Harper and Hollis

Today is our last day of MDO and preschool for the year.  It's a happy/sad day.  We are excited for no alarm clocks or lunches to be packed and to be home together but it's a day I realize just how fast time is going.  Harper only has one more year and she will start school.  I remember during the tough baby days when she cried all the time I would think "If I can just survive until she goes to school".  That seemed centuries away and yet we are almost there. 

And I've almost survived. ha! 

 The dress Hollis wore today I had planned for her to wear on the first day of school and it SWALLOWED her up so I had to change.  She has grown SO much.  She was just a BABY when she started - I would carry her in and now she runs up the stairs to get to school. She has LOVED MDO. She had the sweetest teacher, Mrs. Stephanie, who has just loved on her and on the days she doesn't go to class - we always have to go by and "see Mrs. Stephanie".  She has loved all the sweet kids in her class and talks about them all the time (Hudson, Eden, Lucy, Josheph........).  Hollis has always been my child that never cried when you dropped her off - she has always been happy to go to church or school.

I'm dying over these pictures a little because Harper looks 12 in the after picture.  Her pants just DRAGGED the ground (and I had the waist rolled up) in the fall picture and today they fit just perfect. She has gone from a toddler to a little girl over night.  She hated preschool at first because it wasn't all play anymore - there was structure. But after she got used to it - she loved it.
She had the BEST teachers - Mrs. Robyn and Mrs. Pam - that I could have dreamed of for her. They loved her so much and were so kind to her and taught her so much.  She learned so many things (that I have tried to teach her and yet she picked it up a lot better from them)(ha).  I could just cry thinking about how blessed we were with the perfect teachers who helped her so much!
And this was the first year she really talked about the kids in her class and formed friendships.  Her best girl friends were Anella, Sosi, and Emma. And she loved so many of the boys. (And talked about kissing them and marrying them a little TOO much as far as her daddy is concerned).

I couldn't resist a picture of this face.

Hollis makes me laugh more than anyone in the world. She's a quiet reserved little girl but with me she is hilarious.  She just has a funny personality.  She LOVES to draw and color.  She loves people.  She wants to do everything her sister is doing and sometimes life is just so unfair that she can't do everything 4 yr olds are doing.  Her new thing she says to me all the time is "I love you SO much!" which just makes my heart melt.  If I ever get dressed with make-up on (not often) - she will look at me and say "Oh - you are so pretty".  ha! 

She is OBSESSED with washing her hands. If I ever can't find her - she is in her bathroom washing her hands.  She also likes to clean. 

She LOVES to read books. She has a favorite Bible Story book that she calls her "Joseph" book.  There are all these pictures of Jesus but she will argue with me until she is blue in the face "that's not Jesus - it's JOSEPH".  um, okay. 

Something that is so funny to me is that Harper, even when she was young and couldn't hear, has always been able to carry the perfect tune.  She can sing any song and sing it exact. The words may not always be right but the tune always is.  But Hollis did not get the music gene.  She's going to have other talents.  She is VERY smart. I think she may be my analytical one and Harper is the creative one. 

Hollis also likes to constantly tell us she loves us.  If we are in the car - she will go around saying "mommy I love you" "daddy I love you" "Harper I love you" in a circle about 10 times. 

And she's finally sleeping through the night almost every night since the paci went away! 

PTL!

Harper gets sweeter every day.  She's doing so much independently. It's a little hard for me to let go.

She is constantly telling me that I am "beautiful and gorgeous".  I'm trying to soak this in before she turns 10 and is embarrassed by her old mom.

The minute we get home from anywhere she runs in her room and puts on a crown and ballet slippers and any other accessory she might need. She will wear them all day and sometimes if she gets up in the night - she will come to our room wearing a crown (or spiderman mask). She is so funny.

She is just so fun to take places.  Everything is "cool" to her right now.  I'm excited for this summer just to do some fun things with her.  She loves to ride her bicycle and play with the neighbor kids.  She is just always so happy.

She LOVES to talk on the phone with her grandmothers.

Scott took this picture the other night and it's my very favorite picture ever.  These girls fight all day like the DICKENS.........but they also love each other fiercely.  I know they will probably never love anyone as much as they love each other and I love watching their friendship grow.

I will never get over how thankful I am to be their mom.

Being Confident in your choices in Motherhood

Our prayers are with everyone in Moore, OK today.  I have been devastated for the damage done there but houses can be rebuilt. I am GRIEVED for all the lives lost - especially the children.  Please keep praying for the families affected.  I have friends who are from Moore and it really hits home. 

Praying God's comfort and peace over that city. 

Today is all about being confident in your choices in Motherhood.

OUCH. This can be a TOUGH one.


I'm one of those first born, strong willed children who never struggled much with choices. I see black and white and I can normally make decisions and feel good about them.  I never really struggled much with peer pressure.

Until I became a mother. That's a WHOLE new form of peer pressure that teenagers just THINK they have the market cornered on.

I honestly had NO idea that every single choice in motherhood seems to bring controversy and competition and feelings of uncertainty and defeat.  I was a little overwhelmed when I first had Harper to say the least. But as time as gone on - I've realized that I (and Scott and I as a team) make choices for our children that we believe are for the best and they aren't for everyone and they aren't always what everyone else is doing but I have to stick to my guns because I know my children best and I know what our priorities are.

Sometimes I know it can be tough to be the only mom in your circle of friends doing formula when everyone else is nursing (or vice versa).  Or maybe you are the only working mom in a sea of stay at home moms (or the only SAHM in a circle of working moms) and you feel like maybe you made the wrong decision or maybe your aren't doing the right thing.

But families aren't cookie cutter.

I haven't struggled with too many choices yet because I just know who I am as a mom and who I'm not.  For instance - I know (we all know) that my girls don't sleep well and yes - I'm partly to blame because I just CAN NOT do CIO. CAN NOT. But I'm okay with that and I also give kudos to those moms who can and their kids sleep 15 hours at a time from 6 weeks on. I hate them a little (or a lot) but I know that that is just not me.

I refuse to let myself get in any kind of race on time tables like when to potty train or when to take the paci away or how soon my children are reading versus others because I know it all levels about around age 6 and eventually all kids will be going to the bathroom without a pacifier and reading books. ha! And it won't matter exactly what month it started.  I can feel a little pressure when I know several kids in Hollis' class are already potty trained but I also know she doesn't have interest yet and we waited with Harper and it was SO easy because she was SO ready.

Lately because our kids are getting older - I think the biggest parenting choice struggle has been schooling.  My friends are all choosing different things and sometimes I feel a little left out or like I'm doing the wrong thing but I feel very confident that what we are choosing to do is what I feel is exactly what our girls need and what will be best for them.  I can't worry about everyone else.  And who knows - it could obviously change. They aren't even in school yet and it could be something we have to revisit.

I think the important thing is to support other mothers in their decisions and not make anyone feel like they are WRONG just because they are DIFFERENT than you.

At the end of the day - the only people I really need to worry about is these two little girls. 

And I'm confident that no one loves them more.

I hope you will link up and share!!!
(And we will have a list of new topics for the summer out soon!!!)

My Bedroom Makeover - AFTER

So if you remember ........I had decided to re-do my bedroom with the help of BlogHer and Sherwin-Williams.  This is what it looked like before.  Not horrible but just so blah and brown.  I just never could get happy with how it looked in my bedroom.

So I used the help of the ColorSnap® smartphone app and Color Visualizer from Sherwin-Williams to get ideas of what to do in my room.  I wanted to make it brighter, and I wanted kind of a light gray/blue color.  I found the perfect room color.  It's Comfort Gray.   I was a little nervous but it turned out perfect!

This is my room "after."  I ended up having a painter come in and do it for me because I was really nervous about painting a room, but, I think in the end, I could have done it myself.  I used Emerald™ paint which is a really high-grade paint.  The painter was so excited when he saw what it was - he said it would go on quickly and cover well.  It only took him, like, 3 hours to paint the room and ceiling! I had to have the ceiling painted, which was the part that made me the most nervous.  I could have left it the tan color, but I'm so glad I didn't.  It just makes the whole room bright to have the trayed ceiling the same color. I also decided to paint our furniture.  I have never painted anything in my life, so this was a little CRAZY for me.

I could NOT be more thrilled with the change!!!! It's just so much lighter in our room.

And, I can't believe how easy it was to paint our furniture!!!!! I sanded each piece and then primed it.  Then I gave each piece two coats of paint.  That's it  - and it looks great!!!! I used the color Tinscape which is just a really light gray.  I almost got brave and tried to make it chalk paint by adding plaster of paris, but since I have never painted at all, I decided to just stick with what I had, and it worked out great!

If I can do this - anyone can!!!! I'm so glad to be rid of that old brown furniture. (Although Harper keeps telling me she liked the brown and does not like the new "white." Ha!) If you are thinking about doing this - I say GO FOR IT!!!!!

This is the view from our bed Before.

...and After. I want to add something on top of our armoire and maybe some more pictures on the walls; slowly but surely it will happen.

A side by side glance. 

I got a new white quilt at T J Maxx and folded our old comforter at the end of our bed.  I like the lighter look with the brighter colors.  The only other thing I would really like to change is I'd love to find a HUGE gold starburst mirror for over the bed instead of the big brown square. I think it would give it a whole new look.  I just need to find one that doesn't cost a fortune! I will be on the hunt! 

This is the look I'm going for.  

I'm so glad I made the change!!!! I smile every time I walk into my bedroom, and it's more of a haven for me! And, I can't believe how simple it was. 

For a chance to win a $100 Sherwin-Williams gift card, share in the comments below what room you would like to makeover in your home?

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