October 12, 2010

sunday best

There's just something about getting all dressed up on a Sunday that makes me happy.

Even if we don't have any big plans for the day, I love to put Malcolm in something that has been buried in the back of his closet because it is "too nice" for normal day wear. I have found (on more than one occasion), that this kid looks like he'll fit into something one day and then is too large for it the next ... So I'm not taking any chances with all of the fall goodness I have accumulated!

As you can see, Malcolm seems to tolerate my choices pretty well. I think he knows that when he looks SUPERcute, he can get away with just about anything!


Onesie: Old Navy (gift)
Sweater vest: KRU little (thrifted for $2.00)
Pants: Faded Glory (thrifted for $1.50)
Socks: Walmart (pack of ten for $6.00)
Shoes: Faded Glory (thrifted for $3.00)

October 7, 2010

the one year photo frame

It was a shower gift, something that I hadn't registered for or even expected, but upon bringing it home, I was glad that I received it. Every baby should have a frame with room for twelve little photos, one for each month of that first year of life ...

It wouldn't be so bad for a nostalgic mother to look back at, either.

Once the then unknown baby's room was put together, I placed it on the bookcase, wondering if I'd even keep up with adding the monthly pictures. It seemed like a silly thing to do, at the time. It wouldn't actually be complete and fully presentable until an entire year had passed by! It seemed like it would take forever to fill up!

And now it's full.

Every night as I put Malcolm to bed, I can't help but gaze over at that photo frame. The changes from newborn to one month to two months and so on are staggering ... I can remember looking at that frame when he was only three months old and thinking that we had so far to go before he reached that year mark.

Time flies.


Before too long, we will have a similar frame filled with photos of him from preschool, kindergarten, first grade ...

October 5, 2010

crazy saturday

I used to say that I couldn't wait for Malcolm to start walking.

I think I've change my mind.

What starts out as a calm, peaceful moment of sitting and quietly playing with one toy ...


Quickly turns into a free-for-all of fast crawling and stair-climbing ...


Attacking mom (and her camera) ...


And then pulling up on anything within reach!


Layered shirt: Gymboree (thrifted for $4.00)
Pants: Carter's (thrifted for $1.00)
Socks: Circo (gift)

I'm really in trouble when he figures out that whole "balance" thing!

He's lucky that he is so darn cute!

October 4, 2010

whirlwind

I was so excited over how faithful I had been at updating this blog ... Even in all the hubbub of preparing for Malcolm's birthday party, I managed to get a post up for every single day of his birthday week.

Looking back, it's funny that, as I think things are falling into a nice, predictable rhythm, unforeseen events plant me squarely back at square one.

Within the span of a two weeks I was contacted about, interviewed for, accepted, and then trained for a job in which I will be able to work from home. Without saying too much (and boring you or potentially jeopardizing my new business relationship), I was hired at one of Ohio's largest virtual schools.

Yes, that's right, I will actually be continuing my career as a teacher ... But this time I will get to teach from the comfort of my living room instead of a school building!

While I'm excited at the prospect of starting something new (and I know my husband is excited at the prospect of a second income), part of me wonders if I've made the right decision. To say the whole thing was even a little bit expected would be a total lie. I seriously went from being completely content with my stay-at-home role to figuring out how things would function if I became responsible for working forty hours a week on top of it. In the couple of days that my home and work lives have merged, I can see that I've got my work cut out for me. While Malcolm is often content to "do his own thing," there are equally as many times that he wants to use his mama as a jungle gym.

As I compose this, the quote "life is what happens when you're busy making other plans" keeps popping into my mind.

If this whole situation isn't the best example of "life" you've ever heard, I don't know what is!

So often, I find myself thinking (really thinking) that I'm in control of my destiny. That it is up to me to determine what I want to do or who I want to be. While I obviously do have a say, there are so many other things that are completely out of my hands. So many things that happen whether or not I want them to.

I know that as time moves on, I will fall into a new rhythm. One that incorporates the best of both worlds. As I have mentioned before, I never imagined that I'd be a stay-at-home-mom ... Now I can't believe that I'm turning into a work-from-home-mom.

We'll see how this goes!

October 2, 2010

a boy and his dad

Is it just me, or are they already starting to look a heck of a lot like each other?