Friends, this is our sweet John Shepherd! He arrived one week ago today, on Tuesday, July 31 at 12:06pm. He was a bit longer and skinnier than June, measuring 7 pounds, 3 ounces and 20 inches long. We will call him Shepherd or Shep :)

Our prayer throughout this pregnancy was for a healthy delivery, a healthy baby, and a healthy mama. We graciously received all three, and have been delighted by God’s goodness to us in all things since then. Shep is a dream, June has been the best big sister and most patient girl, and John — well, as always, he makes it all possible and everything more fun. I can’t wait to share more, especially about his name – hopefully later this week!

Thank you, as always, for all of your love, friends! We love you!

Mother’s Day weekend 2018 was spent camping in the wilds of North Carolina – and I wouldn’t have had it any other way!

You’re probably familiar with the concept of behavioral “nudges” – I’ve talked about them before. From The Tech-Wise Family: “Nudges are small changes in the environments around us that make it easier for us to make the choices we want to make… Nudges don’t generally make us do anything, but they make certain choices easier and more likely. They don’t focus so much on changing anything about our own preferences and ability to choose well; they simply put the best choice right in front of us and make the wrong choice harder.”

We camp because it is one BIG nudge moving us to toward some of the things we care most deeply about: spending time with friends, disconnecting from technology, engaging in good conversation, moving our bodies, and soaking our kids (and ourselves!) in nature. No weekend of pampering could have been better! Plus, John brought sparkling cider and plastic champagne coupes to toast the mamas, so we really couldn’t have asked for more :)

Our sixth annual camping trip with the Rays was full of all of these things and more. Here are a few photos, if you’d like to take a peek!

This year, we chose South Mountain State Park as our destination. It was voted the 2017 State Park of the Year in North Carolina, and I can see why! The campsites (there are only a handful) are heavily-wooded and perched next to a gorgeous mountain river which provided the loveliest background murmur. We did find the sites a little smaller than we are used to, but the pristine bathroom facilities made up for that! :)

We reserved two side-by-side sites, and Milly and June greatly enjoyed running back and forth between them on the little path cut through the trees :)

We often explore beyond the park on these trips for a hike or meal, but Connelly is pretty remote and so this time we stayed put — which was not at all a hardship, because one of the highlights of South Mountain is the hiking trails!

Our big hike Saturday morning was to High Shoals Falls (the River Trail to the Hemlock Nature Trail to the High Shoals Falls Loop Trail, turning around at the falls, for anyone who’s looking to recreate!). It was SO beautifully done, with platforms and bridges cutting right through the cascading waterfall!

We also logged some quality time in the river back at our campsite, where the main entertainment was getting the daddies to fetch rocks from the river bottom for Milly and June to throw into the river. (My job was to make sure the girls didn’t fall in headfirst while doing so.)

I’ve shared some of my best camping tips before, but I know the idea of camping with toddlers and babies (or even just camping at all!) can still seem intimidating. I will readily admit that it requires a certain amount of gear and preparation to be a smooth and enjoyable experience, but I feel equally passionately that it is worth every minute and every dollar. What a gift for our two families to look back on all of these experiences together, knowing we made time for the things that matter most to us!

Now just imagine two more kiddos in the picture next year… it will be a whole new level of adventure :)

P.S. We’ve already decided that our fifteenth annual trip will be a joint family vacation to Yosemite – any ideas for our tenth adventure a little closer to home? We’ve only got four years to plan, ha!

P.P.S. Nancy’s take on our trip – she took the best of these photos, too!

2013 trip (no babies!)
2015 trip (no babies, Nancy pregnant!)
2016 trip (two babies!)
2017 trip (two babies, Nancy pregnant!)
2018 trip (three babies, both pregnant – ha!)

Some of you may recall that June’s nursery was not finished until several months after she was born – ha! Knowing that my life will only get more complicated after baby brother arrives and not less, I’m trying to be a little more on the ball this time around :)

My job is made easier by the fact that the space we have to work with needs to stay simple by necessity. It will be his room, yes, but it’s also going to have our second guest bed in it at least for now, so the “baby” elements will be fairly minimal – basically, a crib. Our glider and changing pad are downstairs in our master bedroom, we keep almost all toys downstairs or in our loft, and you all know how we do kiddo clothing around here!

Still, we basically haven’t touched this room since we moved in (it still has the paint job from the previous owners!), and I’m looking forward to making it a lovely, cohesive space for him AND for guests after five years of living here! The above before photos show what it’s looked like over the years since we moved in – the bottom photo is most recent, taken just before we swapped the queen bed for the full and moved the desk into the loft.

My inspiration for the color palette and style is entirely inspired by the Robert McCloskey book Time of Wonder. I’m not sure how well-known McCloskey is outside of New England — some of his more famous titles include Make Way for Ducklings and Blueberries for Sal — but he is an icon where I’m from, and “Time of Wonder” has always been one of my favorite children’s books. The writing is quite poetic, and the illustrations are gorgeous.

To set the tone, we’re framing three spreads from the book, then building out the color palette from there. (I bought a new copy and cut the pages out verrrrrrry carefully.) Since the pages are a custom job, we opted to go with Framebridge for a reasonably-priced option. They’re still an investment, but I imagine us having these in our home for years, hopefully, maybe even in a kiddo bathroom if brother grows out of wanting them in his own room eventualy. We went with their classic gold Richmond frame, and I’m picturing hanging them on the wall above the crib in a row.

The room had a chair rail when we moved in, and we plan to keep it, painting the top portion a very pale blue and the bottom a kelly green (!), both drawn from McCloskey’s illustrations. I am hopeful about this, but also concerned it might be too much in such a small room?? Fingers crossed it’s not :) Here are a few inspiration images that are setting me at ease:

From The Makerista, Whaling City Cottage, and Sarah Bartholomew

The crib is a big question mark. We have no desire to move June out of her crib and potentially disrupt her sleep at the same time as we’ll be waking up overnight with a newborn, but I obviously don’t want to spend a ton of money on a second crib. (The good part is that June’s crib was $0 – a hand-me-down from my parents!) I’m thinking we’ll do the white Jenny Lind crib and call it a day.

That leaves soft furnishings. The spread and sheets on the full bed are white, so I’d love to add a bit of coordinating color and pattern with pillowcases, shams, and a blanket, as well as in the sheet on the crib and maybe a crib skirt? Since the bed is against the one window, I think we’ll go with a simple valance for it, hopefully in a fun pattern. We’re also planning to switch out the fan for a New England-y light fixture, since I think the fan hangs way too low for the room.

Pillow from Caitlin Wilson, curtains from West Elm, light fixture from CB2, mobile from Aha

Wish us luck that we can knock all of this out by the end of July :)

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I feel like it’s trendy right now for people to say that they don’t read or like parenting books… but I unashamedly love them! I think if you don’t like them, you might not be reading the right ones :) Just because I finish a book doesn’t mean I agree with everything in it, but I find it valuable to have my parenting ideas challenged, encouraged, and refined through exposure to other perspectives.

If you’re looking for the good kind of parenting book, I have a few suggestions! In alphabetical order…

All Joy and No Fun | You guys are probably sick of hearing about this book, ha! I think the author and I have a similar desire to confront conventional wisdom and some of the “sacred cows” of parenting, and to examine them in a way that empowers parents to chart their own course. The author is also great writer, and the way she weaves together family narratives and hard data will keep you engaged!

Bringing Up Bebe | I will admit that before I read this book I did not have high hopes – it seemed like a kind of “pop parenting” book that might not jive with my style or offer any interesting insight. Boy, was I wrong. Beyond offering a fascinating glimpse into another culture and being (again) very well-written, there were tons of actionable ideas I plucked from Pamela and tucked into my own parenting toolkit.

The Fringe Hours | This book isn’t for just parents — it’s for anyone who struggles with finding time for herself — but I think it’s earned a spot on this list for obvious reasons. Jessica and I are kindred spirits: we both think people should stop saying they’re busy, we like calendars with lots of white space, and we don’t feel guilty about doing things we love. If you like EFM but struggle with these things, you will probably like her book. I wrote about it here, too.

How To Celebrate Everything | For me, one of the most magical parts of being a parent is creating magic for my children. (The secret here — and the beauty — is that kids are so ready to see the magic in everything!) This is by far the best book I’ve read on creating traditions and cultivating a rich family life in the most doable, joyful, real-person way. One of my favorite gifts for new parents!

Last Child in the Woods | This book took awhile for me to get through, but I loved the reminder of how vital our children’s connection to nature is. This is something I already believe in passionately, but I welcomed the reminder to dig in and make this happen despite all the factors that conspire against it! If you dream of your kids growing up in nature but have concerns about how to make that happen, this book is for you.

The Lifegiving Home | Judging by the sheer number of quotes I saved from this book in my “good words” folder, it’s a slam-dunk inclusion on this list. With four grown children, Sally has actually created the home so many of us desire – one filled with love, joy, meaning, and purpose, that launches children who are confident, kind, full of integrity, and in love with God.

Nurture Shock | This book was fascinating!! In addition to having eyeopening research, I loved the specific and actionable suggestions for all sorts of topics, from encouraging early vocabulary to fostering sibling relationships, cultivating executive function in preschoolers, and arguing with a teen :) This reminded me of Freakonomics or one of Malcolm Gladwell’s books.

The Opposite of Spoiled | I don’t expect John and I will find it difficult to talk about personal finance and generosity with our kids (it is, after all, one of our favorite topics!), but, being extremely practical and action-oriented, this book gave me some new tools for our kit. I took it out of the library, but imagine I’d like to re-read it when our kids are different ages!

Parenting with Love and Logic | If I had to pick one book that most closely aligned with my overall parenting and “discipline” philosophy, it would probably be this one. I love the author’s focus on teaching children responsibility through logical consequences, resulting in kids who are confident and motivated and parents who maintain healthy control, simply. I have recommended this one to SO many people since I’ve read it.

Simplicity Parenting | I found that I already agreed with and intrinsically knew the premise of this book — “the power of less” to raise calmer, happier, and more secure kids — but it was still a worthwhile read. I skimmed a lot of this book (it’s a little repetitive), but was happy for the reminder and encouragement! If you find yourself fighting the temptation to do and be more, more, more as a parent, this could be a great read for you!

The Tech-Wise Family | This easy-to-read but impactful book had me exclaiming “yes!” and reading passages to John all the way through! (In fact, since it’s short and digestible, it’s a great one to encourage your husband to read if you want to start a more open parenting dialogue!) Even as someone who already identifies as fairly anti-technology in terms of parenting, this book expanded my horizons and gave me so many great points to consider.

To Kill a Mockingbird | Yes, my favorite book of all time is partly my favorite because of all the parenting wisdom it imparts! If I had to choose one fictional character to model my parenting after, it would be Atticus. I find a new nugget every time I re-read it.

Whew! I think there’s something there for everyone, so happy reading, friends! :) You know I’m never done, so here are a few of the ones next on my list: Raising Grateful Kids in an Entitled World, French Kids Eat Everything, Screamfree Parenting, Babes in the Woods, How to Talk So Kids Will Listen & Listen So Kids Will Talk, The Lifegiving Parent, and Hands-Free Mama.

I would love to hear a favorite parenting book of yours in the comments!!

P.S. I am working on a follow-up post to this one that shares bite-size favorite takeaways from some of these books – look for it in the next few weeks! :)

P.P.S. My pregnancy reading recommendations

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