Photography - McKenzie Sue Makes

These are the kinds of things that get a Type A st

These are the kinds of things that get a Type A stay-at-home mom excited. 🤪 I printed physical photos of my kids (I used @artifactuprising), am writing the date on the back, and organizing them by year with little labels for easy access! These photos will be used at birthday parties, and a place to memory keep my favorites of each sweet child as they continue to grow up and change day by day. 🥰

Hi! So remember in 2021 I sent out emails occasion

When Daddy works Saturdays, we watch tons of TV an

When Daddy works Saturdays, we watch tons of TV and by the time James went down for a nap, I was feeling guilty though still tired and burnt out (a whiney and needy 2yo protesting food for snacks is exhausting). I pulled Hazel aside and showed her a few activity options that I save on a Trello board of gathered ideas. She chose this playdough snake maze and it turned into a sweet 1 hour activity we enjoyed together. Music helps make it feel magical too 😉 All this to say, if you’re feeling like you were a terrible mom for the majority of the day, you can still choose to do something simple and bring joy in a small way to your child. I loved hearing her little commentary through the whole process and makes all the effort as a tired mama worth it. ✨ (Idea is from @filhoterapia_ saved way back in 2020! Theirs may be cuter, but ours has the Hazel touch 🥰)

This is our Christmas — no busyness (our schedul

This is our Christmas — no busyness (our schedule literally has nothing for next week), no running around for presents (thank you Amazon delivery and easy-to-please kids), and no fancy decorations (my kids have already broken what I did try to put out). We didn’t do the advent calendars (Hazel snuck her chocolate one to her room and ate them all in one sitting 🤪) and I don’t think I’ll get to Christmas cards this year (I’ll blame it on pregnancy). And I wouldn’t have it any other way. Cozy cuddles, outside play in a mild CA winter, staying home and doing nothing but we’re doing it together. These are the little nothing-moments that build into big something-memories. These are the days I know I will miss. (And we’ll make up for all the Christmasy things I am not doing when we’re at Grandma Bri’s next week 😉.) But really, if you boil down Christmas and get rid of the fluff, it is a time to celebrate the life we are given because of and through Jesus Christ. What a wonderful time to be alive and I love this season’s annual theme of sharing and focusing more of God’s light to each other. I hope you simplify your day a little bit today, take a deep breath of gratitude, and then try and shine that gratitude to the person next to you! ✨😘

After taking the month of November off of Instagra

After taking the month of November off of Instagram, I am back and I learned that as much as I missed being uplifted from seeing other people’s posts and creative content, I was very happily content without it. I am excited to begin the traditional celebrations of the season and honoring the reason we celebrate: The Great Jehovah of the Old Testament, the Word and Creator and Light of the world, becoming flesh and coming down to earth to experience life in it’s fullness. All the glory of it, all the holy mundaneness it is, and all the pain and suffering that comes with living here on this broken world. But not only did he suffer for experience sake, but He suffered all of our pains for each of us. So that we could ascend up with Him, as undeserving and lovely as we are, and He can be our true and all-understanding Advocate. Just because He and Heavenly Father and Mother love us. What a wondrous reason to celebrate. ✨

We celebrated James’ birthday a week late since

We celebrated James’ birthday a week late since he was sick for his birthday and this little bud needs a post all to himself. He is our bright and shining guy who brings so much happiness to this world. He makes me want to have at least 5 more kids because of how easy-going, adorable, flirty, chill, and happy he is. He gets comments all the time from strangers about his smile, but not as many comments about his scooter skills! His special talent, among many, is napping for 3-4 hours almost every day and then ~12 at night. He loves to very very slowly wake up and will chill in his bed for 40 minutes just doing nothing. Hazel and I love to come into his room and help him out where he instantly goes right to my shoulder for a cuddle. He ate 4 servings of orange chicken on his birthday and is really into painting and coloring - his pencil hand-hold is pretty spectacular. He loves his mom more than anything and I love him more than words can say - so we’re pretty much a match made in heaven 😉. He loves cuddles from mom, his Papas, or a select few others. He flirts with all the adults and his vocabulary is booming lately. Can’t imagine our family without him - Happy 2nd Jimmy boy!

Happy Halloween! Our first Halloween trick or trea

Happy Halloween! Our first Halloween trick or treating and the kids had a blast! Hazel was a unicorn and then a witch and for James he was “Hell on Wheels” — or with no scooter, just your plain old devil. 🥰🎃