This last week has had its share of rough patches. A lot of the rough patches involve a lack of sleep. Last Saturday we had already hit the level of sleep deprivation that makes understanding English very challenging. Yet our nights just kept getting worse. When Andrew and I rolled out of bed Wednesday morning…
Family
Drawing
Last Friday when Emily was done having quiet time and Nathan was awake we all gathered in Emily’s room. She was drawing, Nathan was watching, and I was watching them both. They were both immersed, Emily chatting about her writing as she went. I pulled out the camera and soon they realized I was snapping…
My Box Pleated Skirt Project
About a year ago, I saw a red chevron box pleated skirt that I liked online that was being sold for $125. I thought it was nice, but probably not that nice. While I was pregnant with Nathan, I was shopping with my mom at the fabric store and I saw some red chevron fabric…
Rocks
Right now our lives our full of rocks. They are everywhere. In the cupholder in Emily’s carseat and in the sides of the car doors. Underneath the kitchen table. In pockets of every coat. In the bathroom. On our bedroom floor. Tucked between the layers of blankets in Emily’s bed. In Emily’s backpack. On the…
Present
I’ve been trying figure out my long term direction for awhile now, identifying the kind life I want to live and trying to create it. I’m still at the beginning of this journey that I suspect will last a lifetime, but I’ve decided on these four principles as my starting place: Inspired, Intentional, Simple, and…
Weekend Garden Work
Saturday night we all sat around the dinner table feeling exhausted. Good exhausted from working outside all day, the way we all want to feel more often. Andrew and Emily mixed up peat moss, vermiculite, and a few different types of compost to fill in our garden box for square foot gardening. Emily and I…
Andrew’s Conference and Our Trip to Iowa
Andrew discovered a regional conference this year in the quad cities. The campus is about 15 minutes away from my family’s home, so when he found out that his presentation was accepted, we decided to make this trip a family affair. Andrew finished on campus at 1pm on Thursday, so I spent the morning packing…
Growth Chart Project
I do not have the talent of gift giving. Thinking of the perfect gift, or even a gift, is excruciatingly difficult for me. I was shocked when my brain connected the dots for the perfect thing for my mom’s birthday this year. We moved around a lot growing up, so instead of marking our height…
Moments
I have a goal to run a half marathon by the end of the summer. I feel like the act would officially put this last year of physical craziness behind us, as well as keep me focused on truly strengthening my body to get better. Emily and Nathan are becoming quite the training buddies riding…
Five Months Old
Dear Nathan, You are five months old! You have the most wonderful laugh that stops us all in our tracks to see what has you giggling, which so far has just been something Emily is doing. You give the biggest, heart warming smiles when someone looks at you and talking noises that come from the…