em⋅brace 2019

em⋅brace

accept or support (a belief, theory, or change) willingly and enthusiastically.

 

When it comes to choosing a word for the year, it takes some deep thought, consideration, and self reflection to choose what it is exactly that you want to work on.  In year's past I've chosen "Content", "Just Be", "Just Do", and last year (2018) I didn't share was "Let Go".  It's important to ruminate over previous year's words to see how you have changed and the impact that word has had on your life.

This year, 2019, I am choosing to embrace.  There is going to be so much change happening this year and I want to cherish all of it.  

Séamus is going to go through so many changes: sitting ✓, crawling, eating, cruising, walking, and talking, and sleeping 🤞.  I want to embrace all of this because I know it's the last time, 1+ is my favorite so I tend to wish the first year away...I don't want to do that this time.  

Ellie is well on her way to growing up.  She is in Kindergarten, will be turning 6 and starting to read already.  I want to focus on her and cherish this fleeting time with her.  I want to focus on reading with her, celebrating her achievements, and soaking in all that is good with a 5/6 year old.  

Finnley is changing by the day.  Her personality is shining through, she is hilarious, so full of emotions and has such a giving heart.  Soon she will start Pre-School and gone will be the time of her being with me all the time.  She is our first babe that I got to stay home with from the very beginning.  

I have BIG goals for my business and I know it's going to take a lot of work, dedication, time, and sacrifice.  It's all going to be worth it knowing the benefits and impact Wellness will make on the families I help.  I am so excited to see it grow but want to make sure that I focus and appreciate every step of the way.  

 

Thomas and I are embarking on a new season in our marriage...gone are the days wishing for babies, dealing with pregnancy loss, and infertility.  We get to put all of that away and focus on where we are now, parenting our THREE children, enjoying them and raising them to be little people we love to be with.  We also get to focus on each other more this year and embracing each other without all of that emotionality in the back of our heads. We get to grow together, prioritize together, dream together, plan together, and be together! and take more pictures together....

We have home improvement projects planned, lots of DIYs, and trips and vacations on the calendar.  2019 is going to be our year and I am so looking forward to it.

The whole year is ahead of me and I cannot wait to embrace it all.

Do you choose a word for the year?  What are you wanting to focus on this year?

♥ Ashley

Our Weekend the first of January

Christmas Break is officially over for Thomas, he heads back to work today so it's back to me and the kids holding up the fort.  Ellie was supposed to go back to school today as well, but we had a HUGE windstorm on Saturday night and many of the schools in the district are without power so they cancelled school for today.  Hooray!!! We get an extra day with Ellie!

Last weekend Thomas and the girls were over the mountains at Nanny and Papas.  So to pass the time I started a project that has been on the list for years. Refinishing the kitchen cabinets.  Thomas originally painted them back in December 2010 when I was recovering from my first ectopic pregnancy.  He didn't prep them appropriately or do any sanding so they've had a bit of a rough and tacky feeling ever since.  So I took off all the hardware, all of the doors and took out the drawers.  I've sanded, painted, sanded, painted and sanded again! Because my work space is limited this project took longer than a weekend (and I'm really trying to let the pieces dry between sandings).  This weekend I finished up all the drawers and am just working on the uppers doors.  They have been sanded and painted on the inside, flipped and sanded and painted.  They're going to need at least one more coat and then our kitchen can be put back together.

I also painted our hardware an oil rubbed bronze instead of the brushed nickel they used to be.  So far it's been a pretty low cost project since I already had the paint and decided to reuse the hardware.  All I needed to buy was new sandpaper!  Got to love projects like that!

 

Even though items were only displaced for a few days at a time, I can now fully understand how discombobulating a kitchen remodel is!  I have hopes of actually doing a real remodel of ours but just am not sure if my dream layout will be feasible...so we might just need to keep the current one.  Regardless I'm sure that when we decide to sell a 2019+ kitchen will be preferred over a 1989 one 😂

 

On Friday Thomas got the snip and I cannot tell you how big of a difference this is going to make in our lives.  Even though we've clearly had infertility issues (hello resorting to IVF for Séamus) I've also experienced my fair share of ectopic pregnancies and that really takes a toll on your mental space with your spouse.  Plus as crazy as it sounds out of an Infertile's mouth...I have NO interest in a surprise, we still have 5 embryo's in the freezer should we decide to expand our family (which is 99% unlikely).  I have heard from several friends the great peace of mind they had after their husbands got snipped.  While he was getting his procedure done I took the kids to Chick-fil-A for some lunch and play time. So our weekend comprised of Thomas trying to recover while I was preoccupied with my kitchen project.

On Saturday we did venture out for Chinese, Finnley ate rice 👏 and Ellie ate all that we served her.  We also had to grab some of Cooper's diabetic approved dog food.  After that it was recovery time for Thomas and playing for the girls.

Saturday night there was a huge windstorm, it took our trampoline four properties away...which is over 300 feet.  The trampoline got bent and broken, so it's going to the metal recycle and it damaged some of our neighbor's gutter and tore a window screen.  So many of our friends lost power, we were lucky to keep ours.  Thomas was able to pull the broken trampoline to the road and break it down to fit into our truck.  We stayed home the rest of the day, with me working on putting the kitchen back together, organizing all the drawers and eliminating a bunch of items and papers we don't need.  I did copious amounts of vacuuming, nursing Séamus, getting him to nap, and watching Finnley and Ellie run laps around the dining room.  Ellie requested Hot Dogs for dinner "because they're easy" according to her and she is so right!

Other things to note:  Thomas and I have been watching Mountain Home on HGTV and now we're back to looking at the housing market.  Our checklist is very precise so we have to find just the right place to get us to move...but it's fun to look.  I binge watched The Art of Tidying on Netflix and that along with joining the January Cure and my obsession with listening to Minimalism Podcasts just makes me want to get rid of all the things!!  I also had a business Zoom call with my team and am so excited for all the classes we have coming up and to keep on working towards my goals and helping my team build their businesses!!

Happy Monday!!

♥ Ashley

The Séamus Weekly - week 23

I am seriously in disbelief that Séamus is 23 weeks.  I mean wasn't I just recovering from an emergency c-section and could barley roll over?  Now little man is rolling over like its his job, and  he likes it!!  He wiggles himself all over and gone are the days where he remains in the same spot I laid him down in.

Eats: we are still exclusively nursing and I love it just as much as ever.  I am still just nursing on demand and I am so so grateful that I get to do that, so we don't have much of a schedule.  He is still nursing in the nighttime as well.  While I would love to sleep through the night, I know that Séamus will spend more nights of his life sleeping through and in his own bed so I am just trying to soak up every minute of it...because truth be told I found myself missing Ellie many a night over the years.  We are quickly approaching his half birthday and will begin introducing some "solid" foods after that.

Sleeps: little man has been working on taking his naps in his crib (which it's so nice when he does) and I've even started getting him to start the night out in there too!  So now he has a bit of a nighttime routine: diaper change, his sleep/immune support roller on his feet, and jammies on. We turn on his new diffuser with a couple drops of Sleepyize, spray his crib with the Seedlings Linen Spray and turn on the sound machine.  He sleeps in there for a good 3+ hours and then when he wakes I send Thomas in to go get him and then I nurse him and he finishes out the night in our bed.

Does: tummy time champ and rolls all over.  He has begun pushing himself up with straight arms and kicks his legs so hard...I'm sure he is just wanting to start moving so bad.  He started bouncing in the exersaucer which brought back memories of Ellie, is chewing on his hands non-stop (maybe getting ready for some teeth? I better start getting the Copaiba ready!) and he started sitting on his own on New Years Day!!

 

Goes: Ellie was on the other side of the mountains with Nanny and Papa so we made the best of it and tried to stay busy.  That wasn't too hard with me working and then we also went out for Mexican food (which is funny because last time when Finnley was with Nanny and Papa we also went out for Mexican) and we also ate at Jersey Mikes, the first visit since I got pregnant!!! It was so good! Then Thomas took Finnley over the mountains to spend some time all together while Séamus and I held up the fort with the dogs (and animals).  My best friend came over and we went out for Thai and she so generously offered to hold the boy so I could eat with two hands!! The best!  Finally we spent New Years Day over at Thomas's little brother's house and all the kids had so much fun playing with each other.

Wears: same as last week.  We did get some size 2 diapers from Thomas's brother and OMG they fit so much better!! I am so glad that I have already changed the size on our Amazon list.  I decided to stick with the Huggies this time but will do more research on it and see if the Pampers Pure really are a safer diaper.

 

Mama: I had the best time flying solo with little man this week and just reflecting on all the goodness we experienced this year.  Finally getting to do this pregnancy thing (which really isn't all I cracked it up to be), attempted a natural delivery (which wasn't as bad as I anticipated), and began nursing (which is so much better than I hoped).  Additionally, I have been able to witness my girls grow up and become big sisters, to help out, to become more confident, and to be more empowered with their wellness.  I have fully grasped this oily life and am so so thankful for all the tools that come in these little bottles and purpose and drive I have acquired by starting a business with oils.

Sisters: not much to share on Ellie since she was gone most of the week.  I know that she is as sharp as a tack and has an incredible memory.  She is goofy, hilarious, and loves so hard.  She had a great time over with Nanny and Papa, but was so excited for all of us to be back together.

Finnley thrives when all of the focus is on her.  She is talking more and more and I just love listening to her little voice.  The way she makes her words is so adorable and she really does have such a kind and giving heart.  She loves to help clean up and is still the queen of emotions.

previous weeks:

Séamus week 1, week 2, week 3, week 4, week 5, week 6, week 7, week 8, week 9, week 10, week 11, week 12, 13 weeks, week 14, week 15, week 16, week 17, week 18, week 19, 20 weeks, week 21, week 22

Finnley at 23 weeks

Ellie at 23 weeks

♥ Ashley

2018 recap

Adios 2018.  You were so so good to us! 

Some highlights: we had a baby, I started a new business, Ellie started Kindergarten, Finnley started to enjoy playdates, and Thomas got to go fishing on multiple occasions!

Going down memory lane here are some of the favorite posts (all of my top viewed posts were my pregnancy updates, thank you for all of the love on those).

January:

I shared about our Christmas Holiday, Finnley and I flew to the Carolinas with my dad, and I served ham for New Years.

I was reminiscing about when Ellie first became a big sister and shared about all the January things.

February:

We celebrated Valentines Day, I made it into the 2nd trimester and we went to Disneyland!

I shared some random tidbits and that Friday's were pool days for us.

March:

I turned 34, shared a bit about our Cruise, and got ready to share if we were having a Boy or Girl!

 

 

I shared some of our St. Patrick's Day Decor and shared that we were having a BOY!!

April:

Finnley turned 2, we celebrated Easter, and I shared a bit how Infertility has shaped who I am as a parent.

I talked about how Ellie is turning into quite the little Big Person and how Finnley is definitely a 2 year old.

May:

Ellie turned 5, and I made sure to enjoy Ragtime on her birthday as I knew it was going to be the last one I had with her since I had decided to sell her.

I posted about the girls Together Birthday Under the Sea and am convinced that together birthdays are the way to go!

We made a weekend for Mother's Day and I just loved spending all the time with my favorites!

June:

Ellie had her second ballet recital, Thomas finished up school, we took a road trip across the state (where I thought I was going to go into labor the whole time) to visit birth families, we put up bunk beds in Ellie's room for preparation for them to start sharing a room, and I joined Young Living!!

I documented a Day in the Life before bringing a new babe into the world.

July:

Cooper, our dog, was diagnosed with diabetes (at 11 years old), Thomas came down with the Shingles, I took maternity photos on my due date, and we moved the girls into a shared bedroom - a nighttime sleep blend of oils was our saving grace.

The best news of all was that little man made his arrival, just five days past due!

August:

We celebrated 10 years of marriage, Finnley got her collarbone broken, and I shared all about Ellie.

We took our final trip as Annual Passholders to Disneyland and even share all that is good about Disneyland with Séamus at a mere 3 weeks old.

I also shared about Séamus very fast, wild and unexpected delivery.  It did NOT go as I had hoped but it went as "planned" since all I wanted was to Have A Baby!!

September:

I made banana muffins many times, Ellie started Kindergarten, Finnley had to go back into her sling for 3 solid weeks, and Séamus had a frenotomy.

In the middle of September I shared an update of all the things we were up to, including some of the goodies I send out in my welcome packages when you enroll with a Premium Starter Kit!!

October:

We celebrated Halloween (I got to attend this year), we went to a pumpkin patch, and traveled over the mountains.

 This week we were confirmed that Séamus was the correct embryo because my BFF told me he looked like my family!!

November:

We traveled over the mountains for Thanksgiving, we had our first Parent/Teacher conference and Ellie got a great report, and I hit a new rank in my business!!

Hands down probably one of my favorite posts ever, Six Simple Switches to a Healthier Home (and no they are NOT all oils related)

December:

We celebrated Christmas, decorated our house, and fully enjoyed a lighter schedule of activities.

I loved our Christmas Home Tour this year and it's been so great to look back at it over the years.  This was my favorite so far, really paring down our decor made all the difference.

I love looking back and seeing all we've done each year, and this one was one for the books! Cannot wait to see what 2019 brings!

♥ Ashley