Weekend Whereabouts

It’s been forever since I’ve shared what we’ve been up to and these are my favorite posts to look back on.. I love seeing what we were doing a few years ago and even just a few months ago (assuming I’d been up to date on posts.. Ha!) so I figured why not bring those back?!

We had a busy weekend of travel- and on Friday after daycare and work, we headed to my Dad and Stepmom’s house about two hours away from us. Aye aye aye, its usually always worth the headache of the travel (and it was in this case!) but man, the crying of not just one but TWO babies gets to be a little rough! I think Annabelle cried for the last hour in the car.. and not just cried but SCREAMED and was gurgling because homegirl just does not breathe when she’s that upset. Made for a fun car ride….

I always forget to pull out my phone when we’re busy so a big thanks to my Stepmom for grabbing these!

Thankfully, once we got to my Dad’s, the girls could all stretch and get out! They live near a lake so we headed down to their access so Magnolia could do a little fishing. The twins LOVED the wagon ride (Magnolia got the golf cart ride) and Clementine couldn’t stop waving at anyone she saw outside with saing “Hello!”. It was pretty cute.

Magnolia refused to touch the fish after she caught them but Clementine really enjoyed touching them and putting her little finger in its mouth after seeing Grandpa do it..

Saturday, we just hung out for the day and headed back down to the lake for more fishing and sand time for the twins! It rained off and on so we stayed close by and the guys got out golfing.

Honestly, this girl would have ROCKED vacation if she could have gone in the sand and water!

Annabelle loved the sand and Clementine loved trying to walk out on the pier. No joke, she seems to be our adventurous one as of now.. They kept running around the grassy area with snacks and just were giggling as they ran!

Do I need to post a million pictures?? No but since I have them, why not?!

Meanwhile… Big sis (as the twins call Magnolia) was doing this with her big cousin.

Can’t believe my niece will be a senior this year!!

Then Magnolia took a break from fishing and her and Clementined enjoyed the golf cart 🙂

And then also enjoyed being out on the pier and in the water with Nean!

While Annabelle enjoyed alllll the snacks!

We ended our weekend with a trip to the Milwaukee Zoo to meet up wtih my inlaws for a food truck type event.

The twins loved seeing the elephants and giraffes – let’s be real, any animal they could actually see – ha! It’s hard when you have to try and find the animals in their areas or when you’re in the stroller where the railings are the exact height…………..

Magnolia loved the music (of course the animals), the face painting and the carousel.

Annabelle, on the other hand, hated it. I wish I had a picture from the first time she went on it – it was the saddest thing as she held onto it crying (with her head on the bar where her hands were). She was riding with Logan’s cousin, Jenna and she had to just grab her off while it was still going! They thought maybe it was the motion going up and down that she didn’t like so they gave it another shot but turns out she just isn’t a fan!

Did I mention she loved the face painting? Aye aye aye – what happened to just getting a small little animal on your cheek or something?

Magnolia got to ride on a pony too – her first time and she loved that too! She kept saying “Mommuy, I got this! I don’t need you to hold me” as I walked next to it trying to avoid all the poop that happened to be alllll over.

Love her “cheese” face… always.

Clementine was really hoping she was big enough to go on but she’ll have to go next year!

Annabelle was more into the birds than the Hippos apparently!

I didn’t take my phone out for any pictures (I think I got like 2 total) so thankful for others having theirs out to grab some pics! We headed home and enjoyed a peaceful 2 hour drive…………. Did I say peaceful? I meant this time, Clementine screamed and cried the last hour instead of Annabelle. Gosh, so fun!!

It was a full weekend and honestly, I’ve traveled the last 3 weeks in a row so I’m beyond exhausted! Such a fun weekend though and I’m reminded that our summer days will be coming to an end too soon so we need to soak it all in!

Hope you had a fabulous weekend as well – and looking forward to a busy week!

Kristi

Friday Favorites!

It’s been a hot minute since I shared some favorites around here so thought it was time! Super random things but

One

These picture boxes! I was having a hard time thinking of how I wanted to preserve pictures for my girls for when they’re older. I don’t only want them to only have digital pictures but actual photographs too! I thought about a Shutterfly type book for every year or even a photo album but honestly.. they don’t want 18 picture books to have to take with them after they’re done being at home!

Picture boxes

Enter these picture “boxes”. The only flaw is there is only 16 so I’ll have to do some more thinking BUT basically each box will hold at least 50 pictures so I’m going to do the year on each individual box and add the pictures for each of our girls for those corresponding years! Then when they move out, they just have this box versus 18 albums! Again, I need to figure out my last 2 years but still, a great idea!

Two

Ok it’s kinda gross how long I’ve done a deep clean in so many areas of our house but now that I got this tool, it helps with alllll the areas!

Multi purpose rubber scrubber

It helped in our shower big time since we have tile – it gets in all the areas nicely! Also helped with the outside of our microwave and the stove top! Just a great tool and only $17 which is nice too!

Three

Get yourself these cookies from Aldi stat. They may not be the healthiest but they taste just like Chips Ahoy!

Four

Now hear me out on this one… my sweet Magnolia has my hair – which basically means it’ll never really grow until she’s maybe pregnant like mine did?! I swear I always had such a short Afro or curls and it really took until now for me to be able to even do a braid in my own hair!

Not the best quality aka it won’t last a super long time without getting real tangled but still cute. Elsa Frozen wig

She has an “Elsa braid” that’s supposed to connect to your ponytail and stay in but because her hair is so thin and she doesn’t have much of it, it was constantly pulling and wouldn’t stay in so instead, I got her this Elsa wig and she’s OBSESSED! So if your little is similar, this one is actually pretty good and only $15! Or if you need one for Halloween, it’s a good one.

Five

All the outside time! These girls are obsessed with being outside. Literally the messages from daycare every day tell me how much they love it (and I know they do at home too!).

They will stand at the sliding glass door and pound on it until we say we can go outside 🤣

I know I’ll miss these days when we’re stuck inside for 6 months but sometimes I really wish they were more into sitting and playing inside!

Six

I took Magnolia out of daycare early on Wednesday this week and surprised her with a trip to the pool with 2 of our neighbors.

She was so excited and kept saying “we’ve never been to a place like this before!” And she’s very accurate, we’ve never been to a public pool before 🤦🏻‍♀️🤣 legit, never except maybe an indoor pool at a hotel. I’m looking forward to doing this for all my girls next year when the twins are a little older – so they get individual time with me!

Kristi

Who am I?

I mentioned last week on Instagram, that I’ve been having a hard time since having the twins and moving here last year.. Things have somewhat quieted down with the twins and our craziness (who am I kidding, it’s still a shit show for anyone watching!) and it’s given me a chance to say “who am I? what are we doing?”.

Last week, I traveled away from the girls for the first time for work. My inlaws have only taken all 3 girls at once one time so I’m just used to being with the girls! So when the thought of having to leave the girls for multiple nights (and be in another state), I kind of lost it. I was nervous – and honestly, i’m not sure what for after it’s all said and done. BUT before that, I was anxious. I wanted to go since it was back “home” to Minneapolis but I also wanted them to be there too. (it was also very weird to not go to our old home after work meetings/dinner vs the hotel down the road) Momming is a funny thing, isnt it? I’ve been dying for some alone time and when the opportunity comes, I’m nervous and going the opposite way!

I love me a good patio and happy hour drinks and food!

Rewind to a few nights before leaving to Minneapolis and it hit me… the person I was when we lived there doesn’t feel like the person I am now. I feel like i’m just lost – like what do I enjoy doing outside of the kids? I used to love fashion, blogging and the occasional photoshoot prep for Magnolia. I feel like for so many years, it was getting the girls here; infertility, miscarriages, failed IUIs, multiple rounds of IVF, difficult deliveries and then you know, being a Mom to Magnolia and Twins.. that it’s hard to imagine my world involving anything but them. And when you’re busy with the kids before work, then work all day and then it’s nonstop after work, it’s hard to have time for yourself anyway.

Before we moved here, I had friends. This sounds funny, but honestly, I didn’t see those friends often. A few of them, I did a little more, but others I saw only when we had annual parties. There were basically groups of friends and we weren’t good enough friends with any of them to be included in their normal every day things they did together but yet after being here, I was yearning for those friendships.

Since we moved here, I’ve met a few different people but I find that I’m making more effort and not much being reciprocated that it makes me question myself as well. It’s difficult when the girls aren’t involved in a ton of activities for me to meet other parents at and I don’t see any of the parents at daycare pick up to start conversations with – it left me wondering where do you meet people when you’re older? I work from home so there’s another avenue for meeting people that I don’t quite have. Then the question was, what do you even talk about these days with said “friends” you’re trying to make? Ha!

Logan and I are so different in that he knows what he enjoys; golf and he’s more than happy going by himself and being paired up with whomever. So this doesnt bother him as much – but he knew this was a bigger deal for me.

Honestly, this is how I felt before my trip last week. I can tell you though, my thoughts changed after my work trip. It felt so good to be back where we’ve lived the last 11 years; where i’ve worked the last almost 10 years. It felt good to see people in person (not enough to not want to work from home!) and to just make me feel more confident with all the work I do. I have a good job but sometimes when you’re working from home, it doesn’t feel as “professional” aka KRISTI GET READY EVERY MORNING!!! Ha! Need to work on that still versus mid day before I grab the girls!

I saw a couple of my girlfriends briefly for a happy hour and a dinner and I can’t even tell you how amazing that was. Not worrying about their thoughts of me, not worrying about who I am with them but just being me and being able to talk about everything and anything. It just felt good to be me. I came back feeling more refreshed and remembering who I am a little more.

I’m ready to see them all again (and more!) next month for a wedding we’ll be attending in our old neck of the woods! I know Logan’s excited as well. It’ll be our first “getaway” and I wish it was for longer because it’ll go real fast for basically a night in the cities but it’ll be nice to be us again too!

I’m stll thinking of ways to meet people more and to find people I “click” with more but until then, I’ll survive! All that to say, if you’re in the same boat of “who am I? They say it takes a village … do they just show up??” then you’re not alone! We’ll all get there and if you have any tips or suggestions, let me know that too!

As I lay with Magnolia one more time tonight, (that girl can extend bedtime for almost an hour – I swear!) I’m reminded of how fortunate I truly am for the life I have and my family. I am beyond blessed with my three girls and I thank God every day for them. There was a time when I didn’t think I’d be a Mama so when I’m down on myself, I’m reminded when I look at them of how lucky I am that I might not have time for all the other stuff.

Kristi

Weekend Whereabouts

We have had a few busy weekends and y’all… i’m here for it! Yes, it’s WAY more stressful and a lot more work with the kids but it’s just so nice to have plans versus sit at home every weekend! We did that for way too long the last few years so it feels good to finally do things. I told my Stepmom, the other week that even if it’s hard, I want to start doing more with the girls (meaning the twins) like going out and about or visiting people. I feel like for so long, we were being cautious with Covid and then it’s just A LOT of work getting 2 babies out the door along with a toddler but it’s been nice to have plans for once!

On that note… we kicked off the weekend with a sleepover for Magnolia at Mimi and Papa’s house (my inlaws). She hasn’t done many sleepovers and honestly, nights have been REALLY hard with her so we weren’t sure how she’d do (aka if she’d sleep or make someone lay by her all night) but she did pretty good and thankfully, I think she’ll be welcomed back again for a sleepover 🙂 We got to spend some much needed 1:1 time with the twins that night and the next morning and it’s crazy how easy it seems with 2 babies (without a toddler). It was a win for everyone though because Magnolia got some time by herself with my inlaws and we got time with just the littles.

I met them down at my in-laws house on Saturday and we headed out to the zoo for an Easter Egg Hunt. It was a little blistery so we all bundled up (aside from Magnolia who insisted on not wearing a winter jacket) and headed out!

She enjoyed the games they had the most but did love seeing the animals too – usually she’s craaaaazy about Easter Egg hunts but it wasn’t too hard when they had hundreds of eggs laying all over the ground!

We headed back to my in-laws (how many times can I say that in a blog post?!) for a little bit since the twins fell asleep on the ride back! I got home in time for dinner and then bath time for the babies – played with Magnolia and then headed out with a few neighbor gals for some drinks!

Sunday, we headed to tennis (for Magnolia!) and she shockingly hit the ball this time. She’s not very interested in the sport (to Logan’s dismay) so she isn’t usually doing much during the lesson- but this time she did great!

I should say, she’s usually the only kid in the lesson too which doesn’t help!

After tennis, we headed on down to my in-laws again for some Easter Cookie decorating and a meet and greet with the good ol’ Easter Bunny.

I thought for sure Clementine would scream immediately once placed in his arms (her stranger danger is off the charts) but she actually really liked him and sat super chill.

Annabelle enjoyed touching his face – ha! And Magnolia was so happy to see him until it was time to get close to him for a pic (so lucky Mama had to get in the picture)…

We headed back home later that afternoon and had a really wonderful poop in the bath tub incident with Clementine – so that was fun! Thankfully, Logan came home from tennis just in time and was able to help with the clean up.

That about sums up our weekend! Easter filled activities and now we’ll be dying some Easter eggs (with whipped cream! I can’t ever do the vinegar smell!) this week to get ready for the bunny to come visit!

Weekends like this remind me of why we moved here – thankful for all the extra hands!

Hope you all had a fun weekend!

Kristi

Granola

A few weeks back, I shared that I made my favorite granola on Instagram and it’s honestly SO good! I thought i’d share the recipe in case you’re looking for something a little healthier to snack on…

I got this recipe from my coworker about 7 years ago and ever since then, I make it multiple times a year. Even Magnolia likes it.. and she’s picky.

Oven: 325 Degrees

in a large bowl, mix the following ingredients:

1 large “box/silo” of original oats (cannot be instant!)

1.5 cup brown sugar

3 tbsp cinnamon

2-3 cups assorted nuts (I used almonds, sunflower kernels and cashews this last time but you can use any!)

Mix well.

On the stovetop in a small saucepan mix:

3/4 cup vegetable oil

1.5 cup honey

1 tbsp vanilla

Bring to a boil and stir into oat mixture.

Grease well with nonstick spray a large pan with sides (I use a roasting pan). Dump the granola mixture into the pan.

Place in pre-heated oven. STIR EVERY 10 MINUTES – THIS IS KEY!! Once slightly browned (about 20-30 mins), remove from oven. Cool and enjoy.

Beware, this makes a ton of granola but it can be kept in the freezer!

Let me know if you try this and how you like it!

Kristi

Monday Moments

My goodness, it’s been a week (and weekend!). Annabelle’s been sick – apparently just a cold based on all the tests and assessments from the doctor which is great but my goodness, she’s fussy!! She’s been home Thursday and Friday and then this weekend obviously and I’m ready for an actual FULL week with my kids all in daycare! It’s literally been since beginning of November…

Anyway – I’d love to say we had grand plans this past weekend but we live where it’s cold 6-8ish months out of the year (I’m talking realllll cold) and we have twin infants SO you do the math on that…

We did manage to sneak away for a quick dinner on Friday which was great! It was our first since we moved here and we didn’t plan ahead so by the time I called for a reservation, they only had 5:00 so we were home by 6:50 (and that included a quick pick up trip to Target).

It was so nice to have an adult conversation without the kids crying since I feel like they’re so fussy lately! Saturday, I ran a few errands with Magnolia and that was basically it! We got some Valentine balloons for a fun picture and decided that we’d rather jump on the bed and have a dance party 🙂

Annabelle also started to crawl on Saturday! She’s been rocking on her knees for about a month but just never moved and would cry so hard but she finally figured it out!

And we were all SO proud especially Magnolia 🙂

Clementine isn’t so interested but maybe once she sees Annabelle moving around, she’ll start more!

No filters around here 🤣

Sunday was another casual day with tennis practice in the mix for Magnolia. The girls were a bit fussy so we spent lots of time cuddling…

Magnolia baked some cookies.

And we attempted our Valentine craft. I made one when Magnolia was a baby and love putting it out on the counter every year so I wanted to do another one with all the girls.

I underestimated how big Clementine’s feet are so I doubt i’ll be able to really do my original thought.. so it’ll be letting Magnolia paint and decorate around their little feet and her hands instead. As long as it’s red and pink, it’ll ring Valentine’s Day 🙂

The rest of the day was play time mixed with some nail painting to match Mommy’s for Magnolia.

And that’s a wrap. I’m ready for our weekends to get more entertaining but also need our weather to warm up so we actually feel OK getting out and about – even for a walk with all three girls! If it’s warm where you live, count your blessings!

Have a great Monday!

Kristi

What I’m Loving..

Hi, Hi! It’s Sunday night and I’m exhausted from doing nothing but taking care of kids the last 2 days. I mean, they act like they really need us every second 🤣 The nerve, right? Good thing, they’re cute, right?! Anyway, I thought I’d share some random things I’ve been loving lately {including my little fam versus just products}!

One

I recently took Magnolia to the public library (her first time in a library) and she LOVED it. It wasn’t anything spectacular so I think we’ll look at other ones BUT she was really excited.

Gotta love that hat head 🤣

And it was nice to do something with her that doesn’t involve screen time! And it was completely dead so she got the run of the place (if that’s even a thing in a quiet library….).

Kept telling her she could bring the books home but she loved reading them there!

My Brother in law and Sister in law got us a year membership to the Children’s museum and we’re excited to give that try! I know she will LOVE going to that!

Love doing some one on one things with our big girl! Also.. can you tell I’m a little tired these days?! 😭

Two

It’s been a real struggle lately with Magnolia and listening – heck, I know she’s being a “normal” toddler but with two infants, we find our patience wears a little thin after asking her to do something/not do something 27 times. That 28th time… just can’t do it. BUT I have been trying to find different methods for discipline to figure out what will work for her. I recently read this book…

And it’s very interesting and different than I’d normally think for discipline. It helps you understand the toddler/child so that you can help before you get to those tantrum moments. And honestly, I’ve used a few methods this last week and it’s worked. It’s not golden but it helps curb some of those tantrums. I just realized I purchased this book December 2020…… and literally just finished it now 🤦🏻‍♀️

Three

This wrap. It’s literally wearing a blanket with arm holes so I can still work. It’s amazing.

It feels buttery soft like barefoot dreams but it’s only $25. I almost purchased the same barefoot dreams one last month for $89 on QVC and I’m so glad I waited! I have to say, this is so soft that Magnolia has been stealing it from me as soon as I put it on! That stinker…

Four

I’ve seen every blogger share this {so no shock to most!} but I finally gave in to try this Amazon sweater when it was on sale… it’s cute and I wish they had a pink one because I’d order that one ASAP!

I sized down to XS and it fits great!

Five

Logan and my mother in law had a bake off today and their desserts from Milk Bar (I think that’s the name!) we’re SO good!

Milk Bar crack pie

So random, but I didn’t even realize the cookies were a winner at one of my Christmas cookie exchanges! They’re realllllly good!

Recipe

Six

I’m totally jumping on the “belt bag” aka Fanny pack trend and thinking of purchasing this one.. it’s only $14 and would be really nice to grab and wear like a cross body when I don’t have the diaper bag with me!

Well, that’s all folks! I hope you had a fabulous weekend and start to your week!

Kristi

Christmas 2021 is in the books!

Happy Monday! Or end of day Monday so maybe Happy Tuesday! Lets wait to see if all of my kids are in daycare tomorrow and then we can see how happy it is…

Ugh, the struggle, am I right?! With Covid these days, I feel like we’re even more cautious to keep them out if they have any symptoms since daycare says if they have 2 symptoms, they need to be out (which these days, there’s 98 so it’s hard to really say) and had to have Clementine home last week two days due to an ear infection. The week before that, we had Annabelle home 2 days due to a cold (was negative for Covid thankfully!) and then Magnolia was sick with the stomach bug the next day and then the twins were exposed to Covid at daycare and they were out 10 days. I’m not kidding… I think my kids are out of daycare more often than in it and it’s a miracle if we get a full week of daycare for all 3 kids! So here’s to hoping they’re all in it for the rest of the week…. fingers crossed!

Anyways, over the weekend we had our last Christmas with my Dad and Stepmom. We traveled to them (about 2 hours away) for a few hours and it was our first trip longer than 30 mins with the twins in the car since we moved here in August. Kinda crazy – and of course, I thought if we timed it right then they’d nap in the car 2 hours and on the way home………… yeah we made it 25 mins for naps and then they were all awake for the remainder of the drive. Gotta love that. Thankfully they didn’t really cry too much at least!

My Dad with Clementine Irene (Irene is my dads grandmas name 😊)

We weren’t able to all get together for Christmas this year (for my family) so we had it separate with my Mom, the week before Christmas…

My Mom and Stepdad with the girls!

We baked cookies with my Mom when she was in town!

And then my Dad this past weekend.

It was a quiet day for my family christmases with just us and my parents but it’s been nice to catch up and the girls loved the one-on-one time! Hopefully this summer we can all get together!

My Dad with Annabelle

We were with my in-laws Christmas Day to celebrate and it’s honeslty the first time we’ve been with any family on Christmas since before Magnolia was born. Crazy to think that! But with Covid and Magnolia’s birthday on Christmas Day, we have alwasy spent the day(s) by ourselves. It was definitely chaotic this year and we’ll probably re-evaluate timeline for Christmas day next year!

Magnolia requested pink for her birthday so pink on Christmas it was!

Mimi and Papa (my in-laws!) with the girls!

My sister in law with Annabelle (and Magnolia attempting to cheer her up!)

Magnolia with her Aunties

Can’t believe the first Christmas for the twins is over – it honestly flew by so quickly. It’s been a bit of a rough year so I’m not sure we felt super in the spirit this year (even though we did make sure to do some fun things for the girls!). Hoping it’ll be a more calm year and we’ll be more prepared for the holidays to come!

Kristi

Lilly Pulitzer Sunshine Sale

Happy Monday!

I can’t believe it’s time for the big Lilly Pulitzer (formerly After Party) Sunshine Sale! It’s no surprise, if you’ve been around a while, that I am a BIG fan of Lillly for the last 15+ years?! I loved it prior to kids and love it even more after having kids! This sale is twice a year (the next one is usually in September) and it’s usually 50-70% off their items – This is the only time you”ll get sale items from Lilly unless you find any randomly on Amazon or Zappos so if you’re looking to try any out, now is the time! The sale is only ONE day this year so hop on anything you want ASAP!

The sale starts at 8 pm Est and you’ll be put into a virtual line until it’s your turn to get in. Don’t hit refresh, it’ll just update while your page is up!

I usually get asked about styles I like, sizing, etc and I’ve referenced so many here but thought I’d update it as I’ve tried more styles.

The twins have all of Magnolia’s old Lilly pieces and the shifts are so sweet!

The Etta top for me – this is always part of the sale (as are the baby shifts!) and it’s so flattering!

This is the Lana romper and it’s definitely not my style so I’d pass if it’s in the sale this year!

This is one of their Elsa tops and it’s such a great staple for your closet! I wear a S but the M would fit great too!

These body suits are perfect for those winter months!

These summer body suits are so cute as bubbles too!

This is the Etta short sleeve top – very flattering for all shapes!!

This is a Lilly for Target dress but the little maxis are so cute!

Not the most flattering pic BUT these shifts are so darn sweet!

Clearly the babies will have PLENTY of Lilly to wear for years to come! 🤣🤦🏻‍♀️

Now onto other ones I’ve worn over the last year for my faves and sizing!

This is the Harper dress – I sized up to a medium in this for pregnancy and I’m about 30 weeks pregnant here with the twins!

This is the same dress but in an XS for Magnolia

This is the Essie dress (Size M for me) and the Astara Dress (XS for Magnolia). I sized up in this one since I would be post-partum and so glad I did! I love it flowier. Magnolia’s first time in “normal” sizing and not infant sizing. The XS is a little big on her but she’ll be able to wear it this summer again too!

This is the Jane shift dress – I will say this runs a bit bigger. I sized up again to an 8 since I wasn’t sure the fit of this one based on reviews. I am happy I sized up – I am larger chested (34G) and I definitely need the room for my bust and it’s flowier on the bottom then. It’s really cute and can be dressed up or down but I’m not sure I’ll order this style again with my body shape.

The Jane shift again – I absolutely LOVE the neckline on this one though!

Another Astara dress for Magnolia – love this style for her and the prints! The babies are in Magnolia’s old Lilly (and they have plenty to wear!).

This one is just OK for me as well, if I’m being honest. I reallly wanted to love this one – the Finn dress because it’s so comfy and just darn cute (and Love the matching top for Magnolia) but truthfully, it’s not the best for my body shape again with my larger chest and the way the pattern lays.

These are the main ones that I’ve been loving (or not loving as much!) lately. Clearly, I could go on and on about this sale and the pieces but if you’re looking for a few good ones, now is the time!

Kristi

Hello 2022!

I honestly love the new year; new goals, new ambitions and new memories to be made. 2021 was rough for us – I mean we had twin baby girls (so thankful they’re healthy!), sold our house, bought a house sight unseen and what feels like started a new life!

We had happy moments too but through in Covid and needing to be extra cautious for my pregnancy and then the twins, and it felt like we did absolutely nothing “fun” last year! So I’m ready for a fresh year!

I’m ready to do all the things while still being cautious and safe for the babies. I’m ready to take trips (even when it’s going to be realllly hard and a lot of work – I mean it’s basically just taking care of our kids in a different place vs an actual vacation), I’m ready to go places with all the kids – the zoo? Yep. The farmers market? Yep. Having picnics? Yes please! I mean, obviously this means we need some actual warm weather so I’ll have a few months to prep for it all 🤣

I’m never one for resolutions but I do love to write down some goals for the new year and tryyyy to hold myself accountable.. so here I go!

– start being healthier – workout 3x a week (I have two girlfriends who will hold me accountable for this!) and eat veggies once a day.. I’m horrible with this so I’ll start small!

– plan vacations – one with no kids and one with the family! We haven’t vacationed since Sept 2019 and Magnolia clearly doesn’t remember being on an airplane and she’s dyyyyying to get on one!

– Read before bed versus scrolling! I’m constantly scrolling social media before bed since I don’t have time throughout the day to look at it and it’s mindless. But I want to actually start reading more again!

– Finish our parenting classes – Big Little Feelings and finish reading the toddler books! I’m not one to be “by the book” but I’ll take any tips I can to navigate parenting the best I can!

– Get back to blogging! Gah, I started this space 5 years ago when we had just gotten married and shared so much fashion/life/infertility and it transformed into sharing our lives and favorite things and then it stopped. I miss this and want to set a goal to be more consistent on this space!

– Plan date nights! We moved here to be closer to family and want to take advantage of anyone offering to help out! So 2 nights a month? I’d love to have a short date with my husband!

– Keep up with daily devotionals. I really enjoy when I can get up in the AM and read through one before starting my day. It’s been hit or miss since having the twins and I’m hoping with them hopefully getting more sleep (eventually, right?!) that I can start this back up!

– Basically, just live life! We are so blessed with our health and there’s others I love dearly, who aren’t as fortunate right now and others I’ve lost who would love more time!

Just a few goals, huh?!

I’m excited to see what’s in store for us for 2022. I know people say “don’t jinx it” with saying that but honestly I do believe we make our own happiness and I need to choose that more often. So I’ll be here to share the good, bad and ugly a few times a week – I’m not perfect and trust me, most days it’s a total sh*t show but it’s nice to see that you’re not the only one experiencing that when you see so much “perfect” on social media!

Oh yeah.. and I can’t forget to share the Lilly Pulitzer After Party sale is officially on Monday so set your calendars!

Kristi