one mama's guide for sleepy time

a few weeks ago our littlest bird, klo viola, decided that her crib was too cool for sleep. at just sixteen months, she discovered that all the climbing skills she has acquired since she was nine months old could get her out of the crib. yep. you read that right. our sweet bird has officially fled the nest.

at first i was surprised. but knowing her, like we do, i had to chuckle because of course she would figure this out. i mean she is, in fact, the queen at climbing. and she is, in fact, the queen of growing up beyond her years. she is sixteen months going on three years old and while i wish i could hit the pause button on time reality is, babies don't keep.

despite this change and the fact that she has grown out of her 'nest', her sleepy time routine has and will remain the same until there is a need to switch things up. aaron and i have been doing this sleepy time routine with her since she was just a wee bub, give or take a couple changes along the way. we have found that this routine is what works best for her. and ultimately for us. i have outlined what we do below.

one mama's guide for sleepy time : 

we try our best to set the tone about 10 minutes before we start the routine. we do this by eliminating any extra stimulation. we start by putting away toys, making sure if music is playing that is is calming and soothing. during this time we also make sure to replace a wet diaper with a fresh one. no one likes to fall asleep with wet pants!

- pick out a book to be read: now that klo is a old enough to understand simple direction, i ask that she pick out a book for sleepy time. she usually goes for her one of the books she is favoring at the moment or if not, i simply pick something from something that is not too long, but not too short either.

- spray linens + tickle feet with a calming blend of essential oil: while klo gets cozy in her spot with her book in hand, i will lightly spray her blanket and pillow with a calming blend of essential oil. lavender, orange, cedar wood, gentle baby, bergamot, roman chamomile to name a few, are all good and safe choices for little ones. i love how klo participates in this process too by using the roller bottle on her feet and toes.

- story time: after the linens have been sprayed and her feet and toes have been tickled with calming oils, we read one short story together.

- listen to soft music + turn on white noise + rock or dance or hold until sleep: following story time, we set the final tone with white noise and music by bon iver. we have been playing this album for klo since the day she was born. in fact, we play bon iver anytime she is upset and she instantly melts and becomes calm. we usually hold or lay next to her until she is asleep, which usually takes five minutes maybe. once she is asleep we gently lay her down, turn off the music but keep the white noise on to fill the space for the remainder of sleep.

aaron and i are fully aware that some may say we are doing wrong by not letting her fall asleep on her own by having a routine such as this, but this is what works best for her. and if it works for her, it works for us. we have tried a variety of methods and routines along the way and have come to find that she sleeps best this way.

what about you, what special rituals do you share with your little ones during sleepy time?

taking the long way home

it's funny how a car ride can put you in a better mood almost the second you get in it. i was in a lull over the weekend… thinking about this, that and the other. saying goodbye to what was a really good year to us, while opening our arms out to another. i have a thing with goodbyes. all goodbyes actually. and in some cases, it can get the best of me. good thing for that husband of mine that almost always seems to pick up on it even before i do… and can rescue me from going under. this time in the form of a car ride with all three babies bundled up in the back, sound asleep (thanks goodness, right?!). i'm telling ya, it was exactly what i needed. a couple hours of complete uninterrupted husband time, talking his ear right off while bon iver whispered his calming song in the background. gosh was it ever nice to drive through our city taking the long way back home, visiting neighborhoods we adore, driving by the quaint cafes and restaurants and bars we have on our date night bucket list, looking out our windows at the lakes that are now iced over talking about how cute it will be to see all three of our little ladies playing at the beach this summer, admiring how beautiful the city has updated the streets throughout the historic districts, all the while painting our big dreams for the new year.

staying cozy in my flannel shirt dress from shabby apple and my oversized scarf, smiling for miles because . . . . the long way home is always best.

 . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . two thousand sixteen, we have big plans for you. so stick around, friends!

* be sure to enter our $150 GIVEAWAY to shabby apple by following them on instagram and leaving us a comment here telling us your word or dreams or hopes or resolutions for 2016! the winner will be announced on instagram monday by twelve noon central standard time! 

**  flannel shirt dress: shabby apple // bag: lily jade // coat + scarf: free people last year // hat: lululuvs // boots: sorel 

their wonderland, is my wonderland

. . . . . motherhood musings and a moment i want to remember on what was the last warm day of this year's autumn.

crawling into their imaginary world and seeing things through their eyes is a gift they have given me. watching their wonder grow and their make believe come to life while finding the joy in the simple beauty that surrounds them. seeing their gentle eyes light up when a ladybug kisses them as it gracefully lands on their shoulders, reminding us that love is everywhere. feeling the calm overshadow everything else around us and for a second we feel like we are living in a magical place. beyond the path and between the tall trees, this is their wonderland.

kendi turns two

gosh typing out the title of this post was not so easy for this pregnant, hormonal mama who all she wants to do is freeze time and slow it waaaaaaaay down every where she turns as of late. i simply cannot believe our baby girl is two. TWO. how crazy amazing this precious life is. we celebrated our sweet kendi rayne's birthday close to home this year. she woke up with the sun the morning of her birthday to a room full of balloons and fresh flowers from the market and we ventured about the day doing the things she loves. a simple day it was, but a beautiful one nonetheless. 

over the weekend we had family over to celebrate. our backyard filled up with our favorite people as we rang in another year with our baby girl with a fabulous taco bar spread, cake and ice cream, and presents of course. the cousins played hard, chasing each other about the yard, practicing their handstands, cartwheels, and yoga and engaging in a fun game of duck duck goose. it was a simple day. nothing crazy or super eventful, but our family was there, everyone had smiles on their faces and the joy on our little girl's faces was priceless.

kendi rayne, you bring such profound joy and love into our family. you have a heart of gold and wild spirit about you and for that we feel truly blessed. you adore your sister and your puppy and prefer to be active all day, every day. you have energy like a strong wind and are constantly go go go. you have taught your mama about love and patience more in these two years than i ever had before. you have shown me that hugs always work and that dancing to the sound of a good beat brings you great happiness and joy and most of the time will bring you back to center. you love to snuggle in and prefer to lay next to your mama at bedtime, pulling my face close to yours right before you drift off to sleep. you run faster than any other toddler i know and are so quick to get to the back door to welcome our daddy home from work. all these things and much much more, are what we love about you.

happy happy birthday baby girl!

and….

because i don't want to forget the fun you had, how shy you were opening your presents and how you cried when you were sang to. how bright your smile was that you so gracefully shared with the people you love and how you didn't want the day to end or to say goodbye to your special guests. how i washed off the leftover food and cake frosting on your face and your dirty legs and feet from playing hard outside in the kitchen sink while singing your favorite song and whispering in your ear, i love you i love you i love you. and how after what was a really good day, i swooped you up and you immediately fell asleep in my arms and me suddenly feeling nothing but the warmth of your body pressed up against mine as your chest rose up and down with each breath. these are the detail that i don't ever want to forget. these are the moments i want to bottle up for all my years…..

mama loves you so, sweet kendi rayne.

july 4 2015

i am finally getting around to sharing some of our july 4th celebration. this day was nothing short of sweet and i keep finding myself thinking about this very day quite often. it was one of those days that if it was possible to restart over and over again, i'd be more than okay with it. we started the day picking strawberries, which is was one of my favorite pastimes as a child growing up. i remember going to the strawberry field with my mother down the road from our home and picking in the late afternoon hours, just before dinner or after. i remember it being such a special time for the both of us and to relive some of those same feelings with my own children, ahhhh my heart sings just thinking about it.

what a joy it was to see our two little gals enjoying themselves. kendi probably ate about fifteen strawberries or so, freshly picked, unwashed with not a care in the world other than feeding her tummy with delicious and ever so sweet berries. kaia loved finding the really big ones and teaching little sister the ins and outs about how to pick the berries and what to look for. nothing like making a mama's heart smile when you witness moments of your children teaching their younger sibling or siblings how things are done ;)

after picking berries the day was still young and we ventured on home to our little abode in the city where we spent the rest of our day soaking up the gorgeous weather with water games in our beloved backyard, fixing up our first homemade strawberry pie (that turned out soooo good by the way!), and fireworks in our back alley. it was such a perfect day celebrating this beautiful country.

here are a few iPhone images of our day together…