182 days into Motherhood: Michael Phelps

Have you listened to the comedy stylings of Jim Gaffigan? He is hilarious. Mostly he talks about bacon and the shame/joy of eating fast food. His bit on camping is also amazing. When I was pregnant with Vivian, the above meme was making its way around the universe. (ie: facebook and pinterest and twitter)

He has four (or maybe five?) children. He jokes that his wife has one annually. But as a parent he really hits the nail on the head. And while he is talking about his fourth, I think this applies anytime you add another baby to the family.

It is like drowning. Pregnancy really wipes you out and then BAM! you are handed a baby and sent home from the hospital. You might already have other kids and whether you do or not, for weeks you will be treading water just to survive. Instead of planning and preparing for life, you're just handling each moment as it comes. Its hard not too feel overwhelmed and desperate.

And then something magical happens. One day you realize that you're not just treading water but you're swimming the length of the pool. You're splashing and having fun with your kids. They have their floaties on and you have developed some muscles from all your hard work. Everyone is not just surviving, they are alive.

And you are doing laps like the Michael Phelps of parenting.

And here is a quad shot of a certain cutie who has helped me become a better swimmer...

Phone Camera Catch Up #1

So I finally got all the pictures off of my phone. I knew it had to be easier than emailing myself each individual file. I am bummed because back in January my phone crashed and I lost all the pictures I had on it, we're talking about 18 months of pictures. Sad. Luckily I mostly used my real camera back then and have a lot saved on instagram. 

I am going to finally post all those shots here and don't worry, I carefully edited the 500+ photos down to about 70....

And the quality isn't always great, old phone! but I am crossing my fingers for a new phone with a better camera for my birthday and christmas gifts this year. Since having Viv, I am even less motivated to lug the big camera around. 

For Valentine's Day, Henry was given a coupon for a free doughnut at Krispy Kreme from his preschool teacher, Miss Mary. Yum! She knew how to get straight to his heart.

Remnants of a snack that I found later in the evening perilously balanced in the fridge. Henry cracks me up and I am really going to miss things like this when he gets older.

This is what our trips to Target look like now.

No more 5 point harness car seat. We ride in booster seat style these days!

Over the past year Henry has gone to a number of birthday parties where he was by far the oldest. Here he is at Gran't 2nd birthday bash about to destroy the pinata. He might not have broken into it but he sure has an advantage on collecting the spoils.

Ready for action. Avengers assemble!

Vivian's first night at home, swaddled up tight in her borrowed digs. Thanks again Johnson's for the rock n play use.

Henry had a bike ride rally at his preschool. So sad thing it, Henry can't ride his bike. He just scoots with his feet and doesn't pedal. Maybe we will work on that when he gets a bigger bike... but he didn't care and had a great time anyway.

Conference Weekend

We had a relatively relaxed weekend enjoying conference. By the end we're always a little stir crazy--I didn't leave the house at all on Saturday--but its nice to be uplifted by the words of the Prophet. You know, the words we catch between feedings, requests for games being played and lots and lot of eating.
Henry was actually really great and stayed quite content doing puzzles and playing quiet games with us. We found a box of baby toys and Henry had lots of fun playing with them and reading books to Viv. Henry also showed off his simple math skills by solving problems with Swedish Fish. Nothing like candy incentives. I also dragged us out on a little nature walk and we foraged for fall decor.
And of course, it wouldn't be conference without crazy overeating and napping!

eaten: sprite chicken

This recipe comes from Brian Porter's mom. Brian was a guy in our ward when Steve and I met. We went to a BBQ at his parent's house and his mom made this delicious chicken. I only met her once and am no longer in touch with Brian but we still love this chicken.

Sprite Chicken Marinade

2-4 chicken breasts
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 cup sprite--don't get diet, you need the sugar
1 garlic clove, crushed

Mix all ingredients and pour over chicken. Let marinade for at least 3 hours but overnight is better. Grill chicken, 7 minutes per side.

This also works great if you prepare the marinade and freeze the chicken in it.

30X30: day 1, day 2

Okay so this picture is laughable! It was obviously the end of the day and I haven't gotten the hang of this whole "remember to take a picture of myself daily" thing. Let me just tell you a little bit about this shirt, I love this shirt. Its kind of silky (ie: polyester) and it has a slight shimmer. The stripes are brown but kind of gold but kind of olive green. I found it in a pile of free stuff outside the Restore Thrift Store. I felt silly digging through a free pile but hey, it paid off. And of course, the best accessory is a pajama-ed baby fresh from the tub.

This dress is also another thrift store score. A shirt dress is ideal for nursing. I went shopping a few weeks ago with my friends when Andrea came to visit--how fun is it to shop with your girls? I rarely see something and know I have to have it. But when I saw these boots at Old Navy, I knew I was going to buy them and love them and wear them all fall.

We have been enjoying fall weather earlier than usual in Georgia. A few days this week is was hot again and I was worried I shouldn't have put those two jackets in my 30. I secretly thought I should trade them out and wear shorts or sandals but I persevered! This is going to be harder than I thought.

This week has been a good week. We had a fun play date with our centering group ladies. Viv loves her play dates! We also celebrated fall by eating lots of pumpkin bread and tonight we're going to Henry's Fall Festival at school. I even made cookies to donate to the cake walk--such a mom thing! I also rescheduled Vivian's 6 month appointment so I can go on Henry's first field trip. Seriously, when did I become an adult?

Right now its raining. Raining hard! Hooray for fall.

Henry and Vivi

Don't worry, its fake. 

Vivian continues to be amused and fascinated by her big brother.

Henry continues to try and impress her.

Its a perfect fit. 

30X30: My 30 Pieces

Here is my wardrobe for the next 30 days! As I was selecting items, I honestly felt like I was going to have no problem putting together all the looks. Now as I see it in such a small space, I am having doubts. Only teeny tiny ones :)

The rest of my clothes are tucked away in the back and covered in trash bags. No cheating for this girl! Okay lets take a look at what I'll be working with.

Tops:

1) Obviously this has been in storage and since been rewashed. Classic chambray button up. Target. 2) Coral lace top. Versona. 3) Striped silky top, free from trash pile at thrift store (no joke!) 4) Cream top embellished with silver. H&M. 5) Baseball tee. Express. 6) Black top with lace details. Ann Taylor, thrifted. 7) Polka dot sweater. Target. 8) Navy v neck tee. Old Navy. 9) White tunic with leather details. Entourage. 10) Sheer black blouse with birds. H&M.

Bottoms:
11) Dark skinny jeans. Banana Republic, gift. 12) Black knit pencil skirt. Target. 13) Bold floral skirt. Thrift and refashioned from dress. 14) Mustard skirt. Target. 15) Grey pleated skirt. Thrifted. 16) Red straight leg jeans. Walmart.

Dresses:
17) Green shift dress. Thrifted. 18) Printed shirtdress. Thrifted. 19) Peasant dress. Target. 20) Striped dress. Made by me.

Jackets and Vests:
21) Olive green utility vest. Old Navy. 22) Black Moto Vest. Target. 23) Tan cotton blazer. Banana Republic, thrifted. 24) Charcoal and White Striped Knit Blazer. Target. 25) Mustard Cardigan. Thrifted.

 Shoes:
26) Grey riding boots. Belk. 27) Taupe ankle boots. Old Navy. 28) Black thick strap sandals. Last Chance. 29) Leopard kitten heels. Thrifted. 30) Black TOMS. mistakenly purchased by Steve in wrong size that I inherited.

Obviously I can still wear underwear, socks and gym clothes and they don't count as my thirty items. I have also added four basic tanks/camisoles too. But I won't be wearing them alone, only as undershirts so they also don't count. I also have free reign of my accessories which I am excited about because maybe it will encourage me to actually wear some of my favorites that I haven't figured out how to wear yet.

Except for my bold dresses, I feel like most of the clothing I chose is pretty basic. Not boring but basic. Maybe I was playing it safe. Only time will tell. I plan on posting a couple of days of outfits at a time so stay tuned to watch my progress.