April's Mid-Month Confessions

It's FRIDAY!

And it's the middle of the month, so E and I are teaming up today to share our confessions with you.

These posts usually make for a good laugh or will at least make you feel better about your own absent-minded moments. ;)

1.
The weather has been trading off between cold and warm days, which doesn't work well for someone who is bad about checking the weather before leaving the house for the day. So on this afternoon, we showed up for my nephew's soccer game and it was FREEZING outside! Matt and I felt terrible because we both happened to be wearing long sleeves but forgot to grab Ryan's jacket. So I got creative and tied Ryan up in Natalie's wrap, which he actually wore for a good 5 minutes before trying to get it off.
#parentfail #thelookonhisface #heknowsiamcrazy ;)

2.

Natalie's first two doctor's appointments have been eventful to say the least. At her first appointment, the fire alarm for the entire building went off while we were checking in. Ryan was naturally terrified (and so was I, hah) but thankfully they called it a false alarm just as we were all about to pile down the four flights of stairs with our kids in tow.

At her second appointment, again at check-in, I was told that our insurance seemed to have misunderstood my conversation earlier that month about ADDING Natalie to our policy, and instead, they CANCELED our entire family policy. Bless.

Thankfully, we have the best pediatrician ever and he agreed to see us free of charge.  And I had a very special conversation with our insurance later that day.

3.

Remember these fun little letters I shared in Natalie's follow-up nursery post? Well what I didn't share was that I hastily spray-painted them on our semi-new patio table and the paint seeped through the multiple layers of paper towels I had laid down. Classic me moment- getting things done quickly and not thinking through minor details like whether or not paper towels would actually block the paint from getting on the table. Turns out they don't.

Anyone know how to get white spray paint off of a black table? Sharpie? Black spray paint? ;)

Don't forget to check out Elizabeth's confessions over on her blog!

Happy weekend, friends!

BLT dip

Hot appetizers might be one of my love languages. Especially ones the come in the dip form.

I made this recipe for a Masters party this past weekend and was really happy with how it turned out!

Give it a try for your next party... or just make it for yourself one night- no judgement here... and let me know what you think!

Ingredients:

1 cup mayonnaise

1 cup sour cream

8oz cream cheese

1/2 tsp garlic salt

1/2 tsp Italian seasoning
6 slices center cut bacon, cooked

1.5 cups cups sharp cheddar cheese, shredded

1 can diced tomatoes, drained

1 cup fresh spinach, packed tightly

1/2 sweet onion, chopped

Directions:

Remember to set aside items for garnish before mixing.

 Preheat oven to 350°F degrees.

Mix the first five ingredients in a bowl until thoroughly combined. Crumble bacon and stir into mixture. Add cheese, onion, spinach, and tomato and mix well. Pour into a greased shallow dish or pie pan and bake for 30 minutes, or until bubbling.

Garnish with additional spinach, onions, tomato, and bacon.

Serve with tortilla chips.

Ten on the 10th: VACATION

Matt and I love a good excuse to travel and experience new places together. For us, having kids only adds to the excitement of what we experience, now as a family.

This month, we've been working on planning our next family trip and trying to figure out what makes the most sense for us and our two babies. Do we stick with a relaxing beach/pool trip like we did last year? Or do we venture out with a little more activity and sight-seeing?

Planning got us thinking about previous trips we've taken, so today, I thought I'd share a few of our favorite locations we've been able to visit:

1.

Turks & Caicos

This is at the top of my list of memorable trips because it was our first trip with Ryan. We loved the island, the beautiful views, the quiet beach, the short flight, and the location of our resort in relation to the airport- all factors worth considering when traveling with little ones!

2.

The Inn at Palmetto Bluff

This was our first trip with Tally. ;) We looooved this place. The staff was so kind, the resort was peaceful and picturesque, and the guests either walked or road bikes or golf carts everywhere... we don't even know where our car was parked for the few days we were there. We loved this trip!

3.
San Francisco

San Franciso was such a fun city! Our days were FULL and we still didn't see it all, but we loved every minute we spent in this fun city.

4.
Dominican Republic

The water in the Dominican is beautiful. This trip was special because it was the last one we took together before Ryan was born. I remember so many conversations about how our lives were going to change and how we couldn't wait to meet our boy. :)

5.
New York City

I grew up going to NYC, but Matt had never been, so it was fun to experience this city with him for the first time. It was COLD when we went, but we got to see the city at Christmas which is one of my favorite times to be there.

6.
Nashville

Such a fun city! We loved visiting here. And now after watching Nashville the show, I really want to go back and see it again.

7.
Park City, Utah

Matt grew up skiing and loves being out on the slopes. I have grown to love it too, especially the views from the top of the mountain... although this trip ended with an awkward disaster for me that we still laugh about when we remember this trip.

8.
Sicily

I love everything about Italy, and Sicily was beautiful!

9.
Athens, Greece

Soaking up the history of this city was really amazing. It was hot and touristy, but standing in front of the Parthenon and walking through these streets was really incredible.

10.
Crete

We were surprised by how much we enjoyed Crete. I say that because the port didn't seem that exciting, but once we started walking around and exploring the city, we couldn't believe how beautiful it was- one of our favorite places from that trip!

So who knows yet where our next adventure will be, but we're looking forward to experiencing the memories with our two little ones sometime soon! If anyone has any recommendations for a family of four with two babies under two, I'm all ears. :)

Life Lately

We are in a fun little routine these days that involves as much outside time as possible. We're loving walking, visiting playgrounds around our house, and eating outside whenever we can. We are loving Spring! 

Here's a look at what we've been up to lately:

This girl is as sweet as they come, and whenever she's at Tal's level, he loves to snuggle up next to her.

Our daily post-nap routine: a walk around our neighborhood with a cup of frozen grapes.

Ryan requests his sunglasses for every car ride now because it's "bright outside"... which he says with the biggest country accent- I'm not sure where it comes from but it's pretty awesome.

Daniel Tiger Live last week was a big hit for all of us. Honestly, the parents were pretty pumped about seeing how our little guys would react when Tiger came out for the first time. They were both glued to the stage the entire time! And when Tiger waved goodbye and the curtains came down, our sweet guy waved bye-bye and then got so sad!

Our little beauty bug (or "booty bug" if you're Ryan) after bath

Tally waiting for us to pick him up from daycare, haha

Papa teaching Ryan how to peel an orange :)

Friends since high school- 4 babies later (and two on the way!) meeting up for an outside dinner date

Love this- one toddler shoe on the ground and one toddler trying to make a getaway mid-picture. ;)

This big guy had his first day back at church after we spent a little season watching online and working through some separation anxiety (bless that Daniel Tiger for teaching songs like, "grownups come back") and he did great!

Love this big buddy :)

Taking a break from playing outside to check on his sis-ta and give her a little kiss :)

Sleepy smiles are my favorite

It's walk time!

Those little fingers

I love when he puts his glasses on by himself and reads in the car :)

Sweet T being a little mama to my girl :)

Searching for buses, planes, diggers and dump trucks. One of my favorite things Ryan does right now is search for all of these things while I drive and then says, super loudly, "FOUND YOU DIGG-AH!" and then, "anudda one" as he looks for more. :)

If you missed yesterday's recipe, I shared a 5 minute yummy veggie side:

found here

Have a great weekend, friends!