Scenes from Our Weekend

We had a pretty productive weekend again! We made a lot of progress on the nursery and I worked my little tush off at the mothers of multiples consignment sale! I also picked up a lot of cute stuff for the kids. Sorry for the millions of pictures but I'm loving these little posts that help me remember what our life is like! I'm trying to get in the habit of blogging more because I have loved being able to look back at posts about pregnancy and feeding/sleeping schedules of the twins in order to prepare for Shep's arrival.

My mom and I met Friday afternoon before I had to head to the consignment sale. We had a yummy snack at Firebird's and went to Shower Me with Love to check out the fabric I saw for Shep's room.

I saw this sign and LOVED it but am not spending $300 on it! Hopefully Aunt Bo will make me one ;) I'm really into this rustic/masculine theme for this room!

Here is the fabric next to a crib. The crib looks blue here but is actually grey. I ended up deciding to go with this fabric and am excited! I'm sticking with mainly navy and white and just using this to trim the crib skirt and possibly on the inside or tops of the bumper pads (the outside will be white). 

I headed to the consignment sale and found a ton of great stuff! I found these outfits new with tags for $20 each! I also got Shep 3 kissy kissy outfits for $2 each! One still had tags. I ended up grabbing a truck and a few Shrimp and Grits shirts for Holden, two smocked dresses for EC, two pairs of sun san sandals barely worn for the twins, and a cute smocked day gown for Shep. 

My shift was from 7:30-10:30 and I arrived home around 11 and found 12 deer in our front yard!

I also found a painted room! Jay was hard at work after the kids went to bed. The wall on the left we decided not to paint because we are making that the pallet wall. 

loving the color!

On Saturday

We were back at gymnastics this week in our wolfpack red! Gigi came with us to help me out from chasing the kids everywhere after the dr. told me to take it easy. 

someone commented on instagram how much these two look alike but I hadn't really noticed until this picture!

After gymnastics we headed to Dilworth to pick up thie antique dresser I found on craigslist. It was built in 1890. It's so pretty but masculine at the same time. We're definitely removing the white plastic wheels :0. The plan is to paint it grey like the crib. 

My mom, sisters and I met for a late lunch at Cheesecake Factory on Saturday to celebrate my mom's birthday- It was her one year celebration of being cancer free! I promise that we do get dressed occasionally but on this day 3 of the 4 of us showed up in running pants, white shirts, tennis shoes, and vests. We're fancy around here!

I headed to home depot after lunch to purchase my first power tool! I bought a paint sprayer to paint Shep's crib. I've decided on the Paris Grey color but may darken it a little. I found a fabulous blog post on using Annie Sloan Chalk Paint in a sprayer and am super excited. I was afraid that we'd have to go with spray paint instead :(

I also picked up the two colors with X's in sample sizes to use along with 3 other grey colors as a wash on the pallet wall. 

I made it home in time for dinner and some playtime in the basement. My mom just got this slide for the twins and they LOVE it. Seriously they could play for an hour with this thing!

GO PACK!

Love this one of Daddy and Emma Cate. We try to talk for a little at the end of each day once the kids go to sleep. We normally share our high and low of the day. Jay said this time playing with Emma Cate on the slide was his high. Made me so happy! Emma Cate is definitely a mama's girl (she is super clingy) and sometimes she throws these epic tantrums (Jay commented that it looks like we just took the straight jacket off a crazy person when she is in full tantrum mode) and Jay just doesn't deal well so these sweet bonding moments between the two of them make me so happy!

Both babies slept LATE on Sunday. Emma Cate was up at 8 and Holden at 9. While we waited for H to wake up we played in bed a little. EC found some cash on my night stand and repeated money, money, money over and over again. I wonder where she picked that up!??

We checked the mail on Sunday morning and opened our Valentine's Cards from Great Grandpa and Susan. Emma Cate was really into reading the cards.

We also got these gloves in the mail that I had ordered on amazon. The babies kept taking off their gloves in the snow and I researched and found these gloves that are supposed to stay on better. I guess when they come up to your elbows, they are guaranteed to stay on!

Head thought he was too cool in his gloves!

Champion

Photobomber

During nap, Jay (with a tiny bit of my assistance) hung molding in Shep's room. I'm so glad I have a husband that really loves to do this stuff. I actually try to talk him OUT of doing projects. Some guys golf, this guy does DIY (and does enjoy the occasional round of golf too :) )

that nail gun scares the crap out of me!

one wall complete!

oh my sweet emma cate's face!

we ended the day with dinner at whole foods. Jay was still working on the molding so I took the kids out (with Gigi of course) to dinner. Love whole foods... being able to knock out grocery shopping and dinner at one place!

5 on Friday

I'm linking up with  April at A. Liz Adventures and Christina at Carolina Charm for.....

This has been a rough week around these parts..... Normally I always plan and know what I want BEFORE I head to the store. It is rare that I make it out without my kids. I make the most of this alone time by scheduling everything and knowing exactly what I want and need to accomplish!..... 

Here is a look at how my week started off. They cried all night (and fought over Soba noodles... seriously who are these kids?!)

Here are 6 lessons I've learned this week.

1. I am going to call all furniture places BEFORE I drive an hour to go look at furniture and not just rely on their website! This happened on Tuesday night with a place called Carolina Furniture and More in Indian Trail. I loaded the kids in the car at 5pm and drove with my mom 45 minutes to go buy a piece of furniture for Shep's nursery. My GPS was off and it took us longer than normal (my kids watched the entire finding nemo movie during our round-trip). I finally pulled into the store parking lot and the owner decided to close early and wouldn't let me purchase the piece. Talk about frustration!

credenza from hell

2. I will verify store's hours before I go. I showed up at the fabric store at 5:02. They closed at 5. Seriously, who closes at 5! AHHH total frustration.

3. I will do my research regarding paint colors. I went to one store to buy chalk paint. They didn't have the color I wanted so I drove to the only other store in Charlotte that sells it. They had both colors but when I got there I couldn't decide between the two! Now I have to go back with my wall color and fabric and figure it out on a Saturday.

4. I will buy a notepad to hang on the fridge where Jay and I can communicate our grocery list. Nothing worse than getting up early to make the kids french toast and learning you have no bread or eggs! AH!

5. I will keep my thoughts to myself (or vent to my mom). My marriage is a much happier place to be when I keep some of my thoughts/complaints to myself. Sometimes it is better to avoid talking about certain topics with my husband because I know it will cause a fight and I know that it won't do anything positive for our relationship (these are little nitpicky things. I would never avoid talking about something major (or even minor) with Jay).

6. I did have one super positive thing this week and I'm really proud of! With Jay and I both working, our house sort of falls apart during the hustle and bustle of the week and we have to spend our precious Saturdays putting it all back together again. This week we made a goal of making our bed every morning. It is AMAZING how doing this simple task helps keep everything else in line. When our bed is made it keeps our decorative pillows from being stored on our hamper. When the pillows are on the hamper, the clothes don't make it in and they back up in piles on the floor, when the piles start up it makes our room look junky and then we tend to fall off the wagon and just leave things laying around. I'm so happy this little trick has worked for us and look forward to trying out new things we can do each day to limit our Saturday catch up time!

and a picture just because he is so freaking cute!

(he got up early this morning and got to watch cartoons with Gran)

mom! I need new jammies! #wherestheflood

Here's to a happy fun weekend!

Baby #3 Week 30

30 WEEK POST:

Yay! We're in the 30s. This pregnancy has FLOWN by. I am feeling pretty great still! I am going, going, going and reading this post compared to the post at wrote at 30 weeks with twins is NIGHT AND DAY. I have not really had any contractions (the only time I get a braxton hicks is when I am out with my mom... i think it's because she is such a fast walker and we are always in a hurry to get things done!). I am getting a bit more tired but that is to be expected. At this point last time we were taking tons of parenting classes. I'm glad those are out of the way because we are busy busy busy this time around. I haven't updated posts but I took my diabetes test at 28 weeks and passed with flying colors! Woo Hoo!

Today we had a tiny scare. I headed to the bathroom before my first class and noticed lots and lots of blood. I called the dr. and they told me to come right in. Luckily the bleeding had slowed and my cervix looked great so no labor in my immediate future. Shep's heart was beating loudly and he was squirming around. Everything looked fabulous. Evidently the blood was from a broken blood vessel (i.e. you need to slow down a bit and stop carrying heavy things). I saw Dr. Wicker today and gosh I just love him! He was so reassuring and told me if I bleed anymore to head to labor and delivery to get monitored. I'm hoping he or Dr. James will get to deliver this baby!

I have been running around like CRAZY to get everything we need for the nursery. I want a REALLY masculine room for this little boy. His dad is pretty psyched that I plan on incorporating a deer head :) I bought the room paint and Jay will be doing that tonight. The crib is in and ready to be painted. I went to purchase the chalk paint that we wanted to use but am between colors... trying to decide between Paris Grey and French Linen. I have been hunting fabric like its my job. I found a gorgeous one from Restoration Hardware but they don't sell it by the yard! UGH! I also found another one that I like pretty well and am headed to the design studio this afternoon to figure out how much it is per yard. Fingers crossed!

restoration hardware fabric that is not available


second choice fabric

On Saturday, we're starting on the pallet wall! We've been collecting pallets and I'm so ready to begin this project!
Here is what we're going for:

source: real housewives of bucks county
we're going to leave the wood a little darker though and our walls are a little lighter (BM- Revere Pewter at 50%). We found all the pallets at Jay's work and the guys that work in the shop are going to take all the pallets apart and take out the nails for us! Yay!


Here are little crib mock-ups from Carousel Designs.

This is not the fabric I'm going to use, just an idea of the plaid with navy and white.
I'm going to use a white matelasse for the bumpers with navy trim on the outside and the plaid fabric on the inside. I like the simple crib skirt (top photo) and white sheet look.  The crib will be painted dark grey.

My sister talked to me about hosting a baby shower for Shep last night. I'm not sure how I feel about this. There are a few things we would like (mainly monogrammed/personalized things from pottery barn (boppy cover, anywhere chair, sleepsaks, bath towel, etc.)) and a few things we need (high chair, newborn bath products, disposable changing pad covers, swaddle blankets, and bibs). We have planned to purchase all of the wants and needs ourselves. I don't like the idea of a shower because I feel like it is asking for gifts, especially with already having a boy and a girl (and most of the newborn items AND we were sooooo generously showered with gifts for the twins) but my sister said that they think that since this pregnancy has been so low key it would be fun to celebrate baby Shep a little. Can you have a shower without gifts? Is it tacky to have a shower for a third child?

Pregnancy Highlights:

Today's Date: Friday, February 7th, 2014

How Far Along: 30 weeks

Pregnancy Countdown: 70 or less days (yikes!)

Size of babies: A cucumber. The baby is 15.2-16.7 inches long and weighs between 2.5- 3.8 pounds 

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 17 pounds. I have put on 5 pounds in the past few weeks. I stopped weighing myself and have just recently started getting full faster. The past two weeks I've had a MAJOR sweet tooth and attribute that to the weight gain :)

Maternity Clothes: Still in a non-maternity shirt today but the end is near. I don't want to buy anymore clothes but the shirts are getting shorter. AH!

Gender: Boy- Arthur Shepherd Carroll

Movement: Still the same. He is a great napper and then super active when he is awake. I love being able to see my belly move! 

Sleep: Pretty good! Woke up once in the middle of the night when Shep was having playtime. I am trying to get to bed earlier (normally falling asleep at 11 and up at 6:00). I did fall asleep fully dressed on the couch at 8pm on night this week! I've had a few nights of acid reflux and normally take a tums along with my prenatal. 

What I miss: Nothing really this week!

Cravings: Back on a cereal and chocolate cake kick! The cravings haven't been enough for me to run out and buy the food item though!

Symptoms: Pretty much nothing (besides the bleeding and reflux)! Here is my list from last time (I can't believe the difference!!!): braxton hicks, acid reflux (I was throwing up in the middle of the night with the twins), getting incredibly hot, cramping, extreme pressure when I stand up or walk, stretch marks (no new ones! and I haven't but any type of lotion on my skin after wasting my money last time), itchy skin on my stomach. 

Best Moment this week: Being at the doctor with Jay this morning. Although I was pretty scared I was so thankful to have him with me. I've been doing most of the appointments solo or with the kids this time around. It was nice to be there with just the two of us. Kind of made me feel like a first time mom again. I need to remember to slow down and savor this pregnancy and relish in the excitement of bringing a new life into the world :)

Your baby's the size of a cucumber!

Your 15.2- to 16.7-inch, 2.5- to 3.8-pound baby continues to grow.

Scenes from the Weekend

We had a super low key weekend. Lots of home improvements. I am finally getting my rear in gear and getting this baby's nursery ready!

I saw this sweet picture from an instagram account that I follow. I am obsessed. The swaddle is made by Beaufort Bonnet Co but it's a little out of my price range with all the other baby things we need to buy. I'm going to work sewing it! Fingers crossed it comes out ok!

Thursday night was our end of the season banquet for CCHS cheerleading.

These girls are the reason I started coaching! Their mom approached me a few days before they started 6th grade because the 6th grade needed a cheerleading coach and she knew that I cheered (my mom also taught them preschool as 4 year olds). They have been with me ever since and are graduating and heading off to college this year. It has been such a pleasure coaching them the past 7 years!

Friday was a DOOZIE. I got home from work and my mother-in-law left to head back home (she watches the babies a few Fridays a month for us since they don't have preschool). It's fabulous that she watches them but I've always got to come home and get things back in order and help the babies adjust to being with Mommy. Jay took the day off to go skiing and had originally told me he'd be leaving the resort at 3:30. I called him around 5:30 with a little panic in my voice to see when he'd be home. Imaging my surprise as he told me he was just getting off the ski lift. AHHH cue mini-melt down! I hadn't planned dinner because I thought he'd be home so there I was in my house with no food and two screaming babies. Thankful for Gigi to the rescue. She dropped off some chinese and stuck around to eat it with us. I put the babies to bed and enjoyed then entire bag of TJ's chocolate covered potato chips... can't wait to have that wine again!

The kids were super messy with dinner and so they ran around shirtless until bed time!

this kid was LOVING hanging all over his Gigi. He's been sooo cuddly lately.

You can't see it here but he picked up my mom's phone and said "Hello Dada". He had it pinched between his shoulder and ear. Guess he's seen someone else do that a time or to! 

Mommy Time!

Just for a little comparison sake! 14 months ago! Geeez it goes too fast!

We were soooo pumped to wake up and find that Daddy had gotten home! We enjoyed a yummy breakfast and some playtime in our jammies.

Check out this little faux hawk.

don't let this face fool you

This child LOVES green smoothies!

yum!

We spent the remainder of Saturday clearing out the guest room during nap time. A huge THANKS to my parents for coming over and helping to get all the furniture moved. I am also selling my old guest room bedding. It's from Pottery Barn and has barely ever been used. Perfect condition. Let me know if you are interested. I've got shams, throw pillows, and a queen size duvet cover.

This is the new bed downstairs in our old office. Our entire basement had a wolfpack theme and now it's pretty much contained in just two rooms down there. I've got to move around a lot of the decorations to make this room a little more "guest" friendly and not so masculine/office like.

On Sunday morning we headed to Southend for some Owen's bagels. There was only ONE person working the line and the register and it took 30 minutes to get our food. We were taking it to go and the twins just couldn't wait any longer for breakfast so they ate in the car on the way home. 

in progress shot

During nap we worked on our gallery wall. We've had these frames for forever and never hung them. Glad we finally got around to it. The scale is a little big for my taste but Jay loves it and our house is definitely a mixture of his design likes and mine. 

almost done. 

We've got to get a few more pictures to put in the blank frames and a few smaller frames to fill in the gaps. I also want two chairs to go on either side of the credenza but am holding out until after the Shep gets bigger. With the twins we put the swing and mama roo on either side and I'm sure we'll do the same with Shep.