// 52 //

last night when i put nathan to bed, picked up the kitchen + playroom, made lunches, then finally sat down i could not stop thinking about how fast time goes by. days to weeks + weeks to months. christmas felt like just yesterday or at least last week+ before you know it ill be wrapping up the school year. maybe its because we have to plan so far ahead in our fast paced world. i mean just yesterday i was being asked about what nate's doing this summer. ahh summer! i have so much to do! im so far behind! i wish i could just wear a sign at all times that states, "if you are going to talk about something two months ahead, you are causing me to slowly have meltdown inside...your choice."

i just want to take a breath + that's what my new series is about. taking a moment to be in the moment. i am challenging myself to take a picture of my family once a week. i know that sounds crazy, i post about a dozen plus pictures of nate a week, but i mean to take a photo of a moment when i am 100% in the moment. once i get home from work + after school activities i get so wrapped up in everything else that needs to be done. i am half playing legos with nathan + half cleaning, making lists, writing, lesson planning, life planning. these things can wait, these moments cannot. before i know it nathan will be four then five, six, seven, eight...then, well you know dating! i want to capture these moments with my little while he's still little. 

so here are the first moments of our year so far. enjoy a peek into our life with nate.

// 01 //

a date to chick-fil-a

// 02 //

playing with daddy at the park after a bike ride in the neighborhood

// 03 //

riding the tractor at the grocery store, that he begs to ride every time we go

// 04 //

running to jump into dad's arms after a day at our favorite museum

// 05 //

we made "ooblek" and played together for hours

// 06 //

snow! in dallas, we had to attempt to sled. 

the best museum

while we were in crested butte, co this summer one of the best things to do was walk down to the base from the house + take on "adventure park". there is no skiing in the summer (obviously) but that does not mean the mountain area goes to waste. in the summers the wonderful staff of ski cb set up a rocking climbing wall, mini golf, trampolines, zip lines through the trees, a new playground, + hiking. another permanent fixture of the base area is the trailhead children's museum + it is pretty remarkable. with such a small space + working with donations only it took a lot of creative power to come up with such a picture perfect space. we spent a total of five hours in this two room museum. nathan could have spent the whole day, every day there. we cannot wait to go back in the spring!

next summer we will make sure to sign nathan up for some camps at the trailhead museum. 

notes on nathan

can i please take back everything i said in my last notes on nathan? 

lately he has been the sweetest + most easy going boy in the world. so basically the opposite of what had been going on around here. 

maybe it was the fresh colorado air, our new approach in parenting, or being back at school for a week of camp. whatever it was that made him change, i am forever grateful. 

now our days contain lots of kisses, i love you's, + thank you's.

 no i am not bragging that my son is all of a sudden perfect. we still have moments of "im not gonna do that"s, melt downs (on both of our parts), + time outs, but they are minimal. please, parents be honest, what three year old doesn't act out? 

if you are sitting there reading this and saying "hmm, mine doesn't" then you know what. i do not believe you. 

i am just happy to have my sweetheart back. we are really able to enjoy our last days of summer together to the fullest.

the thank you's have gotten a little excessive, "thank you for putting my stroller in the car, thank you for changing the channel for me, thank you for brushing my teeth, thank you for the hug, thank you for making daddy dinner..." I should not be complaining though AT ALL.

i was talking to a good friend the other day about our boys growing up. her boy is 16 months + at the stage of when you blink your eyes too long everything changes. he is looking so much older, talking so much more, running so much faster, + learning so much, so quickly! not being his mom, i absolutely love watching all of this take shape, but it just reminds me how bittersweet that age is for a mom. she said it perfectly, "you can't wait to see what is next, but you don't want him to grow up." i feel like this statement holds true at every age. nate is three now (THREE, still so crazy to me) + growing up at a rapid pace. i am so excited for him to start handwriting in school this year, over joyed to cheer him on in soccer + i love to watch him learn new things, but i can feel his independence starting to take over. i really am so happy to watch him become his own person, but i miss him needing me for everything. yes, it is nice to be able to sit for more than 10 minutes without interruptions of "i need this, can you get me this, etc.," but he literally has to do everything for himself now. i miss him needing me. i miss the constant snuggles.

who knows maybe this next stage will be the best stage, just like all the other ages have been my favorite. we do have a lot of exciting things happening for him this year after all. i am learning to embrace all these wonderful things he gets to do now, that he couldn't participate in when he was younger.

back to school shopping list

one // two // three // four // five // six // seven // eight // nine

gearing up for back to school is always the BEST kind of shopping. it was always my favorite thing to do all growing up. preschool requires a lot less, but we still need fun lunches + backpacks. i love the simple american apparel backpacks + the brown bag lunch. this year nathan chose a monkey backpack that is pretty darn cute. i love the idea of giving him his first watch to know when i will be there to pick him up! that first week of school is tough on everyone, but it would be a lot easier with cool new stuff!

colorado: part one

life around here

the lake might be the most relaxing place in the world. 

notes on nathan

growing up around kids - volunteering in the church nursery, babysitting, nannying, camps, + now teaching- three has always been my favorite age.

these days, i am at times heartbroken by age three.

i know the correct, polite thing to say is that nathan has really been testing my patience lately, but what i really want to say is, nathan has really been mean lately. and i am left feeling lost. which makes me feel really unprepared for the even more attitude filled days ahead. i realize that i have no clue how boys are growing up. i didn't understand boys as a little girl + i don't understand them as a mom either. nathan has been mr. attitude around here + the sweetest boy in the world at times. he is defiant to say the least.

this has truly been my first inner dilemma with nathan. the first time as a parent, where i find myself staying up all night upset + worrying. (besides of course when we were completely sleep deprived with a newborn- i cried a lot then.) i can tell it is driving brian crazy as well. i know he is worried + can't fix it immediately.

we are implementing new rules + approaching our parenting in different ways. so far things are looking up + i think we will all be better off because of this in the future. (hopefully near future)

brian has been amazing. the other night when i had just had it + broke down so upset with nate's behavior that day. brian went to talk to him + they both came out to talk to me. nathan gave me a big hug (sweet nathan), then said, "mommy, i am not sorry for my 'haviors' today"(attitude nathan). brian told him that isn't a nice thing to say + nathan replied with a laugh. i know he is young + doesn't quite understand apologies + all of his emotions yet, but man that kid can really hit you where it hurts. brian has been teaching me to not spoil him as much. we are also implementing a responsibility chart to teach nathan we have to be nice + work hard in order to get the rewards we want.

i love this little one with all my heart, but feel very unprepared for this age. i love that nathan has his own voice + opinions. i love watching his personality develop more + more, as well as his independence. i just hope the attitude is a phase we can get through quickly. i love you so much nathan + can't wait for the next challenge we will face together.

in the mean time i am working on making sure i am always the nicest i can be to those around me. in the car stuck in traffic or when i get cut off, i am trying not to react negatively. if someone is unusually rude or irritating, i will try my hardest not to say a word, just smile. my mom always taught me to kill them with kindness, i hope to teach nathan this one day. if brian + i are disagreeing, we will move past it quickly or wait until nathan is asleep to talk out our issue. nathan needs to only see love to understand + show his own love.

thank you for allowing me to ramble + vent a little with you today sweet friends. any helpful guidance + advice would be greatly appreciated. sharing your stories would also help us to not feel so alone in this. what has been your hardest age?

packing list: colorado

i want nathan to be comfortable + entertained on our trip. i am really only worried about the plane flights. this will be my first time flying alone with nathan. now that he is three it should be easier, right? i just don't want him to get restless or scared, so we are making sure to pack lots of different activities + of course all of his favorite lovies. 

one // two // three // four // five // six // seven // eight // nine // ten // eleven // twelve // thirteen

life around here

nathan you are a complete goof. always trying to get some laughs + succeeding. you crack mommy + daddy up. i love being able to spend everyday with you in the summer. it's a true test to a mom's patience, doing well so far. i love you goober.