{Weekend Recap}: Memorial Day Weekend

Happy Friday girls!

Memorial Day weekend was a very busy one for us. Despite how it began, it turned out to be amazing. We spent the entire weekend with our friends and family and to us, there is no greater way to spend our time. 

Friday afternoon started off with a bang. Moments after being told we could go home right after our kiddos, I got a phone call from an unknown number. Usually I ignore numbers I don't recognize but for some reason I decided to answer it. Come to find out it was my father-in-law calling to tell me that he'd let our dog out at our house and he'd taken off after a deer in the backyard and hadn't came back. Of course, I was immediately upset. Though he may be a fur baby, Rimy is as much my own child as Harper. I was quick to get on facebook and ask my neighbors to keep an eye out for him; as well as call my parents, sister, and best friend to help with the search party. I left work as soon as I could and headed home. The closer to home I got the sicker I felt. I was terrified I'd come across Rimy hit in the road. Thankfully I didn't but when I pulled in the my driveway, the search party informed me he'd yet to be found. My heart sank and I lost it in the middle of my driveway. Thankfully not five minutes later, my neighbor pulled up and said she'd found him but he refused to get in her car. I dropped my pocket book, school bag (laptop and all), on the concrete and took off running to my car. Sure enough, I hadn't made it 1/4 of a mile down the road and I spot our little guy just casually taking a stroll through the neighborhood. When I got my hands on him I didn't know whether to beat him for taking off or just hug him to death. I went with the latter. haha

Saturday Kevin had to work so my sister, Harper, and I made a day of shopping. I was on the hunt for a little black dress for an upcoming bachelorette party. Seven stores and twenty dresses later, I found one... for $16 I might add! Along with a black dress I scored the cutest baseball tee, a blouse, an adorable romper, and a few tank tops from Old Navy... all for less than $60. Bargain shopping at it's finest!

When Kevin got home Saturday, we headed to his great uncle's farm for a cook out with his Grandma's side of the family. The food was delicious and the company was even better. It was Harper's first time meeting most of them and she of course stole the show. Speaking of Harper, she loved it there. We took her to see the cows, the tractors, and even took her riding through the trails in the back of the truck. She ate it all up. Clearly she's going to be a country girl at heart!

Our Sunday was filled with lots of running around. Since we had two cook outs on our agendas that took place 45 minutes away from each other and our home, we decided to skip out on the hour drive to church and spend the morning in. Despite missing our church family, it was nice to regroup as a family. Around lunchtime we made our way to my parents' place at the lake. Every summer holiday my family throws cook outs there for the whole family... aunts, uncles, and cousins included. There's always a ton of people, tons of food, a ton of jokes, and a ton of laughs. This time it was no different. Since we had another cook out to go to Sunday afternoon, we skipped out on swimming but we did take Harper down to the lake to put her feet in. She loved it!

Sunday afternoon we headed to my best friend and cousin's house. Aly and Clint threw a cook out for all of their wedding party. We had a blast sitting around the gas fire pit, sipping drinks, and sharing laughs. It made for a great night of relaxation with a great group of people!

Kevin had to head back to work on Monday so it was just Harper and me for the day. With the exception of going to lunch with Kevin, we spent the whole day at home. We played to Harper's content. We rocked in the rocking chairs outside, sat on the back porch, climbed in and out of Harper's tent more times than I can count, read books, watched cartoons, played patty-cake a million times, and had an absolute blast doing it all! When Kevin got back home from work, we wrapped up the day with a small family cookout at Kevin's parent's house.

Overall it was an amazing weekend. Here's to another great one coming up!

Weekend Recap

Whew ladies! This weekend was a busy one. I felt like all we did was go, go, go non-stop. I have to admit I was actually a bit relieved that Monday was rolling back around and I could get back into a routine. Pretty sad, isn't it?

Friday
Friday after work I headed to the grocery store to pick up a few groceries to get us through the weekend. When I got home Kevin was at the gym and Harper was at the in-laws so I used that time to straighten up the house and catch up on laundry. After all, have you ladies ever tried cleaning a house with a hubby at home? It's about the equivalent of cleaning with a toddler.

After Kevin and Harper arrived home, we headed out for dinner with my parents at Mayflower. Despite that Harper had had her one year check up that day, she did great. She wasn't fussy or tired. She was quite the trip at the table. Since we left dinner so late and Harper was getting tired, we decided to ride around town for a bit so Harper would fall asleep in the car. Yes, we are those parents. Sometimes it's just easier to have her fall asleep in the car than fight to get her to sleep at home. At home there are just too many distractions.

Since our plan worked and Harp fell asleep, that left the Hubs and I a few hours to relax before we headed to bed. While I made a burlap wreath for my best friend, Kevin watched a movie and I listened. Sometimes listening to television is about as far as it goes these days!

Saturday
As is my usual routine, I woke up bright and early Saturday morning to get ready for a new day. Since Harper and the hubs were still in bed when I finished getting ready, I finished up all of our laundry from the week, folded it, and put it away. By that time everyone was up and moving so we shared breakfast at home. Since Harper loves all things sweet I fixed her some pancakes. She was a huge fan! By the time she finished up, she smelt like maple syrup. I could have just squeezed and kissed on her all day!

One of our close family friends has ventured into the world of selling Initial Outfitters. In an effort to help her, I hosted her first party at our house Saturday afternoon. Despite how busy all of our friends and family were we had a good turnout. I loved all of the monogram items they carry. I can guarantee I'll be getting into a little trouble where my purchases are concerned... but the way I see it is that I'm helping a friend out ;) Don't you agree?

I'm not sure if it was the fact that Harper had three shots the day before, if it was all the people at our house on Saturday, or a combination of both but by the time the party was over, Harper was knocked out. I thought for sure she'd only sleep for about an hour but three hours later she was still snoozing. Despite that I had a ton of stuff to do, I just couldn't put her down. I held her all three hours and just savored those precious moments. Please check out all of her different sleeping positions. She cracked us up moving all around in her sleep!

Saturday night my in-laws watched Harper so that Kevin and I could have a date night compliments of Kevin's work. Every spring and fall Kevin's work pays for their employees and their families to catch dinner and a show at the Barn & Dinner Theater in Greensboro, NC. Every spring and fall Kevin and I take them up on that offer and it just happened to be this weekend. We arrived at the show early to find out that the matinee had ran over so seating would take place an hour later than expected. So we did what any rational couple would do... we made a Starbucks run! A vanilla bean frappucino was just what we needed to hold us over until dinner.

By the time we got back, it was time for dinner and the show followed shortly after. The show was called Groovin'. It was based on music from the 60's and 70's. I was proud to admit I knew almost every song. Thank the Lord my parents raised me on good music :P

Sunday
Sunday morning we headed to Kevin's church which is an hour away. Despite the long drive, we truly feel at home at Kevin's church. Kevin's uncle serves as the pastor there and he is truly a phenomenal speaker. I'd put him right up there with Charles and Andy Stanley. That's saying something people. He's amazing! We always walk away feeling challenged for the week.

When church was over we swung through a drive-thru to grab a quick lunch and then rode around looking at houses that were on the market. Over the last few weeks Kevin and I have really been thinking heavily about moving, building, or staying where we are at. When we bought our home four years ago, we knew right away it wouldn't be our forever house. Don't get me wrong, we love our home but it's located in the dead center of our town and having both grown up in the country, we hope to relocate there. With the market really down right now, we've been debating putting our house on the market and buying a new home or building the home of our dreams in the next year or so in order to get a lower interest rate. Currently there isn't anything on the market that we're too interested in so for the looks of it, we'll be staying where we are at. Which means more home projects for us! So stay tuned...

Sunday afternoon I left Harper and Kev and headed to my best friend and cousin's last wedding shower. They'll be getting married in less than five weeks! It's crazy how fast time has flown by. I remember when they got engaged last spring...another time I forgot to blog about! hehe

By the time I got back home from Aly's shower, I was beat. Being on the go all day took it out of me so I didn't bother cooking anything fancy for dinner. But I did whip us up some hot ham and cheeses that were delish. I just threw some deli ham and mozzerella cheese on some french bread and stuck them on broil for about 5 minutes...Subway couldn't beat 'em! You ladies need to try it if you need a quick fix!

All in all it was a great weekend. Here's to a calmer more relaxed week! 

My First & Second Mother's Day

It's been a year ago since I celebrated my very first Mother's Day. It's sad to say that I'm just now realizing I never shared any details about it. In all honesty, I can say it was mainly in part because I was still adjusting to parenthood as Harper was only four days old at the time. The thought of blogging didn't ever cross my mind during those first few weeks (or months if I was honest). So before recapping my second Mother's Day I'd like to share my first.

My First Mother's Day 

Throughout my pregnancy we knew Harper was going to be a Mother's Day baby if everything went smoothly. Sure enough Harper made her big debut on a Wednesday night, just three days prior to my first Mother's Day. Due to Harper's late arrival, Kevin and I had to stay at the hospital until late Friday. Thanks to my amazing parents, they volunteered to stay with us that first weekend to help us adjust to our new roles as parents. Little did I know that my parents planned a cook out for us that weekend as well. On Saturday, we had quite a few visitors that wanted to come see Harper on her first full day home. Thankfully most people came to visit in the morning. That afternoon we celebrated my first Mother's Day (a day early) and Harper's first full day home with a cook out on the back porch with our immediate families. I'll never forget Harper basking in the sun beside us in order to help rid her of her jaundice.

On Sunday, Kevin gave me the sweetest Mother's Day card that I still have to this day. Along with it, he included a "coupon" for dinner out that week at a place of my choice. He'd already made arrangements with his mom to watch Harper one evening so we could have dinner just the two of us. That day we also had to take Harper to the local hospital to have her foot pricked to check her bilirubin levels. Definitely the worst part of my first Mother's Day! Following our hospital visit we headed to Mom and Dad's for lunch with the family. Since we were so exhausted Mom and Dad volunteered to keep an eye on Harper while we went upstairs and took a nap. Four hours later we made our way back downstairs. I'd have to say it was probably the best nap ever!

A few weeks later Kevin got me a "real" Mother's Day gift because he hadn't had time to get me a "real" gift before since we'd came home that weekend. I ended up with a living locket filled with items that represented our little family! It included a Tarheel foot, a little girl with the May birthstone, an apple for me being a teacher, and an S for my first name. Since then I've added a dog charm for our little Rimy, a heart for Kevin and myself, as well as a "blessed" disc for the inside. How blessed I truly am!

My Second Mother's Day

If you'd have asked me last year if my first Mother's Day could be any more perfect than it was then, I'd have said no. However, this year was just as amazing! Like last year we had our family and friends over the day before Mother's Day. Only this year we weren't celebrating Harper's arrival home. We celebrated Harper's first year of life. It was bittersweet to see our little girl walking around on the back porch when just a year before she was hanging out in her little newborn-sized gown sunbathing. How fast the year flew! If you haven't already read about Harper's first birthday party, you can read about it here.

Unfortunately Kevin wasn't off on Sunday so he wasn't able to spend the day with us. But that left me and Harper to spend some time together. We spent the morning playing with some of Harper's new birthday gifts until it was time for church. When church was over we headed to my parents' house where we spent all afternoon hanging out and catching up with them. Around 5 we headed to Kevin's grandparents house for a Mother's Day cookout where Kevin met us when he got off work. When we got home we hung out as a family of three. We talked, laughed, and played. It couldn't have been more perfect.

I ended up with several gifts this Mother's Day... all of which came early. A couple of weeks ago, Kevin took me to get a mint green Gianni Bini purse I'd been eyeing since Jessica over at The Newly  put it on her blog months ago. I'd mentioned wanting it several times so one night after dinner Kevin took me by Dillards to get it... no matter what the cost. Lucky for Kevin it was on sale :P.

Along with my new handbag Kevin also purchased me something I've been wanting since we got married... a celebration platter! A celebration platter is a platter that you use for all the special occasions in your family. It's the go to plate for your family's birthday cakes, Thanksgiving turkeys, cookies for Santa, etc. I've been hunting for one for a couple of years now and I had only ever found one that I sort of liked. It was the "Happy Everything" platter that Swoozies carries but I just wasn't in love with all the colors. But after much searching Kevin bought me the perfect one. It's just a simple white platter with the word "happy" and has a burlap bow that can be interchanged for ribbon that matches the special occasion being celebrated. It couldn't be more perfect. I was so in love with it that I had to rearrange my kitchen counter so that it can be displayed all year long!

Along with Kevin's gifts, when I picked up Harper last Friday, she had a "Happy Mother's Day" balloon and rose waiting for me in her crib. It was precious!

All in all, I had an amazing first and second Mother's Day and I can't wait to celebrate more in the future!

Harper's One Year Photos

Back in April we met up with one of our favorite photographers, Sarah Griffith, to take Harper's first year photos and have her cake smashing session. As I mentioned in a previous post, at the time Harper had been sick so the pictures didn't go nearly as great as we had hoped. Yet when Sarah sent them to us, I was pleasantly surprised. In between Harper's crying fits she managed to snap some great photos. She is super talented ladies, super talented! If you live in NC, be sure to check her out on facebook! Here's just a few of my favorites! 

I'll be sharing our family session next week! (:

Harper's First Birthday Party

The fact that our precious Harper turned a year old last week just doesn't seem possible to me. It feels as if only yesterday we were anxiously awaiting her arrival. Here we are now with a one year old who has brought so much joy, laughter, and purpose into our lives over the last year.

Over the weekend we celebrated Harper's first birthday with our family and closest friends. Despite all the planning and preparation that went into the party, it didn't go down quite as well as I had envisioned over and over in my mind over the last six months. For instance, Harper was not up to par due to an ear infection and of all days, it was the only one on the radar with rain. Isn't that my luck! But thankfully everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and have a good time and everything did turn out quite alright...even if it wasn't as I had hoped and imagined.

We celebrated Harper's birthday with a nautical themed party. Back in December I came up with several theme options that I liked and Kevin determined that a nautical theme was a must; as it was also a great way to kick off the summer. With that said I took off with the idea and started hunting Pinterest for ideas like no one's business. Lucky for me, nautical themed stuff seemed to be all the rage this year so coming up with ideas and finding things to coordinate with the party was as easy as pie!

We stuck with a shades of blue, white, and pink and incorporated stripes, sailboats, and anchors into the theme.

Tables were set up with blue table cloths, silverware, personalized placemats, and goldfish favors. We set up the tables outside not once or twice but three times. We set them up the first time only to have everything blow off. The second set up we got smart and taped everything down. However, fifteen minutes later we had to relocate everything from the back yard into the garage due to rain. It was quite the chaos!

With Harper not feeling well for most of the week, her napping schedule was totally off. So while everyone ate lunch, Harper took a nap.

After everyone had lunch and had time to mingle, it was smash cake time. We attempted for Harper to smash her cake during her one year photo session but she was tired and not feeling well so she didn't even bother. Unfortunately, still having an ear infection, it didn't go any better the second time around. She touched the icing only to realize it made her hands sticky so she refused to touch it further. In an effort to keep us from having her do it, she locked her hands behind her head. It was super cute and brought lots of laughs. Clearly she was done! 

After Harper's smash cake session, or lack thereof, everyone headed back in the house to devour some of the cake for the party. I'd have to say her birthday cake was most definitely one of my favorite details of the party. The local baker that made it did a great job of matching it to Harper's party theme and invites!

Towards the end of the party, we handed Harper several of her gifts. Despite all the colorful bags and packages, she only cared about the iphone she picked up off the floor. Apparently that's what she wanted for her birthday (; Other than a few bags with clothes in them and her tent from Auntie Aly and Uncle Clint, the rest of the gifts remained untouched. We decided just to give her a few each day throughout the week until they are all opened! I guess she can officially say that she's celebrating her birthday "week" :P

At the end of the party, our little guests took home gift bags with tags that said "Thanks for sailing by". They were filled with a sailor hat, pool float, pair of sunglasses, sunscreen, and a container of bubbles. 

All in all, the party turned out to be a hit! Everyone enjoyed themselves; including Harper who was a bit under the weather. I had a blast planning it and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't already thinking of birthday party number two! haha