Those little things

I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feel so baaaad. (I may or may not have sung that.)

(This post is NOT about Emma. You know, to give you a small toddler break, we all need those sometime. Then again, if you are completely obsessed with my mom brain ramblings, then may I refer you to my various motherhood posts and God speed.)

I am sure you have those special little things around your home - those little things that make you smile and those little things you love. Therefore I thought I'd share with you a snippet of my favorites around here.

Clinique skincare products // decorative glasses

the tiniest succulents // a pink orchid

my family Crucifix (older than I am)

my favorite book

a collage of family photos

the best hand cream // the best chapstick // my rosary from my First Communion

What are your favorite little things?

Ordinary time

There is always that melancholy at the end of a truly remarkable vacation. As we drove home through the winding mountain road, I wished for a few more days of calm, a few more days of mountain sunrises, a few more days of glassy lakes, and a few more days of bliss.

But as we settled back in to our routine in our own home, I thought to myself, well, ordinary time is pretty perfect too.

If you were here you would see a toddler seeking independence and exploring her boundaries but still pausing to look around for familiar and encouraging faces. You would see two proud and slightly frazzled parents chasing after an energetic toddler with an ever-evolving sleep schedule. You would find that barefooted toddler enjoying the evening breeze coming through the window before rubbing her tired eyes and making one last mess before bed.

Warm days are filled with splashing feet and excited squeals while we escape the heat in our tot-sized pool. Quiet mornings are for painting and mess-making followed by blanket forts and piles of books before an afternoon nap. Some days we take long walks, stop to glance up at the towering oaks, or plop right down on the sidewalk halfway through.

We build towers of blocks. We dance to Disney music. We share a bowl of goldfish when we need a salty fix. Walk after walk and book after book, our ordinary time bounces from activity to activity because sitting still is just not an option. Naps are dreaded by one but craved for by others. Shushing, songs, bouncing, and bribes are a nap time dance. There are those quiet moments when she finally settles, strokes her bear, and stops fighting sleep. The room is filled with sounds of heavy breathing and the tiptoeing across the bedroom floor trying not to step on that squeaking floor board. 

Dinner comes and we fill the sink to wash veggies. The sounds of chopping are mingled with post-nap energetic babbling and more messes in the toy corner. We sit on the porch waiting for the sun to set and allow for one more mess before a warm bubble bath. 

Other days we walk to the public library and greet the other babies and toddlers at the weekly sing-a-long. We clap and dance and shake tambourines and maracas. We learn new nursery rhymes and try to sing them on our way home.

More messes, more dances, and lunch time PBS. A little girl wanting to wear a watch like her mom and insisting to wear it around the whole apartment showing it off. We cuddle her stuffed animals and we read Halloween books.

She fights her nap but settles in when I sing her favorite songs and read Goodnight Moon, again.

Ordinary time. 

...It's pretty special.

Our first weekend

On Saturday morning we went to Trader Joe's and I was thinking to myself, "LOOK AT ALL THE FAMILIES". 

The suburbs are my jam. 

Let's back up. We moved on Friday and this was our first weekend in our new place and it was a goodun. I mean, wow, the burbs are my people. 

Oh Lord, before you know it I'll be cruising down the street in my minivan with my window decal stick person family. Please, just put me down if that happens. The minivan has to have an honor roll sticker on the bumper too, obviously.

Here are some snippits, some tidbits, a little of this and that of our first weekend here.

Ask me how many coronaries I had while unpacking. A ZILLION, that's how many.

I slowly chipped away at the mountain of stuff and we are mostly settled in at this point. I set up Emma's play corner first and as soon as our bed was delivered, I fluffed those pillows up real nice. 

Down comforters are my love language. And check out those shams, mhmm. 

Moving on. 

Emma enjoyed the fluff too. 

On Sunday we enjoyed breakfast at a local bagel place (YES, OH YES) before heading to church. This may become our new Sunday tradition. More smear! 

Yeah... this was half number two and I devoured the rest of this in 0.2 seconds. This chive cream cheese is my other love language. Emma preferred Paul's bagel to mine, aww darn. ;]

After bagels, we walked to church and I am so happy at the community we found there. We sat behind this sweet family with two kids and the dad happened to be an administrator of the local high school. THE BURBS.

We walked by an adorable nursery and I know where I will be buying ALL THE SUCCULENTS. Hopefully I don't kill them with my brown thumb.

We capped off the weekend at a fantastic dinner at a local Italian place (walking distance, oh yeah). I enjoyed a basil and lime martini and we shared a bowl of garlic rolls. 

Guys, these rolls were my other other love language.

It was like roll ravioli (they were each slightly smaller than my palm). I thought, "nah, there is no way we can eat eight rolls AND our dinner". 

Oh, woah, oh. I was wrong. We ate 'em up. And two entrees. And my martini. 

#noregrets

I asked Emma if she'd share the stroller for the walk home, but she be like, "mom, thy gluttony be punished". 

Yesterday was my first commute into the city and I am still recovering. Whew. I needed a big glass of rosé. I'm okay now, thanks for asking. 

Traffic. Eye twitch. Ugh.

Good thing I came home to this one.

Here's to many more perfect weekends.

33/52

This week's portrait is coming to you a day and a half late because...wait for it...

WE MOVED! 

My back hurts, my nails are broken, and my allergies have punched me in the sinuses and are holding my eyelids hostage, but we did it. WE DID IT!

Paul, Emma, and I awoke bright and early yesterday morning for the big move. We packed up a moving truck (DEATH, BROKEN BACKS, PAIN) and made our way over the bay to a little area called Alameda. I am still shocked that we made it with our sanity (mostly) intact.

We plopped in to bed last night and had one big sigh of relief. Thank the Lord.

Being the crazy organizational and obsessive individual (no shame, it's a blessing and a curse) that I am, I have spent all day today organizing and unpacking. We are finished for the most part beside everything in our little storage closet/attic of sorts. It's mostly filled with miscellaneous decorations, picture frames, outgrown baby stuff, holiday decor, and all our sporty gear. Now that I typed it all out, it does seem like a lot and now I will obsess over that room until it's completed.

I will do a whole apartment reveal when we are settled and our couch arrives (still a over a week until delivery, D;AFJA;DSLFK). 

I read on the interwebs that when moving with a toddler, you're supposed to pack the kid's stuff last and unpack the stuff first. Welp, who am I to go against all the wisdom of mom bloggers past? 

Under our living room window, we set up Emma's play corner. And it might be my favorite little place in the apartment. She's in toddler heaven.

Heaven is a place on foamy alphabets, Ems. 

For Mass tomorrow, we are going to a new to me parish. Yay! 

Enjoy the rest of your weekending. It's off to bed for us because I'm 26 going on 82. 

jg injlffjn n    j b jdj j

- By Emma

Bye Emma. 

Pack it up

Have I mentioned how much I hate packing? Because, I HATE PACKING.

Okay, I'll calm down. But seriously. 

Paul and I are currently in the process of packing up our little apartment for our move to Alameda. It's amazing how much stuff we have been able to cram into a 500-sq foot apartment with almost no closet and storage space. VHAAAT? And by amazing, of course I mean gross.

I am in the process of reading this book (I know, original) but it has got me to thinking about downsizing the stuff. Maybe a move was just what we needed to go through the PILES OF CRAP we have accumulated. Silver lining? I am by no means a hoarder, but I am quite sentimental and little pieces of memories tend to accumulate. Do I really need a little love note written on a napkin from three years ago? Apparently so.

I CANNOT wait to show you all our new place. I just love it. It feels much more homey and less dormy. But because of the crazy, neat-freak that I am, I will most likely not want to give you all the big reveal until we are all settled, mostly unpacked, and all the new furniture has arrived.

My dad is coming to visit us for a week starting next Wednesday and I could not be more excited. He tends visits us this time of year and I look forward to spending time with him while also having an extra set of hands around for Emma entertaining while we settle in.

For now, I am a little frazzled. We are packing up the moving truck on Friday and will hopefully be completely settled in to the new place by Sunday evening. Wee! I hope to squeeze in a post or two, but who knows if that'll happen.

And because I cannot let you leave without a photo of my offspring, here is a lovely representation of how I'm feeling lately.

I feel ya girl.