Brandon and I have been working on a very special project (not a baby) that we are so excited to share with you soon! It's something that is very dear to our hearts, and we're hoping to see you all back here when we announce it (which I promise, is soon). I'm going to say thank you in advance, and we'll leave you with a little peek at what's coming.
A couple weeks ago, I was working on something on the computer at home, and was getting so frustrated with the glare on the screen. I took a Thursday off a few days later, and one thing on my to-do list was to rearrange the two pieces of furniture in the office so that the computer wasn't facing the window anymore. Literally all we had in there was a desk and a little cube shelf (and my piano, I guess). Our "office" sat empty until just over a year ago, when I got tired of it being boring, and finally bought the desk and shelf. Since then, it has seen more use, but it still didn't feel complete. When I was rearranging, I suddenly had a vision for how I wanted the room to look, and Brandon was sweet enough to indulge me.
We went to Target and Hobby Lobby (the only important places, really) and spent waaay too much money. I initially had wanted a new desk, but I'm actually pretty pleased with how everything turned out, and don't feel the need for a new one anymore! Because we already had the two main pieces of furniture, everything else was very detail oriented and it was so fun to pick out little things. Eventually (hopefully) we will redo the nursery, and I will move Carter's blue curtains into the office (the white ones are just place holders, we already had them so they'll work for now). We wanted the office to feel sort of like his room still, and even though there is a lot of girly flair to it, there are hints of blue and lots of airplanes.
I'm honestly so pleased with how it turned out, and I really feel like I have a creative space where I will want to spend time working on the blog and my novels. Shout out to Brandon for being the greatest husband ever, and for understanding that retail therapy is a real thing. You can shop everything at the end of the post! (Use the code LABORDAY to save 15% on your total purchase at Target through Monday!)
PS. These shelves are handmade by Brandon! I wanted shelves so badly but couldn't find anything like what I imagined, so he made these things all by himself! (even though I was supposed to help. oops). Happy shopping!
This post contains affiliate links.
A little behind the scenes because the cats love it too!
I wrote this post on our way home from Amsterdam, and still think about this day a lot. I'm so grateful for these little signs from our babies!
Being on vacation for a week was hard. It was super fun, don't get me wrong, but it was hard to be away from home and our boy for so long. I feel him the most at home, and that feeling fades just a little whenever I leave the house. After days of no routine, little sleep, and anxiety from just being outside my current comfort zone, I broke down. I just wanted to go home and be with him.
One night, while I laid in bed for hours trying to fall asleep, I asked to be given a sign that he was there with us. Actually, I kind of begged. I just needed something. The next day, there was nothing. I went back to the hotel sad, but still hoping that something would show up.
That night, I got the most sleep of the entire trip. The next afternoon, we were wandering around the Amsterdam City museum, learning about the history of the city, and saw this little beauty on the wall:
I didn't read the rest of the timeline, so I'm not sure why the Wright brothers were so crucial to the development of Amsterdam, but that was my sign. The last time I had given the Wright brothers any thought was at the air and space museum, which is where we found Carter's middle name, Mckay. Airplanes have played a far more significant role in his little life than I ever would have imagined! I just stood there, staring at the plane, and cried. It was such a special little gift to be given on a day I needed it most!
Fast forward twenty minutes later, when we were trying to find dinner, and I found a restaurant called Carter. We didn't go there, but it was still fun to see his name on my map!
We sure do miss our little guy, but It's always nice to have these little signs pop up, or to hear that other people are thinking of him!
Before we went to Disneyland in January, I knew that certain aspects of the trip were going to be a little difficult/sad. We announced our pregnancy to my family at Disneyland last year in March, and the one thing I remember most prominently is standing teary eyed on a corner near city hall as we shared our wonderful news. That corner was the one thing I knew I really wanted to avoid.
In the days leading up to our trip, Brandon told me that he bought me a gift, and that it should be at our house before we left. We checked the mail right before we left, and it wasn't there. He was so sad, because he had double checked with the seller that it would be here on time, and it still wasn't. He ended up telling me what it was, and even though I didn't have it, I still thought about it all weekend, and it was just as special.
The gift wasn't just for Disneyland, even though it is Disney themed. We have taken it with us when we've driven somewhere for a weekend, and it's with us now (yes, as you are reading this) as we sit on the airplane heading somewhere exciting.
This little pin is one of the many ways we get to take Carter with us on trips, even though he isn't here. It's perfect, since we go to Disney for vacation so often, but I love that we have it to take with us everywhere else. We didn't know that an airplane themed nursery would be so perfect, but I love knowing that wherever we go, he's up there in his little plane, following us around the world.