Ages

Yup. It's been ages.

Two kids has been.... hard. Nora will be one next month which is just crazy. I have felt like I'm starting to get some energy again and am more interested in getting out of the house. I also have some crafty juices flowing, just in time for the holidays.

This kid is just crazy. An easy going baby has turned into a wild child. I adore his questions about the world and they just get harder and harder to answer. Parent strategizing meetings happen daily these days.

...and this one. She's awesome. They both are really but she's just at a great age - exploring, moving, happy just to watch the hustle and bustle that is life with her brother.

and us. We're awesome.  I am the luckiest woman to have a husband that's so invested in being an engaged dad and partner.

Hello Again

I'm back! going to try to start posting here more. That will surely mean lowering my standards for posting but they weren't that high to begin with I guess :)

Our sweet new babe arrived this past December. Nora Anne

I hope to start posting here to help process these big changes happening in our family as we all get used to a new member of our family. Qais has changed so much with his new role as big brother and the fact that he'll be turning 3 next week! Yikes. Some days I'm so happy and grateful for everything I have (awesome husband and 2 kids, roof over my head and yummy food in my belly) and some days I want to crawl in a hole because I'm so overwhelmed. Every day gets easier though.

Goodbye Spring

I love seasonal changes, especially now that I have a kid. Spring and Fall are probably my favorite seasons since they have the best weather here in the southeast but they always feel too short. This spring was no different. The weather was great....until it got too hot. This spring however, was not too short, I couldn't wait to see it go actually.

All spring I wanted to write a blog post about happy spring-y new life budding happiness. But you know what? This spring has been rough. Instead of symbols of rebirth and new growth we've had far far too many deaths and illnesses in our small bubble of family and friends. We've spent way too much time in hospitals in this spring, and consoling loved ones and crying our own tears. I just want to scoop up my loved ones and make their lives okay again.

It hasn't all been awful, there have been some beautiful little moments and it's hard not to smile at my silly boy(s). Focusing so much on the pain of others has made it easy to ignore the one budding life that has persisted through these rough months. I woke up yesterday morning and realized I could deny it no longer...

Qais will be a big brother in December :)

Important Work

Simple play goes hand in hand another favorite activity these days - work. Toddler work is very very important stuff ;)

Cooking and yard work are probably the favorites, but he enjoys cleaning too, and really just carrying things around for me is super fun apparently ;)

I must admit I am really not good at letting the little boy "help" as it usually results in a big mess and there are enough messes around here to begin with. But when I do manage to let him, I swear I can see the gears in his brain working and his entire demeanor changes as he approaches these tasks with such a sense of purpose and satisfaction. As with most parenting challenges I am having to reassess my priorities. Messes can (almost) always be cleaned up. There's important stuff going on :)

Simple Play

Another long absence. I blame it on my busy toddler :)

Let's just jump right in and let me show you how we're keeping busy... with the simplest of all activities.

rocks + sticks + water = endless toddler fun

Trying really hard to enjoy the toddler pace, let this stand as a reminder of how great it is to watch him discover this simple play.

Four Things

Inspired by my friend Lapoli and her inspiring thoughts on simplicity we adopted this mantra around yesterdays gift giving. Four things - something you want, something you need, something to wear and something to read. They don't have to be 4 separate things if something falls into more than one category. I have to say that it really worked for us! We don't routinely give gifts to each other but when it comes to Q it's hard not to overdo it.

Without further ado, here are Q's four things...

something you want

something you need

something to wear

and something to read

He loves them all but ironically I think the raincoat is his favorite thing ever!

Happy Birthday!

to my sweet sweet 2 year old

this years birthday celebrations had some serious lessons in letting go for me. Letting go of my baby.... and letting go of my near constant desire to have done more. Last year there were many more handmade touches than this year but his excitement and enthusiasm was so fulfilling that I don't regret how things unfolded one bit.