It's the Weekend | Number Twelve

It's Saturday. We had a pretty crazy spring storm over the past few days. It was wet, super heavy snow. Lots of tree branches have broken all through our neighborhood. I also now how a lovely crack all the way across my windshield. Bummer...... that will need to be replaced at some point. There was a little rock pot in it and I think turning on my defroster and the weight of the snow created the crack. Not awesome. It was quite a change from our 85 degree weather we've been having. Colorado weather is never dull. 

My baby shower for this little dude is this evening and I'm excited to celebrate this little man. I have 6 Sundays left before my maternity leave. That's what happens when you work for a church, you count your schedule in Sundays. It's all coming very quickly. I need to get the nursery done. It will all happen in good time. 

This week, I've been researching some fun activities for kids and reading about the transition to two children. I read about living a mediocre life. There's few recipes in there and some tips on bullet journaling. 

Budget-friendly summer activities for kids. 

Transitioning from one to two kids. 

Remember Myspace Tom? He's a photographer that travels the world now. 

What if I want a mediocre life? A good read. 

These friends document their lives 3191 miles apart. 

I want to make this pasta salad and bake this almond butter bread. 

How to start a Bullet Journal. 

Have a great weekend! 

Our Little Vacation | Estes Park

Our family! Soon to be four!

A few weeks ago, we had ourselves a little vacation or getaway to Estes Park. We knew that I was only going to get more pregnant, so it was now or never. This is probably our last trip as a family of three, which is really surreal to think about. Very soon we will be a family of four and our lives will never be the same. 

This was the first time our little one has gotten to go on a little trip like this. In the past, she has stayed with grandparents. We talked up the trip for weeks and I think she had a very good time. We ended up taking a little drive up to Estes Park, CO for a few days. Nothing crazy. Still pretty close to where we actually live. Long gone are the days of relaxing on a beach somewhere with a margarita, but I'm alright with that. This is the season we find ourselves in. 

We stayed at Murphy's River Lodge and were very pleased with it. The breakfast was great. Marin would have swam in the swimming pool all day if we would have let her. Our little room was right on a river. We were able to check out a bunch of movies and just hang out with each other for a few days. We ate a lot of wonderful food. It snowed quite a bit while we were there but it was still very enjoyable. 

New reading material from the book store on Main Street. 

Out on the back porch of our room, on the river. 

Traveling with a toddler is always an adventure. She did so great for the most part. The hardest part was getting her to wind down for the night and sleep in the same room as us. She wanted to just stay up with us and not miss out on anything. We missed nap time completely the second day which actually worked to our advantage that night because she fell asleep almost immediately. 

It was a refreshing way to unwind for a few days. Work has been crazy. We've been prepping for the arrival of our son. We are gearing up for maternity leave and for our lives to change. I wish the little trip could have been longer and maybe a bit warmer, but it was just what we needed. 

We brought lots of things to keep her entertained. 

We stayed at the Murphy's River Lodge.  We would most definitely stay there again. It was nice and relaxing. 

Some places we ate: 

Dinner the first night was here. I had an amazing burger with jack cheese and guacamole with sweet potato fries. 

Lunch on the second day was at a little diner with amazing pie, called You Need Pie. Perfection. I had a reuben sandwich for lunch. Dessert was a slice of s'mores pie and blackberry, split between all of us. Seriously amazing pie. 

Dinner the second night was at our normal place when we go to Estes, Poppy's!  You can never go wrong with pizza. 

Right before it snowed a bunch.

Marin would have swam forever. We need to get her swimming lessons.

Someday we will get our tropical beach getaway as a family but for now escaping to the mountains for a few days was wonderful. Until next time, Estes Park. 

It's the Weekend | Number Eleven

The current chaos of the nursery and my mind. 

We've made it to another Saturday. I'm officially about 7 weeks away from meeting our new little dude. I'm getting more pregnant and tired by the day but I know that it will all be worth it in the end. But, I am pretty ready to no longer be pregnant. We are on the home stretch and I'm just trying to get everything in as much order as we possibly can. I've been planning my leave at work. There's a number of things around the house that need to be done or just forgotten about. We went to a birthing class last night with our doula and everything just keeps getting more real. 

This week, I've been reading a lot of things for mothers due to the fact that Mother's Day is tomorrow. I'm always looking for clever parenting hacks or ideas. I've been reading a lot about screen time and how it affects our children or how we need to get outside WAY more than we do now. 

Here's what I've read this week: 

Celebrity mom's talk about their mothers. 

One of the books I posted about last week is on sale on Kindle for $1.99! 

I'm always looking for clever DIYs for parenting. Here's some great ones. 

I think about our budget a lot, especially with a new baby on the way. Here are 5 ways to save 100 dollars this week. 

Kid's should play outside more and here's how to do it. 

Meal planning has become a part of our home. I'm always looking for cheap, easy recipes. 

A new donut shop opened in our town and my pregnancy cravings might get the best of me. 

Postpartum depression is a big deal. This mom's post is a must read. 

Have a great weekend! 

It's the Weekend | Number Ten

The days are flying by.  I cannot believe how quickly time is moving. I am officially 32 weeks pregnant. I managed to injure my right foot somehow and I've been limping around for a week and a half. I'm still not totally sure what I did but I'm ready to not be big and pregnant and also limping around everywhere. Seriously. Come on, foot! 

I still need to blog about our trip to Estes. I need to actually work on getting the little babe's room all ready to go. We still have some house projects to complete. I'd really like to get our garden going. There's a lot to be done and I just don't have the energy lately to do it. Welcome to the 3rd trimester everyone! 

But, it's the weekend. Hallelujah! Here are a few things I've been reading this week, along with a Mother's Day wish list, and some great books for moms that I've been devouring. Enjoy. 

Why are our kids so miserable? 

Secrets of people who are always full of energy. 

It's nice to have less stuff. 

Sugar is in everything these days. Here's 30 days of meals you can eat during a sugar detox. 

If you need help with a cleaning schedule. I love stuff like this. Also,  here are some lazy people cleaning hacks. 

I am planning on making this for dinner sometime this week. 

Mother's Day will be here before we know it. Here is what's on my current wish list: Wish #1, Wish #2, Wish #3 (Charcoal) , Wish #4. 

If you're looking for some books for moms, I highly recommend: Long Days of Small Things: Motherhood as a Spiritual Discipline, The Magic of Motherhood: The Good Stuff, the Hard Stuff, and Everything In Between, The First Forty Days: The Essential Art of Nourishing the New Mother.

Have a great weekend!

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