Five on Friday!

Hey y'all! Happy Friday! We've had a long week so I'm very excited the weekend is here! Here's some super randomness from our week. :) Linking up with the Five on Friday girls again!

[ONE]

I love this picture of Emma so so much. After her bath the other night she was in the happiest mood. And this picture captures just how big and brown her beautiful eyes are!

[TWO]

This is so out of my comfort zone because I'm not a selfie taker, but I have to share this. Since January I've lost almost 20 pounds and I put this jacket on that I've had for over 2 years and zipped it for the first time ever. It's seeing stuff like this that keeps me going!

I've just been eating healthy and going to the gym. I know...a super novel idea. 

[THREE]

John was out of town again this week. He left Monday morning for the staff retreat with the other ministers at church and they got home Wednesday just in time for lunch. I just finished bible study so I picked up the kids to let them play in the gym while we waited for John to get back. 

They always LOVE playing in the gym.

[FOUR]

I scheduled spring pictures for the kids this week and I'm SO excited! We haven't had professional pictures made since Emma was born and both kids have changed A LOT in the last 16 months. 

[FIVE]

They were being so sweet during dinner last night. Not the greatest picture ever but my word these 2 just love each other and it makes my mama heart so full.

Have a great weekend y'all! Any fun plans?

Five on Friday

It's time for Five on Friday again! Here is a SUPER RANDOM post but all fun things!

[ONE]

Hudson has loved taking pictures this week. He will do something cute or sit down and say, "Mommy! Cheese a picture!" These are horrible of me but I just love the faces he's making.

[TWO]

Exactly 1 year ago today, John and I came to Birmingham for his first set of interviews at our church. I can't believe it has been a year since we made a secret trip (only our parents knew) and left our babies to go and see if God was calling us to a new place. I am so glad we listened. This is the very first picture I took in Birmingham and it's of our church.

[THREE]

My brother is getting married in April and we just got their wedding invitation in the mail and it's the most beautiful wedding invitation I've ever seen. It is printed on wood. WOOD. And then wrapped in this gorgeous lace. 

And the calligraphy on the envelopes is just beautiful. 

[FOUR]

Check out the Lemon Pound Cake recipe I posted yesterday! It's perfect for spring...March is tomorrow!

[FIVE]

Speaking of spring...I've bought a couple new pairs of wedges in the last month that I'm in love with. 

I got these from Nordstrom. They are SO lightweight and comfy. I love them.

And I picked these up at Target. They are so cute especially for $29!

Happy Friday, y'all! Linking up here!

Five on Friday!

Happy Friday! I hope y'all have had a great week. Our week finally felt normal again and we had some warmer temps that put us all in great moods! Here's a random look into our week. :)

On Sunday I subbed for one of Emma's Sunday school teachers. When it was time for the lesson, the other teacher sat down and shook the sleeve of Saltines and ALL of the kids ran over to her and sat down. But they didn't ask for a cracker yet. They knew they would listen to the Bible story first and then get a cracker. I was in shock! Ha! I know the Pavlov's Dogs experiment all too well having a degree in psychology but seeing my almost 16 month old sit still and listen to a story was so sweet for my mama heart. 

Emma has just a little bit of a personality. She has this new stink eye. Well stink face. When she doesn't get her way or is mad she will let you know for sure. She was doing it the other day but when I tried to take a picture of it, she flashed her sweet smile. Oh this girl!

But later that evening I got a picture of it. haha!

My sweet boy LOVES LOVES helping in the kitchen. It's a little more work for me and takes me a little more time to cook dinner, but he has become a MUCH better eater because of this! He knows not to touch the stove and knives and is just so sweet when he's in there with me. 

Yesterday I was trying to get some things done around the house after taking Hudson to school and Emma was a major clinger. She was fussy and only wanted to be held. Enter The Lorax. I turned it on and she got SO EXCITED. Toddler Xanax. I know it's not the best practice to put your kid in front of the TV so no judgies. Sometimes you do what you gotta do. :)

One of Hudson's teachers sent all the parents a Shutterfly album with pictures they've taken recently. I am so in love with this sweet face. On another note, anyone know how to decently save a picture from a Shutterfly album? Obviously this isn't the best quality.

Happy Friday y'all!

Five on Friday: Favorite Things Edition!

Happy Friday, y'all! Today I wanted to share a few of my favorite things right now. This post is completely unsponsored. It's just things I love and wanted to share them with y'all!

First, I love my new planner I got for this year. For the last few years I've used an Erin Condren planner but for various reason, I decided to switch and I'm so glad I did. I went with the Emily Ley Simplified Planner and I just love it so much. It isn't personalized like Erin Condren but it is still so so cute! I love the layout more and I think it is a much better fit for me. 

I love this Restoration Hardware No-Crack Hand Cream. This stuff is the best ever. Especially in the cold, dry winter months. I used this stuff for years several years ago and John got me a new tub for Christmas this year. Love this stuff!

Another thing John got me for Christmas this year (he's good y'all) is this Mac Lip Glass in Viva Glam VI. It's the perfect color and I love it.

ANOTHER amazing gift from John was this Tocca Colette perfume from Anthropologie. I love this scent. It's very light and fresh and just the perfect fragrance.  

Last and definitely not least...these vintage tees from Old Navy are the best ever. I have 4 different colors and wear them constantly. They're so soft and comfy. The are long and the sleeves are the perfect length. Plus, they're $6 right now! Some colors are less than $5!! Go stock up!

I'm linking up today with Darci! I hope everyone has a wonderful weekend!

Five on Friday

Happy Friday, y'all! I'm just going to share a little about our week.

{1}

Monday was day 1 of Emma not getting her paci during the day. She gets it when she sleeps, naps, and in the car only now. It started off well with her standing at her crib screaming. 

{2}

The "polar vortex" hit us on Monday. It was bitter cold for a few days so we stayed home and got creative with activities. I can't wait until a movie holds their attention for the whole thing. They lasted about 20 minutes into The Little Mermaid.

{3}

Hudson has been obsessed with letters for several months now. He knows all of his letters, sings the alphabet song several times a day, knows each sound the letters make, and has now started to learn how to write them. His favorite letter is W. He has also figured out how to write his name. 

{4}

I got to spend about an hour playing trains with my boy one morning while Emma was napping this week. Loved it.

{5}

By Thursday it really started to warm up. Emma played outside for about an hour while Hudson was at school. It was 50 degrees and after the weather we'd had, it was practically summer! Ha!

Happy Friday! I'm linking up with Darci and the girls!

Five on Friday!

Happy Friday y'all! I'm linking up with Darci and the other girls today! It's been a fun week and I'm excited about a full and fun weekend we have ahead of us! I'm headed to the salon in a little bit for some MUCH NEEDED mama time. Then we have a preschool movie night at church tonight, a birthday party for a sweet little 3 year old tomorrow, Samford homecoming, and other fun things planned. So, here's some happy randoms...

{ONE}
Last week I jumped on a [very early] plane and flew to Dallas to surprise my sister! When they scheduled an induction for Baby Lincoln I just HAD to be there. John was SO SUPER AWESOME and took off work to stay with the minis. Loved begin able to get a way for a few days without being mom. So fun!

Plus, HELLO CUTENESS! How stinkin adorable is my new nephew?!?! Whitney was a CHAMP and delivered a chunky 8 pound 11 ounce bundle of LOVE.

{TWO}

Y'all. Emma James has been wearing bows for THREE DAYS! Around 6 months she started ripping them off of her head as quickly as I put them on. I kept trying for several weeks and then just gave up. Every once in a while I would try but of course she would rip it off. While I was out of town last week John said that he put a bow on her [see...best dad ever] and she kept it in for a long time. So I decided to start "training" her to wear bows again. And it's working! She's worn a bow pretty much all day for the last 3 days. Proof...

{THREE}

I adore fall/winter clothes on my minis. We went to lunch on Wednesday with John and since they looked so cute and fall-ish, I decided to have a mini photo shoot in the backyard. It is SO difficult to get a decent picture of them when they won't look at the camera/phone at the same time. BUT, a photographer friend of mine gave me some AMAZING tips that I can't wait to try soon. Just as soon as my ankles heal a little more and I can squat down to take better pictures of them. 

{FOUR}
My sweet friend, Erin, sent Emma these ADORBS Minnetonka booties from J.Crew. They are to die for.

{FIVE}

And for a little Friday humor...this CRACKS me up! Love me some bacon. Oh...go get the Applewood smoked bacon from Trader Joe's. Thank me later.

Have a great weekend y'all!!

five on friday!

I'm linking up with Darci and the girls again for 5 on friday! Here's just a random mix of our week.

.:1:.

This picture of Emma cracks me up. She put a puzzle piece in the right spot and stuck her arms up in the air. She is by no means able to do puzzles yet, but the fact that she put a piece in the right spot and I got so excited made her pretty proud. Love my girl!

.:2:.

A couple days ago after grocery shopping we saw this cat behind our house. Hudson has never seen a cat in real life but he was SO THRILLED when he saw this cat. He chased him around for a while and when he tried to climb up on the fence Hudson laughed so hard. It was a fun 10 minutes even though I'm not a fan of cats. At all.

.:3:.

1 of my favorite fall things. Honeycrisp apples! I love them alone or for a special treat, dipped in a little peanut butter. So delicious!

.:4:.

And also these. I found this coffee at Target and combined with the sugar free pumpkin spice creamer...divine!

.:5:.

Yesterday was PJ day at school. Hudson LOVES school. He woke up yesterday knowing it was a school day and from the second he woke up (6:15) until school started (9:00) he was ready to go. Several people suggested getting in the car and taking a while to get to school. Good idea except our school is literally across the street from our house. So I loaded the kids up in the stroller and we went on a nice long walk before school. I think this might be my new plan for school days. Hudson is just WAY too excited to be at home. He was in timeout twice and had 2 spankings all before 8:00. 

Happy Friday and have a great weekend!