Tuesday, November 1, 2016

Halloween Recap

Happy Halloween!

There’s no denying that kids make all the holidays more fun. I’m not usually a Halloween fan, but sharing in the excitement with Charlie this year made for some fun memories.

We went to the orchard a couple weeks ago to pick out some pumpkins.

Then we carved them. Charlie wanted a monster and a monster truck. So I did my best.

I was impressed that he was actually semi-helpful in scooping out the pumpkin seeds and he stuck around the whole time I was carving the pumpkin rather then running off to do something else.

And of course the main event required costumes. Charlie has become a big Star Wars fan, despite not being allowed to see the movies yet, being only 4. But somehow he still knows all the characters and loves to pretend he is a storm trooper. So for Halloween, we went with a Star Wars theme.

Our town has a great family friendly trick-or-treating event on Main Street each year, so we spent the evening walking up and down the street, admiring all the other people in their costumes, and collecting a bucketful of candy.

My favorite moment of the night: after dinner Charlie asked for some dessert. I told him no, because he would want to eat some of the candy he got trick-or-treating once we got home. At which point his eyes got real big and he said, “We’re going to get candy!?”

I have a feeling he’ll know what’s going on a bit better next year.

Permalink | Filed under: everyday life

Tuesday, October 25, 2016

These Days // 24

I’ve had a lot of questions recently about my blog. Mostly along the lines of, “Have you quit?” or “Have my updates stopped working?” This make me feel three things.
1. Disappointed in myself for letting this little space slide for so long.
2. Surprised that anyone even notices.
3. Flattered that people apparently enjoy my ramblings enough to check in and make sure they aren’t missing something.

I’ve been meaning to write a blog post to catch everyone up on my life for quite some time. But it’s been so long I can’t wrap my head around where to begin or what to include. So instead I’ll just let you know what’s happening these days.

expecting: Baby #3. Yep, we have a new little man preparing to make his big debut into our family in late January. This is also a big part of why I haven’t blogged in forever. Pregnancy saps a lot of energy and brain function. And when you have two other kids to raise, anything that’s left goes to them. It’s a happy reason be exhausted though, and I’ve been thankful to have a relatively healthy and boring pregnancy so far.

planning: a renovation to help make room for this baby. I’m reluctantly coming to accept that the baby will probably be here before the extra space is, but that doesn’t stop me from coming up with more ideas of projects to do around the house.

growing: a small summer garden. It’s been a fun project, and is pretty much winding down for the fall. But I have lots of ideas of what I’d like to do to expand and make it better next year.

styling: tiny pigtails and ponytails. Poppy’s hair is getting long enough to play with a little bit and I just can’t get enough of it!

teaching: preschool to Charlie. We’re dipping our toes into slightly more formal schooling this year with some reading and math curriculum. So far we both enjoy it, so I’m calling that a success!

hoping: I can get back in the swing of writing and sharing here more regularly. I’ve missed it. We’ll see!

Permalink | Filed under: everyday life, these days

Thursday, May 19, 2016

Nine Years of I Love You’s

Today we celebrate 9 years of marriage. The celebration will be more in our minds than in reality. After all, there is life to live, laundry to do, two kids to feed and keep alive and get to sleep at the end of the day. But there are plans for a weekend brunch to look forward to. We know how to party.

We say “I love you” frequently. We always have. Sometimes it almost feels more like a habit than a phrase as full of meaning as it is. But maybe, really, that’s what love is. A habit. A way of choosing someone over and over and so much by default that it can be easy to forget how much power it holds. But the power is still there. And the power is in the habit. And that habit is what is going to hold your love together even when things get hard.

It’s interesting to look back on our lives together and reflect on how things have changed. In in these years of saying I love you, I feel like the meaning has shifted, slightly. The old meanings are still there, the bubbly, joyous, make my heart go pitter-patter meanings, but there are added layers now. A bit more reality and determination. A lot more humility.

I love you used to mean “You’re perfect for me!”
Now, I love you means, “I know I’m not perfect, but I hope you know I’m trying my best for you.”
Now, I love you means, “I know you’re not perfect, but you don’t have to be for me.”

I love you used to mean, “Life with you is going to be glorious!”
Now, I love you means, “Life is hard, and sometimes boring and frustrating, but I’m glad I’m spending it with you.”

I love you used to mean, “I’m excited to help you live out your dreams!”
Now, I love you means “I know you’re disappointed that your dreams haven’t quite come true, but I still believe in you.”

I love you used to mean, “I think you’re brilliant!”
Now, I love you means, “I don’t know what I’m doing, but thanks for still supporting me.”

I love you used to mean, “I’ll never let you get hurt.”
Now, I love you means, “When your heart hurts, mine does too.”

I love you means “I’m sorry.”
I love you means “I forgive you.”

I love you used to mean, “You’re my favorite.”
Now, I love you means, “That hasn’t changed.”

Who knows what the next 9 years will bring and what layers it will add to our “I love you’s.” I do know that we will keep on saying it. The habit is strong.

Happy Anniversary, husband of mine. Thanks for the 9 years of I love you’s.

Permalink | Filed under: marriage

Monday, April 11, 2016

My Yard in Spring

I like to think that I’m the kind of mom that takes her kids out on adventures to commune with nature. That I encourage curiosity and exploration. But the reality is that we rarely leave our backyard. (And then we only venture out on the pretty days.) Sometimes I worry that my children will miss out on all the important things nature has to teach them.

But then we spend a little time looking closely (and I might whip out my camera as well) and I realize that there’s an awful lot of nature to experience within a few feet of my backdoor.

So maybe I won’t worry that my kids aren’t getting enough nature. Maybe we’ll just pay more attention to what is happening in our own backyard.

Permalink | Filed under: everyday life, kids, outdoors

Wednesday, April 6, 2016

These Days // 23

It’s high time we had an update in this space. Here are some of the regular life things happening these days:

Planting: a garden. My sister likes to garden but has no yard. I have a yard, but not enough focus to plant a garden on my own. So we’re working together and broke ground on our little garden this weekend. I’m so excited!

planting

Decluttering: craft supplies, the kitchen, and kids toys. I’m still working my way through the KonMari method and I’m liking the changes so far. Be on the lookout for more detailed posts about each category.

Kitchen sneak peak.

Admiring: the violets in our yard. It’s one of my favorite parts of Spring. I love seeing the fresh new grass dotted all over with purple.

violets

Celebrating: all the things! Since I last wrote Charlie had a birthday…

4 cupcake

And then less than a month later began the quadruple whammy of celebration in my family. My two sisters’ birthdays, my dad’s birthday, and Easter all happen within about 20 days of each other. So we made sure to celebrate it all on Easter weekend when we could all be together.

This involved cake…