Sunday, August 28, 2011

A Sneaky Peek

Today we had a little photo shoot with a certain soon-to-be birthday girl for her invitations. We thought you might like a very small peek...




That's all you get to see for now! 

Thank you to Maggie + Kelsey Wilson for suggesting the most obvious location for a photo shoot. Honestly, it turned out PERFECT! 

Can't wait for you all to see the final product...in fact...I can't wait to see the final product! Back to work...

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Birthday Inspiration

With Eden's first birthday party only a few short weeks away, I thought I might give you some insight into my planning. Here are some of the inspiration photos I have 'pinned' over the past year. Yes, I started planning while in labor...there were even witnesses so all I can plead is insanity.




Original image here




Original image here





Original image here  (I bought these!)

I know, not a whole lot of a sneak peak...but I am SO busy trying to get stuff together for this party that I don't want to take anymore time away from planning. Seriously I thought planning it a year in advance would make my life a whole lot easier, but somehow I feel like it's been harder! I know she won't remember any of this, but that's fine by me because I think we are celebrating the fact that Josh and I survived a whole year of parenthood (because that ain't no small feat). Truthfully if I were half normal I would just have a small family party, but I am not (half normal that is). I was aching to throw a big party, so a big party it will be. There may or may not be 80 people on the guest list. The good news is I don't think all of them will come, but seriously...I didn't even know I knew that many people. The sad thing is that doesn't even include all of the people I would like to invite. Hi, I am Mallory, and I have a problem...I feel like I cannot leave anyone off of guest lists. You should have seen me creating our guest list for our wedding, I am still upset over it! 

Anyway, that is what is going on in the Crain household as we prepare for toddlerhood. Thankfully the invites are designed and will (fingers crossed) be printed this weekend and sent out next week! Hopefully I'll get some time to snuggle my BABY at some point...

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P to the S.... If you aren't following me on Pinterest yet and want to do so...just look over to your right (those of you on Reader will have to actually go to the blog to see) and you will see a little Pinterest button. Click it and follow me! As always, if you haven't yet joined the craze, leave me your email address and I'll send you an invite! 

**A little disclosure if you will....my obsession with Pinterest is all my own. They do not pay me to say a thing about them nor do they even know who I am. I just happen to have a severe addiction to pinning and wanted to share it with the world!  

 

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

The Weight Of Motherhood

My heart has been really heavy today (honestly it feels like I'm going to fall over from all the weight) and I just felt the need to unload a bit. This blog is nothing if not therapeutic for me and sometimes I just need to use it simply for that. 

Being a mom is hard. Like harder than any job I have ever had...and let me tell you, I have had some crazy strict bosses (Tina- I am talking to you! Okay, not really you just happen to read the blog..like you could be strict..). I am saying this because I had one of those moments today with Eden where your life flashes before your eyes, only it wasn't mine, it was hers. 

Eden and I were hanging out in the kitchen and she has this ADORABLE shirt that my parents gave her that she tends to like to pull strings out of. I saw that she had pulled a string rather far and I dove down faster than I even knew I could. I grabbed the string and yanked it away horribly quick. I had these visions of her swallowing it (earlier she had rocks in her mouth so it really isn't that hard to believe that the string would go directly into her digestive system). Immediately after pulling she started screaming. She is not one to get terribly upset about much of anything. My heart plummeted. Something was wrong, very wrong. 

I fell to the floor to examine the hand that I had pulled the thread from and that's when I saw it. Eden had wrapped the thread around her finger and when I yanked it, it caused it to tighten and knot the thread. Her finger quickly turned red, and then lavender, and then a deep shade of plum. I was shaking and knew I needed to act fast. The problem was, the thread was wound so tightly around her finger that I couldn't get anything under it in order to cut it off. I panicked. I wanted to call 911, but I couldn't even get myself to leave her side. I kept pulling...grabbing scissors...anything I could find to try to get the thread off, but nothing worked. I knew the hospital was exactly ONE MINUTE away, but the idea of putting her in her carseat where I wouldn't be able to check on her horrified me. I was going to have to call an ambulance. As I watched her cry and lay there helplessly I knew I had try one more time. I thanked God for my super long fingernails and prayed that they could miraculously get under that thread (I had already tried multiple times to no avail). Thankfully my nail got under it and I just started pulling as fast as I could. 

The screams coming out of Eden made me aware of how extremely painful it was for her. I felt horrible, but I knew in the long run this was the best thing I could do for her. After what seemed like hours, I got the thread off. I pulled her so close and just rocked her back and forth on the kitchen floor. I kept shaking and saying "I'm so sorry...I'm so sorry...mommy loves you..." over and over, but did not cry. I couldn't shake that icky feeling inside and grabbed the phone to call Josh. I tried holding it together as I recounted every moment of that terrible accident, but I just couldn't. I lost it. Hot tears streamed down my face as I realized how close Eden was to no longer having any circulation to her finger. The image of her finger starting to go black was haunting me. I kept thinking, "God, I said to keep her safe inside me! I knew I couldn't handle having her out in the world where there is so much pain!" However, I knew deep down that no matter how scary that moment was for the both of us, I am so very glad she is here on this earth. 

Sometimes I don't feel like I am that great of a mother, but I can't imagine my life without Eden. There are days where I question the way I am raising her. I try to do what's right and yet I constantly have people judging what I do. I know what Josh and I are doing is right for us and for our baby, but it is hard not to question yourself when people judge. I am constantly feeling the pressure to be more selfish in life. "You should have lots of alone time." "Putting her to bed at the same time every night keeps you from staying out, you shouldn't be so strict." "You shouldn't let her eat and fall asleep, it's not good for her." Honestly, it is so hard not to question who I am as a mom. After today I realized something. God made me Eden's mom, no one else. She is my responsibility. I will always choose to do what I believe to be the best thing for our family and even if that doesn't fit into someone else's life or schedule I will stick to what I believe in. In that moment of pure terror, the only one that could help Eden was me. Eden cannot help herself...that's why she has me. Eden's needs will come first, as will any other babies God blesses us with. 



I say all of this as an encouragement to all you mom's...soon to be mom's...and ladies who desire to be moms. Parenting is HARD, but know that you are doing/will do a great job. I know it. No matter what you do, know what is best for your child and stick with it. God designed us to nurture and raise up our children so let's rock that responsibility. Don't let people get in the way of that. 

I know not all of you that read this blog have a faith in God, and that's just fine. Since my faith is such an important part of my life, I wanted to share a portion of scripture that I read and think about all the time. 

"She watches over the affairs of her household and does not eat the bread of idleness. Her children arise and call her blessed;  her husband also, and he praises her:  “Many women do noble things,  but you surpass them all.” Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;  but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised. Honor her for all that her hands have done,    and let her works bring her praise at the city gate."      Proverbs 31: 27-31


Friday, August 19, 2011

Carnival Schmarnival

I am buried in photo editing at the moment. I have so many photos that I have downloaded and am trying to get through each one of them so I can post them here. Tonight I am sharing some photos of our time at the Bite and Brew of Salem. We were able to steal Josh away for a little (very much needed) family time. We thought we were so very smart going on Sunday evening, but as it turns out everyone was packing up and leaving by the time we arrived. Lesson learned. We still had fun walking around and tasting a bit of the food. Sadly I only had a few photos of the carnival portion of the event since they had already closed that area down. Oh well...there is always next year.

Frozen lemonade + burger sliders + pulled pork sandwiches



Carnival rides + food


 


Just a little something we saw on our walk back home



Have a fabulous weekend! xo.

11 Months




This last month has flown by and I think mostly because we were BUSY. Eden experienced a lot of firsts during her tenth month of life. It also must be said, this girl is starting to look and act like a toddler. Boy, oh boy does this girl have quite the personality. We can already tell she is going to be "miss thang" and be quite independent. She most certainly is the firstborn girl in the household. I would be so very surprised if she is anything like me when it comes to sports and activities because at this point we see her being very outgoing and active. Not me at all. Pretty much I have come to the conclusion that she is her father. She has his curls, his ears, his personality..really the only thing that she got from me is her blue eyes and blonde hair. Oh and maybe her love for noodles (I'm sure its the filipino in her). 

11 Month Stats
Length: 27.5 inches (won't really know until next month)
Weight: 16.5 lbs (we weighed her on a scale recently, don't know how accurate that is)

Eden Rae, here is what you have been up to lately:

You took your first step! 
You are now taking a lot of steps (SO VERY CLOSE to walking)
You are allergic to dairy, orange veggies, and wheat (praying you grow out of these)
You love playing ball, musical instruments, reading books, trucks, and blocks
You are finally on a sleep schedule
You are talking so much and it sounds like actual sentences (no idea what you say though!)
You love to eat noodles, garlic, chicken, peanut butter + jelly sandwiches, fruit, hummus, waffles, green beans, and peas
You LOVED going into the pool for the very first time
You prefer drinking out of straws
You prefer to shred + eat toilet paper and flush toilets over anything else
You are STILL toothless (considering dentures)

Oh baby girl. You are growing up so very fast. There was a day when I thought I wouldn't know what to do once my babies became toddlers, but honestly I don't even remember what it was like to have a newborn. We LOVE everything about you. You keep us busy all day long. You are seriously the goofiest baby we have ever met. You like to stick out your tongue, hold your feet up in the air while in the stroller, and smack your lips together most hours of the day. You give us sloppy kisses and try to eat my face. I think your daddy and I spend most of the day just laughing at you because you are hilarious. You still love everybody and we think you always will...you are our social butterfly! This is your last month as a baby and I plan to treasure every moment of this time with you, but I am most certainly looking forward to watching you grow as a toddler. Love you honey bear!





First time at the beach





My typical view




First pair of TOMS!! 





Relaxing at the Saturday Market




Lola + Grandpa returned from a trip to Kaui





Your first time swimming!

Only one more of these monthly updates to go...not sure what I will do after 12 months... 

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

The House That Never Was

My husband is a destroyer of dreams. A dream destroyer if you will.

He and I both share one thing in common. We are dreamers. Both of us could dream of our futures for hours and truly believe we can do or be anything. Most of the time money gets in the way. Sometimes reality does. However, today, my dreamer of a husband decided to be the voice of reason. Excuse me, WHAT?!

One thing you should know about me is that I am the world's most indecisive person. Those of my friends or family members that actually read my blog are definitely shouting, "AMEN SISTA!" right as I type. Well, not right as I type because obviously if I am still typing I haven't published this post. Moving on. So, today's indecisiveness happened to be regarding houses. See, Josh and I disagree on the number of children we want to have. I am most certainly a planner and some days it is very hard when someone asks, "how many children do you want to have?" It is very innocent in nature, but inside I am thinking, "oh my goodness I don't know and this is not good and what should I do and I must have an answer!" Actually I am just screaming inside.

So what do kids and houses and indecisiveness have to do with one another. Nothing. Okay, actually everything. See, I wanted two kids. Josh wanted three. I absolutely DID NOT want three. I need even numbers people (that's normal right?). Days after Eden was born Josh had the nerve to say, "I want at least four kids." Did you catch that? AT LEAST. Want to hear the crazy part? I am actually open to this if that is what God has in store for our family. Oh dear me I have gone off the deep end. Alright, so kids...houses...lots of kids...need big house. 

While thinking of big houses I started dreaming. The bad thing about my dreaming is that I then go crazy and start finding houses (benefits of having a real estate agent for a husband) and I can never just settle on one...I love lots of houses...in lots of areas. However today, well today I found our family the perfect house. Want to see?

Just seeing this one photo I pretty much died inside. Now, look down at the next photo just to ensure you all realize that I have truly gone off the deep end.


Yes, that would be a barn folks. And you know where barns are? On farms. In the country. I am a CITY girl...I grew up in Southern California. I pray daily that I can live there again. For some reason though, I found this house and thought, "I could do this. I could live on a farm with acreage. I can see myself with kids running around my feet and playing hide and seek amongst the trees." Honestly I am working very hard at letting go of what I think I want and being open to whatever path God has planned for me. Oh and the best part about this barn? Umm...hello PERFECT photo shoot in my very own backyard.

I'll take you on the rest of the tour.


That's my fireplace. It's original and I love it. I would add a giant hunk of wood for a mantle...preferably one from an old barn or something special like that. Can't you imagine all of our stockings hanging there for Christmas? Definitely can't be 59 kids and counting...I don't think we have enough room for all of those stockings.


Oh hello kitchen. I would knock out some walls to make it open to the rest of the house most definitely. Those lower cabinets? They would be painted dark gray. The upper cabinets? Say bye-bye because they would be replaced with open shelving.

Here's a little inspiration for you.




Be still my heart. Look at those wood floors. And the large area. Lots of room for little feet to run around. 

So, I pitched the idea to Josh. I said, "look...I think this is the only time I am going to be crazy enough to suggest moving to the sticks. If you want 21 kids we are going to need a large home. Oh, and did I mention it has a barn?! I can have all of the photo shoots I want! Honestly, what else do we need?! Oh and I'll love you forever." 

How can you say no to this? Oh, I don't know, why don't you ask my cranky pants husband. If any of you don't have a cranky pants husband let me tell you about my house so you know all of the details in case you think she should be your home. I may set up a tent in your backyard. Hope you don't mind.

The footage to your square: 2230
Rooms for your beds: 3 (although I see 4 listed elsewhere so who knows)
Places to potty: 2.5
Acres to roam: 2
Monies you would need: 204,900 (yes, you read that right!!!)
Location of perfect farmhouse: The Boonies of Salem

I love my house, I really do, but can you deny the fabulousness of this home?! It is just begging for me to fix it up.

Oh and by the way, if you decide to make her yours I know a great real estate agent who can show it to you.

Also, this is not my husband's listing. I showed it to him. The agent does not know me and does not care to (well, I added that last part). I just had to feature this house that I am in love with.

So long house....

*All fuzzy house photos (unless listed otherwise) are via the mls listing here.

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P to the S - I still love you cranky pants, but I am starting to rethink having a gaggle of children...  ;)