Mother’s Day was such a lovely day. The weather was beautiful and I got the spend the entire day with Kev and Rowan. We went to church, then out to Brunch in Troy and then spent some time walking around Washington Park.

I don’t use this blog very often as a platform to share my beliefs (and will continue to keep it that way), but I couldn’t help but reflect on being a mother as we sat in church on Sunday. Being a Mom has completely changed who I am. Not in a bad way of course, I am still myself in every aspect but it has changed me from the inside out. I feel like becoming a parent is God’s way of giving us a small glimpse of understanding to the magnitude of love he has for us. He has humbled me in so many ways over this past 20 months and his grace has become even more evident. I read a book a while back about marriage and it stated… “what if God created marriage to make us holy instead of happy?” I kind of feel the same way about parenthood. I am far, far from perfect but I feel like everyday God is working in me and refining me to be more like him. I am trying to grow as a mother every day. To be more patient, more loving, more forgiving, and more giving. Becoming a parent also brings a lot of fear. Fear for the things you can’t control in your kids life (health, future, etc…). It gives me such comfort knowing that God has a plan mapped out for Rowan. That she was molded and created by him and that his plan will always be greater than mine. Being a Mom is one of the hardest jobs I have ever had. It is nonstop from the time you wake up, to the time you go to bed. There are no days off but it has been the greatest blessing I have ever experienced.

Rowan you have my whole heart. I could not be more proud to be called your Mom.
p.s. I am totally in love with this pretty dress and these wedges are by far the most comfortable, easy to walk in wedges I own.

OUTFIT DETAILS:
Dress: c/o Modcloth
Belt: Gap
Kork-Ease Felicia Wedges: Nordstrom (c/o)
Jean Jacket: J.Crew

Rowan and I headed out yesterday to spend the week at my Mom’s. My sister is in town and we just need to get away for a bit (we are sad Kev couldn’t come too). My parents live out in the country and have spotty internet but it never seems to fail that when I show up (miss internet addict) it never seems to work. Just my luck.

I am counting it as a blessing and enjoying the country air and the super big back yard that we don’t have the luxury of having in Albany. Rowan is in heaven! My sister brought her 2 dogs and Rowan I think has squealed and said “puppy” like a million and one times. Now if I could just get her to eat something instead of dropping it off her tray for the dogs we would be all set.

Hope you are having a fabulous week so far! The internet starting working for a bit so I am going to try to get a bunch of post set and scheduled.

p.s. pictures above are just some random picture taken with my phone over the last week. If you don’t follow me on instagram but want to see the pictures, you can subscribe to our tumblr page and see all of our instagram pics there (both Kev and mine).

Looking back at High School and College, I can say with out a doubt the one thing that single handedly shaped who I am today was music. I use to eat, sleep and breath music. I was not a musical kid although I tried to be. I just loved listening to music, going to shows and well listening to more music. The whole culture that surrounded the music I listened to had such a huge impact on my life. It was what defined me. Looking back now, it’s so silly to think that I defined who I was by what type of music I listened to but, thats what you do when you are young, right? HA! Kev and I bonded over that music when we first met. Our first date was to go see one of our favorite bands. I realized over the past few years the amount of music I listen to has gone down significantly. I am not sure if it is because Rowan is around or what but we don’t really listen to a lot anymore. I get that everyone grows up and maybe tastes evolve from what they use to listen to but I don’t want to forget about the past. Last night we sat in the car with some friends for like 45 mins rehashing all the old bands we use to love. I wanted so badly to listen to each and every record there on the spot.

I always go back and forth whether I think it is appropriate for Rowan to listen to the music we listen to. Most of it I don’t care, but some of it I am not so sure. I guess the same goes with movies, tv, and well everything really. I had a really funny realization the other day. Kev came home from work and was having a snack and watching The Simpsons. Rowan climbed up next to him and I started laughing and said “do you realize that Rowan is sitting here watching a show that I was never allowed to watch as a kid?” How do you decide what you show your kids and what you don’t? Granted Rowan is still a little too little to fully understand much but she is getting there for sure.

Anyway, I started this post to just say I want to listen to more music in our house. We listen to a lot of kid stuff but I want to listen to more than that. I want Rowan to grow up knowing how important is was/is to Kev and I. I think it would be awesome if one day she was listening to an Oldies station and thought “oh I love this! My Mom and Dad use to listen to this”. My taste in music has broadened a lot since H.S but man o man that old stuff is still such a treat.

Here are some of my most favorite oldies…

It seems like my taste in clothing continues to change ever since becoming a Mom. I find myself heading in to my closet and purging more often than not these days. I got rid of a bunch of dresses a while ago and have been slowing adding some new ones back in. I got a few great ones from Modcloth last week. I can’t wait to take them to Florida with us when we go next month. This striped dress was one of the new ones. It fits perfect, is a good length and I see a millions ways to wear it. I layered it up the other day because it was still a bit chilly for a sleeveless dress.

DETAILS:
Dress | Denim Shirt (has a super cute tie front) | Vest (similar) | Shoes

Ups:
1. Watching her develop friends has been such a huge joy. There is a little girl at our church that she gets along with so well. She is slightly older than Rowan and I think that’s they way Rowan likes it. It keeps her going and trying new things. I love watching them interact. They just run around following each other, laughing and having such a good time. It is really sweet. They are the best playground buddies.

2. Long bike rides together as a family have got to be one of my favorites (or walks) but bikes are just so fun. We biked 16 miles the other day and Rowan was just loving it. She sits behind me in a little seat but she can reach my back. She is always tickling me and laughing because she thinks it’s funny. I love the idea of her sitting back there with the wind in her hair (helmet) watching the world go by. So fun.

3. It’s funny how no matter how hard your day was or how frustrated you are, a single smile or giggle from your little one instantly melts you in to a big puddle. Top that with a little hug and nothing really ever seems as bad as you thought it was. Little kids have magical powers for turning bad moods around, even if they are the ones that put you in that mood

DOWN:
1. Going to see houses with your real estate lady alone with your toddler in houses full of other kids toys that they can’t touch, is probably the worst idea ever. I can’t blame her. I would want to play with all the new toys that I didn’t have at home. There were lots of tantrums that day.

2. This is sort of an up and down. Rowan has been stringing more and more words together to say little sentences. Some of them though are so far off from what she is saying, I have no idea what she is trying to tell me. It is so awesome to hear her try to tell me something so intently, but it is so upsetting and I feel so bad that sometime I can’t figure out what she is telling me. Yesterday, she said this sentence like 100 times over and over. She keep pointing at the door saying it. We were trying everything to figure it out. Then as we were leaving to go to the park and we passed the pool in our building we realized she was saying “I want to go to the pool.” Oh my gosh so cute but I felt terrible that it took us so long.

3. Yesterday morning was rough! Rowan feel asleep the night before at almost 1am, then woke up yesterday morning at 6am. Omgosh! She was not a happy camper. She didn’t want to be touched, she didn’t want to eat, she didn’t want to drink, she didn’t want to do anything but flap around on the floor crying and whining. Poor baby. I did actually get her back to sleep at 8:30am. It was short lived but it makes you appreciate their normal behavior a lot more when you have a glimpse of how crazy they can get. Oh little Rowan!

Mother’s Day is around the corner. Next week! I kind of love Mother’s Day. I love celebrating how awesome my mom is and now being a mom it’s fun to have a little special attention for the day. Being a Mom is such a blessed gift, make sure you celebrate the mom’s you know in your life next weekend!

Anyway, it is no secret that we LOVE Pinhole Press in our household. They are our go to place for awesome gifts. Mother’s Day is no exception. We got each of our Moms a beautiful framed print of Rowan and then a super cute list notepad. Each of the notepads say “Love You Grammy” on the front and then “Sending you Kisses” on the inside. I really like that you can print whatever you want on them.

*Funny story about the picture in the Frame. This scenario is called “The Reenactment” in our family. My mom and her sisters have a very special picture of them from when they were really little. In the picture 3 of them are sitting on a couch and the littlest one is laying across them all. Some how over the years whenever my Mom and her 3 sisters are together they take a picture “reenacting” the picture. It gets funnier and funnier every year. Anyhoo, last year at my cousins wedding my sisters and I took a picture with Rowan reenacting the photo. I know my mom will really love it.

Right before we left, we were walking through the common and there was quite an elaborate little band set up playing for people. Rowan was loving it! She was hamming it up for everyone there. I was crying I was laughing so hard watching her dance around and try to get the other baby to interact with her. Our little performer…

How is everyone’s week going? We have been hanging out with family and doing a little bit of house hunting. I always feel like I have to dress a certain way when I go to see houses. I feel like I already look like a teen, so I wear a blazer to make myself feel a little more professional looking. I am crazy, I know. I don’t think a blazer will stop me from getting carded for buying spray paint, cough syrup, or rated r movies at walmart. I once even got asked (last year) if I was old enough to sit in the exit row on the airplane. I laughed and said “how old do you have to be?”. The flight attendant said “16″. Seriously? I don’t even look 16? I am not complaining. I would much rather look younger than say 90, but when I am out with Rowan I would like to not get so many teen mom looks from old ladies.

DETAILS:
Dress (similar)
Blazer (similar)
Boots (similar)
Belt (similar)

Rowan climbed her first mountain on Saturday! My cousin and her husband drove down from Canada this weekend to celebrate their wedding anniversary in Boston and to visit us. On Saturday, we decided to take advantage of the beautiful weather and go for a hike. Rowan loved scaling all the rocks and picking up walking sticks. Although, she wasn’t all that skilled at climbing up the side of a mountain. Ha! There was lots of piggy back rides and hand holding to get her to the top. She loved every minute of it though. There was quite a lot of screaming on the way down because she didn’t want to leave.

Being outside in the fresh air is truly good for the soul. It is so refreshing! There isn’t much that I love more. What is your favorite thing to do outside?

Oh dreamy weekend outfit, I am in love with you!! I would like it to be high 70′s and to be shopping around flea markets in this outfit. Yep, that sounds pretty perfect to me.

My favorites around the internet this week:
1. I am dying over how pretty this dress is!
2. BEST.POST.EVER!!
3. This cheery skirt in on it’s way to my front door.
4. Head over heels for this outfit from Amanda.
5. Totally doing this (although it won’t ever come out as pretty as this!) whenever there is another nursery to be made one day.
6. Remember to vote for which design will be the next Theit Camera bag! You can vote once a week.

Happy Weekend!!

Ingredients:
Whole Wheat Pizza Crust (I use Bobeli)
1 Onion, sliced
Olive oil
Butter (optional)
Salt
Sugar (optional)
Fresh Parmesan Cheese
Gorgonzola
Honey
Strawberries (optional)

Directions:
1. Heat a little bit of oil and/or butter in a pan. When hot, add the onion to the pan and stir to coat onions. Reduce heat to medium and let onions cook on stove with out burning for about 10 mins. Stirring occasionally. You can add a little bit of sugar to help with the caramelization if you want. Cook for about 10 more minutes.
2. Once onions are cooked spread out evenly over pizza crust. Let cool just a bit. Then cover with parmesan and gorgonzola.
3. Drizzle with honey
4. Top with strawberries if you want.
5. Cook at 450 for about 10 mins.

Bad conditions aside- I was in LOVE with this outfit yesterday. I bought this J.Crew shirt the other day and no joke I have worn it every day since. It is the perfect weight and goes with everything.

The wind was up to no good…

I have never been someone that enjoys siting around. In fact, I pretty much hate it. I hate sitting and watching tv, I don’t like the idea of lazy Sundays (or any day for that matter) and staying inside all day makes me go crazy. When I was pregnant, I was so afraid of how having a baby would change all that. I thought we wouldn’t be able to do anything anymore or that I would change into someone that would think going out with the baby was too much trouble and I’d just stay home instead. As a result I was determined not to let anything change. I thought we could just charge ahead when Rowan came and could stay the same. The truth is that things do change. There is a whole heck of a lot you can’t really do anymore. There is no driving 2 hours to the beach in the middle of the night just to sit and listen to the ocean for an hour (yes, we have done that before). There are no 3 hour dinners at your favorite restaurant anytime you want. There is no doubt that having a baby changes a lot of things.

BUT! Little did I know that what it would change into was about 100 million times better than I ever thought. I still hate lazy days and staying in all day — those feelings didn’t change because I had a baby. If anything my love for adventures has just been heightened because now we get to take Rowan with us. The types of outings and adventures are all different. Things need to be a little less spontaneous and a little more thought out, but that’s ok. Adventures can still be had! Since Rowan was born we have tried to find the perfect balance of schedule and spontaneity. I think because of that, Rowan has become a super happy, adaptable baby. She doesn’t have to be home to take a nap. Her nap doesn’t have to be exactly at a certain time. Her bedtime varies from about 7:30 to beyond depending what we’re doing that evening. She is social, loving and carefree.

There is nothing greater than experiencing new things with Rowan. I am always so thankful that my parents where able to travel so much with us when we were little. We moved around a bit too. They instilled this idea that the world doesn’t have to seem so big. That nothing has to stop us from achieving our dreams and that we did’t have to settle for our situations if we weren’t happy with them. They always encouraged our passions and nudged us just a bit to accomplish more. They had the right amount of support but also enough distance to let us figure things out for ourselves when we needed to. This molded me to who I am today. I dream big and I try hard to go after what I want. I want to travel everywhere. I want to experience everything. I love life, fresh air and playing outside.

I was a lucky girl to find my perfect match in Kev. He dreams bigs, he loves being outside more than I do and we both are dying to share just how much life has to offer to sweet little Rowan. I want Rowan to grow up full of passion and excitement for life. Being able to take her to things like Museums, concerts, the zoo, bike trips, picnics, different cities, etc… has become our new passion. Seeing her eyes light up as she gets to experience something new makes it worth a late bed time or the planning and stress to get us all there. This is our little family we are creating and I want Rowan to look back on her childhood and remember all these special moments we have created with her. What an absolute joy it has been  and will continue to be  to share these things with her.

The hints of warm weather have my legs screaming to be out in the open. As soon as there is one warm day I instantly feel like it is time to ditch the tights and jeans. It’s a litle premature though as yesterday smacked me in the face with temperatures in the 30′s. Brrr. I was able to wear some jean shorts last week on some of the warmer days. I love jean shorts! Do you? Hope my white legs aren’t too blinding. They desperately need a date with the sun.

Operation Long Bangs is going ok. I haven’t been tempted to cut them, but I just kind of hate the length at the moment. I am trying, trying, trying to get more creative with hair styles to help like them. It isn’t working so well, but here was my attempt to french braid my bangs in to my hair and then in to a side pony tail…

For the past few months, us girls over at The Style Mentors have been working with the super awesome company Theit to design their next camera bag. Umm, how cool is that? I am pretty dang excited. Theit already makes one of the hipest/resonably priced camera bags out there, but later this year will be adding one of our designs to the mix!!

Here is the extra fun part! Melissa, Brandy and I each designed our own dream camera bag and you guys get to vote which one you like the best! Which ever bag gets the most votes will go into production later this year. Head over to The Style Mentors to cast your vote now!

p.s. You can enter to win the winning bag by leaving a comment on either Melissa’s or Brandy’s posts. Go win yourself a new camera bag!

GO VOTE!!!

1. I love bringing Rowan to experience new things. On Tuesday, Rachel, Addy, Rowan and I went to one of the beautiful old churches in Troy to listen to a Jazz Concert. Once a month the church brings in a band for a free concert for the area. This month was Jazz. It was awesome. The music was wonderful, the church is breath taking (think old churches in Europe) and it was just so cute watching the girls dance and clap to the music

2. The weather has brought out the best in us. We go for walks and bike rides as a family every day. They are by far the best moments of the day. I wouldn’t trade that time for anything.

3. The love that Rowan has to share is just beyond the best thing ever. She is so affectionate. Little kids, her stuffed animals, Kev and I, she just wants to hug and kiss everything. I love it.

1. There is always good and bad with getting out there and bringing your little one places. I try to never let the bad out weigh why I bring her, BUT there is always a level of stress that goes along with having a toddler with you. We had a ton of fun at the concert but I left pretty frazzled. Rowan kept yelling “addy” really loud at really quiet times, as well as yelling “poop” when Rachel was changing Addy. There was a balloon sharing issue, crying, getting cream cheese all over the pew, and lots of squirmy little ones.

2. The word “No”. Let’s just leave it at that.

3. Picture this scenario if you will… I get all dressed up, get Rowan all dressed up and we pack our things into the car and head over to the Montessari School open house. After I put her in her car seat, I decide to give her a granola bar to eat while we drive there. We drive the 25 mins over to the school. I am already nervous because well, it’s a weird thing to go check out a school for your kid. You want them to like you and think your kid is a genius of course. I go to get Rowan out of the back seat, I look at her and she is completely covered in chocolate. I gave her the wrong kind of granola bar (I had brought 2- one chocolate chip and one peanut butter) I didn’t even notice when I gave it to her because we were in a rush. Her pretty dress, legs, face, hair, everything was completely smushed with melted chocolate. She was a complete mess. Thank goodness for baby wipes and a spare sweater in the car. Whoops. I could’t help but break out laughing. Such a funny situation.

Sorry for the lack of outfit posts lately. Sometimes (most times) it just doesn’t fit into the day. I am trying to be more relaxed about blogging. When it feels natural and right I blog and when it doesn’t, I don’t. Makes for much less stress during the day.

Honestly, I have worn this outfit twice already this week. It’s easy, comfortable and I feel put together in it. I keep getting drawn back to wearing it. This chambray skirt is an allstar in my closet. It gets worn a lot!

What is your closet allstar?

OUTFIT DETAILS:
Blazer: Target
Eyelet Top: American Eagle (similar)
Belt: Target
Skirt: jcpenney (similar)
Bette Wedges: c/o Kork-Ease

and one of little Rowan…

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What a ham this one is! She has developed such a sense of humor (and a love for wearing sunglasses). I can’t get her to keep anything in her hair, but she loves wearing any kind of glasses, belts and my bracelets and necklaces. When she gets excited she just squeals with laughter and excitement. Her favorites things are going to the park and seeing her two best buddies. There are 2 special little girls in her life that are becoming her very best friends.

Her vocabulary is growing so much! She can pretty much mimic any word now a days. Not always the most clear but as her parents we know what she is saying. She loves saying animal noises. She is pretty good at about 15 or so animals. It’s really cute when you say “what does a so and so say?” because she has these little actions that she does that goes along with what animal it is. She is starting to say a few words together to make simple sentences. Her new favorites are “Where’s Dada?”, “Who’s dat?” and my personal favorite “it’s stuck”. I think that one is her favorite too. She walks around the house pulling things to see if they move or not and then asks “it’s stuck?” with a little tilt of her head.

When she runs I honestly have to try now to keep up. Before you could just walk fast and there was no way she was getting away from you. I have to keep my eye out because there is only a certain small distance I can let her go before I know I wouldn’t be able to catch her quick enough. She has the most animated little run! So cute.

We are thinking about putting her in a Montessori toddler program in the fall. We went to an open house this morning and we both loved it! I think it will be really good for her. I know it wouldn’t be be the best fit for every kid that age, but for her I know she would LOVE going so much. It’s only 3 mornings for a few hours. Have any of you enrolled your kids in a Montessori or Waldorf school? I would love to know how things are going? There is an outside Kindergarten at a Waldorf school around here and I am kind of thinking when she is that age it might be something we consider. I have read lots of articles on them and honestly it just seems magical. I grew up playing in the woods and have such fond memories of it. That is few years a head of us still and maybe its the teacher in me but I am just really excited about the idea of school and learning.

At 19 months I feel like we have entered into the home stretch till age 2. Which totally blows my mind. Every day I want to slow down time to enjoy each new stage a little longer. As much as I plan and dream for the future I am seriously trying to be in each moment because they pass in a blink of an eye. She is the brightest part of everyday. We just love her so much!

We spent a lovely afternoon at Hoffman’s Playland with the Naylor’s last Friday. There is really nothing better than watching your little one experiencing new things for the first time and just have the best time! Can’t wait to go back again soon.

p.s. I am still in shock that Rowan is old enough to ride little rides by herself. Omgosh!
p.p.s Thanks to Rachel for the picture of all 3 of us.

I have been having a very hard time not making big huge online shopping carts full of spring and summer clothes. Everything is so bright and beautiful. Here are some of my most favorite items right now. Aren’t they just the cutest?

Here are some of my favorite posts from my favorite blogs this past week:
1. I know everyone has seen these photos but they are just so beautiful. I really want to try to take more picture together with Rowan instead of just of her.

2. Good golly I would like to eat this cake.

3. Seriously! The Books Elizabeth makes are unreal. So freakin’ cool!

4. This is one of the most beautiful dresses I have ever seen. Jentine looks like a million bucks!

5. A funny picture of Rowan.

6. Love these puppets. I am totally going to make some for Rowan.

7. Mmmmmmm need to eat these stat!

HAPPY WEEKEND!!!