LITTLE BY LITTLE
my phrase for 2017 was little by little. i've chosen words/phrases before, but this year was the first time i really committed to it the entire year. a lot of that has to do with my powersheets + setting good goals throughout the year. after yeeeeears of telling myself i needed to consolidate my closet/clothes, i finally did it! i donated half of my wardrobe, and it is so freeing to open my closet and choose clothing that i truly enjoy wearing. these days, i'm not really focused on what i'm wearing. it's just the season i'm in at the moment. give me a v-neck, skinnies, booties, and a cardigan, and i'm good to go.
i have developed a daily habit of tidying up our home, which has oddly become therapeutic. i'm still in the process of de-cluttering our home. i'm not sure what finally clicked this year - maybe it was buying a new home or motherhood or just growing older - but i just want to rid my life of all the things that hold no value. gone are the days of holding onto an item "just in case" because nine times out of ten, i can replace it.
EGRETS + BUYING A NEW HOME
during the spring, i noticed there were a lot of birds in our backyard trees. i kept telling jared about them, but he was on a different shift, so he never saw them during the daytime. he texted me on one of his days off about the birds, remarking that there sure where a lot of them. fast forward to june. we estimated that there were about 200 birds living in our trees at that point. it was downright disgusting. we couldn't let our dogs be outside for more than five minutes without getting covered in bird poop. they were getting sick a lot. it was starting to become a health hazard.
while in the hospital, jared found a house online that he really liked. picture this insanity: i'm standing in this empty house, no make-up, hunched over because of my c-section, new baby. total hot mess. but the home was exactly what we were looking for - location, price range, everything. it was a total God thing because how were we supposed to sell our current house and buy a new one with a newborn?! turns out, a couple from our church was on the hunt for their first home. and crazily enough- they loved our house. so we started the process of selling our house, and buying the new home.
i went into the office a couple weeks after jackson was born. when i got home, jared voiced his concerns about the birds. so that day (with a two week old, people!) we moved in with my sister-in-law and her family. i was super excited to have all the extra help with jackson, but it was a lot. probably too much now that we look back. but it all worked out. we love our new home, and if i never see an egret in my life, i'll be happy.
JACKSON TIMOTHY
welcoming our son into the world was obviously the biggest part of our year. while i've struggled with his birth, i am so grateful for that little boy. motherhood is hard. really, really hard. much more difficult that i anticipated. but i wouldn't trade it for anything. watching jared step into his role as a daddy made my heart swell up with happiness. he's so sweet + fun with jackson. not many men would be willing to sacrifice their all their free time to watch their kids so they could save money on childcare. jared has done so without any complaint. jackson has brought so much joy to our lives. i just love that little dude.
JARED'S NEW SHIFT
in march, jared started working second shift. i was not happy about this change. it meant less time together + spending my evenings alone. it was easier before jackson - of course. but this is our new normal, and we're making the best of it. it's hard not having anyone to help out with jackson in the evenings, but then again, jared does it by himself during the day. we've been praying for a shift change, but until then, we are making the best of a crappy situation.
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