Peaceful Garden Spaces

05/04/2016

I’m thankful for a husband who loves gardening and landscape designing in his free time. His idea of rest is yard work, mowing, weeding, planting, watering, arranging plants. My idea of rest is sitting in these beautiful spaces and enjoying the fruit of his labor. My absolute favorite space is the courtyard in the front of our house. The trickling fountain echoing off the walls. The comfy cushions on the low bench. The beautiful plants. Jason built all of it and all of us love to sit out here. Even the frogs and skinks love it, at least I assume, since we have several living out here. Sometimes after I put Zay down for his morning nap, Ali and I sit out here to read books. And when both kids are napping, I love to sit here for some solitude.

IMG_2501

IMG_1879

The courtyard is my favorite but the backyard is getting better every season. We had a huge leap year of bamboo, which is enveloping this space in a thick green screen (and giving us more privacy from our neighbors from inside the house, too, since we have big windows). We love to eat lunch and dinner on the back patio, under the pergola. We also love toasting marshmallows and making s’mores around the fire pit. Jason recently planted a bunch of herbs for me and I’m looking forward to using them for cooking. My dad also blessed us with a potted tomato plant. We have several fruit trees and bushes (pear, cherry, blueberry and raspberry) on the other side of the fence and eventually I’d like to have a couple of vegetable garden beds. Maybe next year. (That’s what I said last year when I was pregnant with Zay.)

IMG_2665 IMG_2730

IMG_1679

signature


Isaiah Jason – 12 Months

04/29/2016

 12months

Isaiah Jason,

I can hardly believe you are one year old already. This has been the fastest year of my life! It’s hard for me to put into words how you have changed me. You are not my first child, my first newborn or my first baby boy. But you are my first biological child, the first I carried in my womb and felt kicking and hiccuping for months, the first I pushed out into the world after 24 hard hours of labor, the first I’ve nourished with my milk. You look so much like your Daddy, especially your strawberry blond hair and your bright blue eyes. But I see glimpses of myself in your smile. Your first word was Mama at only 4 months old but you captured my whole heart long before that. You truly are a Mama’s boy and the way you look at me with adoration just melts me. But you also love your Daddy something fierce. You run at him when he gets home, diving into his legs and refusing to let go, you follow him around the house, studying his every move and you cry when he leaves. You have a sweet relationship with your big sister Ali. You watch her dramatic performances with smiles, giggles, clapping and mimicking. I have a feeling you’ll be one of her biggest cheerleaders for many, many years to come. If you wake up before her you go straight to her door and call for “Al-ah!” I pray that you two are always good friends. FYI, she is convinced she is going to marry you. In just a few months you will become a big brother to a baby sister. I know you don’t really understand what is coming but I pray everyday that you will have generous understanding and gentle love for your little sister when she arrives in July.

I know I’m biased but I am so impressed with you, Zay. Not only did you start talking early, you started moving early. You were sitting up at 5 months, pulling up to standing and crawling at 7 months and walking at 9 months old. Considering that I got pregnant with your baby sister when you were 5 months old, I am very appreciative. You have a kind and gentle soul. You love hugs and kisses. You are a busy little boy but you check back in frequently, grabbing and hugging our legs. You are quick and curious but you are also a very good listener. You love playing in the bath and tolerate me dumping water over your head. You are loving the swimming pool as much as I thought you would. Your favorite “toys” are empty water bottles and sticks, followed by actual toy cars, balls and blocks. You have a particular fondness for your Snuggle Bunny that you sleep with and recently have started carrying around the house. You are a good eater and seem to especially like meat. I have a feeling you’ll be eating more than your big sister before too long. You are tall and perfectly chubby, with big hands and feet. I recently started putting you into some size 5 Converse sneakers that I’m pretty sure your big sister wore when she was two. You still fit some 12m clothes, but mostly 18m now. You have six teeth. You have a full head of hair that I’ve trimmed twice around your ears.

I recently looked back through my journal from when I was pregnant with you and it was fun to see how much I could already tell about your personality from then. I prayed certain blessings over you just about everyday and you are just the way I had hoped you would be. You are a perfect addition to our family, a gift to us all, and I can’t imagine our lives without you. God knew exactly what He was doing when He blessed our family with you, Isaiah Jason. Happy 1st Birthday, son.

IMG_6062

Stats: Off the charts for height at 32.5″ and in the 85-90th percentile for weight at 24.3 lbs. Wearing size 5 shoes and 18m clothes. He’s almost exactly the size Alianna was on her SECOND birthday!

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11-12months

Big sister really wanted to get a photo with her favorite brother:

IMG_6040

Ali made this sign to say Happy birthday from “Ali Mom Dad”:

IMG_2675

We celebrated Isaiah’s first birthday with a backyard cookout with the grandparents, and one aunt, uncle and cousin. It was a beautiful night. Zay loved the burgers, mac & cheese, fruit, and his first cupcake.

 IMG_2696 IMG_2702 IMG_2704 IMG_2711 IMG_2717 IMG_2720

Highlights from the past month:

First Easter egg hunt

IMG_2200

Easter 2016. I LOVE this picture!

IMG_2372

Knocked out between church and lunch.

IMG_2226

This boy loves sticks!

IMG_2285 IMG_2310

IMG_2312

He loves the courtyard (me too!) and finds his way here and climbs up on the bench to sit every time we’re outside.

IMG_2410 IMG_2418

IMG_2541

He loves his toothbrush and baths.

IMG_2548 IMG_2558

signature


Double Nursery for Almost Irish Twins

04/20/2016

Isaiah and Josephine will be almost irish twins—more than a year apart but only by 2-3 months. Since they’ll both be using the changing station and be rocked in the rocking chair, it made the most sense to put them in the same room for this stage. (Though JoJo will sleep in a Moses basket in our room for the first few weeks or months while she’s feeding frequently through the night.) The other reason I opted for the double nursery was space; two cribs and two dressers fit more easily into this room than adding a crib and dresser into big sister Alianna’s already-quite-full bedroom. Much to her dismay because she desperately wants to share her room with her sister. That day will come, Ali, I promise.

IMG_2482

Zay is now in the full size blue crib, the same one Ali used for her first two years. It’s from IKEA, called Somnat. The little green bookshelf was a thrift store makeover I did a couple years ago. The French Paper monkey poster was a gift from a friend. I made Isaiah’s name sign while I was pregnant with him last year. The album cover is from my favorite band Needtobreathe’s recent Steams in the Wasteland, based on a passage of scripture from Isaiah that I love. The canvas was a gift from my friend Steph and says, “Take a deep breath, you’re home now.” I see it every day while I’m rocking and feeding Zay and it reminds me to pause and be thankful.

IMG_2492

The green fleece (cut up strips from a blanket) are to protect the crib rails from my little beaver who likes to teeth on wood. I saw the cheap, no-sew idea on Pinterest.

IMG_2484

The black acoustic guitar is mine from high school. The tall dresser currently has Jo’s clothes in it but I’m going to swap them right before or after she’s born so her clothes are easier to access during diaper changes. Isaiah is big and wiggly enough that it’s easier to dress him on the floor most of the time. The walrus painting was a gift from my sister-in-law for Zay. The bike riding deer poster is from IKEA. The rocking chair is from Amazon. The rugs are both from IKEA. Green black-out curtains from Target.

IMG_2485 IMG_2489

Josephine will get the portable mini crib to start out. I use the storage boxes from IKEA under each crib to store sheets and blankets. I made the name sign for Josephine. I bought the rubies print from Etsy and painted the frame from a thrift store. I took the glass out so it wouldn’t be heavy or easily breakable since it’s right above the crib.

IMG_2491   IMG_2497 IMG_2498

The walls are Sherwin Williams Ellie Gray, same as our first nursery at our last house. I use a sound machine and a CD player with Jason’s Acoustic Lullabies album to muffle the household noises and help Isaiah sleep. I’m hoping it will help to cover the sounds of two babies in the same room and keep them from waking each other up very often, too.

Nesting is in full swing over here, thanks to Spring cleaning and 2nd trimester energy. I know it’s going to get harder to get around and be motivated to do home projects in the next 2-3 months so I’m doing all that I can do now. Twelve more weeks to go!

signature


Isaiah Jason – 11 Months

04/02/2016

11months

Isaiah Jason is now 11 months old. At the beginning of March we learned this little big boy is going to get a baby sister in July. We named her Josephine. Isaiah is walking steadily and quickly now. He’s a sweet, funny, snuggly little guy who loves to play and explore. He’s a big fan of swinging and finding sticks. Zay loves to feed himself finger foods and refuses almost anything on a spoon now (except my homemade broccoli cheddar soup – he loves that!) He’s showing signs that he’s ready to move to one nap but Mama isn’t quite ready. I’ll be starting a slow transition over the next month. He will also be starting a transition into a full size crib (from a mini crib) as his room is getting to converted into a double nursery that he’ll share with his baby sister later this year.

I can’t believe my baby boy will be ONE later this month!

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10-11months

Here are some highlights (and one low point) of this past month:

The day they found out they’re getting a little sister.

IMG_1851

Dealing with a bout of strep throat. Boo!

IMG_1908

Walking everywhere now.

IMG_1957

He loves playing in the bathtub.

IMG_1959

Yay! Swinging!

IMG_1972

He’s getting FAST!

IMG_1984

Devouring some homemade cheese pizza and offering to share.

IMG_2040

I love his sweet personality and sense of humor.

IMG_2092

All this action is tiring for a little body.

IMG_2179

signature


Isaiah Jason – 10 Months

02/26/2016

10months

This was a big month for Isaiah! He started walking on February 16th at 9.5 months. I would be sad about how early he started if it weren’t for my 20w pregnant belly that’s getting bigger by the day. The less I have to carry him, the better… Ten days later I’d say he’s about 60/40 crawling/walking. I’m surprised how much he seems to enjoy walking and will stand up and start even though he can crawl faster. He’s steady and calculated with his steps. Zay has enjoyed a few warm playground play days and he loves the swings. He’s babbling and talking a lot. He definitely knows Dada, Mama, Ali/sister, BaBa (bottle), Bye-bye, Up, Ma (more), Duh duh (doggie), Na na (no, no), Ah da (all done), Yeah. If we say, “Are you sleepy, Zay-Zay?” he’ll lay his head down. So cute. It’s really fun to see him learning and growing and conquering new things everyday. He’s been going to sleep easily at bedtime and nap time again after a brief period where he would cry when I laid him down (separation anxiety I assume). Thankfully that’s going well now after I started implementing a few new techniques. We still wake him up for one last late night bottle before we go to sleep for the night. If we skip it (like I tried to do last night…) he’ll wake up hungry in the middle of the night. Zay is a sweet, delightful guy with an adorable toothy grin. Big sister Ali plays so well with him and they make each other laugh a lot. He adores everyone in his family and vice versa. This past week I set up a full size crib in his room in the very beginning stages of converting his room into a double nursery, making a space for his little sibling who will share his room. He’s 23″ pounds and tall. He’s wearing size 4/5 shoes depending on the brand. He has 6 teeth.

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9-10months

Some photos from the past month:

IMG_1474 IMG_1622 IMG_1660 IMG_1684 IMG_1691

signature


Isaiah Jason – 9 Months

02/06/2016

9months

This photo and update are a bit late (he was 9 months old on January 26) because we were in Florida. Isaiah is now crawling super fast and cruising along furniture. I thought maybe he’d take his first steps in Florida but he hasn’t yet. He’s back to sleeping great at night and taking two solid naps. Zay loved the beach sand and splashing around at the pool. He just cut his 5th tooth in the past week and the 6th should be out any day. He’s feeding himself finger foods now and finally getting the hang of chewing without gagging. His favorite things so far are mac & cheese, puffs and scrambled eggs. I’m looking forward to introducing him to a lot more table food in the coming months. Isaiah adores his big sister and vice versa. He’s babbling a lot of baba, mama, dada, alla (Ali), sssta (sister), bye-bye, wee-wee (?), pish (please…we’re trying to teach him “more please”). He claps, waves, gives high fives, blows motorboat and fart sounds with his mouth. He’s a fun kid and he makes us all laugh every day. He’s also the best snuggle-bunny.

At his check up today he weighed 21.7 lbs. and was just shy of 30″ tall. He’s a big healthy boy!

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8-9months

Some highlights from the past month:

IMG_0865 IMG_0872 IMG_0878 IMG_1016 IMG_1019 IMG_1026 IMG_1100 IMG_1142 IMG_1271IMG_1397 IMG_1405

signature


2015 – 5 Biggest Moments

12/31/2015

So much change has happened for our little family this year! Here is a recap of the top five most significant events of this year.

1. Isaiah’s birth. At the start of 2015, I was 23 weeks pregnant. We had just found out on Christmas that he was a he and were starting to prepare his place in our home. April 25 was a leisurely family Saturday, four days past my due date. Ali and I had a picnic lunch and went to the playground while Jason visited a friend. Then we all went window shopping and stopped by Chick Fil A to satisfy one of my cravings: frozen lemonade and waffle fries. We went back home, visited with some neighbors, and then went for a long, vigorous walk at Shelby Park. My labor started while we were there. We timed contractions while waiting to pick up a late dinner at Jet’s Pizza. After we ate and put Ali to bed we realized we needed to call the grandparents to come get her. After a sleepless night we were officially admitted to the hospital around 5:00 am on April 26. Isaiah was born at 8:07 pm. One of the most amazing moments of my life was when they placed him on my chest and I could finally look at the little face I had been imagining for many months. Jason and I cried as he stared back at my face like he had been wondering what I looked like, too. The next morning Ali met her baby brother and so maturely climbed up next to me in the bed and gently held him and touched his face. I’ve loved watching her blossom as a big sister. She is so kind and loving to him.

IMG_0633 IMG_0673

2. Jason became a realtor. At the start of the year Jason was looking for ways to increase his income. He auditioned for a new touring gig with country artist Easton Corbin. When he initially didn’t get the job, he started classes to get his real estate license. Then he got a call back to become the acoustic guitarist for Easton. He managed to finish his online classes, much of it from his bunk in the tour bus while his bandmates partied around him. When he passed his licensing exams it was a cause for celebration!

IMG_2712

3. & 4. Jason quitting EC / Ali’s 4th birthday. Jason’s new tour schedule was rigorous. His income indeed increased and he had many amazing opportunities. Lifelong dreams were fulfilled. Huge crowds. Free gear. National television shows. But the time apart was hard on all of us, especially after Isaiah’s birth. Jason felt like he was missing out on so many of those first little milestones. And our sweet little Ali was starting to have a really hard time saying goodbye so frequently to her daddy. Home for a day and gone for four…home for 12 hours and gone for 6 days… It wasn’t working for us. When Jason made the decision to quit, it was a sigh of relief for all of us. It was a growing season and it was provision for a period when we really needed it. He came home from his last gig the day before Ali’s birthday which was a special gift for her. We spent her birthday all together as a family of four. She had a mermaid-themed pool party at my parents’ house. Perfectly appropriate for our water-loving girl. Jason returned to his previous touring gig with Guy Penrod (and a much lighter schedule) and hit the real estate market running. He had three closings in his first several months of working as a realtor.

IMG_5420 IMG_5429

5. Pregnant again?! “Are you sure you’re not pregnant? Your belly looks…different,” Jason said. I think it’s just all those Nutter Butters I’ve been eating… Two days later, positive pregnancy test. We were surprised but not totally surprised because we weren’t preventing it and knew it was quite possible. It just happened a little faster than last time. But we’re all thrilled. Well, Isaiah has no clue what’s coming. But Ali is super excited and kisses my belly regularly. (She’s really hoping for a little sister this time.) I’m starting 2016 12 weeks pregnant with our third child. Foster parenting is currently on hold status, though we’re keeping our license open. We’re hoping to do some short term respite for other foster parents and we’re about to start mentoring new foster parents through a new program at DCS.

IMG_0712

Looking forward to in 2016: Family trip to Florida. Weekend getaway/”Babymoon” to San Francisco. Finding out Nutter Butter’s gender. Isaiah’s first birthday. Leaving my full time job after 9 years. Welcoming our new baby. Beginning homeschool kindergarten with Ali. Pursuing some big, exciting real estate ventures with Jason. It’s already fixin’ to be a great year!


Isaiah Jason – 8 Months

12/30/2015

8months

It’s been a busy month! Zay is now crawling fluidly and quickly. He is pulling up to a stand and cruising along furniture. All of the standing has led to more falling and he’s frequently getting bumps and bruises on his head and face, poor guy. He’s sleeping much better now after a little regression that I think was due to my milk supply dropping. He’s now drinking mostly formula and eating a wide variety of baby foods. Not too many finger foods yet as he hasn’t quite figured out chewing and not gagging. But his first tooth on his top left has came all the way through. The one next to it is so close and the one below it has cut through. He had a short bout of roseola virus in his 7th month, including a 103+ fever for over 24-hours. Daddy and I took turns holding him all night long through the worst of it. He’s babbling lots of words. In addition to dada and mama, he’s saying things often that sound like Alla (Ali), sister, baba (mama? I’m hoping he learns to tell me he wants milk soon), I-got-it! (not positive on this one but he says it often and it seems in context!). If we say “No, No, Zay-Zay” he shakes his head no. He can clap and play peek-a-boo and has an awesome laugh when he’s tickled. His newest tricks are buzzing his lips like a motorboat and giving kisses. His new mobility is keeping us on our toes and leading to a lot more “No-no!” but he’s such a fun, sweet, easy-going guy. Typically 6-9 months is my favorite baby age but he’s rushing through my favorite stages and I can’t believe he’s already cruising. I’ve decided I won’t be mad at him if he starts walking early because my belly is getting bigger and it will be harder to carry him along with his younger sibling as the months go on. I guess he’s doing his part to get ready to be a big brother. Isaiah is wearing 12 month size clothes and is 20.5 lbs.

1-2-3-4-5-6-7-8months

signature


Isaiah Jason – 7 Months

12/03/2015

7months

Isaiah turned 7 months old on Thanksgiving. With all the festivities I was a few days late taking his monthly pictures. In that short time he started crawling! He is also pulling up to a stand (more often than not that means face planting into things). He’s clapping, playing peek-a-boo with a piece of fabric over his face, going from crawling to sitting up, starting to wave, feeding himself puffs and devouring whatever baby food we put in front of him. He’s over 19 lbs now and tall. He’s wearing 12 month size clothing. Because he decided to get mobile right after we put up the Christmas tree he’s going to be spending more time that he would like in baby jail (AKA the pack n play) and his bouncer/gym. Zay is a very happy boy and gives the best snuggles, especially when he’s sleepy. Speaking of sleep, he’s regressed a bit and is waking up more often at night. I’m trying my best to figure it out and get him back to sleeping better because Mama is tired! He’s a such a sweet, easy-going guy and hardly complains about anything so I’m trying to be gracious about his middle of the night demands. He’s babbling a lot; occasionally Mama and hi but mostly Dada (or “DerDer”) all day everyday. It’s fun to see his relationship differences with each of us. He loves Jason and gets really excited to see him and knows he’s the fun guy. If anything is wrong, especially at night, no one other than Mama will do. He reached out his arms for me for the first time the other day and melted my heart a little more. And his big sister Ali, his “kissy sissy,” he loves to watch. He smiles and laughs at her antics. I’m sure he’ll be following her around soon. A few times lately she’s thrown a dramatic fit about something and he laughed and clapped his hands. Good show, good show!

1-2-3-4-5-6-7months

signature


Isaiah Jason – 6 Months

11/17/2015

6months

Good gravy! Six months old?! That was the fastest half-year of my life. I love this age. Sitting up, eating baby food, giving the best hugs, babbling “mama” and “dada” and “hi” and other words, starting to get mobile but not quite enough to get into trouble. Though, as I mentioned the other day, I’m starting to have to tell him no already…no pulling books off the shelf, no spilling the dog water bowl, no pulling hair or grabbing glasses. Isaiah is a happy, sweet, talkative boy. He loves to eat; sweet potatoes are his favorite. He’s a great sleeper at night but doesn’t nap a whole lot. Favorite activities: playing peekaboo, chomping on everything and splashing his bath water. He’s a big boy; wearing mostly 9m clothes. He’s 28.5″ tall (98%!) and 18 lbs.

1-2-3-4-5-6months

[Disclaimer…he’s almost 7 months old now! This post is super late. I had a slew of technology glitches that led to a new phone and computer and it’s taken me a while to get everything into full swing again. Plus a health situation came up that’s slowed me down a bit lately.]

IMG_7208

We celebrated Zay’s half birthday with a half piece of cake, half a scoop of ice cream and a half a cookie. He had a taste of ice cream and he liked it very much!

 IMG_0044 IMG_0050 IMG_0063

IMG_0040

signature