Planning Our Summer Roadtrip

With summer around the corner, Ted and I are tediously planning our summer road trip to Seattle. We will start in Altanta, Georgia and drive across the South to Palm Springs and up to our new home in Seattle. I'm gathering inspiration, tips, and everything I can learn about traveling with kids. I have an eye on Studio DIY's travel posts and especially love her #StudioDIYWallCrawl in Atlanta. Wall swoon. The picture above is of her in front of a gorgeous wall in Atlanta.

Our mid trip stopping point will be in the lovely Palm Springs! Ted's sister lives right outside of Palm Springs in Palm Dessert. We plan to visit them while still staying in Palm Springs and discovering all it's beauty. I've been on a pinning spree while discovering places to see, do, and eat along the way.

Have any suggestions for our summer road trip?!

St. John Family Session

It seems like we are on a roll of family photography sessions in St. John. Savanah, a wedding and lifestyle photographer, reached out to me about being apart of her brand video project. We were, of course, so excited to be a part of the shoot. With our crazy toddler and mellow baby, we took the passenger ferry over to St. John. She introduced us to Richelle and Eric Frank, a couple she hired to film her. (After meeting Richelle and Eric, I was able to connect them with our friends and am waiting for a super cool brand video they were able to shoot here in St. Thomas. Check out their websites and feeds, they just moved back from Paris!)

At sunset, we all set out for Trunk Bray. First of all, the beach was emptied of all tourists and locals of the day which made it all the more magical. The water was pristine and the sun setting so peacefully. Wells ran around and Savanah captured the life of a toddler while engaging a family of four. I'm usually always a fashion over function type, but after sitting in the sand, I was covered in no-see-ums and stinging! I was beyond on fire and worried Poppy was going to be covered too. In the end, regardless of bugs and crazy energetic toddler, the photos were great.  We were so happy to be apart of the day.

Happy Monday!

While Wells was at school this morning, Ted and I went to breakfast at SOS Coffee & Bar. We ordered the breakfast tacos, which are served on homemade tortillas, and a Belgium waffle. It's Monday morning, but I decided a mimosa was still a good idea. And it was, with fresh squeezed oranges.

I Am Not An Island Girl

Sitting around the table at taco night, my friend's husband reassured me, "You are not high maintenance because you miss Target or a nice normal grocery store. It is normal to want, miss, and need normal conveniences."

There will be a day in the near future, I will take a final shower and I will eventually wash away the very last grain of sand. Eventually, my clothes and belongings will not smell of the ocean and my hair will hold a curl. (Okay, that's debatable!)

In the middle of the pristine Caribbean waters, I have grown to love simplistic living. I love the ease of relationships, the carefree lifestyle, and the ability to slip flip flops on 365 days a year. I've, also, roughed up my edges while living like I'm gl-amping. Get this, bugs don't completely creep me out, anymore.

My mood reflects the sun, which is bright, cheery, happy, and shinning most of the time. I am a huge and forever fan of a continuous summer. I may miss textures and layers in my wardrobe, but my around the calendar bronzed skin looks so good that I can do without.

While I am driving more than I would like, living on a small island, it only takes me about fifteen to twenty minutes to get pretty much anywhere I need to go. Arriving at any location, I'm bound to spot at least a handful of people I know. At first this was an adjustment, but now, I can't imagine feeling lost in a crowd of strangers. Because, even strangers feel like friends here. Bumping into friend is a plus for my kids. They play freely wherever we are. It is carefree and easy.

The perfectly calm and stunning Caribbean beaches have damaged me for life. From now on, I may just be a beach snob. My toddler, too, who thinks it would be crazy to swim in water you can seen to the bottom in.

Island living, to me, is more than limited climate control, muggy mornings, fighting rodents and bugs, and constantly ridding sand from everything. It is living a full, active, joy filled, appreciative life along with a tight knit community of people looking to do the same. I could see a forever life in the islands. And, it would be filled with love, hope, joy, peace, and perseverance.

But, when I boil down my experiences, interests, personality, and life goals I realize, I am not an island girl.

While I realized I am not an island girl, I can also recognize I am no longer completely any kind of girl. While I love this life we have created on an island, I can wait to see where life brings us next, to the next adventure and the next adjustment. Places that will help mold us into better people, because, with each of our moves I see just that. We learn and grow. We give and receive. We love and let go.

I'm just a girl who loves to wander.

photo by Savanah Loftus Photography

March Reading List

After racking up a large fine of overdue books at the library, I haven't read much these last two months. Also, my iPad died a few months back too. I still have my eye on a few books for spring. Can you tell I'm a bachelor fan? I know, it is so cheesy, but I've been sucked in and find it all so fascinating. I would also like to read the Marriage of Opposites. So, hopefully, will find a way to lay my hands on some of these soon. Reading is kind of part of my zen.  

Poppy 7 Months

A few months ago, the doctor showed concern about Poppy. She low muscle tone, mainly in her shoulders. She could roll front to back and back to front. She could hold her head up. She could do everything I thought was right, but, she still saw a need for therapy. I, too, showed concerns to the doctor as Wells just from comparing what Wells was doing as a baby and what she was doing. We started with the therapist and have seen her transform. We only have been to the therapist twice. Last week, we went and I was so relieved to hear her say everything was going great and even better than great. Poppy is now ahead of the game. Music to my ears, keep it coming.

Poppy is almost crawling. She loves sitting and playing. While sitting, she leans over her side and gets into a crawl position and rocks. I'm just waiting for her to take off. I'm sure once she does, she will be gleefully exploring everything!!!

This month, I started Poppy on real food using the baby led weaning method. It has been going good for little tastes, eye and hand coordination, and texture play. She isn't really eating much rather happily exploring. We have tried avocado, broccoli, cauliflower, carrots, melon, papaya, and bananas.

Poppy has outgrown her bassinet and has been sleeping better in the crib. She is still in our room and waking up a few times here an there. Overall, she is sleeping pretty good and quickly goes back down if she stirs.

She is still happy 99% off the time and so chill. She always laughs when Wells engages her and loves to be played with. We love her giggle. The other day, we were in a store in St. John and she was talking to everyone, just happy as could be.

She loves to interact with others.

We took Poppy to St. John a few times this month. She was able to swing at the playground and even slide down the mini slide. She was smiling from ear to ear. She loves boat rides and swimming!

last two photos by Savanah Loftus Photography

Wells 2.7

I love you, mom.  

This is becoming more of a regular phrase that Wells thoughtfully expresses. He's been saying I love you for awhile; but the other day, he had asked me to help him take off his shoes upon coming home. I bent down and unbuckled his sandals. He was just staring at me. As I finished, he said "I love you, mom." It wasn't overly dramatic nor emotional, but a confident statement. I, of course, melted into a puddle of "I love you, too's".

A quick run down on everything else he currently is in love (or aka obsessed) with: firetrucks or anything fire related, chocolate, singing Jingle All the Way, ending every other song with Jingle All the way, meshing six and seven together when counting to ten (sixen, eight), running up hills, his friend Tucker, our recent quest Ellen, the beach, swimming, pretending to be a turtle in the bathtub, big trucks, cooking, washing his hands, brushing his teeth, wearing his fireman pajama's as much as he can, shoes, strawberry's, coloring, hamburgers, and Poppy!!

Poppy being a huge contender to the top of his tender affection. He loves her dearly. He has never shown any sign of dislike towards her. He wants her to be tended to even if I think she is fine. And, when I don't step in, he will. He will divert her attention with a toy or play peek a boo. He shows her books and tries to give her food (ah!). He wants cuddles constantly. We did have to work on his not making her sit up and lay down. It was a little to aggressive, but he meant Well. He finds creative ways to play with her. He will ask us to put her by him, because he is going to drive her to the store. Sometimes, they sit in the laundry basket and fly to the moon. Gosh! He loves her, I love her, I love him, She loves him. We are all dreamy boat, love-y dove-y.

We are really learning how to discipline him and learning what worms best. It is so hard, hard to find the balance of consistency and grace/mercy or just flat out getting-through-the-day. Overall, I think we are headed in the right direction.

We have been trying to teach Wells how to say Seattle. Swat-dle.

I love the art Wells brings home from school. We have a growing gallery wall of all his creations from school and stuff he does at home. He is very proud of it and loves to talk about all the different pieces. He is enjoying school and, I believe, it is the highlight to his week. He talks about school constantly and tells me how fun it is.

He remembers everything now. He wakes up in the morning recalling details of the previous day. He tells me random facts about his day at school. He answers specific questions easier. And, he is starting to pick up lines from us all the time.

All photos taken by Savanah Loftus Photography