuries than necessities, so we're not in a hurry to check those things off. The only thing left that we need to do is stain the wood siding so that it will be protected from the weather, and we will do that sooner than later. At this point, I'm trying to convince Teesh to hire someone to do it for us. After eight months of laser focus, I'm ready and excited for what comes next!

That's a wrap (for now) from the Bargeron Builders. 'Til next time!

p.s. Did I mention how proud of us I am?! Full heart over here!