CHRISTMAS PICTURES
December 5, 2017
The Christmas festivities are in full swing at the Hart House. We hosted my department's Christmas party Saturday and traveled to and from Lexington on Sunday for a family Christmas get-together. And in the middle of all that we managed to squeeze in family Christmas pictures. But the girls were champs all weekend and didn't let the madness get to them one bit. Addison literally rode halfway to Lexington wide awake just gazing out the window. What nine-month old does that? Thank you Jesus for easy babies, so I can talk Chad into having more and more.
Our pictures were captured by my sister's sister-in-law, Ally Gaebler of A Love for Photography. I just love Ally. If you're in the Bowling Green area I highly recommend her. She was SO good with the girls and captured so many great moments in such a short session. She has two adorable little boys of her own and knows just what it takes to keep the attention of toddlers.
I don't think we will send out Christmas cards this year, because #momlife. But I definitely plan on printing a large canvas of one of these to hang in our bare hallway.
Everly's very first dance recital is this weekend and I can hardly contain my excitement. More than likely she will stand there frozen staring out at the crowd in fear. But it will still make a great memory and I cannot wait to see how adorable she looks in her little green tutu. She sings "Santa Claus is coming to town" nonstop in the evenings after preschool. So my money is on that as the song of the showcase. Check back here for a recap. I bet it's going to be epic.
HALLOWEEN 2017
November 10, 2017 • HOLIDAYS, MOTHERHOOD
We had so much fun this Halloween. Holidays with double the daughters is definitely double the fun. And this was probably the first Halloween Everly was old enough to truly understand the purpose of the holiday and trick-or-treating, which made it that much better. This also meant it was the first year I didn't get to pick out her costume. It hurt my heart a tiny bit to buy the Jasmine costume Everly spotted at Target. I enjoy buying handmade costumes that no one can buy out of a big box store. Not to mention Everly didn't even know who Jasmine was before that day. But it made her happy and extremely excited, and that's what mattered most. So that's what Momma bought.
And how freakin' adorable is that baby bumblebee?! When she would fall over it looked like a turtle on its back, you couldn't help but laugh.
Unsure of how the weather would be Halloween night we took the girls downtown the Thursday before for the annual "Trail of Treats". There were a TON of kids running around and it was extremely overwhelming for Everly. Absolute madness. She wouldn't let go of my hand. But she kept telling me how much fun she was having and "so excited", so we continued on. The smile on her face was constant and she was so proud of her pumpkin that was full of candy at the end of the night. It was so much fun for me to watch her having such a great night. And if you remember our encounter with Batman from last year, update - we are still terrified of the guy. But not enough to ruin our night like last year, just enough to go really, really far around him, oh and Spiderman too. Girlfriend would not take her eyes off them until we were at a safe enough distance. She wouldn't even take a picture with Snow White! Thank goodness we aren't going to Disney World for our annual Christmas vacation. Maybe next year princesses.
Halloween turned out to be a pretty day, and our Floridian grandparents made a surprise visit to Kentucky. So we packed up the girls and their costumes and went to visit family in our hometown. Both my sisters even made the trip over as well. My aunt and uncle's neighborhood was swarming with kids. Everly had so much fun walking around with my sisters and I. She didn't want to stop. We made a round over a couple of blocks and decided we'd had enough once the sun started going down. Then Everly helped my aunt hand out candy the rest of the night. She had even more fun handing OUT the candy than she did asking for it. She even took pieces out of her own pumpkin to hand out once my aunt started running low. It was the sweetest thing.
And baby girl? She was just here for the party, as always. And to swipe big sister's candy. Happy Halloween! Cheers to sisterhood!
FRIDAY FAVORITES
October 20, 2017 • SHOP
Happy Friday friends! It's finally beginning to feel like fall here. So I have a festive little round up of some of my current favorite things. But first, snapshots from our last weekend...
Hen & Co. has some SUPER cute and festive graphic tees and sweatshirts that are perfect for Halloween. They even have mama matching sets! Everly and I are wearing their Hocus Pocus tees in the pictures above.
Speaking of tees, there are SO many cute graphic ones at Target. Every single time I let Everly pick out her own clothes, she goes straight for the t-shirts and gym shorts. (Probably my fault as that's what I'm wearing more often than not.) Loving this one for Everly and this one for Addison.
Speaking of tees, there are SO many cute graphic ones at Target. Every single time I let Everly pick out her own clothes, she goes straight for the t-shirts and gym shorts. (Probably my fault as that's what I'm wearing more often than not.) Loving this one for Everly and this one for Addison.
Also Target's new line of Happy by Pink Chicken is to die for. I HAD to get this dress for Christmas pictures for Everly.
H&M is KILLING the fall sweater game this season. I am dying to get my hands on every single one of these...
2) Wool-blend Sweater - LOVE the orange for Halloween and the green for the rest of winter
3) Loose-knit Sweater - I bought this sweater in a yellow color earlier in the season and I wear it all the time. But now powder pink is calling my name! I swear chunky oversized sweaters are my jam.
Is it too early for Christmas shopping? This super cute crown headwrap is going in Everly's stocking.
I just ordered these skinny jeans from Nordstrom and I cannot wait to try them on.
That's all for today! This weekend is the Apple Festival at our local orchard. So you can bet that's where Everly will be this weekend. Hope you all have a good one!
That's all for today! This weekend is the Apple Festival at our local orchard. So you can bet that's where Everly will be this weekend. Hope you all have a good one!
GIRLS' ROOMS
October 2, 2017 • OUR HOME
When we first moved in to our new home we had a long list of furniture and décor that needed to be purchased. After moving out of a 1,200 sq ft apartment, we didn't have enough "stuff" accumulated to fill up our new space. Not to mention the addition of a whole new bedroom for our new baby.
We've tried to manage the projects by tackling one room at a time. The girls' rooms were our first priorities. They are the closest to being finished in the house. I wouldn't consider them complete yet. There are still finishing touches needed in both rooms. But then again, I probably will never feel like they are complete.
Let's start with the big girl's room. We painted Everly's room "Angelic" by Sherwin Williams.
Her curtains are from Wayfair. Above her bed, all the framed artwork is from Hobby Lobby. The mirrors and lamp are Target. Her bed is Land of Nod.
The adorable name sign is from The Trendy Timber on Etsy. And all the other pieces used in the gallery wall above are from Target. Artwork courtesy of Everly herself.
Unicorn and basket are from Land of Nod.
For the most part, Everly's room is finished... For now... I still need to get a rug under her bed. And I have a couple more bookshelves to hang. But other than that I don't have any other plans for her room.
Addison's room is the result of #secondchildproblems. Basically everything in her room was handed down from big sister. Her name sign is from Six Eleven Co. And now that I realize this is the only item in her room not handed down, I feel a little mom guilt. We painted her room "Comfort Gray" by Sherwin Williams.
The curtains are from West Elm. I bought extra panels to have the bed skirt custom made to match. Her crib is Jenny Lind.
We did not find out the gender of both girls until they were born. Hence the gender neutral colors and design. Now that Addison is here, I have a growing itch to girlie up her room the way big sister's is!
Lamp and nightstand are Target. Small globe came from Hobby Lobby.
Ignore the half finished dresser. I switched out some of her knobs with new ones from Hobby Lobby and have yet to go back and get more.
That's pretty much it! This is the current state of both rooms. I love them both. Sometimes the girls and I will sit in their rooms and just play and chat on the floor because I love the spaces so much. It is so much fun to decorate a little girl's room. I can't wait to add a touch of festive to each room as the holidays roll around too!
FLORIDA ROAD TRIP
September 6, 2017 • TRAVEL
We took a road trip to Florida a couple weeks back to visit my grandparents in Sebring. It was such a nice little getaway. After completing the build of our house, our vacation funds were limited. So this was the perfect chance to spend some time with our missed loved ones while getting some inexpensive Florida sunshine.
The last two years we've taken a trip to Daytona Beach and decided to drive through the night terrified of how Everly would take the drive. It worked every time, for her. She always slept through most of the drive, but it was very hard on myself and especially Chad. I'm not sure what gave us the courage to give day driving a shot, but we did, and both girls were CHAMPS. They were so well behaved the entire 13 hours. Any time we could sense they were hitting their max, we would stop for a bite to eat, stretch our legs and reset. It slowed the trip down a bit, but was SO worth it. Clearly we put ourselves through unnecessary pain the last two vacations.
We spent the first couple days just relaxing and catching up with family. My youngest sister was in town doing a six week rotation. So it was nice to visit with her as well. We took the girls for a swim at the YMCA right down the road the first day we were there for some easy sunshine. Florida fitness centers are WAY cooler than they are in Kentucky you guys -outdoor pools, outdoor basketball courts. Chad and I went to the gym together more that week than we have all year. It used to be a ritual for us to exercise together and now we rarely get the chance. It was nice to do that again for a week.
After a few days we ventured to the coast and spent the day at Sarasota Beach. Everly loved it. She spent the entire time in the water. We could not get her to hang out under the tent for anything. Chad and I could hardly keep up with her. I fell asleep on the drive back I was so exhausted. Addison spent the day on a lounge chair under the tent (which was a HUGE life saver). I think she will be a beach bum just like Everly when she gets a bit older. You can tell how anxious she is to get up and get moving with her big sister. I cannot wait to watch them run around playing together. I will say though, what a pain in the butt it is to carry around all the CRAP that comes with two kids and a beach trip. Next time we plan a trip to the beach we are investing in a super handy wagon and a giant tent. Rookie mistake.
After another day of relaxing (we did a lot of that) we took a trip to Bok Tower Gardens in Lake Wales. Surprisingly it turned out to be my favorite part of the trip, more so than the beach. The kids area was absolutely amazing. We had to force Everly to leave each section and check out something different. And every time we moved on to another part, she did not want to leave. Unfortunately it rained on us and we didn't make it to the actual tower. But if we are ever in the area I definitely plan on going back. Highly recommend if you have kids! The activities they had were enough to keep Everly entertained the entire day. And the grounds were just beautiful. I was highly impressed.
That was about the extent of our adventures. We spent as much time as possible visiting and letting the girls get to know their great-grandparents. We get to see them only a couple times a year. So we took advantage of every moment possible with them. Everly had so much fun, though. She still talks about Florida and Grandma Patsy and Grandad Jim's house. They definitely spoiled us for the week we were down there.
We have one more vacation planned for Gatlinburg in December. That will be our last hoorah for the year. Chad and I have agreed to make it a goal to go on more road trips/adventures in the future, especially now that we've learned our girls are rockstar car riders. Eventually we'd like to make it a tradition to go on one big family vacation, one Mommy and Daddy vacation, and then our annual Christmas trip with my extended family. It's easy to let the vacation fund fall to the bottom of the list, but we have vowed to make it a priority in 2018!
That was about the extent of our adventures. We spent as much time as possible visiting and letting the girls get to know their great-grandparents. We get to see them only a couple times a year. So we took advantage of every moment possible with them. Everly had so much fun, though. She still talks about Florida and Grandma Patsy and Grandad Jim's house. They definitely spoiled us for the week we were down there.
We have one more vacation planned for Gatlinburg in December. That will be our last hoorah for the year. Chad and I have agreed to make it a goal to go on more road trips/adventures in the future, especially now that we've learned our girls are rockstar car riders. Eventually we'd like to make it a tradition to go on one big family vacation, one Mommy and Daddy vacation, and then our annual Christmas trip with my extended family. It's easy to let the vacation fund fall to the bottom of the list, but we have vowed to make it a priority in 2018!
EVERLY TURNS 3
August 27, 2017 • MOTHERHOOD
We celebrated our THREE year old a couple weekends ago! How did three years come and go so quickly? I still see her as my wrinkly nosed baby who brought an entirely new level of joy and happiness to our household. I don't even realize how fast she's growing until I look back on pictures from one and two years ago. I swear it makes me cry thinking of how fast time has gone by. And it seems to only fly faster each year. I want her to slow down so badly.
ANYWAY, dry it up Kristen... Let's talk about her amazing weekend. On Saturday we hosted a donut party and invited all her classmates from daycare to the house for brunch and a pool party. We bought a couple of inflatable pools, a slip-n-slide and let the kids go crazy.
Everly was SO excited when her friends started to arrive. It was the most fulfilling and happiest sight to see her having so much fun. She was polite and appreciative of every present she opened and turned around to thank each individual as she opened them. She greeted and hugged each friend as they arrived and left. My mama heart was melting.
Everly loved the donut theme. Donut holes specifically are one of her favorite foods. Baby girl could smash a dozen donut holes all by herself. (Totally her mama's daughter.) So the fun sprinkle/donut theme seemed like a great party for her. This party on Pinterest was my inspiration.
Turns out though I should have foregone the donuts and just invited everyone over to swim (if you can even call it swimming... probably more like splashing). Everly was too excited to swim to eat anything, even her own birthday cake. Five minutes into the party Everly had disappeared. I found her in her room changing into her bathing suit. After convincing her we still had to sing Happy Birthday to her so she could cut her cake and open her presents, she was willing to put her dress back on. We sent 3/4 of a birthday cake and approximately three dozen donuts with her to daycare the next Monday because the kids ate so little.
The girls had a blast playing in the backyard. We had bubbles, water balloons, and water guns. They splashed in the baby pools. And all the mamas tried so hard to explain how to use the slip-n-slide. But the girls just weren't into it and couldn't get the hang of it. Everything else seemed to be a hit though. Everly still to this day tells everyone about swimming with her friends on her birthday.
The girls had a blast playing in the backyard. We had bubbles, water balloons, and water guns. They splashed in the baby pools. And all the mamas tried so hard to explain how to use the slip-n-slide. But the girls just weren't into it and couldn't get the hang of it. Everything else seemed to be a hit though. Everly still to this day tells everyone about swimming with her friends on her birthday.
At the end of the day Everly would hug me out of the middle of nowhere and tell me she loved me or how she was "so proud for my birfday". That kind of reaction made it all SO worth it. Girlfriend had the best day and we are so thankful for all her friends and family who helped us make her day special. She truly had a happy birthday.
And speaking of time going by too fast... Take a look at these snapshots from each of her three birthday parties. I can't wrap my mind around how big she is now.
And speaking of time going by too fast... Take a look at these snapshots from each of her three birthday parties. I can't wrap my mind around how big she is now.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
