jaybird family pictures, 2018

Recently my amazing sister took new family pictures and I've just been bursting to share the sweetness!!!  I'm still blown away by the gifts these three people are in my life... and seeing us captured like this is so priceless.

july favorites

full to overflowing

Nearly three weeks ago, our precious Haven Rose made her whirlwind arrival into our lives.  After a short but intense labor (less than two hours), our second daughter was placed in my arms.  Our hearts are bursting with love for this sweet new child as we learn her and bond.  All is going relatively smoothly so far as we adjust to being a family of four.  Rennie completely adores her little sister.  I will definitely be sharing more of this chapter of life soon, but things are quite a bit busier these days so blogging hasn't been a priority.  My recovery is going pretty smoothly so far (only a few tiny hiccups along the way).  Thank you all so much for praying throughout my pregnancy.  We definitely covet continued prayers as we raise our precious daughters.  <3  So, till I can find some time for a better life update, here are pictures to tide you all over!  :-D  Many blessings!

Baby HR Gender Reveal!

before and after the ultrasound!

One week ago, Andrew and I traveled through fog and rain to find out how our baby was doing and also to discover HR's gender!  Because our midwife lives two hours away and I also had a regular checkup along with a chiropractic appointment, it turned into an all-day affair.  What a fun time  for just the two of us to see and celebrate our new child!

little life update

Happy 2018, my friends!!!  What a year 2017 was and the next twelve months are already filled with so much adventure for our growing family (the biggest change being the fact that our family is, indeed, growing!).

renniebird... two years!

This morning my body woke me up at 6:30. Normally I would have sank back into our mess of blankets and pillows for some more shut-eye, but instead I stayed awake for exactly seventeen minutes to watch my baby turn two. In that time she rolled over in her sleep to wrap her arm around me, smushed her face against my arm, smiled and giggled in her sleep, and was by far the sweetest and dearest child in the world. 
So many times in the years before her existence I laid awake at night wondering if I would ever be a mom. I shed so many tears during that time. I prayed so hard and doubted so much. Yet later this morning I was greeted by deep blue eyes and a smile that reaches every inch of her face as she woke to her second birthday. I am so thankful for the sweet child who calls me mommy. These two years have been a time of enormous growth for me as a person and I would never trade them for anything! Happy birthday, sweet Renniebird. And thank you God for this gift.

--- yesterday on Facebook

little house on the alley... living space

from the loft doorway looking down

I think it is high time I introduce you all to our amazing new home.  <3 We have been living here a few months now and I continue to fall more and more in love with our little abode.

These pictures are of the combined living/kitchen/dining/office space that makes up the bulk of our home!  I will share more pictures of the bedrooms/laundry/bathroom spaces in a future post.

crazy old days... lake michigan adventure

My mother is an adventurer.  And she reeeeeeaaaally loves spur-of-the-moment excursions.  Hence a random trip on a Monday evening to the Indiana Dunes to watch the sun set over Lake Michigan.  <3  While my introverted, planned-out nature doesn't always keep up with her so well, I'm very thankful for these sweet times.  She definitely brings out the adventure in me.

family pictures... and i'm going to be an aunt!!!

A couple months ago (I know... I'm really late sharing!) my family had some *amazing* pictures taken by a friend!  I'm so excited to be sharing them along with the news that my sister, Jessie, and her husband have a little one on the way!!!  She is almost halfway through her pregnancy now (due in November!) and I am over-the-moon excited to meet my FIRST niece or nephew this autumn!  Pretty thrilled for Rennie to have a cousin too.  <3

So, here are my very favorite shots (there are quite a few):

sisters!

mamabird life {thirteen}

whew!  when life is full, blog posts are few.

andrew, rennie, and i are slowly but surely adjusting.  we are currently living in my parents' home while our own home is being prepared (more on that in a minute!).  andrew will be starting his new job in about two weeks; in the meantime we are getting everything officially switched over to our indiana address and shopping for new-to-us (which means used, but still holding years of life!) furnishings.  we've had many sleepless nights between fighting local sickness and rennie getting used to a new house and bed.  we are pretty tired, but are surrounded by caring people (namely my family!) who have helped us so much.

mamabird life {twelve}

last week a chapter of our lives ended.

it was bittersweet.

last wednesday, rennie and i flew out to indiana.  with no return tickets.

it was a crazy three and a half months living with andrew's parents with quite a bit of adjusting for all.  it was so good though.  getting extra family time and watching rennie bond with her amazing grandparents was such a blessing!  i also got the chance to know my in-laws in a deeper way and will always cherish the time we spent together watching movies, playing games, and talking!!!  (and the wonderful-albeit-slightly-stressful driving lessons my dad-in-law gave me!)

10 things NOT to say to a (young/new) stay-at-home mom

hehe, i've been wanting to share this list for a while.  it's so real and true to what i have experienced as a mom (and, from the many stories I hear, what others experience as well).  some of these things are true for all moms, working and stay-at-home, while others are specific to women like me who "don't work" (more on that later!).  important note: this is meant to be a lighthearted post.  no anger or attacking of anyone here!  tone gets lost through written word at times and i want this to be clear.  while these things can truly bother me when said, i know that most of them come from good people with good hearts.  hopefully this can be informative for those who have said them (pre-mom me included!) so they can be a blessing to the moms around them and give other moms with similar struggles the knowledge they aren't alone (and maybe a chuckle here and there).  under each point, i've included some positive thoughts and alternative ideas so you don't feel like you're walking on eggshells with every mom you meet. 

there may be some things on this list that don't bother some moms or some things i've missed.  this is just a simple list from my own experience and what i've learned from the mommies i know and love! 

mamabird life {eleven}

mamabird life for me right now is...

- trying to keep up with my sweet, energetic toddler.  she loves to climb, follow me around (even to the bathroom), give hugs and kisses, go outside, and try on my shoes! 

- not seeing much of andrew these days.  he's been working looooooong hours, BUT has been able to use up some of his remaining personal days to have a few three-day weekends.  that has helped so much.  i'm so proud of how hard he continues to work at his job.  he is determined to finish well.

our 2016 family pictures

recently our little family trekked up to a beautiful, mountainous area with andrew's parents to *finally* take some family pictures!  yay for having something besides selfies and tripod-with-timer photos.  :-)

mamabird life {ten}

mamabird life {nine}

seeing...

piles and piles of bins!  our little home is almost entirely packed.  it's a good thing too, since our moving date has been changed to even closer!

mamabird life {eight}

 seeing...  

 the faces of much-love-and-missed family!  even though they've all gone home now, the time we spent has given me such a jump-start as these next few crazy months begin!

renniebird... one year

This sweet button turned one a week and a half ago...  I lingered over her as the clock struck midnight on her special day, almost believing something would magically change, turning my baby into a little girl.  Thankfully change is more gradual than that and the *toddler* who woke that morning was my same, dear Serenity.

renniebird... eleven months

bathtime