Category Archives: gratitude

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I turned 32 this week! We’ve been dancing around and changing the lyrics to Taylor Swift’s “22”, eating too much chocolate cake, and partying with Lelia and Bryce! It’s been a good birthday.

I always get introspective around my birthday, and when I saw this idea from here to share one fun thing for every year of your life, I just had to jump in. I had SO much fun writing this! I spent a whole lot longer doing it than I’d planned, mostly because I went right down memory lane looking at all these photos.

Here we go! One fun thing from each of my years (and writing them all out this way makes it feel like a lot of years!):

0 years. Clearly, I had a pretty good first year of life, being the oldest and only child. Haha. I love this picture of me and my mom on my Dad’s boat.1 year. Apparently, I was really happy when I had spaghetti!2 years. I have one clear memory around this age of visiting my Great Grandma’s home. She passed away when I was nearly two, so my memory is probably just slightly before this age. I wish I could remember more about her.

3 years. We went fishing on my Dad’s little boat a lot when the weather was nice. I had this cute little fishy life jacket, and sometimes my Dad would let me “help” him drive.4 years. I became a big sister! I was in love with Karl from that first moment I saw him.5 years. I went to kindergarten and loved my teacher. We always had graham crackers and honey at snack time, and I refused to try honey the entire year.

6 years. In first grade, we put on a play of “The Three Billy Goats Gruff”. My teacher had a piano in the classroom that she used to play for us regularly, and it really was the best.7 years. Apparently, I lost and grew a bunch of new teeth. And don’t we look adorable in our Easter clothes?8 years. I had a really strict third-grade teacher, and I always finished my work early and asked for jobs I could help with.

9 years. We got our Shar-Pei dog, Barney.

10 years. I was obsessed with Pound Puppies!

11 years. I finally got to be in the same class at school as my childhood best friend, Heather.

12 years. We took a trip to Six Flags Great Adventure with our friends! (I’m in the Pokemon shirt. Haha!)13 years. I got really interested in singing and participated in the school choir as a second soprano.

14 years. We moved from New Jersey to Virginia!

15 years. I took guitar classes in high school.

16 years. We adopted our dog, Sockie!17 years. I got my guinea pig, Maggie, as an early birthday gift. She was my pal for her entire life.18 years. I went to Virginia Tech and became a member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints!

19 years. I showed a sheep for the first time!

20 years. I met Michael! I also studied abroad in Switzerland and traveled all over Europe!

21 years. I married my best friend, moved into our first apartment, and got our guinea pig Juni.

22 years. I found my lifelong friend Lelia… who became my sister when she married Jeff a couple years later!23 years. I graduated from Virginia Tech with a BS in Animal Science and a BA in French.24 years. My world totally changed for the best when I became a mom for the first time (to Kaya)!25 years. I took some cake decorating classes!26 years. We had our sweet baby Kaelyn!27 years. We got Freyja and Claire!28 years. We added Nella to our family and bought our first house!29 years. We adopted Scout!30 years. I brought Eve into the world and traveled to Spain!31 years. I had my best running year yet. I PR’ed the half marathon and won my age group in three races.This little post filled my heart with so much gratitude. There have been hard things, too, of course, but focusing on the good was a really good exercise. I’m so thankful for all of it.

t-h-a-n-k-f-u-l (2019)

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I started writing this little (embellished) acrostic poem on Thanksgiving weekend, and I suppose now we’re officially in the Christmas season, but I think verbally acknowledging what I’m grateful for has so much value, perhaps especially around this time of year. So, here are just a few of the things I’ve been thankful for lately:

Time. This is perhaps my most precious commodity these days. The hours and days seem to fly by, and it seems like a year has passed in a timespan that feels equivalent to a month was when I was a young child. There never seems to be quite enough time to do everything I need and want to do lately, but I’m grateful that I get to have these days with my girls, and for our “extra” time with them at home.
Husband. My rock. I don’t know where I’d be without him there to catch me when I fall, encourage me to try new things, and always remind me to have fun. He’s the most hands-on dad, too, which I definitely don’t take for granted.Art. I’ve really learned the value of the process of creating. Art for me is anything that can be made, regardless of the result. A home atmosphere, a baked good, painting, drawing, writing, photography… And, I absolutely cherish all the art my children make for me every single day.Naps. While Michael was off for Thanksgiving, I probably slept for half the week, due in part to a cold, but otherwise just catching up on much-needed rest.
Kids. I’ve said it so many times, but I never could have imagined having four precious baby girls in a row. I also could have never predicted how sweet, funny, loving, and generally amazing they all are, not to mention that they’re all best friends. I wrote a post similar to this one four years ago (here), astonished that I had two kids at the time. It’s amazing how things change.Family. I have such a loving, fun, caring extended family on both sides. Who is so lucky to say that? I’m grateful for the family I was born into and the one I married into.
Unending chances. I feel as though I’ve been humbled so many times already as a parent, and I’m certain I have so far to go. I’m grateful that I can continue to work hard, be forgiven, try again, and improve.
Laundry. This might seem a bit like a silly one… but we haven’t had a working washer and/or dryer for weeks now, so I am extra-thankful for clean laundry. I’m glad the laundromat is an option, but I will definitely never complain about folding clean clothes again.

thanksgiving 2018

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Thanksgiving was forever ago (last year already, ha), and we pretty much always do the same thing, eat the same turkey, and take the same photos, but these are still so precious to me and need to be on here.

We headed down to my parents’ home to celebrate Thanksgiving with family. My mom always puts so much energy and love into the Thanksgiving meal, and this one turned out as delicious as any. My Dad is always the designated turkey carver. Making mashed potatoes!The girls relaxed and waited patiently until it was time to eat. Everyone cuddled Evie a lot!Happy first Thanksgiving, baby Eve!Kaelyn wanted to jump in a picture, too!It looks like a full house (there are two tables put together underneath all that food), but we were missing Karl and Kaitlyn (they were at a wedding in Georgia), and Auntie Carol, who was sick and missed coming so that none of the babies would catch it. We had a good time, but it honestly didn’t feel the same without them.Somebody really really likes corn.And someone else doesn’t like veggies much at all…Your first Thanksgiving is a little bit of a letdown if you’re not old enough to eat any food! Eve was content to sit and watch everyone else.Nella slept through the entire meal, but woke up in time to have her dinner when we were starting dessert.Pumpkin pie, pumpkin cake, brownies, and apple pie!Extra thankful for my mom this year.
You might think he’s taking your picture, but Michael is really taking a selfie. He’s a tricky one! We had a great visit. Grandpa Peter got lots of Evie snuggles!Buddy tried to snuggle with me, too. Kaelyn always likes seeing her favorite “Dalmatian”!

thanksgiving with the irwins 2017 (and family photos!)

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We celebrated Thanksgiving with Michael’s side of the family a couple of days early! Tori made these beautiful place cards, and along with using special silverware, our dinner felt a little extra fancy.
Per Mom’s request, we went around the table and each said something that we felt grateful for this past year. There was laughter, some tears, and just general heartfelt goodness in the room as we all thoughtfully prepared our statements. That seemingly small exercise turned out to be the most memorable moment of the entire holiday.I’m grateful for each of these people around the table, and that I’m lucky enough to call them my family! I think Dad is most grateful for chocomint freeze!Nella slept through the meal, but these big kids had fun chowing down at the picnic table! I love that we have cousins now, and a need for a “kid table”.After the meal, we prepared for family photos. I’ll tell you, it isn’t always easy getting everyone ready and putting everything in place (especially because my kids hardly seem to nap when we’re away from home), but it is always worth it.

And, truth time: this photo is a composite of four separate shots! It must be against some natural law that all kids will look at the camera at the same time and not appear sad, because I didn’t have one single shot where they all looked reasonably happy. Hey, at least I’m honing my photoshop skills!We get a little crazy……and clearly, there’s more where that came from.Mom gets major points for putting up with Dad’s shenanigans… all the time!Love these two.This shot was a test for lighting, but I just love how natural and “grandmotherly” it feels. We have some lucky kids!More tests for lighting, but someone loves her Daddy! (Also, can we just mention how beautiful Virginia is in the fall?)And someone else loves creepy photobombing…Brothers!!!Love this one!Siblings! (Also, I think I should start a photo series called, “weird things I do with my hand while trying to hide the camera remote”. Ha!)Apparently, they dance while they’re waiting for me to set up the shot. I don’t even remember this happening!And I’m not sure when there was time for someone to steal my camera and do this……or this……or THIS! Hahaha. Honestly, I love finding these surprises on my memory card later.Meanwhile, Jeff was working on his “Flynn Rider” face. Disney, he’s ready for hire.These two are so natural in front of the camera together.
Melt my heart!Seriously, so cute you guys!I know I’m gushing, but again, seriously. I’m surrounded by beautiful families! Our kids were so done with photos by this point, and we had already taken some photos of just our little family a couple of weeks prior, but since we had the camera out, we snapped a few anyway. I kind of love Kaelyn’s funny face!We ended the evening with an early holiday gift exchange, since Kevin and Tori wouldn’t be flying out again for Christmas. Nella was clearly excited!Bryce snuggles!Kaya had to jump in and get some cuddles too! She just loves her baby cousin and her Auntie.

t-h-a-n-k-f-u-l

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I saw this link-up last week, and I knew I definitely wanted to participate. I meant to have this posted on Thanksgiving… but the craziness of cleaning and packing for our mini-trip back to our parents’ homes took precedence over blogging.

“Better late than never” seems to be my motto these days, and because having an attitude of gratitude should continue all throughout the year (and hey, especially during the holiday season), I figured I’d publish this anyway.

T- Talents. I’ve been trying especially hard to use and improve my talents lately. I’m thankful that I can use my [albeit limited] skills to help others, whether it’s from using photography to preserve someone’s memories, making a blanket to donate, or uplifting someone with my writing.

H- Husband. Seriously… He keeps me on track, encourages me to always try harder and do better, and helps me in any way he can. I’m a lucky girl for sure.

A- Animals. Having guinea pigs again has been a lot of fun. Kaya even refers to them as “her piggies”, and told me last night, “Freyja is my friend”. I love that my girls love animals as much as I do.

N- Nap time. I am thankful that both my kids still nap, and at the same time. This is the only time I get to work on projects (or hey, sometimes take a nap too), so I definitely appreciate it._MG_0063

K- Kids. My kids. It still sounds weird to say that word sometimes. I have kids… plural! When did that happen? In any case, I’m thankful for them and the unconditional love they show me, despite all my flaws as a parent. I live for their hugs, kisses, and smiles.

F- Funny things Kaya does. There are moments that her behavior makes me crazy… and then she spits out a crazy comment or performs some silly shenanigan, and it makes all her more difficult moments worth it. She’s still so young and is already such a comedian. I can’t wait to see what she’s got in store for us as she grows.

U- Unlimited storage for my memories (essentially). I’m grateful for technology, DSLRs, and computers that allow me to document everything important to me. I know that one day, I won’t remember everything, but I will always have my journal and blog.

L- Love. I’m so grateful that I can feel love, show love, and most importantly, know that my Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ love me. Having a testimony of their love makes an incredible difference in this sometimes-frightening world we live in.

project 365: 7/365

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I know I’m a couple weeks behind on posting these… but I figured I’d do a week at a time, that way, it isn’t a photo overload (for either you or me).

For November, I’ve been finding something I’m grateful for every day and capturing that moment. So here we go!

November 1: I’m so thankful this little girl made me a mama…_MG_9825 November 2: … for crazy and fun friends!_MG_9942 November 3: … for a super snuggly puppy and lazy Sunday mornings._MG_9949 November 4: … for Baby Einstein shows when she’s tired/cranky._MG_9973 November 5: I’m grateful someone else is enjoying my boppy pillow…_MG_9976 November 6: … for all the silly things she does (like stand on top of the clean laundry pile just to look in the mirror)._MG_9987 November 7: … for a daddy who can make her laugh and help get her ready for bed._MG_9994