Our Weekend

This weekend was amazing for us. We did nothing! It was awesome not having somewhere to be or go (besides regular errands and swim class). We're always on the go, go, go, and I'm so happy to be busy with loved ones, but we've been needing a weekend just at home. The days seemed long and we napped both Saturday and Sunday (not long naps, but a quick cat nap that I'll take any day). They were long in the sense that we didn't feel like they just slipped between our fingers with a blink of an eye. We played and played with the girls, did some weeding outside, went on a Costco run, and caught up on Big Brother.

Hat // Top // Shorts (on sale!)

This hat is a lifesaver! I've been wanting a baseball hat forever and it's just one of those things for me that I don't really go out and buy, it's something that I just kind of come across. Does that make sense? Since we moved into our house, I seem to have lost all of my hats except for two- a floppy felt hat and a straw panama one. Well, I've been on the lookout for baseball cap that I like and I couldn't pass this one up. Matt and I are Dodger fans, it's a soft fabric, and it's small so it fits perfectly. I've basically lived in this exact outfit all weekend long. Here, I had just washed and blow dried my hair (just flipping it over, no time for a real blow out) and threw it on to run a few errands. I think I'll be wearing this hat all the time!

 

Suit

Ellie has been doing so great in her swim lessons! She goes just once a week for 30 minutes, but we swim a lot on the weekends with family and friends. She's been working really hard on a few skills and this past week she's moved up in her class. We're so proud of her and her accomplishments! I really look forward to every Saturday because I love watching her in the water. She's such a natural and it's so fun to see what she's learned and how far she's come from when she started.

Romper // Bonnet (c/o Little Sun Hat)

Last week I realized I never gave a full update on Emma and her broken finger, so sorry to be so late on it! Emma had her cast removed a few weeks ago and her finger is healed!! Originally, the doctor had said we would need to follow up every three months and that surgery could still be a possibility. I was worried that it wouldn't heal correctly and afraid that she would have to have surgery. When the doctors removed her cast and took new x-rays, her finger had healed so well that no follow ups will be needed! I'm so incredibly thankful! Thank you everyone for your sweet words, prayers, and thoughts. It means so much to me and the family!

Are these not the cutest bows you've ever seen? I'm just in love with them! They're from Rain & Honey Bows and the colors, prints, and shapes are just to die for. I seriously want every single one in every single color and shape. Ugh, they're so cute. 

We've lived in our house now for just over two years and it's slowly coming together. One room that is just the bane of my existence is our dining room. We've been wanting a buffet since we moved in and last weekend I finally found one! It was a total score at HomeGoods and it was so funny because when we had just bought the house I found a similar one there and by the time I decided to buy it, it was already sold! In a matter of 15 minutes or less! So this time, my mother-in-law and I guarded it with our lives until a worker came by to help us out. Now that we have it set up in the room (we finally busted out our China set from our wedding!), we just need to style it, paint the room, get a mirror, art work, a new dining table and the room will be complete! LOL. The room looks so much better though now and we finally have a direction of what we're looking for and where we want the room to go. 

Sheets // Ruffled Comforter and Pillow Set (Target, similar here)

Square Pillows (HomeGoods)

Last weekend, I took advantage of a bedding and bath sale at Target and I just love how a fresh made, clean sheet bed feels. I love these sheets because their have an extra elastic on them that keeps them from coming up on the corners- a problem we always had before! We've bought so many different brands and types of sheets (deep pocket ones for example) and these are our favorite! I love this taupe and gray print too, it looks so pretty against our headboard.

That's exactly where I am right now too- in my nice cozy bed, finishing tonight's Big Brother, with my little Ellie belly snoring next to me (thanks to a bedtime meltdown, she's in ours for the night). Hope you're ready for the work week! May your Monday go by quickly tomorrow!

IG Roundup

I haven't done an IG round up in forever and I get that it's kind of an "easy" post, but I wanted to share some stuff I've posted to IG, but haven't had a chance to talk more or review on the blog yet. So although you've seen all of these pics on IG already if you follow me there, here they are again but with some more info about it.

Ohmygoodness. The nesting period of this pregnancy has hit! I didn’t really experience the same urgency/need to do stuff for Ellie's nursery. I wanted to get it done, but the passion and urgency I feel for it is completely different now for Little Baby 2. I had a day off this past week and took full advantage of shopping til I dropped. I went to Kirkland’s and picked up some items for our living room/bedroom, then I went to Home Goods where I bought everything. The picture above doesn’t even show what I put into the cart on my way to check out, or what I had to store inside the laundry bag, or the items I had to carry in my arm to the front. Then, on top of that I went to Target and bought a few more house décor items. What the heck!?

We’ve slowed down on the decorating of our house because I wanted to wait for inspiration or new furniture (I really want a China Buffet and new dining table), but I’m sick of looking at our blank walls and decided it needed some freshening up. I bought mirrors, candlesticks, accent pieces, and I’m not nearly done, but I’m excited to bring our home together more. I’m not sure of everything I picked up will work for the space I intended it for, but I’ve learned my lesson about Home Goods and Kirklands- if you see it buy it immediately and return later if you change your mind. Things go so quickly there and it’s better to trust your gut about pieces. There are a few pieces I have in mind from Kirklands still that I may go back for (generic stuff they always have different items of like wall sconces, not a specific piece) if I decide to move some pieces we have around or the pieces I bought don’t work out.

These jammies are the best I’ve ever had! Did you sing that to the song tune? I totally did as I typed it. They are so extremely soft and comfortable. Matt and Ellie gave them to me for Mother’s Day and I’ve pretty much lived in them since. They’ll be great to wear while breastfeeding and I plan to take them to the hospital with me for after delivery. I bought my regular size, but I might buy a second pair a size up because I don’t want to stretch them out. Or maybe just another pair because they are the best pajamas and I need several sets.

I bought these clips from Jane from Etsy shop TinkerCrafts and we love them! I like to put bows and such in Ellie’s hair now that it’s long enough to put up. She wore headbands forever and then we had a short period of time where she didn’t want to wear headbands, but her hair wasn’t long enough for a clip alone or to put up yet. She loves to pick out matching bows or clips for her hair each morning and these are easy and simple to use. The clips are covered in a fabric so shimmery it looks like glitter, but since it’s not, there’s no fallout. She’s even worn her hair down a few times with these clips keeping her bangs out of her face, which I thought she would never wear her hair like that! She’s really active and likes her hair no fuss and out of her face, if I use a clip/bow that’s distracting or heavy for her she’ll rip that sucker right out.

My little sister is getting married this fall and the bridesmaids and I are throwing her a shower at my house later this summer. The invitations were just sent out and I absolutely love them! One of her bridesmaids who recently moved to the east coast isn’t able to come to the shower, but took charge of the invites (a huge help!) and she chose the most stunning invites I have ever seen. They’re from Etsy shop Ruby Ridge Studios and she showed me a preview of them and they were gorgeous, but in person they are simply beautiful. It’s the perfect invite for the feel of the shower and my sister’s style for her wedding- feminine, floral, and whimsical.

Sterling Forever was sweet enough to send me some items- the Raindrops Opaque Statement Necklace and their Double Pearl Stud . These were delivered over the weekend and they're so pretty. I'm really excited to wear them and have already started picking out a few outfits for each.

My blush addiction is getting carried away. I've been longing for another one to add to my collection and have been blogging about getting Dame as a dupe for my beloved and now discontinued Pink Swoon. When I went into to check out the blushes, Dame was pretty, but just wasn't doing it for me. I talked to one of the consultants and I picked out one of their newer Pro Longwear Blush called I'm A Lover. It's a beautiful pink with a blue base and has great pigment. I wore it for the first time Sunday and although it's has a great pigment, it's not too strong and is easy to build. It gives a great flush and is really quite pretty. I'll try and get a a pic of me wearing it.

Matt gave me these Nikes for my birthday and I absolutely love them. It feels like walking on air and I really wish I could wear them to work. I love wearing them for errands, but still use my old ugly ones for gardening because I don't want to get these grass or dirt stained.

Hope you're having a fantastic start to the short work week! I hope it goes by quickly for everyone!

Pic Dump

Here's another post from pics that never made it to the internets, I take them to share with friends and family and some are taken totally for IG purposes, but they were never posted. So today is their day! I'm sure they're all so excited to see the light.

The view from above the bump
Shorts // Sandals // Sunglasses // Polish

I know that children and babies grow every minute, but some days and moments Ellie looks so big to me. When she curls up on the couch with her dolls, when she's telling me about her day, or when she hugs me and gives me pats on the back like I do to her. This moment of her on her belly coloring with her legs crossed just killed me. Why does time go by so quickly?

Shirt // Shorts
Eleanor is so girly and I absolutely love it. I don't know if she'll always be so girly, but I'm reveling in it now. She's obsessed with my makeup and loves to put some on when I'm getting ready.

This kimono is everything. So easy to wear and super comfortable.

Ellie got a little update to her room, the LOVE and bun frames are from Hobby Lobby, the E is from Home Goods, and the mirror is from Kirklands (same one here). We just added the two prints to the wall and the rest we already had in her room. Next up for her is a big girl bed. I'm glad that her nursery wasn't too baby and that it will be an easy to transition as she gets older and her tastes and needs change.

We went on a date with my girlfriend and her son to Chick-Fil-A for the first time and we really enjoyed it! I don't know why we haven't eaten there sooner! The ice cream was a big hit and I'm lucky she wanted to share it with me.

I love this polish shade! It's Sinful Colors Tempest.

The weekend is almost here! I hope the rest of the week goes quickly!

House to Home: Our Playroom Reveal

One of the things I was most excited about with our new house is the open loft that we would use as a playroom (and later a homework/TV room for when the kids get older). A few months ago, I did a playroom inspiration post (check it out here!) and we've finally made enough headway on the room to share it. I wouldn't say that it's finished yet, but I'm happy with the direction it's taken.

I've been going back and forth about what colors I wanted to use, how I wanted to decorate it, what would make the most sense for Ellie to get the most use out of the room, etc. I've finally landed on a color scheme of navy, pink, white, and gold. I may also add in some aqua as well. Right now, the theme may not jump out at you, but we have some projects in mind to bring out more navy/aqua. We want to add a TV in the upper corner, add blinds and a valence to the windows, get a new lamp and couch, and get a table/chairs for Ellie as well. Since you can see the room from the front entrance, I didn't want to have too much color or anything that would be distracting from the overall feel of our home.

Book Shelves
Rug
Eat You Up Canvas
Princess Tent
Alphabet Letters via Very Jane
Baskets from Home Goods and Target
Pom Pom Blanket
Tassle Garland made by me for Ellie's birthday using this tutorial
Growth Ruler
Chalkboard (from our wedding!)

I love this space so far, it's been so nice to have a place to keep all of Ellie's toys. Of course, there's toys that have spilled over into our kitchen and living room. This book shelf is great too, it holds so much and we're constantly changing it around so Ellie can play with different toys every few weeks. It makes them like new, LOL!

What's your favorite part of your playroom? What do your kids love best?

Baby Must Haves: 10 Months

Oh my gosh. This post is so late! I'm working on 11 months must have post so that one won't be too late, next week for sure! We've been so crazy getting the house ready, moving, and I've been going back and forth between the new house and my in-laws while I wait for a transfer at work. Our schedule has been hectic and I've had this post half-written for a few weeks now.

This past month has been so much fun with Ellie, and I feel like I write that with every post, but it's the truth! She has so much personality and is a real joy to be around. Ellie waves all the time and loves to clap. She can also get off the couch and our bed on her own, which she thinks is the coolest thing. She has really deep belly laughs and loves to be tickled. She points at everything she wants and where she wants to go. She still babbles and talks all the time. We no longer eat any purees and have gone to complete finger foods. It's so nice to serve her what we have for dinner (unless it's spicy or has a lot of seasoning, then we feed her something else) and I've enjoyed packing a variety of lunches for her at daycare.

Here are some of our favorite items for this month/stage.

Small Doll- Matt's mother gave Ellie this adorable Cabbage Patch doll in her Christmas stocking and Ellie absolutely loves it. She is constantly giving it loves and kisses. She has a couple of other dolls, but this one is by far her favorite. They come in several different themes and I'm thinking about getting a second one as a back up even.

Playtex Training Cups: I love this set so much and it has been the best for Ellie. We have bought several different brands and types and this is the set we like best so far. It comes with one sippy cup and one straw cup and Ellie has mastered both. They don't leak whatsoever. It can be kind of tricky to get the handle on with the lid so we often leave the handles off (I think Ellie prefers that too since her bottles don't have handles). They also have easy lids that pop on and off to cover the mouthpiece, which I like.

Wooden Stacker
When I was decorating the nursery, I bought this stacker to add some color to her book shelf and now it’s one of her favorite toys! The bright colors, varying sizes, and different shapes help her motor skills and she has a blast knocking them all off and trying to stack them up. Who knew such a simple toy would bring such joy? I think this is a perfect gift for her age if you’re shopping for someone, I personally love wood toys, they really stand the test of time. My grandmother kept a small closet filled with toys from my dad’s childhood and some of the wooden toys were my favorite to play with.

Textured Ball
I bought a pink and purple version of this small ball for Ellie's Easter basket and we have had so much fun together. She really enjoys the texture the spikes offer her fingers (and of course her mouth) and we roll it back and forth while she just giggles. It's been a lot of fun for our family to play with.

Sleepytime Story & Lullabies: The Little Mermaid
Nana gave this to Ellie for Easter and it's really nice to have on long car rides when I want Ellie to nap or relax. The first part is the mermaid's story followed by four lullaby versions of the songs. I want to see if there are more Disney lullaby songs that we can purchase, we've really enjoyed this CD a lot.

What are some of your little one's favorite items?