five on friday

1.  It is May, which means we are having a baby this month which totally blows my mind.  This week was so, so busy and flew by.  I hope the next few weeks are just the same!

2.  Blake and Lisa came to visit for a night which we loved.  "Bake" and Jilly are getting old enough that they can finally talk to each other and and really play together which is hilarious.  We took the kids to the park and to the library to show techy Blake the new iPads in the children's section, but I'm pretty sure their favorite activity was screaming while chasing each other in circles around the house.  Lis and I managed the chaos, chatted to our hearts content, and sipped on cherry limeades and Italian sodas (what can I say, we like our fancy drinks!)

 

    

3.  Thanks to Bryan and his kind parents I had a few free hours this week.  I was able to get a fresh pre-baby haircut and tons of errands done which would have taken me forever with my usual sidekick. You better believe I also got some decent sleep in as well.

4.  I had a girls night out with some friends this week. We got ice cream then weren't quite ready to head home to husbands and children so we wandered through Target and almost all bought matching flats (sadly, they didn't have everyone's sizes.)

5. On Tuesday a friend mentioned that she was taking her kids to the Chick fil A family night for dinner.  I looked around at my freshly-cleaned kitchen and decided that going out for dinner was an excellent idea.  Jilly got her arm painted with a rainbow and butterflies and loved showing it off for days (yes, that means we went a few days without a bath- this girl has me totally wrapped around her finger.)

**As I read through this I realize it's no wonder it was a great week, I was totally spoiled all week long!

big girl room

Sometimes I feel like this baby is forcing Jilly to grow up too fast.  But then every time I introduce something new she takes it like a champ.  Sleeping in a big bed? she sleeps better than she ever did in her crib.  Potty training?  this girl was totally potty trained and accident-free by day 3.  She puts her shoes on by herself (never on the right feet, but that doesn't really matter right?), sits at the table like a big girl, and helps with her few little chores. So I guess she really is becoming a big girl and not my baby anymore.

I've had a lot of fun making Jilly a big girl room.  It's not terribly different from her old room, but for some reason to me it seems like a dramatic change.  And, I love that this room screams Jilly.  It's pink as can be and full of her favorite things- dresses, books, blankies, and babies.  Bryan says the room glows pink, and I admit that it kind of does.  But, she'll only be two once, and I'm so glad that she has a fun bedroom that she loves.

left wall- bow holders, armoire, US map, rain gutter bookshelves, free ABC print that I cannot find anymore- bummer

under the window- baskets for dolls, dress-up, and stuffed animals (one night I'm going to sneak in and throw away half the animals in that basket.)

 My friend Megan made a similar heart garland for Valentine's Day.  I was sitting on the bed reading books with Jilly one night and suddenly realized she needed a heart garland for her headboard so I got to work.  Jilly and I have many a battle over the hearts- I think they should be evenly spread apart and she likes to squish them all together on one side.  Drives me bonkers (do I sound like a control freak or what?!)

Clearly big girl beds were made for jumping

Closeup of wall art-  Jillian Kate print made for us by a friend (find her work here), Idea for the LOVE print from here (took me about 10 minutes to make with my cricut and scrap paper), You are my Sunshine printable, and I am in desperate need of finding something square to put underneath the picture of Christ with the children- any ideas?

 

tent, closet. door

friday five

1. This week Jilly and I looked at her baby book.  It made me realize a. Jilly has grown up so much, b. I better get going on a baby book for #2, and c. I can't wait to have a teeny babe around!

2.  I downloaded this free printable this week and put it in my kitchen.  It makes me ridiculously happy.

3.  Jilly is in full preparation mode for becoming a big sister.  This week she went to her friend Kylie's house and loved playing with her baby sister, and today while we were watching another friend's baby Jilly was thrilled to help me and make him smile.  She now insists that we buckle her doll into the infant car seat and take her with us wherever we go.  

4.  If you're a mom, you must read this hilarious article.  I have spent hours and hours and hours of my life stressing about Jilly's sleep (or lack thereof) and I've finally come to the decision that some kids are great sleepers and some aren't and there isn't much you can do about it (despite what all the experts say.)

5. This is by far my favorite picture of the week.  Girlfriend is so proud that she can put her shoes on by herself, and she never complains about them being uncomfortable so I rarely fix them for her.   Sometimes having a mom who is 8+ months pregnant kind of stinks.  

more crockpot-ing

We've been trying some more crockpot recipes and found some really great ones.

Honey Sesame Chicken- This was so, so yummy.  Bryan doesn't like green onions and we forgot to put on sesame seeds, but it made no difference.  The chicken was super moist and had great flavor.

Lemon Chicken- It's been a few weeks since we made this and I don't remember it very well except that I thought it was good.  Overall review- clearly not very memorable, but we did enjoy it that night.

Crockpot Chicken Fajitas- So delicious and easy.  We only used 1 1/2 peppers and that was plenty for us.  We put the chicken in tortillas with tomatoes, cheese, sour cream and tapatio (for Bryan, not me.)  These were some of the best fajitas I've ever had- juicy and delicious.  

Take me out to the ball game

We're trying to cram lots of fun into these next few weeks before our life takes a slow turn.  One of the things on our list was going to a baseball game so we checked that off this weekend.  First stop- Squeeze Inn for cheese skirts.  We ate there about a year and a half ago and both agreed that we could wait another year and a half to go again.  Though delicious, the incredibly greasy burgers and fries are not something I'd like to make a habit.  

Next stop was the game.  The baseball stadium has a grassy berm that you can take blankets and sit on which is perfect for kids.  Our friends the Clements came with us and we seriously had the best time.  Some of the highlights-

- I showed Jilly a picture of the team mascot (the Rivercats) and she would cheer "Go Kitties!"

- Listening and dancing to "Sweet Caroline" in honor of Boston

- Jilly and Afton playing on the blanket

- Nachos (I was still too full to try any, but everyone else enjoyed)

- Fireworks at the end (always the best part)

As we were leaving Jilly kept saying "I like baseball."  I'm pretty sure she shares my love for the atmosphere more than the actual playing of the game, but that's fine by me.

five on friday

1.  Except for a few windy days, the weather has been perfect for the past few weeks.  Jilly's requests of "we go to park?" have been frequent and frequently satisfied.  We go almost every day, and Jilly can almost always convince us to go again after dinner.  Jilly has gotten lots of practice with her bike and pushing a stroller, and our arms are benefitting from hours of swing pushing.

 

2.  On Sunday we skyped with my family and Jilly counted to ten for them.  Joking, my dad said, "Okay now in Spanish" and he started her out with uno then she said, "dos, tres, cuatro, cinco!"  I was floored- never in my life have I practiced counting in Spanish with her; that knowledge is 100% from watching Dora.  Who says kids don't learn from tv?

3.  Last week I finished listening to Code Name Verity.  It was so, so good that I immediately started listening to it again.  It has a great twist at the end so it's fun to read again knowing the ending and being able to pick up on so much more.

4.  Have you tried a cherry limeade from Taco Bell yet?  They're only $1 from 2-5pm and I'm obsessed.  Please don't think less of me when I tell you I've had four in the past week.  We have a Taco Bell right by our house and I end up there all too often.

5.  We are exactly one month away from D-Day.  Sometimes I feel like I want this baby to come RIGHT NOW and other times I feel like I am not ready at all.  We have all the necessities, I'm just not sure I'm ready for our life to be turned upside down.  But, baby girl will be here before we know it, and we are so excited to have her join our family.

a dress for Jilly

I have finally accepted the fact that pants/shorts/anything that doesn't have good spin factor are no longer going to come near my daughter's body (without a huge fight, and at this point I have lost all the fight in me.)  So thus I have begun Operation: Summer Dresses.

I actually started this dress last fall.  I bought some jersey fabric to make a maxi skirt for me (side note: I made the waist a little too big so now it fits me perfectly and is my very favorite article of clothing as seen here.)  I decided to use the leftovers to make this dress, but it was already too late in the year so I made it for this spring.  Unfortunately I planned on Jilly growing about 3 sizes over the winter.  The dress is pretty big on her but that only adds to its spin appeal, and means she'll be able to wear it next year as well.  When I pulled the dress out last week all I had to do was attach the collar and hem the dress (which I did a terrible job on, but it's a play dress so we're calling it good.)  It is far from a masterpiece, but she likes it and I am thrilled to check something off my "Things to finish before baby" list.

Jilly is also modeling her new obsession- necklaces.  There are at least three around her neck at all times until I pry them off for her to go to sleep.  Never in my life have I met a child more girly than this one.