Hanging Gardens State Park

Steven and I are terrible at making plans for the weekend. We are so excited for it all week, but then when Friday night rolls around we're all, "what should we do this weekend? I dunno.. what do you want to do? I dunno.. what were you thinking?" And then the usual errand running / baby chasing weekend ensures.  But every so often we decide to just get the heck out of dodge! Recently we did just that and discovered a beautiful little gem just 20 minutes or so from our house.

We stumbled across Hanging Gardens State Park (and no there were no hanging gardens) and it was so beautiful. After a steep climb down a rather frightening hillside that I was sure Huckleberry was going to run off, we came to the most beautiful, crystal clear water nestled within in impressive gorge. Huckleberry took a much deserved swim and I simply marveled at the fact that a place so beautiful was literally 20 minutes away from me and I never even knew it!

Jack wanted to jump in the water alongside Huck but opted for playing with some rocks instead. Steven and I explored a bit more and then decided to make the steep 2 mile climb back to our car. It was a simple, conveniently close to home hike but so gorgeous and unexpected! 

I forget more often than I like to admit how important it is to get away... even if "getting away" only means 20 minutes down the road. Just go outside and explore! There is so much beauty out there and not only do I want to enjoy it more often, but I want Jack to grow up loving the outdoors and the beauty of God's creation. And let's face it, it definitely beats out Saturday morning Costco runs in the fun department. So local hikes for the win!

Easter 2015

This Easter was a pretty laid back affair. Jack Jack actually slept in (and it was glorious) so we missed the early service at church and just hung out in our pj's while he played with his first Easter basket full of goodies!

It was pretty nice to sip my morning coffee while Jack played with his new toys. Now if I could just afford to get him a new toy to entertain him every morning so I could finish a cup of joe before my mommy duties begin.. wouldn't that be glorious! HA! ;) But Steven and I definitely enjoyed a relaxing morning watching our little guy learn and play before we heading off to a later church service.

 I know, Mom! His hair's in his face.. And no, Jack has never gotten a haircut and he never will.

Personalized Easter Basket from Good Wishes Quilts

Later that day we went to Steven's parents for an Easter brunch and just hung out with some family. It really was a pretty simple day, but sometimes those are the best kind. I love my little family --scowl faces and all.

Hope you had a lovely Resurrection Day, too!

So It's Been A While

So yeah, it's been a while since I've blogged...

and I'm feeling really rusty even typing this sentence out. 

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There. That helps.

Anyways, I am definitely in a funk when it comes to this space. Mainly because I'm having trouble finding the time to invest in it, but also because I feel as though my life is lacking in inspiration at the moment.

"Ahh, but you have a kid!" you say. Loads and loads of fun stories to share and cute pictures to post. How could the inspiration be lacking?!? Well, today Jack ate a bunch of cheese and then drank copious amounts of water way too quickly. I said, "Jack Jack, slow down," and he responded by leaning over and throwing up in the diaper bag I had just neatly stocked for our mall outing. It was really cute. And super inspiring. 

And I still feel like there is the faintest smell of soggy cheese in the air.

Okay, but seriously, not a lot has been going on lately to blog about, yet at the same time I am the busiest I've ever been in my life! How is this even possible?!? The jury is out so I'm just going to have to fill you in on a little life lately update via bullet points. Enjoy.

Let's start with work.

• You may have read my post when maternity leave ends back in August. At that time I was in a pretty rough place dealing with a lot of postpartum issues and really struggling with the fact that I simply couldn't (I mean I physically, emotionally, spiritually) could not return to the office. I felt like the only option I had was to quit my job and Steven and I put our home on the market and drastically change our lifestyle. It was an extremely emotional and (in complete transparency) dark time for me and such a struggle because all I wanted to do was smile and love on my baby.. yet all I could do was cry. To make a long story short (don't you just love cliches?), I was allowed to stay on and work from home until they hired my replacement.. or so I thought. Turns out my boss was working behind the scenes and eventually got it approved for me to work from home full-time! It was such a huge relief and a huge answer to prayer! The task has been far more challenging than I could have ever expected though! See my little man above? Yep, he's just editing a proposal for me. No big deal. 

• Speaking of my little man... OH.EM.GEE he is into everything and growing up so quickly! 13 months was a huge communication explosion for him. In English he can say mama and dada, but in Jack Jack speak he has quite the vocabulary. He loves to talk about the birdies and airplanes he hears outside. He loves to wave hi to Huckleberry every morning and then run up to him and jibber jabber about all his plans for the day. He loves to pull Herschel's tail and wag his finger at him when he cries in pain (poor kitty). He signs the word "more" and Daddy is busy teaching him "I love you." He waves hi and bye and gives really energetic high fives. He is a delight and a terror all in one and I wouldn't have it any other way.

• In other baby news, Huckleberry (my first born) is a brat. He has dug a massive hole underneath our fence so he can go to the neighbors and play with his girlfriend, Jessie. He's decided he loves her more than me and I am very hurt when he sneaks away. Maybe it would help if Jack didn't pull his tail so much. Relaxing, tail grabbing free evenings are hard to come by these days.

The truth is, my life is pretty ordinary and I feel like even the prettiest of pictures and wittiest of tag lines just can't snazz that up. Maybe that's why I've been steering clear of this space? OR, maybe it's the crazy amount of time I find myself staring into a computer screen at night to finish up work after the baby's gone to sleep? My eyes literally can't take another minute of it! OR, maybe I'm just freaking tired? OR lazy? OR full of excuses. I don't know. But I do know that I love recording my little family's life together and all the memories we are making and I'm not ready to give this space up quite yet. 

And for all of you who still visit this space from time to time, thanks for sticking with me.