House Update and MORE!

I have seriously been the worst blogger, clearly! This month has been insanity. This month we have done 2 Moms On The Go segments on the news (Nov is their busiest month) so I had to be up twice a week at 4am!e Sucks the small energy I have right out of me. On top of that we closed on the house and have been renovating evr since. Jordan has literally been working or at the house working since we got the keys, which means I am have been trying to handle all the packing and keeping up with the boys daily antics. Needless to say I CANNOT wait to get in the house. I want to get everything in their place and then MAYBE relax! haha! I am also excited because today was the last day of 2 weekly segments and we go back to just one! Whew! By the new year hopefully we will have things a TAD calmer!  

I wanted to show you guys a sneak at the house's before pictures! You will also get a good look at the before and after of our home because we will be showcased on HGTV House Hunters!:) They come in a few weeks to do our last "at home" session, which means that I need to make sure we get things looking good STAT!! 

Here is a sneak peek

This is our second house and I knew exactly what I wanted this time around. I didn't want anything new. I wanted something unique and vintage. Something with LOADS of history that we can make our own. 

I am obsessed because it is beyond perfect, well that is a lie. 

It is not perfect as is, but it has the potential to be my dream home once we finish some things!

The details and craftsmen ship of the home are amazing.

We truly have a VERY unique home and that is what I wanted!

This room was by far the biggest selling point.

The great room. It is insane.

Wide plank hardwoods. Leaded glass windows. Exposed wood beams.

Literally my dream.

It also has this really cool balcony 

(we had to put another rod iron gate up bc it freaked me out!)

You cannot see it from here but behind there is the foyer with a spiral staircase.

I need to get more pics of it!

Here is the kitchen....boooooring. It is huge though. 

That is one end of it. 

Here is the other, there are two "eat in" areas,

One side will be for eating and the other will be the boys activity and craft area.

This area will be eating. I want to have a bench built along the wall with cute padding/pillows.

The bathrooms are a train wreck. Literally.

This beauty is in the boy's room.

We recently gutted the entire thing and will make it into a cute updated bath for them.

This bathroom is the main bath

Sweet green carpet and yellow tub, right??

I have more pics I need to take but that is just a small update.

We have so much work to do. We have already exhausted our renovation budget for this year.

We had mold removal, electrical and plumbing that was a must do. 

We have floors that are being switched out and all the appliances.

It is shocking how quickly money goes during a renovation.

So there you have it, a tiny peek at the house!

xoxo

WBW- Husband/Men Style!

Hey ladies!! You may notice a few things today!

1st of all, I have not blogged since last week! Thanksgiving was hectic and I literally did not even take pictures! That shows how crazy it was! :( We are in the midst of moving and it is chaos! I will do a post on all of that at some point, but we should be in the new house in a few weeks.

2nd and MOST IMPORTANT is my new blog design! I am obsessed with it! It was done by my all time favorite, Kayla over at Life After! Clearly we love each other because she is the co host in this fab link up! Check out her amazing design work on her site! I am totally having her do my photography site too! And have her do yours while her prices are LOW!! She should be charging wayyyyy more for all the work she does! So get on it and rock out a sweet design like mine!

Now onto Wedded Bliss Wednesday!

(Funny side note my husband pointed out, before we had kiddo's I became a certified wedding planner and my "business" was going to be called "Eternal Bliss Events", he just thought it was funny because now we do Wedded Bliss Wednesday!)
So grab a button and link up!
Make sure you follow Kayla and I and follow everyone else if you can!

     

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Today we are talking men's fashion!! Ohhh la la! 

What is your husband's style?

What is your LEAST favorite piece(s) of his wardrobe? 

If you have a picture show us!!

What would you love for your man to wear? 

**I opted for the vlog because crazy man Luke is awake which means typing is not an option!**

For the rest of the holiday season we will be doing themed questions!

(if you have any ideas, leave them! haha)

Next week is one question!

If money were not an option (say, you won the lottery) what would you buy your man? 





PS I wanted to share the current state of my laptop, 
another reason I am not blogging as much!
(It's really fun to edit my photography pics on...NOT)

That was also thanks to Luke! Bull in a china shop I swear! 

(my laptop is only a few months old as well!)

Luke is lucky he is cute haha! 

WBW- Thankful

This week was only ONE question but it is packed full of so many answers!

So come on and link up with Kay and I

Please follow both our blogs and also

meet new friends along the way!

I love having ALL you ladies here, you are all amazing and adorable!

So grab the button and join us!

xoxo

     

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What are you most thankful for in your marriage?

I am THANKFUL for so much. I am thankful for my husband being my best friend, and soul mate. I am thankful that we can laugh and act like total nerds, but it is okay!:) I am thankful that we have trust, I trust Jordan fully and know that he would never do anything to hurt me! I am thankful that my husband puts us first, always. I am thankful that at the center of our marriage is God! I am thankful for my husbands rock hard abs! I am thankful that my husband is the best dad ever, he is going to teach our boys so much about being a respectable man. I am thankful that I get to spend the rest of my life with Jordan. I cannot wait to grow super old (him in suspenders and me with in elastic pants) with him. I envision us playing scrabble every day! I am thankful for the future with him! 

Next week....

Let's talk MAN fashion!

What is your husband's style?

What is your LEAST favorite piece(s) of his wardrobe? 

If you have a picture show us!!

What would you love for your man to wear? 

We are looking for FUN questions!

If you have any questions, please leave them!!!

Happy Early Thanksgiving!

xoxo

Pin-Happy Thanksgiving Style

There are so many fun things to do for Thanksgiving with your kids and also for your family! 

Here is a peek at my faves!

((Click each pic for a link to original sites and directions for each!))

Use your child's hand and feet for this cute turkey!

I also thought it would be cute to add what they are thankful for on the hand parts!

 It would be cool to see how their list changes each year!

How easy and great do these leaves look for the table decor! Love it! 

 These are way too easy! Fudge stripe cookies, reese's and icing! How cute! 

I love this! You could even use it as a center piece! 

Grab a stick from your yard and cut our leaves on construction paper. 

Add a list of things you and your children are thankful for. 

You could even use this as a talking point on Thanksgiving Day, guessing who each  leaf is from!

Okay these are genius! Cheesy crescent roll leaves!

There is a super easy tutorial....I want to eat my computer screen NOW!

The oreo turkeys! I made these one year! They were somewhat of a pain!

I added them to a cupcake as a topper which was cute BUT the icing from the cupcake

softened the bottom cookie, and I didn't care for a soft oreo! haha! 

They were the cutest treat though, so I guess it was worth the work! 

This is one on my list! Cranberry Spread! Only 3 ingredients!

You can serve with ginger snaps or graham crackers, or whatever you fancy! 

YUM! This looks way too good! Pumpkin Dip! 

VERY easy to make and you can dip ginger snaps or even those little graham cracker sticks!

What have you guys found on Pinterest for Thanksgiving??

I am excited because we are doing Thanksgiving twice!

Once at Jordan's grandparents then again at our house on Saturday!

We even got a free range organic turkey from our farmer!

I cannot wait to eat! Is it NEXT Thursday yet!?

xoxo

WBW- Fathers

This week we are talking about our men as daddy's! 

I must say my husband got even hotter, if that is possible when he became a father.

Dad's are so hot. I mean men showing their affection to their kids, oh my! 

Well today we are talking all about it! 

So grab the button and join in!

Make sure you follow Kay and I's blogs and also try to 

follow as many of the people who link up as possible, there are so many amazing ladies!

xoxo
     

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1. What is/will be your husband's best trait as a father?

He is hands down the funnest dad ever. He gets down and dirty with the boys and acts like a child himself. It is so much fun to watch them! It is like reliving his childhood! Our boys adore every moment they get with him and as his wife it is amazing. I am so blessed that he is so hands on.

2. What is/will be your husband's favorite thing to do with the kids?

PLAY! He loves to act like a kid with them! They love to build, play outside and do boy things! It is cool because I do not like getting dirty and splashing around so he takes care of that kind of stuff! haha! The boys get to be boys when they are with him, pick up on the manly traits! 

3. How does/will your husband help out with the kids?

He does a TON with our kids! He loves to be with them so he takes them whenever. He really is an amazing partner. I believe parenting is a 50/50 job and he is full on with his role when he is not working! 

4. What do you hope your children learn from their dad? 

I hope that they learn everything from him. The manly stuff is obvious but I hope that they learn how to treat a woman from him, how to take care of their own family and how to work hard for everything. Jordan is such a great role model in every aspect of his life. I have great confidence that our boys will take after him and be amazing husbands and fathers when their time comes! The girls who get to marry our boys will be very lucky, our boys will be manly but you better believe that they will be able to cook, bake and clean as well!:):)

Next week! 

ONE question:

What are you most thankful for in your marriage?

PS. If I have not followed you back yet, yell at me! Things have been nutzo around these parts with packing, moving and trying to keep sane! I love you all, so just yell at me and I will follow back! 

Holiday Travel- Avoiding Headaches and Enjoying your Family!

Before Jordan and I had kids, traveling was a whole different ball game. 

We could skip from one family function to the next without hesitation. 

We could drive as long and as far as we wanted at whatever hour of the day. 

Well here we are 3 kids later and I think we might have this holiday headache travel down to an art.

Here are my personal tips for keeping the holidays, HAPPY! 

Make a list and check it twice! (This goes for bags too)

If you are just going for one night this is a little easier. But if you are flying or traveling for a few days, make a list of EVERYTHING you might need. Clothing is obvious, but think about the unforeseen circumstances like the kids getting sick (medicine, thermometer), your camera running out of batteries (chargers, extras) and just things to keep you and the kids sane along the way (food, drinks, toys). If you are flying make sure you have ID's and passports (have your husband carry them, make it easier) I also cannot tell you how many times I have forgot the pack n play for the baby! Before you leave the driveway make sure all the bags are in the car, once I left my suitcase with all of mine and the kids stuff. It made for an unhappy husband when I had to go buy all new clothing for the 3 day trip! (it was a bonus for me, but I think this is only a once every few years mistake!!) 

Be Realistic.

If you have divorced families like us and 4 events in one day it may not be possible to make them all. This is where you need to be up front and honest. After our second child it was way too much to fit all of our families in on each holiday. Our plan of route was to do my husband's family every Christmas and mine on Thanksgiving, then we host Easter. If I could host every holiday I truly would! We try our best to stick to this schedule but we give wiggle room to it. It is not possible for us to make it to every house on every holiday so we chose the easiest, most fair plan that worked for us. If our families lived in the same town it might be a different story but just be honest if it is too tough for you to make the function happen. You want your kids to be happy and comfortable because let's face it, if they aren't you will not be able to enjoy the holidays and relax. 

Leave EXTRA time for travel.

Whether you are driving or flying leave EXTRA time. I am a huge procrastinator when it comes to getting everything and everyone out the door. My husband has started putting a buffer time on our schedule to allow for my lateness. Also with the traffic and madness of the holidays you do not want to be stuck in traffic and be late. So just leave earlier so you are not rushing around and mostly so you are not stressed.

Choose a different day to celebrate.

Sure, I know everyone wants to celebrate on the actual day of the holiday, but sometimes that just cannot happen and that is okay! As long as you are together for the holiday as a family it should not matter what date the calendar is showing. For instance, since we do not celebrate Christmas day with my family we will do it the following weekend. It is just as special as Christmas day because we are together as a family and spending quality time with one another. Also choosing a different day to celebrate might be easier for travel! Less traffic, cheaper flights, you get my point!:) 

Keep Calm & Drink a glass of wine!

Nothing ruins the holidays quite like a bad attitude. I understand we all have the picture perfect idea of what the holiday should be like but sometimes that does not happen. Just roll with the punches, don't be upset if your sister is late or the rolls burn in the oven. What matters is that you are with your loved ones. Share stories, laugh about life and create new memories. Give hugs and let your family know how much they mean to you! Tomorrow you will not remember the burnt rolls, you will remember the time you shared.

I hope you guys enjoy your holiday and even if the travel does not go as expected keep in mind that the holidays are not about togetherness! Leave the small stuff behind and enjoy each moment you get with your family! 

Do you have any tips or tricks for making the holiday's easier??? I am sure I missed some!

PS. I cannot wait to eat all the goodies this holiday!! 

The best part besides seeing our family, is the FOOD!:) 

I can already taste my mother in law's cheesy potatoes! (yum yum) 

xoxo 

Disney/Pixar's Brave Giveaway!

I clearly cannot read the rules correctly, this post was supposed to have the giveaway winner picked by Novemeber 12th, not posted by November 12th, which means 2 things. 

1-I need to read more carefully and 2 -this giveaway only has 24 hours! 

We received the new Disney/Pixar movie, Brave a few weeks back! I was so excited because I have heard so many great things! We were so lucky to get it before it even released to the general public! The coolest thing is that we not only received the DVD we got the whole Collector's Edition 5-Disc set!  

The movie was great! I loved it mainly because it was not the "typical" princess movie that Disney makes! 

The lead girl Merida, was such a great role model for little girls. She had a strong personality and was very intelligent with traits that most princesses would not have. It was a great way to show that Princesses can also save the day and be the hero. I love the classic story lines as much as any other Disney movie lover, but I loved to see it changed up a bit with a new twist! I feel like they hit the nail on the head with Brave! 

Outside of the story line the animation was out of this world. The colors and characters were so vibrant. I wish we had a 3D television so we could view it that way, I bet that was amazing! I think this movie is great for any age of kids (unless they scare too easily as the bears are a bit scary, but my 2 & 3 year old were fine). It was also VERY entertaining for adults as well! 

If you are looking for something different and outside the box get this movie!

Now it's time for the giveaway!!

You can win your own Collector's Edition 5 Disc Set of Disney/Pixar's Brave

2 ways to enter (leave a comment for each entry)

Follow my blog 

Comment with your favorite kid's movie 

Good Luck! xoxo

((Disclaimer: I was given this video for a review, all opinions are my own!))

Thank The Troops with Shutterfly!

Hey guys, veterans day is quickly upon us (tomorrow)!! What better way to thank our troops than to send them a personalized card FREE! Shutterfly is helping us to be able to do this and gives us the world's easiest option in doing so! I love this because I do not personally know someone in the troops that I can call, but this gives me a way to share my gratitude! 

It’s more than a card, it’s thank you for our freedom.

Over 1.5 million troops serve our great nation. Many of them will be overseas, in harm’s way, and away from their families over this holiday season. Our mission is simple—to send a thank you card to every American hero. To succeed we need your support. 

Just select a card from our 4 different designs, add a personal message (or photo) and click send. 

 Shutterfly will print and ship your card to the troops at no cost to you.

I encourage you to create a card for the troops, and if you can please share this with your Facebook family and friends (There is a share option when you complete your card). 

https://www.facebook.com/shutterfly/app_525739750774135

Hope you guys make a card, share with your friends, family and even on your blog or twitter.

Let's give these men and women the thanks and love they deserve this Veteran's Day! 

xoxo

This kid...

All my boys are totally different, it's so fun to watch them grow into their personalities. 

I just want to give you a quick run down of the past week of Luke.

These scenario's are all true. I cannot make this stuff up.

The kid is a bull in a china shop.

Full Force 247 

Him in his Halloween outfit is too funny not to post! 

-Was finishing up some client sessions last week while Jude was sleeping, thought Vincent and Luke were just playing in living room. I walk out to see Luke holding the juice trying to fill his own cup. Train wreck in itself. I then pick him up to notice his legs are sticky. WAY TOO sticky to be juice. His legs are literally glued together. I take him to the sink to rinse him when I look over to see the entire new bottle of pure maple syrup spread all over their little kids table, wall, and floor. It literally looked as if he had been doing snow angels on top of the table in the syrup. Add that sticky mess to a dog that sheds and Verner's hair was instantly gravitating towards every sticky spot Luke left. 

-Walked into the kitchen to find Luke standing in the fridge. Yes, standing in the fridge. He took his chair over to the fridge, opened it and was standing in it reaching for the string cheese. Oye! 

-He was in the pantry and all of a sudden we hear glass shattering and him screaming. BLOOD everywhere. He was reaching for the fruit snacks jar and fell, jar crashing and breaking and him on top of it. I may be exaggerating the blood but he has a few gashes. A good one in his finger that bled for EVER. Bandaids were not enough so leave it to Jordan to make shift a bandage with paper towels and scotch tape!! haha 

-I made the boys cheesy flatbread for lunch and left the pizza sauce container on the island counter. Well I take Jude upstairs for his nap and was picking up to come back downstairs to the pizza sauce ALL over the kitchen, the ceiling, walls, cabinets....it was seriously the maple syrup all over again. Both in less than a week. 

-He was jumping on our bed last night and was spinning at the same time. This is just dangerous and not good. Well he thought it was funny, and fell off the bed twice. Yes, after he fell he got back up and did it yet again. Just does not get it or care! lol

-The boys always run downstairs while I am getting Jude up and ready, well since he obviously has found a new job of climbing every high thing in our house he was on the counter yet again. Dropped the glass jar that held all the straws. Glass everywhere. I am trying to tiptoe over it and keep Vincent, Jude and the dog back!

This is just a sweet look into life with Luke!:) The kid is non stop, you cannot turn your back on him! It's so funny because he has these CRAZY moments but then I will find him just laying in the toy room with his trains quiet as can be. And when we are around people he is quiet haha. No one ever believes me that he is so full force! So I guess he is one or the other. A bull in a china shop or a mild mouse! I love him to death despite the anxiety he causes me. 

((Beep Beep, get out of my wayyyyyyyy!!!))

I will have to do a post on my mild mannered over the TOP loving man Vincent!:) I am still figuring Jude out, he is typically super calm and smiley but I am not letting him fool me. The take home message is that I need Luke to be glued to my hip (maybe use that maple syrup!?) and I need to keep a better eye on him!! So much for ANY me time for a few years! haha! 

Having a rough time...

Ahhh it is nice that the election is over and there is no more hate ads everywhere I look but I just have a horrid knot in my stomach still. Obviously the outcome was not for Romney and Ryan, which is fine. The people have spoken and chosen who they want. I get it.

What's done is done.  BUT....(you knew there had to be a but or else I would not be posting)

I am just stuck. Stuck on what to think. Stuck on what to do.

I have literally had this on my mind for weeks! I guess I just do not get it, and maybe it is just one of those things I will never understand. I am obviously a women, clearly but ever since I became a mom women's rights have been even more important to me. Having babies and also miscarrying have proven to me when life begins and how fragile it is. I am so blessed to have my boys, and they all started from day one in my womb. I still remember the day before I miscarried sitting in the ER clinging to hope that my 6 week old fetus who they had just spotted the heartbeat on ultrasound would survive. That he or she would be here in 34 more weeks playing with the boys. That did not happen and everyone around me felt horrid. All my friends rallied and gave me their support which I am forever grateful for. Because to me and them I had lost a child, a sweet soul that would have been another amazing addition to our family puzzle. But what about children that are thrown away? Not even given a shot? I just do not get it. Everyone felt bad about my 6 week old, so what about all the children who are aborted up to 23 weeks?? Is it ANY different? My heart just hurts over this concept. I guess I cannot wrap my head around how people were devastated for me but not equally as devastated for all the babies that are lost daily?

I am just scared. Scared for our future. Scared for my children's future.

Another thing I am stuck on is also the concept of people working hard for a living. This drives me up a wall. My husband works his butt off and has an amazing job. He killed himself working and finishing his MBA so he could provide for his family, but what is his reward??? Paying more taxes?? I mean seriously, this boggles my mind? Should I be telling my kids to aim for high paying careers like doctors or lawyers just so they can get the crap kicked out of them when it comes to taxes? Sorry Vincent that you chose to be a doctor and educated yourself, you are now being punished by paying more taxes? How is that even remotely fair?? We have people working the system left and right and it makes me sick. I know there are people out there who need it, trust me I have been in those shoes. My mother was in an accident when I was in high school, unable to work, and we got food stamps. Food stamps rocked, we could spend the max amount and get the name brand stuff, who cared, it wasn't our money! While others couponed and tried to budget we didn't have to! Sick, right? Yah, it really is! And it is done ALL THE TIME. I am sick that it did not understand how corrupt this was when I was 16 years old. I just did not understand that in the end we were screwing someone over. Someone who worked hard for their money. How do you even explain this to your children?? It just makes zero sense.

I am just stuck trying to take it all in. Figure out what to do from here. What to think and how to react. I seriously do not care who you voted for, this is not a debate at all. My family and I are divided as far as voting goes and I still love them but at the end of the day even though they love Obama, there are still questions that I will never know or understand. I hope you can respect that this is my blog and my thoughts. Does anyone share my feelings or am I a loaner!? haha Am I just over thinking this all!?!?! Man I just wish I had all the answers but I don't.

At the end of the day I just want to teach my children what is right and wrong, but man it is hard when half the country does not believe what I hold to be true! The best thing I can do is hold my values and instill them in my boys, they are my life, my future and my hope. That is all.

WBW- Childhood

Hey guys! Thanks for coming back again for another week of Wedded Bliss Wednesday!

We are so excited to have you guys here talking about your marriage!
Make sure to follow Kay and I and 
also try to follow everyone who links up! 

   

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Let's get down to this weeks questions!

CHILDHOOD EXPECTATIONS OF MARRIAGE!

1. When you were a child what did you imagine YOUR Prince Charming to be like?

I am sure this will be a lot of ladies answers. I always looked for someone like my daddy!:) He was my prince charming growing up! I wanted someone exactly like my dad, respectable, caring, hard working, and honest. 

I also always thought Aladdin the cartoon character was a dream boat so he was my Disney prince charming! 

2. Does you husband match your prediction as a child?

He actually does. They have a LOT of the same characteristics! Honest, hard working, amazing father! As far as Aladdin goes, Jordan is magical and mystical just like him! And smoking hot! Oww Oww! 

3. What about when you were a teenager and knew it all about love, does you relationship match that scenario you had during those rebel years? 

I think I was attracted mostly to the popular jocks. Seriously I am in shock with the guy I dated in high school. He was not bad by any means but looking back I should have never been with him. Now that I know what red flags are, I should have broken that relationship off on the first flag haha!! He would have never stood a chance as husband material 

4. What love movie would you best match your relationship to? Why?

I wanna say the Notebook because hello, that movie is amazing!

 I would have to go with the movie UP!:) 

Seriously that couple had such an amazing strong love. I loved their story and I hope that one day Jordan and I will be telling our love story like that! 

Next week we are talking about Our Men as DADS!

(whether they are already or in the future!)

1. What is/will be your husband's best trait as a father?

2. What is/will be your husband's favorite thing to do with the kids?

3. How does/will your husband help out with the kids?

4. What do you hope your children learn from their dad?

Wedding Weekend

This past weekend we traveled to see Jordan's twin Alex get married. It was so bittersweet because Alex is totally like a brother to me, so I was all sorts of emotional (loser). Something about wedding vows get me every time. Thankfully I held it together. haha. Jordan's sister is always a crier too, she bawled during their first dance, she cracks me up! Us women have zero filters when it comes to emotions, I think after you have kids your emotional tolerance is like a ZERO, haha!

Anyways, here are pics from the weekend...ENJOY!!

 Jude's baby chicken hair is NUTS! 

 Yes, this is Vincent. ONLY my son would pull this stunt. UGH! 

 CLASSY!:) 

 And we have a sleeping baby....SCORE! 

 Time for momma to relax a tad ;) 

 Me and my main man! 

 Jordan literally looks so YOUNG. Alex made him shave!! BOOOOO! 

 JUMP! 

 Another classy act: Apple Juice from a champagne flute! 

 Don't judge me, people! 

 Sister in law's! 

 Jamie's dress was amazing!!! 

 Jordan's siblings and daddy

 The twins and us!:) 

 Love!

 We had a few meltdowns during the day... lol

 I snuck the couple away for some pics...

 I love this details shot....

 This may be my favorite of the day...

 And a few of the party! 

 The song they danced to made Jennifer cry!! lol 

Proud mama! 

 Vincent was sure the dancer of the evening! haha 

Welcome to the family Jamie! We are so excited to have another sister!:):):)

We keep joking that you will have ALL girls!

I cannot wait to watch and grow with you two!!! xoxoxoxo