Confessions and Christmas Jammies!

I like to link up with Danielle for a confessions post on Thursdays. She is taking a break today to post about some other fun things, but I've still got some confessions :) #cantturnoffthecrazy

*We are spending the weekend with Eric's family for an early Christmas. We are leaving tomorrow afternoon (it's only about a 3.5 hour trip). Wanna know how much I have packed? ...Zero things.

*We get back from NC on Monday and then leave for Atlanta on Thursday. I am exhausted just thinking about it.

*I am OVER all of the colds and coughs this season. I cannot keep my children well. They had coughs (and Grayer had an ear infection) over Thanksgiving, and now they are both coughing again. Calling all essential oil users! I am ready to board that train if you think it helps you and your littles stay well. Comment with your wisdom! Pleeeeeeease!

*This morning Wells wanted a cookie for breakfast. Being a good mother, I firmly told him that no, we don't eat cookies for breakfast...and then proceeded to ask him if he wanted donut holes instead. #sendingmixedsignals

*I am loving all the Christmas playlists on Spotify right now. I am not cool enough to make my own. Ha! Here are my favorites: Christmas Cocktails, Christmas Magic, and This is: Rudolph.

*I was looking forward to joining the Christmas PJs link-up.

And then came time to take pictures...aka: right before getting dressed and leaving the house this morning. Not our finest hour. Here's what I got:

I really do LOVE these PJs, though, and I think they are perfect for little boys! I got them here.

Also linking up with Annie for Thoughts for Thursday!

Stranded!

I am joining Shay and Erika for their "Stranded series," and today the topic is Christmas movies. 'Tis the season! So, here are my 3 favorite movies this time of year:

National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

You serious, Clark? This is one of those movies my family has watched as long as I can remember. It is so funny, and I honestly think it makes me laugh harder each and every year. The other day I heard "Here Comes Santa Claus," and all I could think of was Cousin Eddie kidnapping Clark's boss. Ha! You just can't listen to that song and not think of that scene!

The Holiday

I can remember the first time I watched this movie: in an airplane on my high school senior trip to Italy & Greece. I loved it then, and I still love it today. The Holiday is a movie that I like to watch year round, but it is even better to watch during...ahem...the holidays. It will give you all the feels, and if you don't get teary-eyed during the indoor tent, 3-musketeers scene, you don't have a heart.

The Nativity Story

I saw this in theaters when it came out a number of years ago and really enjoyed it. This movie will definitely get you in the right frame of mind before Christmas. I couldn't leave it off of this list, and if you haven't seen it, it really is a must-see. And PS- It's under $5 on Amazon right now.

Anybody with me on these 3 movies? Or do you have a totally different list? Join the link-up and share your favorites!

Also linking up with Jessi and Jenn for What's Hap"pinning" Wednesday.

Grayer is TEN Months!

Ten. Count 'em, TEN months! My goodness, only two more monthly updates and we'll have a one year old on our hands. How did that happen? On a positive note, I finally got a real smile during a monthly photo shoot! #allthepraisehandemojis ...And then he was over it and crawled away.

Weighs: Grayer had an ear infection this past month, so we had to go in to the doctor's office. I can't remember what his exact weight was but I know he's over the 20lb mark.

Sleeps: This kid. He has yet to sleep all the way through the night. Granted, he was sick a couple of weeks this month with a cold/ear infection, but even when he is well, he still wakes up at least twice every night. I don't want to even talk about it. Let's just say, he is lucky he's so cute.

Eats: This boy does not stop eating. Like ever. He wants to nurse, eat a snack, eat a meal, or eat someone else's snack/meal ALL DAY LONG. If he sees that you are eating, he will crawl across the room to you. And you better share.

Wears: Twelve month clothes are probably the best fit right now. A size 3 diaper still fits, but when we have to buy the next box of diapers, we will probably go ahead and bump up to a size 4. He doesn't wear shoes very often, but when he does, he wears a size 3.

Plays: Grayer's favorite toy this month is any kind of cabinet. Haha! He is always in the kitchen trying to get into the cabinets. He and Wells will sit and pull out all of the tupperware while I am cooking. He loves to pull down all of Wells' train tracks off of the coffee table. And it drives Wells nuts. He loves Wells to death. He is still a big fan of the bath and is quite the splasher lately. He loves standing up, so he likes to stand at Wells' play kitchen and workbench. He pulls up on absolutely everything. He likes to babble and yell. He loves when I sing pat-a-cake and do the hand motions with him. He likes to clap, too, and will do it on command when you say "Yaaaaaay!" Grayer has the shortest attention span ever. He wants to constantly be played with or be crawling to the next adventure. He does not play with a single toy for very long before he loses interest. Keeping him entertained is an all-day, full-time task.

Milestones: He is cutting his fourth bottom tooth, and I am pretty positive that I see some little buds (still under his gums) on the top. So, I expect his two front teeth will be coming in this month. Still no words from this boy, but if I had to predict what it will be, I'd say it will be "hi." We are working on waving when someone says hi. He is waving (not every time, though) and he kind of makes a noise, but not definitively "hi" yet :)

Grayer is a ham. He loves people to laugh at him and will copy laughter, too, at times. I basically live in a house full of class clowns :) He is still a mama's boy to the core. He loves playing with his daddy and brother, though, and sometimes they forget that he isn't big enough to wrestle with the same intensity that they do. Ha! We love this sweet boy and are thankful for ten wonderful months with our Grayer-Bear.

Confessional Thursday!

Truth time.

*We are now in full potty training mode with Wells. He is doing AWESOME, but that doesn't mean he never has accidents. Tuesday night marked his first "number 2" accident while we were at church for small group. I still haven't recovered from the clean-up experience. #thatchangesaperson

*I made cookies the other day for our neighbor as a thank you for changing our flat tire the other morning while Eric was at work. On Saturday, I was out for a little while and told Eric to take the cookies to the neighbor while I was gone. I got home and the cookies were still on the table...yeah, he took him the ziplock bag of leftover cookies meant for us instead of the decorative Christmas tin full of cookies. It wouldn't have been so bad if the bag of leftover cookies didn't contain one with a BITE MISSING. #husbands

*I am struggling with the fact that we have to wait a month to find out what happens on This Is Us. If you didn't watch the winter finale, stop whatever it is you are doing and go watch. Seriously.

*This video is embarrassingly accurate. I say all of these things on the regular. Eric is not nearly as old-sounding as me, but do not even try to make him miss an episode of Shark Tank.

*This is totally my new favorite ornament. The picture is a little fuzzy, but it says "Wells" in glitter. My boy made it at school and it melts my mama heart to see it on the tree.

*I am so undecided on what toys we are going to buy Grayer for Christmas. He is 10 months old, and it's like I can't remember what babies play with at that age. He has so many of Wells' toys from when he was a baby, but I want him to have new toys, too. Any of you ladies have favorite toy picks that you have gotten your (nearly) 1-year-olds?


Linking up for with Danielle for Confessional Thursday and Annie & Natalie for Thoughts for Thursday!

Friday Favorites!

I have been a little MIA this past week or so, but our Thanksgiving holiday week (and the first part of this week) was filled with two sick kiddos. Can I just say that sick kiddos are NOT a favorite?? Especially when they are both sick at the same time...while traveling...and while seeing family that you only see a few times a year. #reallife

Now on to some favorites!

House Hunting

As I have mentioned a few times, we sold our house back in September. We had another house lined up and ready to close and do renovations on. The plan was to stay in an apartment during the month or so overlap time between the 2 closings. Well, two delays later and then a snafu on the lender's part and then Eric's job change, we decided to part with that house. We were sad but knew it was the best decision to make at the time. All that to say, we are STILL in the apartment. It is less than ideal but totally worth it to find the right house without rushing. We are now back to looking at houses in full swing and hopefully something amazing will happen soon :)

This Snack

Earlier this week, I needed to use an avocado quickly before it turned to mush, but I wasn't trying to get fancy! So, I just mashed it up, mixed in some feta cheese. a dash of garlic salt, and a little bit of lime juice. And then I devoured it with some tortilla chips. It was so good and may be a new favorite snack!

Our Christmas Tree

Due to the aforementioned delayed stay at the apartment, all of our Christmas decorations are in storage...like at the bottom and back of the HUGE mountain of boxes in our unit. So, I had to suck it up and only decorate minimally this year. We decided to go with a small tree (that we have set up on an end table) this year for a couple of reasons. First, because of the apartment, we don't have a lot of room. And secondly, Grayer would be inside the tree and pulling all of the ornaments off if he could reach it. I was not happy about having to buy a another tree, but I LOVE our new one. It is a 4ft Canadian Cashmere tree from Walmart - only $25 and looks so real. I love the muted green and much more real-looking branches than a lot of the artificial trees usually have.

Christmas PJs

I saw these PJs on Amazon and had to get them. Are they not PERFECT for little boys?? Can't wait to check the mail today and see my two guys in them!

Good Neighbors

Yesterday morning as I was headed out with the boys, I noticed the dreaded orange exclamation point on our van dashboard. We had a flat tire (we literally just bought new tires 2 months ago. sigh.). Eric was at work and couldn't come home, and I couldn't even tell you where to find a spare let alone how to change a tire. Enter our sweet neighbor, Mr. Brad. He changed our tire for us in the chilly air and made sure we were good to go. I am planning to take him and his wife some brownies and a homemade card from the boys tonight to say THANK YOU FOR SAVING US!!!

The Tupperware Cabinet

So, picking it all up isn't a favorite, but the boys love dragging out all of the tupperware in the cabinet. And if it gives me a few minutes of uninterrupted cooking, I don't mind (too much. ha!).

This Easy Meal

Okay, it isn't the prettiest or most impressive dish, but goodness is it tasty, cheap, and easy! And if those aren't 3 qualities you want in a weeknight meal, I don't know what are! We had this yummy rice last night, and we all ate it up. 

Augmentin

Yes, as in the antibiotic. Grayer was diagnosed with an ear infection last Monday. Well, I took him to Urgent Care this Tuesday because he was still not feeling well and was running a pretty high fever after 8 days on medicine. Turns out the antibiotic they had originally wasn't working for him. They prescribed augmentin this time around, and my sweet boy was already feeling much better by the next day. 

Wells' Christmas Songs/Sayings

Wells has been singing Christmas songs all week, and I LOVE it. There is nothing cuter than a two-year-old singing about figgy pudding! :) Also, we were reading the Christmas Story in his Bible the other night, and I was telling him that a star appeared. Every time he sees a nativity, now he will say "star appeared," and it melts my mama heart.

We've got a pretty busy couple days ahead, but I am hoping we find a little time to relax. #yeahright

Hope you all have a great weekend!

Linking up with Andrea, Erika, & Narci for Friday Favorites.

Show & Tell Tuesday: Want, Need, Wear, & Read

Today I am linking up with Andrea for Show & Tell Tuesday. Today's topic is "Want, Need, Wear, Read" gift lists.

Eric and I don't usually do big gifts for Christmas/birthdays/anniversaries for each other. Instead, we like to save up to go on trips, go see a show, or something like that. We obviously do gifts for the kids, but for the two of us, we like to pay more for experiences rather than items. Don't get me wrong, we do have little presents under the tree for us as well, just nothing over the top...which is what most of this list is. Ha!

-Want-

I would kill for a new washer and dryer. #whendidigetsoold 

Ours work fine (although sometimes our dryer does sound like it is about to take off for flight! lol), but there is just something about a new washer and dryer that gets me all kinds of excited! I can't be the only one, right??? 

-Need-

A certain almost-10-month-old has yet to sleep through the night (I'm giving you the stink eye, Grayer). In fact, I just told Eric the other day that I need a solo trip to a hotel. The big plans? Sleeeeeeeeeeep. Order room service. Watch TV. And, then mama's gonna sleep some more. 

-Wear-

I really just need a whole new wardrobe. You may hate me after I say this (seriously, I give you permission because I know it is not the same for everyone), but I am one of those mamas that loses all of their baby weight and then even more - all from nursing. I wish I could say that I work out and it's all because of my hard work, but it is literally just because my kids eat so stinking much! Both boys have been HUGE eaters; so much so that I cannot keep weight on whenever I am breastfeeding. While I don't mind being smaller, it leaves me with a BIG problem. None of my clothes fit. I can get away with most of my shirts. But my pants are an entirely different story and just look awful. I have gotten a few new pieces here and there, but it is just not in the budget to splurge on a new closet full of stuff. Plus, if we are being honest, once Grayer is weaned in a couple of months, I will probably get back up to my pre-pregnancy weight and clothes sizes.

-Read-

I can't wait to read the other books in Bill O'Reilly's Killing series. I read Killing Kennedy about a month ago and just finished Killing Lincoln last week. I am really into history and am enjoying learning so much. The books are so well-written and are FULL of history and interesting information. Can't wait to start on Killing Reagan on our trip to Tennessee tomorrow!

Can't wait to read everyone's gift lists!

Linking up for Tuesday Talk!

Weekending!

This weekend was a rollercoaster! It started off great, with fun family time...and it ended with an awful cold and cough for Wells. Boooo. Hopefully after a doctor visit this afternoon, we can get him some meds to start feeling better before all the Thanksgiving festivities this week.

Anyway, long story short (I am sure I will post in more detail later), Eric went back to teaching last week after about a 2-year career in aerospace. An opportunity opened up at a really great school in a really great district, and we are super excited. Aerospace is just not a stable industry right now, so we knew it was time to call it off. I think Eric is going to love being back in the classroom, and we are thankful that he got a position at this particular school. All that to say, he is no longer working weekend shift. Weekend shift did have its perks, but I am happy to have him home at more normal hours now :)

Friday
We had a pretty normal Friday, and the boys and I took lunch to my mom at work and ate with her in her classroom. Wells always loves visiting my mom at school because he gets to play at the "centers." After naps and playtime, Eric got home and we headed to dinner with my parents at our favorite Mexican restaurant. I don't know when I will ever learn to put Wells in play clothes when we go there because we always leave with about a pound of queso slathered on his entire outfit. When are they old enough to learn to scrape the excess cheese off of their chip before bringing it to their mouth??? Ha! The chip is really just a vessel for the cheese anyway...maybe I should just give him a spoon. Might be less messy!

Saturday
I had to catch up on some hours at work on Saturday. so the boys spent some time playing with cousins who were at my parents' house. Eric was cutting my parents lawn for them, and then he took the boys home for naps while I finished up. It was about this time that I could tell Wells was getting a pretty nasty cold/cough. I had planned to take him to the doctor Monday so that we could get some meds in his system (if needed) before we head out of town for Thanksgiving.

That night we ate Hula Joes. If you haven't pinned this recipe, do it NOW. They are so yummy and super easy. #winwin

Sunday
Since Eric is now back on a normal work schedule, we finally went back to our church this Sunday. I had been going to my parents' church (where I grew up) while he was working because it was much easier having help with both boys on my own. We still attended a small group at our church, but we felt totally out of the loop missing the normal Sunday morning service. After church, we headed to my granny's house for lunch. The boys took late naps at home and then we headed to a chili cook-off at our church. Wells was definitely going downhill at this point.

He was so whiny and cranky and just not feeling good. We got home, gave him a breathing treatment, put Vicks Vapor Rub on his feet (if you haven't heard of doing that for a nighttime cough, look it up! It really works...usually.), and gave him his own little cup of "coffee" - which was really just warm tea with honey to soothe his throat. He went to bed and coughed allllllllllll night. It was so sad. He woke up a few times and cried out. We finally just brought him to our bed and let him sleep with us. I called the doctor first thing this morning and they are booked until walk-in hours at 5pm. So, poor buddy has to wait a little while longer to start feeling better. We are praying that he can feel better before we head to TN to see Eric's family and also that Grayer doesn't get whatever he's got.

We are super busy this week. Eric has a test for his new job that he is taking on Wednesday. Then after his test we are heading to Tennessee. So, that means I have a whole lot of laundry, cleaning, and packing to do with a sick toddler, the most energetic 10-month-old ever, and a hubby who is studying every free second he has. Basically, I'm ready for it to be Thursday already...and this shirt sums up how I'm gonna feel that day :)

Linking up with Biana!   

Grayer is NINE Months!

As usual, I am late posting this. In my defense, I did write the post on time...it just took me 3 weeks to take the pictures and upload them to the computer. #struggling
Let's just go ahead and assume I will be late on every monthly update left for this sweet boy...which is only 3 MORE MONTHS. What in the world????? How is he almost a year old?? Goodness gracious.

This month was fast, and Grayer was busy growing and learning.
This was probably our worst photo session yet, and that's saying something. Ha! Here's the best I've got for this month:

Not sure if he is happy or scared. Ha!

On to the stats...

Weighs: Little man's 9-month checkup was today, and he weighed in at 19lbs and 1oz. He was just shy of 28 inches long. The doctor said he is at the top of the charts for weight and length. Eric and I consistently make large children :)

Sleeps: I am happy to say that Grayer's sleeping has gotten a little better in the last few weeks. He has been waking twice at night - which is a HUGE improvement! Hopefully he will continue to wake less and give this mama a FULL, UNINTERRUPTED night of sleep. #crossingallthefingers

Eats: I think Grayer gets more and more excited about food with each passing day. He is ridiculous. The mere sight of food makes him spit out his pacifier and sometimes start waving his arms/kicking his legs. He would literally eat all day if I would let him. He has been able to do the pincer grasp for a couple of months probably, but he has really mastered it this month and can pick up the tiniest crumb of food.

Wears: He is mostly wearing 9-month and 12-month clothes, and he is still in a size 3 diaper.

Plays: Grayer is playing better than ever, probably thanks to the fact that he is now able to crawl and get where he wants to go. He is still the happiest when there is lots of chaos going on. If we are at a playground, we will hold his arms and let him go down the slide, and he loves it. He is a big fan of drumming on anything with either his hands or with another toy. He loves standing and wants to pull up on everything.

Milestones: He is finally crawling! He had been crawling backwards for at least a month but couldn't quite get the hang of going forward. He very slowly started moving forward about a two weeks ago, and now he is really starting to crawl pretty well. Another milestone is cutting tooth #3.

I can't believe in just three short months, we'll have a one-year old! Time is flying, but it is fun to see Grayer's personality bloom and watch him become his own little person.

Confessional Thursday!

Confession time!! Pull up a seat, grab a coffee, and prepare to feel better about yourself :)

- This first confession is two-fold. Part 1: I just had cookie butter for the first time this week (I know. I know.). I saw a jar of pumpkin spice cookie butter on clearance at our grocery store and decided to give it a shot. Which leads me to part 2: I have been eating it straight out of the jar. Partly because it's that good, and partly because I don't know what I am supposed to eat it on. #cookiebutterincompetent
Suggestions? :)

- This morning I got ready in the boys' bathroom because they were on that side of the house. It wasn't until I realized something felt funny that I noticed I was brushing my teeth with Wells' toothbrush. Oops.

- Many responsibilities were shirked this week as I tried to get a free minute whenever I could to finish reading Killing Lincoln. I picked up Killing Reagan at the library yesterday, and because I have way too much to do, I am making myself wait to start reading it until we travel to Tennessee next week.

- The snack I sent for Wells to school this morning consisted of apples and pretzels accompanied with a huge glob of caramel dip. Oh, and also, fruit snacks. His teachers will no doubt thank me later.

- I should not take enjoyment in my children's suffering, but sometimes I can't help it. I snapped this picture of Grayer after I put a winter hat on his head. This was really his first time wearing one since he was a newborn, and he was not loving it. He cried, tried to take it off, and then pouted. #notamused

- Grayer will have been 9 months for 3 weeks tomorrow. I have yet to post his 9-month update. I have it written; I have taken the pictures; I just haven't uploaded them yet. The struggle.

- I confess that I am so over all these anti-Trump protests. I do not care if you voted for Trump or Hillary (or, like me, voted for someone else) - can you please just be an adult? Honestly. Cry rooms and therapy and cancelled classes for college students?? You have got to be kidding me. I am trying to teach my 2-year-old that throwing tantrums is ugly (#Southernparentingword) and does not earn him his way. I wish someone would have taught these kids (and the adults acting like kids) this lesson, too.

Linking up for with Danielle for Confessional Thursday and Annie & Natalie for Thoughts for Thursday!

Weekending!

Please excuse the blogging absence - we've been out of town since Thursday and the house we were staying in had no wifi (and I was not about to pen a blog post on my phone #notthatdedicated #alsonotthatpatient).

So since I've been gone a while, here is a little Weekending mixed with a Life Lately kind of post.

Last week was a kind of crazy one. We had a lot of stuff going on with work (both mine and Eric's jobs, actually) that threw our schedules way off!

I posted Tuesday about our voting experience, so we'll pick up at Wednesday, which was pretty boring and consisted mostly of doing laundry, dinner/church that night, and packing &preparing to go out of town the next morning.

My little sister is a senior in high school and is planning to attend Toccoa Falls College, my alma mater and the place Eric and I met almost 10 (!) years ago. This weekend was a scholarship weekend at the college, and since Eric was not working, we volunteered to take her for my parents. We are always happy to visit Toccoa, see friends, and of course enjoy the beautiful fall scenery in the mountains.

We left Thursday morning for the 5ish hour trip, and both boys did pretty well. We got to the college and got Ashley all checked in. Then we headed to the waterfall on campus to show Wells. He was in awe and kept asking all weekend to go see it again.

We ate in the dining hall that night. It was a little different than the hundreds of meals we shared together in the caf during college since we now had two little ones to feed, too. I mean, check out the number of plates, bowls, and napkins we acquired! Ha!

We went to a few minutes of the chapel service that night to hear the worship music. It was a great blast from the past, as we always loved the praise music at chapel, and I sang on one of the teams for 2 of the years we were at TFC. I looked over to see this during the worship.

Heart.Melted.

After chapel, we left Ashley (she was staying in the dorms) and headed to the mountain home that belongs to my college roommate's family. We love the house and are always so thankful that they let us stay there. We got unpacked, played, ate snacks, and called it a night!

The next day, we headed back to the college and had lunch, attended two of the parent sessions, and spent some time with a friend we went to school with. Ashley headed back to the house with us, and my college roommate joined us later that night as well. We had a great time catching up.

Saturday we attempted family pictures. And it didn't go very well. I think we got mayyyyybe 4 acceptable photos out of it! Grayer caught a cold, so we were wiping his red little nose constantly; Wells was, as usual, not at all interested in posing for pictures; and I was basically a nervous wreck the whole time since we were on the top of a mountain with a crawling baby and adventurous toddler. Later that afternoon we got to catch up with some more friends and see their new baby; then we grabbed dinner at a Japanese restaurant before heading back up to the cabin.

-----> Totally random, but since we were on the topic of Japanese food, I saw this Pin and reallllllly want to make this California Roll Sushi Bowl.

How delicious does that look?? And way easier than homemade sushi.

Sunday morning was spent enjoying breakfast, soaking in the last few minutes with my college roomie, and getting loaded up in the car. Overall, the trip was great, and we are thankful that we got to see friends and enjoy a little weekend getaway.

This week is another busy one, and I am already tired. I cannot believe that Thanksgiving is NEXT WEEK. We are headed to Tennessee for it, so I will be spending lots of this week getting our stuff prepped, packed, and ready to head out for another trip. Mamas, how do our babies and children require so much stuff to travel?? I feel like it takes 3 years to pack up all of their stuff, and then I end up throwing my stuff into a suitcase last minute. Whenever my husband complains that we are running behind schedule, I ever so kindly remind him that he packed his stuff, while I packed stuff for three people - plus any items of his that I know he will forget :) And all the mamas said "AMEN!"

Hope everyone had a great weekend and that your week is off to a great start!

Linking up with Biana.    

Our 2016 Voting Experience

We went out and voted this morning; here's the FB status I posted about it:

Our voting experience in numbers...

1 - time Grayer spit up all over Eric
2 - discreet rib jabs I gave to Eric in an effort to get him to talk a little quieter while discussing politics with those around us
3 - meltdowns Wells had because he was tired of standing
4 - times one of us had to get out of the line 
90 - minutes we waited
400 - times I wished we had done early voting

But after all was said and done and we got our "pumpkin" stickers (pumpkins & peaches look a lot alike to a toddler :) ) my heart is still happy that we got to vote as a family. We will raise our children to see voting as both a privilege and a responsibility, and we will teach them to vote for what is right, even if their voice doesn't seem to be heard or their vote doesn't seem like it counts. I love my country and am in continual prayer for its future. #election2016

 I don't really have much more to say other than to get out and vote, everyone!

Let's Talk Food!

Today I am linking up with Andrea and Erika for a little FOOD edition of their Let's Talk series.

I really love to cook. And I reaaaaalllllyyy love to eat. So, I could not let this link-up pass me by! We don't eat out much (because Eric and I are both cheap fiscally responsible), so I cook pretty often.

However, I don't take pictures when I cook - for a number of possible reasons. It could be because of the 2-year-old who sees this as the perfect time for me to "fix train tracks," get him "more juice peeeease," or dance to "Baby, BABY" (aka - Salt N Pepa's Push It...because we are cultured and believe in exposing our children to the classics, thankyouverymuch). Or it could be the 9-month-old trying to climb into the kitchen cabinets or screaming for a tenth snack of the afternoon. Or it could be because 9 times out of 10, I just forget to take pictures (or can't find my camera...that's most likely not charged. #ahem).

So, with that in mind, please enjoy other people's beautiful pictures of our favorite meals + one dessert :)

I made these quinoa bites for the first time just a few weeks ago, but everyone LOVED them, so they are definitely a new favorite. 

You're not going to win any awards for prettiest or most elaborate dish with this one, but you really won't care. This sausage & potatoes recipe has become a go-to dish for busy nights, but it is seriously SO good and flavorful.

Three words: Buffalo Chicken Meatloaf. I started making this a few years ago, and it is Eric's most favorite thing in the world to eat. I don't know where I even got the recipe - and I kind of just wing it now anyway - but this one is pretty close to what I do. I am not a fan of celery, so I just add a few shakes of celery salt instead.

I am a huge fan of pad Thai, and this recipe is one that is easily as good as the ones in Thai restaurants. So. Much. Yum.

Natalie's lasagna recipe is one that takes a little time, but it is out of this world! I make the bolognese sauce for spaghetti as well. If you make the sauce, go ahead and double or triple it, and freeze the extra so you have some on hand when you are craving it (which you will).

Shay's BBQ Chicken Rice Bowls are another one of my absolute favorites! So easy and such a good combination of flavors!

Good heavens. These brownies are ridiculously amazing. If you are like me and have absolutely no self control, just be aware that you might eat like 6 or more of them while they are sitting around your house. #notanexaggeration

Other staple recipes around our house that are either out of an actual print cookbook (yes, they still have those) or passed down from family or just totally made-up are:

Balsamic Meatloaf
Chicken & Rice with Peanut Sauce
Chili with Cornbread
Spanish Rice
Taco Soup with Tortilla Chips
Sundried Tomato Bisque
Homemade Pizza w/Gorgonzola Cheese, Bacon, & Caramelized Onions
Chicken & Broccoli Alfredo
Teriyaki Chicken w/Rice, Veggies, & Homemade Shrimp Sauce
Grilled hamburgers, hot dogs, pork chops, and corn on the cob - also known as the only time Eric "cooks." Ha!

Can't wait to read everyone else's favorite recipes!

Friday Favorites!

What. A. Week.

I'm just gonna be honest - things have been rough around here this week. We have a lot of tough, heavy stuff going on that I am just not quite ready to post about. But there truly is always good even in the midst of the bad, so let's lighten things up with some favorites of the week...


---> Can we just talk about the perfection that is This is Us? I love every single thing about this show. Every. Single. Thing.

---> If you haven't tried the new Birds Eye Protein Blends, you need to get on it. The Italian Style one is basically my new favorite lunch. And, I eat the whole thing. I'm pretty sure you aren't supposed to, but I do. #rebel

---> A favorite memory from Halloween night was when a man answered the door and told the kids (we were with a group) to hold on. He went back inside for a minute or two and emerged with two huge bars of chocolate. He told us that he was so sorry and that he had forgotten it was Halloween and said that this was all he had. Yeah...it was baking chocolate :) A HUGE bar of Ghirardelli baking chocolate! Haha! We laughed so hard after we left. His wife is gonna be mad when she goes to bake some cookies and finds out he gave her good chocolate away!

---> This meme. #vanillaice2016

---> Another recent favorite is Wells' blossoming vocabulary. He picks up new words and phrases all the time, and as two-year-olds tend to do, he puts his own spin on them. Right now, when you tell him "Thank you," he responds, "I welcome." :)))

I hope everyone has a great weekend. Fingers crossed that we will FINALLY get our family photos taken - I keep putting them off because it has been way too hot to take pictures in anything that even resembles fall clothing! It's supposed to be in the 70s this weekend, so we've gotta jump on the opportunity!

Linking up with Andrea, Erika, & Narci for Friday Favorites

Weekending!

Happy Halloween, everyone! Linking up with Biana for a little weekend recap!

Friday was Eric's birthday, but he had to work until about 7:30 that night. I was able to drop off a milkshake to him really quickly while he was on a break. Other than that, our day was a pretty standard Friday. 

Just playing trains with no pants and a blanket on his head. 

We went to dinner with my parents, where Wells finally ate mashed potatoes. He has never liked them (is he even my child??), but I snuck him a bite without telling him what they were and he was a fan! I thought I had fooled him, but then when I was telling my mom that we shouldn't tell him what they were, Wells overheard and informed me that they were "tatoes." #hesnodummy

We got home and waited for Daddy. Wells helped him blow out the candle on his birthday brownies, and we gave him his present and homemade card. This is literally the best picture I could get - Wells being generally crazy, and Eric trying to read the card quickly before Grayer could grab and eat it. Ha! #reallife

 We went to bed way too late, but we had fun celebrating our birthday boy :)

Saturday was a crazy day. We had a cousin's 1st birthday party around lunchtime; I still had to make Grayer's costume; and we had trunk or treat at church that night. Let the record show that whenever I have anything important that I have to get done (like make a costume from scratch!), the boys somehow sense it and do not sync their naps or decide to boycott naps that day altogether. This day was a perfect example. So, Grayer's costume barely got done, and I barely kept my sanity. We did have a great time at the trunk or treat, and I was a chili cook-off judge. Yum! I won first place in the competition last year, but with Eric working weekends and with all the craziness going on with two littles, I decided not to enter this year. I am proud of myself for realizing that because I have a tendency to think I can do it all. Learning to say "no" is something I am working on :)

On to the boys' costumes! My original costume plan for the boys did not come to fruition because it is still ridiculously HOT in Savannah right now. Like 15 degrees hotter than the normally warm temps this time of year. So, I decided late last week that we would scratch it and come up with new costumes. 

Wells was an engineer riding Thomas the Tank Engine. My mom made him a Thomas train out of a diaper box. I love that woman. Wells LOVED the train and was so excited to wear it.  

And Grayer was a bowl of spaghetti :) He was not real excited about his hat at all and only kept it on about 5 minutes. But we managed to at least get a couple of pictures of him, even if they aren't very good. Ha!

Sunday we went to church as usual. We had another 1st birthday party for another cousin that afternoon (I have a big family...obvs). Wells was DYING at having to watch the birthday boy eat his own smash cake. He wanted a piece so bad. Ha! He finally got his own piece, and all was right with the world again. Later that afternoon we went to a local country carnival for about an hour...and I do mean "country." As you can see, there was a game that involved throwing a rubber chicken into someone's pants :)

Eric got home as the boys were finishing supper, and we had a lowkey rest of the night. We watched The Walking Dead and passed out, totally exhausted from a long and busy weekend. 

We are excited for trick or treating tonight! Hope everyone has a great Halloween!