Playing Catch-Up

Last week was filled with some wonderful family time. This week will be just as busy as I prepare for my mom to come in on Thursday, a bridal shower, a consignment sale and our daughter's 2nd birthday tomorrow. I thought I'd play a little catch up and fill you in on some of the great things from last week.

[Easter and an Egg Hunt]

We had a lovely Easter. We enjoyed an egg hunt with our church family and then celebrated our Risen Savior on Sunday.

 

 

[Spring Break]

Last week was Spring Break...enough said.


[Vacation and Relaxation]

We decided to take a little vacation to the beautiful Smokey Mountains. We enjoyed some wonderful relaxation and some quality family time.

View from our cabin

 

[The Zoo]

Our sweet girl loves animals and we enjoy taking her the zoos and aquariums if they are in the area. We visited the Knoxville Zoo and had a blast.

 

 

[The Aquarium]

Not only did we enjoy the zoo, but we had a great time at the Tennessee Aquarium.

 

[Birthday Goodies]

I had a blast celebrating my 30th birthday with my sweet hubby and beautiful babe. It was a day filled with love and blessings.

Birthday Cupcakes



Linking up for Five on Friday and Oh Hey Friday!

New to Me Friday Favorites

It's April...and it's Friday...hoorah!

::via::

[1]

By this point two years ago, I was just days away from delivering our daughter. I did not need to worry about having a maternity wardrobe for summer. It is not so this time around. With our sweet boy due in July (and me detesting heat), I’ll need to make sure I’ve got some things to wear as the weather heats up. I found this adorable (non-maternity) Jersey Maxi Tank dress at Old Navy. The fabric is so light and it is something I can wear post-baby.

::via::

 

[2]

Since Old Navy was having a sale the day I went shopping, I also purchased this Eyelet-Panel dress. It is maternity but will also be comfy the months following baby’s arrival as I try to get back into my old clothes.

::via::

[3]

This pregnancy has done some crazy things to me that I did not experience with my first. The most prominent issue has been my teeth. A few weeks ago I unexpectedly had to have a wisdom tooth pulled, and then on Tuesday of this week, I returned to my dentist because of some discomfort I was having with another tooth. He was able to do a quick fix that will tide me over until the baby arrives. At that point he can break out the big guns and take care of everything permanently. While I feel that I have great dental hygiene, I feel like I need to find things to get me through this next little bit. I bought this new tooth paste by Colgate*. I’ve always used their toothpaste but with this product claiming to add calcium and other minerals back into my teeth/enamel, I had to give it ago. I’m hoping this will help restore some of what the baby has been depleting up to this point.

::via::

 

*I was not compensated in any way to mention this product.

[4]

Spring Break will officially begin at 4:00pm today and I am ready. For a lot of reasons I’m glad to have this little break. One of which brings me to #5!

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[5]

We will be taking a family vacation and I am so excited! This will be our last trip for a bit and I could not be happier to spend this extra time with my sweet little family. It’s hard to believe that this will be our last big trip as a family of 3. While I’m not looking forward to the drive, I do look forward to enjoying some of the things that Tennessee has to offer.

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Linking up with Oh Hey Friday! and Five on Friday

You, Me and G in DC

This past weekend was an exhausting amount of fun. G and I road tripped to D.C. to visit my best friend...here are a few of my favorite moments from the weekend.

::via::


[Cupcakes]
Cupcakes hold a special place in my heart and I believe there is a special dessert compartment in my stomach that is always on standby. We visited 3 bakeries while in D.C. My favorite was Georgetown Cupcakes. I visited there in 2012, which was my last visit to the nation's capital, and I must say, they were just as good as they were two years ago. G enjoyed her experience as well.

 

G and Aunt LaLa waiting on our cupcakes

 

 

[The Zoo]

We love zoos. I know you are probably thinking I'm crazy but I can't help myself! The DC Zoo was on my list of to-do's during our stay. We had so much fun despite the ridiculously hot weather and humidity.

 

 

 

Zoo Exhaustion

 

[Good Eats]

After the zoo, we realized we were super hungry. We couldn't decide where to eat so we just began walking towards the cupcake shop. We ended up stopping at J. Pauls. Delish!

 



 

 

 

[The Outlets]

We took some time to do a little shopping. I've been looking for some fall/winter clothes for my little one, but I hate to pay full price for anything that she's going to grow out of in days, weeks, months, etc. We did find some pretty good deals...and my bestie realized that my owl obsession is fo' real.

 

::via::

 

 

[Words]

The one thing that has stuck with me most from the visit was a simple wooden sign sitting upon her bedroom dresser. The message struck a chord in my soul that I've been carrying with me since. The words have always been fitting but I feel that they ring particularly true for the circumstances we currently face. It's a great way to think about what life throws at us. I LOVE this quote and will carry it with me always...

 

::via::

 

 

 

Linking up with The Farmer's Wife for OHF!



Mama Mondays: A New Link-up

I was invited by Les to join this adorable link-up and I've finally got a quick moment to get some blogging done. While it's no secret that I've struggled with infertility in the past and that I am once again facing the same issues, I find comfort among friends. Les knows the same ache and now she knows the joy. God's goodness abounds. I'm joining her for Mama Mondays to celebrate the blessings (and yes, even the mommy fails can lead to blessings) we have in this life.

Seeing as I have several blog posts that I hope to accomplish this week, I'll keep this first new link-up post short as to not give too much away for upcoming posts.

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I visited my best friend in D.C. this weekend. It was the first trip G and I have taken on our own (as in vacation) without my hubby. It was a success. I wanted to share a couple of my favorite pictures from the weekend (you'll be able to read more about our trip soon).

G and her Aunt LaLa enjoyed some girl time while walking through the zoo.

This picture makes my heart just melt. She was captivated by the animals and look at her stance...it's possible she's taking after the flamingos that she has seen in other exhibits...

I hope you'll join the link-up.

Thoughts for Thursday

The Washington Monument
January 2012

Is the weekend here yet?! It has been a really tough week here in the Land of Infertility. This was yet another "no go" month and it never gets easier. I've had to count my blessings over and over.

One of those blessings is my best friend. While we're at two completely different points in our lives she provides ample support and because she is "my person" she just knows what I need.

I bring her up to say that I'm super excited about visiting her. She lives in DC and G and I will be making our way there in a couple of weeks. I haven't been since 2012 (it was the first part of the year and freezing)  and there are several things we're looking forward to.

Laura and I at the Arlington Cemetery
January 2012

We've made plans to take G to the zoo and of course we'll scope out a cupcake shop or two. There will be coffee, laughter and some much needed down time. It will be such a nice distraction.

My primary prayers are safe travel for myself and the itty bitty as well as prayer that G will sleep in her new surroundings.

In other news,

::via::

I hope you'll join us for this week's Thoughts for Thursday!

Linking up with Annie for Thoughts on Thursday



A Great Find in an "Irregular" Place

A couple weeks ago we took a family vacation to Williamsburg. One afternoon we hit the outlets. There's nothing we actually need so that made browsing and dreaming our primary objective.  We wandered into Hanna Anderson...and it was here I found a gem of a deal.

There was this clear plastic tub sitting on top of one of the turn styles. Written on a piece of copy paper were the words "Irregular Bin-50% off lowest ticket price." My bargain minded brain made a beeline (while trying to appear nonchalant).

We browsed through the various items in the bin and ran across this adorable owl preschool backpack.

There were no tags and I could not find a thing wrong with it. This was unlike the other bags with holes, a missing zipper, etc. I had seen similar bags in the store for around $30.

While I couldn't justify spending that amount on a bag for a one year old, I figured it wouldn't hurt to ask the price. The nice sales clerk went to the wall with the same type of packs and came back without an immediate word. I was preparing myself for the full-price-mistakenly-placed-in-the-bin speech. Instead she pulled out her calculator and punched a few buttons. She looked at me with a smile and said, "It'll be $6.50. Do you want it?"

Ummm...yes!

I walked away a very happy girl. This pack is a perfect carryall for short trips. While I was not compensated in anyway to share this post, I can't help myself. We enjoyed our experience at this particular store and it just goes to show that great deals can be found in unexpected places.

Family Vacation-Williamsburg, VA

Several years ago I traveled to Williamsburg for a fun weekend with friends. I've since returned multiple times with friends and my husband to get my adrenaline fix at Busch Gardens or to whisk myself back in time by touring Colonial Williamsburg. Last week we headed out with our daughter for her first trip to Williamsburg.

We enjoyed many of the sights and sounds of the area, with the exception of some late night disturbances. I thought I'd share some of our favorite spots and activities*. It's a place I'm sure your family will love.

Some of our favorite "eats":

Aromas-I adore this café. Their food is always tasty and their coffee...YUM! My personal favorite is their Aromaccino.

Stephanos-I insist on stopping by this local pizzeria whenever we're in town. If you go for nothing else, go for the Cheesy Garlic Bread. I of course recommend their pizza, and quite frankly, all of their food is delicious.

Duck Donuts-Heavenly. I don't know how else to describe these donuts!!! They were recommended to me by a friend and wow. We were not disappointed. We enjoyed them so much we visited twice on during our 4 day trip (and of course we brought some home). This was a definite calorie splurge and while there are only a few things worth 20 miles on a treadmill, these fit the bill.

 

 

Extraordinary Cupcakes-We always seek out cupcakes in the areas we visit. We're repeat visitors to this local cupcake shop. Yum!

Some of our favorite spots:

Family friendly activities are really important to us. We had plans to go to the local water park but with G being so little, we couldn't justify the cost. We opted for some alternatives.

Mid-County Park-This park was a blast. We visited a few years ago with friends and it has since been torn down and redone. To their credit, the park is wonderful! There are two play areas to accommodate all ages. The older section even sports a zip-line! G loved the swings and the slide.

Virginia Living Museum-You can read my re-cap here. This was a great place to take our little one. There was fun for all ages.

Local Antique Shops-My husband and I love antiquing. We found several good finds and got a jump start on Christmas.

Christmas Mouse-My hubby and I purchase an ornament to commemorate all of our family trips. When in Williamsburg we always stop by the Christmas Mouse. There are oodles of ornaments to choose from. There is truly something for every occasion.

Williamsburg Premium Outlets-While I'm not a major shopper, I enjoy strolling around and browsing. My husband is a jewel and always makes the best of it. I think he secretly enjoys it.


We look forward to going again in the future. The older G gets the better it will be.

Do you have any family favorite vacation spots?

*I was not compensated in anyway to promote these establishments.