YOU'RE HAVING A BOY


All of my life, I've aways pictured being a momma to a little girl. I'm a girlie girl. I love getting dressed up and playing with makeup. I'm a passionate believer that girls can be preachers, presidents, etc, etc. For goodness sake, I started a conference for girls and have held it for 7 years because I believe in empowering girls!

 In every daydream about the future, I'd have a few kids but a girl would always be my firstborn. I'd encourage her that she was loved and valued and that her voice mattered. She would know that she was more than just a pretty face, that God had an incredible purpose for her and that she could dream big and not let her gender limit her. I couldn't wait to raise my baby girl.

But then I found out I was having a boy. And to be honest, I kinda knew it was a boy but I was hoping for a girl. Right after God told me I was pregnant I found myself addressing my belly as "little guy"....it was natural instinct. But my hope for a girl outweighed my gut feeling that I was having a boy. Throughout the first 20 weeks, I mainly looked at girls' clothing...so many cute pink things. I envisioned a pink and gold nursery. I had convinced my heart that I was carrying a girl. 

Fast forward to right before our ultrasound...my guess was a boy but there was still a little piece of hope that we were having a girl. So we go in and marvel at the video of our beautiful baby. There is something so incredible about seeing your baby moving. It was also the first ultrasound that James' was able to attend, so that made it extra special. We had a student conduct the ultrasound and thank goodness we were finding out because she dropped "he" at least three times...haha. We were also pretty sure as we spotted what looked like a little boy part..ha! Afterwards I stalked my doctor's office until they could tell me the results and yes, they confirmed, I was having a boy.

I was having a boy. Not a girl, but a little boy. James and I had headed to the mall to grab some food and I remember eating Opa with tears running down my face. It was hitting me. I was having a boy. I had to shut the door (for now) on all my little girl dreams and honestly, that was a hard thing. BOYS! I knew nothing about boys. What on earth was I going to do with a boy!!?!?! I'm pretty sure James was a bit worried that I wasn't going to love our child...hahah. And obviously that wasn't the case, but I needed a couple days to grieve the idea of a little girl. It was all that I had imagined for the past 20 years so naturally it would take some time.

But I have the greatest friends BTW. As soon as I told my bestie, she started pinning incredible baby boy shower and nursery images to our pin board. I started to get a bit more excited. I also went and picked out some cute baby boy clothing because shopping always lifts my mood, ha. It took about two days for me to grieve the idea of the girl and fully embrace the idea of a boy. Who knew how much healing pinterest and shopping could bring...lols. Another friend gently counselled me and let me know that it was okay to be sad. She encouraged me that it would change and I would be excited but it's okay to cry right now. Oh, how I needed that.

And now, oh my goodness, God knew what he was doing in giving us a little boy first. I honestly, can't imagine anything else. 

Instead of raising a girl that is empowered, we get to raise a boy who will empower. We get to teach him what it means to respect the opposite gender, to fight for fairness and equality, to walk humbly and live life with integrity. I'm raising a moG (man of God) people and it is the greatest thing ever. I have fallen in love with my little prince and he has fallen in love with me. The little smiles and cooing he gives me melts my heart every time. I know as he grows he is going to bring so much out of me. He's going to make me bolder and stronger...he already has as I've embraced that mama bear spirit. I feel like I'm going to die the day that he tells me I'm beautiful. He's my prince, my little lion king and I am so in love.

As I was folding up his newborn clothes last week, I found myself hoping for another boy...ha. I seriously see myself like Lisa Bevere (or Helena Stones!!) raising four incredible boys. But who knows what the Lord has in store? What I do know is that we can make plans, but ultimately, God's plan is the best plan for our lives. He knows what's best. He knows what our hearts need even if we don't (which is often, ha).

Be encouraged today that if your plan is failing, that may be a good thing. God is at work and will give you the strength you need to handle the plan he has for you. God has given me and will continue to give me the strength I need to raise this boy (HELLO, I will be screaming for his help when Luca gets older, ha!!) He's a good father and knows our hearts more than anyone else. You can be sure that he won't fail you or let you down but give you exactly what you need because He loves you too much to give you what you want.

I'm over the moon in love with my little man and now I couldn't imagine it any other way.

XOXO,
laura

LATELY


This summer has been different than the past because of the arrival of our sweet lion. In the first few weeks we didn't get out much...partly because I was a freaked out first time mom and also because Luca was dealing with his reflux (aka mad baby in pain = lots of crying.) But thanks to encouragement from friends, JESUS, a slight change in diet and meds, we have been able to get out quite a bit!

Because I'm crazy extroverted, I feel the need to get out every day! I don't like to be out too long though because Luca sleeps best in his crib and naps are very important. BUT I don't wanna be a psycho who never leaves the house because my boy needs three two hour naps everyday. So usually I try to keep his outings no longer than 4-5 hours. 

He is proving to be such a champ though! We took him to Rock the Shores to see daddy play and man, that was such an amazing experience...but mainly because they treated us so well. I just wanna give the hugest shout out to the RTS hospitality team. The whole food situation was AMAZING...if you saw our snapchat you witnessed that we never wanted to leave, ha. Unlimited donuts, and a billion other foods. It makes me cry just thinking about it. Luca basically ate and slept in the stroller the entire time, leaving lots of time for me to eat, ha. Towers & Trees had a great tent backstage where I got to feed him in a non-windy, non-sunny location. It was the best. If only we could get that vip treatment everywhere we go..lols.

I also love to take him in the stroller! He usually naps like a little champ (except for when he's hungry) but in those times, I am so thankful for my Milk Snob cover. It keeps the wind off of him and also serves as my nursing cover. And don't worry, I make sure there is a big hole for him to get air out of and I limit his time in it!

My brother in law scored us fireworks tickets for Butchart Gardens. I wore Luca in my Solly wrap and he napped for a long time. During the fireworks he was a little freaked but we had his baby head phones on, which he hates but protect his hearing! But once he calmed down it was so beautiful to see his little face mesmerized by the fireworks.

Here are some more photos from our summer aka Luca weeks 1-8. Cannot believe he'll be TWO MONTHS old this Thursday!!!

Oh, I love that little face so much :)

Happy Monday!

XO,
laura

HELLO WEEKEND


Hello weekend! The photo above is us at the beach last Monday...the Lion did amazing! And it's mainly because of this tent...he slept in it, I nursed him in it and it protected him from uv rays..win win!

The weekend is here and our family is in town. It is the best. Oh my goodness seeing the cousins meet was sooo sweet. Seb (7 months old) was soooo excited. It was darling! Luca on the other hand was a bit apprehensive but I'm sure by the end of the visit he'll be more accustomed :) Our little lion is 8 weeks tomorrow..It's pure insanity how quick time flies!!!

This past week, I found this swimsuit for super cheap! It fits great, looks cute and I'm comfortable in it...HALLELUJAH! We're going to a wedding on Sunday! Yay, I love weddings!! But man finding a dress was SO HARD. I searched and searched for dresses at Forever 21 & H&M (well searched as much as I could in the one hour I could escape little man.) All I could find was 90's garbage that didn't fit my postpartum body at all. I didn't want to buy an expensive dress that I could only wear for a short season so I ended up buying some spanx, which saves the day because an old dress of mine looks great now!

I'm trying to soak up as much summer as I can because super soon it will be over! But that means my favourite season, FALL will be here!!! (Trying not to think about pumpkin spice lattes for at least till the end of August, haha) Are you feeling that too?

So what do you think about the whole new instasnap? To be honest, I'm a bit sad as I LOVE SNAPCHAT and I follow way too many people on instagram to watch their stories. I think I'm going to post about once a day on instasnap but spend most of the time filming behind the scenes footage for snapchat! I'm all about the underdog, ha. I really hope it doesn't turn into a whole vine saga, because that died as soon as insta allowed videos to be shared!

Hope you have a fabulous weekend!

XO,
laura

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MOROCCAN QUINOA SALAD


It's been awhile since I've posted a healthy recipe post..haha...kinda hard when all I want to eat is ice cream these days... Well guys, I've been holding out on you. I realized the other day, that I haven't shared my go to quinoa salad with you. I seriously make this recipe all the time. It's quick, healthy and delicious! I brought it to a family dinner and my nine year old nephew asked for seconds!! You know it must taste real good when that happens. 

This is super flavourful salad and I make a batch of it every three weeks or so. When it's just James and I, I use the amounts below but when I have international students, I double as it can get gobbled up quite quickly!

MOROCCAN QUINOA SALAD

erves 6
(adapted from Looneyspoons cookbook) 

 

Ingredients-

  • 1 cup uncooked quinoa
  • 2 cups chicken broth
  • 1 tsp curry powder
  • 1 tsp ground cumin
  • 1/2 tsp ground coriander
  • 1 tsp honey
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1 cup chickpeas (drained and rinsed)
  • 1/2 cup each finely chopped red bell pepper, grated carrots, and cucumber
  • 1/3 cup chopped green onions
  • 2 tbsp olive oil
  • 2 tbsp lemon juice
  • 2 tbsp minced fresh mint leaves
  • 1/4 tsp ground black pepper

Directions-

  1. Combine quinoa, broth, spices, salt and honey in a rice cooker and cook until done. If you don't have a rice cooker, bring to a boil in a pot then reduce heat to low, cover and simmer for about 20 minutes.
  2. Transfer cooked quinoa to a bowl and let cool. (I usually do all the chopping when the quinoa is cooling.)
  3. Once cool add in remaining ingredients and mix well.
  4. Enjoy!

So there you have it...a quick, healthy and delicious quinoa salad to bring to your next bbq!

XOXO,
laura

HELLO AUGUST


Hello August!! It's a holiday Monday around these parts and daddy is off!! We're hopefully going to hit up a beach or park as the weather is so delightful.

Looks like Luca is just as excited about this month as I am. August is my favourite month because it holds our wedding anniversary and my birthday. And this year it's a big one...THIRTY (insert wide eyed emoji and also horn with confetti emoji) So many thoughts on saying goodbye to my 20's and hello to my 30's are running through my head. Look out for many blog posts on this transition later this month!

This month we're also going on a little holiday! As I've mentioned before, James' sister, hubby and cute little boy (yay cousins!) are arriving from Texas in a couple days and the whole famjam is going to Parksville.  Parksville is a gorgeous little beach town about two hours north of Victoria. I'm so pumped for some beach time, visiting the boys at the campsite (the girls and babies are staying indoors, haha), minigolf and ice cream from Coombs!

Well happy August. Hope you have an amazing one and if you want to download that calendar above beside that cute baby, click here!

XO,
laura