|
Tag Archives: amelia
Wow, is June already come and gone?
There are so many times I want to jump on here and blog. And then I just don’t get around to it.
I’ve also found that when life gets tough, I need to keep my head down, keep the prayers going up and just take care of myself and my people. And things have been a bit more “tough” lately- busy with the kiddos, a new job and really the whole new world of life outside of active duty Army. It’s not all bad tough either, there is a lot of good in there. But I find it hard to balance the extra work, attention and prayers that life needs during tough times with the quiet time I need to reflect and recharge. The quiet time seems to be scattered throughout the day in little bits grabbed here and there and for some reason I just have trouble spending my time here in little bits, so instead a knit a few rows, read a few pages, catch a few winks.
Like I always say, living life trumps writing about it.
But I have to post at least once this month! Time flies and I am more often reaching for my iphone camera than the fancy one, but, I do make sure that I pick it up and purposefully capture my kids at their current ages. I can hardly believe that my baby Oliver is coming up on five months old. He has become the heart of our family. Like the hearth we all gather round when we need a bit of extra warmth, he is always there with his sweet baby cheeks, kissable lips and gummy smiles. Boy is he ever loved. Dash and I think he is our prettiest baby yet.
4 months old, lookin for a fist-bump
And these other two crazy kids. They keep us busy these days. They are best friends.
Amelia at 2.5, on the left is the usual face I get when I point my camera her way. The right is the rare occasion of a semi-fake smile. She is still her mama’s girl, but when she gets hurt, she needs Dr. Daddy.
Asher at 5. Currently on a haircut strike and a learning streak. I can’t believe he isn’t even a pre-schooler anymore. We are officially starting K in the fall and we are super excited to be doing it here at home.
I am loving these summertime kids to the moon and back.
—————
June garden!
And while I’m here (cause who knows when I’ll be back! ), a quick peek into the garden! Everything has taken off and the harvest is rolling in these days. Tomatoes are doing the best, the beans are doing pretty well too, but for some reason, everything else seems to be moving a bit slow and looking a bit small. I have a feeling I may have added a little bit too much cheap compost to the beds and not enough rich/sandy soil. Or it could just be the high heat we have already been getting coupled with the bugs that never fail to plague. We have picked a few peppers, squash, eggplant, tomatillo, okra and even cut a few of the zinnias that are finally starting to bloom, but I do have to admit, I was hoping for better. Each season brings new lessons though! The weeds are getting a bit crazy out there and I will have to get out and do some serious weeding here soon. We will be starting some pumpkin seeds soon and planning a few more things for the fall. I’m feeling like a good clear out in August and some more work on the soil will get us in shape for a better fall harvest. For fall we will shift gears to plants like brussels and broccoli, carrots and beets, corn and squash, beans and new herbs and of course pumpkins. For now, we are enjoying and preserving our bountiful tomato harvest! Maybe soon I will have to post more about how we preserved our tomatoes.
 
Happy gardening. Happy summer!
Posted in adventures in gardening, days of summer, garden journal, my babies, spring garden
Tags: amelia, asher, garden, garden journal, gardening, june, oliver, tomatoes
Do you ever have moments when you want to actually laugh out loud at the sheer awesomeness of this thing we call love?
I do. I have them a lot (cause I’m sappy like that- I’ve warned you). Last night I had one that was short and fleeting, as I teetered on the edge of sleep, but also felt rather profound.
Lying in bed, my body curves gently around the warm, delicious-smelling lump of my baby and I kiss his soft head, breath in his sweetness. I marvel at just how much I can love. My heart feels like it might explode. It was one of those moments, the ones that make the long days of mothering so worth it. And it dawned on me, yet again, the “big picture”.
I was created in His very image.
This is how He loves me.
And I am sure that He has blessed me with these children to remind me so.
This is why we procreate. Co-create.
I whisper a prayer of thanks.
I smile in the dark and drift to sleep.
Ah, peaceful sleep.
Posted in days of summer, motherhood, we are catholic
Tags: amelia, asher, babies, God's love, grateful, kids swimming, love, motherhood, oliver
Life feels transitional lately.
It reminds me of the fleeting moments spent in an elevator. You simply stand and wait, watching the numbers rise with anticipation. Perhaps there is classical music playing softly in the background. The time spent there is short and relaxing.
We are still adjusting to life with a new family member and that means lots of blissful, quiet moments spent nursing, rocking, holding and kissing my new angel. There has also been more reading, some knitting and most importantly sewing those buttons onto the things I have already finished! It also means our house it pretty messy, even with all of daddy’s upped efforts to handle things at work and at home. It’s a phase I know will pass, which is why I am enjoying every moment of it that I can. At his two week checkup, little Ollie was already up to 8 lbs! It’s going way too fast…
It’s so fun to see him finally in the hand knits I spent time making while he was still growing inside
Oliver sure has some proud big siblings, they never stop asking to hold and kiss him
The weather can’t seem to make up it’s mind- is it winter or spring?
We can’t really tell these days, so we just eat popsicles outside in sweaters.
There is way more green grass than usual for February and lots of things blooming that are surprisingly early. To be honest, I don’t like it. Lent just started and it feels more fitting for the green and blooms to wait until Easter. It just doesn’t feel right. And I mean, if I’m being really honest, I kinda can’t wait for summer. Not the miserable 100 + degree days, but the early days that bring bare feet (that don’t have cold toes), ripe tomatoes and days spent out back in the pool.
And we are in the middle of another pretty big transition right now- leaving the Army.
It is officially official.
We will be finished come May.
It’s a bittersweet transition for us all, most especially daddy. He is a soldier and for almost 10 years (including his cadet days) he has been doing this gig. But we know this will be good for us all and we are excited about what the future holds.
In the meantime, we are just enjoying the ride up
—————————————-
On a side note, how is everyone’s Lent going so far?
Ours is going well so far. Our Lenten wreath is out (a crown of thorns laying in a bowl of sand with a large candle in the middle), I’ve been reading this book, and following along each day with my Magnificat Lenten 2012 app for iphone (along with some of my more personal goals). We were also inspired by this article (and are hoping for some dim and quiet Wednesday evenings this Lent). I was also hoping to add this book to our shelves for Lent this year, but I was too late ordering- looks like we will have to wait until next year! Our CHC “A Year with God” book is always filled with good stuff for each liturgical season.
Anyone else out there have a tradition or favorite resource to share?
Peace and blessings my friends!
Posted in adventures in crafting, adventures of an army family, days of winter, knitting, my babies, news, we are catholic
Tags: amelia, asher, baby cardigan, knitting, leaving active duty, life changes, newborn, oliver, transitions
Hi friends (and my faithful little blog)! I’m just checking in here to say that I’m not gone- just treading water right now, trying to keep my head above.
Where did October go? It felt long and it flew by, all at the same time.
While I’m wishing life would just slow down right now (not much chance of that now that we are entering the Advent season filled with holiday fun!), I am doing my best to enjoy the small things. The mantra that gets me through even the toughest of months.
Although I have been tired and mildly ill (bordering on a sinus infection now-yuck), in these past few weeks we have celebrated a sister’s wedding and a daughters birthday! Despite any hardships we endure, we are undeniably blessed.
I’ll be back as soon as I can tackle a few more personal obligations, get well, and establish just a bit more routine and order in our home. Hopefully it won’t be long!
Until then, I’ll leave you with a few photos of our beautiful birthday girl (Birth Day and first birthday). I can’t believe she is officially TWO.
We chose a simple autumn spice cake with cream cheese icing this year- turned out pretty good!
We have been so blessed to watch this girl bloom and grow over the past two years. We love you, our Sweet November Pumpkin.
I tend to be a sappy person by nature, but man, when it comes to my kids growing up there is so. much. sap.
The excitement mingled with nostalgic ache I feel as I watch my little ones stretch and grow is one of my favorite parts of motherhood. It connects me to my own mother, to this great cycle of life and inspires me to continue to enjoy the small things each and every day.
All of this to say- it has been 10 entire days since my baby girl and I lay side by side in her bed after nighttime prayers, enjoying the beauty and comfort of nursing. I remember feeling this way when Asher finally let go- this sadness that is also a great marveling at how much my baby has truly grown.
And I know this is a relatively small step in the grand scheme of growing up, but for some reason, to my own mama heart, this is a significant leap into childhood.
Oh baby girl, how our days of nursing have flown by!
six days old- she was a nursing pro from hour one
playing with chubby legs while nursing- love
the sleepy, milk-filled tummy
naptime snuggles
I know we have plenty more hugs, kisses and snuggles in our future as mother and daughter, but I had to stop and take a moment to let myself mourn the end of this season.
These days my sweet girl, you can out-eat your brother and I have started to address you as “young lady” often when your sassy attitude flares in unladylike ways. I love watching you grow and bloom and can’t wait to reflect back on these early days with you when you are grown and possibly have babies of your own.
I love you and will always be here for you- however you may need me.
xo,
Mama
« Older posts
|
by mamabrit
2 comments