July...where the heat index is 105 by 10AM

Oh Southern Florida. I love you.  I love you for the beaches, the nice weather year round, and the wonderful produce. I DO NOT love you for the God awful weather from hades in the summer.

It. is.so.hot.

The days of walking in our neighborhood around 10AM are long gone..by then the heat index is well over 100 degrees and I cannot have my babies overheating in the stroller or in my baby carrier.  So we will stay inside until the evening time, when it's only 90 instead of 105.

Life is moving, and moving FAST! I cannot believe it's already July.  They say time flies when you have children, but when you have more than one, man is that ever true. It makes me so sad sometimes, but so happy too.  How can that make sense? ;)  I cannot wait for Hogan to start playing with Winslow and for them to become built in best friends.  Because they will never EVER fight, right?  HA!

Winslow has started making Hogan laugh so much lately, I love it.  He will get right in his face and say "Ah  do do do do do" and Hogan just laughs and laughs!  His little eyes light up and then Winslow is so proud that he was able to do that.  Then Hogan will grab his hair or his face and W will say "Mommy! Hogan touched my face!"

We are getting lots of fresh mangos from our neighbors yard and have been making popsicles and mango sorbet. it's DELICIOUS.  Fresh fruit straight from the ground is not even comparable to the store.  Seth got me a fruit tree for Mother's Day and I have yet to pick it up. I can't decide which type I want!!  I am leaning towards either a lemon or a tangelo tree.  LEMONADE all summer would be amazing..but fresh tangelos are also the bomb.

Grilling out has also become a weekly thing here. We usually do chicken, grilled veggies and we did pizza last night on the grill! It's so easy and the taste of grilled food is out of this world.  Also, we don't have to heat up the house with the oven.

The boys and I are making our first SOLO trip to Texas this month.  I am a little hesitant about flying with two by myself, but it's a straight flight to Dallas so I think I will be okay. As long as I had the ipad and some snacks for Winslow and mommy's milk for Hogan.  All will be right with the world ;)  We are visiting my dad for a few days and then all heading to the lake in Arkansas. I can't wait- going to the lake growing up are some of my favorite memories ever.

As usual, here is a photo overload! I take SO many pictures and don't have the time to post them all! I am at Starbucks (with NO CHILDREN) right now (Thank you HONEY!!!)  so I actually have time to sit and think without refilling sippies or playing police and keeping Winslow from throwing toys at Hogan's head. ;)

Heck, I may spend the night here.

38 weeks

Here we are, two weeks or less from baby brother making his appearance!  Today is one of the first afternoons I haven't napped when Winslow does...maybe that means he will come since I have all this energy? HA!

It's February, I am 38 weeks along and I really can't believe how close we are!  My mom is coming into town early next week and I believe we have most things ready for his arrival.  My hospital bag is packed, Winslow's overnight bag is packed, nursery is pretty much done, clothes are washed...now the hardest part? Keeping the house semi-clean with a 2 year old.  Oh yeah, and sleeping.  I don't sleep anymore at night.  This little boy thinks he can stay up ALL night kicking me and  banging his head around on my bladder.  One night I got up to go potty over 12 times.  THANKS.

And because I haven't put a lot of photos of little man, I'll share a few from the past weeks.

Let's do a mini summary of what little W is up to.

His favorite sayings/words to say: 

"Be right back"

"Turn right daddy!" (When we are in the car at a stoplight, he always says this)


"Mommy lay down!" (When we are in his room reading books before naptime)

"Darla shake off!"  (When we play in the yard and she has leaves on her fur)

"Daddy play hide and seek!"

"Kiss baby brother" (And he lifts up my shirt...even in public. haha)

"Baby brother come play cars and trucks" (We will see what he thinks when he's actually here)

His vocabulary is getting bigger and bigger, and although I do think he is somewhat slower to talk, he knows a million words and sayings and gets what he wants.  haha

He wakes up before daylight most days (LORD HELP ME) and goes to bed around 8 most nights.  I'm trying to have him ASLEEP by 8 since he gets up so early, but we have been super busy with church activities, friends, etc so that doesn't always happen.

He is a pretty great eater and will eat most anything I give to him.

He's the apple of my eye and I cannot wait to see him love on his baby brother!

Bye weekend.

Another weekend in the books.  They always seem to go by so fast.  If you would have asked me about weekends a year and a half ago, i would tell you I hate them.  That's when Seth had to work the most..he was a supervisor at Polo Ralph Lauren retail store and never got many weekends off.  It was no fun, so I am very thankful our move to Florida has allowed for him to be off every single weekend.  We can spend the mornings cuddling and then go to church together on Sunday.  Ahh, it's so wonderful.

Soo...in two days we close on our first Florida home!  Yep! I've not talked about it much because I wanted to make sure the loan went through and all that, but it's official on Wednesday! I am SO excited to have our own backyard and a cul-de-sac to let Winslow run around on.

The best part?

It needs a mini-overhaul.  As in, new kitchen, floors, fence outside, paint throughout...my DIY dream.  So yep, I have 234789 projects to do in the coming months..and oh yeah, have a baby in between!  We are so excited for our little Florida home and it's even better that it's 15 minutes to the beach.  We are spoiled.

So the first thing on the list to do is new cabinets and countertops!  We have a small kitchen and it's bascially a galley style so the good news about that is smaller kitchen means less money to update it.

Here's a few inspiration photos:

















Gray. that's all i can say about that.  i LOVE white kitchens, but this is just LOVE for me.

Pair those cabinets with white subway tile, a farmhouse sink, maybe a couple glass front cabinets or open shelving.  Oh yes.  This is good.  very good.

So the day we close, we are high tailing it up to Lowes and Home Depot to get quotes on the costs and such.

oh yeah, we are also painting throughout, maybe new flooring, and scraping popcorn ceilings.  Lots of stuff and I will be updating and showing y'all throughout the whole process!

Let's take a poll:  Do you like the gray kitchens or are you a white kitchen kind of person?  Or maybe darker cabinets suit you?

FRIDAY.

It is Friday.  YAY!!!!!

We are gearing up to head out of town to NC to visit family.  And we are driving.  So pray for me.  Ten plus hours in the car with a husband, a babe, and a 80 pound dog. #timeforaminivanplease

Can't wait to see our family though and we will spend the entire next week there.  Maybe I'll get to sleep late once?  ;)

This morning I had my 16 weeks doctor appointment and everything looked perfect! I always get hesitant during my appointment because of my previous loss, but thankfully the Lord is taking care of us so far. 

I don't want to dirty up the dishes right before we leave so I think it's time for a Chick-fil-a dinner, yes?  Plus, they have salads so I may try to eat healthy.  But with a side of fries of course. ;)

Winslow is so fun these days.   He is starting to talk more (I was a LATE talker, so I think he gets it from me) but some of my favorites are:

-Every time he sees a police car or ambulance, he makes a siren sound really loud.  He's been doing this for a while, but it's so cute. 

-He has a newfound love for elevators.  We take one up to daddy's office and at the mall and he LOVES jumping up and down when it rises and falls. 

-  He has started calling me and Seth "momeeee and daddyyyy" instead of "mama and dada".  It's so cute becuase he draws out the E sound really long.

-Obsessed with cowboy boots.  He will wear them every day if I would let him.  It's so cute and I think Grandpa is sending him a brand new pair as a late birthday gift soon! 

- Still my little boy and gives me cuddles and kisses all day.  Oh man, this boy is PRECIOUS.

Happy Friday!  Next time I update, I'll be in the Old North State!

Oh yeah,  I almost forgot to show you a new makeover that my 2 year old did on himself.  He's a beauty, isn't he?

Silence is golden, unless you have a toddler.

Key West!

We spent my birthday weekend in Key West with my mom and stepdad- it was a very fun weekend...there is never shortage of things to do in KW and we had a ball.

They are retired and living in their RV..traveling the USA with their weeny dog, Rosie. 

Meanwhile back home,  Winslow is becoming instistent on the strangest things....pool floaties over his jammies, monkey hats, and having long conversations with himself in the dryer. 

 

We are SUPER duper busy this month...Heading to Texas this weekened, NC next weekend, and Key West again at the end of the month.  Then in July, my sis LOGAN is coming to visit.   oh yeah, we are also looking at buying a house...sheesh.  So yeah, we are staying busy over here.  

Also, it's hot.  

 

just some thoughts.

Just a few thoughts for this lovely Thursday morning.

Florida life is great.  We love it. The weather (although I am already complaining about the heat and it's only April), the fun outdoor activities, the beach being 20 minutes away... it's awesome.  We see the beach at least once a week and there are tons of parks and splash pads for Winslow to enjoy. 

 We bought a bike trailer for Winslow to ride in and I was so excited.  The not-so-exciting part was the burn my thighs felt after just a couple miles #haventriddenabikeinyears #outofshape

Winslow loves playing peek a boo through his legs.  Cutest.thing.ever. 

And lastly, I present the toddler selfies.  I think he has a bright future as a photographer.  

 

The weekend is coming and we are planning a trip to a local state park to take a boat ride on some river that is supposed to have lots of gators...sounds fun, huh?

Happy Thursday, friends!

 

Easter 2015

Easter is one of my very favorite holidays.  To me, it means family, friends, good food, and new life. Life in Jesus.  Because he died on the cross and suffered a horrible death, we are able to live again!  It's such a beautiful day to remember that and I just always feel so blessed to celebrate.  This year, we had our dear friends come in from NC (our first visitors here in FL since we moved!)  and it was wonderful.

I'll had to do a whole seperate post on our time together but for now, enjoy the Easter photos!  A few were taken a couple weeks ago (the ones of Winslow in his bunny outfit), but the rest were taken this past weekend.

Little man opening his Easter basket.  He got an Elmo faucet cover, a new diaper, some bubbles, a couple books, and a little stuffed Elmo. 

 

So thankful for the reason we celebrate Easter.  New life in Jesus Christ. 

 

Easter Egg Hunt

Would you look at that chubby little bunny?!?!  Oh my goodness, it makes my heart hurt with how big he has gotten since then. 

Let's fast forward one year from then...19 months old, rambunctious, ALWAYS on the go toddler.  Do you think he wil wear bunny ears and smile for the camera?

In my dreams.

So here's this years' Easter photos...we went to an Easter Egg hunt on Saturday and it was the coldest day of the year! Like 60 degrees! We even had to wear long sleeves.  Hashtag life is tough in Florida.

Cutest boy ever. 

He was more interested in the playground than really hunting the eggs.  I mean, why would you put an Easter Egg Hunt inside a playground?  Just my two cents.  Also, the little 5 year old girls kept stealing eggs from his basket.  Mama Bear almost had to speak up.

 Ain't nobody take eggs from my baby.

And yes, I ate all his Easter candy.  For what it's worth, it was hard candy that he can't have yet. ;)