Remi Kate's Birthday Board Inspo
Some how we blinked and our sweet girl will be ONE next month! I’m not sure how we got here so quickly. A little teary eyed that this sweet babe is growing so quickly, but every stage is so much fun. Seeing her personality explode and the bond with her brother grow is the sweetest gift.
A peek at her birthday party theme: Here Comes the Sun, Remi Kate is turning ONE!
Envisioning a whimsical and fun yet sweet and simple party. Thinking peach, marigold, mauve purple, and blush with little pops of sunshine everywhere. :)
Links to birthday board inspo:
We can’t wait to celebrate our sweet girl & we’re cherishing these last few weeks of her first year.
Read her announcement story here: Remi Kate’s Announcement
Read her birth story here: Remi Kate’s Birth Story
Thanking Jesus every day for this precious miracle girl. She is PURE JOY & just sweetest gift from the Lord!
xoxo Rachel
Remi Kate's Birth Story
The story of how our precious girl entered the world
photo by thelaurenrosecollective
The week leading up to her birth
In the days/weeks leading up to the birth of our sweet girl it was such a mix of emotions. We soaked up every minute of our time as a family of three, while also eagerly awaiting the arrival of Remi.
With Ollie my water broke on it’s own at 38 weeks, so I wasn’t sure what to expect this time around. Would she come early too or would she be nice and cozy in there? Would she come on her own or would my body need a little boost? Would labor go fast or slow? Would we get Ollie where he needed to be and get to the hospital in time? So many questions played on repeat in my head every single day. ;)
For a few different reasons, we decided to schedule an induction at 39.5 weeks. We prayed labor would begin naturally before then but if not that God would help the induction process go smoothly when the time came.
The weekend before her arrival, sweet friends of ours came to visit and we finished up the fence in the backyard. We took Ollie to the pool. We went to a graduation party. Made a quick trip to the lake. Grabbed Culver’s and made it a picnic dinner. Played at the park. We tried to make the last few days fun for our sweet boy and being spontaneous while we still could. ;)
Induction Night
We were scheduled to check into the hospital at 7:45pm Tuesday night. Friends of ours from Tennessee face-timed to pray over us before we left for the hospital. My parents arrived to stay with Ollie. We squeezed him tight and told him how much we loved him. This was the first time he had stayed overnight away from mommy & daddy and I’m not sure who had a harder time with it. 😉
We headed to the hospital, chatting the whole way there and couldn’t believe it was really time to meet our sweet girl. Her pregnancy flew by. As we pulled into the hospital parking lot, we reminisced on how it felt like we were just there for Ollie’s birth.
We checked in and settled in to our room and met our nurses. When they hooked up the monitors, I was actually having contractions about 5-7 minutes apart but they weren’t super strong or doing much yet. They started the first induction method around 9pm that night and around midnight we finally tried to get a little bit of sleep.
I had contractions on and off all night but they still didn’t seem to be super consistent.
Wednesday Morning
Around 8am they came to check me and I was still around 2cm and hadn’t made much progress so they started a second induction method. I bounced on the exercise ball, walked around, we ate some breakfast, watched some HGTV and contractions started to pick up by this point.
Around 10am I told Ry I was ready for the epidural & by 11am they had the epidural in. I was around 5cm at this point and was encouraged that at least there was progress.
We tried to relax and rest throughout the afternoon but it seemed to drag on and on and on. 😉 We tried the peanut ball, rotating positions, breaking my water, etc. but each time they checked, I was still at 5cm…I was feeling more and more discouraged as the hours passed. Around 5pm my doctor came in and we decided to start pitocin.
At this point I was in tears and feeling so discouraged. I looked up at Riley and told him through tears that I felt like this baby was never going to come out. ;) My heart was missing Ollie big time and it felt like time was crawling being away from him but with no baby in our arms yet.
Wednesday Night
6:00pm
Somewhere around 6pm I FaceTimed my sister to update her and just told her down I was feeling at this point. She’s a nurse and has worked in labor and delivery, and offered so many sweet words of encouragement from a nurse’s standpoint and just as a sister too. We started laughing and reminiscing and for the first time since arriving at the hospital, time seemed to pass quickly.
6:45pm
Around 6:45pm we hung up and she said to FaceTime again later if I was bored to help pass the time. Riley had just updated the rest of our family and friends & we were going to try and rest for a bit.
We talked about what time we thought she’d arrive. On the way to the hospital, I had said “I just hope she’s here by 8pm tomorrow night” but that was looking pretty slim at this point. The last they had checked, I was still at 5-6cm still & I had no idea what pushing would look like this time around - I pushed for hours with Ollie. At this rate, I was guessing it would be around 6am the following morning before we’d get to meet our sweet girl.
Here’s where things get wild and turn into a blur…
7:00pm
15 minutes later I asked Ry to check her heart rate on the monitor because she was moving around like crazy and it was so uncomfortable. Her heart rate had jumped up to 190bpm. This happened with Ollie too when we started pitocin and they ended up having to turn it off with him.
Suddenly she stopped moving completely and Riley’s eyes got huge. I asked him what was happening and he said her heart rate had dropped to 40bpm.
Three nurses came running in and I was so scared. Tears filled my eyes, was our baby girl going to be okay? Was this going to end up as an emergency c-section? So many thoughts raced through my mind in a matter of seconds.
The nurses helped me turn over into a new position and her heart rate started to come back up, but they warned me that if her heart rate started to dip again, we would have to stop the pitocin. Tears filled my eyes again, and discouragement started to creep in. It felt like we were already at the point of
”last resort” using pitocin, and things still didn’t seem to be moving along (or so we thought).
Seeing my discouragement, my nurse offered to check me again before we did anything else…
Not more than a few seconds later she said “OH MY GOODNESS YOU ARE TEN CENTIMETERS & FULLY EFFACED! THIS BABY IS COMING NOW!” as she hollered for another nurse to call the doctor in.
I looked up at Riley started SOBBING tears of joy and relief. One of the sweet nurses asked if I was doing okay and I just remember saying through the tears “I’m just so happy. I’m so happy that this moment is finally here.” The wait was over. Our baby girl was coming. She was going to be okay. I was going to get to deliver her. Praise Jesus!!!
Within a few minutes our room was filled with doctors and nurses, they rolled the little warmer and bassinet in and I was just in awe that this was actually happening.
My doctor said “okay let’s do a practice push!” Riley grabbed my hand and I started pushing…until I heard my doctor say “oh my goodness mama!!! hold on, her head is coming out!” and in one push…our Remi Kate entered the world at 7:27pm…just before 8pm. God is SO faithful. They laid her on my chest and I sobbed all over again, praising Jesus that our baby girl was here safely, and she was healthy. So many answered prayers.
The next few hours we felt like we were on cloud nine, truly. We were both in awe that she was here, that she was healthy, and just couldn’t stop smiling and crying tears of joy. It was the most intense thirty minutes of my entire life. Going from the scariest moment of seeing nurses run in, hearing her heartrate drop, not knowing if she was going to be okay, thinking we weren’t going to have a baby until the following morning, not knowing if her delivery would end in a c-section…to hearing the words “she’s coming now!” and delivering her into the world in one push. It was a WHIRLWIND of emotions. :)
After things had settled down a little bit and we had a chance to just soak up her newborn sweetness, we let our families know she was finally here!
My sister had mentioned earlier that I could FaceTime her again later if I was bored, so…we decided to FaceTime her…except this time we got to surprise her with her sweet goddaughter on the other side of the screen. :)
After a few hours of pure adrenaline, we settled in for the night to get a little rest. We had the absolute sweetest nurses who loved our girl so well in the nursery that night.
The following morning
Our hospital only allowed one visitor during our stay, so the following morning, my mama came to visit while Ry snuck out to spend a few hours with Ollie & my dad. We watched HGTV, sipped iced coffee, she snuggled sweet Remi, and just sat in awe that she was really here.
We decided to stay one more night to rest up a bit more before life as a family of four began. Our sweet Remi was the only baby in the labor and delivery wing that night and was loved on yet again by so many sweet nurses. We put together a little gift basket for them as a small thank you for taking the best care of us.
Going Home
We were so eager to get home to squeeze Ollie the following morning and introduce Remi to everyone.
We were welcomed home with the sweetest sidewalk chalk notes, pink flowers on the front porch, lunch ready in the crockpot, and a clean home. So so grateful for my parents for taking such good care of Ollie while we were away and all that they did to make the transition home so special.
We had no idea how Ollie would react to a new baby. We prayed for months that the transition would be smooth and for his little heart to adjust. God showed up yet again and Ollie surprised us in the very best way when he wanted to hold his sister just a few hours after arriving at home. His love for her melted my mama heart to pieces (and still does). :)
Remi Kate, you are a dream come true sweet girl. We are so thankful God gave us you. From the moment we found out you were in my tummy, God has had His hand all over your story and we cannot wait to see how He uses you and your story for His glory. We love you to the moon & back times infinity sweet girl.
xoxo Mama
The Story of Our Sweet Girl
If you’ve followed along for awhile now, you know our journey to parenthood came with walking though the valley of infertility and a season of waiting. (more on our season of waiting and our journey with infertility on the “motherhood” page of the blog.) Our sweet Ollie is such a miracle, and while this baby girl’s story is so different than her brothers, she is such a miracle too! God’s hand is over every bit of both of their stories and our prayer has always been that He gets the glory. It’s an honor to share their stories with you, and I pray these stories give you encouragement and hope if you’re in a season of waiting.
Honestly, we had no idea what growing our family would look like after our journey with Ollie. We had no idea if more biological babies was in our future, or if God had other plans, but we held it all with open hands. When we started talking about the idea of growing our family. If I’m being honest, I wasn’t sure I was ready to start “trying” again. I wasn’t sure I was ready for the months of disappointment, the stress of tracking everything, the rollercoaster of hope and heartache month after month.
We prayed over the idea of growing our family and as God nudged our hearts, we held it all with open hands. If growing our family was what God had for us, we would gladly welcome all the babies, and if it wasn’t our season yet, we’d be content as a family of three continually thanking him for our sweet boy!
Fast forward a few weeks, and it was almost my sister’s wedding. I told Ry “I better take a pregnancy just in case…but don’t get your hopes up”. ;) Monday morning, the week of her wedding, a took a pregnancy test, and two undeniable little pink lines popped up. I was IN SHOCK. We had tried for so long for our sweet Ollie and this sweet baby felt like she was just handed to us. A undeserved gift of grace. A sweet story of redemption.
I walked down the hallway to the living room and handed the test to my husband in disbelief. We both just laughed and teared up with happy tears. We watched Ollie run across the living room and asked him if he was ready to be a big brother. It all felt so surreal and honestly still does. We can’t believe we get to raise these two precious little ones. Forever praising Jesus for His plans being SO much better than our own. For the sweetest redemption story. For our precious baby girl.
Friend, if you’re in a season of waiting, I’m praying for you. I’m hoping for you. I’m believing in a miracle for you. Our God is a good good father, in the valleys and on the mountaintops. I pray our story brings you hope!
The blog is BACK!
I am SO excited to share that the blog is back friends!! This “little refresh” turned into quite the labor of love but it was so worth it! I have missed having this space to share and connect with you all.
I’m still working on a few fun things behind the scenes to serve you all better through this space so stay tuned for fun updates over the next few months! In the meantime, I hope you get to grab a cup of coffee, browse around, and leave feeling encouraged sweet friend!
If you’re on instagram, I’d love to connect with you there too! I’ll share blog updates there along with little bits of our daily life. :)
Hospital Packing List
Nursing Tanks // No Scratch Mittens // Lou Lou Knotted Gown // Swaddle Blankets // Kindle // Hair Scrunchies // Diffuser // Native Deodorant // Button Down Jammies // Satin Mint Facial Scrub // Slippers // Mama Nipple Balm // Backpack Diaper Bag
It feels SO crazy to finally be writing a blogpost again after what was suppose to be a quick “blog refresh” ended up taking 5+ months…whoops :) BUT the blog is back!!! Just in time to share all the baby related things in preparation for baby girl’s arrival in just a few weeks!
As I’m getting our hospital bags packed, I thought I’d share what I’m bringing along. :) Everyone’s preferences are so different when it comes to what they like to have on hand/bring along, this is just my own personal preference! I’ll link as many things as I can to make it easy for you all. :)
F O R M A M A
Comfy Jammies // I’m packing a couple sets of the Stars Above Jammies from Target - super soft and cozy, the buttons make it so easy for nursing and skin to skin, and they’re under $30 for a set of tops and bottoms. :)
Robe // With Ollie, the hospital had a super cozy waffle knit robe that I basically lived in the whole time we were there. ;) I found a similar one at TJ Maxx and packed that this time to wear.
Nursing Tanks // My best friend from high school recommended these and they are WAY better than the nursing tanks I ordered with Ollie - the ones I had with him were like wearing spanx and I felt like I couldn’t breathe ;) These are so comfy and will be perfect for throwing under cardigans or shirts this summer!
Nursing Bras // Between two pregnancies, postpartum, and 14 months of nursing a little one, it’s safe to say I’ve worn nursing bras far more than I’ve worn a regular bra over the past three years. :) I love these Auden nursing bras from Target and this three pack from Amazon.
Diffuser + Oils // So thankful for all the ways oils can support our bodies! I’ll share a list of my favorites for pregnancy + labor and delivery + postpartum soon. I have a whole blog page here dedicated to all things oils. :) I love the simple design of this diffuser!
Socks + Slippers
Water Bottle with Straw // loving the “Bink Made” Mama Bottle - It’s huge, the silicone straw makes it so easy to sip on, and it even has little markings on the side as a reminder of how much water you should be drinking each day.
Chapstick // Young Living’s grapefruit or vanillamint are my favorites.
Hair ties + scrunchies // A cute scrunchie always makes my messy mom bun feel a little more put together. ;)
Snacks + Ningxia Packets // Our hospital was so great about keeping us fed and our little mini fridge stocked full of our favorite drinks. With having food allergies, I always pack a few easy snacks from home. Right now I have Fig Bars, Boom Chicka Pop, Kind Bars & Ningxia Packets packed.
Long Phone Charger or extension cord
Kindle // I downloaded a few fun new reads on my kindle to stay awake during late night feedings and hopefully still get a little reading time in here and there. :)
Wallet
Going home outfit + sandals // I ordered these black joggers on amazon and have a super soft stretchy grey tee from CJLA packed. All about the comfort and stretch postpartum. ;)
Toiletries // toothbrush, toothpaste, deodorant, makeup wipes, shampoo, etc.
All the postpartum things // Frida Mom Bottle, Depends, Ice Packs, Mama Balm, Medela Soothing Gel Pads, Tucks, Nursing Pads, Claraderm Spray
F O R B A B Y
Diaper Bag // I loved the style of the Lily Jade diaper bags, but didn’t want to spend that much of our baby budget on a diaper bag. ;) I found this one on Amazon that looks like a similar style and the quality seems so good! I’ll let you know how it holds up as we use it more. :)
Copper Pearl Swaddle Blankets + Bows // favorite soft, stretchy swaddles. we used and loved these with Ollie and grabbed a few more with some sweet girly patterns.
Muslin swaddle blankets
Burp Cloths // Obsessed with these burp cloths! They’re huge (they’ll actually cover your whole shoulder), super soft, and under $15 for a 6 pack. When it comes to burp cloths, sleepers, and swaddle blankets, I feel like there’s no such thing as too many. ;)
Knotted gowns // I’m excited to try these this time around! We never had these with Ollie, but I think they’ll make diaper changes a breeze. :) I ordered one from Lou Lou & Company and one from Caden Lane and they were both sooooo soft!
Sleepers
Onesies
Coming home outfit // This sweet little newborn set from Lou Lou & Company is soft and I loved that it had the little footies and fold over mittens too.
Booties + No scratch Mittens // I love the little footie sleepers with fold over mittens so I don’t have to worry about trying to keep little booties and mittens on, but I packed a pair of booties and mittens if she’s in a onesie. :) These little booties stayed on way easier than socks with Ollie. :)
Name Sign & Name Blanket for Pictures // I ordered these from Caden Lane as well - so many cute options!
Seedlings baby wash & lotion
Pacis // I like to bring two different types to see what baby prefers - Ollie loved the Mam pacis, so I picked up a pack of those again, as well as the this one on amazon that seems similar to the “bibs” pacis. We’ll see what she likes or if she likes a paci at all. :)
Carseat // We currently have the Britax B Safe Ultra - it has incredible safety ratings and has held up well, but it is super heavy and ollie didn’t always seem super comfortable in it. If I were to choose our carseat again, I’d do the Nuna Pipa Lite!
Promptly Journal // I ordered a cutesy baby book with Ollie, but ended up ordering him a promptly journal as well. I love how simple and beautiful they are and that it’s one journal from pregnancy through all of their childhood years. Such a sweet keepsake!
F O R D A D D Y
Comfy clothes
Toiletries
Phone charger
Snacks + drinks
iPad or Laptop with a few shows downloaded // hubs and I both remember watching wayyyy too many episodes of Love it or List it on the hospital tv the wee hours of the morning, so we’re downloading a few of our favorite shows ahead of time this time. ;)
Wallet / Keys
Extra Empty Bag for repacking things to go home // My sweet cousin suggested this and it was such a good idea! Perfect for throwing all the dirty clothes in a bag or packing up what the hospital sends you home with. :)
O T H E R
Nurses Gift Basket + thank you card // This was something I wanted to do when we had Ollie and I wasn’t prepared for his early arrival. ;) So I made sure we had a little basket ready ahead of time this time around! I just did a little basket with Starbucks drinks, snacks, granola bars, and little bottles of Thieves hand sanitizer. Just a little something to say thanks to our incredible nurses!
Ollie’s Big Brother gift // We’ll probably leave this at home and give this to Ollie when he meets his baby sister for the first time. :) I did a “big brother” shirt, a fun book, a little bubble blowing machine, & some special treat snacks. :)
There you have it friends! We can’t wait to meet this sweet girl in a few short weeks. :)
Toddler Fall Haul
Last year I shared a few of our favorite shops for baby boy clothes and so so many friends have been asking for another round up. So here it is! :) This years “fall haul” is a little more geared toward toddler aged kiddos since that’s what our little one is.
You can checkout last years post with sweet baby boy clothes here: last years roundup
This year, H & M was where I ordered the majority of his clothes from and I am loving them! They have the cutest neutral prints, so many soft, organic pieces, and they just feel like they should be from a premium baby boutique! But they are all so so reasonably priced.
The one tip I learned after ordering this time is to check the sizing guide as well as reading reviews on what others have shared about how each items fit. Some of pieces ran big in my opinion, while others were true to size, but reading the reviews was super helpful!
Okay let’s dive in! Sharing our favorites from H & M, Amazon, and Target with numbered links below each image to make shopping the photos as easy as possible for you friends. :)
simple ribbed onesies // 2. brown fuzzy jacket // 3. forest print set // 4. bear sweater // 5. two pack henley pants // 6. grey corduroy pants // 7. striped and bear leggings set // 8. brown slip on booties // 9. heather gray zip up // 10. navy hat // 11. two pack henley shirts // 12. brown jogger sweatpants
rust outfit set // 2. grey striped sweater // 3. denim overalls // 4. striped long sleeve tee // 5. grey knit hat // 6. milk barn organic leggings // 7. neutral sweater set // 8. olive harem pants // 9. striped tees // 10. distressed denim jeans // 11. neutral tie dye jammies // 12. hunter boots
1. rust pull on pants // 2. navy striped pullover // 3. light wash jeans // 4. oatmeal striped sweater // 5. dark wash jeans // 6. dino toddler backpack // 7. olive skinny jeans // 8. grey henley sweater // 9. camo slip on shoes // 10. olive and grey pullover // 11. cognac high top sneakers // 12. camo and grey crewneck two pack
I hope this was helpful sweet friends. These posts are always a labor of love but so much fun to put together. :) If you’re a boy mama, I hope this gives you a few ideas for fall! I’m also sharing a peek at a few of the pieces I have for Ollie for fall over on instagram in stories & I’ll save them to a highlight to reference. If you’re not following along there yet, I’d love to connect with you there. :)
Back to School Books + Literacy Tips
Happy Back to School Season friends!
This school year looks so different for everyone. Praying for all the mama’s making decisions for their little ones, teacher friends pouring into these little ones, and students heading back to school!
The teacher in me couldn’t let go of “back to school season”. ;) I love changing out our little book wall in our playroom, so I thought a “back to school” theme was the perfect fit in between our summer and fall books!
I can already tell this is going to be one of my favorite traditions each season. It’s so much fun to put this little bookshelf together & it makes it so much easier for kiddos to enjoy books when they are on display and at their level to reach for them. :) I shared a whole series of stories on instagram and saved them to a highlight with a look at our bookshelf too. :) You can hop on over to @beautifulseasonco on insta if you want to check that out! Okay, let’s dive in!
Monsters Love School // fun & silly first day of school book. they also have another one similar that I just came across, called Monsters Love Colors . :)
Future Engineer // sweet little board book about the beginning concepts of stem and how babies can be engineers too when they build with blocks or want to figure out how things work.
Kindness Rules // LOVE this one. we have a few of this author’s books and they all have such fun illustrations with heartfelt messages throughout each book.
Llamaste & Friends // a little board book on mindfulness and yoga exercises for little ones.
Not a Box // a fun book that encourages creativity and all the things a box could be!
Alfie & Bet’s ABC’s // the cutest little alphabet book with pop out letters on each page.
Rosie Revere Engineer // great for kiddos young or old! I loved that we got to teach our preschoolers that they were engineers and challenged them to think outside the box. Kiddos are SO creative & so capable when we encourage and empower them!
Tomorrow I’ll be Kind // gosh, I love this one so much! & the Brave version I have linked below too. Such a great read with your little ones about all the things we strive to be, but also filled with so much grace. We read this one over and over.
This is Owl // a fun, interactive read where kiddos get to “tap the page” or “shake the book” and find out what happens. :)
Counting Through the Bible // one of the books we recently got from Daily Grace Co. and such a sweet little read introducing numbers within different bible stories. For example, “2 by 2 into the ark”. :) I actually just ordered a couple more of these for baby gifts!
Dream Big, Little One // this one looks like it’s out of stock right now, but here’s a few other fun options that are similar - Think Big Little One & Little Dreamers
Please, Mr. Panda // a little board book on manners…and donuts. :)
13. The Crayons Book of Numbers // If you love “The Day the Crayons Quit”, this is another fun book from that series. This one is a board book, perfect for littles!
14. Too Many Questions // the cutest book for curious kiddos who like to ask alllll the questions. This one was perfect in preschool. :)
15. Brown Bear, Brown Bear What do you See? // A classic favorite! We have the original board book, the baby bear version, and also have this fun sliding version that Ollie loves. Kiddos love repetitive books and it’s such a great way to get them interested in reading and also encourage their confidence in reading as they begin to be able to retell the story and “read” it on their own.
16. Lllama Llama loves to read // a fun book about letters, sounds, and learning to read in a way that’s relatable to kiddos! There’s so many Llama Llama books and it’s always fun when they start to recognize books by the same author / series.
17. Friendshape // a cute book full of puns on shapes and friendships.
18. Tomorrow I’ll be Brave // this would be such a perfect read for the night before school starts! I shared above just how much I love this series. So great for talking about emotions, feelings, and encouraging positive interactions with others. & as if I didn’t love it enough already, the illustrations are so beautiful!
19. Dear Boy // the sweetest book filled with so many life lessons, encouraging little ones to be themselves, to be honest, to be kind, and to be compassionate. There’s also a Dear Girl version too!
20. Steam Train, Dream Train Colors // a little board book with simple rhymes and colors.
21. Baby Bear, Baby Bear, What do you See? // another fun repetitive rhyming book for little ones from the Brown Bear series.
22. Secrets of the Apple Tree // from the “Shine a Light” series - put a flashlight behind the pages to reveal secret pictures - so fun! I always loved introducing apples as a theme to study to lead into fall before we went into pumpkins.
23. Let’s Play! // another fun interactive book where kiddos get to “tap the page” or “shake the book” they always love these. :) this one is all about colors!
24. Sweeter than the Sweetest Honey // another book book from Daily Grace Co. that introduces the goodness of God’s Word and the Bible, love love love!
I just pulled a few books that felt like a “back to school” theme to me, so there’s a few books on colors, numbers, sharing, shapes, being brave, etc. :) A little bit of everything! ;)
I shared all the details on instagram and will save it to a highlight too, but wanted to link all the books here for you all to make it easy peasy to shop! I’ll also link our bookshelves on the wall & our virtual bookshop to some of these fun books. :)
Linking our book shelves here. I ordered two sets and did the 24inch length, but there’s different options/lengths to choose from!
I’ve gotten a few questions on whether or not I sell Usborne books & I’ve been meaning to answer that question. Yes & No depending on what you’re looking for. ;) Short answer…YES we do have a link to shop all the fun books & I’ll link it below. Whenever I share something on the blog, it has to be something we absolutely love AND easily accessible for you all to shop…because we all have enough going on day to day and I want this space to be fun and simple for you! So having a bookshop link is an easy to way to share all of our favorite interactive Usborne books. We LOVE these books. They’ve held up SO well with daily love from preschoolers in my classroom over the past four years and now we love them just as much, if not more, with Ollie at home. :)
With that said, I don’t do “book parties” because mama can only do so much in a season and sharing ALL kinds of books here on the blog with seasonal book roundups just feels like a more natural fit for me. But I have a bunch of amazing friends I’d be happy to hook you up with who do the book biz if doing a virtual book party is something you’re interested in!
If you’re just looking to shop the books with no pressure, or just need a friend to chat ideas with on which books to choose, I’d be happy to share our favorites & love chatting all things books. :)
You can shop alllll the Usborne books here!
Before we wrap up this post, I just wanted to leave you with a little encouragement friends. You don’t have to have a perfectly curated bookshelf, or the cutest books, or spend tons of money to raise a great little reader. Kiddos just love being read to and it’s such a sweet time to bond together. As mamas, teachers, parents, caregivers, etc. we get to set the example for our kiddos. When they see us reading, they’ll be intrigued too.
Reading doesn’t have to cost a penny
Reading doesn’t have to be just books, you could read the back of a cereal box while eating breakfast. You could point out letters on the front of a magazine. You could read words on street signs as you go for a walk. Start right where you are with whatever you have! :) The library is a WONDERFUL way to bring new books into your home, to read a wide variety of books, or to find some fun new seasonal reads. Books make such great gifts for Christmas’s and birthdays too. :)
You’re doing a great job friend. I hope this encourages you and gives you even just one new idea to try or book to read together. If you read any of these books with your littles, or find new favorites you’re willing to share, tag me on instagram @beautifulseasonco and I’d LOVE to see what you’re reading with the little ones in your life. :)
Okay phew! That was a lot! :) I hope this was helpful though, and you can always save and come back to this post for new ideas! Happy reading friends!
God's Faithfulness through New Seasons
A few months ago I shared on insta the brief version of this story, but God deserves the glory for every bit of this story. So today I’m sharing all the details, the back story, and how God had his hand all over this journey for our family. :)
Photo by The Lauren Rose Collective
THE BACK STORY
New seasons & answered prayers. This year has been a whirlwind in every way possible, but goodness God has showed up in BIG ways.
Last fall God started stirring in my heart and calling me into a new season of staying at home with our sweet boy and pouring into our family and our home. At first I brushed it off telling myself I was just a new momma missing my baby while heading back to work. I’ve always dreamed of staying home with our little ones someday, but was truly excited to start teaching again after maternity leave. Teaching preschool is SO much fun and the little ones I’ve had the honor of teaching will forever have a piece of my heart. I truly love it so so much. But I couldn’t ignore the feelings in my heart that kept stirring to be home, to not miss out on this sweet season of motherhood and raising our precious boy. I shared what was on my heart with my husband and just asked him to simply start praying with me about it, and that ultimately God would be glorified and I would have the courage to be obedient to whichever direction God was leading me.
We dreamed together of what this could look like, but always thought this would be a few years down the road before this dream came to fruition.
Photo by The Lauren Rose Collective
SO WE BEGAN PRAYING
Over the next few weeks and months we continued praying over whatever this next season held. We asked close family and friends to pray too. God continued to nudge my heart in ways only He could do. Every time I began to doubt myself, He’d show up in crazy ways. One morning while driving to work, overwhelmed and torn on what to do, I pulled up the podcast app on my phone and one episode automatically started playing. The podcast itself was about simplifying your home, but the specific episode that had started playing was a former teacher sharing her story… who was currently staying home with her little ones…who had taught the same number of years as me…and had wrestled similar feelings. Okay God I hear you. ;)
Photo by The Lauren Rose Collective
Through fall and winter I wrestled so many emotions. Overwhelmed with where to put my time and energy while feeling like I was falling short at every corner. Guilty for wanting to stay home with our baby, thinking…”I’m a teacher, I get summer’s “off” and work “normal hours”, I should be happy with that! I’m blessed to have that much time with our family, that should feel like “enough” but the truth is, it didn’t. I wrestled so many nervous feelings. Staying home with Ollie would mean so many changes & so many unknowns and just all around a huge leap of faith.
Throughout these months we also battled the stomach flu, Influenza, coughs, fevers, it was just a rough winter sickness wise and felt like one thing after the other. I just felt weary. Physically drained from keeping up with four and five year olds all day, pumping during lunch breaks, up feeding a sweet babe in the middle night, and waking up to do it all over again. Emotionally drained feeling pulled in so many directions and wanting to give my best. Mentally drained from trying to discern where God was calling me. I was exhausted in every sense of the word.
DURING THESE MONTHS I CLUNG TO THIS VERSE
“My grace is sufficient for you. My power is made perfect in your weakness.” 2 Corinthians 12:9
Holding onto the fact that God is strong and He gets the glory when I am weak, made each day a little bit easier. Grateful for scripture that meets us in ALL seasons and gives us hope!
Photo by The Lauren Rose Collective
WE BEGAN WALKING BY FAITH
After praying again and again, we decided to take one small step and see. If God opened doors, we’d follow His lead. If He didn’t, we’d take that as a sign it wasn’t our season for change yet and we’d soak up the season He had us in either way.
We met with our realtor, and decided to list our sweet farmhouse for sale. We lived on an acreage and wanted to be in town within walking distance of parks, libraries, etc. with a little one. This would also give us the opportunity to downsize a little bit and give us a little cushion in our budget to say yes to whatever God was calling us to. With it being the dead of winter in the midwest, we had heard that it may not be an ideal time to sell a home…BUT GOD! He was just getting started with all of the ways He’d show up. :)
We listed our home on a Friday, it happened to be a snowstorm here. The school had called a snow day and Ry was working from home due to the weather. That Saturday the interstate was closed down and churches were delayed on Sunday morning. Despite the snow, over the weekend we had gotten calls and messages wanting to set up showings. Monday night we had back to back showings and within a few hours of the first showing, our realtor called and we had pretty much a full price offer. I’m going to cry all over again. Riley & I looked at each other laughing and crying all at once saying, “Okay God we hear you! ;) We’re following your lead!”
We accepted the offer and looked at each other and said “are we crazy?!” We had just sold our home and had no idea where we were moving.
A few weeks later, while at small group, I asked for our friends to pray we’d find a home soon and have a place to stay in the in between. One of our friends in small group said they had a cozy little air bnb that would be ready mid-late march (right when we had to be out of our home) and offered to let us rent it for a few months in between. Yet again God was blowing us away and providing in such tangible ways. He is SO good friends. In between Riley & I both coming down with Influenza, getting my wisdom teeth removed, and parent teacher conferences at school, we began packing. We packed nearly all of our belongings and moved them into storage and moved into the cutest coziest barn for a few months. :)
Photo by The Lauren Rose Collective
& THEN THINGS GOT EVEN CRAZIER
Never did we imagine we’d sell our house with no idea where to go, come down with the flu, a few weeks later have surgery to get my wisdom teeth removed, pack up our house, move into a barn…and thennnnn have a global pandemic hit. I mean y’all I can’t make this up. ;)
The weekend we moved into the barn was when things got crazy and the pandemic began. They had just issued the “no gatherings of more than ten” as we had rounded up family and friends to help us move. I had just found out school was closed for the next thirty days and in a matter of one week we scrambled and collaborated and changed our whole platform for learning to connect with our kiddos virtually. It was just craziness.
A few weeks after moving into the barn, we closed on our new home, but wouldn’t move in yet for a couple months as we renovated. So now Ry & I were both working from home in the barn, taking turns keeping up with Ollie in between zoom calls and google hangout meetings, and spending every night working on renovations at the new house. ;)
A crazy season, FULL of so many blessings, but God wasn’t done showing up yet.
Photo by The Lauren Rose Collective
Finances were just one more area God showed up in the midst of this. It felt like the enemy was trying to get us down, trying to creep in with fear or doubt as we made this transition, BUT GOD, yet again, blew us away. I almost didn’t share this part because it always feels a little taboo to talk about anything financial, but I felt like I wasn’t doing this whole story justice if I left out how God showed up in this way too.
We prayed God would provide financially as we transitioned to mainly one income. I love blogging and teaching friends all about oils (@oilybabeschool) as creative outlets and it’s always a bonus blessing when those creative outlets bring in a little extra income. We just prayed God would provide in whatever ways that looked like and that we would be wise stewards of whatever He blessed us with.
In the midst of everything with the pandemic, the company my husband works for implemented a ten percent pay cut to everyone across the board. We truly are SO grateful and know that a small pay cut for a few months was NOTHING compared to those who lost jobs amidst this. We also are so thankful for God’s provision in that we had already started to saving, cutting back, just trying to be wise with our finances as we prepared to go from two incomes to one to set us up for success instead of stress in our finances.
Shortly after the pay cut, we got an envelope in the mail from the oral surgeon (I had just had wisdom teeth out the month prior, but we had asked if we could pay in full the day of the surgery and thought we had.) Ry jokingly said “so help me if this is another bill. ;) “
When we opened it up, it was a refund of a couple hundred dollars that we had somehow overpaid…ONLY GOD!
A couple days after that, we got an envelope from our mortgage company with another refund…only this one was three times as much as the last check.
Friends, I only share this to say that God is SO faithful and blows us away with His goodness when we put our trust in Him and ALLOW Him to show up instead of trying to do it all on our own.
God is SO faithful and blows us away with His goodness when we put our trust in Him and allow Him to show up instead of trying to do it all on our own.
Photo by The Lauren Rose Collective
Although it was the craziest season, I will always look back on this season and smile at the way God’s goodness was all over it. Waking up and making coffee together. All plans cancelled. Being together in the cozy barn all day, every day. Family walks together during work breaks. Bonfires at night right outside our front door. Celebrating our sweet little dude turning ONE in this little barn with cinnamon rolls and balloons and new books to read. :) Getting to see our new home become what we had envisioned and worked so hard for. It was a lot of long days and nights, but man it was a sweet sweet season.
It was a taste of what this new season could look like with so much more family time. It cleared the calendar of nights and weekends giving us time to work on all the house projects at the new house. It allowed us to slow down with the whole world and just breathe for a moment. We made time for rest in the midst of all the hard work. We did puzzles. We binge watched a show together late at night for the first time ever. ;) We cozied up by the fireplace each night reading books to Ollie. Gosh there was so much sweetness in this crazy full season!
We began to move things into our new home. I packed up my classroom and wrapped up the school year with my sweet kiddos. So many changes, and such a bittersweet feeling, but God’s goodness was over every bit of it.
Photo by The Lauren Rose Collective
So here’s to new seasons and continually trusting God’s plans over our own. We’re figuring out new rhythms over here, grateful for every minute of it and can’t wait to take you all along into this next season.
I pray this story encourages you to keep leaning in, to keep trusting God, and to take the leaps of faith He’s calling you too, whatever that may look like in your season.
This blog began when my season of life looked like balancing college classes and part time jobs and spending every single night with great friends as roommates. There’s been seasons of transitions, starting new jobs, marriage, walking through infertility, our miracle baby, motherhood, and now this sweet new season of being home. I’m so grateful you’re here sweet friends. Whether you’ve followed along since the humble beginnings or you’re a new follower here, I’m truly so honored you’re here for all the seasons life brings.
Summer Book List
Hello summer reading!!!
Reading books has always been something I’ve enjoyed, but being home more over the past few months, has made us all fall even more in love with books! It’s been so fun to see Ollie start to pick up his favorite books more and more and even bring us books to read to him. Such a fun stage! I hope this post gives you a few fun ideas of books to look for at the library or add to your collection at home.
Below the images, there’s clickable links to each of the books in order - I try to keep things as easy and simple as possible for you all. :) I truly hope this is a helpful and fun resource for you! I’ll share a peek inside some of our favorites on instagram stories soon. If we’re not already friends on insta - I’d love to connect with you there too @beautifulseasonco :)
Here we go!
summer favorites part 1
Hello World Ocean // 2. Mermaid School // 3. Camping Spree with Mr. McGee // 4. All Aboard: State Parks Board Book // 5. How to Catch a Mermaid // 6. 1000 Things Under the Sea // 7. A Mermaid’s ABC’s // 8. Secrets of the Seashore // 9. The Water Princess // 10. Riverside Friends // 11. Never Touch a Shark // 12. Flippy Floppy Ocean Animals // 13. The 50 States Activity Book // 14. Pirate Jack Gets Dressed // 15. The Honeybee
summer favorites part 2
The 50 States // 2. National Parks of the USA // 3. How To // 4. Where’s the Ladybug? // 5. Build Me a Home // 6. Over and Under the Pond // 7. Let us Play I Spy: Camping // 8. Pirate Boy // 9. Lemon the Bear Goes Camping // 10. Bug Hotel // 11. Splish Splash Seahorse! // 12. That’s not my pirate.. // A few bonus books // That’s not my Mermaid // Shark Bite // This is Crab
Mama’s summer reading list
How to Raise a Reader // 2. Big Summer // 3. Beach Read // 4. Risen Motherhood // 5. Untamed // 6. Happy & You Know It // 7. The Great Alone // 8. The Giver of Stars // 9. Where the Crawdads Sing // 10. Such a Fun Age // 11. The Montessori Toddler // 12. Little Fires Everywhere
I hope this gives you some inspiration friends! :) I’d love to hear what you’re reading this summer too!
26 Hopes for Year 26
Twenty Six. Heading into year 26 of life so excited for the season ahead, a tiny bit exhausted by all the changes in the last few months, and so grateful for this beautiful life we get to live.
I feel like all goal setting I did in January has gone out the window with everything happening in the world in the midst of a pandemic and on a much smaller scale, just all of the changes we’ve had personally with moving/renting/renovating/working remotely/wrapping up the school year/etc. So…it felt like the perfect time to regroup and jot down hopes and dreams and goals for year twenty six. :)
TWENTY SIX HOPES FOR YEAR 26
Get back into the rhythm of morning quiet time.
Create a life giving & cozy home.
Soak up being a stay at home mama to Ollie.
Read more. Scroll Less.
Sip coffee.
Bring back date nights with hubs.
Drink more water.
Actually meal plan and make real meals.
Make time for the simple joys each day.
Organize our photos.
Blog consistently.
Pull out the puzzles.
Don’t forget to rest.
Read my bible.
Create an actual skincare routine (anything other than “washing” my face with a makeup wipe every night…eek)
Get outside and walk.
Simplify our things.
Read twenty six books for year twenty six.
Create more. Consume less.
Make time to do the little things that make me feel great! (Painting my nails and having my hair loosely curled always make me feel so much more energized and the tiniest bit “put together”)
Pray. Every single day.
Use my creative gifts.
Give God the glory.
Listen to where the Lord is calling me and abide in Him.
Always stay true to myself. Be Kind. Be Genuine. Radiate Joy.
Cultivate contentment & steward what God’s blessed us with.
I can’t wait to to share this next season with you friends. It’s truly an honor to have each and every one of you follow along in this little space. Thanks for being here friends!
