Hi there blog world!! What the heck happened to me?! Being a mom is what happened. It's the best and most time sucking job in the world (I say this with all the love in my heart!)
Truthfully, being a mom rocks. I know that it doesn't work for everyone, but I'm so appreciative that my husband and I moved to Texas to have the opportunity for me to stay home to raise our family when we started one. Seeing my daughter and watching her grow every day is something I treasure.
We stay pretty busy between having grandparents visit and travel of our own, play dates, my occasionally watching other kids. Besides having an almost 2 year old we also have had our 15 year old nephew living with us the last year and a half. There's a story there itself, which may be shared in a more appropriate manner at another time.
We began trying to expand our family around our daughter's first birthday and did get pregnant very quickly. This pregnancy also ended quickly, around 5/6 weeks. Not long after that we experienced a second early miscarriage. These are also stories to share in more detail later. We found out last into last summer that we again were expecting. I'm halfway through a very healthy pregnancy with a very active little brother reminding me all day long that he's in there growing. He should arrive the end of May.
With our second kiddo on the way, we've been getting all those house projects checked off our list that we've had going since we moved in 2 weeks before our first was born. I'm trying hard (because pregnancy brain is real y'all!) to remember to take photos to share of all the stuff we've been up to.
I'm in a place now, with little miss being almost 2 that I feel I can finally get some stuff going again. We'll see how that keeps up come May!!
Showing posts with label mommyhood. Show all posts
Showing posts with label mommyhood. Show all posts
Saturday, January 31, 2015
Thursday, May 22, 2014
Wednesday, May 21, 2014
Nap times and door bells don't mix
SERIOUSLY?!?!?!???!???!?? She had JUST fallen asleep!! I am gonna flip out on the next delivery/roof repair/landscaping/Friday, April 4, 2014
And she's one!
We have found a great photographer here in Texas, Kristin - who runs Wit and Whimsy Photography. I had a vision for a tea party photo shoot and she totally helped me bring it to life. It took a little bit of hunting, but I found the perfect pieces to create our scene.
-- Teapot and birdcage from Hobby Lobby
-- Clock was a gift given to me years back
-- Vase is from Crate and Barrel, it's normally in our room
-- Tea cup was sent from my aunt to start a collection for little miss
-- Teddy bear was a baby shower gift from my aunt
-- Romper and headband found on Etsy
Can't wait to get this on a canvas and up on the wall!
Monday, March 24, 2014
Thursday, February 6, 2014
From the Web --> Raising a Kind Daughter
Another read from facebook ...
Raising a Kind Daughter | This post originally appeared on KariKampakis.com.
"When my daughter Ella was in fourth grade, she got in the car one day after school and announced her plan to run for student council.
At her school each class has a representative, and I was thrilled she planned to put her name in the hat. Even if she didn't win, it would be a good experience.
She told me almost every girl in her class was running, as well as one or two boys. As kindly as possible, I mentioned the boys might have an advantage since the girl votes could be split, as that can happen in elections. I told Ella I was proud of her for putting herself out there, and that she'd make a great representative if elected.
The next day after school, Ella mentioned a dilemma she and her friend Annie had "figured out." On Friday all candidates had to give a speech. Since our family was going to the beach Friday, Ella wouldn't be there to give hers.
"But Annie had a great idea," Ella said, referencing one of her best friends, who was in Ella's class that year. "She suggested that I do a video speech, and she'll play it for everyone."
I was very touched by this suggestion from Annie. Why? Because Annie was running against Ella for student council. Yet instead of treating Ella like a competitor, she treated her like a friend.
Ella's teacher agreed to the video speech, so we made it and sent it on. I didn't think much more about the election until Friday afternoon around 3 p.m., when I was soaking up an ocean view of the Gulf Coast and received an email from Ella's teacher. She had great news: Ella had won the election! Her classmates had voted her onto student council.
Our family hugged and congratulated Ella. I could tell by the shy smile on her face what her peers' vote of confidence meant to her. About ten minutes later, my cell phone rang. It was Annie's mom (one of my close friends) calling us from her cell.
"We are so thrilled about Ella!" she said, her voice joyful and triumphant. "It was the first thing Annie told me when she got in the car! She's sooooo excited! We couldn't be happier if it happened to her!"
The phone call didn't surprise me, because that was typical for this family. What caught me off-guard was the timing of the call. These were 10-year-olds, after all, and 10-year-old emotions can be fragile. Their automatic instinct isn't always happiness for a friend who got something they wanted, too. Had the tables been turned, I'm not sure the call would have happened so fast. We may have had to work through a little disappointment -- if even for a minute -- before focusing on our friend.
But to Annie and her mom, a victory for Annie's best friend was a victory for Annie. A win for one was a win for both. If you ask me, that's the perfect illustration of true friendship. It's how it should work at every level.
All four of my girls have found friends similar to Annie. While no friendship is perfect, I've been surprised by some of the kindness I've seen at young ages. They know how to look out for a friend. They get it. And can I tell you what their kind friends all have in common? Kind mothers. Time and time again, I've become friends with the moms I meet through my children's beloved friends because they're good souls. I don't think it's a coincidence their children are, too.
We all want to raise kind daughters. We want them to be good friends and have good friends. While I give Annie full credit for supporting Ella -- she suggested the video, after all, and was quick to celebrate her win -- I know she didn't pull that mindset out of thin air. She picked it up from her family because that's how they think.
A win for a friend is a win for both.
Kindness among young girls doesn't start on the playground or in the locker room -- it starts at home. Most notably, it starts with kind mothers raising kind daughters. Our girls see how we treat our friends. They also notice how we treat their friends.
If we treat their friends as competitors, our daughters will, too. If we love their friends like we love our own children, they're more likely to see them as sisters and part of the family.
Keep in mind it wasn't just Annie cheering when Ella won student council. It was Annie's mom, too. She was just as enthusiastic. Can I tell you what that meant to me? Can you imagine the trust that added to our relationship?
Quite honestly, I think it's rare for both a mother and daughter to instinctively rejoice as these two did. Then again, maybe it just proves the point.
We moms rub off on our girls. Over time our way of thinking becomes their way of thinking. If we want to raise kind daughters, we need to start by being kind mothers."
Raising a Kind Daughter | This post originally appeared on KariKampakis.com.
"When my daughter Ella was in fourth grade, she got in the car one day after school and announced her plan to run for student council.
At her school each class has a representative, and I was thrilled she planned to put her name in the hat. Even if she didn't win, it would be a good experience.
She told me almost every girl in her class was running, as well as one or two boys. As kindly as possible, I mentioned the boys might have an advantage since the girl votes could be split, as that can happen in elections. I told Ella I was proud of her for putting herself out there, and that she'd make a great representative if elected.
The next day after school, Ella mentioned a dilemma she and her friend Annie had "figured out." On Friday all candidates had to give a speech. Since our family was going to the beach Friday, Ella wouldn't be there to give hers.
"But Annie had a great idea," Ella said, referencing one of her best friends, who was in Ella's class that year. "She suggested that I do a video speech, and she'll play it for everyone."
I was very touched by this suggestion from Annie. Why? Because Annie was running against Ella for student council. Yet instead of treating Ella like a competitor, she treated her like a friend.
Ella's teacher agreed to the video speech, so we made it and sent it on. I didn't think much more about the election until Friday afternoon around 3 p.m., when I was soaking up an ocean view of the Gulf Coast and received an email from Ella's teacher. She had great news: Ella had won the election! Her classmates had voted her onto student council.
Our family hugged and congratulated Ella. I could tell by the shy smile on her face what her peers' vote of confidence meant to her. About ten minutes later, my cell phone rang. It was Annie's mom (one of my close friends) calling us from her cell.
"We are so thrilled about Ella!" she said, her voice joyful and triumphant. "It was the first thing Annie told me when she got in the car! She's sooooo excited! We couldn't be happier if it happened to her!"
The phone call didn't surprise me, because that was typical for this family. What caught me off-guard was the timing of the call. These were 10-year-olds, after all, and 10-year-old emotions can be fragile. Their automatic instinct isn't always happiness for a friend who got something they wanted, too. Had the tables been turned, I'm not sure the call would have happened so fast. We may have had to work through a little disappointment -- if even for a minute -- before focusing on our friend.
But to Annie and her mom, a victory for Annie's best friend was a victory for Annie. A win for one was a win for both. If you ask me, that's the perfect illustration of true friendship. It's how it should work at every level.
All four of my girls have found friends similar to Annie. While no friendship is perfect, I've been surprised by some of the kindness I've seen at young ages. They know how to look out for a friend. They get it. And can I tell you what their kind friends all have in common? Kind mothers. Time and time again, I've become friends with the moms I meet through my children's beloved friends because they're good souls. I don't think it's a coincidence their children are, too.
We all want to raise kind daughters. We want them to be good friends and have good friends. While I give Annie full credit for supporting Ella -- she suggested the video, after all, and was quick to celebrate her win -- I know she didn't pull that mindset out of thin air. She picked it up from her family because that's how they think.
A win for a friend is a win for both.
Kindness among young girls doesn't start on the playground or in the locker room -- it starts at home. Most notably, it starts with kind mothers raising kind daughters. Our girls see how we treat our friends. They also notice how we treat their friends.
If we treat their friends as competitors, our daughters will, too. If we love their friends like we love our own children, they're more likely to see them as sisters and part of the family.
Keep in mind it wasn't just Annie cheering when Ella won student council. It was Annie's mom, too. She was just as enthusiastic. Can I tell you what that meant to me? Can you imagine the trust that added to our relationship?
Quite honestly, I think it's rare for both a mother and daughter to instinctively rejoice as these two did. Then again, maybe it just proves the point.
We moms rub off on our girls. Over time our way of thinking becomes their way of thinking. If we want to raise kind daughters, we need to start by being kind mothers."
Saturday, August 31, 2013
Family Moment
We were so excited to have the opportunity to have our favorite photographer, Morgan, capture some family moments on a trip back to Montana this summer. I love everything we got back from here but wanted to share a favorite ...
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
From the Web --> Mom's Plea: Please Don't Help My Kids
This came across my facebook feed and it's a great read. Although
we're a long way off from sliding at the playground I'm pretty sure that
this is the kinda mom I'll be.
Mom's Plea: Please Don't Help My Kids | Written by Kate Bassford Baker
"Dear Other Parents At The Park:
Please do not lift my daughters to the top of the ladder, especially after you’ve just heard me tell them I wasn’t going to do it for them and encourage them to try it themselves.
I am not sitting here, 15 whole feet away from my kids, because I am too lazy to get up. I am sitting here because I didn’t bring them to the park so they could learn how to manipulate others into doing the hard work for them. I brought them here so they could learn to do it themselves.
They’re not here to be at the top of the ladder; they are here to learn to climb. If they can’t do it on their own, they will survive the disappointment. What’s more, they will have a goal and the incentive to work to achieve it.
In the meantime, they can use the stairs. I want them to tire of their own limitations and decide to push past them and put in the effort to make that happen without any help from me.
It is not my job — and it is certainly not yours — to prevent my children from feeling frustration, fear, or discomfort. If I do, I have robbed them of the opportunity to learn that those things are not the end of the world, and can be overcome or used to their advantage.
If they get stuck, it is not my job to save them immediately. If I do, I have robbed them of the opportunity to learn to calm themselves, assess their situation, and try to problem solve their own way out of it.
It is not my job to keep them from falling. If I do, I have robbed them of the opportunity to learn that falling is possible but worth the risk, and that they can, in fact, get up again.
I don’t want my daughters to learn that they can’t overcome obstacles without help. I don’t want them to learn that they can reach great heights without effort. I don’t want them to learn that they are entitled to the reward without having to push through whatever it is that’s holding them back and *earn* it.
Because — and this might come as a surprise to you — none of those things are true. And if I let them think for one moment that they are, I have failed them as a mother.
I want my girls to know the exhilaration of overcoming fear and doubt and achieving a hard-won success.
I want them to believe in their own abilities and be confident and determined in their actions.
I want them to accept their limitations until they can figure out a way past them on their own significant power.
I want them to feel capable of making their own decisions, developing their own skills, taking their own risks, and coping with their own feelings.
I want them to climb that ladder without any help, however well-intentioned, from you.
Because they can. I know it. And if I give them a little space, they will soon know it, too.
So I’ll thank you to stand back and let me do my job, here, which consists mostly of resisting the very same impulses you are indulging, and biting my tongue when I want to yell, “BE CAREFUL,” and choosing, deliberately, painfully, repeatedly, to stand back instead of rush forward.
Because, as they grow up, the ladders will only get taller, and scarier, and much more difficult to climb. And I don’t know about you, but I’d rather help them learn the skills they’ll need to navigate them now, while a misstep means a bumped head or scraped knee that can be healed with a kiss, while the most difficult of hills can be conquered by chanting, “I think I can, I think I can”, and while those 15 whole feet between us still feels, to them, like I’m much too far away"
Mom's Plea: Please Don't Help My Kids | Written by Kate Bassford Baker
"Dear Other Parents At The Park:
Please do not lift my daughters to the top of the ladder, especially after you’ve just heard me tell them I wasn’t going to do it for them and encourage them to try it themselves.
I am not sitting here, 15 whole feet away from my kids, because I am too lazy to get up. I am sitting here because I didn’t bring them to the park so they could learn how to manipulate others into doing the hard work for them. I brought them here so they could learn to do it themselves.
They’re not here to be at the top of the ladder; they are here to learn to climb. If they can’t do it on their own, they will survive the disappointment. What’s more, they will have a goal and the incentive to work to achieve it.
In the meantime, they can use the stairs. I want them to tire of their own limitations and decide to push past them and put in the effort to make that happen without any help from me.
It is not my job — and it is certainly not yours — to prevent my children from feeling frustration, fear, or discomfort. If I do, I have robbed them of the opportunity to learn that those things are not the end of the world, and can be overcome or used to their advantage.
If they get stuck, it is not my job to save them immediately. If I do, I have robbed them of the opportunity to learn to calm themselves, assess their situation, and try to problem solve their own way out of it.
It is not my job to keep them from falling. If I do, I have robbed them of the opportunity to learn that falling is possible but worth the risk, and that they can, in fact, get up again.
I don’t want my daughters to learn that they can’t overcome obstacles without help. I don’t want them to learn that they can reach great heights without effort. I don’t want them to learn that they are entitled to the reward without having to push through whatever it is that’s holding them back and *earn* it.
Because — and this might come as a surprise to you — none of those things are true. And if I let them think for one moment that they are, I have failed them as a mother.
I want my girls to know the exhilaration of overcoming fear and doubt and achieving a hard-won success.
I want them to believe in their own abilities and be confident and determined in their actions.
I want them to accept their limitations until they can figure out a way past them on their own significant power.
I want them to feel capable of making their own decisions, developing their own skills, taking their own risks, and coping with their own feelings.
I want them to climb that ladder without any help, however well-intentioned, from you.
Because they can. I know it. And if I give them a little space, they will soon know it, too.
So I’ll thank you to stand back and let me do my job, here, which consists mostly of resisting the very same impulses you are indulging, and biting my tongue when I want to yell, “BE CAREFUL,” and choosing, deliberately, painfully, repeatedly, to stand back instead of rush forward.
Because, as they grow up, the ladders will only get taller, and scarier, and much more difficult to climb. And I don’t know about you, but I’d rather help them learn the skills they’ll need to navigate them now, while a misstep means a bumped head or scraped knee that can be healed with a kiss, while the most difficult of hills can be conquered by chanting, “I think I can, I think I can”, and while those 15 whole feet between us still feels, to them, like I’m much too far away"
Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Bath time
Loves bathtime. She gets her little tub filled up with nice warm
water and sits in her little sling while we get her all cleaned up. She
just watches and smiles when we pour the water over her.
Bath by daddy
Checking herself out in the mirror
Daddy says she looks like a Jedi (Star Wars) with her hooded towel
Tuesday, April 30, 2013
Sanity saver?
Our little bug loves to be held. And we love holding
her. But we get nothing done. And our arms can get tired. So I went
and got an Ergo Baby Carrier, which I'd heard great things about and got
a great price on it as I think they're discontinuing some of the fabric
choices.
We haven't used it a lot yet but she enjoys being in it and mommy can get some laundry done!
We haven't used it a lot yet but she enjoys being in it and mommy can get some laundry done!
Monday, April 29, 2013
Weeks 2 + 3
This
little person is the best thing to come into our lives. She's also the
most time consuming thing as she does not like to take very long
daytime naps unless she's being held. Just enough time for me to pick
up one room. While she was awake today though she was much happier and
not wanting to eat the whole time she was up.I even managed to sneak a
shower in before she decided she needed something!! And on a side note, I
fit back into pre-pregnancy jeans today : )
While I've got a minute while she's with Daddy cuddling on the couch, here's some of what she's been up to in weeks two and three.
Likes to spend time on her tummy -- sometimes discovers her thumb
Got some naps in with Grandpa before he left
Last minute cuddles with Oomah
She's got awesome ninja moves
Had her heel poked again for a 2nd newborn check
Is starting to focus and follow on more things
Likes sleeping with her arms up
See what I mean?
Enjoys being outside for walks
Is not amused by our attempts to get her to smile
Sunday, April 14, 2013
She's here!
Most everyone has already heard that our little girl has now joined us in the outside world!! She arrived April 4th. I'll
give some more details about her birth later when I've got more than a
few minutes to myself. For now here's a few pictures of her first week :
)
first diaper by dad at hospital
cuddles with mommy
leaving the hospital
wide awake
and sound asleep
after a bath
with my teddy bear friend
chilling with daddy
Tuesday, March 26, 2013
Moving Day!
We got the keys to our house!! There was a little bit of a delay with some paperwork so we ended up getting to move in on Friday instead of Wednesday, which was kind of a bummer because Chad ended up having to work overnight shifts between the loading and unloading of the Uhaul, but we had some awesome people come help out which we couldn't have done without.
A lot is unpacked already but still some to do before we share some pictures. We already had our first trip to Home Depot for paint for the nursery and some other fun homeowner stuff.
Everything is just about ready for the baby to show up, just a few more things to wash and put away. I think Chad is nesting too - he's got the garage already organized so we can park in it. Today we're 39 weeks and 1 day. I had an appointment this morning but there wasn't much happening to indicate her wanting to come out. I don't think it will be until after April 2nd and have put it out of my head to expect her this week, so hopefully I'm not out anywhere in public if my water breaks!!
Saturday, January 26, 2013
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Sunday, November 18, 2012
Thursday, November 1, 2012
It's A Girl!
We got to go in for our 2nd sonogram appt at 18 weeks and found out we are having a little girl! Luckily she cooperated enough for us to find out even though she was moving all over the place. It was crazy to see how much more she moves compared to what I'm able to feel right now. Nothing big enough for Chad to feel yet but pretty soon I think :)
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Ohhhh Baby!
I was looking for some inspiration and guess I got some!!
We couldn't be happier about the newest addition to our family that will be making it's appearance this spring. It's baby #1 for us, grandchild #1 for my parents, and great grandchild #1 for my grandparents. I'm thinking this kid is going to be SPOILED!!
So far pregnancy has been great. I'm looking forward to summer finally winding down and having time to get some things done before March. I couldn't wait to work on something for the baby, so there's a pair of knitting pants in progress that I'll be able to share soon.
Also thinking about a blog rename that reflects all the aspects of my life now -- living in TX, married life, baby updates, all kinds of projects and eventually all the joys (and repairs) that will come with owning a home! If you've got any ideas, please leave me a comment : )
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