Be Merry: Christmas Cards with Artifact Uprising

I have always been an avid lover of ALL things Christmas and with that, Christmas CARDS. Since our very first Christmas together, I have always loved designing, ordering, and sending out cards. Last year we had quite the fiasco with our experience which was so unfortunate because I had used that company for years. That's why I was extra grateful when Artifact Uprising was willing to partner with me on our 2017 Christmas Cards, and really, I wish I had used them all along! 

We went with the Foil-Stamped Merry Card, and I just love how they turned out! I'm so thankful to my sister in law Jana for taking our family photos this year, you can check her out here and see more of her lovely photography! The card size is 5x7, and photos are printed on 100% recycled paper. An amazing new addition this year for Artifact Uprising [and super awesome for you ordering these beauties!] they will now address your envelopes FOR you. You can choose your recipients' address and a return address, or a return address only [which is what I did, because I still have to hunt for every single address I send these to.] Printing for either is $.40 per envelope [totally worth it!] 

The kids got extra in to the Christmas card sending this year, and were actually a HUGE help in stuffing and licking envelopes. WHEN did they get old enough to do this though!? I mean seriously!! Wasn't it just yesterday that they were babies on the front of our Christmas cards, and I was updating the world of their first steps and victorious sleep wins? 

In all seriousness, that's what makes printing Christmas cards that much more special to me. Every year I save a card for US, and they're all stored in my big photo box collection. This year's is one for the books, and I know in the years to come I will look back and smile at our Pierson and Reese; just four and five-years old, smiling so big on that 35-degree day we took that photo on! 

If you like what you see here and would like to try printing YOUR precious moments on an Artifact Uprising holiday card, today is your lucky day. This sweet company is offering you, my readers, 20% off your order! Just use the code AG20 for 20% off holiday cards, valid 11/28 - 12/5! I know a LOT of you ordered your free prints through my last special with Artifact Uprising and you told me how excellent the quality and photos turned out. You will not be disappointed with these either, friends. And hey, if you order after reading this post? Feel free to mail me a card, I'd love to see your sweet fam! 

Our Journey through Potty Training [with Comforts for Baby]

Potty training is a real hoot. Truly, it's a gem of parenthood.  There are so many different ways to teach little people how to pee in the potty. There is the “wait and pee” and “potty  planner” or the “eyes on the prize” or the “Panty Raid”. Let’s be honest, cutesy (and kind of disturbing) names don’t make the ensuing mess and drama any less real. Guys, there is gonna be pee. There is gonna be poop. There is gonna be a lot of mop buckets. But there is also help and hope on this journey.

My son might be one of the most natural rule followers I know. He is meticulous with cleaning his room, excellent at school, always colors in the lines, just aims to be awesome at whatever he sets out todo. When he was just 18 months old, he hopped out of the tub, ran to his Elmo potty and never looked back. There were some issues with him building confidence to go, shall we say, number 2. But we ditched wearing diapers, and switched to underwear without thinking twice.

My daughter might be one of the most creative and free spirited children I know. She intentionally wears mismatched shoes on the wrong feet. She colors a rainbow on her page with no concern for the lines. She dances like no one is watching, and laughs with her whole body. When she was fifteen months old she hopped out of the tub and pooped on the potty--and then didn't do that again for a LONG TIME.

Reese was more stubborn than her brother about potty training. Not that wouldn’t use the potty like we were teaching, but at times it was like she couldn’t be bothered to stop her game, her lunch, her…creativity to go to the bathroom. When she turned eighteen months (the age her brother was when he mastered this endeavor), transitioning her straight out of diapers to underwear just wasn’t what she needed. The kindest solution that we learned with Reese, that I'm very glad we stuck to, was simply this: TIME. 

Sounds simple, doesn't it? But really, I stopped stressing out, I stopped bribing with sticker charts, I stopped giving myself straight anxiety at the thought of accidents because I just knew. I knew that Reese was different, and that as independent as she longed to be, that potty training would be OKAY. It's amazing what you remember in your child's lifetime and the things that you don't. I have friends ask me what age we started solids and with my son, I remember that he was six months old exactly. But with her, I have no idea?! I do however, remember potty training with BOTH of them. 

Pretty shortly after Reese turned two, she announced that she wanted to be done with diapers. Instead of underwear [which we immediately went to with our son], we let her pick out Pull-Ups. She has always been a girly girl, and instantly drawn to everything princess related. Thanks to Comforts™ Diapers we found the happy medium, and were able to purchase their Princess Themed training pants (which she LOVED). Within several weeks of wearing training pants, Reese was able to transition to little girl underwear during the day; however, at nap and bedtime, she still slept in a pull-up. The Comforts for Toddler Training Pants that we use, have really made potty training engaging for Reese. She loves the princess characters, and the product itself is thin and comfortable. They are simple for her to pull up and down, and the flowers fade when wet, letting me know if she had an accident. 

To go along with the Comforts Pull-Ups that she wears, we mostly have used their Sensitive wipes. I'm not sure at what point we'll stop purchasing wipes, I like to always keep a package in the car for meals on the go and for when and if accidents happen! These ones in particular smell very refreshing, are gentle on my kids' skin, and they serve many purposes beyond cleaning up toddler bottoms-- like teaching Reese how to care for her baby dolls for instance ;) 

Now our big 4-year old only relies on a pull-up only when she sleeps at night, and they're easy enough for her to pull down, put herself on the potty, and go BACK to bed. (Motherhood goals, right?!) Thank you, Comforts for Baby brand for helping us through this process and for all my readers, these products are exclusively at Kroger® Company family of stores. You can check them out and read more about Comforts on their Facebook page here.

Christmas with Havertys: Holiday Inspiration for Your Living Room

Ashley Glass Photography | Motherhood Photography | Reece and Pierson

"I'll be home for Christmas, you can plan on meeeeee. Please have snow and mistletoe, and presents on the treeeeeee."

I'm writing this before Thanksgiving, so either you're completely on board and singing the rest of that Christmas carol with me, OR you want to punch me. I'm just going to go ahead and assume that you're reading this though because you're a Christmas elf like me. 

I see all these Instagram ladies writing how they're the ones convincing their husbands to let them decorate for Christmas this early and I'm always like, "Huhhhh???!" My husband is LITERALLY Buddy the Elf, and can wrap presents in 2.5 seconds flat without tearing or wrinkling a single shred of the paper. "Six inch ribbon curls, honey!" is the phrase that comes to mind EVERY holiday season when we are sorting and wrapping for the kids. All of that to say, it's never been me who is like, "Hey! Let's put up our Christmas tree two weeks before Thanksgiving and get out ALL our decorations!" HOWEVER...I am so grateful that he wants to, and this year is even more epic than all the other eight Christmas' we've had prior. 

While I can thank my husband for being my motivation and holiday inspiration, I can ALSO thank Havertys Furniture. Y'all...I dreamt of their furniture for SO long, and specifically about someday owning a navy blue sofa, and as most of you now know, those dreams are my now reality! Every day I walk into this space and think, "This is OURS?! WE live here!?!" 

We scored our 9-ft. Christmas tree from Hobby Lobby and it was WAY on clearance. Someone recently asked in a photo if it's gold, and no, it's not; but depending on the lighting in the room and what time of day it is, it definitely gives off a golden vibe. We really strive for minimal yet classy when it comes to decoration and design, and I think the final outcome of this room demonstrates that well! We found poufs from Target [thanks, Chip and Joanna for your ridiculously cute new collection] and the kids are really enjoying sitting by the fireplace on them. We also use them to eat around the coffee table [wish we had discovered them before our charcuterie dinner with friends, but hey! It worked!] 

I'm not going to lie...as I walked around snapping these photos when I did, it became clear to me that we literally live in a ZOO. I mean SERIOUSLY...I'm sure you've noticed our one million pets in the photos by now?! Thank goodness the dogs KNOW better than to get on my beloved blue couch, but the cats?? Not so much...

Another thing that I love about the color scheme we chose for this room is that all of it is so easily versatile with things like throws and accent pillows. The JOY pillow is from Target, as is the giant Santa Claus in the Havertys arm chair. The light creams and rich navy blue is so easy to add pops of color and fun festive textures to. 

Maybe I should add here that my husband dug out ALL of these Christmas decorations, assembled the tree [using a ladder much of the time], and hung ALL of the gorgeous garland in our home?! I joke about him being Buddy the Elf but the truth is, I really wouldn't have the beautiful home that I do WITHOUT him. [Thanks, baby!! Seriously.] 

We could not be MORE thankful that we have this homey space to spend the majority of our time in. When we moved into this home at the end of July, I never would have fathomed THIS. The home was already beautiful, but being a brand new build and basically a blank slate, I had a difficult time envisioning character and charm, romance and elegance. Here we are, just barely four months later, and it is entirely thanks to Havertys Furniture and their H Designers for helping our dreams soar. 

This Christmas you can be sure to find us right here, all season long. Thank God for our wood burning fireplace [one of our biggest house goals], the comfy couch to snuggle up on, and for our children who create ALL of the sweet, sweet laughter. 

Happy Holidays, to you and yours! My husband wanted me to write "God bless us, EVERYONE!" so there that is. And hey, if you have YOUR Christmas tree up, will you email me a photo? You can email me here: ashleyglassphotography gmail dot com

PS: Here is a photo of the space at night; perhaps a bit grainy but I thought it still looked so beautiful! 

Gathering with the Glasses during Christmas time

Mom, What Are You Scared Of?

In our house, we rotate bedtimes. Honest to goodness since the time they were no longer breastfeeding, my husband and I have switched on and off. If he puts Reese down, I put Pierson down. Sometimes there's the nights where that can't happen; I'll be shooting a wedding or have photography sessions for instance and Asa will do them both--or we'll flip flop because one kiddo has requested the other parent. But 95% of the time I think it's pretty routine that we just switch. 

Recently it was my turn with Pierson. Tis' the season for all things Halloween, so he set out ALL the books that he had related to this holiday. We decided on Happy Halloween Little Critter, and before we began he rolled closer to me and asked, "Mom, what are YOU scared of?" 

I could have told him that I used to be deathly afraid of praying mantis, (ahem, still am) or how I still fear pretty much ALL living creatures besides dolphins in the ocean...but I kind of froze. I decided to just matter of factly say, "Well, Buddy--most adults aren't really scared of things such as the dark, or monsters, or spooky things like that; we're more afraid of other things. I guess what I'm scared of is being a bad mom." 

He straight up laughed, y'all!

"MOM!" he giggled. "You're not a BAD mom! That's just silly!" 

And in that moment, I believed him. Five years of his life have come and went. His babyhood is a blur. I remember finding out I was pregnant with him, being excited that we would have a summer baby. I remember his first birthday, and trick or treating indoors when he was two because it was pouring out; he knocked on all the doors with his cousins and screamed "trick or treat!" I remember being terrified that I would break him. Surely my lack of knowledge in the motherhood department would at some point just utterly FAIL, and he wouldn't turn out okay. 

Except that he did... and he has. And while his babyhood is a blur, his childhood is becoming a raw and vivid memory because that's the season we are in. I sit here and I wonder, in their short amount of time--their four and five years of living on this Earth, will they remember the wrongs? 

I doubt any child remembers their youth as being perfect (because parents are human, and WE, are human). But lately I've wondered, how will they remember me? Pierson is my sensitive soul. If I raise my voice even a smidge, he winces and closes his eyes. I didn't lay a finger ON him, yet somehow his heart is shattered and his feelings are in disarray all over the ground. And then there's his sister, who I for the life of me and honest to God, cannot figure out. She can be so head strong and so TOUGH, and most days it doesn't feel as if anything I say or do affects her whatsoever. Can you guess what that translates to for me...? 

Anger. 

A LOT of anger. I often feel that my life is a permanent profession of redirecting and saying phrases like, "Please stop. DON'T do that. You NEED to listen. You need to go to time out. Okay, I'm done. NO!" And then I remind myself--I am currently teaching kindergarten through fifth grades AND I have a four and a five year old at home. Oh, hello! 

But this really isn't about her--or him. It's about moms. And the fact that I think there are a LOT of you who are scared of being bad at your job. But the truth is, you aren't. I just bought Jen Hatmaker's newest book, "Of Mess and Moxie," and it arrived at THE perfect time. She said this, which I just loved: 

"Friends...I believe we can take a handful of things quite seriously as parents and take the rest less seriously, and it is all going to be okay. You are doing an amazing job. Your children know that they are loved and have felt it all these years deeply, intrinsically. If we get seven out of ten things mostly right as moms, we are winning the majority, and the majority wins the race." (Pg 17). 

It's actually taken me over a month to finish this post, because guess what, today we just set up our CHRISTMAS TREE. No, Thanksgiving hasn't even passed, but I'm a blogger and our family LOVES Christmas so yeah, we're way early. But the truth is, this fear of mine hasn't changed. I think it was ingrained in me before my son ever entered this world and I'm not certain that it will ever go away. But maybe it's okay to be a little scared. Maybe it's okay that we STRIVE for goodness--that we don't give up, that we keep going, that we keep praying, and disciplining, and hugging, and crying. 

Maybe it's okay that we want to be good moms. And maybe it's okay that sometimes we are scared.