3 2 weeks pregnancy update

okay sooo, once again a post that's been long overdue.  i'm gonna just go ahead and blame it on the weather since it's been so crazy lately.... after all we did get home from our trip to Galveston literally a day before Harvey hit!  on that note-- a huge thank you to all of you that reached out to make sure we were safe, offered a place to stay, and prayed for us non-stop.  we are so blessed to live in a neighborhood that has good drainage and the only thing we can even "complain" about was the cabin fever.  after seeing what so many other people are going through, i will take cabin fever 1,000 times over again.  please keep those prayers coming for everyone that was greatly effected by the storm(s), i know they are appreciated 100%.

okay, on to our little, or not so little, updates!  at 32 weeks pregnant i'm feeling all the feels and so ready to be done.  but i also know i am so blessed to be able to carry this little life inside of me so i have to try my best to not complain (which is super difficult 🙈) about the temporary pains i'm going through...  let's just say compression socks are my accessory of umm, "choice" these days?  but really- the vein situation in my legs is just ridiculous and i'm super ready to feel normal again.  whatever that means.  also, when the doctor says she thinks you're measuring small you take that as a sign to eat alllll the chips & queso.  i mean, i'm doing it to help the baby bulk up, right?  at least that's what i'm telling myself.  and i'll just keep ignoring the fact that the scale IS going up despite the size of my stomach, which honestly seems huge to me and i'm willing to bet baby girl is gonna be right up there with her siblings weighing over 8lbs. and hardly even able to fit into newborn clothes. but i'll take any excuse i can get, someone pass me the chips....

-A

dress: similar || button down: similar

20 weeks pregnant & my daily fuel

helllooo 20 week baby bump! and woah, already half way done!!

dress (non-maternity): target

so i thought i'd start sharing some maternity style posts in the event that it inspires any other pregnant ladies out there that are struggling with dressing this new little (or not so little!) baby bump.  something i've learned since being pregnant now 3 times over: you do not have to sacrifice personal style when it comes to being pregnant.  it's all about what YOU like and what makes YOU feel beautiful.  after all, your body is doing something absolutely incredible--making a tiny little human life! but, i obviously know the shock of seeing the changes that happen to your body while this awesome process is going on.  it can be uncomfortable (if you're not there yet just wait, it'll happen ;) and sometimes even the teeny tiniest bit saddening (thanks hormones!) to see the way your new body looks.  but one thing to remember is that the whole process is SO worth it.  like 1,000 times over worth it.  or in my case, 3 times haha.  in the end, the only thing that matters is a healthy baby & a healthy mama. So on that note, lets get down to business!
("to defeat, the Huns!"--Mulan reference, i couldn't resist)

this sleeveless shirt dress is the perfect summer time maternity staple piece!  it's so lightweight & flowy, which is what I'm loving and basically living in right now (excluding my everyday morning/afternoon ensemble of workout shorts & tanks;)  due to scorching outdoor temps.  and I just love the simplicity of it, its one of those dresses that doesn't really need anything added to make it look complete.

mug: world market || heart pendant: similar

well, that's not totally true...  my only add-on would be a mug of espresso, or three, to make it 

through the rest of the day ;) 

happy weekend all! 

-A

a Secret Garden Birthday party

on may 22nd our little Zo turned 3 years old. now to most people this wouldn't seem very old but to my husband and I it seems more like she turned 13.  and I'm not just referring to the attitude, heaven knows she's got one though, the term "threenager" is no joke...  anyways, her turning three was just one more reminder of how quickly time really does go by.  it seems like just a few months ago she was hardly talking and now she carries on full conversations every second of the day.  No really, the talking never. stops.  and even though it's sometimes tiring answering the same question over and over again (and again and again) it's also fascinating to listen to her learn to put correct words together and have conversations with just about anything and everything.  Her little imagination is expanding every day and I love seeing her use it so often and seeing the creativity that comes with it.  I don't think a meal goes by without one of her utensils turning into a friend that talks to her hand while the hand answers back about whatever kind of food it got on itself.   and even though I know I should be correcting her for playing with her food at the table, it's seriously hilarious to watch and I'd be lying if I said I don't usually answer the questions her fork asks me all the time...

she's three now so obviously she has to start practicing her makeup haha 

Okay, on to the birthday party!

As I mentioned in my last post, Zo is obsessed with all things garden related so the theme of her party was decided pretty quickly once I started looking at Pinterest with her and she got excited over every "Secret Garden" birthday Pin she saw. and since it was a toddler party we decided to make it a brunch theme and the timing worked out perfectly for everyone!  not to mention, how fun is brunch food especially when donuts are involved?! and so--with help from my awesome husband, my awesome mom & equally awesome siblings, the party turned out almost as perfect & beautiful as the birthday girl herself.
thank you so much to everyone that came and helped us celebrate this little lady!  She had the absolute best birthday and talks about her party all the time  :)

this floral garland made the perfect backdrop for the food table and to be honest, it's still hanging up... we just can't bring ourselves to take it down, every time the sun shines through the window it looks so pretty! eventually it'll come down, but for now--we're gonna keep it up, in the spirit of birthdays ;) 

Donuts & chick-fil-a are basically a guaranteed hit with all ages

it took my sisters and I the longest time to decide where to hang these paper fans & pom-poms but once we finally tried them in the entryway we fell in love with the way they turned out!  p.s. don't mind Greg hard at work back there ;)

favors!  sticking with the garden theme, I picked up some small tin buckets and filled them with vegetable/fruit seed packets, bubbles & lollipops

the necessities for the adults ;) 

one of my favorite family photos!  I love this little clan of mine. 

like I said, who can resist donuts? 

Peter was a big fan of the cupcakes as well 

this bouquet arrangement set (link below) turned out to be one of her favorites gifts!  she uses it every day and it's perfect for expanding both her imagination and fine motor skills.  

bouquet arrangement set

 

my sister is graduating with a nursing degree(!) so naturally she had to gift zo with a medical kit.  and not just any kind, a pediatric nurses kit!  zo absolutely loves it and uses it on all of her animals or whoever is willing to be her patient.

this girl partied hard and was so worn out she passed out on the floor in the corner of the couch shortly after bath time. i think it's safe to say she had the perfect birthday :) 

life updates & new little personalities

oh my, it's been a while since my last post. A lonnngg while... I have plenty of excuses but will just chalk it up to everyday life around here-- keeping up with a 14month old, a 3 year old (how?!) and being 5months pregnant keeps me extra busy & extra tired!

so here's just a few life updates before I get on to doing regular posting:

-first & most importantly: we are SO excited to be welcoming another little life into our family come November!  Baby's due date is november 7th but will be a scheduled c-section so unless they come early it'll either be October 31st (boo!) or November 1st :) we still don't know the gender as of yet and I was leaning towards boy but now I'm feeling girl... which would be perfect cause we have plenty of girl clothes to pass down but Peter has basically destroyed all of his clothes already. #allboy.  really though, so far this has been an extremely easy pregnancy, which im so thankful for, and it would be awesome if it stayed that way!  now our next big decision is deciding what kind of car to upgrade to since my car will no longer be big enough for our little crew once baby comes.  Currently stuck between a mini van and a suburban... please feel free to recommend away haha!

⁃ Zo turned 3 years old on May 22nd and I'm kinda in denial about it.  we threw her a real birthday party this year cause she is birthday obsessed, so much so that she plays birthday party with herself all the time haha. it was such a fun day for all of us and she had an absolute blast!  will be posting
about it soon :)  it's so hard to believe how quickly she's growing up!  But honestly, we are loving this
stage of her life (so far haha)!  she's almost fully potty trained (which turned out to be waaay easier than we thought it would be!) she talks allll day long, loves singing & dancing, has taken a big interest in puzzles, the solar system and is obsessed with all things garden, floral & nature related.
and since the talking is basically 24/7 I've started keeping little notes of things she says cause they can be pretty hilarious sometimes, and I also want to have proof of these sassy little remakes to show her when she grows up ;) one of my all time faves (so far) was when my sister was visiting and we were chatting it up, like sisters do after not seeing each other for a while, and Zo apparently had enough of us and finally just blurts out "alright alright that's enough talking!" hahaha!  the girl is sassy but adorable, such a great combo ;)

the boy in his natural habitat

⁃ Peter Man (as his sister likes to call him) has developed quite the little personality too and he's not afraid to show it... Now, he's almost always smiling and just has the cutest little grin ever--unless you go outside without him, then he losses his little mind. no really, he screams and throws himself on the
floor cause he wants to get out so badly.  he'll stand by our back windows banging on them and yelling to go outside (in his own little language) and if you don't listen to him he'll go find some shoes to bring to you, even if they aren't yours or don't match, and repeatedly hold them up to you saying "dis (this) dis!" until you finally give in and take him outside even though it's already 90 degrees and humid as a rain forest.  I swear he'd live outside if he could. Like I said #allboy.  oh, and he still hasn't said "mama" yet. *eye roll*

That's about it for the "fun" life updates! we're over here bracing ourselves for the hot season that's already upon us and preparing to spend a lot of time playing in the pool, water table & sprinkler.  So bring on the heat, cause I've already stocked the freezer with multiple kinds of ice pops. Summer 2017, we're ready for you.

love,
amy

early to bed early to rise

top: Francesca's similar, similar, similar, similar|| jeans: Francesca's || moccasins: Minnetonka || bracelet: Bela bracelets

fun little story to go with this weeks fashion post:  the other day i took my car in to get the oil changed.  took both kids with me and got there around 3:30, didn't end up leaving till about 4:45... yikes.  but, this car shop is nice y'all.  it has a cute little coffee station set up, iPads you can play on while you wait and the absolute best part?  they have a whole separate toy room that's closed off from the rest of the shop!  genius, right?!  why doesn't every store have one of those?? the kids LOVED it!  who ever thought that going to the auto shop would be fun for anyone, especially with kids?!  zo loved it so much she actually didn't want to leave once the car was finally done...  but back to my story-- as we're waiting one of the mechanics came in just to chat and as we got to talking about the kids he starts telling a story that has to do with his children.  he started it off with "so my wife and i are getting ready for bed it's like 10:30ish, oh and this is what happens by the way, you turn into an old person who can't stay up late anymore due to kids."  that's when i stopped him and was like "um don't wanna brag or anything but i was in bed by 9:30 last night..."  sooo basically if we were having a competition for who feels older/is in bed the earliest, clearly I won ;) #whatshappenedtome  #upallnight #notbychoice 

so anyways, enough bragging about my early bedtimes--On to this outfit!  i've clearly been on a Francesca's kick lately cause i feel like the only outfits i post these days are pieces from there...  

i love these grey washed destroyed jeans and guess what?  They're on sale for $14.99 right now!  highly recommend them.  i bought this top pretty recently but it must've been a hot seller cause it's unavailable now, I've linked a few similar options though. all of them would be perfect for valentines outfits, just sayin ;)  and these deerskin moccasins are seriously the most comfortable shoes ever.  i bought them years ago (like pre-kid, pre-married years ago) and they are still in great shape!  if you've been on the hunt for stylish & comfy moccasins i highly recommend this brand.  

happy Friday y'all!  Hope everyone has had a good week so far!  don't forget to subscribe (in the upper right hand corner!) to stay up to date on all of our recent posts & happenings! 

glasses: oliver peoples

I think the kids will happily go back to the car shop at any moment now....

~amy 

a lesson on staying humble

shirt: francesca's|| tank: target|| leggings: target|| shoes: keds

the day after thanksgiving we broke out the Christmas boxes and began the task of decking the halls, helllooo all things Christmassy!!  we have almost all of our decor up excluding the outside lights, we'll see if those ever make it up...  and it has actually been chilly this week! Our high tomorrow is only 56!  oh yes, we're gonna freeze ;) i did make it out black friday shopping with my sister and scored some pretty sweet deals, this shirt being one of my favorite items.  but first a little back story to give you a laugh-- 

the conversation I had with my sister thanksgiving night:

me- "so i'm thinking we'll get up around 6am and then leave shortly after we're done getting ready." 

sis- "okay sounds good!"

me- "sooo, are you gonna need me to wake you up or will you set an alarm?" 

sis- "oh no, i think i'll be fine just using my alarm.  no need to wake me up"

me-  "are you sure?..."

Sis- "haha yeah, i think i'll be okay"

Me- (thinking to myself, she wont be up that early;) "alright if you say so..."

fast forward to friday morning-- most of the night was spent dealing with both kids horrible sleep schedules (or lack thereof), woke up at one point and realized my phone was on my chest.  odd, put it on the nightstand and fell back asleep.  woke up a few hours later and checked my phone thinking it was super early-- nope, almost 7:00am!  kinda freaked out but then thought "eh, no big deal, sis probably isn't awake anyways." got up to go check, made it out to the living room and there she was-- almost 9 month pregnant woman all dressed and ready to go, passed out asleep on the couch.  i felt horrible.  especially because i was giving her such a hard time about getting up on time the night before.  it suddenly made sense why i woke up with my phone on my chest that night, i fell asleep as i was setting an alarm... sigh.  thanks for keeping me humble, Lord. ;)   

so, there's your daily dose of humor for the day.  on to better/comfier things! 

this shirt!  it is sooo soft and comfortable!  i could live in it, and i totally would if i didn't get food, drool and other such lovely things on my clothes on a daily basis (those are due to my kiddos, by the way, just wanted to clarify that.).  my absolute favorite part about this shirt is that it's totally nursing appropriate!  I love when i find normal & cute pieces that'll work for all of the different stages in my life.  my only complaint is that i couldn't find any other colors in my size, if i had i probably would've bought one of each... 

 i got these stirrup leggings from target a couple weeks ago and they're so fun!  my husband says it looks like i'm wearing two pairs of pants or leg warmers over my leggings but i don't care, i still like them!  they fit really well, have a fold down option around the waist and are perfect for working out or just everyday use.  

the shoes: I scored these keds for around $17.00 at our Stridrite due to the store closing, everything was 60% off!  i'm not sure if it's a nationwide thing or if it was just ours but if you have one near you it's worth checking out for sure!   i got zo some of the cutest litte Sperry duck boots, I figured with how much it rains out here she'll (hopefully!) get some good use out of them.  back to my shoes though-- these are super comfy and i wear them basically all day every day.  obvious moral of this post, the comfier the better.  

i hope everyone had a wonderful start to their December & the holiday season!  it's time for me to go change into pjs, make myself a Moscow mule and get to work on Christmas crafts/gifts. 

cheers! 

~amy

p.s
don't forget to subscribe (in the upper right hand corner) to stay up to date on all of our latest posts & happenings! 

what i'm thankful for

•quietish weekend mornings alone with peter while zo sleeps in with daddy.

•almond milk lattes with a splash of mocha kahlua.  why haven't i been starting my day like this every day?! #justkidding #orami 

•chilly fall like weather 

•sweaters, cardigans & layering.  but not for the reason you think.  peter's latest way to fall asleep is by gnawing on my shoulder with his newly debuted top & bottom teeth, all while yelling at the same time.  so i'm thankful for the protection the layers offer cause let me tell you, those teeth are sharp and they hurt! it also means i always have wet/stained spots on my shoulder sleeves too.  oh well, at least he's sleeping! 

•at home date nights.  sushi delivery & wine, while watching a movie (or the office for the 9th-ish time) is our go-to.  a new sushi place just opened up down the street from our neighborhood and we're big fans.  like gone 2 times in the span of 3 days fans. 

•wine 

•tissues.  cause both kiddos are sick and the runny noses are in full swing over here.  

•seeing the kids start to actually play together.  it's one of my new favorite things, catching these sweet moments of them bonding and starting a friendship together are memories i'll always treasure and be thankful for. 

•coffee.  lots of it. 

•getting a morning workout in while peter, surprisingly, slept in.  also-getting to eat a slow breakfast with just zo since he was still sleeping. 

•my sweet sister who took these adorable photos for us.

•all of our family members & friends.  we are so thankful for each and every one of you.

•my amazing husband who shows me every day how much he loves and cares for all of us.  i can't imagine this life without him, i'm so thankful i married my best friend.

•peter & zoey and the love i never knew was possible until i became their mother. 

•. i am so thankful for all that we have been blessed with in our lives, especially the mundane and every day moments that i all too often take for granted.  

•all of the above wouldn't be possible without my faith.  i am most thankful to Our Lord for His ever lasting love and for showing me that love on earth every day, especially through my little family. 

wishing you all the most wonderful thanksgiving. i pray that it is full of family, love, friends, togetherness and, of course, delicious food.  

happy thanksgiving!

~amy

from playground to date night

after having kids your style is bound to change (unless you were all about leggings & t-shirts before. if so, good on you for always being comfortable).  i didn't realize how much mine would change till my daughter hit toddlerhood.  suddenly i went from strappy heels & cute dresses to tennis shoes & yoga pants as my daily go-to outfit.  not that i'm complaining, 'cause one style just so happens to be waaaaay more comfortable than the other and practicality is key for me nowadays.  trying to chase after my 2yr old while holding my 6 month old & wearing heels is like begging for a trip to the ER.  i can just imagine tripping and breaking my ankle.  although i'd probably be given orders to lay down & rest if that actually happened... hmmm.. #mamastired 

where was i going with all of this?  Oh yeah.  even though my style has changed i still try to keep my daily outfits to more than just a t-shit & leggings (who am i kidding, that's my usual look).  oh and in my opinion, as long as my top covers my bum, leggings count as pants.  so for this post i thought i'd share a simple way i took this outfit from "mom mode" to "date night mode" without having to change too much about it.  cause trying to pick out a whole new outfit at the end of the day is just too exhausting #mamastiredforreal 

i started with a casual look--black leggings, a summer sweater (cause it's still waaaay too hot for actual sweaters around here) over a gray tank & vans. this is a perfect playground outfit (where we spend most of our days) but also still stylish. 

sweater, loft(similar)  | tank top, target| leggings, target| shoes (well used haha), vans|

for our "family date night" (meaning we went to dinner with both kids in tow, which is still lots of fun!) i simply rolled my leggings a bit, changed my shoes from vans to cute ankle boots, teased & pinned my hair and added a wrap around watch to dress it up just a bit.  (I would've added a necklace as well but who am i kidding, peter would've ripped it off within a matter of seconds).  and that's it!  isn't it crazy how changing just a few small things can make such a difference?!  now i know that these booties do have a heel but since we were spending the majority of our time sitting in a restaurant i wasn't too worried about the possibility of an ER trip...  also, i'm really trying to pretend it's cold enough to wear boots around here!  

boots, top moda (similar) | watch, La Mer|

do you have any tips for taking your look from "mom mode" to "date mode"?  be sure to comment if you do & don't forget to subscribe by email to stay up to date on all of our recent happenings! 

happy friday!

~amy

bohemian vibes

for my first fashion post i'd like to start off by saying that since i'm currently breastfeeding my 5 month old i have to make sure every outfit i wear is easy access nursing approved.  i have a post in the works dedicated to fashion while breastfeeding so keep an eye out for that!  until then- here is a casual outfit that is nursing friendly, due to the flowy tank, and still stylish.  i'm loving this whole bohemian vibe summer & fall fashion has taken, it's so laid back and cute!  i got this kimono earlier this year but I've seen some adorable ones at target lately and it's all i can do to not buy them all... #targetdoesitagain 

p.s. how cute is my little photo-bomber?! 

kimono: target similar top: Francesca's similar, shorts banana republic similar, sandals: target