One Short Year

A year ago today, this is what I was doing. Eighteen hours after going into the hospital for a labor that was sure to be "quick and easy," my littlest lady was born. A year ago, I wondered why it was taking her so long to make an appearance. Now I know that she does everything in her own time, not a bit sooner.

She is, without a doubt, one of the greatest joys in my life. My favorite moments of every day are the quiet minutes after she and her sister first wake up. We all pile up in the bed and snuggle together for a few short minutes before the day begins. Kendall lays her little head down on my chest and lets me cuddle with her. Then she demands breakfast.

The years are short, but the days are long. One short year later, and my itty bitty newborn isn't so little anymore. We have some loooooong days. Sometimes I think they're never going to end, but they inevitably do, and here I am after 365 of them, wondering how it all passed so quickly. Crazy, I know.

At any rate, this little girl is one of a kind. Unless it involves eating, she's not in a hurry to do anything. With a big sister and four adults at her beck and call, she has no incentive to crawl, much less walk. She'll get there eventually...just not yet.

She is so, so, sweet, and I'm so grateful that God chose me to be her mommy. My prayer for her today and every day is that she will become a young woman who loves and serves the Lord with all her heart. That He would protect and preserve that tender little heart for the man she will eventually marry. That she would share an unbreakable bond with her sister. And of course, that by some miracle of God, we'll be able to do this parenting thing without totally screwing her up.

That's the goal, isn't it?

We're celebrating my sweet girl's birthday with family and friends this weekend. Expect to be inundated with pictures later.

Until next time, grace and peace.

Freshly Minted: Barnyard Crew Invitations

I'm really, really excited to share these invitations with you. A couple of months ago, minted hosted a children's birthday party challenge, and I designed my entries specifically with baby girl's upcoming birthday in mind. She'll be one next week, y'all. Be still my heart.

But I digress. Since we're living on the farm with Dennis' parents right now, a farm-themed party seemed wholly appropriate for Kendall's first birthday celebration.

Enter my Barnyard Crew invitations, available exclusively at minted, shown here in the Barnyard Red colorway. I literally squealed from the cuteness when I received them last week. I paired them with aqua envelopes, then finished them off with cheery yellow address labels and red gingham washi tape.

Aren't they the sweetest thing ever? It was so much fun to order my own design from minted and ship them off to our family and friends. The big day is just over a week away, and now that everyone has had time to receive their invites in the mail, I just couldn't wait any longer to share them with you.

One last little close-up of the animals that I created. I think the spotted cow is my favorite. Or maybe it's the chick. I can't decide. So stinkin' cute.

Perfect for any tot's farm party, boys and girls alike. Get your Barnyard Crew invites at minted and use the code SHOPZU2BCU to get 10 percent off your entire order.

Don't say I never gave you anything ;)

Until next time, grace and peace.

The Simple Things: How a Water Trough Saved the Day

First of all, I wanted to thank all of you who expressed kindness and concern for Micah the other day. I promise, she's not upset all the time, but when she does miss her friends, she's very, very sad. Understandably so, I'd say. Anyway, I thought I'd lighten things up a bit and show you our version of a baby pool.

Who needs a brightly colored molded plastic baby pool when you've got an extra water trough laying around? Don't worry, we cleaned it first. Or, at least, Dennis told me he cleaned it.

Seriously, we have no idea what happened to our baby pool. We're thinking that it may have blown away during a storm last year. Or maybe Dennis hauled it off because it was cracked. I don't know, but it's gone, and when the weather started heating up, we didn't have a pool for the girls to use. I was a little leery when Dennis first suggested the trough, but, obviously, the girls don't mind.

Fun times are being had at the Jones household this summer. We don't do this every day, but we do it a couple of times a week.

It's the simple things, ya know?

Until next time, grace and peace.