year two with an olive

i almost forgot her birthday.

i mean, i knew it was coming, but my mind has been on new baby coming plus dates & numbers have never been my thing anyway...am i making excuses? maybe. does it even matter? probably to her. one day.

we were really hoping to celebrate outside with all our new, pretty plant babies, but, of course, it called for rain. all. day. i also had little to no ability to get anything prepped or decorated this time around. 38 going on 39 weeks pregnant & i can barely walk. seriously, you should see me. no. you really should not. it's just sad. and slightly embarrassing. penguins are cute, right? waddle. waddle. 

so my party plan...keep it as simple as possible. 

late afternoon.

ice cream sundaes.

(and ice cream floats per the kids' requests.)

popcorn.

lemonade.

cookies.

use whatever decorations i have here at the house. 

use plasticware so there are minimal dishes.

that's about it.

i almost forgot about her gift. 

luckily i had purchased a few things along the way already & just had to put them into a gift bag for her. no card. i mean, what's she gonna do? read it? (excuses. i forgot.)

so the funny thing is...we've sort of done all this before. 

before our second, kennedy, was born, we were waiting on our first, emma, to have her fourth birthday. we made it through the party & she was born two days later. i joke that this little guy will be coming in two days since we got through his sister's birthday today. we're nothing if not consistent. i also have to point out that having two sets of birthdays close together with a brood of five is a ridiculous blessing for this family. that means only three actual parties each year.  YASSSS. imma pretend like we planned it that way all along. 

you guys, look at those faces.

my favorite.


happy birthday my olive deering.




xo

tough as a mother

so it's mother's day.

a day set aside to honor those who have nurtured us, accepted us, loved us & gave us a swift kick in the behind when we've needed it, too.

all i really wanted this year was a picture of me & the kiddos...and flowers, lots of flowers...or plants in general, maybe some herbs...oh & chocolate covered strawberries...and to sleep in & eat out...oh, & to have this baby. 

am i the worst?

i'm the worst, right? 

geesh. 

anyway, we tried to grab a group photo before we headed off to church but the kids were not cooperating & it was time to go & i got aggravated & we just gave up. per the norm on many a sunday morn, we wrangled everyone into the van huffing & puffing. i love 'em, but that's the truth of it. 

anyway, we went to church, repented & gave the family pic another go in the park that's beside our church. it was seriously such a gloriously beautiful day. hence me currently writing this post on our back deck, barefoot, in my sun hat listening to the wind chimes while hubs plants the above mentioned flowers i received for mother's day. ;)

so, on the eve of me possibly giving birth again at any time, i have no deep longing to reflect on the wonders of motherhood, just a burning desire to share these sweet pics that i will treasure forever. 

the last mother's day as a mother of 4...

...unless, of course i have him today.

my last mother's day as a mother of 4. five kids. still doesn't seem real. 

we can't wait to meet ya little buddy.

shoutout to all my mother's out there. you all rock.

and shoutout to my baby daddy boo without whom i wouldn't be a mother. 

xo

saying goodbye to the bump

"how can you ever say anything negative about your body after you have felt the dancing of life from inside your womb?"

i don't think it has hit me yet. 

my last bump. 

mind you, i did say all this in my "the night an olive was born" blog post. 

but this time is different. 

more than five babes & we have to rethink our means of transportation. more than five & we'll really be in a pickle when it comes to bedrooms & sleeping arrangements. although, i know that can all be worked out. but we've talked & this is it. 

it's hard to be sentimental about never doing this again when you're nine months pregnant & fairly miserable. i figure there will be a future blog post when all the feelings really hit. but today...today, i'm celebrating it. the bump. my six bumps. the five that i delivered. the one we will forever miss. 

i've gained more weight than i ever thought i would over the past 14 years of carrying my babes. i'm nowhere near the healthy, fit size i wish to be. but this body is just a vessel. a moldable, changeable, waxing & waning shape. it does not define me. motherhood is bigger than the size of my pants. 

anyway, i know i can't say anything that hasn't already been said about the amazing capabilities of the female body, so i'll just say this, Oohrah, to ma laaadiesss!

"everything grows rounder and wider and weirder, and i sit here in the middle of it all 

and wonder who in the world you will turn out to be." 

-carrie fisher

"don’t you see that children are God’s best gift?

the fruit of the womb his generous legacy?

like a warrior’s fistful of arrows

are the children of a vigorous youth.

oh, how blessed are you parents,

with your quivers full of children!

your enemies don’t stand a chance against you;

you’ll sweep them right off your doorstep." 

psalm 127

xo


you can check out our pregnancy journey this time around on instagram with the tag #littlenestof7.