we are back from our short and sweet trip down south where we escaped the cold and hung out a few days in Fort Lauderdale and Miami. i’m starting to think that short little trips are the ticket to a stress free mini vacay. if i’m gone too long from routine otto gets out of…
Mommin'
mom and toddler
there is something that has been weighing on me lately. and that is pretty much the weight of motherhood. guys… it’s hard. it’s a lot harder than I could have ever imagined. i’m struggling with all of the emotions that come with being a mom in todays day and age. and well.. i’m struggling almost…
baby boy sale at janie and jack
when i was pregnant i didn’t really hope for one gender over another. growing up i always wanted a girl but honestly once i was pregnant and started to get this gut instinct that the baby was a boy i started envisioning myself as a boy mom. i think it’s safe to say there are…
joyful and triumphant
what a day friends what a day! i feel like now we can sit back and relax and really enjoy yet another holiday at HOME. whenever we leave an appointment with otto a song or poem or verse always comes to my head and just joyful and triumphant was just clear as day in my…
otto’s gift guide for toddler boys
christmas is coming and that means the season of gifting. i’m clearly not a minimalist but i also don’t want my home overrun with useless plastic toys everywhere. we try to limit ourselves to just a few (like three) useful, practical gifts instead of oodles and oodles of things that will be thrown away in…
cupid otto halloween 2018
i know you’re “supposed to” limit the amount of photos each post has but guys… i couldn’t even begin to choose top 3, top 5, so i just posted all my favorites. i can’t believe we are on a year of seconds! second halloween, thanksgiving etc. it blows my mind and i think i weep…
9 things I wish I knew about food aversion
i was laughing to myself the other day as i was going around decluttering my house and organizing my books. i was getting to the “baby cookbooks” i bought before otto was born, before the “heart thing” before we knew what we were in for. i laughed at myself for a moment. not only did…
one year surgerversary
this day seemed so far off from where i was sitting last year at this time. i’ve been weeping all morning but a completely different kind of tears. it’s amazing when i close my eyes i can remember the smells, the lights, the exhaustion. all of it. it seems so close but so so long…
weekend at the leland lodge
i’m seriously considering breaking our rule of you can’t vacation to the same place twice. while that was a good rule for getting out and about in the world there is something about heading to a familiar place and feeling like you are home. i can honestly say that is what the leland lodge feels…
my new favorite baby toy
i would love to say that otto is a minimalist baby and is perfectly content with a carefully selected few heirloom wooden block toys. he’s not. he’s like his mother. he is constantly moving from one thing to another and loves to explore and touch different textures with his hands and mouth. he is drawn…
exploring bay harbor michigan
technically we were here for a conference but i’ll take a conference in bay harbor, michigan anytime. we got to spend an entire long weekend here for the michigan petroleum association convention a few weeks ago. even though it rained almost the entire time we still were able to soak up the beauty of this…
overwhelmed
i’m sitting here quietly in my kitchen dinette area in my bathrobe because i don’t want to wake up otto by getting dressed and i have to get this off my chest. i’m going to level with you a minute. i’m overwhelmed. if you’ve been reading my blog since it started in 2009 this is…