Tag: family
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i’m thankful for you
One chaotic Saturday, amidst lunchtime cartoons with macaroni and cheese, my toddler was soggy and drowsy from swim class. I, on the other hand, was bustling around at a breakneck pace, preparing for a party we were hosting later in the evening. You can never have enough food; that is, until you are the one…
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Christmas in pieces: to the mama who lost her baby
Christmas of 2013 was a season that shaped me forever. As the lights were beginning to twinkle, the cards being written, and the trees cut, we lost our first daughter. As quickly as she entered the world, she left. I was reduced to ashes, small little pieces of a broken mama, unsure where to start.…
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guard your rest
Recently, I paid attention to the “bedtime” function on my phone. For some time now, I have seen the cute little bed icon nestled into the bottom row when I set my alarm, but I never bothered to checked it out. I associated it with the sleep-tracking function of my FitBit, which I turned off…
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unexpected grace
Have you ever been given grace, but you weren’t expecting it? I have. Allow me to explain. It was a warm September evening this past fall. I was doing too many things at once. I had taken on a kitchen project: putting up a backsplash. On a trip to Home Depot early that week for…
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seeking to bloom
Life now feels simple most days, but this hasn’t always been the case. In this, it’s easy for me to recognize that we currently in a time of abundance. We love our home, our little family is healthy and strong, we have more than we need to live well, and our marriage is solid. This…
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what did you do today?
“What did you do today, daddy?” This is my preschooler’s favorite way to start conversation at the dinner table. She hasn’t seen daddy all day. She wants to know what she missed. Her little world is pure and simple, lined with stickers and colorful necklaces, but still constantly changing. She cherishes the potential for adventure…
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i know i will miss this
So much of what I thought about being a mom before I was a mom turned out to be false. For example, before I had kids, I didn’t know a particular cliché would stir up so much confusion and doubt for me. In fact, I thought it would be easy to graciously accept this reminder,…
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because the laundry never stops
I love Seinfeld. When I was on bedrest 5 years ago, I filled time by playing Seinfeld trivia regularly on my phone. I got pretty (pretty, pretty) good. The repetition of the questions made the most intricate details form the show stick with me. For example, Jerry’s phone number is “KL5-8383.” There is a scene…
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thank-you to my toddler
It’s hard to believe that my pregnancy with your sister is entering the last month. It feels like yesterday that I got that positive test. I picked you up from daycare and whispered “you’re going to be a big sister,” and you whispered “baby.” All those rough first-trimester afternoons where I held you close on…
my western nest 