Life Lately- tennis, parks, Legoland, playdates and a DAY DATE!

Hooray for FRIDAY!

Here's a little Life Lately for you. We've had some pretty simple days lately, which are my favorite honestly. And since I haven't posted a Life Lately post since mid-March, this one is a long one- so sorry in advance for the picture overload.

Watching daddy play tennis on Saturday mornings is our new favorite way to start the weekend. The kids watch during warmups and usually see a few points of the actual match, and then we spend the rest of the time playing on the play ground or eating snacks in the watching area.

Two weeks ago, we got to go on a DAY DATE thanks to Matt's sweet sister and her hubby! We have decided that day dates are the most amazing things ever and that we need to work them in wayyyy more often. We dropped the kiddos off at Karen and Jay's after naps on Sunday, drove down to Ponce City Market, and walked around, talked, and ate for FOUR whole hours. FOUR! It was crazy! And the kids had so much fun playing with their cousins while we were gone:

Big boys pushing the girls at the park

Nonni Girl practicing her walking with her Uncle Jay

The big boys catching Miss Riley on the slide

Ryan and Riley playing princess 😂

Bath time! (Yes they were bathed and ready for bed when we picked them up- glorious!!)

Partyyy!!  Thanks Aunt KK and Uncle J! You guys are the BEST!

We had Ryder's 2nd birthday party last weekend- Mickey themed- and these two had so much fun playing. We can't wait for Natalie to take off walking so she can navigate the mulch on the playgrounds more comfortably!

Matt came home early from work last Thursday and we set out to the park and playgrounds and then went for sno cones at a little shop near our house. This was Natalie's first time riding on her daddy's shoulders and she thought it was pretty great. :)

They loved this more than it looks 😂

Sno cones and Jenga! (aka building/eating tall towers out of blocks)

Sharing snacks at a playdate with Reynolds :)

Sweet love wanted to get up the ladder like all of the big kids and got frustrated that she couldn't do it by herself

Help me mama?! :)

Another week at tennis!

Monday morning, Andrea kept Ryan and Natalie while I went to my last barre class. So so sweet!

She sent me a picture and said that Natalie even joined them for a page of the book...

...and then she was off again (a whole page though!) 😜

Posing for her Aunt Dre

And showing off her new trick

Wednesday morning, we took the kids to Legoland, and before we left, I wanted to double-check that all of the carseats were installed safely (we have three installed in the back now and Natalie is in her big girl seat!). So this turned into a pajama party in the car before we all got ready to leave.

Legoland!

Natalie was ev-er-y-where and only wished she could do everything her brother did. Girlfriend is going places when she figures out how to walk. ;)

Silly selfies with my diaper only girl :)

We went to a new haircut place right by our house (we've been driving back to Buckhead because I'm a little crazy about his haircuts and loved the lady that cut his hair- I'm also fully aware that this is nuts and that he is 2). So we tried out this new place yesterday and loved it!

And this little miss was all smiles and poses while her brother was such a big boy in the hair cut chair.

Whew sorry that was a long one. Hope you guys have a great weekend! We're heading to tennis in the morning and then having some friends over for a Master's party tomorrow afternoon. Then we have our nephew Jackson's birthday party on Sunday, so it should be a fun and full weekend!

April Goals + update on the transition to a big boy bed

Spring is definitely in the air! Unfortunately the pollen is too, but nonetheless, we are LOVING the warmer weather and outside time!

Today, we're actually taking the kids to Legoland in Atlanta. We haven't had a mid-week family date in a while, so we're all pretty excited about it!

Before I jump into my goals for April, here's a quick recap of March's goals:

1.
Finish All the Light We Cannot See by Anthony Doerr

This was a really good book. The WWII setting and the fact that it follows the stories of two children made it tough to read at times as a mom, but I loved that it gave a completely different perspective from all other WWII books I've read. One of the main characters is a boy who is recruited by the Nazi army- so realizing the way these young kids were brain washed and basically given no other choice but to serve their country was really eye opening. You can check it out here.

2.

Schedule Barre Classes
Whew! Y'all. Barre is hard. I'm sure the growing belly accessory I'm carrying around these days didn't help matters, but it is a seriously intense 55 minute workout! Thanks to Matt going in late a couple of days and giving me some time to sneak to a couple of classes on the weekends, and then my friend Andrea keeping the kiddos for me Monday morning of this week (bless her!), I was able to get in all 5 classes in my 30-day window. There's a part of me that wants to give it a try again when I'm not pregnant to really compare, but I don't know if I would put it in the category of one of my favorite types of workouts. Worth trying for sure though!

3.

Share 4 New Recipes

Chicken Enchiladas (recipe here)

V8 Tomato Basil Soup (recipe here)

French Bread Ham & Cheese Melt (recipe here)

Cilantro Lime Guacamole (recipe here)

4.
Schedule Dentist Appointment for Ryan

Our big guy will be going to his first dentist appointment in the middle of this month!

1.
Read Love Lives Here

I'm in a monthly book club group with some Mops moms and this is the next book on our list. I don't know a ton about it yet, but am excited to start it based on the subtitle and what little bit I know about the husband and wife- Bob and Maria Goff- and how they prioritized time with their family and ministering to others. It should be a good read! You can check it out here.

2.
Set up Ryan's Big Boy Room

If you follow us on Instagram, you saw that our big guy's big boy furniture was delivered a week ago this past Saturday. He immediately wanted to take his nap in his new bed and has been so excited about sleeping in it. He's done a great job of staying in his bed and still seems so excited about it, but I've noticed he hasn't been sleeping as well during nap and during the night, which has been affecting him (naturally) during the day. It really took me until yesterday to put it all together, but unless there's a 2 3/4 sleep regression I don't know about, I think he's having a hard time getting used to his new bed PLUS a new room. Right now there's nothing else in his room aside from his furniture because I initially intended to create a "new" room with big boy decorations, a reading corner, a play area, etc. But since he jumped right into wanting to sleep there, it's hard to actually set up his rom while he's sleeping in it.

SO, yesterday when he woke up after only sleeping for an hour during nap (he usually sleeps between 2-3 hours) and was extra emotional and not able to tell me why (nothing hurt, he didn't have a bad dream...) I asked if he would maybe like to sleep back in his old room and crib for a little while until I could get his whole room set up for him. And the sweet guy said he would.

So yesterday afternoon, Matt came home early (seriously so thankful for him as Natalie was also woken up at the one hour mark by her having-a-tough-time big brother and sweet girl was struggling to make it to the 5's much less bed time), took Ryan and Tally to the park while I got Natalie down early and got Ryan's old room set up again (sheets back on the crib, sound machine, clock, monitor, stuffed animals, etc. back in his room) and spent some time organizing his closet with Spring/Summer clothes. 

As I was having that much-needed thinking/organizing time, it dawned on me that most kids switch to a big boy bed in their same room where the crib was, rather than switching to a new bed in a new room that (in this case) is still completely empty outside of the furniture.

So now my plan is to try to recreate his "nursery" room as much as possible in his new room, reusing the book shelves, pictures, and even his rocking chair where we always did our "milk and stories" each night. And then I'm going to let him come with me to pick out some new pictures and things for the walls and room that feel a little more big-boyish. And then hopefully, once his room is all set up and feels more like his room, he'll feel better about transferring into there for good- at which point I can start setting up his old room for Baby Girl's arrival in June. :)

3.
Share 2 New Recipes
I haven't decided what I'm going to make yet, but I'm thinking one will be a fish recipe, since I haven't branched out with any new fish recipes in a while, and I'm not sure what the other one will be- so we'll see what this pregnant mama craves in April. ;)

Hope you guys have a great Wednesday! I'll be back Friday with a Life Lately update.

A Mix of Things for Your Monday

I think a lot of people are on Spring Break this week, so if that's you, hopefully this Monday feels a little less Monday-ish. 

We are not on Spring Break or vacation, so if this Monday is just feeling like a Monday for you, you're not alone. #theweekendsarejusttooshort

Today, I have a random list of things to share, starting with an exciting new business adventure that a friend of ours has started:

1: Helmsie

Helmsie is named after our friend's oldest son, Helms, and blends the rich, timeless culture of the South with the renewed interest of uniquely Southern design. The products are meticulously designed to add a little whimsy and joy to your day-to-day.

The "Not Your Momma's Alphabet Cards" is Helmsie's first product to enter the marketplace. Aren't they so fun?! They are all hand illustrated and printed on high quality card stock and stored in a custom-designed box. They are ideal for learning letters and words with little ones, nursery decor and unique baby gifts. 

The cards launch TODAY with a Kickstarter campaign!  If you love what you see (and I'm confident you will!) you can pledge your support in return for products... which may sound confusing, but it will make sense when you get there! You can check out the full campaign here.

Fine art prints and new products will debut throughout the year, so be sure to follow them through Instagram (here) and check out their website (here).

2. Vacation

We have landed on a spot for our weekend getaway and last family-of-four trip! We will be heading to Chattanooga later this month and we couldn't be more excited. We booked a hotel right in downtown within walking distance to everything that the kids will love: the children's museum, aquarium, riverwalk, restaurants, ice cream shops and bike riding area. And our hotel has an indoor-outdoor heated pool so we'll be packing our swimsuits too!

This week, we're going to book tickets to the attractions we don't want to miss, so if there's anything you know of that a 2 year old and 1 year old would love, we'd love to hear your ideas! 

My sis-in-law just returned with her family and gave us the scoop on where to stay and some of the attractions to definitely check out, so we can't wait!

Then we'll have one more fun trip with Matt's family (his parents and his sister's family) in the beginning of May before our next little one joins us in June. It's going to be here before we know it!

3. Books

 

I have about 20 pages left in Present over Perfect and then will start Love Lives Here next.

I try to read a little every night before bed and occasionally sneak in some reading during the kids' nap time too. I like to go back and forth between non-fiction/Christian/parenting/self-helpish books and straight fiction. This time I'm squeezing in two non-fiction books because Love Lives Here is our next book club book and a friend gave me Present over Perfect to read and said it was just too good! And she was right! I will share about it on here along with Love Lives Here after I finish them both.

Present over Perfect (found here)

Love Lives Here (found here)

4. New Favorite Drink at Starbucks

For years I have loved the Cinnamon Dolce Latte from Starbucks. But being that we have a Starbucks 1 mile from our house, and being that it's really convenient to swing by there on our way home from our morning activity before I get the kids down for naps, I decided I should maaaybe not drop $5 on a cup of coffee quite so often. SO, I talked to the barista in the drive-thru one day and found a new concoction that I love! 

Tall Blonde Roast with 2 pumps of cinnamon dolce and cream.

It is so good, has less calories, more caffeine, and only costs $2.62. 

You're welcome. ;)

Well both kiddos are down for the count and I've got a list of things to get to during nap time, including finishing Present over Perfect. So I hope the rest of your Monday goes well! I'm hoping this rain in Atlanta inspires long naps for our two and hangs around through bedtime tonight. Every once in a while, a rainy day is good for a relaxing, play-inside afternoon and evening. Hopefully that will be the case today!

Have a great week!