five on friday (11/13)

Happy Friday!!! 🙂

ONE. We’ve still been enjoying amazing weather here lately, and Kaya pleaded for me to let her ride her bike this week. The catch was that she also wanted to go to the playground, which meant that she’d be riding for over two miles. I wasn’t sure if she had enough stamina to go that far (or if I could help her on the hills while pushing the stroller), but I always try to give her opportunities to have fun, learn something, and get stronger… so I said yes. To my amazement, she rode for 2.25 miles, only fell once, and figured out how to walk her bike up the hills.

TWO. We had Karl and Kaitlyn over for a small (belated) birthday celebration on Wednesday night. There were tacos and Wii Party and brownies with ice cream. That’s pretty much the ultimate birthday shindig, am I right? I love my goofball brother. Happy 23rd, pal!_MG_0042THREE. We started our co-op preschool group this week, so for the first time ever, I dropped Kaya off and left. I was worried about how it would go, but she was just fine and had a great time.

Kaelyn and I then had some time to run errands all on our own… which really means that we ended up at the fabric store for forever because it was busier than I have ever seen it in my lifetime. Kaelyn loves these little “beanie boos” (beanie babies) and gets so excited anytime she sees them anywhere. Naturally, she had to cuddle them all (and tell each one “hi!” as she hugged them).

Aaaaand we might’ve come home with one… because my kids are only going to be little once, and sometimes it’s fun to give them a surprise gift for no reason. “Blue Kitty” hasn’t left her side all week. 🙂_MG_0035Of course, we brought home a surprise for Kaya, too- a baby dragon!collage11102015FOUR. That moment when you’re folding and hanging laundry, and look over to see your baby wearing underwear on her head… Hahaha. She has another pair halfway up her leg because she wants to be just like her big sister and wear undies (only over her diaper, of course. No way are we ready for potty training again)!_MG_0009

FIVE. #awkwardselfie award. I won’t tell you how many of these are on my phone, just from today (maybe because there are too many to count… haha)!

Linking up here today!

how to be the worst online shopper ever

1. Find something cute that you really want to buy.
2. Spend copious amounts of time making price comparisons with other websites.
3. Decide that the deal isn’t going to get any better than it already is, and add the item to your cart.
4. Spend more time to thoroughly make sure that there aren’t any coupon codes you could use.
5. If you’re paying for shipping (AKA you didn’t find a code for free shipping in step #4), spend even more time contemplating if there’s anything else you need to buy from the same website. If you’re already paying to send something to your house, you might as well make it worth it, right?
6. Remember how much you really hate to spend money.
7. Stare at your shopping cart for a while before deciding to just go ahead with the purchase.
8. Click “checkout”, only to find that your super-cute item is now sold out. WHOOPS!

I apparently take waaaay too long to make decisions, because the above scenario keeps. on. happening! I was hoping to get my girls some sunhats and flip-flops for their Easter baskets… but so far, I haven’t had any luck. It also seems like Kaya’s size is always sold out!

Anyway, we had a great, relaxing weekend (yeah, I’m totally blogging about the weekend on a Tuesday. That’s what all the cool kids are doing. (and by cool kids, I actually just mean me…)

I’ve been wanting a big breakfast for a couple weeks now, so I finally just went ahead and made one. Bacon, eggs, and this recipe for pancake squares. They tasted just the same and were SO much easier!

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I also had a pretty great run. Maybe I’m not the fastest, but I’m so happy with a sub 9-minute average pace! It was a gorgeous, sunny day (with some wind), and I definitely enjoyed some time to myself (well, you know, with a crazy dog).03212015runstats 03212015runsplitsAll of us girls have either had seasonal allergies or a slight cold… so this little sweetie wasn’t quite as peppy as usual. You’d never know it from this picture though! That scrunchy-nosed grin is my favorite thing about my baby.
_MG_6822Happy Tuesday! We’re off to a great week so far! 🙂

kid tested, mom approved: the style file

I’m linking up with some awesome ladies today to talk about baby style!

For our family, it’s all about saving money while still looking cute, so I’m going to share a little of my experience on shopping without spending a fortune._MG_6839-2textCarter’s is definitely my number one favorite place to shop for Kaya. They really have a great variety of outfits, and their clothes seem to be the most true-to-size. They also last really well despite all the crawling, food spills and diaper leaks that tend to happen with a baby. The best part? Usually they have some sort of sale going on, and if you pair that with a coupon code, stuff is pretty cheap. I’ve bought brand new outfits for less than what you’d pay for them used.
IMG_20130726_132244We also love The Children’s Place. Everything is of really good quality, and I’ve found a bunch of great things on clearance. $3 jammies, tops and dresses? You can hardly beat that! It’s good to plan in advance when you see a good sale- I have things saved away for her to wear next year!IMG_20130609_193452 _MG_5644-2

Also, don’t be afraid to buy used. There are some stores that specialize in buying and selling used kids’ clothing, so check if you have any in your area! I’ve found things that are brand-new there (like jammies and snowsuits) that cost so much less than if you bought them at the original retalier. Even clothes that were used can look new, since babies don’t wear anything for very long in the grand scheme of things. I especially like to buy Kaya’s more formal dresses there. The one she wore to Kevin’s wedding cost $6.50! (and I found the perfect pair of gold Old Navy sandals to match for 50 cents, but she hardly wore them all day, so no picture of those…)_MG_8118

friday favorites

With warmer temperatures and less rain, we spent a whole lot more time outside this week (and inside, we finally turned on the air conditioning)!

We met up with friends on both Tuesday and Thursday to play outside. There’s nothing like breaking a sweat, playing on the swings, and sitting on a blanket under a tree, then washing it all down with a gulp of cold water.

IMG_20130711_181252Kaya LOVED watching the ducks at the pond and even laughed at them. Who knew ducks could be so funny? She was so worn out that she fell asleep on the walk home.
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Michael and I also took Kaya to the pool one evening after work. I love going as a family and swimming together. Our princess definitely loves the water!

I went out shopping to see if I could find a dress suitable for Kevin’s wedding without having to order it online… but didn’t have any luck. I did, however, find a bunch of other awesome things- a dress, a blouse, two tees, and two sweaters- for $22 total! I also found a Scrabble game for 95 cents. I love getting great deals.

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 Kaya really mastered using her sippy cup (mostly) on her own this week.

_MG_7201 Seriously? It doesn’t get more precious than this!_MG_7220

And just when I think my heart is about to explode from loving her so much, she instantly becomes more adorable and forces me to fall even further in love._MG_7312

I won’t tell you that this cute face is hiding a diaper explosion…_MG_7314_MG_7294 I love all the adorable faces she makes (and how much she loves this squishy ball from the dollar store… which I later saw in the dog section at Target)!_MG_7349squishballbaby1Jax has had more than his fair share of cuddles this week (and may or may not have rolled himself right off the bed and onto the floor)!_MG_7230 Happy weekend, everyone! Here’s to a relaxing one 🙂_MG_7258

friday favorites

Happy Friday everyone! We had a fantastic week filled with beautiful spring weather, which meant that this little sweetie and I got to enjoy sitting out on the porch for a bit (and aren’t these just the cutest jammies? I’m loving her spring wardrobe!)

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Dressing her in two-piece pajamas makes her seem like such a big girl.
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But big girls get piggy-back rides (her first one ever!), so I think she’s pretty happy about it.
_MG_3958We’ve been giving her a sippy cup (full of water), and she doesn’t actually drink out of it, but it’s one of her new favorite toys (right along with her orange kitty)!
_MG_3896Love those CHEEKS! I also love the new hair growth that’s becoming a lot more noticeable._MG_3996

Baby Bird abhors baths, but cuddles with daddy afterward make it a little better.IMG_20130407_134235 I did my sales/coupon shopping today, and I think I saved the most I ever have in one trip. Spent $64.95, and “saved” $81.73. I ended up with 15 boxes of cereal, free Pampers wipes, hot dogs, hand soap, 4 cartons of ice cream, and some other items. I don’t think we need to buy cereal for awhile…IMG_20130412_143820

The blog also had a mini-makeover this week. I always love changing how it looks when spring rolls around! (Michael and I joke that we have “N.E.R.D.S.” (Never-Ending ReDesigning Syndrome). The condition is fake, but it’s pretty true for both of us when it comes to how our websites look!blogmakeover042013Hope you enjoyed my random favorites from this week! Happy weekend! 🙂

 

weekend/lately

We haven’t done anything too crazy lately, mostly because we’ve been stuck inside with all this cold weather. I am really starting to wonder if spring will ever come!

It started snowing on Sunday morning before church. Michael went to his regular meetings, but it was decided that church would be canceled for everyone else. He came home and we had our own little “spiritual thought” together instead. I love going to church, but it was fun to have a snow day to just relax and have some extra family time (especially since Michael hardly sees us on most Sundays with all his meetings).

Daddy-daughter dance 🙂_MG_3375 We read books._MG_3384 And just enjoyed being together._MG_3355-2

Yesterday morning, I got up and dressed to go running, but when I stepped outside, it was still snowing! Being hardcore like I am, I trudged through it and still got 4 miles in._MG_3388 Later in the morning, Kaya had her 6-month checkup. As soon as the nurse touched her, she started screaming her head off. I almost think she remembered getting shots before, because she continued to cry any time she was on the exam table and not in our arms.IMG_20130325_124857 Luckily, it was only two shots this time, and she was actually happier when they were over._MG_3400Last night around 11 pm, I remembered that I kept getting e-mails about a big sale at Carter’s ending at midnight… and I hadn’t even looked at anything! We needed some things for summer (and beyond), so I thought I’d check it out. The things I bought were 50% off, and then I stacked a 25% off coupon on top of that. Each item came out to be about $2.61 (including shipping), so I think I did pretty well! 🙂 Here are a couple of the outfits I picked!
cartersclothesAaaaaand I just looked out the window and it’s snowing again! Ahhhhhhh!

insta-jam #8

Well, this post covers all the rest of January and February’s phone photos… and from here on out, I’m going to have to post them more often so that we don’t have a mile-long stream of photos every time! I just can’t resist taking pictures of this sweet girl… but then I end up with about 5 million of them on my phone alone. Whoops.

If there’s no description under the photo, the default explanation is “she was being cute so I took her picture!”
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We were wearing Christmas jammies even after the holidays were over. It just seems like a waste to not use cute clothes that fit! (If I’m being honest here, we are actually STILL using these jammies… in March. Ha.)IMG_20130110_173638 Cutie pie after grocery shopping.PhotoGrid_1360235847696

We love our cuddle bug!IMG_20130120_061957photogrid03072013_2

1: New running shoes! I’m sticking with the barefoot ones, but I wore a hole through my old pair after about 1000 miles, so it was time to replace them.

2: I’m obsessed with homemade chicken nuggets and mac ‘n cheese (as if you didn’t already know this…) I’ve also been trying to include greens with every dinner, so there it is.

3: New phone case for my Galaxy S3. I kept dropping my phone, and the case I had wasn’t protecting it. Can’t go wrong with blue zebra stripes!

4: Running as the sun comes up! This is pretty much every day for me, but it looked exceptionally beautiful over the frozen pond.

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1: I finally started eating yogurt again! I stopped last year when I had super bad morning sickness, and I guess the aversion stuck around for awhile.

2: Playing around making buttercream roses.

3: Cupcakes from my Wilton cake-decorating class!

4: Deal-shopping for cereal- 10 boxes for $7.83!IMG_20130206_225331

Just being silly together!IMG_20130206_225715 PhotoGrid_1360209502340

Future photographer?

PhotoGrid_1360209724529How can babies sleep with their neck cranked to one side? It never ceases to amaze me.
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I couldn’t decide if these pants matched this onesie… aaaaand now I’m pretty sure they don’t.IMG_20130218_081512These little sleeping bags are so cute. I love seeing my princess so warm and comfy!

puppy

As sad as I am that this post is not about us getting a REAL puppy, I’m still pretty excited- yesterday, I went to Target and got this Fisher Price dog for Kaya for $5.19! It’s usually $20, but thanks to a sale and $10 in coupons, I got a pretty great deal. It was also the last one on the shelf, so I really lucked out._MG_3012 And she loves it._MG_3027 _MG_3040

I love how she can hug the whole dog with her entire body._MG_303903082013photogridHappy weekend everyone!

friday favorites

We’ve had a whole lot of fun around here recently (and to me, “fun” basically means that I ate a lot of sweets and took a million photos of my cute baby…)

We went on a date to Dairy Queen, since I had a buy-one-get-one blizzard coupon for my birthday (if you sign up for the blizzard club, you’ll get one too). No ice cream for Kaya yet, but she sure thought it was fun to look at.PhotoGrid_1361812623131

Since she can’t enjoy dessert with us, she tried to save some milk on her chin for later. Too bad I like to wipe her face clean!PhotoGrid_1361812212178

I did some Target clearance shopping on Monday, and actually came across things I’ve been casually looking for. I’m super pumped about that soap pump (hahahaha) and the stoneware platter. The photoframe actually turned out free with a coupon I had. And of course you can never go wrong with baby clothes.IMG_20130225_185438

Kaya and I went to visit Michael for lunch one day. We wanted to take a walk, but we chickened out because of the cold and just sat in the car and played with Kaya.IMG_20130227_154907

She keeps doing this weird cute thing with her lip. And she loves when you pretend to eat her hands!IMG_20130227_155921

Have I mentioned that she also loves to eat her own hands?03012013photogrid

Her smile could not possibly get any cuter._MG_2793

We even had a bath with no tears for the first time in a while.

_MG_2785This wouldn’t be a real blog post if there weren’t a few more photos of food! We tried whole wheat pizza dough this week, and it was pretty delicious._MG_2815

I also had to make a cake for my final cake decoration class of course 1. It took me forever to finish, and I know it isn’t even close to being perfect… but I am actually pretty impressed with myself. (And yeah, I’m lazy and just wrote “congrats”…)IMG_20130228_231311

By the way, it tasted even more delicious than it looked. We brought it over to Jeff and Lelia’s right after class was over, and no one could quit ooooohing, ahhhhhing, and mmmmming over it. I’m usually a chocoholic, but I chose white cake this time and I’m so glad I did._MG_2826Other noteworthy occurences with no photos:
Kaya had another play date with her little friend Mia! She was trying to hold Mia’s hand, and when they were laying down, she stroked her hair so gently. It was so cute!

I’m also super happy because our apartment complex replaced our washing machine this week! The old one was ancient and always sounded like a rocket ship about to blast into space. The floor would shake and that thing jumped around like mad. Recently, it stopped getting things clean… and that is NOT good when you have cloth diapers. Ahem. Anyway, the new machine is quiet (it’s almost relaxing to listen to it), and my diapers look brand-spankin’ new.

Happy weekend everyone!

weekend highlights

Our weekend started out pretty great! I love using coupons for my groceries, but there haven’t been too many great deals out there as of late. Well, finally, on Friday, I did pretty well and “saved” about $70! $20 was from coupons alone and the rest was for using my Kroger card, and we don’t have to worry about getting toilet paper or cereal anytime soon.

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Then, I had my cake-decorating class on Friday night (my mom-in-law surprised me with these classes for Christmas)! We did piping gel transfer. I know I’m no pro yet, but I think Snoopy turned out pretty cute.
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Most of the rest of the weekend was spent hanging around in our jammies._MG_2586

Of course, we went to church on Sunday. I really wanted a new family photo, but winter is back with a vengeance (darn groundhog is never right), and we decided that 18 degrees is too cold to take a photo outside. We tried inside, but realized that the plate for my tripod is too small for my 5D Mark II! I opted for Michael to take one of just Kaya and I, but she wasn’t really interested. Oh well._MG_2592

Lelia and Jeff came over on Sunday night, and we made these M&M cookie bars. Heaven in your mouth, I tell ya._MG_2599

We will definitely be making those again._MG_2601Hope your weekend was as lazy and delicious as ours!