Slice of Life + Hadley’s Birthday: November 22nd, 2017

Hello hello! We’re busy putting one foot in front of the other around here as we navigate our last few weeks without Jamie. His family is in route today to join the girls and me for Thanksgiving, and then we’ll have just a few more weeks to tackle alone before our favorite guy comes home for good. Seem surreal, but we are ready.

Here’s a little slice of life and look at what’s been going on in our world lately.

Last Monday, Jamie relinquished command of his company in a ceremony there in Poland. It feels like yesterday that we were scrambling to get everything together for his own change of command ceremony last September, but sure enough, the last 14 months flew by for our family. He was so melancholy about giving it up that I actually had to ask him if he was going to break down crying during his speech!

He really did have such mixed feelings about it because of the tight bond he had with his soldiers. He had a great group. He led a big company of 120ish soldiers and worked really hard for them to view him as approachable. I wish the ceremony was stateside so the girls and I could have been there because it’s been such a big experience for our whole family, but we saw a video and he killed his speech. He’s had a lot of jobs in the Army, but serving as a company commander was the most humbling, refining, and gratifying experience he’s ever had.

The battalion commander’s wife is exceptional, and she graciously swung by my house and the incoming FRG leader’s house on the day of the ceremony to gift us with traditional red and yellow roses – red for me as the outgoing and yellow for her as the incoming. She didn’t have to do that, but she is kind and thoughtful and the type of supportive, approachable Army wife I would strive to be if we were sticking this out. Love you, Sarah!

The other day I filmed myself blabbing on IG stories, and I got a handful of questions about this top. Ohweeee, am I glad to tell anybody and everybody about it!

You can wash it. You can dry it. It won’t wrinkle. It can worn as a tunic or tucked in. It can be dressed up or down. It’s basically the most perfect, versatile piece of clothing I own, and if money were no option, I’d have it in every color. I’ve had this top for over a year and it still looks perfect. No pulling, no changing shape. , I have all the heart eyes for you. Currently 33% off and listed for $27. Get you one or five. 🙂

Also, how precious is my little honey bunny who never leaves mama’s side?

Let’s talk convertible car seats because we have two different kinds, and one of them is outstanding and the other should be thrown out the window. Sadie’s car seat, the Chicco NextFit Zip, is phenomenal and cleaning it is SO EASY. Hadley’s car seat on the other hand, the 2014 Britax Marathon, is an absolute puzzle to take apart and put back together. I almost had a nervous breakdown the other day trying to put this friggin’ thing back together.

If you’re shopping for a convertible car seat, consider this me screaming from the rooftop to spend the extra money on the NextFit Zip. It was $100 more expense than Hadley’s, and boy oh boy was that $100 SO worth it in the long run.

Last week I was excited to receive an invitation to the soft opening of Cowboy Chicken. I really didn’t have any expectations for it, but HO. LY. CHICKEN – this place is OUTSTANDING. I’m typing this at 7:28 a.m. and am now craving one of their chicken sandwiches for lunch. I put this on my IG story last week and probably had a dozen people send me a DM that they agreed that this place ROCKS. If you’re local in Manhattan or have one nearby in your state (tons in Texas), grab somebody and go check it out. Here are their locations.

I’m sharing this for no other reason except that I wanted to remember how this picture made me feel when I pulled it out of her back pack. <3

Last week we had a little Chick-fil-A dinner date with a sweet friend and her daughters, and Hadley had the best night of her life. Ha! She pranced around in dress-up jewelry and shoes that her friends gifted her, and then this incredibly kind employee surprised her with free ice cream after overhearing that it was her birthday week. She also grabbed another employee to sing to her. I love Chick-fil-A!

On Friday, Hadley woke up a four year old! She had a doughnut on our traditional family birthday plate, opened presents, and then got ready to go to school for a few hours.

She had a little Thanksgiving program at school, so we FaceTimed Jamie in so he could be a part of it.

After school we went to get pizza (her favorite) at Pie Five and then went home to rest for a few hours before a big night out.

After everybody rested a little bit, the girls played and I got ready to take them about two hours east to Baldwin, Kansas to ride the Midway Railroad’s Santa Express. I’d heard about it from Jen and thought it sounded like a fun way to spend Hadley’s special day.

They had cookies, carolers, Christmas decor, and Santa Claus. We rode 5.5 miles out and then back again, and the girls thought it was pretty neat. It made for a late night, but Hadley made it worth it by proclaiming as soon as we got off the train that she wanted to come back and do this next year for her birthday too. 🙂

We did a few things here and there this weekend, but for the most part we’ve been doing a bit more resting as we gear up for Thanksgiving.

To those who are celebrating Thanksgiving, I hope you enjoy the holiday and find time to rest and be with those you care about. I’ll be back later this afternoon with a suuuuuper fun gift guide (all things backyard toy related!), but otherwise I’ll see you here next week.

PS: I’m very grateful for you, your readership, and friendship. On this Thanksgiving week, I just thought you should know! <3