It's a Jolly Holiday!

A few weeks ago, we rented Mary Poppins from the library and watched it together as a family (holy long movie!) During the "jolly holiday" scene, JD got up and started dancing like Bert and Tenley and I giggled at his silly moves. It was such a fun moment!! That night I decided we HAD to be Mary Poppins and Bert for Halloween. Our kids would be such cute little penguins! Thus began the search for costumes... 

"The stuff dreams are made of."

I've been feeling all kinds of mom guilt that I haven't given our new baby a proper introduction on the blog. How has he already been around for a whole month?!

Rhett Austin Knowlden was born on August 13, 2015 (7 lbs, 11 oz; 18 inches long). His entrance into the world didn't go anything like we had planned or hoped, but he made it here safely in the wee morning hours via C-section. We are grateful. 

I love this shot of us from our stay at the hospital. I look tired, but happy. Isn't that motherhood? It's draining work- changing, nursing, cuddling, crying, bathing, pacing, lifting, packing, folding, cleaning, loving. There have definitely been hard postpartum days where the tasks of parenthood seem overwhelming and annoying, but I'm trying so hard to cultivate a spirit of thankfulness and peace in my heart. Babies don't keep, you know? He's already so much more plump and squishy than he was when he got here!

The other night JD was able to get both sleeping kids out of their car seats and carried them inside (one on each shoulder) without waking them. I complimented him on his impressive Dad skills and he responded, "this is the stuff dreams are made of." He didn't want to lay them down and just soaked in their quiet goodness.

I've been thinking a lot about that phrase lately: "the stuff dreams are made of." I dreamed and planned and hoped for this stage in my life. . . my goal is to be present, grounded and grateful rather than frazzled, hurried, and resentful. 

Thank you, my little Tenley Mae and sweet baby Rhett, for refining me. You two, in so many ways, are making my dreams come true. 

Life right now

We took a spontaneous trip to California last weekend to visit friends. Two days of driving + three days of vacation. Grateful for a husband who encourages me to move a little outside my comfort zone. I'm not sure I would've chosen to road-trip at 34 weeks pregnant, but the sunshine and ocean were good for me. One day, JD dug a deep hole in the sand for my belly and I was able to nap on my stomach (oh, what a luxury!).

Life right now:

JD // Just finished his Organic Chemistry class. Pulled off a C+ (he needed at least a C).  So thankful it's over! Teaching tennis lessons two days/week. Loving the change of pace of working on a new floor at the hospital. Preparing to submit PA school applications (third time's the charm, right?!) Reminding Summer to take pre-natal vitamins and rub Bio-Oil on her belly. Cleaning all the screens for The Sunshine Space. Doing most of the kitchen chores (dishes, sweeping, mopping).

Summer// Trying to figure out how to manage t-shirt orders and inventory for the shop. Complaining about back pain on a regular basis. Making to-do lists for the next month before baby #2 arrives. Stressing about not being at brother's wedding in August. Preparing Sunday lesson to teach to women's group at church. Folding laundry. Trying to manage normal work schedule with an oversized, tired body. Feeling bittersweet about Tenley growing up.

She's Watching.

A few weeks ago, we brought our camera outside because JD wanted to snap a few pictures of me with my pregnant belly. As he was doing this, Tenley became fascinated with the camera and wanted to try taking a few photos of her own. JD taught her how to hold the big device in her little hands and showed her what button to push. She was thoroughly entertained by the activity, directing us where to sit and when to say "Cheese!" These pictures are the result. They are blurry, off-centered, and unedited. But they're so endearing to me because they're what Tenley sees when she's watching us. I love that. 

Talks with Ten

Tenley is so expressive with her words lately and we are constantly surprised and entertained by the thoughts she shares. Here's a few snippets of our talks with Ten.

(Snuggling in my bed shortly after I returned from work one day last week).

T: Mmm... it smells like you.

Me: Oh, really? What do I smell like?

T: Um, I think kind of like a girl.

Zoo date

Tenley loves her Aunt and Uncle, "Tyler and Kella." JD and Tenley went on a double date with them to the zoo a few weeks ago (I was working). I'm so glad they got this special time together because I got these darling pictures. Seriously? So adorable. 

We are so lucky to live close to all of JD's siblings. I love that we can plan last-minute spontaneous get-togethers and pull them off with relative ease!

Christmas Sunday

I was so excited for Christmas Sunday because I planned for Tenley to wear the same red velvet dress I wore as a little girl. My mom gave it to me shortly after she was born and it has waited in her closet for the perfect occasion. Tenley was so darling in the dress! As I was getting her ready, I couldn't help but feel nostalgic and emotional. I felt connected to my mom, and to her mom, and to all the moms that came before her, and to motherhood in general. What a fantastic journey, adventure, endeavor to engage in- motherhood. I am grateful.

Tidbits from Tenley

Tenley's vocabulary seems to be expanding daily. We are so entertained, inspired, and surprised by the things she says. Wanted to record a few things to remember.

Birthday buddies.

Tenley and JD are birthday buddies. Ten turned two on Saturday (how?!) and today is JD's big day (he's 29). I remember being a little bummed when she was born that JD would always have to share his birthday week with her. . . but I got over that quickly because, I mean, how long can you stay bummed when you've got a sweet new baby? I digress. I tend to do that. Oh gosh. . . 

Now, I kind of like the idea of having their birthdays so close together because it allows me to really celebrate two of my biggest blessings. This birthday week provides a very obvious opportunity for me to reflect on and express gratitude for my family.

These two. They're a playful duo- always finding ways to add spontaneity, giggles, and light to my life. I'm grateful they let me in on the fun.

Tenley, lately.

Tenley is at the cutest stage right now. She's learning how to say words and picks up on so many everyday happenings going on around her. She love, love, loves giving hugs, squeezes, kisses, high-fives, and fist-bumps.  She keeps us entertained all the time and we're so glad to have her in our family!

Here's a few examples of the adorable things she's been doing and saying lately. . .

Waterpark Wednesday

We took our first trip to Seven Peaks yesterday! It was only open for a few hours in the afternoon because it's not quite summer yet for the school-aged children. It was also a little overcast so that probably contributed to the smaller crowd as well. We hung out in the lazy river, jumped a few waves in the wave pool and even took Tenley in our laps down some of the bigger slides. It was wonderful to walk right up and get on! We thought Ten would be excited and playful, but she had a flat affect pretty much the whole time. She wasn't scared or unhappy; she was just calm and quiet. I wanted to get a few pictures before we went into the park, but Tenley wasn't in the mood. 

Haha, the picture on the left is such a "Tenley face." Whenever she doesn't want to do something or is reluctant to listen, she turns her head away in an almost bashful manner. It is too funny. I don't know where she learned this, but it is a predictable mannerism during teeth brushing, diaper changing, and car-seat buckling. 

Baby chicks.

My in-laws are the biggest animal lovers I know. They've had nearly every animal you can think of as a house pet (. . .okay, maybe not every animal). But currently, they have a few chickens residing in their backyard and we sure do love those fresh eggs!! A few days before Easter, the Knowldens got a few new baby chicks. Oh my adorable! Tenley had no idea what to think of those little chicks. She wanted to touch and hold them, but was terrified when they moved or pecked at her fingers. Haha, serious cuteness overload.

5 "Baby booty bump" Lessons

The last few weeks have been a little surreal. On Sunday April 27, I entered an Instagram dance-off for moms hosted by The Alison Show in hopes of winning a $250 gift card to The Land of Nod. I had two entries: (1) the original clip of me dancing and (2) an "outtake" clip of me dancing and knocking my daughter to the ground with my bum. The latter clip was hilariously accidental and just too funny not to share. On Monday April 28, I sheepishly posted it to Facebook knowing it would surely brighten a few peoples' days. The response was overwhelmingly positive and many people shared, liked, and laughed at the video. I posted it on YouTube that night and sent it to The Ellen Degeneres Show via her website. On Tuesday April 29, I woke up with 700 views on YouTube and thought: "That's crazy! So cool." By the time I went to bed, I had 14,890 hits and I thought: "How did that happen?!" In the first 24 hours, I was contacted by several agencies asking for the rights to the video, but I ended up partnering with Storyful. And, boy, am I glad I did! Over the next few days, SO MANY people e-mailed, called, and messaged me about use of the video and I just directed everyone to Storyful. It has been such a blessing to delegate all that stress and headache to them. By Thursday May 1, my "baby booty bump" video hit one million views and had been shared by countless news and radio stations across the country. It was all over the Internet and television: CNN, The Today Show, E! News, ESPN2, the iFunny app, AOL, Time. You name it: I was probably there. It was totally overwhelming and time-consuming to keep up with all the hype! On Wednesday May 7, I was in the audience of The Ellen Degeneres Show and had to pinch myself as I heard Ellen discuss the powerful "thrust to my daughter's face." On May 8, my little snippet aired on Ellen. As of today, May 13, the video has 2,350,583 views on YouTube. I still can't believe it.

I've learned a lot from having my video "go viral." Some things are personal and/or confidential, but here's what I want the world to know.

No more gummy grins (and giraffes!)

It freaks me out a little that Tenley is an active toddler, and not the teeny, snuggley baby I once knew. I practically feel like I'm meeting a whole new person every day! She has such a spirited personality and I'm impressed by the things I observe her doing all the time. She's learning a lot of skills that make her seem old to me: feeding herself with utensils, drinking out of cups, climbing up and down furniture and stairs, following my directions, babbling back and forth with me, figuring out the DVD player, hiding, and helping put her clothes on and take them off. However, one of the most obvious reminders to me that she's a big girl now is her toothy smile. Teeth! This girl has teeth! 

The love of God

I've been thinking a lot lately about how I live my life and the way my choices affect me and those around me. I attended an incredible women's conference over the weekend- the theme was "You are not the only traveler." The speakers focused a lot on finding and knowing our personal ministries. They talked about how God uses us to influence members of our families and those in our social circles for good, how we need to be ready and prepared to serve as instruments in His hands, how He needs us to radiate His love to the lost ones in our midsts. I was moved by the Spirit and found peace about and guidance for many of the troubles and concerns that have been weighing on my heart lately.  A key point that stuck out in my mind, that I scribbled in my planner, that I've been mulling over for the past few days was this. . . No one can progress spiritually until they know this fundamental truth: God exists and knows them personally. 

Gay, innocent, and heartless.

I mentioned before that I recently read J.M. Barrie's Peter Pan. The characters must have been on my mind a lot because they seemed like the only suitable thing we could be for Halloween. With less coaxing than I first anticipated I would need, I easily convinced JD to don green tights as part of his Peter costume (he loves Halloween. . .) And then, obviously, Tenley was Tinkerbell and I was Wendy. 

Here's a few darling pictures paired with some of my favorite quotes from the book. 

(Sorry the photos are terribly grainy and low quality. I can't seem to figure out why!)

"When the first baby laughed for the first time, its laugh broke into a thousand pieces, and they all went skipping about, and that was the beginning of fairies." -Peter

 "A cradle is such a nice homely thing to have about a house." -Wendy

"There is nothing more pleasant of an evening for you and me when the day's toil is over than to rest by the fire with the little ones near by." -Peter to Wendy

10 Things Right Now | Tenley

1. Tenley has recently started walking with her hands right out in front of her like a zombie. It's so silly, but appropriate for Halloween, I guess?

2. Speaking of "appropriate for Halloween," she finally has two teeth growing in. . . but they're her upper lateral incisors. . . so basically she's going to look like a baby vampire soon!

3. She got a few push toys for her birthday, but she prefers picking them up and carrying them over pushing them in front of her. I'm impressed all the time with how strong she is.

4. Her hair is long enough for ponies and piggies and I'm a little bit obsessed with doing her hair.

5. She's drinking whole milk now instead of formula and I'm flabbergasted by how fast that gallon of milk disappears (I suspect more than one whole-milk-drinking-culprit in my house. . . *insert accusatory eyes*)

6. Sometimes she swings her arms in front of her when she walks around the house, as if to say, "ho, hum, what should I do?"

7. She sat with the people in the row behind us at church on Sunday (for about half the meeting) because she kept reaching over and wanting to play with them. Luckily, JD knew them because the daughter was in one of his tennis classes this past summer. 

8. Tenley is crazy about phones. She seems to always figure out a way to sneak our phones from us and start pushing buttons. She does not like it when we try to take them back. JD and I feel a little guilty about her obsession because, the truth of the matter is, she must have learned it from somewhere!

9. She has done really well at all the football games we've been taking her to this season. She seems content to people watch and hang out with her 'rents.

10. Lately, she has been so cuddly when she's sleepy. It's the cutest thing ever and I can never get enough of her sweet baby smell. 

Keepsakes for baby.

Today is October 12th. The due date of my first baby was October 11th (10-11-12!) of last year. I remember this day a year ago: I was anxious. I was a bit frustrated. I felt HUGE. I was ready, but also grateful to have a few more days to myself. I had no idea what to expect. I was worried I wouldn't know when I was in labor. I had so much on my mind. . . 

It's crazy that my baby girl turns ONE next week. A whole year. As you can imagine, I've been a little nostalgic as her birthday approaches. I love thinking about and remembering our time together so far! It's so important to me to record her life. Of course, I'm a big fan of scrapbooking and journaling, but I like to document her story in other ways too. I thought I'd share three special keepsakes from her first year of life as part of her b-day celebration. 

Some thoughts on beauty.

My dearest Tenley,

I feel like the easiest platform to communicate my thoughts right now is in a letter intended for you. Of course, you can't read it right now. . . but I hope someday you will. 

When I was in high school, I knew a handful of girls who struggled with eating disorders and had other body image issues. My heart hurt for them as they battled with the defeating thoughts Satan planted in their minds. I, myself, sometimes went through phases when I had obsessive ideas of how to look skinny and pretty (in fact, I still go through those cycles sometimes!) 

ABC's.

When I saw this piece of scrapbook paper, I knew I had to have it. I loved the alphabet with so many fun patterns and colors, but I wasn't sure how to use the paper because I didn't want to cover any of those pretty letters. Enter exacto knife.