Clarks reunite 2014: the great outdoors

Surrounded by the beauty of nature we spent many hours outdoors. And with less humidity and bug life, it was a blessed change from Georgia. Utah is gorgeous especially in the mountains. There was plenty of hiking, walking, fire building, wildlife watching, rock into stream throwing and exploring to do. Even a little napping and reading.

clarks reunite 2014: cousin time

 One of the best part of our trip was seeing Henry interact with his cousins. He had so much fun and tells me how much he misses them. Sometimes he would disappear for hours at a time in the big cabin busy playing and exploring. I actually kind of missed him a bit but was happy he was having a great time.

Silly Faces!

 Aunt Jenny brought supplies to make binoculars out of paper tubes and washi tape. One kid noticed that "nothing looked any closer" but everyone else had a blast and went on a walk to discover what there was to be seen through new eyes.

 A huge deck provided the perfect place for alfresco eating.

Henry in his "relaxing" chair.

clarks reunite 2014: baby viv meets the fam

One of the highlights of the trip was introducing Miss Vivi to the family. And boy, we're they happy to meet her. Everyone wanted to hold her, cuddle her and help out. She was generally pretty happy to comply with little hands holding her but sometimes...not so much. 

It was a nice break for both Steve and I. The great thing about having older nieces and nephews is that they are willing and capable of lending a hand. I wish we lived closer to some of these amazing potential babysitters. 

oh baby baby: dressing for the bump

We're taking a break from family reunion pictures for bit...

Well here is another post I meant to write months ago. Alas, I am not pregnant anymore and as I type this I am remembering just how fun it is to dress maternity. Postpartum, not so much. 

Here are some of the stores and tips that worked for me. Enjoy and rock that bump.
Clothing:
A lot of people opt to invest little in their maternity wardrobe. I obviously don't agree with this. You don't have to spend a lot of money to still be stylish and comfortable all ten months. Think of it as an investment in yourself and a celebration of the miracle of your body. Also if you plan on having more than one kid, you can wear these clothes again. Don't punish yourself in ugly clothes (or worse, your husband's clothes) because your body is changing.

Old Navy:
I found a lot of useful items at Old Navy. Most of their clothes are pretty basic but create a great foundation. These yoga shorts were perfect for the gym and they are a great price at only $17. I also lived in these tanks, I bought two and then my parents bought me three more for my birthday. They are really long so if you are on the shorter side they might be too long. But for me they were great layered under non-maternity shirts for length and later worn under cardigans.
I tried on and even bought a pair of jeans and a pair of shorts at Old Navy and took both of them back. I wasn't impressed with the full panel material, it felt thick and wasn't as elasticy as I wanted. The butt pockets also weren't placed right for me.

Gap:
I love the Gap for maternity. I don't normally shop there but lucked out with a stack of knit dresses. Try shopping in the store as I found the prices better than online especially in the sale area. I also had a pair of jeans leftover from my last pregnancy and I would recommend those too. The full panel fabric is soft and stretchy but thin so its not bulky. A good pair of maternity jeans is a must as you'll wear them everyday and a great pair will be as comfy as your yoga pants.

H&M:
I loved the H&M MAMA brand tees and found lots of fun patterns and designs. Instead of the side ruching--which I personally can't stand--they have darts in the front to give shape. They are also affordable. I also found my black and white striped dress there in the non-maternity section. Don't forget to look for knits in regular sizes. I also found a few flowier knit tops in the regular departments that worked for ten months too.

Target:
I lived in my pair of Liz Lange maternity jeggings. And for less than $30! The panel material on the Liz Lange pants was perfect. I was actually surprised. My belly shot dress was also from Target.

Accessories:
Maternity clothing tends to be pretty basic, solids or stripes. And its hard to find fun colors too. Maybe because its transitional clothing? Anyway, accessorizing can really amp up your maternity wardrobe. Plus anything you buy while pregnant can be worn after the baby is born! Double Win. With my hair being pulled up constantly, I wanted some larger earrings to make me feel fancier. I went to a few local stores (Entourage and Versona) and stocked up. And of course a great big necklace can really add a punch and balances nicely with your belly. When you only have a limited wardrobe, accessories can help you achieve many different looks with the basic dress.
I also wanted to highlight my bump and found skinny belts a great addition to all those knit dresses. Target had a couple of fun styles that I had Steve get me for christmas.
And of course its fun to wear heels on Sunday but the majority of the time I lived in Toms. They don't have to be tied and they slip on with minimal effort. Once it got warm, I switched to sandals. Flat shoes are a must.

Hair and Makeup:
If you're going to do anything while pregnant, I would suggest this: Continue to get ready each day.
When you have so little control over your changing body, a simple yet solid makeup routine will buoy your self esteem. I found myself really struggling on this in the last few months. I would stare at my makeup hoping for inspiration. So I went to Target and bought a couple of new products to simplify my routine. I found a really intense gold eye shadow from Cover Girl and bought a new black eyeliner pencil. Bam. I had a new makeup routine and it only took 3 minutes.
Hair also became an issue. If you have "relaxed" on the couch all day you know its not quite the party for your hair. Most days I threw it into a top knot and called it good. But when leaving the house and one those special days I wanted to extend a little effort I still wore it up but a fancier type of up. These links show some of the cool and easy styles I rocked with second day hair. Plus any new styles learned have only been more and more useful post baby:
The Gibson Tuck--super simple up do that requires no special tools
Five Fresh Ponytails--still love these

A Light Weight Robe:
I never was a robe person. I prefer to just get dressed in the morning or lounge around in pjs. But I have to say that I loved and lived in this robe I found on etsy. It was kind of hysterical securing it over my large belly in the end there but once Viv was born, it was a lifesaver. Nice to wear in the hospital, great for our pictures and comfy at home for nursing too. Plus I wanted something light since it is summer but not short. No need to be super sexy with fully exposed legs. This robe is perfect and has only gotten softer as I wash it more and more.

Clarks Reunite 2014: mad dash

All excited on the shuttle!

We were lucky enough to spend the last week in Utah visiting with family in the beautiful mountains. Before we get into the festivities, I wanted to jot down our travel experiences.

We started our adventures in the early morning with me waking up to feed Vivian at 4:45 am. We got showered, dressed and loaded up the car to leave for Atlanta at 5:30 am. Our drive went pretty well with only a huge rainstorm and a small detour to our hotel where we would pick up the shuttle. Our goal was to get to the hotel at 7:00 but we ended up not getting there until 7:10. No worries, our shuttle came and took us to the airport dropping us off around 7:40. We thought we were doing great to make our 9:05 flight.

Wrong. When we dragged all our luggage, kids, stroller and such into the airport we saw the Southwest lines three deep and curving around all the way to security. Immediately our stress levels sky rocketed. Would we actually make it?

Well we got in line and slowly inched along. Bored, Henry started exploring and opened the heart attack first aid station door. Sirens started blaring and Henry started crying. The paramedics came and were really nice to him and said it happened all the time. But we got lots of fun looks from the surrounding crowds of people.

Chilling in the Phoenix airport

We finally make it to the counter to check in and get on our way. Luckily Atlanta has a stroller security line that we got to go through. Its supposed to be quicker but we would soon find out its not at all quicker. But first, Vivian didn't have a boarding pass. As a lap child, she doesn't have her own ticket but only a boarding pass that should have been stapled to mine. Well, they didn't give us one. Steve and Henry stayed at security while I raced back to Southwest and pleaded with an employee to print me one without having to get back into line. I must have looked desperate and pathetic because I was able to zoom back to my boys within ten minutes. 

Sadly we spent the next twenty minutes in an agonizingly slow security line. The stroller line is also the wheelchair line. As we saw each minute pass and more and more wheelchairs whizzing past us, it was becoming apparent that we weren't going to make our flight. 

Once through security, we raced down the escalator--yes, I took the stroller on the escalator (twice!) and got on the next train to our terminal. We asked the people on the train if we could be near the doors as our flight was leaving in literally five minutes. Everyone was super friendly, moved out of our way and wished us good luck. 

Steve ran ahead with Henry and I tailed behind with Vivian--again on the escalator, if I had waited for the elevator we would not have made it. Henry lost his shoe at the top of the escalator and we were quite the sight, running to our gate. It was like that scene at the beginning of Home Alone. No joke. 

We made it with two minutes to spare. Phew!

Getting our wiggles out before flight #2

Once on board the plane, we had to convince someone to move so Henry and Steve could sit together. "You don't want this 4 year old sitting by himself," I said and a kind lady changed seats. I sat alone with Vivian and another family. The flight went well except my neighbor kept shouting as he was playing video games and it kept waking her up. She also had two blow outs and we only brought one blanket so she had to be swaddled in a poop blanket. Sigh. We had a layover in Phoenix and then made it to Salt Lake City; tired, hungry and grumpy!

I'll do a post on traveling with kids later but for now I am done. I kind of stressed myself out all over again just typing this up.

Vivian: 3 Months

Vivian at 3 months is a whole lot more fun than Vivian at 2 months. 

Things she is into these days:

• eating her hands. This also includes eating any blanket or towel that might be between her hand and her mouth.
• smiling, cooing and interacting with us in a pleasant way. In fact, she highly enjoys any attention.
• looking around. Don't put this girl in a far off corner without anything to see because she will let you know how boring it is. She loves to be sitting up in her bouncer or being held up. She is also content just to be near us. 
• exercising her strong neck muscles. And while she still has a little bit of a bobble head on her, she sure likes to hold her head high. 
• chatting. Her coos and gurgles are so cute she makes fools of everyone around her. 
• bubbling. Her mouth is a constant froth of spit bubbles. 
• bathing. She continues to love baths and is soothed by warm water. 
• watching Henry. Propped up in her bouncer, she will stare at him and focus intently as he plays wii games or just as he runs around. 

eaten: southwest cobb salad

Since it is blazing hot around these parts, I have been trying to use my oven less and less. The grill is my go to cooking space these days. You can make a whole meal out there without even getting your kitchen warm. So we have been grilling a lot. 

One thing I like to do is grill up a bunch of chicken and then use it over the week in lots of different recipes. One great one is BBQ chicken quesadillas. I also have fallen in love with salads. And having all the chicken ready to go makes dinner time a cinch. 

My favorite salad is this southwestern cobb. Grilling the peppers and corn is a great touch and the corn gives just a hint os sweetness. Instead of using the avocado dressing as the main dressing, I toss the lettuce in chipotle ranch and then just use a touch of the avocado sauce. We also add fresh tomatoes and I like to sprinkle with tortilla chip. Grilled red onions would be yummy too. This is so versatile and the possibilities are endless. 

Henry even likes it if we break the salad into little piles for him. One pile of beans. One of chicken. One of peppers. And another trick we use to get him to eat is to create a pattern: chicken, pepper, tomato, chicken, pepper, tomato. Whatever works!

Southwestern Cobb Salad with Avocado Cream Dressing

All the flavors of the Southwest in a salad. Topped with a creamy Avocado Cream Dressing, this is the salad to make in the warmer weather months. Pic and recipe from abeautifulbite

Ingredients

• 6 cups salad greens
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, grated
• 1 cup roasted corn kernels, I grilled on the grill 
• 1 cup roasted red peppers, I grilled on the grill 
• 1 cup black beans, drained well
• 1 cup avocados, diced
• 1½ cups cooked chicken, diced, also grilled this. I also seasoned with salt and pepper first

For the Dressing

• 2 avocados, diced
• 1/4 cup sour cream
• ½ cup milk 
• 2 Tbsp fresh cilantro
• 3 garlic cloves, minced
• the juice of one lime
• salt and pepper to taste

Instructions

1. Lay salad greens in a large bowl or platter. Place each ingredient on top of the salad in rows.

For the Dressing

1. Place all dressing ingredients into a blender or food processor. Process until smooth and creamy. You might need more milk to get the consistency you want.