leaving apartment seven

with a huge move on our horizon, i decided to take a few pictures of our little apartment. we have almost lived here for three years, and this apartment will always be special to me. it's where we first settled our belongings and made a home, where we came home after working long days, where we brought our sweet little girl home to, and where we made the decision to join staff with cru! we will be moving around for the next 6ish months, so that means almost everything we have will go into storage at the end of this month.

this apartment started out so big. i remember sleeping our first few nights on air mattresses, and thinking that we would never have enough stuff to fill a 2 bedroom apartment. over time we have collected so many fun things that our 'massive' apartment now seems teeny tiny. the thing i love most about apartment #7, is that it has taught me to be content with what we have. everything in our apartment has a story- and it's bittersweet to see this chapter close...

walking in, you can see the bunk bed ladder i painted and distressed to hold our quilts. all our quilts have either been made by ben's grandma and mom, or me. you also can see my grandparents tall bookshelf that my grandpa painted white, and has become distressed over the years. my collection of milkglass has grown over the years too. the milk bottle on the top of the shelf are from my great uncle's dairy farm.

the small, white table was purchased at a garage sale in anticipation of our move to the apartment. i painted and distressed it with a good friend in Branson (remember, Lauren?). the wire basket was purchased on our first sisters trip to Tulsa and began my love for wire baskets. the blue painted pot was my first auction win from a trip to Iowa to see my Mom.

this little nook separates the two bedrooms. this lamp was purchased at a goodwill in colorado before we moved to AR. the books were gifted from my sister, and the coral cabinet was a garage sale find that I painted and distressed.

just to the right, is this bookshelf ben made me in college. i love blue mason jars, and have collected a few over the years. our coffee table was a garage sale find, and the side chair was found and at a flea market outside of branson. the mirror was found a little boutique here in fayetteville, and has the best blue chippy paint. i'm not sure how much longer having a white couch will practically be, but for now we have enjoyed it.

next to our couch holds ruby kay's toys on a bookshelf painted and made from crates. toys seem to be overtaking our apartment! some of our favorite toys are from ikea (stacking blocks, car, and hammer/peg toy).

before we upgraded to a bigger tv, our old one fit in this cabinet, which was my favorite. i love hidden tvs. inside it now, is all of my sewing supplies. above it houses my little collection of globes, and my favorite rooster lamp that i won at an auction.

the plate wall above our dining table, has plates that our guests signed at our wedding, and also a few milk glass plates i won at an auction. we don't have a "highchair" for ruby kay, but this booster chair has worked out perfectly for our small kitchen space.

our plant shelves hold a lot of our wedding decorations, bushel baskets and crates.

i am so excited for our future, but have loved living at our little apartment. i know this photos will be appreciated in the years to come. i'll probably laugh at what i loved, but also feel sentimental for the "good ol' days"... 

9 months with ruby kay

dearest ruby kay,

what an eventful month we had! you are getting so big and strong, and life with you continues to be such a joy. it is so fun to see your little personality budding, and I pray that you continue to grow to be a sweet girl. you are still very curious, and always want to be in on the action. you also are pretty good at playing on your own, and often i'll find you entranced by the smallest toy. you play best when mama is in the same room as you, and sitting next to you.

it's so crazy that you have been out of the world for the same amount of time you grew in my belly. it seems life you have been here for so long, yet nine months is still so short.

some sweet things to remember from our ninth month with you are:
-you are starting to say "da-da" and i really think you know who dada is!
-we took you on your first hike! you rode in the beco the whole time, but did such a good job.
-we took you to the zoo for the first time, and you met a giraffe!
-we celebrated your daddy's birthday, and had the best weekend. we went to the farmers market, hugos (with mimi and papa!) and a razorbacks baseball game!
-you pretty much only eat finger foods. ever so often i'll try to feed you pureed food, but you much prefer to feed yourself. your favorite foods are fruits (who can blame ya), and also love chicken. whenever i am eating, you are very curious and spit out your paci to taste some too.
-you still love your paci. today you found the bin that keeps your pacis, and spent a good 10 minutes playing with them, rotating one in your mouth after the other. not sure how much longer we will keep your pcais.
-the "separation anxiety" phase is starting to show a bit. while we were visiting a church out of town, i got called out of the service to pick you up. i think you realized your daddy and mama weren't around, and decided you wanted us to be.
-your nina bought you some blocks, and we have been having a fun time building (me) and knocking them over (you).
-you are just starting to stand up on your own, and move from coffee table to couch. still no steps on your own, but we are getting closer!

your daddy and i sure love you, little charmer!

{8 months}

{7 months}

{6 months}

{5 months}

{4 months}

{3 months}

{2 months}

{1 months}

phone pictures

it's no wonder that taking pictures on my big camera happens much less than before ruby kay joined our lives. although I love taking regular pictures- my handy phone has recorded so many of my favorite moments. I have tried lugging my camera around, but it often ends up in the way since i already have a certain 8month old's things to tote around... I go back and forth with the pros/cons to our social media- fueled culture. on one hand, social media is addicting and I too often fall prey to zoning out on my phone. but on the other hand, I love staying connected to friends near and far, and keeping records of RKs life so far! instagram is my favorite, and it has been so fun to look back on our life through the quick pictures I have snapped. 

here are a few updates from Instagram of what we have been up to lately...

yesterday and today we celebrated Ben's birthday. his parents visited yesterday, so we went to the farmers market (girls) and football practice (boys) and ate at Hugo's. last night we met up with friends at the razorbacks baseball game. today we went out eat and went on a special birthday errand! 

my mom and oldest sister, marisa, visited us in march. we had the greatest time which included a sisters weekend at the lake. lots of memories were made!

we visited the zoo on a trip to OKC a few weekends ago. it was ruby kay's first time!

life at home with ruby kay continues to be such a blast. she is such a silly, curious, and loveable girl! I'll continue to take pictures, in hopes that she enjoys looking back on our lives with fondness! these are the days...

hiking in arkansas

this past saturday, we visited hawksbill crag, one of the best hiking trails in arkansas. ben and i had been there before, but it was our first time to bring ruby kay. in fact, it was our first time to going hiking with her. i can't tell you how great it was to be outside on such a beautiful day. even though the scenery still looked like winter, it was such a nice day.

 heartmelt...

 and finally, the point itself! can you spy my two favorite people?

8 months with ruby kay

an extremely belated monthly post...

dear ruby kay,

what a sweet girl you are. you are such a good mix of being chill, but you also are still very curious. you are such a good baby, and you make your daddy and i so happy. i am so excited to see who you will grow to be, and i pray that you stay the same sweet girl as you grow up.

right now you are napping, and i am so ready for you to wake up. you are typically pretty cuddly after your naps, which i just love. we finally started a schedule for you, and it has "normalized" life so much. our life has been pretty busy with work right now, but we are so thankful for your presence in our lives.

some sweet things to remember from your eight month with us are:

-you now have two bottom teeth that came through at the same time. your daddy felt them first, and i was so surprised. luckily, teething didn't phase you at all.

-you love your mama, and always want to be by my side, or in the same room as me.

-you are an expert crawler, and getting really fast. we "baby-proof" our apartment by closing our bedroom doors and letting you wander in the living room and kitchen.

-you just started to wave "bye bye"! 

-you had two very special visitors from Thailand- Nina and Aunt Marisa. you love the extra attention!

-you still love peek-a-boo, and are slowing starting to play it with me!

-your hair is just starting to thicken, and your mama is so excited to put bows in your hair instead of headbands!

-your nicknames are RK, rubesies, and sweet girl

-changing your diaper has become quite the task, and i have to pin you down to keep you still

-your favorite book is "my farm friends" and you especially love it when i make the animal noises.

-you now eat three meals a day, and are slowly starting to eat what we eat, just chopped up and softened.

-you are nursing four times a day (8,12,4,8), and take two naps (10,2), and sleeping through the night (8-8)

-we stayed in a hotel for the first time, and you swam in the pool on your eight month birthday. 

your daddy and i love you so much, sweet girl!

{7 months}

{6 months}

{5 months}

{4 months}

{3 months}

{2 months}

{1 months}

baby bump countdown pictures

remember all those pregnancy posts i did last year in my countdown tee? i wanted to compile all the pictures together to see my bump grow. i remember waiting so long to "look" pregnant. looking back, i really only started to show around 25-ish weeks. it's always interesting to see how some people start showing right away, and others take a while.

now that ruby kay is almost 8 months old, being pregnant feels so long ago. looking back, i had a really easy pregnancy with only a bit of nausea and fatigue in my first trimester. i'm excited for the next time we get pregnant, and hope that it also goes smoothly. right now i'm thankful to not be pregnant and can't imagine carrying around ruby kay with a 41 week belly!

i'm so glad that we took these pictures, and hope that ruby kay enjoys seeing her grow in mama's belly! thanks to my trusty photographer, ben, for taking all of these with minimal complaints! :)

painted iPhone pictures

 i recently discovered a new editing app for pictures on my iPhone. it's called the waterlogue app, and can be found here.

i love how it can make an ordinary image look like painting found in an art museum. i have mostly played around with images already on my phone- but hope to use this on trips with pretty scenery. from the few art courses i took in school, i love art and wish that i spent more time on it. here are just a few of my favorites.

fall & our family.

cape fair, mo. & daddy's kisses.

tummy sleeper & valentines roses.

7 months with ruby kay

 

dearest ruby kay,

you are now seven months old, and life with you is so fun. you are active and mobile, and are always on the move. you are such a curious baby, and seem to be fascinated by your surroundings. when we are home, you love to pull yourself up onto the tv stand, chairs, and couch. you love to see all the action, and love being upright. 

you are such a joyful baby, and love to sing and jabber. your smile is so contagious and charming. your mama and daddy just love you! this past month has also been hard- with our crazy schedules full of travelling, and trying to develop more of a sleeping schedule for you. the older you get the deeper our love grows for you- but the more real it becomes. nothing could prepare us for being your mama and daddy- but our selflessness for you is what makes our love so strong!

some sweet things to remember from your seventh month with you are:

-you are still nursing, but eat pureed food 2x a day- lunch and dinner. your favorites so far are squash and sweet potato. you are starting to get the concept of grasping, thanks to your puffs. 

-you are a full blown crawler. you can tromp from one side of our living room to the other pretty quickly. you also now can crawl through the bottom your exersaucer. 

-we are slowly baby-proofing our apartment- luckily we don't have that much to do!

-you can pull yourself up to coffee tables and chairs. once standing you love to bounce- it's the funniest thing!

-you can transition from sitting to crawling to sitting

-you love peek a boo

-your nap schedule is still a little everywhere, but you typically take a morning and early afternoon nap

-your tickle spots are you neck, shoulders, and tummy.

-you are most content mama's hip 

a cute tushie on a curious girl

ruby kay, your mama and daddy are head over heels for you. it is a joy to see you grow, and we continue to be so proud of you!

{6 months}

{5 months}

{4 months}

{3 months}

{2 months}

{1 months}

6 months with ruby kay

dearest sweet ruby Kay,

I have probably asked a million times today, "where did my tiny baby go?" you are now six months old, and I am left feeling like time truly does fly by. one of our good friends just had a baby last week, and after holding their little miracle you felt very old in my arms. this past month was a very special month with christmas and new years, and you started to do some very big new things. you now are sitting up and crawling everywhere. you started out with a slow army-crawl, and now are a full blown crawler! 

our love for you continues to grow, sweet girl. you are such a chill baby and love to giggle, especially when you are around people. you are the perfect mix of easy-going yet friendly, and i hope that you never change. you are becoming very curious, and love discovering new things and love toys.

some sweet things to remember from your sixth month with you are:

-you are no longer swaddled and now sleep in sleep sacks. 

-we started you on baby cereal which has helped you sleep through the night (hallelujah!)

-you are now sitting up on your own (more recently) and can sit on your own for a few minutes

-your favorite toys are your stacking cups, wooden giraffe toy, and Sophie the giraffe

-we have a collection of giraffe toys for you, especially thanks to christmas gifts from mimi and nina.

-you put everything in your mouth! we are definitely in the drool stage with you.

-you enjoy swinging in your 'jumping jenny' more than jumping

-you don't like riding in your car seat at night- which results in either your daddy or i sitting next to you to keep you company

-you are very content in your exersaucer, and play with each toy on it.

-you love crawling and exploring. you started out army crawling, then scooting, and now rock back and forth on your knees. If we FaceTime with family- you will crawl towards our phone screens to see them!

-you typically take 2 naps each day, in the morning and afternoon. occasionally you roll onto your tummy mid-nap, and those naps are always the longest.

-you like to blow bubbles, and stick out your tongue. 

sitting up so well on your own 

chubby cheeks

we love you so much, sweet girl, and cannot wait to spend the next six months (and more!) with you.

{5 months}

{4 months}

{3 months}

{2 months}

{1 months}

5 months with ruby kay

 to our beloved ruby kay,

what a month it has been! you are growing so much each day- and are no longer our tiny, brand new baby. this past month you have discovered your toys. you move from your back to your tummy like a pro, and are always moving/wiggling. it is so fun to see you grow and develop- and it is all happening so quickly.

you are still a very sweet baby, but are becoming more work the older you get. you are awake for the majority of the day with a few naps (2-3) during the day time. you are the happiest in the morning, and occasionally fusy in the evenings. i keep thinking that you are teething- but so far no teeth yet, just lots of drool.

some sweet things to remember from your fifth month with you are:
-you love to grab our faces and pull our hair as if you are trying to hug our face. it is very sweet but a little painful. :)
-you always want to sit up, and will push back your elbows while laying down or in your bouncy chair.
-you now are scooting everywhere, but typically at angles. you can crawl on your back with your shoulders (a backwards army crawl) which makes us laugh.
-you are back to nursing in the night, but are officially sleeping in your crib in your own room. you are still only fed breastmilk, and we are trying to hold off cereal and solids until you are six months.
-you still are swaddled during the night and at nap times. you sleep so peacefully while swaddled, but soon we will need to transition to sleep sacks.
-you love your "lovie" and like it when we put it next to your check as you fall asleep.
-we are starting to use your binkie just for sleep, but it still soothes you any time of the day.
-you love standing up in your exersaucer and are content in it for a while. you like to find me in the room for affirmation ever so often.
-your favorite toys are sophie the giraffe (teething toy), your crinkle toys, and a plastic ball with holes.
-your personality is starting to show, and i love seeing your emotions. every now and then you make a face that looks like you are very proud of yourself.
-peek a boo is a favorite of yours, and your laughter is so fun for your daddy and i to hear.
-you saw snow for the first time this month, but didn't seem to phased by it. one day we went on a walk with daddy and your cheeks got quite rosy, even though you bundled up tight.

rubes, your daddy and i love you so much. we are so proud to be your parents, and both agree that you have made our lives so fun. we can't wait to see who you grow to be, but are treasuring each day we get to spend with you.

we love you ruby kay seiler!

{4 months}

{3 months}

{2 months}

{1 months}