On the Prowl...

House hunting again today. If we don't find something better than what we have already picked, we are putting in another bid on Tuesday!

I know that we'll be lead to the home that we belong in.

I found this great post from Simple Mom talking about women as mentors. It got me thinking about the women that I have in my life. Although many of the women in my life are strong Christian women, I feel like we all run off the path sometimes and can use some guidance. My relationships with these women are all different; I treat them all the same but talk and share with them very differently. I think that a mentor is someone that you can be (should be) 100% honest with, and using that information, they can guide you back to your path. It doesn't have to be a stranger. It can be a friend, a grandma, a family friend. Ever since I read this post I can't stop thinking of someone that I would like to be a mentor in my life. I think we all could take a note from this post.

Do I need a mentor?
YES.

Do you need a mentor?

Project.

Sorry for the glare, but these are the silhouettes that I made yesterday. I have been wanting these in my home for a very long time. I saw how easy there were to make at home, and I decided to go ahead and do so. Something about them seems so personal and historical all at the same time. Gosh, I just love them.

Here are the steps that I took! It's REALLY easy to do.

1. I took the profile shots and uploaded them into the computer. (I couldn't believe that I got a good one of Bean! It took me forever.)

2. I then traced the faces and a bit of the neck from my computer screen with freezer paper and a pencil.

3. I cut the heads with regular scissors and then lightly spray painted them. You don't have to spray paint them; you can color them, use fabric or paint them. It's up to you!

4. I put them in a 3 pack of frames that I got from Target (for $1) and there you go! Your very own family silhouettes!

I Want to Ride My...

Although the weather in AZ doesn't permit for this too often, I can't wait to take Bean for bike rides! How cool would she look on the back of one of these?! Not only is it great exercise, but what a great way to get out of the house. I rode my bike a lot towards the middle and end of my pregnancy, and ever since the tires went flat, I haven't touched it. I really need to go in and get those fixed...

(This is my dream bike. It's made by a company called Vanilla based out of Portland. And how weird, I love vanilla!)

On the other hand, we are out house shopping again. I hate to be picky, but I feel like I have to be a little bit. I need a good kitchen, a backyard with grass or something that I can put grass in, and 3 bedrooms. The things that we want to do should be minimal if we can find a great floor plan with little wear and tear. I'm not looking for a brand new house, but something that can be family friendly. I know that we won't live in it forever, but I would love something that we can grow in. Is that too much to ask?

Here is the one that we are going to go back and look at today. There is some potential here.

Maybe?

1. 2. 3.

(Just one picture for fun.)

Everyday my respect for moms grows greater and greater.

I am not sure if it is school, work, or just having a lot to do, but lately I have been feeling like there are not enough hours in the day. I am sure that 99% of mothers would say that they feel the exact same way, but I didn't always use to feel like this. I thought that when Bean was first born that I had a good handle on things. Keep in mind, she slept for 18 hours a day. Now we have a mobile baby, and getting things done are not that easy. Every day I have to make a list. Sometimes it gets done, sometimes it doesn't. I just have to tell myself that I can't do everything; I need help, or that it is going to have to wait until tomorrow. Realizing that I am not the mom with the perfect house, or the clean car is just the beginning. I sometimes would rather spend quality time with Bean than put the dishes away. Rearranging my priorities is what a parent is being all about.

I have to admit, it has been hard to let go. Before I got pregnant, our apartment was pristine. Then we had a baby, but I still kept it up. Then came our house. What was I thinking wanting to rent a tri-level? (I must have been sleep deprived.) I am working on understanding and accepting the fact that I can't possibly do everything in one day. There is always tomorrow...

Talent Show.

This evening was hilarious.

Josh's sisters were helping out at a youth benefit dinner at their church. There was a served dinner, desert and a talent show. What I thought was going to be a normal evening became one of the funniest "mommy" nights ever. Bean was her usual self throughout dinner, quiet (while being fed) and very pleasant to strangers and the not-so-strangers. In the last few days, my little girl has made the connection that when her hands clap together adults go crazy for it. Every time someone says, "YAY!" she goes crazy. She knows what she is doing and is very proud of herself.

The Johnson household is a musical household. I usually always have the iPod on shuffle, creating many a sound for Bean to get used to. We played lots of music when I was pregnant with her and continue to do so. Josh plays in a band (for recreational reasons and on the weekends for a living) so she has gotten used to the noise of electric guitars, drums and so forth. She never seems to have a problem with loud noise. She loves the vacuum and like all other babies, banging stuff together. Tonight, as soon as the first act got on stage (my sister-in-law Courtney) and started singing, Bean went NUTS. She was screaming and clapping her hands. It was almost as if she was the one that wanted to be on stage. Everyone around us was laughing hysterically, watching her every move. She would shriek and clap and shriek and clap, all the while looking back at Josh and I to make sure that we were reacting appropriately. She did this for the entire show. She LOVED it. I had tears rolling down my face. I couldn't be more pleased with this little girl, she is such a light in our lives every single day.

I feel so incredibly blessed.

Today I watched The Business of Being Born with my very pregnant friend Shanda. She is due any day now, and it got us talking...

Shanda is having a home birth. Now to me, this is a completely normal thing. It seems more rational to me to have a home birth instead of a hospital birth. She feels completely confident in her choice, as do I. I, along with other select members of her family get the honor of being present. (I am SO excited by the way!) We sat together and watched this movie and had a few things to say.

While I had a plan for a normal, natural birth I ended up having 2 cesarean sections. With Cameron, it was an absolute emergency. I had toxemia, the latter form of preeclampsia. My organ systems were shutting down, rejecting him like he was a foreign object. Violet was breech. She was folded in a V and her hip and butt were coming out first. Although I labored up until 10cm for 26 hours, she was taken by C-Section. Neither of them could have been born vaginally. I was put to sleep the first time and did not see Cameron for the longest time. This took away much of the initial first bond that a mother and a child create right after they are born. With Violet, having to be stitched and stapled up also took away precious bonding time. It was much different with her than it was with him, but I still felt like my birth experience had been taken from me.

I was much more educated the second time around than I was the first. I am so glad that I had the opportunity to learn from and experience labor. I feel privileged that I was able to labor, even if that's all. I wish more women knew their options, what was available to them. If you haven't seen the film, I highly recommend it. It has me riled up as it always does when I watch it.

All in all, I had two healthy babies, but I can't help but wonder what my long-term consequences will be. What is the best choice?

LOVE.

I really have been having a good time shopping for pretty little things to go in my new home. Although the house that we thought was going to be ours cannot be ours, I can still keep shopping right? There will be a home, and I know that I will make it beautiful. Here are some of my findings.

Loving these two printed light sconces from Thomas Paul. His designs are INCREDIBLE and I would have every single one of them in my home, but wouldn't these look great in a hallway or bathroom??

I was picturing something like Light Up! Meridian Pendant Lamp hanging in my dining room. Just so simple!

I also love how mismatched these dessert plates from Jason Miller are. I would bake anything just to eat off of these.

And this dish set by notNuetral...so beautiful.

I am super in love with these place mats by Dwell Studio as well! (Dwell Studio is always perfect though...)

Update.

So we had our scheduled inspection this morning. It didn't go so well.

The foundation of the house is sinking. The way that the rain runs off of the roof from the house and the house next door has eroded the foundation completely. We are disappointed but it is better to know now. We know that we will find a great house, somewhere that will work better for us! So here we go, back at square one again.

Home.

We put down the earnest deposit today. The house is officially under contract.

Let escrow begin!

Thrifty.

I love great thrift store finds. I bought this dress for Bean even before she was born. Now that it (almost) fits, I couldn't help myself today. Beautiful weather and a beautiful baby!

Adjustments.

My baby girl has learned how to stand up in her crib. It caught me by alarm the other night. Josh was out of town playing a retreat, and when he is home, he usually goes upstairs and brings her to me when she wakes up. I walked into her room (half awake, mind you) and there she was just standing there staring straight at me. It scared me for a second because I thought in my head, "Violet can't do that, who do those pair of eyes belong to?" I picked her up and brought her downstairs with me. The next night the same thing happened. And it's been every waking moment since. She wakes up, turns over and grabs those crib bars!

It was a strange moment lowering her mattress the other day. Josh and I talked about how big she has gotten. I thought about her when she first came home and how tiny she looked in comparison to her big bed. Although she is small for her age, she is doing so many new things! Crawling, self-feeding, wanting to be independent...it's incredible. I love that I get the chance to watch and encourage all of her new changes.

Etsy Finds.

(Vintage Dictionary Art Print by Little Blue Bird Studios)

(French Rose Pillow by DeDeetsys)

(I Heart My Bike Print by CantonBoxCompany)

(Taylor Earring by Tom Design)

(Pleated Wristlet Clutch by Clutterbags)

Sorry these were a day late this week! I have been so inspired by the color yellow. I love how it brings spring color into an outfit or a room! I hope you enjoy!

!

We put the house under contract!

If everything with our loan goes okay, it will be ours in 30-45 days!

Violet decided this weekend that she wanted to start crawling. Just like with sitting up by herself, it was a choice that she made out of nowhere. Of course we had to bribe her with food, but none the less, we added another milestone to the list.

Pictures soon to follow!