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.

haven rose, five months

autumn favorites (so far) ~ 2018

-  handmade hats on babies.  the warm, snugly is strong!

-  hot soups and baguettes.  i'll admit to buying two huge baguettes after trying a sample at costco.  i have no regrets.

-  perfectly falling leaves.  i snapped the above picture after this gorgeous leaf fell into haven's lap.  autumn loves me.

haven rose... four months (late again!)

Another month has flown away and I am once again late in sharing updated pictures of Haven.  She turned four months on the 20th and has changed SO much in the last few weeks.  She is so alert, naps less often, babbles and laughs constantly, wears 9-12 month clothing, weighs over 19 pounds, has cut two teeth as of this week, and continues to steal our hearts with her sweetness.  She has earned the nickname "puppy" (general cuteness, plus all of her drooling, growling, and biting!).

haven rose, three months (a week late, ooops!)

Well, at least I took her pictures on the right day.  Honestly, blogging has been a struggle for me this last year or so.  I've had to search my heart as to why I choose to write here and if it still something I want to do.  Getting a post up is time-consuming and I haven't had feedback in a long time (unlike when I started this blog many moons ago).  So if I'm gonna blog for the sake of followers, I should probably quit.  ;-)  But honestly, just writing out my thoughts, struggles, and these updates on my life (and my daughters' lives) as a journal of sorts is priceless to look back upon.  If this crazy blog still exists as my girls grow up, they won't see a popular mama, but maybe because of it they will get to know "young mama me" better and how God has loved me through all of the insanity.  So, I persevere.  <3

renniebird... three years

My precious Renniebird turned three yesterday.  We celebrated her over this last weekend as well as the evening of her actual birthday.  She is definitely loved by many sweet people, which makes my mama's heart so glad.

I set some time aside to take some pictures of her as well as do a small "interview".  I hope to do this every year with her and look forward to seeing how her answers change and develop in the future.

haven rose, two months

It is so crazy that this sweet, chunkalicious girl turned two months old yesterday!!!  Honestly, the time hasn't flown quite as fast as you'd think (with some health issues I've been having plus how bad my anxiety can be, some days are loooooooong), but Haven continues to be such a joy and comfort amidst the crazy. 

july favorites

haven rose, one month

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!

bedroom for three (soon four!)

Many people seem surprised by the fact that Rennie still room-shares with Andrew and me.  For us, several factors have made this the best option.  First, we really don't mind and enjoy having her close by at night.  Second, the only other bedroom in our house is up a flight of hard, wooden stairs.  Third, she definitely isn't ready emotionally to be *that* far from us.  If our bedroom setup was different, we might do things differently, but honestly I'm not sure.  This has worked excellently for our family so far and we hope to keep Rennie with us even after Haven arrives.

Featured in this picture: an amazing pregnancy pillow my sister has let me borrow.  Seriously, it has been a lifesaver!

Our bedroom is 9x13, so you'd think things would be insane.  Really though, it isn't.  Our small closet holds all of Andrew's and my hanging clothes, plus baby blankets and shoes.  All of his and my folded clothes fit in our wardrobe quite easily.  Rennie and Haven each have their own dressers (Rennie's is by her bed and Haven's is by the door).  All of the girls' hanging clothes are in a small closet right across from our bedroom.

We've tried to be clever with our storage in this room... hence the wall-mounted jewelry box and cute basket on the other dresser to hold diapers and such.  As I've mentioned before, we also opted for a bedframe that sits higher and doesn't need a boxspring.  TONS of extra storage under our bed (yes, it's king-size)!  Plus we also have a laundry hamper hanging on the back of our door.

One addition to our bedroom since I last shared pictures is Rennie's toddler bed.  My parents were still holding onto one and are generously letting us use it.  Since our plan is to either co-sleep with Haven or at least leave that option open, we felt the safest choice was to transition Rennie into a sleeping space of her own (this happened very early during pregnancy).  After the first couple nights (which took some head-rubbing, singing, and hand-holding) she adjusted wonderfully.  <3


Another update has been this gorgeous botanical bedspread I found on amazon.  Because our bedroom is small, I like to keep things light and airy to maximize space.  I'm utterly in love with the look of our room right now.  *happy sigh*

What style and size is your bedroom space?  What colors do you like?  My favorites are definitely light grays and nature-inspired hues.  Do you prefer pictures and decor everywhere or a minimal look with touches of cozy?


Many blessings, my friends!


<3

the blimp is back (and other little happenings)

Well friends, May is off to a flying start with crazy weather changes and a calendar full of birthdays and anniversaries.  The days can seem long, but the weeks are flying (this seems to be the new norm).  My sweet man turns twenty-eight in less than a week and next Saturday is our sixth anniversary!  I can't believe it, yet I can... it feels like we've been together forever, so six years can sometimes seem too short a time since we said "I do".  ;-)  I'm so incredibly thankful for the ever-growing relationship we've been given and can't wait to see what the coming years hold!

april favorites

~  my daughter's windblown hair.  it smells like sunshine.

~ tiny children in rainboots.

~ warm breezes.  it doesn't entirely feel like spring yet, but maybe we're getting close?!

autumn favorites

AUTUMN IS HERE!!!!!  It may not feel like it (we've had some unseasonably hot weather in Indiana this week), but it is calendar official!  This season is by faaaaaaaaar my favorite and I can't help but honor it with a post about the reasons why.


~  The colors!  I'm usually a fan of light grays, blues, and greens... but there is something so comforting about the colors of fall.

~  The decorations.  Again, though my home decor doesn't normally include items of orange, yellow, and red, this time of year is the exception.

~ Pumpkins!  Fake ones, real ones, drink ones, food ones...  ;-)  From sitting prettily on a front porch to blended in my coffee, pumpkins are a wonderful thing!

mamabird life {seventeen} and blog survey!

Mamabird life has been...

~ Little to no brain capacity for writing.  Hence my terrible lack of sharing here.  These pictures are from a family vacation we took a month ago.  Life hasn't slowed down since getting home.

~ Enjoying *some* cooler weather.  It was beautiful at our vacation spot in Wisconsin and the last couple weeks here in Indiana have been beautiful as well.  It's warming up a bit though... Go away, summer!

little house on the alley... loft

I can't possibly choose a favorite room in my house.  But if there is one in particular that makes a grin spread across my face, its our loft-style bedroom.  I love the original gabled ceilings, the big window, the cozy feel.  I chose the same airy cream paint from the living room for the walls, but included warmer colors for the decor to compliment the small, but so-very-sweet space.

mamabird life {sixteen}

Well, hello August.  We haven't seen each other in a while.  I wasn't expecting you so soon.  You bring much-awaited fun, including a week-long family vacation and my daughter's second birthday.  Hopefully you won't be too overly warm.

Goodbye June/July (because you two completely ran together and I can't keep up!).  We had a good run this year.  You had some hot days but made beautifully breezy and cool apologies on others.  You held beautiful moments.  You were full of good mamabird life.

Including:


Much time spent outside.  On swings, at parks, down slides, with strollers.  It's been wonderful.

Many stained toddler clothes.  Rennie's growing might have slowed down quite a bit, but she's still going through clothes like crazy!

little house on the alley... master bedroom

Yes... that is Rennie putting on her shoes behind the dresser.  Such is taking pictures with a toddler in the house.  <3

I love this little bedroom.  It is a somewhat small space, so I've kept the decor simple and really love how relaxed I feel spending time here!  We have a big, lovely window above our king size bed (yep, our king fit with some room to spare!), peaceful light gray walls, and our closet doors are mirrors so as to add extra light (hopefully pictures of them don't confuse anyone on where pieces of furniture are since, you know, mirrors make things backwards)! 

mamabird life {fifteen}

It is almost mid-way through the last full month that I am the mommy of a one-year-old.  This second year with my sweet girl has gone faster than the first... maybe because I'm getting a bit more sleep now (still not full nights, but we'll get there).  I'm trying to lock away those memories that aren't being captured on camera... there are so many and I just want to hold onto them.  This motherhood thing ain't easy.  I've been pushed to my limits (and even beyond them to new limits some days).  My daughter is a strong-willed little person who doesn't respond to instruction so well... Reminds me of her parents a bit.  But this journey is also one I would never surrender for an easier me-centered existence.  Sure it would be nice to take a looooooong hot shower every day, but who needs clean hair?

So, here's some snippets of my mamabird life along with some of my favorite recent pictures... I will spare you the ones featuring my unwashed hair.  ;-)

lazy days of summer