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I'm Shay! I’m a cookbook author, lifestyle blogger, travel agency owner, wife and mama who loves making every day special for my family.

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Mix & Match Mama

Show and Tell ·

Show & Tell Tuesday: My Loves


It’s Valentine’s Day!!  And it’s also…

A few times a month, Andrea hosts a link up where we show and tell you something.  Today’s topic: Our Loves.

The prompt today said to “reintroduce us to your loves…spouse, kids, family, pets, etc.”.  I thought I’d share one thing I love about each of my loves.

So, here we go…

My ultimate love is my husband, Andrew Shull.

I love him for many, many, many reasons but the one I’m sharing today is this: He brings out the best in me.  From the moment I met him, if anyone asked me “why him” my answer always started with “he brings out the best in me”.  He makes me funnier, he makes me more serious, he makes me goofy, he makes me disciplined…he makes me a little bit better in every single category life has to offer.  It’s just really hard to be around Andrew and not be your ultimate best.  He just has this way about him that will make you be the best version of you. It’s a gift he has. I’m so glad that we’re spending our 15th Valentine’s Day together. xo

Kensington Kate is my oldest little love.

This sweet girl is such a gift to me.  Only one person on the planet was able to make me a mom…and it was her.  This girl lights up my life with her very unique personality.  She’s confident, she’s passionate, she can be a little dramatic, she’s a great friend who is fiercely loyal and very protective.  Kensington is a mix of creativity and whimsy and it’s applied to everything she does in life.  Out of all four kiddos, she has been the biggest “mama’s kid” and still to this day, would rather sit on the couch and cuddle with me than anything else in the world.  I don’t know what occupation she’s going to have when she grows, up but I see it being something bold, something quirky, something original and something completely her own.

Smith William is my second little love.

I always tell Smith that God knew I needed him even when I didn’t.  He just kind of came out of nowhere and has been surprising (and blessing!) me ever since.  This kiddo is sharp, is wise beyond his years, is sensitive to his sisters and has more of mine and Andrew’s personality traits rolled into one than any of the other kids.  I love that he is a mix of throwing rocks, climbing trees, riding bikes and also a fan of reading books, collecting coins, and using his imagination to build crazy things out of basically nothing.  Smith is always a calm and steady voice in our house.  He’s a very reliable kid.

Ashby London is my toughest little love.

This girl right here owns my heart.  From the moment she was put in my arms, I felt like she was meant to be there all along.  Ashby is my pleaser.  She wants you happy with her, she wants to make you proud, she wants you to know how much she loves you, and she just wants to please you.  On top of being such a happy and sweet girl (who hardly ever, ever, ever, ever gets into trouble), she is the toughest, bravest, warrior I’ve ever met.  She has accepted that she has limitations in her life, but works really hard to circumvent or overcome them.  She is always all smiles even when I know she doesn’t like the situation.  She’s only four years old and yet, she’s inspirational.  I can only imagine how God is going to use this as she gets older.  He is building amazing character in her.

Madeley James is my littlest love.

This girl right here has only been a love for five months and three days and yet…it feels like I’ve known her forever.  Miss Madeley is a firecracker.  She is funny, she is quick, she is passionate and she makes me laugh every single day.  She prefers if you’re happy with her, but if she’s not happy with you, she’s going to let you know.  Andrew and I already know that she’s going to keep us on our toes because she’s going to be independent and strong-willed…and a lot of fun.  She pops out of bed happy every single morning and is always content with whatever our day holds.  She laughs a lot and is constantly on the move.  She has blessed our family is too many ways to count in such a short period of time.

My family is also one of my loves.

I’ve always thought I had the best parents and brother…but the older we get, the more I’m sure of it.  My parents, my brother, my sister-in-law, my nephew (and even more than that, my grandparents, cousins, and in-laws are spectacular too!) bless me daily.  We are very gracious with one another, very loving, very giving…and my prayer is that my kids enjoy each other’s company when they’re older as much as I do with my family now.  Through thick and thin, these are my people.

One of the greatest loves of my life are my friends.

I’ve always known that I had great friends…but it’s been proven over and over and over again this last year.  I know that if for some reason I don’t come home tonight, these ladies right here are going to take care of my family.  I have zero doubts.  My girlfriends are selfless, kind, prayerful, giving, funny, sort of crazy and fiercely loyal.  I count them as one of the biggest blessings in my life.

McKinney, TX is one of my great loves.

God planted Andrew and me here eleven years ago, and it has been one of the biggest blessings in our marriage.  I love this town, I love the people, I love my church, I love McKinney, TX.

So, there’s a little look at my loves this Valentine’s Day.  To see what’s coming up on Show & Tell Tuesday, look below…

Next time, we’re sharing our kids’ parties from years past.  And to see other Show & Tell posts from last year or the year before…

2015’s Show & Tell Tuesdays HERE

And from 2016:

Intro & Resolutions

My Momfessionals

The Way to My Heart

My Favorite Pins

My Hometown(s)

My Mixed Tape

A Day in the Life…

My Personal Style

Favorite Vacation Ever

My Tribe

Home Tour

Worst School Pictures

Christmas Home Tour

Happy Valentine’s Day!  I hope you are sharing the day with someone you love.

xo

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Comments

  1. Erika Slaughter says

    Happy Valentine’s Day!! So fun reading about everyone’s loves. Love you too, friend! XO

  4. Bernadine says

    What wonderful words to describe your loves. You are one lucky lady! (or are they the lucky ones?) 🙂

  6. Mandi Moore says

    Love the spin you put on the “one thing about each love”. I adore your relationship with Andrew, what a great quality to have that he makes you a better version of yourself, it doesn’t get much better than that! Happy Valentine’s Day!

  14. Megan Butler says

    Each little love so unique but I love how they just complete the Shull family!!! So sweet!! And I had one of those I really miss mckinney moments this week!! What a great town to love!!

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      Ha! She’s so easy going that it’s easy to forget her! She’s asleep under my chair right this minute ;).

    • Sanna says

      Came here to comment the same thing: Poppy ??! Shay, Poppy needs his own paragraph! 😉 And Jesus does too. Love this blog post. Especially fitting on Valentine’s Day. Please tell us that you have a video you can share about Ashby at the V-day school ball. She must have owned that dance floor. Similarly as Andrea’s Mason does. Have a wonderful Valentines’ Day ❤️???

  16. Chasity says

    You have been abundantly blessed with a beautiful life with beautiful people! Happy Valentine’s Day!!

  17. Chrystianne says

    This was such a sincere and beautiful post. It is so reassuring to know that you (or anyone) has loved ones and friends that you can rely on in times of need.

  19. Deanna says

    I love, love, love hearing about your children and family. It’s so sweet to hear about all of their different personalities. McKinney seems like a lovely place to live as well (coming from a girl in Canada!). Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day.

    – Deanna

  21. DonnaS says

    What a sweet post! I’m sure your family is also grateful for you and your loving heart. Hope you all have a great Valentine’s Day!

  23. Lara M says

    Shay – Just wanted to let you know that one of the “loves” in our house is your coach’s stack! I am making it for my hubby tonight, as it is his absolute favorite meal. Happy Valentine’s Day!

  25. Jenny Alford says

    So this had me in tears reading about your sweet family. So much love in your family and makes me think of my own, have a wonderful valentines day with those angels!

  26. Patty says

    Hi Shay and Happy Valentine’s Day to you! To add to your theme, yours is the first blog I read every day. You put such thought, such intelligence, such love and grace and humor in it, and so it’s worthy to be read. I admire your positive, God-centered attitude. So blessings to you and your family and keep up the good work!

    Love from a retired teacher in southern California.

  27. Lindsay @ Lindsay's Sweet World says

    Such a sweet post, Shay! You are so lucky to have Andrew! So very lucky. I feel the exact same way about my husband… he truly brings out the best in me and that’s how I knew he was the one, too. None of my other boyfriends ever did that.

  28. Angela Ellingson says

    You have so much to be thankful for! Even though you are clearly blessed, I know there are hard things in life, too. Thanks for always being so positive and grateful. It’s inspiring!

  29. Danielle Rigg says

    HAPPY VALENTINES DAY! Hope you enjoy it with your loved ones. I can’t find the name..can you remind me where you get the girls hair bows. We are in need of some new ones. Thank you!

  30. Sonia Limon says

    Love your “Loves Recap”….so very beautiful. Hope all the Shull’s are covered in blessings, love, hugs and giggles this Valentine Day!! I’m also hopeful that little Ashby has recovered from all the dancing she must have done at the Valentine Party….I was hoping for another video this year…last years made me smile for weeks. My girls thought it was the best!

  31. Vanessa Roberts says

    I always love reading about you and your family! So adorable! And I love that you included your parents, brother, and friends too! They all seem like wonderful people 🙂

  32. Loren says

    What a great post! Love reading all these wonderful love stories. Also- noticed the January link up.. I didn’t realize there was a splurge/steal post.. I would love to read it. Was it posted? Would love ideas! Happy Valentines Day.

    • Mix and Match Mama says

      I didn’t link up that week! I posted about Catherine’s LoweCo party on that day instead.