Life Lately | Quaratine Cuties

What's it like to be quarantined with a baby? It's simultaneously wonderfully delicious and cry-your-eyes out exhausting. On one hand, I feel so fortunate that time has stopped and I've had all obligations erased, and thus the ability to really soak up both Parker and Finn at this stage... but, the whole up-to-my-eyes in dishes plus absolutely no breaks has been a bit challenging. Obviously we have it easy compared to so many others  - we are super fortunate in all this that Max's job is "essential" and that he's still earning a paycheck, that we have a roomy house with a yard, and that we have money for groceries and occasional takeout. Still, when I look back on this post someday, I want to remember what our days were really like...

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Five on Friday | February

That multitalented pianist above played in his very first US Chess Federation (who even knew that was a thing?) tournament this past weekend, and he did awesome. Of course we try to go the Carol Dweck route and focus on praising hard work and effort versus praising winning, so the fact that Parker had four wins and one draw was just the icing on the cake for us. 

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Twenty-Twenty

Twenty-twenty... our first new year as a family of four! In December, we sent out the holiday card below...

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Summer Bucket List 2019

For the past few summers, Parker and I have brainstormed a "Summer Bucket List" - a group of ideas and outings that we want to do over the break in school. Some of the list items (visiting the botanical garden, going to concerts in the park) we always do several times anyway, but Parker is like his Mama and loves a list! He also loves crossing each item off as we get to it. This past week, we finally got to the very last item on our 2019 list, perfect timing as school is starting on Wednesday (side note: I blinked and summer was over). Here's what we've been up to:

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Life Lately | February

We kicked off February by hosting our sweet Nashville friends in town. We took in Parker's favorite, a Huntsville Havoc game! (Made even more favorite by the fact that they won and in overtime, which Parker says is like "more free hockey" and also lets him push back his bedtime which he's all about).

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What's Up Wednesday | January

Happy almost end-of January! How can it be? Today I'm linking up for a little What's Up Wednesday...

What we're eating...

After not being into sweets the first trimester-and-a-half, baby has now decided that I need #allthesweets. I made waffles this weekend and topped them with these caramelized bananas - so yummy! 

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5 on Friday | January Edition

With each new calendar year, I always get the urge to declutter and organize. I wrote here and here about using Marie Kondo's books each January to help as a guide:

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2018 | Top Ten

Happy New Year! We rang in the last day of 2018 with a family fondue dinner at home reminiscing on our year. It was the first year in recent history that we've been home for NYE, and while we've had so much fun the past few years spending NYE with friends in Nashville and San Diego, this low-key night ringing in the new year for the last time as a family of three was just perfection to me.

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Life Lately | Fall Y'all

I know Christmas is the most magical time of the year, but October is right on up there for me! There's always just so much going on!

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Life Lately | Almost Fall Y'all

Happy September, and Happy Football Season! Parker's new (K-12) school had their home opener football game last weekend. It was also "Lower School Night" and Parker even had the opportunity to go out on the field before kickoff! 

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Friday Faves

Happy Friday, y'all! We are back from a vacay to my home state of California last week. More to come on that in the following days (#spoileralert - I visited friends and family and ate my own weight in crab). Until then, here are some Friday Faves...

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Hello, Friday!

I can count on one hand the number of days Max has been home (and not away on business) this month. Thank goodness for FaceTime!

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Life Lately - Valentine's Day Edition

Valentine's Day this year came right off a week plus of illness, right when we were getting back into the swing of things. I feel like we were still a bit slow-going, but so happy to be celebrating my very favorite holiday. I saved up all the valentines that Parker had received in the mail and put them out for him on Valentine's Day morning along with his pink pancake breakfast.

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Five on Friday - Sick Week Edition

What a week! Parker has been out sick from school since last Friday (coughing, fever, the whole nine yards), and Max has been away on business travel. I literally sent Max this bitmoji on Wednesday:

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Friday Five - Snow Day Edition

Today's Friday Favorites are brought to you by #allthesnowdays...

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Blossomwood Witches Ride

Last year, one of the ladies in the neighborhood started a Witches Ride as a charity benefit. She invited women to get dressed up as witches, and literally ride the streets of our neighborhood, throwing out candy to the crowd (a reverse trick-or-treat!).

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Life Lately

October always flies by. Out of all the months, it's the one where I feel like I blink and it's over. Here's what we've been up to lately...

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35 Things About Me

In honor of my birthday week (and completion of my 35th year on earth!), thirty-five things you might not know about me...

1. I have a late October birthday, which means I started kindergarten at age four. Of course kindergarten was much easier back then (now it's basically what first grade used to be).

2. Starting kinder at four meant I left for college at age seventeen. I always felt I was just a little ahead of the game and I loved it.

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Weekending

Hello Monday! Huntsville schools are closed today because, wait for it, we are under a Tropical Storm Warning. When we first talked of moving to Alabama, experiencing a tropical storm was the last thing I thought we'd encounter here. Thoughts go out to those who were really in the hurricane path, of course, and hopes that it dissipates by the time it reaches this far north. 

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Friday Five

Hooray for Friday and Hooray for fall! We've had gorgeous, cool mornings all week and I even busted out the peep-toe booties I scored last year (that I never got to wear because Alabama skipped fall last year and went directly from summer to winter). Find them on sale right now here! And now, onto my Friday Five...

Welcome back, Pumpkin Spice Latte! I'd been following this year's release date, so I was at Starbucks bright and early on September 1st! And just for funsies, here's the history of release dates:

Fascinating for all us PSL-obsessed, right? My favorite has been all the PSL photos on Instagram this week - I just love seeing how other people order theirs - Half calf! Almond milk! I always do a double tall, and sometimes I ask for extra whip 😊

Best news of the week? A new royal on the way! I'm just obsessed with Duchess Kate and I think she's even more adorable when preggers!

With our phenomenal weather, we've been eating outside like it's going out of style (because, you know, it will be come November). I whipped up homemade waffles for Sunday brunch and added super easy caramelized bananas - perfection! (Click here for the banana recipe.)

And Labor Day called for an Apple Pie! Max and I may have dug right into the dish with two forks once Parker was in bed (at least we weren't teaching him our poor manners, ha!).

Finally, I did a bit of fall inspired shopping! I'm hoping this top looks just as cute on me as it does on the model! And I couldn't pass up a festive pair of Halloween pajams for Sweet P! I've gotten him some variation of a skeleton pajama every year now (and bonus, these exact ones are on sale today!).

By the way, when I asked Parker what he wants to be for Halloween this year, he said "The same thing as last year." 😂 I die. He's so practical.

Linking up with...

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