Picking out peacocks: August 2014

I mean that whole heartedly. I truly am so thankful that God has given us the gift of friendship. Community. Doing life together. Friendship. It's a beautiful thing.

We just had our second annual small group pool party. Let me clarify that the men and women are in separate small groups. Otherwise, this would not be considered a small group but a small army Bible study instead!
We compared some photos from last year (although I don't have them) and we all get a kick out of how much our group continues to grow as we all keep growing our families.

We went from 4 babies last summer to 8 babies this summer. Next summer, there will be even more children! Love that we're all in this season together. I can't wait to see how our friendships grow and blossom in the years to come through the ups and downs that life inevitably brings.

Here's a few photos of our cutie pie babies and our group of dear friends.
Photo credit to Jessica Keith

Selah, Jack and Ella

Ella and Selah - is this not SO adorable?! Let's hold hands!

Incredibly grateful that the Lord brought these people into my life (missing the Harts and Novosads)

The dads with the kiddos (I wish I had last year's photo to compare!)

This summer has been the exact opposite of last summer.

This is a glimpse into last summer:

- Holding my newborn. Most of the day.

- Trying to figure out how to nurse my bobble headed daughter

- Napping as much as I could because... well... you'd want to nap frequently too if you felt you'd been hit by a truck every morning.

- Taking an occasional walk down our street but they would be short because baby carriers are hot in the summer and it can be brutal on the back after awhile.

- Deciding between eating lunch or showering during her 30 minute naps

- Greeting my husband in the same pajamas he saw me in that morning and most likely, still didn't have brushed teeth. Yes. I know. Gross.
- Went grocery shopping in the evening by myself, most likely still wearing my pajamas.

This summer is much more the painted picture my mind imagined before Selah was even born regarding what it would be like to be a stay-at-home mommy. This summer has been so fun already and it seems inconceivable that in just 12 months, my life has changed that drastically. But it has. Selah has gone from a helpless newborn to a smart, active toddler, in just 12 short months.

A glimpse into this summer:
- She sleeps so much better now, praise the Lord! I think we have finally hit a solid, good stride in the sleep department. I still take a nap from time to time when she does because ... well... again... chasing an active toddler around all day is a tiring job.

- We laugh, play, read books, take walks in her big girl wagon, we go to the park, we have playdates, she splashes in her kiddie pool, she studies Baby Einstein, she walks around the house carrying her babydoll, ball, dish towels, shoes, remote controls, and pillows. It's all so incredibly adorable.
- More often that not, I greet my husband in regular clothes, not pajamas, and with brushed teeth. Maybe brushed hair. But probably not.
- I can take her grocery shopping and she's usually content hanging out in the cart as long as I bring some snacks for her to munch on.
- I can get household chores done. Last summer, I could barely get anything done but I eventually learned to let go of that ambitious goal.
- She'll "read" menus at restaurants or "read" her Dr. Seuss Foot Book and that is also incredibly cute.
- Every room she plays in looks as though a tornado went through it. But I don't mind :-)
- We have weekly mommy/daughter Panera dates where we share a bagel (it's good for both of us to have a change of scenery!) and she charms every person that walks by with her adorable, happy smile and twinkling eyes.

It's quite peculiar how much change occurs in the first 12 months. She has learned to entertain herself for periods of time and I have learned how to better multi-task because of her progression. I feel the two of us girls have finally hit our sweet spot. For the time being anyway.

Trust me, we still have our fair share of hard days when she is overly fussy, whiny, bored, cranky or discontent. These are the days when she chooses to hang on my legs while I slowly shuffle through the kitchen attempting to get dinner started. But that's expected. It's still tiring and hard but at least the positive days highly outweigh the crummy days.

Loving life with my girl! Selah Grace, you bring us such joy!