"friday night lights", sunshine and grilling out.

this week was april vacation for schools up here in the northeast. and it has been one giant blur. it's true what they say: time flies when you're having fun. i'd been really look forward to this vacation for a long time. because i *love* our vacation time together as a family, but also because once april vacation was here, it meant that our emmy girl was almost here too. my maternity leave officially starts this week as i won't be returning to school again until the fall. i will for sure miss my kiddos and my coworkers, but i am beyond grateful to have four months straight with my sweet girls!

can't wait. although i am a little nervous, too. but i guess it wouldn't be an adjustment without having a little anxiety, right?!

here are a few highlights from our vacation week. and also, our last week as a family of three.

- friday night lights. we have a new netflix addiction: friday night lights. it's a little insane--and awesome--how much we love this show. we got hooked on parenthood over february break, and moved onto fnl. i'd been told we would love it by several people; i'm not really sure why it took us so long to watch. i mean, it's about a football coach who is married to a school counselor. it's practically nick&i in a nutshell (except that he's taking a little break from coaching at the moment). and one of nick's friends from high school is in the last two seasons, which is totally crazy. they were texting last night as we watched. it's true. anyway. we've had several "fnl marathons" but nothing beats last night... i think we were up until about 1 o'clock watching episodes. just because we'll probably be too exhausted in another couple of days to stay up much past ten.

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- sunshine. the weather this past week was *incredible*. into the 80s some days, and 70s the others. and lots, and lots of sunshine. we took bella to the park a few times and she had a ball. it's crazy how much more she can do this summer at the playground than she was able to do last summer. her fav are the swings. she's obsessed. and this kid has no fear. she went down the steepest slide all by herself and didn't even blink. how is she my child?! we also played outside every moment we got. while nick was working in the garage, and i was doing laundry and other various chores inside, bella HAD to be right by her daddy's side. we also got to blow lots of bubbles and draw with sidewalk chalk. two of her fav activities. aaaand mimi got her a cute little picnic table with an umbrella for christmas, so we got to eat lots of lunches out on the deck :) i love summer-y evenings in maine because even if the day gets super warm, by seven o'clock it begins to cool down again. nick&i got some new rocking chairs for our front porch this week and have loved sitting out there after we put bella down, rocking and chatting. don't tell anyone; that makes us sound really old. but we love it.

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- date night. we used to be so consistent each week with our date nights. i guess we still are, as at least once a week we give bella her own dinner, put her down and then get to eat and hang out just the two of us. but it had been a while since we went out on a date. and that needs to happen more often, we decided! my aunt had given us a gift certificate to a restaurant for christmas that we had never tried, so my mom kept bel wednesday night and we headed out. it was a small, intimate place that was the perfect mixture of upscale and casual. our kind of joint. i even got a virgin flirtini. watch out.

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- grilling out. one of my fav things about summertime is getting to use the grill. we have only had a george foreman until this year. so we are loving it. we grilled out fajitas monday night with gret, brian, jude & lucy and chicken and veggies on friday night. we decided we're going to use our grill at least three times a week this summer. and it should also help with the kajillion pregnancy pounds i need to shed. bonus.

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- cloth diapers. i am officially in love with cloth diapers. weird, i know. but we purchased a set for emmy a couple of weeks ago and started using them this week on bella. ummmm... amazing. not only are we saving tons of cash, but they just look and feel like the comfiest things ever, so i love putting them on her. and they give her a major ghetto booty, which is also awesome. they are so much easier than i thought they'd be (i was a little intimidated!) although i know it will be a bit more challenging with an infant... but they seriously just make me so happy. remind me of this when i'm up to my eyeballs in diapers that need to be washed, thanks :)

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- preparing for emmy. we got so much done this week preparing to bring our baby girl home. my nesting kicked into full gear, and nick couldn't sit still all week. i love the feeling of accomplishment! and now i sit... laundry caught up, hospital bags nearly packed, emmy's room all set up, bathrooms cleaned, floors swept and mopped and an infant swing, bouncer seat, play mat and pack&play all set up and waiting for our little girl. we are ready! we've also been making a really big deal to bella, so all week she's been exciting about emmy coming. hopefully that will last!

it's been such a great week. i feel so blessed to have had this time with my little family before life gets a little crazier. and yet am also so excited about what's around the corner for us.

thank you, lord, for all these things.

almost 40 wks.

in many ways it seems like i've been pregnant for years. maybe because we are having our girls so close together. it's like i forget what how it feels to look down and be able to see my toes.

all in good time.

i cannot complain about this pregnancy. it's been so smooth with absolutely no complications. i've been very tired, and have had days here toward the end where i have been pretty uncomfortable but i'm so grateful for the past 40 weeks. the hope of this little girl has gotten me through some really tough times. the darkest times in my life, as a matter of fact, with losing my dad when emmy had been in my belly less than twenty weeks. i know god gave me the blessing of this pregnancy for so many reasons, but getting through my dad's death is definitely one of them.

god is good.

it's funny the differences between emmy in my womb and bella. bel moved alllll the time, and i felt her move for the very first time around fourteen weeks. she was constantly going crazy. i mean, waking me up in the middle of the night she was so squirmy. emmy has been a lot more chill. in fact, it scared me at first because she wasn't super active. especially compared to her big sis. but she's gotten a lot more busy here toward the end... and when she does move she makes it pretty obvious. i don't remember wincing when bella moved like i do with em! she's a strong little girl. bella had hiccups every night near the end... around 9 or 10 o'clock. we could set our watches to it. i don't know if emmy's had hiccups at all; or at least ones i've felt. weird. bella made me crave things more... and have stronger aversions. with emmy, i haven't been turned off to much, but i haven't craved much either. and i've gained just about the same amount of weight as i did with bel. right around fifty pounds. yikes. 30 day shred and jillian michaels, here i come.

this little one seems to be lounging quite comfortably inside of me. sometimes it hurts to sit because i feel her feet or legs all up in my ribs. or when i roll over at night onto my side, at times she doesn't want to move and makes it rather impossible for me to get comfortable. so back to the other side i roll.

i have fears about going over 40 weeks in my pregnancies due to some family history stuff; not because i just want to be comfortable and hold my baby, although i do (just a personal preference i guess)... so i got induced with bel a day before my due date and will do the same with emmy. as long as everything goes as planned april 23rd will be her birthday :) i'm nervous and anxious but so excited to experience childbirth again. as scary as it is to anticipate, it's also one of the most amazing things i've ever done and i can't wait to experience it with nick again. he's the best person to have by my side and made me fall in love with him all over again last time. so i'm choosing to dwell on all of those things as i prepare to bring my little girl into this world!

stay tuned... pics and birth story to come :)

what's for dinner tonight {cheese ravioli salad}.

i'm a *huge* fan of summer eating. grilling out. fresh fruits and veggies. pitchers of sweet tea. and salads. lots and lots of salads. but i like having a variety of summer salad recipes on hand so i don't get bored with the same ones.

this is a salad my mom used to make when we were growing up. it's so delicious and full of flavor. i love the bright colors, too. very summery. and did i mention super easy? i didn't have a recipe, so i made up my own to recreate the one she used to make. so here you go; hope you like it as much as our family does!

cheese ravioli salad

* 1 lb. cheese ravioli
* 3 plumb tomatoes, cut into chunks
* 1 head of broccoli, cut into bite sized pieces
* 1 clove of garlic, minced
* 2 T. olive oil
* 1 packet good seasons italian dressing, prepared
* 1/4 c. shredded parmesan cheese

- prepare veggies and dressing. heat olive oil in a saute pan, add garlic and cook for a minute. add broccoli pieces and saute until no longer raw, but still crisp and bright green. set aside.

- prepare cheese ravioli according to directions on package. drain.

- combine ravioli, tomatoes and broccoli and toss lightly with dressing. top with parmesan cheese and there you have it. the perfect summer salad.

you can eat this salad warm or cold and it's also equally yummy leftover. it's great as a side with grilled chicken or steak, a dish to bring to a party or potluck, or as a main dish for a lighter dinner. we had ours last night with some baked focaccia bread and it was oh-so-delish.

enjoy!

emmy's nursery.

i have *finally* finished emmy's nursery and it feels so good. after months of having ideas swirling around in my head, they've actually been made into reality and i am officially ready for my sweet baby girl to get here. let me just say that being pregnant the second time around is so much harder than the first. i've been exhausted pretty much my entire pregnancy this time, and have been so far behind on everything with no energy to get caught up. it's been driving me crazy. the past week or so, i've been having random bursts of energy here and there and have decided to make the most of them which has really allowed me to accomplish quite a bit. i can survive in a disorganized state for only so long!

emmy's room turned out just the way i envisioned and i'm so happy with it. anyone who knows me well knows that i love having girls because i'm pretty girly myself. i'm not one to shy away from pink... in fact, i fully embrace it as one of my favorite colors. i also love antiques, pretty vintage-y things and shabby chic-ness, so that inspired a lot when it came to emmy's nursery. i have to tone this down around the rest of our house for the sake of my husband, but i got to let it all out when it came to decorating my baby girl's room.

and i thoroughly enjoyed myself :)

the paint color of emmy's room is "sweet baby girl" by glidden. i was looking for a muted pink tone (it shows up waaaay brighter in some of these pictures than it is in reality) and i must admit i half chose this shade because of it's name. we also replaced the old carpet that was in here (when i say we, i mean nick) as well as the rest of the bedrooms in our house. i love the look of this dark wood laminate flooring especially against the contrast of the white and the light pink! this is what you see when you first enter emmy's room; our little "rocking corner" where i can't wait to snuggle with her sleeping on my chest, and see nick reading her bedtime stories. this is my favorite corner of the whole room.

i used this scrapbook paper as inspiration for the nursery. i used it in the letters above her crib, wall hangings i made and in some of these picture frames. these frames i either had on hand or found while thrifting... the 3 oval frame and the bird hanging i scored at the christmastree shop for about 3 dollars for both pieces.

these wall hangings i made from cut plywood, scrapbook paper, rubber stamps, paper doilies and mod podge. they're one of my favorite things about the room because they incorporate special touches from our family.

"i sing because i'm happy, i sing because i'm free his eye is on the sparrow and i know he watches me." one of my favorite hymns and words i remind myself of often. but also the last words dad sang from his hospital bed before he met jesus. i really wanted to incorporate some of him in emmy's room and i love that i'll always be able to tell her how much her bampy loved her from the time he knew she was growing in my belly.

"may the lord bless you and keep you may he make his face shine on you and give you peace." numbers 6:24. nick's mom prayed this over him every day as he was growing up, and we have prayed this over bella every night before we put her to bed, and will emmy too! a special verse for our family.

this pom cluster was the hardest part of the whole room. holy cow. don't even ask me how i hung it because i couldn't begin to tell you. all i know is i used my glue gun and i just hope it all stays put! but it's one of my favorite elements of the nursery and i'm very pleased with how it turned out! i made the tissue poms using martha stewart's tutorial online, and these flower poms you can see how to make here. i also wrapped a small ball with pink ribbon using hot glue, and made a lace pom using a punching ball, glue and paper doilies from the dollar store. it was a huge pain in the behind, so i only made one but i'll post a tutorial soon. the white paper lanterns i also scored from the dollar store. love that place.

emmy's furniture we ordered in a set from walmart.com. since she'll grow out of it soon, we didn't want to spend too much. it works perfectly. here is her dresser with some shabby chic accessories. the lamp is one of my favorite things i own; i bought it at target when i got my first apartment in dallas almost eight years ago. the little pink accent vase belonged to my grandparents; the room that is emmy's nursery used to be my sister and i's bedroom whenever we stayed there, and i remember it being on my grandmother's armoire and always thinking it was so pretty (probably because it was pink). the frame hung above the dresser was attached to an old mirror i found this summer while thrifting. the mirror glass was literally two inches thick! i was afraid it was too heavy to hang (especially in a child's room) so i just detatched the frame and hung that instead. i love the vintage detail.

here's her changing table. above it hangs this antique mirror from my grandparents; i love the etched glass. and i made these wall vases for bella's nursery a couple years back and still love them.

in this little corner of her room sits an old antique table from the oceanside cottage that my family owned for many, many years. we were all blessed to take away a few heirlooms and treasured pieces when we sold it this winter, and this was one that i got. i knew it would be perfect for emmy's room. ontop is a candelabra i found at target a few years ago, an old frame i found while yard sale-ing. the lace curtains hung in her room were there when my sister and i were growing up... which makes my nostalgic-loving heart so happy :)

emmy's crib bedding is super simple. i used these circo brand crib sheets from target, and these carters brand ecru crib bumpers from burlington coat factory. i fell in love with this floral bathmat from anthropologie and bought it for an accent by her crib. so glad i did.

i recreated the old frames i had for bella's name in her nursery to make emmy's above her crib. i love the vintage floral paper and the touch of turquoise. you can read my tutorial here.

these porcelain birds i found at target and knew they'd be just the right touch for the wall above her crib. i love how elegant and simple they look.

and there you have it. our little room for sweet emmy faith! can't wait to meet her... she's due to arrive in just a week! can't wait to meet our little girl.

nursery run-down:

crib, changing table and dresser: walmart.com
rose shaped rug: anthropologie
name frames: thrifted, handmade
porcelain birds: target
pink&cream floral crib sheet: target
ecru crib bumpers: burlington coat factory
lace curtains: family "heirloom"
rocking chair: thrifted and refinished by husband
frames/bird hanging: thrifted, christmastree shop
tissue, lace, flower and ribbon "poms": handmade
white paper lanterns: dollar tree
wall hangings: handmade
white vintage mirror frame: thrifted
crystal chandelier lamp: target
pink accent vase: family "heirloom"
vintage etched glass mirror: family "heirloom"
wall vases: handmade
white antique table: family "heirloom"
shabby chic candelabra: target
pink vintage frame: yard sale

this post is linked to these *lovely* blogs:
tatertots&jello
chef in training
newlyweds on a budget
mod vintage life
one artsy mama
the diy show off
my girlish whims
at the picket fence
southern lovely
classy clutter
diy by design
liz marie

multitude monday.

347. bright, warm & sunny spring days.
348. daffodils and tulips.
349. watching bella and nick play outside through my open kitchen window as i cook dinner... hearing her giggles as they run through the grass.
350. fingers sticky from blowing bubbles.
351. grilling out. and homemade fajitas.
352. sweet little kicks and squirms in my belly.
353. sitting in rocking chairs on our front porch with my husband. chill in the air, good conversation, the sound of crickets. bliss.
354. watching nick putter. there's something about a man owning a house that turned him into a putter-er. it's so cute.
355. cloth diapering. i love it.
356. time with girlfriends and our little ones. love having girls in my life that i have known for a long, long time.
357. caramel frappes from mcdonalds.
358. bella's cute little voice.

our easter.

so i'm a bit late in this post, but better late than never, right? that's my motto. especially these days. our easter this year was both special and bittersweet. it was our first easter without my dad; but it was also his first easter spent in the presence of the risen christ. i mean, how amazing would that be? i cannot even fathom it.

easter was always my dad's favorite holiday. i can still hear him belting out old easter hymns like "crown him with many crowns" and "up from the grave he arose". he loved those songs. his last day on earth, as we surrounded his hospital bed, he randomly asked us "when is easter this year?" being that it was the day before thanksgiving, and the holiday season was upon us, it caught us all by surprise. when none of us could tell him the exact date easter fell on, he sat back in his bed with the most satisfied look on his face and said "this year, easter is going to be awesome."

i could not get that out of my mind as we celebrated this year. tears were uncontrollable during worship at church as we sang about jesus and his power over death. i could just see my dad's face; his smile and bright eyes, full of hope and excitement at what he was experiencing this year at the feet of his beloved jesus.

this year i was reminded that not only do we celebrate the fact that jesus triumped over the grave... but that in his victory, we are also given LIFE... and life eternal. that is pretty amazing. and something i've grown up knowing, but struck me so fresh and new this easter. because as we sing about it and try to imagine it, my dad is living it. and that just blows my mind.

our church is now offering a saturday evening service which is such a wonderful alternative for us as a young family. we decided this year to break tradition (dad would not have liked that!) and went to church saturday night. after a great service, we went to mom's for dinner and then home. sunday morning, we woke up and did an easter egg hunt with bella in our living room. yes, our living room as it was *snowing* outside. okay, just flurries, but still. craziness. nick filled a bunch of plastic eggs with fruit snacks (bella's favorite and a treat she gets only when she visits mimi!) and hid them (or really just placed them) around the living room. bella had so much fun filling her basket with the eggs... especially once she found out they were filled with fruit snacks!

i made cinnamon rolls and nick made eggs and bacon for breakfast and as we ate and listened to worship music, "i will rise" began to play; the song we had played at dad's service. as tears fell down my face, i looked up at nick and saw his tears too. but as i listened to the words, so much joy mingled with my sadness... "jesus has overcome and the grave is overwhelmed. victory is won; he has risen from the dead. and i will rise when he calls my name, no more sorrow, no more pain. i will rise on eagle's wings, before my god fall on my knees."

this year was a lot more fun celebrating easter with bella. our favorite thing: when we asked her why we celebrate easter she would reply: "jesus died for us!" i mean; cutest thing i've ever heard (click here to watch a video and you'll agree with me. adorable. although she spends more time in this video asking to watch herself than she does actually saying it!). i know she was just repeating whatever she heard us say, but still. we loved it.

bella's easter basket this year consisted of a couple sesame street bath time books, sidewalk chalk, bubbles, lip gloss, a chocolate cross and bunny, hair clips and cinderella silverware (pretty much everything was courtesy of target dollar section) along with other treats from mimi and aunt holly. i don't really want gifts and eggs and candy to be what our kids look forward to on easter, and at the same time i realize that they are kids and this was a fun part of my childhood, too. but i look forward to when bella (and emmy) is a bit older and nick&i can establish traditions with them that center around jesus and teaching them the real meaning of why we celebrate easter.

we got dressed and headed to my mom's to join my sister and her family and my aunt and hers. bella&jude got more easter treats from my mom and aunt... most of bella's stuff had something to do with disney princesses which she was beyond thrilled with! i love having a girl :)

after a big ham lunch, the kids crashed while we all got to visit. my mom had "the masters" playing continuously in the background as my dad used to *love* watching it. he was a big golf fan and many of my easter memories growing up include my dad watching the masters.

we definitely felt dad's absence, but i can honestly say there was such a deep peace in my heart celebrating easter this year. and dad would've been so glad. he always said "don't be sorry for me when i'm gone. i'll be in a much better place." and as much as we wish he was still here with us... he is in a much better place, indeed.

emmy's letters.

so i've been really behind this pregnancy with poor emmy. when i was pregnant with bella, i had everything set about a month before she made her arrival. diapers stocked and put away. room decorated and organized. clothes washed and put into her dresser according to size. i even had my hospital bag packed at 37 weeks. this time around? emmy's cloth diapers are still in their packages, stacked in piles (although i will say according to color. ha.) on one of our couches. her closet is jammed full of things i need to go through and organize. i just finished washing all of her newborn-three months clothes yesterday... half of them are put away, the other half is folded and waiting to be put away. and there is a load that is still in the dryer.

and her room? most of it existed in my head, or in halfway finished projects waiting in our basement.

so yesterday i decided i needed to get with it. i've been telling myself this for weeks, but yesterday i actually had a burst of nesting-ness that gave me the energy to get some stuff accomplished.

and it feels good.

i am happy to say i have one project left for emmy's room and then it will be finished and ready for our sweet baby girl. i feel so much better already. but still, don't look in her closet...

i love having the girls names in their rooms. i just think it's so cute. i wanted to do something different for emmy's letters, but use the old frames i had when i did bella's in her nursery back in our apartment in dallas.

after some scheming in this head of mine, i came up with a plan. i am a huge fan of scrapbook paper. weird, i know. but i love finding a pretty pattern i like and using it to inspire a decorating theme. when nick&i got married, my sister made our wedding invitations with pretty pink and cream vintage-y paper. i used it throughout our wedding decor and it provided a good starting point for me as i planned. so i found this pretty paper online for emmy's room and fell in love with it.

sadly, our craft stores here seriously lack in the scrapbook paper department, so i went ahead and ordered it from an internet source. i'm so glad i did.

here's a little how-to on my letter's for emmy's nursery.

nursery letters

materials:
- old frames (i got mine from goodwill)
- paint
- ribbon
- ruler
- scissors
- scrapbook paper
- paper doilies
- computer/printer
- mod podge
- foam brush
- hot glue gun

* the frames i got from goodwill i had originally spraypainted brown for bella's nursery. so for emmy's, i painted them all a creamy white.
* using your ribbon and some hot glue, attach loops to your frame. if you want bows like i did, make your bows separately and then glue them to the tops of the loops. this way it's easier to make your bows pretty :)
* measure the area inside your frame and cut your scrapbook paper to fit.
* on your computer, create a word document and print off your letters as big as you'd like in a font that suits your fancy. i think mine were 600 in the courier font.
* cut out your letters to create homemade stencils (waaaay cheaper). on coordinating scrapbook paper (i chose a light turquoise), trace your letters and cut them out.
* using a thin layer of mod podge, secure a paper doily in the center of each sheet of scrapbook paper. then, top with a letter. be sure to try to get the wrinkles out as much as possible (which i found to be challenging with the paper doilies).
* after they are dried, secure in the back of the frame with hot glue.
* hang! and you're done :)

i love the combo of pink&turquoise. it's one of my *favorite* things right now. and the vintage feel of the scrapbook paper combined with the antique-y-ness of the doilies are exactly what i was going for in little emmy's room. i'm a happy mama.

we're ready for our sweet baby girl! although she will come exactly when she makes her mind up ;) can't wait to hold her and kiss her little face!

lasts and firsts.

our little girl is growing up. and i'm embracing it... even though its breaking my heart! she seems so old to us right now; talking a mile a minute in full conversations even if we can't always understand what she is saying. she's such a little chatterbox! and the independent spirit--oh, the independent spirit. she must do *everything* by herself. even if she can't. and she's such a little mama; always looking out for her new baby cousin, lucy (or "woooocy"). trying to fetch her bottles and concerned when she cries, giving her pacies and telling us that we need to put her in her crib.

i can barely keep up with how my little girl is growing; it seems like yesterday we were bringing her home from the hospital. i want to fully savor each stage as she grows, as every one is unique with it's own blessings and special moments and memories. i don't want to be too sad about what things we leave behind as she grows, but rather fully enjoy what she is doing right.this.moment.

last night was her last night in her crib.

tonight was her first night in her big girl bed. she was so excited she's been talking about it for weeks (even though she looks petrified in this first picture... she really was, i promise!)

she did so well! it probably helped that it was past her bedtime and little bugger skipped out on her nap today. she was one tired girl. she cried for a bit when we first left her room, but once i laid down with her for few minutes, she fell right to sleep.

adorable. fingers crossed there's no jumping on the bed at 2 am.

time to get the crib ready for emmy :)