Art Show: Jess Youngsma

When we decided to open up our shop, Kyle & I both thought it would be so great to feature art from our friends and local artists in Redlands.

So every 3 months at our shop, Pad, we have an Art Party!

You can meet the artist,

buy some great art,

sip on some wine,

and have a good time!

And this time I'm so excited to feature my dear friend Jess of The Doe of The Deer!

It's gonna be hard not to want to buy everything!

Or at least one of each!

If you live in the neighborhood,

come say hi!

Friday, May 4th from 7-8 pm

Pad

127 Cajon Street

Redlands, CA 92373

Toodles

We took a trip to Disneyland.

It was for Ayden's birthday,

and such a great day.

I'll be honest I was scared.

Waiting in lines with a toddler, in the heat...

scared.

But Lucas was perfect.

Thank you Mickey Mouse!

(Lucas calls him "Toodles")

And we didn't end up spending a small fortune, thank goodness.

"Those Boys"

When Ayden was a baby, I remember thinking to myself that, "we've got a wild one."
Stubborn, persistent, and in to everything.

Then Lucas became a toddler...and turned our world upside down!
And makes toddler-hood with Ayden seem like a piece of cake.

Every moment with Lucas is GRAND.
He is one of "those boys."
You know the ones...
overflowing with energy,
gets into everything,
doesn't take no for an answer,
would rather wrestle than breathe,
only has one volume (LOUD),
and leaves Kyle & I completely breathless and exhausted by the end of the day.

Many moments at night, I would second guess who I am as a mother.
Comparing myself to other moms who "seem to have it all together" and are the image of perfection with their children.
Feeling inadequate and weak.

Now, maybe you are stronger than I am.
Maybe you are one of those moms who has it all together.
Your children jump to attention at your every word.
Always polite to strangers.
Smile when you ask them to do chores.

But I know I am not alone.
There are so many times where we as moms think "We are alone."
That we are the only ones going thru these struggles.
That our weak spots have to be hidden.

But it's okay.
It's okay to fail.
It's okay that we aren't perfect.
These weaknesses only make us stronger.
We grow and mature from the moments.
Making us better mothers.

My boys will always be high spirited.
And I love every ounce of that spirit.
They live life to the fullest,
and if that means I am exhausted and bone tired by day end...
then it's all worth it.

Easter Weekend

{Please excuse my horrible out of focus pictures... my camera just isn't cooperating these days...)

Easter weekend was great.
Busy and filled with lots of trips to see family.
Which I've missed so much lately!
And my grandmas' potato salad. You have no idea how GOOD this stuff is!
I crave it.


 

This is the closest I got to a Easter photo shoot of the boys. Which didn't even include Lucas because he ran the other direction when I tried to heard them together for pictures...

But I got this one of all the cousins and the dudes in their bow ties! Babes.

SNOW

A few weeks ago, it snowed A LOT.

And playing in the snow is a luxury that we just don't get to often around here.
So we gathered up the posse and headed for the hills.

3 boys in jeans, beanies, and rain boots...means business.
We don't have snow clothes.
Or gloves for the matter.
Poor kids.
They could have lost a finger or two...

But when you look back at fun memories...gloves aren't apart of it, just an insane amount of fun!

The whole time I watched them play together, I thought, "this is it." Life is about this. These small beautiful moments pieced together.

 

Grand Opening

Thinking back over the past 2 months, nothing feels more monumental and amazing, then the news that we opened up our own vintage shop in Redlands, called Pad!!

It all happened so fast. SO fast!

We found the spot.

Applied that weekend.

And we got the call a few days later that we were in!

It felt like a dream! 
And still does...every-time I open the door with my key each morning.

People don't often  get to do what they LOVE to do for a living.
And for that I feel so lucky.  


Our grand opening was on February 17th and was such a blast!
So many of our friends and family came out to support us!
It was a night I'll never forget.


Brandon volunteered as our photographer. 
Here are a few moments he captured!