3/52

"a portrait of my children, once a week, every week in 2014"

{ week three : 3/52 }

a girl who loves her tummy | kendi darling, you are on the move these days. rolling to get to where you want to be + trying to scoot your little body across the floor. it is amazing how fast this stage has seemed to enter your life + yet you seem to be embracing it in full swing + ever so confidently. we simply adore you. 

woke up to a winter wonderland + big smiles | we took advantage of the 40 degree weather + spent some much needed time outside, soaking up the warm sunshine that kissed our faces. we played + danced in the snow, explored the woods + even spotted a fox. kaia dear, you are my favorite little person to adventure with. i truly cherish the time together, just the two of us.

2/52

"a portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2014"

{ week two : 2/52 } 

midday baths on cold winter days +  some serious bed head madness

happy five months kendi love | a new dress + five month milestone

on the mend + a new project

i think it is safe to say that our kiddos are finally on the mend to good health, thank God. after a week and a half of trips to the hospital, urgent care, regular clinic visits, and two diagnoses of pneumonia and a double ear infection, we are happy to be seeing smiles on their faces again and nights of better rest. i can honestly say, it was by far the most challenging week + a half of my motherhood thus far. having two littles so sick and wanting nothing else but their mama was difficult to balance. but some how, even when it feels like an impossible endeavor at the time, you find it in yourself, that mama strength that gets put on reserves for moments and times like these, to push forward because really there is nothing else you can do. and even though it was not the way we would have hoped to kick off 2014, we are certainly thankful for the hours of snuggling endured, for the fevers that broke, for the coughs that subsided to let their little bodies rest, for our nana and her amazingness, for the lessons we learned when it comes to advocating for your child's health, for antibiotics to help kick start healthier days, and for each other, because without some { or all of those things } i'd be sharing a very different story.

so here is a big fat C H E E R S ! to { hopefully } no more super sick days ahead and to a year we are calling "change". neither aaron or i are super big into new year's resolutions, but this year we decided to pick a word, or motto rather, of what we wanted this year to be about and "c h a n g e" it is. we are hopeful to bring about big changes for our family and ourselves this year. it is the year to stop talking about things and start doing those things that we talk so much about. so wish us luck... we may need it... but we are extremely hopeful and so ready to make big things happen this year!

and with that... one of the things i want to change or improve on this year is documenting our lives and the lives of our girls better. while i can honestly say that i take a lot of photos of them, the one thing i don't do well with is telling them the story behind the photo. instead of snapping a gazillion photos of them and allowing them to sit on my hard drive, unedited, not printed, and left with the hope that i will remember the story behind the image... i want those days to be gone and instead make what i have been wanting to do, happen. so here i go. . .

this year i will be joining others in the 52 week project. each week i will share one photo of my girls of them during that week. because, just like the thousands of others that have joined this project, i want to be able to remember this one life of theirs the best way i possibly can...

a portrait of my children every week in 2014 

{ week one : 1/52 } 

the week pneumonia left you couch bound | messy hair + jammies all day

your happy place | pretty light on sister's bed + playing with your feet

four months

i cannot believe you are four months already. amazing as you are, this whole time thing is not. you are a mover and a shaker, yes you are. you want to be sure you are heard + in the mix of everything that is going on. you do not want to be left out nor ignored in any way possible. you want to be close by, cuddled, + talked to. and please, please, play music because... darling, you l o v e it. kendi girl, we are all just so smitten over you as you are over us + life in general. this month you are all about rolling over + making it known that you have a voice. your grunts are heard from all levels of the house. and your giggles, oh dear, those just whistle throughout every room + send sweet vibes to all of us. you adore your sister + the funny things she does. she brings nothing but smiles + laughter to your face. you are quite oral + seem to always be seeking out the next best thing to put into your mouth. miss sophie the giraffe may be in the running to be your next best friend. you are all about rolling over but once you get to your tummy you don't like to stay for too long. you are famous for cat nappin' + fighting sleep, at times, like a plague. you love to smile though. gosh, do you ever love to smile.

. . . . we simply adore you to pieces

the nursery

i had been picturing her nursery for quite some time. her room sat with an empty crib in it for far too long. i dreamt every detail for nearly two years. and yet, after each new pregnancy and then a loss, the room i had thought of would change and i would be back to wishing and hoping with everything i had to be able to bring another little love home to our family. but this time, her pregnancy, i knew in my heart it was going to be different. and so, at 23 weeks pregnant, i gave myself permission to think about the nursery again, and what her nursery would look like. i thought about the colors her room would be for months. what her sheets would look like and the curtains that would hang from her windows. i knew i wanted her room to be bright, whimsical and meaningful. kendi's nursery was a special project. a project i sat on and waited ever so patiently to design and implement, as i wanted it to be perfect. i wanted it to be meaningful. and i wanted it to signify the miracle that she is . . .

because her room gets such amazing light, we knew we wanted to keep the color of the walls bright and airy to complement the light coming in. white felt like the best option since neither of us were too keen on a specific color. i wanted to keep her room looking simple by adding pops of color and a touch of whimsy by bringing in some vintage flare mixed with some meaningful modern day pieces. i also wanted to keep her room budget friendly by making use out of things we already had or making them myself. while i changed my mind a few times, one too many my husband would say, i think her room suits her perfectly.

the little details in the room :

- the sheets are the land of nod { here }

- her curtains are handmade by me with Amy Butler fabric

- the book shelves are custom built by my step-dad 

- her rug was purchased last year { you can possibly still find it here }

- coat rack : the knobs were purchased at World Market and spray painted + then screwed onto a simple wood board.

- the embroidery hoops were purchased at JoAnn Fabrics + made with vintage print fabrics

- her armor, that we current use as a changing table + dresser, was a gift from a few years ago. the baskets used to hold her clothes are from ikea. 

- elephant art was painted by my sister 

- fabric bunting : made by me with simple cotton fabrics purchased at JoAnn Fabrics

- the floor lamp was a thrift purchase for a $1.00. i added lace fabric over the shade and some pompoms  to make it fancy ;) 

- the table and chairs were a christmas gift for kaia last year and are from ikea. 

- the doll house is kaia's and that is where she plays when i am changing kendi's diaper or getting her down for naps. it was purchased at a local store, Peapods 

{ p.s. the photos of kendi are from when she was just a week old... look at how itty bitty she is ;) } 

the napping house

there are so many times i have left dirty dishes in the sink, laundry unfolded, or toys left out just to savor moments like these. i find watching them sleep to be one of my favorite past times. although i may get nothing done, i know too much to know that this time of them like this is far too short not to savor.

kendi seems to enjoy these naps with her big sister too, as she tends to sleep longer when she is next to her. or next to anyone for that matter. but especially next to kaia, she can certainly rock out a good hour or more than her standard 30-45 min catlike naps when she is alone in her crib. she loves being close and to know that a warm body is near by to give her immediate comfort and security when she needs it. and i am completely okay allowing this magical moment to happen.

when little jensen's sleep. . . 

tis the season

every year the holiday season just gets better + better for us around here. the excitement alone on our three year old's face is enough to send us back to those days of our own childhood, reliving those joyful moments that put nothing but the biggest smiles on our faces. kaia has been way into christmas this year, making it my favorite christmases yet as a family. from decorating the tree and showering our mantel with garland and hanging the stockings with care, to the baking, and the gift giving, she is all about celebrating and living in the spirit of this year's holiday season. and well, how could i not bottle up every second of this incredible time?! 

it is simply the best. ever.