And Just like that...

My sweet Harper Shay turned one, ONE!!

 I am still asking myself how this happened so quickly.  People say it all the time, cherish every moment because they go by so quickly.  I know all of this, but quickly doesn't truly describe how fast this year has gone by, I would say lightning speed is much more appropriate. 

Ainsley's first birthday seemed to come really quickly, but I was prepared, mentally, emotionally, and physically (ya know, the party and all).  Here I am with Harper and her first birthday pops up, I was an emotional wreck for about the first three hours of last Friday.  Maybe it's because I do have Ainsley and everything else that has to be done.  I mean Harper's first year consisted of traveling back and forth to Ainsley's preschool, my school work, keeping up with housework, the shop, and now homeschooling Ainsely.  There was little time to just focus on Harper and Harper alone.  I had my moments, and made sure I made those moments if they didn't just happen, but it just didn't seem like enough time to fill up a year! But, just like that, whether I was ready or not, my baby is now a ONE YEAR OLD!

Under The Weather + A Shop Update

Well fall has finally come upon us, weather, colds and all!  Last Friday, Ainsley woke with an upset stomach, headache, and fever.  Yuck!  Thankfully she got plenty of rest that day and it only lasted about 24 hours.

  Then came Saturday and Harper woke up breathing a little funny then proceeded to hack her lungs up the rest of the day.  This continued and I finally called her Doctor Tuesday and she was diagnosed with Croup.  Double Yuck!  She was put on a steroid to keep any swelling in her airways down and is finally doing much better.  Of course, just as everyone else is getting better I get a mixture of both of their crud! Aghhhhh!

Along with all of the yuck going on here, I have been stretched about as thin as I can be!  If you weren't aware, I am still currently taking classes for an Interior Design degree.  Well, along with that I am homeschooling Ainsley, which is turning out to be quite the time consumer!  All the while I have my Etsy shop which has started picking up quite a bit (Hallelujah!) but finding time to fit everything into the day has been quite the task and this little blog has taken the toll! 

Well enough whining for now, I am going to try to get back to my regular blogging schedule as soon as this wretched class that I am in is over (next week!!!!!).  Until then, I will leave you with a little shop update.  If you don't follow my shop on Instagram (you should) you are missing out on a lot.  I have a giveaway going right now with some pretty awesome ladies!  Along with this giveaway I have also added a few new items!

Moccasins are now available!

Dark Chocolate Leather

Red Suede

Pumpkin Spice Suede

New Fun Tutu Onesies

And of course, being the Michael Jackson freaks we are, I had to do a Thriller inspired onesie for Halloween! 

Here is the amazing Giveaway going on right NOW!!  A winner will be chosen on Friday, so follow me and Instagram, find this post and follow the VERY simple rules!

Ainsley is 6!!!

That is a really hard reality to grasp!  Maybe that is why it has taken me almost two weeks to write this post.  My baby Ainsley is really 6 years old! We had her party on her birthday and she was so overjoyed.  We kept it pretty low key with a few of her friends and family at a little park.  She wanted a Powerpuff Girls cake, she really makes it easy on me!  

Watching her grow and learn the past six years has been such a joy!  She has always has the sweetest most giving heart.  She lights up a room the moment she enters and always thinks of other people before herself.  We are so blessed to call her our own and I couldn't be more proud of the little lady she has become!  I have to make sure I soak this time up, before I know it she will be 16!

I hear my babies calling my name and I know that they're the only ones

So it's super late in the week to do a weekend recap but oh well!  Technically Monday was part of the weekend so I am only 3 days late!

This past weekend Scott and I flew to Atlanta to meet up with his Aunt and drove down to Alabama to spend the weekend on the lake. 

We had a blast, so naturally here is a photo dump!

Our view from the house!

And from the boat

Scott took driving the boat very seriously, as he does most things!

The sunsets on the lake are unreal!

Our last day had a lot of rain, and this happened!  

It was so so hard to leave, but once we were on the plane "I was hopin' for Raleigh, I can see my babies tonight".  Coming home to them made leaving the lake much easier!  

Hope you all had a fantastic holiday weekend as well!

8 & 9 Month Updates

8 Months:

// She is crawling and pulling up on everything!
// We have officially stopped nursing.  She lost a few ounces at her last check up and her Doctor recommended that I give her a bottle after nursing, and well, she seemed to prefer her ba ba!
// She eats three solid food meals (table food now) and roughly 4 8-ounce bottles.
//  She is constantly babbling: Dada, Baba and blowing lots of raspberries
// She is still sleeping through the night! Wahoo!
// She has 2 teeth and one making it's way through on the top.
// She is still a major Mama's girl!
// She has such a big personality

9 Months

// Still crawling and getting into EVERYTHING!

//  She is pulling up and cruising around things now.

//  She has two bottom teeth and 1/2 of a top tooth

//  Mama's girl :)

//  She can say Dada and clap her hands, she really wants to wave bye bye and is working really hard!

//  She thinks she is just as big as Ainsley and should be able to do whatever she does!

//  She take 2-3 naps, unless we are away from home, then she never sleeps.

//  She loves chicken, blueberries, bananas, and well, basically just food!

//  She is so silly and loves to make faces

Headband // Onesie-Carter's (similar)

Munchkin Must Haves >> 6-9 Months!

Yowza!  It's been 3 months since my last Muchkin Must Haves post!  Time to play a little catch up!  I have put together a list of things that have made our lives easier these past few months.

I love you through and through - This is such a cute book!  Harper loves books with drawings where the faces are really big.  She is getting more interested in looking at the pictures as opposed to tasting them.

Michael Jackson Onesie - Don't stop 'till you get enough! I love this onesie, but onesies in general are a must have around here now that Harper is crawling.  As much as I would love to put her in a dress every now and then, it makes it impossible for her to crawl.  So, cute onesies are a staple!

Hylands Teething Tablets - I love any natural remedy as opposed to medicines.  These teething tablets have been a life saver!  When Harper first started teething I was giving her Tylenol but really didn't like giving it to her every night. I was skeptical at first but super impressed at how well they work!  They last for a long time too!

Paci Wipes - These are great to keep on hand.  Harper doesn't take a paci but has just started playing the "throw everything on the floor game", so these are nice to have to clean up her toys when she launches them onto dirty store floors!

Munchkin Baby Food Maker - I have mentioned in the past that I make all of Harper's food and this thing has been essential in doing so.  I am using it less and less now, just because Harper is able to eat chunkier foods, but in the beginning this was great for pureeing her food, and it's cheap!

Dino Ball Popper - Harper is much more interested in playing these days.  She loves this ball popper and dances along with the music.  The large opening also makes it easy for littles to learn how to put the balls into it.

Edge Cushion - Harper has been pulling up on EVERYTHING!  These cushions make that a whole heck of a lot safer!  We put them around the fireplace to keep her busy little noggin safe!

Duck Spout Cover - We have had this since Ainsley was a baby, but there are cuter versions out now!  Either way, a spout cover is really important with a mobile one.  It keeps them from bumping into the hard and sharp edges of the bathtub spout.

Outlet Covers - I love these outlet covers.  Unlike the old outlet covers, these are SO much easier to remove (for adults) but still keeps littles from playing with outlets.  

Walk Behind Stroller - Harper is on the cusp of walking and this is such a cute little toy!  It is weighted enough so she can pull up on it without it flipping over.  Plus she can put her little dolls in it and push them around.  She is still learning how to move with it but we are getting there!

 I am sure I am missing something, but for the most part these are some of the items that have really been helpful so far!

Weekend Recap

O.K. technically this is a Thursday recap, but this weekend was a washout and Thursday felt enough like the start of the weekend so it counts in my book!  The temperatures around here lately have been amazing, so we took advantage and took the girls to the park.

Horrible Mama moment when I forget knee pads AND a helmet!

Little stinker

Oh I love them so!

One shoe on, one shoe off, diddle diddle dumpling

Boy oh boy does she like to swing!  Total opposite of her sister!

Hope you all had a nice Thursday  weekend!

 

Pin It & Spin It >> Round 9

There are a few changes to Pin It & Spin It.  For one, I will be flying solo for a while. And two, I have decided to do away with the link up part, it will now just be a weekly post!  This may change in the future, it all depends!

Any hoo!  The pinspiration for this week's outfit can be found here.

This look screams fall to me, and let's be honest, it really should be fall by now!  However, here in NC the temperatures and humidity don't quite reflect my internal seasonal calendar. Boo!

So instead of trying to recreate this outfit exactly, which I am definitely planning on doing when it gets cooler, I chose a skirt instead of pants and a necklace in place of the scarf.

Shirt: Thrift

Skirt: Thrift

Belt: Ross

Booties: Target

Watch: Target

Knuckle Rings: Charlotte Russe

Earring: Target

Apparently, from the frequency that I am grabbing my necklace, I thought surely it was going to choke me!

Here is next weeks pinspiration:

source