
Sunday, October 30, 2016
Pumpkin Carving

Thursday, October 27, 2016
Holiday Art {Minted Giveaway}
Today is all about holiday art. I love adding little touches of Christmas all over my house. And fun prints can seriously be used anywhere. This little beauty from Minted that I picked out may find its way to my coffee bar, or perhaps it'll get some real nice wall real estate. I can't decided yet! And I'll probably move it all around the house multiple times before finding its final resting place. I love the song Baby, It's Cold Outside, and no one (NO ONE) sings it better than Rod Stewart & Dolly Parton. So add that jam to your holiday playlist ASAP!
Besides being absolutely adorable, I was super impressed with the quality of this print & frame. It's hard to capture in a photograph, but that foil writing is beautiful oh how it shines! I have realized I need far more foil prints in my life, especially some red foil! Minted has won me over with their paper products once again! And there are tons more fun holiday options right now. I am also kinda crushing on their "it's the most wonderful time of the year" as well as their "eat drink and be merry" print.

Sunday, October 23, 2016
Dating
After my super successful date with Liam, the mom guilt hit; so of course, I had to take little Finny out later in the week too! We have lots of us time while big brother is in school, but typically that time is filled with grocery shopping, cleaning, laundry... all the things that are easier to do with only one kid in tow. And since I just couldn't get my mind off that same coffee shop, I took Finn back with me for more toast! While Finn doesn't yet get to enjoy hot cocoa, he did nibble toast and enjoy lots of coffee shop snuggles. Just slowing down & not running all over town was refreshing. If I remember correctly, Liam started really enjoying special outings around age 2. So I look forward to the time when Finn will begin to understand the specialness of a day date.
And once you start dating your boys, you just can't get enough. So again last weekend, I took Liam to a REAL game. He has been before, but not since he started playing soccer himself! He was so into it. I tried to announce the game as best as I could, so he could see all the players doing the same things he gets to do. This little four year old gets pretty excited about corner kicks & throw ins! He snacked on sour patch kids (and even saved some to bring home to Finn), I sipped on the biggest lime-a-rita of my life, and once again we chatted about all sorts of things. This date's takeaway: (I summarize) "The family sitting in front of us must have a van because they have so many kids. We may need a van when we have another baby. Actually we have an open seat for a sister baby, so we won't need a van. But we can only have one more baby." Some of our best talks; I love him! And to remember our little outing, we bought Liam a REAL jersey of his own. He can't wait to wear it to soccer practice!

Friday, October 21, 2016
Fri-Yay

Tuesday, October 18, 2016
Thanksgiving Hostess
I know I'm bypassing Halloween temporarily, but don't for one moment think that I'm not pumped to celebrate that holiday first! But in the land of shopping, you have to plan way ahead. Waaaaay ahead. As in, we should really be talking Christmas right now (because if you don't snatch up what you want now, it will surely be gone when the actual holiday rolls around), but I'm not quite ready for that. Instead, today I bring you a little bit of Thanksgiving goodness. These are all some fun things that I'm eyeing right now. You better bet, those turkey candle holders are already mine! And the impulse buys have been out of control every time I step into Crate & Barrel lately. I imagine I may be adding a few more things to my home to make Thanksgiving dinner extra special. And can we talk about how copper is taking over the kitchen?! It's everywhere, and I'm actually really loving it.
So while you all should be a tad selfish and pick up some goodies for yourself, I really put together these items with the thought of hostess gifts in mind. I am firm believer in manners & old traditions. If you are having dinner at someone's house, and especially if you have going for a holiday dinner, you best have a hostess gift in hand! And what host doesn't love getting something festive for that particular holiday or season?

Sunday, October 16, 2016
Pumpkin Patch 2016
The thing is... I was a having a real rough day that morning. Little things had been getting to me more, throwing me into the dreaded funk. Nothing had been going to plan. Naptime was cut short. I just wasn't feeling like my usual chipper and excited self. Conor & I talked about rescheduling our pumpkin patch visit, but it was really the only day in the near future that worked with both of our schedules. I called my mom on the long drive out to vent. Hoping that letting it all out, would help me let the little things go. And thank goodness, the moment we pulled up to the farm, I was excited & filled with joy. It is one of my happy places, and I was finally there with my little family!
We always go on a weeknight, because the place is practically empty. No lines. No crazy people to navigate around. And you all know how much I love going places at Sunset, but even more so in the Fall. Harvest sunsets are stunning. The deep rich colors & warm glow don't even seem real. And this particular night & particular sunset may have been one of my favorites.
Finn was much more timid than I would have expected. While he loves slides at playgrounds, he was not fond of the big haystack slides or the potato sack one. Liam practically ran laps doing the slides on repeat, but Finn was content to watch from my lap for the better half of them. And then he refused to ride the little train, so again he watched from the sidelines. His reluctance to join in completely surprised me and doesn't seem to fit with the rest of his personality, but I enjoyed the snuggles while we watched big brother have the time of his life. He did however love the corn box and could have stayed there all night!


So often throughout this night, I found myself just taking in the moment. Noticing the wild smiles & giggles from my boys. Watching Conor with them. Even though it's been a year and a half since Finny as born, I still so often find myself in awe of the fact that I'm surrounded by boys. My boys. And at times, I think that I'm just destined for boys. That it will always be this way, just with parhaps another thrown in the mix (not an announcement). I watched them play, noticing all the families all around us and remembering special memories from my own childhood. For our past is the foundation that we use to develop our own traditions & memories. Apparently, I was feeling all sorts of nostalgic and warm & fuzzy.
As sunset was nearing, we jumped on the tractor for a ride out to the actual pumpkin patch. Finn was nonstop smiles throughout the entire bumpy ride. All the boys wanted was more & more bumps! He could not have been holding onto Conor any tighter, but he loved everything about it!
Pumpking choosing is serious business. I'm such a sucker for the tall & skinny; yet, every year I plan on mixing it up. And then I never do. Liam was adamant that we need two big pumpkins and two small pumpkins, so the search was on. Picking pumpkins straight from the vine is of extreme importance to me, which is why I love this particular farm. I love that the boys get to see how exactly how the pumpkins are grown, and that they literally have hundreds to choose from. I think we picked some rather perfect ones, with Liam being able to barely, just barely, carry his own!
Another night that will not soon be forgotten. Liam had such a hard time leaving, knowing that we won't be back again 'til next year. And he will grow impatient as we wait until closer to Halloween to carve them. But gosh, it was a good night. And these photos are some of my favorites. They will help hold our memories to enjoy in all the years to come!

Wednesday, October 12, 2016
Small Shop Love
