Today is an extra special day in our house because it’s Jamie’s birthday! The Army may have caused us separation on other holidays, our anniversary, etc., but this is the very first time in eight years that I haven’t been able to give him a big birthday kiss and celebrate with him on his special day. We sorely miss you today babe but Hadley and I are sending all of our love overseas! Happy happy happy 28th birthday to you! You are a gift to us.
I haven’t done a Slice of Life post in almost a month, but I also haven’t taken nearly as many pictures as I usually do! I was still able to dig through my phone and find a few quick shots of some of what we’ve been up to throughout the month of December. 🙂 Hope you enjoy!
We spent the first four days of the month down in Destin, Florida visiting my sister and brother-in-law. The weather was very warm the first couple of days, which made it feel like a true vacation.
On the second day we were visiting my sister, she went in for a doctor’s appointment and found out that she’s making me an aunt to a beautiful baby GIRL! I was so nervous all morning waiting for her to get home from her appointment, but as soon as she walked in the door I knew she was having a girl simply because her face was all puffy from crying. 😉 She brought home pink cupcakes for everyone to enjoy! Hadley also looks a hot mess because she and I had spent the morning at the ocean and she did a bit of swimming. 😉
On our last day in Florida my sister took us over to a coastal indoor/outdoor aquarium, and Hadley was in Heaven! This was her favorite spot.
Jennifer is such an involved aunt, and Hadley really adores her and Josh!
My sorority big sister from college also lives in Destin, so we were able to meet up for lunch! We hadn’t seen each other in over three years, so it was really nice to hug her and catch up.
On our way home to Alabama we detoured a couple hours to visit one of my best friends Jessica and her family. Jess is so thoughtful and had sugar cookies all ready for Hadley to make a total mess of decorate. We had to cut our trip short by a day because Hadley came down with a fever and terrible cough, and there was no way I wanted her to stick around Jessica’s six month old daughter. Deciding to leave early was selfishly really hard because we don’t get much time together these days, but we’re learning to put our girls and their health first!
Dare I say that my horribly picky eater is starting to come around! We’ve started adding whole grain frozen waffles to the morning menu, but she much prefers Grandpa’s homemade ones. 🙂
Pinterest hack! One night when I was breaking down boxes I remembered seeing this idea on Pinterest – throw your kid in the box and let them go to town with markers and crayons! Hadley loved it!
A few weeks ago we took Hadley to downtown Huntsville to Santa’s Village to sit on the big guy’s lap. Here we are waiting in line to traumatize my kid. 😉
Despite the coaching I’d done with her all week about how exciting Santa is, she screamed and hollered for the entire place to hear. I really wasn’t sure how she’d react, but I definitely didn’t expect her to be quite as dramatic as she ended up being. Maybe next year she’ll get into it. 😉 You better believe I ordered the professional shot after seeing the proof (shipped to Kansas so I can’t show ya!). This is GOLD!
Spending time with close friends is one of the best parts of being home!
We loved showering Amberlee and baby Carter at her baby shower!
Oh, this day was SO MUCH FUN! These are three of my absolute favorite friends from college, and after some strategic planning were able to find a day that we could all meet in Birmingham! Brittany (far left) lives there, so the rest of us drove from Huntsville, Tuscaloosa, and Atlanta to spend the whole day together. It was just as wonderful as I figured it would be. Friends like these three are really hard to come by. They’re encouraging, generous, hilarious, and absolutely the most genuine. Investing in friendships like these is so, so worth it to me!
I’m so excited about this new line of skincare I’m trying! I noticed that my friend Michele has the absolute most perfect skin, and she said that she swears by this line! I’ve been in the market for a new facial skincare regiment, so I quickly scooped up this gift set from Sephora. It also came with a couple eye creams. I really like it so far! I’d recommend trying out this kit first. It’s only $45 right now and includes some really, really great products that I’m loving!
And that’s our most recent Slice of Life! Hope you’re having a wonderful Christmas week with people you love. <3 xoxo
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