Motherhood has made me fickle.

Since the birth of my oldest 5 years ago, I've often found myself wishing away the years.

Maybe not wishing that they'd disappear completely, but at least speed up a bit.  It usually comes in rather innocent thoughts - When they can all do "this" or "that", life will be so much easier.  

When they sleep through the night.

When they are onto solid food.

When they drop to one nap.  

When they're walking independently.  

When they can follow simple directions.

When I can trust them alone for more than 30 seconds.

When they're potty trained.  

When they're REALLY potty trained and can hold it for more than 4 seconds.

No, REALLY.  More like 4 minutes.  

When they go to preschool.  

When they can buckle their own car seat belts.

When they can help with chores.

When they go to real school.  

You get the idea.

Eventually you hit those milestones and it does get easier.  Don't get me wrong.  With two 3 year old boys and a 5 year old boy, it's still complete chaos.  But a slightly more controlled chaos.  

And in that chaos, I find the time to look at old photos and reminisce about how quickly my babies have grown into these cool little people.  People who sleep through the night and eat normal food and pee in the bathroom (even if it's more often around the toilet than actually in the toilet).  I long for the sweet baby days.  I rejoice with every step toward more independence.  It's a constant tug between the two.

I'm not going to tell you that you shouldn't think that way.  It's normal and natural and, sweet Jesus it's helpful.

See, those "speed it up" thoughts aren't bad.  They're one of many ways that Moms stay sane in the most trying moments. We just need to remind ourselves that it won't always be this kind of hard.  I think we all know that motherhood is hard.  And will always be hard.  But this kind of hard won't last forever.  The sleepless nights, the diapers, the complete dependence.  Eventually they will end.  And a different kind of hard thing will take their place.  We know this, but in that moment, we just need to remind ourselves that this - this hard thing that we're doing right now - it will not last for forever.

So while we're snuggling our babies at 3:00 a.m., it's fine to look forward to nights of 6 hours of sleep.  While we're up to our elbows in poopy diapers, it's perfectly acceptable to hope that your kid will decide to ditch the diapers at 18 months old.  When you're bundling and lifting and strapping your babies into their carseats for the 4 millionth time in a day, it's cool to dream of the days when they can hop in and buckle themselves, only requiring a check and a tighten from you.

Eventually all of those things happen.  The day comes when you ask your kiddo to go potty, get his shoes on, and buckle up his seat ... and he does it.  All three of them do it.  And all of the sudden you're wondering where the years went.  It feels like you blinked and the years flew by like minutes.  A tiny part of you wishes you could hold that tiny baby in your arms again.  But just a tiny part, because those sleepless nights were a bitch.  See?  Fickle.  We're all just fickle.

Those sweet little old ladies in the Target checkout line who pull you aside while your babies are grabbing things off the shelves while running in opposite directions to tell you to "cherish these times because they fly by too quickly"?  They can't help it.  They mean well.  It's just that motherhood (and probably subsequent grandmotherhood) makes you fickle.

So let's just roll with it, shall we?  Let's enjoy our big kids and our little kids and our babies.  Let's complain about the tough spots, look forward to the bright spots, and reminisce about our sweet babies.  Let's embrace the fickle.  

Live life ... together.

You may or may not know this, but I am a Mary & Martha Consultant.  I've mentioned it here on the blog before, but I try not to jam it down anyone's throat.  Truth be told, I'm a horrible salesperson.  But the messages Mary & Martha bring to consultants and customers is a beautiful one.  I wanted to share this newsletter I recently sent to my customers, as it speaks to something else I'm not very good at - opening my home to others. I love to get together with friends, but seldom feel that my house is in "good enough" condition to invite people in.  This newsletter explains a bit more about my goal to conquer these insecurities!  Please enjoy!  When was the last time that you invited someone into your home?

I'm not talking about your family, your best friend, or anyone who you wouldn't mind seeing your dirty laundry.  I'm talking about those people in your life who you always mean to spend more time with, but never invite over for coffee.   You know, because you tell yourself you'll invite them after you tackle the giant pile of laundry that's spilling out of the laundry room.  Or after your husband finally gets around to putting up the new baseboards in the family room.  Or after you save enough money to remodel the kitchen because it's just not good enough for company.  Yes, these are all excuses that I have used at one point or another in my life.  (Alright, in the last week!)

But you know what?  I'm ready to change that.  I'm ready to invite people in. I'm going to tone down my inner "Martha" (mine is kind of a loud mouth) and channel my inner "Mary". I'm going to quit worrying about the missing baseboards and the really dysfunctional kitchen.  I'm going to take a minute to vacuum up the dog hair, throw in another load of laundry, and shove the rest of it into the laundry room ... and close the door.  I'm going to make some coffee, pour it into my mismatched mugs and serve it to friends. And then?  I'm going to enjoy myself.  ​

That's the beauty of the story of Mary and Martha in the bible and of the message we share here with Mary & Martha.  Stop fussing.  Love others by welcoming them, serving them, and finally, being with them.  ​So why am I telling you all of this?  No, I'm not going to tell you that buying Mary & Martha products will make it easier to entertain.  Prettier?  Yes.  Simpler?  Maybe. Really, really easy?  No.  (Except for the paper bakeware.  That is legitimately easier. I mean, who likes washing dishes??  Not this girl!) ​ For me, it's the messages.  The messages of Mary & Martha products remind us of God's love for us and of the love that we share with one another.  They are simple, yet powerful messages.  I hope that you will join me on this journey of opening our homes to others.  If that means that you would like to host a Mary & Martha Gathering, please let me know.  It'll be the easiest "party" you ever throw.  Pinky swear. If a Gathering isn't right for you right now?  That's fine too.  Just take one step and invite a neighbor or new friend into your home.  I'm going to do it too.  Let's love God through loving others.  Together.

Tastes change. In ice cream AND in paint colors.

Isn't it funny how our tastes change over time?   I mean, butter pecan ice cream used to remind me of my Grama, because she loooooooves some butter pecan.  But now?  It's my ice cream of choice. Maybe that means I'm getting old?  Oh well. 

 Anyway .... let's talk paint.  One thing we noticed while getting our old house ready to sell, was just how different the color palette is from our new house.

When we moved into our first home, we knew that we would repaint every single wall.  And we would do so rather quickly.  We had a nice double income, no kids, and oodles of time to make it our own!

That house was built in 1930 and had beautiful, original wood trim throughout.  The colors we chose were deep, rich, and cozy.  They looked gorgeous against the wood trim and I just LOVED choosing a new color for each room, often choosing several colors.  

When I compare these colors to everything that I've put into our current home so far (and those that I'm planning on using!), I can't help but notice how insanely different they are!  The thing I really, really love about our current home is how much light shines in through the giant windows.  The house is newer, open concept, the trim is all white, and I just cannot bear the thought of putting a dark, cozy color on the walls.  I want light, bright, neutral colors - grays, greiges, blues, aquas, and whites.

While the difference in trim colors and the age of the home definitely make a difference in color choices, I think a lot of it has to do with a simple change in tastes and design style.

I love the airy quality that these paint colors bring to an already light and bright home.  And yet, I try really hard to make sure that the colors still bring a cozy quality.  Sherwin-Williams Silverplate was perfect for achieving this in the Living Room/Dining Room.  

Even interior rooms with no natural light feel fresh and homey with the right colors.  I love the color of our half bathroom (Pantone Illusion Blue) for that very reason.  

The family room gets the most light of any in the house, and also has the tallest ceiling, so I wanted something airy, yet cozy.  Sherwin-Williams Aqua-Sphere (tinted at 50%) was exactly what I was going for.  Since this photo was taken, we installed new flooring, have a new rug, and changed up the look of the fireplace.  And we rearranged the furniture.  Maybe I'll try to rid the room of toys and clothes today so that I can take a new photo.

The point?  It's so much fun to compare colors.  Admittedly, I'm a color person, but I think it's so interesting that the style, size, etc of a home can affect the colors you choose.  And beyond that, tastes and preferences change throughout the years!  Funny how a coat of paint can change to feel of it all.

Have you rolled any paint onto the walls in your home lately?

Old House

Shoreline Haze - Valspar - 6008-1B
Drumskin - Valspar - 7003-10
Ginger Spice - Valspar - retired color
Smooth Pebble - Valspar - retired color
Filoli Ballroom - Valspar - 5005-4A
Green Peppercorn - Valspar - 5005-4B
Enchanted Navy - Valspar - 4010-8
Gravity - Valspar - 4005-1B
Fired Earth - Valspar - 6011-1
LaFonda Geranium Red - Valspar - 1010-4
Boysenberry - Valspar Signature - CI129

Faint Maple - Valspar - 2008-9C

New House

Silverplate - Sherwin Williams - 7649
Aqua-Sphere (tinted @ 50%) - Sherwin Williams - 7613
Tinsmith - Sherwin Williams - 7657
Pantone Illusion Blue - Valspar - PN8010
Blue Coal - Valspar - 4011-3
Crucible - Valspar - 4006-2B
Watery - Sherwin Williams - 6478
Lattice - Sherwin Williams - 7654
Naval - Sherwin Williams - 6244

Taking photos with 3 wiggly little boys.

I haven't updated much on my little studs lately, I mean, other than the super overdue birthday party posts, so I thought I'd take a minute to throw some photos at you.  Because I gave birth to the 3 cutest creates on earth and it would be unfair to deprive you of their cuteness ;)

I have about a million candid photos of the boys just doing their thing in life, with disheveled hair, dirty faces, and whatever clothes they've chosen for themselves that day.  So occasionally, I get in the mood to try to capture a photo of 3 clean, well-dressed little boys with smiles on their faces and eyes on the camera.  This is, of course, no easy task, so I now know that I have to go into this task with a plan!

Every time I get my kids into semi-matching clothes and attempt to get some cute photos of them, I know that it's going to be a .... challenge.  

Before even getting them dressed, I decide on a location and try to get my camera settings all set.  Because once they are dressed and plopped where I want them, I will have approximately 5 minutes to jump around, tell crazy jokes, and bribe them into letting me get just one decent photo.  

While I fine-tune my settings again, I tell them to make silly faces.  Which always works.  

Then we move on to hugs and snuggles.  I usually try to get a nice, sharp shot of their feet too, because I have a thing for kiddo feet.  Not adult feet.  Gross.  But my kids' feet are flippin' adorable.  

Then I switch my focus to their faces to try to catch hugs and happy faces.  Of course, it inevitably develops into silliness and wrestles.  Because BOYS.  

When I ask for smiles?  I get really, really forced ones.  And usually some funny faces, lack of looking at the camera, and deliberate eye closing.  

So I try to just tell jokes, and use lots of potty humor.  Because again, BOYS.  

The sillies continue of course, but eventually, hopefully, if the planets align and all is right in the world, I'll tell the perfect joke about poop or boogers or something and I'll get some really, awesome, genuine smiles.  

And then the 5 minute window of opportunity closes.  But it doesn't matter because while the final product is adorable, the photos of the process are priceless!

Brennan's Construction Birthday Party!

After writing about the boys' birthday parties this year, I realized that I never shared Brennan's Construction party from last year!  And I cannot just let it go, because that was a really, REALLY fun party to put together.  

We had just moved from Florida to Michigan and were living with Brian's parents' while we searched for a new home of our own.  So I had plenty of time to put together a really fun party for our little 4 year old!

 

Decorations were a blast to put together.  We used black paper lanterns as "wrecking balls" and coils of orange raffia as " extension cords".  Since the boys have lots of construction trucks, we had lots available to decorate the table!

The menu included all kinds of snacks.  Friends, I had SO.MUCH.FUN coming up with all of these names.  Some were from things I had seen on Pinterest, others I came up with on my own.  Here's the rundown:

Construction Cones = Candy Corn
Pebbles = Reese Pieces
Gravel = Puppy Chow
Lumber = Vanilla Wafer Cookies
Spackle & Drywall = Hummus & Pita Chips
Nuts & Bolts = Chex Mix
Beams & Concrete = Carrots & Dip
Bricks & Mortar = Crackers & Cheeseball
Landscaping = Broccoli Salad
Debris = Chicken Salad
Wrecking Balls = Rolls
Rocks & Stones = Homemade Chicken Nuggets

We served lemonade at the "Cooling Station", had a Dumping station for gifts, and put out all of Brennan's construction books for his friends to read while at the party.

The cake was by far my favorite part!  I picked up a pack of construction vehicles to decorate the "construction site".   The giant crack in the center of the cake was a happy accident.  Brennan thought that it was awesome, so I rolled with it!

This big guy loved his construction party.  We had hardhats for the kids and Brennan had a blast handing one out to each of his friends.  And of course his brothers had a blast too, because what 2-year-old boy wouldn't?

Daddy even dressed up in his hardhat and toolbelt, like a "real construction guy" according to Brennan.  That just elevated Daddy right past superhero status in his mind!  It was definitely a day full of great memories for our little family!

Brennan turned FIVE! {an Invention Contraption Party}

Continuing on the birthday party train, let's recap Brennan's 5th Birthday!  Brennan requested an "Invention Contraption" party.  Yeah, that one stumped me.  I also wanted to keep it really simple.  

So the plan?  Sheetcake with Mousetrap on the top, build-your-own dessert cars, and a table full of scraps of things for the kids to build their own Inventions & Contraptions.  I found a Mousetrap game at a thrift store for super cheap, bleached the pieces, ran them through the dishwasher, and set it up on a big giant sheetcake.  Brennan was THRILLED.  

I would love to show you the cute little dessert contraption bar that my Mom put together for the kids to build things ... but this party was apparently so laid back that I forgot to take photos of anything but cake and gift opening.  Oops.  Also, the giant table full of fun scrap things for the kids to build their own inventions?  Forgot to photograph those too.  

But honestly, we enjoyed this party so much.  The relaxed atmosphere was just the perfect way to celebrate our first baby turning FIVE.  I can hardly believe it.  How did that happen?  

This boy.  He has the most amazing spirit.  His heart is huge, his laugh is infectious, and his imagination never stops.  This sweet boy, the one who made me a Mommy, makes me so proud to call him mine!

The Brothers turned 3! {a Firefighter Rescue Party}

So, yes, Beckett & Kiernan turned 3.  And, yes, it was back in September.  But someone was asking me about it the other day and I realized that I never posted pictures of either of our birthday parties this year!  

The boys are big into firefighters lately.  Pretty standard for a 3 year old boy, if you ask me!  I wanted to keep it pretty simple this year, but still fun for the boys, so I focused my efforts on desserts.  Kiernan REALLLLLLY wanted a "real" firetruck cake.  So I did my best to create one for him.  Brian & I laughed through the entire process because the cake just did not want to stand up and the icing did not want to stay on the cake.  Is it the prettiest thing ever?  Hell no.  But the boys loved it so I'm calling it a win.  

The cupcakes were red velvet and delicious.  I lumped a few different colors of icing in a bag and got nice and sloppy with a cake tip to try to get a bit of a flame effect.  Again, not all that pretty, but the boys sure loved it.  

And to round out the dessert table?  More chocolate.  I ordered some police/fire/ambulance chocolate molds from Amazon and whipped up a batch of colorful chocolates and some dark chocolate ones for those of us who prefer our chocolate to be as dark brown as possible.  

The day was simple and sweet.  Surrounded by our closest friends and family, we celebrated our babies taking one more step toward becoming big boys.  It's just so hard to believe that they have only been in our lives for 3 short years.

They really love each other fiercely ... so fiercely, in fact, that hugs often usually almost always result in wrestling matches.  We tried to make sure that this hug was an exception to that rule.  Wrestling matches are really better left until after candles are blown out.   

 

Every year on their birthday, Beckett & Kiernan each get their own "cake", candle, and birthday song.  When they were babies, we attended a birthday party for my friend's twin boys, and at the party we sang to each boy separately.  I loved the thought that even though they share a birthday, they each deserve their own song!  

We sang for Beckett, then we sang for Kiernan, and then Brennan serenaded them with his "May the Dear Lord bless you" version of the birthday song.  Beckett liked it.  Kiernan was ready to finally get to examine the firetruck cake.    

After lots and lots of cake was consumed, we tucked away into the living/dining room to open gifts.  We are so, so incredibly blessed to have such thoughtful people in our lives.  While a party with all of these wonderful people celebrating them would have been enough for our boys, they certainly enjoyed opening gifts.  

All in all, it was a sweet, calm day to celebrate 2 sweet, not-so-calm little boys, while surrounded by those we love the most.  We really couldn't ask for anything more!

Except for Rescue Bots.  Apparently we can always ask for more Rescue Bots because we can never have enough.  This is a lesson that I am still learning.  The hard way!