Nürnberg: Volksfest

On Saturday, our family met up with another family (of seven with one on the way!) in Nürnberg to check out their Volksfest. Volksfest is pretty much a large fair. There were rides and games (and beer, I mean it is Germany). We had a lot of fun (even though Liam was pretty cranky most of the time) and plan to attend more fests and attractions since the weather is nicer (you know, when it's not raining).

Our Week in Pictures {April 14 - April 20}

A First Birthday Letter to Asher (And Party Pictures)

My sweet little baby Asher,
I still can't believe that a year ago, I held you in my arms for the very first time and for the third time in my life, I fell in love. I know you won't be this small forever so everyday I am thankful for having you in my life. I will treasure every smile and every moment I am blessed to spend with you. Happy first birthday my love!

Here are a few pictures from Asher's first birthday party!

Our Week in Pictures {April 7 - April 13}

This week was a pretty quiet one. We spent lots of time at home, went one a few walks and celebrated my 29th birthday. 

29 years.

(This post was intended to go up on April 11th, the day after my birthday but I broke our router.)

Yesterday was my 29th birthday. I do not feel 29. I feel more like 24. It's weird to think about my life and where I'm at. Things have a way of working out quite differently than we imagined or planned. 10 years ago, I would laughed if someone told me I'd be a 29 year old Army wife and stay at home mom (with no degree). I probably would have said something like, "Do you think I'm stupid??!!". But here I am and it's not all that bad. This birthday has caused me to do a bit of self-reflecting. I realize that I am not a very happy person. I'm not sure if it's the lack of family/friends in my life or just the realization that I haven't lived up to my full potential.

Growing up (and even into college) I had a few adults take an interest in me but I never took advantage of their outstretched hand and mentorship. I always skated by doing the bare minimum and just accepting things as they came. I never realized that if I wanted to grow and improve as a person, it was up to me to do it. Instead I waited around for others to present me with opportunities and made half assed attempts when something finally fell into my lap. I wish I could say that was in the past but honestly, it isn't. This year, this 29th year, I plan to change that. I plan to work on my happiness but also work on building my self worth. I am worthy of opportunities for self growth and if those opportunities don't present themselves, I will go out looking for them.

All I can say is that this 29th year, I will grow as a person and 30 will be even better. 

Our Week in Pictures {March 31 - April 6}

Three S's: sunshine, smiles, and Sophie.

Original Liam artwork.

Soccer practice.

Orange heart shades.

Family runs.

Just me.

Liam's duckface.

A Lesson to be Learned

Aka "The time the Army kept most of our paycheck". 

I just checked our pay for next payday and I am surprised that I'm not curled up in a ball, crying after seeing such a low amount. We knew this was a big possibility in the back of our mind but overall, we could have prepared a lot better.

Pretty much, after Will came home on emergency leave and they decided that he did not need to return, the Army did not stop his deployment pay (even after multiple trips to Finance). After we finally got things worked out, they told us how much we owed and we set up payment arrangements. Well, let's just say that the Army decided not to use that arrangement and instead is taking all of the overpay this month. Yeah, not fun at all.

If this had been a couple months ago, I would be freaking out. I'm not sure if it's because we were semi-prepared for this or if I'm learning to deal with these hurdles (and controlling my anxiety better). Either way, I have learned a lesson in this situation. We definitely need to simplify our lives and start building our savings. We want to be more yah prepared if a situation like this were to happen again. 

Any tips on simplifying and/or building savings?

Marriage is...

HARD! I'll be the first to admit that we do not have a perfect marriage (or relationship for that matter). I did not have great examples of healthy relationships growing up. My parents divorced when I was young (and never really had a great relationship during or after their marriage) and although my mom had relationships after that, they were usually unhealthy.

I always knew that if I got married, I wanted a marriage different than the ones I saw growing up. I wanted my children to have a stable household full of love. Well, I think we've accomplished those aspects of our relationship but there are some areas that need to be improved.

Over the past month, both Will and I have put a lot more effort into our marriage. We've started to do more things as a family (even though Will runs on a regular basis, he has started doing my 5K running plan with me and the boys as well). We have also made communicating a priority. I think that has been the biggest issue with our marriage and I'd like to see that change. I have come to realize that we'll never have the perfect marriage and I have to accept that. There will be hard times and there will be good times but I wouldn't have it any other way. The way I see it, if we didn't have hard times, we wouldn't appreciate the good ones. Let's hope for lots of good times in our future.

A Simple Life.

I felt the need to simplify our life. The need to get rid of things like clutter while adding color and light to our lives. It really is a weird balance that we strive for. We're constantly told that we should want more and more but sometimes that comes with the neglect of experiences and simplicity (am I even making sense right now).

When Will and I first got married (we just celebrated our four year anniversary - holla!), I had this idea in my head of our "perfect" life. Our perfect house and our perfect kids. It took me awhile to realize that perfect, in the sense that I was reaching for, doesn't really exist and it really shouldn't. I can't expect a perfect house and perfect children if I want our lives to be full of experiences and color and patterns. I have to accept the mess that comes along with adding this sense of warmth to our lives.

I will admit that even though this desire for imperfection is strong, it is extremely hard for someone like me. I like structure and predictability. I like clean and sharp. Stepping outside of my comfort zone sends my anxiety levels sky high but I am trying a little more each day to accept the mess that comes with a house of warmth.

I'm currently working on lots of different areas of our house. I plan to share our progress soon and maybe even do a few DIY tutorials (although they probably won't be too interesting or as visually appealing as other blogs). I really do like this transition we're making in our home and in our lives. We're living in lots of color right now and I love it.

Welcome to Will and Jaye...and the Boys

We have a new look and a new name! I owe the new design to Bella Lulu Ink. The blog was definitely in need of a fresh, new look and I think this is perfect. I hope you guys enjoy it as much as I do and make sure to check back on us often. We'll be here :)

It's been awhile....

I have been in a blogging funk (which is evident by my lack of blogging). Actually, if I'm honest, I have been in a life funk. Every time I come to my blog, wanting to share so much, I feel like there is nothing worth sharing. I don't do much of anything on a daily basis (although this isn't entirely true, I do tons of everyday, ordinary tasks). I don't have a very interesting life. I'm a stay at home mother of two...nothing glamorous about that. That thought, the one that downplays everything I currently am, is always in the back of my mind when I come here to talk about my life.

But that's going to change. I will be back to share my boring, everyday life even if the only readers are my sister and Oma (hi ladies!). I have lots of pictures to share as well as a new blog layout. Oh, yeah, and a new name. Ya know, since our world no longer revolves around Liam.
I should have everything together by next week so expect lots of boring to come your way :)