I realize this event has passed us by, but these photos are to good not to share. Everly looked so sweet in her bikini (the neighbor girls called it a "kini"). It was just Everly and I for the fourth. We went swimming with our neighbors and had a little barbecue. We played outside a lot and Everly showed off her impressive skills of learning to climb through the dog door. It was a lovely day.

xo Sue

This last week Aaron's dad has been here visiting us and it's been so much fun. We went to Comic Con, the park, the toy store, too many yummy restaurants, and had an Easter egg hunt. It was such a fun time. At first Everly wasn't too sure of her Grampy. She loves to wave to him through Skype but seeing him in person was a different story. The first day she was wary but by the last day she was reaching out for him to pick her up and blowing him kisses every few minutes. She even gave him a great big kiss before he got on the plane. It was so sweet! 

One of the funnest things for me was having someone else behind the camera for once. Usually it's me and I'm never in our pictures but Grampy picked up a disposable camera and followed us around with it. I love disposable camera pics. They're a little bit grainy and remind me of pictures taken 30 years ago. The pics at Comic Con didn't turn out because of the overhead florescent lights. Yikes! But they're not perfect and that's what I love about them! Plus there was the added delight of going to drop off the film and picking it up. I haven't done that in years. I'm so used to instant pics and seeing them immediately. I think I'm going to make it a goal to take more pics with disposable cameras because these are too precious.

I've always found it sad that a holiday dedicated to love gets so much hate. What is so bad about a holiday that celebrates LOVE? I know when people think of love they think of romantic, passionate, must-have-you-now love. That's not what it's always about. In fact, life rarely is about that kind of love! It's about the love of your family, the love of your friends, the love of yourself. This lovely holiday I want to share just a few of the things that I'm celebrating today, the things I love.

• Aaron, of course! He's my lover.
• Everly, the tiny love of my life. The person who taught me about love, really.
• My family, all of them. They're spectacular.
• My friends, I can't list you all separately because this list would be too long. You are wonderful!
• Myself. This year of falling in love with myself has already been fantastic. I am really great.

Last year on Valentine's Day Aaron and I stayed in and had a sweet dinner together (our tradition is to cook dinner at home rather than go out). We talked to my huge belly (I was 39 1/2 weeks pregnant!) and told her that perhaps she could come out and we could meet her. We didn't realize we only had one week until that request was fulfilled! There was so much love in our world then, and it didn't even compare to the love that fills our world now. Everly Eden, you make my world beautiful. 

And to all the Valentine's haters: Just.Stop. It makes you seem bitter. (If you want a thoroughly entertaining view on the problem with Valentine's Day click here! "Less complaining. More sexy rumpus.")

xo Sue

I can describe this Christmas with one simple word: Magic. Seeing the world through her eyes, seeing the magic through her eyes, was amazing. I bought her exactly one toy: this sweet little super doll, Joy. I'll explain more about that gift a different day, but it's very special to me and I hope that it will be special to her. All her other fun toys came from her grandparents. I would say she was spoiled rotten but I don't believe that, I think she was spoiled an appropriate amount! We had a Skype Christmas with Aaron's parents and Everly had a great time tearing the wrapping paper to shreds. Then we had a Christmas with my family and again E tore up the gifts. She had a lot of fun and even liked the presents once they were opened. Her favorite is a light up contraption Aaron's parents picked out for her that makes music for her to dance to and has lots of buttons, light, and noises. She dances around and shakes what her mama gave her. It's pretty adorable. 

The clothes for Everly were some of my favorite gifts (and the only other thing I bought her). Her little white & green leggings (seen in some of these photos) say "Evie" on them and came from jennifer ann. Are they not the cutest things ever? I loved picking them for her and put her in them way too often. Her sheep pajamas came from Grandma (Lizzie got a matching pair). The pink striped pajama was from her Nanny. And the red & white tutu I made one day, just for fun. 

Aaron and I each got a few fun gifts too. Books/clothes (me), collectibles/games (him), and movies (both of us) were the majority of our Christmas treats. I made myself an initial necklace to represent our little family (E, S, A) as something special and I love it. 

Christmas day most of the family went snowboarding/skiing. Shelly and I stayed with our babies, daddy, and a few other siblings for a quiet day at home. When Aaron got home E and I enjoyed our snuggles with him and watched movies and had treats. The day after Christmas my mama took all the sisters to get pedicures together. It was so fun to go and spend time with my sisters. We haven't been alone with just the ladies and no babies in a long time. Shelly couldn't make it and we definitely missed her. I love that for our gifts my parents gave us experiences instead of things. It was so fun to make special memories together and I'll always remember it. 

I spent a lot of time this holiday season reflecting on how blessed my life is. I have the most amazing husband and daughter. I have a wonderful family who loves me (us) and is always there to support me. Watching Everly explore this season in her own special way has been beautiful. Christmas has been magic with my darling daughter. I love her more than words can express. I hope your holiday season was your own brand of perfection! 

xo Sue

From our little family to yours, Happy Holidays! We hope this season is everything you've hoped for and more. Indulge in a treat, play in the snow, sing holiday songs at the top of your lungs. Explore the world around you with new and wondering eyes. Tell people you love them. Tell them you're grateful for them. Remember that joy, love, and peace are some of the most important attributes you can share with the world. And keep a thankful soul all year long. Merry Christmas! 

xo Sue

Every year for Christmas I like to make a mix of my favorite songs to listen to during the holiday season. Last year I made one and gave it to all my friends for a Christmas gift. That was such a fun thing to give! Everyone loved it and they all discovered some new songs while they were at it. I tried to have a good mix of classics and obscure or new songs to make a good variety. I thought I'd share this year's mix with you here today. I'm not sure if it will be going out to my friends this year but it's on repeat for me!

 

What is your favorite holiday song? I'm always on the lookout for new and great music. Let me know in the comments what you love to listen to!

xo Sue

There is something absolutely magical about a Christmas tree. The twinkle lights that glow. The ornaments that we've made and collected over the years, each with their own special story. The gifts slowing adding up under the tree. It's quite special. Growing up we always had a tall, real tree (16+ feet at least!) and I desperately missed that while we were in Japan. There we had a small space and everything felt overcrowded so we stuck with a small, fake tree. It was perfect for the two of us but I love being home now and seeing the magical giant tree again. Everly is fascinated by it. The glowing lights and the decorations call to her, begging to be put in her little baby mouth. It makes my heart happy to watch the delight in her eyes when she spots something new on the tree. Everything about this Christmas is new and exciting. Everything is an adventure. I will never forget Everly's first Christmas. The Christmas of Magic.

xo Sue

Since I've been focusing on a Thankful Soul this holiday season I've been sharing the things I'm thankful for each day on twitter. I wanted to list just a few of them here as well.

• I'm thankful for Aaron and everything he does for me. His strong arms around me at the end of the day are all it takes to feel the stress melt away. He is my true partner in life.
• I'm thankful for Everly and everything she teaches me. She is an absolute joy in my life. I am truly the luckiest to be her mom.
• I'm thankful for my parents. They've always loved and supported me no matter what I choose and they've always been an amazing example to me.
• I'm thankful for my brothers and sisters. They are the best. Just the best.
• I'm thankful for my niece and nephew. They are both so sweet and Everly just loves them.
• I'm thankful for my in laws. They're such wonderful people and they raised the greatest man I know. 
• I'm thankful for my friends, both old and new. I have some of the greatest friends a girl could ever ask for.
• I'm thankful for all our extended family. There's so many of them and they're pretty great.
• I'm thankful for my blog. It's a wonderful outlet no matter my mood.
• I'm thankful for my little shop. It's been so much fun to work on my jewelry these past few months. It's a gift to be able to share something I love with people. 
• I'm thankful for being a doula. I absolutely love my job of helping women give birth. It is empowering to watch these women warriors and support them as they become mothers.
• I'm thankful for books. I love to escape into them and dream of magical worlds. 
• I'm thankful for social media. Yes, I said it. I enjoy it. It's so much fun.
• I'm thankful for a kitchen to cook in. I love to dream up new recipes and tasty dishes for my family to try.
• I'm thankful for hot chocolate and warm cookies. They need no explanation. 
• I'm thankful for the new opportunities that have come our way despite the difficulties we've face this past year. 

Aaron, Everly, and I are truly blessed. We have so many beautiful things in our lives, including each other. I love them with all my heart and soul.

xo Sue

Yesterday I mentioned the thankful soul and I wanted to write more about it. Sometimes it's hard to be thankful. I know that in some ways we've been so blessed this year. Our precious Everly was born and we've had the absolute joy of watching her learn and grow. I cannot ask for anything more wonderful than that.

But this has also been a difficult year for us. Aaron lost his job and we moved our little family 5,000 miles away. We had to leave our precious puppies behind which was heart wrenching in itself. We're getting settled into our new home, our new routine, but it's only semi-permanent. We're still looking for new opportunities and ways to help our situation. Aaron has a job that pays him and gives him good health benefits for our family but it's not quite enough. We're so lucky to be with my family who love and support us through it all but we're ready to do more. We've adjusted to a new way of life. And sometimes it's hard. I'd even say that a lot of the time it's hard. There are moments when I wonder why this is the way things have gone. There are times I can pinpoint and ask myself "what if..." I try not to, but they happen. Sometimes too frequently for me. So in those times I've started something new. I take a deep breath, I concentrate inward, and I think of the things I'm thankful for.

And every single time these two are at the top of my list. Without Aaron and Everly my life would have little meaning.

I have a small confession. Since I was 11 years old, I have not liked Thanksgiving. It's not because I'm ungrateful, it's because of some particularly painful and heartbreaking memories associated with my 11th Thanksgiving. As I've grown older I've learned not to tell people that. Usually they assume I'm a brat because I don't enjoy this holiday. Slowly I've learned to let go of the hurt that accompanies this holiday for me but I don't think I'll ever completely lose it.

Two years ago was my first Thanksgiving married to Aaron and it was the first time in a very long time I've enjoyed the holiday. We spent it up at my cousins cabin, played in the snow, and enjoyed the togetherness of the family. It was also my last holiday before moving to Japan so I was particularly aware of what I was thankful for. Last year we were overseas for the holiday and spent it with some good friends of ours. It was nice to have somewhere to go instead of being alone... but it was a reminder of how much I love and wish for my big family when the holiday season comes around.

This year will be wonderful. I have my husband, I have my daughter, I have my big family to hug and share food with. I have so many things to be thankful for. They may be small or silly things but they're things I'm thankful for nonetheless.

Even though times may be hard, this holiday season I'm truly striving to keep a thankful soul.

xo Sue

I know that I'm not the only one who loves getting mail. When I pull out an actual letter addressed to me I get so excited! So this year I'm making a real effort to send Christmas cards out in the hopes that I'll get a few back. With that in mind, let's swap Christmas cards! If you want to mail out cards this year just send me an email sue.asitseems@gmail.com and let me know your mailing address. I'll send you mine and we'll get excited over the beautiful cards we get. Sounds wonderful, right?

This was last year's card. I miss those sweet puppies but I'm sure glad that baby isn't in there anymore!

PS If you want to swap cards with several bloggers hop over to Amira's blog where she's doing this same thing, except organizing whole groups of bloggers to send each other happy mail. So fun!

xo Sue

I love this time of year. The music, the lights, the general spirit of cheeriness in the air. A lot of people get angry that Christmas decorations are out before Thanksgiving but I see no point in that. Instead of thinking of the two holidays separately, I like to think of the Holiday Season in general. The happiness, the love, the beauty of the world. I like to focus on those things.

Since this is Everly's first holiday season I'm trying extra hard to make it a good one. I've been thinking about traditions I want to start with our family and things I want to teach her. She may be only 9 months old, but she's so smart already and learns every day. She's not to young to understand the meaning of love, happiness, and giving.

Last year Aaron and I started two family traditions that I hope to continue for a very long time. The first was a Secret Santa for another family. We wrapped up a little bundle of goodies we thought they'd enjoy and we dropped it off at their doorstep on December 24th. I was 7 months pregnant so I waited around the corner while Aaron rang their doorbell and ran like the wind. It was so much fun! That evening we settled onto the couch with new pajamas, hot chocolate and our Christmas book for the year, How the Grinch Stole Christmas. Aaron read it to my round little belly and Everly kicked him to say thank you. It was such a sweet moment for us all. I've already picked out our Christmas book for this year. It will be wrapped and waiting for us under the tree on Christmas Eve! I hope Everly enjoys it as much as I did growing up.

It's such a gift to see the world through my daughter's eyes. I took her outside a few nights ago to see the twinkle lights that are hung over the garage. She looked at them in awe and reached her chubby hand out to try and touch them. I've never seen more beautiful twinkle lights.

Because of Everly I'm seeing things in a whole new way. I'm remembering the true spirit of Christmas and I'm learning to keep a thankful soul. It's such a magical thing.

xo Sue

Today I'm linking up with the Pintester Movement: Ho Ho Ho Edition. If you haven't heard of the Pinteseter you definitely need to check her out. Her blog is all about the pins she actually makes/tests from Pinterest. They're pretty entertaining. I planned to do this a few days ago but since life had other plans it all fell to today (which coincidentally was the last day to play).

My original idea came from this image I found on pinterest. I cannot for anything find where it originally came from though, and believe me, I've looked! The farthest back link I've found is here but that's where the trail ends. I also found something pretty similar here that I liked a lot. Anyway, if you know where the pin originated please let me know so I can update my links. Also, I didn't like how the recipe from the image turned out and decided to go with this one instead (but I halved it since I only needed a few ornaments). It was very simple and we had a lot of fun with it.

Whew, that was a lot of explaining for one pin! So today my neighbor girls came over to play. I asked what they wanted to do and they said something fun. I told them that Everly and I were about to make Christmas ornaments and they were thrilled over that idea. So they jumped right up onto their stools and we all made ornaments.

Everly hung out in the sling with the girls and I worked on our ornaments. She was helpful by lending me her tiny hand to make handprints. I made 2 of hers, turning one into Santa and one into a keepsake for myself. The Santa one I finished with paints and the handprint I just used a marker to color in her hand. I haven't had a chance to seal them yet because they haven't completely finished drying, but I'll do that in the morning. And in case you don't want to follow the links, here's the recipe I used.

Salt Dough Recipe

• 2 cups flour
• 3/4 cup warm water
• 1/2 cup salt

Preheat oven to 325. Mix dough (I used the bread extension on my kitchen aid but you can hand mix it too). Make your ornaments (be creative if you like- my husband made a mini Cartman). Bake for 1 hour. Decorate! 

xo Sue

Like any crazy parent who uses too much social media (especially Instagram), I created a hashtag for Everly's first Halloween. I plan to do this for pretty much every holiday for all of time because I LOVE looking back at pics from a specific event without having to trudge through everything to find them. I'm aware of how crazy I sound. But the hashtag #everlyeden is my absolute favorite to look back over in IG.

My Halloween hashtag was #everween2013 and I posted periodic updates of my progress on our DIY costumes as well as pictures from today. I found this fab tutorial over at A Beautiful Mess (my daily stalk for creative ideas). They're obviously a lot more skilled than I at getting things done quickly because this took me two weeks of working. Of course, I have an 8 month old who thinks she needs to try walking already so I'm up to my elbows in trouble.

At the beginning of September I told myself I was going to make our costumes for Halloween. My mom always made ours and those were some seriously cute costumes. By the time October arrived I still hadn't started them (or even chosen them). When Aaron and I finally settled on lions (in case you were still guessing what we are) I jumped right in and got to work. I'm thrilled with how they turned out. Everly wasn't fond of the mane tickling her face but she was quite skilled at pulling it apart. I watched horrified as my daughter tried to destroy in 30 seconds what had taken hours to create. She ended up not wearing her hood for most of the night but she sat still (or we held her hands) while we snapped some pics.

Our Trick-or-Treat adventures consisted of knocking exactly six doors (grandma's included) and explaining our costume every time. I thought it was obvious but I was wrong! Lizzie came with us, dressed as the cutest bunny ever, and she was delighted to be getting so much candy. Unlike Ever, she knows what candy is! Our neighbor girls came along too and it was a fun 10 minutes out in the cold. Afterwards Everly chewed on a wrapped candy bar while Aaron and I giggled at her and stole candy out of my mama's big bowl. I couldn't have asked for a better first Halloween for my lady. I'm already excited for many more to come!

xo Sue