Family | I Should Be Folding Laundry

Archive for Family – Page 3

Big + little

June 13th, 2011

I’m so sorry to be missing from this space for so long. We left town on Friday morning, I was hoping to put up a Friday Morning Coffee post but was so consumed with wrapping up things for work that I just couldn’t swing it.

Apparently, I really can’t do everything. Who knew?

So, before we head back home, how ’bout some photos from this weekend?

Here are the four older cousins!

cousins1

Anna and I – my belly at 22 weeks.

Mom-and-Anna

And all of the kids. Can you believe they belong to us?!

EEATNM

And then we had a fun little naked bootie session. Can you believe how gigantic Eli and Trey are?

Eli-and-Trey-WM-

Eli's-hat

More to come.

Stop looking at Eli’s bootie.

Friday Morning Coffee

March 18th, 2011

I’m sitting on the couch, my laptop on my lap. Eli is playing on the floor in front of me. About every four minutes he crawls up to the couch, stands up and tries to close my laptop. (here he comes, by the way.) I tell him “no” he sits down and tries it again. And again. And again. Finally, I give in and he closes it. I sit, with it shut on my lap, he sits down in front of me, satisfied with his baby powers.

After two minutes, I go to open up my laptop again and he turns his head. Knowing what is going to happen, I just close it on my own. This happens for so long that I finally give up and go take a shower.

So, now I’m showered and dressed, my hair is in rollers and I just gave Eli a bottle. Those words “I just gave Eli a bottle” are so foreign to me because I haven’t really had to do that with him. But since Tuesday, he won’t nurse anytime between 7am and 3pm. This is truth. I still try and try but he’s not interested. So, I’m giving him bottles and he takes them and is much happier after having one. In fact, right now? He is playing and leaving my laptop alone.

He’s teething, I’m pretty sure this is why the change, so I’m hoping he’ll go back, but if not, I’m so happy with our year of nursing. It was one of the biggest struggles of my life, but my goodness, it was completely worth it.

A few weeks ago, I showed you guys this photo and mentioned how the wall color inspired me to paint my walls. Well, I haven’t painted my walls, yet, but I will, don’t worry. I’m bringing this up because many of you asked for the wall color and many of you thought it was my dining room.

Well, I don’t know the wall color and also this is not my dining room, although, I do wish it was. This room belongs to Kelly Rae Roberts (one of my favorite artists. I wrote about her a few years ago after discovering her on Etsy, my love for her remains.) If you go to her blog, be prepared to become completely inspired to live a better life, to clean your home and to try something fun and artistic. She’s powerful that way.

If I ever find out the color, I’ll share it with you, I promise, I will.

I just laid Eli down for a nap and took my rollers out and applied makeup. I look so much like Diane Chambers right now that it’s eerie and I don’t mean her face, I mean her hair. Not really the look I was hoping to achieve but who am I kidding? My hair will be up in a ponytail in no time, so who cares, right?

Finally, we are leaving for Florida on Tuesday morning. We have so much to do before we leave but we are so excited to be taking this time for our family. Even though the weather here has shifted and it feels and smells like spring and my windows! are! open!, I just can’t wait to feel that hot sun on my shoulders and the cool water of the pool chill my body. There is nothing like it.

No agenda, just us.

While in Florida, I’ll be doing a photo session with one of my readers. This excites me so much. One, because I get to meet her and two because how cool that because of this blog, I am able to travel to another state and do a photo session? There’s a lot of happy coming up which makes waking up each morning very easy.

I hope you have much happy coming up, too.

Happy Friday, friends.

(day) dreams

March 14th, 2011

I’ve been around, relaxing with my family, trying to plan for our trip, playing hundreds of games of Uno with Noah, nursing Eli, nursing a clogged duct and not really sleeping at night.

I’m so tired. I go to bed early, but then Eli wakes up at least three times a night. Last Thursday, we had seven interruptions during the night from the three kids and countless interruptions from Brian’s work. I woke up early for a newborn session in Chicago, was gone all day, attended a school function at night and collapsed on the couch after nine. I was running on negative energy. It was then that I realized I was dealing with a clogged duct. I knew I didn’t want mastitis, of course, so I did what I could to fight it. And I did.

I’ve been spending a lot of time dreaming about creative things, surrounding myself virtually with things I love without actually executing anything in real life. And of course, it goes without saying that I surrounded myself with family and that is such love but I love pretty things. I love clean things. I love to be inspired.

I dream about beds and white sheets and sleeping without interruption until the sunlight hits my face.

After waking up, I’m pretty sure I walk into the kitchen, where there are fresh flowers, cut from my garden, of course.

And my kitchen, with it’s ample natural light, not a crumb on the floor or a stain on the counter, the kitchen just waits for me to make coffee in it. Naturally, I’ll poor a cup for Brian. (the kids are still sleeping, obviously.)

Birds are chirping outside. Such a beautiful view, a beautiful sound.

We walk into the living room, coffee in hand. We sit in silence knowing that soon, our three babies will be joining us, begging us for Daddy’s famous pancakes. (I may have whispered in their ears the night before “be sure to ask for Daddy’s pancakes.” Because I love them just as much.)

I see birds outside and grab my camera, the flowers are blooming, I crack the window and can smell the sweet aroma. There is no ugly winter here. Nope. Not in my dreams.

That magnolia tree never fails to amaze me.

I hop into the shower after delicious pancakes and sweet hugs and play time with the family.

Spring puts me in the mood for my favorite bracelet. I go to my room and open my organized drawer, there it is. Not entangled with anything else, just waiting, peacefully, for me to place it on my wrist.

I walk into my office to download photos and to email a few clients. I promised to not work more than an hour today. (see where my assistant sits? She’s the best assistant ever.)

That promise to not work for long will be easy to keep since we plan to spend the whole day by the pool.

So, you see, it’s not that I haven’t been around, I’ve just been busy dreaming.

And not sleeping.

(all images found on Pinterest, of course.)

Breakroom chatter

March 7th, 2011

You know how you ask someone how their weekend was and that person is like “oh, it was great, let me show you some photos” and then they reach for their iPhone and you’re stuck, looking at photos of people you don’t know when really the only reason you asked was because you accidentally made eye contact with them when you were reaching for a donut?

That’s what I’m going to do to you. Except, it’s on my blog and not my iPhone and you can easily step away from the photos and also, I wish I was near a donut.

I’ve been so busy trying to catch up on life that I can’t seem to formulate words today but I can show you photos of cute kids.

Oh yes, I can.

birthday-boy

This is my nephew and the reason we went down to visit my sister. He’s turning six this week. His birthday party was a basketball theme party, they served nachos, hot dogs, soft pretzels and popcorn which qualifies that dinner as the best dinner ever.

best-friend

This is my niece, Mary. She’s my best friend and I’m her best friend. We literally call each other “best friend.” She’s so sweet. After I take a shower and get ready, she says “Hi Best Friend, I like your shower.”

And this is Mary’s little brother, Trey. He’s just a little more than three months older than Eli.

Trey

Trey was terribly shy in front of the camera.

Here’s Eli and Trey together.

friends

And here are my sister’s big kids and my big kids sitting together. They all get along so well.

kiddies

Just like their Mamas.

Beautiful puzzle

March 1st, 2011

I’m home, sitting at my desk, Eli is sleeping, the kids in school, Brian at work.

Yesterday, I was in Nebraska with Eli and my Mom sitting in my sister’s living room, drinking coffee, Brian was home from work, Anna and Noah were both home from school because of sickness. In total, Noah missed six days of school and Anna missed two. Yesterday was so different; today so normal, almost ordinary.

The reality is, however, nothing really feels ordinary right now, no matter what motions I walk through today because my heart feels different.

It’s bigger, fuller, swollen, near explosion. This weekend as I attend my photography workshop, there was a lot of downtime which left me time to reflect on my life.

I thought about how I was able to attend the workshop, all of the people who surrounded me with support to make sure it happened, people to watch Eli while I was at the workshop, people to watch Anna and Noah while I was away, a husband to take care of them and clean the entire house and do laundry so I could come home and not play catch-up. A husband who not only financially supported this workshop but a husband who nudged me to go, who calmed by fears of not being good enough. My sister, who so willingly offered us her home to stay, who is so hilarious and such a bright light in this universe. My Mom who makes me believe I can do anything, who taught that to me very early on, one who helps out so much with Eli and well, with life. I have friends who offer me amazing support, those who never doubt my talents, those that encourage me to continue my quest to be among the best.

I’m simply in awe. Even by all of you. For years you have watched me with this, watch me ponder and make the decision, jump in and learn everything I could get my hands on. And right now, today, I feel launched. (I can’t find a better word to describe it.) Like, I’ve been propelled, even higher than I ever dreamed I’d be on this first day of March in 2011.

These people who surround me and love me, the family, my friends, my readers and me. It’s like we have come together and created this puzzle.

This beautiful, blessed, one-of-a-kind puzzle.

I’m just feeling so grateful for all of this.

This is just one of the many photos taken this weekend. (the props do not belong to me.)

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