coming back

{found via pinterest}

it all comes back slowly, and life surges ahead in the meantime. slowly life goes back to normal - or really - life shifts to accommodate the new normal. my post-pregnancy midsection slowly takes the shape of my pre-pregnancy midsection. my running pace ever so slowly comes back down and more closely resembles the pace i used to run. [believe me, we're not there yet.]

it all happens slowly. slowly. it sneaks up on you.

suddenly the outside world has changed from summer to fall. slowly, and then all at once. the sunlight abandons this side of the world by dinnertime, and the clarity of the cold that sets in by dusk pushes our family indoors. the outside world is dark, but the inside of our house fills with dinner, and lego building, dance parties, and puzzles, bathtime, and bedtime stories.

suddenly the gorgeous leaves are mostly on the ground, and the smell of them turning colors has given way to the bite of frost on the grass in the morning.

suddenly the baby girl you just gave birth to is a smiling and interacting 3 month old. and 3 months is one quarter of a year. already. before we even realized it.

and that is the nature of life. it happens. it goes on. even if you don't realize it.

we're rounding out another year. a year that brought much change into our lives by way of a new house and a new baby.

you wouldn't know it's december if all you felt was the 75 degree temperature outside today, but i'm trying to think through christmas nonetheless.

adele's first thanksgiving is over. it passed quietly - a nice low-key day. she fell asleep in my arms during our thanksgiving dinner and we relaxed with peter's family for the majority of the day.

and right now both of our beautiful babes are asleep, though i doubt this break will last much longer. it rarely does.

peter is traveling today. he left early this morning and will return this evening. i'm debating if i want to venture out with both kiddos mostly because it seems a shame not to try on a 75 degree day.

slowly everything is coming back around. christmas too. it's like i have to figure out christmas all over again. what will it look like in this new house? what will it look like with two kids? and most importantly, what will it look like now that i've finally figured out there are plenty of things that are nice to do, but just aren't actually important for us to do?

sure it's a crazy time, and there are plenty of things still on the list, but there are plenty of things that aren't.

for the past few years i've realized that somehow the fun has been removed from this time of year, and i wasn't quite sure why. quite simply i think it's because i've had this picture in my head of everything i'm/we're supposed to do this time of year. and doing all of those things will somehow make it perfect, and yet, cramming so much into a month continually overwhelms me and prevents me from enjoying anything.

too often it's too much. so this year - after reading an article about simplifying the season - i'm dialing back.

we're going to make a list of what is actually important for us and our family, and nix everything else.

too often i let life spin out of control and i have to stop and recognize that i don't control a whole lot, but i need to do what i can to keep my sanity. i need to do what i can to enjoy life instead of survive it.

sure, having a two year old and a 3 month old means i'm still in survival mode on some days, but that's all the more reason to make other times less that way if i can.

a little bit of breathing room is coming back, and i'm welcoming it with open arms. the crispness of fall [today notwithstanding] gives a shot of fresh air to my lungs and reminds me to breathe deep and drink in the goodness of everything around me.

how was your thanksgiving?
what are you doing [or not doing] to bring the joy of christmas back this year?

xoxo