Baby Adelee is on her way!

Dear Adelee,
I get to hold you today and see your sweet face and give you a million kisses... and cry and laugh and praise God for His faithfulness.

I am overwhelmed with so many emotions and thoughts.... and while I have so many things I want to say, no words quite seem to grasp this moment.

I love you baby girl.

love,
mommy

Our First Day of Summer.

Today marks our first day of summer! 

I have been slightly fearful of this day, to be quite honest. The idea of trying to manage two very energized little boys all day every day for the next 3 months with a new baby in tow, and a husband who works from home (insert: must attempt to keep the house at a somewhat decent decibel level) seems very daunting... to say the least. So, I decided a few weeks ago that our summer would be intentional and purposeful, and not stressful. 

My first step was to create a daily schedule filled with fun, learning and rest time. We all do much better with a bit of structure and with the expectations laid out for us.

I spent some time researching and found lots of fun inspiration for summer fun activities, learning ideas, craft projects, recipes, etc. And now, armed with a plan, I am genuinely excited to face the summer with my two sweet and crazy boys!

Today was our first go at it and while not perfect I am sure it was more productive than if I had plopped the boys down in front of the tv all day.  :)

Stay tuned for details on our summer schedule as well as fun activity and learning ideas! I can't wait to share them with you... as long as baby Adelee prolongs her arrival just a bit more! 

For now though you can be inspired by The Happy Family Movement's 2012 Summer Bucket List Challenge (I signed up and can't wait to get the activity guide) and Village Church's Summer Activity Book complete with devotionals and activity ideas for the entire family!

Happy Anniversary!

 Happy Anniversary baby!

Aaron,
I cannot believe we have been married for 7 years! And what a journey it has been. Those 7 years have not been easy and on May 20, 2005 I could have never dreamed of all that we would go through, both the good and the bad. Thank you for being a man who seeks the Lord with His entire being, who loves, leads and serves his wife well... even during the most difficult of circumstances. I can say with confidence that you are a different man than the one I married 7 years ago. You are closer to the Lord, stronger, more passionate, more loving, full of grace and abounding in love... more than ever before. Thank you for being an unbelievable husband. I am overjoyed at knowing I made the perfect decision on May 20, 2005.

Love you.

Missing you.

As the draws closer to meet baby Adelee my heart is aching a bit more for Aaden.

Aaden,
Today I am missing you baby boy. You would be so big now... my mind wonders to what you would be like, what your favorite toy would be, your favorite book or your favorite treat... you gave us just a tiny peek and I do long for more.

Just to see your little face.

So, today I missing you. That's all.

And never loving you less.

I am looking forward to the day I get to see you again.

love,
mommy

A Blessing.

One of my very best friends just happens to be an amazing photographer. Her name is Shay and I love her. Over the past 6 years she has blessed me and my family in a really beautiful way. She has documented our growing family and to me, that is one gift that is truly priceless.

Thank you Shay for being such a blessing to me and to my family.

And baby Adelee we cannot wait to meet you. Your mommy is beyond excited to have a sweet, little girl to share life with. I am currently dreaming of days full of tea parties, baby dolls and dress-up. Love you little one.

Shay Cochrane Photography

Teacher Appreciation Printable

This is Teacher Apprecation Week at Drew's preschool! 

I love his teachers and am so grateful for the ways they love and teach my sweet boy. 

I put together a little goody basket for each of them. 

I was inspired by this Survival Kit from Modern Parents Messy Kids.

I purchased two adorable notebooks with matching note card sets and included a cute Lily Pulitzer pencil.

We also included a 'hand'made gift from Drew that was inspired by this.

I Love You This Much by A Day In My Life

 

 I wanted to create something from Ashlee Proffitt so I designed this little 5x7 print that turned out super cute as well as a tag to tie onto the basket. I thought you might have little ones with teachers also, so go ahead and print one out for the teachers in your lives!

{Print}

 

{Tags}

{To Print & Use Free Printable}

1. Click on the images above.
2. Right click to 'Save As' on your computer
3. Open the file & print onto cardstock

4. For Print: Trim to size 5x7 | For Tags: Trim to size 4.25 x 2.75

Feel free to email me if you have questions or problems downloading the file.
...
*For personal use only, not for resale. All rights belong to Ashlee Proffitt Design.

ENJOY!

Mother's Day Printables

Mother's Day is Sunday!

Don't forget to show your mama some love.

Did you see the free print and card I created last week for Mother's Day? 

Download yours today.

Here are a few more beautiful free printables I found around the web.

Top Left | Top Right | Middle | Bottom Left | Bottom Right

And I love this super cute DIY project for the little ones to give to the grandma in their lives!

I Love You This Much by A Day In My Life

Around Here

We actually accomplished so much this past weekend and crossed many to-do's off of our baby bucket list. (List to be published at a later date. :)) 

I'm excited to be making progress and I love knowing that the progress is towards something greater than just a completed to-do list. 

Baby girl we are getting ready for you!!!

Finished button monogram for Adelee's room.

(The frame will eventually be white.)

I worked on this project and successfully made one but much to my disappointment it didn't fit in the room. I think it was a bit too small (I should have used a larger frame) and a bit too contemporary. It may still work in a different location but not where I had originally intended for it to go. I felt like the the room needed some life and warmth so, instead I created a wall collage with black frames that will feature our little (or big!) family. What better way to add life than to surround yourself with beautiful photos of the ones you love. The empty frames will hold photos of Andrew, Asher and Adelee. You can see a precious photo of Aaden below the family photo.

Also in the works was a makeover of this Pier 1 shelf we've had since we got married. The colors use to work perfectly in our home but we decided to use it in Adelee's room so the orange, green and yellow had to go away. :) We sanded it down and painted just the shelves white. It works perfectly in her room since the crib and dresser are dark cherry but everything else is made up of creams and whites (with hints of pink, of course.)

 

The shelves still needs to be 'staged' with perfect little accessories but I am really happy with how the transformation from orange and green to white turned out.

 You can't tell from the photo but these are teeny tiny tissue poms that will potentially hang from the netting over Adelee's crib to act as a mobile. I am kind of obsessed with how cute they are (and super inexpensive and easy to make.)

Love how things are coming together!

Projects For Your Weekend.

Happy Friday friends!

This weekend I am hoping to tackle some fun diy projects (very hopeful about finishing up the handmade touches in baby Adelee's room!)

One such project would be to add a bit of art and color to our bedroom. I love the master bedroom in our new home and I especially love our new bed, nightstands and dresser. When we moved in January I sold our bedroom set with the hopes of getting something that fit our style a bit better. We slept with the mattress on the floor for a few months until we finally decided on the bed we have now. I was kind of in love with the idea of a this bed but realized that a fabric headboard in a home where little ones are often wrestling and jumping and playing on your bed with their cute little sticky faces and hands might not be the best solution.

So we opted for the one we have now and I am super happy with our choice. Although the room is very bare (besides the art above the bed) it is a beautiful room with amazing lighting. I can see the room from our kitchen and it makes me smile when I peer in... the mark of a truly great space. :)

So, this week I was on the hunt (have been for awhile) to find a replacement accent chair for the one we sold when we first moved. I had not really been actively hunting (i.e. perusing craigslist every once in awhile) until I realized the other day that the little one growing in my belly will be here in less than 4 weeks and I have no where to feed her in the night. Although our previous chair was not our style and we both kind of hated it over the years, it was super perfect for feeding all my little ones throughout those long nights. Upon this realization of really needing a chair I scoured craigslist and really found nothing and then hit the shops on Monday morning. Much to my joy I found this little gem at Ross on clearance. LOVE it. Funny how it brings in the character of the original bed I wanted...

And now that we have that little beauty I want to actually decorate the rest of the room. Isn't it terrible how making a purchase leads you to want more? ugh. I plan on spending no more money on decorating the rest of the room and instead plan on making some art and accessories to finish the space. 

 

Do you love it? 

P.S. The ottoman has storage space, perfect for a little changing station for baby!

I found this idea on Pinterest and think it could be perfect in conjunction with a few other pieces.

I love the idea of keeping neutral tones since our bedroom already has that feel. Lots of grays, tans, creams, and whites.

Tutorial via Young House Love

Do you have any projects you are working on this weekend?

Mother's Day Print & Card

{photo by the fabulous Shay Cochrane Photography}

I love being a mama to these sweet boys. 

My daily prayer is that I would point them to Jesus. That they would rise up to be men who love the Lord.

And in honor of Mother's Day (coming Sunday, May 13), a free printable that can serve as a reminder of our beautiful role as mothers... 

for you and the sweet mama in your life!

{8x10 Art Print}

{2 4x5 Folded Cards}

{To Print & Use Free Printable}

1. Click on the images above.
2. Right click to 'Save As' on your computer
3. Open the file & print onto cardstock

4. For Cards: Cut in half & Fold

Feel free to email me if you have questions or problems downloading the file.
...
*For personal use only, not for resale. All rights belong to Ashlee Proffitt Design.

Hello May!

Dear Adelee,
Sweet little one, this is your birth month! Yippeeee! I get to meet you face to face in just a few short weeks. So, in reality YOU are my biggest goal for this month. I love you little one and cannot wait to hold you in my arms! 

Love,
Mommy

* Personal: Reading

• A Praying Life by Paul Miller
• The Ministry of Motherhood by Sally Clarkson
• Praying Scripture for Your Children by Jodie Berndt

* Wife: Daily Prayer Time

• When Aaron and I were first married we bought the book Night Light by James & Shirley Dobson. It is super simple but it is intentional in providing an avenue to read, pray and discuss with your spouse on a nightly basis. Just the other day, I saw our copy of the book sitting among a stack of books by our nightstand and was reminded of it's intentionality. I am hoping we can add this as part of our nightly routine.

* Wife: Reading (Books Aaron & I are reading together... little by little.)

• Real Marriage by Mark & Grace Driscoll
• The Meaning of Marriage by Timothy Keller
• Surprised by Grace: God's Relentless Pursuit of Rebels by Tullian Tchividjian

* Wife: Pre-Adelee List (Little activities and dates we want to do together before Adelee arrives.)

• Family Trip to Busch Gardens
• Beach Trip (or 2...)
• Date Night (somewhere fancy...)
• Mellow Mushroom (this family LOVES pizza!)
• Bike Ride & Picnic at Park
• Read Books

* Business Owner: Crazy List

• I'll be sharing the crazy list soon... hopefully there will be items checked off said list when I finally do share it with you. :)

. . . 

 

 

Your very own monthly goal printable is below. 

Just click on the image, save to your computer and print!

 

The blank spaces are for you to fill in four areas/roles in your own life. Use the space below the blanks to list out a few actionable goals you would like to pursue this month in each area of your life. 

 

It's in a 5x7 layout so you could easily print it out, frame it and then place it somewhere that you would see it daily. This way you are easily being reminded of your goals through this next month.

. . . 

I can't wait to hear your goals for May!