celebrating another year and a little 'me' trip

I feel like there are a million and one things I want to post about. I keep getting further and further behind and can't seem to catch up! I have sat down to write a new post several times, but each time feel overwhelmed by the 'catching up' that needs doing, so I always just end up putting it off. I end the streak today, lucky you. :)

Way back in July I celebrated another birthday! I am now officially 27 years old. Gasp, sigh, I know. Super young. I promise to spare you any sentiment implying his birthday made me feel like I was getting so old, because it indeed did not. In fact, when I look back over the last few years I cannot believe how much I have done, and how much my family and life has grown. When I pictured 27, I never expected to feel this young yet have so much responsibility. It's a good feeling. I like this year already. The whole day was perfect. I got spoiled by Jess at breakfast, had a wonderful lunch with Matt, and enjoyed dinner with my family that night.

{a little birthday breakfast} 

The weekend after my birthday I left to take a little trip to visit Katharine and Andy. By. My. Self. Katharine and I had been planning all year to take a girls trip, and it ended up just being the perfect time for me to go visit them in Michigan and for us to hop around to all the little townships around Ann Arbor. I never knew how gorgeous Michigan was. And I am totally jealous of all the little towns they have around their house. We went to Ann Arbor, Birmingham, Northville, Plymouth...the list seemed endless! There were so many boutiques and little restaurants, it was so much fun. It seems like we shopped, ate, and laughed a lot. All things we do best. :)

The last night I was there we had dinner at a really cute place called the Sardine Room. Minus the snooty hostess, it was all wonderful. Andy even convinced me to eat and oyster, which was pretty a pretty big feat. I added oyster and lobster to my seafood list, and I was proud. 

We had so much fun. It was just what I needed. Great friends are so good for the soul! I cannot wait to go back and snuggle that new sweet baby when she arrives!

10 whole months...

We've entered into the double digits. Only two short months away from that big birthday! I can't say I am excited about time passing so quickly, but the last couple of months have been particularly enjoyable! It's hard not to look back at this time last year. All the uncertainty, pain, frustration, waiting. It was a hard time for me. I realize now each and every month what a blessing he truly is!

Here are some special things about our little Abbott this month...

moving... This baby is on the move big time. He is cruising around furniture more and more. We've actually witnessed a few seconds of standing alone too, which is particularly scary. I am seriously tempted to just {gently} push him over every time he does it! I am not ready for a little walker just quite yet! He is so quick crawling too. I can always see it coming, he looks down the hall into the bathroom and sees that someone has carelessly left the toilet lid up, and off he goes. Breaking record speed, just trying to beat me in there so he can splash around. Yuck. Alllll boy, this one. 

snacking... I would say eating, but snacking seems more appropriate a term. Little one is teething like crazy. He isn't one of those babies that you don't notice their discomfort, as he literally gnaws on everything. That, combined with a recent aversion to being spoon fed, has led to a lot of snacking. Graham crackers, zucchini, apple slices, bananas...they are all our best friends right now. 

cuddling... In the last month Abbott has become the biggest cuddler. He can most often be found snuggled up on mommy's shoulder, head tucked under my chin. I am not going to lie, I love it. I love rocking him, dancing around the living room with him, tickling him til he giggles, all with his precious little head on my shoulder. Such a sweet time!

playing... Abbott loves to play with Laurelei. He will crawl down the hall and into her room, aiming for her little pink kitchen. Laurelei is a very good cook and waiter, and Abbott helps out a lot by banging around the pots and pans while she is fast at work. I can tell they have a system down pat in there. We are also clapping and playing pat-a-cake, playing peek-a-boo and hide and seek. This is such a fun age! Abby is also really into trucks he can push around. It is sweet watching him crawl down the hall pushing his dump truck. 

growing...Last time we weighed in we were still hanging in the 17-18lb range. I can tell he's gotten taller though, when I hold him his little feet almost graze the very tip top of my legs!

Abby, you have the perfect temperament. You are happy and playful. You go with the flow and love on us all. Your little tongue is always sticking out, like you are hard at work or deep in concentration. You must have a lot going on in that little 10 month old brain of yours.We are so very lucky you are ours, forever. Love you little rabbit. Happy 10 months!

miscellany monday

school. Back to school is right around the corner, and I am not sure if I am ready! Just the thought of it makes me want to throw up. It doesn't help that, as far as I know, my classroom still looks like this...

I have lots of ideas for what I want my classroom to look like. They are all swimming around in my head and I can't seem to make any real decisions. I have made some fun prints for various spots in my classroom. If you know my well you know I love playing with Microsoft Word a little too much! Thank you Pinterest for some of these fun graphic ideas!

On top of work-school, I have school-school to worry about. I probably should be creating some sort of matrix as we speak, but complaining about it is way more therapeutic. :)

home. I've been avoiding my back to work to do list, but have been having a blast working on my at home one! We recently tackled a couple of projects we have wanted to take on for awhile. I am extra excited about our new hallway bookshelves. It gives the kids easy access to their favorite books and is a major space saver!

I'm also on this 'adding color' kick. Our living room has lived in the blues, greens, and neutrals for awhile now. I am looking for a way to bring in some corals and oranges. My latest plan potentially involves painting our dining room one of those colors, but I am having a hard time giving up the dark grey it is now. We shall see where that goes I guess! In the meantime, I am on the hunt for some warm-tone throw pillows. Anyone know where to get super cute ones? I feel like I've looked at all the big stores.

kids. They couldn't get any cuter. We have had so, so much fun this summer. I know I've said it before, but two isn't nearly as daunting as I expected it to be! Abbott adds nothing but sunshine to our days, and we love him for it!

Laurelei has become quite the little boss. We spend a lot of our days playing 'mommy.' This is a game in which Abbott and I are subjected to playing the role of brother and sissy, and Laurelei gets to boss us around. She takes her role as mommy on with an Oscar-winning ferocity, and rarely breaks character. This makes for an interesting conversation about nap time. No, I am not sleeping in your bed and yes, you will take a nap. :) She is hilarious!

other. I am so, so excited about this upcoming week! I get to spend the next several days celebrating my birthday with friends and family, traveling to Dayton, and then onto Michigan! I am spending next week with my great friend Katharine in Michigan, and I just know it's going to be filled with lots of relaxation, shopping, and great company!

Happy Monday!

a quiet 4th of July

This was our 'quiet' 4th of July in quite some time. For as long as I have been in Matt's life and for many years before that, Matt's parents have always thrown a huge cookout/ party at their house for the 4th. Both sides of their families come. There are games and prizes and fireworks and tons of yummy food. This year however, they decided to take the year off from party planning. So this year, instead...

We spent the morning and much of the afternoon working on projects around the house.

Abbott and I sat on the back porch for a while and retreated in doors when it just got too stinking hot. And Laurelei got a special trip to the pool with Gigi, which she LOVED! After avoiding naptime, L and A shared some cookies while we waited for daddy.

When we were all ready to go, we headed to Matt's parents' house to grill out. We enjoyed some great family time and yummy food.

Oh, and Abbott might have gotten to have a little ice cream too. I was holding him and enjoying my desert until he decided he'd rather have it. So he just grabbed the whole cone out of my hand and went to town. I am surprised how well he managed the cone actually! It was pretty impressive. He is most definitely mommy's boy. At some point daddy insisted I take it away (buzzKill!) and Abby was not so happy about that.

The ice cream social led to an impromptu bath time. Abbott loved taking a bath in the big tub! And because of the fireworks ban in town, we finished off the evening in the dark with glow sticks. Good thinking Grandma! At somepoint L stopped and announced, "This is just so much fun!"

 

It was a nice quiet 4th of July, just what the doctor ordered this year. 

Hope you had a fantastic holiday too!

editing

So, I've given in. I have begun to play around with photo editing. It's no secret that I love my camera. I love taking pictures. I love capturing sweet little faces and life happenings. I want to do more though. So, I am slowly trying to take my favorite hobby up a notch. There are only so many pictures you can take of your own children, no matter how precious you think they are, and if I ever want to offer to take pictures for other people, I have to step it up a tad.

I am well aware that my first photos are most likely going to be over processed and over edited. I am playing around with the software and am quickly overwhelmed with what it can do, leading to a lot of 'doing!' So, be aware and kind to my creative process, and all my mistakes along the way! I think it will be fun to compare my first attempts to future photos someday.

Here is my first photo. I started experimenting by playing around with 'presets.' It only took me a few days to realize that, while they are cool, they are not necessarily for me. I think I like a more natural approach to photography. Notice how this one is way to 'vignette-y?'

I captured baby boy playing in his room the other day. He was rolling around on his crib quilt and the lighting and colors just seemed perfect. I ran and got my camera and started snapping away. When I went to edit the images I learned two things. One, shooting in raw really did make a difference in my editing. And two, black and white can be awesome with the right software!

Alright all your fellow camera-loving friends, what do you think? I'd love some tips or advice!

a little vacay

I was so excited to get away for vacation this year. Last year our much awaited trip to the beach had to be cancelled due to baby and bed rest, so when this summer came around we were all so, so excited!

We hadn't taken L to the beach since she was 18 months old. She had hated it! The sand and it's small particles just killed her. She couldn't stand the little sand bits getting everywhere, and she especially hated how hot the sand was on her feet. This year though, with the help of our 'magic socks' and a couple years of growth, she LOVED it! She couldn't get enough of the ocean, and loved playing in the sand too.

It was Abbott's first trip to the beach, and he loved it too. As soon as we sat him down in the sand, he was scooping it up and putting it in his mouth as fast as he could! We couldn't stop him from getting big handfuls fast enough. We spent a lot of the next few days trying to distract him with toys and c snacks to keep the sand eating to a minimum!

The days at the beach were spent playing, napping, and reading. It was perfect.

We are lucky enough each year to go on vacation with my family. It is always so nice to spend some good quality time with the people I love the most! Each night we enjoy a nice dinner, and occasionally a round of golf or two. We are always sure to have a great meal, a good bottle of wine, and great conversation!

All in all, it was a fabulous little vacation! I am already counting down the days until we get to do it again next year.

Busy, Busy, Busy

We've spent the last few weeks running.  It's barely July, but I already feel like school is around the corner! I am planning on taking at least this week and playing into the whole 'lazy summer vacation' notion, I feel like the whole family could use a minute or two to sit still and relax.

What I've been doing...

grad school.
vacation.
baby showers.
birthday parties.
reading the first two hunger game books.
playing around with Lightroom.
spending every second I possibly can soaking up my time with the babies.

What I should be doing...

more grad school.
planning for my classroom.
planning new math curriculum.
cleaning this house.
spending every second I possibly can soaking up my time with the babies.

What I want to be doing...

spending every second I possibly can soaking up my time with the babies.

I am almost confident I will accomplish at least one thing on my to do list today.