30th Birthday Recap

What an absolutely amazing birthday weekend I had!  I just finished uploading a bunch of pictures, so I can finally do a post!  I have to say - turning 30 isn't too shabby!  I was surrounded by family and friends all weekend long and it was perfect!

The celebrating started Friday night - we took the kids and met my Dad and Robbin for dinner at a restaurant none of us had been to before!  We ate at Cork & Cow and it was so yummy!  And the kids were so well-behaved - I was so proud!  Katie insisted on drinking her water from a wine glass :) She is a mess! 

 Saturday morning started with homemade French Toast in bed!  Brad got up and made it for me and then took the kids to pick up Hardee's so I could eat in peace and quiet - so perfect!

Not too long after that, his mom showed up to watch the kids!  Brad had planned for us to go have a picnic lunch somewhere since the weathermen had said it would be sunny and 66.  Well.  They were off - it was yucky and misty, so we didn't end up doing the picnic (plus I was so stuffed from my breakfast in bed).  We headed out and actually decided to go to the zoo.  They opened a kangaroo exhibit where you can walk around and if the kangaroos hop close to you, you can pet them!  The kids and I had been, but Brad wanted to see them.  So we went to the zoo childfree :)

It was the perfect afternoon to curl up under the covers - and that is just what I did!  The Auburn game came on, so I snuggled in to watch the game before I had to get ready for dinner!

Then Saturday night we ate at Saffire with some friends!  Brad actually planned the whole thing (not his favorite thing to do) - I bet he is glad that my birthday has come and gone - ha!  Here are the girls...

 And here is a group shot!  It was so much fun!  It also helped that Auburn beat Georgia at the very end of the game with an absolutely amazing play!  The guys were yelling and jumping around - it was hilarious!

 And here I am with Brad - I love this picture!

 Hard to believe I've been friends with these girls for so long - I have know Kara since first grade and Tanja since Kindergarten! 

Sunday morning, my actual birthday, we woke up and went to IHOP for breakfast - my favorite!  I know this probably looks terrible, but I love it - buttermilk pancakes with strawberry syrup :) Yummm!  And yes I had already started eating before I took this picture.  And yes I went a little overboard with the syrup.

After a relaxing day at home with the family (and opening a few presents), we headed to my mom's house for a birthday celebration with Brad's mom, aunt, and uncle, my mom and brother, my aunt and uncle, and my grandmother!  It was relaxed and just good to see everyone and visit!  Here is my delicious cake (yes - sugar overload between the pancakes and my cake! ha! You only turn 30 once!)...a mix of fun colors with an Auburn touch! 

 And me with my cake before we chopped it up and destroyed it!  Boy was it good!

 And a family shot at the celebration! 

 And last but not least, a picture with my mom.  And she kept her eyes open.  Amazing! :)

What a great weekend for sure.  I am so lucky to have such great family and friends to celebrate with!  Everyone made me feel so special and blessed.  So much to be thankful for!

Fun Date Night

A few days before Halloween, Brad and I went to dinner at J. Alexanders and headed to Cheekwood to walk around and see the Light exhibit (by British artist Bruce Munro).  It was so nice to have a random Tuesday night out!  Oh, and we finished it off with dessert at Culver's on the way home - such a treat!

My pictures don't really do it justice - since it was obviously dark, I did the best I could with my little camera I throw in my purse!  The exhibit features different materials and fiber optic cable to create different pieces.  This is the Field of Light exhibit, which features over 20,000 lighted glass spheres on slender stems sticking out of the ground.

And here I am with that piece behind me - clearly it didn't really work because we had the flash on.  I guess you can see a few of them in the background, but not all lit up!

And a selfie - turned out pretty cute!

That particular night, we got free admission through the company where Brad works.  They were offering discounts for membership also, so we decided to join!  I can't wait to go back and see different exhibits and take advantage of some of the fun things they do for kiddos!  I remember doing art camps and all kinds of fun things there when I was growing up!  I know they always have fun things to do around the holidays, so I will have to remember to check their calendar of events!  Happy Friday!

Halloween 2013 (Better Late Than Never)

Well hello, there!  I know, long time no blog, right?  Whew!  Things have been wild and crazy and I am happy that they seem to be slowing down temporarily!  The kids and I all three had the stomach virus earlier this week...oh my gosh.  It was awful.  And thankfully we are on the other side of that experience...and we survived (big thanks to Grandma and Brad!).  

But!  Halloween!  I haven't forgotten!  And it was kind of fun to go back through the pictures to pick some for this post - like reliving it!  This year, Katie was Rapunzel and Jack was an elephant.  For some reason, Katie wanted him to be an elephant, so I thought we would go with it.  I also found his costume at Costco, so that helped too :)

Look at that long, golden hair!  We waited until after Halloween for a haircut :)  

 I cannot get over this picture.  Those eyes....oh, those eyes.  I let her wear a little makeup for Halloween and good gracious.  Mascara makes here eyes just POP!

 And this about sums up trying to get a picture of our little elephant!  Sheesh! 

 We did some pictures at the neighbors' house too!  Jack, in true form, wiggled down to almost laying down...

 And this is cute - at least they are both smiling!  

 Katie and Stella - love this!  This is the third year have spent Halloween together - so cute!

 And here is Jack the elephant and Hank the duck!

 And an action shot of the little elephant!

And holy moly - we actually got a picture of the moms and boys!!

The weather on actual Halloween was awful - windy, rainy, and actually a chance of tornadoes (thankfully, that didn't happen)!  The Publix in our neighborhood hosted some Halloween fun - so that's where we headed....indoors!  The first station was a cookie decorating one - Katie loved putting icing and sprinkles on and then eating it of course :) 

 And we ran into Merida, I mean Hannah Jo, there too!  These girls have been friends since they were about 18 months old!

 And they were off...Jack, Hank, Katie, and Stella!

 My wild man was so happy!  I needed to cage the elephant in a grocery cart, but I let him romp around instead!

 When we got home, everybody came to our house for some pizza and fun.  The girls had a blast playing with the vampire teeth - they could've stared at themselves in the mirror for a long time!

 Here's Katie's scary face - so intense!

 And scary Stella!

The neighborhood moved trick or treating to the day after Halloween - a Friday - and of course Brad and I had plans!  Katie got to trick or treating with Stella and had an absolute blast!  And I am so glad that she acted nicely and ate all her dinner...she saves the "fun behavior" for mom!  I guess that's what I prefer :)  Love this picture Jill took!

And enjoying some of the goods when they got back.  I think she was probably on a sugar high by this point...what a silly face!

Another successful and fun Halloween in the books!  Love that we can spend it with friends!

Stay tuned for a few posts playing catch up....and, ahem, I turn 30 this weekend.  How is that possible??! 

Stylin' + Profilin'

I may be dressed in workout clothes from the previous day, but I take pride in making sure both kids look pretty darn cute.  I have tried to step it up a notch for myself, but as long as my kids look cute that is fine with me :)  Thankfully, Target has some really cute outfit options for little dudes (which makes it more affordable).  Though I have to say I do love Mini Boden on the little guys - so adorable!  On the opposite end of the spectrum, Katie looks so old that she is in the little girl section and I just cannot handle all the fake glitter and heat press shenanigans and all that.  I do love Matilda Jane for her (among other brands like Flit + Flitter and Mustard Pie), which gets kinda pricey.  Thankfully, all the Matilda Jane items coordinate, so you can make multiple outfits with all the pieces!  And I mix in some Old Navy and OshKosh and things like that too!

When Jack wore this outfit to school, he really looked like a little man - I couldn't get over it!  

And here is one more - of course an action shot.  What else is there with this one??

And I just love these pieces together - all the colors and patterns match so nicely!  And they are all good colors with Katie's blue eyes and blonde hair :)

I'm so glad at least one of my children has perfected the quick-smile-so-she-can-be-finished-with-pictures pose :)  Some days she will even ask me to take her picture!  I consider that a success - ha!

No, we don't dress up everyday - my kids were actually in their jammies all day Friday and Saturday which was kind of nice!  And they wear play clothes.  And athletic looking clothes (especially on gymnastics days for Miss Priss).  

Hope you're having a fantastic weekend!  I'm off to relax and watch some of the Titans game while Jack takes a nap!

Weekend Recap: Saturday's Fall Fun

I promise I am still here!  I know I've been slacking in the blogging department, but I promise to do better :)

Last Saturday was quite the fun day for all of us!  I got up and went to Tae Bo and then came home and we all got ready to head out to Pumpkinfest!  We got down there and walked around...of course Katie wanted to do everything in the kids' area!  I think Jack really likes it when he is in the wagon rather than the stroller.

 We did let Katie go down the big bouncy slide a couple of times!  Here she is waiting in line...

 And then an action shot!  I love it!

 Jack did get to some running around - he is just a ball of energy for sure!  He's always ready to move on to the next thing to see what he can get into!

 And a photo opp for both of them - so cute! 

Here is a picture I took of me and my favorite girl while we were down there.  I was sporting my "I did tae bo and did not take a shower before coming" look :)

 While we were down there, we ran into Katherine, Dallas, and Olivia and walked around with them!  We also saw Christie, Jared, and Katie...as well as Ashley, Andrew, and Avery!  We always love seeing friends!  Then it was time to head home for lunch and some football watching!

 After Katie had quiet time, I took her to the Fall Festival that our neighborhood had - it was so fun!  Pony rides, bounce houses, pizza, popcorn, face painting, a balloon man, cookie decorating...and it was all free!  And we ran into Jill, Stella, and Hank too!  The girls had a blast playing together!

 Love those sweet hugs :)

 Brad had a chance for some last minute tickets to a hockey game - and there happened to be three!  So Katie got to go to her first hockey game...lucky lady!  We all had a great time - except for the fact that the Predators lost.  I love this picture!

 And this is another great one - so cute!

 And a family picture - Katie's smile and expression are hilarious here!

It was a late night but oh so fun!  Whew!  And that day definitely wore me out!