Alice in Nurseryland

Nesting has been in full effect these last few weeks. For some reason (sheer exhaustion and chasing a toddler) I haven't had a lot of time to set the nursery up until now! I was also waiting until my Mom and Dad came out a few weeks ago because the nursery will double as a guest room. The room is much smaller than at our last place so I knew with a crib things would be tight and wanted them to have a little more space on their visit. 

I also had a little "sprinkle" a few weeks ago. Some fabulous friends threw a small brunch to honor Alice's arrival. We already have tons of clothes, bottles, swings, blankets, toys and most necessary baby things but we did not have diapers, a second crib, and some of the larger items. I was just expecting and wishing for a few boxes of diapers but my good friend reached out to the "Duke ladies" and gave us an amazing Amazon gift card so we could get a new crib and mattress for the nursery. Several friends here also gave GIANT boxes of diapers, wipes, new California Baby Shampoo, and lots of fun books. I was blown away and slightly embarrassed at the generosity of our local friends as well as so many friends from our Duke days contributing to the "Alice crib fund." 

As soon as I got home I ordered the crib right away and that weekend Peter and I found the perfect vintage dresser and changing table. We already had the glider from Ava's room so all that was left was pictures. I had a Mary Blair theme in mind and found this great San Francisco Mary Blair'esq print on Etsy that I fell in love with. 

I really wanted an Alice in Wonderland Mary Blair painting but sadly Peter and I don't have an extra $5k laying around of nursery art. I purchased the A-L-I-C-E letters off of Etsy and got some great frames at Ikea. 

This past weekend at HomeGoods I found this great chalkboard and decided a scripture would complete the room. 

Peter and I finished hanging everything tonight and then sat and talked about how crazy it is that we will have ANOTHER baby in less than 2 months. As I finished folding her tiny little onsies and sleepers I prayed for the amazing woman I know she will be. Can't wait to meet our sweet Alice Elizabeth!!! 

Summa Summa time

Northern Cali has been experiencing quite the HEAT WAVE this week! We are so spoiled here with 72 degrees and sunny 90% of the year that when it's too hot or actually rains people don't know what to do! My husband jokes that we should get a break in rent when the weather "acts up" because if you're paying $3000+ a month to live somewhere the weather should be perfect all year long! 

Luckily we have AC so we haven't been experiencing this "brutal" weather like some of our friends. By brutal I mean it was 91 (with 0% humidity) 2 days this week... basically winter weather in FL! Ava and I took advantage of the heat and spent almost every afternoon outside at the water table and in her little kiddie pool. We also went to our big neighborhood pool with one of our friends and hit up the splash pad at Mitchell Park. 

With all of this fun in the sun Ava got to test out 1 of her new swimsuits. Now baby swimsuits preferences vary by person but I am a big fan of either a rash guard (if in the sun for a while but it sucks trying to get it over their head) or a 1 piece. Ava had one baby bikini last year and although a baby belly sticking out of a bikini is adorable they are SUPER annoying in the pool! All they do is ride up under their armpits and provide 0 sun protection. So this year we stuck with only 1 pieces. Ava has 2 monogrammed swimsuits but after she wore this Bella Bare Wear snap bottom swimsuit it was hard to put her in anything else. This swimsuit is so easy to get on and off and has a snap bottom closure! WHY don't all little girl swimsuits have a snap bottom closure?! You can slide the swimsuit on and off from over their head like a regular onsie then snap the bottom. Then when you get to the park or pool you just unsnap and put on the swim diaper... GENIUS! Last year Ava had some cute swimsuits but getting them on her chubby little body was so hard! Peter used to call it stuffing a sausage because you have to put their chubby little thighs through these tiny leg holes and then hike it up and up to get the straps over their shoulders! This year it's all about the easy way out! 

I also just ordered another snap bottom suit by Ruffle Butts. Hopefully it'll be just as easy to use. Plus I can't get over ruffle bottoms on swimwear!! Such a fun way to start off the summer! 

Pregnancy Cravings

Every pregnancy is different but this time around I have a MAJOR sweet AND salty tooth! Last pregnancy I craved donuts. I would allow myself to have 4 donuts a week until the last few when a donut a day kept the pregnant lady at bay! This time around I crave home made chocolate chip cookies, fudge brownies and Chick fil a french fries. Clearly ALL healthy things! But I would like to not be a ginormous pregnant lady so I really try to limit my sweet and salty intake. We eat pretty healthy at the house due to Peter's dietary restrictions and because I am feeding a toddler and want her to only eat healthy whole foods. But this pregnant lady needs some sweets now and again! So I have found 2 recipes that are GREAT to fulfill both of my cravings but not have me chowing down thousands of calories. 

The first is a single serve chocolate chip cookie recipe. It actually makes 2 large cookies so I have one for the next day! Here is the recipe. 

Ingredients

• 2 tablespoons of butter
• 2 firmly packed tablespoons of dark brown sugar
• 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar
• Pinch of kosher salt
• ¼ teaspoon of pure vanilla extract
• 1 egg yolk – discard or set aside egg white for a different use
• ¼ teaspoon of baking soda
• ¼ cup of all-purpose flour
• 3 heaping tablespoons of semisweet chocolate chips

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
2. In a microwave safe bowl, heat butter just until it starts to melt and is softened. Blend softened butter, sugars, salt, and vanilla together by hand.
3. Add egg yolk and stir again.
4. Add baking soda and flour and stir until combined.
5. Then stir in chocolate chips.
6. Form cookie dough into two balls and place on baking sheet.
7. The cookies will spread during baking, so make sure they are several inches apart.
8. Bake for about 8 minutes, or until edges are golden brown.
9. Remove baking sheet from oven and give the baking sheet a firm, but careful bang on the counter top. This will deflate the cookie and give it a perfect wrinkly appearance.

The second is a homemade french fry recipe. 

Ingredients

• 1-2 tablespoons of olive oil
• sea salt
• pepper
• garlic powder

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a baking sheet with non-stick spray
2. Wash potatoes well 
3. Peel if you would like. I like to keep the peel because it's better for you
4. Cut the potatoes into wedges
5. Let the potatoes soak for 20 min in ice cold water. This helps remove some starch
6. Dry the potatoes as well as you can
7. In a bowl or large plastic bag mix all ingredients together. Garlic powder is optional 
8. Bake at 450 for 30-45 min depending on how thick you cut them and how crispy you want them

Now if you are craving sweet and salty I would recommend sweet potato fries! Same as above but I add a teaspoon of brown sugar to the mix. 

Bon Appetit! 

Babymoon

I have been an absentee blogger for a while... again... Basically I am 30 weeks pregnant and spend 99% of my day chasing around a 16 month old who DOES NOT STOP. So there is my excuse...

BUT I had to blog about our great BABYMOON we went on last month! Peter and I are FIRM believers in getting some alone time from the kiddos 1-3 times a year. I think it's healthy for Ava to be around other caregivers and also for Peter and I to reconnect and focus on each other for a few days instead of our sweet girl. Of course 70% of the trip we talk about how cute Ava is or about how excited we are for Alice's arrival but it's still nice to be able to not plan a day around nap time.

For our babymoon we chose the cute town of Carmel. Carmel/ Pebble Beach are about 1.5 hours from where we live and have great shopping, food, and beaches. We found the cutest little cottage to rent on airbnb.com. The house was along the 17 mile drive and about a 15 min walk to the city of Carmel.

We got there Friday evening and enjoyed a fabulous Sushi dinner in Carmel and picked up some chocolate cheesecake on the way home. We got into bed at 8:30 and watched Scandal and ate cheesecake. It was AMAZING! The next morning we both woke up at 7:45! We tried to sleep in but I guess Ava has ruined us from sleeping in! We decided to walk down to the city and grab some brunch. The walk down to the city was super nice. We stopped at the beach to relax a bit but it was a little too cold to hang out for a long time.

After brunch we hiked back up to the cottage.... literally. The walk down the hill was pleasant but hiking up a 40 degree hill 26 weeks pregnant was a bit tougher than expected! I tend to be a bit of a overachiever and never admit that I am over exerted or need help but luckily Peter noticed my HEAVY breathing and made me take several breaks on the way up. We saw several deer and SEVERAL multimillion dollar homes on the way up. It was fun but we did not attempt the hike again during the trip. 

After we rested for an hour or so we decided to drive down to Big Sur. The drive down was SPECTACULAR and we made several stops along the way. 

Peter had to climb down and up every hill/mountain along the way. I just looked away and prayed he didn't slip. Boys are so funny! We also spotted a whale from this look out. I spotted the blow spout and yelled down to Peter to look. We assume it was a gray whale and it's calf since they are in season to spot around here.

We finally arrived at Pfeiffer State Park but didn't realize they have limited parking and had to wait about 45 minutes to park and head to the beach. If you ever head down there on a weekend get there early or it can take 3+ hours to park. They don't let cars in if there aren't any spots so you have to wait until someone leaves for them to let any cars in. The wait was worth it! This beach was BEAUTIFUL! It was still way too cold for me to swim but it was great to hang on the beach.

The next day we decided to go whale watching in Monterey. We did this actually during our babymoon while I was pregnant with Ava but apparently spring is the best time to see Orcas and so we decided to go again. We did not see any orcas BUT we saw over 20 humpback whales, a family of gray whales, and lots of dolphins. We even saw 4 humpback whales bubble feeding while dolphins tried to jump all over/around them. The whales made this super annoyed trumpet sound from their blow hole to warn the dolphins. The dolphins did not listen and we saw a humpback whale lift up his/her fin and slap the dolphin! It was crazy and the marine biologist onboard said she has never seen that in her 20 years of whale watching. Let me just say I would not want to be on the other end of a 15 foot long fin slap! We also saw a whale in the distance tail flapping over and over. By the time the boat reached the area the whale had gone on it's way but it was very interesting to see in the distance. Sadly there were no orca sightings but it was so amazing to see so many whales and dolphins! We also saw a few cute little otters and a ton of seals! 

After the fun whale watching tour we headed home to see our sweet girl. I think she really missed us because she held on to us so tight that night and would not let go! She is not a big cuddler but she hugged each of us for 2+ minutes.

What a great trip! And a BIG thank you to Memei for watching Ava!!

#targetdoesitagain

So this Fashion Friday post is a little early but it's because I don't know what our nap time schedule will look like tomorrow! Ava is cutting a tooth and her molars are starting to descend so today has been a 2.5 hour nap day but tomorrow could be 30 minutes! 

Anyways, today's blog post is dedicated to everyone's favorite store... Target! Somehow I was living in the dark ages a few months ago and wasn't aware of the Target cartwheel app! I mean coupons... on your phone... that you automatically load? GENIUS!!!! 

I started using this cartwheel app right when Ava's feet grew. Somehow Target KNEW and a 25% off kids shoe coupon showed up! Of course I had to check it out to see if it worked and I got 3 pairs of shoes for $28! I have had a Target red debit card for a while so I also got another 5% off on top of that! AMAZING! 

Well just the other day I realized I needed some more play clothes for Ava for the Spring/Summer. Now you all know how much I love to put Ava in smocked monogrammed dresses but on a day to day basis or #whenpapasincharge (you have to follow my instagram to get that one) you know our days can get messy. 

Ava LOVES to play outside, sit in the mud, splash in puddles, and collect rocks so most of her clothes require intense quantities of oxyclean on a daily basis. Just the other day I decided to divide all of Ava's clothes in her dresser so that when it's the weekend and Peter gets her dressed in the am he knows where her "approved" play clothes are located. This has helped immensely in sparing some of her nicer more expensive outfits from dirt, grass, blueberry stains, etc...

So anyway, back to #targetdoesitagain and my cartwheel app. I was just telling Peter how little Cuties shirts were getting a little tight in the tum tum and how she had no shorts for the Spring and what popped up on my phone... a 5% off Circo clothing and half of them were already on sale for $4! I love Target's Circo clothing line. The separates are great, are fun colors, aren't too cheesy, and wash really well. So I ordered 4 s/s shirts, 3 l/s shirts, 3 pairs of shorts and a pair of easter shoes for $45! Thats right, 11 items, including shoes, for under $50! And because I have a target red card I didn't have to pay ANY shipping!!! 

You literally cannot get mad when a $3.50 shirt gets mud on it. These clothes are perfect for all of fun sunny park days ahead or for #whenPapasincharge! 

10 Things You Miss Once You Are a Mom

So over the past few months I have had several friends have babies and during the last week of their pregnancy they always ask "What should I do before my life changes forever?" I think some of them are just trying to get their mind off of how uncomfortable and anxious they are but some also know that once you are a Mom you will always be a Mom and therefore miss out on many every day "luxuries" that most people take for granted. 

Here are my top 10 things you miss doing once you are a Mom. 

1. Using the bathroom alone: In the beginning your terrified you're child will roll out of something or magically disappear if you run to the bathroom for a minute. Then once your kiddo can start crawling or walking they follow you in there because what you are doing is WAY more interesting than the awesome toy you gave them to distract them for 2 minutes. 
2. Eating a meal at it's proper time or at it's proper temperature: Man I miss eating my food when it's ready. It seems there is always some emergency as soon as your food is ready. Ava also only wants what I am eating if we are eating at the same time, even if she has the EXACT same thing on her food tray. 

3. Not sharing: What's mine is yours is the name of the game with kids. Whatever it is you are eating, drinking, or doing you kiddo will want. Peter drinks grapefruit juice (GAG) but Ava wants some if he is drinking some. She totally gags as soon as she gets a sip but wants more once she sees him drinking it. 
4. Sleeping in: No matter what time you go to bed your kiddo is bound to wake up between 6:30 and 7:30 and they DO NOT go back to sleep until many hours later. The luxury of sleeping in is no more. Unless it's Saturday and Hubs lets me sleep in and then greets me with a waffle in bed. :) 
5. Sleeping Soundly: As soon as that baby comes out the Momma bear instinct kicks in and any weird noise they make in their sleep you wake up to. We had to move Ava into her nursery at 3 weeks because if she cooed in her sleep I woke up and ran over to check on her. That never changes! I used to be the heaviest sleeper, I slept through hurricane Fran when 9 oak trees fell on our house, but now any little baby noise I hear I wake up! 
6. Listening to whatever you want in the car: I used to listen to all sorts of music in the car but now it's all Christian music or Veggie Tales Pandora station. At least Veggie Tales plays lots of classic Disney music so I can relive my Disney days! 
7. Having a clean home: The moment you pick up they need the toy at the BOTTOM of the toy bin. I now only pick up after Ava is in bed. So if you come over to my house in the day time please excuse the trail of toys, piles of Tupperware that NEEDED to come out of the kitchen cabinet, and the toilet paper that MUST be torn up into little pieces all over the bathroom. 

8. Long Showers: Unless you take night time showers before bed showers after kids are asleep showers will be a 3 min MAX affair! Even if they are sound asleep in their crib as soon as you lather your hair up with conditioner they WILL wake up. It's inevitable! 
9. Wearing silk or cashmere: I wore a cashmere sweater once after Ava. Within 5 minutes it was covered with snot and mushed green beans. Load up on the cotton or anything machine washable after kiddos. And a word to the wise always have backup clothes in the car for every member of the family. There is a lot of misplaced poop/food/nasty random things that tend to cover you and them at some point in the day! 
10. Doing ANYTHING alone: I used to just hop in my car and go wherever I needed at any time. Now it takes 30 minutes to load up the diaper bag, dress the baby, get them in the car and your bound to have a poopy diaper right when everyone is ready. Going to the grocery used to take 20 min max, now you are lucky to get out within an hour. Everything takes longer. BUT you do have a buddy with you wherever you go and now when I run through my grocery list out loud I am actually talking to someone! 

Don't get me wrong being a Mom is SO wonderful BUT if you are pregnant or thinking about having kids please take advantage of ALL of the above every day simple luxuries! They'll change your life forever... in the BEST way possible! 

Fashion Friday: Tiny Toes

Today's blog post is dedicated to my Little Lamb and her tiny tiny toes! When Ava was born she had tiny little feet, well every baby has tiny tiny feet... But Ava's have grown at an incredibly slow pace! I mean SUPER SLOW! Ava still wears 0-6 month shoes and just now fits into infant size 2 shoes. Her buddy who is 2 months younger than her wear size 5.5 and most kids her age wear between size 4 and size 5. Her feet are also super narrow so finding shoes that don't fall off is a challenge. I guess she is going to have feet just like her Momma! Here are my top pics for kiddos with tiny toes. 

1. Pedipeds: Although a little pricey, these shoes are AMAZING! They are all leather so they are great first shoes for walkers as the kids can still feel the ground and help with balance. You can also wipe off all dirt so they always look new. The mary janes can tighten to accommodate very tiny narrow feet or stretch wider for chubby ones. They also come in lots of cute colors and styles. 

2. Robeez: These shoes will NEVER fall off! Well unless you have them on a 1 year old who has learned to pull them off! But these are also all leather so are great shoes for when they are first walking. They too come in fun colors and designs. 

3. See Kai Run: These shoes are super cute and all leather as well. My one issue with these is they are cut a little wide so only the mary janes which can be tightened fit. 

4. Toms: We bought our first pair of Toms the other day and they are very comfortable and durable. Ava got the cutest paisley pair. My friend told me they look like Lily Pulitzer and Toms conspired to make some adorable little girl shoes. They are holding up well but they are very easy for Ava to kick/ pull off when she is done wearing them so we have had a few almost losses. 

5. Lastly we love some Target OshKosh shoes! These are more for walkers and not pre-walkers as the bottom is full rubber but they are not too heavy. These metallic gold ones have been our favorite during the holiday season! And the best part is they are only $12.99! SCORE!

"I can only imagine where these tiny feet will go in their lifetime. My only hope is that they never forget the way home."

 Author: Candice G. (Kendallsmommie)