18 things I love about you

Little Talia is 18 months old.
She went to nursery last Sunday and while those two hours in church without a squirming toddler were extremely liberating, I found myself wondering what she was doing. I have to leave her often since I am in school, but this was different. I am not sure why. When I picked her up she practically fell out of her chair to run to me. I was handed a lovely picture she colored, but all I could do was hug my grown-up baby.

To my Talia: 

Here are 18 things I love about you.

Hi guys.

So Talia and I have been totally sick the past week and everything on my agenda came to a screeching halt. All my crafts, personal projects, not to mention schoolwork and house chores are on the back burner...again (crazy commission takes the blame for last month).

I'd just like to say that I am grateful for my lovely husband who -- though also feeling a bit under the weather -- has done many loads of dishes, cooked delicious meals, vacuumed, and makes sure I am taking my medicine. He's let me watch Seinfeld all day and held the baby and made runs to grocery store about three times a day.

I am just so very very thankful that he loves me and stays by me and does so much to make me happy.

^^That one time he took me on a hot air balloon ride for my birthday. Don't mind my infinite chins. 

^^

Also, thank you parents who give us their sympathies over the phone and over Face Time. We love that. 

Annnnd here is what Talia and I wish we were doing right now...

 

Taking a stroll in our beautiful rainy neighborhood. Because that jacket + that little person. Kills me! :)  

Happy weekend adventures!

Winter (and a toddler)

<< I started this post in January, and though we are in February now, I thought, "Hey, it's still winter!" Also these are good ideas/blogs to read, though Talia is not sick anymore.  >>

This is my first January with a toddler and I keep rubbing my eyes and asking myself if this is really happening. Since we can't go outside much, most of the time, I lay on the floor and Talia runs around tearing things down and stepping on my head.

I am so glad Talia has awesome playmates and there are such things as indoor playgrounds. Seriously saved my sanity.

Until she got sick this week. So now I have been social networking with a purpose, and guess what? Other people have survived this!

Love Taza 

photo by lovetaza

Naomi Davis. For those of you who are not in love with her already, is a NYC lifestyle blogger. This post was actually inspired by her feelings on January. (What am I talking about; everything I do is inspired by her.) Then her next post was full of genius ideas on how to survive an indoor winter with littles. I seriously owe much of my hope as a mother to Naomi, who fills the world with her happiness of being a mommy. 

My Hull Heart

 

photo by cassie hull

Cassie and I are actually friends in real life. She has two adorable boys and she is a stay at home power house! She always looks fantastic and I feel like our mommy times are pretty similar. She is also super fun to be around. We recently got together at the City Creek playground and it was so fun watching the babes run around together (kind of; they're all pretty independent). I highly recommend that place; I mean, McDonalds is just right there! Anyways, here is a cute post about her indoor shenanigans: shaving cream cupcakes!

Rain or Shine

photo by Rain or Shine blog

I found Kira through instagram; she is a designer and a blogger who lives in Portland. Talia absolutely loves watching video's of Pearl, Kira's darling, hilarious little girl. I am pretty sure Talia has picked up some of Pearl's mannerisms. :) When I am too pooped and Talia is too grumpy, I know Pearl can always come to the rescue and cheer us both up. (She also has her own tumblr, which I love.)

Pinterest

photo by Mr. Printables.com

As always, has delivered once again with pretttty cool ideas for indoor play.

 

Where do you guys turn when cabin fever is just too much?

 ^^This took place at the local mall, where Talia was offered some previously chewed gum that another innocent toddler found. Of course, she gladly took it before I arrived on the scene. Such are the risks of public play areas. 

a pinterest discussion

They say Pinterest is something that women spend hours on. True.
They say it makes them feel inadequate. Sometimes true.
They say it is a waste of time.
NOT TRUE.

Since joining the Pinterest site, my life has been unquestionably and irrevocably changed for the better:

1. It enabled me to hone my personal style.
    Prior to joining, I had taste (I think), but no education or exposure besides what I saw other people wearing in school or the magazines at the checkout counter. After having a baby, the postpartum depression came like a monster I didn't know about. I had to really think about what things actually  made me happy vs. what things should make me happy. I created a daily "look pretty" goal for myself to battle the grungy, exhausting, lonely haze of caring for a newborn. I cannot tell you how much hope I found in browsing through Pinterest and trying out fresh hairstyles, being able to shop with a purpose, and slowly rebuilding my identity. It helped me realize that though I was a mom now, I was still Evelyn. Evelyn-Mom.   

2. It advanced my artistic career.
    I recently wrote a paper on how Pinterest has become an essential tool for contemporary artists, male or female. It is a place where people have gathered all the great art in the world in a quick, easy access format. Its search engine is more refined, the images are generally high quality, and the storing capacity is endless. I have found new artists to love, and re-discovered old ones. I have found a community of artist consumers; people who care about what I and other painters, illustrators, and crafters do. I have found glorious inspiration for what I can create.

3. It helps me set goals for my home life.
Soon, I will be a full-time homemaker and I don't know two craps about what I am doing. But! Pinterest is the place where all the most brilliant moms/wives in the world have shared their experiences and genius ideas on how to not only survive the home, but make it a special, magical place. I look forward to implementing those ideas and changing our home and our lives to a happier, healthier, cleaner, more spiritual state.

4. Lastly, it makes me laugh. (very VERY important.)

Do you ever regret Pinterest browsing (besides, of course, when it takes over 4+ hours of your life in one sitting)? Or do you just love it?

(p.s. All these images are not mine. They can be found on my Pinterest page.)

little baby talia

I know it's strange, but sometimes, it's hard to remember that Talia is still a baby.

Each day she gets taller, smarter, sassier. Most of the time, I have no idea how to react. I get so exasperated -- like when she is throwing food down on my head as I am trying clean the radius around the base of her high chair, or when she somehow finds all my feminine bathroom items and spreads them all over the living room, or when I find her chewing on one of my still-wet brushes --- it's those times I just stare at little Talia and wish that she had a "pause" button.

A few weeks ago, it was one of those days. Talia was reaching for me and I was all but running away from her when Jake looked up and said, " She's a little baby; she just needs to be held sometimes."

My interior mountain of anger and knives immediately dissipated. Of course. Talia will never be this small again. Her little feet pattering around the house; her round tummy, her curly little mullet. I scooped her up and hugged her tight. Every time I hold her now, I think about this season of "baby Talia".

This week, we had got her immunizations up to date. The day after, she woke up sobbing. I still haven't quite mastered the getting-up-before-the-kids gig, so it took me a minute to get to her. When I did pick her up, she collapsed on me and just cried. So even though my mom clock was telling me it was time to feed her breakfast, we sat on the couch for a while even after she was quiet.  For twenty minutes or so, I held my little girl and just thought about how special/rare this moment was and how love her so.

So thank you, immunization shots (though I still blame you for Talia's strict diet of peanut butter that day).

^ An instagram shot of that day ^

I think she is made of sparkles

Happy Tuesday everyone!

Last night, Talia and I had a dance party while we were waiting for Dad to get home with those much needed wipes/diapers. As I mentioned (ranted) before, I really like the xx and Jake bought me the record before he went on his last business trip as a "going away gift"? I was happy.

So I put the vinyl in and she ran over, put on my necklace, and would not let me leave the designated dance area. We jumped, waved our arms, turned in circles (Talia's personal favorite) and laughed as we swung around. Whenever I would stop to get a drink, she would quickly and quietly run over, take one of my legs in the crook of her arm and steer me back to the dance floor.

Yeah, we skipped bath time.  :)

I love this little toddler stage. It's bad, but I love it when she says "no". She draws out the "n" and her little voice! She seldom says it, but I have to look away when she does so I can smile secretly.

I admit, sometimes I have mini panic attacks when I think of graduating and spending all day at home, following/fixing the trail of wreckage all day long. But then there are these moments full of magic where I can't keep from laughing and running up and down the halls with Talia as she smiles her toothy smile and squints her ginormous eyes as the wind (or my hair) hits her face. In all my years of school, I have had maybe two or three of these moments. Talia brings them in almost daily! I am convinced she is made of sparkles and unicorn tears and fairy dust.

Here is a little instagram video.  (I know, I know; why is my Christmas tree up? I couldn't tell you.) Aren't her pigtails the cutest??

blog lovin'

I finally got on the blog lovin train!
It is so smooth and wonderful and I can follow my favorite blogs and browse all of them at once (like while I brush my teeth)! 

Go find me:
https://www.bloglovin.com/blog/11653721


Also, here is the cutest picture my dad sent me of him and Talia playing.
(He claims she only comes over when he pulls out the iPad. I believe him.)

Christmas Wishes

We hope that everyone's holidays were as magical and memorable as ours.

As per popular demand, this is the Haupt Christmas picture for 2013 :)

I apologize for not being able to send out physical cards; it is a goal for our future Christmases. I am actually really looking forward to writing out our year in summary for all our relatives; I love reading about all our families. There is something about receiving a card in the mail, letting you know that someone wants you to know about their families and loves you enough to write out your address on an envelope. Unfortunately this year, I had was slightly swamped with school etc, so here is the Christmas /New Years /Happy Holidays card.

 

 Evelyn had her first solo Art Show this year in Grand Forks. You can see pictures of the show here, and look at some of the art pieces here. She also finished her last full -time semester at BYU and still has an acceptable GPA. She will graduate with a Bachelor's Degree in Art in the spring and is looking forward to being a full time mother (finally).

Jacob was accepted in the Studio Art program and is working as an Art Assistant for one of his favorite faculty members. He will be at both Salt Lake Comic Cons this year with his own booth so if you're in the area, stop by and take a look at the stuff he has been working on throughout year. 

Talia continues to amaze her parents with her feisty personality and irresistible cuteness. She turned 16 months at the end of December. Her personal achievements are too numerous to list, but a few are: learning to swim over the summer, crawling to walking to running really fast, folding her arms for prayer, expanding her vocabulary to six words (in both languages), self feeding, growing two teeth, and playing nice with other children. She is an incredible light to our family and we love having dance parties with her. 

We are so thankful for the love and support we receive continually from friends, neighbors, and especially family. As a growing little family, we have a testimony of God's love and His hand in all things. We hope that the love He has and that we have for all of you will be felt throughout the year. 

 -- The Haupts