MollyMadonna.com

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summer! (64)

Happy First Day of Summer! We celebrated the season today with a delightfully warm (hot) day at the pool and some juicy watermelon. I won’t say that taking a toddler to the pool while this pregnant is the easiest task in the world, but I certainly can’t complain. The fact that we can go to the pool all summer long is a beautiful thing. And a pregnant belly feels far less weighty in the water–not to mention the fact that the joy on Henry’s face while swimming around like a fish is totally priceless. The highlight of the day was his incessant laughter as I spun him in circles on his back, over and over, while we both got foolishly dizzy. We’d just get our balance back enough to start all over again. I’m always going to treasure these moments with him–especially amidst the exciting and somewhat nerve-wracking season of prepping to be a family of four. It’s pretty great to be able to take care of both of your children at once without having either feel like they’re sharing their mama. I’m going to enjoy that part of this pregnancy for all it’s worth in these last two months.

I hope you were able to welcome summer in an enjoyable way today, or that the contents of your weekend will be such that you can feel the summer sun on your skin. If all else fails, at least bite into a sticky-sweet piece of freshly cut watermelon. It’ll only take a minute, but it’ll taste like summer through and through.

one happy camper.

one happy camper.

And aim for some sweet pool hair like the above as well. That’ll make any day sunnier 😉

keeping our cool over here,

mm

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savoring the good. (65)

Remember last week, when I posted a few simple photos of a delightfully sunny afternoon and the uplifting lunch I shared with a handful of lovely women? My photos were mere child’s play, but the photographer talent on the Embolden Team did a much better job of capturing our afternoon together, complete with mouth-watering shots of a good deal of our menu. Read my reflection of our time together and drool over some fabulous images from the day here on the Embolden blog. The linked post does our day much more justice than I’d previously done.

How does this relate to my 100 day challenge and prep for the baby and such? Well, in a few ways, I suppose. For one, last week was a challenging week, and I was needing a bit of a pick me up (or a distraction, rather), from the discomfort I was sorting through. Enter this picturesque day, coupled with a visit from my mama, and things were quite a bit more tolerable and pleasant by the end of the week.

On top of that, I was kind of forced to work through some insecurities about my growing shape and protruding bump that I may not have faced–had it not been for needing to just overcome it and be comfortable with cameras around all afternoon. People can say some lovely things, but some majorly lack a filter when it comes to pregnant bellies, and mine always feels polarizing. Either I’m on top of the world after a social encounter and conversation about the bump, or I’m walking away scratching my head and trying to figure out how to stay positive when the world can be so negative sometimes. Fortunately for me, you kind of have to make peace with yourself to be around a camera–whether you’re in the shots or not, and the few images that I have seen from the day just make me feel grateful. Since I’m making an effort to find celebration in every aspect of this pregnancy, I think I can safely just love that there are a few photos floating around of me in my rounded out state. I’ll miss this when it’s gone.

Lastly, if and when the Button thumbs through these posts someday, I hope that he or she will glean from the above that life is worth savoring. Sometimes, you just have to take a little time out from the norm to do something that heightens your senses and makes you feel more fully alive. There’s nothing wrong with this, and in fact, I think we’d die inside a little bit if we didn’t just stop to smell the roses here and there. Celebrate the small and good and healthy things in life, babes of mine. Celebrate and savor as often as you can.

I’m so glad that we’re on this 100 day journey together, sweet little person! It causes me to take pause each day, and to reflect what is happening in my heart, body, soul and mind as we grow together. You’re doing a really great job…only 9ish weeks to go until we can celebrate the beauty of the simple things in this world side by side!

savoring whenever possible,

mm

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ladies who lunch. (72)

Tonight has not been the easiest in the pregnancy department, but the contents of my afternoon were absolutely lovely. Parking on that this evening, and a delightful interaction between a beautiful group of women and absolutely delicious food in a picturesque setting…as is often the case, I’m left thinking, “I should have taken more pictures.” Fortunately, the group I was with captured every moment, and there will be hundreds of incredible shots from our gathering. Here’s a few little snippets:

greeted by this beautiful summer table on the porch at today's lunch gathering.

greeted by this beautiful summer dessert table on the porch at today’s cooking class and lunch shindig.

and then there was this glorious setting...

and then there was this glorious setting…

my favorite from the day...the wild rice salad.

my favorite recipe from the day…the wild rice salad.

copper river salmon, blanched snow peas, candied beet salad, kale saute, and wild rice salad. seconds, anyone?

copper river salmon, blanched snow peas, candied beet salad, kale saute, and wild rice salad. seconds, anyone?

chocolate macaroons and fresh berries for dessert. oh, my.

chocolate macaroons and fresh berries for dessert. oh, my.

so thankful for the beauty in the day. and for family who will fill in the gaps when exhaustion and discomfort get the best of me at the end of it. here’s to friday and weekend time!

mm

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ann arbor. (74)

I’ve been looking forward to today and the chance to catch up with my dear friend Bekah…the chance to see our littles play together, to traipse around a different city, to browse fun shops, and to have lunch and sip coffee and just do life like we do. The contents of the day certainly did not disappoint!

H and I left home this morning around 8:30a to begin our “Adventure Day!” and head East. (Note our smiling faces as we began the day…lots of talking things up makes for fairly successful car trips and fun, action-packed outings with H at this age):

h was all smiles as we left this morning. i'm sure having his favorite things in hand didn't hurt. ;)

h was all smiles as we left this morning. i’m sure having his favorite things in hand didn’t hurt. 😉

i couldn't get him to take a smiling pic with me, but he agreed to make silly faces. i'll take it!

i couldn’t get him to take a smiling pic with me, but he agreed to make silly faces. i’ll take it!

2.5 hours drive or so (and a lot of matchbox cars and books) later, we arrived at the little blue house in Ann Arbor–welcomed by hugs and greetings and the smiles of two friends we’ve missed here on our side of the state. It is so good to have friendships that just pick up right where you left off, even if it’s been a few months since your last conversation, and even when there are busy and talkative toddlers now contributing to the mix. Honestly, our hang outs wouldn’t be the same without the kiddos; our friendship grew as we grew them together in our bellies, and life just kept carrying on in a beautiful way once they arrived. We’ve been having coffee and kiddo dates now for two years–I’m not sure what we would do without the extra busyness and life that our H’s bring to the table. 🙂

Together with H & H, we had a leisurely and play-filled morning and lunchtime, lots of running in and out of the house to explore outside, sweet homemade muffins and tea, time for making Playdoh creations, and as much catching up as we could cram into a few hours. The babes took naps (kind of;) while Bekah and I carried on chatting in the sun/shade of the back porch. Next up, it was “Adventure Time!”, and we all piled into the car to head downtown.

It’s fair to say that a few hours wandering around Ann Arbor is not nearly enough time for a girl like me, but we certainly made the most of it! On a different visit, maybe we’ll wander without two strollers in tow, but today it was great fun to watch our two year olds run around and enjoy the outing. Hannah and Bekah showed Henry and me all of their favorite places, and I soaked up as much pattern and color and creativity as possible as we browsed racks of adorable baby items, inspired prints, and my favorite paper store to date. While there, I picked up gouache in a range of beautiful colors, so now I can work on the little calligraphy project I’ve had in mind for the baby’s room. Bonus. 😉

i'll just take one of everything, thank you very much.

i’ll just take one of everything, thank you very much.

the colors and prints just do my heart good!

the colors and prints just do my heart good!

We rounded out our time with a quick stopover at Sweetwaters for afternoon treats and a visit to the toy store before returning B & H home for the evening.

it was hard to say goodbye to such a great toy store...

it was hard to say goodbye to such a great toy store…

It is such a delight to just be moms alongside Bekah for the day–I certainly miss the regularity of our visits, but I love that so much still feels the same when we’re all together in one place again!

Henry and Hannah had the cutest goodbyes:

swoon.

swoon.

this kiss and their accidentally coordinating outfits were almost too much to handle.

this kiss and their accidentally coordinating outfits were almost too much to handle.

And we attempted one group shot before H and I headed out for home. Not bad for the first try, if we do say so–everyone is smiling and happy:

our little quartet for the day (or should i say quintet? there's a bump hiding in here somewhere...)

our little quartet for the day (or should i say quintet? there’s a bump hiding in here somewhere…)

It was just the loveliest day with the loveliest girls. H and I are so thankful for sweet friends and the time and chance to spend a whole day together before life gets a little busier with a certain small person making his or her debut in the world. I can see seasonal trips to Ann Arbor in our future–we won’t be able to stay away for very long!

Before we officially hit the road, I felt it completely necessary to make one last stop…H helped me pick out a few treats and some more practical items to bring home with us (and he even helped his mama push the cart to the car–what a gentleman!):

oh, why oh why don't we have a trader joe's?!?!

Then of course we needed a little sustenance for the trip home:

"we're having dinner, my purple mommy!" (i have a purple dress on today. go figure:)

“we’re having dinner, my purple mommy!” (i have a purple dress on today. go figure:)

He makes such a good little adventurer and co-conspirator! Even at the end of a very long day, we were still pretty much all smiles and rainbows as we made our way out of town:

or at least, smiles and cars characters. same kind of thing, really.

or at least, smiles and cars characters. same kind of thing, really.

And at 8:30p on the dot, as if he’d made a deal with the clock, H fell soundly asleep for the rest of the trip home. I took advantage of the remaining hour and a half of quiet to think about all kinds of things, to be thankful…and to admire God’s handiwork at the end of the day:

never mind the streaky window, that is one fine canvas in the sky!

never mind the streaky window, that is one fine canvas in the sky! (of course i was careful, and didn’t really even attempt to do more than hit one button). the gist is still grand 😉

So now we’re home and the munchkin went straight up to bed without a fight. In fact, he pretty much just curled up in his dad’s lap while we navigated a wardrobe change into PJs. I’m not sure he ever really woke up. It was certainly an action-packed and adventure-filled day. Can’t wait to do it again sooner than later when life permits. In the meantime, I’m soaking up all of the good–the kiddos singing, loooong conversations with my beautiful friend, baby kicking all the way through the day, and a sweaty, tuckered out, curious little boy who makes every adventure more worthwhile.

so, so, so blessed and storing away new memories.

mm

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wonderful wednesdays. (80)

Um, 80. 80! I’m on the fence today about how fast or slow this baby is making his/her way into the world 😉 I’m so amazed at the whole process, and tonight, I really can’t decide if I’m thrilled by our 11 week countdown, or slightly panicked–there’s so much to do! Perhaps I’m experiencing a healthy combination of both, and a sense of urgency that will be enough to motivate me in my productivity for the next several weeks. Goodness knows I’m not going to be running around here with a toddler-like energy two months from now. (Although if you know me, you might call my bluff on this. I sort of get a thrill out of working under pressure to make everything come together at the exact right moment. It’s the party planner in me, I think.) Regardless, we’re having a baby! I’m super excited to be mama to two, and to get to explore the world with big brother H and our newest little munchkin!

A few weeks back when the farmer’s market officially came to town for the Summer/Fall season, I decided that Henry and I needed a little something special to mark the days and weeks until baby’s arrival. As much as I’m thrilled to be a family of four, I also know I’m going to miss our mommy and Henry times, when we head out and have little adventures all to ourselves. I get a little choked up just thinking about it. You can bet I’ll still prioritize those moments after we’re settled in with baby. I can’t get enough of my little buddy!

Since the farmer’s market takes place on Wednesdays and Saturdays, and since Saturdays are “weekend time!” and fun days with daddy, I declared this the Summer of Wonderful Wednesdays for H and me. The timing is great mid-week–especially as I work on Thursdays and miss my Bug a bit on my days out of the house. When we started our plan, I counted a potential fifteen Wonderful Wednesdays before baby is due. Each Wednesday morning, we head downtown to pick out a few treats (ie. fruit, veggies, flowers, bread, honey) to round out our menu for the week and to fill up the fridge and pantry with fresh, local delights. I love watching H at the farmer’s market–particularly as he learns more and more about different foods, plants, and flowers. It’s an education every week, and we both enjoy the leisurely stroll it takes for us to get all the way down to one end of the market and back again. Side by side with a trip to the market, we pay our obligatory visit to the local coffee shop for “a bagel and dip!” (and a latte for mom:). I love that Henry has his favorite chair, that he cozies up in it every week like he’s perfectly at home, and that this little hour of joy has made it into the fabric of our weekly routines. Sometimes we bring a book, sometimes cars to play with, and sometimes, we just sit quietly and ease into our morning. It’s a beautiful thing for this mama who’s trying to savor all of this time with my boy.

After coffee and a bagel and the market, there’s always something else fun to do. Occasionally we meet up with other friends, pay a visit to the library, or wander to a park or outside to explore what’s happening in the world. We admire cars and notice all of the trucks that go by. Summertime is a great time to wander past construction sites and to follow ants down the sidewalk…there’s never a shortage of things to do!

Wonderful Wednesdays haven’t necessarily changed the fabric of our weeks an incredible amount, but they have helped me to focus on making sure we’re taking time–for the sake of taking time. It’s so important to me that I’m not always rushing around with H from one thing to the next, and although it feels that way sometimes, I know we’re being intentional to slow down and go at a toddler pace here and there. I love it when we do. I can’t believe we’re already down to a potential eleven Wonderful Wednesdays, but time is passing quickly. You can bet we’ll be soaking it up as much as we can from now until August, and then, we’ll have to come up with another great way to spend our one-on-one time. It’s such a treasure to live somewhere that has so much to offer young families like ours!

I’m wrapping up this particular Wonderful Wednesday in the quiet of the living room. H is sound asleep upstairs, J is out with a friend, and baby and I have just been enjoying our own version of one-on-one time together. He or she is busy in my belly, but as I’ve sat here typing away and talking to the babe, it’s been amazing to notice how his or her movement changes with my activity. I can feel the little one quite clearly through the bump, and it’s pretty surreal to have my hand on this sweet baby, knowing that before long we’ll be cuddled up and snuggled together in the day to day. I’m loving these quiet moments and the opportunities God keeps giving me to reflect and enjoy. So grateful for this life, for Wonderful Wednesdays, and for all that a day filled with simple pleasures can hold…

blessed to the brim,

mm