what a cute distraction

Seriously...how am I supposed to get any work done with this face looking up at me pleading me to play with him?! 

I will never regret getting up from the computer to play with holden. Whether it be peek a boo or waiting at the other end of the tunnel holden is crawling through. Work will always be there at the end of the day after he goes to sleep. Babies are only small for such a short period of time and I'm not going to miss any of it! 


In other news, I can now be out in the sunlight and not be blinded! After developing an allergy to contacts about two years ago, not being able to wear sunglasses has been a pain. I finally bit the bullet and got my Ray Ban frames filled with prescription lenses. I'm lovin' it!

Happy Tuesday, everyone. Hopefully recovering from the holiday hasn't been too terrible for you!


-Little Wife Power House

Happy Birthday to GiGi!

My mom's birthday was last week and we got together as a family to celebrate the birth of the most wonderful woman ever. I saw this idea from a friend on facebook and had to copy it. I had to give Holden two baths afterwards but it was definitely worth it. If I were to do it again, I would put the paint directly on the canvas and have him smear it around. I did it on plates and he was more interested in the plates than the canvas so it was difficult to get him to paint on them. 

Happy late birthday to one of my favorite people ever! We love you so much!


-Little Wife Power House

the perfect saturday

what makes for the perfect saturday? 

I found two $25 gift cards to Maggiano's Italian Restaurant from the first Christmas Allan & I were married. Can you believe it still worked? We only had to use one to feed 4 adults and 2 children! I love their big portions :) Then we shopped around Crate & Barrel where I found that ceramic berry container that I'm in love with! The best part is it was only $5.95! Totally affordable. It goes perfectly with my ceramic egg holder Lori got us when we got married. I picked up a few things for Holden's birthday party [can you believe it?!] and we fell in love with a couch that we definitely cannot afford [and don't need!] We also went by Anthropologie where we picked up a Christmas Mug for Holden so he can join in on the hot chocolate fun this Christmas...although his will probably be chocolate milk. I'm excited for Memorial Day tomorrow and grateful for those who bravely serve our country and the families that sacrifice so much so their soldiers can protect us. Please take a second tomorrow to say a prayer for those serving and their families. 


I'm kind of behind on my blogging. Posts to come...a project gone bad, sprucing up the pantry, a birthday present/party for Gigi, and why May has been much more enjoyable than April. 

-Little Wife Power House

kids are so funny, aren't they?

Holden is so funny right now. He refuses to eat anything unless you put it on his tray so he can see. He wants to know exactly what I'm feeding him so I don't try any of that crazy spinach stuff I once did. He loves Gilmore Girls and dancing to the theme song and closing song. He gets delirious after a certain point in the evening and just laughs at everything. He tried very hard to get some food [you know] while our home teacher was here the other evening. Don't worry, he definitely did NOT succeed! Phew. Best of all, he does this:

Resourceful, eh? His hands were busy with the bottle so of course he just played the piano with his toes! Oh man, parenthood is the best.

-Little Wife Power House

i'm a monster.

Okay, so most of you probably know [since I'm probably friends with most of my readers on facebook] but I had a day of from being a mom/wife. Allan took Holden to the zoo for the afternoon and I could do whatever I wanted.  

Well, I started off good. Cookie dough + couch + Gilmore Girls = heaven. Here I am making the delicious cookie dough in my Anthropologie apron that I love oh so much.

  

Then my "to do" list started to kick in. I started to think of all the things I would love to do but can't because the only time I can do them is when Holden naps. but I have to work when Holden naps. What did I decide to do with my free time?


ORGANIZE MY CLOSET
CLEAN OUT THE GARAGE
see? what is wrong with me?


I was going to post before and after pictures but the before wasn't that terrible and I figured I'd just list my "must have" items to keep your closet organized!

• Real Simple's Purse Organizer
• Ikea's Scarf Organizer [not the prettiest thing but is genius in my opinion]
• Some kind of shoe organization system. I have tried out quite a few and was never happy until I found this one! I had to buy two because I have too many shoes :)
• I also purchased a few of these front drop organization cubes from The Container Store for only $9 each. I used them for my higher heels.
• Any plastic/cloth storage bins for the miscellaneous things that seem to hang around in my closet. I have 5 [two for bathrobes, one for "delicates," one for swim gear, and one for clutches]. I found mine at Big Lots for $1 each. 

I'm also a little OCD and have my closet color coordinated and separated into long sleeves, short sleeves, dresses/skirts, dress shirts. I don't think it would make sense to anyone else but I have to have it like that or I go a little crazy...

 I {love} my organized closet!

Do you have any "must have" organization tools? I'd love to hear!


-Little Wife Power House

Blandrews Wedding Weekend

It was a whirlwind of a weekend in Dallas and Waxahachie! 

On Thursday we Bachelorett-ed...

 On Friday we rehearsed...

On Saturday the Blands got married! This picture is from Blair's bridal portraits. She had so many beautiful ones, it was hard to choose, but I think this one is my favorite. Look at her dress!! GORGEOUS. I bet you've never seen a bridal gown like that before!

 No joke, Blair was one of the most stunning brides I have ever seen. Including on TV! She looked old school Hollywood and Aaron's suit complemented her dress perfectly. I have to say they are a good looking couple! I have to post this picture so you can get a look at the back of her dress...

Next we BBQ'd. oooommmmygooosh it was incredible! 

 We visited...

 Aaron resisted the urge to shove cake in Blair's face...

 We danced...

 Then the garter was thrown. No surprise, the groomsman who was like 6'4" caught it! 

Around 10:00 holden couldn't make it any longer...so we had to leave just a little early. 

Now Aaron is sweeping her away to California. I am going to miss her so much but now I have an excuse to visit California!  

CONGRATULATIONS TO MR. AND MRS. BLAND!

-Little Wife Power House

I miss this hair.

Nevermind the sad face. Just focus on the hair. I want this hair back so badly! Now if only my hair would grow fast, I had money to consistently dye it a little redder, and I had time to actually curl it then I would live in an awesome hair world. 

This picture was taken when my friend, Mindy, was baptized. I think it was before Allan & I were even engaged. We used to have a really hard time taking normal pictures. Even more so than we do now. Anyhow, miss the hair. Love the guy.

-Little Wife Power House

my family rocks.

I love the pictures we had taken in December so.so.so.much! I think these are my favorite set of pictures ever. Too many good ones to choose from! That's a good problem to have...


-Little Wife Power House

what a relaxing day...

Since I got most of my work done early this morning, I have been able to really enjoy today. I was able to spend time with my nephews. I LOVE snuggling in my bed watching a movie with them. All four of us [me, holden, asher, and john robert] squish together on the left half of the bed with Bob [our pillow pet] and every stuffed animal holden owns. We tuck them in bed on the other side of the bed to nap while we watch a movie. Then Lori came back and we went on a walk around Savannah, ending up at me & holden's favorite park. 


Now I'm setting up to do a bit more work while holden naps and enjoying my Green Monster Smoothie. 

-Little Wife Power House

Happy [late] 10 Monthday, Holden!

Nicknames: the conductor [you wave your hands like you're conducting music when you are happy or really excited]
Temperament: You are kind hearted, outgoing, not afraid to "say" what's on your mind, a little short tempered, and HAPPY
Things I Could Do Without: You have started your destruction phase, anything in your path is doomed. You also get mad at me when I take things from you. I could do without those things :)
Item/Toy We Love The Most: Your new toys from Smiling Tree Toys that GiGi just got you! They are adorable! [will post about later]
Item/Toy You Love The Most: The crawling tunnel that we just got you from Ikea. You can crawl all the way through it, you roll around in it, laugh, and just love it. 
Things I'm Loving Most Right Now: You are just the best baby ever when it comes to running errands. You can run errands for hours and still be happy - no tears. You have been great in the few movies I have taken you to. I love watching you interact with your cousins.
Things You're Loving Most Right Now: The tunnel, bath time, Dad time, your "first words" book, anything that you're not supposed to be playing with, the saucer area on your activity center. 
Milestones: You are officially a crawling machine! You are all over the place. You started pulling up yesterday [did it twice!] and can easily get from laying down/crawling/whatever to the sitting position.


Friday the 13th...dundundun! That was your 10 Monthday and I have to say, it went off without a hitch. Granted, I'm not superstitious [when Aunt Lori found out I was getting induced on the 13th, she immediately asked me if I was going to re-schedule! hope I didn't doom you to a lifetime of bad birthdays.] 


We spent all day doing your favorite thing. Running errands! We ran all over the place in the morning, saw a movie with your Aunt Blair, and hung out in the afternoon. When Daddy came home we went to Ikea and picked you up a chair for your playroom and THE tunnel. We were going to give you the tunnel for your 1-year birthday but when we saw how much you loved it, we knew it couldn't wait. 

See? We just couldn't take it away from you! So it's a "Happy 10 Monthday" present! All I can say is that you are the bomb.com and we love you more than anything. We look at you every night and say to each other that we love you with every part of us and are so happy you joined our little family! Maybe by your next birthday post you'll be walking...SCARY THOUGHT! 


-Little Wife Power House [aka Mom]

my very own little mess maker

Holden is going to be 10 months old on Friday and boy has he changed a lot in the last few weeks! His personality shows more every day and he is so mobile. He is even doing some baby Yoga [downward facing dog]! He's trying to stand up more and more. It's so stinkin' cute. 

Something else that's new? Destructo Holden. He is into everything and tears up everything and then yells at me if I take something away that he shouldn't be playing with. Terrible twos? Talk about terrible 10 months! I know, I know...it will only get worse. If you can believe it, that is no comfort to me! None the less, he is still the fun loving, temperamental, smiley, talkative, huggable boy I've come to know and love. 

Yesterday I mashed up a banana and gave it to him in his highchair so I could do some dishes. I was surprised to turn around and find him doing art on his tray! He was rubbing it around with such purpose. Then he would shove it in his mouth. He's following in his cousin, Asher's, footsteps. They sure are messy footsteps! Check out The Breakfast Artist [aka Asher] in action here and you'll see what I'm talking about!

I love learning more about his personality. Can you believe that it's already time to work on his 1st birthday party details? It has snuck up on me too quickly. Put it on your calendars - July 16th! :)

Quick sidenote...Has this week been great for anyone else? I'm loving it so far. The best thing is that Allan and I get to go on a date to the temple tomorrow evening while Aunt Jaimie watching baby H! 

Happy Wednesday! 

-Little Wife Power House

Happy Mother's Day!

I started this weekend thinking we would push back Mother's Day to next weekend because I had so much going on but I put most of my responsibilities aside and just embraced relaxation and fully enjoyed being pampered this weekend by my family! Allan, Holden, & I had a pizza/movie night on Friday at home. Those are the best nights. No cooking. Very little cleaning. Snuggling on the couch.

Then on Saturday, my mom took me to get a pedicure [it was heaven] and to Kobe's [my favorite restaurant!]. She really knows how to spoil me. Wait, wasn't I supposed to be spoiling her?! 

This morning, I woke up sick. I had to pawn my Sharing Time duties off on the Pres [sorry, again!], sent Holden off to church with Allan and I stayed home. Being sick is never "fun" per-say, but it almost was. Is that weird? I got to take a bath and read, take a nap, watch Gilmore Girls, beat Plants vs. Zombies. Ahhhh, the house was so quiet. That's all I asked for Mother's Day from Allan - a day all to myself to relax. Heavenly Father wanted to make sure I got it so he made me sick! hahah. 

But I wanted to take a few seconds and remember the day when the best gift was given to me, Holden. I've never felt love so instantly like that. Even now, my heart seems to grow bigger every day for this little guy. He was so perfect from the first time I held him...

I fell in love with every part of him. His perfect little hands. His perfect little toes.

I knew life would never be the same. I almost can't even remember what life was like before I had him. I would never trade in my life now for weekly date nights or vacations or sleeping in. No, not even sleeping in! I can't wait to add more bundles of joy to our little family. 

I'm so grateful to Heavenly Father for entrusting this sweet spirit to us. I hope Holden always knows that he has a loving Father in Heaven who watches over him and is always there for him just like we are. 

Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies out there and those who play a motherly role in someone's life. 

-Little Wife Power House


PS Didn't you love my guest bloggers? A HUGE thank you to Kate & Lori for sharing their stories of motherhood with us. 

what i love about being a mother...

As you'll see below, this post is by my awesome sister, Lori. She has two adorable baby boys who are the center of her life [along with her hubby Robert, of course!] She is a dedicated Montessori enthusiast, caring person, and amazing mother! Visit her blog here and enjoy her post about motherhood! 

...by Jen's awesome sister, Lori

I perfectly remember the days my sons were born. When I saw them for the first time, my heart filled with an enormous amount of joy and I became overwhelmed with emotion. I loved them so much in that single moment that I never imagined I could love them more. Of course, I was mistaken. I loved them more as I nursed them, even more with every skin-to-skin cuddle...and everyday, I love them more with every kiss, hug and snuggle.

As I write, I hear the little voices partaking in imaginative play....those little giggles make my heart sing. The little vroom vrooms fill the air and sometimes it's {almost} as if my heart could burst it's so full. See, I was once a working mom. I know what it's like to miss out on these sounds. It's made me cherish them even more. Like the day my little Asher completed his first somersault and I was present for his look of surprise as he actually made it over. It's moments like those that make being a mother priceless.

Jen asked me to write about what I love most about being a mother....

I love celebrating the small things.

I love re-experiencing the world through my sons' fresh perspective.

I love holding sticky hands and receiving exuberant kisses.

I love it when they rush to me when I return home and hug onto my legs.

I love it all.

I even love all the normal monotonous mommy duties. Motherhood can be repetitious...change a diaper, serve a meal, wash sticky hands and face, play, teach...repeat. It can be easy to loose sight of the end goal amongst all the repetition, but over time we realize these repetitive acts lead to marvelous results. Like these...

Happy Mother's Day!

***Lori blogs daily at Montessori MOMents and new visitors make her smile. :)

Happiness Is Being A Mother

Kate is the loving mother of Elyse. She is one of my sister, Lori's, best friends and I'm so glad I have been able to get to know her. We've had a few of the same struggles with motherhood [ie our children refused to nap!] so I've been able to get advice from her and I'm so grateful for that. Visit her blog here. Thanks to Kate for being here today! 


When Jen asked me to write a guest blog about what I love most about being a mother, I thought it would be easy. It’s not. In fact, it’s impossible for me to pick just one, or even a few things that I love most when being a mother is the most incredible thing I have ever experienced. What is easy to say is that the past 14 months have been the most amazing in my life and that’s because of Elyse. I literally feel giddy every time I see her. Her sweet hugs and wet kisses warm my heart and I completely melt when she smiles. I adore her small voice, her infectious laugh and yes, even her cry. There is nothing better in the world than seeing her sunny face when I walk into the room to get her up in the morning, or cuddling with her while she’s wrapped up tight in a towel just after her bath, or sitting together snuggling and reading stories. Having a child makes every day so much more special and fun, and I find myself getting sentimental over just about everything. Every moment is precious. Being a mother makes me feel full of life and abundant love and there is no greater honor or blessing.