Our Weekend

It's Monday again, which means it's time for our routine weekend recap! The past few days were filled with visits from friends and family, chalk, cheese plates, wine and a hike with my favorites. Friday evening we worked on building up Parker's dog walking skills. Oatmeal isn't the most obedient dog when it comes to walking on a leash, but she was so patient with Parker until she got the hang of it. 

I don't typically take both Parker and Oatmeal on walks together since the pup can be a little tough to manage however I decided to give it a go on Saturday morning and hoped for the best. Well, let's just say it didn't go as planned. Parker wanted nothing to do with sitting in her stroller and insisted on 'walking' Oatmeal, until of course she was over it. Which then left me trying to maneuver a dog, an empty stroller and an independent toddler through the streets. With so many moving parts (going in all different directions) I definitely just needed to keep Parker in her stroller, screaming and all, for the rest of the ride home. Unfortunately, my hands were too full to get any pictures, but I have a feeling the neighbors may have once they saw me trying to push Oatmeal in the stroller. Questionable at best.

Sunday morning, we woke up early to take Parker on a hike. We took her along with us last year but she wasn't old enough to really understand where we were. Having her on the hike with us when she can observe and take it all in was so much fun!

My favorite part was after the hike when Parker got out of her carrier for a quick granola bar. We taught her a few hamstring stretches and she gladly displayed her split (work in progress) for the spectators walking by. 

This week I hope to get together all the details for our bathroom remodel and brainstorm for Parker's 2nd (crazy) birthday party. Hope your week is off to a beautiful start, friends! xx

Toddler Wardrobe Faves

When finding pieces for Parker's wardrobe, I more often times than not, gravitate towards pieces that are made for little girls but have more of a tomboy flare. Also, finding items that are stylish AND comfortable is key. I find that these are items that I would most likely pick for myself and they look incredibly adorable on her. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing her in cute little summer dresses but there's something to be said for a mini moto leather jacket. Below are some of my favorite pieces and styles that are in Parker's closet.

Dying over these pieces! The leather jacket probably won't fit Parker until winter, however it was too cute not to grab now. Also, the taupe quilted jacket definitely has a women's version that I may or may not need to pick up. Twinning! ;)

These bright colored leggings are such an easy way to add juxtaposition to an every day outfit. I especially am a fan of these leggings from crew cuts because of the color and fit! I went up a size in them so Parker can get a lot of use out of them (normally she's a size 2T, but we got these in 3T). Not to mention, Parker loves doing high kicks to show off her colorful legs. 

Such a simple pool-day look for a toddler. Parker wears these leather sandals on the daily and I've been looking for some cute one pieces for her to wear in place of a bathing suit come cooler temps. We signed up for a parent and tot gymnastics class starting in September so we have another reason to be on the prowl.

Our Weekend

These beauties made our kitchen my favorite room in our house this weekend. 

Our friend Betsy turned the big 4-0 last week so us girls decided to leave the guys and the kiddos at home and celebrate with a night on the town. Our hubbies all threw in for a limo so that we wouldn't need to worry about driving and we could all stay together. Not to mention it proved to come in handy for a few other reasons (ie traveling cheerleader pyramids and a karaoke bar). If you haven't taken advantage of the slow-mo feature on the iPhone video setting, it's hilarious and made for some amazing morning-after amusement.This was the first time that all of us were able to get together without our men, and we laughed way too hard to not do it again.

The next morning looked a lot like this. We hung out in sweats and PJs for a good part of the day, then we had to kick it into high gear to prep for my friend's Beard or Bow themed baby shower! It all came together so beautifully and to see her so happy, made the weeks of planning completely worth it.

Sunday morning, Parker and I played outside for an hour or so, throwing balls to the puppies, spraying the hose and of course, writing with chalk. We met my mother in law at the country club (or as Parker likes to call it 'cumply schlub') for lunch and ended the day pretty low key watching Rio and hanging around the house. 

We don't have much on the agenda this week, but I have learned how quickly that can change. Have a great start to the week, friends!

Buffalo Turkey Burgers

Pinterest is a god-send when it comes to coming up with quick dinner ideas on the fly. We found this recipe for buffalo turkey burgers a few years back and it's been on rotation ever since. We variate the ingredients a little to make it healthier and clean, but we've found that it definitely doesn't compromise taste. 

I typically up the amount of carrots it calls for and use two cloves of garlic vs. one.

Matt and I tag team this recipe since past experiences have shown that I'm inadequate when it comes to grilling. I pull everything together then the hubs takes over from there.

The recipe calls for a bleu cheese broccoli slaw (which is so, so, SO perfect with this dish) however broccoli slaw isn't something we always have on hand, so I opted for avocado slices with sea salt as a topper instead. There are so many ways to improvise this recipe that you can always adjust it to fit your mood that day!

Our Weekend

Happy Monday, friends! As much as I try not to favor the weekends and appreciate each day as it comes, it's tough for me to not play favorites. 

Our weekend started off pretty low key with delivery and driveway art after work on Friday. On any given night, it's a safe bet that you can find Parker and I going crazy on the driveway with sidewalk chalk. My obsession outweighs hers at the moment but she is starting to show more interest in helping add finishing touches to everything I draw. A lot of the time, her 'helping' consists of throwing the chalk in water or playing keep away with it while Matt and I chase her. Her personal faves (for me) to draw are 'melllllon' (watermelon) and 'hars' (hearts).

Saturday morning, Matt took Parker out to breakfast (see photo above) while I ran errands. Later that night Matt and I snuck out of the house for a date night. We started off with cocktails and sushi at a new asian fusion restaurant, where I found myself in the same pose Parker was in hours before (with the minor difference that I chose a mojito in lieu of apple juice). Like mama like daughter. 

After stopping at one other spot for a drink, we eventually settled in for dinner at one of our favorite restaurants. Our night ended at a friends house singing Mickey Avalon and dancing on chairs. If that doesn't scream successful date night, I don't know what does.

Finally we woke up Sunday morning with headaches, sore throats and an extremely cute toddler yelling for us from her crib. We spent the day lazy, watching movies and listening to the rain fall. Somewhere along the way, Parker had the idea to play waitress. Using the back of pictures and crayons, she would mumble and scribble down our orders then look at us and ask 'french fries?' if we left it out. Heaven forbid.

You just keep growing up, Miss Parker. Mama will always be there two inches from your face snapping a million pictures per second making sure she's not missing any part of the process. ;)

Honeymoon Recap

I am one of those weird people who LOVED planning their wedding. Matt and I had a long engagement which gave us a nice window to take our time on each detail. I gladly took over picking out invitations, flowers, dresses, the whole nine while Matt took over the honeymoon details. Our entire engagement we decided that he would keep the honeymoon a secret from me until we reached the final gate. Somehow (even after a 20 month engagement) I couldn't get him to slip.

Long story short, a man working the gate during one of our layovers unintentionally let the cat out of the bag. I was so excited to hear that we would be spending the next 10 days in Maui! Due to connections and delays, we were 'forced' to spend the night in LA. Twist my arm.

Once we arrived to the hotel, we made our way to Nobu, starving and half delirious from traveling all day. Luckily the food never disappoints and regardless of the minor hiccups, our honeymoon was off to an amazing start! The next morning we caught the first flight to Hawaii and for the next two weeks time had stopped.

We stayed at the Grand Wailea, which was so beautiful. I was in love with all of the outdoor hang out spots and the views were unreal.

Honestly, a lot of the highlights of the trip revolved around the dining experiences. Wherever we went, the wait staff would bring out cute little celebratory indulgences. We went a little overboard one night at the Four Seasons restaurant, DUO. This ice cream cookie flight was totally worth it.

Matt and I made sure that we designated a few days to just hang out by the pool with drinks in our hands. Which later lead to us hanging with the cool kids, racing down the water slides.

No-fuss ice cream on a sailboat after swimming with sea turtles.

The first portion of our honeymoon was coming to an end and we were off for a few days in San Francisco. Matt and I have been together once before but it was about one month after we found out I was pregnant with Parker. At that stage in my pregnancy I was tired all the time and constantly nauseous so my trip was mainly spent in bed. Little to my knowledge, this time around Matt had arranged to have my parents fly down with Parker to surprise me once we arrived to the hotel (story on that later since it deserves it's own post). Having her along with us in SF was the absolute best gift I could have ever asked for. Our honeymoon quickly converted to a family vacation and I wouldn't have had it any other way. She was an angel on the long flight back across country and again, we are counting our blessings for this little girl.

Kitchen Sink

Last Friday we ran into a situation where I needed to work from home. I think I can safely say on behalf of any mom who has found themselves entertaining a small child and working at the same time, that it is nothing short of an accomplishment. During one of my meetings, I left Parker alone to discover the goodies stored in my purse (the typical treasures such as my wallet, phone charger, bobby pins and makeup). After five suspicious minutes of silence on her end, I checked on her in the other room only to find her eating and smearing my beloved Baby Lips lip balm all over her sweet toddler skin. Luckily none of it made it to our off white carpets or our WHITE couch, but an impromptu wash-off in the sink made for an adorable photo opp.

When taking photos, I try not to use the flash but I can't help but love her showing off her mess. I asked her to show me what happened and she, without missing a beat, put her hands up and posed for the camera. I love this girl!

Hope your week is off to a great start. Happy Monday, friends! xx