See that house right there? Well, we just bought THAT house last night. Yep. Bought it. Signed the papers. Put a big chunk of money down on it. BOUGHT IT! Done and done. Yes, we still have some of the mortgage left to pay. But seriously y'all, we bought it. Whaaaa, whaaaaaaat! Now, to the non-discerning eye it's just a house. A big yellow, maybe slightly run down house. But to those of y'all that know me, those that know where I grew up and especially those that know THIS HOUSE...well, your jaw it likely hanging on the floor. Yep,... Continue reading

We had the privelege of working with Joe and Michelle Kilgus over at Eternal Forms Photography a few weekends ago. Now let me be clear, photographing our crazy crew is no easy task. Nash was on the tail end of a cold, cranky as all get out. Clover was a teething madwoman. But still smiled and giggled like a champ. Walt was exhausted as this is his big time busy season at work. And y'all, I haven't even had a chance to blog since...Mother's Day. Good gosh, where has the time gone? So yes, just like all of you...our lives... Continue reading

Mimosas in wine glasses are great grabbing fodder for an almost 9 month old stinker. You will spend most of your morning smelling like you have a drinking problem because of said spill. Husbands with broken thumbs that still make the best of every situation are sort of my hero. Ok, my total hero. Like probably a defining moment in our marriage, today. Toddlers don't like hard boiled egg yolks and might spit said yolk onto your perfect palatable belgiun waffle. Which is gloriously served to you and covered in strawberries and whipped cream. You will still eat said waffle.... Continue reading

(click to enlarge) I'll never profess to being some sort of toddler activity guru, but since bringing our lil' Clover into the fold, we've spent much, much, much more time around the casa. And not to mention, the horrendously frigid winter we've had, which hasn't helped the 'being indoors for days in a row' factor. If you follow us on Instagram, you've likely already eye balled a few of these. I'm sure you have some pretty ingenious ideas up your sleeve too. Will you share them with me? Pretty please tell me about your family's fave rainy day activities in... Continue reading

So before we had this talking, idea spouting, imaginary play BIG BOY in our house...I never realized how much a parent serves their child. Why? Because you don't expect any gratitude from a little person that can't say a peep. A smile? A giggle? Sure. And on those really lucky days, a kiss. But until Nash could talk like a mini-adult, I never expected anything in return. Now that he spouts 'thank you's' like a boss, I started to realize what a hideous, God-awful server I am. No really, I am. Similar to how Nash feels about celery. And many... Continue reading

So this is me. To a t. Right now. You too? I've been taking a bit of a breather over on Facebook. Well, really...on everything. I used to check it all day long. On my phone. On my computer. It's so addicting. And I realized that. And yes, it's so hilarious to me that I used to own a social networking company. A few months ago, I removed the app from my phone. That felt good. Really good. Then I was still checking it online. On my phone. On safari. Such a cheater. So I erased that bookmark too. That... Continue reading

So a good girlfriend sent me THIS ARTICLE. I read it. Annnnnd I loved it. Especially the part where she mentions children actually helping in the kitchen. It got me thinking. Nash IS SUCH a huge help in the kitchen and is always begging to do so. Sometimes I comply. Sometimes I tell him it's play time and Mommy is cooking right now. Most mornings we make his smoothie together. Yeah, I get it. It takes about three times as long. And not to mention every ounce of mothering patience I can muster before I even have a drop of... Continue reading

Really? He's two already. Although I didn't cry, this birthday seemed a bit more surreal than Nash's first. I feel like I was all, 'Yay us, no hospital for a year' on his first birthday. On this, his second, I felt like I was mourning the loss of my baby boy...who is no longer a baby. So yeah, a bit emotional but it was so busy and fun that I didn't even have a second to get all teary eyed about it. We decided to do Nash's party on his real birthday, which fell on a Thursday. Since a majority... Continue reading

A good girlfriend of mine made this for us when we first had Clover. What a treat! She's Asian and I thought for sure it was some super secret family recipe, since her Mom actually owns a restaurant. Per chance she'd be willing to share it, I asked her if I could make it again while my Mom was here visiting. Because as y'all already know, we were in the kitchen whipping up all sorts of goodies HERE. She laughed hard when I told her and said she'd be happy to share. She said it is one of her favorite... Continue reading

Her nursery will never be finished. It's a work in progress. I repeat, her nursery will never be finished. It's a work in progress. I've had to tell myself this multiple times as I struggle to share pics of a nursery that is still not 'done' in my eyes. But I've gotten so many emails asking to see some highlights. So here I am, putting myself out there, hoping y'all like what you see. I absolutely LOVE her room and think it is the perfect color palette for our little love angel. She is spunky, fiery, feisty but beyond sweet.... Continue reading

So my Mom was just here visiting. We had the best time. We did a whole lot of nuthin. No seriously. No big plans or huge outings. We just had a really relaxing and laid back time. It's always a total treat to have my Mom here. She really does spoil me. She's so amazing about getting me lunch while I'm putting Nash down for his nap or nursing Clover. She was also a huge help with both children. They adore her so much and that's such a blessing to see. One of the things we got to do while... Continue reading

Just like everybody else, we headed out to a pumpkin patch last weekend. One of our Facebook friends (keep up with us HERE) alerted us to the fact that First Evangelical Free Church has a patch where the proceeds go to help human trafficking. Done and done. We love giving our money to something that supports a good cause. HERE's more info on their pumpkin patch hours. We stayed for almost two hours and they have a great little playground about 10 feet from the patch, so Nash was in hog heaven. We packed snacks and made an afternoon of... Continue reading

Coordinated outfits, smiling children and no mayhem...there'll be time for that. I choose this memory...screamin' meamin' wild woman, toddler confusion, annoyed puppy, and all. ***** On this, my 33rd birthday, I feel old. I feel tired. I feel exhausted. But I feel fulfilled. I find myself getting rather sentimental about my present life. And, quite frankly, I'm getting super annoyed with all the blog posts that highlight selfish parenting and why I must always 'make time for me.' I'm over it. Blog posts that candidly explain how hard parenting is. Well, duh. And how hard marriage can be. Well, duh.... Continue reading

I die. Complete and utter amazement at these pics! They take my breath away and make me so happy to look at. We've already gotten some of the prints we chose and I'm chomping at the bit to hang them. But, as you very well know, I've been a bit busy. But just know it's on the horizon to share a master bedroom pseudo makeover cause I'm so tired of all our bare walls...they are fixin' to be filled with some gorgeous imagery! Ok, back to the amazing Rubigirl and her serious skills. I'm blessed to actually have Hollie in... Continue reading

What a perfect gift straight from God, our Clover. This sweet girl totally amazes me. Of course, as a Mother of just Nash, I had all this apprehension/anxiety about how I would/could share my heart and life with another child. It's so crazy how they arrive and you don't even think twice. They just fit. They're this piece of your puzzle. We didn't even skip a beat. Wam, bam, thank you ma'am...I'm a Mother to a precious little girl. And oh how precious she is to me. To us. I feel over the moon with thankfulness to God for her... Continue reading

What a shower I had graciously thrown for me! I don't even know where to begin. I do not have the words. It was an absolutely gorgeous affair and I had so much fun. How blessed I am in friendship here in Austin and what a wonderful group of ladies showered our sweet baby girl (and me) with so many gifts, love and affection. I just wanted to highlight some of the thoughtful and creative details that my dear friend Mini Martha Lauren showcased. Oh how I love the details! A massive thank you to you, the amazing Lauren, who... Continue reading

(Click images to enlarge) Oh that Mel. She just kills me. It's been since THESE gorgeous pre-baby images and THESE first family photos that we've shared any of Mel's work over here on the blog. I literally cannot even look at that first set of pics without tearing up. Just thinking about the amazing boy that was inside of me, just waiting to make his entrance into this wild life. And now, he's this handsome little fella (at least we think so) with this amazing heart and inquisition for life. Mel did such an amazing job capturing Nash's true personality... Continue reading

I mean, come on, who doesn't love a good peanut butter cookie? Plus it's vegan. Plus it's almost organic. Plus it hit the spot when it comes to my crazy nut cravings this pregnancy. Seriously, I have surely already eaten my body weight, and then some, in nuts! These are super duper nutty. Mega rich. So know that a little goes a LONG way. Nash is a huge fan. Our neighbor Glenna took him for a walk and I had these waiting for them upon returning. Glenna was also ooohing, ahhhing and mmm'ing too! Walt gave them an ok, but... Continue reading

Delish and easy and only a few ingredients. Made these tonight for the fam and Walt and Nash loved them. We gave Nash his own dipping bowl of ketchup and that boy went to town. We paired them with Boca meatless chicken tenders and an orzo pasta. Yes, it was my preggo carb heaven. Ingredients: 1 medium eggplant 1/2 cup whole wheat bread crumbs 1/2 cup parmesan cheese 2 eggs whites Olive oil 1/2 tsp of dried oregano and basil salt & pepper Directions: Directions: Preheat the oven to 450°. Line two baking sheets with parchment paper and lightly spray... Continue reading

So I think there is some confusion about our gender reveal party. I keep getting emails that say, 'Ok, wait...you and Walt had no idea what you were having either? I don't understand how you pulled it off! Excited to hear the details!' Let me explain. We had our appointment for the anatomical screening on a Friday morning. At the appointment, we kindly asked the technician to place the gender of our baby in one envelope titled HEB (clearly writing the word boy or girl) and the pictures in another envelope for us to see later. We had to close... Continue reading