Five on Friday

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

I cannot wait for the trick-or-treating festivities to start tonight!  Conor & I put the final touches on Liam's dinosaur costume last night, and I am ecstatic about how it turned out!  Follow me on Instagram to see my little Liamasaurus in all his dino cuteness!  Here's my (sometimes) weekly five...  As always, thanks to all the lovely hosts: Christina, Darci, April, & Natasha!

 

-ONE-
My friend Celka captured this photo of Liam and his most favorite gal pal Malin on a tractor ride the other day.  Malin is stunningly beautiful, and I cannot get over Liam's small hand resting on her leg.  It completely shows his gentle & tender personality!  I love these two together!  

-TWO-
I've had my eye on a pair of Bean Boots for awhile, but I have a nice of pair of Northface snow boots that do me just fine.  Well then I read Stephanie's post this week, and I'm now I'm just pining after them!

-THREE-
Ghost by Ella Henderson is my new jam!  Please tell me you've all heard it?!  When it comes on one of my Pandora workout stations while I'm running, I crank up the speed!

-FOUR-
While Utah is treating us well, my heart is definitely still in Washington.  This shirt is an adorable reminder of home, and may just be sneaking its way into Liam's stocking this December...  I will probably start shopping this weekend!

-FIVE-
Here's a little Flashback Friday for you... my little owl just one short year ago!

TGIF friends; try not to eat all your kid's candy tonight!

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Fall Days with Nana & Pops

Family time is seriously some of the best time!  Liam & I were fortunate to have my mom in town for a week while Conor was away on business, and then my Dad flew down & joined us when Conor returned home!  And when it comes to guests, Nana & Pops are my favorite!  
My mom always arrives with homemade goodies; this time it was raspberry jam with raspberries picked right at their lake house & molasses crinkle cookies.  She cooks, she cleans, she changes diapers, & she does a pretty awesome bath time.  What I would give to have her close by...

Pops is best for playtime!  As Liam has gotten older and can engage more & more, it has been a joy to watch the two of them play together.  I can remember my Dad making me laugh so hard that it hurt growing up!  It's incredible to see those similar interactions with Liam.  Pops is definitely one to let the rules slide, but I suppose that's what grandparents do best!

We ate.  They all drank.  We hiked.  We playground-ed.

The men snuck away for happy hour & football.  The women snuck away for shopping.  

Liam completely lit up when we picked them up from the airport, and was sad to see them go!  I so enjoyed seeing his excitement upon the arrival of Nana & Pops, and witnessing just how much that little boy loves them!  This last stretch was longest that Liam had ever gone without seeing them, but it was as if no time had passed at all.  We have sure missed them lately, but luckily we'll be meeting them in Hawaii in less than 2 weeks!

13 Weeks (Bump #2)

Total Weight Gain: 5 lbs.  I wasn't up 5 lbs until 20 weeks with Liam!  But I know my body is still working its way towards a healthy weight, and I'm still far below my pre-pregnancy weight with L.

Symptoms: My energy is back!  I am shocked at what a difference just a week made!  Still a bit of nausea, but hopefully that is gone quickly too!  The 2nd trimester is off to a great start!

Gender Predictions:  At my midwife appointment, the baby's heart rate was 161 which is in the girl range!  Although it's far too early for that to be very telling, it's still fun to think about.  My midwife group is pretty strict about no anatomy ultrasounds until 19 weeks, so the earliest we could find out will be December 6th.  I guess my Black Friday shopping will have to be gender neutral.

Sleep?  Still not great.  Hoping some of the insomnia passes soon...

Miss Anything?  I don't really feel like I'm "missing" much this time around.  I love being pregnant and am just trying to enjoy every little bit of it!

Food Cravings/Aversions:  Fruit is still the craving!  No huge aversions right now, but I still don't have much of an appetite.

Staying Active?  Eek only 2 workouts this week!  Having company in town is definitely throwing me off.  So is Liam's later than usual nap time.  Excuses, excuses.  Hoping next week I'll be back to at least 4 workouts a week!

Cries: 1.  It was about Christmas.  We are trying to make plans on whether or not to travel and see family for the holidays.  Typically we do, but each year I feel more strongly about going to sleep in own beds on Christmas Eve and being able to spend the holiday at home.  But I would miss my family terribly!  This is the hardest time of year to live away!!!

Liam's Thoughts:  Our friends who stayed with us this week have a 4 month old, and Liam was just smitten with her!  He was so sweet about bringing her toys and just laying on the ground with her.  He was so gentle and loved when she smiled!  I truly think he is going to be the best big brother!

Looking Forward to: Halloween!  I need to finish Liam's costume ASAP!  And I may even dress up my little tummy this year as a mummy!

Bouqs

First of all, a floral photographer I am not.  Seriously not!  Moving on.  Bouqs recently asked if I wanted to receive some flowers for review, and I quickly jumped on the opportunity!  We've had quite a bit of company over the last couple of weeks, and I absolutely love having fresh flowers around for guests!  I like to fill tiny vases in all the bathrooms and then usually have a big bouquet in the guest bedroom as well as the kitchen.
Bouqs has some of the most beautiful bouquet options, so it was tough to choose!  One that caught my eye in particular was their "milkshake" bouquet; I'm sure the freesia would have smelled amazing!

However, I was feeling a bit more in the autumn spirit and instead went with some orange lilies, "The Great Pumpkin" bouquet.  Perhaps, I was simply sold on the name!  :-)  I was completely impressed with just how many blooms arrived!  For the most part they are all were just starting to open, so that I got to enjoy my flowers for well over a week!  They were stunning!

I was also really impressed with Bouqs' customer service!  FedEx had an issue, so my flowers were going to be delivered a day late...  Bouqs was completely on top of this and sent me an email right away to let me know.  They also credited my account $15 for a future purchase.  I always want to continue supporting a business when they have excellent customer service like this!
I will definitely order from Bouqs in the future, because I just can't get enough of their flowers.  I love sending bouquets to friends & family periodically and while I typically like to use a local florist, sometimes I get frustrated when their websites lack in showing what flowers they offer.  I love how you can easily see all the options Bouqs has!  And there are plenty!  Let your flower shopping begin!
Now if anyone wants to send some flowers my way, I love lilies & dahlias!

Five on Friday

It's a been a busy couple weeks around, so a weekend is just what we need!  We're planning on lots of relaxing and some fun with our friends that are in town with their 4 month old.  Squishy babies are my favorite, and this little one is particular has me so excited for our family to be growing.  May seems so far away, but I think I can wait.  Here's my (sometimes) weekly five...  As always, thanks to all the lovely hosts: Christina, Darci, April, & Natasha!

 

-ONE-
Christmas stuff is already flooding the stores, and I'm actually semi okay with it.  While I most definitely do not decorate or listen to any Christmas music 'til after Thanksgiving, I have no problems making a few purchases before then...  I snagged the best jammies of the season yesterday, and they were even on sale!  Liam is going to go crazy for these, especially when he sees us putting a Christmas on our own car after we cut it down!

-TWO-
Might as well keep with this Christmas thing I got going and share an ornament that I snagged this week too!  Crate & Barrel always has an awesome selection!  I have a red & white theme going for my tree, so I snagged this white one.  I try to only buy a few new ones a year, because it's so hard to hold back!

-THREE-
One of my other purchases this week (my mom was in town, I don't typically shop this much) was this cozy sweatshirt by Stem.  I love how soft all their stuff feels (organic cotton) and pretty much wish I could fill my closet with just their clothes!  And this blush color is gorgeous!

-FOUR-
I found this garlic mushroom quinoa recipe on Pinterest and am somewhat excited to try it out!  Well, I'm at least considering it, which is big.  Hopefully this nausea passes soon, and I can get back to trying new recipes.

-FIVE-
Remember when I posted my Fall Decor Favorites?  Well my sweet sweet husband just happens to read my blog (even the posts I don't have him edit) and surprised me with the wreath a couple weeks ago!  It looks perfect on our front door!  It would also look amazing on a mantle, but unfortunately mine is taken over by a massive TV.  This picture of me is completely unflattering (I swear my arm is not that big), but so goes this stage of pregnancy!

TGIF friends!

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Pitch Black Pumpkin Pickin'

While some of you may be bored of seeing absolutely everyone's pumpkin patch photos, I just love them!  Kids are usually so smiley & happy, and I love seeing how unique each patch is all over the country!  Having lived many places, and visited nearly as many patches, I do consider myself a bit of a snob expert.  But if you've had enough of the patch, then click away my friends, click away! I insist upon a real pumpkin patch, in which the pumpkin is still in fact upon the vine; none of those randomly placed pumpkins upon hay bales for me!  Last year we were really happy with Black Island Farms which is just north of Salt Lake City, so we went back for round 2 this year! After reading Duck & Goose, Find a Pumpkin for a few weeks,  Liam knew where we were going and was ecstatic upon arrival!  First we hit up the courtyard which consisted of farm animals, slides, a train ride, & a "corn box".  The corn box was a huge hit!  He rolled in it, buried himself in it, threw it like it was confetti.  He practically filled his pockets & shoes until there was no way that he could possibly bring anymore corn home with him.  And yet, I'm still finding a kernel here or there...

Then we let Liam lead us through the corn maze, where he giggled around each corner trying to find the right way to go!  The stalks were high and the maze huge, so we spent a fair amount of time chasing him down.  Sometimes he loves running ahead and being independent, but other days he simply wants to hold my hand.  It seems to fit perfectly in mine!

The sun was setting and we had yet to pick our pumpkins, so we scurried ourselves to the hayride...  I was picturing the most perfect setting of a jubilant little Liam running through the massive patch with the sun slowly falling behind him.  Except that definitely didn't happen.  Because oh my goodness, there was the most massive line for the hayride that I ever did see!  Almost tear worthy long.  So we began the wait, one at time, while the other took Liam back to the courtyard to play.  Kettle corn was purchased and devoured.  Numerous bathroom breaks & diaper changes were had.  Coats were retrieved from the car.  Darkness fell.  And then it fell some more.  And when I say dark, I mean D A R K.  We were at a farm in the absolute middle of nowhere Utah; no lights were to be seen.  It took almost 1.5 hours to make it the front of the line, but there was no way I was driving home without a damn pumpkin.  So at nearly 8pm, we climbed on the wagon and were finally on our way to the pumpkin patch.  We couldn't see a thing, but Liam loved the bumpy ride.  We chose our pumpkins by the light of our phones and hoped that our selections were going to look top notch in the daylight!

I was only slightly hormonal and upset about our late night, but I really tried to embrace the moment for what it was. It was an adventure!  One we surely won't forget! And maybe, just maybe we spotted the Great Pumpkin... we will never know...

12 Weeks (Bump #2)

Hello friends!  This past week I was busy living life, instead of blogging about it.

Ready to be back at this week though!

The bump pops out one day and is back in another.

I can't wait for a big belly!

Total Weight Gain: 4 lbs.

Symptoms: A little bit of nausea & exhaustion still, but seems to be improving each week.  Some days are definitely better than others, but the good are outweighing the bad.

Gender Predictions:  I'm feeling pretty neutral this week, but Liam mentioned a baby sister...  I go to the midwife on Tuesday and am hoping to schedule our ultrasound, so hopefully we will know the gender sometime in late november!

Maternity Clothes:  Not wearing them yet, but I did make a few purchases this weekend at the GAP sale.  I am particularly loving these tanks.

Sleep?  One night with some pretty serious insomnia & lots of night waking in general.  I think my body is still adjusting to Liam actually sleeping for some decent stretches and not waking every 2 hours.  I would really like to sleep through the night just once before we have a newborn on our hands! 

Miss Anything?  My clear skin!  I generally have great skin, but pregnancy is not so good to be in this area.  I am open to any and all suggestions for face wash that will help!  Please share your favs!

Food Cravings/Aversions:  Fruit seems to be the consistent thing.  Smoothies are my go to when I can't even think of eating a meal.  And the season of satsumas (or cuties) is upon us, and I'm eating about a costco bag a week right now.

Staying Active?  With Conor out of town and my parents visiting this week, I wan't all that active.  I managed in only two workouts.  There is definitely room for improvement here!

Nursery Progress:  As I said, we won't be changing things over from playroom to nursery 'til after Christmas, but I'm still thinking of ideas.  The room is actually quite terrible, with not one single bare wall.  There are odd windows and closets and nooks, and then a random door straight to the bathroom that is unneeded and really just a nuisance.  We are going to get in touch with a contractor and see how easy it would be to remove the door and dry wall over it! 

Cries: No.  However, moody....yes!  Conor just loves it, let me tell you!

Liam's Thoughts:  He is just a little chatterbox when it comes to the baby.  He pats & kisses my belly constantly.  I think he is genuinely really excited for a baby to join our family!

Looking Forward to: My midwife appt.  I just love checking up on the baby!

11 Weeks (Bump #2)

Liam wanted in on the pic this week!

And Go Hawks (even though they lost...)

Total Weight Gain:4 lbs.
I wasn't up 4 lbs until 18 weeks with Liam, eek!  However, I have to remind myself that I am still way under my pre-pregnancy weight with Liam, and that my body is just working its way towards a good healthy weight!

Symptoms: Still in the throws of those 1st trimester symptoms; however, they do seem to be lessening.  The nausea wasn't nearly as bad this week, although my energy still isn't back.  I'm peeing about 4 hundred times a night and constantly thirsty.  I'm happy to see improvement though and I am very hopeful that by next week I may be heading into the "sweet spot" of pregnancy!

Gender Predictions:  I've thought boy since the beginning, but just this week I had a dream that the baby is a girl.  I'm now 1 and 1 on gender dreams.  And this week it has just felt like a girl!  We shall see!

Sleep?  Maybe some slight improvement here too.  I may be getting up a ton to pee, but the insomnia has subsided.  Now if only Liam could get his sleep a bit more consistent...  

Miss Anything?  My energy & just enjoying food in general.

Food Cravings/Aversions:  Still apples & caramel sauce and all things blueberry (I believe I was on a blueberry kick with Liam too)!  I'm having an aversion to most foods, but that seems to be improving as well.  Except for meat; I'm worried I'm going to have a big meat aversion again.  Liam has been wanting meat (any meat) dipped in ketchup every day for a few weeks now...  Preparing it and watching him eat literally makes me want to gag!

Staying Active?  Yep, although not quite as often as I'd like.  I managed to fit in 3 workouts this week, and with Conor on a business trip for a couple of days I'm actually quite proud of this.  Sometimes just spending the day with a toddler feels like a workout!

Cries: Surprisingly no.  Although I came quite close while watching Parenthood...

Liam's Thoughts:  He loves talking about the baby which makes us smile so big.  He always mentions holding the baby when it's done growing.  He will also tell us where the baby will sit if we are ever somewhere with an empty seat.  He seems just as excited as we are!

Looking Forward to: My mom (and later in the week my dad) coming to Utah for a visit!!!  This will be the 1st time I have seen them since we found out I was pregnant!

For Two Fitness Ambassador

During this pregnancy, I am a For Two Fitness Ambassador! Please hop over to their blog to see my guest post about staying active during the first trimester! I'd be even happier if you left me a little love! :-)

Five on Friday

Friday is here, and it's sweeter than usual because Conor is home from a business trip!  We are more than ready for a weekend filled with a birthday party and trip to the pumpkin patch.  And some much needed extra rest for this little mama!  Let's get right to it, here's my five...  As always, thanks to all the lovely hosts: Christina, Darci, April, & Natasha!

 

-ONE-
We (all including Liam) are going to Hawaii (Maui) in early November, and I'm already counting down the days 'til we leave!  I would love any & all suggestions for things to do and places to eat.  Also maybe some toddler app suggestions for the long flight.  We really don't give Liam any screen time, but I want some things on our iPad for an emergency situation!!!

source

-TWO-
I have been eyeing this reserved pillow for our guest room.  Right now the room has zero character, but I want to slowly start making it an extra cozy little place for guests!

-THREE-
I'm currently reading The Goldfinch, and it is amazing!  It is a bit of a lengthy read, but you won't want to put it down (and I'm barely over a third of the way through the book).  Make this your next read!

-FOUR-
You know who doesn't get a lot of love on this blog...our cat Charlie!  He's a pretty special guy!  While I rarely take a photo of him anymore since Liam dominates my camera roll, I just couldn't resist his cuteness the other day!  If only I was this comfortable during nap time!

-FIVE-
My in-laws who just happen to own an icecream shop in Montana (and also expecting!) wanted to try shipping some product last month, so we were the lucky recipients.  I have been enjoying pint after pint of homemade icecream since and will be devastated when we run out.  No other icecream will do; I literally only love Sweet Peaks!

TGIF friends!

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Favorite Fall Books

My little book worm wanted to share his favorite books for the Fall season today!  We're slowly building up a collection for each holiday, which has been so much fun!  Liam loves when a new book makes it's way onto his shelf, or when a book he hasn't seen in a year reappears!  I pretty much get just as excited!  

One, Two...Boo! It's lift flap; what's not to love?!  And it costs under $3,  so you can even buy a new one each year if your little one is a wee rough with the flaps....
Duck & Goose, Find a Pumpkin Very basic story, but Liam actually likes the simplicity and had it memorized in just a few days. This one he "ready by himself"! Goodnight Goon: A Petrifying Parody Gotta love a twist on a classic. Liam's favorite line: "3 little mummies rubbing their tummies." I Know an Old Lady Who Swallowed A Pie Another twist on a classic. This is technically a Thanksgiving book, but we bring it out with the rest of the Fall stuff!
What's books do we need to add to the collection?!