My Tiny Dancer

Wednesday, August 31, 2016

And just like that, all of my dreams came true.
 When we found out we were having a girl one of the first things that came to my mind was...dance class. I grew up dancing from the age of three and it's something I'm still passionate about.


Today I got to watch my baby girl attend her first dance class. And not only was I there to watch, since she was being a little shy, I also got to dance with her. Let me tell you, when that song about a dancing princess came on...my heart literally burst and I had to work so hard to keep the waterworks from flowing right there in the class.



 I can not wait to continue watching her dance for the next 5, 10, 20 years.


post signature
TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK 
Read More

Summer Bucket List || Swimming

Tuesday, August 30, 2016

If you follow me on here, or any other form of social media, then you are pretty aware that we spent a majority of our summer at the pool. We even managed to make it today.


With all of our time spent at the pool it should be no surprise that Wyatt taught himself to swim. He can touch in the shallow end so the past couple of weeks I've just let him experiment. Today he jumped off the side and immediately started swimming towards the steps. 


Stella's confidence in the water grew leaps and bounds too. She started the summer with tears anytime we put her in the water, and today she was paddling around all on her own.


I loved our mornings spent at the pool and I'm already look forward to next summer! I'm so thankful we were able to have a nice refuge from the heat as well.







post signature
TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK 
Read More

{FIVE} Favorite Moments of the Week

Friday, August 26, 2016

Hope everyone has had a great week! I know most of you are back in school...we still have 11 days. But who's counting?!  Well, actually I've started back teaching but thankfully it's all been from home, so far, so it hasn't been too bad. Anyways, here's a bit of what we've been up to this week!


{ONE}
Tuesday we spent most of the day outside. It was one of the first days in two weeks where the sun was shining all day, and we loved every second of it. We visited two parks, and Stella and I enjoyed an evening walk.

{TWO}
We had lots of fun planned for Wednesday. I searched and scoured the internet and finally found a semi-local library that had a toddler time!! Yes, we had to drive about 35 minutes but it was so worth it...well, for Wyatt. He had the best time! And then we got to enjoy one of our favorite pizza places for lunch. It was an awesome day!


{THREE}
Thursday I worked on taking pictures for "Day in the Life" post. I feel like this is where we spend a good portion of our day! ha!


{FOUR}
Thursday was also Open House at Wyatt and Stella's school!! I think I was more excited than them. Unfortunately Stella's teacher wasn't able to be there but she knows her class (it's our church nursery classroom) so I'm not too worried. She was a bit overwhelmed by all of the people at open house, but was so, so happy to see her Mrs. Martha (nursery teacher at church). Wyatt was a bit timid but was excited to see all of his friends (and new ones!!) and meet Mrs. Donna.


{FIVE}
Tonight I'm attending my first book club and I'm so happy to have some girl time! I only know one of the ladies but I'm excited to make some new friends. We read The Alchemist--short, sweet, and to the point. My kind of reading. 


Hope you all have a great weekend!! We're hoping to go to a touch-a-truck event...if the weather cooperates, and relax around the house.


 
DARCI | NATASHA | APRIL | CHRISTINA



post signature
TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK 
Read More

Summer Bucket List || Durango & Silverton Train

Tuesday, August 23, 2016

One of the best memories we took away from Colorado was riding the Durango & Silverton train. We were staying near Durango, so we departed the Durango train station and enjoyed the 3.5 hour trip north to Silverton. 


The views were absolutely breathtaking. Most of the areas we were in were only accessible by train, helicopter, or hiking. There were some bears spotted but we didn't actually see them.


Everyone had seats in the closed cars but we were free to roam to the open cars, and the concession car. I chose to remain in the closed car but Sean was able to get out and take Wyatt.

 
 

Talk about stepping back in time--Silverton was the cutest town. There main road through the middle of town was even dirt. We had about 3.5 hours in Silverton and ate lunch at the Brown Bear Cafe. The rest of the time was spent looking in all of the little shops they had.


We chose not to take the train back (3.5 hours), but instead we took the bus back (1.5 hours).  But it was such a fun experience and I really can't wait to do again with the kids...in about 10 years. 





post signature
TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK 
Read More

A Better Kind of Coffee

Thursday, August 18, 2016

This week I received such a fun package from Influenster--an OXO On 9 Cup Coffee Maker. This coffee maker is really a thing of beauty, and definitely not something I would have ever bought for myself. I've been loving it!


So, just a short rundown of how it works:
Once you plug it in, you'll use the dial to set the time. After you put water in the reservoir, and a filter and coffee in the basket, you push the button and select the number of cups you'd like (2-4 or 5-9). It will then begin brewing. To turn on the wake-up setting, simply hold the button down and once the "clock" icon appears turn the knob to the correct time. It's very simple and I like that.


I have only been using this coffee make for a couple of days but wanted to go ahead and do a review of my initial thoughts. 

Pros: 

- Taste--Because, let's be honest, that's all anyone cares about! The flavor is undeniably great! I can actually taste a difference from my other coffee maker, and I'm not even that big of a coffee person (prefer cold with lots of chocolate!!). 

- Looks--I mean, come on, it looks amazing! Plus, not only does the carafe look nice, it's double walled & insulated. Even with hot coffee on the inside, it's only minimally warm to the touch on the outside.

- Ease of Use--Everything is controlled on one dial and it's super easy. Setting the clock, number of cups to brew, wake up timer--are all controlled from the one dial.

- Features-- It has a couple of nice features that I like. One, it has a freshness timer that counts up to 60 minutes once a pot is brewed. Two, the carafe has an internal tube that keeps the coffee mixed as it brews. Which is connected to the screw-top lid which is also really nice. Three, the easy pour carafe is a life changer--no more over-pour and spilling coffee everywhere. 

- I love that you can choose how many cups you'd like to make. It comes with a coffee scoop that is the size of one cup (of coffee)--so if you want 9 cups then you scoop 9 "cups" of coffee. It also lets you choose (using the dial) if you'd like 2-4 cups or 5-9 cups of coffee.


Cons: 

- The size (height) is a bit of a problem. It is taller than any coffee maker I've ever owned (and that's three different types) and does not fit under my cabinets on my counter. This normally wouldn't be a problem, but with two little kids who like pushing buttons...it is. Plus, where it's sitting I can't open the upper cabinets. 

- I love that the carafe is double-walled but it does make the lip around the mouth thick, which just makes it a little more difficult to get filtered water from the refrigerator. 

- There are also no measurements on the carafe so you can't tell how much water you're pouring into the water reservoir. Obviously not a huge deal but something I'm used to having on other coffee makers.

- It came with disposable filters so I will need to buy a reusable one. That's just my preference.

- There is a lot of condensation build up that occurs after brewing, which makes me nervous that mold/mildew could be an issue. I've read some other reviews and they recommend leaving the lids open with a towel covering the top (so no dust/flies get in).




*Disclosure: I received this product free from Influenster, in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*


post signature
TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK 
Read More

Fall Clothing Ideas for Girls

Tuesday, August 16, 2016

Fall is quickly approaching (wishful thinking??) and I'm already thinking about sweaters and leggings! There's really nothing I love more than seeing my girl in some leggings and boots.

I'm so excited about the fall line this year for girls at Gymboree! The new girls clothing line is all about kitty prints--and my girl loves kitties!




The best part--almost everything in the line is currently marked down, plus a lot more!!
40% Off Outerwear, Shoes, and Jeans at Gymboree

{Disclosure: This post contains affiliate links but all thoughts and opinions are my own.}



post signature
TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK 
Read More

Summer Bucket List || Enjoy Ice Cream Outside

Monday, August 15, 2016

My kids have basically two loves--ice cream & the water hose! We spend a lot of our summer with these two things, and it makes my heart happy!






I mean, really...is there anything better than enjoying some delicious ice cream and then washing off in the water hose?? 





WATER BALLOONS || ALLIGATOR FARM || BEACH || MUSEUM || FIREWORKS || JEEPING



post signature
TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK 
Read More

{FIVE} Favorite Moments of the Week

Friday, August 12, 2016

We've had a pretty great week around here! Not too busy but still fun!


{ONE}
This boy, man, he's come along way with his swimming. So proud of him!


{TWO}
We made two trips to the park this week! Today we had a yummy treat while we were there...it was just as good after it melted.



{THREE}
Wyatt has been full of all kinds of antics this week. Yes, both of these occurred this week. I really don't know what I'm going to do with him.


{FOUR} 
I love Bachelor in Paradise...really even more than The Bachelor/Bachelorette. But I really like Nick and Amanda together, and I really think Josh Murray is a bit of a jerk. That's all I'll say about that.

{FIVE}
I was kind of on the ball this week and got FOUR posts up this week!! And with this one...FIVE! It's almost a miracle. I shared about: 

Our Weekend
Jeeping in Colorado
Back to School Clothes for Boys
Thursday Confessions

Make sure to check'em out! Hope you all have a great weekend--I'm looking forward to some rain!

 
DARCI | NATASHA | APRIL | CHRISTINA




post signature
TWITTER | INSTAGRAM | FACEBOOK 
Read More