Lately

Gosh, I can't remember the last time I wrote an actual blog post that wasn't one of Emma's monthly updates. I don't even know how to start this thing, but something made me show up here today so I'm going with it.

Here's a not-so-quick rundown of life lately:

I finally started a scrapbook for Emma. I want to at least have a scrapbook documenting her first year but was slacking big time on all things involved with that project. I finally bought most of the supplies, starting planning it out and most importantly, started organizing all our photos of her so I can easily find and print what I need. It's definitely a time consuming project but I know I'll be so glad to have her first year of life documented so well.

Our girl wants to crawl so badly! Playtime on the floor floor typically results in Emma on her tummy trying to figure out how to get moving. She's definitely scooting back and has figured out how to switch directions but no crawling yet. It's pretty sweet to watch her try and figure this out and it's especially adorable when she gets tired and just rests her head on the floor to take a break. I know once she's mobile there's no turning back so I'm soaking in the time we have left of her needing me to go places. 

I've been making baby food for a few months now and it's going really well! I like to spend one afternoon cooking and preparing to build up a decent stash of pouches to last us a few weeks. Emma is starting to figure out how to feed herself with these and they are super convenient! 

We've done a little redecorating in the last few months, mainly our living room. I'd been ready for a new couch and a living room facelift for a while but I finally got Jonathan on board early this year. We handed down our hand-me-down couch and after a few weeks of searching (couch shopping is more difficult than I expected!), we decided on the couch, coffee table and recliner chair above. The clock is also new and from World Market. I'm in love with it and so glad we went for one large piece above the couch rather than trying to create a gallery wall or something more complicated.

Jonathan got me a Letterfolk board for Christmas and it was looking lonely as the only thing on our wall next to our kitchen table. We'd just gotten the copper mugs and I figured they'd look great hanging in the kitchen. We found the bar and hooks at World Market and the shelves are wooden crates we found at HomeGoods. I loooove how this turned out although I've been slacking on updating the message on our board...I need to get on that!

Two weekends ago, my parents took Emma for the night so Jonathan and I could attend my friend's wedding over near Disney. We decided to get a room for the night and my parents were more than willing to take Emma so we could make it a mini getaway. We checked into our room early in the day and popped a bottle of champagne. With plenty of time before the wedding, we were able to walk to Disney Springs and enjoy some downtime together. We walked around for a bit with beers in hand and headed back to our hotel to take our time getting ready for the evening. It was such a carefree, fun day with my man. We had a blast at the wedding, dancing and laughing together all night. I feel like we really needed a night like that. Being baby-free and having a room there, we were able to just relax and have some fun together. It was awesome!

Florida weather has been a dream these past few months! We've been soaking it in as much as possible with lots of backyard projects and Sundays spent on the back patio with friends and family. I'm going to miss this in the summer when it's 90 something degrees out!

As for me, I've been trying really hard to make sure I don't lose myself in all of this. Motherhood is literally the best thing I've ever done, but it's also way too easy to be so wrapped up in all that entails and forget to be good to myself. It's easy to second guess every decision I make; to obsess over what others think; to beat myself up for not yet having my body back; to feel like I'm not the wife I want to be; to forget to do things for me, too. The list goes on and on. 

It's funny. I took the photos above to send to my sister. She's recently become a Younique presenter and I was pretty impressed with the mascara I bought from her, so I took a few pictures so I could write her a review to use on her page. I haven't been loving myself enough lately and that's a post for another day, but these pictures made me feel beautiful and that's something worth celebrating so I guess that's why I shared them here. Also, this is not an ad because I have maybe 10 people who read this blog, but the mascara is pretty incredible and that's coming from someone who hardly knows how to do her own makeup. On the subject of beauty and makeup, I also suck at doing my hair. I can't use a curling iron and if I do try to use one, it takes me about 2 hours to do my hair. Who has time for that, especially with a little babe? I bought the Bed Head Deep Waver after seeing a few people raving about it on social media and it has changed my life! In 10 minutes, I'm now able to at least make it appear as though I know what I'm doing. Seriously, it's the best.

Other new things with me: I started at a new gym in February and I've been loving it! I was able to get free childcare with my membership so I'm able to bring Emma and the people there are so good with her. She loves it there, too, which is a bonus! They offer a ton of classes, including barre, so I've been mixing in one or two barre classes a week with my other workouts and they seriously kick my butt. I've also been participating in the weekly women's bible study at church over the past few months. We're in the middle of Tony Evans' study on Detours: The Unpredictable Path to Your Destiny. I've been really enjoying this study in particular and the weekly fellowship has been really good for me. Something from our homework a few weeks ago really stuck with me:

"When you fill a sponge full of water and then you squeeze the sponge, water is going to come out of it because it is full of water. When you are going through a trial and you feel the pressure of life caving in around you, how much of God comes out? Or is it cussing, fussing, complaining, and blaming that comes out instead? Why are those things coming out? Because that is what you are full of. A sponge only lets out what is in it."

This really resonated with me when I read it. I want to approach any of the not-so-great stuff in life this way. It's easier said than done but I feel like it's so easy to fall into a habit of complaining and self pity and I'm trying to break those habits.

This seems like a good place to stop. This post was all over the place but it felt really good to just write and once I started, everything came out. I hope to show up here more moving forward. I have so many posts I started and never went back to and a few that are nearly complete, so I'm hoping to revisit those here soon.

We're in the midst of a busy and super fun season and I love having so much going on. I'm heading to New York City for the first time ever on Friday for my friend's bachelorette weekend. I'm so excited for the girl time and to finally see what the fuss over NYC is all about. The following weekend, I'm off to Charleston with Emma, my mom and my sister. We're also hosting Easter brunch again so I'm trying to remember to plan that in the midst of all of this fun. Now, if you have any advice on how to cope when leaving your 7-month-old for 3 whole days, please do share! I'm gonna miss my girl.

Life This Week

Today is a special day. One year ago, we found out we were pregnant. I remember so clearly sitting on the front porch anxiously waiting for Jonathan to pull in the driveway that evening so I could tell him our incredible news. It's been quite a year! You can read more about that happy day here.

We're finally enjoying some seriously beautiful weather and it's been the absolute best. It was finally cool enough earlier this week to put Emma in this adorable hoodie and I couldn't get over how cute and snuggly she was.

I had three goals this week:

1. Purge/Organize Master Bedroom Closet
2. 100 Squats/Day
3. Run EVERY day

Our closet and a few other areas of our house have been giving me some serious anxiety lately knowing they have gotten completely out of control with clutter and disorder. With our closet especially, I knew there were lots of items I needed to let go of like, yesterday. Clothes that I haven't worn in years, clothes that didn't fit and I don't know if I'd wear if they did fit, shoes I was holding onto even though I'd never wear them again. Mom life has me realizing quickly that I don't have time to search through chaos to find what I'm looking for and knowing we had so many items taking up space was really making me anxious. I tackled our master bedroom closet on Monday and it was quite a project. Thankfully, Emma napped pretty well for me throughout the day so I was able to get a lot done during nap times. I ended up with 2 garbage bags full of clothes to donate and a box of purses and shoes. I went through everything in our closet and refold, re-hung and organized items to that it was easier to find things and looked neat and clean. I shared a before and after video on Snapchat, but I wish I took photos because what I did made a huge difference. It was good for me to go through my clothes and purge items I knew I'd never wear again. The clothes I came across that I still like and don't fit into really helped re-energize and motivate me to lose the weight I need to lose.

I have some other areas in our house I want to tackle next including our kitchen cabinets, so those are next on my list!

I mentioned last week I haven't exactly been staying consistent with my exercise so this week, I wanted to change that. With the Couch 2 5K program, you only really need to run 3 times/week so I would plan to run every other day and would end up putting it off every day until I felt like I'd fallen too far behind and lose my motivation. This week, I decided to still complete the three Couch 2 5K workouts, but that I would run every day instead of only completing what the program requires. My goal has been that on the days I don't use the Couch 2 5K app, I need to at least knock out a mile run. Having the goal to run every day ensures I don't get lazy and lose any momentum. It feels really good to say I succeeded at this goal and ran every day this week. The 100 squats/day is something I knew would work for me because I could knock out a few here and there throughout the day. The first day, I  told myself every time I changed a diaper, I needed to do 10 and that was an easy way to make sure I got them in. Every other day this week, I just did 10-20 whenever I thought of it and it wasn't hard to make it to 100. It feels good to know I'm doing a little extra without devoting a huge chunk of time to it!

In addition to reaching my fitness goals this week, I've really kept my diet in check and I'm really happy to see some serious progress! I have a long way to go but I feel like something really clicked for me this week.

Otherwise, we had a pretty low-key week and didn't venture out too much. Emma hasn't been a fan of tummy time so I've tried to squeeze in more of that this week and even ordered this to help make it more enjoyable for her. I think it's helped a lot!

I'm so ready for this weekend to begin! We're having a night out tonight, my mom is coming to hang with Emma and I tomorrow and Sunday, we're planning on taking our family photo for our Christmas card and starting our holiday shopping. As we head into Thanksgiving week and kicking off all the holiday fun, I feel so much gratitude. So much!

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Life Lately

Who knows if I'll ever get to a point where I'm checking in here on the regular. In the meantime, I want to make sure I document life here and there because I love being able to come to my little space on the Internet and look back on things. With that being said, let's catch up, shall we?

I'm still trying to work through the Couch25K program. To sum up why it's taking me so long, I've been inconsistent and slow to move to the next week when I'm not feeling ready. The good news? I haven't given up. I'm currently struggling through week 6 of the program and will probably do the whole program over again once I complete it. I truly want to get back to a place where I enjoy running and I just keep going back to the thought that no matter how slow I go, I'm still going.

We took Emma to her first pumpkin patch...and they were out of pumpkins. It was a gorgeous day, Emma and I wore matching shirts and we had my mom and Jonathan's parents with us so it was still a pretty great day aside from the lack of pumpkins!

My favorite part of this day was actually when we got home later that afternoon. The weather was gorgeous so Jonathan laid a blanket down in the backyard and the three of us just laid there enjoying the last bit of our Sunday together. Emma was in such a happy mood. She was so content just laying there with us playing with her toy elephant. I love going out on adventures as a little family but nothing beats simple quality time together at home like this.

We recently spent a weekend in Bradenton, FL for a wedding. It was Emma's first hotel stay and it was super sweet of my parents to drive 2+ hours to hang out in our hotel room with Emma while Jonathan and I went to our friend's wedding that evening. We enjoyed a weekend of gorgeous weather, a fun little road trip with our little girl, a fun night with our friends and it was just really nice to get away for a quick trip! My parents had so much fun babysitting Emma and I'm so thankful they had some quality time with their grand baby! 

We didn't end up buying a Halloween costume for Emma this year. I looked around a bit but I couldn't find anything I thought would fit her well enough and I couldn't justify spending the money knowing she'd really only wear it for a cute photo and that would be it. I did get her a cute Halloween outfit and the most adorable pumpkin booties, though!

I think I speak for all of us when I say I'm glad the election is over. I don't want to get into it too much because I don't have the energy, honestly. I didn't plan on saying anything about it, but it's obviously on my mind and I want to always use this space to share what's truly on my heart. I think one thing I've tried to remember through the entire election and now post-election is that you don't have to attend every argument you're invited to. The personal attacks and pure anger people have shown each other online recently has me praying for peace more than ever. I don't need to tell you where I stand in regards to the election results. What I will tell you is when I made my decision who to vote for, I felt peace in whatever the outcome would be and do you want to know why? Because in my heart I know that no matter who is president, Jesus is King. No matter where you fall on the political spectrum, if you trust that God has a plan, that God is taking care of us, then you know the outcome of this election is not a burden you need to carry with you. Imagine the peace all those angered by this election would feel if they handed the fear and worry they have over to God? My goodness. 

I've seen so many people saying, "What will I tell my children?" Honestly, I'm not worried about this for a lot of reasons. I think no matter who is president I wouldn't necessarily want my daughter to use them as any kind of role model in her life. Emma is going to learn values, morals, how to be a good person from us as her parents. She's going to see examples of this through the people in her life as she grows up and I hope those people are her role models. I hope from us, she learns to be a strong woman, a kind person, a lover of Jesus, a compassionate individual, work ethic and the importance of giving. We are responsible of making sure she understands that even though someone is in the spotlight, whether it be a celebrity, a politician, any kind of leader, that we are all flawed and what you see isn't necessarily what is true. When she's old enough to learn about this election and future elections, her daddy and I will tell her the truth about why we voted for who we voted for and she will know that while there are pros and cons to every decision we make, that our reasons were valid and well thought out. Okay, I'm going to stop here and just say if your head is still spinning, if you feel scared or angry, I hope you will pray and trust that ultimately, He is in control. 

Moving on...I mentioned in Emma's 3 month update that we made the decision to stop breastfeeding after learning she'd only gained 3 ounces in an entire month. I was certainly sad and disappointed, but I let myself feel sad about it that day and decided to just let go of all of it and move on. The important thing is doing what is best for our little girl and I am just thankful we were able to make it a few months. We went back to the doctor on Monday after a week of formula and she was up 7 ounces! Praise God. She's been much happier and I feel a sense of relief and much less anxiety knowing she is getting what she needs now. Emma's pediatrician has been so great and I'm thankful they've been so proactive in regards to her weight having us come in for regular weight checks and staying so involved. 

It's certainly my favorite time of year and there is so much to look forward to and so much to enjoy. Jonathan's work schedule has already started to lighten up a bit thanks to the cooler temps we've been having. He was home yesterday at 2 PM and I couldn't believe it when he walked in the door. I'm so looking forward to celebrating Thanksgiving and gearing up for our first Christmas as a family of three. Tomorrow we are hosting adult field day and I can't wait. We did this last year to celebrate my sister's birthday and it was a huge success so I've been excited to put another one together! The weather is supposed to be perfect and it'll be fun to have a big group of friends and family together. 

On that note, I have quite a list of chores to get done to prepare so I'm out of here. I will leave you with this adorable photo of our happy little girl.

I hope your weekend of full of fun, beautiful weather and lots of adventure. 

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Life This Week

It's 11 PM on Friday night. I'm sitting in bed on my third glass of wine. Emma is snoozing away in her Rock n' Play and Abby is snuggled in between me and Jonathan in bed. Taylor cat is literally just sitting on the floor next to the bed looking around the room judging all of us, I assume. It may partially be the wine talking, but I feel so happy right now. In all honesty, I'd be feeling this way with or without the wine but that is beside the point. I feel like the days go by in such a blur right now and no matter how tired I am at night when we all get to bed, I can't help but stay awake sometimes. It's my chance to soak it all in, to have a minute to myself, to just be. Either way, right now feels like a good time to talk about this week.

Sadly, I didn't set any goals for the week, but I'm not beating myself up too badly about it.

This week:

- I completed week 4 of Couch 2 5K for the second week in a row. I wasn't feeling quite ready to move on to week 5, so I repeated week 4 and I'm glad I did. Week 4 consists of the following: run for 3 minutes, walk for 90 seconds, run for 5 minutes, walk for 2.5 minutes; repeat. It's sad to say but I struggled through every workout. To be honest, I feel discouraged and frustrated because I remember a time when this was actually enjoyable for me and I want so badly to be there again. It's taking time and it's a struggle right now, but feeling frustrated and discouraged only makes me want to keep going, so there's that. 

- At one point, we had baby poop dripping down our wall...and then had to be the one who cleaned it up. Trust me when I say you don't want to hear or see anymore about this experience. 

- I broke down in tears when Jonathan got home from work on Wednesday. I was feeling overwhelmed...tired....emotional. Some days I feel like I'm crushing it and other days, I feel like I'm not doing anything well at all. Wednesday was just one of those days. A good hug and some encouragement from my husband and I was feeling much better. Can I still blame these random crying episodes on hormones? Just curious...

- I accidentally brought Taylor Cat on a walk with us and she almost ran away for good. 

- I wore leggings every day. #momlife

Saturday is shaping up to be a good one. Emma and I are meeting up with my mom for some shopping and girl time. I can't wait! 

Hope your weekend is full of whatever makes you happy!

Counting Our Rainbows: Life Last Week/Weekend

Well, hello! I used to say "Count your rainbows, not your thunderstorms" all the time and I can't think of a more fitting title for this week/weekend recap.

I meant to pop in late last week but Hurricane Matthew made for a somewhat unproductive few days. Once we got word the storm was coming for us, we were pretty preoccupied Wednesday and Thursday making sure we were prepared for the worst. We were supposed to get the worst of the storm early Friday morning and most of the day so on Thursday night we settled in with a movie and some wine as we watched the weather get progressively worse. Thankfully we didn't get hit as badly as expected, but we lost power Friday morning and didn't get it back until late Saturday morning. We were incredibly grateful we were spared from the tremendous damage other areas faced and we actually really enjoyed our day together at home on Friday with our little family. It was nice to have a day at home together without any of the usual distractions like technology and work.

I do have to admit by Saturday morning, I was starting to get a little stir crazy and uncomfortable with no power in the house. I made plans to have a lunch date with my sister and in the meantime, our power came back on and I was able to clean up around the house a bit so we could enjoy the rest of our weekend. Emma and I had a great visit and lunch date with my sister while Jonathan finished working. Saturday night, we dropped Emma off at her grandparents' and went out for dinner and a movie. We saw Girl on the Train and I thought they did a pretty good job of turning the book into a movie!

We woke up Sunday to the most gorgeous, sunny day. So beautiful, it was hard to believe we'd just had a hurricane roll through two days before.

I told Jonathan I really want to take Abby out to a dog park or something. After being cooped up in the house for a few days because of the storm and us not having a fenced in yard for her to really run around in, I felt like she could really use a day out and some serious playtime. Jonathan made us breakfast in bed and we watched church service while we ate and loved on baby Emma.

We packed up our little family and headed to a great park about 40 minutes from us for some outdoor fun and we had the absolute best day together. We called it Abby's Big Day Out but really, it was such a special day for all of us!

I could complain about the storm or our power being out for 24 hours over the weekend. I could comment on this election and all the negativity it's bringing. I could be preoccupied with all the negativity I feel like we hear daily. Instead, I'll just say I'm grateful. I'm grateful for the quality time we got as a family because of Hurricane Matthew. I'm grateful our power was restored and that losing power for 24 hours was the worst of our troubles. I'm grateful that with all the negativity in the world, we get to control how we react to it. We get to choose how it affects us. We get to influence our children in such a positive way that no matter what horrors are going on in the world, they are good and decent individuals who rise above it.

One of our pastors said this on Sunday, "The news is bad, but God is good" and I've just kept repeating that to myself since then. So simple, but such a necessary reminder, I think. The news is seriously so bad, but God is so incredibly good.

Life This Week

Hello! Happy Friday.

I have several posts in my drafts...topic ideas that pop into my head and I intend to come back and actually write them but that has yet to happen. In the meantime, I like these Friday posts to recap the week a bit and they seem to be all I can manage to post lately!

This week has felt...long. I can't explain it but I felt like the week dragged on and for most of it, I felt completely exhausted. The last week of every month now means I spend a lot of time working for Jonathan. Since I'm helping him with the administrative side of his business now, I take care of his invoicing at the end of every month which means this week, that was my main priority every day, aside from taking care of our sweet little girl, of course!

Since I needed to make sure I focused on getting my work done this week, my goals weren't super ambitious, or so you might think, but they're still things I wanted to make sure I accomplished.

My three goals for the week:

1. Complete Week #3 of Couch25K
2. Finish Girl on the Train
3. Go on at least 2 walks with Emma & Abby

I successfully completed week 3 of Couch25K despite struggling a lot through every workout. My knees are hurting bad which is probably just because I hadn't done much more than walking for the last few months. Hopefully the pain subsides here in the next week or so but in the meantime, I still powered through the workouts and it feels good to have 3 weeks done!

In my excitement over the movie coming out next week, I wanted to re-read Girl on the Train since it had been a while. Nursing Emma is a great time for me to get some good reading time in and that's exactly what I did this week. I actually finished the book this morning and now I'm extra pumped to see the movie when it comes out next weekend -- that is assuming we can sneak away for a date night, of course!

There are so many reasons why I need to make sure I get outside and walk with the girls a few times a week, but I've been so focused on setting aside an hour for me to workout that I'm not usually in the mood to head outside in this Florida heat. Abby loves hanging out with me all day and she plays quite a bit, but with a newborn around she doesn't get as much playtime as she used to and with all her energy, she loves getting outside for a walk. On top of that, we don't get out of the house much most weeks and while I don't always feel up to the production of taking Emma out and about, for my sanity, I need to make sure I get out and enjoy some fresh, albeit humid air every now and then. We were able to make it out for 2 walks this week and I'm hoping as the temperature eventually drops a bit, I'll be better about doing this more often throughout the week.



In other, very exciting news, today our Emma Joy is 2 months old! It's hard to believe it's been a whole 2 months since they placed this sweet girl on my chest and everything I'd just been through to get her out suddenly seemed like a walk in the park because I knew in that instant, I would do it over and over again if it meant feeling love like this. By now I've realized I never shared Emma's birth story and at this point, I can only hope it'll happen before her first birthday (haha). I'll post more next week for her 2 month update, but all I can say is the last two months have been an incredible gift.

I watched this video yesterday morning and I'm still laughing about it. Perhaps I can relate to too many lines in this song, but either way, it's amazing.

I also feel like you need to know about this candle we bought. My baby sister was raving about this candle to me last weekend and if this girl recommends something to me, I listen. It takes a lot for her to like something so much that she recommends it to anyone and I get it -- if something doesn't live up to the hype, you always hear about it. When she told me how amazing this candle was and that we had to see-- or smell for ourselves, I ordered it immediately. Within minutes of lighting it, I was pretty certain this is what heaven probably smells like.

That's a wrap! I'll be back next week with Emma's 2 month birthday post and hopefully more if I can find some time to write this weekend. I hope you have a happy weekend!

Life This Week

Hello and happy Friday! I'm a little surprised lately when I actually know what day of the week it is. The days fly by being home alone with our little one. I'm going, going, going from 5 or 6 a.m. until we get her down for the night. Thankfully, she's still sleeping through the night so I'm feeling well-rested and I'm so thankful for that but still, I've never felt so scatterbrained.

This week has felt particularly chaotic. Jonathan started out the week feeling sick and I did everything in my power to keep it from getting worse and/or spreading to the rest of us. Tuesday, he injured himself at work and while it could have been much worse, it made for quite an afternoon/evening. Wednesday, Emma and I got stranded at her doctor appointment when the car wouldn't start. Thank goodness for the kindness of two strangers who helped jump-start the car so we could be on our way. On top of all that, we've had doctors appointments and errands galore this week.

I also transitioned Emma to her crib for daytime naps and she is adjusting pretty well. She's pretty fussy when I first put her down and it can take a few minutes and a few times going back in there to settle her down but once she's out she sleeps great in there. I'm hoping this helps make it easier to move her in there at night once we're ready for that.

I've exercised every day this week. That makes two weeks in a row and I'm celebrating this minor accomplishment. I'm still doing a 21 Day Fix Extreme workout each day and this week, I started Couch25K again. I have a long way to go before I feel like I'm getting where I want to be, but it feels really good to know I'm doing something about it. When I feel overwhelmed by how far I have to go, I'm trying to focus on the reasons why I'm doing it. I got to a point a few years ago where I loved exercise and enjoyed running. I was the happiest I've ever been at that point in my life. I had so much energy and my mind was in such a good place because I felt so good. I want to be that person again. I owe it to myself and my family to be the best version of me and that's what I need to focus on. 

I made this chicken pot pie recipe for the first time earlier this week and it was incredible. Jonathan was under the weather and I wanted to make him some comfort food. I had found the recipe on Pinterest a few weeks ago and I was feeling ambitious, I guess. I rarely make chicken pot pie because it's not the healthiest of dinners, but this will absolutely be my go-to recipe in the future. 

I brought Emma in for another weight check with her pediatrician Wednesday. Our little lady is up to 9 lbs, 8 oz and I finally feel like I can really relax now because she's gaining weight like a champ. I've mentioned she struggled to put on weight in the beginning and we had to supplement from the start. At that point I decided I needed to be realistic when it comes to breastfeeding and that if we had to switch her to formula exclusively because that was best for her, I would be okay with it knowing we gave it a good try. Seven weeks in and I'm still nursing and even cut back to supplementing after every other feeding. This makes me really happy. Not only are we saving money not having to buy formula too often, but I love our time together when I'm nursing Emma and I plan to soak it in for as long as it lasts.

It's been quite a week around here, but that just makes me more thankful for the fact that we're off to spend the weekend at the beach with some friends of ours. That's right. We're dropping Abby off at her grandparents' house tonight and we'll be off with baby Emma to spend a few days relaxing and spending some major quality time together. It's our first little getaway as a family of 3 and to say I'm looking forward to it would be a huge understatement. I have big plans. I want to drink mimosas on the deck Saturday morning. I want to re-read The Girl on the Train (the movie is coming out soon and I want to refresh my memory before we see it!). I want to go on an early morning walk on the beach with this little family of mine. I just can't wait. 

The End of 2015 (Things I Meant to Blog About But Didn't)

Even though I feel like I either napped or wanted to nap throughout the last few months of 2015, we still had a lot of fun and excitement that is absolutely worth sharing. 

In early December, my mom and I went up to Buffalo to visit my sister and her precious children. Traveling with my mom is always the best and what made this trip even better is that my sister was under the impression that I was the only one coming. We surprised her so good by having my mom hang back and come down the escalator a few minutes after I did. It was so great. I was able to get the whole surprise on video and if only I could figure out how to get it from my phone onto the blog post I'd share it with all of you because it is the best. I also got to tell my sweet sister in person that I was pregnant which was super special. We came up with a sneaky surprise for this too -- which I also got on video and it is priceless. I really wish I knew how to get those dang videos on here...

Our timing was perfect because we got to attend this cutie's third birthday party. This kid loves trucks and tractors like you wouldn't believe so my sister threw the cutest construction-themed party - hard hats and all!

A few weeks before our trip, I saw a picture of my sweet nine-year-old niece making a duck face and I made it my personal mission to put a stop to this as soon as humanly possible. Here is just one of many chats where I was explaining to her that wholesome, happy smiles are totally in right now. 

I love these sweet weekend visits to give me a little dose of these guys and knowing we get to see them again in March made leaving them just a little easier this time.

I wasn't even around enough in November to share that we decided to get a goldendoodle puppy. On Thanksgiving weekend, we went and picked out this angel....

...and we got to bring her home for good just before Christmas -- quite the perfect little Christmas gift for us this year.

Her name is Abby and she is now 12 weeks old and full of energy and sweetness. The great thing about all this is that Taylor cat is actually adjusting pretty well to her new sister. I can't say she is thrilled with the whole situation, but thankfully it's going much better than expected.

Like I said, Taylor isn't thrilled as you can see by her facial expression above, but she is hanging in there.

We did the usual Christmas activities like going to pick out our tree, walking around our town to see the lights and taking too many photos of our pets near the Christmas tree...

We celebrated Christmas day at my parents house, hosted a small NYE celebration at our house and proceeded to enjoy our annual New Year's Day ritual of doing absolutely nothing.

Thankfully Abby went along with our lazy New Year's Day plans for the most part. Other than a few spurts of spastic energy, she was quite the snuggle and nap partner.

On January 3rd, we celebrated our 2nd wedding anniversary. It was our last day before getting back into the swing of things with work and whatnot, so we had a low-key day at home and went out for a nice dinner that evening. With a little babe on the way, I couldn't help but think of how much will change in our third year of marriage. We have lots of decisions and changes on the way but I couldn't be more excited to experience it all with this incredible human being. 

The tail end of 2015 was a whirlwind and we certainly started 2016 feeling hopeful and excited about the new year. I hope yours is off to a happy and healthy start!