But you know what? I’m so grateful for all the memories and experiences that my bug has brought into my life. Seeing him grow and learn has been one wild and fun journey. As much as it can be a little bittersweet watching him grow up so quickly, each new stage of growth brings its own set of joys and challenges. I’m excited to see what the future has in store for him. 

Sprouting to One First Birthday Theme

We celebrated Bug’s first birthday last Friday with some friends and family! It was an absolute blast, and he had so much fun. I organized a quick and easy DIY party to celebrate him, “Sprouting to One.” I thought it would be adorable to do a balloon arch on the trellis and dress him up in a veggie outfit. I wanted to go with the garden theme, and it’s super fitting for spring.

To add to the theme, my friend let me borrow her vintage highchair for some adorable photo ops, which turned out precious. I crafted a cute high chair garland out of material and felt veggies, and to top it off, I found this huge wooden carrot on sale for only $7 at Michaels in the Easter section. I flipped it around and painted it to match the theme perfectly. I know he won’t remember much of his first birthday, so I wanted to keep everything inexpensive.

Since we did the balloons early in the morning, they kept popping all day. I think I’ll splurge for a professional next time! But they did the trick and looked cute. 
He woke up from his nap 30 minutes before the party. He is always hungry when he wakes up, so I had a feeling he’d be going straight for the cake.

I put together a table of food for my friends and neighbors.

The SPROUTING TO ONE menu!

Vegetable tray with hummus, garlic hummus, and avocado.
Colorful Bean Chips with Salsa
Crackers
Fruit Platter
Fruit Snacks
Carrot Cake
Baby Smash Cake
Lemon Mint Blackberry Cucumber Water
Turkey Bacon Club Sandwiches on Homemade Sourdough Bread
Iced Carrot Sugar Cookies!
 I did some baking and preparation for the party the night before, including making the cookies, cakes, and sourdough dough. I made a healthier option for the smash cake recipe using bananas, carrots, oats, almond flour, coconut oil, peanut butter, cinnamon, and eggs. I topped it off with a frosting of coconut whipped cream and plain organic cream cheese. If you’re interested, I can even write a recipe blog for it! I will share my carrot cake recipe soon because it was to die for.

I love that Trader Joe’s has colorful veggies! It made the platter so pretty and colorful.

 
The sandwiches were made with my freshly baked sourdough bread, cucumber, lettuce, tomatoes, bell peppers, red onion, white cheddar cheese, bacon, maple turkey, mayonnaise, and guacamole.

I loved that the little smash cake was a replica of the big cake. I used the colorful carrots from Trader Joe’s to decorate the top and added some chopped pecans to the bottom.

The little carrot cookies turned out pretty cute! Those were easy to make the night before. I found that cookie cutter for fifty cents at Michaels in the Eater section.
 
 No one can convince me that Annie’s doesn’t make the BEST fruit snacks. 
I’ll be drinking infused water all summer long!
 

These cuties!
   
He was SO READY for that cake!

We sang happy birthday, and then he went to town on the cake.
 He was so cute. He kept laughing and clapping the entire time. He was a big fan of the frosting.   
He did try to pick it up!
We honestly had the best day, and it was so lovely that our friends and family were there to celebrate!

On my first birthday, my parents surprised me with a delicious carrot cake. I have a photo of me with cake smeared all over my face! I have a feeling my dad might have been the one who picked it out, as carrot cake happens to be his favorite. And you know what? Now it’s my favorite cake flavor too! Not only did it perfectly match the party’s theme, but it’s just hands down the most delicious cake flavor ever! Maybe it will be Buggy’s favorite when he’s older.

I want to take a moment to express my heartfelt gratitude to all of you for helping me navigate my first year as a mom! I’ve never felt more supported by any community before, and it’s amazing how a bunch of strangers you’ve never met can come together to offer words of encouragement and help you keep pushing forward. It just goes to show that it really does take a village. Thank you so much, guys!

Questions for you!

1. Do you know which flavor of cake you had on your first birthday?
2. What questions do you have for me about my first year of parenthood?
3. What is a fun first birthday theme idea you have?

Last weekend, I had my girlfriends over for a cookie-decorating lunch party. We try our best to make time during the busy holiday season to do something fun each year. I decided to host a cookie-decorating lunch party, and it was so fun putting everything together! I wanted to share the photos to inspire you to have your girlfriends over for a fun holiday-themed get-together. Life is busy for everyone, but it’s important to make time for friendships. This party theme was super simple to put together! I had most of the supplies, but I picked up a few things to make it extra special. 

I decided to make everything gluten-free and vegetarian to fit my friend’s dietary needs. I put together a giant salad with spring mix, baby kale, avocado, dried blueberries, cranberries, glazed almonds, raspberries, blueberries, cucumber, tomatoes, goat cheese, and balsamic vinaigrette. I put the Publix brand of gluten-free and vegan chicken strips in the oven to make them super crispy to go on top of the salad. They tasted just like chicken strips! 

I filled mini muffin liners with an assortment of sprinkles and then filled up two bottles with royal icing. 

Each cookie container came with a plastic wrap and ribbon, so when the cookies were dry, you could put them back in the container, wrap them up, and add a gift tag. 
 I put all the supplies on a baking sheet as decorating space. I supplied a plate to put the finished cookies on while they dried. 
It was cold and rainy outside, so the Christmas music playing and the candles lit had us all in the Christmas spirit. 

I baked the cookies and set up the decorating station the night before to make it easier!

Decorating the cookies was so fun! My stomach hurts from laughing when someone messed up on a cookie. There were so many that did not make the photos! My Santas are a little scary looking, but it was tough. Professional cookie decorators do not get enough credit. I plan to do cookies again this year because it’s one of my favorite things to do with my mom. 
 We had a much-needed coffee break to help us power through the rest of our cookies. I have so many Christmas coffee mugs, and the collection keeps getting bigger each year. My solution is to store them with the holiday decor after Christmas. World Market and Anthropologie make some of my favorites. Target has stepped it up, too! If you’re making Christmas cookies this year, I would love for you to tag me on your Instagram posts! I love seeing Christmas cookies!!  
My favorite places to buy sprinkles are TjMaxx, Target, Hobby Lobby, Michaels, and Walmart. Some of the cookie cutouts are from when I was five! My mom gave me a bunch that she had saved. 

 TjMaxx has all the cute pans and sprinkle holders, and Hobby Lobby has the best table decor.  Cheers! Of course, little bug hung out with us, too! 

I hope this inspired you to text your friends and set up a cookie-decorating lunch date! 

Questions for you!

1. Do you have any holiday traditions you do with your friends?
2. Which cookie shape is your favorite to decorate?
3. What are some bucket list holiday things you have planned for this year?

Before I bundle up and head outside to put the rest of the tulips in the ground this Saturday morning, I wanted to share a quick ornament tutorial!
Yesterday, Bugs and I made fun, memorable ornaments for the tree. I thought they would be fun to share because they are so easy to make, budget-friendly, and adorable! These are perfect if you need a last-minute gift idea for the grandparents or your significant other. You can easily customize them, too! I plan to make a gingerbread version soon and decorate them.They add so much glam to the tree with the gold shimmer. You can customize them with different paint colors, add jewels, sparkles, different shapes, colorful strings, and fun beads. 

You can watch my video here to see how I made these! 

INGREDIENTS TO MAKE FLOUR ORNAMENTS

4 Cups All-Purpose Flour
1 Cup Salt
1 Cup Warm Water
Decorations

HOW TO MAKE FLOUR ORNAMENTS

Mix the flour and salt in a bowl. 

Pour the water in, and mix with your hands until a dough ball is formed. You may need to add more water if it’s too crumbly and dry, or more flour if it’s too sticky. 

The dough will feel like grainy play dough. 

I rolled the dough out between parchment paper to keep it from sticking. Press a hand, foot, paw, or cookie cutter into the dough. And then, you can cut it with a pizza cutter or cake scraper. 

Since the dough is super salty, wash off your pet’s paw or baby’s hand and foot so it doesn’t irritate.  Keep the dough about 1/4 in thick.

I used sugar cookie cutouts with the leftover dough to make pretty ornaments.
 Bake for 2 hours on a baking sheet at 250 degrees. They will feel hard as a rock when you take them out of the oven. If they have any soft spots, keep them in the oven longer. The flour will not rise, so you can cram them as closely as needed. 
Once they cool down, you can paint them and decorate them with yarn, beads, and anything you like! It would be fun to take your kids to the craft store so they can pick out what decorations they want to add to the ornaments. If found the mini bulbs at Target for $3 for the entire box.

You can get an indention stamp to write things in the dough. I used a sharpie and wrote the dates and names on the backs of the ornaments.

I used metallic gold paint and gold sparkles, and I LOVE how they turned out. I have a lot of gold tones on my tree this year. 
 The paw prints make me so happy. I can’t believe Tux let me do his paw. I put his next to his photo

Adding sparkles is a must because they shimmer with the lights. I think hot gluing jewels on there would be cute too. I have many ideas for the next time I make these, which will probably be soon because I need to make some for all the grandparents. I only spent $5 making these since I had everything but the bulbs and string in the house. I could have used yarn I already had, but I fell in love with the green twine at World Market.

The baby’s foot and handprint are something I’m going to cherish forever, especially since it’s his first Christmas. 

I hope you enjoyed this quick and easy tutorial for homemade ornaments! If you make these, I’d love to see your posts, so do not forget to tag me! xo 

Questions for you!

1. Do you like making homemade gifts during Christmas?
2. What is your favorite ornament on your tree?
3. What colors would you make these?

 

We took a long morning walk with a few friends at the Riverwalk, which was stunning.  After our walk, we had lunch at Blend, a new healthy spot right by the water. I ordered a Greek sandwich, a baklava smoothie, and a smoothie for Bugs. He had filtered water, banana, and avocado in his smoothie. He loved it, especially the cold fruit on his teething gums.

One meal he’s been loving lately is butternut squash, banana, raspberries, cinnamon, and avocado blended with oats and his formula.
I made the chicken & parm dinner again last week. We love having the leftovers in the fridge all week. I have wanted to visit the Union Exchange farm for a while now. It’s a new farm with a coffee shop, pumpkins, a huge lake, pizza on the weekends, and the swings by the pond was so relaxing. I will be back soon because this little day trip was so relaxing. I’m glad this spot exists.
We ordered two cappuccinos and the most delicious oatmeal cream pie to split. They had so many delicious desserts to select from, and I will have to try the lemon bars next time.
I loved all of the photo backdrops they had set up.     
We sat on the swing for well over an hour. The weather was perfect, and swinging by the water was so relaxing.  On the way back, we stopped at The Hunter Farm. We picked up coffee from Mud + McQueen for the drive home, which was delicious.   We also stopped at Whole Foods to grab groceries for the weekend, and my mom and I split the falafel wrap.

Last Saturday morning, we did fall family photos. We even took our first family photo with Tux! He’s still afraid of new people, and we don’t like putting him in situations he’s not comfortable with, so we decided to do some of them in the backyard so he could be a part of them! They turned out so good! I was proud of him.
 
After the photos, we had pizza, watched the Eagles game, and carved pumpkins.
 I think they looked cute! 
I dressed bugs up as a tennis player for Halloween! We love tennis in this house, so I thought it would be fitting. I bought the outfit and accessories on Amazon. I bought an iron-on patch, which made the costume come together! I knew he’d be asleep during Halloween night, so I had to take him to the tennis courts to get photos of him in his costume.
We had so many trick-or-treaters!   My mom and I had a coffee date with Bugs at Knowledge perk. I’ve never had a coffee flight, so we decided to try one out! I will stick to my go-to cappuccino because I’m not a fan of the coffee syrups, but it was fun to try them out!  We always swing after dinner, walk, or play on the skip hop so I can keep him awake until bathtime! We are finally (knock on wood) past the sleep regression. He’s finally sleeping in his crib from 6:30 pm to 7:00 am. I thought this day would never come!  I’ve been all about the zoodles lately! I try making dinner around 4 pm so we can eat together. I know that seems early, but it makes sense since I go to bed so early. He always puts his feet up on the handlebars, and it’s so funny! He’s into babbling on our walks, and I love it. I feel like he’s just talking to me the entire time.

Before I explain what’s happening here, I want to start by saying I am completely fine!

For the past four months, I have been experiencing abdominal pain that has not let up. It comes and goes, but it feels like pins and needles in the same area. At first, I thought it was diastasis recti (abdominal separation), but the doctor said my abdomen felt fine, so it must be something else. Over the past few months, I’ve done a few ultrasounds, and then last Friday, I had a contrast CT scan. There was an enlarged lymph node (that you could feel by pressing on my stomach) and a benign mass on my liver, and they wanted to see if there was anything else that could be causing the discomfort/loss of circulation.

An hour after my CT scan, I got a call from the doctor’s office, and they said I needed to get to the emergency room as soon as possible because my CT scan showed acute appendicitis. Hearing that freaked me out, especially if this was the pain I’d been experiencing for the past four months.

When Kyle and I got there, the ER doctor said that I would have to have my appendix removed either that night or in the morning. I was so confused because I thought appendicitis was this crazy painful thing, but mine was only mild. A few hours later, the surgeon told me they would remove it first thing in the morning after monitoring my white blood cells all night. Before bed, they hooked me up to IV antibiotics, fluids (since I was going on 48 hours of fasting), and blood thinners.

After a long night, a second surgeon told me he didn’t want to remove it because he didn’t think my appendix was inflamed because of appendicitis (based on my pain level and normal WBC count).) He said he believed it was a GI issue causing the inflammation and lymph node flare-up and wanted me to come back for GI testing and rule everything out before possibly coming back to remove my appendix.

I felt a little defeated because I was happy to have final answers to why my abdominal was in pain, and I hated that I was back at ground zero again. I’m happy I didn’t have to have surgery, but it will be a little upsetting if I come back in to have it removed after a night of preparation.

So they kept me for the day to monitor my levels after taking in food, and then they let me go home.

Next week, I’ll be going back for GI testing, so hopefully, I can get some answers. It feels strange to walk around with an inflamed appendix, but I probably never would have known if I hadn’t done a CT scan.
After not eating for two days, I treated myself to an oat milk latte while waiting to get discharged. The worst part was being away from Bugs for the first time, and I watched him on the monitor all night. It felt weird to be sitting in a hospital and nurses coming in to ask how my pain was and give me pain medicine. I was like, I’m fine. I felt no pain at all.

I made a smoothie with about ten cups of spinach when I got home! My iron levels were so low because I had started my period the Friday night, and being anemic, I needed iron when I started my cycle, and since I couldn’t eat, I felt terrible.

For dinner, I made chicken breast with broccoli and zoodles. 
I felt like baking on Sunday afternoon. It helps me when I’m stressed, and Kyle loves bringing treats to work, so it’s fitting. I made The Fresh Cooky’s sugar cookies (the ones I make weekly!), and I’ve been testing a new frosted gingerbread cookie for the blog, and I’ll be posting that recipe soon! They taste like my gingerbread bars!

On Monday, I took Bugs to the polls with me to vote. He was so good in line (because he had a filled belly and nap.) We waited about an hour and a half, grabbed a matcha latte, and went on a walk with Leo when we got home.

For lunch, he has loved avocado, oats, banana, cinnamon, and formula mixed together. I don’t think I’ll be doing BLW because it scares me! I’ll give him his food in a purée form until 9 months or until I think he’s ready.
I did a big meal prep yesterday after PT with healthy oatmeal breakfast cookies, jalapeno burgers, broccoli salad, and roasted vegetables!

I appreciate anyone sticking around this long to catch the recaps! I have some fun recipes planned out for the holiday season that I cannot wait to share, including the gingerbread cookies.

The family is coming to my house for Thanksgiving this year, and I’m so excited!

Questions for you!

1. Are you hosting Thanksgiving this year?
2. What is your favorite Thanksgiving dessert?
3. Have you had any holiday drinks yet?

I have two recaps to catch up on. I know today is Halloween, but I’ll be sharing all the Halloween details and pumpkin patch visits in the following recap blog. If you’re following me on Instagram, you’ll see what DIY costume I made for Bugs!  

I have about one hour to write this recap post before he wakes up!

A few weeks ago, Kyle left for Germany for an entire week. We woke up early that morning so we could go for a walk before he headed to the airport. I was a little nervous to solo parent for a week, but luckily my mom lives so close, so she was able to come to help me watch him when I had appointments, and it was fun staying up and binge-watching Netflix or sitting on the porch with her after Bugs was tucked into bed. 

It’s crazy how quickly the leaves changed this year, and we’ve had the prettiest fall I’ve ever seen since moving here ten years ago. I love spending time outside in the morning with the dogs, swinging Bugs, and going on long walks to soak it all in. 
 Since taking this photo a few weeks ago, everything is now vibrant yellow, red, and orange! 

In my last blog, I raved about these sugar cookies from The Fresh Cooky, but I’ve made them again a few times since! They are seriously impressive and even better than Crumbl. I made them with orange frosting and Fall sprinkles. 


I’m still going to P.T. for my knees! The best part is after the workout; I get to ice them with compression. It’s the best kind of pain. We spent much time outside with the dogs and swinging this month. October has the BEST weather in South Carolina.

A few weekends ago, I photographed a wedding. I was a little nervous because this was the first time Bugs would have to do his bedtime routine without me. Luckily, I had my mom there with him, who he adores, so I knew he’d do great. He woke up when I got home, so I took advantage of all the extra snuggles. 
 
Stir fry night! We binged The Watcher on Netflix. 

Every morning, Tux would come to the edge of the bed and start licking my face to wake me up. I know he missed Kyle (that’s his person!), so I kept him in his routine as much as possible.
My little bedtime bug.

Tux THRIVES when it’s cold outside. We had a foggy and frosty morning, and he sprinted around the backyard with Leo for over an hour. 
 
We went shopping on Friday, and I picked up some cute Christmasy things. I am so excited about Christmas this year. I didn’t decorate last year, and my parents were sick, so we didn’t even celebrate. 
 After a day of shopping, we made a delicious dinner! We had a Banza chickpea pizza with sausage, peppers, and onions. 
The salad had spring mix lettuce, red onions, mandarins, glazed walnuts, cranberries, avocadoes, croutons, cottage cheese, and honey mustard!

The oatmeal chocolate chip balls were made with oatmeal, peanut butter, honey, sea salt, almond milk, and chocolate chips. 
He was swinging before bathtime! This swing has been the best thing ever! He is so content and wants to swing all day! It’s a lifesaver during that witching hour before bathtime. 
Breakfast at First Watch!
  I’ve been hooked on this salad lately! It’s the same salad I had a few nights ago with the pizza, but I like adding crabmeat or chicken on top. 

Ilios for dinner  

Sleep deprived  The sleep regression has been FUN!

Peanut butter toast and coffee have been my go-to every morning. You can’t name a better combo! 
 I picked up a pumpkin cream cold brew on my way to pick up Kyle from the airport! They are SO GOOD! I also like the salted caramel one.  
It was so nice to have Kyle back, and I know Tux was SO HAPPY!! He started doing circles around the living room and pouncing. 

On Saturday, I made my own glazed cranberry and walnuts. They never had enough in the bag, and I kept running out of salads, so I just made my own with honey, sea salt, and cinnamon. Once they cooled down, I put them in a jar in the pantry next to the salad toppings. 
On Saturday, when Kyle returned, we headed to Boil and Brew fest with a few neighbors. 
 
Bugs was super interested in the corn on the cob! 
   We snapped some sunset photos with him before heading out early. Kyle was tired and jetlagged, so we were determined to sleep by 7 pm.  
On Sunday, I picked up some cupcakes from Cupcrazed to bring to a neighbor’s get-together.  I always forget how good they are! They won the cupcake wars on Food Network. 

Bugs has been eating solid food for almost two months now. We started with oats at four months since he showed interest in food, and our pediatrician gave us the green light. I can share a blog on that journey with what I feed him and the timeline of it all if you’re interested. Right now, he loves oats with formula, mashed banana and avocado with cinnamon, and anything with apricots! Since adding more solid foods into his diet, he’s less fussy, fuller longer, and can go longer windows without needing to be fed. 
 After my doctor appointment on Monday, I picked up some sweets for a neighbor from Sunflour Baking Co. I love that place! I couldn’t eat six hours before my appointment, so I was hungry! I hadn’t eaten since 4 pm the night before. I grabbed a cappuccino and a breakfast croissant for the drive home. 

The weather was PERFECT when I got back, so we went on a four-mile walk through the neighborhood, looking at all the Halloween decorations. 

On Tuesday, Bugs started getting super congested. He was so stuffy and sounded like an old man snoring while sleeping. He was coughing and crying all night, so I just decided to wake up with him at midnight and hold him upright while he slept. I watched Bravo T.V. and had coffee to keep me awake. It’s so scary when babies get sick, especially with RSV being at a record high this year. 

During the day, aside from a stuffy nose, he was fine. He had no fever, a normal appetite, and was giggly as ever. But at night, it just got worse. I kept the cool mist going, gave him a warm bath, baby Vicks, and lots of fluids, and elevated his crib mattress. The cold lasted about four days, but he’s returning to himself now.

The afternoons are always warm and perfect for Fall walks.

Nursery views!  This photo was taken last week, and it’s even prettier now!

I always treat myself to Starbucks after P.T.! I ordered the salted caramel cold cream brew!

Morning with Bugs! He loves his highchair, even when he’s not eating. I’ll usually put him in the highchair while I clean the house around him. I attach his toys with the pacifier clip to the chair so he can play with them; that way, they don’t fall on the floor constantly. He enjoys launching toys into the air right now. 

He has loved these Once Upon A Farm blends lately! I love that the ingredients are so whole and fresh! Let me know if you want me to share about his solids journey. 

Thank you for stopping by to read and check out all the photos from the past few weeks. I promise you’ll love all the fall vibes in the following recap blog.  Have a great week! & Happppppy Halloween! 

Questions for you!

1. What are your Halloween night plans?
2. Did you dress up for Halloween?
3. Did you carve any pumpkins?

It’s a gloomy day, but thankfully we only dealt with a lot of rain and wind from the tropical storm. My heart breaks for Florida  My mother-in-law lives in Venice, and it was hit very hard. Luckily, they’re safe and only have minimal damage. I know hurricanes are natural and expected this year, but they are devastating. If you’re in a spot where Ian hit, my heart goes out to you, and I will continue to pray.

It’s been a month since my last recap blog. I figured I’d pop on today to share some photos from the month. I can’t promise a long detailed blog post, but sharing pictures with little captions is better than nothing, right? I also cannot believe it is already October. My Bugs is already five months old, and time needs to slow down.

We started September with a trip to Spring Farms to grab lemonade and peach ice cream. I bought this apple cobbler mix that I can’t wait to make soon! 

This month, I’ve been trying to do exercises to help with my diastasis recti (ab separation pp) and two baker cysts behind my knees. After dealing with leg pain, and it getting worse, I finally made an appointment with an orthopedic to get an x-ray. It turns out my kneecaps are tilted, causing the patellar tendon to pull, which causes inflammation/fluid, creating tennis ball-sized bakers cysts behind my knees. It’s so painful, so we are working on strengthening my knees and correcting the issues! I have six weeks of P.T. to complete, and then we’ll see if I’m making any progress!

One thing I never miss is my walks with Leo and Bugs. Since the weather has been so nice, we’ve been able to go on multiple walks a day, putting him in such a good mood. It also helps me wake up when I’m exhausted in the afternoon. I always hit that 3 pm wall.
 Every night after we put Bugs to bed, we watch T.V. for an hour with the pups. It’s fantastic to see the progress Tux has made. He went from hiding and hardly looking at us to cuddling and rolling over for belly rubs. It took him a year before he came upstairs, and now he runs all over the house. September must have been the month for chocolate chip cookies in this house. I made these for Kyle to bring into work, but I think I made over ten batches of these chocolate chip cookies these past few weeks.

Meals have been random and all over the place, depending on the day. Sometimes I have the time and energy to make dinner, but other times I whip up some eggs or door dash a salad. 

Leo had a lump on his chest that we had checked out a few weeks ago. They think it’s a noncancerous lipoma, but we will keep monitoring it! Grumples had one the size of a baseball on his hip for six years. 

After Leo’s vet appointment, I took him to Starbucks for a pup cup! 

The following Saturday, we had my parents over to watch the first Iowa game. 
Chilly evenings call for butternut squash soup. I love this recipe because you roast all the ingredients and blend them in the blender. It’s super easy and quick. 
  It’s crazy how we had 90-degree weather and green trees, and then a few weeks later, our weather is in the 70s, and our trees are turning yellow and orange! 
Another day, another batch of chocolate chip cookies…

I try my best to get blogs up while Bugs is napping, but sometimes my brain feels like mush when I get those quiet moments. One of my favorite recipes I made this month is the kale and chickpea pasta salad! I loved having it with my butternut squash soup and washing it down with a pumpkin spice bar. 
Because the weather has been so nice, I take out all the play stations and put them on the back porch. We stay outside almost all day. I let him nap and have his meals out there, and he seems happy with being outside. I think fresh air does wonders for babies. He sleeps through the night whenever we have extra walks or time outdoors. One of our neighbors gave us the Skip Hop activity table, which is his FAVORITE thing on the planet. He will spend all day at that table if I let him. Watching him learn how to play with all the pieces has been so much fun. Morning porch time  
Leo also loves the morning walks! Tux gets his walks with Kyle separately because he’s still afraid of cars and will shut down, and Kyle has to carry him for a few steps. He’s getting better, though, and he gets so excited to go on the walks. He runs to the door and spins in circles until Kyle puts him on the leash. I hope one day we’ll be able to walk together! One of my FAVORITE things to do now takes Bugs to the playground to swing. HE’S OBSESSED! We are in the process of building him one for the backyard, but since he’s so tall, he fits right into the swing. He also has zero issues holding his head up, so it’s safe. We don’t push him very high, but he loves love love love loves it! He makes these little noises and sometimes lets out a big laugh. Not one day goes by when we don’t walk a mile to the park! 
We had a few downtime days after his shots earlier this month. He doesn’t respond too well, so we do a lot of naps and relax together. While he was sleeping, I watched one of my favorite movies, Hope Floats I also made chocolate tofu pudding, which was amazing! It sounds crazy, but it was delicious. I used silken tofu, chocolate protein powder, cocoa powder, and a pinch of salt. I also topped it with whipped cream.  

We ordered Crumbl Cookies because the breakfast lineup looked so good, but our cookies were hardly cooked and almost all dough. We used to love them, but the cookie quality has been terrible lately! Has this happened to anyone else’s store? I’m hesitant to buy them anymore because the past four orders have been poor. I’m also sad that the pink sugar cookie doesn’t taste the same. I saw a recipe online for it, and I can’t wait to make it! I may even try that today while Kyle watches the Eagles game.    Football Saturday and Cobb salads!   I’m still debating on decorating for Halloween this year. Everyone in our neighborhood goes all out, but I may stick with the fall theme. I always feel stressed when there are too many decorations floating around without order in the yard, and I’m also still picking out cobwebs and fake spiders from two Halloweens ago. 
 
My FAVORITE baby product is the Tubby Todd brand. I ordered a new stash, and I’m just as obsessed. I’ve been using these since he was born, and he’s never had a rash or swing irritation. I also use the all-over ointment for myself now. My favorite scent is the Lavender and Rosemary, but I love the Eric Care collaboration apple scent. 

I made these chocolate chip cookies with heath, Reese’s, and chocolate chips for a going away party. 
We roasted spaghetti squash with black pepper, garlic, and parmesan!  
 
Morning walks  

Can you tell I’m excited about the fall? My roses are making their final debut before hitting the winter sleep. They took a hit with Japanese Beatles and aphids this year, so I’ll cut them down to the stem, clean the ground areas below, and have our lawn service treat for grubs. 


I did a lot of meal prepping with soups, salads, roasted veggies, and grilled chicken this past month. 
 I even made these delicious spiced carrot-baked oatmeal bars! You’ll have to let me know if you want that recipe. 

After our trip to the Wise Acre farm, Kyle and I stopped at a cafe in Matthews for some citrus and tropical tea and a few snacks to have on the way home. 

I love the meal prep kale salads because they last forever! 
 My mom and I took Bugs on a coffee date at Jackass Cafe & Deli. It’s inside the Mercantile in Rock Hill. They have the BEST stuff in there, especially for gifs, and the coffee and food are to die for. 

We ordered the twerky turkey (AMAZING!!!) and the Drivin’ me Caprese. The turkey sandwich was so good that we ordered two more to go! I always get their oat milk cappuccino, and it never disappoints. 
 Bugs also enjoyed himself. 

More morning Fall walks  
 This Lil man has been so playful lately. I LOVE IT! 

Saturday morning walks are my favorite, especially when they are followed by apple cinnamon waffles. 

I played piano every day when I was pregnant because I read that babies could hear and feel the music in the womb. I also played for him when he was a baby, and he LOVES sitting on my lap while babbling (sounds like soft singing) to the piano. Well, recently, he’s been banging on the keys, and it is the CUTEST THING IN THE WORLD! He’s super into the piano!
 Whenever I finish cleaning the house, I always finish it by filling up the cake dish, lighting a candle, and pouring myself a cup of coffee  
  Another perfect park morning. 

I always bring my lemon trees in when the weather drops down, and since we had hurricane winds coming in, I painted the pots cream and now have them in my living room! I love how they turned out. The smaller lemon tree needs to get an upgrade this year, which is perfect because I have an indoor plant that I’ve had for five years that needs a bigger home. 

Fried brussels sprouts and taco stuffed bell peppers!  
 This recipe is coming to the blog soon!

Another recipe coming to my blog soon is this pumpkin pie dessert dip!!!
BEST FRIENDS. 

This is my life lately, and I love it. And as soon as Bugs wakes up, I’m heading out on another one. 

For dinner, we’ve been making these flat-out pizzas and Caesar salads. THEY’RE SOOOOO good, and the flat-out wraps are only 45 calories. I’ve also recently been obsessed with Dewey’s cookies. I’ve had gingerbread and hot cocoa, but now I need to try them all. I don’t get how they can make a cookie taste so good, and it’s even better when dipped in coffee. 
Perfect night sky before the storm  
Butternut squash ravioli (all my favorite baby pajamas are linked in my amazon shop! ). I update it almost daily. 
  We weren’t sure how bad the storm would be, so I made a big batch of chili and cornbread just in case we lost power. I also craved it for the past few weeks, and with hocus locus premiering on Friday night, it sounded like the perfect timing.  Hocus Pocus date night set up    
The new Hocus Pocus could never be as good as the first, but I found it super cute and family-friendly! I will be watching it again this year! 

Thank you for stopping by to catch up   Have a fantastic weekend! & happy October!

Questions for you!

1. Have you seen the new Hocus Pocus?
2. Did you make any recipes on repeat in September?
3. Do you decorate for Halloween?

I placed his play gym on my sectional right next to me, and it’s been keeping him entertained while I’m blogging. He loves his gym, but he wants to ensure I’m right there next to him, so this is a win for both of us. 
It’s still so hot here, and August is always the hottest month! We’ve been trying to fit in our walks early in the morning while the temps are in the 70s. We go about 2 1/2 to 3 miles with Leo. I do not wish summer away, but looking forward to some cooler temps. This summer has been brutal. I prefer the summer scenery, but the fall weather. Since I was so sick last year at this time, I’m looking forward to eventually getting into fall mode.

Well, first things first, I quit Whole30 on day 19. I did my best, but towards the end, I was so tired and just wanted a dang plate of sushi with the family. I honored that and threw in the towel. When things start to feel restrictive, I take a step back. The last time I did Whole30, I had more time to prepare fun and unique recipes, but I was eating the same foods repeatedly this time. And I didn’t feel any difference after the twenty days, so I was like, ” give me the damn plate of sushi,” and it was delicious. No regrets. I usually get mad at myself for quitting things, but I was proud of myself this time. 

The best part of the morning is drinking my coffee while the sunrises outside with the dogs and Bugs. We’ve been having some gorgeous skies lately.


I’m so happy they finally opened a Cava closer to my house. I ordered a bowl with all the delicious toppings! I need to meal prep my version to have this week. And I’ve been obsessed with the Aura Bora sparkling waters lately! I put them in my Amazon shop! I’ve been trying to keep that shop updated with items I love and things I use for Bugs.

One good Whole30 recipe I made was this salad with homemade grilled chicken salad on top. It had marinated grilled chicken, primal kitchen mayo, sesame seeds, onion, diced dates, garlic powder, onion powder, dillweed, apple cider vinegar, and black pepper.

A few weeks ago, my brother was in town! On one of the hottest afternoons, I headed out to go disc golfing with him and my dad! I surprisingly enjoyed it. When we visit him in D.C., we will play again at some of his favorite courses.

After disc golf, we headed to downtown Fort Mill to have lunch at Hobos. I ordered the grilled chicken salad lettuce wrap with fruit on the side.

We grabbed coffee at one of my favorite spots, Olive Mud Puddle! And then, we headed around the corner into a new market called Tip Top to pick up some Kombucha and drinks for the pool.  I think I had eggs for breakfast every day for the entire month of August. I was so over it.
My Whole30 go-to dessert was these dates topped with almond butter blended with cinnamon, unsweetened cocoa nibs, and almond slices. I made them in advance and kept them stored in the freezer.

Early morning walks!
Before my brother returned to D.C., we had a family dinner at the Pump House.


I ordered the steak and brussels sprouts, and it was amazing! My family enjoyed their calamari and fried green tomatoes as well. Every time I dine there, it’s so good!  Plus, you get gorgeous views of the Catawba river.
 Leo kept the guest room all cozy and warm for Kyle’s mom to arrive!  This is where he lays all day long to watch out the window. I usually have to cover the bed, but he loves this spot. 
My little bug is wearing nine months!! I can’t get over how big he’s getting and how fast he’s growing. He’s super long! I added some of my favorite outfits I got him in my shop.

Kyle’s mom and I took Bugs out shopping on a Friday. We tried Jackass Cafe & Deli, a new coffee shop in the Mercantile in Rock Hill. It was so good! I had an almond milk cappuccino while shopping around!

I’m just constantly buying new clothes and packing old ones away as Bugs keeps growing! I try to buy everything gender-neutral so I can use them for our next baby one day.

I started Every Summer After, and it’s so good so far! A few Saturdays ago, we had the “fake fall” weather, so we spent almost all day outside on a picnic blanket, enjoying the sunshine and breeze.

All Bugs wants to do now is stand. We try to get him to sit when we pick him up, but he stiff legs us and wants to stand up! He’s so strong!
 We took Kyles’s mom to Chatty Cathy’s for coffee and breakfast, and the coffee there never disappoints. It’s such a cute and cozy spot! It looks like a little log cabin, and there are so many spots to sit inside or out.

My backyard roses

Kyle requested the strangest birthday dessert. He wanted Little Debbie Moonpies, but homemade. They turned out pretty good, so I’ll try to perfect them and get a recipe post up!

And just like that, I said, seeee ya Whole30 lol We did a sushi dinner for Kyle’s birthday from the new sushi spot in town. Rice never tasted so good!  
We’ve had so many cozy rainy evenings lately

 
Picnic outside during the “fake fall” temps. I’m obsessed with the new items on the Chopt menu. The basil chicken caesar is amazing.

Leo turned six this month! It feels like it was yesterday when we brought him home.

Morning walks and porch hangouts
 I’m so obsessed with the watermelon basil Humm Kombucha. 
Kyle and I went to Sunflour for coffee and a cookie with bugs. I loved the Charlotte location, so I’m happy they have one closer to us now. The almond milk cappuccinos are delicious. We also had an oatmeal cookie!

Our grass this summer has finally been revived! When we moved in, the builders put the sod on top of the red dirt without any topsoil. There was a bunch of construction trash under it, too. We signed with Spring Green and maintained watering it every other day, and it made a complete turnaround. Last year, it was filled with holes, a grass fungus, and it was yellow and shedding.

OBSESSED with this little set, and it also came with another dog onesie.
 One of my good friends had her baby this month, so I put together a little dinner tray.  I made the delicious chicken caesar salad wraps! The recipe is up on my blog. 
This week, I will add the chicken tostada recipe to my TikTok and blog. I ate these for three days straight, and they are sooooo gooooood. I made them a while back during Vlogmas, which was in a few videos, but I need to share them here on the blog. I probably have the recipe hidden in a recap somewhere.
We headed to my parent’s house to surprise my mom for her birthday! Look at her beautiful zinnias! I got her a packet for Christmas, and they turned out lovely! I’ll link the ones I bought on my Amazon page.
After tennis on Saturday, I had coffee, cereal, and a side of baby feet! 
We tried out Sumaq Coffee on Saturday afternoon, and it was AMAZING! I had an oat milk latte, and we split the Nutella bread. It was one of the best-tasting desserts I have ever had! I can’t wait to go back. It tasted like a warm cinnamon bun mixed with brownie batter and Nutella.  Recommend 10/10 A new healthy spot opened near us called Blend Riverwalk, and we hopped in during their soft opening. UMM YUM! I’m so happy we have this spot here now, and it’s a fantastic place to have a healthy meal after walking the Riverwalk. I had the salad with marinated greek chicken, pesto, hummus, veggies, mozzarella, and honey mustard dressing. It was delicious! I have been craving it and may have to go back in there this week to try their smoothies.  A little guard dog We put Bugs to bed a few hours before we go to sleep, but Leo insists on hanging out in there with him, and it’s the sweetest thing.  Best friends and a sunrise   After our family walk on Sunday morning, we decided to head to the Fish Market in Baxter Village for breakfast. The breakfast here is sooooooo goooooooood.  Coffee with my favorites.  This isn’t something we’d typically order, but we had to try the pepper jelly fried chicken and cheddar biscuits. I have been missing out my whole life because this was one of the best-tasting things I’ve ever had. OMG! If you live in the area, run, do not walk! Go try them! I want to recreate a version at home now; even though it won’t be as good, it’ll be fun to try! I love getting inspired by restaurants.  I had their seafood omelet last time and loved it, but I was craving a salad, so I ordered a salmon salad with brussels sprouts.

It was hot in the afternoon, so we set Bug’s pool and floated around with him for a bit. HE’S OBSESSED with water and floating! (all his favorite pool items) He likes to sit back in his float and kick his legs.
I need to finish up some blogs I’ve been putting on the back burner, like my 3rd-trimester recap, updated daily schedule, and a few more! I do have some yummy fall recipes coming soon! Thank you for being so understanding with me when it comes to my blog consistency!

Questions for you!

1. Are you ready for fall?
2. I have three costumes I’m DIYing for Bugs. Would you like a post on those?
3. Tell me something you’ve been up to.

Our mornings are still starting around 5 am. We get up, get a bottle, sit outside on the patio with coffee while the dogs play, and then I go for a walk. It’s been excellent in the mornings, and I try to get most of my outdoor things done before the scorching afternoon temperatures. Almost every morning, the sky is purple and orange. It’s what motivates me to get out of bed (JK, it’s a crying baby wanting a bottle )

I kept the house stocked with goodies, and we were excited to show him around. I made my oatmeal cream pies, strawberry pretzel salad, and homemade granola with morning parfaits. 
I’ve been trying to fit in workouts at night (if I’m not too exhausted.) I’m officially down 36-pounds three months postpartum and have about 16 pounds left to lose. I know it’s going to take me a year before feeling like myself again, but I’m working towards it every day, even if it’s the smallest thing like taking a ten-minute walk, playing tennis, doing a 15-minute workout, or making healthier food choices. It’s hard to get outside when it’s SO HOT outside, so I’m looking forward to those fall temperatures. I’ll be able to go on long walks and get outside more often. I just wanted to update you on where I’m at on that! And if you’ve read a few of my other blogs, then you know this isn’t something I’m stressing over or worrying about. I’m being kind and taking all the time I need to heal. I enjoy getting active again without feeling like an 80-year-old smoker!

Once August hits, petunias start to get lanky and die out. I swapped out my porch petunias for some lantana! I may limit my petunias next year because they are so much to maintain, even though they are so pretty!

My candy cane zinnias turned out so pretty this year! I’ll put more of these in my front garden bed next year.

We got the house all cleaned and ready for company! I love when we get visitors because it motivates me to finish projects I’ve been putting off.

When you spend the day cleaning, the last thing you want to do is get the kitchen dirty by making a meal, so I ordered Clean Eats for dinner. I had their BYO bowl with chicken, rice noodles, Thai peanut sauce, brussels sprouts, peppers, asparagus, and carrots. I also ordered their whole wheat black bean wrap to keep in the house for lunch the next day.
 Kyle picked up his dad from the airport on Friday afternoon, and I made an early dinner.
 

I put together a build-your-own sandwich board with marinated grilled chicken, peppers, onions, garlic, lemon & dill cream cheese spread, and toasted multigrain bread. I made roasted carrots and a mandarin cranberry goat cheese salad on the side with a homemade honey vinaigrette.
On Saturday, we had lunch at the Pump House. With temperatures reaching 99 degrees, we planned an entire weekend of inside activities. I ordered a lunch salad with grilled shrimp and a side of tomato bisque.

After lunch, we headed to the Nascar Hall of Fame in Uptown Charlotte. I’m not a Nascar gal, but it was still pretty fun!  When we got home, I made my turkey meatloaf with a berry goat cheese salad, roasted carrots, steamed broccoli, baked beans, and homemade chocolate chip cookies!
  I love having these cookies with coffee in the morning!

On Sunday, we went to the movies to see Elvis. I haven’t been able to stop thinking about this movie. It was AMAZING! I may have to see it again, and I rarely watch a movie in the theater twice. If you haven’t seen it yet, I’d go asap. Austin Butler was incredible in his role as Elvis. I still want to see Where the Crawdad’s Sing because it was one of my favorite books.

After the movies, we headed to Restoration Hardware rooftop restaurant in Southpark for lunch. I love their chicken Caesar salad, truffle fries, and coffee!  I usually treat myself to their homemade ice cream with a chocolate chip sea salt cookie, but I decided to have it at home (how adult of me.)  Bugs and I slept in on Monday morning. While Kyle’s dad and his wife rode the Peloton, I had coffee and finished a few chapters of Meant to Be while Bugs slept. The funny thing is that he’ll sleep until I wake him up if he’s in our bed. Anywhere else, he’ll wake up within a few hours during his naps.
 I made delicious cinnamon buns for Monday morning’s breakfast! These are a crowd, please, and super simple to make with only 4-ingredients.

We headed to Inizios for lunch! We all split the Margherita and pistachio pizza. I ordered the antipasto salad without the olives. It was delicious and fresh.

After lunch, we headed downtown Rock Hill to shop at the Mercantile, grab coffee at Knowledge Perk, and get ice cream at Two Scoops! The Mercantile has a new location in Rock Hill with a cafe inside, and I’m so excited to try it out.  Before our family left, I made some banana bread bars. I had so many bananas to use up, and you can’t go wrong with my banana bar recipe! Sweet boy!
 
We headed to my parent’s house on Thursday or a pool day. Bugs used to hate the cold water, but now he LOVES it! It’s crazy how much babies change in a month. It was nice to spend some time outside relaxing with Kombucha, my Bug, and a podcast. I took Leo, too! He loves going over to his grandma’s house and sat staring at Bugs the entire car ride. I always had my arm ready just in case he got too close, but he kept his boundaries. He does this at home, too. He’ll get close and stare at him.

For dinner, we ordered Ilios. I love their chicken and rice plate. We finally put together the bookshelves I ordered for the playroom/loft area! I love how kid-friendly yet cozy this room is turning out! I want to get fun embroidered pillows for the couch and a watercolor print for the back wall. You can shop some of my favorite items in my Amazon storefront. I finally put one together with everything I’ve purchased!
 
Saturday called for chicken enchiladas and movies on the couch! We watched Ray, and I can’t believe it was my first time seeing it.

The backyard flowers are still growing strong. I’ll have that tutorial up soon. 

On Saturday morning, I met up with my tennis group after a year hiatus, and it felt amazing to get back to playing again! I had so much fun and cannot wait to play again this week. This is the kind of fitness I can get down with! After tennis, we headed to Grapevine for coffee.  I bought this pool for Bugs and could not wait to blow it up for him. He loves being outside, and we also enjoyed it. We put it on the porch to protect us from the sun. I added this pool and my other favorite baby summer finds on my Amazon page! The hard part was keeping Leo away from the pool! I think we’ll set up his pool next to it moving forward. I’m afraid he’ll jump in and pop it. Double rainbow after the storm

I started another round of Whole30 this weekend. The last time I did it, I went 65 days! I’m doing it because I feel like my hormones are a bit out of whack postpartum, especially after weaning. I read that Whole30 can help manage blood sugars and make me feel better faster. I’ve always felt good after doing rounds of Whole30, so I’m looking forward to doing it again. My joints have been SO ACHY AND STIFF postpartum, and I need to kick out all the inflammatory foods to help me recover. I’ll slowly add back in oats, Greek yogurt, and beans when I finish.
I ended the weekend with one of my favorite Whole30 desserts! It’s a date with almond butter and a pecan on top. 

I hope you all have a great week!

Questions for you!

1. Is it starting to feel like the dog days of summer for you?
2. What has been your favorite Amazon purchase recently?
3. Do you have any goals you are currently working towards?

We still have plans to do a vegetable garden on the side of our house, but with the baby and my pregnancy, it’s on a bit of a hold. I’m hoping to start the building project next month.
 

The past few weeks have been filled with quick meals like wraps, salads, pancakes, eggs, salmon, roasted vegetables with chicken sausage, parfaits, smoothies, and protein oatmeal. We’ve also ordered from Ilios several times because they have the best chicken and rice plates. 
 One of our favorite meals from the week was roasted salmon with homemade pesto, jalapeno cream cheese, and dill on top! I think it would have been better in the air fryer, but it was still delicious! I will try to perfect this recipe and then share it. We did a spicy Thai salad kit on the side. 

We wanted to get out of the house a few Saturdays ago, so we packed everything up and headed to the mall. When it’s 99 degrees outside, you get creative with activities. This was the first time putting on a dress and doing my hair since Easter! 

I ordered an oat milk cappuccino from the Nordstrom cafe when we got there. I didn’t end up buying anything at the mall because I still need to lose my baby weight before spending money on clothes! I’m down 30lbs of the 50 and plan to work on the last 20 slowly and graciously. I’m not beating myself up, and I’m giving my body a year to get back to where it was (if it even will.) I don’t want to stress about dieting and working out during this time as a new parent. I want my focus to be on Bugs. Some things I’ve been doing that help are eating healthy but also treating myself, not counting any calories, walking in the mornings, and doing a postpartum workout video in the garage if I’m up for it at the end of the night. I think what helps is just being active during the day with housework, gardening, playing with Bugs, and stretching as much as I can. Gosh, I wish I had stretched more during my pregnancy! I feel so stiff after giving birth, and everything tightens up if I sit too long. Has anyone else had that happen to them?

And the best part of the day is just hanging out on the couch while Bugs sleeps. I know I should be practicing crib sleep when he naps, but I’m soaking in these cuddles while he’s young. Sometimes, I’ll slip on my AirPods and listen to a podcast while he sleeps. 
 We celebrated Tux’s one year with us! We cut him up his favorite meats and told him how much we loved him and how far he’s come! It’s crazy how much he’s changed since bringing him home; we love him so much!  We try to go 1-2 miles every morning. We have to walk between the hours of 6 am, and 8 am because anytime after that, it gets so hot and humid. Leo does so well with the stroller, and I think the training we put him through a few years ago helped keep him in a heel and on my left side. Once it cools down, we’ll be doing our 3-mile walks every morning and maybe in the evenings.  I had this salad on REPEAT last week! It’s amazing, and I blogged the recipe so you could try it. I love doing kale salads for meal prep. 
And I still managed to fit four new crepe myrtle trees in the front seat. 
I planted all perennials that way they’ll come back bigger and better next year.  I used a multigrain wrap and stuffed it with the kale salad mixture, and it was amazing! 

It’s never too early to start reading to your baby. I am obsessed with finishing our feeding sessions with a book. Bugs love to laugh at the pictures, especially the black and white ones. It’s also comforting for him to hear my voice, even if he has no idea what I’m saying. I try to do this at night and in the morning. 
On Saturday, we did some more home projects and cleaning around the house. We painted the island back to white (it was black!), hung up frames in the upstairs hallway, and reorganized my office and pantry. Now, I need to get prints in the frames before they turn into permanent stock photo frames.

For dinner, I grilled jalapeno turkey burgers! I am going to post this recipe this week. They were amazing! 

I’m finally back into my reading routine. Now that Bugs is sleeping 9-10 hours a night, I sneak in an hour to read after putting him to sleep. I also decided to get off my phone by 7 pm and switch to reading a few chapters instead of flipping through TikTok. I just started Meant to Be, and it’s super good so far.


It’s looking fuller each day! I know I’m obsessed, but I can’t help it. I think one day when I’m done with the blogging world, I will plant flowers for a living. 

Bugs decided he hates sleeping in his crib, and I have to keep going upstairs every twenty minutes to soothe him during his naps, so I decided to start keeping him downstairs by me in the same sleep sack so he can get used to it. He’s used to sleeping in his Snoo, but this helps with the crib transition! Fortunately, he’s sleeping 2+ hours for his naps now. He’s slowly learning to self-soothe. 

I know the blogs are not that entertaining as of late, but thanks for stopping by to read anyway! xo Hope you have a great week! 

Questions for you!

1. How was your weekend?
2. Have you read anything good lately?
3. Are you guilty of leaving stock photos in frames?