2023 GIFT GUIDE

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crinkle bookΒ |Β silicone cell phoneΒ |Β silicone stackersΒ |Β stacking cupsΒ |Β rainbow

piggy paintΒ |Β picture puzzleΒ |Β grippy socksΒ |Β stacking rocketΒ |Β bath toysΒ |Β bath bomb

fishing toy | hair + body washΒ |Β all over ointmentΒ |Β stacking boatsΒ |Β hooded towel

barn | makeup | solid blocks | colorful window blocks | build-a-truck | train set

silicone stackerΒ |Β number puzzleΒ |Β indestructible bookΒ (there are so many!) |Β black & white cardsΒ |Β feelings chart

nuggetΒ |Β soft stacking blocksΒ |Β mini bikeΒ |Β block playsetΒ |Β play kitchen

giiker | me reader | yoto player | tetris board game | piano | puzzle

bravery badges (bandaids)Β |Β no-spill cupΒ |Β hydroflaskΒ |Β baseball capΒ |Β snack cupΒ |Β soccer ball

doona trikeΒ |Β helmetΒ |Β scooterΒ |Β baby broncoΒ |Β balance bikeΒ |Β wagon

stickers | bath bombs | bravery badges (band-aids) | silky crayons | bathtub paint soap

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WHAT COMES AFTER

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Like airplanes leave line-shaped clouds trailing after themselves in the sky, small moments follow the big moments. Contrails are vapor and our days are, too. We can’t stop time or even slow it down, but we can notice and give thanks. And when we do, we’ll live in a wake of gratitude.

Here are a few small moments I’ve noticed this week paired with a quick prayer of thanks for the bigger moment it represents.

I’d love to hear any that you notice in your day, too!

A tiny bathing suit draped over the railing of our deck (thank you, God, for summer, for pool days, for my family)

A box of leftovers in the fridge (thank you, God, for eight years of marriage and a night out to celebrate who we are and how you’ve changed us)

A pile of empty Kroger bags (thank you, God, for access to fresh groceries and also for the blessed teenagers who pick out the items I order on an app so I don’t have to go inside)

Pebbles piled on the arm of a plastic chair (thank you, God, for playdates, for the minds of toddlers, imaginary play, and also thank you that they didn’t eat said pebbles)

The line where red meets white on my shoulder (thank you, God, for sunshine, even when I am too irresponsible to protect my skin from it)

The specks of pollen on our table (thank you, God, for flowers and for the intricacies of everything you’ve created)

Sticky hands from melted fruit juice (thank you, God, for popsicles, for sugar, and will you help me have the heart of a child)

This post is part of a blog hop with Exhaleβ€”an online community of women pursuing creativity alongside motherhood, led by the writing team behind Coffee + Crumbs. Click here to view the next post in the series “Ordinary Inspiration”.

FULLER AND BETTER, FINALLY

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After years of hoping and trying to grow our family, our house is starting to show the signs of it. We have an eight-month-old who, along with the growing number of gadgets and teething toys and safety supplies, has made our home fuller and better, finally.

I imagine our souls were weaving together from the moment he began growing inside me and now our spaces are woven together, too. There is a drawer dedicated to his bibs and bowls and a drying rack on our counter for just-washed bottles. A mini latte bowl holds his pacifiers on our dining room table and burp cloths are stored in small stacks all around the house (yet there never seems to be one in reach when it’s needed).

I love that his high chair pushes right up to the dining room table in between our antique chairs. I love that his toys are scattered on the floor in every room. Like a groggy hug after nap time, his life is nestled up alongside ours and it feels so familiar. When I see a rattle left behind on the side table or catch a glimpse of my nursing cart peeking from behind the yellow chair in our living room, I’m reminded that our son has completely changed the way our home looks. And like our home, our life is different — fuller and better — because he’s finally here.

This post is part of a blog hop with Exhaleβ€”an online community of women pursuing creativity alongside motherhood, led by the writing team behind Coffee + Crumbs. Click here to view the next post in the series “Still Motherhood”.

PEONY DIARIES

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We bought our house in July 2017, so it wasn’t until the following May that we found out the previous owner planted seven peony bushes in our front yard. My favorite flower! After a hard winter, it was the reminder I needed that God was working under the surface and was going to make something good of it.

Now, every middle-of-May God shows up and shows off through our peony bushes to remind me that he’s all about abundance and I’m still invited into it.