Five on Friday – A Sequel, the Dentist, and a Giveaway

I have lots of good stuff for you today!  It’s Friday, y’all!

O N E – Instagram Goals + Giveaway

One of my blogging goals for 2017 was to really start focusing on growing my following on social media.  My goal for Instagram was to hit 5k followers by the end of the year.  At the beginning of the year I was sitting somewhere around 2,700 and it had taken me years to get to that number… I wasn’t working that hard to increase my following, though.  Well, I’m so excited to say that I already met my goal of 5k for the year this past week!  Since I met my goal so early in the year, I have decided to revise it and aim for 10k by the end of 2017.  Eeks.  

So if you don’t already follow me on there, head on over!  Now is a good time to start because I have a giveaway going on right now with a few other ladies.  We’re giving away 1 fluffy hooded robe, 1 $50 Spa Finder gift card, a candle, a Rae Dunn mug, and a Home is My Happy Place tee!  So much free loot!  But hurry, the giveaway ends tonight at 8 PM EST!

T W O – Love Actually Sequel

Y’all!!!!  Have you seen this?!?! 

Love Actually is doing a 10-minute video to benefit Red Nose Day, and they are catching us up on the beloved characters from the 2003 movie.  This is my favorite movie of all time so you can probably imagine how excited I was when I found out!  I know I’ve mentioned on here a million and one times that B and I watch it every single year at Christmastime.  It’s been one of our traditions since it came out and I never tire of it.  It just makes you feel so darn good!  And fun fact, the movie is the same age as B’s and my relationship… it came out in November of 2003 and B and I had just started dating at the end of August 2003.  :o)

Anyway, the ten minute short is out and will air on NBC on May 25.  You can see the UK version of the short here and a teaser trailer here, but I’ve been hearing that there will be a different version for the US as another character has signed on to participate!  I’m so excited I could pee my pants!!!! 

Have I sold you yet?  If not, here are six words for you – HUGH GRANT DANCING TO HOTLINE BLING.  

Amen.

T H R E E – Dentist

The week before last, Jacob and I had our teeth cleaning appointments at the dentist.  This kid was a boss as he always is at these appointments and he completely ROCKED it.  The best part?  No cavities again!  I just love how he wears sunglasses for the cleaning.  He looks so cute.

F O U R – Spring Cups

Have y’all seen the spring cups at Starbucks?  They are just so festive and I love that they left them blank so we can draw on them!  I had way too much fun designing this one a couple of weeks ago.  On a side note, I can’t get enough of the Cinnamon Almond Milk Macchiato that everyone has been talking about… it is so good.  And the best part is that it’s only 140 calories and 5 grams of fat (for a tall) compared to the typical 300-400 calories and 10-15 grams of fat that my other faves have.  PSL and Peppermint Mocha, I’m looking at you.

F I V E – Behind the Scenes

Does anyone else have and love Lauren Conrad’s Celebrate book?  I read her blog every day and yesterday they gave a little behind the scenes info on what went into planning/creating the book and it was really interesting.  I was especially surprised to find out that Lauren cooked all of the food for photographing the “parties” herself!  Makes me love her even more.  You can see the post here.

Well, we are off to celebrate my birthday this evening with my FIL… the first of many celebrations!  And tomorrow B and I will celebrate ten years since we got engaged!  

Cheers to our ten year engagiversary!! 

*Linking up with A Liz Adventures and Carolina Charm for Five on Friday, A Little Bit of Everything for Friday Favorites,  September Farm and The Farmer's Wife for Oh Hey, Friday, Meet @ the Barre for Friday Favorites, and Cup of Tea for High Five for Friday.

Spring Fashion for the Littles

Spring is my favorite season for dressing the littles because of all of the fun spring colors.  There’s nothing cuter than a navy and Kelly green plaid shirt on a boy or a pink and white gingham dress on a little girl.  Plus, pink also happens to be Olivia’s favorite color, and this is the time of year where you can find a lot of it.

My favorite places to shop for the kiddos are Old Navy, GAP, Target, and Carter’s.  I would say that 90% of our kids’ clothes come from those four places alone.  They always have the cutest, most stylish things, and all of these places constantly have massive sales – I mean, 40% off the entire store at Old Navy?!  Sign me up!

Here are some of our favorites for the upcoming season…

For the Girls

Olivia has only been wanting to wear dresses lately, but those can be hard to play in at school, so I when I came across these cute little mix and match skirts and tops from Carter's I was all in!  They have shorts in them, so she can be comfy and appropriate while also looking like a girly girl.  And how sweet is that plaid dress with the tassels?!  I cannot wait for her to wear it!  All of the pieces below are currently in Olivia's closet and now that the weather has warmed up, we have been working our way through them.  

 ONE // TWO // THREE

FOUR // FIVE // SIX 

SEVEN // EIGHT // NINE

Summer in the south for girls = lots and lots of sandals because it's just too hot for socks!  How cute are all of these?!  Olivia has the white espadrilles, the gold glitter sandals, and the brown gladiator sandals so she should be all set!  I'm so in love with the pom pom sandals, though!!

ONE // TWO // THREE // FOUR // FIVE

 

For the Boys

Jacob lives in shorts and graphic tees for most of the summer, but we also like to throw in some casual striped tees and a couple of plaid button downs that he can wear to church.  The majority of his wardrobe is Old Navy because the shorts fit him so darn well.  He's still only in a 3T, too, by the way... just to give you some perspective on how teeny tiny he is!  He's almost six!  Haha.  I sure do miss being able to dress him in cute little baby clothes like this and this.  That little tie... I die!  And that little plaid romper... he lived in those when he was little!

ONE // TWO // THREE

FOUR // FIVE // SIX 

SEVEN // EIGHT // NINE

As far as shoes go, he pretty much lives in his Nikes, but we like to have some kind of slip on brown shoe for church, as well as sandals for the beach.  And don't forget the cute fedora!!  I die!

ONE // TWO // THREE // FOUR // FIVE

Looking for more spring inspiration?  I've teamed up with several blogger friends to bring to you a Spring Blog Hop!  Just click the links below to see more fun spring posts!

 Bost Family Blog

Foxy's Domestic Side

Three Boys and a Girl

Lindsay's Sweet World

My Glittery Heart 

Not in Jersey

By BMG

Hall Around Texas 

Bright on a Budget

The Sirois Family

Wife Mommy Me

Twin Peeks 

Secrets of a Stay at Home Mom

 

*Linking up with Home of Malones for Thoughts for Thursday.

*This post may contain affiliate links.

 

What’s Up Wednesday - March 2017 + Girl Mom Box Swap

This month sped by, and it’s already that time for the March recap! 

What We’re Eating This Week

Mon – Shay's Pizza Joe’s (leftovers from the freezer)

Tue – BBQ Chicken, Honey Glazed Carrots, and Black Eyed Peas

Wed – Chicken Parm and Broccolli

Thu – B is always at tennis, so either sandwiches or he’ll pick something up

Fri – Out for my birthday dinner with B’s dad!

Sat – Out again… we almost always go out to eat after church!

Sun – Dinner at Momma and Daddy’s

What I’m Reminiscing About

We’re getting ready to book our condo for our beach trip this summer, and it’s had me thinking about all of our past trips that were just so wonderful.  It’s one of our favorite things each year, and we are all dying to go back.  Jacob has been asking when we are going to the beach for the last eight months.  Lol.

(June 2016) - Day 1 / Day 2 / Day 3 / Day 4 / Days 5 & 6

(April 2015) - Days 1, 2, 3, & 4 

What I’m Loving

Even though the time change has wreaked havoc on my sleep schedule these last couple of weeks, I am enjoying having the extra daylight in the evening.  Because of this extra daylight we have been able to resume our evening walks after dinner and it has been heavenly.  Also a great thing since I’ve been so busy during my lunch breaks and haven’t been able to make it to the gym much.  And don't ask me what both of the kids are looking at in this picture.  Lol.  I have no clue.

What We’ve Been Up To

March hasn’t been too terribly busy, so we’ve been hanging out at home a lot, working on a few projects.  I’ve been purging and reorganizing our kitchen as well as my master closet and it feels so good.  This past weekend we went to Atlanta for a little weekend getaway and we had a great time shopping, eating, and going to Lego Land.  You can see the recap here.

What I’m Dreading

Hmmmm, this is always a tough question because fortunately there’s not really ever very much to dread.  Maybe the extreme summer heat and humidity?  Or that B is going to be going out of town for a day in April and I’ll be doing the whole rearrange my work schedule so I can do the drop-off/pick-up both kids on my own?  I wouldn’t say that I’m dreading that, though, because he won’t be away at night.  I do dread when he’s gone overnight.

What I’m Working On

I’m getting ready to start decorating our house for Easter!  I’m behind this year.  I’m trying to decide if I’m going to change up the decorations or keep them the same as last year.  

What I’m Excited About

My birthday month is April, so I’m going to make everyone celebrate me all month long!  Haha. 

What I’m Watching/Reading

Watching – a whoooole lot of Gilmore Girls because most of our other shows are done for the season.  Anybody else already going through This is Us withdrawals?  That show is just so good and I’m sure going to miss it for the next 6 months.

Reading – I am so embarrassed to say that I am still reading Nicholas Sparks’ new book, Two by Two.  I started reading it just after Christmas and I’m still reading it.  I just haven’t been making as much time for reading lately.  I am about three quarters of the way through it, though, so I’m hoping to finish it soon.  Yes, Adrienne, your gift is next in line!  ;o)

What I’m Listening To

Can’t stop won’t stop listening to Ed Sheeran’s new album.  I honestly didn’t think that there was any way possible that I would love this album as much as his last album, but you guys, I love it even more.  It has definitely already made its way into my top ten favorite albums of all time… maybe even top five!  Gasp!  There is not one bad song on it.  Heck, there’s not even one mediocre song on it.  They are all fantastic!  B was able to get fourth row seats to his Nashville concert in October and I am dying.  I haven’t been this excited for a concert in a long time.

I’m also jamming to several other albums/songs… you can check them out on my spring playlist here!  There’s so much goodness here… makes me want to crank it up, kick up my feet out on the back porch, and sip on a Moscow Mule!

What I’m Wearing

I’m currently obsessed with off the shoulder tops.  I’ve worn three in the last couple of weeks and I have plans to wear another one on B’s and my date night next week.  We’re heading to see Chris Stapleton and I’m thrilled!  I think 2017 is going to be known as “The Year of Live Music” for B and me… we’ve already been to two, and we have tickets to three more this year and it’s only March!

Anyhoo, back to the topic at hand – what I’ve been wearing – if you’re in need of some off the shoulder tops, some of my very favorites are this one, this one, and this one.  Or you can just check out the whole post that I did on off the shoulder tops here.  And if you want to see every single outfit I’ve worn for the last year and a half click here.  :o)

What I’m Doing This Weekend

Friday evening we’ll be celebrating my birthday with B’s dad.  Then Saturday and Sunday we actually don’t have any big plans.  After our weekend in Atlanta last weekend, it will be nice to kick back and relax and get some things done around the house.

What I’m Looking Forward To Next Month

Lots of things!  My birthday, the Chris Stapleton concert, a field trip to the strawberry patch with Jacob, taking the kids to an air show, a mother/son dance with Jacob, the annual fundraiser for Jacob’s school (it’s usually a derby theme but this year they’re doing a Casino Night), possibly taking the kids to Disney on Ice if we can swing it amidst all of the other things, more dinners on the back porch, and lots more after dinner walks!  Can I get an amen!

What Else Is New

I participated in a Girl Box Mom Swap recently and it was so much fun!  I was paired with Lacey at Perks of Being a JAP and she and her daughter Sadie got Olivia so much great stuff... princess stickers, a princess mess-free coloring set (Momma likey), a Tangled purse, and some princess lip gloss.  The funniest part about it was that Olivia and I bought something for Sadie that was identical to one of the things that they bought for Olivia!!  Great minds think alike!  Wanna see what we bought for Sadie?  Head on over to Lacey's blog to see!

Happy Wednesday, everybody!

*Linking up with Shay, Mel, and Sheaffer for What’s Up Wednesday and Jessi's Design and Going the Distance for What's Hap-"Pinning" Wednesday.

*This post may contain affiliate links.

Top Favorite Photos of All Time

When I saw this prompt for a post on Andrea's blog, I knew that I would have to partake, but I also knew that I would have to bend the rules a little.  I’m a self-proclaimed picture taking fanatic.  My computer currently houses over 107,000 photos (not even exaggerating... that is the actual number), so I guess you can see why trying to narrow down my favorite five pictures of all time would be pretty much impossible. 

So instead of posting my top five favorite photos of all time, I’m going to post my top three favorites from several different categories, and I’m limiting the categories to those of just our little family of four.  If I start getting into old family pictures from when I was little, or pictures of my extended family or my girlfriends, this post would be eighteen miles long.  This means that all of these pictures were taken since B and I have been together, and they are going to be spread out over seven categories – Brian and Me, Jacob and Me, Olivia and Me, Jacob, Olivia, Jacob and Olivia Together, and Travel.  Sound good?  Yes?

O N E – Brian and Me

The best day of my entire life was our wedding day, and this was my favorite picture from that day.  I love it so much that I had it blown up on a large canvas that sits over our fireplace in our living room.

Another one of my faves was this one from our engagement session in summer 2007.  We loved that spot so much that we took our pregnancy pictures there when I was preggo with Jacob and Olivia.  Here we are in that same spot at three different phases in our lives.  This also means that you get two bonus pictures.  ;o)

This one is one of my favorites because it's just Brian and Lindsay being Brian and Lindsay.  No kids.  Just us.  <3

T W O – Jacob and Me

This first one was taken on Jacob’s first beach trip when he was just nine months old.  B captured the perfect moment.

The second one was on Jacob’s second beach trip a year later when he was about a year and nine months old.  He was so sick on that trip, but he was such a little trooper.

The third one was taken in January 2014 when I was eight months preggo with Olivia.  It was Jacob’s first snow.  We don’t get snow here but once every few years, so when it happens it’s magical.

T H R E E – Olivia and Me 

This first one was taken just two weeks after she was born during her newborn photo shoot.  It was the perfect capture of a new mother with her sweet, sleepy, swaddled, new baby.

This second one is one of my favorites because this was one of my favorite ages for Olivia.  She was 14 months and her little personality was just blooming.  She was a sassy little thing way back then just as she still is now.  And that was one of my favorite beach trips ever!

This last one is definitely one of my favorite pictures ever.  It was taken in the hospital when Olivia was just two days old.  I was battling a spinal headache caused by the epidural for my c-section (that’s why I’m lying flat on my back) but my heart was just so full at that time that I thought I actually might burst with happiness.

F O U R – Jacob

This first one is one of my favorites because it was one of the rare times that he wore a hat… he never wears them, but he looks so stinking cute when he does.  I mean, seriously, how cute is this kid?!  Sometimes I still can’t believe that he’s mine.

The second one was taken when he was just hours old.  He was the most perfect looking baby I have ever seen.  He didn’t look squished or banged up like some babies do.  It was quite a feat since he was stuck in the birth canal for hours!

This last one is one of my faves for two reasons: a) That was one of my favorite outfits of his of all time.  It was his Easter outfit back in 2014 when he was two and a half.  B) Because this captures the essence of Jacob so well.  He’s really shy if he doesn’t know you, but for all of those that he does know, this is how he acts.  Haha.

F I V E – Olivia

This first one is one of my favorite pictures of all time.  It was taken when Olivia was just a few months old, and the reason it is so special is because of the outfit she is wearing.  Once upon a time, before Jacob and Olivia came along, I was pregnant with another little baby.  When I first found out that I was pregnant one of my very best friends, Jeannine, bought this tiny romper because we just knew it was going to be a girl (we never found out for sure, but I just know), and because the romper was covered in little strawberries (Jeannine and I had an obsession with drawing fruit when we were in high school).  When we lost that sweet baby in June 2010, I tucked the outfit away in case we ever did find ourselves blessed with a healthy baby girl.  Several years later Olivia came along, and she was able to wear that sweet little strawberry covered romper during her first summer.  Words can’t even explain the happiness that I felt that day when I first put it on her.

This next picture was taken when Olivia was just a couple of weeks old.  It was the first time I was able to capture her smiling in her sleep.  Doesn’t this just make your heart skip a beat?

This last one of Olivia is actually a twofer – you get my favorite of the two (the one of her in her sunglasses) as well as the one that I took just after that… doing her duckface.  If that picture doesn’t sum up her personality perfectly then I don’t know what does.

S I X – Jacob and Olivia

Another capture by our newborn photographer.  This one is framed in half of the rooms in our house.

This next one definitely would make the top five of my favorites EVER because it brings back the sweetest memories.  Olivia was just five days old and we were still in that new baby, sleep when you can phase.  Jacob had just awakened for the day and we let him crawl in the bed with us (he still has his paci!) and he wanted to hold five-day-old Olivia.  Just look at how gently he’s holding her and just look at the way that she is looking at him.  I could burst.  I’m tearing up thinking about it.

This one was taken last year on our beach trip.  We had just arrived and eaten dinner and the kids were playing in the sand by the ocean for the first time of the trip.  The sun was setting, a cool breeze was blowing, and all of us were just so happy.  Good memories.

S E V E N – Travel

B and I have done lots of travelling over the years, so I couldn’t just narrow these down to three… instead you get five!

First is the picture we had taken on the Grand Canyon Skywalk back in 2009.  If you haven’t been you MUST go.  It is breathtakingly beautiful and walking on that glass skywalk jutting off of the side of the Grand Canyon is pretty much surreal.  It’s one of the coolest things I’ve ever done.

Second is a picture of me in Malibu looking out over the Pacific Ocean.  B and I went to LA, Malibu, and Ojai, CA back in 2014 for my cousin’s wedding and we checked a bucket list item off along the way by driving up the Pacific Coast Highway in a convertible.  We pulled over to snap some pics and B took this one of me.

Third is this picture taken in 2006 because I love a good snow pic and we used to ski all the time.

Fourth is this picture of us in front of the Rockefeller Christmas tree back in 2012.  It had been a dream of mine to go to NYC at Christmastime and see it since I was a little girl, and we finally did it.

Finally, our favorite place!  B and I used to go to Vegas every year before we had kids, and we ended up going eight years in a row.  For the first few times that we went, you couldn’t get a good picture with the Vegas sign because it is in the middle of the highway and it was in the middle of a dirty median.  Finally, in 2009 they made it pedestrian friendly, and they spruced it up by laying down some fake grass, so after six years of wanting to get a picture there, we finally did!  It’s the happiest place on earth, Vegas!

Whew!  That was a lot of information and a LOT of pictures.  Are you still here??

*Linking up with Momfessionals for Show and Tell Tuesday.

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