5 on Friday!

It's been a pretty fantastic week in our house.  I'm loving the fact that we've finally gotten into a good routine after the holidays.  The only hiccup this week is that Elyse seems to be ALL OVER THE PLACE when it comes to her mood.  I'm really thinking that her two year molars have either appeared or are on their way...let's just hope they arrive soon! 

 

1.  I tried a new activity with Elyse on Wednesday morning and I was all excited thinking it would be great fun!  Yeah...it entertained her for all of two minutes.  Ten if you count the time that she spent eating the Cheerios.  I think we'll try it again, but maybe I won't use her favorite snack of all time as part of the activity.  Maybe pony beads next time! 

What the activity was supposed to look like...

And what it truly did look like for most of the time! 

 2.  Now that Elyse is getting older I like to have a few decorations out for each holiday.  I found this adorable felt heart garland at Pier One a couple of weeks ago, and the cut-out hearts came from the $ Spot at Target.  Thankfully I had the red, pink, & white candles in a closet.  I'm enjoying the lovey mantle with the mirror. 

I also broke out this vase set that I like to change for the seasons.  This time around, a few Valentine's Day picks and conversation hearts! 

 
3.  On Tuesday evening after dinner Elyse decided it was time for a story.  On her stool.  In the kitchen.  With no pants.  I couldn't help but take a picture, but was practically floored as she spoke the appropriate words for each page.  Our little girl is a reader, no question about that! 

I also managed to get a fabulous family selfie before I headed off to Zumba...I am seriously BEYOND BLESSED!

 4.  We just recently started a new study at small group called Gods at War by Kyle Idelman.  If your group is looking for something I HIGHLY recommend this...and of course my Jesus Calling devotional for yesterday tied right in. 

5.  My birthday is on Tuesday & I'm going to be 31...so I'm dubbing this my official Birthday Weekend!  And seriously, I feel like 31 sounds so much older than 30!  Why is that?!? 

 

 

Head on over to April's blog and check out all the other fabulous ladies who participate in 5 on Friday! 

 

Just a taste of Spring!

We had a pretty standard January weekend at our house.  I had plans on Friday night, so Hubby & Elyse had a Wendy's dinner date at home with my in-laws.  Saturday morning I headed to work while Hubby & Elyse went to watch our nephews play  basketball and then we had a relaxing afternoon at home before heading off to another Bears game. 

 

Sunday was probably the best day of all because we got to experience just a snippet of Spring.  We were up and around early for church so Elyse had some quality time with Jake & read some stories to Sully & Mike. 

After church (& nursery duty), we headed over to my in-laws house for a casual lunch.  My MIL is going to be out of town next week over my birthday so she decided we should celebrate early!  We had pizza and brownies and then it was time for my present.  I am super excited because she purchased an entire spa day for me & a friend to enjoy sometime soon!  I have a gift card for massages, manicures and pedicures (for 2!), a gift card to my favorite cupcake place, and also "lunch money." And of course, included with this is free childcare for my in-laws to watch Elyse while I have a fabulous morning with a friend.  Now to just decide which fabulous friend to invite along with me! 

After Elyse's nap we FORCED her to change her clothes and go outside to take Bogey for a walk.  It was absolutely beautiful outside yesterday & I for one was ready to get some fresh air and some sunshine before the next cold snap hit!  She was NOT all that excited about going out in the beginning, but after we reminded her of her wagon & Bogey she was all for it! 

After a quick walk, we just spent time outdoors enjoying the warmer than normal temps! 

 

It was a fabulous little taste of Spring before we headed off to small group!  I can't hardly wait for Spring to arrive...this winter has been brutal and I'm ready for the windows to be open and flowers to fill my beds. 

 

And of course...in true Missouri weather fashion...just as quick as the warm Sunday came, it is gone.  Today it's 13 degrees outside with high winds...so we might as well break out the fuzzy boots again! 

Happy Monday friends, hope you have a great week!

5 on Friday (on a Saturday)

So please ignore the fact that this post is actually happening on Saturday...I had grand plans and basically my phone wouldn't upload any pictures over my Wifi connection...so a 5 on Saturday post it is! 

 

Don't forget to head on over to April's blog to catch up with all the other fabulous ladies! 

 

 

1.  Practically since Elyse was born,  her cousin Jackson has been asking if Elyse could come visit at his babysitter's house one day.  And it wasn't just because he wanted her to come play...he wanted her to be his "show & tell."  Jackson LOVES Elyse and he wanted to show her off to all his friends.  Is that not the most precious thing ever?!?

 

Finally a few weeks ago, my father-in-law had made plans to make it happen and then the crazy snow storm hit a few weeks ago...so it was postponed.  But last Thursday, my in-laws picked up Elyse about 10 in the morning and they headed to Jackson's daycare.  Jackson was shocked when she arrived and they played for a little while before Mamaw & Pappy treated the two youngest grandkids to a pizza lunch.  And Jackson also managed to teach Elyse his weird fascination with rubbing ears...don't ask questions about this video, I don't understand it either! 

 

2.  Thursday was another ridiculously cold day and while Elyse and I had originally made plans to run a few errands, I decided to punt on those and we stayed home in our jammies & comfy clothes.  I whipped up a new muffin recipe and was pretty pleased with the outcome.  I added some fresh blueberries to the original recipe and they are super moist & yummy.  Why do I love muffins so much?  I try to convince myself that they are at least slightly more healthy for me than donuts since they're not fried...good justification right? At least these have whole wheat flour, greek yogurt and fruit!

3.  As I mentioned I left Elyse in her jammies all day on Thursday...literally all day.  I even delivered her to my parents for a sleepover in her jammies.  I honestly think that might be a first for me in her 2 years of life...we normally at least change into sweats & a t-shirt!  But seriously could she be any cuter?  And her daddy loves that she loves playing with her Duplos...Legos are next for sure!

4.  Part of the reason that she stayed in her jammies is that I think her poor little body must have been fighting off some sort of bug.  No other symptoms besides a slightly runny nose & a mild fever.  We had LOTS of cuddles and LOTS of screentime (thank you Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood & Chuggington). Yes, my child watches tv.  Yes, I am very thankful for it at times.  I actually ended up napping with her for a bit because she just couldn't settle.  Thankfully she woke up happier, but still just a little off...but she seems all better now!  *And will you check out those eyelashes & lips...oh I could eat her up! 

5.  Tonight we have another Missouri State Bears game...which means another opportunity to see Boomer!  Our last game was on Tuesday night and we have definitely made some serious progress in the character interaction department...she voluntarily gave him a high five!  Hugs still weren't allowed, but at least she touched him. And thanks to Papa who was right there to get it on video!  Maybe Santa will be better 10 months from now! 

 

Happy Weekend everyone...and stay warm!



Splish Splash, Elyse LOVES Bathtime!

I saw a post from one of my favorite bloggers and it reminded me that some of the best photos come from the most everyday activities.  I got a new prime lens for my camera for Christmas, and while I'm still a total & complete amateur at using it (and most of the time it still stays on auto), I have really enjoyed the difference in the photos that come from the prime lens. 

I totally copied Sara's idea and had a little bathtime photo shoot on Friday evening before bedtime.  And contrary to what the pictures may look like...we were NOT torturing our child, she has learned to love having water poured over her head. 

And the sweetness from this photo session pretty much ended as soon as it began!

Maybe one of my favorite photos of all time...ornery little Elyse!

Weekend Rewind--My Zumba Girl

I haven't done a weekend rewind in a VERY long time, and I honestly miss recapping our sometimes exciting, but other times mundane weekend happenings. 

 

So...hold on to your seats, this one was incredibly exciting...not really! 

 

Friday evening we just stayed at home, I fixed a new recipe from Pinterest & it was a huge hit!  Super simple and super yummy....but not super healthy.  However, it will definitely be making it into our mealplan rotation!

*picture from PlainChicken.com; Chicken Lazone...absolutely delicious!

We spent the rest of the evening just hanging out at home and we all cuddled up on the couch to watch Planes and eat popcorn before Elyse headed to bed.  This has become a pretty standard Friday evening for us and I love it!  Dinner at home, movie and popcorn...love family date nights at home! 

 

Saturday morning Hubby had to work and I decided to take Elyse to Zumba with me.  She does pretty well during Wednesday mornings with a small group, so I figured we'd be good with a bigger group as long as we stood in the back in our normal place.  Well...there were like 35 ladies and one of my good friends saved me a spot on the front row (which is where I like to be when I'm by myself.)  When I asked Elyse if she wanted to stand in the front with Andrea, my bestie & the Zumba instructor, or in the back...she chose the front.  So off we went!  I really thought she might be in the way, but that little girl danced her heart out for the most part of the entire hour!  She kept asking to get on stage with Andrea and I was able to resist her until the cool down...she helped us stretch it out! 

After Zumba we spent the rest of the day napping & just hanging out at the house before heading out for dinner with Hubby's parents, & his sister & her family.  I broke out my Converse shoes thanks to a tip from Pinterest Told Me To and I LOVED the look.  I can't tell you how many times I've almost put these in a garage sale, but I'm so glad I held on to them.  I can definitely see myself getting lots of wear out of my Converse this Spring!

 We headed to one of our favorite local pizza places for dinner and we had just put our name in for a table for 9 when we had one of those "parent firsts" that you hope you never experience.  Hubby was holding Elyse and she asked for me to hold her so I took her and she was facing my chest when I heard a burp...that was a little more loaded than normal.  Hubby & I quickly left the restaurant hoping that none of her "sickness" managed to find it's way to the floor.  There was a bench right outside the restaurant and I sat down as we were trying to decide what to do when she managed to get sick two more times.  She was upset of course...but I quickly remembered that we had an extra change of clothes in her diaper bag...and from now on there will always be a change of clothes! 

 

She honestly acted like a new kid afterwards, so we did what any normal parent would do...we stripped her down, changed her clothes, stuck the yucky clothes in the trunk, and went in to have a nice dinner with our family.  She honestly didn't act weird the whole rest of the night and even had an appetite for a ton of pizza and froyo afterwards!  Our group was seated near the entrance, and we couldn't help but giggle a bit as another small child got sick as they were leaving the restaurant in the exact same place...I'm thinking the restaurant employees were counting down the hours until they got to go home! 

The best I could do of Mamaw & her grandkids!

Yesterday was a normal Sunday with church, lunch, naps, playtime and small group.  We're starting to get back in our routine and it's definitely a nice feeling.  The holidays are great, but something about a routine and a consistent schedule makes life seem so much more peaceful.  Hope you have a fabulous week!