My world

- “how do you do it with three so close in age!?” 

- “Wow you have your hands full, you must be exhausted!” 

- “I don’t know how you do it?!”

-“wow you’ve been busy!”

-“do you ever sleep??”

The list goes on...

I’ve heard all of these and more from random (and hopefully well meaning:) people! 

And while there are plenty of days where I honestly don’t know how I “do it” and I am SO beyond exhausted, those are the days that I have to remind myself just how blessed I really am.  How do I do it?!  With help from my super awesome husband, coffee (so much coffee) but most of all, I remind myself that my “tough days” are someone else’s dream days 💕 and this girl in the picture above, she’s so worth it.  

They all are.  

I’m trying to get back in the groove of blogging wayyy more often but as stated above, I’m pretty tired these days ;) here’s to hoping for more sleep so I can get back at it again soon! 

Happy weekend! 

-A

Welcome back

excuse me while I go cry into my pillow about how tiny and adorable she used to be! oh well, at least she’s still adorable ❤️

Well here we are!  Only a little over four-ish months since I’ve found the time jot out some thoughts on this little blog.  Adding a third baby into the mix has certainly been an adjustment, to say the least, but an extremely happy one. Our little Alice Olivia was born on October 31st (boo!) and has been such a blessing to our family.  She is the happiest little baby and even though we are going through a rough patch right now (thanks teething), she is our first baby that actually likes sleeping!  *cue angelic choir* thank you Lord!! Even when she is fussy you can almost always get a grin out of her just by getting in her face and talking.  

Her older siblings absolutely adore her!  Although to be honest it did not start out that way... Zo always loved her but she wasn’t a fan of Alice crying, and whenever she did cry Zo’s response was to cover her ears and yell at the top of her lungs “Mom!  Alice is cryyyinggg! Get her, get her, get her!” Peter eventually caught on and started mimicking his sister by covering his ears and yelling- “loud loud, crying crying!”  which is pretty ridiculous considering the fact that he used to like yelling just for fun... 

both older siblings are MUCH better with Alice now and instead of running away when she cries (which honestly is pretty rare) they run to her and attempt to soothe her until I can take over.  Zo loves making her smile and laugh and just seeing the friendship they are already developing makes my heart so happy.  There’s nothing quite like the bond between sisters❤️

Adjusting to life with three has had its complications for sure,  (Getting out of the house with all three on my own seemed nearly impossible, but I feel like that’s due  a post all of its own ;) but I wouldn’t trade it for anything.  Alice is seriously the most chill and easy going baby.  I feel spoiled with how easy she has been but at the same time, her siblings were very difficult babies so maybe I’ve finally paid my dues and I do actually deserve an easy baby for once?  Well, I don’t deserve her (does anyone ever truly deserve the completely selfless love of a baby??) but I am SO thankful God chose me to be her mother.

Little Alice Olivia, you are loved beyond measure ❤️

Thanks for stopping by to read our quick little family update!  Stay tuned for more adventures and don’t forget to subscribe in the top right corner to follow along! 

-A

picking pumpkins

well it's finally starting to feel like fall here in Houston, TX.  took long enough ;) and even though it's that awkward fall weather where you can wear sweaters for the beginning of the day and then need to change into a t-shirt & shorts come 12:00pm, I don't mind.  hey at least it's below 85 outside!
in honor of the "cooler"'weather i took the kiddos to the pumpkin patch and let them both pick out there own little pumpkin.  now these kids are obsessed with pumpkins so seeing their faces light up at the sight of it all was adorable and so special!

 also, how cute are their little outfits?! these are from a small Etsy shop that's run by a fabulous mama who we met through our local Hike it Baby group.  she is so talented and these clothes are seriously so soft & comfy feeling!  be sure to check out her shop Little Wild Sprouts   and you can also use code: KLING4LWS1 for a 15% discount on your order! :)

I just love that in the end, Peter picked a bigger pumpkin than Zo...  she didn't want to have to carry anything that was heavier than the teeny tiny one she chose.  Meanwhile, Peter wanted a bigger one but finally accepted defeat after failing to lift the monster size ones and went with one that was small but still bigger than his sister's. 

happy fall y'all!  baby sister is coming on the 31st so this might be our last little post for a while!  wishing you all a wonderful rest of your week and happy Halloween! 

-A 

s m a l l v i c t o r i e s

currently 28 weeks pregnant and feeling all kinds of tired & huge but here's a random little list of small victories/moments that make me smile.  also it helps me procrastinate all the packing i should be doing for our beach trip tomorrow...

•this little gem of zo reading her brother his favorite book

•she is also obsessed with feeling baby kick and move.  at first it seemed to scare her but now she loves it and asks all the time if baby is awake.

•took both kids by myself on a mini vacay/road trip to Waco & Fort Worth to visit family a few weeks ago.   zo had been begging and begging to get to see her cousins for weeks so i finally gave in and made the drive.  getting to see family is always good for everyone, and zo was not ready to come home but eventually she got over having to return to her endless amount of toys and only peter to play with.  she's got a rough life.

•being up for hours in the middle of the night with PB and still somehow managing to make it through the next day, thank you caffeine.

•when it's raining cats & dogs outside but you have to go to target (with both kids) and you realize your rain boots perfectly hide your super cute compression socks #glamourspregnancy
can it just be rainy every day?  no wait--that would just induce cabin fever and that's never a good thing with two littles...

dress: loft similar , similar short sleeve || rain boots: similar

•making it out of target without O N E impulse buy!  i made the mistake of telling this one to greg, his response-- "wait, so every time you go to target you end up coming home with something that wasn't on your list?!"  umm no.  that almost never happens... nope, never.  moving on!

•grocery shopping, *que the music* allll by myselfffff!

•this Instagram post where i raved all about our trip to Costco. *spoiler alert* we were in there for less than an hour and left, again, with no impulse buys!

•poor greg was so hoping zo would be his rock climbing child but this girl has the upper body strength of a newborn bird. peter, on the other hand pulls our solid wooden dining chairs out while zo is sitting in one every time she's done eating so she can get down.  sometimes he does this with one arm...  pretty sure that's daddy's futer climbing partner.

•getting allll the laundry done in one day.  i'm talking towels, bed linens, kids clothes & our clothes all washed, dried and folded in  O N E day!  yup, was feeling pretty accomplished that day. 

•counting down the hours  till we leave for our little beach getaway.  still avoiding that packing though...

•currently praying away the snot & cough that peter came down with.  please please feel better by sunday and please please let no one else get sick!

•have a happy weekend everyone! 

-A

24 weeks pregnant & learning to relax

chambray button down: similar || denim maternity shorts: similar ASOS (shout out to awesome friends who loan you cute & perfect summer maternity clothes!:) || tank top: target || glasses: Oliver Peoples

well i am now 24 weeks along with this little pumpkin and she has really made an appearance this past week!  talkin' helloooww baby bump!  still no complaints over here excluding my bulging veins (which i briefly mentioned in my last post) in my legs which sometimes hurt quite a bit after being on my feet all day. so i've been trying to make more of an effort to sit down and prop my feet up, while wearing my ultra chic compression socks(!), a few times a day but i'm not gonna lie, it's hard.  and it's not just because of the two kids who come over immediately once they see me sit down demanding i hold one of them, play with the other and then continue to climb/kick all over me... this is how i imagine it goes in their heads-- "look! mom's sitting down! hey from this angle she looks like she'd make the perfect playground!  quick, lets go climb/beat up all over her!" thanks kids.. it's no biggie, really haha.

but honestly, i think too often i end up feeling guilty for taking just 5 minutes to myself sitting down and resting when i know there are SO many other things i need to/should get done instead.  and it doesn't help that once i'm actually sitting on the couch it makes me realize just how tired i actually feel, which then makes me realize i should make a coffee to get through the rest of the day and as i've mentioned before, it's a whole family affair when it comes to making mom's coffee... Sooo long story short, i'm working on letting myself rest more and telling myself that it's just as important as cleaning the kitchen, putting away the laundry and fetching individual snacks 1,000 times a day.  i think  i'm making some pretty big strides!  the other night i went to Aldi and got a large frozen pizza that we all had for dinner and didn't allow myself to feel one ounce of guilt about it.  i mean- i did steam some broccoli as a side so it wasn't totally unhealthy ;) but still-- little to no clean up, full bellies and time to relax/play after dinner with the kids was pretty perfect.  #itsthelittlethingsinlife

congratulations everyone, we made it through monday!  thank goodness for afternoon target trips which include coffee, cake pops & strolling the toy aisles with friends :) 

-A


*this post contains affiliate links which means by clicking these links i may receive a small commission on some items at no extra cost to you :) 

a peter rabbit nursery

Our Little Peter bunny has had a rough week, especially sleep-wise.  it's all due to some hardcore teething & i'm assuming, an intense growth spurt (at least I'm hoping that's what it is) and the poor kid is just a mess 85% of the day. he was so tired this week he's fallen asleep on the floor drinking his milk before 6pm four different times!  he barely even woke up when i changed his diaper and transferred him to his bed.  our kids are notoriously bad sleepers and this has NEVER happened for him, he usually has to fall asleep in his crib, noise machine on & holding my hand while sing to him over and over again.  

but two nights ago the stars aligned, the heavens parted and PB slept straight through the night!!!  the only time i woke up was to go to the bathroom #pregnancyproblems but the rest of the night was pure bliss.  well, excluding the toddler who comes in every night and takes up the entire bed... and after getting such a good night of rest you'd think PB would be nothing but sunshine & a smiles the entire day but nooo, he was ready to take a nap by 10:30am, and that was pushing it, he wanted to go down around 9! #growthspurt much?! i just had to keep reminding myself all day to be thankful for the uninterrupted sleep i got that night and the beauty that is caffeine. Annnnd then there was last night where i didn't end up getting into bed till 3am thanks to the little man... reminding myself over and over how great that previous night was and wishing there was a way to store up on sleep for later ;)  

so while we wait for this odd little phase to pass, i thought it might be a good time to share this little bunny's room now that it's (mostly) done!

nightstand: i just used an empty white crate i had and stood it up vertically!  this one is pretty similar and i'm loving the rustic finish on it || lamp: similar || yarn wall tapestry: this one was handmade by yours truly but you can find some gorgeous & totally unique ones here on Etsy

oh yeah, the baby in that picture fram is totally not Peter... note to self-- order baby pictures. 

Crib: IKEA || rug: Target || hamper/basket:HomeGoods  

shelf: homegoods Similar || book: amazon

given his name, he's obviously gonna be gifted plenty of Peter Rabbit inspired items and we are not complaining one bit!  we call him "Peter rabbit" & "Peter bunny" all the time so the theme fits :) 

 

wreath: Magnolia Market  || Peter Rabbit bunny: Amazon   

Peter just adores those little bunnies.  When it's time for bed we'll say-- "go find your bunnies and bring them to bed." He gets so excited collecting them from wherever they are laying around the house and waddles away into his room where he lays on the floor cuddling/hugging them :) 

oh, and fun fact-- that blanket behind the bunnies was Greg's baby blanket. 

changing table: IKEA   

string lights: target 

mirror: target similar  || rocking chair: similar

his "throwing a fit" position.   

wood block sign: Amazon  

so much truth on that little sign... and how cute are those elephant booties my sis crocheted for him?! :)

hope you all have a wonderful & relaxing weekend! 

-A 

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

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

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