I always read quotes and stories, telling us parents to slow down. To soak in the morning cuddles. To memorize the sound of those tiny feet hitting the floor. To take the family photos. It’s never lost on my mama heart that life moves really fast. The sweet days and the hard ones all blend together, and I’m just trying my best to soak them all in.  For Mother’s Day this year, my only request was family pictures. They are such a special reminder of moments and the season we’re currently living in. I love that in 5 years time, I’ll be able to look back and remember. Like a marker on a ..read more

Asher Ridge is going on 5 months already, and I’m still trying to wrap my mind around how that can possibly be. Thus far time has been a thief even faster the second time around. Before I forget, I wanted to sit down and recap the top 5 baby must-haves for months 0-3. These are all things I feel we’ve used the most, and make the newborn season easier. I also wanted to share this list because I remember all too well how overwhelming it can be as a first time mom (who gets decision fatigue easily and likes to be minimalistic when possible) to decide what to put on your baby registry. Keep in m ..read more

It truly is the most wonderful time of the year when you remind your heart of the reason for the season. There has been a lot of dark, a lot of hard in 2020, but He is good and we are grateful that He handpicked a lot of joy for our family this year. To get in the holiday spirit, last weekend our little family of four had a staycation at Gaylord Rockies. Nick and I stayed there just the two of us last time (you can read about that here), so it was a real treat to bring the boys this time. Gaylord Rockies is having their huge So Much Christmas event right now, which is a gift considering the st ..read more

One of my biggest regrets from when Atlas Ford was a little baby was not having newborn photos taken. Sure, we have iPhone pictures of him from those early days, but I would’ve loved to have the sweetness of his fleeting newborn days photographed. I’m so grateful to Amanda (Amanda Cleveland Photography), she booked us last minute for a newborn session for Asher Ridge. To be honest, I woke up the morning of our shoot not wanting to do it at all. I had received news that morning that my dad was on the vent due to complications from Covid, but I also knew I wanted to bottle up the joy we had fro ..read more

As I sit here reflecting on the birth of our sweet boy, my heart is overwhelmed with joy and gratitude. The biggest fear that hovered over me with this pregnancy wasn’t giving birth for the second time, but questioning how my heart could love another human as much as Atlas Ford. And then after that final push, I heard those cries, and my heart was wrecked again, doubling in size within a moment, just like everyone reassured me it would. This is Asher Ridge’s birth story. If you follow along on Instagram, then you know I had all of the preterm labor things starting around 34-35 weeks. I was di ..read more

although we are well on our way in the second trimester by now, I wanted to do a little recap for each trimester. this might be my last pregnancy, and if it is, I want to be able to look back and remember how sweet this time was. to remember what a gift and privilege carrying our children has been. so here’s a little recap on the first trimester before I forget, because pregnancy brain is already so real. DUE DATE september 22, 2020 GENDER we know and we are SO excited! we found out early from the blood test, and will share with you all soon! MOVEMENT I didn’t feel any movement in the first t ..read more

I am officially done with my Invisalign journey! Time flies when your smile is improving apparently. Well, that and a growing toddler and belly with baby #2. The entire process was a piece of cake thanks to the I-Orthodontics team, and I’m over the moon with how my smile looks! A little back story refresher for those who are new around here. I never had braces growing up. My teeth were “straight” and I was never really unhappy with my smile up until I had my wisdom teeth removed in my 20’s. That was when I started to notice my bottom teeth shifting, leaving spaces between them. On top of tha ..read more

we are so happy to FINALLY share the joyful news with all of you! we’re expecting baby #2 in September! another surprise. another little human to our tribe. half me, half Nick. my heart is doing cartwheels for our sweet gift. that we’re growing our family. that Atlas Ford will step into the role of big brother. and that I get to share in the excitement I feel with all of you now! just the same, my heart is with my friends, as well as strangers, who I know are struggling to conceive or have experienced loss. there isn’t a day that I don’t pray for you, for your miracle, and for your heart. I e ..read more

Nick and I realized we hadn’t spent a weekend alone together since December! if I’m being honest, it’s always SO hard for me to set aside ‘me’ time or time for just us as a couple. even though we’ve left Atlas Ford overnight before, I still cringe at the thought of it. maybe a part of me always will. but uncomfortable or not, I know how important alone time is. so we decided to have a little staycation at Gaylord Rockies! it’s never fun dropping our boy off, it’s actually brutal, but my heart was also doing cartwheels for some quality time with my person. it also helps that i had pea ..read more

our sweet boy, Atlas Ford Maikut, quickly made his way into the world on July 5th, 2018 at 8:42 PM. i still can’t believe he is here and that he is ours. or that my water broke walking into Hobby Lobby. i don’t have the right words, and i don’t know if i ever will, but our hearts are wrecked forever, and we are so grateful to be his parents. i’m writing this to look back on the day that changed my life. the day i became a mom to the sweetest gift from heaven. i never felt i was born to be a mom until that day, and i always want to remember it. when he is older i want him to read this and know ..read more