A few of my favorite things

1. Foyer table 2.Kendra Scott Earrings 3.PJs 4.Gigi New York Teddy Tote 5. Puffer Jacket

1. I have been dying to have this console table in my foyer.  Right now there is nothing there, and it is something that bothers me daily.  I picked this one out with our decorator probably a year ago, and I am hoping that maybe it will show up for Christmas (please Santa?)

 

2. I love these earings.  They are so classy looking and the perfect size.  I love the black, but wouldnt mind having them in a couple other colors as well.

 

3. I love these PJs.  I prefer mine a tight fit, because I hate when I turn over and the loose ones get all caught up in the covers.  These are so cute and look so cozy.

 

4. I love the Gigi New York Tote.  I was torn on the color, but again,  you cant really go wrong with black. I would definitely want the monogram option on it as it makes the bag.

 

5. I am in need of a new semi-lightweight jacket. I really loved the ivory one, but it is sold out :(. Black goes with everything and would be the perfect weight for fall in the south.

 

 

While I would love any of these items, what I am mostly looking forward to at Christmas is spending time with my family and seeing the joy on my kids' faces come Christmas morning.  That right there folks is priceless!

 

Linking up with April, Elise, Katie, Zelle

Our weekend

The highlight of our weekend was taking family pictures on Saturday morning.  The only downfall was it was FREEZING outside.  I felt so bad, because Katelyn was literally shivering.  We only stayed out there for maybe 30 minutes, and fingers crossed we got at least a few good ones.  The kids were troopers though, and even though they were cold, they were super cute and well behaved.  We also brought Riley along.  I was feeling guilty that he used to be such an important part of our lives and now he is always just in the background.  I still love my fur baby even if he doesn't get quite as much attention these days.  Brady was not feeling too well all weekend, so we did a lot of lounging around.  This was kind of our last "boring" weekend until the holidays are in full swing, so although I got a little cabin fever on Sunday, it was nice to just hang at home.

Friday night cuddles

RED LIGHT! They were so cute holding hands during our photo shoot, but they were moving so fast it was hard to get a cute picture!

This is my heart right here.

They decided they didn't need naps on Saturday, so they immediately fell asleep in the car.

Baby girl only wanted to nap in my arms on Sunday, and I just soaked it up.

I hope everyone has a great week!

5 on Friday

1. I had Tuesday off of work for Veterans' Day, and we decided last minute to take a trip to the zoo.  It was such a beautiful day, and hardly anyone was there.  Brady had an upclose encounter with the gorilla which was pretty awesome, and Katelyn let us know that she clearly still hates the carousel.

This picture cracks me up every time I look at it.  Poor child.

2. The polar vortex is heading our way, and I am not happy about it.  I guess we better bust out the winter coats and scarves for the weekend.

Name that movie...

3. Speaking of the polar vortex, of course it would make it's appearance on the weekend that we are taking our family Christmas card pictures.  I hope it isn't too miserable out, and that we are able to get atleast a few cute ones.  I think I am going to wear this blouse with white skinny cords and knee high boots.

4. Santa has informed me that he is pretty much done with the toy preparation for our household.  I am pretty excited about this as our "Santa" is usually pretty last minute around here.  I think we are going to have two pretty excited little children come Christmas morning.  I will give you one clue:

5. Last and most importantly there is a family I want you to keep in your prayers.  There is a little girl named Eliza who lives in my town.  She was diagnosed with a rare, terminal genetic disease called Sanfilippo Syndrome.  However, there is a treatment that can save her life- the only problem is the cost.  Her family has been on a mission to raise the money to save their daughter.  They have decided to end their efforts on her 5th birthday THIS Sunday 11/16 in order to focus more time on enjoying their daughter.  Their hope is to raise the remaining money needed by Sunday to fund her treatment.  I cannot even begin to imagine how I would feel if this was one of my children.  I donated, and I hope you will find it in your heart to give too.  You can donate at www.savingeliza.com.  I feel the least I can do is spread the word and hope that I play a small role in saving this beautiful little girl's life.

The best blouse ever 2 ways

I am all about clothes that are multi functional.  I love when I find pieces that I can wear to work and dress them down for a more casual look on the weekend.  I found this blouse at JCrew that I absolutely love.  It is super comfortable, great quality, and best of all it can be washed in the washing machine.  I love a good blouse, but I hate that most of them are dry clean only.  I love the black, but it also comes in 3 other colors.

Blouse | Skinny Jeans | gold bracelet | rubber chain bracelet | earrings | boots

Blouse | stud earrings | bistro pant | leopard pumps | gold bracelet

Use code GETWARM for an extra 30% this blouse that is already on sale through today only.

Scenes from the weekend

Saturday we pretty much spent all day at the house.  I squeezed in some cleaning while Paul took the kids on a trip to the park.  It was pretty chilly too, so it wasn't too fun to play outside.  (Have I mentioned how much I hate the cold weather?)  We did take the kids to Bonefish on Saturday night.  It is nice to get out to dinner sometimes, but 2 kids 3 and under doesn't exactly make for a fun dining experience which is why we typically eat at home or order take out.

Sunday Brady decided to wake up at the crack of dawn yet we still didn't make it to the early service at chuch like planned.  So, we went to the 11:15 service and then braved it again to go out to lunch.  We chose Lizards Thicket which makes me not quite as stressed to take the kids to, because it just like a southern diner (for those who aren't local).  It doesn't really matter if the kids are loud or messy.  Katelyn took a 3 hour nap when we got home, and Paul and I attempted to relax.  I think they must have given Brady sweet tea instead of water at lunch, because he was wired!  We made a quick trip to see Waldo then we headed home.

Love these 2 soooo much!

This was her great granddaddy's rocking chair.

I have tomorrow off for Veteran's Day, and I plan to spend some time cleaning out the playroom.  If Santa decides to make a stop at our house we have to find a place to put these new toys!

Dalmatian Parade

There is a tradition at Brady and Katelyn's school where every Halloween the two toddler classes all dress up as Dalmatians and have a parade around the school.  We are responsible for making their "costumes" other than the hats which they make in class.  Their teachers dress up like fire fighters and sing a song while the older kids watch them.  It is the cutest thing.  All the parents stand like paparazzi in the hallways and take a thousand pictures.  Some kids start screaming crying, because they see their moms.  But, thankfully Katelyn was just as happy as she could be.

Brady's class also participates in the parade by walking in front of them.  They were both so excited.  It was precious!  They do it two days in a row so that everyone can participate since some children are just part time.  The second day Brady said, "Oh look, Katelyn is a cow again!"

Halloween weekend

It seems like my weekend posts have been bumped back to Tuesday lately, because we have been so busy that Sunday night is spent laying on the couch watching TV.  I just don't have the brain power to put together a blog post.  I am actually feeling very well rested after daylight savings time.  I hated it on Sunday, because it felt like the LONGEST DAY EVER.  My kids always miss the memo on the extra hour of sleep, so Brady woke up at 4:30 and after a short temper tantrum we made him get in the bed with us and go back to sleep. (I normally would have made him go back to his room, but we were staying at the beach house, and I didn't want him to wake Katelyn up too, so I just let it happen.)  He only then asked me 15 times if he could have his milk now.  Then, Katelyn woke up at 6 screaming, because she was scared not knowing where she was.  Since Brady had fallen back asleep I took her downstairs and drank coffee and watched the sunrise.  It was so pretty!  I wanted to walk outside, but it was freezing (literally) outside, so I didn't want to take Katelyn out there.  Then, we left Charleston at about 10:45, so Katelyn slept the whole way home which meant no nap the rest of the day.  I was seriously counting down until bedtime starting at like 4pm...Sunday night we got in bed at about 9, and I felt so well rest Monday morning though.  So, that is a plus!

Beautiful sunrise

Don't let this picture fool you.  Katelyn will only sit like this for 3.5 seconds before she is off!

But, we did have a great weekend in Charleston!  We had Paul's cousin's wedding on Saturday, so we decided since we were heading down there anyway that the kids would probably have a better time trick or treating with their cousins on Daniel Island instead of around our neighborhood.  To say they loved it is an understatement!  They both had so much fun and racked up on lots of candy.  Katelyn had this thing down and would just grab handfuls at a time.  Brady being the rule follower that he is (usually atleast) would only take one piece.  That means Katelyn's basket had about twice as much as his.  So funny and so typical of their personalities.

We started the night off with a little pizza party at Paul's brothers house.  Then, we hit the road for some trick-or-treating.  I have never seen so many kids in my life.  It made Paul and I start seriously considering moving to Charleston. I have always wanted to live in Charleston, and I really hope to make that happen one day.  I am just not sure how soon that will be.  If we could just hit the lottery and not have to worry about jobs...

Passed out on the ride there.

My little mouse counting her candy.

She went down the slide about 20 times.

The whole crew! 

Brady and Henry

Apologies to the CaWoods for using their porch for a photo op.

Brady loved all the spookie decorations and wanted "touch" everything.

My mom came with us!

All worn out after some serious trick or treating.

Saturday the wedding was at 3pm, so we were trying to figure out what we could do until then.  We attemped to go on a golf cart ride to the park, but it was FREEZING!  We made it maybe 2 minutes and turned around. Brady got upset for a minute, but then said, "Maybe we should go play in Henry's playroom where it's warm."  That sounded like a great idea to us!  Then he also said, "I didn't want my sister to be cold."  He is just the most caring big brother.  So, we headed to Henry's house to play which worked out great.  We didn't stay too long, because we needed to get lunch and head home for Katelyn to take a nap before the wedding.  That plan was a bust, because she fell asleep for about 45 minutes in the car and then would not go back to sleep.

Way too cold for golf cart riding.

This was Brady and Katelyn's first wedding, and they did really well.  We did take Katelyn out not because she was crying, but she just wouldnt sit still (imagine that), and she was talking up a storm.  She kept babbling "Baba, Baba, Baba"  I didn't understand what she was saying at first, but figured out she was saying, "Papa". He was sitting several rows in front of us, and she spotted him.  She is really loving her Papa these days :).

There were a couple of hours between the wedding and the reception, so we stopped by my mom's new house on James Island.  It is so pretty, and has some gorgeous views!

We didnt stay at the reception too long, because the kids were pretty worn out, but these 2 defintely love a party.  They especially love a party with their cousins.  When we left Brady said he had fun at Coco's birthday party- haha.

Brady had to take a little rest at the reception.

Waiting on their valet service to pick them up.

Whew- that was a long post.  It was a jam packed weekend, but definitely one for the books! The Halloween decorations have been taken down (much to Brady's dismay), and now on to the next holiday...