I’m so thankful for our teachers who are sending us hands on activities in the mail. Yes, I could have thought about this myself and yes, we will be planting more flowers again soon as another thing to do together. But there is something so freeing inside to have something arrive and be ready for you to do rather than think about ‘what’s next’ during these days.

Owen is special needs and has a very limited attention span. This was one of the first hands on activities outdoors that we’ve been able to enjoy due to weather and it gave my heart everything it needed this week. I made a little scavenger hunt for us to do so he could follow a couple directions and he had so much more fun with it than I thought he would.

George came along with us and we didn’t even have to leave our yard. His task was to find 3 yellow dandelions, 4 sticks and to plant 1 flower. He listened so well to me when I had him stick his finger in the dirt to make his hole for the seed, even though he doesn’t like to be dirty.

Overall, this was just a simple, small moment in our day that made our whole day. The weather at this time in the later afternoon shared it’s warm sunshine with us, there was a light breeze and made it so easy to concentrate on this moment with him.

“The day you plant the seed is not the day you eat the fruit.”
What a perfect little reminder during these times of living slow. Try to enjoy the growth that is happening around you at this time.

A professional homebody: If you didn’t already consider yourself one before, you definitely should be getting to know the feeling of what it’s like now in these times of isolation! Some of us are pretty used to staying at home, but I tell you, when your freedom is taken away from going anywhere or doing anything you’d like, it’s a whole different kind feeling you get from just being a homebody.

You are clearly professional right along with us by now.

We wanted to introduce to you the “Professional Homebody” crewneck that’s in our shop. This started off as some apparel that represented those who worked from home, for the stay at home mamas, or even just those who clearly enjoyed walking in the door after a long days work and stripping down to their sweats, ha! But like I said, now with a pandemic going on around us and a ‘shelter in place’ restriction of staying in our homes, it just has a whole new meaning to it and it seems like the perfect time to highlight this comfy piece in our shop’s closet!

Just a little thought from the past weekend:
It’s that perfect time.

I was starting to get a little stir crazy.
My emotions took over at one point, my body started to shut down while getting used to the slower moving days, I started to lose the inspiration and creativity that I knew I had in there somewhere and loved. I’m definitely a homebody you guys, but we’ve got to remember, through the changes of routines and added sense of chaos we aren’t quite used to, how important it is to keep a sense of normalcy through times like these, doing the things that we still love and making time for ourselves, as hard as it is. For me, that is doing some kind of projects.

Feeling a sense of guilt and knowing there was other work to be done, I just set it aside for a little while and have carved out certain days and times for me to find some time again for me. Whatever it is that I choose to do within that time doesn’t matter, but using my time wisely is what I was trying to go for.

As we are getting close to beginning another trimester soon (yay!), I wanted to wrap up everything that has been happening and answer the most FAQ’s about our pregnancy so far here within the second trimester. Things are moving right along and now with us approaching the final trimester soon, we are officially starting to prepare our hearts, minds and home for this new little blessing.

We still have a little bit of time left in this trimester, but I don’t plan on the main things changing really so I thought I would get this post up and done. If any changes are made, I will add them in here.

While this worldwide pandemic is happening and we’re making history as we speak, it’s also been a realistic time when wearing sweats is absolutely acceptable, no makeup is needed, and even brushing my hair most days is rare. Finding the simplicity of life during this time more than ever, as honest and hard as it’s been, has been a lifesaver for me somehow. I can’t stress enough how much this baby has been our ray of sunshine and hope through the timing of it’s arrival.

Let me start off by saying, there is no right or wrong way to grieve and grieving looks different on everybody. It’s also very important to know that you don’t have a say or any direction on choosing a person’s way of grief or (tell them) how long that it will take for them to be done grieving or to be over it. News flash! You don’t ever ‘get over it’ - things just change and a new sense of normal is created. Everyone needs to and will grieve in their own way and need to be respected for just that.

There are many different things to grieve over in life, but this post would be guided toward the passing of a loved one, or in cases like ours, grieving over a loved one that is still here with us. Our son lives with a terminal disease and someday will no longer be with us. And there is something about grieving a person that is still alive that is just absolutely gut wrenching on the heart.

It’s not about “getting over it'‘, and it’s absolutely not about comparing one person’s story to another. It’s about learning to live with your new normal in hopes that it will be as peaceful as it can possibly be for you in all the stages of life that you are in, wherever that may be. I just wanted to create this for you (and myself) to look on when we need it and as a reminder to be gentle with everyone’s souls… we are all walking around, living life, getting through each day the best that we can and we are all hurting somehow.

And remember, in our every days, and especially the darker and gloomier ones, always be gentle with yourself. You are so strong, take one day at a time, and always try your best to put your purpose over the pain.

Hello, friends! There are so many exciting things that we are looking forward to in this upcoming year and we are excited to share them with you! It’s just going to be full of peace and happiness and change and it’s just… everything that we’ve truly been needing after so many hard rushes of emotion. We are always continuing to pray for hope and grace not only for our own family, but for so many others who are alongside us. Our journey and lives as a blended family have been a whirlwind of emotions and obstacles but all mixed together with love, always full of learning, continuous growth and constant gratefulness and we just couldn’t be more thankful to have the support that we do from all of you. So, thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being here with us through our journey. Our village feels so complete with you in it.

I’d be lying to you if I said that this first trimester has been easy. As much as I absolutely loved being pregnant in the past, this time around has been off to a different start in a handful of ways and it has made me think about a lot. Since I haven’t been able to do a whole lot, it has given me more time to slow down completely and that’s of course when my mind takes over. As we are getting close to beginning a new trimester, I wanted to wrap up everything that has been happening and answer the most FAQ’s about our pregnancy so far.

Not to spoil any fun, but it has literally looked like this photo haha.

As much as I never stopped believing, there was still a part of me that honestly didn’t know if we would ever be able to put this dream announcement in one of our blog posts, but here we are!

Announcing Baby Lyon: joining our family earth side in August !!!

“When it seems that we have lost our way, We find ourselves again on Christmas Day. Believe in what your heart is saying. Hear the melody that's playing. There's no time to waste, there's so much to celebrate. Believe in what you feel inside and give your dreams the wings to fly. You have everything you need…If you just believe.” -The Polar Express

Here’s the thing about mental health, it is absolutely a serious thing and it needs to always to be taken into consideration throughout life. Most people do not know how important it is to focus on or what it actually means to stabilize your mental health until you have been some through something that has been life altering or has changed your mind set to realize that you need to be in a healthier place of “you”.

So, let me paint a picture for you. Literally, I guess…

At this very moment I am painting my bathroom. I have a beanie over my hair to protect it from the paint as I roll the ceiling, while wearing my nasty paint clothes. I am holding my phone in my other hand and speaking through the phone as talk to text. I am what you would imagine to be ‘in the zone.’ The zone of therapeutic focus, you know, when it’s quiet and your thoughts start to take charge. I’m crying on and off, having to get off the ladder and put the roller down at times and just cry as I still keep writing this. I’m feeling all the feels, and I’m still doing something therapeutic for myself, by myself. This is just a little post to get out the feels and keep inspiring others to keep going with me.