A Secret

I have a little secret. Can you pinky swear you won't tell anyone? Ok...here it goes. 

I escaped. 

But before you're all she did wha? and start to wonder what in the sam hell I am referring to- I will elaborate. 

My lovely saint of a grandmother is in town and has been offering me a hand as of late. Tonight she agreed to take the littles swimming so that I could go run errands. Real fun stuff like grocery shopping (for the third time in a week...aren't you jealous ;), running to the bank, and a brief meeting. In full on Kristin fashion, I forgot my credit card on the ledge at home and had to turn my already strapped for time bootie right around. Once the card was in hand, I realized the bank had closed and probably wouldn't make it out shopping before my meeting. 

So here I am with a full hour to kill and a quiet house.

 I will repeat this last part. 

A quiet house ya'll.

I pretend I am southern every once in a while. Do go with it.

First thing I did? 

I made myself a little meal...and better yet didn't inhale it due to needing to feed another mouth or cater to..well..anyone other than myself. And I gotta admit- it was lovely. Next on the list was easy. Visit my lonely little spot out in cyber space. It's been a while, and I've missed it. 

Ok, well now you know my secret. I'm here...writing. NOT at the bank or shuffling around the grocery store. Kids are with grandma. I feel a *tiny* bit guilty that I didn't hightail it outta here and do something more productive but at the same time, I have come to the conclusion that ME time is great. 

And necessary.

 And few and far between. 

There is so much to be said for having a moment to collect my thoughts, taking a deep breath, and forgive me for lack of a better phrase- for actually having a minute to recharge my batteries. 

Don't get me wrong- I love my babies. LOVE. Would do anything for them. And I love my man. BUT being alone is pretty dang great for a little bit, too. Would love to extend it a bit, but my meeting calls. 

Hope to post pictures later tonight if I'm lucky. Which I am usually not, but who knows. Maybe things are turning around for me.

 I have so many great things to share with you, but for now I will just leave you with a little quote:

 I restore myself when I am alone. ~Marilyn Monroe

Much love,

Kris

Read More

What Makes Me Tick.

Overwhelmed with love, gratitude, and a fresh perspective.

In light of that, I thought it was fitting to list exactly what it is that I am loving at the moment.

Some of them are constants. Forever unchanging. I am sure if you know me you can guess what who they are. Others on this little list may change tomorrow. Going with the flow right now and determined to remember the little things that make this crazy, complicated life beautiful.

So in case you were sitting there wondering, "Gee what makes that girl's world go round?" And clearly I am pretending that is exactly what you were thinking...go with it. Here's my list: 

crooked smiles.

my independent boy. he dresses himself now but ALWAYS asks his mama to check that the tag is in the back.

dudes got a sock obsession. the more colorful, the better.

how my little princess's feet mold into the curvature that is my belly anytime I hold her.

baby feet in general. cannot. get. enough.

how she nestles into my neck in the wee hours of the morning.

anything vintage. history is beautiful, yo.

geek chic. give a girl some big ole black framed glasses and a boy with a bowtie, and my heart may just skip a beat.

brett- see above statement. bowtie. just once. you'd thank me lata ;)

speaking of my mister...love that I can smell his cologne long after he has left for work. 

no matter what time I manage to crawl into our bed, he is right there to wrap his arm around my waist and pull me *this* close. every night. (this quiet reassurance of love may be my favorite moment with my babe.)

instagram. it's amazeballs.

grilling...seriously EVERYTHING tastes better coming off of those flames. mouth watering.

wine. nuff said.

and coffee. cannot forget that little lifesaver.

watching these littles put their imaginations to work. one minute we are pirates scouring the seas for buried treasure. the next we are super heroes saving the world. oh to see things through a child's eyes.

how my princess idolizes that big brother of hers. girlfriend's favorite toy at 8 months? a joker action figure. no joke.

finding the light. my new obsession.

cold sheets and pillows.

how Brayden totally gets rhyming. cat and hat mama? yes sir! you really are one smart cookie, kiddo. 

and all mine. <----best part.

the weekend. need I say more?!

no matter how many miles seperate us- my gorgeous southern belle, Stephanie. girl knows me. and I love you for that.

sisters who aren't reallllly sisters but don't tell us that cuz we thick as thieves up in here. ( my gangsta voice coming out for ya. psssshhhh ;)

weddings. witnessing two people join their lives together and proclaim their love is a magical thing. 

my camera- phone and slr. i'd just like to take a moment to thank you (and yes I realize it's an inanimate object) for allowing me to capture my babies and the moments that fill my heart with joy. they grow and change everyday- but because of you- I can hold onto bits of the past. a bold statement, but I'll say it: photographing these littles and learning the ways of this art has become my passion. seriously. sets my soul a blaze.

phew.

 that's it. 

so if ya made it to the end, I'll give ya a cupcake. for reals. 

and hey- let's throw in a rainbow and a unicorn because it's that kind of post.

this week has had some serious challenges but after writing this and seeing all this happy, well it really makes the rest seem oh so insignificant. loving life right now. 

Some of my instagrams:

Get ready for photo overload. My apologies lol.

 Big boy dresses himself...clearly :P

 Moments from one of our favorite little guy's first birthday:

Anne and Billy's wedding (not my forte, but I hope there are some images you guys enjoy.) 

Congratulations you two. It was a beautiful wedding.

...can't wait for this next couple to walk down the aisle! One week!! <3

Well...there ya have it. A whole lotta love for you.

xoxo. kris

Read More

9 to 5

I have been wanting to sit down and write for a while but each time I tried, duty called. Being a mama, as you know, has a never ending list of demands. 

Us mamas don't have a time card where we punch in and out...we are never "off duty."

 I know most of you have come across something that outlines what a mother is- be it a nurse, chef, maid, taxi driver, teacher, etc. It's true. I have been responsible for more "jobs" than I ever knew I would be as a mother to these little beings.

For the record, I would also like to add professional wiper to my resume. 

I am fairly positive that some days I have a cloth, baby wipe, or kleenex in my right hand at all times just in case someone needs their tush, nose, and/or face wiped for the zillionth time. Case in point- Tuesday my pretty little princess did what she does best and had a monster blow out (I know, I know...you are probably so grateful for the visual ;). Anywho- just about the time I had finished wiping her little tush- our daycare baby happened to have followed in Bella's footsteps so I got a lovely two-for-one in the diapering department. And here was the cherry on top- just as I had finished scrubbing my hands, Brayden's voice called out from the bathroom announcing he needed "the wiper" as well. 

In other words, sh*t happens. A lot. Haha.

....and I will be real with you- some days it seems like a thankless job. Some days, I am not sure I can physically keep up with my never ending list of demands. Some days, I am absolutely positive that if this were an actual "job" I probably would've gotten fired.

I lost my patience one too many times.

The house is still a disaster.

Brayden was entertained by one too many episodes of whatever super hero show I could scrounge up.

Dinner will be cereal tonight. Out of the box. Bon appetit!

I am unshowered, and yep those are still my pajamas.

.

I might go so far as to echo the author Judith Voirst's words and describe our day as a "horrible, no good, very bad day."

I had one such day recently and sat down on the couch at the day's end and sighed. Loudly.

I am pretty sure I had spit up all down my shirt. Stress and exhaustion had won their battle and were now staking their claim by setting up in creases all over my face. And is that a grey hair?!

 Not a pretty picture let me tell you.

...and into this very self pitying moment my little 3 year old did step.

He plopped right up on the couch next to me and asked cheerfully, "How was your day, Mama?"

I tried to hold back tears while I replied with a "It was a little rough today, babe. How was yours?"

And here was where my whole horrible, no good, terrible day turned around.

You know what that little guy said?

He said he had a great day. 

And he meant it.

I seriously sat there for a minute and wondered how on God's green Earth he could feel this way...and then I was caught by a montage of flashbacks.

Giggles at his baby sister blowing raspberries.

Practicing his best Hulk impersonation and stomping around the living room proclaiming, "HULK SMASH!"

Joy over how we get to have another "jammy party" day in which he models about 7 different pairs of pjs.

Thinking he is getting away with something as he digs into the cheerios box and giggles before stuffing the little circles into his mouth.

And that's when it hit me: 

the giggles. and smiles. and hugs.

 In his precious little mind- he saw only the good. 

What a gift he had given me in that moment. It was worth more that a lifetime of paychecks from any other "real job." 

It was in fact priceless.

That moment reminds me constantly to focus on the good.

Because no matter what has occurred, chances are there is still beauty right in front of you. 

....and when I think about that, I think I must be doing something right.

After all, my biggest task on my to do list is and always will be to make my babies feel happy and loved.

So- while I might technically be in charge of navigating these little ones through life, I cannot tell you how many times they have been my teachers. Teachers of lessons so much more important than what number follows 12 or what sound the letter A makes. 

So the next time I doubt myself or am facing a rough day, I will do my best to remember the lesson Brayden shared with me. 

 I will let the smiles and giggles and love define my day. 

I WILL focus on the positive.

And I dare you to do the same.

Sharing some of our joy with you...

All my love,

Kris

Read More