Choosing Slow

Things are moving at a slower pace at our house these days.

It was an intentional change, but not one without a fair share of anxiety, fear, and a few tears. 

My husband quit his job on August 5th.

And on August 6th we began a whole new way of living as a family of four. 

(On my 39th birthday...what wonderful timing!)

It is, for lack of a much better word, wonderful.

This isn't our first time with him staying home with the boys. Back when they were babies, he quit his job to stay home with them from about 16 months until they started kindergarten.

And that was wonderful.

But a TOTALLY different kind of wonderful. A much more tired version.

*one of the more tired days (twins + IKEA)

We had two babies, our income was quite a bit lower, we had just moved into a new house, and we were both navigating what it meant to be parents. Me a working mom, and him a stay-at-home dad, which isn't something our culture encourages or celebrates nearly enough. 

Even though he was home, he was much busier keeping up with the demands of young twins. I was figuring out how to deal with the guilt of not being home with the boys, and how to keep up with my day job while mom brain was in full effect. Those days were tired. Wonderful, but oh so tired.

But this time, the decision for him to quit his job wasn't out of the same necessity as 8 years ago. The need was different, but equally important.

To be honest, our mental health was at stake. His mental health especially. His job had turned into a horrible mess. My husband wasn't himself at all. We were bickering, short tempered, and tired. The house wasn't being taken care of, we weren't eating well...the list goes on and on. 

And it changed in the matter of a few weeks. His job went from bearable to inducing panic attacks. It felt like one of the hardest and yet easiest decisions ever to say JUST QUIT.

JUST QUIT.

This life we are given is worth more than countless hours spent working hard for a company that doesn't respect your work ethic or your family. To make money to spend on more stuff you don't have time to enjoy. 

Oh it felt SO good to make this decision as a family. I honestly haven't felt closer to him than I have the past few weeks as we made this intentional decision to find a new way of living. We've been together since he was 19 and I was 21, and I am amazed to see how we have grown together. And I am so very thankful that growth has brought us together, and not pulled us apart. Because oh there were times I worried it would. 

I've wanted to share this with you all since it happened, but needed to wait until the words came. And today they came.

And I want to encourage you, if your way of living right now doesn't feel like it is working. If you are exhausted and cranky and not enjoying your family or the things you feel like you should be, it is ok to start over. It is so much more than ok to find a way of living that doesn't look like the way anyone else is doing it. And don't worry about what others think or say...all that matters is that it works for your family.

And the peace we feel in our house these past few weeks. Man I wish I could bottle it up, because everything about it is so very good.

And speaking of remaking your life, this Super Soul Sunday talk from one of my absolute favorite authors Shauna Niequist is all about slowing down and it is really wonderful. 

Thanks for taking the time to read this, and I hope it resonates with you in some way!

XO,

{easter weekend}

How was your Easter weekend?

Ours was very full of family time, hearty food, a bit of relaxation and, of course, lots of jelly beans and plastic eggs.

I had Good Friday off of work which was a welcome break, and my sister's birthday was Saturday, so on Friday Mom and I took her out for a girls' day to celebrate. My sister and I went through a rocky phase for quite a few years, and this day together was so good for both of our hearts. Very thankful for this mended relationship.

We had lunch and decadent desserts at a local French restaurant, did some shopping at the adorable boutique next door, and took the boys to paint pottery.

Saturday was a perfect spring day with a cool breeze and the warm sun shining. I took full advantage of it with a walk around our neighborhood in the morning.

The city made these marks all over our street, and I don't know what they are really for, but it was a good validation as I was huffing and puffing up that last hill. :)

Ben and I took another tour around later on his bike...

I don't know if there is anything cuter than this view.

Easter was spent with both sides of our family. That morning Dan worked his culinary magic on a really yummy brunch we shared with my parents, including lemon scones, which Landon helped him make...

Watching the boys help Dan cook is one of my favorite things. They are going to make good husbands one day! 

While brunch was cooking I snuck in a bit of doodling {words from one of my favorite hymns}...

And the boys enjoyed tearing into their Easter baskets...

Later that afternoon we headed to my mother-in-law's house for more celebrating. The weather was perfect for egg hunting, and she has the best tree roots in her yard for hiding them.

It was a full weekend that left us tired, but with happy hearts.

XO,

{christmas in photos}

It is hard to believe the Christmas is over already...so much preparation and poof...gone. We had a really wonderful day and are lucky enough to live close to my parents and my hubby's mom so we got to see all of them in the same day. Here are just a few photos of our family celebration...

We let the boys open up their gifts to each other on Christmas Eve and that was pretty much the most adorable thing ever...

Spy binoculars for Landon...

And a big old Hulk for Ben...

Brothers gotta hug!

Then they put on their new Christmas jammies, put out the milk and cookies for Santa, and were ready for bed...after a few {or ten} photos...

Once the boys were snug in their beds {they actually shared the lower bunk...can you say precious?!} we wrapped their gifts and watched A Christmas Story...

I love seeing a tree surrounded by lovely packages...

And then on to Christmas morning! 

These boys crack me up...

The Hulk Hands were actually their gift to their dad but they will get plenty of use by every male member of the household, and probably me a few times too!

This was on my wish list...but I wasn't expecting my hubby to get it for me...

You could say I was just a TAD excited. :)

Men building things...

Grandparents are the best, aren't they?

Love my Momma!

After the morning with my parents, we headed over to my mother-in-law's house for the rest of our celebration. 

I am so thankful that I get to call these ladies mom and sister...

Having fun with my new toy...

The boys got A LOT of lego/block toys. And Dan put together everything you see here except for the fire station {that's my handiwork}...

Checkers! It is so fun to be able to play games like this with them now...

And last night the boys and I had probably our final viewing of The Polar Express for the season...goodness I just love that movie...

Whew! So that was our Christmas in more than a few photos. I actually took it easy this year. 

I only used my phone for photos and tried to take most of the moments in without the lens in front of my face. I don't even care if the photos aren't the best quality. The moments were, and that's what matters. 

I've also decided that 5 years old is the PERFECT Christmas age. It was overflowing with magic. :)

How was your Christmas? Tell me all about it in the comments!

XO,

{what's your thing?}

My Granddaddy wasn't much of a cook.

Whenever we took a vacation to visit him and Grandmother in their little post-war bungalow, he always fixed his chili. 

He served it over spaghetti which was the only way I had ever seen chili served... until I married into the Ford family and discovered the gloriousness that is chili over Fritos.  

We joked that it was basically spaghetti sauce with a bit of spice mixed in. 

He would pull the noodles straight from their boiling pot, so when we were handed our bowl it had a ring of water separating the chili from the edges of the porcelain. 

It wasn't phenomenal eating by any means. 

But it was his thing. 

And it was reliable. 

And it was comforting. 

I miss him and his chili. 

I hope that one day when I'm gone, my children and grandchildren will remember my "things." The parts of me that were reliable and comforting. The things that might not have ever earned me awards or recognition outside the four walls of our home, but connected us together like invisible strings. 

What is your thing?

Maybe you are always on time. Maybe you are the one that brings a pie to family get-togethers. Maybe you are a great listener. Maybe you always have gum and kleenex in your purse. 

I just want to tell you that those things matter. Keep doing them. 

{the boys' first Reds game}

This weekend held quite a few firsts for our family. My hubby's Dad and brother are here visiting from Oklahoma and we hadn't seen them in five long years, so that alone was exciting. 

Of course, all of us being big baseball fans {Cincinnati Reds more specifically} we decided what better time to take the boys to their first game!

The Reds ended up getting their tails kicked, but it was still a really fun experience with the boys. Just had to share a few photos from the night...

The boys both said their favorite part was watching the flames and fireworks shoot out of the ballpark's smokestacks....I'm sure they LOVED watching the game too. ;) 

And if you're wondering...no...I can't get a picture of them these days without their tongues sticking out. Boys... 

{sweet summer}

We roasted our first {normal sized} marshmallows of the summer yesterday and I forgot how much I love the taste, texture and smell of those toasted lumps of sugar. {see yesterday's post for the miniature version.}

The slightly burnt, sweet flavor.
The charred outer layer that dissolves on your tongue like cotton candy.
The melted, but still snow-white middle.

YUM.

I think the boys had more fun playing with their new swords skewers from their Gigi than eating the marshmallows, but it is all part of the experience, right? :)

Half of the marshmallows didn't even make it to the fire!

Ahh...tastes like summer!

What tastes, textures and smells remind you of the warmer months coming up?

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