THIRTY-FIVE | FIFTY-TWO

August 30, 2015

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Lia: after school afternoons. a scrape on her chin from a tumble in gym class, sweet little uniforms, and that toothless grin that still gets me.

Nicolas: being a ham and getting his way in life. he's not a fan of school pick-up lines and he lets it be known loud and clear until I let him in the front and he tries his hardest to press buttons, shove his face against the windows and blow the horn.

I'm doing this series - a portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2015. Follow along, link up & find more from this project here.

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THIRTY-FOUR | FIFTY-TWO

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Lia: and just like that, the evenings of dashing off to ballet class have come around again. She's years away from pointe classes but this girl stands on her tippy toes every chance she gets.

Nicolas: big grins over organic apples.

I'm doing this series - a portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2015. Follow along, link up & find more from this project here.

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THE WEEKLY

August 28, 2015

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Life has been weird and busy and fun and GOOD and different and hard and it just keeps going. 

Kindergarten is going so well. Lia is thriving there and she's growing up that much faster. There hasn't been any complaints or shy-ness or any of the negatives I expected. She has made this transition with grace and maturity. Other than a few "I'm sleepyyy" responses in the morning when it's time to get up, she's rocking this.

College is going. Honestly, when I signed up for four classes (only three are active at one given time though - two are 16 week courses and two are 8 weeks), I was like all yeah, sure, bring it on. I'm sure I can handle this. No. Big. Deal. I've watched M juggle work and school for the past few years and his classes seemed completely manageable. Turns out, that's not the case for my classes. There is a lot of reading involved. And a lot of writing. And while that's just it - constant reading and writing and quizzes, it's hard. It's hard to make sure every single assignment is being turned in correctly and on time. It's hard to make my brain focus on giving my individual thoughts on the important of philosophy or what a certain poem meant when half of the time my brain is filled with a jumble over schedules and what's for dinner and did I pack L a snack for school and oh, I should do the laundry and crap, I completely forget about the dog. 

Nico is great. He's around 17 pounds and outgrowing all of his clothes. He's sitting up like a champ and he's pretty close to crawling. Having this sweet guy home helps with the heartache of not having Lia around all day anymore. Though, I can't help but thinking back to L's baby days and how they were centered around HER. This guy doesn't have the same luck. While I give him all the attention I can, life is just different this time around.

Everyone is sick this week, noses are running like faucets and I'm over snot and tissues and tiny coughs. 

But, we're all hanging in there and supporting each other. Lia loves to come home and help me clean, though most days she just wants to play with her toys. She misses her old freedom some kind of bad. Manny is amazing - working and still going to school. Weekends feel like heaven now. I look forward to them all week and two days of family time is exactly what we need when Friday rolls around. Even if weekends now look like cleaning and mowing the grass and getting everything together for a new week, they are just the best.

This weekend I'm off to the beach with my sisters for a girls trip to celebrate my little sister's bachelorette party. M has the kids at home solo and I know he's going to be so great. Next week brings my birthday and a new month. And hopefully I'll get back into the groove of life without constantly feeling behind on things. Here's to that!

Happy weekending!

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CURRENTLY | AUGUST

August 27, 2015

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Reading... Me Before You. This was this month's book club pick and I've yet to finish it. I'm bummed that reading has been pushed down on the totem pole but I carry the book around anyways hoping for a few minutes to escape.

Cramming... all. the. time. My course load is no joke and I feel like I'm constantly buried in my macbook and reading long chapters on history and countless poems that I don't understand.

Packing for... a girl's weekend trip at the beach!

Pining for... Fall! Plaid and gingham and oxfords. Pumpkins and costumes. It's all so dreamy...

Nostalgic for... the days when Lia was a tiny babe. 

Trying out... a new weekly routine. Things are weird and busy and my mind is craving to feel put together.

Spending... a lot of time in the car. Since becoming a school mom, I feel more like a chauffeur then ever.

Catching up... with blog posts! 

Feeling... like a big ball of anxiety most days.

Loving... my little family that is keeping me grounded on even the most crazy days. 

Please feel free to link up any of your "currently" posts in the comments, xo!

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SEVEN MONTHS

August 18, 2015

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Seven months...

Has me like whoa. He's less of a baby and more of a mobile, squawking babe.
Is all about the ring sling.
He plays shy and buries his head into whoever is holding him. It kills me. It's THAT cute.
Is the happiest babe around.
LOVES solids.
Size 3 diapers. Mostly 6-9 and 6-12 month clothing.
Still a pretty good sleeper.
Always sleeps on his stomach or side now.
Hey Jude remains our magic tool.
Mastered sitting up... mostly.
Is so close to crawling. He gets up and rocks back and forth but it always ends up in him falling down or over.
Gets to have a little taste of being an only child since big sister started Kindergarten.
Finally, FINALLY loves bath time.
Looking more like a little man every day.

He's a babe.

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FIRST DAY OF KINDERGARTEN

August 17, 2015

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Our girl went off to Kindergarten today! I was pretty prepared for a meltdown or two and I stashed some tissues in my car but surprisingly, there were no tears all day and L is crazy excited to keep going to school.

She's in class with one of her best friends already and when I asked if she made any new friends she said she was "still deciding!". So, yeah... :)

She had a great first day and everything seemed to go smooth. I think she needs a little practice learning to eat lunch in 20 minutes but I think it will all be good.

Here's to an awesome year for our girl!

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THIRTY-THREE | FIFTY-TWO

August 16, 2015

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Lia: hiding in the tunnel is one of her favorite things to do at the park. Most days kids like to cram in there until they are spilling out. An empty tunnel on a cloudy day was a treasure. 

Nicolas: ten tiny toes. Those perfect feet are almost always in his hands or his mouth. And usually up in the air too. They'll take him far in this life of his.

I'm doing this series - a portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2015. Follow along, link up & find more from this project here.

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THE LAST DAYS OF SUMMER

August 15, 2015

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These last few days of Summer are flying by. Tomorrow is all we have before life once again changes before our eyes. We've kept the kids up and out late all weekend. Baseball games, donut runs, a movie in the backyard. We're trying to squeeze in every last minute we have.

I feel utterly unprepared for Monday morning. I still need to buy lunch things. And wash new school clothes. There's a brand new backpack waiting to be filled downstairs.

I can remember the day Lia was born like it was yesterday. Most of my labor with her was a blur but still, I remember it. And then I blinked and we're here. On the brink of Kindergarten. People say once they start school, you may as well go ahead and buy their cap and gown. I am terrified at how true that statement just might be.

My girl is starting Kindergarten. Time keeps moving ahead, faster than the day before, and I just want to dig my heels in. I want things to come to a screeching halt. I want to go back and relive a few more days from last week. I need to soak in the feelings of having my two babes home with me. I want to dig my heels in the ground and scream STOP! We're not ready. She's not ready! We aren't doing this.

But she is ready. And, we'll figure out how to be ready. Time doesn't really care how I feel. It can be brutal sometimes. 

Our sweet girl is funny and kind and clever and so beautiful. She's learning to say how she feels and what she means. She gets a little braver each day. She is so ready for this new chapter in her life. She's got so many things ahead of her and so many good things to put down in her story. 

I'm not really sure how to let go. I don't know how to be okay with it. But, I do know how to love her like crazy. And, I do know how to be excited for her.

So, come Monday morning, when I drag myself out of bed exhausted and terrified, I'll help her into her uniform, I'll show her how to pull her socks all the way to her knees and watch as she buckles up her brand new shoes. I'll take extra care to pin her hair out of her eyes. 

Then, we'll walk her into school. We'll walk her into the next nine years of her life with brave looks on our faces because even though we really want to curl up in a corner and cry, we know our girl is going to rock this.

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THE WEEKLY

August 14, 2015

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This week was full of Mondays. I felt pretty bad all week long. And parenting two kids on top of everything else took a toll. The days were long and hot. Dinner time drama was a thing. Bruises and scraped knees were a thing too.

But oh the good things that happened!

Lia met her Kindergarten teacher and we got to finally get a peek into her brand new school. It's huge.  And state-of-the-art with a lego lab and iPads for each student. The gym has that brand new smell and the potential of watching sports in the Fall sounds so good. As bittersweet as it is, I can't help but to be so excited for her.

Nico started really sitting up this week. He's pretty good at throwing himself backwards too but he's making such great progress with the sitting. He's also eating like a champ. As long as it's not green,  he wants you to shovel it in. We're getting sneaky over here with the vegetables, though.

We ventured out to the park on a cloudy day and met up with friends for story time. I found time to play around with my new laptop. I got to wear Nico in our new ring sling for a few hours and getting back to baby-wearing felt so right. And then there was the afternoon that both kids miraculously napped at the same time.

We plan to take the kids to a baseball game tonight and spend Saturday hunting down pants for Nico to wear to my sister's wedding. Here's to a great weekend, xo!

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BE BRAVE WITH YOUR LIFE

August 11, 2015

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So, I did it. I'm officially enrolled in college. Again. Nine years later...

In high school, I had big dreams of going to college and figuring out my entire life while making money and then eventually settling down with the faceless husband of my dreams. 

Then, sometime between then and the years following high school, I lost that spark. I ended up attending a local community college while working at a grocery store. And to be honest, I only took college serious part of the time. I kept my grades up but my attendance wasn't stellar. I didn't know what I wanted to do and my dreams didn't seem to reach very high either. Then, I met M. And our whirlwind relationship had us walking down the aisle a year later and college faded from my life quickly. I can't even remember why I didn't continue with school.

I always said that I would go back "one day". It only took years, two kids and a husband who's gone back to school full-time while working full-time to convince me I should chase a dream or two. 

I had to repeat "be brave with your life" over and over as I drove to the local college in the next town over. And, I had to keep repeating it as I went in to take a placement test that I felt completely unprepared for.

But, I did it. I'm now a full-time student. So, somewhere between making peanut butter sandwiches and bottles and changing diapers and playing Candy Land and library trips and getting a 5 year old off to kindergarten & ballet and making dinner, I'll stretch my brain out taking online courses and work towards a dream I quit on years ago.

I should have my associates finished by Summer and then I'm thinking the next step is a Bachelor in English.

I still don't know "what I want to be when I grow up". But I do know that I want to write children's books and I like tossing around the idea of being a book editor or working in a library setting. 

I'm just going to remember to be brave and see what comes.

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FAVORITE KIDDO BACKPACKS

August 10, 2015

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We have a Kindergartner! She starts next week and we're all pretty much full of mixed emotions. But, we're definitely excited for our girl!

I honestly couldn't decide between letting her pick up a bag at Target or finding something we'd all be happy with. So, I did a little research and threw together this round-up of all of my favorites.

We ended up ordering her the Pottery Barn one. She loves the purple (it even matches her school colors!) and I like that the style is classic enough to stick around for awhile. Also, I'm hoping the quality lasts for whatever our little Kindergarten dishes out to it.


Pottery Barn hearts. Our pick!
Skip Hop cloud. We're big fans of Skip Hop and this one is from their new big kid line.
Herschel Supply Co.
Max the Monster.
Owl from Gap.
A shiny pick from J. Crew.
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THIRTY-TWO | FIFTY-TWO

August 9, 2015

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Lia: we took a drive to the dock to watch the sunset. There was an overcast and then an urgent potty request so we left defeated for the evening with big promises to catch the sunset before summer ends.
Nicolas: evening time is never his finest hour and though he was pretty sleepy, being outside makes everything right in his world.
I'm doing this series - a portrait of my children, once a week, every week, in 2015. Follow along, link up & find more from this project here.
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THE WEEKLY

August 7, 2015

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Friday has come around again and we've got a few good weekend plans!

This past week was good and busy and gave me a tiny taste of what's it's going to be like to add school to my schedule. 

We're down to 11 days before L starts kindergarten! And, Nico is hamming it up over here eating lots of food and trying to stand up on his own. 

We stayed home a lot this week. But, we did venture out to a park after I handled some school business and we spent one morning at the library filling up our bag with as many books as it could hold. These last few days of Summer are bittersweet and I'm trying to find a balance between go out and do all the things and staying sane. It's a juggling act, for sure.

But, here's to the weekend where we hope to cross off another thing or two from our summer list and the kids get to spend a few sweet hours with their grandma!
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