Boat Ride / Happy Birthday, Daddy!

Happy Birthday, Eric! We love you!

Oliver is Two!

I didn't mean to take a 3-week long hiatus from blogging...but I did. We've been busy enjoying the beautiful summer weather and relishing our last month or so before things get crazier in the fall.

So how 'bout a ton of photos from Oliver's second birthday party over the weekend? It won't make up for 3 weeks of absence, but it's a start.

Oliver's Birth Story

Oliver's 1st Birthday

Happy Birthday to Me

I love birthdays. I love my birthday. I love a day that is all about me, and how everyone is so thankful I was born. My friends and family call me, text me, Facebook me to insist  that I have a blissful day. I love a day to pause and reflect on how I'm growing and changing each year.

There's a lot of pressure to bemoan birthdays, especially as women in our society. To call this the "second anniversary of my 29th birthday," or something like that. But actually, I don't mind being 31. I like it, actually. I've had a lot of times in my life when I struggled immensely, felt unworthy of anything good, felt like I didn't belong, or felt like I was just waiting to get to another place in my life. But this time in my life? It's really wonderful. Truly. You couldn't pay me to be 21 again.

Here's my thinking: this is as young as I'll ever be. I can look at myself in a big, magnifying mirror and point out how this or that doesn't look like it used to. Or I can look in the mirror and see how strong my body is, that it has grown and nourished two healthy boys. Admire how beautiful the smiles lines are around my eyes, because it means that I've been smiling for 31 years. I can hope that I live to see my black hair turn white, and my pale skin turn to crepe, because that will mean that I have more time to wake up next to my husband and children. These are the choices we have to make.

I love being 31. I love being alive. I love being Eric's wife and the boys' mother. I love being my parents' daughter and my brother's sister.

So hello, year number 31. Welcome. Sit and have a cup of tea...

Ellis: A Look Back at Year Two

 All photos by A. Eaton

Pregnancy
Birth
Year One

Ellis: A Look Back at Year One

In honor of Ellis' upcoming birthday, we're taking a look back this week. 

First, my pregnancy with him.

Then, yesterday, his birth day.

And today, we're looking back at his first year. 

Precious memories, for sure. 

Ellis' Birthday Week

Ellis' 4th birthday is a week from today (*sniff*), and so I thought it would be fun to have a look back at his life so far. It's hard for me to believe that he'll be four years old...I suppose this is how it always goes. I'm thankful that he's healthy and growing up, and yet it's very bittersweet to have my first baby become so un-baby-like.

For today, let's have a look back at my pregnancy with Ellis. I absolutely loved being pregnant. Ellis' pregnancy was my second pregnancy, following a devastating miscarriage at 13 weeks in my first pregnancy. Ellis' pregnancy was fraught with anxiety at times, but it was also filled with gratitude for the opportunity I was being given to be a mother. I loved him fiercely from the very beginning.

J. Hoffine

This is the last photo of me prior to labor photos. I was 39 weeks pregnant...Ellis was born a whopping 20 days after this photo was taken. Suffice it to say, I was enormous.  

A Look Back

It's been fun for me to see these new photos from back in April (that I just got from my friend). I'm usually the photographer, so it's been nice to see some photos of myself with the kids, too.

We'll be back to present time tomorrow.

[Belated] Birthday Pics

Hope everyone had a safe and enjoyable Labor Day weekend!

I wanted to share with you some photos from my birthday weekend... which was a while ago, but I just got these photos from my best friend.  She's a busy mama herself and just had her second baby, so it took a while to get the photos to me.  Better late than never, right?

With my friend Elizabeth.  We worked together at our first counseling jobs out of college.

With my wonderful friends, Elizabeth & Kylene

With my friend, Kylene.  We worked at Ronald McDonald House Charities together and later attended the same grad school.  And briefly shared a last name.  

My true love.  We went to college together.  He shook my wet hand.  Romantic stuff.

With my mom and stepdad.  We go way back.