Inspiration: The Small Things

"_ didn't divide problems into big and small like everyone else does. He always said that angels are in the simple things; you never find angels where things are complicated. He believed that the small things are important." - The Awakening of Miss Prim

If you didn't already know it, I'm a reader. I love to read! But I especially love to read when a story can take me out of my own world and into another. Non-fiction won't hold my interest for more than a day, but a novel can hold a place in my heart for a lifetime. I like to stagger my reading, a challenging read followed by a much lighter tale, but recently, light reading is about all I can handle.

And sometimes the most surprising enlightening thoughts can come out of a light read. Like the quote above from the book The Awakening of Miss Prim by Natalia Sanmartin Fenollera. This book keeps reminding me that life is about the little things, not big enormous things we tend to think are most important.

I've had a lot of big things happen to me this year - - I became a mother; I moved to a new home; I lost loved ones; I took on a new position at work; I had several good friends move to new cities. That's a lot of big life changes in a relatively short amount of time. And yes, at times, I'm feeling completely overwhelmed by how complicated things can be. But this book...it's helped bring life back into focus around the small things, the simple things. Because a life made up of all the small things doesn't seem nearly as scary to navigate as one made up of the big complicated things.

Healing Sands

We headed down to the coast for a few days of rest and relaxation, seeking out the healing sands and soothing ocean to cleanse our hearts, souls and minds. Watching Tuck discover new things at every turn (birds! sand! seaweed!) filled my heart with joy and calmed my frenzied mind.

It was his second trip to the beach, but he was only a month old for that first trip. He ran and ran and ran. He loved it so much he couldn't believe his eyes, that a sandbox this big existed just for him!

My dad loved the beach. I remember so many trips we took to the beach in North Carolina growing up - it was our go-to vacation as a family. Dad losing his ray bans in the ocean...jumping waves holding hands with him...building sand castles together...walking on the beach laughing at him wearing jams! Making memories with my son at the beach was cathartic to say the least.

One morning before the rain came in, we went down to the beach to take a walk. Tuck was scared, the wind was blowing and the skies were ominous, until he zeroed in on a pink volleyball that had rolled into the dunes. With a ball in hand, his fear dissipated and he just played. I got some of my favorite photos from the trip capturing his morning with a pink ball on a deserted beach.

The only souvenirs we brought home were a few shells, lots of good memories and renewed hearts.

12 months of Tucker

In the midst of all the recent darkness, this little guy is my ray of sunshine! To cheer myself up, I went through all of Tucker's monthly pictures and put together this cute little photo montage. I found the design on Minted and will be ordering it soon to display somewhere in our home. I can't believe how much he changed in just 1 year!

Someone turned 1!

Dear Tucker, 

I can't tell you how amazing this first year has been. You've rocked my world in the best way possible! You've made me more patient and more loving than I ever knew I could be. You've tested me...but your tests have made me grow. I'm so proud of the little boy you are becoming. 

You were such a good baby, strong from the get go. You held your head up on your own just hours after you were born and you were always trying to stand up on your own two legs. You loved to lie on your changing pad in front of the window in your nursery staring up at your mobile and kicking your legs. It's amazing how much you've grown in 12 months!

You've always been a talker, just like you're daddy. You started babbling before 3 months and never stopped. Some of your favorite words are dada, ada, and the occasional mmmama. 

It took you a bit to get moving, but once you started crawling at 8 months there was nothing stopping you! You began walking at 11 months and you're up and running now at 12 months.

Although you slept on me for almost the first 6 months of your life, now you're on your own sleeping through the night like a champ. I love checking your monitor to see what position you're sleeping in - you're all over that crib! The older you've gotten the more independent you've gotten. That's how it should be and I hope it means I'm doing something right, but I miss my boy needing me. So those moments when you're upset or just over wrought with sleepiness, I relish you putting your head down on my shoulder and just being.

I say to your dad all the time how strong you are for being as young as you are. You've been through two more surgeries than he and I ever have! And you're an example to me every day with that strength - to keep a smile on and keep on going. You weren't even 5 months old when you had spinal surgery to release your tethered cord - you bounced back amazingly! I can't tell you how scared I was going into the children's hospital that morning, but when I saw you in recovery chugging pedialyte with everything you had, I knew you would be okay. And the tubes in your ears at 10 months...piece of cake! You were over that just a few hours after. I know this is an indication of the man you will be one day - - strong, never willing to give up or give in and keeping a smile on your face through the worst of times.

Have I mentioned how happy of a baby you are? You've got a heck of smile and its infectious, I tell you! You smile at everyone and you draw everyone in with just a look in your eye. When you were first born, you had the most beautiful color hair I've ever seen - - the most unique golden color - - you were known as the baby "with the pretty hair". We weren't sure if it would be red, like mine, or blond, like your father's, but I'm pretty sure it's going to be a color that's all your own. And lucky for you, you have my cowlick and your father's so it swirls up front and in the back, which makes it stick straight up right now! It definitely grabs everyone's attention.

It's hard to put a year with you in words, because there aren't enough words in our language or letters in the alphabet to express how much I love you. You've made my heart grow bigger and bigger with love for you each day you've been in my life. Sometimes I can't believe how fast this year has gone by, other times, I can't believe its only been a year because I feel like I've known you FOREVER. But no matter what, I will always love you. You're my golden boy and I couldn't be more proud to be your mama.

Love always,
Mama

PS - you're so lucky to share your birthday with your Great Aunt DeeDee!

Take Notice: Spring

I've been bogged down with so much recently that Spring's arrival almost crept by me without my taking notice. My mind has been preoccupied with worry and my heart has been reeling for days on end trying to make sense of the world. I feel as though I've been walking around with blinders for months and this weekend, the beauty of Spring miraculously crept into my view, if only for a few hours.

When the bluebonnets come out in Texas, it's hard not to stop and revel in their beauty. They go on for miles and miles and blanket the ground in a wondrous bluish purple color. I couldn't resist taking a break from things to do as any good Texas mother would and take pictures of my boy in a field full of them. After all, it's tradition.

Tuck was a good sport. He looks happy in these pictures, but he's had a rough go of it, battling ear infections since January. And unbeknownst to me at the time of taking these pictures, he had wicked double ear infections AGAIN. I feel like a sorry excuse for a mother since I didn't know, but you guys, this kid is just so happy all the time, it's hard to tell when something really is bothering him. Woe is me, right?!

He's one tough kid, I tell you. And it's his toughness that inspires me everyday to keep on doing what I've got to do, face what must be met and above all know that life is full of hope even in its darkest days. I love this kid!

Wise Words

We gain strength, and courage, and confidence by each experience in which we really stop to look fear in the face... we must do that which we think we cannot.

With the new day comes new strength and new thoughts.

You have to accept whatever comes and the only important thing is that you meet it with courage and with the best that you have to give.

Wise words from the wise lady, Eleanor Roosevelt.

photo by me

The Sound of Silence

So things have obviously been extremely quiet over here and if you hadn't noticed, the shop has been "On Vacation" for some time now. I promise I haven't wanted to neglect this blog or my shop after putting in so much hard work last year to get them up and running, but sometimes life sideswipes you with other things. Happy things, like starting a family! We used this picture on our holiday cards this year to share the news with friends and family -the new addition will be here in June! And challenging things, like fracturing my hand in a car accident. With only one working hand, I wasn't able to keep up with the shop, let alone make anything new for it. Oh yeah, and typing, that's a miserable thing to do with only one hand, among many other things. And it's proving to be a bit of a long road to recovery - I'm still working on recovering some muscle memory loss in a few of my fingers and getting my joints to bend and work as they are meant to. I hope to open the shop up in the near future, but I'm hesitant to say when with so much change on the horizon. And I have the best intentions to start sharing things on the blog again - maybe even pick up my camera and start taking some pictures. I've missed that tremendously! So here's to a new start in 2013!

Photography: Jet Setting to Seattle

I recently had the opportunity through work to visit Seattle for the first time. Although I was there to attend a conference, I made the most of the free time we had to explore the city and have some fun. And much fun was had! Seattle was absolutely lovely and we went at the perfect time of year because we really lucked out with the weather - a fabulous high of 79 degrees. That's unfathomable to a Texas girl used to 100+ temperatures in July!

I wasn't able to lug my good camera with me, but I did remember to bring my trusty old point and shoot. Here are some of my favorite places and shots from the trip:

 

 

 

 

Still Here...

I haven't disappeared, I promise. A lot has been going on in the past few weeks, some celebrations and some travels. I'll be back to regular postings soon. Until then, enjoy this gorgeous sunset photo I took overlooking the Puget Sound. I live for sunsets like this -oh how I wish I could basque in their beauty forever!

Lately...

I haven't been a good photographer lately; I guess I just haven't had the energy for it. But, I have captured a few images with my phone camera and thought I would share a little glimpse of my world, lately, with you.

Of the Moment: A Getaway

What's been most on my mind recently? Getting away! As summer approaches and warm weather (okay, HOT weather) takes over Austin, I can't help but think about escaping to some wonderful, maybe even exotic place. Granted, it's been over 2 years since I've had a real vacation and at least 4 since I went somewhere really vacation-worthy, I think its completely valid that I day dream endlessly about being on a beach (with lots of SPF 50 on) doing absolutely nothing and loving every minute of it. Alas, since no vacation of my dreams is in near sight, I'll settle on revisiting those that I have been on in the past. Here are some shots from some of my most favorite past getaways!