the first haircut

You might have noticed in the previous post a difference between the first pictures and the last one. Well let me explain.

For two years we've heard people ask about when we were cutting his hair. We never decided to "wait" this long it just turned out that way [**Sorry kiddo bean, you were mistaken for a girl often in the last year**]. The morning of his second birthday he had an appointment. The hairstylist didn't hesitate for a second. In just ten short minutes his hair was gone. I felt myself getting emotional as those locks were cut away. It was hard for me to recognize him. Atticus was the boy with the hair. "Now he's just not the same," I kept feeling. It took everything in me to not keep every lock of it like a crazy person (only kept a small bag of it...so not too crazy). The responses of many family members, who arrived later that night for his party, were quite amusing.


A few weeks have passed by and I'm here to say he's still very much the same. Turns out the haircut wasn't so bad after all. After all hair grows back, right?

friday was pizza day, the best day of the week

This kid seriously cracks me up.  In his second year of life so much has happened and I'm just beaming knowing he's in our family. I swear, there hasn't been a single trip to the store that someone doesn't comment on how cute he is (and no I'm not at all biased). I get heart eyes for days for this mop top.

Keep growing little man. Each day I'm excited to see who you become.

To give you just a little taste of Atticus:

-Will eat the entire apple, seeds and all
-Calls pumpkins "la-la's" after riding Haunted Mansion and hearing the music from Nightmare Before Christmas. To add to his pumpkin obsession he has claimed a jack-o-lantern blanket that he takes everywhere (also called la la)
-still a (mostly) vegetarian, meat is just not his jam
-speech has seen improvements in the last few months but not quite where it should be. Tops words include: "mom" and "dad" and "babies" and "ja"
-started scooping out toilet water to drink
-tantrums over the weirdest things
-tells me when he poops ("I booped!")
-the promise of M&M's will get him to do anything (thanks to both grandpas feeding the habit)
-mastered slides
-asks to wear his hair in a man bun and then likes to pinch it when its up
-if he's wearing socks so will you. If he's not wearing socks, you better not be either.
-loves stomping to soccer chants while fist pumping and taking his shirt off to swing around his head
-marbles are life, they are played with daily
-loves Beauty and the Beast, always asks for "beass"
-he quickly makes friends and wants to be close to you, he has no sense of personal space
-loves when we open the blinds at night so he can see the "mooon"
-still claps after things he's proud of and you better clap too
-good at hiding from Dad when he gets home from work
-sleep is also life, he'll still ask to take a nap when he's ready
-giggles so much with his little chicklet teeth

To say we love that boy, is a total and complete understatement.


Friday was pizza day (actually no it wasn't, this Saturday was pizza day but you get the idea) especially for our TWO year old. It was a natural choice to have a pizza party to celebrate this little bean's birthday. He was hyper for an entire week after that birthday.

ten percent happier

Many conversations have been had between my husband and I on how to make our lives better. We really want to focus on only the most important things. When Tanner first brought up the conversation of minimalism I listened and supported him. The more he talked about it the more I found myself really agreeing with the ideals and was curious to know more. I listened to the podcasts which gave me the right motivation to simplify my life in all aspects (things, finances, shopping, relationships, etc).

Minimalism is about taking the time to get rid of the excess stuff in your life so you can live more meaningfully and focus on what's important.

Reactions from others have been rather interesting. When someone hears "minimalism" it is often associated with practically nothing. A family member made a comment when talking about us becoming minimalists, "I could never be a minimalist, I just want to have the things I need." It made made me smile because that is EXACTLY what it's about. Minimalism is the practice of being deliberate and keeping only the essentials that add value so that you can focus on the most important parts of your life. As The Minimalists say, "Love people, use things. The opposite never works." What I really like about this is there is no 'one size fits all' in how to achieve it. I sincerely believe everyone could benefit in some way or another by simplifying something (if not everything).

It's been over a year now since I started and man can I tell you I already feel more free than I ever have. I've been able to focus more on my bond with my husband and son. I find my days filled with more meaningful activities. My goals and future plans seem just that much brighter. In fact I feel ten percent happier (this is in reference to mindful meditation but I think it also applies in this situation as well). These boys are a big reason I'm trying to be the best me I can be.

Especially as we approach the holiday season, its a good reminder for me that less really can be more.

If you are curious about Minimalism you can watch their documentary on Netflix. Then when you too want to find ways to simplify listen to their many podcasts.