L & EM- Week 2

These girls are crazy. This week Leighton said to me "mom carry me down stairs, my legs broken" Then one night while cuddling with her I asked "Leighton do you love me?" She replied "I think so, your nice." I'm glad to know she thinks i am nice, especially since this morning I hear her tell Emersyn, "run dister, mom's gonna hit you" I about fell aver when i heard her say that. I do not hit my children. At least not very often. 

Emersyn has been funnier than ever. Leighton taught her how to go down the stairs over the weekend. She loves taking care of her sister. Leighton says "follow me dister, like this, like a baby." Emersyn just laughs and does exactly what she does. Emersyn loves sitting on little things. She is so tiny so anything doll sized is perfect for her. Little chairs, strollers, the bottom of the book shelf. Her tiny squatty body kills. 

Small Space, Big Statement- Entry Way

We bought our home a little over 4 years ago now. We planned on living in it for 2-3 years tops. Well two children later we are still here and it feels smaller than ever. This year we are working on re-doing our space while we dream of finding a new one. My goal is to make every room feel comfortable, lived in, beautiful and bigger. 

To start off my adventure, I'm starting with the entry way. Here are my two ideas, similar but both have a completely different feel to them… and price tag. 

Every small space needs creative storage pieces to keep it tidy and organized. I have yet to find a bench with hidden storage that i like so a cute basket will have to do. 

I also love the idea of a mirror, easy to check your face when entering and leaving and the reflection itself makes the space feel greater than it really is. That's a win win.

All of the save items can be found at Target. While the splurge are all from West Elm. 

Which entry way items would you prefer? Do you have another pieces you feel are necessary for this part of your home. 

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Live in The Present

I have had this stuck in my head for awhile now. "Look towards the future, don't dwell in the past, live in the present." It is one of the key phrases for the type of life i am trying to live. So often i have find myself dwelling on things that have turned out in ways i wish they hadn't or what i don't have and what i hope for. That is no way to live a meaningful, happy life. No good can come from constantly reminding yourself of mistakes or wishing things were better than they were. Life is great just how it is, if not, change it. 

I am trying to stay present. I want to soak up each moment. Turn them into opportunities and see the beauty in every day. 

I'll tell the amazing ways this is changing my life in later posts. 

Until then. Happy Monday!

L & EM- Week 1

I saw a post like this on another blog and fell in love. I share pictures constantly on instagram but it is rare to have pictures of the girls together. This year i am going to post a photo of them each week and a little bit about what they have been up to. Wouldn't that make a super cute book?

Leighton has been fighting a bad cold and Emersyn has a mouth full of teeth that are trying to come in. Needless to say both runny nosed girls may be playing together better than ever. When they are confined to the house they still figure out how to be active. Leighton enjoys pushing her doll sized 14 month old sister in the little stroller she got for Christmas and Em enjoys dressing up exactly like Leighton does. 

To The New Year

This year my word is… Live. I have tried to come up with a word that describes what i want to accomplish. Live is it. 2014 was not my most graceful year. A lot of it i straight up don't remember or want to remember. The rest was pretty great but still a struggle.  I want so much for 2015 to be magical and amazing and the best way for that to happen is to live it up.

I feel like nothing extra special has to happen for this to be a great year. I am not trying to diet, trying to get pregnant, aiming to travel the world, finishing school or anything else that would be big or super note worthy. A simple year is just as special and needed for all of us. I am going to live for the simple and special and everyday.

Whats your word or resolutions this year? Do you have anything you'd like to work for or change? I'd love to hear it. 

A White Christmas

Cedar City has been pretty dry and warm this winter. Since our first winter here, 5 years ago, i have never seen such little snow. It really seemed so strange that the ground wasn't white leading up to Christmas. When we woke up Christmas morning that was not the case though. Leighton looked out our bedroom window and said "It's a Christmas miracle!" It really kind of was. 

After opening presents and talking to my sister Leighton excitedly asked if she could play outside. Even though it really was freezing we thought it would be fun. The day was so low key and nice, why not throw some snow around. Our poor girls look like the boy off the Christmas Story once they are all bundled up, but apparently they are warm.  Emersyn didn't last too long but Leighton stayed out back for almost an hour. 

Little em isn't sure how she feels about the cold white stuff yet. If she is anything like her sister though, she will love it soon enough. 

Saturday we celebrated Christmas with the Leavitt side of the family and it was perfect weather for playing outside. The wind wasn't blowing so it honestly almost felt warm in the sun. We hooked up the sleds to Penn's four wheeler and dragged the girls around the yard. Their yard is perfect for sledding.

Snow or not, all of our holiday celebrations were amazing! Really we loved spending so much time with our families and the girls were so much fun. Kaden got to have several days off of work and that is always a treat. I felt so blessed to have such a beautiful Christmas and to have so many special people in our lives.

A Bright Light for Christmas

This year has been crazy in so many ways. When i look back at it i honestly can't believe it is almost over and that so much fit into one year. I feel like emotionally and mentally this has been my biggest growing year. I spent most of my time wallowing in my thoughts and struggling with ppd, not understanding how big my problem really was or that i could find help for it. I started seeking help about two months ago and honestly the peace it has brought to my life already seems unreal. 

The Christmas season has always been special to me. My love language is gift giving for sure. Is that a love language? I love receiving and giving the same. Partly because shopping could be my love language too but i truly enjoy gifting or serving or seeing someone light up because of something i gave or did. So much of Christmas is about that. This year though i have realized an even deeper reason for my love of the holiday.

As i have been working on finding myself and learning how to recognize what is truly me and what is just a thought, one thing has been very evident. So much of who i am is my family. I define myself by them. Mainly my husband and my daughters but my parents and sisters as well. I am nothing if not for my family so really family is my everything. Christmas has always been the one holiday that we are all together for, that we get along on, and try our best to show each other how much we care.

Now that Leighton is old enough to understand Christmas i have made a huge effort to start traditions with her and teach her about the true meaning of the holiday. While teaching Leighton about our savior and his birth i have thought a lot about his mother. I know so little about Mary but i wonder if we all know more than we realize. Sometimes i look at Emersyn and think she is as close to the perfect baby as it gets. Did Christ cry less than her? Did he cuddle his mother more? Did Mary never have to leave the market mortified because of something her two year old did? 

Thoughts like that make me giggle but really even if Mary's son did something he wasn't supposed to, Mary probably was patient and understanding and a great teacher. I have tried so hard to be that way lately. Honestly the peace I have felt between Leighton, Emersyn and me has been extraordinary. There is something so special between us and I am so grateful for this season and the bright light is has brought back into my life.