From our home to yours, we wish you a wonderful day full of warmth, joy, comfort, good food and great fellowship. And many prayers for those who are walking through a dark season right now... that these seasons would pass quickly but not without the support from loved ones.
Thanks to all of you who read my blog, hire me, and support my business. I'm so very grateful for you.
xo!
Spring. Spring, spring, spring!
Real hope about future job and lifestyle changes for our family. Pray with me that I will be able to share amazing news with you this summer. Please? (Please!) God knows what's up!
A sweet girl who is enjoying a break between teething molars. One in... the other is hanging back for a little while and I am oh-so-grateful for relief for my little love.
Fresh air and friends who want to get out and about with us.
A new gym membership that combines Crossfit, childcare, AND an indoor family pool! Oh, and a big chunk of savings for us as well.
An invisible fence that finally does the trick and allows our dogs the freedom to roam the yard on good weather days while also staying in their own territory. No more runaway puppies!!
Saving money and getting rid of toxins by making our own cleaning supplies. So far I've made an all-purpose cleaner, dishwashing soap, and laundry detergent!
An upswing on a hormone imbalance. Weaning is no joke on the hormones. Lemme tell ya.
Wedding season is right around the corner... not to be overshadowed by engagement session season in the next few weeks. So excited!
And finally... this Saturday I have the best friend in the world coming to help me paint some rooms in my house. This is like, 2 years over due. And my sweet, sweet friend totally just finished painting her entire house. She is OVER painting, but she is going to help me anyway.
Pictures in this post are from Micah & Katie's wedding. Such a beautiful day that I love to relive over and over. xoxo.
So, last week I came across this link on my Facebook page. If you don't want to click through, here's the jist:
Dear Mom on the iPhone, It's okay. Sincerely, Awesome Mom Peer
Yes! It IS okay! I have this thing about Mommy guilt... it makes me sooo frustrated. It seems like moms in our culture feel guilty about everything - and we nurture each other’s guilt, too! It’s as if, subconciously, we are thinking “If I have Mommy guilt, it's because I care. And a good mom cares, right? Okay then, live on, mommy guilt!”
Except - a good mom also needs to believe in herself and the decisions she has made. She should stand by who she is and own herself - flaws, bad tempers, mistakes, and all. She should know mistakes happen, bad days come and go, and not knowing an answer is just a part of her role as a mama.
But, our culture thrives on Mommy guilt and it drives me batty. Do I suffer from mommy guilt? YES. I’m not going to act like I have it under control and I don’t second guess a LOT of what I do. But, what makes it worse is that we are constantly discussing our guilt, reading about it, and allowing it to naturally become a part of our identities as mothers. But, you all! It is such a waste of time and energy! I do recognize I am holding myself to a ridiculous standard sometimes, we all are. Luckily, I have amazing people in my life that help bring me back to reality when I need it most… and I am so blessed for it.
(And not to sound like a commercial, but, I want to genuinely add: if YOU need some life cheerleaders, I encourage you to “Like” The Motherhood Collective on Facebook and join in the conversation. We are all about loving and nurturing moms. Because we all need it.)
Okay, so, when I came across that blog post about being an iPhone mama and it being OKAY I was thinking "Yes! Yes! Thank you! Let’s join together and tell these mamas to STOP FEELING GUILTY about so much stuff!” Someone else on the internet GETS IT! I am a recent (last 3 months or so) iPhone convert and it didn’t take long before my phone became an important key to managing our lives. I respond to client emails faster, I can spew out a grocery list as I drive to the store, I share bits of Sunday's days with Tommy, I read a daily devotion… the list goes on and on.
So, for this Gratituesday, I've got two things: I am super grateful for moms that are about supporting one another. And, on a lighter note… I am also grateful for my iphone and how much it helps me manage all the going ons of our family. :) I am grateful to know I’m not the only mama who does NOT feel guilty about how often I use my phone in the presence of my family!
Tomorrow, I am going to share some of my favorite iphone apps with you guys. And I’m not going to feel one ounce of guilt about it!
Gratituesday is a weekly post I try to keep up with. Join us at Heavenly Homemakers by sharing your own Gratituesday post!
Last weekend, something big happened. Sunday woke up only about an hour after I put her to bed. This doesn’t happen often, but when it does our routine usually looks like this:
If her cries are whimpery, pitiful “I’m really too tired to be awake” cries, we let her cry for a minute or so. But if she doesn’t fall back to sleep quickly, I will go into her room and pick her up. In the past, I have sat down in the glider and nursed her back to sleep. In recent weeks, I’ve picked her up and just held her for a little bit until she is barely asleep and then laid her back down.
But I always pick her up.
Until last Saturday night. She woke up and threw out a few whimpery cries, but I knew it would be easier if I just went in and coaxed her back to sleep. When I opened the door I found her sitting up in bed, usually a sign of a larger task ahead. I gently said “Sweet girl, what happened? Can you lay back down?” I patted her little pillow and repeated myself. “Sweetie, will you lay back down?”
And you guys, she did. She did!
She laid back down and I covered her with her blanket and rubbed her back for about 30 seconds. And that was that.
It’s small little moments like these that force me to recognize that she is growing up, and she’s never going to stop growing. No matter how much I LOVE this age and how badly I just want her to stay small forever, she is going to keep changing. It makes me sad, yet so excited. Oh, motherhood. Such a pickle you put my emotions in.
So, today, I am using this Gratituesday to express my gratefulness for life with our precious girl. It is good, so good. I know moments are fleeting and you never know how many days you have with each other. Let it be known that our days with Sunday have been the best days of our lives.
Here are a few snapshots of life with Sunday lately.
gratituesday is a weekly post I try to keep up with. Join us at Heavenly Homemakers by sharing your own Gratituesday post!
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Equipment used for these images: canon 5d mark ii // canon 50mm f/1.2 lens
So you know my post last week about being overwhelmed? I'm kind of still there... I don't know what has been up with me but I have had a giant Attitude (with a capital A) lately. And Tommy? He has been over-the-top, incredibly patient with me. I think he may have reached the "I will do WHATEVER makes her HAPPY" point. (Yikes!) So, he ran out to the grocery store on Friday and returned home with some beautiful tulips for me (along with a week's worth of groceries :)). And they have made me so happy...
I'm so grateful for a husband who offers grace when I need it most. When he has an attitude I struggle with having patience... but when the roles are reversed he is more patient and gracious than ever. He inspires me.
Thank you, Tommy. For your love, patience, grace, and surprise gifts to help cheer me up.
Gratituesday is a weekly post I try to keep up with. Join us at Heavenly Homemakers by sharing your own Gratituesday post!
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Equipment used for these pictures: canon 5d mark ii // canon 50mm f/1.2 lens
“Liz Cook is an incredibly talented and attentive professional. Her sweet and gentle countenance is paired with her ability to capture the most tender and joyful moments of the births that she photographs. Liz’s photos will bring you years of enjoyment as they draw you back to the delight and bliss of your birth experience.”
