Bumpdate | 5 Months

Baby is the size of a: coconut!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +10 lbs... yep, this is actually down a pound from last month. I caught back to back horrible colds this month and had the worst sinus infection so I lost several pounds, but have mostly gained them all back. The good news is, baby is still checking out fine and is even measuring ahead! Plus, I started this pregnancy with quite the Clomid weigh gain buffer, so all is well. 

Maternity Clothes: Give me all the maternity leggings and yoga pants! Being so sick this month, that was all I wanted to wear. 

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The Nutcracker | Atlanta

Seeing the Nutcracker each Christmas season was a tradition Max and I started as newlyweds in Scottsdale before Parker ever came along. We skipped going Parker's first Christmas (as he was just a baby) and by Parker's second Christmas, we found ourselves living in Huntsville, Alabama. We took a chance and brought our then almost-two-year-old to the show (which was done on a much smaller scale than the Phoenix production), fully expecting to have to duck out at some point. But, he actually did amazingly well, lasted the entire performance and was the best little audience member (read more about that first show here).

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Holiday Happenings

It's the most wonderful time of the year! Unfortunately, it's brought lots of viruses. Tons. I've been down for the past two weeks - and when I say down, I mean days of not being able to get out of bed 🙈 Including a two-day migraine that literally made me cry. This pregnancy is kicking my butt. Thank goodness for my husband.

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Gobble Gobble

Our Thanksgiving started bright and early with the Huntsville Turkey Trot. This was our third year racing, and I love feeling like I "earn" that big Thanksgiving meal later in the day!

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Holiday Eats | Herbed Aubergine (Eggplant) Soufflé

This post is sponsored by Stella® Cheese but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

What makes a dish Holiday worthy? For me, it's something that feels fancy, something I wouldn't normally make - a recipe that might be super labor intensive, using the best of ingredients. In this case, it's a multi-step soufflé, using fresh breadcrumbs and gourmet Stella® cheese. 

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Bumpdate | 4 Months

Baby is the size of a: pomegranate!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +11 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: I'm in search of maternity workout leggings! If anyone knows of a good pair, please let me know.

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Our Gender Non-Reveal

Much to my sisters' dismay, we are once again declining to find out the gender of our baby before it's born. We did this with Parker, and honestly although it was so hard, it was also the best thing ever. It gives me as the Mama (doing all the hard work on birth day) one more thing to look forward to - and nothing will ever compare to your husband telling you if you have a boy or a girl! Plus, Max is very into waiting to find out - he says it's the only real surprise you get in life.

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Grand Cayman | Days 4-6

By Day 4 in Grand Cayman, we had our morning routine - wake up, don our beach clothes, and have breakfast on the beach! 

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It's Just Halloween Fun

October goes by the quickest out of any of the months (at least in this house!). And this past week was full of Halloween fun! Last Sunday was the third annual neighborhood Witches Ride, and my second time participating (we were out of town the inaugural year). 

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Book Review | Where the Crawdads Sing

Where the Crawdads Sing

My Rating: 4.7

Amazon Rating: 4.8

Ya'll, I was hesitant about this book. But, I needed a new novel for our trip to Cayman, so I went with this recent release from Reese's Book Club. 

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Grand Cayman | Day 3

Our second full day in Grand Cayman, we woke up to that gorgeous calm water that I remembered (the wind had stopped and it would be back to normal as usual for the rest of our trip - you could tell the difference immediately, the umbrellas were up, paddle boarding lessons were starting and water sports were back on - it was like a whole different beach this day). We were out on the sand around 8AM again thanks to this sweet guy! The beach food and beverage service at the Westin didn't start until 10:30AM, so I popped over to the hotel's cafe for bagels and chocolate croissants to bring back to the beach, and came back to find my boys in the ocean!

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Sweater Weather

This post is sponsored by Cuddl Duds but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

It's sweater weather here in The South! But more than that, we've been having swings of thirty plus degrees on the daily. It will be in the 40's in the morning but the 70's in the afternoon, and the only way to tackle this weather is layers.

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Fall Snacking | Hot Wing Baskets

This post is sponsored by Frank's Red Hot but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

There are so many snacking opportunities during the fall - football, baseball, pumpkin decorating... here's an easy snack to serve up - individual hot wing baskets!

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The Infertility Diaries | PCOS

If you’re currently dealing with infertility, you might have found this blog post from a random Google search on fertility treatments. Since first writing about infertility earlier this year, I’ve had so many women write in response that they found this blog in just that way, on their search for any and all information on the subject. I can relate – I was there. Twice. I devoured any article, blog post or study I could get my hands on – but I especially wanted to hear the stories. There was just something about reading a specific experience that was comforting – especially if it was a success story.

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Life Lately | Fall Y'all

I know Christmas is the most magical time of the year, but October is right on up there for me! There's always just so much going on!

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Bumpdate | Months 2 & 3

Baby is the size of a: lemon!

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +5 lbs.

Maternity Clothes: Dresses have been my friend!

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Grand Cayman | Days 1 & 2

Parker's first official school holiday break was earlier this month. To celebrate we knew we wanted to go to the beach... so I suggested earlier this year when we were brainstorming that we go to the prettiest one I know, Seven Mile Beach on Grand Cayman! Since we knew we might be pregnant, I studied up on Zika-free destinations, and The Cayman Islands have actually been free of the virus since 2017 (the other two Zika-free options in the Caribbean area are Bermuda and Bahamas). Since we had already been to Grand Cayman once and knew what to expect, we thought it would be the perfect island introduction for our five-year-old!

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Pickles & Ice Cream | Vol. 2

We have some exciting news... Parker is going to be a big brother! Baby brother or sister will be arriving in April of 2019, and we just couldn't be more thrilled. 

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Scott's Orchard

Last weekend, we headed upstate 35 minutes or so from Huntsville to Scott's Orchard, which grows several different varieties of peaches and apples. It's just the beginning of apple season here, and we were thrilled to pick our own! We signed up for the half-hour tour followed by apple picking. Parker and his buddies had tons of fun on this hay bale play area while we waited for the tour to start.

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Plant-Based Snacking

This post is sponsored by Pearls® but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

I'm always looking for easy, healthy snacks that can be tossed into my purse for whenever they might be needed. I found such the thing with Pearls Olives to Go!® In addition to kalamata, green and black olives, they also have infused flavors! Parker is a fan of the Italian Herb while I prefer the spicy Sriracha. 

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Crazy Rich Asians

I've read (and loved) the entire The Crazy Rich Asians Trilogy. I read Kevin Kwan's first book, Crazy Rich Asians, several years ago. It follows New Yorker Rachel Chu and her trip to meet her boyfriend's Singaporean family for the first time. She assumed he came from a humble background, but what awaited in Singapore was nothing short of a palace complete with private planes, and a family that was equal to Singaporean royalty. It was such a fun read so I was super excited when they announced that a movie based on the book was being made!

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Life Lately | Almost Fall Y'all

Happy September, and Happy Football Season! Parker's new (K-12) school had their home opener football game last weekend. It was also "Lower School Night" and Parker even had the opportunity to go out on the field before kickoff! 

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Friday Favorites

Amen. Happy Pumpkin Spice Latte Season, y'all! Nevermind it's been in the nineties here (add in the humidity and it basically feels like you're walking around on top of a bowl of soup), I will sip my PSL and pretend I'm wearing boots and a scarf.

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Happy Anni to Us!

Today is our ninth wedding anniversary! Nine years ago Max and I said I do, and I'd choose this man every day, over and over again. I can't imagine a better partner, friend, Dada, cheerleader, protector, bug killer, air conditioner installer, deal finder, navigator, dish washer, smart house creator, caretaker, travel companion, adventure seeker, answer-giver, or all-around fixer of all the things. How did I get so lucky? Oh right, match.com 😉

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Soccer Star

Neither Max nor I are what you'd call athletic. Neither of us played team sports in high school (Max was on the swim team, and I played in the marching band). So imagine our surprise that our son loves all things sports. Anything with a ball or puck - he's all over it. He wants to play, he wants to watch... you could say he's obsessed. Baseball, hockey, golf, football - he's equal opportunity. So when sign-ups went out earlier this year for his school's kindergarten soccer league, we signed him right up, despite the fact he'd never played organized soccer before.

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Friday Faves

Happy Friday! It seems like (almost) everyone has gone back-to-school at this point! My social media feeds have been filled with first-week photos, and they make me smile! Here are my five faves for the week...

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Seinfeld Date Night

Every couple years, Jerry Seinfeld comes to town and does a one-night-only stand-up comedy routine. We went the last time he was here in 2016, and purchased tickets again as soon as they went on sale earlier this year.

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Making Mornings Special with NEW NESTLÉ® NESQUIK® Super Breakfast

This post is sponsored by NESTLÉ® NESQUIK® but the content and opinions expressed are my own.

Breakfast sets the tone for the day, and since my little man is now going to real school afterward, I like to make it extra special. We've kept out out first-day-of-school ballon garland, and I'm pairing our waffles, toast, bacon, eggs and fruit with NESTLÉ® NESQUIK® Super Breakfast! 

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Taco Tuesday | Ice Cream Tacos

Tuesdays are for tacos, and you haven't lived until you've had one made of... ice cream 💃

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PCK Starts Kindergarten!

I blinked, and my little newborn started kindergarten. The days are long, but the years are short, y'all. Parker got a special delivery on Kindergarten Eve just as we were getting ready for bed. It made him even more excited for the next day!

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Miscellany Monday | End of Summer Edition

Today is the last day of summer break, and as of tomorrow, I will officially be a kindergarten mom! If you missed my blog entry on back-to-school lunches with Pepperidge Farm, click HERE! How perfect are those little slider buns? I had some questions on the lunch box I used in the post - Parker has one of the classic Pottery Barn Kids square lunch boxes, and I use the Bento Box from PB Kids inside it (I love how it divides everything up and makes packing all the snacks and sides super easy). 

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Super Easy 2 Ingredient Popsicles

This post is sponsored by Dannon® Oikos® Traditional Greek Yogurt but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

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Parker Takes Dallas

We spent a week in Max's home state of Texas, and our little guy had a blast, loving every minute (if you couldn't tell by the cheesy picture above!). Travel-wise, it's pretty easy for us to get there. It's a direct flight from Huntsville, clocking in at just under two hours.

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A Birthday and a Cake (Vol. 4)

It's become a tradition to celebrate Max's birthday with a different homemade cake each year (see cakes from years past HERE, HERE, and HERE). This year, I went for a light, fluffy, orange angel cake (the perfect way to follow up our ginormous birthday dinner at Texas de Brazil!).

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California Dreaming

I usually let so much travel go by without a blog mention, because by the time we're home and catching up on life, something else comes along and I just never get back to it. Case in point: our honeymoon to Bora Bora where I only wrote about the first couple days. Oops. Not to mention the fact that we just returned from Dallas, and I of course want to share all about that trip. But first, the rest of our May California adventure (read about our first day in San Francisco HERE). Ready for some time travel? Back to May!

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My A+ Plan for Back-to-School Lunches

This post is sponsored by Pepperidge Farm, but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

Back-to-School time is almost here! For us, it's the beginning of kindergarten... and it's happening in just a couple weeks. We have shopped for our supply list, know what to do for car line pick-up, and my mind has wandered now to school lunches!

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Book Review | July Edition

I'm back with my four most recent reads! 

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Life Lately | Summer Edition

We tried a little something new this summer, and had Make It Mondays, Take A Trip Tuesdays, Water Fun Wednesdays, Thoughtful Thursdays, and Foodie Fridays 😊 Even if it was something super simple and quick like making slime on a Monday or picking flowers to gift on a Thursday, Parker had a ball looking forward to each thing. 

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Garden Update | July

Summer gardens are one of my favorite things ever. I love being able to pop out and grab a handful of basil or parsley - and having a little helper with me is just the best. 

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Fresh Caprese Chicken Burgers

This post is sponsored by Stella® but the content and opinions expressed here are my own.

With the heirloom tomatoes and abundant basil of summer, StellaⓇ Fresh Mozzarella is the perfect way to round out a caprese anything... in this case, caprese on top of a spinach and chicken burger! 

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Summer Reads

Grab a coffee and get ready to jot down four books you need for your summer!

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Summer in the South

This is our fourth summer in Alabama. I can't even wrap my mind around that fact! Granted, I spent twenty-six summers in California followed by six in Arizona, so Alabama is still low on the totem pole for seniority. I suppose it's reversed for Parker, who spent his first two summers in AZ and has now spent the majority of his life in The South.

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5 Healthy Habits to Practice With Your Family

This post is sponsored by Natrol but the content and opinions expressed here are my own. 

Raising a health-conscious little guy is always at the forefront of my parenting mind. I know that the habits we create with our child will carry him through to adulthood. At the same time, my husband and I want to be here and healthy to see him through adulthood - to us, this means moving our bodies, and fueling them with good things. Here are my top five ways to practice healthy habits with your family (because everything is more fun when you're doing it with someone else, right?).

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Sum-Sum-Summertime

Today was Parker's final day of preschool - ever! I just cannot believe that, come August, we will have a kindergartener on our hands! His class celebrated today with a morning of swimsuits and water fun. And now, we are officially in summer mode. 

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Life Lately - May Edition

May - the month where everything wraps up! Earlier this month, it was the Museum Guild's end-of-the-year fundraiser. This year's theme: Foothills to Fine Art (boots encouraged) so Max and I both donned them for the occasion! We realized it had been way too long since we had been on a date night (Parker reminded us our last one was in December!).

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Airplane Reading

I love a good book on a plane. Add in a cheese plate and I'm set for the rest of the flight 😉 Here's what I brought on our recent travel to and from California...

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The Infertility Diaries

A couple weeks ago, I met a friend for coffee to go over my experience with the infertility drug Clomid. She was just about to start her first round, so I shared that all my rounds have been very different, but with each round she should be prepared to experience:

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A Day in the Life - Preschool Edition

Out of all the topics I've written about over the years, our "Day in the Life" posts are my very favorite to look back on. They seem so normal and trivial when penning them - but years later, it's those tiny little details that you forget. There's a quote: How we spend our days is how we spend our lives, and having documentation of this is just priceless (if you don't have a blog, I totally recommend just documenting a random day for yourself or your kids).

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