Believe

I believe in manicures. I believe in overdressing. I believe in primping at leisure & wearing lipstick. I believe that laughing is the best calorie burner. I believe in kissing, kissing a lot. I believe in being strong when everything else seems to be going wrong. I believe that happy girls are the prettiest girls. I believe tomorrow is another day. I believe in Miracles.

Friday, November 3, 2017


This girl!!!! I keep saying how blessed and lucky I am to have Ivy because she is still such a chill, fun, happy, easy going, non-fussy, good eating, great sleeping angel baby! She really is the best. I LOVE being with her all day, every day. she is so cute and it's been so fun to watch her little personality grow and watch her inquisitive mind as she is introduced to all the wonderful things to see and touch and smell and eat in the world! My heart grows every time she wakes up with a big smile to see me or when we play and I hear her sweet laughs. The greatest thing is to see how amazing Jeremy with her and how much he loves her too. Ah she's the best, I am the luckiest woman on the planet! I love hanging with her every day!






However: ----
  • tessawarn#1: (below)This is all a facade. 
    #2:(below)this is what's real. 
    It's because I'm uncomfortable. I'm uncomfortable in my skin. It's flabby and stretched and bloated and I'm still not used to it. I'm uncomfortable in my clothes. I don't know what my new style should be because nothing ever looks good and everything is tight, I'm not a small anymore I'm a medium but these clothes dont fit right and I'm JUST uncomfortable. I'm uncomfortable with this new mom bod. I hate buying bigger sized clothes when I don't want to be this bigger size. Why are frumpy clothes so much more comfortable?! Try as I may my hips aren't getting smaller and I'm not losing weight, that's uncomfortable to talk about. My hair is falling out, and if it's down, Ivy grabs it and pulls the dickens out of it so why bother? my smile is posed, I have a hairy chin and I'm just sick of trying to suck in my stomach. 
    Also, who am I kidding I don't pop my knee when taking cutsie pictures- it's not comfortable to me. Are you supposed to bend it to make your thighs look thinner? I don't know. I am very short, if I popped my knee I will look shorter. So my knees need to stay unpopped so I can look taller. #1 So this is me getting all dressed and ready for church to show everyone how put together I am and then this #2 is me 10 seconds after I get home from church and have taken off that confining dress and put on Jeremy's most comfy Tshirt. What can I say, I'm a hot mess, for real. 
    I have a long way to come with my self confidence and need to come that way FAST because I do not want my daughter ever feeling how I do. I've always had confidence in my skills and abilities but never my appearance. It's so much easier posting pictures of my baby so that I can hide behind her perfection when I feel completely physically imperfect.
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  • tessawarn@cardalladventures you're my rock! 😗 I love you more.
  • bevylovesI was just thinking how Cute You looked! ♡ It's All Perspective! I hear you though we are all a Mess, just not always Brave enough to admit it! Love You Cutest Tess! ♡♡♡
  • tessawarn@kaisamarie24 you always have such sound advise. Thank you Kaisa. "Do the best to love yourself" 👌🏻 YOU are beautiful!
  • tessawarn@jenzaninovichnovich 😘 thanks Jen! I love you! I am so grateful for my healthy body and that I was able to bring my beautiful baby into this world!!! My body may not be perfect but my baby sure is!!! 😊 I had a lot of emotions as all my teacher friends returned to work this week. I hope you have a fabulous school year!! You are such an amazing teacher.
  • tessawarn@tinybutmighty_1 haha right?!!!!! ❤️
  • tessawarn@bevyloves ❤️
  • juliehurd❌⭕️❌⭕️ I could say so much about this but for now, just know you're not alone.
  • tessawarn@juliehurd 😘
  • ikerichert#truthombsfrombadassmoms
  • mettemgriffithGirl, you are not alone. I feel like as moms our bodies are in a constant state of change. Pre-pregnancy, pregnancy, post partum, working on it, still working on it, maybe I have it back and then BOOM, all over again. It's so hard! You're not only bigger than you ever were(somehow I got wider after my second) but a TOTALLY different shape as well. You now have to dress a body type you have no experience with. Hang in there, there's no easy way to get over that feeling, just know you aren't alone. ❤️
  • bergenmleeOh girl. I feel ya. Been dealing with this since before my first pregnancy 😏 it's hard. A good quote is: "comparison is the thief of joy". Even if you're not comparing yourself to others, try to remember how much your baby and hubby love you, how much your family and friends love you, and how much the Lord loves you! You ARE enough. You are beautiful. 💗
  • sissahessOh Tessie! Firstly: I love you! Secondly: postpartum makes for one hell of an identity crisis if you ask me 😉 Let the ranting and raving begin!! In all seriousness tho - after Juniper was born I felt an urgent desire to be a healthy example of self esteem... which is difficult in a world and culture that objectifies women's bodies and appearance (I won't rant on this but the research is appalling). Anywho - in the last 18 months I have come to 2 conclusions that I will share. 1) My body is not an image or object. It's an instrument. You know the science and biology behind it all. It's a God-given instrument for accomplishing His work on the earth. A true miracle. 2) To avoid objectifying myself ... and sub consciously others, I am "trying" to redefine what beauty is... for me and Juni at least. Instead of telling Juniper what pretty eyes she has or what a beautiful smile she has I've been changing my choice of words to be more matter of fact like "what bright eyes you have" and "you've got such an engaging smile" because I want her to understand that true beauty is what you think, say and do. It's how you treat others and how you treat yourself. We've heard it all before but implementation is easier said then done. Be kind to yourself and your amazing body. Make it a matter of prayer ... and get Jeremy on board with your efforts. After all - Ivy will look for a lot of validation from her Daddy. Sorry for the essay. It's been on my mind for a long time so I thought I'd share some of what I've discovered 😉😘
  • tessawarn@mettemgriffithEXACTLY!!! ❤️🙈
  • tessawarn@bergenmlee a perfect quote! Thank you!! 😘😘
  • frisbyfamilyfunCome see me. end of September, I'm super serious
  • kimh2203Love you my sweet Tess. God loves curves 😆
  • mindyroyYour body is now a warrior's body and you just gotta own it and be proud of it. Easier said than done, I know. And stop trying to fit into your old tight uncomfortable clothing (I recognize that dress). It's depressing and unrealistic. Get rid of it all and go shopping a lot until you've found a bunch of clothes that ARE comfortable. So you're a medium. So what? You're an infinite being and can not be defined by a trivial label like that. You're so much more than your size. And your size, in reality, is the most insignificant thing about your existence. Seriously! ❤️
  • nat_santiI have noticed the same problem with my hair and my hairdresser strongly recommended taking folic acid daily. I have tried it and so far I have noticed an improvement.
  • clbkeeten3tothe1You're stinking cute in both pics!! Wear comfy clothes and enjoy your little girl!! 😘😘
  • tessawarn@sissahess you couldn't have written a more perfect message ❤️ thank you for sharing, this means the world to me.




She is pretty dang cute though!!




Fall fun, & Family reunion 2017


Fall is here!!! My FAVORITE time of the year!!
Here are the highlights:
Ivy loves to pull herself up now to standing position.
She continues to be the happiest baby in the world!
The weather is finally cooling down! we were getting Cabin fever there for a while because it has been so hot. Can't wait for cooler afternoons!
I'e started to go for runs more often now and am hoping to run a 10K in December. Progress is much slower than pre-pregnancy, but that's okay.
My beautiful child! almost 9 months. (August)


I kept wondering where all the pacifiers were disappearing to...
I see 5 under the crib!!!


We experienced a solar eclipse August 2017!

Ivy has started sleeping on her side and moving all around in her crib now. Most of the time when I go to get her, she is standing in her crib waiting for me with a big smile!

She still loves bath time!




Ivy enjoys going to the store and riding in the cart. She hold on the bar very tight the whole time and doesn't let go!


I've been having some crazy digestive issues and have taken to drinking Kefir. It has already helped so much!!


Ivy enjoys eating baby food... hopefully she won't turn orange!


I met Stacey and the girls at Universal studios for the day. it was a great time of coarse!!









Jer went off Mountain biking with some friends again and Zack stayed with us for a few days.



The heat is back in full force uggghhhh!!!


Little monkey playing with dad when he gets home from work!



Her favorite spot in the bathroom... I have no idea why! Probably to trap me in the shower when I'm in there!


Mattie and Lexie met us in LA to go to a live recording of Americas got Talent.
SO FUN!







Ivy has been lifting herself up onto everything she can. She loves to stand up and is excited to show off her new tricks as soon as she wakes up in the morning by standing in her crib!


My little "helper" following me around wherever I go!
Ivy definitely likes people more than toys.


Drinking our bottles together!

Over Labor day weekend we decided to take a trip over to Santa Barbara to enjoy the cooler beach weather. We had a great time!




On our way back home to Bakersfield we stopped in to Solvang, CA to explore around.
It's a cute Dutch inspired town.



I have reached another stepping ston in the "stay-at-home-mom" world...
Lindsey taught me how to can pears!!!


Look at this naughty little face haha I love it!

 Ivy is 9 Months old now! August 20, 2017.
She has started to crawl and lift herself up more, click her tongue, clap her hands and growl on demand. She is slowly starting to get better at waving hello or goodbye too!




First time going to the park with mom and friends.
Sept 8, 2017


Nice hand hold Ivy!

September 14 came along and we traveled to Washington for the Warner family reunion.
Ivy's 10th plane ride!






A hike in Leavenworth.









I like this picture because she finally look a little more like my child!!

Back home to CA we go!



Still my little helper- especially in the kitchen!
She has started to open cupboards and throw everything out of them. It's actually really funny to me!

We had a fun "Amazing race" date night!
SEPTEMBER 30, 2017
Jeremy's Golden 30th birthday!
It was conference weekend and I surprised him with some cake, foods he likes, friends and a game of poker! He won!







My mom and dad came down to visit on Oct 3rd!
We went to the beach, temple, Universal studios, shooting, to a broadway musical, out to eat, the zoo, go kart racing and shopping. It was a great time!


















October-FRIDAY- 13th
Lindsey hosted a murder mystery evening.
We had a great time!



I have joined beach body on demand and am trying to lose weight by the time Ivy turns 1!
#goals



Tissues and toilet paper are Ivy's new favorite toys!!



We have been getting into the Fall spirit!
Decorated sugar cookies, went to the pumpkin patch and through a maze.











A little sashimi for dinner please!!





Ward trunk or treat.
Roger, Anita and their cutest Dalmatian puppy!!







I'm loving decorating!!

On Oct 30th, "Hallows Eve" Leslie Wilson threw an amazing "Zombie Ball" It was awesome!!
Aimee Cooper did mine and Lindsey's makeup and we looked legit!!










Ivy has been growing !4! teeth all at the same time. Poor thing has been pretty miserable but still has her happy bouts!



We enjoyed watching Stranger things and Sleepy Hallow to spook us for halloween and hand out Candy. That wrapped up October for us and now It's on to November!!!
That means birthday and Thanksgiving time!!!

ps. Isn't this rainbow roll the prettiest!!