Marin. Four.

Happy Birthday, sweet baby girl! 

It was four years ago at this very moment when your daddy and I met you for the first time and our hearts felt more love than we knew possible. We think about that very special day all the time and merrily oblige your constant requests to "hear about the day I was born." We gladly tell you for the thousandth time about how LOUD and strong you were and how the nurse told us you were the "loudest one in the nursery" and also how the Pediatrician boasted in her Russian accent that you were "strong like monkey." It makes me giggle that God gave these two new, naive parents such a warrior for a first born. In every way you have grown us as we have helped you grow. 

This past year was a big one for you. You became a big sister for a second time and once again made our hearts burst with pride at your genuine joy about it all. You also started school this year, walking in bravely even though Daddy and I knew you felt shy and nervous. We are so proud of this BIG brave accomplishment of yours! You learned to ride your bike with training wheels, tried ice skating AND rollerskating for the first time. You took four trips to the beach (not wanting to return home after any of them). You have learned all your letters and the sounds they make. You can spell your name and seem eager to learn to read. I even heard you saying the entire pledge of allegiance while listening to your shower jibber jabber. You are fascinated by the human body and tell us you want to be a surgeon when you grow up. You also tell us you want to be a bug catcher. Haha Such a brilliant girl you are!

You have such a fun zest for adventure and imagination. At least ten times a day we hear "Mommy, you be-------, and I'll be -------." We go along with the request most times, playing like we are elephants or barbies, or Trolls. If you aren't asking to play pretend, we can find you packing a backpack with all sorts of treasures because you are "going to the beach today!" You love to do crafts and it excites you to make little creations/inventions; although, sometimes you find yourself frustrated when you feel like the thing you made isn't exactly what you wanted it to be, a bit of a perfectionist. 

You are curious and interested in concepts far beyond your years. You ask "how big is God?" almost every day. You request worship music in the car and want to know about heaven. While watching a Disney movie this year, you made the connection that grandparents don't live forever and I was crushed when you began to cry over the thought that the ones you love won't always be here. You were then comforted by the hope of Jesus and heaven. Your childlike faith is beautiful. And you tell us all the time "I asked God to ------ and he did it!" You house so many BIG truths and emotions in such a tiny body. It amazes us, sweet sweet Marin!

Your baby sister, Brite is your best friend. The two of you play more and more these days and it is truly the sweetest sight. You came home the other day from school and you hugged her tight, yelling "Oh Brite, I missed you, you mushy little girl!" Haha! You love her so much and are supremely good at being the oldest, patiently (most days;) teaching her to share and listen to Mommy and Daddy. There is never a time when you go to grab a snack or toy when you don't grab "one for Britey too!"

You are perhaps the most resolute person your dad and I have ever met. And your insatiable desire to do the thing you have set your mind to truly amazes us, little girl. Of course, with that quality, has also come many lessons on being "a good listener" and "making the right decision." Oh God has BIG plans for this grand gift of yours!

Our sweet Marin, we can't thank God enough for letting us be your mommy and daddy! All these days (and long nights;) with you are a gift! I wish I could bottle up those big golden three-year-old eyes and that fine blonde three-year-old hair and the way you still say "finda" for finger, ALL of it! You are growing up so fast and it is Mommy and Daddy's great and joy and privilege to call you ours. Happy Birthday, Moo! Oh we love you so!          

Where the Poppies Grow

More and more I'm finding that the smallest, most simple things in life are oftentimes the most treasured, especially in motherhood.  And last week, one of those small joys was waking Marin up one morning to see that her poppies had bloomed.  We planted a small box garden with my dad a couple months ago, and we have faithfully watered it every day since.  It has been so rewarding to watch Marin observe the whole process, starting with her tiny hands carefully (then not so carefully;) pressing each seed into the soil. Not going to lie, watching her prance around the backyard with her little picked-poppy trophy made my heart swell a bit because SHE made a way for that little flower to grow, from start to finish (with a little help from her Papa of course).  And on this very normal Tuesday, we are glad for the soil, the poppies, the hands, the simple moments that are building this life.
Hope your day also is being filled with all the ordinary moments that make these days so very extraordinary.  

Brite's First Birthday Party

Yesterday the four of us celebrated this little nugget with a small dessert spread and frozen pizza.  And as you can see, it may be her first birthday party but it is clearly not her first rodeo; girl knows exactly what to do with cake.  Second child perks.  What a fun and beautiful birthday week we've had!  Thank you to everyone who celebrated our girls with us!  All the birthday wishes have been so kind.  Happy Friday, everyone!

Master bedroom shiplap + Inspiration

Last week, while Andy was out of town, I decided a house project was in order to keep our minds off of missing dad. I have always loved the look of shiplap and have also been wanting at least one room in our house to have white walls, so I made plans to make both of these things happen in the master bedroom..uh..while watching both girls. I promise it made sense in my head. Ha! Well, turns out this was a much bigger undertaking than I could wrangle on my own, so I am beyond grateful that grandparents, aunts, and uncles came to visit with drills, saws, tools, chick-fil-a and the willingness to help watch the girls. I'm also really grateful for fun memories made during a week I was dreading a bit. 
I decided to use 1x8 v-joint wood panels for the wall I wanted to shiplap and the same color paint as the baseboards and molding, Behr Premium in Shoji White, for all of the walls. I am really happy with how it all turned out and can't wait to finish the rest of the room's makeover! Here are a few rooms that are inspiring me to get this pup finished. I'm feeling a cottage meets modern vibe. Is that a thing?

(images)

A Backyard Dinner Party

Oftentimes, when the weather is nice, and we are done cleaning up from dinner in the evenings, our little family will go for walks. And because of these walks, we've ended up meeting so many really nice people in our neighborhood, many in a similar season of life with babies or young kids.  So, a couple months ago, I mentioned to Andy that I wanted to have a dinner at our house with all these new friends, a chance to hear more about their lives and just let community do what community does best. It also just so happened that one of the moms from up the street loved the idea and offered to help put it all together which is always more fun than working by your lonesome. So we got the plans rolling!
Since our house is a bit small for the number of people we invited, we decided to set up dinner outside, a long table filled with wine, appetizers, and pastas. My neighbor, and nearest and dearest of friends, Whitney, came over on Saturday to help me weave together a long green garland for the center of the table.  Andy ran errands all morning, finishing up every last item on the honey-do list just in time for the Georgia Tech game.  Then our friends, Jana and Brad, who helped with lots of the details, came to help set up.  It was a group effort.
The night was beautiful. Stories were shared; wine was poured; laughter was had by all.  We stayed out until well past 11:00, and I went to bed stuffed with pasta and happy.  I'm not one of those effortless hostesses.  I sweat and flip couch cushions, you know, THAT kind.  So, I am extra grateful for the evening and that folks came to enjoy one of the last nights of Summer with us, at our home.

The Kitchen Mini Renovation + Painting Tile

Happy Monday, friends.  I hope it was a fun and productive weekend for you and yours.  In our neck of the woods, this kitchen mini-renovation came to fruition, and I'm so happy that we went for it! When we were looking to buy a home a year ago, we were in a bit of a time crunch, so we were really happy when we found one that was move-in ready and seemed to fit so many of our likes.  It was all around a great fit for us and still is for the time being.  With that being said, there were/are a few small changes that I've wanted to make to help it feel a bit more like the home I would have built if I had my way with all the knobs and paints, etc. We aren't looking to pour too much money/time into changes because we aren't sure if this is our forever home, but a few small changes are feeling pretty good.  
The major component of this mini-renovation was changing the grey subway tile to white.  Not looking to put in all new tile, I started researching the painting option, and let me tell you, there aren't a lot of positive stories out there.  BUT I found this one (and one is all you need-right?), and I dove in.  I applied a good bonding primer and a leveling paint in super thin coats over the course of a couple days. Then, I took a very small paintbrush and painted the grout grey.  Now THAT task was as you might imagine, super tedious, like applying liquid eye liner for hours. Partyyy. After painting, we replaced the knobs and added pulls to the drawers and VOILA, a new kitchen for all my seven course meal prep. Anyone want some spaghetti?    

Welcome to my Office (A reveal of sorts)

 Ta Da! That little nook right beside our family room has been transformed into a real live office!  I mentioned in this post that I've been wanting some kind of office or desk, so I'm actually really thrilled to see this spot finished.  A couple weeks ago, Andy's family came over to visit, and I looked at Andy's dad with my stack-o-wood in hand like sooo, what are YOU doing for the next hour? And because he is one of the most helpful people this side of the Mississippi, he kindly obliged to help me construct the desk portion of the space.  With out him, my furring strips and I would have been lost.

Happy Friday, everybody! If you need me, you know where I'll be.

A picture of the four + house projects

I can’t believe it took this long to get a picture of the four of us.  But, thanks to family vacations and extra hands, here it is! During my pregnant nesting craze, I started a gallery wall in our living room and left the largest frame empty, so Brite could be included in the pictures once she arrived.  So, with our first REAL family picture of all four of us printed and hung, we now have a finished gallery wall to boot. To the next project! 

Funny I should mention. This past Saturday I turned off Marin’s baby monitor by Andy’s side of the bed so he could sleep in a little.  Ah, but whilst he slept…I was preparing my Lowe's shopping list for another house project.  I’ve been wanting a desk space or office.  Right now my computer usually ends up on the kitchen counter or night stand, so I’ve been trying to brainstorm and budget for some kind of computer resting spot.  I didn’t want to use one of our bedrooms because it seemed like a waste of necessary bedroom space.  Ideally, I wanted the desk/office in a central spot where I could still see and be a part of what everyone was up to.  So, we picked the small (very small) nook in the hallway that leads to the master bedroom.  It’s just off the family room so still pretty central. Also, the nook measured nine inches deep and my laptop also measures nine inches deep.  Coincidence? I think not. Wink.

Here are a few of the pics from the beginnings of the project. Hopefully an itty bitty, finished office will be here soon! Happy Tuesday, friends. 

BANO, COMMODE, BATHROOM

pictures/shower curtain/jars/candle

In true nesting fashion, I hearby present to you a small but finished room in our home: el bano, the commode, the bathroom.  I always love seeing home tours out in blog world, so here is a humble look at a small but mighty room in our home.  

25.5 weeks

And for your daily dose of awkward, this post is brought to you from the gyno waiting room. Maybe I'll throw out the word uterus in a minute and call it a real date.

I'm not sure how we got to twenty five weeks so quickly. I guess there is nothing like a fun little toddler to keep your mind off the waiting and worries of pregnancy. And in that way, this pregnancy has been so different than the last. There are all the same worries for a worrier to worry, but my heart and mind are on other things (mostly). I'm just enjoying the time that is all my own with this growing baby, all the secret kicks and hiccups. I'm also soaking up my days with Marin, my little comrade who follows me to the loo everytime I so much as think of peeing by myself. What is it about that first one that makes you want to declare, "Oh but this one here was my very first." She made me a mom. So very bittersweet when waiting around for a sibling.

Besides my mind being a bit more occupied with non-pregnancy things, in every other way this pregnancy feels so similar to the last. I'm craving the usual: sour patch gummies, bagels with cream cheese, salad, Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches with a big glass of milk, oh and butterfinger blizzards. Yes! Symptoms have been the same too: skin gone wild, restless legs at night, bouts of sleepiness, slower hair growth (strange but true). 

Nesting has gone into full force and I have plans, big plans. Which always somehow translates to money signs in husband dialect. Hmm, not quite sure why.  

Let's see what else? We've been trying to prepare Marin as best we can for a baby in the house. She already loves babies and squeals whenever we see one, so we're hoping the affection stays around for baby sister's entrance into the world. We've been practicing diaper changing, bottles, and burping with her baby dolls which she also seems to enjoy. She is a nurturer that one, and I just want to help prepare a way for her to feel just as valued and loved when our affections are being shared with sister. We are trying to navigate that one and would love any peals of advice ya’ll have for how to prepare.

Welp, that about does it I think. Until the next bump update, friends. 

Merry Christmas

Happy Christmas Eve, everyone! We are busy over here with some final Christmas present wrapping and getting so excited for all the festivities ahead.  This Christmas season has been extra special in so many ways.  Marin has really filled it to the brim with all her exclamation “Whoa, whoa, WOW!”  Pretty magical.  Watching Marin grow and feeling her sister wiggle and squirm in me  has made me even more grateful for a God who gave his child so I could have peace on earth and assurance of heaven.  I hope you and yours are enjoy the next couple days.   Here are a few pics of the magic of Marin during Christmas:  serious little tree hunter, her first look at the Christmas lights on our house,  “mmmmm-ing” at the red berries and Christmas décor.  Much love from us to you!