I apologize that it’s been a little bit quieter around here than normal the last couple of weeks! In being completely transparent, my creative blogging juices just haven’t been flowing like usual, and I’m committed to maintaining this site only if I’m truly enjoying it. 🙂 I don’t want this site to ever turn into a “job” or chore, so taking a couple steps back the last few weeks has been so refreshing. Thanks for understanding and sticking around!
Here’s a slice of our lives lately. 🙂
We kicked off September with a short but super sweet visit from my sister Jennifer and brother-in-law Josh! They flew here straight from their big trip to Ireland, and we did a bunch of hanging around the house and taking it easy. Hadley seriously loves them so much, and they all picked up right where they left off when we last saw them in May.
We’ve made s’mores cookies frequently this summer for all kinds of occasions, and it’s safe to say that Hadley is a huge fan! She’s such a chocolate nut!
She’s in a stage right now were she’s obsessed with digging through my bathroom drawers and putting on every single headband she finds! Once she can’t find anymore she tries to make a hair tie stretch around her head (that doesn’t work out too well). This is something I would totally forget if I didn’t document it; I always want to remember sweet/silly stages like this that she goes through!
Quick story: I posted on Instagram recently about the incredible customer service I received from Tory Burch last month. I purchased a $50 pair of rubber flip flops last April (2014), and a couple months ago they broke. I was bummed because even though I’d purchased them over a year prior, I’d worn them very few times. I decided to email the company to see if they could provide a replacement, and when they requested proof of purchase, I couldn’t provide anything – no email, credit card charge, receipt, nothing. That was okay with them though! They were still able to find my order after I told them when I’d placed the order and what method of payment I used. Because they don’t make the shoes anymore, they decide to send me an $80 gift card to Tory Burch in exchange for the broken flip flops. I couldn’t believe it! They were so friendly and easy to work with, and when finances allow I will definitely be a repeat customer!
One of my girlfriends and I were recently in the mood to just sit and talk, but when you both have kiddos it’s hard to do that sometimes because all of the attention is on them. We decided to visit one of our favorite donut shops in town because they have lots of games for the kids to keep them occupied. Hadley loves Bananagrams! It kept her busy for a solid 30 minutes while this mama got in some adult convo time.
Another stage she’s in – She’s obsessed with Jamie’s laundry! Without fail, every time I do laundry she digs through Jamie’s clean clothes trying to put it all on yelling “Da Da!”. She’s a smart cookie! Now to learn that shirts go over the head and not on the legs. 😉
BIG DEAL! Hadley started a child’s day out program and WE (YES, WE!) ARE LOVING IT! She’s in the younger two year old class with seven other kids all around her age for three hours a day, two days a week. Her teachers are super sweet and attentive, and on the second day Hadley went in and gave one of them a big hug (that spoke volumes to me). I love that they do equal amounts of art, free play, playground time, book reading, and snack time. Plus, I GET A BREAK! Such a sweet deal for everybody. 🙂
These pictures are from her first day a couple of weeks ago. 🙂 I love my pretty girl!
She’s also in a stage where she mimics everything I do. One Saturday morning I was taking my toenail polish off, so she grabbed the extra cotton ball and rubbed it on her toes the whole time I was working on mine. I love little stuff like this! It’s a good reminder that she’s watching everything.
The local humane society was hosting a fundraiser recently around the corner called “Spay-ghetti and No Balls dinner”, and when Jamie and I saw the advertisement for it we died laughing! Because the name was memorable, we looked it up and decided to go! $25 for all-you-can-eat Olive Garden for all three of us, plus we got to bring Teddy with us! Hadley was in dog Heaven!
We love baking!
My new toy! We’ve already made some amazing smoothies with this thing! It came with a whole recipe book for more smoothies, so we’re anxious to try a bunch.
My in-laws are moving back to Austin, Texas next week, so we spent the night with them one more time this past Friday night. Hadley loves being spoiled by them! Sliced up peaches and a vanilla donut for breakfast hit the spot for her. 🙂
One of my best friends Jessica had a baby back in June, and waiting three months to meet sweet Mia was so hard! We couldn’t wait to see how Hadley reacted to her, and sure enough she started treating her like a baby doll within an hour! This is her trying to put Mia “ni-night” with Mia’s burp cloth. 😉 It was so precious to watch!
She is so so so perfect! All I wanted to do for our 24 hour visit was sit on the couch and hold her. She’s an awesome baby!
The first of many, many pictures the four of us will take. 🙂
With another deployment on the horizon, we were able to snag some pictures this weekend to capture this time in our lives before we’re without Jamie for a while. Here’s a sneak peek! We’re so excited to see the rest!
If you entered last week’s Freshly Picked giveaway, stay tuned to Instagram tomorrow morning when I announce the winner (will be selected at random using random.org). Thanks to those who’ve entered! Good luck!
Have a wonderful week!
Hi! I’m Erica, and I absolutely adore sharing my life on this website with you! I come here almost daily to blab about all of the things related to being a regular wife and mother in today’s ever-evolving society. I share about our new home, what’s on our kitchen table, what we’re hanging in our closets, where we’re traveling to next, my crazy 5 a.m. work outs, how I make time for girlfriends, our faith, and much more. We always have a lot of balls in the air and somewhat thrive on the chaos. I believe in the power of story-telling as a form of inspiration and entertainment, so I’m here to do both! I was born and raised in north Alabama and recently re-planted roots here again after my husband transitioned out of the Army (he is now in the Reserve and it’s going so well!) I’m a super proud mom to three little girls (ages 7, 4, and 1) who seem to be the stars of the show around here (for good reason – they’re pretty great!) I’m so glad you found me and are here reading! I hope we can get to know each other here on the blog as well as Facebook and/or Instagram. xoxo