Daddy's Girl...

If Travis were to be any character on Sesame Street, who would he be???  If you know him at all, you'd have guessed COOKIE MONSTER!  I'm pretty sure there isn't a cookie out there that he won't eat.  His favorite, chocolate chip cookies made by his mom (I don't come close to Kathy's cookie making skills)!!  Second on that list would be M&M cookies, followed by Oreo's and Girl Scout cookies.  Which brings me to my story...

The other day, Trav came home from work with a cardboard box full of Girl Scout cookies.  Something like 20 boxes!  Geesh!  Thanks, honey!  Luckily, we just got BACK from Mexico and swimsuit season here is about 6 months away!  Side-tracked.  So, he had the cardboard box sitting on the floor in our spare bedroom...it's a dumping grounds for all the odds and ends that we don't have a "home" for.  Miss Marley quickly caught on that daddy was getting all the cookies from the box in that room and today, while making my morning coffee, I was greeted by this happy face strolling down our hallway...

She went for the Thin Mints...surprise, surprise.  Those are Trav's favorites!  I couldn't help but laugh at her.  Until moments later when she whined because I insisted that she eat breakfast BEFORE having a cookie.  So, I caved and she was a chocolatey, drooly, minty mess!  


After naptime, while I was putting away groceries, Marley found the box again...but this time, she pushed it all the way into the living room and was taking the boxes out one by one.  I usually don't feed her much for sweets, but hey, this girl obviously has a thing for Girl Scout cookies...

Happy Sunday!!  And yay for Girl Scout cookies!!!

A Little of Then. Thank God for Now!

We recently got back from our trip to Mexico...the weather was gorgeous, the food was excellent, and we had an amazing time, just the two of us!  I couldn't help but to remember back to the days when we were just Stevie Nicks and Travon (my nickname for Trav).  Before we were married, before we were homeowners, before we had Sasha, and before we became parents.  The good old days...nice to reflect on them and even nicer to look back and THANK GOD that we ended up where we are now!  For all of the bad decisions we made (especially me), it is nice to know that they all led us to this place...

Some of you may not know or remember, but Travis and I met up north.  I had just finished college at St. Ben's and a few of us were heading to Mara's cabin because, quite honestly, we didn't have jobs lined up and really didn't know what we would do with our lives now that college was over.  So, we packed up a car, stopped at the liquor store, and headed north to Fifty Lakes.  Next door to Mara's cabin was the Severson cabin, still partly under construction, but a beautiful lake home that I was sure was owned by someone very rich...haha!  There were a few guys at the cabin building a fence and as fate would have it, one of our guy friends knew the guy working next door, Travis.  What a small world.  He was from Minneapolis and had played hockey with a few of our guy friends from college.  The rest of the weekend I referred to him as my boyfriend!  Sadly, we didn't exchange phone numbers and I didn't know if I would hear from him again.  My friend, Annie, knew Travis and arranged for another get together in Minneapolis a few weeks later.  We hit it off and have been chasing after each other ever since!  Off and on for the first year, we just had some type of connection that couldn't keep us apart.  This is us, in 2004...about a year after we met!

It's so funny to see how YOUNG we look!  Trav hadn't even "filled out" yet...he was so skinny.  And me, well...I wasn't skinny!  Thankfully my days of bad skin and crazy colored eye shadows have come to a halt.  What was I thinking?!  

And for a bit of the now.  More mature (whew), more settled in our ways, much more responsible.  But we still have that old Stevie Nicks and Travon spark!  He makes me laugh...like crying tears, belly laugh.  And he drives me nuts sometimes.  Cleaning up after my mini tornado of a husband.  He STILL, after 6 years of living together, leaves drawers open after he takes clothes out of them, cupboard doors open after he grabs a plate, throws his jacket on the floor by the front door, leaves his clothes on the floor of the bathroom after a shower..............but it's him.  And those things that he does, those things are predictable and I like that about him.  He's a great daddy and a great, hard-working husband!  And hey, I'm sure I drive him plenty crazy!  

Here are a few pics from our trip to Mexico.  Oh, what a lovely trip it was!  I'm not usually one to show swimsuit pics, but I'm feeling comfortable in my own skin these days.  I'm not perfect and never will be!  I'm a wife and a mommy and more than anything, I'm proud that my body was able to grow a baby..........if that doesn't make you happy about your body, I don't know what will!  Little miracles!

Here's to hoping there is a speedy end to winter in our future!  I can't take much more of this cold and snow!  I want to be able to walk outside, to go to the park, and to bring Marley swimming at the cabin!

Happy Saturday!

xoxo

Stevie

Miss Mars the Comedian!

This girl is funny!!  She loves to make people laugh and has mastered being silly!  If I laugh, she laughs...if daddy isn't paying attention to her, she lets out a big, fake belly laugh to get him to look!  Goofball!!  Can't get enough of that dimple and her big, cheesy smile that shows off all those new teeth!

The Great Eight!!!

I'm talking about days!  Eight more days until the hubs and I are boarding an airplane and heading to Mexico...for 6 blissful days in the sun, sipping margaritas by the pool, catching a tan, strolling on the beach, SLEEPING IN!!!!  I'm soooooooooooooo excited!  Beyond excited, really!  We have not been on a warm weather vacation since our wedding/honeymoon in 2008.  We're due.........for a get-away that is!  

Click HERE to see where we are staying!  Jealous?  Thought so!  Hehe!

Now for the sad part...we are leaving Marley behind with Grandma Kathy!  Oh, gosh!  I am going to miss her so much, though I admit it will be lovely to be away with my husband for 6 days by ourselves!  And I know she is in very capable hands.  Grandma Kathy has been excited about this week for a very long time and they are going to have SO MUCH FUN!  On the plus side, Marley is sleeping through the night now and I feel like I can rest easier knowing she won't be waking Grandma up in the middle of the evening.  We even bought a crib to keep up at the cabin, so now going "Up North" will be so much easier!

This is a shout-out to my wonderful mother-in-law, for taking our sweet baby girl for the week so that Travis and I can catch up and relax and re-connect!  We sincerely appreciate your help and we wouldn't have been able to take a trip like this without you!  Thank you so much!!  We love you! 

A busy weekend ahead...Friday has turned out to be family errand night, which I love!  We pack Marley up and head out.  Maybe to the grocery store, maybe to Target, maybe to the mall...grab a bite to eat and then head home!  It's fun to be out and about, the 3 of us!  Tomorrow morning I am heading to my favorite hairstylist ever, Miss Justine, at Root Salon in St. Paul!  Getting my hair cut and colored!  My gray hairs are taking over!  Ugh!  And hopefully after Marley's naptime, I will head to the Mall of America with Angie for a little shopping...a few tank tops and such for the vacation!  On Sunday, I am heading to Faribault to have breakfast with my mom.  Then back home to make some snacks for the Super Bowl!  I'm not really in to watching the game, mostly the commercials.  But I am in to having a family night with appetizers for dinner and cuddling on the couch with my hubby and baby!

 Hoping you all have a safe and happy weekend!  

Lots of love,

Stevie  

Just a Moment in Time...

We're weaning.  And I'm sad.  It's not easy.  

On Sunday night, after I fed Marley a warm bottle and kissed her goodnight, I stood over my stove, making spaghetti sauce, and talked to Travis about how I felt such a sadness.  And a few tears rolled down my cheek as he told me how proud he was of me...for nursing Miss Marley for a whole year, for helping her to be the healthy baby that she is today, for saving us money (hehe) on formula.  And before you know it, I was sobbing.  Hands over my face, crying so hard that I could barely breathe.  I don't know why exactly.  But I do.  It started from the day she was born...struggling to breastfeed her because she couldn't latch on.  And shortly thereafter, she became a pro.  Such a good little eater.  I remember sitting in my rocking chair at home with her when she was only days old, my mom and sister sitting in the room with me, and literally falling asleep while I nursed her.  They asked me if I needed a nap and I said no.  I LOVED being with her!  We spent countless hours sitting together on the couch, in the dark living room, watching the early news...and by early, I mean 4am.  When her colic kicked into high gear at around 4 months, I soothed her to sleep.  I helped to calm her after all of the icky shots and trips to the pediatrician.  And I just look back and think...this darling little human being gained weight and grew up and learned to crawl and then walk, all because I nourished her tiny body.  And so I am proud of myself, very proud.  But I am sad too.  There is a sense of loss that I can't explain.  I know that we have forged a bond that will never be broken, but with the end of nursing comes a feeling, for me, that I am not as "needed".  And that breaks my heart in the tiniest of ways. 

And so this last year was just a short moment in time, but one that I will always remember.  Tomorrow morning, when I wake up and "feed" Marley for the very last time, I will soak it all in and remember all that we have been through together!  She is a big girl, strong and healthy, and ready to be on her own now!  I know she will do fine and I will always be very proud of this accomplishment.

As more proof of how well she is doing in the eating department...here is Miss Mars after what Uncle Jess calls THE SPAGHETTI MASSACRE OF 2011!!!  Love her!!!

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 :)