hey i answered some of my formspring questions tonight! sorry i kept those of you waiting soooo long :)

yesterday was grant's first day back to school. it is a notoriously rude day, cutting into any routines we had gotten into since coming home from camp and generally breaking the three of us up. i always have a hard time transitioning. i knew the familiar feeling would come while saying goodbye and watching him drive away: here we go... day 1 of the 270 that lie ahead. oh boy.

so i was determined to pray. it was going to be a long, 12-hour day for grant and potentially a lonely/sad time for me. but i didn't want my own (bad) attitude to rule the day. i asked Him to fill my heart with His joy. and i just wanted to write it down: He did. we made it! i found myself appreciating tiny things all day long… getting a pan washed, taking Hadley for a walk, eating guacamole, baking some chicken, opening the kitchen window, seeing the sun.. everything. i was not feeling discouraged. by His grace, i was feeling thankful- cheerful, even! thank you, Jesus for answering prayer! i love that our God is faithful. and He will be faithful through another school year.

unrelated photo is of a teeny flower i found in my broccoli from the farmers market. sweet, isn't it? 
store-bought broccoli does not have flowers :) 

on Jeopardy! guys, it is pretty awesome.

1. aden + anais swaddles
2. swing
3. the first years jet stroller/being outside
4. vacuuming
5. iPad + white noise app
6. big bouncy ball

a few of our favorites that we've found so far.
like i told you guys before, Hadley loves the sound of the vacuum. her crying melts away when i turn it on. she is a big fan of her gray stroller too, and has been from the very beginning. in her world, going outside is the best, second only to eating. she also likes to hang out in mommy and daddy's arms while we bounce on the big ball- that's the go-to method for getting her to fall asleep. and i don't know what we would do without the swing we are borrowing. (thanks Casey and Ann!) she sleeps so nice in that thing! the iPad is well-loved for lots of reasons, a major one being that it keeps mom entertained while feeding miss Hadley. but we are also enjoying the white noise app, which also makes a grandfather clock sound and has a handy sleep timer.

and the awesome part is that we keep finding new favorite things everyday!

for Pushing Daisies! it is such a cute show.
a few evenings this week the three of us have been clustered together on the couch in front of it. the humor is really clever and quick. seriously, you have to listen carefully or you will miss the jokes. i also like the Dr. Seuss style narration and the fact that it features a pie shop. not to mention Chuck's more than adorable dresses.

big thanks to my pal Marta for recommending it! it is so fun to have a little date on the couch (the new couch) with Grant while miss Hadley is eating. we've been watching it on thewb.com. isn't it nice that we can do that these days? find a new (old) show online and watch every episode, in order, for free!
what shows are you guys streaming? 

hey guys,
Just wanted to make a declaration of sorts. To you, and to myself. Now that baby Hadley is here, blogging time is stolen time. I still love popping in with snatches of daily life, and of course, our daily food! So, my posting may not slow down, but the words might. The posts may be short and sweet sometimes, but not any less heartfelt. I love blogging! I love that little details of my life are recorded without me having to keep a diary. I love making lists. I love knowing that all my favorite recipes are stored right here and shared with you guys. And I love all of you. But blogging is not designed to be a one-handed sport, which is how I like to be most of the day. (read: baby in my arms!) So here's to some happy, petite-sized posts. :)

can you believe i used to think i didn't like watermelon?

silly.

i just cut this one into cubes for Grant and me. anyone else love cutting watermelon? hearing the crack when your slice separates from the melon.. feeling the knife slide.. making a stop-sign shape when you cut the rind away. love it.

ps. remember this post? today Hadley is wearing that striped onesie :)

8. the vacuum (or, rather hadley likes)
9. you guys! thanks for the awesome welcome back! :)


happy weekend.

hi friends! i've missed you! i've tried to imagine how to start this post a thousand times. my return to blogging post. but i can't think of anything dazzling, so i'll just jump in and keep doing what i normally do. just another post. :)

thank you guys so much for your sweet comments and emails and cards and thoughts and everything that came pouring in during my "maternity vacation" this summer. i am a happy girl to have such friendly and devoted readers! seriously. i was surprised (and honored) by the stream of requests to start blogging again. thank you! you guys are the best. and now that our sweet summer break is almost over.. and it has been the biggest summer of my life, of course... i think it's time. i am back. and i'm a mom!

so, to catch you up.

we just moved home from another awesome summer at camp shetek, and since moving home we've been getting back into the swing of things and introducing hadley to all the good things about august. we settled back into our house (which means a few carloads of stuff from camp), bought groceries for the first time in months, made tacos and fresh salsa, ate sweet corn from the farmers market, celebrated a couple birthdays, started football season, strolled hadley around the neighborhood, bought a new couch, rearranged the living room, ate a watermelon, sat in the sun, went to the county fair, worked on the new landscaping wall in the front yard (grant), watched 3 new movies, and made kettle corn 3 nights in a row. oh, and did i mention nursing and laundry? we do those things too! and hadley is two months old! she is awesome. and hilarious. i am amazed everyday at how she changes and gains new tricks. we spent the summer learning and loving and growing and enjoying our little girl and what an incredible summer it was. and it's not over yet! yay.

and here's what you really wanted out of this post. a bunch of hadley faces! here is my tiny little girl with the bright eyes.


more soon! so happy to be back with you guys:)