April 21, 2013

Year Of The Park

Blogging has a been a struggle lately. I just haven't had much to say. Being a stay at home mom can feel a bit like Groundhog Day - everyday can feel just like the one before. It's easy to get bored. Although my husband would say only boring people get bored, so I should say it's easy to feel the need to mix it up, to add variety.

Crosbi and I have been doing that by hitting our local parks. Nashville has dozens of great parks, and it has become a bit of a mission to hit them all. It gets us both out of the house, on an exploration of sorts. She discovers new playgrounds, and I discover parts of the city I haven't spent much time in. It's a win. Sometimes our park visits include lunch dates with Todd or play dates with friends. Mostly it's just me and my girl. The joy on her face when she's swinging or going down a slide can easily be the best part of my day.

This age is so fun. Crosbi is talking like crazy, saying some of the sweetest things like "love you." But lately she is quick to say "outside" as soon as she wakes and when our backyard just doesn't cut it, off to the park we go.

Happy weekend!

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Labels: Life, Motherhood, Nashville, Park

April 9, 2013

Easter 2013

I finally got around to uploading our photos from Easter. We really had a wonderful weekend. One of the best trips home I can remember in a long time. Now that Crosbi is a bit older, our trips back are so much more enjoyable. I think she's finally understanding who everyone is and these days we don't have to be so rigid with our routine. We just need some snacks and a sippy cup and we're good to go.

The only tricky part about visiting Missouri is balancing old traditions with new. We make the trip back for nearly every major holiday. I assume that won't change anytime soon. However, that means that Todd and I have to share all of our experiences with our family members. From Christmas morning to Easter services, we are with extended family. I have no problem with that. It's our choice to do that, but it also means we have to get a bit creative. Initially I felt sad thinking Crosbi would have to divide holidays (early celebrations as a family of three, then big celebrations on the actual holiday), but instead I've chosen to look at it as extending our celebrations. And really, this gives us the chance to focus on the true meaning of each holiday. During the Easter season, I plan to observe Lent in some way as Crosbi grows. I want us to really spend time as a family discussing what Resurrection Sunday means for us. I want to have communion and times of prayer as we enter the Holy Week. Then, when we leave to visit family, it won't be rush rush rush, hurry and pack, get in the car, dinner here, coffee there, go go go, a couple of Easter egg hunts, back in the car, and all of a sudden the holiday is over and we've barely blinked and the holy moments have passed us by. If we're intentional, we can really immerse ourselves in the holiday seasons.

Easter weekend was beautiful. Amazing weather, lots of quality time with the people we love, and Crosbi's first Easter egg hunts. She loved every minute of it.

The pictures below haven't been edited much and some are blurry (the downside of using my iPhone), but they capture the moment so well and that's all I need.