feeling groovy!

i love that song!
i hear songs and they immediately take me back to a certain place.
a time.
often very specific memory or sometimes a period in my life.

songs make me happy.
turning on that ipod can, plain & simple, turn my entire mood around.

feeling groovy is a fun & happy song!

im feeling that way lately.
i was missing something in life.
i adore being a mommy... blah blah blah. i don't need to gush over them unnecessarily. you know the drill.
but i was missing something. for ME! before i had kids i had a vision of motherhood that was dreamy and of me in perfect control. i knew what my kids would be like, how they would behave, what my husband & i would look like as parents.
none of that was quite true. not that it isn't dreamy and amazing and rewarding. but it is certainly not this glamorous job detail i thought it would be! i never thought past the amazing & rewarding parts to the nitty gritty!

recently i decided to make some changes for ME!
and let me tell you, i finally am finding a balance.
and with that... i have more energy, feel better, and am so excited to have something else to contribute to the world outside of "jack & sam's mom".
{not that being that isn't the most amazing and always the most important job i will have}
but this is fun! im loving this stella & dot venture! im having trouble keeping my money in my wallet! i can't wait for my launch next week!
and im about to start picking up some cases again at work. im scared shitless of doing this again. but i can't wait!

im not gonna feel bad about needing something for me.
it makes me a better me.
a better mommy!
a better wife!
and a better ... ME!

i got home from a work thing the other day and jack was over the moon to see me!
i think having a little time away from me was good for him too!

ok... here are some random pictures of what we have been up to lately.
sort of.
i have been neglecting my camera in my new venture.
which is about my only regret in all of this.
but once i have it figured out... we will be back together again soon!

big milestones at our house! my heart skips a beat as i watch him ride no training wheels. 

stuck between pride overflowing and fear as he is wreckless!

we went to "touch a truck"... this is a horrible picture but i love how jack is just tucked into the wheel! 

do you have a pirate in your backyard? 

i do.

homemade banana chocolate chip muffins! 

jack loves them for breakfast with cream cheese- he thinks he is eating a cupcake! 

jack has acquired a new best friend. riley. the cute white fluffy pup! until riley came along he was petrified of dogs! riley lives next door... riley's mommy, julia, took jack for a walk with riley and they are madly in love since! it is so cute... i like that he will learn to take care of riley, even if only from a distance, because it teaches kids good things to help take care of dogs. and at this point, i can hardly manage to care for the humans in my house... so riley will be our adopted doggie!

my mom & jack working hard on a workbook. i love their hands working together. the hands that raised me... now helping my son. i adore this photo.

this was a real moment. a sweet one. without squeezing or hurting or forcing. 

true brotherly love at its best. i just happen to have my camera sitting on the counter... hence the forced flash. i  refused to miss this moment due to lighting & exposure issues.

teaching sammy how to scooter!

he just stands on it!

and when you hold up the camera... he says "teeeeeaaase"

and makes his obnxiously dramatic face! 

it makes me giggle every. single. time.

we went to a wedding in NYC. my first NYC wedding.

i sported my stella & dot charlotte necklace :)

and this is the best.... i found him here. 

in his closet.

with the door closed.

flashlight on.

coloring under blankets.

soooo sweet!

life, i love you.

all is groovy!!!!!