Workwear Wednesday

I realize my blog begins with style, and I rarely, if ever, have actually documented my fashion. Woops. My bad. I am so busy snapping adorable pictures of my little man that to be honest, any photos of myself have fallen off of the radar. However, I have decided to try documenting some of my workwear, because this is what I am in 90% of the time. And because workwear is what I am usually forced to wear, nearly every clothing purchase made must pass the 'can I wear this to work' question. A tank top might be adorable and catch my eye, but if I can't wear it to work there is a good chance it will make it out of my closet once every few months, at best. Workwear that can be turned into weekend wear is where it is at!

White jean jacket (Gap Factory, similar here) // dress (Hatley, old) // shoes // red belt (old, similar here)

I bought this dress last summer to wear to my baby shower, to match my little man's nautical nursery theme. I expected to wear it pregnant, but due to my party crasher, I wore it one week post baby, and it worked well that way too! 

For work, I throw on some wedges and a jacket and call it good to go. This outfit is perfect for more casual office days during the summer months when the heat kicks in and being comfortable is my (let's me honest) top priority!

Stop back next week for more of my work wardrobe and ways that I transition pieces to work on the weekend, too!

Linking up with Holly today!

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Our Weekend: Summer Lovin

This weekend, like all others, seemed to just fly by. It was a pretty busy weekend for all of us, but a lot was accomplished and it was definitely a good one! Let's jump right into it with some link ups to Meg, Biana, and Ashley today!

Friday for work we filmed a safety/active living video. It was great..minus the humidity. Of course we filmed the scene that they asked me to be in, 3 hours of 100% humidity in my hair later. I can't wait to see how cute those parts of the promo video look...note the sarcasm. The kids we worked with were just adorable, and it was a lot of work, but fun. I love having a job that gets me out and about doing different things. Due to another week of funky hours, I was able to head home once the shoot wrapped around 1pm, and I enjoyed a HOT walk outside with little man and my parents. The rest of the night we hung out at home, until I left to meet my FUTURE sister in law for dinner and drinks. It is still so crazy to realize a friend I have known since high school is the one ending up as my sister in law. It was a fun dinner of wedding talk, dress talk, and family talk. I am grateful she is the girl Jeff has brought in to the forever family :-)

Saturday, we had a home showing so we were up and out pretty early. We ran to Old Navy to grab some goods for later in the afternoon, and then me and the little man went for a run in town around my parent's neighborhood. My parents moved my brothers things down to Iowa over the weekend (and retrieved my hijacked work computer--yay!), so I was at their place to let the dog out for a bit, and my friend Ally was up from the cities visiting, so we grabbed lunch, sat by Jackson in his kiddie pool, and enjoyed chatting. Of course between the dog and a baby I seriously felt like 'that mom' who was half distracted the whole time. Mom problems, for real. To all of my friends who don't have a clingy baby glued to them 24 hours a day..I apologize!

Saturday afternoon, we met up with my favorite girl Amanda for some one year/family pictures. And, Jackson was a grouch, just like the last time. Regardless, the girl is a rockstar and I am already swooning over the sneak peak images she sent me. I am getting as many casual sessions in that I can before the girl makes it big and is booked solid, she is so talented! Amanda Baloun Photography is getting better and better, and I am so happy to have this girl capturing the special moments in our lives.

A teeny sneak preview, because I couldn't resist!

Sunday Mike went fishing and me and the babe lazed around half of the morning. I had been debating getting Jackson a My First Chair from Pottery Barn, and I got an email saying they were all on sale, plus I had a 10% off code. To top it off, the navy color only (which is the one I wanted) was marked down to $30, from what is normally $89. That is the biggest markdown on them I have ever seen. I pulled the trigger without blinking. And now am so excited for it to arrive!

After eating some chocolate chip pancakes and watching some cartoons, we headed to Target for our weekly grocery and errands run. We followed that up with swinging by for a visit with my sister, where baby napped away on the couch while we chatted and watched Say Yes to the Dress. Two (three including my sister!) of my favorite things.
We eventually headed home, had some lunch, and went for a super long walk around our neighborhood and to the gas station so I could cool off with an iced coffee on the last half mile home while baby took another long snooze. 

We finished off the evening with lasagna, a bath for baby due to making a mess with said lasagna, chocolate banana smoothies, and checking a few work e-mails. It was a busy weekend, but a lot was accomplished and we are ready to go with this week! I have big plans, mostly including finalizing the details on my little mans first birthday and getting going with planning on my sister in laws baby shower! Life keeps happening, and I swear I can barely keep up!

What did everyone else do this weekend??

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Friday Favorites

This week was a short work week for me, but I am sooo thankful for the weekend. After having Monday off, work Tuesday morning was met with the realization that my father packed my work computer into my brother's car for his move to another state. Enter hysterical me here. Fortunately my employer is awesome and hooked me up with a temporary computer this week, and also fortunately my parents are moving the rest of my brother's things down to Iowa this weekend so I will have my computer back come Monday. Still, this weekend is welcome and I am excited to have some time to recover from a hectic week!

1. The Nordstrom Sale

Obviously as a non-cardholder, I am late to the game, but you can bet I stayed up late to pull the trigger on a few purchases now that it has opened to us [non cardholder] peasants. This and this made it into my cart. And now I am all sorts of excited for fall. We haven't even had a true heat wave in Minnesota this summer, but I am already wishing away the 80 degree weather. Sunny, breezy, and 60 year round would make my heart so happy. If any of you know where I can mo0ve to make that happen, I am all ears!

2. Water bottle theft

This week this guy discovered my water bottles and decided they are superior to his sippy cups. I really don't want to share but my gosh is he adorable!

3. Long Tall Sally

I have never tried this store (yes, I am 6 feet tall and have never checked out the tall girl store). This past week though, I finally took the time to check out their website and found these babies on clearance for $29! They are on their way to my house right now :-)

4. These pretty earrings

I have seen a number of other bloggers post about these and just received them in black and pink yesterday. I love them, and I also love the price tag. Blogging has brought me to so many new trends and items I woudl have otherwise not found. So, thank you all!

5. Seasonal Baby Jams

I have made it pretty clear I am all about the baby pajamas. On Monday when we made our way to the Mall of America I couldn't resist picking these jammies up in Carter's. First off, I have been missing the footie jams and the fleece jams. Second, both are all about the sports and have me so excited for some lazy Sundays watching football and eating soup, chili, and hot dip. Have I mentioned that I LOVE fall??

6. Photoshoots

We are having family portraits taken tomorrow because we are coming up on little man's first birthday in two short weeks. I am so excited to document our little family of three. Things are always changing and who knows where we will be at next year at this time. Another baby? A new house? Perhaps exactly where we are with little changed? Regardless, there is something so special about taking the time to capture how wonderful our lives are in this very moment. I am crossing my fingers that the weather cooperates and we don't get rained on!

What is everyone else loving this week? Is anyone else as excited for fall as I am!?

Five on Friday // Oh Hey Friday! // Friday Favorites // Friday Favorites

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Coming to Terms with an almost-Toddler

We are less than three weeks from his first birthday. Three weeks. Being pregnant sometimes seems like a lifetime ago, but other times I swear I blinked and the swing and bassinet were just packed away yesterday. I can say this because the feeling of heartbreak tearing down the bassinet, even when my baby was still so little, was so powerful I about lost it. Knowing the baby days are coming to an end breaks my heart into a thousand little pieces. Watching a baby grow is truly the most bittersweet experience there is. While it hurts like nothing else to know your baby will  never be as little or innocent as they are right now, watching them meet milestones and learn to think is like watching a miracle unfold. How did that little person who couldn't lift his head progress to a babbling, crawling, slobbery kiss giving little person. When did we exchange angelic coos for silly giggles? It all runs together and you think nothing of it. And then one day, that sweet little noise they used to make no longer comes out. I distinctly remember in his first month, every time Jackson would cry it sounded like he was laughing. We called it his 'joker laugh'. When did he stop doing that? I honestly have no idea. Even those moments you sometimes wish away do end up being something you miss once they are gone.

How can this much change in one little year??

Something about the first birthday just hurts. It hurts really bad. I have spent a good deal of this first year with a not so good sleeper telling myself rough patches are only a phase, and that one day I will sleep again. But sometimes I reflect and wish I had just enjoyed those sleepless nights more (of course I still have time with this one...) of course that is MUCH easier said than done. I can't wait to see all of the things my baby boy learns in the months to come, but I kind of want to lock us in a room together and cuddle and giggle and watch him sleep while breathing in his sweet baby smell. I think babies take 18 years to reach adulthood because we literally would not be able to survive if their independence wasn't gradual and if it happened all at once. I have also come to realize that he will forever be my baby. Always. I will hold him when he cries and laugh at his jokes and make him his favorite foods forever, just so I can see his perfect smile as the result of something I did for him.

So having an almost toddler. I'm doing it. Whether I like it or not, my baby is growing up, but I would be lying if I said I wasn't sad about it. Yesterday we were out to lunch and he met another little baby girl. And as adorable as it was, I died a little inside knowing one day he will walk away from me and to another. For now though, this baby boy is mine and I'm loving every second of his almost toddler life.

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Our weekend: hot hot hot

Is there any better weekend than when Monday rolls around and it is still your weekend?? I think not! I am super excited to head down to the Mall of America with my mom and sister today for some shopping and girl time. I purposely picked today as our outing to reward myself for surviving school..only one semester to go! Our weekend was pretty simple but time off is always good time in my book.

Friday I had gotten extra hours in and snuck out of work in the early afternoon. I went to pick up my little man, and I was faced with the decision whether to go home (which is nearly half an hour out of town) to let him take a nap or kill time in town and hope he would nap in his stroller before meeting my sister in law and nephew for dinner. and I am pretty sure I chose the wrong option. We went in Barnes and Noble to check out some baby books and split a vanilla bean frappe, and then went to some other stores but the kid just refused to sleep. 

This all resulted in a grouchy little boy at dinner. And my chicken sandwich arrived raw. Legitimately undercooked, still translucent and pink, raw. Needless to say that got sent back and I ended up picking off of Jax's breakfast plate because I didn't want to wait for a new meal. Sigh. At least we got 20% off our order! 

After dinner, we came home and played, watched cartoons, and after over two hours finally went to bed. Some days having a baby boy is exhausting!

Saturday we woke up and cleaned our house, and I was able to sneak out for a run before it got too hot and humid. Then, my sister and I had a sister date with lunch and some window shopping. I just love spending time with her, I am so lucky to have a sister. 

The remainder of Saturday was spent cleaning and enjoying a grilled dinner. 

Sunday we cleaned some more, and booked out to my in laws so we could have another (unsuccessful) open house. I absolutely despite the home selling process, by the way. It was sooo humid and muggy, with storms forecasted for Sunday night, so it was really just a kind of gross day weather wise.

Sunday evening was low key, spent whipping up some fettuccine alfredo and spending way too much time wrestling our little guy to bed, per the usual.

How was everyone else's weekend?! Hopefully more pleasant weather!

Linking up with Meg, Biana, and Ashley today!

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Wednesday Confessions

I feel like I don't do posts too often to just get out the many random thoughts bouncing throughout my head. And you guys, I have a lot of random thoughts. A lot of feelings. Just a lot of things. Sometimes it really helps to write it down and put it all out there, so here I am with my confessions as of late.

A lot of big changes are going on with the family lately. Some I am excited about, some I am unsure about, and some I wish just weren't happening. Regardless, it is a lot of change. A lot of big change. More life events happening now than have gone down in the past 5 years total. I feel like I am doing a lot of 'smile and nod, smile and nod' and trying my best to roll along.

Due to said changes, my mind has been super preoccupied. When major life changes are happening all around, it is hard to focus on work. Or school. Or anything that requires me to sit down and focus. Hence my complete lack of focus.

I started back up with school after three glorious weeks off the end of June, and am officially done today, after which I will be able to enjoy six glorious weeks of summer break before I go back for one final semeseter. You guys, I will officially have my MBA this December, and then I am saying adios to school for good! SO. DARN. EXCITED. I just might be wishing away summer and fall. Don't hate, I got my priorities.

My baby is busy, and it wears me out. I thought having three weeks off of class would mean more cleaning, organizing, and staying on top of groceries. Nope. Our house has been a mess, I have barely folded and put away laundry let alone organized, and we have eaten an embarrasing amount of pizza lately. Such is life with a 10 month old, I guess.

We have started on a new healthy eating kick (bye-bye, pizza). Mike is doing Isagenix again, which to be honest I am not sure what I think about. I am an advocate of eating healthy and getting all of your nutrients through food, but then again if a system like this jump starts some healthy eating and works for him, who am I to say no. Of course, healthy eating for the hubby means healthy eating for the wifey..and I could majorly go for a DQ blizzard right about now.

I am finally getting assigned some projects at my new job, and I am SO excited. In my old job, we were not well known to the community, got little public recognition, and just struggled to get out there. To be apart of a group that has people lining up to work with us is a very foreign experience to me, but I am loving it. Every day I am more positive that I made the right career choice, and this job is going to help take me to where I want to be.

Speaking of where I want to be..sometimes, I really just want to be a stay at home mom. I also know realistically that probably isn't my true calling..I love my baby more than anything in the world, but I love the feeling of purpose and contribution my job gives me. That being said..if I could provide for my family the way I want to on the salary earned working 20 hours a week..sign me up! 40 hours a week makes for a nice paycheck, but those weekdays off sure would be nice, too.

I could really use some days off. After taking a maternity leave and coming back right before the holidays, my vacation and time off was practically nonexistent. I have built it back up to a good spot, but am now already stockpiling my vacation days in anticipation of baby #2 (not pregnant). I feel like until my children are into toddlerhood and vacation days are no longer reserved for taking care of sick babies and preparing for pending babies, my vacation bank is basically a 'take care of baby time' bank. One day, I will take off a full week of work, just because the vacation time is there and I can. One day.

My blog is ugly. There, I said it. I mean, I like the color and layout well enough, especially considering I put a good amount of time to it back when I was on maternity leave. I have been debating finally biting the bullet and purchasing a template to make it look more legit, though. I just haven't been able to pull the trigger, though. 

I do not get the whole Lilly Pulitzer thing. I'm sorry, but I think it looks like the stuff I have always steered clear of in department stores for fear of looking too grandmotherly. I can get on board with the fun, bright colors, but I don't like the patterns, I don't like the cut and design of the dresses, I just don't like any of it. Which is fine, because it's expensive and I probably wouldn't be able to justify paying for it, anyway.

So many thoughts running through my head lately, but it's always great to it out into blogland. Everyone else, spill. What are some confessions we are all dying to get out!?

Linking up with Holly today

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Eleven Months.

He will be one next month. Don't wanna talk about it. Maybe if I close my eyes and plug my ears he will stop growing? Probably not. I have had multiple strangers come up and comment on how cute he is..and then they guess his age and the magic number is two. Two. My precious little not even one year old looks like a two year old to the stranger's eye. Please don't judge my 'two year old' for being unable to walk. Or talk. He is right on track, no really.

This month has been our typical busy, busy, busy, and between work, school, and baby, we are all ready to enjoy a legitimate 'summer break' watching our little man grow and explore.

Age: 11 months

Height: 32 inches. 100th percentile.

Weight: 25 pounds. 95th percentile.

Milestones: Holding our hands and walking across the room, and now independently walking without us and with his push and ride puppy, which is a whole new opportunity for him to topple over sideways. He has also started standing independently when he thinks he is cool and decides to let go of whatever he was holding onto.

Another milestone: drinking from a straw! Which makes getting him to drink water on hot days MUCH easier!

Sleep: He is still a monster at night. We had about a week reprieve after his last two teeth popped through where he slept though the night. And now he is being a naughty turkey again. Our biggest problem is whenever he wakes up in the middle of the night he literally demands to nurse. Which I have repeatedly tried to get us away from. Not sure if he is cutting another tooth or what, but everyone in our house is desperate for a full nights sleep.

Best Moment: watching him walk alone (with the help of his puppy..) across the room! Fun to see him make progress towards walking!

Worst Moment: he tried to stand in the bathtub and wiped out, biting his lip and bleeding. That was fun! And did I mention how awesome he has been sleeping???

Health: good! His next physical is in August but he has been healthy and on track for everything!

Eating: A few weeks ago he started outright refusing what little baby food he was still eating for breakfast. He is 100% table foods, and loves breakfast foods like pancakes and waffles. He also LOVES pastas and soups, or any of our meals that have a lot of flavor.

Teeth: 6. I have no idea how frequently teeth pop through once they have them so I'm going to have to research when to expect teeth and how often we will be  dealing with teething symptoms. I hope he learns to better deal with teething and not keep us up at night every time he is cutting a tooth. 

And there we have it. Eleven months. Literally a few weeks away from a toddler. I'm excited and sad and a little scared, he is only getting busier every day. We love our fun, silly, precious boy!

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