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livinglifesmoments a sweet baby in bloom along with our lilacs. this season gives me all the feels. nothing inspires me more than the warm glorious sunshine and finding beauty in Mother Nature and all her glory. did you know that lilacs while they not only make beautiful centerpieces in your home, but that you can cook with them too?! that’s right, you can! scroll all the way left for some easy, refreshing recipes! you can thank me later ;) enjoy!

livinglifesmoments to all the mamas—the seasoned, the new, the expecting and the mamas in waiting... document the moments with your babies that make your heart sing. don’t feel guilty for pulling out your phone to do it. don’t worry about what you look like or sound like, just do it. you’ll thank yourself for creating the images you’ll treasure for all your days. i promise.

livinglifesmoments all is calm again 🌻 #livinglifesmoments

livinglifesmoments we may have shed some tears today over. . . ⠀ ⠀ a tree. ⠀ ⠀ yes, during this world crisis we have cried over job loss, cancellations of activities, travel plans, house plans, and business plans, missing friends and family and grieving all that once was. and now over a tree. ⠀ ⠀ a tree we have chased our girls around a thousand times, watched flower and bloom every spring, shade us during the hot summer days, and played in it’s leaves during warm autumn days now has to come down. ⠀ ⠀ my girls watched me plea and advocate for days with the city in efforts to save our tree but it’s age and diseased trunks are beyond repair. so yet another lesson of letting go and grieving what once was, we’re feeling it. ⠀ ⠀ kaia said, “mom, i feel like the house in that story you read to me all the time when i was little....” you may know it, “the little house”. she was so spot on to think of that because, yes, that’s exactly how i feel. so yea, we got all teary eyed over a tree today. call us crazy or weird. i understand how this may sound. but change is hard. saying goodbye is hard. ⠀ ⠀ so guess where we will be going tomorrow all masked up?!⠀ ⠀ i’ll give you a hint. it blooms pretty pink flowers in the spring!

livinglifesmoments when breastfeeding feels hard. ⠀ ⠀ we haven’t done much else these past few days. it’s been a lot skin to skin and nursing snuggles for this little one as two new teeth work their way through. ⠀ ⠀ this is when breastfeeding feels really hard for me. the demand and the hours they desire to pacify to soothe their painful gums is intense. she hasn’t wanted to be anywhere else for very long but here. and while i love the endless snuggles, the way she pinches the skin on my tummy, how she wraps her arms around my breast, the way she looks at me, how her eyes meeting mine speak a thousand love words, how watching her chest rise and fall is one of the most beautiful, delicate dances i’ve ever seen, how her soft skin feels as it sinks and presses into mine, how my arms were perfectly shaped just so for her to cradle and nestle into for hours and the smile she keeps just for me—it’s still hard sometimes. ⠀ i find myself loving all what this welcomes while at the same time feeling the depths of it’s struggle that sometimes has me desperate for the finish line. ⠀ ⠀ it’s okay to feel both. ⠀ it’s okay to feel all that comes with this journey. ⠀ ⠀ no matter what these miles look like, it’s all beautiful and hard in it’s own way—we all do what is our own best and that is what truly is the best.

livinglifesmoments i think this is the quietest the house has been since it all started. my babe is sleeping and my big girls are on a walk with their dad soaking up this glorious sunshine that is flooding all the corners of our home. this feels really good right now. like really really good.

livinglifesmoments well we got dressed and made our beds just in time to mess them up again and slip back into jammies in a couple hours. worth it. also, baby girl’s hair is getting lighter. we may have four blondies after all ;)

livinglifesmoments let whatever you do today be enough. even if it’s only holding them 💕

livinglifesmoments my biggest with my littlest. one thing i know for sure is sibling love never gets old. now how much time do you think i have until my baby wants “kaia do” everything?!

livinglifesmoments what i’m telling myself when i feel discouraged : ⠀ ⠀ i’m not going to sugarcoat this time as if it’s been easy and magical and rainbows and unicorns of glorious happy times as a family. at times it feels more peaceful than before, our connections are growing deeper roots, and it may truly be the “reset” our family needed. yet at other times it’s felt like a tornado that won’t let up, creating new paths of emotional destruction. i really want to look back at this time and see that as their mother i did my very best, that as his wife i was strong when he couldn’t be, and that no matter what sort of $h!t show was happening in my own life that i still was showing up for others anyway—because we’re all feeling it. we all could use a little extra right now. ⠀ ⠀ on days that feel extra hard. on days where i feel discouraged, these are a few things i’m telling myself to get me through. ⠀ ⠀ 1.) this is tough. but so am i.⠀ 2.) i may not be able to control this situation but i can control how i respond. ⠀ 3.) i don’t know what the answer is right now, but i will do what i can to keep moving forward. ⠀ 4.) this challenge is here to teach me something, lean in and listen. ⠀ 5.) take it one step at a time. ⠀ 6.) breathe in, breathe out. ⠀ 7.) grace upon grace upon grace, my dear ⠀ ⠀ times are tough but so are YOU. we are “in this together”.

livinglifesmoments we walked away from 2018 in a state of shock and surprise and walked into 2019 embracing the unplanned with hearts wide open. ⠀ ⠀ we had just turned the page to a new chapter. a new phase of life, only to find ourselves mid page turn to something pulling us back. that something was this new life. i’m forever grateful for what my body has done and what it continues to be capable of. humbled to be able to grow life inside of me again too. but this time it’s also welcomed fear, worry, and anxiety that i wasn’t prepared for. the roller coaster of emotions have swept me off my feet in ways i didn’t know were possible. feelings i wouldn’t have ever expected myself to feel. i didn’t know this was going to be our story. it wasn’t in our plan, in fact. but life, LIFE, is truly something and works in ways we can’t even explain at times. ⠀ already this baby is teaching my family and i so much and we’re forever grateful to him or her for showing us this way. for leading us on a new adventure. our hearts are wide open and our arms are too. we can’t wait to meet you, precious one. #livinglifesmoments #embracetheunexpected

livinglifesmoments i spent the greater part of my day cleaning and organizing all their toys. three kids in. eight years later, i’m now just feeling like i have a better handle on their stuff. not saying that it brings me joy all the time to do the work i did today. but today i can’t deny how good it felt to pair things down and reorganize. ⠀ ⠀ one of the most frequently asked question to me, is how do you keep their toys tiddy and organized? and my answer is cute baskets! why? because cute baskets make anything look pretty and they make for easy clean up too. the other thing i’ve done and try to do is create a unique place for them to be stored. one of my favorite house projects to date is taking what used to be a closet underneath our steps on our main level and making it into a little nook for them complete with hidden storage for their most frequently played with toys. making this space a happy one for all members in our home! especially me ;)

livinglifesmoments after being held hostage by the weather for days and the family room being taken over by legos, this is feeling real good. #letthelightin #livinglifesmoments

livinglifesmoments G I V E A W A Y ⠀✨ C L O S E D Congratulations @chelsea.mitch you’re the lucky winner! i have teamed up with some of my favorite shops and Mamas to give away $1000 in store credits. One lucky winner takes all.⠀ ⠀ To enter:⠀ 1. LIKE each photo ⠀ 2. FOLLOW all accounts tagged in the pictures above (be sure to swipe to see all the goodies up for grabs)⠀ ⠀ @christine_simplybloom ⠀ @whiteshantyathome⠀ @steph.pollock⠀ @darling.children⠀ @shanandtoad - $200 credit⠀ @bloomhandmadeco - $200 credit⠀ @7pmlinen - $200 credit⠀ @aubrieaustralia- $200 credit⠀ @littleurbanapparel - $200 credit⠀ ⠀ 3. Tag a few friends⠀ ⠀ Closes February 28 8pm cst. ⠀ This giveaway is not affiliated with or endorsed by Instagram. Must be 18 years or older to enter. Open to worldwide. Good luck!

livinglifesmoments as a mother we can feel like we’re “always on”. because in a very big way we are. as soon as those two pink lines show up we are responsible for providing extra care for the one thing that we’ll always live in and for the life that is growing inside it. the beginning of motherhood starts then and it’s a journey that is forever and always continuous. when you become a mother you’re never really alone in your thoughts. we are always on, thinking and doing not only for oneself, but for them too. ⠀ ⠀ there is so much to think about in raising daughters in the world today. the sensitivities can often feel endless. at the same time, it’s what’s teaching us, teaching them, how to be strong and brave and how to keep and find balance in a world that tends to feel overwhelming. ⠀ ⠀ they are my motivation. they are my why. they are the reason, in a lot of ways, for my desire to want to be healthy. to want to be the best version of myself, mind, body, and soul. and i commit to creating space for them to learn, to explore ways, to do the same. @Komen3day is more than just a walk, it’s a commitment to health, it’s a commitment to sisterhood, it’s a commitment to showing up for those that are fighting hard. it’s a commitment to our children, the future, and beyond. so honored to be part of @Komen3day #commit3days #ad

livinglifesmoments a different kind of before and after but my body has worked just as hard for both and continues to, if not harder in it’s own way until that summer breeze and sunshine is in full swing.⠀ ⠀ to be honest when i found out we were expecting i wondered, and even dare i say worried, about how it would affect this wonderful, life-giving wellness journey i’ve been on. then i reminded myself what the journey has taught me. nothing has to change. i can continue doing what i’m doing despite the changes my body is making. sure my pelvic floor exercises are going to look different right now and i’ve had to modify my workouts some. but the very core of this journey has been about making healthy choices, self-love + self-care, emotional and spiritual balance, and living your best life no matter what life gives you. ⠀ ⠀ in a way maybe all of this was preparing me for this new chapter. a healthier body and mind to carry baby. a body that is already rising during the wee hours of the night and morning. stronger emotionally and spiritually. my journey has allowed me to work on myself in ways beyond just getting stronger physically. i’ve learned a lot about myself and have grown in ways i wasn’t expecting. literally. ;) ⠀ ⠀ i do what i do because it feels good. i do what i do because the changes that i made in the beginning of this journey have proven to make a difference. a journey that has been life changing and life giving in so many ways, is worth continuing. no matter what. ⠀ ⠀ so fight for your journey and what is important to you. make change where it’s needed. keep what is working, toss out what is not, and do more of the things that are life-giving to you! ⠀

livinglifesmoments i hope they’ll always remember the night’s of december when they were actually excited and giddy to go to bed because twinkle lights and how they would talk to one another of christmas wishes and all the things until their eyes got heavy and drifted off to sleep.

livinglifesmoments want to know something about her and the night she was born? you know i’m going to share even if you decided scroll by, so you might as well hang for a minute! ;) ⠀ ⠀ i knew from the moment she made home in my arms that there was something so wildly different about her. a feeling even today i can’t quite seem to put into words. she came into the world like a torpedo, literally. like so fast i was worried the doctor wouldn’t catch her. because of her fast entry, she was purplish in color and not able to catch breath to cry. the nurse held her over my belly, working hard to get her body regulated to the outside world, and then out came the softest, most delicate cry i’ve ever heard. i cuddled her in my arms and knew right then and there that there was something very special and unique about her. ⠀ ⠀ i didn’t want to put her down or let her sleep anywhere other than my arms. that night i found myself nursing her when she needed and kept her close, making nest in my arms and not the bassinet that sat next to my hospital bed. the nurses would come in for their hourly checks and see that my eyes were closed with my baby still in my arms and in a gentle whisper would say, “you can’t sleep with your baby”. and i quietly whispered back, “oh she just got done nursing. i wasn’t actually sleeping. just resting my eyes is all”. she never did sleep in the bassinet at the hospital and instead she made home in my arms that night and the many that followed thereafter. ⠀ she’s named after my grandmother who is 90 years old and the most wonderful lady i’ve been blessed to know and love. klo has such a bond with her and i truly believe it’s because their souls are connected and speak the same language. ⠀ ⠀ she’s an old soul and has an awareness that i find so interesting and magical at such an young age. she’s happy. like pure joy lives in her heart and it beats so much love for everyone and everything around her. she has this smile, one she only shines when i’m having a rough moment, that instantly reminds me the stress isn’t worth stressing. she’s sunshine in my pocket, this one!

livinglifesmoments i commit to walking alongside with all of you strong, brave, beautiful women. it’s amazing what can happen when we come together in sisterhood to support, love, encourage, and empower one another. it’s straight up big magic when we can join together as one to share this life journey, which is why i love being part of the Susan G Komen @Komen3day. it’s a commitment to not only the cause but to womenhood that simply says, “i’m here. i’m here alongside you, no matter what. i’m in this with you”. ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ the generation of women before me in my family have had their fair share of scary moments when it comes to breast cancer. surgical procedures have been done to prevent malignant lumps from coming back year after year, ending in complete removal of breast tissue. it wasn’t until my health scare two years ago that forced me to become more mindful, more aware, of my body and how i’m taking care of it. ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ we are all wildly unique from one another but we share common threads. crocheted together in womenhood is one. i commit to supporting, encouraging, empowering and loving on those that are fighting. i commit to being a friend, a sister, to those that are fighting alongside someone they deeply care and love. i commit to myself to being mindful and aware of my body and it’s changes. i commit to making yearly exams and appointments. i commit to the little ladies in my life, my daughters. to teaching them the importance of loving themselves and their body by educating them how to care for the one only thing they’ll always live in. ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ i commit to you. i commit to her. i commit to them. i commit to myself. ⠀⠀ ⠀⠀ gather your tribe ladies! let’s rally right here with some pink emoji love. tag the special women in your life, let’s do this together! 💕#togetherinsisterhood #commit3days #ad @komen3day

livinglifesmoments it feels a whole lot cozier in this room since our chairs arrived from @interiordefine, add a side of glorious sunshine to flood the space and BOOM, nap time will be singing your name inviting you to join!