Swept Away...

And so it happens...as a girl, you go from being your own independent (in my case crazy and not so predictable) self, with your own schedule and super high standards for how clean your house must always be, to a MOTHER, all wrapped up and carried away with the life of another little human being.  Gone are the days of after work happy hours, girls nights out that end at 2am (or later), and the oh so lovely option of sleeping in.......what is that anyway?  You are a mom!  And that is not to say that it isn't "healthy" to keep some sense of self, but when you work full-time, have a baby to feed and bathe immediately thereafter, and a house that is always in desperate need of tidying, that amazing freedom you used to have before baby doesn't come knockin' all too often!  It's exhausting just to think about squeezing in a few drinks after work between running errands (grocery shopping) on your lunch break, stopping at home quick to relieve the "nanny", throwing in a quick load of laundry before heading out, and making it home at night just in time for the late-night feeding (and possibly a messy house that the hubby certainly didn't notice)!  Whew!  Best to stay home in your yoga pants and relax!  

But my point is, you become a mother and for some, and definitely for me, I feel like I was born to be a mommy.  And Marley is just the most perfect little human being...just sweetness and smiles and so much love all rolled up in one little girl!  Maybe I am obsessed with her, maybe it's part of being a first-time mom.  But I'm happy to spend every waking moment of my free time with her and my family.  They are what is most important and dear to me in all of this world.  And I am swept away with her.........to this place where it is always sunshine-y and people are always laughing!  She is my angel baby and I can't think of anything better than her!  I am one of those mommies!  Someday she will grow away from me, she already is.  But for now, I'm holding on to every little last second of her preciousness.  

For all you mommies out there, or mommies-to-be, you need to check out this blog...

Enjoying the Small Things 

I found it through another friend and it is amazing, uplifting, encouraging.  I could go on and on and on.  Kelle Hampton is a 30 something with two small girlies at home and she is a fabulous writer and photographer.  To get an idea of what her blog is all about, read the birth story of her 2nd dauther, Miss Nella,........and have plenty of tissue ready!  It is intense and riveting and honest.  You can just feel the LOVE in her writing!  It's a MUST READ!! 

Happy Thursday to all of you! 

All Dressed Up and No Place To Go!!!

It's not a secret that I love clothes...maybe not the mainstream fashion type stuff all the time, but you know, I have my own style which is probably a little weird (or loud or funky...I'm not really sure) at times.  I guess I can't explain it...I can't say it's JCrew, because it's definitely not, hmmm....how does one define their style?  Anyway, that is not the point here!  The point I was trying to make is that my love for clothes has turned into an OBSESSION of clothes with Marley!  Yikes!  As anyone who has a daughter can attest to...it is F-U-N to shop for little girls!  I was bitten by this bug while I was still pregnant with Marley, filling her closet with lots of cute little goodies while she slept soundly in my belly!  The girl has more clothes and shoes than I do.  And let me just say that I know it's completely STUPID to buy her so much stuff.  She doesn't need it, she'd be happy playing in her diaper all day (which is usually how you'll find her), and when it comes down to it, babies just need very little to be happy and healthy...a huge wardrobe not being one of those! 

Needless to say, we have fun dressing up!  Some of the time I will dress her up just to play on a Saturday morning, because I know she has spent all week in her jammies while I'm at work.  Marley and Uncle Jess have jammie day almost everyday!  It was something that I initially hated...telling him, "You should at least get her dressed for the day."  I've grown out of that now and have come to appreciate the fact that I leave for work and Marley is snug as a bug in her pj's and when I come home, she's usually crawling around with her shirt off (shirts + babies eating = disaster), living room floor scattered with toys, PURE HAPPINESS!  And so I've let it continue!  As I type this I'm starting to worry if she'll be the kid at daycare someday that insists on eating with her shirt off...uh-oh, what have I started!!??

Ok, where was I...a tad scatter-brained tonight!  Aside from loving clothes and shoes, I love to take pictures of Marley.  They are stored everywhere.  In photo albums, online, picture frames, EVERYWHERE!  They are priceless, capturing all of those little moments that I fear I will forget someday.  Just the other night, I had watched a re-run of The Office...the episode where Jim and Pam get married and Pam tells Jim that they should remember to take mental pictures of the day of things they want to remember.  And the very next day, Marley had gotten a bit fussy (it was getting close to her bedtime) and I was listening to Cities 97 Acoustic Sunset (must have been a Sunday).  I swooped Marley up and a good song was playing...of course I can't remember it, which is why I have to take pictures, to remember things.  We slow-danced around the living room and she cuddled in, arms down in front of her (she always tucks them in by my chest), head on my shoulder, dancin'...and I got a little tear in my eye and thought, I have to make sure I remember this moment.  Just a precious minute or two, dancing in silence with my baby girl.........ahhhh, I just love her!

So here are some pictures of Marley from the last few weeks in some of our favorite stuff...most of it is handmade from girls who have shops on Etsy.  Just love Etsy.  You can find everything there!

My first TRUE obsession..............shoes!  Not just any shoes, JOYFOLIE shoes!  I'm in love with all of her stuff!  Jessica, the woman behind Joyfolie, makes the most beautiful shoes ever.  And accessories, clothing, boots, etc.  She makes most of her shoes in small batches, by hand, so nothing on her website is actually available.  They are kind of hard to get, but I've mastered it...hehe!  And I just love this picture of Marley's legs with her little shoes on! 

Here is another picture of Marley wearing one of Joyfolie's Gemma dresses.  The dresses are to die for, super comfy, and easy to layer!  We have this one, in orchid, and a slightly different version, the Cala dress, in cream.

One of my first purchases from Joyfolie was this headband...and a pair of leopard flats that are just fitting Marley now.

More Joyfolie goodies...this time, the Hansel boots (which we wear all the time)!  The dress is by one of my friend's, Jackie, who has started a facebook page to sell some of her handmade things...hair accessories, dresses/clothing for girlies, some home decor items.  She's seriously crafty and super nice!!!  Visit her facebook page, Pink Poppy, and check out all her fun stuff.  She can make custom items too!

Another great place that I LOVE to order stuff from is Forty Toes!  You can see Jenn's Etsy shop here.  Aside from being the nicest person ever, she makes the most darling things for little girls...think peasant dresses and tops and cute little skirts!  She makes them even more adorable by adding ruffles, lace, etc!  Fun and funky and sweet little things!  She also has a facebook page, Forty Toes Photography (oh yes, did I mention she's a photographer too) where from time to time she posts special little giveaways and you can even pick your own fabric for a dress or top!  Here is Marley playing around in one of Jenn's skirts!  Even cuter in person....seriously! 

Lastly, but certainly not least, hair goodies!  I have to dress up my bald babies head...so headbands it is!  And the bigger the better as far as I'm concerned!  Princy N Paris is the place to go on Etsy for uber-cute headbands and accessories for your little girl!  Prencie, the designer, will make custom items for you as well...say, to match a flower girl dress, or whatever the need may be!  I love her!  She also has a facebook page where she offers discounts and special pricing on new items...click here.  Marley has several of her pieces, but I haven't photographed her wearing all of them quite yet.  One of our favorites is the "Let Them Eat Cake" headband...shown below.  It can also be worn as a belt/sash!!

Moral of this post is........a) My obsession is out of the bag!  b) If you need a cute gift idea for a baby shower or for your own daughter/niece/granddaughter/etc, go peruse Etsy!  You will not be disappointed!  There are so many great handmade things out there that just don't compare to what you find in the stores!  And you certainly don't have to spend a lot of money!  Most everything is pretty reasonable!

I'm off to bed!  Still feeling sick and we are headed up north this weekend.  One more cabin weekend for Marley and Grandma K to hang out prior to us leaving for Mexico.  We'll be on our way on February 13th!  27 days away, not that I'm counting (wink, wink)!

And here's what started it all...this little girl has me wrapped around her finger and has since Day 1!  Marley's Happy Birthday week, as we call it in our house, is coming to an end!  And a good week it was!  I'm hoping to post a few videos of her tomorrow...walking, walking, walking!  She is just so curious and in to everything!

Goodnight moon and everyone else!
Stevie :)

Happy Birthday Miss Marley Jean!!!!

One year has passed so quickly...last year at this time, I was preparing myself for our scheduled c-section.  Nervous as could be about the birth of our daughter.  Feeling sad that she would no longer be in my tummy, but feeling so happy to have the chance to meet this little person who had already captured my heart!  One year later and I still melt at the thought of her!  We are so blessed...not even lucky, but just plain blessed by someone up above, to have this precious little girl in our lives.  I did not know my heart could hold so much love!  The never-ending, unwavering, everlasting, selfish, would do anything for you, kind of love!

 For those of you interested in checking out all of the pictures from Miss Marley's 1st Birthday Party, you can click here

So my dear Miss Marley Jean........please know today and always how very much I love you (and your daddy too)!  I am so proud of the sassy, curious, silly, comedic, cuddly, and boisterous girl you are becoming!  You are absolutely perfect just the way you are!  Thank you for filling our hearts and home with so much love and happiness!  Our life is full with you in it!  Have a very Happy Birthday my baby girl!  Mommy loves you more than you will EVER know!

XOXO!!

Hello 2011...

What a year it has been...the best year EVER in my book!  I was so ready to be a mommy and I honestly can say that I'm in the perfect place.  My heart is overflowing with LOVE, so much love, for our little Miss Marley.  She is a complete joy and lights up even the dreariest of days!  I know our journey through parenthood is only beginning...and we have much to learn, but adding Marley to our family this year has made us feel complete!  She is something to look forward to each and every day, a smiley face in the too early morning hours, a bubbly baby full of energy all day, and a sweet, cuddly girl at night!  We couldn't be happier!  

Marley's newest shenanigans...
1.  Walking!
2.  Waving bye-bye and clapping (she really hadn't mastered this until now)
3.  Talking, talking, talking...she says da-da, ma-ma, pu-pee (puppy), si-sa (Sasha), us-ahhht (what's that), uh-oh, ummmmm (yum), and hi!!!
4.  Drinking whole milk out of a sippy cup during the day!  We eliminated the daytime bottles and are down to nursing 2 times per day, at bedtime and in the morning.
5.  She holds the phone, think forearm to your ear, and say's "hi"!!!  Great...I'll probably have to get a cell phone for her when she's like 10 at the rate this world is going!

 This will be a busy year for our family, I am sure!  We are looking forward to 2011...vacations are planned, one to Mexico in February, and another to Florida in late October.  We wanted to take Marley to the beach before she turns 2...might as well take advantage of the "fly for free" rule while we can!  Travis turns 30 this year in May and I'd assume we will spend lots of time at the cabin this summer!

Now that we have a family (not like we weren't a family before, but now that we have a child) we've re-evaluated some of our future plans...2011 will be the year of our 2nd story addition!  We've wanted to build a 2nd story on our house for quite some time, but space was never an issue with just the two of us.  Now, we realize we need more space....more space, more space!  And we've got a game plan for accomplishing this addition in 2011.  Yahoo!  The 2nd level would be home to our MASTER BEDROOM...OMG!!!  A walk-in closet....even bigger OMG!  An office for Travis, as he'll need to get a bit more serious about helping his dad run the business :)  A gorgeous master bath...think huge walk-in shower, double vanity's, the works!  And a little room connected to the office, maybe by beautiful french doors, that can be used as a nursery for more Severson babies in the future!  Ahhh...we've been dreaming about this for so long, and no doubt the project (mainly the finishing) will take quite some time, but it is nice to think that we can have it underway!  So...priorities, priorities!  We'll be tightening up on everything so that we can make this happen, as we realize more and more we spend all of our free time at home!  And we will continue to do the same as our family grows!  Might as well make our house the place to be!

Happy 2011 to all of you...my friends and family that read this blog.  I don't think it's many, but I write more for myself!  It's kind of like journaling, no?!  May you and your families be BLESSED this New Year and always!

XOXO-
Stevie

Publish Post

I HEART CHRISTMAS!

Here and gone already!  I can hardly believe that Christmas is over.  Time to start thinking about taking down all of my holiday decor, packing it up for next year, and sorting through the mass of toys Marley got from relatives!!

We had a very good Christmas!  Lots of time to catch up with family, good food, a bit of time off of work...what more could you ask for.  Not to mention, at this time of year in particular, we were able to reflect on how blessed we are.  We have each other, a roof over our heads, a healthy baby girl (who is walking...yipee), and so much more to be thankful for!  Thank God!


I'm not going to post a million pictures of our Christmas, but here is the link to our "Marley's 1st Christmas" album on my facebook page:


http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=2094967&id=1457780313&l=2d3502299f


Feel free to check out the photos we took of Marley and family in December!  In our house, there really is no resting until after Marley's birthday!  Preparations have been made and I just need to finish a few party details!  Marley's Minnie Mouse themed birthday party is set for January 9th...brunch at our house!  I'm so excited!


Wishing you and yours a happy & healthy 2011!!!


XOXO-
Stevie

My Favorite Time of Year!!

This is definitely it...my absolute favorite time of year, though the hustle and bustle gets a tad exhausting.  I LOVE Christmas!  I love that people are (for the most part) full of holiday spirit!  I love the tree, the decorations all over the house, the cookies, the holiday parties, AND the snowstorms!  Each year, as we bring all of our Christmas decor up from the basement, I find myself smiling at all the ornaments we've collected from different places throughout the years.  The snowmen from our first year dating up at the cabin, the REALLY cool Santa Snowman head from Brenna (she got if for me when she was in New York), the black lab reindeer with presents on it's back, which was Sasha's first Christmas ornament, the photo ornament from our wedding, and the snowman holding a big letter M, which was the ornament we bought for Marley last Christmas when she was still in my tummy!  So many fun memories!!  This year, we've added two new ornaments to the collection...one of a black lab hanging in a stocking (sooooo cute) and one of a Christmas cupcake, Marley's very first ornament for her very 1st Christmas!  I'm beyond excited to share my love of Christmas with her this year!!!!!  We've already been dancing to holiday music each night, we've baked our first batch of chocolate chip cookies together, and I gave her a tiny taste of the dough...hey, I know that's a no-no, but live a little!!!  She was so happy!!  Here is a picture of our tree!  Oh, how I love it and how it makes my house smell!!

 Marley's Tree

Besides all this Christmas craziness, Marley is keeping us busier than ever.  She is zooming all over the place and really getting the hang of walking...at least two steps or so at a time.  There are still plenty of falls, and sometimes I wonder if we'll ever have a day without her bumping her noggin on something!  It makes me feel so bad to see those little bruises on her head, but I know it comes with the territory!  She's a daredevil and has no fear, that's for sure.  Marley has yet to show the least bit of shyness around new or unfamiliar faces!  She loves to show off all her tricks for new people and is always laughing, well...unless she sees food and then she does her little nose snort face.  Can you say Miss Piggy?!  This girl is going to eat me out of house and home!

First few steps...

Showing off her top teeth!

Travis and I have been living in this whirlwind of activity for a few months now and are looking forward to things slowing down a bit in January!  Between weddings, Thanksgiving, holiday & retirement parties, and Christmas...we've been swamped.  He's been working a lot of late nights and extra hours with Tom (his dad) recovering from hip surgery up north.  And now we're in crunch time in terms of finishing up our holiday shopping and getting ready to head to the cabin on Wednesday the 22nd.  We'll be spending Christmas Eve in Fifty Lakes, but will drive home on the 24th.  Our plan is to get home before Marley's bedtime so we can make cookies to leave out for Santa, and then in the morning we'll open our gifts and stockings!  Around noon, we head to Faribault to spend Christmas with my family.  Lots of driving for us, but it's always nice to see everyone!  I have taken care of the plans for Marley's 1st Birthday, and we'll be celebrating with a brunch at our house on the 9th.  All the decor, preparations, invites, etc are all taken care of for that!  And once that passes, we'll have a few more weeks and Travis and I leave for our trip to Mexico!  Sunshine, pools/beaches, margaritas, sleeping in!  Ahhhhhhh!  Marley will be staying with Grandma K up north for the 6 days that we are away!  I'm beyond excited and in need of a getaway with the hubby, though I'm a tad nervous to leave her for 6 nights!  I will MISS her so much!!!!


Here are a few pictures of what Miss Marley and Fam has been up to...

Today happens to be our 2 year wedding anniversary!  Happy 2 years to my amazing hubby!  I love you more today than I did then...........sometimes the stars align and make things happen, and I'm so happy/lucky/fortunate/blessed to have you as my husband!!!  Thank you to God for bringing us into each others lives and though I know the road to our wedding day was full of bumps, everything turned out exactly how it was supposed to!!!!  I really believe that!  Here is a new quote that I'm literally IN LOVE with...


"Do not spoil what you have by desiring what you have not; remember that what you now have was once among the things you only hoped for."

Happy Holidays to all of you!  May your days be full of love and laughter!

XOXO-
Stevie 

Warning--Don't watch if you are the fainting type!!