I have a two year old…...

Oh hi, my daughter turned two a couple weeks ago…and I haven't shared yet:) 

My Zakiyah Nova is 2 years old (as of 8.20) What in the world?! Where has the time gone? Oh, I know, chasing after this crazy second born!!!! 

Mamahood is a ride that I love being apart of! 

Especially, with my two little ladies, in tow. They truly make my life beautiful.

Zakiyah means Purity and Nova means Bright and New. That she is….

My Beauty.

Ever since, this stubborn little girl entered the world, (birth story) I knew my life was about to change!

Zakiyah is a burst of energy. 

She loves life to the fullest! She still likes to take 2 naps a day, if I let her…..

She loves her babies and lovies. The girls wants to tote around 2 small lovies, 2 big blankets and a croqueted blankie, baby, mermaid, stuffed animal.. you name it… she is handing it to me to carry.

Zakiyah only says a few words at this point, but is the loudest 2 year old I know.

Her favorite songs are Boom (River Valley Church- Go Kids), Full of Stars (Coldplay), Jump (River Valley Church- Go Kids), and of course, Let It Go (Frozen). We have dance parties daily in the car and living room.

She is fearless, adventurous, and risk taking. She barrels down hills. tricycles, and runs so fast! She loves the water and swimming with her family. 

She loves FOOD! She wants chocolate every day, if I let her! She loves dried fruit, watermelon, mashed potatoes and can slam 4 slices of pizza if I give it to her! 

Kiyah LOVES her sister! She adores Zion. I love having them share a room for many reasons! I love walking by their room and seeing them play and share…occasionally. ;)

Every night, when Andy puts them to bed he goes through 3 songs and sings to them, while holding their hands as they are in their crib/bed. He is way better at bedtime than me. I am over it after 8pm…. Literally, over the day. done. don't want to procrastinate the routines………

Zakiyah is her sister's shadow with a lot of things. I feel like we are skipping a lot of things that Zion liked at 2 and jumping ahead, because Kiyah wants to do what her sister wants to do.

Zakiyah is the most affectionate girl I know! She hugs, holds hands, cuddles, kisses, giggles all the time. Ever since she was a baby, she would place her hand on my forearm…. when I hold her. MY FAVORITE.

Zakiyah teaches me patience, grace, humility, and how to respond creatively to certain scenarios. 

She makes our life better. 

More full.

More joy-filled. 

More over flowing.

More happy.

Happy 2nd Birthday Sweet girl!  

We had a simple BBQ with family for her birthday! Our neighbors came by too to help celebrate our Zakiyah! I went with fun and happy decor! 

Menu:

Hickory and Rodeo Lime Chicken and Pork on the grill

Mexican Sweet Corn 

Pioneer Woman's Baked Beans

Cantaloupe and Pineapple

Roasted potatoes

Garden fresh salad with veggies

Fresh Salsa and Blue Corn Chips

Nutella Chocolate frosting // Chocolate Chocolate Cupcakes! HEAVEN!!!!

Ice Cream

Lots of fun bevys 

In the morning, we had our Nanny- Noelle "Coelle" over for breakfast (cass cakes) to send her off to college. She helped make the watermelon and pineapple garland! 

Zakiyah loves sweet corn. 

Fact: First born- prefers me to cut the corn off the cob. Second born- wants to eat it by herself.

CUTIES!

Cousins!!!!!!

Spoiled.

Zion loves taking pictures. Fact:  my parents never me touch their camera….now, they willingly give it to their 4 year old grandchild. ;) 

Mike helping put together Zakiyah's rockin' grocery cart!

 Zakiyah loving on her art from Bird + Goose! 

Crazy

Going through 2 bottles of bubbles in … oh you know 5 minutes…..

Love celebrating my girls.

Blessed, are we.

Thankful.

Love reminiscing her first birthday ;) HERE.

Love this little video, that I put together HERE. 

one of those days

one of those days.
raw.
a dam of emotions that i have kept in. not wanting to open/ the burst of water/ the time to deal with it.

lack of patience.
lack of energy.
another migraine.
two little ladies testing me.

raising little human beings is complicated and trying.
mamahood is a crazy ride.

kids. oh my word- kids! I have this saying, i always say to get it together, when my kids are being crazy and i am lacking grace……i say out loud, "quit acting like kids". i makes me laugh saying it. because in reality they are KIDS.

zi is 4.5 years old and kiyah is turning 2 this week. what does this mean?
4.5 year old acting all grown up and responsible.
starting preschool.
being a wonderful big sister to kiyah and sharing her toys.
but, at the same time, struggling with boundaries and listening/obeying her parents. testing the limits. whining. complaining. crying. having break downs. we are in a shift with disciplining and learning what is effective and consistent in our home.
zakiyah, on the other hand, is well the second born. the crazy/ free-spirited/ doesn't care about anything child. she is limitless and very tender-hearted all in one! She is entering toddlerhood and leaving babylife behind her. so in result, there is a big shift going on in our home.

which means MAMA IS LOSING IT! like having melt downs with them somedays. saying ridiculous things that i wouldn't let my 4 year old say.

scene #1 i had the deck all set up for a shower yesterday and had stayed up til 1 am cleaning and washing linens and the hus decided to let the 4 yo eat/drink her smoothie with no lid on the deck, sitting at the clean table….and what happened? the smoothie tipped over. mama lost it.

scene #2 the SB -second born ;) - gets out of car at a park/field of grass and finds the 5 feet of mud and trips and falls in it. mama lost it.

scene #3 every TIME i am driving my car, the girls drop their sippys, loves, babies, snack cups, snacks out of the cup, sunglasses and want me to find it on the nasty crumb filled floor while driving………on their time and WHINE til they get it. not happening sister. not happening……… mama lost it.

there are so many…… my point. is ----- Jesus, take the wheel! give me grace. slap me in the face when i need it. hug me when i need encouragement. rub my tense shoulders. take my hand, and bring me to my bed….or a couch…or the floor for goodness sakes...make me nap. make me a coffee, when i am tired. pep talk me like a good coach does mid game- whisper your truths in my ear when i listening to the lies in the other ear. wipe my tears when i feel weak/lost/alone.

bottom line. i know i am not alone. just having one of those days.

i don't want this space to be a vent session/ or a soap box/ or negative christy being hard on herself. but, i do want this to be a place of being honest and real. open and heartfelt. genuine and bold.

i can't tell you how many people that i follow on instagram/blogs/social media and "follow" them to be inspired/encouraged/ or even just curious of their lives/homes/families/careers. but, it ends up bogging me down or giving myself the comparison game…or making me want things. life has been feeling really loud to me lately.

summer is such a blast and i come alive in this season. but, i am tired. i want to say "no" to things/events/commitments. i want to rest….. like actually take naps and not feel guilty. i want to prioritize  and keep my life "simple" and "open for play".

it isn't easy to say no. because ultimately, i care. i want to see people. listen and connect. i want to serve. i want to host. i want to be a friend/sister/daughter/mentor.
how do you draw these lines?
am i the only one that struggles with this? there are so many books/articles/posts that i have read on balance/schedules/life/mamahood/parenting/discipline/faith/priorities but what is the perfect concoction for me?

my priorities
my faith/ my hus/ my girls
my career/ health/ ministry/ family etc.

the list of other items is so long……….

today is a day where i am dealing with the stuff.
processing.
reflecting.
sifting through all of my web of emotions.

i need to give my husband and girls - my all. not the leftovers.

as summer is closing, i am anxious for fall.
new season. new schedules. new beginnings.
i am excited for fall- trying to have more of schedule that works for my family. i am starting a bible study called SEVEN by Jen Hatmaker. I can not wait. it will take me on a 7 month journey of eliminating different things in my life out month by month. I am hoping it will help shape me into the woman God has created me to be.

kind. patient. joy filled. loving. nurturing. reliable. passionate. trustworthy. healthy. balanced.

it is raining right now.
ironically.
i feel like it God washing over me with his grace.
thank you Lord for this reminder.

tomorrow is a new day.
i will start new.
hope in my eyes.

Getting myself some curb appeal!

Curb appeal is a funny thing! It makes such a difference, and I tend to be obsessed with going on walks or drives and looking at homes for inspiration. Curb appeal tends to be put to the back burner for home owners often times with so much to do on the inside. This is our 4th summer living in our home and I have been begging the Hus to landscape and make our yard "us"! This summer, we started the process. Our buddies were here from Florida back in June, and Cordie took on the project with me! We used rocks from my friends house, that is being built across the street and mulch from our neighbors wood chipper! I used plants from friends and hit up the local green houses! 

This is what our house looks like now! It is a working progress, but I feel much better about it! Having people over ALL THE TIME with ministry/friends/clients for the studio, it means a lot to me to have our house feel WELCOMING! 

This is the house when we were looking at it back in 2010.

This is last summer after I painted the door for the second time.

and now……

I am excited to see the perennials grow and bloom every year. 

My kids are always apart of the pictures :)

I couldn't have done this without our friends! THANKFUL! I planted lots of ground cover, lavender, baby's breath and fun variety of pine. 

Still on the the curb appeal list of dreams: 

window boxes (white)

shutters

corbels of some sort in the peaks

hardware on the garage doors

my lavender. favorite scent ever.

Wouldn't a window box and shutters just be perfect?! 

 We almost took out these 3 rose bushes in the Spring. We thought for sure they were dead. I am so happy they survived! Amen for rose food! 

What color shutters do you think I should do? Colonial yellow? Rust? a blue? or dark grey? 

Happy Thursday friends!

LLW // Before + Afters // Wedding Edition

Happy Lock Love Wednesday! I started LLW to keep this hairstylist accountable. It is so easy to get in a hair rut and not style my own hair! I have fun sharing with you anything Hair related! Today, is Before + After day! Join with me below and link up and show off your styling techniques or beautiful hair! Follow me on Instagram @ talahairlife #locklovewed and #locklovewednesday 

In the summer months, I typically air dry my hair everytime I wash it and go with a quick 5 min. style. I love twisting it back to get it off my face and give it a little style! 

 

 Alex had gotten an all over tint months back and wanted something bright! I colored in lighter blonde tones and trimmed up her ends! She looks gorgeous!

Bri was ready for a drastic inverted bob! I love this look on her! We colored in 3 shades to add depth and dimension! 

Lindsay is a fellow hairstylist buddy of mine! She chopped her locks off back in May and was ready for a drastic color change. I colored it all over with a high lift bleach and toned it with a ash! I cut her hair with a undercut and "funked" it up a bit! She is a babe!

 Alison has amazing hair that is also stubborn! She was blonde for a good year and we have been migrating over to the red/brown family again. I colored her hair with caramel and auburn foils and painted in between with a rich brown copper! I LOVE IT! She wants to rock long Victoria Secret hair……..we are the road for that ;) 

I forgot to get a before of Lauren's dry hair. She just got her first teaching position and wanted a fresh look for Fall. I cut her hair up 3" + and it looks lovely! She had me ombre it in the Spring, and we wanted to still have enough length to rock the color a few more months!

Kim has amazing low maintenance hair! She comes in every 6 months and we wanted to bring up her foils a bit. I used two shades of blonde/caramel and painted it in at different heights! I cut her hair to be a long bob! She is smokin'!

 It is back-to-school season at Tala! Love Lucas and Jonas' cuts! CUTIE-PIES.

 Sarah has amazing hair! I freshened up her base with a rich dark brown and brightened up her ombre! She looks amazing! 

Jessica is getting married next week and wanted to do a rich all over brown! She has amazing shiny hair to work with! I love how full her hair looks now! She is going to be a stunning bride! 

 (Matron of Honor/ the sister)

WEDDING HAIR 

// lots of weddings this season //

(Mother of the Groom)

I had fun with this bridal party for many reasons! 

1. They are my buddies

2. They have amazing hair! 

3. I love braids and baby's breath! 

 (flower girl)

(Sister to Groom/Bridesmaid)

Here is the bride before I put baby's breath in! I barely curled her hair, I went with her natural wave/body. I used fishtail braids and regular braids in her style! She looked soooo beautiful! 

 Happy LLW!!!!!