klo viola

to think that just a year ago today she was a prayer, a hope, a dream we wanted so badly. a year ago to this day i took a pregnancy test and another one three days later. they were both negative. i cried a little, who am i kidding, i cried a lot. after nearly eleven months of trying i was beginning to think my body was giving up on having children. i felt defeated and frustrated and angry at myself and wondered long and hard on my pillow at night why something that seemed so easy for others, was so very hard for us. having had four loses throughout our journey of growing our family, one may think why continue to put yourself through the pain when you already have two beautiful healthy children… and to be honest during those really hard days it didn't all make sense to me. but the thought, the dream, the prayer, the hope, the desire to have another little love to bring into this world and hold in our arms felt too close to our hearts to ignore it.

after two negative pregnancy tests, that just so happened on the week of aaron's birthday, we booked a last minute flight to florida to ring in another beautiful year of his life and to celebrate the life we were living. while it is so great to have those hopes and dreams and things we want in our life, it is just as important to hold on to the now and to enjoy it. so there we were, not pregnant (or so we thought) and saying goodbye to our littles for the first time to escape the winter for warm sunshine and the salty air. we explored the beaches of naples and fort myers and breathed in all that we could of one another. we talked about our dream of having a big family while letting go of all the heavy pain and disappointment we found ourselves living in. we took the time to reflect and pray and placed it all in His hands. that trip will always be so special to us in so many ways.

we came back from our trip stronger than ever and ready for whatever came our way. we knew in our hearts, and in good time that He would answer our prayers… no matter the outcome.

. . . . . . . .  almost two weeks later we found out that those negative pregnancy tests were, in fact wrong,  and that we had a tiny heart beat six weeks in bloom.

prayers and hopes answered. a dream come true.

klo viola was born in the early morning hours on november 28, 2015. our hearts are more full. our days are more busy. our lives are more at peace. God knew what he was doing blessing us with this baby girl. 

. . . . . . .  to those that are struggling. to those that dream and pray and hope every single month, i feel you. i hear you. you are not alone and may you never give up. xo

* photos with the five of us and of mama and klo are by our good friend @alesyaandthebabes.  all the other images are edited and photographed by yours truly. 

holiday greetings with shutterfly

i cannot believe it's that time of year again where we start thinking and planning out those holiday greetings and dreaming up all of the yummy holiday decor, meal planning, and gift giving ideas. it is such a magical time of year that gives us great opportunity to reflect, share stories and life's news, and connect with our loved ones near and far. i look forward to holiday cards coming in every year from family and friends, seeing the growth of their season and reading about their news and the memories that were made throughout the year. it's little things like this that simply get me feeling all warm and fuzzy and in the great spirit of the season.

this year, because of the impending arrival our wee little one, i felt like i had to prepare our cards extra early in case the growth of our family kept me too busy and distracted (which wouldn't be a bad thing by any means!). i came across the card i wanted to use on shutterfly and picked out one of my favorite images of the girls taken at the apple orchard this fall. it's amazing how in a matter of just a couple months i found myself going down memory lane, dreaming about the day we spent picking apples and baking up the apple pie that we devoured afterwards. Oh, the magic of photography and imagery to remind us about those moments that are kept so deep within our hearts and souls. just another reason why i love holiday cards… it's a tiny snippet of one's heart.

if you're looking for holiday cards this year, shutterfly has a fabulous collection. be sure to check them out, enter promo code CARD4U to get a card for free and take advantage of their generous discounts and more. connect with those you love near and far, by spreading some holiday cheer!

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.

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…