Category Archives: Life

A Busy Weekend With My Loves

Nowadays, it seems like a normal weekend for us isn’t complete without a big ol’ list of things we have to get done (and this time was no exception). Oh, adult life… 

Our weekend started Friday night with a newly founded tradition in our house known as “Fajita Friday.” Basically, we just so happened to have fajitas for dinner on a Friday and that was that. It really gives us something to look forward to after a long week and Hadley has taken an interest in helping us out in the kitchen which makes it even more fun!

I have been using the same recipe for months now, which can be found here on Healthy Recipes. I’m a huge fan of how simple it is to make and how much flavor it packs despite having so few ingredients. The end result is nothing short of amazing!

Yum! In my opinion, steak fajitas are the only way to go. Especially when Safeway has their B1G2 promo every couple weeks! (Yes, that’s buy one, get two free.) 

Hadley’s definitely a fan as well! We’re always trying to expand her diet, and every time we have something new, she usually has no problem at least trying a few bites. 

Saturday consisted almost entirely of working on our most recent project, with several trips to our local Home Depot. I won’t give anything away, but expect a post about it in the next couple days. 😉 We took a break in the evening to have a nice, quiet movie night for Michael’s birthday, which as very much needed. 🙂 Then it was back to work on the project… till about 2:30 in the morning. Overtime!

And then came Sunday. Despite being a bit hectic, we were able to successfully pick up our new couch that I bought from my very good friend, Clarice. I am just so in love with it! We used Michael’s work truck to transport it and were almost home when it decided to pour down rain. Luckily, we were able to get it inside with only a couple soaked spots. (Oh, the joys of Washington!)

Nice, right? One of my favorite parts about getting a new couch was that it gave us an excuse to completely rearrange our living room. Our old couch was a little awkward for our layout, so the way we have it now makes so much more sense. It’s also a much lighter color, which brightens the room and makes it seem a little bigger. 🙂 

And since we were already doing a bit of a makeover, I took the time to update a bunch of our picture frames and hang them up! The wall where the TV used to be was completely bare and needed a little something, so I made a little collage. I think it turned out super cute!

Sunday night, my sister stopped by with her squad to surprise me with a bunch of adorable little outfits for our girls! I’ve already told her a million times that she doesn’t need to spoil my children (especially since one of them has yet to be born), but her excuse this time was that JCPenney was having a huge sale on baby and toddler clothes. 😉

Ugh, too cute!

Our weekend came to a close with us cuddling up on our new couch, relaxing for a little bit before finally crashing into bed at 10:00 (which is pretty early for us). Life can get pretty crazy at times, but that’s what family and friends are there for! And also…

GIRL SCOUT COOKIES. Let’s just say I know someone who knows someone… 😉 

22 Weeks!

What a difference four weeks can make! Last time I posted about how I was just starting to be able to eat at 18 weeks, but now… I devour everything in sight. There was a day where I ate twelve pieces of bacon. I mean, it was actually six pieces cut in half, but still. Not my proudest moment. The good part about all this is that healthier foods no longer make my stomach turn. I’ve been munching on apple slices, yogurt, bananas (with nutella, my absolute FAV), and just all kinds of yummy snacks.

One of the -not- so healthy things I’ve been crazy about lately, though, are quite possibly the most evil substances on the face of the earth: rice krispies treats. Oh my goodness, I could eat about a million and a half of these. (Forrest Gump reference, anyone?) The only thing that holds me back is the silly thought I always tell myself: if you eat them all now, then you won’t be able to enjoy any later. This works -most- of the time, but not until after I’ve already inhaled at least two or three of the little devils. 

Also, Miss Baby has been kicking up a storm in there ever since the ultrasound a couple weeks ago. She skipped right past the “soft little flutters” stage and went straight to “kung-fu panda”. I’ve also noticed that she’s carrying very low as my lower abdomen has become pretty solid, and the rest of my belly resembles a big ol’ bowl of jelly. 

I’m starting to poke out more and more, though! I’ve definitely reached the “I’m preeeeeetty sure she’s pregnant” stage and have therefore given myself full permission to engage in public pregnant-belly rubbing. It’s extremely hard to resist; I mean, it’s right there!

Another thing I’ve noticed is that my nails and hair have been growing ridiculously fast recently. Which is terrific news for me because A. I’m always itchy for some reason and B. my hair is in a very awkward grow-out stage and I’m over it. (Why, oh why do I always cut off all my hair??) Overall, mostly positive changes all around which is what the second trimester is most famous for. I finally got some of my energy back as well! Hadley and I have been walking around the neighborhood and I’ve even found enough motivation to keep the house clean… most days. (That’s huge for a pregnant woman, okay? At least it is for me!)

Gosh, I just feel like this pregnancy is starting to fly by now. Next thing I know, Baby will be here alread; only four months to go! It’s all downhill from here. 🙂 

Nap Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sleep

Ever since we moved into the new place, Hadley has been on and off with her napping. Now, she has done this twice before already; once around six months or so and then again right around 18 months. The only difference this time around, though, is that this has been the longest and toughest sleep regression yet. At times, I actually considered dropping the nap altogether and replacing it with “quiet time” in her room… until, of course, I was forced to deal with an overly tired -and all around hysterical- toddler at bedtime. Not fun.

One thing is for certain: I know she still needs a nap. And she’s not the only one. (Thank you, pregnancy!) But luckily, she’s slowly been getting back into catching those afternoon Z’s. But for a little while there, she would absolutely refuse to sleep in her bed and instead I would find her passed out in various places around the house. Mostly on the couch…

…and sometimes on the floor, too! One time, I went into her room to check on her and she was nowhere to be seen- just heard. I followed the snores and found her curled up on a pile of blankets in her closet. Goober!

It has been extremely difficult at times (especially since I’m always exhausted no matter how much sleep I get), but I’m pleased to say that I think the Nap Wars may finally be coming to an end. 

Some tips for any fellow parents dealing with a nap time fighter:

  • Keep a routine. Babies and toddlers don’t usually adjust very well to change, so be sure to follow all the steps and don’t leave anything out!
  • Be consistent. When you’re trying to enforce nap time (or anything else for that matter), it’s important to keep at it and not give up. If they get out of their bed 200 times, you put them right back in 200 times as well. 🙂
  • Don’t get discouraged! Some days are gonna be harder than others, some days it will take longer to get them to sleep, and some days it’s just not gonna happen at all. Just take a deep breath and remember that there’s always tomorrow! 

What are some of the odd places you’ve found your toddler sleeping?

It’s a…

At long last! After months and months of waiting, wondering, and guessing (who knows how many of those “gender predictor” quizzes I took), we finally know who’s going to be joining us this summer! I don’t know how parents can wait until the delivery to know what they’re having. Although I think it would be cool to be surprised at the end, I just don’t think I have the patience! With both my pregnancies, I’ve wanted to know as soon as possible so I can start making all the cute baby stuff I see on Pinterest. Not to mention that I feel like I have a closer connection with baby, and can call them by name. (Yes, we had our names picked out weeks ago!)

And so, about 20 minutes and about 3,146,287 ultrasound pictures later, we found out that we are rooting for…

TEAM PINK! Hadley’s going to have a little sister! I kinda feel like I should’ve known this, being as though she kept referring to baby as her sister instead of brother. 

Sucking her thumb?? Ugh I had almost forgotten how fascinating -and extremely cute- it is to see your unborn child moving around in the womb. Little Miss was very active and kept kicking at the wand (ouch haha) which is weird because prior to this appointment, Michael and I hadn’t been able to feel her at all really. Must have disturbed her slumber. 😉 

After the appointment (and after the tech gave Hadley the stickers that were promised to her for being such a good girl), we headed to Party City to get the biggest balloon they had for our reveal photo. 24″ in diameter, so I’m surprised she didn’t float away! 

A few favorites from the day…

 


My loves!

After about a bazillion pictures, we decided to take Hadley to the park for some well-deserved playtime.

I just know she’s going to be an awesome big sister. I’m so excited for Miss Baby to enter this world and I think having the ultrasound has made it finally become “real”. Yes, there’s actually a living being in there; yes, she will one day be her own person with her own thoughts and emotions; and yes, we might have a name picked out already! 🙂 

Don’t worry Hadley, you’ll have a permanent, live-in playmate soon! ♥

Big Plans for the Nursery (+Before Pics)

At just about 20 weeks, it’s finally starting to hit me: we’re gonna have another baby! There’s so much to do, so much to prepare, and just things to figure out! And although we still have a ways to go before we welcome our little Bean into the world, I’ve already started think about the nursery. Because our house is three bedrooms and one of them is being used as a playroom for Hadley (since it’s -extremely awkwardly- placed right next to the front door), I’ve decided to have the kiddos share a room for now. But don’t worry; I’ve already spent an embarrassing amount of time on Pinterest researching others who have used this method, so I know I can make it work!

Note the adorable banner my mom made for Hadley as a baby shower gift. 🙂 As you can see, the room already has the basic accommodations needed for a toddler and a newborn (since we just recently made the transition from crib to Big Girl Bed and are still working on mastering the whole potty training thing), which makes it that much easier for us! First thing’s first: curtains are a MUST! 

One of the more major tasks is to give the crib a little facelift. If you look closely, you can see the chew marks along the back rail, and the front isn’t much better. My plan is to give it a quick run through with the sander, prime it up and then paint. I’m thinking a fun color; maybe a nice baby blue or grey. To finish up, I really want to break out the sewing machine and make some ultra cute crib bedding to match. (And some much-needed rail covers, of course!) Now, let’s talk about that door…

You may think that it’s a closet. But it’s not. It’s actually one of the weirdest things I’ve ever seen in a bedroom: access to the furnace and water heater. And since there’s not much I can do about this door (except baby-proof the heck out of it so curious little goobers can’t go late-night “adventuring”), I think I may hang some sort of shelving or organizer on it for Hadley to store her things. Might be a good place for stuffed animals? 

Next to Hadley’s bed, you’ll see the neat little nightstand I redid, which I’d really like to keep in the room if I can. And above is a perfectly blank wall canvas, just waiting to be filled with all kinds of fun artwork! I’ve already started experimenting with some designs via Illustrator (thanks to my good friend, Clarice!) and I’m looking forward to buying some cute frames and creating something great!

Lastly, we have the closet, which you can tell is not being used to its full potential just from the picture. What I’d really like to do is come up with a better storage solution so that it can fit not only both kids’ wardrobes, but other things as well, such as diapers, wipes, extra blankets, etc. 

My ultimate goal is to create a room that not only serves as a functional nursery for baby, but also allows Hadley to have a space that she can call her own and have fun in. I’m thinking a nice little reading nook! In order to make this whole idea work, though, I just have to be creative in furniture placement and come up with a layout that isn’t too cramped or cluttered. In the end, I think that it will be a super fun space for our babies. Stay tuned for the after pics!

Now, before we get started, we just have to find out what we’re having… 😉