Currently | November

I'm currently...

missing my niece, Zoey.

packing for a spontaneous trip to Southern California.

reading this blog post and this blog post, both filled with tips for taking a toddler to Disneyland.  

boxing up all of my used rubber stamps to send off to my cousin.  (Thanks, Chris!)

eating yummy fresh pineapple.

listening to this podcast with Ali Edwards.

sporting my first ever pair of Converse shoes. (They're rad.) 

enjoying a massage.

piecing together a fall/winter capsule wardrobe. 

finishing up Music Together classes with Noah and Zoey. 

looking forward to doing it all again come January.

laughing out loud at this video. (If you have young kids, I think you'll chuckle too.)

scrapping my Week in the Life book using Simple Stories supplies. (I just discovered their products at Michael's and I'm in l-o-v-e!) 

doing more cleaning than I've done in awhile.

enjoying lunch and a pedicure with two of my favorite Mountain Moms. 

checking off my holiday shopping list. 

feeling grateful for time with Noah.

typing up three things each morning (that have happened within the last 24 hours) for which I am grateful. (And it's so cool to read back through my list from the last week and relive all the good things that have happened.)

renting this lens for our trip. (I'm ridiculously excited to shoot with it!)

loving these free printable thank you cards.  

What's happening with you currently?

Happy 2nd Birthday, Zoey!

Today, we celebrate a special little girl who entered the world two years ago.

I remember the day my niece Zoey was born very well--for I was in the delivery room--along with my sister, Nichole (Zoey's mom), and my mom.

It was my first time (and so far, the only time) witnessing a child take her first breath.

I know what you're likely thinking: But what about your adopted son, Noah? For reasons beyond my control, I wasn't there. But it's probably for the best...since he was delivered by C-section and I might have fainted at the sight of, you know, blood and stuff. I'm serious, I faint so easily--just ask my mom, dad, fifth grade teacher (long story!), or husband. (Perhaps, I'm part goat?! Just kidding.)


WOW, that was quite a tangent.  Let's get back to Zoey's birth, shall we!

It was nothing short of miraculous. A God moment, for sure. The kind that gives you goosebumps and makes you tear up. (I was tearing up then, and I'm tearing up now thinking about it.)

I remember holding my sister's hand during labor, and then letting go just as Zoey made her appearance so I could capture the moment with my DSLR camera (which at the time was my Nikon D90).

I won't be sharing those pictures here (for obvious reasons), but I'll always treasure those photographs. And I know my sister does too.

Instead, I am sharing this series of photos which I took on Thanksgiving in 2012. (And if you want to see a photo of 2-day-old Zoey and 10-month-old Noah, check out this blog post.)

Oh my, Zoey was so little (which in my head comes out wittle).

Sometimes, smiley.

Sometimes, sleepy.


She was precious then, and she's precious now.  

Over the past four months, Zoey (whom I affectionately call Zo-Zo), has danced her way right into my heart. 

I've hugged and played and bathed her.

I've fed and comforted and clothed her.

I've cuddled and tickled and read to her.

She's become like a daughter to me.


I have no idea what the future holds, but I know one thing for certain: Zoey will always occupy a special place in my heart.

When I think about being Zoey's aunt and what a blessing it has been, I think of my aunt Susie (my dad's sister), who was also in the delivery room the day I was born. 

Way back in 1978, forever and ever ago, when Susie was just 16 years old.

That's what happens, time marches on. 

The bond I have with my aunt has always been special. She's always made me feel loved and supported. 

She's cheered me on in countless ways--like in 2006 when I opened up an Etsy shop to sell handmade greeting cards and she was one of my first customers.

Not only has she loved and supported me, but she's also taught me through her actions what it means to care for others. What it means to set aside your own wants and serve others. She's taught me that it's important to show up, even when it's not easy or convenient.

Like she did over five years ago, weekend after weekend, when her mother got sick and needed care. During that difficult time, my aunt Susie showed such strength, such compassion, such devotion.

She's also taught me that it's important to laugh--sometimes, at yourself--especially when it comes to being a mom.
 
I'm hopeful that I'll learn more from my aunt in the coming years. And, in the future, I hope to model some of these same qualities, these same actions, for my niece, Zoey--and of course, for my son, Noah.

But for today, I'm going to stay right here rooted in the present. I'm going to focus on celebrating Zoey--and her two years of life--among family.

We're planning to live it up, Elmo-style (because well, Zoe IS Elmo's best friend after all!), and celebrate a sweet, smart, spunky, and silly girl (my left-brain loves that all those adjectives begin with the letter s!) whom we've all come to adore.

Zoey: Thank you for blessing our whole family (including your mom, Uncle Brian, Cousin Noah, Nonni, Pop, Aunt Katie, Uncle Preston, me and many others) with your light.  

Keep shining on, sweet girl. 

We love you. 

P.S. Speaking of Aunt Katie and Uncle Preston: Happy Anniversary, you two! Hope you have fun today celebrating your first year of marriage. We wish you many more years of happiness!

Currently

 
loving this photo of my nearly 2-year-old niece, Zoey. (I'm slowly learning how to shoot with my Canon 5D Mark III!)

delighting in the colors of the fall leaves. 

enjoying family days spent at two pumpkin patches.

riding a train at Bishop's Pumpkin Farm in the animal car. Noah's favorite part?  Going through the tunnel.

cleaning out our kitchen junk drawer. 

touring an apple orchard in Auburn. 

drinking water...and more water. (After months of trying, I've nearly eliminated all soda from my diet.)

running on the treadmill 2-3 times a week.

considering creating a capsule wardrobe, either this fall or next spring.  

discovering how exhausting and gratifying it can be to care for two toddlers.
 
singing "Jingle Bells" during bath time last night.  (I know, I know, it's only October.  But I'm already excited for Christmas!)

snapping lots of photos with my iPhone and very few with my big camera. 

reading JoJo Moyes' The Girl You Left Behind. (I read Me Before You first and really enjoyed it.) I'm about 70% in, and I'm curious as to how Ms. Moyes is going to weave together all of the elements of the story as well as produce a satisfying ending.

praying more than I have in a long time. 

planning to spend this Sunday at Apple Hill, continuing on a tradition we started years ago, with our good friends, the Liotines. (Here's a look at past years: 2012, 2011, 2009, 2008.)  

editing photos from our trip to Oregon in July.  Yes, you read that right: July! I'm just a wee bit behind... 

struggling to go to bed any earlier than 11:30 pm most nights.  

looking forward to spending a weekend away with my husband at the end of the month. 

What's {currently} happening with you?

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Bring on the Music

Noah & Teacher Beth

Earlier this month, Noah, Zoey, Brian and I began attending a Music Together class once a week.

Teacher Beth started the first class by giving all of us--parents and grandparents--permission to "let your inner child out." To  hum, dance, march, sing, and play instruments.  To just follow her and do what she does.

She also said, "The kiddos do not have to sit in your lap or stand next to you." I could literally feel the stress being released from my shoulders.

During the session, Noah (32-months-old) and Zoey (22-months-old) did A LOT of observing--watching the teacher, watching the other kids, and watching me.

I sang (I love to sing!) and twirled and threw scarves in the air.  I marched and chugged and shook a tambourine.

One time, I looked over at Noah and he was giving me a look like, What are you doing, Mom? Are you crazy?

Maybe a little. Ha!

For the most part, Noah and Zoey were doing really well.  But then Teacher Beth turned off the lights and a boy whose voice I recognized yelled out, "I DON WANNA TAKE A REST!"

Even though my back was to him and he was a good 20 feet away standing near the door, I knew it was Noah. My child--who really doesn't like going down for a nap right now. 

I smiled.  And chuckled alongside a few of the other parents.

Fast forward to the second week...Noah and Zoey did a little less observing and more participating.

Noah didn't always march when Teacher Beth marched or hum when we hummed. And that's perfectly okay.

Later on that day in the bathtub, he started singing a tune from class ("Hello to [Insert Name], So Glad to See You"). And in the car the following day, he talked about how much fun it was to play Teacher Beth's ukelele.

Oh yes, he's listening.

Oh yes, he's absorbing.

Oh yes, he's digging it.

We can't wait for next week's class.

Bring on the music!

Happy Layout

I just can't resist Scrapbook Circle's sketch challenges!  Smile.

For the August challenge, I decided to create a layout about me.

I adore this photo of Noah, Zoey (my niece) and me taken in late March, so I printed it in both color and black + white.


I wrote the journaling on this little tag, which easily slides behind the right photo.

It reads: HAPPY ... as a mama, aunt, wife, scrapbooker, writer, blogger, photographer, runner, reader, traveler, foodie, lifelong learner, hiker, Christian, documenter, thinker, introvert, country music lover, and tidy upper. 
 

December Daily, Days 10-17

Hello there!

I'm back to share eight more days from my December Daily album.  (If you missed Days 1-9, click here.)  

December 10: Rather than share a picture today, I decided to do a bit of journaling using the "loving" prompt.  I stamped l-o-v-i-n-g using a Studio g alphabet stamp set and Stampin' Up! ink.   

December 11: Noah still loves to ride in his swing, so when it's not raining, we bundle him up in a sweatshirt and/or jacket and head outside.  

December 12: I placed the overlay on top of my photo in Photoshop Elements and had it printed at Costco.  But as you can see, I must have done something wrong because the overlay and journaling are cut off on the sides.  After Christmas, I plan to fix it and reprint it.        

Journaling reads: Peek-a-boo is one of Noah's favorite games right now!  He loves to crawl underneath the tree stand, hiding until we say, "Where's Noah?"  Then, he peeks out, smiling and giggling.  I respond enthusiastically, "There you are!"  and he disappears again.


December 13:  You might notice that Noah has the same pajamas on as he did in the previous photo.  That's because I took both photos on December 12!  I couldn't decide which one I liked better, so I included both--one for the 12th and one for the 13th.    

Journaling reads: Noah loves pushing this toy cart around the family room, dining room, and kitchen.  He's also fond of moving dining chairs, his high chair--and even a side table--around, too.  It's so much fun watching him cruise around, gaining more and more confidence with each passing day.

December 14:  On this day (and in subsequent days), my thoughts and prayers were with the people of Newtown, Connecticut.  This quote from Mr. Rogers is a perfect one to acknowledge the tragedy, while reminding us to look for the good, for those who are helping others.  A big thanks to Cathy Zielske for offering this free printable on her blog. 

December 15: I mailed our Christmas cards today!  Thanks to CardsEtcetera for the card design, and Vistaprint for printing all 70 cards, front and back.

December 16: I sat down at my computer and typed for five minutes, writing whatever came to mind as I thought about Christmas.  With the words I generated, I created this word cloud using Wordle.  It was fun to change the font and color of the text, as well as the shape of the "cloud."  If you want to create your own word cloud, click here.  Keep in mind: If you want a word to appear larger than the others, be sure to include it multiple times in your text.   

December 17: Noah had a fun day hanging out with his cousins, McKayla and Zoey! 

I'll be back after Christmas with Days 18-25. 

Wishing you a very Merry Christmas!

Right Now

I'm...

Loving this picture of Noah kissing his brand new cousin, Zoey, who was born yesterday morning.  (Congrats to my sister, Nichole!)

Attending Mother Goose on the Loose at the library.

Processing pictures from Apple Hill, Notre Dame, and Halloween.

Enjoying a breakfast date with my hubby.

Baby proofing the kitchen, laundry room, and bathroom cabinets.

Folding laundry.

Running short distances (2-3 miles) on the treadmill.  

Contemplating my next running goal now that I've completed a half marathon.

Writing a thank you note to a friend for her amazing strawberry jam.   

Printing pictures for Noah's birth mother.

Creating packing lists for our upcoming trip to Portland. 

Reading Extraordinary, Ordinary People by Condoleeza Rice, a digital title I "checked out" from the library.

Perusing the HearthSong catalog for kids' Christmas ideas.

Doing the Hokey Pokey in the kitchen with Noah.

Crafting an article about photography that is aimed at kids, ages 8-11.   

Welcoming the practice of daily gratitude, typing one thing I'm thankful for each day on my iPhone.