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To Our Son

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To Our Son: Hey look, little man, mom and dad brought you out on our date tonight.  We celebrated you tonight with food, food, more food, and a lot of laughs.  We have also decided on your name, but we will tell you about that later.  We hope you like it! We want you to know a little about how you came to be.  Mom and dad had a rough ride before you came.  Mom and dad almost gave up on each other because life is sticky and messy and people can be selfish and lost.  We lost each other for a while and we lost God.  But then, we turned a corner.  We reunited and we asked God for help.  We promised to each other to become one again and to push aside all the bad stuff that we let take over our love.  We took your sisters with us for the ride and prayed over everything we did.  We prayed that God bless us with a business. Maybe one day you can inherit Made Good Company?  We traveled a lot. We buried your sweet grandmother in Ohio. We prayed a lot.  We grew up a lot, too.  We were hap
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while papa's gone..

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Daddy's out of town and even though the minutes are passing slowly, we are making the best of our time with kisses and baking and swimming.  Today's highlights:  Homemade Ikea Pancakes.  Jelly and butter for Mae-ski.  Maple syrup and butter for Jane Wayne.  Indoor trampoline park where we ran into our buddies Maddux and Camden.  Grocery shopping trip where we got excited to see Halloween decorations being put up.  ____ Evening is fast approaching.  We will be swimming and having a nice dinner. Janie is excited to have "mommy and daughter movie night" on mommy and daddy's bed.  It's all so sweet and almost perfect. Daddy will be here soon, though, to pick up right where we all left off.   <3 p="">
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spring/summer 2018 Hammonds ed.

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And just like that. Months upon month have passed since I even thought about posting on this little memory vessel, aka, blog. But honestly, the time I've spent with my amazing husband and beautiful children while being fully and completely undistracted has granted me an inner peace I never knew existed. That urge to pull out your phone and mindlessly scroll a feed that you will forget about 5 minutes later is missing life's point.  Life is short, and yet we still go about our days with a huburistic attitude.  We never really feel the weight of how tender and rare this life is.  But perhaps if we can talk about it more openly, we can make progress in moving our egos aside to allow room for growth and betterment.  Or, an the very least, make room for more love. In a time when everyone gets to publicly voice their opinions, I plan to voice mine as well.  But what's different now is that I don't need to voice anything to anyone besides whom I've vowed my undying love
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October In (On) Balboa

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October in Balboa is magical! You only use the preposition "on" when you're on the actually island, not the city. This makes total sense, but then shouldn't we say we are ON Manhattan, not IN manhattan? Oh, English language, how peculiar you are.  We love this little park right in the marina called Marina Park. It's quaint, clean, and not overly crowded.  There are so many great things to do in Balboa including the Fun Zone on the boardwalk, taking the ferry to the island and checking out all the beautiful homes ($$$$).  Also, make sure to check out their cute farmers markets of local artisan goods.  Balboa is known for their world-famous chocolate-dipped frozen banana. YUUMMMMMM. We really love this place and I highly recommend it for a quick visit if you need a break from the craziness of Los Angeles. Or, if you're like us, it's great for a quick getaway from Anaheim and Disneyland.  If you're baby-free, I'd suggest renting a pad
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6 mois de Mae

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SIX months of knowing our sweet Mae Valentine. Her middle name is so fitting and reflective of her love for life and family. My great grandfather Valentine would have been proud to have such a beautiful little namesake. This half year has flown by.  Wanna know the surest way to speed up time? Have a kid. Boy, does life speed up.  I can remember stopping for a Jimmy John's sandwich on the way home from the hospital with Mae. I sat in the back seat with both girls to ensure every one continued breathing as Mike ran in to get the sandwiches. I remember watching people go in and out of the sandwich shop going about their normal day as I sat recounting the last few day of my life. I just gave birth to my second baby. I can't believe it.  My body is a crazy force! This child is perfect and healthy. I am so hungry. My body hurts. I love these girls. I hope the house is clean when I get home.  When will I sleep again? SO MUCH TO THINK ABOUT.  I love Mae's age now. She has settled i
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Jane's third birthday

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We have a three-year-old, people! She's wild and beautiful, smart and fierce. This girl is definitely taking the world by storm. We are smitten over this little gal.   She was so excited to plan her party.  At first we were thinking a Peppa Pig theme (but then the show got really annoying to me and I just couldn't hang with that idea) then we were thinking unicorn theme, so I ordered a bunch of fun decor on Amazon.  Then somehow the party turned into a Moana/unicorn theme. So, in true three-year-old fashion, we had a very mismatched, yet adorable party.  Even Moana herself paid a visit!  Jane Alexander Hammonds is the true definition of a girls girl. She loves all things makeup, nail polish, hair clips, dresses and pink! She even has quite an active social life.   If she isn't reading books on her pink princess bed, she's jumping on the trampoline or stirring up something to eat in the kitchen.  She always wants to lend a helping hand.  She has a heart for the Lor
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