Catching Moments: {8/52}:

*They see me rollin...

Crew enjoyed doing just about everything with his Uncle Dodo while he was here; From Snacking, Snuggling, to Scootering! 

*You can play with me...

Charli also enjoyed spending as much time with her Uncle Dodo. Even getting to enjoy one on one playtime while baby brother was napping. 

Tequila Tuesdays:

Happy Tuesday Friends! 

Though yesterday was officially National Margarita Day, every Tuesday is Margarita Day in my book! Because in this family, one thing we do not steer away from is "Taco Tuesday". It is a staple and it is everyone's favorite. And well, there is nothing better that goes with a taco than a little Tequila, am I right? 

Our "go-to" Tuesday cocktail are our homemade Beer Margaritas thanks to my wonderful Uncle and his amazing recipe! Of course I have to tweak it and use Gluten Free beer but when we made them up in Gig Harbor nobody could tell the difference and everyone loved them just as much! 

So if you are looking to spruce up dinner tonight with a festive cocktail, look no further!

Ingredients:

*Beer {Coors Light or I use Omission Pale Ale}

*Tequila

*1 can Frozen Limeade

*Ice

Preparation:

*Pour 1 can frozen limeade into blinder

*Fill rest of blinder up with ice

*Fill empty limeade can with Tequila and pour over ice. Blend.

*Pour 1 beer and the mix from the blinder into a pitcher at the same time {slowly, so beer does not foam}.
*And Serve!

They are seriously delicious and add such a fun touch to our Taco Tuesday!



Cheers! 

Catching Moments: {7/52}:

*Feeling Good & Freedom

Finally feeling good and no longer contagious means we broke out of quarantine and were able to get some fresh air. To the playground we walked and it was oh so good for the soul! 

*Worn Out

All the fresh air and park wore this sweet boy out. He fell right to sleep on our walk home! 

Chatting with Charli:

*(regarding Jingle the Elf) Mommy, but how did Jingle get INSIDE da house though? (Magic honey! Magic!)... Uhhhhh... Wiiiight Mommy... (with an added eye roll)
*Bailey is just my puppy, nobody else's
*(singing): Jingle bells, Jingle bells, Jingle all da way, oh what fun it is to wide in a hocus pocus leigh, hey (best version of Jingle Bells I have ever heard... hahaha!)
*(singing): London Bridge is falling down, falling down, falling down, London Bridge is falling down, my favowite lady
*(talking on the phone to daddy one day): Daddy, maybe once my piggy bank is ALL FULLED UP theeeeeeeen you won't have to go to work anymore!
*(sitting in the playroom looking out the window): Sometimes mommy, when I see a car go by, I fink IT'S DADDY! DADDY'S HOME! But then it's not. (bless that sweet child's little heart)
*Mommy, lets just have a comba-shashion (conversation)
*(As I walk in to the play room to check on the kids): Hi Mommy, welcome to my wine-a-wee west-want. Would you like to sit down? We have Wine, just for YOU! (this was also at 8:30AM... I love how most children play "house" or "doctor"... Nope not mine, they play "winery restaurant". Mama maaaaaayyyyyy have a problem!) hahaha! 
*(on our way to the Doctor when they were sick): Mommy, maybe we don't tell the Doc-ta that I am free (three), how bout we just tell him I am Four, O-tey. (pretty sure it doesn't work like that, and he already knows you are three...)
*(while tapping the top of Crew's head) this is my Uncle Dad, Sandrew, and my name is Land, how do you do

Oh sweet girl, there is never a dull moment with you, but boy do we love it! 

Happy Friday Friends & Cheers to the weekend! 

Catstudio:

My love for Catstudio began a long time ago {maybe close to 10 years ago} when I visited my family out West. I saw that my Aunt had purchased some new pillows that adorned the sofa in the bonus room. Each pillow different, each pillow unique, but what I noticed was that each pillow had a little bit of family meaning behind it {whether it was memories from a special vacation or where they owned a vacation home}. These incredible hand embroidered pillows were something I knew I wanted in my own home one day, I just didn't know what my story behind them would be. 

Low and behold I married a man in the Military and his career has taken us from Coast to Coast and now back where it all began! When we made our first move out to California it dawned on me, that one day I would love to finally have the Catstudio Pillows in every place that we live! Steven was less than thrilled and not quite on board with my theory because the pillows are a little pricey. Our next move happened, and then the next, and then the next. Each place I would remind him of how  neat it would be to have a pillow {gotta keep the bug in his ear} ;)!

Now we are settled in to our 5th home together {5th home but only 4th location because we have lived here before}, and Steven surprised me like no other... 

He has officially started my pillow collection! 

I am so in love with Our story behind each of these pillows and all of the memories they bring to us! Jacksonville is where I was born & raised, it is where Steven and I met & married; Charleston was Charli's second home, it is where Crew was born, and so many other moments & memories we have there. I cannot wait to add California & Rhode Island and neither can Charli because she wants "her" California pillow since that is where she was born! ;) haha. These pillows will adorn our front sitting room as we have four perfect chairs for all four pillows to sit {it's like it was meant to be}! 

If you have never heard of Catstudio before you need to head on over to their website and look. They offer so many great things like these geography collection pillows to dish towels, cups, and even collegiate designs! 

Happy Thursday & Happy Shopping! 

Catching Moments: {6/52}:

 *Naps 

This week has definitely been one for the books. Both kids being sick with Hand Foot Mouth, myself officially catching Hand Foot Mouth from them {it's awful by the way and painful}. But these sickies do make for some pretty precious melt your momma heart moments. Catching Charli napping on the couch at random hours {which never happens} made my heart skip a beat. Even though she is a big 3 1/2 year old these days she will always be our baby girl. 

*Little Man washing his Hands

Crew has officially realized that he too can stand on the stool in the kitchen and see everything happening on the counters. He now carries it to every location in the kitchen just to take a peek. One of his favorite things to do is washing his hands. He will carry it to the sink and stand there and wait for me to help him. Oh I could eat him up I love him so!

Crew Benjamin: 18 Month Update:

Happy Half Birthday to the sweetest little {sick} boy in all the land! How is he this close the being TWO... It has been a rough week watching both our babies so sick with this nastiness. I would not wish Hand Foot Mouth on anyone. This virus falls into the category of Measles and unfortunately there is no treatment or medication to help get rid of it or prevent it. Just one of those things that has to work its way through their little systems. We are so thankful that the worst is behind us and we are on the road to recovery and being healthy again {but that face... Ugh, says it all. As he is itching his rash}. 

Well it has been a fun and busy few months since his Last Update. He has already had his second hair cut and looks more and more like such a big boy every day. We celebrated his second Thanksgiving, made his first trip out to Gig Harbor and met his Great Grandparents and so many family members, we moved into his third Home {yes, 3 homes in his short little life... gotta love the military life!}, celebrated his second Christmas, and have made more memories with his Nana, Papa, and Aunties and Uncles than I could ever have dreamed of. We are so happy to be back in Jacksonville and couldn't imagine being anywhere else! 

Crew is seriously the sweetest most lovable little boy. He truly melts our heart every day. Even when he is getting in trouble he is so gosh darn cute that I can't stand it. He has had his first couple of Timeouts recently. Crew is going to be our biter/hitter I'm afraid. We never once had an issue with Charli biting or hitting anyone {still haven't}, but Crew seems to enjoy bitting... And the thing is, he does it when he is happy and excited, not when he is trying to be mean. I think we are going to have our work cut out for us! haha. But even through all of that, the amount of love that little boy has for his family is so incredible and contagious. He loves SO fiercely! We love you so much Crew Benjamin and cannot believe you are already 1 and a half years old! 

Crew's Stats:

*Weight: 30LBS

*Height: 33.5 INCHES

*Diaper Size: Pampers Swaddlers Size 5

*Clothes: Anywhere between 18 months and 2T

*Teeth: 12 teeth. He is currently cutting all 4 canines. 

*Sleep: We feel truly blessed to have two amazing sleepers {seriously, how did we get so lucky}. He still naps so incredibly well and sleeps through the night and is so easy going down. 

morning nap: We are basically over morning nap, except for school days for Charli. He will usually fall asleep at some point in the car ride to/from taking her to school in the morning.

afternoon nap: Nap time is between 12:30 PM and 1 PM, after lunch, and he sleeps 3 hours every day if not more. 

bedtime: He goes down at 7 PM and wakes up between 7:30 AM and 8 AM.

*Food: breakfast: He will typically eat a bowl of cereal because big sis does and he wants to be just like her. But he LOVES when we make bacon & eggs and waffles

lunch: A typical day consists of a slice of turkey and string cheese {though I think he is getting tired of this, because he wants my full on BLT if I make one}, or a PB&J, grapes, strawberries, veggie sticks. 

dinner: Whatever I cook. Some of his favorites are still Taco Tuesday, pasta, pizza, chicken, and he even loves my Thai Peanut Chicken I make. 

snacks: Yogurt, Applesauce, fruit, goldfish, veggie sticks, and we have started giving him fruit snacks here and there and he is just like his momma {it's my guilty pleasure}!!!! 

milk: This kid is still all about his milk. We go through 4 gallons a week {A WEEK!!}

*Words: It has been a huge couple of months for words for this boy!! YAY! {Charli knew 60 words, 12 animal sounds, 12 body parts, knew some of her ABC's, and could say several phrases} So yeah, it has been SO hard for us not to compare but we are really focusing on our sweet boy and the way HE is learning. And at the end of the day he is doing great and is probably more on the "normal" track... Charli was just so above average. Crew's words consist of: Mama, Dada, Nana, Papa, Yaya {uncle yaya}, Bo {Bogey}, Bay-Boo {Bailey boo}, Hi, Bye, Bowl, Baba {bottle}, Wawa {water}, Tick Tick {when he is trying to tickle you}, Uh Oh, and the amount of jabbering he does because he is legit trying to have a conversation with you. He can show you where is head is, nose, mouth, eyes, cheeks, belly, hands, and yes his pee pee {hahaha}. He can do a few animal sounds: dog, owl, monkey, he knows what a fishy does and what a giraffe does {we are getting there, haha}. And a big one is even though he can't say "A" or "B" {although he probably can}, if you ask him to go get you the "A" block or the "B" block, he can. 

*Social: His social calendar has been pretty packed since being back in Jax! He gets to spend so much time with all of his family and loves when his Great Grandma Boo Boo and Aunt Shay babysit! He has made so many new friends and we feel so blessed to have not only our best friends and friends we have known for so long but to have a truly wonderful group of military friends with little ones who we have become so incredibly close with in such a short time! I see a lot of little girlfriends for this little hunk! ;) A big thing that just happened was he {and Charli} were just noticed and I was contacted about them being models! Yes, baby models. I can't even! I have a feeling his "social calendar" is about to grow!! ;)

*Other: Crew still loves bath and loves to brush his teeth, he is still incredibly ticklish, and really just loves to play, follow, and do whatever Charli is doing. Crew has a new bruise basically every other day from running into walls, chairs, falling off couches, tripping and falling into corners of just about anything {seriously, moms with multiple boys, I don't know how you do it. I have so much anxiety with him}. 

And for fun, a little look back

1 month// 6 months// 1 year// 1.5 years

Happy Half Birthday Crew Benjamin! 

Mommy, Daddy, & Charli love you so much! 

Valentine's Cards 2016:

Happy Thursday Friends! 

With Valentine's a few short days away I wanted to go ahead and share Charli's Valentine's we made this year! I was both excited and nervous this year because I wanted Charli to specifically tell me what she wanted to give all of her little friends {and well, it's Charli, so you never know what is going to come out of that girls mouth} ;)! I was so excited though when she said she really wanted to give her friends Pirate Booty "betause that is MY fav-wit snack mommy and I fink ALL my fwiends would love it"! {great choice girlfriend!}! 

The only thing I needed to purchase was the Pirate Booty. I had everything else on hand. I came up with the slogan and with a super quick couple clicks in Avery I printed off these little business cards and made them into the perfect little tags. A quick hole punch to both the card and very top of the bags and tied off with string, they were complete! 

You ARRRRRRRRRR My favorite Valentine!

Charli is absolutely devastated though as she has had to miss school all week and will unfortunately have to miss school tomorrow which is her Valentine's Party :(. She has been looking forward to it but both her and Crew caught Hand Foot Mouth Disease and we are all living in bubbles quarantined inside our house as we do not want to infect anybody {thankfully they are finally acting themselves, just still no appetites, but they are still contagious}. We do have the absolute sweetest friends though at her school and they are going to still make her her Valentine's basket with all of the goodies from her little friends and are going to deliver it to the house {melt}. She is going to be so surprised when they show up!! I have lots of festive plans up my sleeve for her to really make Friday and this weekend special for the both of them! 

I hope everyone has a wonderful day! 

Our Home Decor: Valentine's Edition:

Happy Monday Friends! 

I hope everyone enjoyed their weekend and enjoyed the Super Bowl last night! I loved seeing what everyone was doing and what fun treats were being made. I cannot believe that Valentine's Day is less than a week away! Crazy right. 

As our kids get older, every single holiday {big or small} gets so much more fun and I absolutely love it! My love for decorating has really started to rub off on Charli and it makes my design heart oh so happy! When I change out the decor at night while they are asleep Charli will exclaim with such joy the next morning; 

"Oh mommy, the man-tall looks soooooo fab-ilus! I just love what you did" {melt}.

And that my friends is just one of the little reasons why I do what I do! Seeing them light up at something so simple makes me so incredibly happy! 

So here is a little glimpse into what our home looks like for Valentine's Day!

Front Door:

Front Sitting Room:

*a quick change of ribbon and a little homemade burlap banner makes for a festive wreath.

Family Room:

*you can find all the DIY's for the galvanized letters, feather arrows, and vintage love letters that I made last year Here. All three were so simple and I love the simple rustic touch it gives!

*I still love framing Charli's masterpieces she creates but I really need to update them and start to include poor Crew! haha.

And I can't forget about the beautiful bouquet of roses my man surprised me with a little early! Nothing beats fresh flowers in the home and it's one thing I always try to have!  

Happy Week Ahead & Happy Decorating! 

Recipe: Buffalo Chicken Dip:

Happy Super Bowl Sunday! 

I want to first say thank you for all the kind words about my not feeling well. I think some of it has to do with some new medication my Doctors have put me on. We will be getting to the bottom of it soon hopefully. Today was a good day though and I am very thankful I was feeling a little more myself especially since both kids spiked fevers today. One great week for us I tell ya!

But on to the reason for the post...

This dip is one of my go-to's for football season, is probably one of the easiest things to make, and is especially delicious. So what better time to share it than Super Bowl Sunday! Instead of being able to enjoy this with my friends at a Super Bowl Party {which was the plan} I will be enjoying it in my sweats with two sick babes that I'm sure I will be tending to all night long!

Ingredients: 

*1 1/2 cup cooked & shredded chicken {I don't measure it, I just eye ball it and it is super easy to use a Rotisserie chicken}

*1 8 ounce package cream cheese {softened}

*1/2 cup Ranch

*1/2 cup Buffalo Wing Sauce

*3/4 cup Shredded Cheddar Cheese

*Blue Cheese Crumbles

Preparation:

Heat Chicken & Buffalo Sauce in skillet until heated through.

Stir in Cream Cheese & Ranch Dressing.

Cook, stirring until well blended & warm.

Mix in Shredded Cheese.

Pour into shallow dish.

Sprinkle Blue Cheese Crumbles on top and pop in oven on Broil until melted.

Serve! 

With a side of Omission Pale Ale, Yum! 

Catching Moments: {5/52}:

*Tea Party for Two

I have not been feeling well this week. I have been so incredibly sick and unfortunately am waiting to hear if a second surgery is in my very near future. As I was laying on the couch one afternoon in tears, Charli walked over to me, took her tiny little pointer finger, and as she wiped the tear rolling down my cheek she said "Mommy, I fink I have somefing that will make you feel betta... I made you some choca-lit tea". {melt}.  

*Timeouts

What happened to our sweet and innocent little boy who could do no wrong? Crew has had his first {few} timeouts this week. This boy still melts our heart every single day and is still the biggest love but he has now entered the hitting and biting stage which Charli never did and it is taking a tole on us all. The sad thing is he will normally bite Charli when he is actually happy/playing/being nice... haha! {not ok dude, not ok}.