a sorta vacation

So sometimes Dave has to be gone for a week or so for business and, while that totally stinks, it is such a treat to be living close enough to my parents so that I can just pop down there for the week and hang out with them.


This time was a bit more of an adventure beeeecause...my parents are redoing their kitchen.  So we definitely played upstairs more, ate out more than usual, and made do with a make-shift mini kitchen in the garage.  It was a party ;)  But playing with Grammy and Poppy 24/7 is worth it!

Those morning toes at the breakfast table just kill me, and have I mentioned I need to buy white sheets?  Also that little confused mug is my favorite.

That little intense face is stinkin' hilarious, but not characteristic of our little dude.  That mug on the right side is more his everyday face ;)

Bath time is just that much more fun at Grammy's house.

Sleepy baby cuddles are the best and the little dude's neck has just been getting strong enough lately to start flying around the house.  He's still warming up to it, but I kinda love it.

Once Dave got back in town we went out for lunch with some of my parents friends and Clark was a champ restauranteur.  Classy little dude.

And waking up to Grammy on a Sunday morning somehow makes those cheeks extra chubby and delicious.

And last, but not least, cousin Bella was pretty great with the babe this time around.  They're a couple of buds these two.

Thanks for having us for the week mom and dad!  I'm sure we'll be back soon ;)

nursery tour

So we finally got the nursery up and going and, of course, that warrants a few pictures before it becomes a lived in and loved room.  Right now I'll revel in its clean walls and unused, pristine sheets.  It won't be long now before baby boy claims it as his own!!  Due date is officially one week away and I'm a ball of nerves and excitement over here.

I kind of didn't mean to, but we ended up with this turquoise accent cropping up throughout the whole room.  The lamp (we already owned), the quilt (a sweet gift), the prints (a re-purposed calendar), they just all kept bringing this lovely blue/green back in and I just decided to stop fighting it ;)

This crib was a major steal off of Craigslist that I found when we were only 5ish months along.  It felt SO good to check off such a big ticket item so soon and I kind of love it.

These sweet city prints are from an old Rifle Paper Co. calendar that I decided were too cute not to be used again and I adore that print of Mt Timpanogos.  It was one of my favorite sights in Utah and I love having it be front and center over the crib (and, of course, it's turquoise so, you know, it goes).

We found this sweet little wooden animal banner on Etsy and it's among my favorite things in this room.  It's such a tiny thing that adds just a touch of love to such a simple crib.  It'll probably come down soon - once baby boy figures out how to grab things - but for now it's my favorite.

I'm also a bit in love with our rocking chair.  I kept going back and forth about it.  Some reviews were stellar, while others said it was much to rigid and not nearly comfy enough to rock a new babe in.  Well, I'm happy to report that it's a pretty perfect chair for me.  It's definitely not a squishy LazyBoy kind of ride, but it's just soft and comfy enough with room to break it in just a bit.  I've taken to curling up in that corner in the mornings with my book and rocking away.  Pretty sure baby boy and I will be plenty happy here.

I was a bit stumped about how to arrange things over the changing table, but they finally came together and I think I'm pretty happy about it.   I love the idea of a chalkboard that can be changed up as he gets older, but right now that sweet little bassinet just kills me.

Annnnnndd that's a rap!  Hopefully baby boy will like his little space as much as I do, but to be honest, I'm pretty sure he won't care one bit.  He'd probably be just as happy sleeping in a laundry basket in a room with blank white walls.  We all know the nursery is for the momma ;)

a little R&R

This was one of the first weekend since we've moved where we found ourselves completely devoid of plans (except a two-year-old's birthday party, but we're talking big commitments here.  PS the party was a ball).  Something about having no obligations rang sweet to me and sleeping in shamefully late on Saturday didn't phase me in the least.  July, you are the best.

In honor of such a lazy few days we spent a good chunk of time just enjoying this new place we call home, and I gotta tell you, it's getting to me.  Pasadena, you are delightful.  We shambled up to Colorado Avenue, slipped through shops, sipped on sugary drinks, peeked in at City Hall and drove home again in 5 minutes.  A successful $5 date night I think.  What more could one want?

I also can't get over the view we have from our bedroom balcony.  I know it's not anything shmancy, but give me a courtyard with a few palm trees and some buttery golden hour light and I'm a happy camper.  Doesn't take much to please this girl.

I guess what I'm trying to say is, we kinda like it here.  Hope baby boy agrees.

last week

I could rewind and do last week over again and not be sad about it at all.  Brookie Sue, newly made BYU Cougar of two days, still needed to - ahem - graduate from high school.  Little details.  So all the sister-in-laws and cutest of nieces flew in for the occasion and enjoyed some quality sister bonding time.  It was so fun.

On Tuesday the ladies came up to do lunch, check out our new place, and stroll Colorado Blvd for the afternoon.  Oh, and whisk me away back to Orange County.  Dave wasn't too happy about that last part, but he joined us Wednesday night for graduation festivities.  He also got to meet baby Hazel for the first time which sort of melted my new-to-be-momma heart.  In a good way.  He's gunna be a pretty great daddy.

As seen above, we had a hard time keeping that babes away from the water.  She was pretty unimpressed by it, but there's something so fun about getting a cute baby wet.  Can't.  Resist.

Kristin and I also decided there was probably no better way to compare our twinner bumps than in our swimsuits.  Can't wait for our little cousins to be best buds come November!  

Later we got ourselves cleaned up and off to see our new graduate.   The big sister in me still can't believe this lady is in college.  So weird.  And great.  But a lot of weird.

Also, side note, the smell of that hot, rubbery track took me right back to high school running laps upon laps upon laps for cross country and track coaches galore.  I might have had a mini panic attack and then felt the most delicious relief when I remembered that I am now an adult and not a freshman in high school gearing up for the two mile.  Sweet freedom.  Funny how smells can do that to you, huh?

And David was a #1 uncle and kept little H entertained for a good portion of the ceremony.  Can you say baby fever?  This boys got it.

After we got Hazel and Megan off on a plane Friday morning - and mom and I did some serious relaxing - we geared up for the last festivity of the week: a baby shower!  Kristin was back off to Indiana Sunday morn, so her friends threw her a party on Saturday before she left.  We munched on delicious treats, played with baby toys, and had a grand ol' time.  That view of the Pacific from the back balcony didn't hurt either...

And that was a wrap. I just am never going to complain about a week spent like this one full of family, fun, and sweet babies.  Bring it on.

the send off committee

Somebody's gotta send a girl off to her last homecoming dance, and we were that such committee Saturday afternoon.  We curled her hair (feelin' pretty proud about how it turned out), tried to embarrass her in from of her date (didn't work), took pictures (sooo many pictures) of her and her group, and then sent them off to dance the night away.  I'd call it a success.

I'm still trying to come to grips with the fact that my little sister is a senior in high school.  When did that happen?  Wasn't I just going to my last homecoming...yesterday?  How time flies.  Before I know it she's going to be graduating and on her way to college.
Then I'll really freak out.

PS - All 5 seasons of Chuck are now on Netflix.  Happy, happy Monday.

happy fall y'all

Yesterday it was so delightfully fall-ish in Santa Clarita (I got to wear boots!  Simple pleasures my friends), and this morning it was fall-ish and again.  However it's forecast to be in the 70's by 1:00 so...I'm seriously considering going out to run errands this morning wrapped up in my sweater and busting out these babies again before the sun gets too warm:

Confession: I love the seasons and I love wearing warm, cozy clothes. 

In celebration of the fall-ish mood I got our decorations up, out, and dusted off.  I'm really digging these fun bats on our back wall (tutorial here) - and those damask pumpkins?  I die.  Truth be told, I'm not really that in to Halloween, and my fall decor usually consists of things that can get us through October and November too, but this year I couldn't resist a few bats and skeletons.  So sue me.

Now I think I'll bake some pumpkin bread - does this recipe not look so delicious?  I thought so too.