Seeing Them, and Being Seen BY Them

“Attention is the rarest and purest form of generosity.” -Simone Weil

“See me, Mom? Mommy did you see? Mom, did you SEE?” I remember our kids saying that, often. It was also “Watch, Mom, watch. Mommy, watch me!” While they still ask that sometimes, it is very rare! One is turning eleven in ONE month, the other is nine. Today’s church lesson was such a good reminder and conviction that though my kids are growing and not necessarily asking to be seen, giving them each attention is one of the best things that I can and will do for them.

The pastor today mentioned how allowing our kids to use the gifts God gave them, instead of forcing our own opinions and ‘should do’s’ on them, is going to be life changing. I wonder what paths they will walk. What colleges they will choose. What their first jobs will be. Who will they marry? Will they want kids, have kids, be able to have kids? What careers will they be in, what will their hobbies be, what will they remember?

I want my kids to be seen by me. At the end of their busiest, hardest, saddest, most exciting, most exhilarating, most trying days…to know that I am theirs.

I woke today with a hand typed letter from my son and a homemade card from my daughter. Both cards read so uniquely and vastly differently from each other’s, and both made me feel SO loved and so cherished. My son and my daughter are very different from one another—it is fascinating and humbling to watch their lives unfold before me.

I want to share parts from each’s here.

My son’s first:

“…don’t let me or anyone else say you are small. If anyone says that, they do not know what they are talking about. You’ve fallen off horses, gone to the hospital, you have MS, there are so many things that not even the tallest person in the world could handle, but YOU can. Sometimes I don’t recognize how much you do…I want you to never feel like I don’t see you what you do. I don’t think there will be enough paper in the world to write to you how grateful I truly am…..”

And my sweet girl’s:

…”thank you for helping me get cozy in my bed! It helped me a lot. I love that you hold my hand every night! Thank. you for teaching me to ride a horse! I love you so much! I can’t believe this is your 10th Mother’s Day! I use exclamation points so much…”

Pierson’s notes remind me of me when I was his age and how I would leave notes on MY mom’s pillow at bedtime. And Reese’s just makes me genuinely laugh because 1) I use exclamation points a lOT, and 2) I could only aspire to be as carefree as she is! I can see both of my kid’s love languages within their handwritten notes to me for today…my son is so much words of affirmation and my daughter’s is quality time. I see that. I know that. I confidently stand by that they’ve been this way since they were toddlers and first figuring out how to be individual people.

Lastly I wanted to share a blurb about husbands. Have you heard or seen the quote, “The most important thing a father can do for his children is to love their mother?” Henry Ward Beecher said that and I wanted to take a second to praise and love on my husband here. Today he wrote in a handwritten letter:

“In 2011 when we agreed it was time for a baby, we had no idea. In each season we have struggled and thrived as parents. Not because either of us is GREAT at it, but because we have each other. You are the calm to my loud…the gentle to my strength. The tenderness to my rough. The listening ear to my problem solving. My pause to my go…YOU complete this family. There were a million reasons we were and weren’t ready, but whether we were ready or not, YOU were the only reason I needed to say yes. You are ALL of my reasons.”

Life is short, it is tough, and it is fleeting. It was yesterday I was holding a newborn in my arms, and today I have two almost adolescents. Yesterday I was twenty years old and walking down the aisle, and today it has been almost fifteen years that I said I Do.

I see my people. Every ounce of me sees, hears, feels, and senses them. It is like I have a hundred hearts walking around outside of my chest, simply from being loved by THEM. May I always find the attention. May I always seek to love them more. May THEY always be seen by ME.

Christmas in July and Why it was a Must This Year

2020. The year that will never end, right?? From a global pandemic, and systemic racial oppression, a tanking economy, fear and uncertainty, and everything in-between...this has been a tough year for everyone. (Oh yeah, and flippin Murder Hornets? They were a thing too.) We left our classrooms in March not knowing what in the world would be next, and come August, we will return to school once again…online. The kids miss their friends, their teachers, socializing, and let’s face it, we honestly miss the normal work routine as well and being able to mingle with our co-workers. There has been tension, stress, a lot of unknowns, and a LOT of sadness and negativity flooding social media.

We decided it was time for something happy.
We decided that Christmas in July was a must this year.
…so we did it!
Once the kids went to sleep on July 23rd Asa got out some of our Christmas decorations and we (he..) got to work.

We set our alarms on the 24th and woke before the kids did. Reese is usually the first to wake right at 8am and she was right on time ‘Christmas Eve’ morning. As we drank our coffee and beamed up at her, she was SO confused. As soon as she came around the corner and actually saw the Christmas trees with presents underneath, she sprinted to Pierson’s room and excitedly woke him up. Their reactions were priceless and the joy in our home felt like a warm blanket. They looked at the presents (they each got a total of seven) and then we sat on the couch to watch Christmas movies (starting with Curious George’s Christmas that they have loved since they were toddlers.) Our plans were to spend the next two days together as a family (not that we haven’t had a ton of just family time), but to be more intentional with the things we did; baking cookies, cooking, coloring, decorating, creating, movies together, and big holiday like meals. We had Asa’s mama over as she typically joins us Christmas Eve, and after dinner Asa read the Birth of Jesus to all of us and then we watched a Christmas Story. We baked Gingerbread cookies with a Lemon Cream Cheese Frosting, and earlier in the day we went to Lotsa Pasta to get fresh ravioli for the next night’s dinner. The home was just the right amount of Christmas decor—and the whole mood of the house just felt so peaceful.

On July 25th we had breakfast and then let the kids open their gifts. Again, they got 7 each, and we wrapped things separately like paint by itself, paintbrushes, canvas’s, and then Reese got a couple of dresses and Pierson got a couple of new pairs of shoes. It wasn’t about the presents or spoiling the kids—this was all to create a happy memory for all of us for what has been such a tough and challenging year.

I diffused our Christmas Spirit oil in ALL our diffusers around the clock the entire two days. When we say it smells like ‘Christmas in a bottle,’ we totally mean it. It’s a little spicy, a tad sweet, and just smells completely heavenly. (Want it for yourself? Leave a comment here and I’ll hook you up!) Overall, we highly recommend participating in Christmas in July yourself. You don’t have to go BIG, you don’t have to set up a ginormous tree, just make it what you want and how you want! We used our porch tree from Treetopia and the pre-lit garland that we had from the same company. I had a lot of people message me and say they wanted to do this but it seemed like so much work; my husband will tell you it probably took him an hour start to finish [he is the speedy decorator, again, he is kin to Buddy the Elf so it’s just in his blood,] and he would also tell you it was completely 1000% worth it. August is around the corner, online school will be happening at LEAST the first six weeks (let’s face it.. probably longer..) and we are just praying we can take it ALL in stride and that everyone can stay healthy and happy.

Getaway for a Spectacular Weekend in French Lick

This post is sponsored by Visit Indiana and French Lick Resort, but all thoughts and opinions are my own!

Praise the Lord, it is our summer vacation!! My family and I were counting down the days until our summer could begin and finally, it is here! It was so fun to surprise the kids with a mini getaway the weekend that their school let out. We had heard GREAT things about French Lick Resort, and my husband and I are so glad we got to experience it for ourselves.

First off, for such a short drive from Louisville, it really feels like you’re ‘getting away.’ Not really an interstate close by, but two lane state roads wind you through beautiful country side. Then you pull into French Lick and there are these two MASSIVE resorts. They are historic, stately and offer such truly beautiful architecture and exploration. We pulled up and low and behold…FREE VALET. Sorry, but we aren’t typically fancy enough to have someone else park our car. That’s really a great way to start any vacation, someone willing to do mundane tasks for you. They even brought the luggage to our room free of charge as well!

We stayed at French Lick’s sister hotel West Baden Springs Hotel. You walk through a giant atrium to get to the hotel lobby, and oh my goodness, y’all—it’s magical. All of the beautiful natural light pours through, and when you stop and look straight up to the top, you can’t help being completely in awe at such a spectacular building. (I’m also blown away by whoever constructed it because holy heights, that would be kind of terrifying.)

Admittedly, French Lick is a small town, but for our weekend getaway it was perfect. Plenty of restaurants to choose from, games and activities for the kids, and the resorts have PLENTY of swimming options both indoor and out. The food at Ballard’s in West Baden, the charming train that will shuttle you back and forth between the resorts, bowling alleys, all of it was just super charming and relaxing. (PS, when you go and ride the train hopefully Todd is your conductor, he was MADE for this. Such a sweet and kind gentleman to everyone he gave rides too. He even gave our kids wooden train whistles, which I now have a love/hate relationship with; but regardless, sweet gesture!)

Outside of the resorts there were plenty of places to eat, shops to look through, and fun activities for everyone to enjoy. I recommend 33 Brick Street, which is where we had dinner one of our nights. Its a casual sports bar filled with cool memorabilia. Apparently I’m lame because I don’t really know who Larry bird is, but he has lots of things on display there!! We also enjoyed Pluto’s Pizzeria, which is where we bowled and ate pizza—a really fun experience and activity for our kids who are five and seven! For breakfast both days we went to the Grand Colonnade Restaurant Buffet. Saturday morning I had some girl time with my daughter; my husband drove our son to his basketball tournament back in Louisville (dedicated sports dad!) and she and I went to breakfast and explored some of the shops.

Big Splash Adventure is minutes down the road from the hotel, and a great activity for families who visit! It is a 40,000 square foot INDOOR water park, but get this—it has a retractable roof! All year round you all can enjoy this destination for some great family fun! Just outside of town there is Wilstem Ranch. There you can actually meet giraffes and elephants, and there is also zip lining and horseback riding here. The ranch is just ten minutes from Paoli and French Lick.

You all know me and my obsession with horses, right? We obviously had to check out the Stables at West Baden, which has trail rides available. (The minimum age requirement to ride though was eight, so we didn’t do a trail ride since our kids were too young; however, you know we cuddled them and got to know some of the staff, which in my mind, was pretty much just as awesome.) The staff there were super friendly! I’d highly recommend snuggling with the horses (and going for a ride, haha!)

We spent one of the afternoons at the pools, West Baden Springs has a great indoor and outdoor facility. It was sprinkling when we started, but the weather held off and we were able to enjoy a good couple of hours in the water!

French Lick truly was a GREAT weekend getaway place. Not far from home, but far enough away that life and responsibilities just slow down—and rest and laughter become the two most important things to take care of. I’ve heard from several friends that the decorations they put up at Christmas time are unreal, so my family will definitely be going back! Thank you, French Lick Resort for hosting our family this weekend, what an incredible place it is.

A Nostalgic Christmas

Isn’t Christmas MAGICAL?! The lights, the colors, it is truly the most beautiful time of year in our home. This year we are so thrilled to have a Treetopia tree in our home. This gorgeous tree reminds both me and my husband of our trees from our childhood, well, except, this one is massive. As soon as it was up we couldn’t stop talking about how grand it felt, and yet so nostalgic of our childhood. We simply love that this is the tree our kids will remember. That it brings our childhood and theirs together in a beautiful way. 

This year decorating the tree was particularly special. The kids have grown fond of certain ornaments, and had to share their memories of many of the sparkly things now decorating our gorgeous tree. Reese must have said “Oh I love this one” or “I remember this because….” With each ornament she placed on the tree. Making this season magical is so important to us, and sincerely this beautiful 9-foot Fir has really helped create that in our home. Not to mention the super cute ornaments Treetopia also sent, how sweet and timeless are these??

Whether we are sipping coffee in the morning, or hot cocoa at night, sitting by this tree has sincerely brightened our spirits. It’s funny how something new, can bring up so many happy memories of the past and help me relive all of those great childhood Christmases from when I was a kid.

PS: Treetopia also sells wreaths and garland, so BASICALLY this brand is your one stop shop. You really can’t go wrong (especially if you order today on Cyber Monday, when they are having up to 60% OFF!)

Not only did I partner with Treetopia, there are also nine other amazingly talented women who are going to be sharing THEIR beautifully and uniquely decorated trees with you this week. Each day this week, there will be two of us sharing how we decorated to show you what Christmas means to US. That being said, go check out Kara’s AWESOME 80’s inspired tree on her blog!

This post is sponsored by Treetopia. Thanks for supporting the brands that help make all the sweet stuff we do as a family possible. All ideas and opinions are my own.