Her Smiles are FREE - Ann Arbor, MI. - January 2013

As we approach her 2nd birthday in a little less than two months I find myself reflecting on something my Dad said over Christmas. "I just love MJ's smile and how freely she shares it".

This little lady and her absolutely adorable and unique little smile (which I fear will change when her last 8 teeth arrive) has been lighting our days since the moment she joined our family. She is sweet and fiery and about as sensitive as a person could be. Her big sister is her best friend and most favorite porson in the world. Regardless of how many times she is pushed or the toy she's playing with is taken, "shared", she seeks E's approval, affection, and attention. In the last few months she has been asking to sit on the Potty whenever E does and when she's successful she looks to E to tell her "good job MJ".

She is fiery and has started fighting for what she wants, toys, the crusts off her grilled cheese, and the coveted spot on Daddy's lap after a long day of play

With both of our girls, this has been a super fun age where we are tickled at her words and funny phrases:

"I can't want that"

"I'm the stinky one"

"Look at my fat belly"

"Look at YOUR fat belly"

I think most of all we adore her "I love you's. They are unsolicited and sweet and usually either whispered softly or shouted in the the chorus of a made up song.

When MJ was just learning to crawl, and far before the thought of an actual "Mini Sticks" had been discussed, a good friend of mine told me that our littlest lady had the personality of a "middle child". I am a middle child and my prayer for this beautiful little one over the next year is that she never feels lost or left out as the middle child. I pray we cultivate these beautiful smiles that are so freely given 

...and as with her big sister, I pray we give her grace as she learns so much over this next year. I pray we are able to keep her safe, and teach her to be obedient, respectful, and honest, and above all to love the Lord!

Till next time,

Bon Voyage!

E's Box Of Stars - Ann Arbor, MI. - January 2014

Wow! I truly can't believe I just typed "2014"!  I already know this is going to be an exciting year for our family.  There will be A LOT of change and through all this change there will be a lot of growth and accepting the true meaning of this prayer of serenity.

Today, as I pack up the Christmas decorations, take down the tree, and vacuum the billion pine needles that are making my house smell delicious, my sweet and tough and challenging, and beautiful big girl found this "box of stars".

So we're sitting, enjoying what I'd call one of the "quieter moments" in our house, listening to Fairy Songs as she plays with "stars" and tells me all the reasons she is both a "Big girl" and a "little girl" all at the same time.

Moments like this, with her, warm my heart, because over the last 6 months our relationship has been hard.  I know that the driving force behind it is that we are so incredibly alike.

She is willful and stubborn, defiant of authority, desperate for approval, and hungry for new and challenging tasks.  She frustrates easily but delights in mastering new skills.  She is beautiful and goofy, and driven when motivated, and OH SO SMART! 

You'd think that all of this would make it easier to know what she needs but I struggle daily to know how to reach her heart! 

One of my biggest prayers for this new year is that I am able to grow into my role as her mother, Help her to know that she is so incredibly LOVED even when she is in trouble, give her grace, keep her safe, teach her to be obedient, respectful, and honest, and above all to love the Lord!

Till next time,

Bon Voyage!

CURRENTLY (Long Over Due) - Ann Arbor, MI. - December 2013

Welcome back. Almost 4 months without a post and I really don't have much of an excuse.  I will say there has been time, but these days sleep overcomes me in the moments that are quiet.  As it often does, life has taken us lots of places this fall and winter so I thought I'd share a little bit of what we are "currently" up to before I attempt to plat MASSIVE catch up before Mini Sticks arrives.

Loving: watching Criminal Minds with The Hub after the girls are in bed.

Reading: 

Emily Giffin's Where We Belong

Waiting for: Mini Sticks to arrive so he or she can wear this fun shirt!!!

(Thank you Greta!)

Excited about: My BIRTHDAY (only 10 days away!

Missing: My best friend!

Trying to: Parent with Grace and reach my children's HEARTS

 (This book has been a great resource...

 in conjunction with THIS amazing quick reference chart... Plus an incredible email from THIS FRIEND who, until now, probably has no idea how much her words have meant to me and how much strength they give me DAILY!)

Working on: rearranging projects like this the girls bedroom.

(More to come in a future post)

Enjoying: Having The Hub home on vacation to enjoy little moments like this.

Using: 
THIS and THIS.  I got them both at a "5 Favorite Things" christmas party. 

This soap smells good enough to eat!

And this lip balm is too cute, smells yummy, and makes me feel way cooler than I am when using it in public. 

Wearing: Pants with elastic waste bands... And LOVING IT!!!

Planning: my nesting stock stock up.  History has revealed that, for me, nesting does not take the form of OCD house cleaning, I shop for things like toilet paper, paper towels, tooth paste, soap shampoo, cat litter, laundry detergent, cereal, frozen food, and any other item that would allow my family to "survive" if I should die in childbirth.  Sort of morbid, I know but this is what I'm compelled to do in the weeks leading up to delivery, so I might as well plan, right?

Singing: Christmas music.

Writing: posts about...
E Turns 3
Greta Visits Ann Arbor
A New Room for 2 Growing Girls
Seating for 3
Knoxville Get Away
Diary of a 3 Year Old
Diary of a 1 Year Old
A Michigan Winter
Aunt "Za-Nah-Nah" visiting for Thanksgiving
Advent Tree Ornament Exchange
4 Christmas Gifts
Keeping Busy in The Snow
Keeping Family Close When We're Far Away
Where We Will Wander Next
and more...

Needing: a hair cut.

(I'm really missing my cute A-Line Bob.  Made me feel "put together".

Learning: About photography from THIS book

Yes it's really Canon Rebel EOS T1i For Dummies

Listening: to Disney Fairies: Faith, Trust, & Pixie Dust

Wishing: that my girls will one day be best friends.

(There are moments I see hope, but most of the time they are fighting, pushing, and pulling hair.)

Doing: NOTHING in the way of exercise to prepare for the labor and delivery of this baby.

(Meaning THESE DVDs are "currently" collecting dust!)

Praying for: Mini Sticks * Sarah * Robyn * Annie

Dreaming of: BIG family Christmases when we return to East Tennessee.

So this is me.

Want to play along? What are you currently up to?

{this "currently" post idea is borrowed from one of my favorite blogs Jones Design Company; Fun Monthly paper printables, life, and a great eye for all things pretty. Check her out!

I promise I will be back VERY soon!

Till Next time,

Bon Voyage!

One + One + One =... - Ann Arbor, MI. - September 2013

Till next time,

Bon Voyage!

Moving: Phase 3 - Ann Arbor, MI. - June 2013

This is the 3rd and final installment in our moving adventure. If you're just joining us you can check out:

Moving: Phase 1

And

Moving: Phase 2

So, let's pick up where we left off. After 6 days of eating out and primitively entertaining our little ladies, the Allied Van Lines truck arrived in front of our new house. After a quick McDonaldd breakfast they set to work Preparing the house.

They build a bridge across the lawn from the truck doors... 

Right up to and over the front steps.

Carpet runners were rolled out on all the hard surfaces.

l

And plastic wrap tracks were laid down on all the carpeted surfaces, like the halls...

and stairs.

They removed stair rails and padded the doer way.

The inspector checked everything out.

(The inspector... I LOVE that lip!!!)

We did a quick walk through noting where all the large furniture needed to be placed and each room was labeled to make it easy to direct where boxes needed to go.

We found a quiet, out of the way corner for the girls.

Once everything and everyone was ready, they set to work.

I'm still floored but how many boxes there were!

(kitchen and dinning room)

(Office)

(Kids bedroom)

(Kids Bathroom)

(Master Bedroom)

There were a few furniture placement mishaps, meaning that I misjudged how large our furniture was and had to completely rethink how a few... No ALL of the rooms would be set up. 

Once the couch was in place E didn't waste any time making sure its comfort wasn't damaged in the move.

The day was long and there were frustrating moments, but for the most part, a full service pack and move was well worth every penny we spent.

If you're interested in connecting with Allied van Lines to get your next move quoted we HIGHLY recommend them!  We've worked with Mitzi Lyne, our move coordinator a few times and had several friends work with her as well.  Her information is below.  We don't get any credit or discounts for referals but having moved as much as we have a good moving company is a HUGE comfort when everything in your life is being relocated.  Also if you have any questions about the process please ask me in the comments below.

Mitzi Lyne

Moving Consultant

Lanigan Worldwide Moving

Agent for Allied Van Lines

Memphis, Tn/

901-744-7070

mlyne@alliedagent.com

Our Master Mover's name was Sebastian out of Chicago.

(he primairily does northeastern and mid western moves and he doesn't go farther south than Tennessee.)

In many ways it was hard to watch someone handling your stuff because in your head you feel you'd take more time and be more careful and organized. The truth of it is you can put a lot of effort in on the front to make things more organized for them to pack which will make unpacking a lot easier on you.

To be COMPLETELY honest I did NOTHING to prepare for the move except organize the girls toys, give a few things away and pack our "go bags", and when everything was unpacked, there were only 4 casualties.  Our steam cleaner sustained very minor damage, and the glass in a picture frame was broken. 3 and 4 were actually my fault. I left the batteries in our 2 hands free soap dispensers. Needless to say, they emptied themselves throughout their journey. Oh well!!!

All the packing information told us that things would be packed "as is" unless there were instructions given ahead of time. As you can see, I'm not torn up about it!

I know it's taken a while to get this entire story up but I promise there is good reason. we've had a lot of d.i.y. projects going on that have kept us all very busy. Those stories and more are coming soon. Love you all and thanks so much for sticking with us and keeping us in your prayers throughout this transition. If you can believe it, we've already started planning the next move. We're like the Macey's Thanksgiving Day Parade around here, in more ways than one!

Till next time,

Bon Voyage!

Moving: Phase 2 - Baltimore, MD/Ann Arbor, MI - June 2013

Welcome back! If you're just joining the party you can check out:

Moving: Phase 1

A lot of people think the hardest part about of moving is the heavy lifting. They're right!   However, when traveling and moving with little ones there are lots of challenges. We've learned that how you frame the situation makes all the difference.  All around, this move was stressful, but really a lot of fun and it was cool to see the creativity emerge when we took away the TV and noisy toys, both  children and adult.  Lots of time for family.

The drive time between Baltimore and Ann Arbor is just over 8 hours for 2 adults that's nothing at all, but add 2 SUVs, 2 kids, 2 cats, and 2 fish and it gets a little more interesting. We gave a lot of thought to us all riding together and towing the smaller of our 2 vehicles, but when it we decided to buy walkie talkies and drive separately I mean how could I turn down the Hub's offer to give me 9 kid free hours of listening to music, uninterrupted audio books, and I did't have to share my snacks with ANYONE!

So it was me, the cats and the fish in the little truck. Then the Hub and the girls in "Daddy's BIG truck". The decision to put the girls with the Hub was a few layers deep. First, in general, our girls behave WAY better for their daddy. THIS is a mystery to me that I'm sure I will NEVER completely understand. The second reason is that the Hub's truck has GIANT tires and the noise that they make on the road completely puts them to sleep. I have to admit, THAT was the Hub's idea and he was absolutely right!

When they weren't sleeping they were reading...

And setting booby traps for daddy when he opened their door at the rest stop.

The most challenging part about using professional packers and movers is that you don't move with your stuff. The company we use gave us a 4-6 day window for delivery. and because of the geographic makeup of our moving teams load schedule it took the full 6 days to receive our belongings. That being said, we had a lot of time on our hands to keep our little ladies busy and with no furniture and a VERY limited supply of toys we had to get creative.

The Bucket Races

Playground Inspecting

Nature Hunts

Trash Can Head

Static Electricity Hair Stylist

And yes, we did watch a little bit more Sofia.

Then, on the 6th day, after driving all night to get to us on time, this is what appeared in front of our new home.

I can't wait to tell you about the move-in process, it was a really cool.  We decided that we will request this team by name for our next move, which, by the way is less than 11 months away! CRAZY!!!

Check out:

Moving: Phase 3

Till next time,

Bon Voyage!