Five on Friday

{ONE} Mimosas --  I love a mimosa and love a mimosa bar even more! These frozen juice cubes are such a fun twist on the classic mimosa and would be the perfect addition to your Easter brunch.

{TWO} Easter Dress -- And speaking of Easter festivities, do you know what you're wearing?? I hit up Nordstrom last week to find a new dress for Amos' baptism, and there were so many choices! I ended up with this one and love that it can be dressed up and down so many different ways with jewelry and shoes. Since I didn't get to wear it last week, I think I'll sport it Sunday!

{THREE} Peeps S'mores --  I love me some s'mores and my boys are obsessed with Peeps! Thinking we will definitely be making some Peeps s'mores Sunday night!

{FOUR} Sugar Bit Sale -- I love a good sale and this is one you do not want to miss! Sugar Bit has been killing it {and my wallet!} with their Spring goodies lately and today is your chance to stock up.

{FIVE} My Bubs --  I snapped this the other night while bathing the boys {and praying Amos didn't drown!} and cannot help but smile each time I see it. These boys are busy and crazy all too often, but they are so sweet and really do love each other. I love the way they already all play together and look forward to all their crazy adventures ahead!

Welcome Back to the Land of the Living

There should have been a post Monday morning titled "Scenes from Amos' Baptism Weekend." There should have been a post filled with pics of my sweet boy dressed in white smiling as we all celebrated his special weekend. There should have been a post with words sharing the fun we had fellowshipping with friends and family that came in town. But sadly there was no post because there was no baptism. Despite the obscene amount of food, flowers and rented chairs, our special weekend celebrating my littlest man was cancelled in the midst of it when strep throat knocked me out. I kept trying to rally thinking I could make it by Sunday morning but there was no way. Never have I been so sick. Strep throat is no joke! I'd take child birth over the fever and pain I experienced the last few days. While the mom guilt set in {and was almost worse than the illness}, I was so thankful for the family that was here and my incredible husband. As moms we are not supposed to get sick and thankfully these amazing people let me rest and recover all while taking care of my kiddos. After some drugs, shots, hot tea and plenty of sleep, I rejoined the land of the living yesterday and feel like a whole new person. Even made a trip to Target with the bubs so we are officially back to normal around here. Luckily I did manage to snap a few shots of some of our outdoor fun before the dreaded strep took over!

Lucky in Love

I consider myself the luckiest lady to have the love of all four of my boys {B included} but these days my littlest man is my good luck charm. On this day of luck I must share 17 reasons why I love my sweet Amos!

1. His chunky, squishy legs. Complete with rolls for days.
2. The way he raises his eyebrows and bats his eyes as if to say, "Oh hey there." Such a flirt!
3. His giggles and laughter. There is no sweeter sound.
4. His dimples filled with sugar.
5. Those baby blues!
6. His fuzzy blond hair that sticks straight up.
7. The way he rolls to get around instead of crawling.
8. His fantastic sleep schedule! He knows mama needs some rest.

9. As much as it kills me because still no "mama" the way he says "Dada! Dada!" And loves his Dada so!

10. The way he sleeps with his hands above his head just like his brothers did when they were this age.

11. His unbelievably laid back, go with the flow attitude.

12. His irresistibly sweet nature and spirit.

13. The raspberries he incessantly blows and the way it tickles him so.

14. How he pats me on the back each time I pick him up as if saying, "Good job, Mama!"

15. His love of eating! Little man doesn't miss many meals.

16. The way he looks up to his big brothers.

17. That he loves his mama and snuggles with me!

Scenes from the weekend...

My sweet sister-in-law has motivated me to blog again. She has made photo books for each boy when they turned one year old and jokingly texted me the other day that it was getting time to work on Amos' book. She asked if she should just get the pics off my blog like she did for George and Jude or if I wanted to created a Dropbox file. I laughed and said we should go ahead with the Dropbox because if she simply used photos of Amos from my blog his book would only be one page. Poor buddy! Where have the last nine months gone??

So here I was all set out Monday morning to blog our lovely little family weekend and then tantrums and a trip to Target took over and now it's Tuesday night and two glasses of wine later I'm finally sharing our scenes from the weekend. Mainly out of guilt to my poor forgotten third child. I will be better at blogging. I will be better at blogging. We shall see...

Our weekend though, was perfect. A much needed family weekend. Complete with the craziness of running around town from kid birthday party to sip and see to another kid birthday party. Luckily we all managed to make it to the party at Home Depot which side note moms, is free for birthday parties. That's right, free! They give you a room complete with balloons, aprons for each kid {with their names on them!} and a wooden tool box for each kid to build and paint. Kids make a mess and you don't have to pick it up. Of course my cute friend provided darling buckets, a pinata, pizza and enough cupcakes, candy and juice boxes to sugar up any toddler. Note to self, all future parties will be at Home Depot. Afterward it was home for attempted naps followed by playing outside with the spoils of multiple treat bags. Bubbles are always a hit! Let's just say B and I were certainly thankful we got a sitter for 5:30 that afternoon. Drinks and dinner just the two of us at our favorite spot followed by a fabulous birthday party for a client friend resulted in staying out way too late but having plenty of fun.

The next morning was all about biscuit breakfast with our bubs, church and lunch out. Thankfully everyone napped and we spent the afternoon playing outside and running much needed errands. A busy week as family gets in Thursday for Amos' baptism. Looking forward to celebrating such a special occasion for our little man.

Five on Friday

{ONE} Cravings -- Has anyone tried any of the recipes from Chrissy Teigen's new cookbook?? I just ordered it and cannot wait to get cooking!

{TWO} Sugar Bit Spring -- Our favorite shop for my little people is killing it with their spring goodies. I stocked up on all things bright and cheery and cannot wait for my little men to sport their new duds. See how we put together a fun look for Easter here!

{THREE} Flamingo love -- And speaking of fun and cheery, how darling is this flamingo snowglobe? Thinking my C+F desk needs this!

{FOUR} Ceremony + Fuss New Fuss -- Have you checked out all the new C+F fuss?? We have so many new fussboxes and this "Many Thanks" box is one of my favorites. Perfect gift for any occasion!

{FIVE} We Need You to be OK -- Shared this in an earlier post but had to put it here today because it's just that good. Mamas, how are you taking care of yourself?? It's okay to say you need a break. I did, and it was life changing. Whether you're a mama, a working woman, a daughter supporting her family, a friend caring for others, we all need to take more time for ourselves. So enjoy your weekend. Take a bath. Drink some wine. Take a nap. Go shopping. And enjoy the time with those around you. Happy Friday friends!

Easter look for my little men

Easter is one of my favorite holidays. Spring has usually sprung. It's warm and flowers are blooming. Celebrating our risen Lord, the boys hunting for eggs, being with friends and family and of course eating way too much candy. It is just the best. I remember growing up my favorite Easter tradition was picking out a special dress to wear to church on Easter Sunday. Sometimes my incredible mom would even make me one. Thankfully for me there is online shopping. Even though I don't have little girls to dress in frills, dressing up my boys is just as fun thanks to our favorite shop, Sugar Bit! I am absolutely loving all their new Spring looks. Here's a peek at what my little men will be sporting Easter weekend. And of course you know my bubs would never be without a hat, eyewear and/or a themed mask.  My boys love a good accessory. So what are your little ones sporting this Easter?

Hat | Shirt | Sunglasses

Sandals | Shorts | Bunny Masks

Want to be a good mom?

You may have seen this graphic floating around social media on Friday. It could not have come at a better time for me. This is everything. Well, minus the "tell your mother-in-law to shut up" because my mother-in-law is amazing and I love her and this past weekend would not have happened without her.

So for the past several weeks I have been a broken record constantly repeating, "I need a break. I need a break." So much was starting to pile up on me. Little projects around the house. Never ending to-do lists. Ceremony + Fuss orders, new inventory and website updates. Plus the usual cooking, cleaning, errand running, being a wife/mom/friend etc. I was overwhelmed and was struggling to admit it and then own it. And sadly I was taking it out on B and my kids. And then one night last week in the midst of one too many rants and complaints from me, I mentioned what I would give for just 24 hours alone in my house. I went on and on about what I could get accomplished and how nice it would be to just be in my own home alone without any whining or interruptions or schedules. I realized other than a few hours here and there while the boys are at school, I have never been by myself in my house alone. And even then I still have my sweet Amos with me. So after my patient husband sat there and listened to me go on and on, he graciously offered, "Why don't I take the boys to my mom's this weekend?" I laughed and responded I didn't think I could drive all three of them by myself for seven hours to Louisiana so how in the world could he?? He simply said, "I got this." And he did. We packed the boys' stuff up Thursday night and they went to bed eagerly awaiting their boys trip in the morning and by 7:15am Friday they were backing out of our driveway. 

And there I stood waving goodbye with tears welling up in my eyes so much that I could barely see them driving away. I was so taken aback by this emotion. I was the one that so desperately wanted this time to myself and was given this gift yet suddenly was questioning it. I came inside to the silent house ready to make a cup of coffee and get into all the things I had planned on doing with all my free time. Yet all I could do was cry. And I'm talking ugly cry. I sat on my couch sobbing for a good solid twenty minutes. How silly I thought I was being, but I couldn't control it! I missed them all so much already. And I was so overcome by how amazing and selfless my husband was for recognizing my needs and going above and beyond to meet them.

I think as moms it is so hard to ever put ourselves first. We do everything for our families and always put their needs before our own. Sadly I was doing that so much that it had caught up to me and was affecting how I was as a wife and as a mom. The joy was gone, and I desperately needed a reset. And believe me, I got it! I completely cleaned out the boys' rooms and playroom. We are talking filled five trash bags, six Trader Joe's bags and two big boxes all with clothes, toys and baby stuff to take to a local nonprofit. It felt so good to start and complete that project. But don't worry, I definitely relaxed too. We are talking an hour long bath sipping prosecco followed by catching up on all my Bravo favorites. This is the stuff dreams are made of. And the best part is that the boys were having the best time too! They went fishing and played outside and got dirty like little country boys should. I sat on the front porch eagerly awaiting their arrival Sunday afternoon and couldn't wait to hug them! It wasn't ten minutes later we were out back playing and the all too familiar sounds of my boys' usual "He took my bat! He's licking my popsicle! I found a worm" were calling out, but this time my reaction was simply to smile and feel grateful. Grateful for my family and grateful for the time needed to get myself refreshed and renewed. So grateful for the opportunity my people gave me to be OK.