38 TODAY

It's my birthday.  I'm 38.  Yay!

When I read Kathleen's birthday post a couple months ago, I immediately knew that I wanted to do something similar for my own birthday.  I liked the idea of doing small things to treat myself on my special day.  And - let's be honest - birthdays are sort of weird as an adult.  I always feel like the day should be somehow different from the rest of life, but there are still all the regular life duties and responsibilities that need to be met.  And kids don't really ever let you take a day off.

I made a list of six things that I wanted to do / have as little treats for my birthday.    But now I am writing this post just before bed and the day hasn't gone at all as I planned.  Of course.

But you know what?  It was a GREAT day. 

I tended to all of my duties and responsibilities.  I also did some of the things on my list.  And I let myself really notice and feel all the love coming at me. 

I received so many kindnesses and sweet birthday wishes and gifts.  I spent some time thanking God for the people he has placed in my life.  I spent some time thinking about the ways small gestures add up to better days and better relationships.  I also recognized that the small treats I give myself are valuable and don't need to be saved up for specific days. 

It was a good day and I think I will now rewrite most of the previous paragraph on a piece of paper and hang it on my mirror.  I think this will be a good theme for my year of being 38. 

Image: "happy brithday my mom" written by Sam in our neighbor's driveway. 

36 FAVORITE THINGS

It's my birthday and I'm 36 today.  The following are 36 things that I love, just now.

1 - Brian.  He is my true favorite thing.  Day in and day out, I am thankful to have him by my side.

2 - Sam.  This kiddo brings me joy every single day.

3 - Eli. This guy does, too.

I seriously love them both so much and don't really like to think about how different my life would be without them.

4 - The promise of a third baby - who is almost here!  Unless she surprises us with an early arrival, she is scheduled to arrive via C-section on May 10th.  I am so excited to meet her and hold her and see what she looks like and to experience what it's like to be a mama to a girl.

5 - My morning routine.  It keeps me centered and feeling like a human - not just a mom.  I really don't like thinking about the fact that our new addition will likely mean that it will be many months before I regain my morning "by myself" time.

6 - My One Little Word for the year.

7 - Rotating toys.  I put away almost all of the boys' toys in February and have only been swapping out a few here and there.  It seriously makes my life SO MUCH BETTER.

8 - Spring.  I'm pretty sure that I feel this way every year, but wow.  Having the opportunity to go outside without bundling up in a hundred layers is fabulous.  So are the budding trees, green grass and new flower growth.

9 - The Get To Work Book.  I have used this planner for almost an entire year and it is totally my jam.  It felt like a big expense when I first purchased it, but I'm pretty sure I've gotten my money's worth and more out of it.

10 - Daniel Tiger.  Sam is very, very reluctant to watch anything new.  We were stuck on Frozen for a long time and once he grew tired of that, he pretty much refused to watch any movies or TV.  Which was great, but also sometimes frustrating - TV time can provide some downtime for the mama, you know?  In the last month or so, he decided Daniel Tiger was okay (or even super) and I am thankful.

11 - My FitBit.  It keeps me motivated and keeps me moving.  I've had the Flex for almost a year and a half.  It just died a week or so ago.  But (good news!), I'm pretty sure that I will receive the Alta as my birthday gift.

12 - The First5 App.  I use this app, in conjunction with this devotion journal to do many of my daily devotions.

13 - Studio Calico / Project Life.  I still love the Project Life weekly scrapbooking method and have done a great job of keeping up with it so far this year.  And, I love, love, love the monthly Studio Calico subscription with cards I use in my PL album.  I didn't subscribe for all of 2015 and really missed it.  I have really enjoyed receiving my monthly kits again this year.

14 - Amazon Prime.  2 day shipping.  Music.  Movies.  Daniel Tiger (as noted above).  Not having to leave the house.  Yep.  I love it.

15 - Staying Home.  I still feel really grateful for the opportunity to spend so much time with the kids while they are still little.  I also love the relaxed schedule it allows for our family.  Not rushing to daycare every morning and not feeling rushed through our evening routines is pretty darn awesome.

16 - These two books (1, 2) that have the same message, but it's a good one.  I've read them both and will keep looking for more with the same theme because reading them keeps me motivated.

17 - Greek Gods Honey and Salted Caramel yogurt.  Dangerously yummy.

18 - Our emergency fund.  This gives me more peace of mind than I can say.  It's not something that I actively think about very often, but just knowing that it's there is good for my head.

19 - Essentialism.  This book pushed me toward SIMPLIFY for my One Little Word in 2016.

20 - Amazon Echo / Alexa.  We have had so much fun with Alexa in the last few months.  We listen to music a lot more than we used to and I love that we can share a wide range of musical genres with the kids without having to purchase new music all the time.

21 - Cloth diapers.  The original stash we bough when Sam was a baby is still going strong.  We have a small pile that need a snap or two replaced.  Otherwise, they are in great condition and still do their job.

22 - The KonMari Method.  Once I quit procrastinating and got to work, this was (and is) a life changer.  My goal was to complete the project by May 10.  I officially called it "done" on April 20.  I need to go through my clothes one more time - once I fit into non-maternity clothes again.  Other than that, I think we're good.

23 - Our vacation fund.  Brian and I are saving up for another Jamaica vacation with tentative plans for the summer of 2017.  Woohoo!  Each time I make a deposit into that savings account, I feel a little boost of happy as I think about time on the beach.

24 - Smoothies / Our Ninja Blender.  We seem to go through phases with these.  As of late, we make them two or three times per week.  They taste great, are healthy and the boys love to help put all the ingredients in the blender and push the button to make it go.

25 - Instagram.  My favorite (and only) social media platform.

26 - Meal planning.  I don't know why I resisted this for so long.  It makes my days and weeks so much easier.

27 - PlayDoh, blocks and animal / people figurines.  Three toys that keep the kids busy for extended periods of time and that require the use of their imaginations.

28 - Our families.  Seriously.  So, so thankful for family that we can also call friends and that are ever-helpful when we need them.

29 - Aldi.  One opened just down the street from us in the last year and I love it.  I'd say that we do at least 2/3 of our grocery shopping there.

30 - Sam's speech therapist and the entire staff at her office.  We love them.  They love Sam.  And Eli charms them as he says "hi" to everyone that works there by name when they come in and out of the waiting room.

31 - .Bloglovin'.  I've used this feed reader for a couple years now.  They've made some changes that have made it a little less brooke-friendly, but I still appreciate having all of the blogs I like to read in one place and I appreciate their "related posts" feature that helps me learn about new-to-me blogs.

32 - Soda.  I no longer allow myself to buy it at the grocery store - to have on hand at home.  This means that I enjoy it all the more when I get one at a restaurant.

33 - A "new" entryway.  I moved some furniture around and bought new artwork and coat hanger last fall.  This little bit of my home is one of my favorites.  It feels much more "me" and more my style than most of the rest of our house.

34 - The couch.  Our living room couch is currently serving as my bed.  Sleeping with my back against the back cushion is the only way I can sleep well and not wake up to a body full of aches and pains.  I am more than ready to move back to my own bed (and be able to sleep on my tummy again!), but for now I am thankful that the couch is a viable option that helps me not to hurt.

35 - Our monthly budget.  A game changer.  A life changer.  Thankful for money plans that mean little money stress.

36 - The promise of a new year ahead.  Birthdays feel a lot like Januarys to me - full of promise and the opportunity to start anew.  I am HUGELY looking forward to my year of being 36.

ME 34.0

I turned 34 last week.  For me, birthdays are a lot like Januarys.  Times to regroup and start anew.

The big "in the works" project for this year is becoming a stay-at-home mama.  While that is huge and something I'm incredibly excited about, it is still a few months away and doesn't feel quite real yet.

For now, I'm sticking with my theme for the year.  A version upgrade.  Me: 34.0. I want to put new energy into everything that I already have going.  I want to build on where I am.

So, where am I?  I am poised to experience my fourth year of marriage with my Brian.  I am a mama to an infant and a two year old.  I am crafting, writing, curating and generally blogging my free time away.  I am (slowly) working to make my body feel more like my own again.  I am daydreaming about future projects and plans - both business and personal.  I want to embrace these things and do them with heart. 

I want to push further and push harder.  I want to take my still-in-their-infancy ideas and projects and run with them.  I want to look back, a year from now, and know that I've enjoyed my time with my boys and been as "present" as possible in our moments together.  I also want to see that I've created more and said "yes" to more.

Thirty-four, let's be good to one another. 

33 THINGS

I will celebrate my 34th birthday this week.  Before that new year kicks off, I wanted  to look back at 33 things that have blessed my 33rd year.

Brian and our third year of marriage.

Being a mama to a one (and now two) year old.

Happy anticipation as we awaited Eli's arrival.

A healthy pregnancy.

Becoming a mama for the second time.

Project 333.

Learning to (really) live on one income.

My "One Little Word" projects - both 2013 and 2014.

Anticipation of becoming a stay at home mama.

Growing in my scrapbooking skills and becoming better connected with the scrapbooking world at large.

Library Story Time.

My iPhone (and its camera).

Picnics.

A membership to our local children's zoo.

A new yogurt recipe with reliable results.

Blueberries and raspberries.

Project Life.

The Bloglovin' app.

Date nights with Brian.

A new workspace.

Book club.

Maternity leave.

My blog.

Decorating Eli's room.

Successful breastfeeding.

Watching my boys start their journey into brotherhood.

My sister and sisters-in-law. 

Our nieces. 

Adult-to-adult relationships with our parents. 

Walking 13.1 miles on a Sunday morning.

Sidewalk chalk. 

Evenings at the winery. 

Dreaming up new projects and plans and then working to make them real.

Many thanks to Elise for the post inspiration.