A little on learning and motherhood

Today as I scrolled through my Instagram feed I saw a sweet photo of a wonderful momma and her baby son. The caption, which was about how her little one was teaching her new ways to live/ look at life, resonated with me. I reflected on my experiences of motherhood and how much Em has been teaching me about  love, perspective, and myself. I really enjoy following these other momma's feeds and sharing in some of their experiences. Everyone comes from a different place, but it's a truly special feeling when you can look at someone else's experiences and relate it to your own. How we realize there is a bond in this thing called motherhood. I am thankful for this bond that becoming a mother has given me. 

I'm also thankful that there is much learning and even growing pains. It can be frustrating at times, but the knowledge and love you gain really is the greatest reward. Thank you, sweet Em,  for helping me learn more about being a good person. 

Life lately- Connecticut

We are finally done with most of the huge  changes that have been going on the last few months. We are all moved and settling into our new home on the east coast. Well, mostly, we accidentally forgot quite a few boxes in our whirlwind of a week at home.... Oops! 

Whew, driving a moving truck across the country with a 17 month old is not for the faint of heart! Luckily, my grandmother was able to join in and she drove our car with the beasty while I sat behind the wheel of the gigantic truck with all of our possessions. It was an experience that's for sure. I will say I am glad for all the time Em and I were able to share with my grandmother. It was strange when she flew back home. 

There are about 3500 miles separating us from all of our family. It always comes as a surprise when I think of how great that distance is. Until last December I had always end lived within about 150 miles of my family. It'll make visits home that much sweeter I suppose... And hey, at least the scenery here is much better than Florida! 

I really can't wait to start exploring all that is around us here. We are close to big cities, history and great architecture surrounds us, hopefully some new and rewarding friendships will take shape here as well. It seems like a great community and it'll be an adventure becoming a part of it. 

This is a little picture from our hiking outing last weekend! We've decided that one day a week should be dedicated to hiking and/or being outside...even if it's just down the road! 

Easter Festivities

Hello there! It's been awhile again. March seemed to fly by for us over here. We are still dealing with Spring Breakers, but they are almost gone! Hooray, for a slight decrease in the traffic craziness and less honking!

This was the first Easter that Em was able to participate in so, we went to Rosemary Beach and got a photo with the Easter bunny, looked at all the ritzy people in their Sunday best, and walked along the beach. After that we jumped back into the car and drove down the road to the little town of Watercolor. Clark got blueberry gelato and I had the BEST pistachio gelato (I think Em was a fan of both flavors). 

We then walked around for a little bit waiting for the one o'clock 15,000 egg Easter "egg hunt" to start. I don't really think it can be called a hunt when the plastic eggs are just laid out over an expanse of lawn... And let's talk about greedy little fingers and children stampeding into the egg filled lawn. Holy cow... And that's not even talking about the parents going crazy in the 1-4 year old section. One mother was running around filling her child's bucket, I mean that container was brimming with eggs. She had to have 50 eggs in there and for a 2 year old?!  

Clark went in with Em this year and I attempted to watch from the sidelines. When he got back out 2 minutes after the start they had six little eggs and he smiled a little as he told he how he had "accidentally" kicked over a woman's bucket that was overflowing. I shook my head and laughed a little at his use of the word accidentally, I know him a little too well for that, ha.  I imagine that woman was not happy about it since the eggs went flying in all directions and were immediately pounced on by crazed egg "hunting" children by the end of Clark's little incident recount. 

I don't know that I'll be taking Em to another giant Easter extravaganza, seems a little too crazy and corrupt. I think next year will be spent at home with real dyed eggs and you can bet they will definitely be hidden. 

Happy March 2nd!

Our family had a wonderful weekend and from the looks of my Instagram feed so did many others! I saw photos of friends snowboarding in different states, like Colorado. I saw beautiful art that was made, and lots of smiles. 

It was awesome to see so much positivity on social media and in our day to day life! 

Last week I met up with a group of moms (I found them on meetup.com) at a cute little trendy coffe shop, Chez Amavida.  It reminded me of home and I knew Clark would like the coffee and the vibe of the shop, so Friday afternoon we went in and enjoyed our drinks while Em napped in the car seat next to us. It was so relaxing to just be able to talk to each other and be out while she slept. I was quite pleased with Clark's review of his coffee and I think it is somewhere we will visit many more times in the next two months before we leave PCB. 

Saturday morning found us driving out on 30-A pretty early in the morning. It has a bunch of cool planned communities and four state parks along it. The area is gorgeous and we were excited to actually find multiple farmer's markets to stop at. We also explored a little art studio and got in a short "hike". It was really small and nothing like hiking back home, but it was still enjoyable and I liked the change of pace. 

We also saw a few awesome looking food trucks on our way back home and I cannot wait to go back and see what tasty food they have to offer. The weather wa pretty cold that day so, I'm also looking forward to going back visiting the beaches!  According to the online guide 30-A is supposed to have some of the most gorgeous beaches. All in all, it was a wonderful day. 

Sunday, we were more lazy and stayed home most of the day. Well, I was more lazy... Clark woke up bright and early and went and got groceries and made breakfast before Em and I were even out of bed. I love when he does things like that :) We did find ourselves back at Chez around noon and then walked around little St Andrews and played in the park for a good couple of hours. It is so amazing to see how well-and quickly!- that Em can make her way around now. She's not even a baby anymore sometimes, she's a tiny human! 

Well, that was our weekend and I'm really glad it was such a good one! 

Here are some photos :) 

We took selfies while the baby slept :) 

It's spring break (almost) in PCB

Here in PCB spring break lasts about 4-6 weeks. It is a giant hotspot for teens and twenty somethings to come party it up before going back to school for spring term. I've heard horror stories about the traffic, the crowds, the drugs, the noise etc and starting next week I'll get to experience it myself. Hopefully it's not as bad as I'm anticipating and all the hype I've been hearing is far greater than the real deal...probably not though.... 

My grandparents get here next week and I'm hoping that we will have beautiful sunny weather. This week has been cloudy and rainy. Tonight it is even supposed to be thunder-storming all night. I want to spend time on the beach with them and for some reason I feel like rain wouldn't make it a good experience... Hopefully that will be enough room for us out there and the sand won't just be taken up by crazy partiers. 

I'm feeling pretty darn homesick today. The crappy weather has me thinking about winters at home and sitting around my parents wood stove. Only two more months till I get to visit them and everyone else back home...I can't wait!! 

I'll leave you some iPhone photos below :) 

She finally is starting to look like me! 

Silly faces, baby laughs and sunshine

Some days just work out nicely; today was one of those days. The sky was bright blue, it was a tad bit chilly, but warm in the sunshine and Em and I  clicked. Lately, she's been whining over every little thing and testing every boundary she finds. Today was a nice reprieve. 

We went on two walks and played at our little playground. While swinging I got out my new iphone (thank you honey) and decided to get some photos of her laughing at the faces I made. I absolutely love when she smiles and laughs like this. Her little teeth and the gap between her fronts just melt my heart. 

Saturday is Clark's birthday and I've been busy trying to get ready for it in the calm moments when Em is occupied by toys or napping. Normally that would be easy, but with her new fiery independence and curiosity for new things I've been finding myself feeling overwhelmed and maybe even overusing the word, "no". Hopefully, I'll come up with new ways to keep up with her and not curb her personality. If I'm lucky I'll manage to make Clarks birthday a success as well. Wish me luck! 

Happy Valentines

We are spending the day together and it couldn't be better 

Another Day, another reason to buy, buy, buy

I'm feeling rather annoyed today. I've seen at least one hundred ads preaching their product is 'THE WAY' to show your significant other they have your love. I have a crazy idea: just tell them and show them daily! Make your actions and conversations a reflection of your love for them. Speak kindly, give hugs, smile at one another. It's your simple gestures that carry your love and deliver it all wrapped in warm happy feelings that speak volumes, not how much you spend or what you buy on Valentine's Day.
 I mean, gifts are nice too... I would be lying if I said I wouldn't like a box of chocolates, a cute potted plant, or a new book, but my point is this: Don't rely on one day of gift giving and purchased romance to stand in for daily loving actions. You should love your spouse and celebrate that love every day, not just on February 14th.  *Bonus points if you get them a gift on a day that you aren't told you have to buy/give them something by our consumer society.*

So, for my valentines I'm hoping for the same things I want every day; a kiss or two, lots of cuddling, and sweet moments with my husband and our little girl.

Happy Monday!

It's the start of a new week! I hope everyone had a wonderful weekend like our family did! The weather here in PCB was warm with blue skies and sunshine, so naturally we spent the majority of our time outside. On Saturday we were told there was a big Mardi Gras celebration in the afternoon about 15 minutes away in historic St Andrews, but we opted to head to Pier Park and enjoyed walking around the shops and went into a few new ones just because. It ended up being a success in my book, even if we just window shopped. We found an olive oil shop called Emerald Coast Olive Oil and you could sample all of the different balsamics and flavors that they sold. One of my favorites was the espresso balsamic, which is kind of surprising since I used to avoid coffee like the plague (It's finally growing on me...). The ladies running the shop were very sweet and Em warmed right up to them and started jiggering away at them from her stroller. We also went to a hot sauce store and looked at gift ideas for my dad and Clark's dad. The creative names they come up with to name these sauces were hilarious and we spent a good deal of time just pointing out the funnier ones to each other. Anyone who knows me, knows that I'm a sucker for great labels and sometimes that leads me to buy products just because of the packaging, however Clark and I both agreed, it's what's in the bottle that matters for these presents. ;)

After walking around for a couple hours we drove down the road a bit and went to enjoy the waves and warm sand. Em dug around for some seashells with Clark and they both ended up getting in the water. I didn't think it was quite warm enough, but those two are like mermaids. If they could, I have a feeling that they would live in the ocean. I would not. I like the ocean, it's beautiful and fascinating, but I prefer having some earth and dirt under my feet. Maybe that's why I have brown eyes and they have blue. Eyes are windows to the soul, right? Mine is at home in the mountains and theirs are out at sea.

I just thought the world should see this selfie...

A photo update

These first photos are courtesy of our sister-in-law Amy. After Christmas presents were opened we all went out to enjoy the sunshine and she snapped these sweet photos for us. They are the first ones since my graduation that we have had taken as a family. I absolutely love them and am so happy that she was game to take a few. 

The other photos are just from our phones during the month of January. 

Planning for visitors

I received an email from my grandmother last week that mentioned they will come for a visit the first week of March and I have been jumping around and making lists to plan for their arrival ever since. I haven't seen them since Thanksgiving and have been missing them terribly. This is the longest I'll have gone without seeing my grandparents and family and I just can't wait from them to get here! I love my family very much and am thankful to have always had most of them close by me till recently. It sure makes living far away seem even farther after having that closeness though. Hopefully where ever we move next will be a place that everyone wants to visit and doesn't cost them an arm and a leg.

Another bright spot in this month of February is that I made a friend here finally! Her husband works with mine and we seem to have quite a bit else in common as well! I'm excited to start going walking and hiking with her later this week. I knew I would get along with her the moment I saw her book collection on the mantle over her fireplace, the Harry Potter series of course caught my eye first, and I had also read most of the other titles displayed. I'm hoping for the best and couldn't be more thrilled to get to know her better! Hooray for life in PCB looking up!!!

We're also planning a little trip to Destin, where there are the finer things, like a whole foods and *gasp* a B&N, and maybe even a Baby Gap for Em sized goodies. Hopefully, I'll be able to find my dear husband his birthday gift while we are out. I'm at a bit of loss as to what to get him this year. It's hard, when space is limited for what we can fit in the car when we move again, and he hardly has any free time now to enjoy things, or plan an outing. I'll think of something... maybe get some tips from his brothers or friends. He's kind of hard to buy for, but I like a challenge ;)

The end of month two in PCB

Another month has almost come and gone with only six days left till February. Em is practically running now and fiercely independent She has her own ideas of where she should be able to play, eat, and be. She is absolutely obsessed with dogs and whispers, "puppy" anytime she sees one. She also says "uff" to mimic the sound of a dog barking. It is one of those things that makes my heart swell a little more, and so excited to be her momma. She also says, "Hello", "Hi", "Poo-poo", "ball-ball" (basketball), and "Bye-bye". It seems like it happened overnight. One day she was a little bundle of fat baby and tomorrow she will be off to college.

Most of the days go by hear in a sort of crazy mess of food, play time, baths, and walks. We try to stay outside if the weather is nice and frequently that means playing in the dirt. It's a lot of fun, but makes for a lot of laundry and bath times. I am often exhausted by 9 pm while my monster baby is wanting to play until 11. Thank goodness she loves to sleep in! I hear about all these kids that are up at 6am and I can happily say that Em is out until about 9:30 most days, sometimes later... Like I said, I'm lucky in that regard.

I have been spending obscene amounts of time looking at fashion blogs lately, it makes me wonder where these women store all of the zillion accessories and clothing items they have. I also wonder how you get all of that for free, or what bills they aren't paying to afford 100plus white t-shirts. On one hand I think that would be amazing to have so many gorgeous clothes, but then I feel sick to my stomach thinking of how their energy, time and money could be spent doing other things. Like volunteering somewhere or donating their old clothes to women's shelters. I also realized if I actually care, I should probably get off the internet and go do something worthwhile myself.

So, I am going to go and hang out with the family now and enjoy this beautiful sunny Florida day! Hope you all are doing well and finding something to enjoy this Sunday.

A mini-update

One of the things on my List for 2015 is to update this little ol' slice of Internet pie more often. I think I always say I'll do that....

I have a long list this year, but it's one that is full of everyday things and BIG things that I feel will make this year even better than all the previous ones. I think it's a realistic list, and on top of that list I have daily lists that help me remember what is most important, like reading time with Em or sending daily texts out to friends. Sending off my snail mail to my dear friend and now penal, Natalie over at misadenturesfour.blogspot.com

I'll have to post photos of Em's birthday, my birthday, our Christmas with Snyder Family in North Carolina, and the New Year another day soon, when I can access the web from my trusty iPad. We just moved into our final place in PCB and there is no wifi. Maybe I'll get Clark to watch the babe and I can go sit for a few hours in a coffee shop and get it all done. I could even sketch a few randoms.

Speaking of sketching, drawing is on my list of daily things to do. Even if its a silly flower doodle, I just need to get back into the act of picking up my sketchbook daily. Hopefully, I can go get some new pencils soon and maybe even some watercolors... We will see.

I hope the new year has been a success so far for all of you reading this. It has been for our family :)

Ta-ta!