{51/52}

"a portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Everdeen Kate: Grandpa was making you laugh and laugh!

 Linking up with Jodi :)

Our Season of Winter

Hello Dear Readers!

I am officially on winter break and with that comes a huge sigh of relief and maybe that heavy pressure I feel almost daily will soon dissolve into the frosty air.   I am ready to enjoy my two weeks of winter heaven...did I tell you my two sister's will be home Christmas Eve?  I can hardly contain my excitement! Together at last!  

We've been enjoying our dark, quiet evenings after I get home from school.  We turn on the tree the moment we walk in the door.  Everdeen points to every ornament over and over..."What's that? What's that? What's that?"  She's expanding her vocabulary daily even if we're the only ones who can understand her and we marvel at everything she is learning:)  We're still not sleeping through the night...going from a baby who slept through the night very early on to a toddler who doesn't is hard and exhausting.   Our bed has become a place of blissful sleep for our little one...and I don't mind it one bit.  I feel like sometimes I let the pressures of the outside world dictate my own mothering, but that never settles well for me or for my Everdeen.  When I allow myself to do what feels natural I worry less and feel much more at peace with my choices. 

 

{ early mornings before school...snuggles and Peaceful Christmas on Pandora :) }

It's so nice being home this year for Christmas.  We've been out enjoying the festivities around town (some of which I did as a little girl!). I hope Everdeen can feel the magic of Christmas even if she is too little to understand.  

I love having a home we can call our own...filling it with the scents and decorations of the season.  I've been working away on getting our home to feel like ours!  I still have the mindset that we live in an apartment and in a year I'll have to fill all the nail holes with putty.  It's so nice to know that we'll be here for a while and if I want to paint my bedroom turquoise I can! Most of the rooms are coming along and for my birthday my dear husband bought me a queen size mattress.  A little searching on craigslist and I was able to find a beautiful iron bed frame.  Look at us! Moving into adulthood :) 

I was looking back at some of my posts from last year.  Martin and I would spend hours talking about where we would be 'next year'.  We have been so incredibly blessed this year with a new home, two new jobs, and being in a beautiful city that currently is nestled against the snow covered mountains. It sounds almost unreal as I type it...and with my family coming together to celebrate this special season I think my heart may burst. 

{50/52}

"a portrait of my daughter, once a week, every week, in 2013."

Everdeen Kate: You met Santa at the farm!  Although, you stayed right by mama's side the whole time :) Your favorite part of the evening was walking amongst the twinkle lights pointing out all the animals! 

 Linking up with Jodi :)

a little hike in December

We are enjoying these last few warm days of fall and in honor of the beautiful weather we took a little hike this weekend.  We really are so blessed with our surroundings and in just a short twenty minute drive we were in a peaceful world of golden grass and whispering wind through the pine trees. 

Everdeen insisted on walking and made it almost a mile on her tiny little feet.  Of course we stopped lots of times to pick up rocks and sprinkle them in the grass and admire the horseback riders passing by.  By the time we headed back to the car she was sound asleep with the warm December sun on her face. 

{our last trip here}