4/52

"a portrait, once a week for 2014"

first visit to the science museum! this kid loved it. especially all the "robots" aka space satellites and the dinosaurs!

the 52 project.

3/52

"a portrait, once a week for 2014"

check out those sweet dimples! this 4 month old is pretty much a full fledged roller now!

the 52 project!

3 things.

number 1. i got a new blog design, as if you didn't notice!! my good friend courtney does great work-check out her etsy shop! she does custom blog designs, blog headers and some fun printables! *bonus* all the proceeds from her shop are going towards her adoption! two birds people, two birds.

number 2. family showers. have you tried them? i'm all about efficiency. this time i braved the waters with both babies. yep. do not try this at home people. it was half a miracle though that it actually worked.

number 3. here's week 3 of the 6 week crossfit inspired workout plan i've been following. i can't believe i've almost made it to the halfway mark!

also, i've updated our "about us" section! does that make this 4 things?

2/52

"a portrait, once a week for 2014"

it finally warmed up and we were able to take this little guy outside! the kid was in heaven.
the 52 project!

Week 2: 6 week At-Home Crossfit Inspired Workout Plan

so how did you guys do on Week 1??

tough, but good right?! my legs were definitely screaming, "no more burpees!!!!".

call me crazy, but i'm excited for Week 2!

check it out here!

hope you're having a blessed day!!

here's what day 1 of week 2 looks like:

i work out. well, recently i do.

a couple of months after tenley was born i decided i needed to get out of the house and have some time to myself to regain a hint of sanity every now and then. so we joined the Y. i found a boot camp class that i love and have been going fairly regularly and i'm pretty darn proud of myself because getting two babies out of the house is a miracle in itself. "go me!"

i used to wonder what in the world was wrong with people when they would say things like, "oh i feel amazing after my workout!" or "i love running!". i still don't think i will ever in this lifetime feel that way about running, but what do you know-i'm loving working out these days!

besides going to the Y, i've been finding fun "at home" exercises on pinterest. so today i'm overly excited to share with you this blog and the 6 week workout plan that i just started thanks to sadie jane! also, you guys should check out sadie's journey to get fit after she had her two kiddos! amazing!

here's what Day 1 looks like:

the workouts will be posted weekly. oh and she is great about helping crossfit beginners with all the lingo. for instance, WOD=workout of day and 21-15-9 is how many reps you do for that movement so for Day 1: WOD: 21 jump squats, 21 push ups, 21 mountain climbers and 21 sit ups then do 15 of each and then 9. for the strength portion the 5-5-5-5-5 means you do 5 rounds of 5 weighted squats. get it? easy peasy. here's Week 1.

join us! it will be fun promise ;)

hope you guys are keeping up your new year's resolutions!

saying good-bye to a home and a chapter.

the nostalgia began as soon as my tires hit the highway.

the skies were the perfect shade of gray, mist fell lightly on my windshield, the trees were extra prickly and the auburn tones of the hills drew me in.

it's typical for the thoughts in my head on the -not so quite- 2 hour drive back "home" to be somewhat sentimental, but this day was a bit different.

i was heading "home" for my mother's retirement party and to say good-bye to the home we grew up in.

you see my mom worked at one place for 37 years. yep, that's right. 3-7 years. this place was not just a place of work. it was a place of love and of friendship and family. my mom and dad met there. baby showers and wedding showers were thrown there. many birthdays and picnics and holiday parties-mom's gold party dress will always be embedded in my mind. the smell of my dad's cologne, his tie, and the clicks of mom's shoes as they got ready for work. this place was special even before my sister and i were born and then as we grew the people were still there. the people, that's what made this place. joyce-always singing someone happy birthday opera style mind you. marsha-always making everyone laugh, richard-giving us money to go buy something from the candy/pop machines in the cafeteria, angela-always had a smile on her face and something nice to say, lanny-too cool for school, linda and her california raisins, pam, donna and ida, just to name a few, dad-the prankster, and mom was, well, she was the proud momma-every time we were up for a visit she would parade us around the office and once rylan and tenley were born the parading carried on another generation. i couldn't be more blessed to know these people. they have celebrated birthdays with me, graduations, my wedding and now my babies. these people are great.

the party went well. my momma spoke and did a good job at making us all cry. it's been a long time coming and, perhaps, she won't stop working, i doubt she ever will, but it's a new season and a new journey and i'm excited for her.

on the way out my sister and i passed by my mom's old office. it was strange seeing someone else in that chair. i will never forget that place or the times i spent sleeping under her desk, but most of all i will never forget the people.

afterwards, we stopped at our favorite BBQ joint in town. then we took the faithful drive back to our old home. my mom and dad moved out about 3 years ago and have been trying to sell it ever since. the day had finally come so it was time to say our good-byes.

i followed rylan down the hall and watched him head directly for my old room. it was as if he knew, straight to the very room where momma laid in bed every night and listened to the distant rumble of the train. where sleepovers were had, where my best friend kim got stuck in the bathroom and had to hammer the hinges off the door to get out, where we jammed out to destiny's child and snuck out the back door, where i did a lot of thinking and growing up and most importantly where i finally realized how much i needed the Lord in my life.

we walked through every room that night and shared different memories. like how the light switch in the "red room" was upside down still to this day by dad's "handiwork" and how the door to the closet sticks. how we "fished" with our toy fishing poles in the hallway and exactly where the floor creaks in the living room.

that house is bursting at the seams with memories, some good, some bad, but it will always hold a special corner in my heart.

we took a family picture out front and i drove away for the last time.

good-bye old house. may you be filled with lots of joy, laughter and love in the days to come.

i will miss you my dear friend.

1/52

"a portrait, once a week for 2014"

ok, so i'm just a bit behind, but i'm doing it! here's week 1: my sweet tenley girl.

join the 52 project! it's not too late!

Tenley's Nursery

a couple of fun items have been added since these pictures were taken, but here's our little lady's room! it's quickly becoming one of my favorite rooms in the house although we hardly ever spend much time in it (she's still sleeping in our room :). The crib is from the baby mod series, the dresser is one of my husband's old pieces of furniture that we redid, most of the wall decor is from hobby lobby, the chandelier was a thrift store find from my mother and sister, the rocker is from amazon, the blanket is from candy kirby designs, and the twinkle lights were daddy's idea :). we are in love with how everything turned out! hopefully she likes it as much as we do!

photos by oh my dear photography

2 years looks good on you.

(brings magnetic drawing board to me in the kitchen) me: "oh, that's pretty. is that for me? what is it?" ry: "a heart." me: "oh, is that because you love me?" ry: "yes."

my, my, my, this two year old has my heart.

i washed my brand new iphone in the laundry machine. oh, and happy new year!

there's nothing worse than washing $200 straight down the drain.

ok, i can think of a few things.

but seriously, did i really have to send 2013 out with this kind of a BANG?!

i hope this isn't a sign for 2014!

or maybe i do...

i'm not going to lie, the phone can be a bit of a distraction for me. there's always something going on, an app to check, email, messages, pictures, articles to read, #hashtags, and it's basically impossible to keep up which i'm pretty sure God didn't intend for us to anyway.

i've been told that God gives you enough hours in the day to get the things done that HE intends-so no more distractions or excuses-I'm hoping to use my time in 2014 in a more God-honoring manner (not that all of those other things were in themselves bad, but the overuse or prioritization of it that's the key here). I'm taking the washing of my iphone in the laundry machine as a sign to focus more on the "real" around me.

FOCUS 2014!

i guess that's my "word" for the year?