Trendy Tot: Halloween Style

I have a confession. I'm obsessed with holiday clothes for Jaqs. I mean, really, how can anyone NOT love this stuff, right?! ;) It's so darn cute. I try to buy ahead, so I bought these two adorable outfits on clearance at Dillard's last year. They seemed SO BIG back then when my little lady was not even 7 months old, but here we are. Can't believe how much she's grown!

Of course, Grammie can never resist them either, so she got Jaqs a couple of play shirts for Halloween, too! I just love them and only wish it were appropriate for me to wear all the cuteness, too ;)

I hate to pack these sweet little outfits away, but I'm equally excited to break out the Thanksgiving and Christmas wear! Crazy that we're already entering the holiday season!

I'm linking up with Megan, Kelly & Lindsay for Trendy Tot Tuesday!

friends, campfire & trunk or treat!

I'm really digging these laid back, fun, fall weekends we've been having, and this one was another great one! I'm bummed that I somehow ended up with zero pics with Rob in them, but he was there for our Saturday night fun!

Friday: The game was away, so Jaqs and I decided to hang back and have a dinner/play-date with some friends and listen online. We had so much fun with our buddies and stayed out until 10:00!! Can you even believe that?! Jaqs still wasn't ready to leave when we did! Crazy girl. The Wildcats WON 42-21 which puts us at 4-1 in district and tied for first place!! Woohooooo!! 2 more regular season games to go before play-offs!

Saturday: We decided to meet up with the same crew from the night before at the park so the kiddos could play again. Of course they had a great time and long naps followed for all which makes happy mommies, too ;) Since we had already spent most of our weekend together, we went back to the Mcgehee's AGAIN that night to sit by their fire and make s'mores and eat take-out. Some other friends joined us, so another fun time was had by all evidenced by the fact that Jaqs was up until 10 again! Of course, she did nap until 6 p.m. that evening, so we knew she'd be ready to go for the night! Party animal.

Sunday: The girlie slept in, so we had a lazy morning just hanging out at home. I made these no flour/no sugar banana muffins, and they were really tasty! Definitely a great toddler breakfast with some yogurt or fruit on the side. As I was getting ready that morning, I decided to paint my toenails, and while I was doing so, Jaqs came and plopped down on my legs for me to paint hers, too! I thought it was so precious made even better by the fact that she was still in her football pajamas! Haha, she's so a daddy's girl, but she's got her mama in her, too :)

As always, Rob had to head to work around lunchtime, so Jaqs and I were on our own for the rest of the day. We had naps then went to trunk or treat at our friend's church. Jaqs got to wear her adorable little ghost outfit and "win" some treats! She was a little unsure of all the masked people and commotion, but hey, she looked adorable! :)

Halloween should be interesting this year! We're going trick-or-treating with our buddies, but I'm sure Jaqs won't be walking up to any doors on her own accord! That's okay though, it's not like we she really needs (or even cares about) the candy anyway. It will be fun to just ride around in the wagon looking precious and maybe having a sucker or two!

I'm linking up with Leah for Mommy & Me Monday today! :)

Five on Friday

Hi friends! It's Friday, so of course that means it's time to link up with Darci & the girls for Five on Friday. If you haven't already, head over & join in on the fun.

{one} This little lady has been giving me a run for my money lately. Toddlers are exhausting with their mood swings, demands, and in this case for the last couple weeks, SHORT naps. This momma is tired and ready for daddy to be home more. Wow, Debbie Downer, much?

 {two} I have one more thing to whine about ;) It appears that I've caught my first cold of the season, and I have been feeling awful for the last few days. The only thing that has been giving my throat some relief has been an apple cider vinegar + honey + warm water concoction. I came across this on Pinterest, so I'll have to look into some other home remedies! Moms don't get sick days! And let's just hope that J doesn't get whatever I have. Alright, seriously, ending the whining here! ;)

source

 {three} I think I'm the only person left on Instagram & Twitter to not try this Spicy Sausage Pasta recipe! You have all made me drool with your pictures, so I think it's about time I finally try this! Question: would it be as good if I subbed plain tomatoes for the Rotel? I don't want it to be too hot for the little lady!

source

{four} Remember when I blogged about the camo scarf I ordered from jane.com? It came in, and I kind of love it! I've seen it on GroopDealz since I ordered mine, so I bet they'll be frequenting those sites for those of you who were interested!

{five} Can I just say Praise God for His strength?! I mean, really. I don't know why I ever try to do things "on my own." I've definitely been reminded to let go & let God many times recently, and I'm so thankful to know that I never have to go through life's trials alone.

Hope you lovelies have a fantastic weekend!

Halloween Pajama Party!

Two of my favorite bloggy mamas, Darci & Meredith, are hosting a virtual pajama party today, so of course we had to join in the fun! Like many moms, I am a SUCKER for holiday jams! Is there anything cuter?? 

I think not!

 Jaqs went with the classic "Daddy is Under my Spell" pj's this year because they are so very appropriate. She has her daddy right where she wants him ;) As every girl should!

 I couldn't really tell you why Carter's sells these pj's with a tutu, but hey, it makes for a cute picture!

Jaqs may have even rocked her Halloween pj's to our neighborhood park yesterday morning ;) Listen, I have enough laundry...I didn't see the point of adding anything else to that pile! I know y'all can relate!

I can't wait to see all your adorable skeletons, ghosts & goblins! 

Head over to Darci or Meredith's blog to join in on the party!

pumpkin patch

 As I said yesterday, we took Jaqs to the pumpkin patch this past weekend, and we had such a great time! There was a petting zoo, pony rides, a kiddie train, and a few other little activities for the kiddos.

If you know Jaqs, you know she is an animal LOVER, so she had the best time at the petting zoo! Daddy held her to start, but she wanted down with the sheep, goats, deer almost immediately. She took right to hand feeding them and even kissed the deer on the head! Ha! I pretended like I was completely okay with it ;) It was pretty cute, I have to say.

Jaqs even got to ride a pony! I thought this would be a dream come true for her, and she loved it at first, then hopped right off mid-stride. Oh well...makes for cute pictures!

 We spent most of our time chasing her around from one activity to the next!

 She was definitely in her element, running around outside without many boundaries.

I had this idea in my head that we were going to get some cute pictures of her sitting with all the pumpkins. NOT! She was way too busy for all that. She had fun picking out pumpkins though!

The one thing she kept going back to again and again was the tetherball. This little lady is seriously obsessed with sports already, so she absolutely loved swinging that ball around the post. She giggled the whole time!

I'm so glad we get to enjoy these fun family outings with our sweet pea!

 Everything is more fun {and more adventurous!} with Jaqs.

weekend {FUN!}

My poor little blog. I meant to post several times last week, but I just couldn't ever get it together. Oh, and Jaqs decided an hour & a half was an acceptable amount of time to nap each afternoon so that didn't help ;) Hopefully I can do better this week! I miss y'all!

We had another awesome weekend! Football season is hard at times, but we seriously savor the time that we do get together, and I LOVE that! It's always QUALITY when our trio is complete.

--On Friday morning I woke up (at 8:30!!!) to a text from a friend that she had left gluten free pumpkin muffins on my porch. I knew right then that it was going to be a great day! They were seriously amazing...might have polished them off within 24 hours. Thanks, Kim, for letting me be a taste tester of your new recipes! :)

--Jaqs and I had a low key morning of working out and playing at the park, then resting up for the game that night. Pop & GG made an over night stop in Temple on their way to San Antonio to see their other grand-baby, and we're so glad they did!!

--The Wildcats WON their homecoming 63-15! Woooohoo! So glad we're doing so well in district thus far.

--Saturday was spent running errands then playing with daddy once he got home. Oh, and Jaqs decided to go "bareback" on her pony before her bath. Poor Bob!

--We went to the pumpkin patch on Sunday morning, and it was so fun! I took pictures on my real camera for a change, so I'll share those once I get them uploaded :) Jaqs absolutely loved petting & feeding all the animals at the farm! I think she's meant to be a country girl!

--It was my day to take a mid-afternoon snack/meal to the coaches on Sunday, so we went up to the school to make our delivery after J's nap. Of course the little monkey went right to playing at the field. She is seriously so strong! She swings her legs from side to side while holding them up like that. I think her abs are stronger than mine...

I'll be back soon to share pictures from our pumpkin patch adventure! Is there anything else y'all would like to see or hear about?? Part of my blogger's block lately has been CONTENT. All I've been posting have been "life updates" because that's ALL I GOT. If you have any suggestions, I'm all ears! :) Thanks for sticking with me!!

XOXO

fall weekend fun!

We had such a fun, Fall weekend, and I loved every minute! Pop came to keep his girls company for a couple days last week, and we're so glad he did! Mommy is basically off duty when Pop is around because Jaqs insists that he do it all ;) I don't think he minds, though.

 Of course, Jaqs always has a few new tricks to show off {see upper right pic} and plenty of loving to give to one of her favorites. 

We spent a lot of time at the park on Thursday evening/Friday morning, then we had to go cheer on daddy and our Wildcats Friday night! We were playing our big rival, and Jaqs did so well throughout the game! She got a little antsy towards the end and ran SPRINTS all around the stadium, but she made it to the end! It was well worth it, too because WE WON 54-20 over Belton! Rob was so happy to see his girl(s) after the big win! By the time we got J home, bathed, and in bed, it was nearly midnight. She was one pooped pea!

 We slept in until 10 (!!!!!) Saturday morning, then Pop did a few things around the house for us before leaving to head back home. Jaqs was back down for a nap by the time Rob got home, so I got out for a little "mama time" with one of my girlfriends. We added a few things to our Fall wardrobes and maybe picked up a few things for our baby girls, too ;) We had a family dinner date Saturday evening, then Rob and I pretty much parked in on the couch the rest of the night. As you can see, he didn't last long! Poor guy.

On Sunday afternoon, Roxanne had the coach's wives over for our annual "Caramel Apple Sunday!" It is always so much fun, and I'm so grateful that she has kept this tradition going for all of us! Unfortunately, my toddler kept me from getting to participate much, but some of the other ladies picked up my slack (thanks Lexi & Susan!) and made my apples for me. I still had fun visiting and just being "away" for a few hours!

I LOVE FALL!!! And it looks like we're finally going to get some cooler temps this week! Praise the Lord....bring on those 70 degrees of perfection!! Hope you have a great week, too :)

Five on Friday

It's Friday! You know what that means...linking up with Darci & friends for another week of Five on Friday!

{one} As a continuation of yesterday's post, I ordered this $8 scarf from jane.com. I seriously couldn't resist! Can't wait for it to arrive.

 {two} If you follow me on instagram or are friends with me in "real" life, then chances are you've heard me rave about these Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas. I've made them a few times now, and I can't get enough! So delicious & so easy! I couldn't find a gluten free green enchilada sauce at the grocery store, so I subbed in a 7 oz can of salsa verde + 1 cup sour cream and it worked great. I also have to use corn tortillas instead of flour, of course.

{three} Something I never knew about before becoming a mother were definitely the "mommy wars." You know what I'm talking about, right? Yeah. No explanation needed. A friend on Facebook shared THIS POST and I definitely related to it. I often feel the need to defend mine and Rob's decision for me to be home, and for WHAT REASON?! The work I'm doing here is important and meaningful. Now that's not to say I don't respect the mom who needs to or chooses to work either. I absolutely do. The post seems a little one-sided, but that's not at all how I feel about working vs. staying home. My philosophy is do what works (or is necessary) for your family! I don't understand why we can't all just support one another and encourage each other to be the best versions of ourselves! Oh, and maybe give a little more grace along the way?

source

{four} Speaking of being a SAHM, my lap has been pretty full this week! Tatum girl has been a sweet little addition or our weeks around here.

 Oh, and trust me when I say there's plenty to keep me busy:

 So very thankful for my adorable little sidekick. Seriously can't imagine my days without her in them. I've been trying to make a conscious effort to HAVE MORE FUN in our every day, and I've really noticed a difference in myself. I'll never get these days back, so I want to enjoy all the little things about each one.

{five} The Temple Wildcats are taking on their rival in tonight's game! Wish us luck?? :)

Hope you have a great weekend!