Winter Afternoon

Some of my favorite posts to look back on are the ones with pictures of my boys doing every day things and having a blast doing them!    

Yesterday, the weather in North Carolina was absolutely gorgeous.  We played at the park after picking Charlie up from school and before their tennis lessons, and it felt amazing being outside not bundled up.

Here are some pictures from our afternoon!

^zip line for babies!!

I hope y'all are having a great week!!

That Dream I Had

One of my pregnancy symptoms is that I have the wonkiest, most vivid dreams.  My third trimester dreams get a little more real because of the cat naps I take all night due to insomnia.

My sister in law, Kaitlyn, is coming up around my due date to help me with the boys and to help with the new baby.  (Bless her!)  Last week, I had a dream that Kaitlyn and I were standing in my kitchen, and after one giant contraction, I told her that "I have to start pushing!!!"  (The one cool slash crazy thing about labor is that your body tells you exactly when it's time to start pushing....and there's no going back.)  Kaitlyn then, (in  the dream), took the boys to their room and gave them the iPad to watch a show, grabbed a towel, called 911, and then....I'm pretty sure I woke up.  

Traumatic.  I only live a few exits away from the hospital so LET US PRAY this situation doesn't actually happen.  I told Kaitlyn about the dream, though, and she is READY!! :) 

Last night, my dream had me on the Rockin' Roller Coaster at Disney World?? and right as I was turning the corner to take off 0-60, I started waving my hands like a crazy person telling the roller coaster operators that I was pregnant and shouldn't be on the ride.  

Also, I've worn this outfit at least once a week during this pregnancy.  The kimono/shirt/thing is from my favorite, Monroe 26, and the necklace (which my brother lovingly refers to as my "tissue necklace" and tries to blow his nose in every time he sees me) is from my favorite jewelry shop.

Day by Day

The other morning, as I was getting ready for the day, I was listening to this super short podcast on creating a plan for your life.  

The lady being interviewed said something that was just so spot-on that I had to find a piece of paper while brushing my teeth to write it down.  She said, specifically in regards to goal-setting, that "action is a by-product of clarity."

I thought this was so great and goes along really well with my thought process-specifically for this year.  I haven't made a ton of traditional goals for 2017, mainly because I've gotten in a good habit of making clearer and more intentional daily goals.  

I think it's important to analyze our lives often (not in a way that will knock us down, but for the intent of growing realistically)....to receive that clarity....and then make daily/weekly goals on what we want and need to do to better ourselves and our families.

So....those are some thoughts for your Tuesday :) What are your thoughts on goal-setting?!

Southerners in the Snow

On Saturday morning we woke up to snow and ice here in North Carolina.  Everyone jokes on us Southerners about shutting the place down during times like these (I keep watching and laughing at this video because it's SO true),  but we rarely get anything like this so we 1-don't have the equipment to handle clearing all the roads and 2-it typically turns straight to ice.

And good grief was it icy (still is!)  I eventually ventured out with the boys (snow and cold are NOT my thing) and I loved watching them play, and especially loved watching them slide down the hill with Noel (which you'll see in the video at the end.) :)

^Snow ball fighting machine right here

I hope y'all are warm and safe wherever you are!!

A few last things...

^from our Angus Barn Christmas dinner

We had snow in North Carolina yesterday and I loved every second of it...mainly because I was able to stay inside the entire day! :)  The boys went out in the morning with Noel and I cleaned and organized every single closet in my house.  It was amazing.   

Here are a few "last things" around here....

The last-

*Moment I Really Really Appreciated....

A few days ago, my Dad came from out of town to visit for the afternoon.  He took the boys with him to go grocery shopping for me (and I got some time to get the baby's room straightened out), made us dinner for the night, AND made a giant pot of soup to get us through the snowy weekend.  It was amazing.  It's only the first week of January and he's won Dad of the Year already!  Baby girl has grown a ton this week which has made me super slow and giant, so this was a major blessing times a billion.

*Hair product I really loved...

This!  My mom got me this "it's a 10" miracle oil for Christmas and it is everything.  Really helps with all these crazy fly aways and cow lick I have going on.

*Book I Read...

The Royal We.  I randomly picked this up from the library and, besides a few ehh paragraphs in the middle of the book, I thought it was really great.  It was a fictional take on the Royal Family and the ups and downs of an unlikely courtship.

*Movie I Watched...

The Hollars.  Noel and I had an at-home movie night last weekend and rented this on Apple TV. We're both big fans of John Krasinski and he directed this movie and starred in it.  We both really liked it.  (Anna Kendrick is in it as well.)  It was both funny and sad and very well done. Also the soundtrack was beautiful.

*Hair Cut Crew boo had...

And it went really really well.  In the past, he's acted crazy town while getting his hair cut.  At this place, equipped with a vehicle to sit in, a movie to watch, and a lollipop to eat, he does great! :)

*Big moment in our house...

Charlie lost his 2 bottom teeth!! He lost his 1st tooth at home and his 2nd during lunch at school.  He told Grandpa on the phone that he thought the tooth fairy was going to leave him $20, so I was happy to see how excited he was when he found "1 dollar cash!!" (direct quote) under his pillow in the morning for each tooth.

I hope y'all are staying safe and warm!  Church was cancelled today because of snow, so we are at home-reading, eating, snoozing, and nesting (me!)

Favorites from 2016

It's been so refreshing to read about how people's 2016 were wonderful and unforgettable and the best yet.  I love hearing about how people are happy and doing well.

My 2016 was definitely one for the books (aka my tell-all memoir one day), but it was also one of the hardest years of my life. Many nights were spent falling asleep in tears and waking up in the middle of the night with too much on my mind.

Plans didn't work out (the way I wanted them to) and I felt like I didn't follow my intuition on a few big decisions.  With all that said....2016 gave me the greatest life lessons......to enjoy the journey and not worry so much about the destination, and to follow my intuition even if that means putting myself in an uncomfortable situation.  It also forced me to realize all the many things I have been blessed with.  And there are so many things I've been blessed with!

2016 did have it's great moments, though...of course it did!  Every year does. Here are some of mine and also some random things/products/pictures I enjoyed throughout the year.

This guy.  Charlie is an oldest child by nature and he has saved me in so many ways this year. During the summer, when I would run to the bathroom to throw up from morning sickness, he would come in, rub my back, and then make his brothers a peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Honestly this kid was born a good kid.  He has received several awards this year that have made my momma heart burst open (literally crying in the car after his awards ceremonies from being so proud).  He was able to go out on the RailHawks soccer team field to accept his award this fall and his school had an assembly recognizing just a few kids from each grade.  Love him.

Ok, this is a major shift, but this Living Proof Humidity Shield Spray is the stuff! (Honestly, I'd probably buy any hair product Jennifer Anniston endorsed...but this really is great.) Have you noticed that the bulk of hair bloggers live in Utah??!  Yeah...well they don't have to deal with humidity.  If you live anywhere in the South, this is necessary.

^Love the firefighter's photo bomb in the back...they were great with the kids!

Since moving, I have a list of pros and cons of our new area (each area comes with them, right?!)  The top of my pro list would have to be Walker's preschool. My friend, Anna, (who I refer to as my life coach since moving...she's amazing) introduced me to this school. I can't say enough great things about it.  They are loving, structured, and so on-the-ball.  One of my favorite things in life is to go on school field trips with my kids....I kid you not-I love it so much....and this picture was from Walker's trip to the fire station in the early fall.  He is the sunshine in my soul and has been a great joy to me throughout this year.

Another slightly creepy shift....but this show- The People vs. OJ Simpson- was stellar.  One of the best shows I've seen in a really long time.  Noel and I both really enjoyed it and it was fun to watch it together and talk about it afterwards.  Time spent on phone during this show= 0 minutes.  Also...Sterling Brown (who is now starring in the show This is Us) is crazy good in this.

This year, I started back into teaching and choreographing after a year or so of only guest teaching.  I just finished up choreographing the 2nd Act of the Nutcracker for my company girls and that was such a treat.  The studio is definitely one of my happy places.

Seeing the show is still on my bucket list, but Hamilton is everything.  I've watched every interview, documentary, and am currently reading the book just put out by Lin Manuel Miranda....I can't put it down. My boys also love the music and I can't help but think every time I listen to it how outstanding it really is and all the creativity and pure genius that was put into creating it.

Ohhh buddy....if there ever was a momma's boy, you are looking at him.  He is my heart and I can't go for a minute without wanting to eat him up.  Crew boo has hit so many milestones this year and has brought so much laughter and love in our home.

All these guys.  I've realized this year, more than any other year, that at the end of the day, your family is all that really matters.  I have a chalkboard in my living room that I write a different quote on every now and then and right now it says, "Taking time for each other is the key for harmony at home." The quote is by President Dieter Uchtdorf and I love the reminder that it gives me.  Despite our busy, changing, and hectic schedules, we've enjoyed a lot of precious time together this year...the 5 of us....and look forward to adding baby sister to our family this year!

Happy New Year, my friends!

Also, today I'm linking up with my friend, Helene!