an epic win

Francis Bruce's birth was an epic win. epic. EP-IC. the night he was born I felt amazing. and nope, no epidural to be found. here's the story.

Sunday night, Mother's Day night, I'd felt...different. just off, a little crabby (ok a lot crabby), tired, and heavy. just plain done. Charlie and I had gotten into it the week before, and we still weren't completely through it, and Lydia had gotten on my last nerve...it was just one of those weeks I'd just as soon try to forget. my friend Brynn was staying with us, which brought much joy to me because I was very happy to have her company and that she'd be helping us out with baby's birth. so when I went to bed Sunday night, I tried to focus on the positive and ready myself to bring baby into a little happier of a home. I spent a little time with the breast pump that night just to see if anything happened, but all that came of it was a drop of colostrum and a wasted 15 minutes...or so I thought.

when my water broke Monday morning at quarter to six I was flabbergasted, and instantly became the happiest woman in the world. gone were the annoyances with my husband and daughter, gone were the stresses of the week past. I hopped out of bed, ran into the bathroom, and giggled as I felt baby shift. to be honest I smelled the amniotic fluid and became teary--it smelled like new baby, and I knew that very soon we'd meet the little one I'd carried so well and healthfully. after a nice long shower we had a powerhouse breakfast of farm fresh eggs with cheese, toast, and fruit salad, then left Lydia with my mom and headed down to Luverne. I want to remember Charlie hurrying me along--he was remembering how fast my labor with Lydia went after they broke my water, but I reminded him that going from 0-10 is more of a process than a 9 to 10...and at this point I hadn't had more than a few contractions after my water broke earlier that morning! we reminisced and laughed on our way down to Luverne as the rain started to fall...it would turn out to be chilly, breezy, and drizzly all day.

because I tested positive for GBS, we opted to labor longer at the hospital and receive the recommended dosage of antibiotics, which was a dose every 4 hours, intravenously, for 15 minutes at a time until baby was born. knowing the statistics and risks involved with refusing them, it was a no-brainer, and at no point in my labor did I feel offended by the heplock in my wrist for easy access. there weren't any limitations on laboring, which was wonderful. when we arrived at the hospital they checked me in, hooked me up, checked me, and I think I was between a 2-3. we had the nurse bring in the birth ball, got out the essential oils and rebozo, and got to work! Brynn made fun of, I mean, motivated Charlie and I throughout some different movements with the birth ball and rebozo, and the mood remained light and happy throughout the morning.

however, the contractions became more steady and painful as we moved into the afternoon, so we switched to walking when the more passive earlier work of massage, bouncing on the ball, and squats with the rebozo just wasn't cutting it anymore. we walked. and walked. and walked, darn near putting on eight miles that afternoon (I later joked that my hammies hurt worse than my bottom!). we walked outside and inside, in the healing garden and down the halls, the contractions getting stronger and stronger. I remember just powering through them, breathing through them, and using the walking as a means to count steps and get through the surges. Brynn and Charlie walked with me, carrying my water and offering massive motivation and conversation when the time between contractions allowed. I was staying super hydrated thanks to the efforts of my husband and bestie, and every time I went to the bathroom I'd have a titanic contraction, moving baby closer and closer to us!

when we stopped walking around 5ish to get checked, have another dose of antibiotics, and have some fetal monitoring, they couldn't read my contractions as well or find his heartbeat as consistently (nothing was wrong, he'd just moved in a way that prevented our hearing him) so we decided to get into bed so I could rest and position myself well to hear how he was doing. I was nervous that the progress that I'd worked so hard for that day would stall out with getting into bed, but we were surprised and happy to find that I dilated just fine without beating laps around the hospital! hot dog! I should mention that throughout the day I felt so clear and in control, and fearless. just fearless. I had faith, my lover, my best friend, and an awesome hospital team rallying with me...it was feeling like a blessed day despite the pain. I heard everything, saw everything, and never once panicked. it was like night and day compared to Lydia's birth!

I progressed nicely through the evening. the contractions became stronger and closer together, my hands gripped Charlie's a little tighter, and the pain became all-consuming but manageable at the same time. I still felt in control, and mindful of everything going on in my body and around me. I remember Charlie encouraging me to take deep breaths--he was watching the fetal monitor and saw how my holding my breath in some contractions was affecting baby. I remember the nurses having me turn on my side to remove one lip on my cervix, then the other. I remember those being the most painful moments of labor, becoming fully dilated and ready to push.  I remember accidentally shrieking during a couple of contractions (I truly was doing well at just moaning or exhaling loudly through them) and a reassuring rub on my thigh from a sweet nurse. and I laughed when Dr. Crabtree, at 10:45pm, said, "Let's see where we're at around 11:30" when the nurses asked him about my next dose of antibiotics. I thought to myself, there was no way in hell I was still going to be pregnant at 11:30! A few minutes later I was pronounced fully dilated and ready to push!

Dr. Crabtree readied the room with the nurses and coached me on pushing--the first couple didn't do much, so we repositioned surprisingly so I was laid back a little bit further. I remember the room suddenly filling with people: other nurses and staff, my mom, Brynn, Charlie...it was a little blurry at that point but when we started pushing again, I became so clear. I heard Dr. Crabtree say after my second set, "Let's have a baby, Katie! Come on!", and I gritted my teeth, and pushed through another set. The room just buzzed and I heard a few people say, "Katie, reach down! Reach down!" I took my hand off the squat bar long enough to reach down and feel a slippery, warm, fuzzy head exiting my body--I began to cry, bore down, and gave birth to our son at 11:00 on the nose after just a few minutes of pushing. Dr. Crabtree said, "You have a good looking boy here, guys!" and immediately placed Francis on my chest. I had to laugh and cringe watching our birth video later--I was making all sorts of high pitched cooing noises with Francis' cries. I asked Dr. Crabtree if I tore and after a quick examination said, "Nothing more than a paper cut," which I attribute greatly to his doing perineum massage and just plain dumb luck. after they checked Francis over and cleaned up our room, the hospital staff bid us adieu, my mom and Brynn left for the night after snuggling the new babe, and Charlie and I were left to revel in being new parents all over again.

I'll write another post on Francis' night and first few days, mainly because I want to remember how much more confident and relaxed I felt enjoying our new son. when Lydia entered the world it was into a world of Mom worrying like all get out about breastfeeding and having a ton of pain from a significant tear, and both Mom and Dad being exhausted from being so scared throughout the labor process. I was up and showering a half hour after Francis was born, with no pain and a giddiness that was so so sweet. his birth was transformative, empowering, and just plain amazing. we accomplished our goals. we had an epic birth and a healthy baby--everything worked out perfectly. we felt so blessed drifting off to sleep that night, baby tucked in safe and sound with me. more later on the adventure of feeding a lazy little boy and coming home to one excited little girl :)

why I am ditching the idea of a peaceful birth

I have come to understand birth in a few varied dimensions. and more often than not, I read blogs and lose myself in other women's birth stories. here are some adjectives I've pulled from those amazing remembrances of what were very special days for those families:

serene. rejuvenating. healing. spacious. peaceful. tranquil. purposeful. mindful. powerful. incredible. amazing. empowering. brave. scary. quiet. beautiful. sweet. calm. intentional. loving....

the list could go on and on.

calm in between pushes

I always thought I'd be in the peaceful birth camp. truly, it's what we shot for with Lydia's birth. I had a birth plan that involved soft music, meditation, yoga, low light, gentle massage, water immersion, and a loving doula's presence. I had insinuated to every staff member that the room was to be quiet, that traffic in and out be kept to a minimum, that I had to have the right environment to bring Lydia earthside...peacefully.

well, open mouth, insert foot. because that's not what happened at all.

what happened was me shrieking, then opera singing with how painful the contractions were.
what happened was that I lost all consciousness of rational thought.
what happened was I panicked with the pain, instead of working with it.
what happened was my feeling sick with the pain and wondering if I could make it through.
what happened was the bath sucked. it was too hot and made me nauseous.
what happened was the feeling of being touched made me cringe.
what happened was that, when I was at about an 8-9, they broke my water and my contractions went into overdrive.
what happened was that I found out that peaceful birth isn't my schtick.

my adjectives went from anything peaceful to those more along the lines of football training or marathon running. let's face it--I am not generally a quiet, peaceful person...so why was I expecting to magically have a quiet, peaceful birth?

our birth went decidedly faster once my husband and I got a moment to ourselves, rallied, and clung to each other (he was as scared as I was but much more in adrenaline mode) chanting, "we can do this" over and over. it worked when I got more purposeful with my movements, began feeling my body by not relaxing and letting the contractions go through me, but powering through them instead. birth happened when we took charge, and went in with more of an athletic mindset than a peaceful one. it happened when I committed.

basically, I switched from yoga to P90X in a matter of two centimeters.
and that's when the magic happened.

rallying with some strong pushing

how strange it is that I remember every. blessed. moment of my daughter's birth. I remember seeing the look of fear in my husband's eyes, my doula praying and spoon-feeding me applesauce when my energy tanked. my friend gingerly guiding my hips in doing hip circles. my wondering why the hell they'd talk to me about pain medications when I was already too far into labor to receive them. I remember how good it felt to push, feeling my attending doctor touch the spot on my body where I needed to "aim" my pushes, and how Lydia was born in just a few minutes after that.

what labor? ;)

I remember everything, but when I was immersed in it, I was unable to connect my reactions and my decisions, my goals and my dreams with reality. through giving birth to Lydia I learned that my expectations and plan were for naught, that I had to experience it to comprehend what my body and mind could do. not that having a plan was worthless, as I am far from disappointed with my birth experience--I'm just proud that I didn't put my entire "birth worth" into what I had planned versus what I did. I can adapt to what my body is telling me. I also know what I've learned from Lydia's birth in terms of what we'll shoot for with the birth of this baby--which will be coming in another post. :)

Thanksgiving and the upcoming holidays

this Thanksgiving flew by, despite its later arrival in November.  we enjoyed a not-long-enough whirlwind trip to visit my dad and stepmom, and rounded out the weekend with the Live Nativity out at camp, the delicious Chapman Thanksgiving dinner, church, and house chores.

it was so nice to visit with my step-siblings and family up north. we had an amazing dinner prepared by Dad and Peggy...turkey, stuffing, roasted sweet potatoes, green bean casserole, salads...the list goes on, and then there were pies and homemade ice cream! the kids played well together and we did a fun winter craft project that I found on Pinterest and had to try:

it was so easy and fun! you will need:
painter's tape
watercolor paper
watercolor paints (do yourself a favor and cut out the blues and purples to give to the kids, otherwise it will come out a brown mess ;) )
salt
[hindnote: I wish I would have wet the watercolor paper first so the colors blended better, but as long as the kids got their brushes nice and wet it seemed to transfer over fine]
--rip the painter's tape into varied lengths and sizes to make the silhouette of a tree
--have the kids paint over the tree and all over the paper
--as they paint, sprinkle salt (sea salt or Morton's works fine) liberally over where they've painted.  the salt will suck up the color and create beautiful textures and white patches that look like snow crystals!
--when finished, lay paper on a smooth surface to dry, preferably overnight but a hair dryer works too ;)
--peel off the painter's tape when paintings are completely dry and voila! winter artwork!

December will be a busy, busy month. between work, marriage, starting school again (yep, announced that I was going back to grad school and found out a week later we were pregnant), Lydia's shenanigans, pets, house stuff, and family/friends, I find myself torn in so many directions! hoping to find light where it shines most--in our hearts, remembering why we're celebrating, and trying to put into perspective the purpose of our time and energy spent in the holiday season.

stay classy, sweet lydia!! :)

pheasant and farming

I made my first successful pheasant dish of the 2013 hunting season! last year my attempts at cooking that lean, bone-ridden bird were laughable. picture the Christmas turkey in National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation and you'll be able to understand my plight with this fowl. I had tried roasting it in the oven, which dried it to the point of no return. cue the polite chewing and copious amounts of water.

well, that bird got conquered. by a CrockPot.

I rubbed the plucked and cleaned bird (after removing all little feathers, bird shot, etc.) down with coconut oil (almost 3 Tbsp, I greased him up well), then made my normal chicken rub of thyme, smoked paprika, garlic, sea salt, white pepper and onion powder and rubbed that [dry] over the bird before putting it on a bed of carrots, potatoes, onion and turnips (cut into 1" chunks) in the CrockPot. high for two hours, low for 4, and that bird came out just perfect.  Lydia ate some of the breast and a leg, plus veggies, bread with butter, and most of an acorn squash that I baked with butter, a sprinkle of salt, and brown sugar.

in other news, harvest has been kicking our butts this year. I really feel for my husband--when he comes home sore and exhausted from being on the farm all day (5am-12am some days!) all I want is to keep him home and in bed, waited on hand and foot for working so hard for our family. the amount of work he does in a day is incredible--from chopping silage to loading hogs, feeding cattle, making bales, running semi loads of corn to the elevator, etc...he doesn't quit moving for hours on end. makes me feel so...I don't know, like I could never match the amount of energy he puts into a day with what I do on my end. from one camp I suppose balancing two jobs and taking care of the house, Lydia and pets would seem like it requires so much energy (which it does)....but it's not the same. and I certainly wouldn't expect Charlie to get home from work and do anything but take a hot shower and cuddle in with Lydia if she's still awake. but this too shall pass, the corn and beans will come in, the fields will get plowed, the animals sent away, and another season shall start at the farm once this time is over. it's just a lot of hard work and emotional sacrifice right now--hard not seeing my husband in any other mode other than exhausted and sore.

however, it has been so nice to grab up Lydia from daycare, make a quick supper, and bring it out for a ride-along in the truck or tractor with him! I am learning so much from other farm wives as to the best ways to keep in touch with husbands who seemingly marry their tractors for a month.  those ride-alongs give us a chance to talk, and it gives Lydia time with her daddy, something I have noticed to be very affective in her little life. she misses her dad, and it becomes readily apparent at times via meltdowns or her simply vocalizing, "I need Daddy." this winter we'll have to make up for lost time and spend more time together doing fun things as a family...looking forward to the Christmas season to do so! I've been Pinteresting some ideas already, but the mature adult in me is petulantly waiting until after Thanksgiving to do any serious Christmas planning. :)

one of those days

today it's chilly and breezy.  Lydia and Charlie are napping, and I've just finished charting on two new clients. supper is in the crock-pot (Greek-seasoned zucchini, onion and celery tops with chicken, which I'll serve over orzo tonight with tzatziki). maybe after everyone wakes up we'll head out to the state park to go for a walk (Lydia loves her birthday bike, and our dog could stand to be out of his kennel!).

it's been a busy September, busier than any I remember. amazing how the days literally fly by.  a couple of cool things that happened:
first, our darling daughter turned 3. THREE. we had a little party for her at our house with family and friends, her godmother Brynn came to spend the night and they had a slumber party, and her daycare buddies shared in her birthday as well.  so many fun presents that reflect what she loves most these days...a Lorax puzzle/activity book, a new bike, a salamander (from Mama!), a beautiful owl purse, dollies, a Super Soaker, play outfits, and more. I woke her up the morning of her birthday with a raspberry butterbraid pastry, and we enjoyed it together as an early-morning treat. I cannot for the life of me think back to when she was tiny. she's so capable and wise, brave, funny and sweet; in short, becoming the person I saw inside her the day she was born (aaaaauuggghhh there go the tears!).

and secondly, in the middle of the month I stayed in the Twin Cities for a week, taking the Certified Lactation Specialist course.  it was an intense range of information being presented, from counseling skills to proper identification of nursing barriers/issues.  my coworker and I worked hard throughout the week learning as much as we could, spending time networking with other state/medical staff, and enjoying some time to ourselves (I did water aerobics and swam in the early mornings, which felt amazing). we both ended up passing the course and I can now place Katie Chapman, CLS on my business cards. proud to be able to better help the moms in our area with breastfeeding!

with Lydia being so busy, and work with both camp and WIC picking up, Charlie and I have really tried to put some focus on decluttering our home and lifestyle.  it feels so good to let go of things that we felt had been holding us back...clothes that no longer, and never will again, fit, baby items that found better homes, office supplies better used in friends' classrooms, furniture we weren't using and won't need, doubles of household items, you name it. out the door it went. because somehow, we have to have enough room in our home for the master bedroom, our office, Lydia's room, and a new nursery.

that's right.

Mama's having a baby in the spring.
and we couldn't be happier!

this pregnancy is different from the one I experienced with Lydia in a few ways:

I am tired. with Lydia I had energy all day, slept well, and felt like I could run marathons.  with this pregnancy I am not sleeping as well (restless legs and some insomnia issues), and I feel as though I have already run a marathon before my feet hit the floor in the morning.

I am experiencing some food aversions. two of my staples, hummus and coffee, are making me slightly queasy. eaten or drank at the right time is fine, but my stomach turns just thinking about them now. happiness is found these days in a cup of Meyer Lemon tea (Stash brand), coconut quinoa or millet, cinnamon, squash, eggs, yogurt, and other foods/beverages that seem easier on my tummy.

I am emotional. I experienced this with Lydia a little, and perhaps I was too busy to truly feel feelings and process them.  I find myself lamenting the loss of my baby daughter quite a bit, even though she's grown into such a beautiful little girl. I find myself tearing up at the silliest things--insurance commercials, diaper ads in magazines, pictures of nursing moms, you name it.

I am confident. THIS feels so good! I am not reading about all the things that can go wrong in pregnancy like I was with Lydia. I am trusting my body to grow a healthy baby and know what things I can do for myself to facilitate that...taking good prenatals, exercising, staying busy and active, resting when I need to, and trying to limit the amount of stress in our lives. I am confident in my choice of health care providers, and am comfortable bringing up my concerns in a way that communicates our beliefs on birth and breastfeeding while being respectful. 

in short, life is about to become much, much busier...but we can't wait. :)

a photo journal of some summer love

Lydia and her little buddy Evelia

Making Mommy a beautiful painting

All done! Mother's Day surprise a success!

going fishing

Lydia and her 'best fwend' Uncle Tom

the proud gang

though we're still unsure...

this one was delicious!

Wood Duck Days

Lydia and her very special friend

cousin love! yay Baby August!

too cool for school

pretty as posies

pontoon ride!

my breastfeeding booth at the Murray County Fair!

everyone loves a parade!

excited to ride the roller coaster!

shucking corn with Grandma and Great Uncle Derald

big hugs for Rocky

an heirloom tomato for our farm girl!

this kid loves tomatoes beyond belief...

and blackberries!

she's our peanut pie! almost three!!

on the regular

written at the Wooden Diamond Bed and Breakfast in Lake Benton last weekend...
I always hate coming back to something that I've neglected. it jabs a little when I realize that I've put off doing something that makes me happy, or feel good...like a run with the dog, or blogging about things I feel strongly about, or writing letters, or reading a book for pleasure...

so here I am. ready to think again.

things have been steady at our house, which is a very good thing. without going too much into detail, the summer has been a struggle in many ways. lots of stress from many different situations. how we've chosen to deal with said negativity leaves me proud, though. prayer is huge. so is just plain breathing. taking the time to work through emotions instead of neglecting their importance. reading literature that promotes growth in heart and soul. making new friends while letting some toxicity fall to the wayside. choosing to understand and reflect, instead of letting a reaction happen.

now things have changed up a bit. this morning I'm watching the way the wind picks up the lake, creating whitecaps that roll toward the shore. I'm listening to the rhythm of Charlie's sleepy breath, and musing over how we can be so different in that I can't bear to stay in bed once I'm awake, but he's happy to stay there all day. I'm thinking about how much fun Lydia must be having with her cousins, and how proud I am of her that she was a brave, strong, happy little girl throughout a summer of some tribulation. and I'm thinking about how much power our own thoughts, prayers, behaviors and actions truly have--where a word, a movement, a look, has the power to sway feelings and actions in others. before this summer I hadn't reflected on the way all of us wear our hearts so open and vulnerable, and how surrounding ourselves with people who motivate us and encourage us is so crucial in protecting our hearts. I think maybe I've tried to understand, but when it came to reflecting on my responsibilities in maintaining the health of my heart (and my partners'), everything came to a screeching halt.

to take care of others, we must...we must, we must! take care of ourselves first. it seems so selfish. to watch someone struggle, work, their heart breaking, their mind racing, and yet try to focus inward isn't common nature. in fact, it's quite possibly the worst feeling in the world... at first. then you realize that hey...I'm only responsible for my emotions. my reactions. my actions. my behaviors. my thoughts. my feelings. there's no way for any of us to be accountable for the hearts of others. it starts in us. asking ourselves the tough questions, facing our pasts, asking forgiveness, moving forward one day at a time. the changes come slowly, we are so hell-bent on making things more of a struggle than they need to be sometimes. but bit by bit the days get a little sunnier, conversations flow more easily, things that were a challenge at first become second nature.

change is tough, even if it's for the best.

and doing this without getting distracted! the enemy uses so many things--facebook, Pinterest, other people's situations that are way more intense, work, kids, and others to get in the way of learning and loving. fortunately we're finding we have so many people on our side...people who believe in love and the power of forgiveness. I find myself motivated by sunny people for so many reasons, namely because I feel that I have a lot to learn from those who take life by stride and believe in the good. I've unfollowed, unfriended, unbookmarked, unsubscribed, and untangled myself from people/pages/blogs that brought conflict to my soul. I'm learning to let go of things that remind me of negativity or keep me from who I want to be. decluttering my thoughts and actions. trying to get our house decluttered so we have room to move and breathe without feeling stifled--reading lots on how possessions, even keepsakes and whatnot, have a way of possessing us at times.

I hope that I'll be back with more musings on kid stuff, recipes, cleaning ideas, Pinterest projects, and heartfelt rants.  feels good to write again, here's to more sunshine in the days to come. :)

awesome summer day

today was a day that reminded me just how fine summer days can be.

we woke up late (ok, 7:30am might not seem late, but 5:30 every other day of the week is the norm here).
Lydia woke up shortly after, yelling, "I all done sleeping, mama! All done seepin!"
we had cornbread with homemade blueberry/rhubarb jam, and scrambled eggs with locally made goat cheese for breakfast, with a few cups of my mom's freshly roasted coffee. mmmmmmmm.

we dropped Lydia off at Charlie's folks in Lake Wilson, and went on to the farm where Charlie is employed. today I was going to help him with the cow and pig chores for a farmer friend, and man, we had a good time together.
first was getting the tractors out and running--two tractors to get the job of feeding the cattle done.
next we mixed feed in a wagon, making sure the ratios of protein, silage, and gluten were correct.
while the feed mixed we walked through the lots, checking the cows and calves...lots of warm bodies mooing and moving around.
then came filling the troughs with the feed--I was able to drive the tractor a bit, which was fun!

an interjection--nothing, and I mean nothing, makes me love Charlie more than watching him work. I don't know what it is, but seeing him effortlessly move through his routine, watching his muscles ripple as he works, manipulating heavy machinery, listening to his knowledge of the farm when I ask questions...all these things and more make me so proud to be his wife.  observing how he works is testament to how firmly he believes in putting his family first. how hot is that? ;)

after the cattle were fed, we checked on the lambs, then made our way to another farm to do pig chores. while Charlie was attending to the hogs I played with a couple of shy baby kitties (some help I am); there were a couple of dead hogs that needed to be brought out of the barn, then we were finished with the work for the morning.

we drove through some beautiful terrain on our way back to Lake Wilson. though I've lived in places that made the tears come daily for all the beauty that surrounded me, the prairie will forever be my home of choice and understanding. I know the land-- through my eyes, my husbands', our daughter's, our friends' and families'. I know the way the storms roll across the hills and plains, how people interact, how farms are spaced across sections, how pretty a grove of cottonwoods can look in the morning dew. I know the rhythms of the seasons, and every day learn something new that makes me appreciate living here that much more. I love riding in my husband's truck, listening to Eric Church (don't judge) and smiling with him as the grasses and fields fly by.

sipping on coffee and talking about our dreams of an acreage of our very own was the perfect way to end our morning together. so many dreams, so many roadblocks. those who are close to us know the struggles we're facing right now...just trying to put everything in the right perspective and prioritize accordingly in the face of the unknown.

when we got back to Charlie's folks' home, we came in to find our daughter happier than a pig in mud, elbow deep in a sink full of cool water, rinsing the first crop of sweet strawberries. her perfect little mouth was stained red with berry juice, smile beautiful with the happiness of helping her grandma in the garden.

we quickly decided that hunting asparagus was in order, so into the truck we went in search of the elusive delicacy. having found a great patch, we picked enough for supper and then some, then came home to lounge, grill, and hang out together in the sunshine. Gaylene baked a foccacia bread, which was delicious, and we enjoyed a wonderful family meal together later in the day.

days like this remind me so much of what I have wanted Lydia to grow up with--a sense of rhythm and purpose to her days, the pretty prairie stretching for miles around us, knowing where our food comes from...hopefully we'll soon live our dream too.

those little moments.

we've had some big smiles, good laughs, and warm hugs around here lately.  my best friends in the world, Anne and Brynn, came to visit us this weekend and we spent some solid quality time together! amazing how refreshing and inspiring time with our friends can be. now that we finally have time and energy to add 'time with friends' to our list of utmost priorities, my heart has really become full with all the wonderful ways our buddies lift us up (and hopefully we lift them up too)! with conversations on love, marriage, health, fitness, Pinterest projects, pets, raising children, and more, we were completely affirmed in the ways that we're living life now, and we love how Anne and Brynn are living their lives too. proud to have such wonderful women in my life!

in other news, things are going well with our jobs and with raising little Lydia. she's such a big girl, surprising us every day with a new phrase, memory, or ability. we have our routine in the morning that we follow to a T every day: wake up, make coffee, snuggle together for the first cup, get dressed, wash face, brush teeth, brush hair, do our make up, and out the door we go for another day of work and daycare. same with evening: get home from daycare, Lydia plays while I make supper, eat, bath, books, potty, lullabye, bedtime. she's learning how to crack jokes, remembers stories (and makes them up), cooks and bakes with us, fishes like a pro, and snuggles in at the day's end to remind us she's still our baby.

too cool for school

the catfishers--Charlie, Lydia and Uncle Tom

my sweet prairie posie

4-wheeler rides around the block

throwing rocks in the lake with cousins

we told her she could have the front wheel for Christmas! haha

an Eastern Screech owl just outside our house!