Grayson's Dino-Mite 2nd Birthday Party

This past weekend we celebrated our littlest turning 2! His birthday is actually this Friday (27th), but due to some of our schedules we decided to have his party early. We will be going to meet his new cousin (yay!!!) and to the lake on Friday, so it was just easier for everyone. 

Grayson has been obsessed with dinosaurs lately (he says RAWWWRRR any chance he gets), and I loved the idea of incorporating them for his party. I kept the food simple and bought a mac and cheese platter from GFS and did sliders and some other dips and Billy made a dinosaur head out of a watermelon (turned out so cute!) that we stuffed with fruit. 

(my stepmom once again made the cutest cake for him off of a picture template that I sent to her!)

I put the boys in matching dinosaur shirts (from Gymboree!) and I bought Grayson some pretty cute shoes that I found on clearance a few days prior!

(I bought that dinosaur off of Amazon)

No surprise that he loved his cake and wasted no time eating it all... :)

I filled up a baby pool with sand and had plastic dinosaurs and shovels for the kids to play with and we also set up a bounce house in our backyard. It was supposed to rain all day but we got lucky with not having any and it ended up being on the cooler side which was a plus!

Billy's friend let him borrow his adult sized dinosaur costume (that he used for his nephews party recently) to surprise the kids with and it was absolutely hysterical watching their reactions! Some of them were scared and weary in the beginning (Grayson clung to me for a few minutes) and some (aka Camden) were jumping up and down excited! It didn't take long for the kids to warm up to T Rex (especially after some dance moves) and soon enough they were all giving high-fives and hugs. I got some really great videos that I can't wait to show them when they're older! Grayson was smiling from ear to ear the entire party - we know he had the best time. 

And here's some more pictures from the day with our families and friends... :)

To add to the excitement that day, Billy's brother and his wife had their baby boy DURING Grayson's party! We were all so happy and excited. 

Only a few more sleeps with a one year old...le sigh. Grayson has been the biggest blessing to our family, I can't even talk about it without wanting to sob my eyes out. He is truly the sweetest, most gentle, silly, lovable little boy out there. We are beyond thankful that he is ours and to for the opportunity to watch him grow every single day. I cherish every moment I have with him. Can't wait to celebrate him on Friday, too! 

We love you SO much, buddy! 

NORDSTROM ANNIVERSARY SALE 2018!

The Nordstrom Anniversary Sale is now officially open to the public!

I tried to only include items that are currently in stock (as I publish this right now!) and had multiple sizes left. For some of my other favorite items that I included on my last post covering the sale that you may have seen on there, check back on the website often for restocks of them!! I will also be updating this when I see things that have been restocked that I think you guys would love.

Happy Shopping!

CONFESSIONS

I confess...I'm in full blown party planning mode for Grayson's birthday party which is THIS Sunday! His actual birthday isn't until the 27th, but we're having his party a weekend early. I am loving the dinosaur theme we're doing, and one of Billy's friends gave him an adult T Rex costume so I'm freaking PUMPED to see him dress up for the kids. I'm truly sad that my littlest boy is turning TWO. It feels like I don't have a true baby in the house now (even though they both still are to me), and I'm thinking we may have to change that soon. :)

(this was from the zoo yesterday-they have a dinosaur boat ride that the boys went absolutely crazy over, and I thought it was a perfect thing to do before the party this weekend!)

I confess...I head to Nashville in a few weeks with a bunch of my awesome Isagenix teammates for a fun company trip! I wanted to see if you guys had any recommendations for good coffee (frothy monkey I went to the last time I visited-is that the best?) and a good brunch, and then a fun trendy dinner spot.

I confess...stay at home mommying can be so tiring in the summer. I try to constantly be on the go doing fun things with the boys, but man it is exhausting some days. Especially on days you get stung by 2 wasps at the park, says the girl who is currently icing her swollen ankle and foot. And on the same note - it's also been so incredibly fun. I feel so fortunate to be able to stay home with the boys (and also make an income!) and watch their relationship develop. My stepmom took Cam the other day to spend time just one on one with her, and Grayson was so sad and had a meltdown for a good 30-40 minutes. He truly missed him, and that also worries me a little since Camden will be starting preschool soon! They do mainly everything together every single day so I know it'll be an adjustment for the both of them.

I confess...I have A LOTTTTT of good items in my cart for the N Sale starting on Friday (when it opens to the public!) I will have a post up bright and early Friday morning so that you guys can easily shop them.

I confess...I ate the last pack of the boys' fruit snacks the other night and justified it by telling myself that since there was only 1 left I didn't want Cam and Gray to fight over it, so it was clearly meant for me. We're at that point now that if they see me eating something when they aren't, I have to legit be super secretive or hide in a corner so they don't see me and ask for half of it. HAHA.

I confess...I finally found decor to hang on our family room wall!!! THIS IS MAJOR PEOPLE. It's only taken me like 7 months. But I LOOOOOVEE it and just have to take pictures then I can show you all what I went with. We also got a new dining room table and I'm just waiting on the rug to be delivered and to buy the chairs I want!

here is the fan we hung in our screened in porch recently...

I confess...there is no better hair than pregnancy hair. I miss that pregnancy hair bad, and desperately need to get a haircut soon because my hair is looking super dry and brittle. Woof.

I confess...we have been having the most gorgeous sunsets in our backyard lately. I love just sitting out here on the porch watching them!

I confess...I CANNOT WAIT FOR THE SOUTHERN CHARM REUNION. IT'S GOING DOWN!! (But I'll have to record and run home to watch it because grabbing wine with some girlfriends tonight...#priorities)

What do you confess?

Oh and if you've been wanting to try Isagenix, there is free enrollment going on now until Sunday so you can just send me an email or message me on instagram and I can help you get started!

NORDSTROM ANNIVERSARY SALE

TODAY is the FIRST day of the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale!!!

Early Access starts now but if you don't if you don’t have early access yet, you can still sign up for a Nordstrom Card to be able to shop the items early + get a $40 Nordstrom Note to spend.

The most popular items sell out VERY quickly, so if you think you want it I would buy it and if it doesn't work for you you can always return it (free returns!) If you don’t have a Nordstrom Card, you will get to shop the sale on July 20th, but you can still preview everything now.

HERE ARE MY TOP PICKS // WHAT ITEMS USUALLY SELL OUT FAST...

AG The Legging Raw Hem Skinny Jeans
Zella Live In High Waisted Leggings
Barefoot Dreams Cardigan
BLANKNYC Moto Jacket
SPANX Faux Leather Moto Leggings
PAIGE High Waist Skinny Jeans
Patagonia Puff Jacket (more colors!)
The North Face Down Parka 

Tory Burch Marsden Thong Sandal
Vince Camuto Over The Knee Boot
Hunter Tall Rain Boot
Adidas Sneaker (order a whole size down)
Sperry Shearling Lined Boot (love these!)
Adidas Edge Running Shoe

Tory Burch Crossbody Bag
MICHELE Deco Sport Watch (loveeee)
Nordstrom Spinner Suitcase
QUAY Sunglasses

Happy Shopping!!!

WEEKEND RECAP

Happy Tuesday! Is everyone getting pumped up to shop the Norstrom Sale that starts for cardholders on Thursday?! I will have a post up that day with all my favorite picks and the best selling items that you will want to snag before they sell out. For now it’s time to recap this past weekend...

I don't remember the last concert I've been to, but this weekend I decided to add another one to the list and went to Taylor Swift's Reputation concert which was at Ohio Stadium!

My SIL got tickets and asked me to go with her and some friends. Our seats were high, but the tickets were practically free and we still had a great view (plus the weather was not too hot, it was PERFECT!) so it was pretty awesome. Taylor put on such a good show and had tons of fireworks and other crazy special effects. And it was actually the largest production event in Columbus...

(shirt is from here, shorts from here, earrings are from Target, boots are old and very cheap)

We took the boys to the pool on Sunday and I actually got to spend nap time at the adult only pool while Billy held the fort down at home... 🙌

I've been debating getting the boys ISR swim lessons - has anyone done them with their kids before? Grayson is just as good as a swimmer as Camden and funny enough Camden has gone through lessons twice! I just feel like more private lessons or ones that teach them to swim independently may be better for them with how often we are at the pool and go to the lake!

What fun did you get into this weekend? Have your kids taken ISR swim lessons before?

4TH OF JULY // LIFE LATELY!

Hi friends!! How was your 4th?! I hope you all had a safe and fun holiday! 

I wanted to share a few pictures of ours, and some others from the past few weeks. The heat has been crazy here the past few days and we practically melted at the 4th of July parade in Dublin that we took the boys to, but it was worth it to see them have fun and enjoy it! That's what our job is as parents, right? ha! We got smarter as the day went on and just spent it at the pool and had a yummy dinner at home!

And just some other summer fun we've been having...

Planning this almost 2 year old (WAHHH) dinosaur birthday party which is only a few weeks away!

Billy has been loving showing the boys how to fish in our backyard! Grayson is OBSESSED with touching them and Cam just thought it was cool he caught one..

The boys with some of their favorite people...PawPaw!

 ...and JuJu!

 We had a day date to a winery with some friends last weekend and out to dinner!

Billy's brother and his wife are due in just a few short weeks now too so we absolutely cannot wait to meet our newphew and for the boys to meet their new cousin!!!!

But as for today, everyone in our family except myself (knock on wood) is now sick in some way, but I'm trying to stay positive that it's just a cold (except with Grayson he has a little tummy bug happening) and we will all be better soon! We have been so lucky because the boys haven't been sick in SUCH  a long time....this past winter they didn't get sick once, so it's definitely been a blessing having a break from it all. 

This week has flown by with the holiday being right in the middle! I do have some fun posts planned already for next week (I KNOW...WHO AM I?) so I'm really excited to get back into blogging more! I miss this space and love connecting with you all so much. 

Have a good weekend!