learning to slow down

leotard: Alice & Ames  

these past few days Zo has tried my patience like none other.  the main cause of it is most likely due to lack of sleep on both our parts.  for some reason she's been waking up around 1-2am and not going back to sleep till almost 5am. then she's up for the day usually by 7:30am and still refuses to take a nap during the day.  i literally do not know how she functions on so little sleep.  also, why do kids not understand how amazing naps are?!?  moving on-- her little 3 year old attitude has been out in full force lately and half the time i have no clue how to respond, cause it can be so stinkin' cute & funny but also super annoying when i have to repeat myself 1,000 times to get her to do one simple task.  one of her new favorite phrases is "no mom!  you DON'T say that word!"  what word is she talking about?  i have no clue, i think she just means i shouldn't be telling her what to do/reprimanding her.  the other phrase is, while referring to me telling her she can't do something:  "but mom!  it's not a big deal or anything!"  sigh...  it's a daily battle trying to decide how to react to these situations and i know they are only going to get worse as she gets older.

but on the other hand it's like she flips a switch and can suddenly be the sweetest little thing!  sharing with peter, comforting him when he gets hurt while saying "aww cute little guy, it's okay honey."  she'll run up to us at random times just to give a kiss and say "i love you, mommy kitty cat."  (also not sure why she calls me that haha) she's obsessed with her little sister and she's not even born yet!  she'll run up to my stomach, wrap her arms around it and say "i love you baby!  hope you're feeling good!"  i'm praying that her obsession is just as strong once baby girl is finally here.

long story short-- toddlers are confusing and make little to no sense but are also fascinating & adorable to watch and learn from.  as hard as it is i really need to take my own advice as it comes from her secondhand: "mom, just calm down and slow down."

i tell you what, i feel like i owe my parents spa gift cards for life after going through just this short amount of confusing parenthood.

happy almost weekend everyone!

-a

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

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 :) 

ramblings about patience

•my children are both obsessed with "helping" me make my morning coffee.  i love that they want to help but some mornings, on the outside i'm giving them an encouraging grin and dancing along to the sound of the coffee being poured into my mug, but on the inside i'm screaming that they do everything just a taaaad quicker so i can feel somewhat awake & alive after being up since 5:30am.  thank you motherhood for teaching me the need for endless amounts of patience ;) 

 

mug: Amazon

•if you didn't see my Instagram post-- surprise, baby #3 is a girl!!!
  i went and bought the first of many impulse buys for baby girl this past week from the cutest little children's boutique.  zo was obsessed with the sales ladies and warmed up to them faster than i've ever seen her warm up to strangers!  the whole time i was thinking "umm who's child is this?!" we got her a pair of adorable little Native shoes that she's been wearing ever since we got home!
p.s. how cute are those kerchief bibs ?!  

 

kerchief bibs: Amazon | Hedgehog romper: Amazon

•summer time in Texas means never going outside past 11:30am unless water and endless amounts of sunscreen are involved.  thankful for the creative engineer that came up with this adorable little splash area at a local park.
 

•gorgeous peonies, an ever growing bump & curious little hands begging to please buy the "very pretty flowers!"  

 

oh, and any tips for dealing with seriously bad varicose veins (notice my left leg) during pregnancy?? 

•taking a quick popsicle break before getting back in the pool & sprinkler on July 4th.  notice Zo's lid AND towel, she absolutely hates when her popsicle starts to melt & drip.   ahh the problems you face as a three year old...  

chairs: Target

Monday is over, yayyy!  The hardest day of the week is done!  Praying that your remaining days are filled with nothing but happiness, love & lottttsss of patience.

    

-A

*this post contains affiliate links which means i may receive a small commission on some items i have listed at no extra charge to you :) 

buy the rainboots

shopping for flowers.  as soon as she saw these she got so excited and yelled "tulips mommy!"

it's all clouds, rain & storms here these past couple of days.  but i honesty don't mind too much, it's been clearing up by late afternoon so we still manage to get out and enjoy the rest of the day.  Our rain boots are in constant rotation and zo couldn't be happier about that given all of the puddle splashing she's been able to do.  i think every toddler ( okay adults too) needs a pair of rain boots just for the sake of getting to splash in puddles.  Seriously- it's free (excluding the purchase of said rain boots), it tires them out and it's adorable to watch.  try to ignore how messy they get, just remember all of the mud and dirt will wash off, but the memories won't.  days like this make it so easy to give in to negativity, anger and impatience (raising my hand cause I am so guilty of this!).  that's when i watch the weather like a hawk, waiting for the clouds to part so we can throw on our boots and get to splashing all those feelings away.  so in the midst of any gloom or funk you might be in, i just want to encourage you to do the hard thing and try to find the brightness and light in your life that's being overcast or hidden by the clouds, metaphorically & physically.  and if you're in need of a stress reliever i highly recommend buying the rain boots and doing some hardcore puddle jumping, cause getting messy & dirty isn't just fun for kids ;)

and now-- some photos from this past week to add some sunshine to your day!

one of her fave puddles to date!

watercolor painting is one of our new go-to indoor activities that happens multiple times a day.  it 

keeps zo entertained for quite a while and i forgot how therapeutic it can be.  you'll never guess which side is mine ;)

look at those wrangler baby jeans!  this kid is growing up waaaay top fast, i can't believe he'll be a year old in a month!

like I said, adults need rain boots too.  These super cute lace up ones are from target!

I don't know where she gets her Starbucks addiction from... 

home goods was killing me with their beautiful pastel spring inspired displays all over the store, how gorgeous are those floral plates?! 

like I said, splashing in puddles is therapeutic....

I told you, the rain boots are on serious repeat over here.  also--is it okay that i'm ridiculously jealous of her natural highlights?... 

i mean, i had to get her the tulips after i saw how excited she was to see them! :) 

happy tuesday all!  hope you have a wonderful start to the new week, here's to making the best of it!

~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 

always worth it

last night was rough. like really really rough.  peter was up literally every 5mins after going to bed for the night.  the poor little guy just needed to burp but sometimes we have the hardest time making that happen no matter what we try. and it didn't help that he was half-asleep most of the time, it's even more difficult getting him to burp when he's sleeping.  i was exhausted, upset & just plain done for the night. he already barely naps as it is during the day so at night i'm always praying for just one hour of relaxation--aka, wine & netflix.  needless to say a few tears may have been shed last night due to my frustrations... but, we made it through the night, just like we always do. i woke up next to peter's smiling face, cause to be honest, I just get too tired going back and forth from his crib to the bed and end up bringing him into bed with me.  and now since zo has transitioned to a toddler bed (and super well! may need to write a post about that topic...) she likes to come in and cuddle with us in the morning and it just about makes me cry all over again but for different reasons.  I love waking up next to my babies, seeing them cuddling with each other is just icing on the cake!  and it makes me so incredibly thankful to have these two precious people in my life and to have the honor of being their mother. so yes, last night was hard.  and I know we'll have many nights just like it. but waking up next to those smiling faces makes it all worth it.  always.

i just looked at the time and realized that peter has been asleep for over an hour now(!), praise the

 Lord & knock on wood!  now to finish this glass of wine before i jinx anything.  I'll leave you with a picture of this adorable smile, oh and i found Waldo... 

and I believe this is what the cool kids are calling #squadgoals 

~~amy