photo shoot.

i wanted a nine month old photo shoot of micah.

you know, memories.

some say i like them.

okay. so i'm obsessed with him.

endure it for a moment.

making our house a home.

well... the crafts continue!

normally i steal craft ideas from pinterest.

but i actually stole this one from my friend katie. who got it from pinterest.

we just went to menards, got a bunch of paint chips, cut them up, glued onto scrapbook paper and put in a frame! i added day of the week headers and use dry erase markers. it's great!

and i really wanted micah 6:8 in micah's room... 

since it's the reason we named him micah.

quick tutorial for chevron? okay.

measure out 2 inch squares and draw them all in lightly with pencil. then, you just use a straightedge to make diagonal lines and you've got the chevron pattern.

people say to tape it. that would take for.ever.

so just be careful. i didn't use tape and used a sponge brush and the lines are pretty good!

i did a thicker canvas in the middle.

and then i wrote the words in pencil and carefully, painstakingly painted them on.

the travels of micah. from micah.

i've been all over lately.

seeing lots of people.

i went to indiana. saw grandpa. and grandma. and uncle ben.

i went to a carnival at the church my mom grew up in.

loved roy and also his hat.

went to aunt katie's new house that she bought.

she's a rockstar.

aunt susan came for the weekend.

i attacked her face and hair.

grace and danielle came over.

i wooed them.

duh.

i also have seen grammy ebright, daddy, aunt sherilyn, cousin amelia, and lots more people lately.

good thing i love smiling.

four score and seven years ago.

(this was supposed to be put up on july 18. i just got distracted.)

really, just the four score part.

today is my day that i'm allowed to reminisce. i have to limit myself. i love memories too much.

four years ago today, this was happening...

mmm. good stuff. 

for our anniversary, we had to keep it simple. matt worked until 8:30 that night, so...

i had dinner ready.

and we wedding video-ed it up.

and drank from the glasses we had at our reception.

and reminisced.

man alive. we had quite a party.

not-so-desperate housewife

welp, i'm a stay at home mom.

here are some goals for myself:

1. love life with micah.

2. make lots of friends.

3. make lots of good food. and baked goods. and crafts.

4. keep the house clean, so it's not stressful for matt... and me.

5. daily Bible time.

6. shower regularly.

7. work out.

i'm doing well on most of my goals. 

numbers 6 and 7 are probably less focused-on goals... but luckily, i hear the next big thing is going to be being dirty and not fit. so i'm just ahead of the game :)

i wanted to have a house that people can just stop by and it's clean.

and when people are coming to visit, i don't have to quickly clean the whole house so they aren't grossed out.

here's how i'm making that happen:

i know. it's ridiculous.

but i'm a little obsessed with it.

it keeps me sane.

and lacking desperation.

generally.

out of my belly.

it's official.

micah's been out of my belly as long as he was in there.

(i was vaguely referencing "get in my belly" from austin powers there... not sure if people even know austin powers anymore? check out a quick youtube of the scene here. review.) 

nine month photo shoot on monday, so pictures to come :)

happy birthday, america

this was our fourth of july week:

1. pizza at aubree's (one of two good ypsi restaurants)

2. riding on shoulders.

3. tons of grandparent time 

(grandpa, too... and lots of other family that came through!)

4. watermelon. way too much watermelon.

on another note, why do they even make seeded watermelon? 

jeez louise the watermelon seed spitting we did.

we're probably going to end up with a watermelon forest in the backyard.

5. burgers on our oversized grill.

6. outdoor eating.

oh, and a huge kitchen remodel.

from this...

to this...

to this!

we did the cabinet knobs, too, while we were at it!

before...

and after!

phew. happy birthday, america!

fun. and food. and fun food.

first, fun.

 micah taking a bath. sir splash a lot.

oh, so many jokes that could be made.

so little time.

let's just say... he loves all sorts of milk jugs.

i apologize. i just couldn't help myself. he walked into that one, right?

 matt's an m.d. and has a cool white coat.

i got micah an art table. 

for an amazing price at a resale shop... 

even though it was brand new.

bam.

and i made an art piece for our living room!

lyrics from come thou fount.

one of my favorites... and we had it in our wedding!

i stenciled each letter on the canvas. 

one by one, taping them down.

with regular acrylic paint and a sponge brush.

you should make one.

but, beware, it takes a while.

now, food.

two new things...

1. baked fajitas.

so good! from here.

2. chocolate chip cookie bars.

i forgot to take a picture.

but holy cow... they're good. and a huge perk of cookie bars? one batch. so much easier than a bunch of batches of cookies!

i got the recipe from here.

last, but not least... fun food.

matt randomly got a night off. 

instant reaction: babysitter!

apparently, the restaurant is known for fried pickles.

i know.

but how could we not try them?

turns out... they're delicious.

but be warned. you will bloat. it may not be pretty. but it will be worth it.

 the burger we split?

topped with pulled pork, cheese, and coleslaw.

say whaaaat.

 as it turns out, life as a stay at home mom can be pretty grand.

phew.