CHRISTMAS 2015

December 30, 2015 • ,

It's a little bitter sweet for me to see Christmas come and go so quickly.  This is by far my most favorite time of the year.  But I'm always excited to start fresh with a new year, new goals and new adventures.  This was definitely one of my favorite Christmases to date.  We had six family gatherings and did a lot of traveling.  Everly was a trooper and handled the change in schedule and hectic scenery well.  She wasn't afraid of unfamiliar faces and loved being the center of attention.
Everly was showered with way too many gifts.  We are blessed to have such loving and giving friends and family.  So paying it forward and cleaning out the toy box and closets will be at the top of our 2016 to-do list.  It'll be interesting trying to find a spot for toys like this in our new apartment...
Everly's aunt and uncle were so proud of this purchase.  The decals were courtesy of her wonderful uncle.  He has a matching one on his truck.  I think Everly loved it.
 
We spent Christmas Eve baking and decorating cookies and visited with my sisters who had just made it home for the holidays.  The family opened gifts from each other.  And later we attended our church's Christmas Eve service and celebrated Jesus' birthday.  
After putting Everly to bed for the night we put on our Santa hats and began assembling her gifts.  The KidKraft kitchen took us three hours to put together.  Shout out to the VIP's of the night, Aunt Courtney and Uncle Brock who traveled 30 minutes at 9:00 at night to help us put everything together.
But it was all worth it to see this face the next morning.  Everly was so excited she decided to wake up before the sun rose.  Her face lit up at the sight of all the new gifts that magically appeared in front of the Christmas tree over night.  She could not contain her excitement and stand still long enough for me to capture a good picture of her at first.  Notice the wine glass I forgot to put away? Santa clearly needed a little something extra other than milk.  Must have been a rough night.
 
I hope you all had a very merry Christmas.  We aren't quite ready to get back to reality.  A mountain-top cabin in Gatlinburg is how we are spending the last week of 2015.  This is our fourth annual Chinn family vacation.  We are loving life and soaking up the last of the year just enjoying God's beautiful work.  Thanks for stopping by! Merry Christmas and Happy New Year to you all!
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CHRISTMAS PICTURES

December 15, 2015 •

We had a busy weekend full of family visits and errand running.  The weather was amazing and we spent as little time in the house as possible.  Poor Everly was overly tired this morning and I felt terrible sending her off to daycare.  She woke up several times last night unable to sleep and went to bed way past her bedtime both Saturday and Sunday night.  Though we did take a minute to drive through Stonegate neighborhood Sunday night to see all the beautiful light displays. We especially enjoyed the Lashbrooks' house.  They are a local family who captured the attention of ABC’s The Great Christmas Light Fight national TV show in 2014.  And well deserved it was.  Their display was incredible.
 
I'm hoping Everly can recharge this week as the Christmas gatherings are just beginning.  This weekend my grandmother and her husband will be in town from Florida and we cannot wait to see them! After Christmas we are leaving for Gatlinburg for our annual family vacation.  Then the first week of January it's moving week! Things are crazy.  Life is crazy.  But I wouldn't have it any other way. 
 
As I mentioned before we had our family pictures taken by the wonderful Paige Logan recently.  We had these made for our very first family Christmas card! I am so excited to send them to all of our family and friends.  I can't wait to print these out and hang them on the gallery wall I have planned for our new apartment.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
I hope you all have a great week! And thank you for the support on my last post.  In case anyone was wondering, pick-up went very well Friday evening and the weekend was wonderful.  So I felt much better by the beginning of this week.  I made Everly promise me this morning that she would smile for me when I picked her up.  She agreed :)
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THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE TODDLER

December 11, 2015 •

It has been one of those days.  One where I just want to lock myself in the bathroom and cry.  We don't have many rough days around here.  And I don't usually share them with people when we do.  But I feel like it's only fair to share a little bit and be real.  From the day Everly was born she has always been an absolute joy.  Easiest baby ever.  Chad and I tell ourselves all the time how lucky we are to have such an amazing, perfect baby.  She has brought more happiness to our lives than we ever knew was possible.  But this transition into toddlerhood.  Guys, I'm struggling this week. 
It's no secret that I wish to be a stay-at-home mom.  But after evaluating the things that were important to us, I decided it would be best to continue my career path.  The working mom guilt has always weighed heavy on me when I leave every morning, ever since the day I finished maternity leave.  I sometimes cry on my way to work, especially during the days Everly refuses to let me go.

But now we are in a phase where Everly cries when I pick her up from daycare.  Yes, my child now cries when she has to go home.  If she doesn't cry, at best I get no reaction at all out of her.  I open the door to greet her and she just walks right on by.  Nice.

I so desperately long for the days when her face would light up at the sight of me walking through the door and run straight into my arms.  Don't get me wrong, this is an obvious sign that we chose the absolute best daycare to care for my baby when I am working.  Everly loves her teachers, and I do too.  And she spends more time with them than she does me.  But talk about crushing a mother's heart.  I mean at least a high five or an acknowledgement of my existence would do wonders for me baby girl.  This used to be the time of day that got me through work.  Seeing and feeling how missed I was by her, it just warmed my heart.

So after I fight to put her in the car seat and bring her home against her will, we spend the rest of the night fighting.  This chick is so emotional and sensitive.  *insert Chad's eye rolling and amens here as he has to live with an entire house full of emotional and sensitive women*  Okay child, I will eventually give in and give you a drink of my sweet tea.  I may even choose to not fight the battle of letting you put crayons in your mouth.  But I refuse, REFUSE, to let you play with the toilet bowl brush.  Sorry chick.  You're just going to have to throw a fit on the floor over that one.

This week she refuses to give kisses half the time and sometimes doesn't even want us to touch her.  She'll even catch you making eye contact with her and she'll say "nooooo!"  What?! But if you leave the room, she loses her marbles.  She doesn't want you to touch her.  Don't even look at her.  But you better not leave the room either.  You're messing with my mind girlfriend.

And part of this, I tell myself, is because she's exhausted at the end of the day.  She really is.  She falls asleep in the car on the way home within seconds almost every day.  We live maybe three miles from daycare.  So after putting Everly to bed a solid thirty minutes early last night I thanked the Lord for letting me be her mommy, locked myself in the bathroom, and cried.  The measly two hours out of the day I got with my little girl was a total and complete struggle.

 Typically four out of the five work days of the week are not like this at all.  She woke up this morning and greeted me with a smile.  Rested her head on my shoulder and held tight to my arm.  We laughed and played for a few minutes as I savored her good mood.  But alas, it was time to start the day over and head back to work.  Fingers crossed pick up goes better today.  I don't know if my heart can take many more of yesterday.  Chad may have to start picking her up.  But I am so looking forward to the weekend, spending quality time with my baby girl, and the passing of this phase.
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CHRISTMAS FAVORITES

December 9, 2015 • ,

We are loving the Christmas season so far.  Having marked several things off our Christmas bucket list we are in full holiday swing.  Our halls are decked and stockings are hung.  There is a new package on our front porch every day when we get off work and that definitely gets me excited.  Everly is really enjoying the boxes too.  
 
This past weekend Chad took me to see The Nutcracker.  It was his first time ever hearing the story of The Nutcracker.  I was shocked.  We also hosted a cookies and cocoa party with several of our friends and their little ones.  The kids had a blast and played so well together. 
 
Everly's daycare is celebrating twelve days of Christmas next week with activities and dedicated days of wear-something-Christmassy.  So she is in planning mode for that.  We also have a weekend planned packed with more fun things.  Driving around town to see the best light displays and working on Christmas cards are on the top of our list.
 
So in light of all this holiday cheer I thought I would share with you all some of our current favorite festive items to help keep our days merry and bright.  This is a mixture of items we have and love and a few items on the wish list.  Hi, Chad ;)


We have so many things we want to do to within a few short weeks, in addition to fitting in all the family and work Christmas gatherings.  But I think Everly is really loving it.  Seeing everything through her eyes makes it all so much more fun this year.  I think Chad would agree.  This is the first time I've ever seen my husband sing and dance to Christmas music in our entire twelve years.  Having a little girl apparently changes even the manliest of men.
 
I can't imagine why.  Look at this sweet face.  This picture was taken exactly a year ago.
Now please excuse me as I go melt in the corner.  

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THANKSGIVING WEEKEND

December 7, 2015 • ,

This update is overdue.  These have been a very busy couple of weeks.  We are in the middle of our year-end audit at work.  We wrapped up the Thanksgiving and shopping festivities.  And we have also decided to start apartment hunting! My mom has blessed us with a year of no mortgage and we are so thankful for her willingness to let our crazy bunch into her home for such a long time.  We were able to save (and spend) like we would not have been able to otherwise.  But we are ready for our own place again.  We are still in the process of designing our new home (and hopefully building within the next couple of years) so we decided temporary apartment living was the best choice for us.  More to come on that later.  But in the mean time let's wrap up our Thanksgiving weekend!
 
We had a very nice Thanksgiving day.  We started the morning off watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade while munching on our cinnamon rolls and the turkey shaped fruit tray.  Everly wouldn't touch the cinnamon rolls over the fruit.  She devoured almost the entire tray.  Surprisingly enough she went straight for the big ole pear right in the middle.
That afternoon the weather was absolutely perfect.  It was warm and sunny, unusual for a late November day in Kentucky.  So we took full advantage and walked to our neighborhood park to enjoy some fresh air. 
 
My sisters and I did not plan our time efficiently and ended up preparing everything on our Thanksgiving menu straight from the box.  But no one noticed ;) It was our first year preparing Thanksgiving dinner by ourselves.  So I'll cut us some slack this one time.  Although it was actually delicious. 
 
We had a house full of family from both sides.  It was a nice treat to have everyone together under one roof.  So rare these days.
The next day we decided against going out.  Chad had to work unfortunately.  So I decided not to brave the crowds alone with Everly.  We stuck to our online shopping and marked some great items off Everly's list.  But Saturday we supported the big "shop local" campaign and visited several of our favorite local shops. 
 
The stores were so festive with Christmas music and décor everywhere.  Each one hosted a different "local celebrity" to take pictures with.  One of our favorite local boutiques had Jenny Beth Willis singing live! She's a local artist who made it on season 12 of American Idol.  Everly stood in front of her mesmerized the entire time I shopped. 
We even ran into Santa that day! Everly was pretty skeptical of him.  She better get her Christmas spirit in check real quick.
Sunday we helped Nana put up her Christmas tree.  My mom always decorates her entire house so beautifully for Christmas.  I'm talking she sets the bar high for the rest of us.
 
I hope everyone had a wonderful start to the holiday season.  We have been working hard on knocking out our Christmas bucket list and immediately dove in to the Christmas festivities.  I hope you all have a great week! Thanks for stopping by!
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EVERLY'S CHRISTMAS WISHLIST

November 27, 2015 •

It was really difficult for me to put together a Christmas list for Everly.  She honestly isn't interested in "toys" right now.  She enjoys spending her time taking every single DVD out of the entertainment center and stacking them on the coffee table, or taking all my nail polish out of the cabinet, putting them in baskets and carrying them around like a purse. She loves pulling the broom out of the laundry room and running around with it, or turning on the robot vacuum and running away from it. So she's forced us to get creative this Christmas. Here are some ideas we are hoping Everly will really enjoy...

 One of my coworkers suggested the idea of something she wants, something she needs, something to wear and something to read as a guideline for Christmas gift giving, which I love.  Everly definitely loves coloring and asking Momma to read her books.  Her daycare has a kitchen, which I originally thought was a bit above her age level, but apparently she loves it.  Putting items in and out of the refrigerator is her favorite.  

We are starting to teach her how to feed herself with utensils and to drink out of a big girl cup without dumping it all over herself.  So she will be getting this adorable tableware set.  On Christmas Eve she will get a new pair of pajamas and a Christmas movie.  And finally, a new pair of shoes and some hair pins will fill her stocking.  

We are so excited to see her face on Christmas morning.  I think she will be one happy little girl.  I hope you all have a great weekend! Happy shopping!
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- CHRISTMAS BUCKET LIST -

November 23, 2015 • ,

We are taking a pause from our Kentucky Bucket List to start on one for the month of December.  Although I know it is necessary, I always feel a bit of mom guilt when Chad and I go on adventures by ourselves.  So, we've come up with a list of family friendly activities we can enjoy with Everly next month. 
 
1) Help Nana decorate her Christmas trees.
2) Get Everly and Mommy matching red manicures and pedicures.
3) Donate toys to children in need.
4) Visit and take pictures with Santa.
5) Play in the snow for the first time.
6) Bake homemade sugar cookies and decorate them.
7) Send friends and family Christmas cards.
8) Donate coats and hygiene products to a local shelter.
9) Read one of our new Christmas books.
10) Make s'mores.
11) Watch The Polar Express while cuddled up on the couch eating Christmas Crunch.
12) Decorate Everly's nursery and buy a mini Christmas tree just for her.
13) Pay for someone's meal behind us in the drive-thru line.
14) Buy Make treats for Everly's teachers at daycare :)
15) Drive around town looking at all the Christmas light displays.
16) Host a cookies and cocoa party with all our friends.
17) Hang & stuff our stockings.
18) Shop at all of our favorite local businesses and create a wish list for Daddy ;)
19) Attend The Nutcracker. 
20) Wear our new reindeer antlers and surprise Daddy at work.
21) Watch as many shows/movies from ABC Family's 25 Days of Christmas marathon as possible.
22) Let Everly decorate and send a Christmas card to her aunt Courtney and Leslie.
23) Wear our new matching family pajamas while taking a ride on The Polar Express.
24) Attend our church's candle light ceremony.
25) Bake cookies for Santa and leave some magic reindeer food in the backyard.
 
Christmas cards are already in the works.  We had our pictures made a couple weeks ago at a local tree farm.  This will be our first time sending out Christmas cards and I am so excited about it.
The use of gingerbread cookies as bribery did take place.  Whatever works to get a toddler to smile for the camera. 
We are still waiting to get our pictures back from Paige.  But she did post a sneak peek online for us!
I am so excited to start our own family traditions with Everly.  Christmas really is the most fun and festive season of the year.  But creating these memories with your child makes the season a million times more magical.  Please share with us your family's favorite holiday traditions!
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- THANKSGIVING PLANNING -

November 21, 2015 • ,

I can't believe Thanksgiving is less than a week away.  My mother always hosts the Thanksgiving family get together.  However she is having surgery the day before.  Consequently I am responsible for getting the meals planned and prepped and entertaining.

For breakfast we will be having cinnamon rolls from our favorite bakery in town I posted about here.  I also plan on putting together a turkey shaped fruit tray for Everly.  We will spend the morning lounging in our pajamas while watching the Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade.  A tradition in our family.  Everly naps around lunch time so we will wait to eat the Thanksgiving feast until around 2:00 so she can join.  Here's the menu we have planned for lunch...
My two sisters and I have agreed to split up the menu.  Neither of us are known for our cooking.  But we all do enjoy it.  I plan on creating a recipe tab at the top of my page soon to share all the new recipes we try with you all.  Everly and I will definitely be wearing leggings to accommodate this menu.  Speaking of which, here is some Thanksgiving Day outfit inspiration.
Momma's: maroon dress, orange sweater, blue dress
Baby's: red floral dress, black dress, blue floral dress
On Thursday night and Friday I wouldn't be surprised if my mother found the strength to do some shopping.  We are not the all night campers.  But we have been known to wake up before the crack of dawn to take advantage of some deals.  I will probably do the majority of my shopping online this year.  Everly isn't exactly the best shopping partner, much less at 4:00 am.  But we more than likely will get out at some point during the day to check out the left over sales and have some fun.

Saturday we will eat left overs and enjoy some college football.  We will play Christmas music way too loud while helping Mom get out her Christmas decor and set up trees.  Yes, I said trees.  Mom has a Christmas tree for every room in the house.  My love for holidays is definitely a result of my mother and grandmother's raising.  I have festive plans for Everly's nursery and can't wait to share them with you all.

I hope you all have a happy Thanksgiving! I will leave you all with this little throwback of three month old Everly from last Thanksgiving.


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- MOM UNIFORM -

November 17, 2015 •

In honor of the start of Kentucky basketball season let's talk about my love for all the local Kentucky shops and the stylish shirts they are creating to allow us to fashionably showcase our state pride.  One of my many favorites is Kentucky Branded.  I have a couple of their shirts and they are staples in my mom wardrobe; because let's be honest this is typically how I'm dressed on the weekends...
Going along with the spirit of the holiday season I am bringing to you a GIVEAWAY! One of my Instagram followers will win a $25 gift card to their shop.  Make sure you check it out!

Speaking of my mom uniform, I had several questions about an outfit I recently posted on my Instagram.  I work in a very casual work environment.  So during the work week I am dressed similar to the picture above.  I may just tweak a few things to make myself look a bit more pulled together.  You will typically see me in something like this (yay for the lack of sunlight at the end of the workday during the fall/winter)...
Top (sold out, similar), leggings, boots (on sale!!!), scarf (sold out, similar)

I hope you all are having a great week! Thanks for stopping by!
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- CINNAMON ROLLS ON SATURDAYS -

November 16, 2015 •

We had a relaxing weekend filled with laziness and good food.  Saturday morning we decided to introduce Everly to cinnamon rolls.  I used to eat cinnamon rolls on the reg when I was a kid.  I'm talking 3 or 4 of the Pillsbury cinnamon rolls all to myself.  But I have stayed away from them the last few years in an effort to eat healthier.  Consequently Everly has never had the opportunity to try one.  We were in the mood for something sweet so we hit up our favorite bakery in town, Great Harvest.  You all, their cinnamon rolls are life changing. 
 
 Everly is always so good when we go out to eat.  She loves making new friends and saying hi to literally everyone who walks by.  It is the sweetest thing.   
 Doesn't she look like a little lady holding her own drink with her painted fingernails? It makes me so sad and happy all at the same time watching her grow so fast.
Sunday morning we lounged around in our pajamas and watched movies.
We finished the weekend with a visit to see Chad's Pappaw in Hansen.  He celebrated his 93rd birthday this past week.  He shares a birthday with Veterans Day, which is also special since he served as a Marine during World War II.  He has some incredible stories.
 
I hope you all had a great weekend.  Our Thanksgiving festivities are beginning this week and I can't wait to share them with you all.  Have a great week!
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- FRIDAY FAVORITES -

November 13, 2015 •

I have an extra festive list of favorites for you guys today.  It may have something to do with the Christmas pictures we are taking this weekend, or maybe this...
 1) We received these festive matching pajamas in the mail today and it took everything I had not to wear them during the day. Old Navy and Gap of course have some adorable pajamas for the little ones too.  I love these and these!
 
2) Festive garlands- Unfortunately we do not have a mantle of our own to decorate this year.  We are crashing at Nana's house while we begin the process of building our house.  But if we did, I imagine it would be decked with this, this, or this.
 
3) Bath and Body Works has released their winter line for their 3-wick candles.  Marshmallow fireside? Twisted Peppermint? Vanilla Bean Noel? I'll take them all please!
 
4) Festive nail polish- Essie's Really Red and Going Incognito are my current favorites.  Even Everly's piggies got a pretty pedicure.  She saw me painting my nails the other night and stood there watching for the longest time.  She finally picked up the bottle and pointed to her nails for me to paint them.  My heart melted.
5) Ugg boots! Tis the season, Chad :) My husband hates these things.  But it may be because he's never put a pair on.  They are my absolute favorite things to wear in the winter.  My Christmas wish list could include these, these or these. 

6) Everly has officially learned how to say "No!" So that has been a blast.  Sometimes it sounds more like "Doe!" She will even wag her finger at you.  It will make you giggle every time.  Or if she doesn't finger wag she will cross her arms and turn her entire body away from you.  Nice.

7) I am dying to get Everly and me these matching Santa shirts.  Getting dressed for the day is exponentially more fun when you match with your toddler.

I hope you all have a great weekend! Thanks for stopping by!
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