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Adventures of Crystal and her son Avery in their journey through life discovering challenges and obstacles while building bravery, confidence, and resilience.

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As usual, I begin setting up my camera to capture a moment between Avery and I at his first Pumpkin Patch. Don’t ask about last year. I was struggle city that first year y’all. - This time it was different because I’d just woken a sleeping baby against my better judgement per the request of a friend. And boy was Avery not having it. - A meltdown ensued and Avery decided that he did not want to sit for the photo or want to be held or want his milk. He usually wakes up disoriented like that. Add the fact that he woke up in a unfamiliar environment and we have the recipe for the perfect storm. - I continued snapping photos as he walked away. And just then, the wind picked up and I captured this beautiful Mommy moment. - I had no idea what I had until I unpacked everything when we got home and started going through the photos. I really love this photo of me because you would never know the chaos that’s happening just to the right of this scene. - This is just a friendly reminder that everything is not always what it seems. So if you’ve been looking through that super put together girls feed, you know the one, and wanting her life - just know that most of us are only sharing our happiest moments here. We all have chaos in our lives and none of our lives are not as curated as our feeds. - You need to know that I see you Momma! You are killing it and doing an amazing job despite those side eyes from everyone else at the Pumpkin Patch or Target or Publix. - Do you know a few Mommas who need this reminder? Tag them below and let them know that you see them out here busting their butts to make it happen for their kiddos and that you think they are doing an awesome job. We all need friendly reminders from time to time.

Two years ago, my October plans consisted of finding the dopest Halloween Parties to hit up and crashing them all. - Now I’m running around finding the best Apple orchids, pumpkin patches, corn mazes, and costume parties for babes aged 0-24 months. And I wouldn’t change it for the world. - At the age of 37, I’ve had my fun and did just about everything I wanted to do without a family. Now that I have one, it’s like living a second life with experiences from a totally different perspective and I love it. - I mastered the social scene for my age group a long time ago and now I feel like I’ve entered into a new world with new friendships and new adventures to explore. - The only thing that sucks is that I’m sure most of Avery’s friends parents will be 20 something and I’ll feel like a senior citizen on his play dates. Ha! - What are your thoughts on Motherhood? Are you the earlier the better type or the get your fun days out of your system before settling down type?

The temps finally hit 70 here in the ATL so we packed up the kiddos for some much needed time at the pumpkin patch. - There was no way I was going sooner than this considering the heat stroke that I nearly had last week prior from visiting a Sunflower Farm with temps in the high 80s. - Atlanta has such tricky weather and we don’t really have a true Fall. It goes from 88 degrees to a high in the 50’s literally overnight and skips those nice 70’s temps that last for weeks that everyone else has. - Today our high is back at 83 degrees. See the inconsistency? Makes it really hard to know when to turn on the air vs open a window vs turn on the heat. - What part of the country are you currently in and what’s your temperature high for today?

If you watch my stories, you know that last week we had so much fun at the Sunflower Farm. If you haven’t seen them yet, click on my “Fall in ATL” stories now. - I’m so lucky to have a babe that, for the most part, loves going on these little adventures with me. - This particular time we linked up with one of Avery’s baby friends from @gymboreeclasses_atlanta and had a nice little outdoor play date. - Sometimes we get so caught up in our busy lives that we forget to go outside and soak up some good ol vitamin D. - And sometimes it’s just 88 degrees in October in Atlanta and you’re afraid that if you go outside, you’re going to have a heatstroke. - Whatever the case may be, take some time to smell the roses this weekend. There’s so many fall activities this month so there’s no excuse to not be at a pumpkin patch, cornmaze, or fall festival with your little ones. - I’ll likely be Apple picking at a nearby orchard with Avery and his little friend Ezra. Peep my stories to join in on the fun. What about you? What are your weekend plans?

I just learned that a lot of people think that kidney disease is something that’s brought upon folks due to lots of drinking or poor decisions made in their adolescence. That couldn’t be further from the truth. Lets dispel that myth. - Many of us living with kidney disease were diagnosed at some point in our adolescence and it had nothing to with our choices in life. - Kidney disease is kidney failure. This is not the same as having a kidney injury (related to sports or something) that you recover from during a stay at the hospital for a week. - Kidney disease is much like cancer and every other disease but there is no Susan G. Komen behind it bringing awareness and shedding light on this silent killer. - When I was diagnosed with chronic kidney disease, I was 15 years old. The symptoms that I had were severe back pain and a completely swollen face. I literally woke up totally unidentifiable one day before school. My face was unrecognizable. I would say hi to people in the halls and I would hear them say, “who was that” to their friends when I passed by. That hurt. - There is NO cure for CKD, but there is treatment. Having a kidney transplant could give you a second lease on life. - Dialysis, on the other hand, is like putting a bandaid on a gun shot wound when you really need surgery. If you don’t get the surgery in enough time, YOU WILL DIE. Not maybe, you will. It’s inevitable. - What you can do to help is register to become an organ donor. The wait list for a deceased persons kidney is an average of 10 years wait! Anyone on dialysis will die before 10 years. There are far more people living with kidney disease than you realize and there aren’t enough kidneys to help everyone. That’s why the waitlist is so long. - You’re probably thinking, but I need my kidney. You don’t need your kidney when your dead and you also don’t need 2 kidneys when you’re alive. You only need one kidney to live a long, happy and healthy life. - I realize this post is not politically correct. Sometimes messages are lost when wrapped in pretty bows. - Are you guys registered to be kidney donor? If not, what are your fears in either becoming a deceased or living donor? Let’s chat!

Thank you for supporting us and traveling with us on this crazy journey through life. - When I started Just The Kings, it was meant to be a place to document our lives and tell our story through photography. - Since then it’s turned into so much more and has been a safe haven, a support group, a place to meet other Mommies and a place to learn and grow. - Thank you to our amazing community of followers who share their experiences, say prayers when needed and encourage us to keep documenting our experiences. We appreciate each and every one of you! Thank you from the bottom of our hearts!!

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