More

Going into 2012 I had a huge desire for more. I want to see more growth in my life. I want to give more and I want to become more of the woman God has called me to be. I don't know what that's going to look like but I'm really enjoying the journey. A few years ago I was asked to hang out once a month with a group of Mommy's. We do lots of fun things. We eat lots of yummy food and have hilarious conversations about life as we know it. It's for sure a highlight in my month. Last year we all went to a women's recovery house to spend quality time with the girls and encourage them. Of course they ended up inspiring us.

Last night we headed out there again. For an hour we sat around their massive kitchen table enjoying coffee and conversation. 2 of my friends are amazing singers and the girls at the house asked if they'd do some worship songs. So we all headed down to their chapel to have an old fashion sing song. ;) My Papa & Nana used to do this when we were kids so it felt really good to do it last night with all these lovely ladies. Towards the end my friend started singing a song that is very dear to her. It was a song that encouraged her during a season of heartache. With every note she sang it was like God began weaving the strings of all our hearts together. The first half of the night we spent listening to the girls share their stories. Then after a time of singing and worship the leader asked if we'd share some of our stories. There were tears as a lot of heart ache was shared. However, the greatest take away from it all was the beauty God truly does give for ashes. As I wiped tears from my eyes I just kept thinking, God you want us to be raw and real like this. As we reveal our journey, incredible bonds of friendship are formed. The strength of those bonds are the things that will help us stay strong and be encouraged when the storms of life rage around us.

So ladies, be thankful for the women in your life! I know I am...

Brotherly love

To my precious boys,

I had a major "Mom moment" today. As I was watching you today my heart was so full. I love you both dearly and I'm so grateful for the sweet boys that you are. Chase always look out for Cyrus. Teach him to play and be kind to others. Show him how exciting it can be to be a boy! Laugh hard and use your imagination to bring adventures to life. Hug your brother lots and make sure he knows you're his best friend. Cyrus always look out for Chase. Cheer on your brother and believe in everything he does. He will teach you about life and encourage you to follow your dreams. Be your silly self and keep laughing. Hug your brother lots and make sure he knows you're his best friend.

Mommy (& of course Daddy) loves you both so much! You are my treasures.

xo Mom

Face Forward

Its no secret I've struggled with my skin for years. In high school I had the basic acne breakouts. After I graduated my skin seemed to get progressively worse. So I met with my doctor to see about starting accutane. I did this for a few months and it definitely helped clear up the acne. However, my skin was a mess. It was dry, rough and marked up. I explained my frustration to my boss one day and she told me about the facial room. I booked my first appointment with Patricia, the owner, and enjoyed the most AMAZING facial! After that I was hooked. I started going every month and my skin was the best its ever been.

I kept it up until I went on maternity leave with Chase. Then certain luxuries no longer fit into the budget. ;)

I was blessed with a gift card to go see Patricia again. So yesterday I cruised out to beautiful White Rock in the glorious sunshine. Patricia spent an hour and a half revitalizing my skin and relaxing this Mama. I even fell asleep. haha It was such a treat!! My skin is really important to me so I'm working out a game plan to fit a few more facials in this year. For me its a worth while investment.

I picked up this fabulous tinted moisturizer with SPF. So excited about it! Its perfect for everyday wear. The Facial Room only uses the eminence line. It's an organic line from Hungry. The products are all plant, fruit or vegetable based. They smell yummy and work so well! Patricia in her expertise will look at your skin and put you on the best program for you. So if you're looking for a little pampering or want to get your skin under control go see Patricia. You won't regret it!

A fabulous weekend!

This past weekend was full of celebrations and friends. It was great! The weekend started off with a surprise party for my dear friend Jamie. I truly can't say it enough what a gift Jamie (and the rest of the MM's) are to me! Its effortless fun when we're together. :) Jamie turned 30 this month and one day in conversation with Kristin she mentioned she'd never had a surprise party. Of course we jumped on that. The night was full of appetizers, laughter and just some quality time with great friends!

Love you all!

Friends of ours decided to start a supper club last month. This month Chad & I hosted the event. The idea is brilliant! The host couple does the main meal and then the other couples are assigned side dishes, dessert, drinks ect. There are no kids. So it's just a night of uninterrupted adult conversation and yummy food. I'm such a foodie! So it's fun to try other peoples recipes and get inspired with other ideas for meals.

I hope you all had a wonderful weekend too! Happy Monday!

Chasing Perfection

I was out for coffee with some friends recently and we were discussing the wonderful world of blogs, Facebook & Pinterest. These fabulous tools give us access to EVERYTHING! I love it! With a simple search you're transported wherever your heart desires and given the tools to do it all.

When I first became a stay at home Mom I found myself bombarded with these super Mom's who made their own designer birthday cakes, spent hours couponing to save their families money, and are gourmet cooks! They design, craft, and paint. They grew their own vegetables, made curtains and restored furniture. I was over my head to say the least. I could sell a Spring collection to a team of Nordstroms buyers but icing cupcakes for my sons first birthday was a disaster that kept me up until 1:00 in the morning. I quickly learnt that I didn't have a lot of the same strengths as my super mama friends. To be honest my insecurities blew up and I felt like a major failure. I found I got out of balance because I was chasing perfection instead of living in thankfulness for who God made me!

I love all my super Mom friends! They have shown me the ropes and taught me how to be a good Mommy. I had no idea what I was doing when I had Chase. So without them I probably would have cried myself to sleep every night. I'm so thankful for all their talents because lets face it when I get invited over to their homes I know it's going to be amazing. :) However, I can't be a carbon copy of them. I need to be me! At this very moment 'me' has no make up on, crazy bed head and wrinkled clothes at 11 am. (See photo) My hope is that my blog/facebook would give you insight into who I really am and not the staged illusion of a perfect life. You'll see my silliness and flaws but hopefully the love and joy as well.

OK, my laundry piles are calling out to be folded. Oh, did I mention I live a REALLY glamours life too. ;) Love you all!

30, flirty & fabulous!

It was the perfect day to celebrate the one and only Jennifer Fisher's 30th birthday! I was so excited to check into the Pan Pacific. We were so spoiled and got a harbour view room. As we sipped on Jenn's favorite sangria and got dressed for our night out the excitement continued to build.

We dined at Boneta's, a yummy french restaurant in gas town.

Jenn and I graduated together from Pacific Academy. However, we became close when she started dating one of Chad's closest friends. Then we worked, car pooled and travelled together with kensie. Jenn is a kindred spirit! She is the kind of person that makes you laugh until your stomach aches. She dropped everything, packed up her baby, picked me up and drove me to the hospital so she could hold my hand in the finale hours of my Papa's life. She'd go wrap presents with my Mom at Christmas time because she's just a part of our family. She listens to me vent and encourages me to be a better person. She gives above and beyond and always makes me feel so special! I love her to pieces and I'm so blessed to call her my friend!

We had a blast dancing at Fortune sound club later that night!

The next morning we leisurely woke up and headed to Pure nail bar for mani/pedi's. From there we headed out for a little shopping. It was the best birthday weekend! I was so thrilled to celebrate Jenn and get to spend time with some of my favorite ladies!!!

Happy teeth

It seems like every time I blink Chase has grown bigger or he's at another milestone. I had put him on a waiting list for a fabulous children's dental office. The receptionist informed me that it would take up to 7 months for Chase to get in. I was shocked to receive a call a week later that they had an opening. The dental office was AMAZING! The assistant walked Chase through every tool she'd be using and gave every task a fun little name. He was really into it. When the dentist came in he kept telling Chase he was a superstar cause he laid perfectly still and had his mouth open nice and wide. It was so cute!

I would say the first dentist appointment was a huge success! All smiles here. ;)