gungor: "beautiful things"

sit back & listen

christmas, one month later..

merry belated christmas everyone! i know, i'm almost exactly one month late (better late than never, right?) christmas came and went by so quickly this year, from all our holiday shindigs and late nights with my cousins, i was barely functioning on christmas day! catching up on some much needed sleep has been on the agenda since then! i hope everyone had a great christmas and an even better new year!

christmas decorating

it's beginning to look a lot like christmas..

in our house, we always love to decorate while playing christmas music, sipping apple cider, lighting scented candles, and blasting our heater..

besides our regular christmas tree, this year andrew and i decided to get liam his very own little tree, so we picked out a liam-size silver tinsel tree, that is oh-so-adorable! i bought him a few boxes of vintage inspired ornaments and also a handful of hand painted ornaments, made in germany, which included santa claus flying an airplane (which liam says is his daddy), mrs. claus (me, of course), a little mouse (liam), plus more. this year we also inherited a few ornaments from liam's great-grandma, that belonged to andrew when he was a baby! they are so cute, hoping for more! liam had a ball decorating his christmas tree, he also says he wants another one!

it is starting to look and feel a lot like christmas and we are embracing it, as much as we can! i'm almost done with all my christmas shopping *squeal*, i just have a few last minute gifts to buy and then the wrapping beginnings!

here are a few pictures of little liam and his little tree, enjoy!

she & him

i can't stress how much i love this album! it is the perfect christmas album to get us all into the holiday spirit!

this little boy

this little boy's favorite color is blue. 

this little boy isn't a morning person. 

this little boy loves playing in the dirt. 

this little boy likes to help me cook. 

this little boy is addicted to his iPad. 

this little boy sings in the shower. 

this little boy's fruit of choice is an apple. 

this little boy has a christmas wish list a mile long. 

this little boy is 3 and growing.

happy thanksgiving

very very very thankful..

our thanksgiving was great. in between cooking, eating, and cleaning i got to snap a few pictures of the festivities! as usual, little liam loved his thanksgiving dinner! he kept saying for the past few days that he loves turkey, so once everything was ready, he gobbled it all up!

now that turkey day is over, time to shop and decorate for christmas!

i hope everyone had a nice thanksgivng, like we did! 

1. making my favorite candied yams. 2. liam's thanksgiving outfit 3. little moccasins 4. liam got his smile from his papa. :) 5. turkey! 6. liam's plate

mr. blue

music is medicine for my soul..

sweet november

can you believe it is already november? that means christmas is just around the corner! november is always an eventful month, with craft fairs, flea markets, andrew's birthday, and thanksgiving to fill up our weekends! this month reminds me of persimmons, pumpkin pancakes, candied yams, any and everything orange!

little liam loves thanksgiving, he enjoys the big extravagant dinner we usually have and eats up everything in sight. i'm especially proud to say that he gobbles up my homemade green bean casserole and candied yams. so, i've already started hunting for new recipes and can't wait to start cooking! have i ever mentioned that andrew is certified in food preparation and went to culinary school? well, he likes cooking too so i am definitely looking forward to spending quality time with andrew and liam in the kitchen.

november makes me happy because i can always count on snuggling during daylight savings with a donut, a cup of hot chocolate, the latest urban outfitters catalog.  

hello november and welcome holiday season!

happy halloween 2011

this year, i decide to sew liam's costume and with the help of my lovely dear neighbor margaret, i was able to complete it. margaret is such an inspiring lady, she's in her early 80's and her strength and knowledge blows my mind. i aspire to be at least half the woman she is! she's very much into organic foods, natural cleaning, and also homemade-almost-everything! she's so cute, she has the cutest german accent and she love love loves liam! they adore one another and i love seeing them interact. did i mention, she is internet saavy, text messages, she even has facebook, so cute! we definitely treasure the time we spend with her because she is simply amazing! danke (thank you in german) for all your help margaret and showing us a great time at oktoberfest! we love you!

footnote: pictures of little liam in costume to come..

you are my child..

i came across this and i love it! :)

life lately

life lately has been full of a lot of emotions from one extreme to the next. excitement, happiness, fear, worry, sadness, disappointment, anger.

as many of you all may have already know, i have been very disconnected lately. i just have been trying to heal from our loss and trying very hard to move forward. a little over a month ago i miscarried. shocked that i was even pregnant, the pregnancy was very short-lived. andrew and i have been on this roller coaster of emotions ever since. things the last month has simmered down quiet a bit, i usually have good to okay days but on other days, it is just so heartbreaking.

so life lately for us and liam has included a lot of nesting, reading, cuddling, playing at home, music, and laying in bed doing nothing at all but i have vowed to pep up and get into the holiday spirit.

1. liam in sandrail (pismo beach, ca) 2. finn<3 3. macarons 4. hand picked roses from liam & daddy 5. midna & oliver 6.camping in the backyard 7. sara 8. adele 9. front yard fun 10. my mother's day card to my mom<3 11. fall breakfast 12. fall dessert, pumpkin gingerbeard baby bundt cake 13. bedtime stories on the record player 14. baby liam 15. buttons! 16. track shorts 17. reading

intimate & beautiful

reflecting, remembering, and missing our special day! it was such a beautiful atmosphere surrounded by beautiful people!

support the cause: krochet kids

buy a hat. change a life! krochet kids international

 

MISSION

To empower people to rise above poverty.

VISION

To create sustainable economic development programs that support holistic growth of individuals and communities within developing nations.

To inspire the knowledge of a generation about their ability to bring change to a world that is in need.

VALUES

People: We desire holistic freedom for our people to grow and enrich their lives physically, emotionally, and spiritually.

Our Product: We believe in quality, handmade products that not only bring comfort and style, but serve as a vehicle for social change.

Love: We believe actions rooted in love bring lasting and powerful change. Our model for love is that of the ultimate servant: Jesus.
 

life lately

life lately has been a rollercoaster of emotions for both andrew and i but the only person that keeps us grounded and grateful is our little freebird, liam. i love him so much my heart aches!

thank you liam for being liam! :)

be ok

"Just give me back my pieces,
Just give them back to me please.
Just give me back my pieces,
And let me hold my broken parts.

I just want to be ok, be ok, be ok.
I just want to be ok today.
I just want to be ok, be ok, be ok.
I just want to be ok today.

I just want to feel today, feel today, feel today.
I just want to feel something today.
I just want to know today, know today, know today.
Know that maybe I will be ok.
Know that maybe I will be ok.
Know that maybe I will be ok."

..it's been the roughest week of my entire life!
on the agenda this weekend, nothing by nesting. so let the nesting begin!

pop pop liam

it's done! pop pop liam! SO unbelievably cute! helena at pop pop portraits, was a pleasure to work with! i really really love pop pop portraits! looking forward to getting a family portrait done! so adorable, i can't stop giggling! :)

bright eyes

words can't explain how this is the perfect song for the perfect feeling i get when i think back to 4:18pm on thursday, july 24th, 2008. the first day of my life, the day we were blessed with our beautiful sweet baby. i just remember the feeling of finally being so complete that my heart tingled with joy.

words can't explain the pure happiness that our little liam has brought into our lives. a life that was made whole at first glance him! it is really true, there is no other love like the love between parent and child. little liam completes andrew and i infinitely.

this song is a great reminder to be grateful for my two special guys in my life, especially after everything we have been through lately. i usually try to keep helloliamandrew a nice happy place that liam can one day come back, read through, and remember. but today, as i listened to this song, i am overcome with emotions of happiness and sadness in one. the joy of remembering the life changing experience of being pregnant with liam, then enduring the pain of love while giving birth, and everyday after that we get to spend with him and make memories with him. we love liam so much, so much that words can't simply explain.

for awhile now, andrew and i have been trying to give liam the gift of a sibling. a life-long companion to grow close with and love. there's no denying it, it has been a rough almost two years. so many hopes, thrills, and disappointments. i honestly don't know if i can bare another disappointment of not seeing that "+" sign or the double lines. so we recently decided to intensify matters and agreed to start on Clomid, medication to make me ovulate more often, that will hopefully enhance the chances of conceiving. during our last visit, the day i patiently waited for, for over 3 months. my dr. began to fill us in on the process of the medicine and was just about to write out my prescription, when he asked me a few questions, which i answered honestly. then he decided to give me an ultrasound, as he concentrated on the screen and suggested that i may possibly have blockage or a tear in my fallopian tube. i felt my heart slowly but surely break into a million pieces. then after feeling like my world just crumbled around me, he scheduled me for a Hysterostalpingogram (HSG).

so now, i sit and wait patiently again, wishing that whenever i have my HSG, the results will be in our favor. trying to think positive is very hard but i am trying. while my heart feels suffocated by disappointment, i am constantly reminded everyday that i am bless to be little liam's mommy, he literally is the greatest boy of all! i know he senses that something is on my mind, so he has been showering me with his sweet wet kisses, tight hugs, and tells me he loves me! i'm feeling so lucky to be loved, everyday with andrew and liam is like experiencing the first day of my life over and over again!

artistic liam

i almost died from all of liam's cuteness! he quietly drew on his expo board while i was making dinner.. and voilà!

if you're wondering what it is, it's a tiger! duh! can't you see the cute little tiger stripes? love it to pieces! :)

we ♥ books

we love books! i'm expanding little liam's book collection and am smitten by these classic books that i just purchased! we can't wait to get them and read them!

pop pop portraits

i fell in love with these custom watercolour pop portraits by pop pop portraits. i met helena, the artist behind all the cute goodness at the renegade craft fair and have been in constant contact with her, trying to set up references and outfit choices for little liam's own custom portrait! im dying to see it and cant wait to show my liam! thank you so much helena, you are great and i love your accent! :)