I am so ridiculously excited...

About this!
Trenton's room finally has something hanging on the walls. I think you're supposed to do that when you're expecting and filled with anticipation for your child's birth. I'm about 11 months behind. But I absolutely love these classic white frames and gorgeous photographs. (Sorry my photo of them didn't turn out so well, though!)

I'm a minimalist when it comes to two things: decorating and collecting stuff. I LOVE the feeling of giving things away. Having extra things to clean and store just weighs you down. One of my great loves in life is watching organization expert Peter Walsh de-clutter people's homes. Go go go!

And when it comes to decorating, I say less is more. If I'm not in love with something, it is not going on my walls. I'd rather have blank walls than walls filled with the wrong stuff! And if I do say so myself, our beautiful boy is the perfect image to fill our walls!


PS. This is Trenton's scowl. It cracks us up.

Our Small Life

Life here in our neighborhood is small. As all of you know, Ryan and I have shared a car since we've been married, which means that after we had Trenton, our life became wherever the stroller could take us. (Or wherever my friend Amber was going. :)

We walk over to the local grocery store a couple times a week. Trenton is buds with all the produce guys, and I chat with my friend Chaza in her checkout line.

Then there's the little Asian man who patrols the shopping plaza almost as much as Trenton and I do. He always tells Trenton that he will grow up to be like Obama, the president of the United States. "Either that or a doctor," he adds, "And I will be your patient!" Then he cracks up at himself and keeps on walking.

Then there's our neighbor, 90-year-old Mr. Elliot, who always says good morning, no matter what time of day it is. In each conversation, without fail, he tells me that I'm sacred now that I'm a mother.

Our other neighbor, Mo, always tells Trenton, "So many H's! Happy, healthy, and handsome!"

We know our mail carrier and UPS guy well.

We visit frequently with our sweet and spunky, 90-year-old nextdoor neighbor, Gladys, whom Ryan calls "Trenton's girlfriend." (Trenton is pretty much obsessed with her walker.)

One of our favorite things about being resident manager is that it gives us the excuse to know all our neighbors—all 52 of them. Sure, sometimes we know them because they're asking us for things, but a lot of the time, they're just seeing how we're doing. Managing this complex is the perfect job for us. (And I'm saying that even after a whole weekend of monitoring the sump pump to make sure sewage doesn't overflow. So that's saying something!)

Thanks for reading, and we love you all!

Sippy Cups

Did anyone have more luck with a certain brand of sippy cup than others? What brands worked for your kiddos?

Trenton and I could use some recommendations! Thank you!

Boy Meets Dirt

On Sunday our friends the Kings invited us over for dinner. We had so much fun having adult conversation while Trenton was 100 percent occupied in the back yard with the other kiddos. He doesn't quite know how to socialize with them yet, but he's obviously intrigued and follows those toddlers everywhere they go.

"Maybe this will fit in my mouth."
Is someone teething?

So maybe it was actually the adults who were 100 percent occupied, because the next thing we knew, Trenton looked like this. Oh well, every kid had to try it at least once, right?



PS. I'm totally getting a water table for our patio! Thanks for having us over, Kings!

The T Monster

After Mother's Day I took about a month's respite from being a full-out wife. I let household chores slide a little, and nightly dinners weren't a guarantee. But after my mini-hiatus, I'm ready to leave my "half-way wife" status behind and re-embrace being a full-time homemaker. To anyone who needs a little break, I highly recommend this. By the end of the month, you'll actually want to clean the bathrooms and sterilize your child's toys. (Hard to believe, I know.)

I love being a mother and wife. I can take pride in a tidy home and happy family.

Speaking of a happy family... Is my baby not the cutest ever?? My cousin and wonderful photographer, Alaina, took these photos while we were in Utah. I've been meaning to share them because I love that she captured so many of his darling little expressions!

This is how he used to feel about grass.

Right before he got his first tooth! You can totally see it coming in.

Thank you, Alaina!