Friends, my apologies for the lack of posts. To say we’ve been busy, busy, busy is an understatment. With moving, traveling, health ailments, illustrations galore, big projects and even more on the horizon, our lives have been a bit hectic and so the blog has been neglected…but I think things are starting calm down. We are ready to settle into a new routine of sorts and you should be seeing a lot more of us in the upcoming weeks and months.

As I’m settling in and feel oh so nostalgic, I thought this a fine time to share these lovely photos of our old digs, taken by the talented Ashley Thalman.

I called Ashley up and asked her if she was available to take a few shots of the kids in our home…oh just about two days before we moved out. She was amazingly willing to come right over, and the result is nothing short of magic. I’m just over the moon about the spaces and moments she was able to capture.

This home is not perfect but it has great bones. The mid-century style and open space with loads of light was exactly what we wanted.

And with all the moving that we’ve done as a family it’s now easy to narrow down just what we want. And this space was the closest to what we’re looking for. It wasn’t exceptionally large but we were, for the most part, OK with that. Just add another bedroom, a bit more studio space and we were golden.

I’ve never really considered myself an overly sentimental person and am typically able to let go and move on pretty easily (mostly because I love to start fresh and re-design!). But this chapter of our lives was particularly sentimental for me and I wanted to capture all I could before embarking on another adventure. I asked Ashley to take a few shots of specific moments that I was really fond of in this house. Early morning cereal eating was just such a moment.

There’s just something about this ritual that says, “this is your time…and their time…when littles are still little and are at home with you, mixing and matching their favorite cereal each morning”.

Our kitchen and living area were right next to each other, essentially the same room really…and I loved this.

I never thought I’d be an open kitchen kind of girl (typically like to hide it away) but this format worked for me.

I’m sure the fact that we had our little girl while living here adds to the sentimentality of the place. That and the many fun toys and art projects we created together!

I had big plans for the kids room but due to time restraints, settled on painted IKEA beds and cloud stencils, which worked like a charm. I love how sometimes the unexpected, seemingly-imperfect solutions end up being utterly perfect in the end.

The kids room is also my favorite spot to play with color! (as the rest of my house is clearly more neutral).  

And story time…Reading with my kids will always be one of my favorite mom experiences. It’s one of the few times I let all the stress and outside life burdens melt away and just be in the moment with my littles.

It was also fun to have little sister in with her big brothers. Might be the first and last time all three little sardines are packed in a room together.

I actually never had the baby sleep in there over night (too afraid of over-excited brothers in the morning, etc.) but she napped there every day and the boys loved having her (and I removed the pillows, lest you are concerned).

Other moments of artwork and love were captured as well…

…making my heart full.

Another overlooked and simple routine I wanted Ashley to document was the boys brushing their teeth.

A routine that occurs when all cares for the day are put away…and a time when brothers come together for giggles and super hero recaps of the day…

And last, but not least, the backyard…a favorite of my boys for sure.

The backyard was also one of the places that we had grand plans for that never really came together in the way Jon and I had dreamed. But that didn’t stop the boys from loving every inch of it.

Jon went out and got this swing for them when we moved in and it’s been a favorite ever since. It’s crazy how much a boy can grow in two years. AJ couldn’t really even pump himself when we first moved in…

…and now he’s soaring…

And now we’re all off soaring onto to new heights and adventures…We’re currently house sitting for my in-laws while they are away in DC. We’re trying to house hunt and figure out if there is someplace we can actually put down some roots…well for at least 5 years…(I’m ready for longer than that)…but whatever the future has in store for us, we now know we want a house so loved and warm as this one was.

 

(all photos in this post were taken by Ashley Thalman Photography)