Natalie | Age Five

Somehow another year has come and gone and we have a five year old. And in not so surprising fashion, I am super late in sharing her 5th birthday update.

How old are you? FIVE!

What is your favorite food? Apples and pears.

What is your favorite toy? Dolls.

What is your favorite movie? Frosty the Snowman (Clearly, if I had done this last month, we would probably have less Christmas related answers, but it is what it is.)

What is your favorite tv show? Word World (which is actually a super cute show on PBS if you have not heard of it and have little ones - check it out!) 

Who is your best friend? Savannah

What do you like to do for fun? Play with my dolls

What is your favorite game? Go Fish

What is your favorite color? Pink

What is your favorite song? Jingle Bells OH! Oh! Oh! The one with the grinch (She loves the Lindsey Stirling version.) 

What do you love to wear? Dresses 

What makes you happy? Spending time with my whole entire family

What do you want to be when you grow up? A mom 

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Oh my sweet Natalie Grace.  It has been such a privilege to watch you grow up over the last five years, but I am especially in awe of the last 18 months. You have shown such maturity and patience and wisdom beyond your years. It is crazy just how much you have grown - both physically and emotionally - in such a short amount of time.

You are smart and quick witted.  You are compassionate and kind.  You are sassy and stubborn. You love your family with all of your heart and are quick to give a hug and kiss after a long, hard day. You are thirsty for knowledge and inquisitive and ask more "how" and "why" questions than Siri, Daddy and I can really answer in one day.  I hope you never lose your desire to know more.  You are so beautiful, inside and out, and I am so proud of the girl you are becoming.  Daddy and I love you more than we could ever put into words, sweet girl. xo

Currently | ...this is 32

Another trip around the sun has come and gone. I celebrated my birthday and the anniversary of my last currently post at the end of October. Yikes.  Anyways, I got up and worked out, like usual, and when I got out of the shower, B asked me if I felt wiser. I paused to think about it and the reality is, compared to my late 20s, I absolutely do. Compared to week before, eh, not so much. 

Daydreaming About |winning the lotto and building our dream house complete with huge windows overlooking the mountains and perfectly furnished rooms straight out of a Pottery Barn catalog... oh, and being debt free. Yep, definitely debt free.  

It's funny how that winning lotto ticket dream changes as you get older.  It used to be all about traveling the world and living at the beach with an endless wine supply and now it's all about having our dream home on a big lot of land and watching our babies grow up (endless wine supply is still there, don't worry). 

Drinking | as much water as possible. I am really trying to make sure my water consumption far exceeds my coffee/wine consumption. Since I started working out 5 days a week, I have really really tried (sometimes unsuccessfully) to drink more water. This is an ongoing task, it seems. 

Eating | all the french onion soup.  B got us an Instant Pot a few months back and we have definitely gotten our money's worth just from french onion soup and hard boiled eggs.  [Note: it doesn't necessarily save time on the eggs, just steps and effort which is HUGE.] Also, pumpkin ice cream is back and my life is complete. I usually buy a few extra pints and keep them in the deep freezer for the summer when I miss the fall. 

Learning | so much about myself and what is important to me. After going through a very serious bout of depression just a couple years ago, I have done so much soul searching and growth.  I have gotten rid of social media channels that just don't bring me happiness. I have put a new focus on the relationships in my life.  Previously, I had spent years putting time and energy into relationships that feel fairly one sided and not enough energy into the ones that seemed easy and effortlessly there. I saw the quote below a couple weeks ago and it really hit home with me.

I mean, talk about deep.  In theory, we are all constantly changing and growing and we might grow apart instead of together and that. is. ok. It's just a matter of understanding and respecting that instead of trying to force something to be there that just isn't. That has been a really tough lesson for me over the last couple years and something I am still working on.

Listening To | Eric Church. [Some things just don't change.] His new album gives me all the heart eyes. I am especially loving "Heart like a Wheel", "Hippie Radio", "Some of It" and "Drowning Man".  I might as well list the whole album though because it is so dang good. 

Looking Forward To | family pictures with Liz Hough this weekend (and next). We are taking pictures for Natalie's birthday this weekend (HOW will she be FIVE?!) and we are also going to be taking some generational family pictures with B's parents and brother.  Then, next weekend we have our holiday card pictures and I am so excited for what Liz has planned. 

Loving | my SGF team something fierce.  I know people say all the time that they couldn't live without their friends, but I literally do not know what I would do without these women. Life has been so crazy and stressful lately and these women are constantly picking me up and making me laugh and I adore them all so much.

Planning | Natalie's FIFTH Birthday party! (cue the tears) And Thanksgiving dinner :)  Two of my favorite things.

I am also super loosely planning a trip for B and I to go see Eric Church on his Double Down Tour.  It will require us to leave the babies behind and travel (hence super loosely playing with this idea) to either South Carolina or Pittsburgh.  We shall see. 

Reading | the Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Society.  I read it years ago but now that Netflix has released a movie, I want to reread it before watching it to compare.

Watching | A Million Little Things and I suggest everyone else does too. It covers so many topics, but especially mental health, so beautifully and it is just such a well done show. This clip below really hit me when I watched the premiere and it made me love the actors and writing on the show.  If you don't have 5 minutes, I recommend starting at the 3 minute mark.

Wearing | so much Old Navy.  I wish I could literally buy their entire Mama and Mini line and match with Natalie 24/7. It's that good. 

Wishing | the rest of the year doesn't fly by quite as fast as the last 10.5 months. 

SEVEN

A few months ago, at sunrise, B and I met up with Liz from Hough Photography to get some new pictures of the two of us, sans kids.  The last time we had purposefully taken pictures of just the two of us was our wedding...

And we were clearly babies then, so it was long over due and the light at 7 in the morning during the summer is just so perfect.

 

A lot has changed in seven years, Mr. Wilkinson, but there is a constant through it all: 

home will always be where you are.

Everett's FIRST Birthday Pictures

It only seems appropriate that on a Thursday, I would throw it way back to Everett's first birthday pictures. I have only had this post drafted for a month and change after all... I would say #secondbabyprobs but Natalie didn't even get first birthday pictures, so there's that.

One of my favorite relationships that has blossomed in the last year (+) is the one that I have formed with Liz from Liz Hough Photography.  She has the most beautiful, creative, talented soul and I feel fortunate that our paths crossed and I get to have this incredible, inspiring woman in my life.  She has a very calm and collected demeanor that makes taking pictures with her a total breeze and she captures my children so effortlessly. I truly cherish every picture she has taken for us.  It's no wonder that when I started thinking about Everett's first birthday back in March, she was one of the first people I contacted. She was the first person to photograph my sweet boy when he was born so it only made sense that we would wrap up his first year with Liz too - and on his birthday at that!

We had planned to meet up with Liz at Catoctin Creek Park at 8:30 in the morning on Everett's birthday but due to some road closures it was closer to 9.  Usually this would have really bothered me, but the birthday boy was taking a car nap so it worked out really well. It was fun to come back to Catoctin Creek for the pictures - it was like coming full circle since we had done his maternity pictures there.

So, enjoy a little picture heavy post for this blazing hot (at least here in MD) Thursday.

And seriously, how sweet are these pictures with big sissy :)  I love this little duo.

Thanks Liz Hough for always making my picture dreams come true!

Our very hungry caterpillar turns ONE

I am still in all of my feels after celebrating our little big guy's first birthday this past weekend and cannot believe almost a week has already gone by.  In total #momblogfail #secondkidprobs fashion, I took all of four or five pictures his whole party. Oops! 

While I may have failed to take pictures, I did not fail on the planning and the crafting!  Just like with Natalie's birthdays, I made the invitation to Everett's birthday party and I was really pleased with the final product!  I loved being able to combine a bunch of my favorite things about invitations on Etsy and Pinterest to create something special for Everett.

Honestly, while I wish I had more pictures of the party itself, I really wish I had taken more pictures of his decorations before the guests arrived. I really love how everything turned out and it was so fun to see my pinterest dreams come to life.  I am a firm believer that details and decorations (give me alllllll the balloons) make a party :)  My favorite details from Everett's Very Hungry Caterpillar bash were his little outfit from Rowan Morrow Designs, his highchair banner and milestone board that I made and the cookie favors from Tart and Craft. 

Outfit from Rowan Morrow Designs

Cookies from Tart and Craft

The day itself went by in the blink of an eye. I love that even on a rainy, dreary day my home was full of love and laughter from some of my favorite people on the planet and the birthday boy was sufficiently loved on.

so happy this mama was able to come down from NJ to celebrate!

I am so lucky that these little boys get to grow up together!

love this little motley crew so much :)
missing: JJ and Chloe 

I cannot thank everyone enough for the birthday love for our little boy.

Cheers to surviving another trip around the sun!

I cannot wait to see what the next year brings!

Everett | ONE YEAR!

Age: ONE YEAR (+ a week)

Weight: My little chunky butt is officially tipping the scales at 26.2lbs and he is standing 31.25 inches tall.  He is wearing 18 month clothes and size 5 diapers. [Fun fact: big sissy was 26.2lbs at her 1 year well visit and stood 31.5 inches tall - holy freaking genetics.]

Likes: playing with Sissy, pulling all the DVDs off the shelf, feeding Hank, riding with Sissy in the pink Escalade, stealing Daddy's cell phone, bedtime stories with Mama

Dislikes: staying still for diaper changes, Daddy taking his cell phone away, being hungry

Milestones & Big Moments: He is still so so close to walking and cruises furniture like a pro. He is saying Hi, Dad (Daddy, Dude), Sissy, Jenny, Connor, More aaaaand finally Mama. He is waving and clapping. He gives the best high fives and kisses.

Looking forward to: Getting his first birthday gallery back from Liz. The previews are giving me ALL the heart eyes. I absolutely love her work!

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Oh my sweet, Everett Grey, how has it been a year?  I have said it probably a million and ten times - this has been the fastest year with the longest days of my life.  You are so spunky and funny and naughty. You keep us on our toes for sure.  Watching you grow and learn has been so much fun.  You love your sissy more than anyone and she is just as obsessed with you. You were the perfect capstone to our family and we love you so much, my sweet boy.          

a letter to my last baby

To my last baby on the eve of your first birthday:

Tonight as I gave you your last bottle, I can't help but reflect on this last trip around the sun.  This was the longest and shortest year of my life. I barely remember bringing you home from the hospital and remembering life before that is so hazy.  It's only at night as I put you to bed that I get glimpses of my once tiny baby. Every day you're less and less a baby and more and more a little boy and while I am so excited for each new milestone, my heart yearns for the baby to stay a little bit longer.

It goes by too fast.

Tomorrow, by definition, you will no longer be a baby.  You will officially be a toddler.  You seem so ready for this next part in your story and I am trying to be there with you.  You are so adventurous and wild. I feel like I am constantly going behind you and cleaning up the destruction left in your wake. You are lucky that you are so dang cute because you are definitely a little trouble maker.  You are so strong and you climb everything you can and have no problem moving things that are in your way. You are so close to walking and I feel like in a blink of an eye you will be running.    

It goes by too fast. 

Oh my sweet boy, you have filled places in my heart that I thought your sister already had. But that's the thing with a mother's love - it knows no end and my heart is so full of love for both of you. Ours is not a complete family without you. You are a wondrous endpoint to our family with your toothy grin, perfect giggle and sweet soul.

And tonight, as if you knew my heart was heavy, you said Mama. Clear as day, you called for mama. So while I am so sad that I put a baby to bed for the last time tonight, I am so excited to wake you up tomorrow morning and hear my toddler say mama.

So on the eve of your first birthday, I want you to know this: I will love you forever, I'll like you for always, as long as I am living my baby you will be. I love you, Everett Grey, more than I could ever truly put into words.

the joy in comparison

There is an old saying, "comparison is the thief of joy". I am here to tell you that is not always true. While it holds true in some things like comparing your life to the seemingly perfect lives people project in their instagram squares or comparing your body to those airbrushed ads in a magazine, it absolutely does not apply (in my opinion) to your kids during the adorable tiny stages (obviously school age is a whole different ball game). 

I have found myself constantly comparing Natalie and Everett. It started early in my pregnancy. The two pregnancies were so similar: no morning sickness, breakfast binges, watermelon and pineapple cravings. I often wondered how similar the two kiddos would be... I was also convinced because my pregnancies were so similar that Everett was a girl. I could not have been more wrong!

Now that Everett is on the outside, I still find myself comparing them: their likes and dislikes, their sleep habits and facial features and expressions. I swear, if you put a bow on Everett and took his picture, you wouldn't be able to tell which of my sweet babes it was! I compare eating habits and appetites, first foods and favorite foods.  

I find that I am remembering things about Natalie as a newborn that I had completely forgotten about, like how she would sleep with her arms above her head in her little touchdown position and how she very quickly took a loving to her paci (something Everett didn't do until almost 3 or 4 months).  Her bedtime routine was so different than his - she loved to snuggle in for books before going into her crib awake, he likes a bottle and to fall asleep being held.  They crawled within weeks of each other - Natalie hitting the milestone first.  Neither of my babies enjoyed tummy time; however, Everett had the advantage of tummy time with his sissy and I loved to watch her cheer him on. He took to it much faster than she ever did. 

His milestones almost seem bigger than hers because he is the last and because he has her watching. I love how excited she is for him when he does something.  She is his biggest fan and I absolutely love what a little mama she has become. Natalie loves talking about her milestone moments as we discover Everett's and it is making me see her in a new way.  She has grown up on me so much in the last year and I was just not prepared for it, at all.  

I know there will come a time when the comparisons will not be so innocent and I will have my children forever rolling their eyes at me, but, for now, I will soak in these tiny firsts for the last time and remember the first firsts while I do. 

Photos by Liz Hough Photography