weeding and elbow grease

a bit of normalcy has finally headed back home and is settling in around here. newness is wearing and blending in with the old. it's a happy place to be.

max is home and crazy as ever...days are devoted to cleaning and laundry and i finally got back outside in my element...pulling weeds and digging in dirt. 

(something i haven't been able to do since being pregnant...3 cheers for a napping baby and being able to bend over again!)

it's amazing what a little weeding and elbow grease can do for a girl's sense of self...

phoebe makes 4

baby girl made it safely here monday night! 

after two days of being in labor, i was finally able to have the natural birth experience i was hoping for...and sis came just 8 years and 26 hours after her brother. early july is my lucky baby month!

our phoebe sue is the spitting image of her papa and the funniest little friend already...so many faces and noises. we're all head over heels for this gal, especially max! he is in love and has been an amazing big brother already. we're blessed and blessed. 

and i'm not holding my breath, but we think we see some red on that head of hair!

so here we are. finally home...low on sleep but filled to the brim from the goodness of our girl.

it was been the wildest of rides...being pregnant again and growing our little family. and it's been such a treat getting to share it all with you. 

thank you so much for all of the love and sweetness and encouragement you've give me along the way!

we had a baby, friends!

xoxo

{hospital photos by bella baby photography!}

a boy turns 8

yesterday we celebrated our little max...who woke up a new man of 8! 8!?

it's been a tradition the past few years to have a donut cake breakfast party on his day...and i was so worried this one wouldn't happen.

(before bed saturday night i started having major contractions, which have yet to leave me. they're coming inconsistently (5 minutes then 7 then 10 minutes apart) so aren't considered "real" labor just yet. but good grief do they ever feel real!)

so our breakfast party for max came with a bit of dancing and donuts and presents with a side of stops for contractions and crumpled over, breathing exercises. and while sis never ended up showing up yesterday, i'm so happy we got the chance to honor our guy in true "us" fashion...

happy happy birthday, my guy!

you proved yourself yesterday to be a real big kid..selfless and caring and sweet as pie. and i can't wait to get to know 8 year old max...see who he becomes...what he likes! because he's already the most interesting guy on the block! 

happy friday!

no baby yet...but all is well! 

i've been soaking up time with my boys, hiding out from the heat, and trying to enjoy these last few moments of quiet.

there are a few perks of being pregnant left...last night matt insisted i use the motorized scooter cart at the grocery. it was everything i had hoped it would be and so much more! max couldn't breathe for laughing as we scooted around the store...breezing past corners and coming to the most jarring stops.

anyways, it was a little bit of a dream. 

have a happy happy weekend, all!

sunday we celebrate our little man on his golden birthday! time has flown right by...but these past 8 years with him have been the greatest of all my life.

paint an escape

i hid away at the museum this morning...spending some time alone away from the heat...touching cold marble and holding my breath at my favorite paintings.

i can't wait to bring baby girl here...for max to get to show her how your voice can echo in the large rooms and that there are samurai swords in the basement and a pinochio painting upstairs. 

the best parts of living life together are getting to share the details...

p.s. thank you all much and much for the funny labor stories and recipes! 

i was a week overdue with max and had to be induced...which led to a c-section. it was of course a beautiful experience but i was left feeling like there should be more to it. i'm determined this time to do things the old fashion way. and i'm excited to see my body actually do things on its own this time..i'm hopeful anyways. 

come what may, but next week i'll be stocking up on fresh pineapple and caster oil and ordering pizza while scrubbing the kitchen floors. haha.

peanuts and cracker jacks

sunday we tried to soak up as much time together as we could as a little family before we sent max off for some summer adventuring with his dad this week.

matt and i asked max what he wanted to do and the answer was baseball...the answer is almost always baseball! he's a true blue fan, my guy is! 

and so we hot dogged and sno-coned and clapped and cheered for our dayton team. max forever tried to remind me of the rules and kept me up on what was really happening during the game...matt marveled at all the little old men eating peanuts. 

 

it was a good day with my boys...

and so my max is away now and i'm at a bit of a loss as to what to do with myself while he's gone. i usually am. although it almost always flies by and i'm sure with sis being so close my time alone will involve cold sweets and elevated feet. 

 (matt has asked for no spicy food or walking on this last week of work for him in hopes to hold baby girl in...he promised me indian for lunch and dinner and long long walks everyday next week though...i'm ready to meet this gal already! 

any labor kick start tricks you have to share?)

happy tuesday, loves!

p.s. dear max, come home soon, why not?

xoxo

peach plum pear

saturday morning matt and i found some time to sneak away together and hunt for fresh fruits and local honey (perfect for those seasonal allergies)

this time of year is the best for visiting all the little roadside shops...and makes running normal errands feel like a bit of a date. matt and i are taking what we can get these days!

if i weren't 9 months pregnant and craving hamburgers and deep fried anythings on a daily, i could live off of all of these local peaches and plums and pears!

xoxo

quiet fleetings

another quiet week...trying to strike a balance between being completely present and going inward a bit in preparation for things to come.

....being a good summer mama to my little boy (carpooling to play dates, buttoning on that baseball pin, rainy day video game playing) and trying to get this house in order. i'm in a forever sea of laundry and a winter coat shedding dog.

but these are happiest, hectic, most fleeting kinds of days.

each one a good one.

today i'm finishing up last minute sweet things for the men in our lives for father's day tomorrow! between my dad, matt, and max's papa, we're some of the luckiest friends, max and me.

it's a blessing to be surrounded by such men.

have the happiest weekend, loves!

xoxo

signs of summer

it's officially feeling like summer around here.

colorful ice pops and cold soda...little boys and dogs drinking from the same watering hose...lightning bugs in a jar by the bed at night for a night light...it all makes me so happy!

today was max's last day of school and we have a few more lazy hazy weeks left until baby comes.

i'm so excited to have him home with me...we have plenty of mama-son summer adventuring to get in!