Loving!

What I'm Loving Wednesday with Jamie! 

1*

I'm loving all the happy mail I had when we got back from Galveston!

My pregnancy photobook came in! 

(made from Shutterfly)

My new phone cover! 

(also Shutterfly)

And also a couple Father's Day goodies that I can't post because Will reads this. (Sorry babe, I already hid them. Why do you think I was pushing you out the door to go water the plants two seconds after we got home?!)

2*

I'm LOVING my anniversary gifts! Will did great with the flower theme and my kitchen is slowly but surely turning into Anthro-city. I couldn't be happier! 

Will got me four place settings of these three pieces. Aren't they PERFECT for summer??

Will also ordered me my first Wheatfield print! I love, love, love all of her stuff. He picked this one out all on his own. Now I just need to get a frame and find the perfect place for it! 

3*

I'm loving this little guy and his obsession with trains/cars/planes. He's really starting to "play" now, and he will drive his cars all through the house going "vroooooom!" It's the cutest thing! 

4*

I'm loving the insane thunderstorm we had last night, and the fact that it's been dark and rainy all morning. I think I'm going to curl up on the couch with a movie while Liam naps. 

Probably this one...

 via

I have an obsession. 

Happy Wednesday!

Galveston Getaway!

A little tip: don't get a new camera lens the day of vacation because you will not know how to use it, and most of your pictures will come out blue/overexposed/blurry/BAD! 

Aside from that, we had a wonderful weekend at the beach! 

I talked Will into stopping at Best Buy on the way down so I could get a 50mm lens. It's the one that makes the background nice and blurry :) I know two people that have it and they both love it! I've been super happy with it when I can see what I'm doing, but most of the time on the beach it was so bright I couldn't see a thing. I try to shoot manual, so I spent most of the time messing with the settings and then not being able to see what was on the screen because it was so bright. Smart, huh? I did manage to get some good ones, and I can't wait to keep practicing with it now that we're home! 

Liam looooved the beach! He was fine with the sand this time, but hated all the seaweed. I hated it too. 

Naps on the beach were a must!

My mom and her bff, Renee. We got to hang out with them the first day we were there, and then they headed home because they had already been beach bums all week! Jealous! 

What happens when you forget to set your white balance...my baby is blue. Boo.

What happens when your aperture is set too low on your awesome new lens that makes things super blurry when you set the aperture low....my baby looks like a fuzzy glowworm. Boo.

What happens when you're inside and can see what you're doing...my baby is pretty! Yay! 

We also met up with our friends the Powells who happened to be vacationing on the island as well! Another tip: Don't let your camera battery die right before you are about to see two cute babies being totally adorable together! I got some pictures on my phone, but I'll have to get the good ones from Emily. Liam and Georgia had the best time together though and are pretty much made for each other. :)

We drove home on Sunday (Liam was a rockstar during both car rides by the way) after a pit stop for lunch with some of our good friends, and then spent Memorial Day hanging out as a family. It was a great holiday weekend, and we are thankful for all those who serve (and their families)!

We also did a little work on Liam's table and chairs this weekend and let's just say...we are seeing RED! 

A Manniversary Gift.

Happy Anniversary to US! 

I'm not here because we are busy beachin' it up, but today is mine and Will's 4 year anniversary!

I thought I'd share my anniversary gift idea to Will with you all because I'm pretty sure I'm not alone when I think boys are hard to shop for! Especially for anniversaries. We try every year to incorporate that year's traditional gift, even if it's only part of the gift. Today is our 4 year anniversary which is...flowers. How unmanly is flowers?!

It took me a little while, but I finally came up with what I think was a pretty fun gift and something I knew Will would like. The flower gift wasn't a big gift so I decided to give him four small gifts - one for each year. 

I had to get a little creative with the wrapping - not my most shining moment, I know. I planned to tie the gifts up in burlap and attach the tags (hence the hole punches) but I couldn't find the burlap anywhere. I put this together quickly while hubs ran to the store, so I opted for leftover birthday fabric because all our bags are baby bags and all our wrapping paper is Christmas paper! So at least it's boy colors! 

The tags are labeled in the order I wanted Will to open them, and inside is a little note corresponding to the type of gift.

The gifts:

1. "For the best chef in the relationship" I got him a grilling wok he's been wanting to grill veggies with.

2. "For the one of us who always has two feet planted firmly on the ground." AKA He's the level-headed one and I'm the dreamer. I got him the Nike+ foot tracker you put in the bottom of your shoe and it tracks how long you've ran, etc.

3. "For the best listener in the relationship" I got him a bluetooth headset to wear while he's working out. This was his big gift.

4. "For the one who's always giving me the flowers." I got him a sick pack of beer! Certain beers are made with hops, which are flowers. And it was a kind he doesn't buy often that I know he really likes. 10 points for me!


He loved it all!

So there are some ideas for manly gifts if you're coming up on an anniversary of your own or a birthday. And if your 4 year anniversary is approaching - remember the beer! I'm pretty sure any guy would rather have that than a fresh bouquet. 

I had fun getting creative for Will's gift, but next year the tables will have turned - 5 years is wood! 

That Thing Called Packing...

I should be packing for our trip tomorrow. TOMORROW. But I haven't yet. Instead I thought I'd share the list I made of things to pack for our trip. Because list making is way more fun than actually doing, right? Right. 


Mind you, we will only be gone 3 days. We are driving - about 5 hours - and staying in a condo. Condo = has a kitchen which is nice because we can eat a couple meals there, Liam will have his own room,  and there will generally be more space to spread out. Thanks, mom and dad! 


If this was back in the olden (aka pre-baby) days, this would be our list:


4-5 outfits each (this girl likes choices)
a couple swimsuits
toiletries - makeup, shampoo, toothbrush, sunscreen, etc.
shoes
pj's
beach towels
electronics
DONE. 


But now....this is the list:


All of the above + 
4-5 outfits for Liam
swimsuits for Liam
pj's for Liam
shoes for Liam
hooded towels (for beach and bath)
wipes
regular diapers
swim diapers
nighttime diapers (we have a leaker)
pack-n-play
blankets
sound machine
Lamb & Beau (stuffed animals that are always in Liam's crib)
booster seat
sippy cups
a few small toys and books (for the car and while we're hanging out in the condo)
beach floatie
beach toys
beach chair for Liam
beach umbrella
cooler 
inside cooler: milk, fruit, snacks, water (we already have it here so why buy more there?)
umbrella stroller
camera/charger
ipad/kindle (we have some Mickey Mouse Clubhouses downloaded on standby for the car rides)
cards, games, and DVDs for the evenings (since we won't be out late with the bambino)


I THINK that's it. Can you think of anything I'm missing?


But I'm pretty sure I'll think of some more things tomorrow. 


Sheesh! 

Pools & Parties

Soooo on Thursday my mom came over to visit and spend the night. She was going to watch Liam Friday morning while I went to Zumba, and then we were going to head to her and my dad's house for the day. WELL, we got a knock on the door at 5:45am Friday morning from our neighbor who had accidentally backed into her car! Since she was leaving town on Sunday for a road trip, we ended up spending our morning driving an hour to the car dealership to get her car looked at. Luckily, the damage was only to her door and it drove fine so she was good to go for her trip. BUT it was not the most fun way to start our day! 

 

Instead of going to Zumba, we stopped for donuts on the way to the car dealership. Oops!

 

My mom watched Liam so I could sneak away and have lunch alone with the hubs! He works like 5 minutes from parents' house. We ate at the new Eatzie's in town...and had dessert just because. Yum! 

After lunch we decided to go for a dip, but mom of the year over here forgot the swim diaper! His bare bottom was too cute to pass up!

Whenever I'm applying sunscreen to Liam's face/neck his crazy hair always gets in the way!

The whole reason for going to my mom's that day was....the opening of HomeGoods in her town! It actually doesn't open until this week, but we got invited to a sneak peak. I didn't end up getting anything, but my mom found four new chairs for her kitchen and they are SO cute! 

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On Saturday we celebrated my friend Amanda's daughter Mallory's FIRST birthday! Her actual birthday is TODAY, so go say Happy Birthday to Miss Mallory!

You can't see them too well here, but her one year pictures are ADORABLE! 

Mallory and Liam. Neither were in the mood to be tied down for a picture! 





When they first met! Was this really a whole year ago?! Seems like yesterday.

Smash cake! 

Mallory had a Minnie Mouse party with lots of PINK! 

The happiest birthday girl!

Mallory had a lot of "helpers" when it was present time :)  

Girlfriend knew just what to do with her smash cake! 

After Mallory's party we all came home and took nice long naps.

Then of course, we had to head to the pool! This was mine and Liam's third trip to the pool, but the first time with Will. It's much more fun when Daddy comes along because he actually gets in the water and enjoys being splashed. I'd rather sunbathe at the edge and take pictures :)

Looking like a stud in his shades. 

Splashing all over the place!

Will took him to the big pool to "swim." He did pretty good floating on him stomach!

Me and my little fishy!

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Sunday morning we missed church and were late to Sunday School because someone didn't want to wake up! I finally had to wake him but it was hard. Just look at that sweet, sleepy face!

After Sunday School we ran a few errands, ate lunch, and then it was back to the pool! 

After lunch it was another round of naps for everyone, playtime, yardwork, dinner, bed, and lounging. This weekend seemed extra long in a good way. It was a nice, lazy weekend and I'm sad it's over, but I'm looking forward to next weekend because we'll be at the beach! 

Miscellany Monday with Carissa