FRIDAY THOUGHTS

+ON BEING MIA: Earlier this week I decided to take on the project of painting our master bathroom cabinets white. They are the only ones in our house we haven't updated, so I just randomly decided to start painting them (when I get the urge to do a project I have to do it THAT INSTANT!) & I've been working on them every night this week. The painting is done now🙌, so it's just getting them back on! Sorry for the silence here on the blog!

+LABOR DAY WEEKEND: Even though it is supposed to mark the end of summer, it was pretty gosh darn good. Billy took Camden ice skating for the first time (me and Grayson enjoyed snuggling/keeping warm/watching from the side), which was really exciting for him because he has played hockey since he was little and actually still refs at this rink!

+BIG DOG OR SMALL DOG? I mentioned it before but we are discussing getting a dog for the boys soon and debating between a small dog (like Rocky was) or a bigger dog (retriever size.) We're leaning towards a bigger dog since the boys are...well...boys and can be on the rough side sometimes. It'll be a year next month since we lost Rocky (definitely feels way shorter than that-I still can't really think about that day or weekend without wanting to cry or getting a huge pit in my stomach..) so I think it'll help heal my heart a bit and make the boys really happy, especially Camden. He asks to pet EVERY single dog that he sees!

+THESE AWFUL HURRICANES: Can they just go away, now? All of 'em. Praying hard for all of you in FL and those still recovering in TX.

+PACKING FOR CALIFORNIA: I have found SO many cute things lately for our trip next week (and for fall in general) that I wanted to share some things that I'm definitely packing...

this pullover  

(only $44! SO good! I got a medium)

this vest

(marked way down!)

ruffle tee

 ($17!)

floppy hat

+THE BACHELOR: Did you see the announcement that it's Arie?! (from Emily's season) I'm super shocked and disappointed it's not Peter! WHAT IN THE WORLD HAPPENED HERE? I'm still holding out hope that MAYBE they will change their minds and go back to Peter? What do you guys think?

+THE BOYS: Cam started swim lessons a few weeks ago-he's in a class with 2 other kids and is loving it! Since he's old enough to be in an instructor led class (without parent in the water), me and Grayson just sit in the waiting area and watch him! After the class is done and I go in to get him, he is so proud of himself that he jumps up and down and grins from ear to ear...it's so cute! As for our little Gray, he took 4 steps last week (on our anniversary!) and will walk here and there when he wants to, but still hasn't FULLY taken off walking yet.

Tomorrow I'm tailgaiting for the Ohio State game with a girlfriend which I'm really looking forward to! Hope you all have a great weekend!

Weekend Recap // Currently

Happy Monday friends! So much to say, so little time!

Let's start with this past weekend....

A trip to our favorite farmers market + out to eat at our favorite restaurant + cook out with my parents + haircut for Cam! The weather was a little too chilly (low 70''s) for the pool, but the kids still had so much fun and kept busy. I get asked a lot how we go out to eat so often with the boys, and my answer is we always go EARLY and we order for them the second we sit down! We typically go around 5 so that they aren't starving or tired and they typically do really well. We also sit outside whenever possible since Cam can be loud sometimes and loves talk to everyone that walks by. Funny story-he saw some older boys and yelled at them "bye boys, love you!" as they walked passed him! It was so cute! He's been doing that a lot lately everywhere we go...at the grocery store he will chat it up with anyone and is always talking to the other kids and saying he loves them, ha! Anyway... this weekend I also squeezed in a solo shopping trip to Marshalls and found some cute asleisure tops and this adorable black gingham top (it was only $19!)

 (shorts are from here and only $24, super comfy!)

And in an effort to catch up with you guys a little bit, here's a little bit of what else has been going on lately...

Planning: In the thick of planning Grayson's FIRST birthday party! I don't think I've mentioned it a lot on here (maybe once?), but we're doing a "Little Blue Truck" Theme and I'm doing lots of royal blue gingham and touches of yellow. We're having it at our house in our backyard, so I'm excited about that since Camden's birthday is in the winter and has to be inside (sidenote: I LOVE having 1 winter baby and 1 summer baby.) I just got his highchair banner in the mail the other day and had to share because I'm so obsessed with it....

is that not precious? This theme might be my favorite so far. The banner is from HERE! She has lots of other party themes too!

Also...about the fact that Grayson is turning one. I'm having a much harder time with it than I ever thought..I'm actually pretty emotional about it, if I'm being completely honest. He is the absolute cutest right now (so sweet, such a mama's boy, the chubby thighs, his giggles, how he struts when he crawls..I could go on and on) and I want him to stay little. It's not that I don't enjoy them getting older because I love witnessing them learn, grow, talk more, etc. but I just really LOVE this age and feel like the year went way too fast. It actually really makes me want to have another baby, but I'm just really not ready to be pregnant again right now. 

Favorite beauty product: I've found my all-time fav mascara (finally) and it blows all the others I've tried out of the water. I will never use another...it is worth EVERY penny!

Complaining about: Bedtime with Camden right now is a struggle. He is still sleeping great in his big boy bed, but he is just taking SOOO long to fall asleep. I seem to be losing my patience with him so quickly because he only seems to go to bed if I'm the one putting him to bed, and even then it's taking a good 45 minutes-1 hour to fall asleep. And it's not like he's just sitting in bed quietly during this time...he's trying to open his dresser drawers, climb up onto the window (true story), take things out of his closet, etc. We've tried pushing back his bedtime, but he still takes long to fall asleep and then he doesn't sleep in any later so then he's cranky the next day so that plan doesn't work. Hoping it gets better soon!

Loving: my popsocket for my phone! Not a lot of my friends have them, but I've got some of them hooked now. Get yourself one, girls!

Father's Day Weekend At The Lake

A sign of a really fulfilling weekend is always how hard it is to keep my eyes open come 7pm on a Sunday night...am I right?! I don't know how I've managed to even type out a sentence here on this keyboard right now, but I just had to get up a Father's Day post.

Billy's request for Father's Day weekend was to spend it at his favorite spot on Catawba Island boating, fishing, and relaxing with the kids and his family. He's in his true element there, so I was happy to pack up the kids (which felt like it took days to do and we may have packed the entire house for a short 3 days but #worthit) and head there on Friday!

 (this one didn't drive us there, despite what it may look like.. ;)

And to no one's surprise at all, we had the best time.

Camden caught his first fish (with the help of his grandpa) and was obsessed with riding in the golf cart, on the boat, playing at the beach area. He had the time of his life, especially since his aunt and uncle brought him a new huge ball + inflatable basketball hoop for the pool. Grayson got to go on his very first boat ride, too! He wasn't sure what to think at first (I think more so of the life jacket that was weighing him down ha), but was all smiles and happy as a clam the entire weekend, no matter where we were or what we did. Also, he shocked us all this weekend when he decided to say "night night!" It was so cute!

If there's one thing in this world that I know to be 100% true, it's that my boys are so beyond blessed to have Billy as their Daddy. He truly gives us his all day in and day out, and rarely asks for anything in return. He puts the boys first and is always making them laugh or showing them love. The boys light up when he walks in the door. He is always so patient and kind and I am so thankful for everything he does for our family and the type of father he is!

And also I have to wish my own Dad a Happy Father's Day as well. He is basically a best friend to me and has always been my hero, role model, and #1 supporter. I don't know what I would do without him and the lessons he has taught me!

Dad's definitely don't have it easy so if any of you reading are one, thank you for what you do! :) 

Weekend Happenings

Monday is here and I can't be more serious when I say that I'm really excited about it...

You won't believe it {as I'm knocking on wood over here} but everyone in our house is back to being healthy again, so I feel like a BRAND NEW WOMAN! If you missed it (see also I forgot to share), I went to the doctors last week and found out that I had bronchitis. Not that shocking since Grayson has been getting over RSV (he's pretty much over it now-thank God!), but still a big bummer when you're trying to parent two kids and feel like a semi-normal human being yourself. So yes, I'm thrilled it's a brand new week and that we're one week closer to spring!

Here's some happenings from our weekend // Just some fun things I wanted to share:

 

Billy got me this necklace as an early Valentine's Day gift. It's from Urban Sparrow Designs (not sponsored at all) and I really love it because not only does it have the boys' initials but also a paw print disc for Rocky. I have been wanting a disc necklace (vs the bars) for a while, so safe to say this is one of my favorite pieces of jewelry!

 Saturday night I went solo shopping to Target (#momsgonewild) to get some Valentine's Day things for the boys. When I got home and laid it all out I realized just how random of the crap that ended up in my cart actually was. And this picture isn't even including the chocolate covered strawberry Oreos that also came home with me...

 

 

But hey, at least I got those self-tanning wipes for 20% off (thanks Cartwheel! and yes, I do actually love them-they are so easy to apply and don't turn me orange) I typically like to just do little craft items, new books, and just 1 or 2 little pieces of candy or fruit snacks for the kids Valentine's Day baskets!

I've been sticking well to my plan of cutting back on caffeine. I've had it 2-3 times max in the past 3 weeks. I STOPPED craving it and feel worlds better, but still like to treat myself once a week just because.

 Camden looking adorable playing with his lego's...he's obsessed with that plane right now!

 and don't worry, we do actually have heat in our house but he wanted to wear his hat and since he looked so cute in it I had to snap some pictures.

 This mascara...

Also, let's talk meal planning. Does anyone prepare a big batch of dinners (3-4) on Sunday's to use for the week? I'm thinking about trying it. Yesterday I made these egg muffins to have on hand for the week for breakfast, these no-bake energy balls for snacks, and made a big batch of chicken noodle soup. Now I'm feeling inspired to make even more dishes (like dinners) as well on Sunday's. If you do, what are your favorite dinners to make in advance? Share them with me!

Not pictured but just as fun was a play date the boys had at our friends house! It was also my stepmom's birthday yesterday so we went over and celebrated that with her and she gave Camden a very {much needed} haircut! Oh, and I have to admit we turned off the Superbowl game early. I did watch Gaga's performance though, and of course LOVED it. Thought she looked and sounded amazing!

 Now let's cross our fingers our house remains healthy until like...summer. At least. :)

Pumpkin Patch 2016

Every year I look forward to going to our local pumpkin patch. There's not much not to love when there's sweet treats all over the place, pumpkins to bring home, and fun memories made!

Taking TWO little boys, though? My most favorite year as a family yet. I really hope our kids grow up to love going to the pumpkin patch as much as I love taking them! Last year Camden wasn't walking yet and was too little to be into it, so we just snapped some pictures of him looking cute with the pumpkins (which was awesome - and EASY!) but this year, in true Camden fashion, he was running all over the place exploring everything and had so much more fun.

He ran from pumpkin to pumpkin trying to pick them all up (probably to throw...) and of course, suckered us into getting him some candy from inside the barn...

 

 

 

He also got to have his first bounce house experience which, naturally, he loved and got mad at us when we made him get out...

 

Grayson also ran around from pumpkin to pumpkin trying to pick one out to take home. We could hardly contain him! Just kidding...when he wasn't snoozing in the carrier, he laid by some pumpkins and flashed me some cute smiles.

 

 

We also saw Cam have his little brothers back for the first time...and by that I mean saving him from his pumpkin hat that his Mom dressed him in. ;)

"don't worry brother, Mom made you wear this cheesy hat but I got you!" 

The only downside to the day was that it was a little muddy when we went so we didn't get to go on a hayride, but I hope that we can fit one in on another weekend coming up. It's a good thing their delicious apples made up for it!

Such a fun time with my boys!

And guess who's already looking forward to next year's trip? I'll give you one guess... :)