happiness is now

Earlier this week, Sam and I loaded all the kids in the car and drove to the park. It was only 77 degrees, which is almost unheard of for the middle of May in Arizona, and such a beautiful, breezy day.

At one point we took a walk around the lake, with the twins in the stroller and Claire running around looking at the ducks.

At one point we had a sack lunch (these pictures are of a park date a few weeks ago when we brought ice cream). The babies tried to snack on the grass as well, and were not thrilled that we said no.

PHOTOS BY KYLIE POND

At one point we held hands, until Claire tried to interrupt us and hold our hands. We said no at first, mainly because we still like to pretend we're in charge at our house (ha), but eventually we let go in favor of the 1-2-3-swing! game she so likes to play.

At one point we put the twins in the same baby swing, with one twin facing each way. They both love the swing, and it creaked along with our babies for a good fifteen minutes.

At one point Claire worked up the courage to go on the zip line, and loved it so much she did it five times in a row. I think I'll always remember her big belly laughs after a year straight of trying to be brave enough for that zip line.

At one point we all got sand in our shoes, and had to shake our feet like maniacs as we watched the sand fall out of our sandals in soft sheets on the sidewalk.

At one point Claire fussed because we told her it was time to go, and Lincoln fussed because he bonked his head on the metal part of the swing, and Addison fussed because we wouldn't let her eat the grass.

At one point, watching the babies grinning and Claire laughing and Sam making everyone happy, I had a very clear thought in my mind.

"Happiness is now."

I've always known happiness has little to do with my financial/ work/ living circumstances, but on that day I realized it has absolutely nothing to do with that. Happiness is 0% related to whether or not I have the perfect job. Happiness is 0% related to whether we're currently renting or owning. Happiness is 0% related to what others think of my life choices, or my success online, or whether I'm twenty pounds heavier or lighter, or what car I drive.

Happiness is right here, and happiness is right now.

Heaven is right here and right now.

Love, God, forgiveness, grace, and the ability to be happy regardless of your current circumstances is right here and right now.

And that tiny burst of clarity made me cry a little, standing there in the middle of the park pushing a creaky swing.

Then we went home, and the regular chaos of trying to get three small humans down for a nap at the same time ensued, and our day continued as normal. But since then, things have been a little lighter. A little easier. A little less confusing in a very confused world.

Because happiness is right here and right now.

WE DID IT // at the end of grad school

The end of grad school is finally here! The family is in town, Claire is excited out of her mind about all the grandparent time, and Sam and I will inevitably spend a frustrating twenty minutes watching YouTube tutorials when trying to get his darn robe and hood on correctly this afternoon.

Sam is such a behind-the-scenes guy, but when commencement, convocation, his birthday, and family in town all fall into the same few days, it just kind of becomes his party week. And that deserves a shout-out.

This guy earned two masters degrees (TWO MASTERS DEGREES) in less than two years. The last two years could easily be measured by how many hours (and hours and hours and hourrrrrrs) he put in on campus, studying, doing group projects and going to class. He was gone from 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. a good portion of this year, plus many Saturday classes throughout the last two years as well.

But also, the last two years could be measured by how many times he came straight home and switched to dad mode before he even had a chance to take his shoes off. It could be measured by one million games of hide and seek with Claire, one million hours spent holding twins, one million diapers changed and dishes scrubbed and backs rubbed. Sam is such a gentle, loving, and involved dad, and he took our surprise twins and having three kids in two years with such grace and quiet hard work.

But that's not the only way I remember the past two years. For me, it's also his part-time job that he somehow found time to do on top of everything else.

It's the hours we spent fixing our terribly old and broken green van together.

It's the tissues and glasses of cold water he brought me when I was on bedrest with the twins and crying from the frustration and pain of it all.

It's when he spent his precious down time taking pictures or helping me with content creation for work deadlines I had coming up.

It's all the times he set everything else aside to gather us for family scriptures and prayer.

It's the hours and hours of church service he quietly did over the past two years.

You guys, Sam is an absolute rockstar. Of course if you try to tell him that, he'll shrug it off with some kind of joke, as if being infinitely capable and hard-working is just one of the many remarkable things he does every day. I am so proud of him, and I love him to death.

We did it! And today, we are celebrating.

Photos by Kylie Pond.

the arts district (+ how to find colored walls near you)

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and LIFEWTR. All opinions are mine alone. #ThirstInspiration #CollectiveBias

One of my favorite places in Phoenix (and any city, really) is the arts/cultural district. The artsy, individualistic, laid-back feel of the small shops and people you meet always remind me of my trips to downtown Portland growing up. And if you've been reading this blog for any length of time, you know I love bright + fun colors. Let me tell you, there is NO shortage of bright and fun colors on Roosevelt Row.

The other day we loaded up all the kids, stopped at 7-Eleven for gas and a few bottles of LIFEWTR (it was in the refrigerated section so it was nice and cold for us), and went down to Roosevelt Row.

It was one of those fantastic warm-but-not-hot afternoons, and we had fun just soaking in the charismatic atmosphere. Claire ran around with a little friend she met, I chatted with a photographer who was there location scouting, and Sam pushed the babies around and narrated all the colors they were seeing.

^^ How fun is this Aztec/Southwestern themed mural?

^^ The twins flying with the birds and generally being silly

^^ This beautiful LIFEWTR bottle was designed by artist Jason Woodside. The entire day, we were finding walls that matched our water. We love the bright, charismatic, inspirational designs on the outside of these fun LIFEWTR bottles, and on a warm afternoon in Phoenix, we especially loved the refreshing water on the inside. I love that LIFEWTR is purified and pH-balanced, with electrolytes.

^^ I seriously can't get enough of the twins these days. Just look at those faces! They are so cute.

^^ Basically, I want to do a million different photo shoots in this statue. So. Much. Color. And. Light.

Want to find a fun bright-colored wall in your city? Some cities have a reputation for mural walls (Houston, Los Angeles, and parts of New York City come to mind), but you can find fun walls no matter where you live. Here are a few tips for finding colored walls wherever you are.

GO TO THE ARTS/CULTURAL DISTRICT

This is the part of your downtown where you'll most likely have the best luck. Find the hipster restaurants, the funky downtown areas, and the unique feel of the arts and cultural part of the town. If you're brand new to the area, a simple Google search is a great place to start feeling out where that part of town is.

FOLLOW BLOGGERS IN THE AREA

It's no secret that bloggers love a good colorful wall! My favorite bloggers are always posing by them and always willing to share their sources. Find a few bright and fun bloggers in your city and see which walls make it into their Instagram shots.

FOR BLUE WALLS: FIND THE INDUSTRIAL PART OF TOWN

Whenever I drive through the industrial block near our house, I see blue, blue, and more blue! There are lots of huge, blue, solid-colored walls in almost every industrial part of town.

FOR SOLID-COLORED WALLS: FIND STORES BUILT IN THE '90s

Retail stores built in the '90s are notorious for huge walls of color. Stores built after that have adopted a more traditional neutral or stone exterior, but if you find an older shopping complex, chances are you'll also find a colored wall.

LOOK FOR POPS OF COLOR IN SMALLER SPACES

Many times, you don't need an entire 15-foot-tall wall for a picture. Even in the middle of a suburban neighborhood, you can often find a brightly colored door or other small pop of color. I've even noticed outhouses that are nice and bright-colored and could provide a fun background for a headshot (provided you hold your breath while the picture is being taken).

^^ Thanks so much LIFEWTR at 7-Eleven for sponsoring our fun trip to the city. Connect with LIFEWTR on Instagram, Facebook, or Twitter, and click here for more fun inspiration from these LIFEWTR bottles.

And now I'll leave you with this gem: what family photos look like these days. One child has their fist in their mouth, another one is thoroughly bored, and a third one thinks we're playing the "1-2-3-swing!" game. #momlife We sure love these crazy kids (and this fun location) anyway.

Click here for more LIFEWTR inspiration.

Anyone have another tip I can add about finding colored walls?

how I make my small spaces look and feel larger

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #GladeAtmosphereCollection #CollectiveBias

We live in an apartment right now, and as such, our living areas are relatively small. We live in 1200 square feet, which is divided between two kids rooms, one master bedroom, two bathrooms, one laundry closet, a kitchen, a living area, and a porch. Living in a small space with three young children has definitely been an exercise in strategic space planning, getting the most out of a small room, and figuring out how to make our space both inviting and useful.

Despite our small living quarters, one of the first comments I get when people come to our home is, "It's so bright and airy in here!" While our space is undeniably small, I'm fairly adamant about a few important things that make it look clean and bright, despite our lack of storage and space to spread out. It's crazy how much the cleanliness or clutter of my home affects the cleanliness or clutter of my mind.

Here's how I make my small spaces look larger.

LET THERE BE LIGHT

As a blogger and as a photographer, it's pretty ingrained in me to look for good light. I turned away from a few apartments because there was very little natural light, which is bad for both my happiness level and my photography. One of the huge draws of our apartment is the floor-to-ceiling glass sliding door in our living room. It lets in so much light! Brighten up your space by opening windows, installing sheer window coverings, and adding lamps or LED bulbs in any dark corners. The more light in a space, the larger and more inviting it looks.

HIDE THE MESS

Basically my motto is baskets, baskets, baskets! We have a basket by the door for shoes, because four pairs of shoes in a basket (ahem, the four pairs of shoes my husband rotates between) looks so much cleaner than four pairs of shoes on the floor. We have another basket for blankets and another for toys. Taking twenty seconds to dump the toys in the basket is so worth it when the mess and clutter is gone and the space looks larger.

We even have a small tray to catch all the random cards, papers and coins that inevitably accumulate in a main living space.

SIMPLIFY DECOR

A tiny room may not be the best place for a large, eclectic and busy gallery wall. Lots of colors and patterns in a small space means too many focal points for the eye to take in. The result? Your room looks smaller. We have a very simple color scheme in our living room, and we keep the patterns and decor to a minimum.

SCENT MATTERS

When we first moved into our apartment, it had an.... interesting..... smell (let's just leave it at that). I had never put so much thought into the smell of our home, and I'm surprised how much of a difference it makes.

I'll admit I tried a cheap off-brand $3 plug-in when we first moved. It was so sickly sweet and powerful that it combined with the smell that was already here to make me utterly nauseous. So we spent a few dollars more and tried two new Atmosphere Collection™ Fine Home Fragrances by Glade®. I cannot tell you how much of a difference it has made! The weird smell is totally gone, and now our apartment smells like a high-end peaceful home.

My favorite candle is N°2 Bright™. It contains hints of sweet pea and pear, and overall is such a light, clean, fresh scent. In fact, these pictures were taken a couple weeks ago, and I've burned the candle during our waking hours almost constantly, so it's burned down quite a bit. Sam's favorite is the N°1 Enchanted™ (it has also been burned for many many hours at our house). It evokes a more complex, charming scent with notes of cedarwood (my favorite scent) and jasmine. We picked up both new candles at Fry's, our local Kroger banner store. These candles elevate our apartment by making it not only look but also feel and smell like a larger, comfortable, bright home.

For more inspiration, connect with Glade on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram or You Tube.

When I light the candle, I remove it from this tray and put it in the middle of the raised kitchen counter. It's out of reach of children and anything flammable, and it's a great spot for the scent to reach all corners of our main living spaces.

RAISED FURNITURE

If you can, avoid furniture that extends all the way to the floor. Bye bye, couch skirts. Our couches and entertainment set are only 6 or so inches from the ground, but any space visible underneath furniture lets more light through and makes the space appear larger.

FLOOR-TO-CEILING EVERYTHING

Guess what? Anything that goes vertically up the entire wall will make your space look larger, whereas something that only takes up 2/3 of the wall will make your space look segmented and smaller. If you have curtains, hang them 2-3 inches from the top of the wall and let them fall to 2-3 inches above the floor. If you have a bookcase or built-ins, have them extend all the way up the wall instead of partially up. Floor-to-ceiling anything draws the eye upward and makes the room look larger (and more elegant too).

While we love to daydream about owning a home and spreading out someday, we have loved making this space tell our own unique story - while feeling large, inviting, and wonderfully scented at the same time.

PIN FOR LATER:

Have you tried the NEW Atmosphere Collection™ Fine Home Fragrances by Glade®?

What is your favorite thing about your main living space?

a day in the life

Two Tuesdays ago, a day in the life, with a toddler who is two and a half and twins who are seven months old.

But first, three tiny points of interest:

**The pictures are from a few Sundays ago, when we were just hanging out at home.

**The last time I did a day in the life post, Claire was the age that the twins are now, and the time before that it was my first year teaching 5th grade.

**The good news is that Sam's Tuesday schedule is drastically different this semester. As in, he's actually home sometimes and we get to see him. It's fantastic.

Here we go!

3:15 a.m. Addison starts screaming at the top of her lungs, which I can hear both through the baby monitor and from down the hall. I sleepwalk into her room and give her the pacifier that has fallen out of her mouth and she immediately goes back to sleep. Lincoln snores on four feet away.

3:16 Back asleep

6:00 My alarm goes off. I sit up in bed, do some stretches, and say a prayer. I scroll through social media for a few minutes before remembering I'm trying not to use my phone for the first hour after waking up. I walk out to the kitchen, open my laptop, and answer three emails. I turn in some links for a previous campaign and plan a post for next week.

6:43 I can hear Claire awake in her room and thank whatever brilliant human being invented the Ok to Wake alarm clock. I work for 17 more minutes until I hear, "It's glowing! It's green! It's glowing!" followed immediately by Claire opening her door and padding down the hallway. She announces that it's time to get up, she tells me she did a good job taking a nap last night, and she pulls up her pajama shirt to show me how empty her tummy is.

7:01 I contemplate making a healthy, balanced, wholesome breakfast.

7:02 Rice Chex it is. 

7:09 Lincoln starts mooing in his room (I swear the phrase "the cattle are lowing" describes exactly the noises he makes in the morning). I make two bottles and go in to feed the twins. Claire has a gigantic meltdown because I got Addison from her crib before she had a chance to climb in and say hello. She remains prostrate on the floor screaming for four minutes, until she is pacified when I tell her it's bath day.

7:25 The chaos of bathtime ensues. Three piles of clean clothes, three towels, lots of splashing, lots of rubber ducks, one tub that starts out very warm and ends up barely lukewarm, and one screaming baby who got soap in their mouth. 

8:04 Three clean babies. All of us play and read books on the floor of the living room. Claire convinces me to play Candyland with her, but abandons the game halfway through because daddy is awake and she would rather follow him around. Somewhere in this morning play time, I post on Instagram and get distracted on Facebook for a while too.

9:30 Sam kisses me goodbye for the day. I feed the babies again and tuck them into their rockers for their morning nap. I change and do an exercise video while trying not to get annoyed by Claire, who is constantly bumping into me as she also tries to do the exercise video twelve inches away.

10:00 I finish my workout and we end by dancing to the Gummy Bear song, as always. Claire giggles more than she dances.

10:02 I walk past my cluttered work desk and think I should clean it. I do nothing.

10:03 Claire is set up with her Endless ABC app and the babies are still sleeping soundly, so I take a shower, get dressed, put makeup on, and blow my hair dry. I listen to the EO Fire podcast while getting ready, and I also make it halfway through today's episode of Happier and text my friend confirming our playdate today.

10:42 Claire and I do learning time at the tiny yellow table in her room. Today it's a review of the letter we learned yesterday, L. We make playdough Ls and then do some watercolor painting. As I grab the watercolors from my desk I think again that I should clean it. I do not clean it.

11:15 The twins are awake. Another round of bottles + diaper changes. Claire has a snack (yogurt and plain tortilla chips, eaten with the chips dipped into the yogurt). I eat a Fiber One bar.

11:23 I get ready to leave the house. This involves food, diapers, wipes, a few toys, a picnic blanket, and a waterbottle. Then I load both babies into the double stroller and coax Claire into going to the bathroom (convincing her takes a full five minutes). We finally make it to the car, where I buckle all three children into their carseats and then collapse the stroller and put it in the van. 

11:39 I vow I will never again leave the house with all three children. Too much work.

11:44 Arrive at the park (14 minutes late - although I did text my friend letting her know we were a bit behind, so she also arrived late and I don't feel quite as guilty). We walk our babies in our strollers and chat while the older children run around on the playground. We decide this park is definitely not our favorite. It's hardly shaded and so small the kids get bored quickly. But still, we have time for a nice conversation about teething and nap schedules and other mom-related subjects that it's nice to chat about with other moms.

12:23 I vow I will continue to leave the house every single day with all three children. So worth it for some good adult interaction.

12:50 I realize it's 12:50 and we say goodbye to our friends. All three of my children fuss the entire drive home. I am also feeling fussy because I'm a little sweaty and I don't like that our days of perfect Arizona winter weather are coming to an end.

1:03 We are all home and unloaded from the car. The twins eat black beans in their bumbos. Claire gets a peanut butter and honey sandwich and strawberries. I eat strawberries and leftovers from this recipe, and think how great it is that my children are young enough to be happy with peanut butter and honey while I eat the good food. We are all happier after we eat.

1:17 Claire convinces me to give her five minutes of phone time before her nap. She watches Peppa Pig while I try to get the babies to read a book with me. Neither of them are interested, although Addison does make a valiant effort to chew on the book and Lincoln makes a valiant effort to steal Addison's pacifier.

1:27 I put Claire down for a nap, but not without two bathroom trips, one sippy cup refill, a search for both green blankies, and an almost-meltdown because I had the audacity to turn on her fan instead of letting her do it. 

1:45 Addison is fussing, so I make two bottles, feed the twins, and put them down for their afternoon nap.

2:06 They're all asleep (hooray!) and I have my afternoon quiet time. Afternoon quiet time / work time is the best.

2:10 I pour myself a soda and get some work done. Today, that entails taking pictures of the living room and scheduling social media posts.

2:45 Lincoln starts fussing in his room. I try rolling him over, giving him a pacifier, and adjusting his blankets, but he won't go back to sleep. His fussing gets louder and Addison starts to stir, so I pick him up and we leave the room before she wakes up. 

2:46 I have a serious conversation with Lincoln about the importance of a long afternoon nap. He grins his one-tooth grin and gives me a little giggle in return. 

2:52 I try to keep working, but he's just so cute sitting there flashing those chubby dimpled cheeks at me that I decide he's officially cut quiet time / work time short today. I make myself a bowl of popcorn and eat it while playing with him and reading my book. It's a pretty great alternative to work time, that's for sure.

3:30 Claire wakes up and we play Candyland together. She wins one round, I win one round, but only by a cruel twist of fate that sends her red person all the way back to the peppermint square at the last second. I've been trying to teach her how to act when she loses a game, and feel proud when she doesn't have a huge meltdown about not winning.

4:03 Addison is awake. Claire has a snack and then wanders to her room to do a puzzle. I chat with Elisabeth on the phone about blogs and brands and life while I unload the dishwasher and change diapers. 

4:47 I finally tidy that messy desk, but only because I know I'm recording everything today and people will know if I did it or not. Thank you, readers, for unknowingly keeping me accountable. 

5:04 A trip to the mailbox with the twins in their stroller and Claire on her bike. It also turns into a trip to look at the swimming pool and a trip to the park and a trip to the dog park (all within our community), mainly because it's such a nice day, and walking around in the late afternoon sunshine of a 75-degree day is my kind of heaven.

5:49 I make dinner (breaded chicken and roasted veggies) while Claire plays with the magnets on our fridge and the twins have another bottle. We listen to Disney songs.

6:22 Dinner. We have chicken, leftover rice pilaf, and roasted vegetables. This dinner is pretty simple and plain and probably made too often at our house, but we eat it anyway. We often end up eating bagels for dinner on the nights Sam is gone, so I'm counting this a win. The twins sit in their bumbos eating cheerios and steamed carrots.

6:41 The witching hour begins. Lincoln has been awake for way too long and starts crying if I set him down. Addison is also fussy, and Claire is only happy because I let her watch a few minutes of Cars. In the end, I manage to clear the table, sweep the floor, and read one whole verse of family scriptures before all three kids are crying and I declare it bedtime.

7:02 Bedtime begins. Three piles of pajamas, three fussy children, two bottles, one sippy cup, one bathroom trip, and one tantrum because I made Claire turn off the water when she was done brushing her teeth. But then I get to snuggle Claire while I tell her a story ("Firefighter Claire," her favorite story) and rock each baby for a minute before putting them in their crib, which makes me forget all about the tantrums and fussiness.

7:34 All three babies are tucked in their beds. I really want to just collapse on the couch for the night, but I remember how badly I hate waking up to a sink full of dirty dishes and I load the dishwasher instead. I also spend 30 seconds throwing toys in the toy bin and putting pillows back on the couch so the living room is presentable. While I do this, I finish the Happier podcast.

8:01 I chat with Sam on the phone during his evening class break. I try to accomplish more things for work and am reminded that I'm about 5x more productive working early in the morning than late at night. It takes me almost 20 minutes just to edit the pictures I took earlier today.

8:28 I call it a day, and spend the next hour sitting on the couch watching Netflix (I just started Call the Midwife and I think I like it). I also read blogs and browse Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter. I also paint my nails (this color, which I love).

10:28 I've brushed my teeth, taken out my contacts, and migrated to bed by this point. I have grand plans to be fully awake so I can spend time with Sam when he gets home, but the noises of him coming in and changing his clothes wakes me up so I must have nodded off. I try to chat with him, but honestly cannot remember what was discussed, so I must not have accomplished my goal of being awake or spending quality time with him.

11:52 Addison loses her pacifier and starts screaming, but Sam takes care of it before I'm even fully awake.

And that's a wrap! A day in the life these days.

a spring break afternoon at the temple

One great thing about grad school is all the breaks you get. We're starting our week of spring break right now, and since corporate America doesn't give spring breaks like schools do, this time next year will probably just be a regular week day. We're determined to soak up every second of this spring break while we still can.

Of course, we currently have one sick (teething?) baby that was up most of the night. And we both still have work this week. So the number one thing on my to-do list today is nap. We're high rollers, I know.

Yesterday we finished dinner early and decided to take a spontaneous trip to the temple to walk around for a while. The weather has been beyond gorgeous and I feel like I need to bottle it up so the memory of perfect-weather days can get me through the scorching season to come. I tried this last year with a 0% success rate, but I'm hoping it won't feel as hot this year since I don't have two human beings growing inside me like last summer.

Regardless, the temple grounds are gorgeous. We love the unique architecture of the building itself. Well, Sam and I do. Claire just loves the huge fields of grass she can run on, and the twins were content to silently look around like always.

 ^^Cactus pics for daysssss

 ^^ Rolling up her sleeve a bit so she could splash in the water. I'm fairly certain we were not models of perfect behavior.

 ^^^ I love these small humans so very, very much. Look at Claire's little pose! And you can really see the size difference of the twins here.

^^ The tongue sticking out as she runs is cracking me up.

The stress of Sam's job search has been so very hard on our family lately, so it was perfect for us to get out and enjoy being together for an hour without talking about job leads or work schedules or anything.

Here's to spring break.

RELATED: Spending time at this same temple one year ago. Claire was so little!