little love: part one.

valentine's morning i decided to do a little photoshoot with Little S. i'm in love with how they turned out. just a simple banner i got for a steal at target, my white walls and a couple of baskets. she was a trooper. my secret to get to her to look right at me... put mickey mouse on the iphone and hold it right under the lens. works like a charm. 

part two soon to follow. 

morning light.

i love the way the light shines through our kitchen in the morning. it is seriously one of my favorite things, and makes me feel very content. it makes the house feel very cozy on these cold mornings we have been having. 

these days i am very content just staying home in the living room/kitchen part of the house with my girl. i feel like she is already growing so fast, and i don't want to miss a thing. i want to enjoy every moment of her baby phase even if that means not getting much done, and spending several hours of the day with her in my arms and right next to me.

these are once in life time moments i never want to forget. i am very thankful to my husband that i am able to stay home with her, so i won't miss a thing!

snow day.

last week we finally had a snow day. i looked out the window at about 11:00 pm, and it was coming down. we couldn't believe it and had no idea despite husband's excessive checking of the weather. we bundled up and ran outside so Little S could fully experience her first snowfall. about an inch stuck to the ground and stayed until it warmed up later the next afternoon. 

then the next morning we woke up to snow once again. it was very magical. i love the way my house feels during a snow day. i wish we got a few more snowfalls a year, but we will take what we can get. 

until next year snow. 

sweet animals.

how sweet are these little stuffed animals for your favorite little one. they are a little on the pricey side, but would be such a neat keepsake. 

you can buy one here. 

yesterday i cried. 

i cried because the holiday season is over. but not just that. i was sad that Little S' first Halloween, Fall, Thanksgiving, Christmas + New Year's has come to and end. as a first time parent, i have dreamed about these "first." it's hard not to want these first moments to be perfect. did i take enough pictures? was her costume as good as i hoped it to be? 

and in reality it was. it all was pretty perfect. 

these are all such insignificant things though. in light of recent current events, i am just blessed that i have a healthy baby girl. she is here, and she is mine. what more could i ask for? it's easy to wish for perfection when it comes to menial things, but she is perfect. we are so blessed. 

kickin' off the year right.

so i (along with majority of society) am vowing to get fit + healthy (again) in 2013. my post baby body needs a little work, and with the holidays hitting right after the baby i have been going non stop. now that everything has slowed down, it's time to put important things (like my health) first. 

after husband and i got married, we would go to the gym together every week. it was kind of like our thing. as busy as he got during the day, it was nice having an hour to check out with him and talk. it is one thing that i miss these days. 

now that we have the little miss, i can't go to the gym like i used to. they have childcare, but i'm not ready to send her to that sickly environment. with that said, i have to get creative. being that it is winter and has been very cold, going for a walk or running isn't always an option. i bought some free weights and a workout dvd, and i am planning on trying it out this week. we have a wii, so i am considering get the wii zumba but wanted to make sure i would do it before i spent the money. 

regardless of what i decide to do to exercise, it would be a lot more motivating to get going (besides the fact that spring break wil be here before i know it) if i had some new kicks. i love all the colors nike has come out with these days. 

you can find this pair here. 

christmas traditions.

me on my 3rd Christmas (i was a december baby) 

as a little girl, my mom has always been big on making traditions. she is a perfectionist as holidays come (which i in return have inherited) and has always strived to make them special. 

a few of our traditions growing up...


1. holiday baking: we would always take a night and bake as many different kinds of cookies that we could fit in. one of our favorites was sugar cookie cut outs. we would always take pride in decorating them as best that we could.
2. christmas eve at my dad's parents: my grandmother would cook lunch, and then we would open gifts. we always got 4 gifts...2 toys and 2 outfits. it was fun as a kid to get a sneak peek of christmas.
3. candle light service at the baptist church: we would dress up in our christmas best and sing our favorite songs. Now as adults we get mad if they don't stick to the tried and true.
4. new pajamas: on christmas eve we would always open christmas pajamas. after we put them on my mom would present us with a new christmas book, and we would read it together under the tree.
5. pallets: on christmas eve we have always all slept on pallets on my parents bedroom floor. i have a child and husband and my brothers still requested that we do this this year.
6. christmas morning: we would come out of my parent's bedroom in order from youngest to oldest to see what Santa left us while Johnny Mathis plays in the background.

now that i have my own child, i look forward to making our own family traditions in the years to come.