eight

dear baby girls, 

today you are eight months old - can you believe it?  that's two-thirds of a year!  it's funny, because the months (and i'm sure the years, once we get that far) fly by, but sometimes the minutes and days seem so long!  not that i don't love being with you, because i do - i love you to the moon and back, like i tell you every time i lay you down for a nap; but this parenting thing can be tough!  i struggle sometimes, because i want to be the perfect mom and have everything together even though i know that's unrealistic and silly.  but the Lord has been using you to teach me over and over again that His grace is sufficient and that He is in control (not me!) - i just need to lean on Him, trust and obey as i learn what it looks like to be a Godly mother and wife.  i know i will fall short, but thank God for grace and new mercies every morning - He is so good, girls!

you two are changing so fast and learning so much every day.  Aria, you are my talker: you talk and talk and when i copy your sounds and babble back, you grin from ear to ear. You're happy to have a conversation with anyone who'll listen; you even chatter from your crib when i put you down for naps!  we often walk by saying "bla, bla, bla" just to hear you say it back - it is too cute.  i am so looking forward to being able to understand what you're telling me and hearing what's on your heart and in that head of yours.  Ivy, you are my watcher:  you notice every little thing that goes on around you.  i often catch you peering over the edge of your exersaucer full of curiosity or looking around the corner to see where the sounds you're hearing are coming from.  it'll be so much fun to discover things together as you grow up!  sometimes though, you're a little too observant - like when you notice that soother in your sister's mouth and decide you need both yours and hers.  you know, that's the kind of thing that comes up in wedding speeches - just sayin'!  ;) 

you two are still so tiny (although you've come a long way since birth) - you're only in the first percentile for weight, actually!  so we've spent this past month trying all kinds of new foods to help you put on some ounces (maybe even pounds, finger crossed!).  we do three meals of solids a day now - you love oats with bananas for breakfast and you'll eat avocados anywhere, anytime (just like mama on that one!).  you're not always keen on new foods, but with some positive reinforcement, you're usually pretty good sports about it.

and at the end of the day, when you're fast asleep, you girlies still manage to melt my heart - i cherish our time together during your your "dream feed" every night.  you're so snuggly and you make the most precious sleep sounds!  i think i'm going to miss you at night once you're big enough to not need these quiet late night feeds anymore.  after your feed, i always set each of you down on your own side of the crib, only to find you cuddled together when i come in to call it a night - it brings a smile to my face every single time, believe it or not, it never gets old.  

well girlies, i should be off.  happy eight months - daddy and i are so excited for what's ahead of us as you grow into who the Lord has intended you to be.  We love you and pray for you every day, our beautiful blessing babies.

love, 

your mom  

he loves me

i know this...

...because his aunt tells me that she's never heard him talk about any girl like he does about me

...because he's patient with me
...because he's willing to share his peanut M&Ms with me, knowing that i will spit out the peanuts
...because he lets me sleep on his pillow while my side of the bed sits wide open

...because he doesn't think i'm too crazy for trying a creme egg every Easter, even though i hate them
...because he laughs at my corny jokes
...because he eats "interesting" foods for me
...because tries all kinds of things that he knows he won't like, just because i asked him to

etc etc etc

i picked a heck of a guy to marry

Monday, he came home from a long day of work,
laced up his runners,

and ran alongside me

for my first post-pregnancy run

our first family run
i know it seems silly, but it was a bit of a big deal to me

i was beaming and didn't know it
he told me i really needed to wipe that grin off my face
we both chuckled
and i kept on grinning
when we got home, he helped feed our by-then screaming daughters
tucked them into bed
and let me talk him into doing a Jillian Michaels work out with me

let me tell you something about us:
we're polar opposites
i love to run and strength train
him...not so much.
but he still does it because he knows i love it
and i love him

feels good to be back in my running shoes again!

Camping Part Three: Heading Home

something happened over the weekend

i saw the leaves start to turn

fiery reds popped up in the lush green trees that lined the streets

a cool (or dare i say cold) breeze made its way through our windows overnight

i felt a knot in my stomach

and a lump in my throat

my annual end of summer meltdown threatened to rear its ugly head

except...i don't feel quite as panicked this year as i've felt in the past

maybe because my summer this year wasn't spent chasing the sun, soaking up every ray possible

i was busy holding little hands, wiping little faces, hearing little giggles

don't get me wrong, i still enjoyed it - it was just...different
and those little hands, faces and giggles that made my summer so special don't end with the season

and i'm actually kind of eager to see what the next season will be like with my baby girls

its like that first day of school giddiness that i talked about in my very first post on this blog 

(already two years ago, believe it or not!)

so here's my last camping installment...perhaps the last "summery" post before switching gears to pumpkins, blankets, baking, board games, hot chocolate, snuggling with family, etc, etc, etc...all with my littles in tow!

Camping, Part Two: Porch Time

Hey there!
So, I sort of fell off the radar there for a little bit.
Life sometimes gets way out of hand around here
...and unexpected staycations like the one we had over the long weekend sure don't help
but we loved every second of it and are back at it having enjoyed some much needed family and down time

ironically, I actually had this post ready to go a week ago, but just didn't get around to hitting that "publish" button...
so without further ado, more camping pictures! 

Apparently, I was a bit camera-happy during porch time.

So happy, that I decided to give some of our pictures on the cabin porch their very own post.

A passerby offered to take a family picture in the middle of my snap-fest

My immediate response was "nah - I look schlepped together"

Ten minutes later, I regretted that decision 

...note to self / tip from my mistakes:  you will NEVER feel ready for a picture; next time, just let the nice stranger capture your moment together with the fam!