Embracing the mess

I am a self-proclaimed neat freak. I like things clean. I thrive off of order and tidiness. Everything in my house has a place and try every single day to make sure things are back where they belong. I like my counter tops clean and the clothes in the hamper. I make up beds as soon as feet hit the floor, so yeah...obviously, I like things clean.

But...sometimes I feel like I'm missing out on the mess and creativity of my children. One day I know I'm going to wake up and their stuff isn't going to be all over the place. Their messes will be contained to their room where they probably will prefer to hang out. Their toys will be replaced with gadgets and gossip. This phase of life is so fleeting and I've decided to embrace the mess and enjoy my kids "leftovers".

After I drop my kids off at school each morning, I come back home to a "mostly" clean house. The breakfast dishes are put away and beds are made. But, I've made a point of keeping their "piles" and messes as they were. I've left their toys and games and cards just as they left them. And then I grab my camera and document these beautiful parts of our life. 

Sure, these photos aren't amazing or perfect, but they are our life. Our days. Our messes. And just like faces and special events, these "leftovers" are just as important to capture, I think. 

When's the last time you stepped back and EMBRACED the mess, rather than cleaning it up? Have you ever grabbed your camera and looked at those details through the lens before tidying up? If you haven't, I challenge you to do just that! Walk around your home. See the messes and piles and toys and try to capture those "leftovers" now, for soon those leftovers will be gone and replaced by something different.

Happy Thursday, friends! Thanks so much for stopping by! xo

Project 52: Catch Up III

A little Project 52 catch up today! I love this project and all of the images of my kids I've captured so far this year. It's hard to believe we are already 42 weeks into 2016. These little ones have grown SO much over the past year and having these photos is priceless. Here are weeks 35-42 of my sweet kiddos.

Scenes from the backyard

The feel of fall is finally making it's way to North Carolina and we couldn't be happier.  The grass in our backyard is finally starting to green up again and our plants are slowing blooming. We're hopeful these cooler temps decide to stick around for a while because we're ready for boots, sweaters and everything pumpkin!

The Ordinary

"Joy comes to us in ordinary moments. We risk missing out when we get too busy chasing down the extraordinary." -Brene Brown

I'm taking a photography class with one of my favorite photographers, Ginger Unzueta over at Bloom, and one of the assignments for this week is to capture 10 photos of our day.  It has been a while since I purposefully documented the "ordinary" of our day, so I didn't hesitate to pick up my camera and start snapping away.

If you have never purposefully documented the routine and ins and outs of your day, I couldn't recommend it more. There's something about looking at the "ordinary" through the lens that makes it extraordinary. It's these little moments that I never want to forget....

You, Me & the Sea

We spent the weekend at the beach doing absolutely nothing and it was truly everything we thought it could be and more. We played in the sand and waves, watched the sunset and rise each day, snuggled on a tiny couch to watch Star Wars and giggled until our bellies hurt. xo

For the love of reading

8 days people. 8 days until we track out of school for THREE WEEKS. I'm a tad bit excited if you can't tell. My kids go to year-round school, so basically every nine weeks, they get three weeks off. It's the best. Ever.

During dinner the other night, we talked about all of the things we wanted to do over our track out. I try to get my kiddos to think of things they want to do as a family, as well as try to set individual goals for themselves. It's always so funny to hear what they come up with. Here's what we've got:

Anna - weekend vacation (family); read 100 books (her personal goal - she likes to set the bar high, my friends. That's basically 33 books a week....hmmmm.).  

Drew: go to Disney World with our family (probably not happenin'); build legos (daily goal already, I think).

Our latest books from Bookroo will definitely help sweet Anna meet her goal. If you haven't heard of them, Bookroo is fun monthly book subscription for your kiddos. It's truly like Christmas when these box of books arrive. The fact that they come wrapped up like a present is probably my kids very favorite part.

So we're starting our goals eight days early this track and I'm hopeful we can do a few of those things on our list (probably not Disney World, buddy) and meet our personal goals. Keeping our fingers crossed, friends! 

Weekending

We think that every weekend should have two Saturdays...anyone else agree?

We debated going out of town for the holiday weekend, but decided to just stick around home, explore, rest, relax and just hang together. It was everything we thought it would be and more. And let's be honest - it doesn't take much to convince me to stay at home. 

Having just ONE extra day during the weekend is a total game changer. We hit up the lake, every playground within a five-mile radius, had a campout s'mores party and STILL had time to pick up the house, run some errands and do a little bit of laundry. We're giving this weekend a great big high five. Hope you and yours had an awesome weekend as well! Happy Tuesday! xo