A Little Isabelle in Mark’s Life

Mark loves to name the family member in several pictures that hang in our stairwell. He typically babbles, “Mommy, Daddy, Mark, A-belle” with a huge grin on his face while pointing to each person in the picture. “A-belle” is his... Continue reading →

The Strength of a Mother

Mark began the week abruptly with a messy diaper, wet pajamas, and a full-blown tantrum. I sat straight up in bed rubbing the sleep off my eyes as I stared at the clock. Of course he wanted to wake up... Continue reading →

Children’s Book Review: “Thank You, God”

I periodically see “#firstworldproblem” floating around social media. Typically the author is stating some problem that would seem ridiculously unimportant and trivial in a third-world country. For example, one person wrote in frustration that they forgot to charge their Apple... Continue reading →

Garage Sales and a Stranger’s Legacy

I love garage sales and thrift stores. The challenge of finding a good deal or repurposing something old is a fun hobby that I acquired from a roommate after college. One of my favorite finds was a set of Farberware... Continue reading →

The Art of Appreciation

The other day, I left Mark sitting in his little chair in front of the couch and walked into the kitchen to throw something away. When I turned around, he was sitting on the couch. We officially have a climber!... Continue reading →

Cloth Diapers 101

*This post contains affiliate links – Thank you! When I was pregnant with Isabelle, I met a cloth-diapering mommy. I had never even considered cloth diapers and thought she must be crazy for doing it.  Frankly, the idea of cleaning... Continue reading →

The Dirty Diaper

Today, Mark decided that his dirty diaper was his new favorite toy. After a diaper change, he swooped it up and “sprinted” across the room with it before we even realized what he was holding. Slightly mortified, we asked Mark... Continue reading →

A Box of Memories

As a child, one of the things I most looked forward to each Christmas was sorting through my ornament box. Each November, my dad would climb up in the attic and hand down boxes of Christmas decorations while my sister... Continue reading →

A Little Princess Wrapped in Pink

She would have had long brown curly hair like her mom and her grandmothers’ blue eyes. She would have loved to wear pink and danced around the room while watching princess movies. The image of Isabelle as a little girl... Continue reading →

Cuddle Time

Last week, our little town had a Halloween festival where all the local businesses handed out candy. Mark can’t walk and doesn’t eat candy, so we mostly played on the swings and grass. At one point, I observed a child... Continue reading →