it's here, it's here!

The moment in the school year that teachers look forward to more than any other break (excluding summer of course)...spring break! 
 
I started mine on Friday..because those are slow work days for me anyway AND I have the liberty of doing so. Neener neener.

And if yesterday was any indication of the rest of spring break, I'm in for a good one. I think I did almost all of my favorite things yesterday: gym, pedicure, window shopping, park with Jillian, Cafe Rio with the fam, and movie night with the girls. Ahh, love it! 

It's warm and sunny outside and there's nothing to do. Couldn't be happier with all of that!

(why yes, that is the bottom of the closet)

Jillian teething her incisors (those beastly things) hasn't been the greatest, but we take the wins where we can get 'em. 

 

Happy spring break! 

too fast & too soon

A few weeks ago I was reading a blog post about this mom who was emotionally distraught over her 18 month old who decided to self-wean from nursing. She went on and on about how she wasn't ready and it was too soon and she just wanted another baby so she could nurse all the time, blah blah blah.

I literally could not relate, like even a little bit. Don't get me wrong, I'm pro-nursing in the "great debate" of motherhood, but my experience was way past the expected "bumps in the road" for first time moms who nurse. It wasn't the promised bonding experience I'd read about to say the least.

Anyway. I FINALLY have an experience that I can semi-relate to this mother (and probably many other moms) that say they aren't ready for something to happen in their child's life. That it happened too soon.

Jillian is officially sans binky. 

I thought I was completely okay with getting rid of that nasty little thing. So okay in fact, that two days ago I randomly snipped off the end with my kitchen scissors and handed it Jillian while thinking, "There. Take that. Hmph". By her reaction, you would have thought someone in our family had just died. First the look of confusion. Then a quivering lip. And then the real stab in the heart- a wavering, "Fix it Mama!" 

Ohhh melt. I just broke her binky! Right in front of her! I'm a terrible, terrible person. 

Nevertheless, I made a unilateral decision and stuck to my guns (even though there were two secretly stashed binkies ..and still are..just in case of any emergencies). What is usually a very fluid and easy bed time routine was rough. Like, hour-and-a-half rough.

But since then? Not. Too. Bad.

And THAT is why I'm having a hard time. 

All of the sudden she's just okay without this little piece of rubber that was previously in sight at all times? She can't grow up that fast!

 And then it was like all of the sudden I had flash forwards of the future where she'd be okay when she let my hand go and walk into her first day of school, or okay when she decided to go hang out with her friends instead of sit on my lap and beg me to read Piggie and Gerald for the fourteen millionth time. 

She's gonna grow up and she'll be okay. My state of well-being is yet to be determined in this whole process. 

I think that's why people have more babies...because they grow up just too darn fast. 

adios sister

Michaela flew back to Florida yesterday after being here the last two and a half weeks. It was a sad day. 

Over the weekend though, we had a "farewell" party for her with friends and family out here since she's leaving on her church mission next month (already?!)! Good times were had. It was also my first time doing a smores bar...which will most certainly be happening again.

 

 Fortunately I still get to see her one more time before she leaves. We'll be headed out to Florida the week before she heads off to Peru. YAY!

toddler for sale

Toddler for Sale

(inspired by Sister for Sale by Shel Silverstein, nearly plagiarized by me)

One toddler for sale!
One toddler for sale!
One crying, whining toddler for sale!
I'm not really kidding, so who'll start the bidding?
Do I hear a dollar?
A nickle?
A penny?
Oh isn't there, isn't there, isn't there any
One person who will buy this toddler for sale
This crying, whining, messy toddler for sale?!

But seriously. I need a vacation. Or at least an uninterrupted meal.

to sum it up...

I love New Girl. This quote sums up my life...

Thank you Jessica Day. 

{kitchen sneak peak..well..reveal i guess}

I've tried really really REALLY hard to not write this post until my kitchen is completely finished, but even though I have every good intention of finishing it tomorrow, something inside of me says yeah that's probably not gonna happen. SO what the hay, that just means you get to see yet another post about my kitchen. 

Yay!

Remember phase 1 of the kitchen do over? White cabinets? I'm in lurve. So in lurve. 

Phase 2 and 3 are now complete! Well..almost..

We have new paint downstairs and bead board in the kitchen! The only not-quite-yet-done part is that I still have to paint the bead board and trim (white, duh). But you get the basic idea. 

before//after

from the very beginning//now

Oh look! My kitchen's still messy. Every blog I've ever read about "improving your blog" says something about waiting until day to take pictures in natural lighting, and making sure the area you're photographing is clean and organized so it's more aesthetically pleasing to look at...bahaha.

I love the look of a white kitchen. So clean and fresh (minus the giant mess on my counter..hah!) My goal was to brighten up the space and make it feel bigger than it really is. The best way to do that is use lighter colors. Darker colors make a space feel smaller and darker (especially if the area is already small). Using bead board helps draw the eye vertically and visually creates a larger space.

You'd think at this point my "to do" home improvement list is getting shorter, it's really not. Every time I cross something off, I add at least 2 things on. 

The next major projects on said "to do" list include stripping and painting the stair railings and hand rails- BE GONE nasty oak! (I'm torn between painting them white or staining them dark) and next (that probably won't happen until the fall) is to replace the nasty oak floors and the carpet with a uniform ashy dark wood floor- again with the goal in mind of expanding the space instead of the area being chopped up into areas of carpet and wood. I think I'm most excited about that!

happy {surprise} birthday

Michaela is FINALLY back in Utah! I wish it were for good, but it's only for two and a half weeks. I'll take it! It's her last hoo-rah in poo-tah Utah before she leaves in April for an 18 month church mission. Let's not even go there yet...mentally I'm like a 2 year-old dropping their ice cream cone on a hot summer's day about the whole thing.

But her birthday was also the day before she came out, so naturally, I threw her a surprise party! I've never thrown anyone a surprise party before, so I will openly admit my efforts were partly selfish. I don't need much of a reason to throw a party, so a birthday goes without saying. 

 But the best party? She was completely surprised!! Success. 

Happy birthday to my incredibly beautiful and amazing sister! I love you seester!

valentine's day part two

Even though the day of Valentine's Day was pretty chill around here, that doesn't mean we don't know how to get our love party on (..yikes..this is NOT x-rated).

Because we had an awesome gift card to Ruth's Chris Steak House, we decided to hit up to Park City on Saturday and make a night of it. 
By the way, has anyone ever tried to understand how that name grammatically works? Ruth's Chris Steak House? Was it Chris' Steak House then Ruth bought it and wanted to keep the name? Or was there a guy named Chris that everyone kept getting confused with another Chris until someone finally labeled him by his uber controlling wife Ruth? "Chris who?" "You know...Ruth's Chris" "Ohhh...poor SOB".

/Shrug/. Inconsequential. 

 
The appetizer, sides, and dessert were all incredibly delicious. And OH EM GEE how have I only ordered creme brulee twice in my life?! I really need to branch out of the chocolate side of the dessert menu because I've really been missing out. But the steak- "just okay". I've had better, cheaper steak actually.

I think Park City is GORGEOUS. I love walking up and down Main Street (bad idea in heels though) at night and seeing all the lights and little shops. James also put me on "celebrity watch out" duty. No celebs were in town though. Bummer.

There are also a lot of shops with really eclectic stuff. Like a man thong made of bear fur and a tail. Not pictured. Gross. 
And wolf carcasses made into hats. More gross.  

Happy Valentine's Day, lovers.

what actually happened on valentine's day

What I meant to do this Valentine's day:

Do something cute and romantic for James

Take a cute picture of Jillian with a festive photo prop 

Get something for Jillian

Make a cheesecake 

What actually happened:

Didn't think of anything in time to do for James

(why you fail me pinterest?!)

Botched Jillian's bangs in a nasty trim; didn't get a photo prop= no Valentine's picture of Jillian

Didn't get anything for Jillian

Forgot to buy stuff for cheesecake

Fail. 

Sometimes that happens. But ultimately, James isn't into the cheesy stuff I find on Pinterest, there will be plenty more opportunities to take festive pictures of my kid (and those bangs will grow back), Jillian won't know she missed out on getting her a Valentine's treat (even though Nana totally did get her something- way to go Nana!), and brownies for dessert will be almost just as good as cheesecake. 

And ya know what? There won't even be a picture of me and my Valentine because some days, you just feel like staying in your PJ's and not putting on any makeup.  

But it's okay. The forfeited instagram moment doesn't matter, because today I'm still surrounded by the people I love more than anything.

Oh, and looking back...maybe the brownie WAS better than cheesecake.

Happy Valentine's Day!  

new hur

I thought you might want two different facial expressions. 

I tried a closed mouth smile. It felt weird. 

But I love ma' new hur do.

In related news, I trimmed Jillian's hair for the first time ever. With makeup scissors (Jaime Williams is cringing right now). The back turned out fine, I trimmed off maybe 1/8 of an inch, mostly so it will start to GROW (it may or may not be even, but I tried).

Her bangs on the other hand...it didn't SEEM like it would be too hard. She had one really long chunk that just hung down in her eyes, so I just wanted that a little shorter. Well. When your toddler won't sit still and you're trimming from above..uuhhh..

Good thing I always push those suckers to the side, cause we got a real Lloyd Christmas situation going on. 

Jillian I promise to never ever ever trim your bangs again.