It's a beautiful day in the neighborhood!
“I do it by my own self.” Oh Miles. If there was a phrase to sum up your second year, that would be the one, Mr. Independent. This past year has been full of beautiful moments I will always treasure, but I’d be remiss to not mention all of your toddler shenanigans, too. We had our […]
Oh my sweet orchid. My sweet, affectionate, middle baby. Can we raise a glass of orange juice to making it through this year together? It sure has been a wild ride filled with more emotions than you and I ever knew possible. But we’re getting there, child. You, me, and daddy. We’re finding our way through […]
“Mom, it’s important that we’re all different. Because life would be boring if we were all the same. This is how I am. And when I find someone that thinks how I do, it will be good.” My 6-year-old gracefully took my own words and used them against me as I tried to coax her into […]
My dearest Kinley, Today you are SIX. Where has time gone?! Where is my chubby cheeked toddler?! Some days I’m bitter with how fast time goes, but then again, it has been such a pleasure watching you grow that I can’t help but look forward to what’s ahead. I think this age is notoriously a favorite among […]
Parenting is… ~ Keeping a straight face when you have to punish your kid for saying some funny naughty. ~ Cleaning one room only to discover the kid’s made a mess in a different room. ~ 90% grocery shopping and food prep. 10% ensuring everyone has the right color plate. ~ Eating your kid’s leftovers because you […]
Dearest Miles, You are my SONshine, my only SONshine, you make me happy when skies are gray. You’ll never know, dear, how much I love you. Please don’t take my SONshine away. I sing this to you daily, and I can’t help but feel the lyrics with every fiber of my being, with you being […]
Dearest Karina, More times than not, my day begins with you. A warm little nose pressed against mine as I try to sleep off the day’s previous activities. You’re my morning gal who likes to wake-up when the sun rises. You greet me with a “good morning” and a smile and delightfully take in some screen […]
Dear Miles, My apologies for being a little late with this letter…We missed your official half birthday while we were away, and even though 18 months is such a small milestone in many respects, there has been so much change during the past 6 months, an update feels warranted. Plus, 18 months means we’re getting closer to two, […]
Dear children, I get it. I will never be a cool mom. At the end of the day, I drive a minivan, have clothing that is only slightly in style, and make the hard decisions for you, so chances are pretty high that the word cool will never be attached to me. I do, however, promise to be […]
Dear Kinley, Today you are five. FIVE. Five. I just need to say it a few times because this is a BIG one to me. You’re FIVE!!! I want to laugh because I have a 5-year-old and I’m not sure how that happened, and I want to cry because I loved age 4 so much […]
Dear Miles, Today you are ONE. Can you tell me — how did this year go by so fast? Seems like yesterday I was in labor and pacing the grounds at the hospital awaiting your arrival. It was such a wonderful experience being able to hold you in my arms for the first time! Fast […]
Dearest Karina, As I think about what to type in this year’s birthday letter, I can’t help but get tears in my eyes. It sure has been a year, baby girl! So many ups, so many downs. So.Much.Fun. Today you are three. If there is one thing I have learned during your second year, it’s to […]
I confess: Miles turned 6 months old on February 7th, so I’m a little behind. Cut me some slack…I’m a little busy raising 3 little humans 😉 Dear Miles, You are six months old — YAY! I am very torn about this milestone since you are my last baby. I am cherishing every single day […]
My dearest Karina, It’s insane to me to think of the differences we’ve experienced between you turning two and turning 2.5. Six months can make a world of difference for a toddler! Quite honestly, this age has been a huge challenge to me as a parent. I want you to be independent, but you’re caught […]
My dearest Kinley, I can’t believe I am writing a letter to my newly 4-year-old. When I held you for the first time, I could only imagine a time when I could have a conversation with you. Now that day is here, and let me tell you — you have a lot of {adorable} wisdom […]
My Dear Miles, Oh my sweet, sweet baby. I can’t believe how fast these first six+ weeks have gone! You are growing like a little flower and changing on a daily basis, and I am enjoying your babyhood so much. Someone once told me there was just something special about your third baby, and I totally […]
Friday was my due date. I was really hoping I would be sharing baby boy’s birth story by now, but alas, here we are…3 days overdue so far. If you’ve never gone past your due date, you probably don’t really get how this feels. Friday was a tough day overall since I’ve had plenty of signs that labor […]
My Dearest Karina, It’s hard to even write Karina, because to me you are Kar, Kar-Boo, Karina-Bo-Bina, Kar Bars, sugar booger, and more. Seriously, your list of nicknames may be slightly out of control. But truly, they seem to sum you up well: You are a little spark plug, and I can’t believe you are […]
Holy smokes. I am 30 weeks along with my 3rd child and turning 30 in a couple of weeks. What has my life become?! Regardless of what I thought my life would look like {umm, not even starting to have kids until 30!}, I have to say it has turned out way cooler than I ever […]
Dearest Kinley, I wanted to write you a little letter to give you an idea of what your life is like at age 3½. This was important to me because you have changed so much since turning 3. Here’s a bit about you right now: You start to stir around 8:30 a.m. and I walk into […]