2 years

Yesterday was our 2 year wedding anniversary! I know I will probably say this every year, but it truly feels like time has flown by! I can't believe that is has been 2 years since I was trying on my wedding dress, planning a wedding, walking down the aisle, and starting the most beautiful adventure of my life! I have learned so much over the last 2 years and the Lord has definitely used our marriage to refine me and teach me so much about his love for us and areas of my life I needed to give to Him. We have also had so much fun getting a home together and making it our own, going on trips together, and meeting new friends that we are so thankful for! 

Each year on our anniversary we watch our wedding video (and I always tear up because everything was so wonderful!) Last night we watched the video and enjoyed some red velvet cake!! Here are some pics from 2 years ago...

I can't believe that 2 years later we are literally weeks (or days) away from our sweet baby girl joining us! We always knew we wanted to start our family early and feel so blessed that the Lord is blessing us with Ella! 

Hope everyone has a wonderful Tuesday and is getting ready for Christmas!

36 weeks

I cannot believe that time is flying like this. Technically from the beginning of my pregnancy with a due date of January 14th I would be 35 1/2 weeks today, but she continues to measure a week ahead (and since I charted I have always thought I was a week further along than the initial guess) therefor 36 weeks in my opinion. 

I have been so bad about keeping up with pictures the last month. It seems like getting ready for maternity leave along with the holidays has seemed a little crazy, although I really love this time of year. Looking back at my pictures from my baby shower 5 weeks ago, I cannot believe how much I/Ella has grown. I remember thinking it was impossible to get any bigger....hahahaha....boy, was I wrong! 

This past weekend James and I installed the car seat, set up the pack and play, and organized like crazy. He has been such a trooper and helped so much. I am so thankful for his patience with all of my nesting! We have officially finished all of our birthing classes and feel so ready (or at least as ready as you can feel to completely change your life) for her to be here. We can't wait to hold our sweet baby girl!!!

As for how I am feeling, I really can't complain. I have been very blessed with a pregnancy that has gone very smoothly for the most part. I have definitely had the sleepless nights, the sitting on the couch and having to readjust every 5 minutes to get comfortable, and the other lovely things that come with being pregnant, but overall she is healthy and we are so grateful for that. Although, I am looking forward to sleeping on my stomach again one day.....

Her movements have been so fun to experience and I love how active she is, even if that means a few rib jabs every now and then. She loves to move around after lunch, when I am reading my kids a story at school, and anytime at night. She moves a ton when James talks with her which has been one of the sweetest memories I think I will have of this pregnancy! I am so amazed at how God allows me to carry a baby and the beauty of how she is growing! 

Here is a realistic picture of 36 weeks. Sweats & No make-up. 

Hope everyone is having a wonderful holiday season and I will try to keep a couple of updates on the blog as they come. Yay for 3 more days of work. I will miss my 22 babies so much, but can't wait to meet our baby!!!

Christmas Cookies

It's that time of year for some yummy Christmas cookies! Each year we use my grandma's amazing recipe (even though she does not have exact measurements for any of it!) This year I also wanted to make some cookies that would hold their shape really well with cookie cutters. You can always rely on pinterest to have some amazing ideas and recipes. I used this link for the sugar cookies and frosting and they turned out great! (This is the same recipe I used for the pumpkin shaped cookies in October). 

Here are some other fun Christmas ideas from pinterest....

Taking a basic white paper plate and adding ribbon to deliver cookies or other yummy treats

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Mason jar snow globes....these would be a great DIY decoration 

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*You can also buy these at anthro

These are precious and would be so fun to make with kids

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Love this idea. They cut up their wedding invite (or any other paper good with sentimental value from that year) and put it inside a glass ornament ball

(source)

I hope you enjoy some of these Christmas ideas. I would usually be crafting much more during this time of year, but I am trying to take it easy and focus on getting ready for our baby girl (which has been really fun for me). If I could bottle up "nesting" into a pill to take when I want to tackle some of these crafts I would be pretty darn productive (and have some really cute crafts made up). 

Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend and stay warm! 

maternity leave prep

I officially have so much respect for any woman who has had to get things together for maternity leave. I had no idea the amount of time and work that would go into trying to explain my job to another person for 3 months. I am so grateful for this time to be home with Ella and know that every second of this preparation will make that time so much easier, but truly, it feels like I think of something else that needs to be added everyday. I started keeping a notepad by my bed (for all of the late night "oh yeah" moments)!

I am so happy to say that everything is ready to go. My binder is on my desk and ready for my sub whenever Ella decides to join us! I have talked with my kiddos and tried to prepare them in every way known to make this transition and I know they will do amazing!

I still can't believe how fast my pregnancy has gone by! I feel like we just found out we were having a baby and before we know it our sweet little girl will be joining us!

I promise we will take some pictures this weekend and post an update. I am 34 weeks tomorrow! 6 weeks to go!!!!

Happy Friday Everyone!

Lauren

time is flying

How am I already 32 weeks? How has Ella's shower already come and gone? How has it been weeks and I have not posted at all? I feel like time is truly flying! I can't wait to hold our sweet baby girl and was so excited to celebrate her at the baby shower we had with friends and family!

There is nothing like getting wonderful things that are a huge need to make the transition to having a baby and of course, the precious little things that are just fun to have! We are truly blessed by our friends and family. 

Here are some pictures from the shower...

 James and I before the boys headed out for some guy time

 Community group girls!

 All of Ella's aunts

 Some of the precious and wonderful gifts

 The adorable cake!

AHH love how tiny and cute everything is!

I'll be back with a 32 week update this weekend! Hope everyone has a wonderful Friday!!

as long as i'm living my baby you'll be

When I started planning out the nursery I had the hopes of making a lot of the items that went in Ella's room. Although, the reality of working and being pregnant did not always allow the time or energy to do that. I had to be a little more realistic about what I could get done (which has been a huge lesson the Lord is teaching me through this pregnancy). I made a list of a few things I really wanted to make/do for the nursery.

1. Make a sign with a quote in wooden letters (see below)

2. Finish repurposing the old dresser we had and add some cute knobs to use as a changing table (pictures to come).

3. Make a wreath to put on the door or a shelf in her room

4. Make her burp cloths (weekend project coming soon)

After that, I thought I would just work with what we had and see if any other ideas came to me. The sign I made below is one of my favorites. It was a wonderful way to enjoy a Sunday afternoon and put up a quote I love! The pictures make it look way more pink than it really is, but either way I was really happy with how it turned out. 

Here is the canvas with the wooden letters laid out. 

Once the letters were glued down, I painted over the letters an canvas. 

This is the finished product that now lives happily on Ella's shelf! I wanted it to look handmade so avoided making the lines and spacing perfect. When I was done I wasn't sure if I should have done that, but it has really grown on me and I am glad I did! 

Overall, it was a fun project that I am really excited I did! I got the idea from a mixture of things I had seen on other blogs and pinterest. I saw a wooden letter canvas for a wedding gift on pinterest and a wall decal with this quote on several blogs and combined the ideas! 

28 weeks and the end of the 2nd trimester

I can't believe my second trimester is officially over and we are getting so close to meeting our sweet baby girl! I haven't uploaded all of the previous pictures from the last few weeks, so I have attached some to this post. The second trimester was really smooth and wonderful. I got back a lot of my energy and really felt great most of the time. It is starting to get more difficult to sleep at night with a growing belly and waking to go to the bathroom, but honestly, nothing I can complain about. I am so grateful to feel her constant movements and know that she is growing! These last few weeks I crave my usual sweet things, but a favorite during pregnancy is warm chocolate cake with vanilla bean ice cream...so good! Also, I still love lime in my water and potbelly's chicken salad sandwich. I have not craved anything too crazy or weird, but maybe that will change. Also, I feel like I can tell a change in the last week or so as I am transitioning into the 3rd trimester. I have needed naps a few days this week, but luckily have been able to take them!

Here are some updated pictures...

Can't believe it is only 12 weeks until her due date! So exciting! 

pumpkin cookies

I know it has been way too long since I have blogged, but nesting has been in full force and I can't get enough of organizing closets and getting Ella's room ready. We are so close to being done and I am so excited to see it all coming together. Our goal is to have it done by the beginning-ish of November. Can't wait!

On another note, we made some very yummy pumpkin sugar cookies the other day. I grabbed the sugar cookie recipe from pinterest and they turned out so yummy and cute! 

The recipe is from the Peppermint Plum and I would highly recommend it! You can visit her blog for the recipe and details on how she makes them. There were also some great tips!

We decided to make pumpkin cookies and color them orange and green...

These are great for any holiday and I found great cookie cutters at Michael's. Don't forget to always print your 40% off coupon from online before you go buy anything there. They are always online and that is a huge savings! 

Name Sign

Our sweet friends, Kristi and Dan, recently welcomed their baby girl. They were very patient and waited until her arrival to find out what they were having. To our absolute excitement it was a little girl (and future bff for Ella). I wanted to give them something fun and pink to bring some girly-ness into her precious nursery ( I also bought supplies to make one for Ella). 

I combined several ideas from pinterest and other blogs to make this fun and very easy name sign. Here are some pics from the project. 

First, I painted the canvas yellow. 

Then, I put down the stickers for her name and painted over it in pink.  

After it dried, I peeled the letters off and had a cute little sign!  

You can use this project for so many fun things like quotes around the house or an easy gift. Hope everyone enjoys this beautiful weather and has a wonderful weekend!

8 years

So hard to believe that today marks 8 years of James and I being together. We started dating when we were 16 and just starting our junior year in high school. I love that part of our story is that we have been together for so long and had so much life together. Although, we have our fair share of embarrassing pictures through all of the awkward stages of high school and entering college. 

It has been really amazing to sit and talk about how much has changed and how much we have changed over the last 8 years. I could have never pictured how much happiness would fill our lives and that 8 years later we would be expecting our first baby girl! God has been so good to us and I am looking forward to the many more years to come.

Also last night, we got to celebrate by going to one of our favorite spots, La Duni. We are really trying to soak up date night time, since we know that will look very different after Ella gets here. If you have not had a chance to have date night at La Duni in Dallas, I highly recommend it! Also, grab one of their mango lemonades...they are amazing (and the chocolate cake, of course!)

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Saturday!

Grilled Chicken Spinach Pasta

I made this yummy recipe from pinterest the other night. I would definitely recommend trying it (and it had some great leftovers for lunch the next day!)

James and I both really enjoyed it, but agreed we would add a few things next time. Some of our ideas were:

- a little italian sausage for some more spice

- veggies (zucchini, squash...)

You can find the recipe from the original link above. Hope you enjoy!

pinterest loves

Here are some of my favorite pinterest find this week. I have made a few of the wonderful recipes I have found this last week and will share some of those! They have all been really yummy!! Here are some things I would love to try or just think are wonderful!

How cute are these treat jars? Great for a gift! 

Halloween Treat Jars

I love all things pumpkin, but have never tried these! I wonder if they can possibly compare with nutella crepes. 

Pumpkin Pie Crepes

Such a wonderful reminder to see all of the time. This is a truth that I need to remind myself of more often. 

It Is Well With My Soul 

Thought this was such a cute idea for a baby shower activity. It would be something sweet to look at later. 

Wishes for Baby

  

James and I really love coming up with new traditions for our family. We know that we want birthdays to be a very special day in our house and I thought this was such a cute way to start a birthday...cake for breakfast! 

Cake Batter Pancakes

Check out each of the links to see some wonderful etsy shops and blogs that have come up with these wonderful ideas!

Happy Tuesday!

Edna Mae's Pancakes

James and I made these a couple of weekends ago and they were so yummy. We got the recipe from the Pioneer Woman cookbook, but here it is...

Edna Mae's Pancakes (from Pioneer Woman Cookbook)

7 tablespoons all purpose flour
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/ 2 teaspoon salt
1 cup sour cream
2 large eggs
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
Butter

Stir the flour, sugar, baking soda and salt together. Stir in the sour cream. In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs and vanilla then add to the sour cream mixture. 
Melt some butter in your skillet then pour the batter and cook away! 

They were the perfect morning treat and I would highly recommend them! 

Also, our sweet friends got us some delicious maple syrup on their trip to Vermont. It was the perfect addition the the pancakes! I don't think we will ever go back to normal syrup!

Crib Set Up and Painting Pics

I finally sat down and uploaded pictures from painting the nursery and setting up the crib. The pictures do not show the color completely true to what it really looks like. It is a grayish blue (but brighter than it sounds).

Kerry with primer

Color is complete and the clean up has just begun. You can also see all of the baby/old guest room things in the closet that looks completely different now. 

This is actually try #2 after we originally unpacked it. You can read more about our crib adventure here. 

So excited for Ella's room to be coming together! Haha I am holding the tool like I actually built it. James can take all the credit for putting this together! 

Poor shaggy dog...he has finally been groomed after it taking FOREVER to get an appt.

This is pure joy, relief, exhaustion, and excitement for the crib being done!

Overall, we were so thankful for our sweet friends for helping us paint! Also, we are so excited to see Ella's room gradually coming together. Our goal is to have her nursery done within the first week or so of November. With the holidays and getting further into my pregnancy we would love for it to be done by then. I will keep you posted as we make progress!

The Crib Adventure

Getting the crib was something I was so excited for. I could not wait to pick out the place that our sweet baby girl would be cozied up sleeping (let's all pray she loves sleeping there). I researched quite a bit and looked into reviews, asked friends, and knew the style I was looking for. 

After putting all of those things together, we decided on the Kendall Crib from Pottery Barn. We found it this summer and it was down $200 from it's original price which made me overly excited!!! My sweet mom offered to get the crib for us, so we went ahead and purchased it while it was on sale. A few weeks later the crib came in and patiently waited in our unpainted nursery. 

link

This weekend after painting the nursery, we could not wait to put it together. It was like a right of passage for James to build his baby girl's crib...so we got to work. As I was sitting on the floor and he was unpacking I noticed a "hugh gash" in my words and a "dennnnttt" in James' words on the side of the crib. We were able to take the piece back and trade it out at Pottery Barn and were ready to try this again. 

Then... we set up the crib and the warning labels (yes...the ones that are melted on) were on the outside (instead of the inside where they are supposed to be). Me and my impatient self did not want to take that crib up there again, so we made a target run and 30 minutes + some goo gone love later we had ourself a beautiful crib. 

Overall, it is a great crib. I love the look and it is very sturdy. Although, I wish some of the little things had been checked we are so happy to have it all together now! 

I will post some pictures of the set up tomorrow...

rise and shine...it's taco time

This cool morning called for making some yummy breakfast. I had to run to Whole Foods to pick up a few things and saw there breakfast burritos (that James and I love!) I figured I was better off buying the ingredients to save a few pennies! So here is what we are putting together...

Here is the basic-

Whole Foods organic tater tots (2-4 per burrito)

Eggs 

cheese

Bacon(we used 2 strips and cut up little pieces between 3 burritos)

Whole Wheat tortillas 

salsa

Optional add ons-

mild italian breakfast sausage

bell peppers 

If you are ever looking to make these for a group or having friends over for breakfast, it is great to wrap them in foil and put them in your crockpot on low. It will keep them nice and warm for when you are ready to serve. 

Don't get me wrong, I am well aware this is not my usual granola and yogurt breakfast, but such a yummy treat for a day off! Hope everyone has a wonderful Labor Day!! 

Oh, and if you do not feel like making your own I highly recommend Whole Foods or Torchy's Tacos breakfast burritos in Dallas! Both great places for a yummy and cheap breakfast taco! 

painting the nursery

Well I am pretty sure I won't ever be able to convince James to paint a room again. By the end of this project we went between several "visions" for the nursery and about 7 swatches that I stared at on the wall in "every light." By we I mean myself and my patient husband of course. 

We went between robins egg blues, to grayish pink/purple, to pale seafoam and landed on "Quiet Rain" which I would describe as a grayish/bluish/purplish color. It is one of those colors that is hard to explain, but works perfect with what we wanted to do in the nursery. I have put a picture of the swatch from online below. This is the first step in getting the nursery ready and it is so exciting to start this process. I can't wait to turn that little room into a home for Ella and place where many late nights and sleepy walks back and forth will happen. I am sure that room will be filled with every emotion at some point and I really can't wait for that. 

Also, we are so thankful for our sweet friends Kerry and Logan for helping us paint the room! It is such a blessing to have all of the help and get this project knocked out! 

Here is the color-

I love the name of the color too (not that it really matters), but quiet rain just seems cozy! 

Hope everyone is having a wonderful Saturday and enjoy your long weekend!

Who Doesn't Love...

...a yummy chick-fil-a chicken biscuit! James and I are not really fast food eaters (as in almost never). Although, there is one place that we love and that is Chick-Fil-A. If you live in Dallas and have not heard, you can go to Chick-fil-aforbreakfast.com and "reserve" your FREE breakfast coupon for a specific Dallas location. All you have to do is pick the location, choose your free breakfast item and time and they email you a coupon.

I know I am pregnant and probably over excited about a free yummy chicken biscuit, but you know you are excited too!

So go check it out! Happy Tuesday!

Dallas Moms Blog Guest Post

Hey Everyone! Go check out my post on Dallas Moms Blog! You can see pictures and details from our gender reveal party for Baby Unthank!! Also, check out some of their date night ideas and advice on other Dallas spots for mommas!

all those crazy tricks

Each night when I get into bed James usually talks to Ella (some studies say she can hear us now so we will go with it and be over excited parents to be). So of course, James is just itching to feel Ella kick (even though he knows it will be a little while until she is big enough for that). James had read on BabyCenter that if you put a flashlight close to my belly and move it slowly they will move around to follow the light. So I was laying there last night thinking to myself I would let him have his fun and do the cute dad thing and I would just lay down and out of no where Ella kicked harder than ANY kick or movement I have felt so far. I literally jumped with excitement because I could not believe I felt her that much. I have been feeling her move a little when I lay down at night or sometimes when I sit down after school. She had one more hard kick that night and then settled down. I know James wishes he could feel it but, the look on his face was priceless that his crazy little trick worked. 

I honestly think we will remember that sweet moment forever. It was so wonderful and I can't wait to feel her even more as she grows! 

Also, saw this on pinterest today and drooled...

boden usa 

Wonder if I can convince James that Ella needs a winter coat? haha. 

It's a GIRL!

We are so excited to announce that IT'S A GIRL! This is a VERY belated announcement to the blog (due to the craziness of getting back to school). We could not be more excited to be welcoming Ella to our little family in January! 

When we went in for our appointment to find out what we were having I was so mixed with feelings of anxiousness to see our baby, know if it was a he or she, figure out if my guess was right, but, most of all eagerness to see that our baby was growing healthy and strong. Our sonographer started going through the sonogram, it was like I completely forgot the anxiousness of finding out if it was a boy or girl and kept feeling so grateful every time she muttered "__________ looks healthy and strong!" I am so thankful that Ella is growing and continue to pray that prayer through this whole pregnancy and far after that. 

Within days of finding out I was pregnant, James has always thought it was a girl. I didn't really know until further along and then began to get the "mother's intuition." There was just something that made me feel like it was a girl. Maybe it was the citrus and sweet cravings or the desire for bows and dresses, but somehow I just knew. 

James and I threw a Gender Reveal Party with our families and a few close friends. Here is a picture from the party. I will be posting about the party and all of the details next week on Dallas Moms Blog. 

Now let's just cross our fingers that I can control myself with all of the cute, tiny, girly things out there! Right after we found out, James took me to a little children's boutique that I LOVE and let me pick out a dress for Ella! He is going to be such an amazing daddy to our sweet baby girl! 

balance and goldfish

Sorry for the lack of blogging this week. I am definitely learning balance in an entire new way. Every year going back to school has required balance, but any time I am over working myself or tip toeing on a chair to hang a border on one of my walls it has never been a big deal. Then...there is this year where everything has to be thought about while I take care of baby unthank and I am so thankful for that, but still learning. 

I thought I would share a fun little thing I did for my second graders. I got the idea from Pinterest (where else?) and thought they turned out really cute. I did not have my camera with me, so I will share the image from Pinterest. 

link

Also, I am working on a really fun art project for the nursery. I mixed 2 ideas from pinterest and will share it with you this weekend hopefully. I am half way there, so we will see!

Anyone had any great ideas, crafts, recipes, decorations, or inspiration from another blog, pinterest, or a friend lately? I would love to see what you have been working on!

Happy Friday and enjoy your weekend!

back to school

It is that time of year (at least the teachers are heading back) and it always comes with such mixed emotions...you'll miss the ease of summer, but your excited for your new group of kiddos. This week can definitely be one of the more difficult ones because it is full of trainings and setting up, but once the kids get there, it really reminds you why you do what you do. It is weird how right now my back to school mindset includes deciding what I want to bring in my lunches (to satisfy some preggers cravings and still be healthy), looking at curriculum and what we are going to teach this year, and picking cute borders and name plates for my classroom. I know with baby Unthank on the way that it will fly by and before I know it back to school will be backpacks, lunch boxes, new clothes and shoes, and gearing up for a whole new side of back to school. Even though I know that is 5 years away, it is still exciting that this baby will bring so many new experiences into our lives (like no more lazy Saturday mornings, but lots more giggles and kisses). So as I was sitting in staff training today, I was just thinking how quick time flies and how many wonderful and exciting things will change in the years to come. 

Hope everyone (teachers and mommas) are getting ready for back to school. I hope this is a wonderful year!

Vintage Alphabet Cards and more

Check out these amazing vintage alphabet cards. The Handmade Home is a great resource for free printables. I wanted to to get some vintage cards to string up in the nursery and stick with our bright color theme. Everywhere I have looked they are at least $25-$40. This is a great option to print them for free and get a chance to try them out. If I don't like them on the wall I can turn them into a little book! 

Here is the link to get each letter. This would also be fun if you just printed the letters for your baby's name and displayed them somewhere in the nursery. 

credit

Also, check out the rest of her blog. She is always sharing wonderful handmade ideas and shares her printables all of the time!

She also has some great ideas to add color and prints for "sprucing up a space," like this shelf...



Hope you enjoy a new blog with some wonderful ideas. I am loving finding all of these great prints (especially free ones) to start planning out the walls for the nursery.