Weekend Recap: Easter 2017

Whew, I am out of it getting our weekend recap up! We were all so wiped by Sunday evening, and then Monday was one of those days where I just felt happy to get to the end. By the time we got the kiddos to bed, I had zero motivation to pull out my laptop, and opted for watching a comedy special with Mike instead :-) I finally got my act together though, and got the details of our weekend pulled into a post!

When I got home from work Friday afternoon, I quickly threw together a batch of sugar cookies. I love making holiday themed cookies, and I just knew Jackson would appreciate some bunnies :-) Once Mike got home, we ran to get the boys from my parents.

Our weekend kicked off on a sad note, with the loss of our childhood dog, Annabelle. While I am so sad that she is gone, the poor girl was just not in good health anymore and she had such a good day Friday, and then her death came on out of nowhere. She went from running and playing to gone in a few minutes, and I am so glad that she really didn't seem to suffer at all. Those pets just tug at every last one of your heartstrings, even though they drive you crazy half of the time ;-) We spent our Friday night at my in-laws for a fish fry, as it was the last Friday of Lent! My father in law makes the BEST fried fish, and I always eat way more than I should. I got Lincoln into his jammies while we were there, and put him to bed right when we got home. I spent the rest of the night feeling pretty sad about Annabelle, but hung out on the couch with Mike for a bit before calling it a night.

On Saturday, I ended up going down to the cities with my mom and sister to watch my brother's fiancé try on some dresses! Of course I didn't snap a single picture, but it was so fun to watch her try them on. She didn't pick the one just yet, but she is going to be so gorgeous in whatever she wears. It was fun to spend some time with the girls and take a mommy vacation for the afternoon!

Once I got home, we were all pretty lazy. To be honest, I cannot even remember what we had for dinner Saturday night. I am racking my brain as I type this and I'm not coming up with anything. Clearly it was an eventful day, as evidenced by the photo below!

Lincoln did, however, get to enjoy his very own cookie when he woke up from nap. And he ate every last crumb! He is such a good eater, I have my fingers crossed it continues so we don't have the battles another little boy in the house put us through..

 Once I put Lincoln to bed, I rallied last minute and decided I just had to live up to my mommy obligations and dye some Easter eggs. I didn't end up doing the Cool Whip option I posted about last week, as I just didn't have the time or energy. However, I did create our dye from scratch without having to buy a kit. It was actually SUPER easy and I felt good knowing I was in control of what I was exposing Jackson to!

 He was so excited to help dye the eggs! I am so amazed by the difference a year can make. Last year, while he helped, he really was not that into the whole process. But this year, he is so excited about everything, and acts like it is the best thing ever. My sweet boy.

 He was so excited to wait for the eggs to take up the color so he could put them in the bowl!

 I was so pleasantly surprised by how our 'homemade dye' turned out. So pretty, and honestly just as easy as the kits!

 His whale needed some water during the egg dying process, apparently.

 On Easter morning, both boys woke up pretty early. I had hid the eggs around the main floor, and Jackson was SO excited to search for and find them all! The worst part of his morning was absolutely when I took the basket to put the eggs in the refrigerator.

 The boys checked out the goodies in their baskets. I may have selected candy for Lincoln that I knew I would end up getting to eat ;-)

Some days I cannot handle the sweetness of these brothers. Jackson really is such a good big brother, as long as he isn't trying to push Lincoln over.

I got the boys dressed in their Sunday best. We failed to make it to church. To be honest, we haven't been since Lincoln's baptism. I know lots of people go to church with babies all of the time, but it just overwhelms me! We did decide the boys are finally at a stage that we will start trying to get there, so hopefully we can get back into that routine soon!

 I can't with those little suspenders and that hat. Can I just keep him exactly like this forever?

 These brothers are the absolute sweetest!

 We went to my in-laws for brunch, and I managed to take approximately zero pictures. We changed the boys into some play clothes, and Jackson had the best time ever on an Easter egg hung outside. He became a pro at finding them with little to no assistance, and would proudly declare 'I found one!' It is so much fun watching him experience these traditions! Lincoln was just along for the ride, maybe next year, buddy ;-)

My parents gave the boys some Easter gifts, and Jackson got a Buzz Lightyear. He brings it with him everywhere, sleeps with it, and brings it into our bedroom at 5am and wakes me up with the sound of laser beams. The joys of being a boy mom!

I also failed at getting any photos once we went to my grandparents for Easter dinner, but Jackson went on another egg hunt and both boys were shot shortly after eating. We came home, put them to bed, and relaxed before calling it a night!

 

I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter weekend. While I just recapped today, I am so happy we are already to the middle of the week and officially on the countdown to another weekend!

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A Farewell

This weekend, my precious childhood pup left us. The sweet girl was old, and not in great health, and we all knew it was likely coming sooner than later. While I was not at my parent's house when it happened, all of my siblings were, which in this day and age, is a rare feat. My brother had just gotten home from Iowa for the weekend no more than an hour before. My younger brother and sister were home. She was running around playing, getting love and attention, and within minutes, she went from wagging her tail to gone. And while it is so heartbreaking, it makes me smile to know that she spent her final moments soaking in attention, having gotten a second wind in the week prior and truly was at her happiest.

She was our first (and only) family pet, after what was a solid decade of begging. My mom has never been a 'dog' person. I still remember being a freshman in high school sitting on the couch, and awkwardly being filmed with the good old camcorder being asked what we all wanted for Christmas. It seemed so weird, and then in walked my dad wearing his big winter coat, and the tiniest little pink and black nose peeked out. We were in shock, she was so tiny and so cute. We loved her immediately, and she was without question the baby of the family. She ate like a queen, slept in our beds like a queen, and bossed us around like a queen. She was high maintenance, but the snuggliest little thing. We learned early on she was deaf, which is actually not uncommon for her breed and dapple fur. She had allergies, too, I wasn't kidding when I said she was high maintenance! But we all loved her so. My mom spent the first few weeks we had her putting on snowmobile gloves whenever she had to hold her, because she couldn't touch a dog. And now, nearly thirteen years later, she let that same little puppy curl up beside her in bed every night. I have joked that my parents don't know how to treat a dog as a dog, because Annabelle absolutely thought she was just one of the kids.

What warmed my heart about our sweet girl, much to my surprise, was how she interacted with my children. After being so spoiled for a decade, I anticipated a lot of dislike when I started bringing my babies around. But she loved them. I cannot tell you how many times I received pictures of her curled up on the couch by my sleeping babies like a little watch dog. She put up with them pulling on her tail, chasing her, and general toddler abuse, and never once showed even the slightest anger towards them. I suppose she was willing to put up with it for the tradeoff of bountiful table scraps they always threw to her ;-) Still though, her love for my children was one of my favorite things about Annabelle. She was a doggy with a heart of gold.

She was the best we could have asked for, and I still find myself stopping in the middle of my thoughts because I cannot believe she is really gone. While I have my own family and home, I always considered her my puppy. I love you, sweet Annabelle.

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Friday Favorites: Easter Weekend

I love nothing more than Friday. In the past year or two, it has seriously become my favorite day of the week by a landslide. I don't even mind having to get through the work day, I think because I know there is relaxation to look forward to. This weekend is even more exciting than most because it is Easter! All of our family is local so we don't have to do any traveling, but I always look forward to seeing relatives and hopefully getting those little ones of ours to church! Before we get to dying our Easter eggs, I am sharing my favorites of the week!

1. H&MFinds

I was in H&M earlier this week and literally wanted all of the things. To be honest, sometimes that store is a bit hit or miss for me, but their spring stuff is a definite HIT. Nothing screams spring to me like a crisp white shirt, and this off the shoulder option is perfect. I love the pinstripe lining on this blazer,  and after hunting I think I have finally found the perfect white pencil skirt. This tulle skirt is so pretty, and while they only have black online, the prettiest mint green color is in stores and I am stalking for the site and the store waiting for them to get my size back in. Suede jackets are totally on trend right now, and this option is the prettiest blue color. And finally, I have a similar lace skirt and get compliments on it all of the time, and having it in this fun color would be amazing!

2. Giveaway

In case you were wondering, I am totally running towards the weekend ;-)

Earlier this week, I teamed up with Pink Blush to host a fun giveaway! You can look back at my original post to enter, or head straight to my Instagram! It is easy to enter, and this shop has so many pretty dresses, perfect for spring! If you are interested in shopping my gorgeous floral dress, you can find it here!

3.  Cool Whip Easter Eggs

I haven't fully decided,  but I am thinking of trying out dying eggs using this method this year. Have any of you tried it? Last year we did traditional dye from the store, and I felt a little bit bad because Jackson really was just able to watch and help out a tiny bit. With the whipped cream I think it will probably ultimately be a big mess but he can really be more involved. And I love the effect of how it turns out on the eggs!

4. Pajamas

 

I should probably  just do a weekly roundup of my favorite pajamas for toddlers because I think we can all come to a clear agreement that I am obsessed. Earlier this week there was a great sale at Old Navy, Gap, and Banana Republic where everything was 40% off, no exclusions. I took the opportunity to stock up on summer pajamas for the boys, because while it still isn't warm here, our house tends to heat up anytime it gets above sixty degrees outside, and fleece pajamas are pretty much already out of the question. While I plan to put these in the boys Easter baskets (I scored them for only $10!) I couldn't resist letting Jackson wear his new Mickey Mouse set this week. He was so excited! Mickey is the newest big thing in our house, and I really don't mind one bit. While the hot dog song does drive me crazy, there is something so classic about Mickey Mouse that warms my heart. And my kids being obsessed makes me that much more excited to bring them to Disney World one day!

5. Snuggles

Lincoln will be one in a few short weeks, and it breaks my heart. I am soaking in all of his baby cuddles, because I know it won't be long before he doesn't need them like he does now. I just don't know if there is anything squishier or more delicious than when he is cozy in his sleep sack and fuzzy blanket. I could eat him up!

I hope you all have a blessed Easter weekend, with lots of faith, food, and sunshine!

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

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A Day In The Life [4.11.17]

I have one confession today, and it is that I have tried (and failed) at doing a day in the life post at least five times in the past few months. I always have good intentions, and then by about noon I either forget to take pictures, or just lose ambition. But I finally managed a full day, and always love sharing the mundane details of what our real day-to-day lives look like!

My alarm goes off at 5:30am. Often one of the boys has already woken me, but on this day they actually were still asleep. Lincoln woke up a few minutes later so I laid in bed until his cries told me to get moving.

How can you not love waking up to this face!? I carry him downstairs, and nurse him in my bed. Once I lay him down, he almost always starts frantically breathing and fake crying. He is hungry and has zero patience! 

Both boys have been loving Mickey Mouse Clubhouse lately. Being honest, the television is absolutely what helps me manage to get ready and out the door for work most mornings. He sat there watching and didn't move for a good fifteen minutes (which is a lifetime in baby time!) 

We don't put the baby gate on Jackson's door anymore because we finally don't worry about him falling down our big staircase. Of course, that means that now once or twice a week he works his way into our bed. He has been sleeping in this week-I actually had to wake him up at 6:30 this day! 

When the baby is actually staying put watching cartoons and the toddler is sleeping, I sometimes manage to actually do my hair. With the demands of my kiddos I am lucky to do my hair more than once a week. Surf spray and dry shampoo have become my new best friends! 

6:55am. Loaded up in the car and headed to daycare. After spending Friday and Monday with grandma, Jackson was not particularly excited to get back into the routine. 

 After dropping Jackson off, I bring Lincoln to my mom's. He will only be there for another few weeks before starting daycare, so I have been soaking in taking a few minutes to have a quick cup of coffee and chat with my mom. While everyone is ready for the next chapter of daycare, it is always a little sad to know a phase of your life is ending.

For whatever reason, a coffee from the gas station sounded so good, so I grabbed one on my way in. I almost always have two cups of coffee in the morning.

8:00am. At my desk. Based on the corner of the screen I was calendar stalking and probably trying to organize a meeting of some sort. 

For pretty much no reason, I decided to look totally put together. A pencil skirt and blazer. That doesn't happen often! But I am so excited to be transitioning to wearing skirts again, my work wardrobe has been feeling so stale with all of my winter clothes! 

One of our employees is leaving and it was her last day so she brought in doughnuts. That big blueberry bismark in the bottom left corner? It was gone about five seconds later..woops. 

I had a walkthrough at one of our sites, so I got out of the office and drove over for that. 

The site I reviewed is literally across the street from the mall, so I swung in over my lunch hour to quick check on an item I was looking for. I saw this sign outside and it made me smile. It really was a gorgeous spring day, and when you deal with harsh winters those sunny days in April are more appreciated than most.

The rest of the afternoon was spent at the office, working on some communications materials for my section. 

I left work at 4pm, and I swung through the grocery store on the way home to grab buns so we could grill burgers. And we have been wanting to make kabobs so I grabbed some ingredients for that later this week! Pineapples were 2 for $5, which is pretty much the best news ever. 

 About halfway through the day I realized I wasn't wearing my mother's ring, but I had on my wedding ring. I usually either wear both or neither, so I spent all day semi-frantic wondering if I had taken it off or if it had somehow fell off. The second I walked in the door after picking up the kids I went to the bathroom and breathed a sign of relief when I saw it sitting beside the sink.

Jackson was also frantically searching. We had to tear apart the toy room because he has a brown and a white bunny figurine that he carries with him everywhere lately. And we just could not find that darn white bunny. Until I basically cleaned the entire toy room and eventually found it buried beneath a storage bin. 

All was well in the world again as he showed me his bunnies. 'THERE IT IS' is what he was telling me as he pointed to the darn toy. 

We eat at 5:30. I don't have any pictures of dinner, because if there is anything Lincoln is more impatient about than getting his milk, it is getting his food. I usually spend dinner cutting food for Lincoln between every bite, appeasing Jackson's requests for seconds or more milk, and picking up Lincoln's sippy cup that he throws onto the floor after every sip he takes. We grilled burgers, and had waffle fries and asparagus on the side. The boys each had a ton of blueberries. They are so in love with fruit!

After dinner, the boys had baths, which I also don't have a picture of because bath time is a process that I truck through as quickly as possible. I just really don't like bath time. Which is why we only do it every other day ;-) Around 6:30, the boys and I snuggled up on the couch and watched an episode of Mickey Mouse.

Pretty much at 7pm on the dot every night, Lincoln is nursed one final time and goes to bed. I still haven't decided when I will quit nursing altogether. We are close to the one year mark but I have a feeling I may keep at least one of the two feedings we have left for a little while longer. Maybe dropping the evening feeding so that we can start taking turns with putting the boys to bed? I just can't make up my mind.

After baby brother was asleep, Jackson and I cuddled a bit more and finished his episode of Mickey. And in true boy fashion, he stuck out his tongue and spit for the camera. 

Mike took Jackson up to bed at 8:00. I jumped into the shower. I finally stopped washing my hair every day, which is what I have done for as long as I can remember. I still typically wash it every other day, but it is nice to throw it up and not have to worry about drying it or styling it the next day! Also, my robe is the most comfortable robe EVER and was a super deal at Target. It is nice and long, and so soft and stretchy. 

 I did some laundry before Mike came downstairs from Jackson's room. I always end up doing almost all of our laundry on the weekend, and that is just no fun. So, I have been trying to do it on those mundane evenings during the week where I typically just lounge on the couch, and it takes such a weight off of my shoulders during the weekend!

 I eat WAY too many sweets. We have been trying to still satisfy the cravings with healthier options, so Mike has been making lots of fruit smoothies lately. We had a little bit of greek yogurt, so I added a scoop of peanut butter powder and some white chocolate chips. It wasn't too bad, but I obviously would have preferred a cookie. #sugaraddict

 At 8:30 we settled in for Prison Break. We both kind of agree we probably wouldn't be watching it if it were a new show, but because we watched the first four seasons years ago, we will truck through. I am definitely curious to see where they go with this whole season-it is filled with suspense, for sure!

I threw that last load of laundry into the dryer, climbed into bed, and called it a night! Now that the kids pretty consistently sleep through the night, we make it past 9pm more often ;-)

Our days really are so predictable at this season in life, but I always love to look back and see how much things change over time!

Linking up with Annie today!

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