Hey fellow mamas! My name is Kayla Ward. I am your typical born-and-raised Southeast Idaho girl. I grew up in Shelley where my mascot was literally the russet potato. Yeah, I think it’s pretty cool too! They still have the annual Spud Day where they do a tug of war over a pit of mashed potatoes and give out free baked potatoes. It’s pretty much the most Idaho thing you could ever see, but I love it! My dad is also a potato salesman, so you could say I’m the stereotypical Idaho girl. Mashed potatoes are my very favorite food too, so there’s that.
After high school, I attended BYU-Idaho and earned a degree in Child Development. I loved my time in college learning all about typical and atypical development of children in all aspects. I loved that my degree prepared me so well for being a mother. I love young children! Watching my own son go through stages of development and learning how to talk has been so fun!
Unlike a lot of BYU-Idaho experiences, I did not meet my husband while going there. Our families have been friends since before I was born. We went to Island Park every winter to a cabin where we played games and went snowmobiling. But the winter before we started dating, my sister in law said we should get married so we could unite the families. I laughed in her face and said I didn’t find him attractive! Little did I know that during that summer we would go to Lake Powell together with our families and something would spark. I kind of forced him to fall in love with me since I was 20 and felt like an old lady. Four months later we were married! We look back in shock that we just moved forward so fast, but it’s been working out since!
Before having our son, we adopted a dog, bought our first house, worked like 6 different jobs, traveled, and bought a side-by-side.
After being married for just over 3 years, and feeling like we were ready to grow our family, we welcomed our sweet little boy, Dawson. His birth was so wonderful! I discovered how strong I was after delivering him unmedicated! Since having him, I have loved talking about birth. So if you ever want to geek out talking about birth, hit me up! I’m also expecting another little boy in October. I will be seriously outnumbered but I love it!
Motherhood has been so fun, but also incredibly challenging. I love toddlers, but man they are a lot of work! My son is a typical boy who just never stops moving unless he’s watching Frozen. On top of that, I struggle with anxiety that makes it hard to take him out in public. Learning to just enjoy this season has been hard, but I still love that little boy more than anything!
When I get free time, I try to work on my side business. I learned how to sew from both of my grandmothers and have found it to be a lost art. So I decided to turn it into a little business. I started with bandanna bibs, burp cloths, and fabric blocks. I’ve added little boy ties and am slowly going to add more things. It’s been a challenge trying to find time to sew with a toddler since he likes to turn off my machine while I’m in the middle of something. I work while he’s taking a nap and sometimes at night. I’m an early bird though so I really don’t like staying up late. I did some craft fairs last fall and loved it! I’m not planning on it getting very big, but it’s been a fun little hobby that I get a small profit from.
When I get some more free time, I love reading. I’ve read genres ranging from murder mystery to romance to self-improvement. I love to exercise and was exercising for 5 days a week for over a year. I haven’t been very consistent since getting pregnant again though. I still love it and want to keep it as part of my lifestyle. As crazy as it sounds, I love cleaning! There’s not much that’s better than a clean house in my eyes. And yes, I love cleaning other people’s houses. If you invite me over and there’s a mess you just don’t want to clean up, give me some cookies and I’ll do it for you!
I used to hate summer, and really I don’t love the heat, but I love summertime because that means I get to go camping! My husband and I both grew up going and we wanted to continue to do it with our family. Two years ago we bought a 1969 Nomad camper. That thing was so ghetto, but it was cheap and better than a tent with a baby. We used it for summer then sold it and the following spring we bought a 5th Wheel in much better condition with a lot more room. We take our side-by-side and love going on rides and enjoy getting dirty and being in the fresh Idaho mountain air! We go as often as we can through the summer months. Being outside is our very favorite thing!
I’m so glad that I found this moms blog where I get to try to make a difference with the things I write and the playdates I set up. I know motherhood is an incredibly difficult and lonely journey, and I don’t want any of us to do it alone. We need another mom to talk to about how exhausting a newborn is and how potty training is going and what it’s like to send your first child to kindergarten and how fun and difficult teenagers can be. I truly love making friends with other moms, so let’s be friends!
