As a mother of multiple children I love all my children equally but there are stages of my children's development that I enjoy more than others. To be honest, these stages of enjoyment have changed over the years as I've matured and gained greater understanding in child development and what exactly to expect of children as they grow and develop.
I remember when my first was in her toddler years and I would get so upset with things that she did. I just didn't understand what would possess someone to dump a whole bag of chips on the floor - over and over and over again!!! I chuckle now in remembrance and ignorance of a new mother. In her mind, "Why not?!?!"
I am grateful for the chance to mother another daughter through those younger years and while she still does a fair amount of things that test my limits, I am thoroughly enjoying this stage she is in. She is growing and developing so fast. We have had some concern about her language and I have no doubt she is slightly speech delayed, but it's coming and it is so fun to watch her make new connections and say new things on a daily basis.
One of my most favorite things at this stage is her individualized words for things. For example, a drink is a mink, hungry is hunngee, and put-put golf is Puck-a-Lou!!!! Puck-a-Lou is my absolute favorite especially as she says it loudly, as she tilts her head back, puckers her lips, and lets the Louuuuu string out long and clear. It is just about the cutest thing ever. She is the pea in my pod right now and I am just soaking up every second I have with her before this new baby comes. I will be sad for our individual time to end but the benefits of a sibling will far out way anything I may feel we will miss. Daily, I take every chance I get to kiss and snuggle and eat up this adorable face. She is one of my 5 (my hubby's included in this number), soon to be 6 greatest blessings!! Wouldn't you agree?
Thanks for indulging me over the weekend with my pregnancy meltdown post! A girl's entitled to one every now and then right?!?! If you happened to miss it, go HERE. I must admit, I liked typing that post. The reason is that I am so much more than decorating and renovating. I have so many thoughts and ideas in my head and a blog is a great place to express and share those ideas and sides of me. I have a soft side, a feisty side, a compassionate side, and a "lace up your boots and get to work"side. I love to cook and decorate, but I also like to watch a good movie or get lost in a good book. I love my children forever but I don't always like them and I am grateful for awesome friends but at times feel lonely and forgotten. I have a passion for my religion like no other and love to feel God near. My husband is my everything and I don't know what I would do without him. In short, I'm a human being with the range of emotions and interests just like everyone else and I think it's important to share every side of me here. So, I'm not quite sure where that will take me but I'm hoping it will give me a chance to be a better blogger and for all of you to feel more connected to me. It's going to require me to dig deep at times because I do care what others think but you really have to not care in order to be real and true - and I'm all about REAL! It will be an adventure!
After my rant on Saturday my 5 year old was BEGGING me to get out my fall decorations. He really cracks me up with his excitement. It's contagious and he was not letting me off the hook. I was so glad too because by the end of the night my house looked so much better and just made me happy! I know earthly things don't make us happy, but when things are pretty, they can make the things that really do matter so much more meaningful.
Since this is a new house I have to work a little bit at finding a good spot for everything. Today I'm going to just share my mantle because I love how it turned out!
Having a theme or one central piece is usually a good place to start in your decorating. When Greg and I were over in Kansas City for his half marathon last week he humored me after and let me do some vintage decor shopping. The first shop we went into had this little lady on display and I snatched her up for $6. We affectionately call her the "Pumpkin Witch".
As I took all my decorations out I came across this sign which I've had for years and it just fit so perfectly with my new picture and her hand gesture.
With these two things I proceeded to build my own little "Pumpkin Patch" along my mantle and around the base of my fireplace. I love it!! It's fun and whimsical but still tasteful and classy. I apologize for the glare, there was little I could do about it.
Here is one of my favorite decorating tips that I'm going to pass on to all of you. When decorating, find at least one piece that is "out there". What I mean by this is, find something unique and fun that is not expected. It draws people in and gives an element of intrigue that doesn't exist if you just do everything predictable. This can be done when decorating with a theme like fall or Christmas as well as in everyday design. The perfect example of this was in my old house in the dining room. In every way, that room was traditional. The color, table, mirror, and rug all had very traditional lines, but then I threw in a very modern chandelier. That room was my favorite in the whole house. It drew you in and left you wanting to see more.
Don't' be afraid to test the limits. You can go edgy and still achieve the look you want. I challenge you to try it this holiday season and I'd love to see what you come up with!
I hope this starts you off for a great week! Our master bathroom is going to get going this week!! So excited and terrified about that. Lots of choices that are permanent lay ahead. Wish me luck!
Happiest of Mondays!
This is going to be messy and raw and perfect in no way. But it's real and true and 100% me at this very moment. Let's be clear here my friends, pregnancy is not easy and it is not always fun. There is not always a glow and there is not 9 months of bliss to have another human being growing inside you. You don't always feel cute to have this ball of baby hanging off the front of you and you don't always feel pretty in those maternity clothes. You cry at the drop of a hat at dumb Facebook videos about kittens and your husband can do little right - which also makes you cry. You long for deep uninterrupted sleep on your stomach or to sleep on your back without feeling like your going to be suffocated from the ever growing bowling ball pushing on your lungs and giving you terrible heart burn. You long to run, lift heavy things, and bend over and pick something up off the floor without having to do some awkward partial bend-squat because there is literally no way to bend your body in half any more. You pray to make it through the day and accomplish at least something meaningful before your feet, hips, and back start screaming in pain and any ounce of will leaves you before you collapse in a heap of growing flesh to catch a fitful nap while your toddler sleeps and your big kids are still at school. You have desires to eat well, but why bother, you feel out of control as it is so who cares if you eat that cupcake? You start having serious conversations with Deity as to why this whole thing takes 9 months in the first place when you are cooked and done by about month 7! And then if you are an experienced mother, you quickly take it all back because you know what actually comes AFTER having the baby and you beg for every minute you have because that event changes everything and puts you in a whole new category of not being responsible for your actions for at least a year. You remember that as bad as pregnancy brain is, post pregnancy brain is worse and you know it will be at least until that little bundle of joy is digging into their first birthday cake that you will start to feel like a human being again. You know that you might as well eat a cupcake now because no matter how big you feel, post baby body is not mirror worthy and there will be plenty of time to eat those carrots and zucchini. You know that the sleep that seems elusive now will plain not exist and being awake between 1am and 5am is the new normal. You know that having a baby brings a whole new pain in your nether regions as well as the pain no one ever bothers to tell you will occur from having something suck every two hours on your breast - screw those who tell you it's due to latch or tongue-tie, it's just plain hurts! While you can finally sleep on your back without fear of suffocation, you still don't sleep because rarely does baby sleep when you can. You know that soon those dumb Facebook videos that use to make you cry will really only irritate you and your husband, well he's just doomed until further notice. Because having a newborn is hard and while they are cute and yours, you still don't know them and they take every ounce of energy and mental power to keep them and yourself functioning and going towards that year mark when you look at them one day and there is this cosmic understanding between the two of you that you made it together and while it wasn't always pretty you both pushed each other to become better individuals and that both your hearts are wrapped eternally together and while there are many years ahead, you will always be there together pushing and pulling to make it work. And then, there seems to be this amnesia that sets in making the last year and 9 months fade away like a dream you can't quite remember every detail about since it occurred in that sweet spot between wake and sleep and yet you find yourself wishing you could go back to that spot to remember it because it was warm and safe and left you wanting more. That's when you turn and realize this ever patient man in bed next to you who you love for giving you the chance to experience the dream in the first place and well, you just might be ready to start thinking about doing the whole thing over again. And you better hurry, because that adorable one year old will soon be two and then you're off to a whole new game. But first, you turn over for a full night of sleep on your stomach.
