No I'm Not Pregnant, BUT...

...my little sister is and so are many of my friends. It's kind of natural to have babies on the brain at this stage of life, mostly because everyone around me is in the midst of creating their families. Anyway, I am a huge advocate of ASOS clothing because a) they're affordable; b) they're very cute and stylish... a.k.a. not frumpy; and c) you can keep wearing them after your pregnant. That's always a plus for me because as most of you know, it takes a little bit to be able to fit back into your clothes. Here are some of my favorites from their site so far. Happy shopping!

Elastic Cuff Pant

Tiered Swing Dress

Nursing Sleeper Bra

Soft Striped Boyfriend

Two-Pack Leggings

Cap Sleeve Jersey Dress

Free-flow Maxi

Nursing Skater Dress

Sweater Dress on Point

Harem Cozy Joggers

Fitted Midi Dress

Lace-trimmed Jammies

Folk-Print Dress

Sweater with Chambray Underlay

Suede Pocket-tee Dress

Joggers

Hearts and Stripes Tee

Fitted Striped Dress

Acid Flower Free-flow Dress

Cozy Leggings

Maternity Skinnies

Nursing Sleeper Bra

Bluebell Shift Dress

Navy Curved Hem Dress

Crockpot Beef Stew

Back in November I was having a major hankering for beef stew. But like... blow your socks off, sit-me-by-a-fire-and-never-get-up-again beef stew. I have tried a couple different recipes before, but this one seriously is my forever favorite and I'll never try another! Unless you say it's better. But it probably won't be. Thank you, Pinterest.

Not my greatest food photo, but you get the idea.

Click here for the recipe. Enjoy!

Catching Up and Carnitas

One of the main reasons I was afraid to start my blog up again is that I know I'm not one of those bloggers who updates every day. I just can't. Not realistic. So, I'm gonna catch up.

Our Goldie turned 6 last week, and we had such a fun birthday. She invited a few friends to come with her to Chuck E. Cheese, and they ran around like crazy people. It was pretty fun to watch actually, and not to mention a very easy party to have. Sometimes I think about Goldie and my heart gets so tender that I lose whatever words I want to say... she is just so special to me. Anyway, I wrote this on my instagram on her special day (@jennavela):

"Today my sweet Goldie girl turns 6 years old. She is the epitome of the oldest child: she literally takes care of all of us. She's aware. She's sensitive. She's protective. Her heart is one of the most tender ones I know of. Not only that, but she handles trials head-on and never, ever gives up. Her laugh is contagious and her dance moves impeccable. Her determined spirit will take her places beyond her wildest dreams, and I really can't wait to see what amazing things wait for her in this life. She knows she's a daughter of God, she understands what that means and she has a testimony of the Savior. Her prayers are sincere and she always, always, ALWAYS tries her best in everything she does. I cry as I write this because I honestly couldn't be more proud to call her mine. I am in awe of you, Goldie girl. I love you more than words. Happy, happy birthday. You deserve it."


Just look at her. BAH! Love her so much.

Here's your weekly picture of Sam, just because he's hilarious and so damn cute.

Bedhead and covered in greek yogurt.

And now for the carnitas.... OOOOO baby. We seriously love Mexican food, like I could eat it every day, and I pretty much have this week for every meal. I was at Walmart (dude, don't knock it. I know a lot of people are against Walmart, but I'm definitely not too cool for it and I fully accept everyone who shops there. #endrant), and I couldn't believe this gigantic package of carnita steak, all chopped and ready to go. I can't remember the price (sorry), but it was reasonable and there really was a ton of meat. Anyway, this is what I came up with. Easiest and quickest dinner ever:

Jenna's Carnitas

*Please remember that I don't measure! Everything is approximate*

Ingredients

2-3 pounds of carnitas steak

3-4 Tbsp taco seasoning

Salt and Pepper to taste

Avocado oil

Avocados, sliced

2-3 eggs

Roasted Salsa Verde

Shredded Cheese

Tortillas

Directions

Heat two skillets, one to medium high head and the other to medium. In the skillet that's set to medium/high, add 2-3 tbsp of avocado oil. Now, you can use any oil you want, but I particularly have a new love affair with the avocado oil... so that's what I used. Coconut and Avo oil are great for cooking things at high temperatures because these oils don't burn, just FYI.

When the oil is heated, add your carnitas meat and begin to stir. It really should only take a couple of minutes to cook--don't overdo it! When it starts to brown, add the salt, pepper, and taco seasoning. Brown the meat until it's cooked to your liking... we like ours just a little crispy on the edges. Remove the meat and set aside. 

In your other skillet, begin warming your tortillas. While doing that, crack a couple of eggs into the skillet that your steak was in. We cook ours over-medium and then kind of wreck the center a little bit. Add salt and pepper and remove from heat.

Putting it Together:

Add everything in this order:

1. Tortilla

2. Shredded Cheese

3. Hot carnitas (If I could insert a picture of my mouth open and my tongue hanging out, I would)

4. Eggs

5. Sliced Avocados

6. Roasted Salsa Verde

7. HOT SAUCE (We keep Chalula as part of our food storage. I'm not kidding).

Roll it all up and then make another, because you won't be able to eat just one. Also, you can add whatever toppings you like. This is just what we happened to do that night. Hope you love it!

Have a great weekend, y'all. Tomorrow I'll be posting on my latest kid playroom project, so check back if you're in the mood!

Chili, Sam, and Sunshine

When the sun is shining in Tennessee, I feel pretty happy all day long. It even warmed up a bit toward the end of the day, and by warm I mean 45 degrees. It's funny to think that I am with Sam every minute of the day, but we don't actually get to really play a lot. We get home from errands and he runs around and we laugh and obviously I pay attention to my son... but I'm also doing laundry, cleaning, cooking, and everything else under the sun while he's around. I mean, my kid is freaking cool. He makes me laugh so hard every day and he's also super sweet to me. Always giving my kisses and wanting to show me things. I just love him. Tonight the girls wanted to stay inside and play, dinner was already made, and Sam was literally pulling my pants down in order to get me to go outside with him. 

So, we went out and had a 25 minute playdate together. We threw rocks in drains, he rode his scooter, we went down a big hill together, he kept tackling me and wanted me to lay on the grass with him... we looked at clouds and airplanes and sunsets. It was pretty magical, and it made me wonder why I don't make the time to do this with him more often. Add that to the list of resolutions... amiright? Seriously I want to eat him.

Let's talk chili. Soups, in general, are my favorite recipes to create because I can throw so many vegetables in there and my kids will eat it. I have about 3 varieties of chili that I make, but the one tonight is one of my favorites. I'm asked for this recipe a lot, so here you go. Disclaimer: 

I don't measure. Usually my measurements are approximations... I'm a believer in testing it as you and just making it yummy according to what you like. 

Also, I'm not a fancy food photographer....YET.

Ingredients

1 sweet potato, peeled and diced small

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, sliced and chopped

2 cloves garlic, diced small

2 carrots, peeled and chopped small

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce

1 cup beef broth

1 lb lean ground beef

1 packet chili seasoning

1 packet Lipton's Onion Soup mix

1 packet ranch

1 palmful of chili powder

2-3 tbsp olive oil

salt/pepper to taste

*optional: Normally I add Bushes Chili Beans because it is chili, after all. But I opted out tonight because I was trying to keep it Paleo-esque. But please, by all means, add the beans.

For Garnish: Chopped green onions, sour cream (or plain greek yogurt), cheese.

Instructions

Once you've chopped all of your vegetables, heat up a large soup pot to medium heat. Add olive oil. When the oil is heated, add all of your vegetables and give it a stir. Throw in some salt and pepper and then cover the pot so all the steam cooks those veggies real nice. Give it a stir every couple minutes; everything should be tender within 5-7 minutes. 

While that's cooking, heat up another skillet to medium heat and add your hamburger. When it's mostly cooked through, drain the grease and then put it back into the skillet. This is when I like to add the chili seasoning packet and stir it up. At the same time, I add the ranch packet, the chili powder, and the Lipton soup packet into the almost-cooked vegetables. Give them both a stir and let the flavors cook in for a minute or two.

In the vegetable pot, add the beef broth, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes. Stir well, and then add the hamburger mixture. If you're using chili beans, add these as well. Allow the chili to simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes. 

Now that's a yummy, hearty bowl of chili right there. And my kids LOVE it. Hope you do too!

Happy Wednesday.

Ingredients

1 sweet potato, peeled and diced small

2 celery stalks, chopped

1 onion, diced

1 green bell pepper, sliced and chopped

2 cloves garlic, diced small

2 carrots, peeled and chopped small

1 can diced tomatoes

1 can tomato sauce

1 cup beef broth

1 lb lean ground beef

1 packet chili seasoning

1 packet Lipton's Onion Soup mix

1 packet ranch

1 palmful of chili powder

2-3 tbsp olive oil

salt/pepper to taste

*optional: Normally I add Bushes Chili Beans because it is chili, after all. But I opted out tonight because I was trying to keep it Paleo-esque. But please, by all means, add the beans.

For Garnish: Chopped green onions, sour cream (or plain greek yogurt), cheese.

Instructions

Once you've chopped all of your vegetables, heat up a large soup pot to medium heat. Add olive oil. When the oil is heated, add all of your vegetables and give it a stir. Throw in some salt and pepper and then cover the pot so all the steam cooks those veggies real nice. Give it a stir every couple minutes; everything should be tender within 5-7 minutes. 

While that's cooking, heat up another skillet to medium heat and add your hamburger. When it's mostly cooked through, drain the grease and then put it back into the skillet. This is when I like to add the chili seasoning packet and stir it up. At the same time, I add the ranch packet, the chili powder, and the Lipton soup packet into the almost-cooked vegetables. Give them both a stir and let the flavors cook in for a minute or two.

In the vegetable pot, add the beef broth, tomato sauce, and diced tomatoes. Stir well, and then add the hamburger mixture. If you're using chili beans, add these as well. Allow the chili to simmer on low heat for about 30 minutes. Add the garnishes, and enjoy!

Surviving is Not Thriving

So I gotta be honest about a couple things. The last 4 months of my life have been a little bit of an emotional roller coaster for me. Do you ever just.... go through something? I mean like, really go through it? My father-in-law once said that when life is good, you ride that wave for as long as you can because the trials always come. For me, my trial is an emotional one. A very personal and lonely one... and it feels lonely because I'm the only one who can fix it.

There are things that I've greatly improved on as an adult and even more so as a mother. I grew up with very little patience, and I think (if I remember right) that I kind of expected things to go my way and when they didn't, I don't think I truly understood why and didn't feel great about it. That's a pretty normal feeling. So, patience is something that I've worked on almost my entire life to develop and I will proudly state that I am more patient now than I ever have been. 

I'm also a really good mother. I'm going to go ahead and say that with confidence and pat myself on the back while doing so. I love my children, and they know it. I want to give them the world, but I don't. Sometimes I give little things here and there, but my kids are slowly learning how to work for privileges, goodies, and adventures. They know how to love and take care of each other. They have tender hearts for others, and especially for members of our family and close friends. Jake and I take pride in the fact that we show lots and lots of affection in our home. We are touchy-feely people; we're big huggers and kissers and wrestlers. We hug and kiss our kids all of the time and they know they are loved by their parents. I make my family healthy meals every morning, noon, and night. We have treats a couple times a week, and pizza once a week. Our kids know the importance of physical health. They know why we love to workout and they get it. They like to exercise too... and I think that's freaking legit. We love hard, eat a lot, and sleep well for the most part. I've taught my children manners, how to be respectful, and what's acceptable and what's not. We have a good discipline system set up and they know that when I have to ask a third time for them to do something, they're in some sort of trouble. I could go on, but I'm sure you're waiting to hear the stuff that I'm not so awesome at. But I needed to start with something positive because there are a lot of things I do right, and only a couple that I struggle with. I feel like that's the case for most of us.

It's important to always remember what you are good at. It's important to remember that you're probably doing much better than you think you are. It's important to know that you are a good person, and that trying your best is more than enough. These are things to remember. 

Something that I struggle with, and always have struggled with, is bridling my emotions. I'm a passionate person and when I go for something, I go all the way. I also get tense really easily... like I get easily bothered by little stupid minute things that seriously don't matter. But for some reason, I am easily irritated. I've been to a couple different kinds of therapy throughout my adult life, and this issue of irritation coupled with anger and losing my cool has always been connected with something. One therapist said that I was still feeling lots of grief and anger from my miscarriages 9 years ago. I mean that could've been a possibility, so I went with it and tried to work on it from there. But what I've learned is that I actually just. am. this. way. It's how God made me and I've been hard-wired to be this type of person since the day I was born. It is a major part of who I am... but it doesn't have to be. And I don't want it to be. And it is super hard to overcome when it's been who you are for so, so long. 

Without going into detail, the past 4 months have given me an opportunity to really harness this issue that I struggle with and use it for good. You know, like turn a weakness into a strength kind of thing. Well, that blew up in my face real quick. It was a lot of ups and downs, and I would be good for a couple days and then something would set me off. Then last week I stopped sleeping and everything was taken to a whole new level. Break down happened, and I'm feeling better a couple days later. So here I am telling you about my struggle because I just hope and pray it helps someone. I feel like when I share things, it helps people. At least that's what I've been told in the past. We'll see.

Night's Impossible Burden, by Brian Kershisnik

So I'm kind of in the thick of it all. Sunday was a major day of reflection for me, and there was a lesson given at church that hit me so hard that I cried like a little baby through the whole thing. My friend was giving the lesson and she is such a good teacher. I mean, eye contact, pausing to reflect, personal experiences, true emotion... she is everything I love and hope for in a teacher. Her lesson was how we can focus on the simplicity that is in Christ, and how we can allow His grace to lift and carry us. She asked us to ponder the following questions:

1. Does my life have meaning?

2. Do I believe in God?

3. Do I believe that God knows and loves me?

4. Do I believe that God hears and answers my prayers?

5. Am I truly happy?

6. Are my efforts leading me to the highest spiritual goals and values in my life?

They seem like such Sunday school questions, like ones that we've heard a million times. But I read them yesterday and I really thought about each and every one. I have immediate and confident answers for almost all of those questions... except the last one. Humility washed over me and I wept when I read it. You see, the last little while I've pretty much just been "surviving." I feel like that's a term that us moms use pretty freely, and that's okay and good because seriously, sometimes that's all we can do. We make it through the rough days... throw "perfection" out the window and put our heads down until bed time. And then if you're like me, you want to just disappear into your closet and hide away from all of the mistakes you made as a mother and a wife that day. Or maybe that's just me. But I'm hard on myself and I've learned to do less of that. Surviving though... that's all I was doing. I didn't feel like I had the strength to do much more than that. But during this lesson I thought, "Is it truly a lack of strength, Jenna?" At times, yes, yes it is. When I am in the thick of it, sometimes I really don't have it in me to do much more than the minimum. And then I kept thinking... and pondering, and my thoughts were every where and all of a sudden everything in my mind...

 STOPPED. 

The noises in the room were blocked and I was alone in the vacuum of my mind. And I stood there, sad and lonely with my anger and my irritability and my ability to yell so loudly sitting heavy on my shoulders. My lack of emotional control hung around my neck, and I felt alone. I realized in that moment that my actions, my "just surviving" weren't getting me anywhere. My "surviving" was giving me the same unwanted results... a cycle that I can't seem to break. It was a huge moment for me, and with a flash I was back in the room sitting next to my friends with tears streaming down my face. If I want to be different, I need to do things differently. Period.

My friend then moved on to a very poignant point, one that would normally bring feelings of positivity and hope for me but in this case, my true feelings hit me so deeply that I literally felt a pain in my chest. She said something to the effect that Heavenly Father loves us just as we are, right in this moment, right now no matter what we have done right or wrong... He loves us NOW. Not Jenna from 5 years ago, or Jenna 10 years from now. He loves me as I am now. And I thought to myself, "How could anyone love me as I am now? Even my Father in Heaven?"

Then someone made a comment and said that as humans, we are obsessed with Time. I mean, we can't escape it. In our mortal life here on Earth, Time rules. It sets us in motion... Time tells us when to wake up, when to go to sleep, when to be at gymnastics or school or work or church or whatever our extra activities are. Sometimes we get caught up in the past, thinking of a certain way we used to be and wishing we could go back to that. Or if you're like me, you think constantly about the future and hope so badly that you will be different, even just a little, than you are now. Heavenly Father doesn't deal with time though... He is eternal, and time is nothing to Him.  

He sees us as who we are in our entirety. 

Think about that. He doesn't see me in my weaknesses today, but He sees me as I once was, am now, and most importantly, He sees me in my full potential. He sees us in our eternal purity, and THAT person is who He knows and loves unconditionally, even though we can't see it. And that's why He can love us as we are, this very minute, in all of our weaknesses and in all of our shortcomings. 

His love is awesome like that.

I'm going to do things a little differently that I have in the past months. I'm going to make bigger efforts to be more Christlike. I'm going to pray more sincerely. I'm going to read my scriptures. I'm going to serve others *happily.* I'm going to do everything I can to figure out how to change what's inherently inside of me... not make it disappear, but to simply shape and mold it for the better. Because I know I can be better. And I really, really, want to be better.

This is a heavy and personal post. I apologize (insert nervous emoji with the wide eyes and gritted teeth here). But I'm good. I struggle with this a lot, and it's something that has taken over my life a little bit. But today, for the first time in awhile, I felt hopeful.

I have a vision, and every time I think about it and see it in my mind, I tear up. I envision myself dressed in a long, white frothy dress. I am standing tall, and my head is held high in quiet confidence. I'm holding some sort of large book against my chest with one arm, and the other is holding my children's hands. They are behind me, happy and seemingly proud. My husband is next to me, equally confident and quietly proud of his family. But me... this Jenna... she's a sight to see. She knows who she is, and she as overcome much in her life. She is young, and seasoned, and she knows what's what. But you know what gets me every time in this vision? ....She loves herself.

She loves herself.

And that is power above anything else.

Climbing Mother Large, by Brian Kershisnik

I need this painting in my life so, so badly.

Guess who's back... back again.

It's been a little too long, hasn't it. I remember the day that I decided to take a break from blogging; I think it was back when Instagram first came out and I thought to myself, "Who needs to blog when you have Instagram?" It's kind of true. But, lately I've remembered how much I loved this blog, and how therapeutic it was for me to sit and write my thoughts and feelings about whatever I felt like. It's freeing, in a way. For me, it's also a way to journal and remember the fun things my kids do, or the adventures that we go on, or the good days with the bad. These types of memories are super important, and I'm a little sad that I've gone two years without writing all of it down. 

It's a new year though, and with the new year comes resolutions, ideas, goals, etc. etc. etc. I have to make my goals seasonal, meaning I take the first four months of the year and make goals for them. When spring comes, I make new goals for summer. And then fall, and so on. It's easier for me that way, and then I don't feel like I'm failing all the time. Just kidding...sorta. Much has happened since my last post, and life has changed a lot. Maybe some old readers are back and know all of my history, and maybe there are new readers who have no idea who I am, or what I love, or anything about my family. Here's a quick introduction... and by quick, I mean QUICK.

I'm Jenna. I live in East Tennessee and it has become my true home. I'm 31, BYU graduate. I'm a freelance writer and an editor, but if I do any work, I do it from home. I have three kids: Goldie, Annie, and Sam. They are hilarious and bring me so much happiness. And stress. But mostly happiness :) My husband is Jake and we've known each other since college; he's my hero, and I love him dearly. He's also my best friend, so that makes things fun too. But listen, you need to know this. My life is not perfect. My husband and kids are not perfect. I am so far from perfect that it makes me laugh out loud. So, so far. And you'll hear about that on this blog- I don't pretend and I get real often. With that said, I like to celebrate the good days and the fun things my family does every once in awhile. I have a blessed life, and although there are major mountains to climb and cross over, I am thankful every day.

So, welcome back. It feels good to write again, and I've got so many thoughts. Hope you had a wonderful holiday season! 

as i've read through the past few entries i've written on this blog, i realized that i've come a long way since last fall. i don't know what it is, but things have been going pretty smoothly for us lately. can't tell you how thankful i am for that. what i mean is, goldie seems to have grown up a lot since turning 3. she is beyond helpful and has become such a good listener. i feel like she really respects me and that's something that i've been working at for a long time. and i respect her. i've learned what hurts her the most and i've learned what parenting tactics work best with her spunky and sensitive personality. every day i think how lucky i am that she was born first-- she takes care of everyone in this house. i couldn't ask for more. then there is little annie who kind of melts our hearts every day. she is a pistol, that is for sure. we're in the thick of the hitting phase (worst phase every for me), but she's slowly learning. slowly. but there's been progress and that's what matters. annie is totally entertaining and is really good with her manners. she is very polite to goldie (when she isn't hitting her), and i often hear conversations between them that go like this: (while coloring together)

annie: good job, goldie! good job!

goldie: thanks, annie!

annie: welcome!

i mean i know it's small, but i think it's pretty awesome. they seem to have figured each other out as of late, and annie is very quick to say she's sorry and to give lots of hugs and kisses. she loves to help goldie with everything, and she keeps right up with her too. annie is growing up so much, but she is always wanting to give love to all of us. she is just the sweetest, and i love watching her grow.

i guess since last october i have felt a lot of motherhood woes. it's not fun to feel that, as i'm sure most mothers young and old have felt. there's so much pressure on the moms of today it seems... keeping up with this craft and that, providing constant entertainment and attention for your little ones. while that is great for others, that's not how i parent i guess. i often leave my girls to themselves so that they can learn to be independent (which they have). i let them do adventurous things and give them their distance when they come across a situation that is a little hard. i only help when i'm asked to. we go outside every moment we can because i love letting them explore. it's just so fun for me to watch their little brains work. i pin a lot of stuff on pinterest that i think is really amazing, but i laugh at myself because lets be honest, i know i'll never do most of the crafts and projects that i pin. it's a nice thought though :) in the past two months, i've really let it all go... or at least i've tried to. i've really been enjoying motherhood instead of letting the "pressure" of it all get to me. i'm like, whatever man. i'm just going to have fun with my kids. and we've been having just that. amazing how things can change when you decide to change your attitude and mentality about certain things in life. i'm much happier than i've been in a long time. maybe having baby boy growing in my belly helps too... so excited to be having a boy. just can't wait.

anyway, we had a fun adventure as a family this evening. my girls love waterfalls and playing in the woods, so we went to multnomah falls here in oregon and did a small hike. the weather was perfect. the girls had a blast. we got some exercise. life is good.

today i woke up, feeling productive and happy. as the morning melted into the early afternoon, i found myself feeling tense. all tangled up inside. i hope i'm not the only one this happens to. my children were crying and whining over what seemed like nothing, and fought to go down for their naps that they desperately needed. i raised my voice at goldie, who finally took me seriously, and she went to sleep. i always feel so sad when i raise my voice at her, and usually go back in my mind and realize i didn't have to in the first place. it is something i'm working on though, and i have no problem apologizing for my mistakes. she is always very forgiving, bless her heart.

annie has been crawling out of her crib the past few days (my worst nightmare). it's been driving me crazy. after goldie finally went to sleep this afternoon, annie continued to get up out of her bed. i'd go put her back in it. she'd get up again. i was getting so frustrated (still feeling tangled), that i retreated to my closet where i normally go when things feel a little too overwhelming. suddenly, i hear this tiny little voice calling for me. there was my little annie, holding her blankie with her thumb in her mouth. she had snot running out of her nose, and her cheeks were flushed. she hasn't been feeling good. it hit me all of a sudden that she just needs some attention. she needs ME. i picked her up and kissed her face, walking slowly to her bedroom. we sat on her couch and i rocked her back and forth as she laid her head on my shoulder. she loves when i hum (not when i sing), so i hummed for a good long time and rubbed her back, tickled her face softly, petted her soft hair. her eyes slowly closed and her body went heavy in my arms. i sat there with my eyes closed, smelling her in... telling myself to remember this moment when i realized my daughter simply needed me. i'm thankful i recognized the opportunity to cuddle with my recently grumpy little 2-year-old. she needs to know how much i love her, not matter how many times she whacks me in the head.

these are the special moments that humble me to the core. these are the moments where i can feel heavenly father's love so strongly, and his confidence in me as a mother. i need that support, because let me tell you; i often feel inadequate. i have many weakness that i'm working on. but in the past week, i've tried very hard to let go of certain things that are weighing me down. let go, and be happy.

that's the phrase that keeps popping into my mind.

let go, and be happy.

i'm thankful for the daily reminders that keep me grounded.

babies and things.

there are so many things i should be doing right now... my kitchen is a mess, costco purchases need to be put away, refrigerator needs to be organized, and a nap would be nice. sometimes it's kind of nice though to just look at it all and think, "yeah i'll take care of you later." it's very freeing. you should try it.

it's safe to say that we had a perfect weekend-- the sun gods decided to shower us with some major sunshine and i swear i felt like a new person! it's amazing what a little warmth and light can do for the soul. we literally spent the entire day outside on friday. we live in an apartment, so we basically set up shop on the sidewalk outside our door and pretended it was our backyard. chalk, bikes, popsicles, friends-- it was such a dream. we headed to the oregon coast on saturday, and although it was kind of windy and chilly, the sun helped keep us warm and our kids loved playing in the sand and water. my poor annie was sick that day, which was really sad, but she trooped through the drive. what a girl. then sunday came, and the sun disappeared. the rain started again last night, and it's been drizzling all day today. that's probably why i'm feeling so unmotivated today-- i wish the gray didn't affect me, but it does. however, i am going to do my best to push through and be productive. afterall, the bachelor finale is on tonight and i don't want anything in the way of THAT.

 

in other news, annie turned 2! can you even believe that she is 2 already? it kind of blows my mind. she's been very cuddly with me lately, and i've sort of been babying her only because i don't want her to grow up. we had such a fun birthday for her and she loved the attention. i just love that annie so much--she truly is the sweetest.

and the last news of all is that i'm expecting baby no. 3! we're very, very excited in this house to add another little cutie pie to our brood. i'm due sept. 22. goldie is convinced it's a girl, and that her name is callie. ha! i guess we'll just have to wait and see, won't we. i've been feeling mostly good... been sick here and there, and tired. but really i've had a lot of energy and this has been my easiest pregnancy i've had. annie doesn't really understand what's happening, although she does see pictures of the ultrasound and asks to hold the baby (cute, huh). goldie is really excited though--she loves babies more than any other 3-year-old i know. today she laid her head on my belly and said, "i'm going to love this baby all day long." pretty sweet things happening over here with these sisters. i feel very blessed.

 

speaking of babies, what are your favorite baby products? i feel like so much has come out since i had annie, and for the first time i feel VERY out of the loop. help!

hope you're having a marvelous day.