Giant Bubbles

There's no point to this post except that I wanted to share these photos because I think they are fun :)

My sister-in-law brought a homemade bubble wand to my parents' when we were there for Christmas this year (I guess it's last year at this point!). We took advantage of the warm weather and headed outside to play with it! I've never seen one of these before, and it was so much fun watching the kids running around screaming and chasing giant bubbles. There was so much liquid coming out of them that everyone got baths when we were done. R's hair was completely soaked. 

I guess there are perks to having crazy high temperatures on Christmas!

Have you ever used a giant bubble wand? My SIL's mom made it! So cool.

Link Love (The Yes, it's Another Gift Guide! Edition)

Today marks two weeks until Christmas. I repeat: two weeks, people! I'm sure you've all realized by now that bloggers everywhere love to share 8,000 gift guides for even the most unassuming holiday. Obviously you know we get money when you click on the links we share, and in my case that means literal cents. Seeing as how I made a special trip back to the grocery store to return a $3 bottle of chocolate syrup we didn't need (because I found an unopened one hidden in the pantry), I take even the smallest change seriously! So thank you for indulging me in the following list of gifts that I've either already bought or have on my list this year. Maybe you will find something you love too!

*If you do not already have a charity to support through Amazon Smile, please consider Dare to Serve, which is the nonprofit my dad runs that serves primarily underprivileged high schoolers in North Texas.

For the Kids

River Stones

I bought these for the kids as their main present, and I'm so excited. Someone shared them on a Facebook group I'm in, and I knew immediately that R would love them. She has started lining her books up to hop from one to the other, which is problematic for a few reasons, one of which is obviously that she's not allowed to step on her books! These river stones seem super fun and have some great reviews. I will say, though, that I'm confused about the price. I originally was going to get these for $60, but then I found these for $30, so I bought them instead. But when I was finding links for this post, it looks like the ones I bought are not that cheap now, so I don't know if I found them on sale or what. So, in conclusion, these now appear to be cheaper, though they are not the exact ones I bought. Sorry if that was way more information than you wanted.

Jump Rope

I think this would be a really fun outside toy! We were over at a friend's house, and their daughter had a jump rope, and R loved played with it. I love the Green Toys brand also. Fun stocking stuffer!

Elephant & Piggy Books

I friend recommended these, and I had never heard of them! But they look fun.

Color Wonder Coloring Books

R loves these no-mess coloring books. I got a few for her and think they will be good to save for car rides to Texas.

Veggie Tales Season on DVD

I bought this for R! You can get full seasons of the original Veggie Tales episodes on DVD. She loves Veggie Tales, and let's be honest, I do too ;)

Stamp Set

R has a smaller set of these Melissa & Doug stamps and loves them, and I've put more stamps/stickers/painting supplies on her list this year.

Natural Play Dough

I have been eyeing this sparkly, natural play dough for a while. I love that it's non-toxic and think it looks like a fun stocking stuffer.

Water Bottle

R has a water bottle just like this, and J is always trying to steal it, so I'm going to get J one for his stocking this year.

Card Games

R has been asking to play games lately, so I bought her a set of Go Fish for her stocking. Love this set too!

For Me

Cookie Cookbook

This cookbook from America's Test Kitchen in on my list! I love making cookies!

iPhone Case

I've had my iPhone for almost 4 years, and my case is finally starting to fall apart, so I asked for a new one of the same brand as I currently have since it's seemed to hold up well for a long time and kept my phone in tact when I've dropped it. No cracked screens over here!

Picture Frames

I asked for some pictures frames of various sizes so I can hang/display the cute pics I've been taking of the kids.

Nativity Figurine

I'd like to get a few of these Willow Tree nativity figures to display during Christmastime, so that's on my list.

Art Portfolios

I guess these are really for the kids... or maybe they are for me ;) I saw these recommended (again on a Facebook group) for a way to keep kid's art projects and things organized. I love that these can be personalized! Or maybe something simple like this.

Sweatpants

I put comfy sweatpants on my list this year. All of the sweatpants I own are super old, and it would be nice to get a new pair! These look comfy and are currently buy one, get one 50% off!

What's on your Christmas list this year? What's one present you got your kids that you're excited about?

p.s. If you have a book-loving friend or family member, Melissa reached out to me to share a code for 20% off anything in her shop. Use THELADYOKIE20 for 20% off at Literary Book Gifts.

A Christmas Recap + Looking Ahead

I was really impressed with and also confused by the bloggers who posted Christmas recaps the day after Christmas. I would say ain't nobody got time for that, but apparently lots of people have time for it, just not people who are me. 

I honestly can't remember feeling more inspired by the new year. I want to do and change and start all the things, and while I know that's all incredibly cliche to say, the truth is, I'm particularly ready for the fresh start of 2018.

I spent all of 2015 being pregnant and having a baby, and we also moved out of our apartment and bought our first home. I spent all of 2016 adjusting to being back at work, having R in daycare, and then I got pregnant with J in October. I spent all of 2017 being pregnant and having a baby. All incredible blessings and fun things! But while Jordan and I do hope to grow our family with another child or two, either biologically or through adoption and/or foster care (we are open to the idea!), I can say with certainty that unless God tells us otherwise, there will be no pregnancies or babies or new houses in 2018, and I'm a tad excited about it.

There is no way to know what this year holds for me, and if I'm honest part of that is scary, because there could be serious sadness and tragedy awaiting me. Jordan doesn't like me to talk about that kind of thing, but it's just a fact that we never know what the next day holds, for good or bad. However, dwelling on it obviously doesn't do me any good, and I'm truly excited for the coming year, where I hope to settle into a routine and continue seeking improvement in various areas of my life. I also want to keep in mind that true joy and contentment for me will only be found in Jesus, and I don't want to ever think that I can transform into a brand-new me all on my own.

That said, right now I have a LOT of things I want to do and focus on in 2018, and my mom gave me some good advice to write it all down and see where, when, and how I want to implement it all. There's just not enough time in the day to fit everything in, and I don't want to overwhelm myself with attempting too much too fast. I hope to write out a blog post detailing more specifics, and I need to put together my year in numbers recap post for 2017, but before we get too far into the new year, I wanted to share a few Christmas photos!

I am always thankful for my family, but the holidays make me particularly grateful that being around my family is a fun, mostly stress-free time. Of course we don't always get along, and we have arguments and disagreements, but in general we have fun together. Currently we have three Christmases: Jordan's family, my family, and our own family Christmas at home. R and J are the only grandchildren on either side of the family, so they are spoiled with love and gifts! (Although my sister-in-law is due with a baby in June, and I can't wait to be an aunt!)

We went over to the Bumgarner house on Christmas Eve and ate breakfast for dinner, opened gifts, and played a round of Apples to Apples. We stayed until after 10, but J passed out on the couch early. I swear he could sleep anywhere! Just not, apparently, through the night yet. Whyyyyyy. Also, rude.

We woke up on Christmas day and opened presents as a family. We got stocking stuffers for R and J, plus a few toys and puzzles. I found R a reusable sticker book for $5 at Half-Priced Books and bought it on a whim, and she loved it. J enjoyed his new teether and watching R run around.

Every Christmas Jordan and I have two traditions that we started when we got married. The first is to go to a local Christmas store and choose an ornament. We slowly walk through the entire store and together decide on one ornament to buy. We write the year somewhere on the ornament, and we have one for each year of our marriage so far! 

The second tradition is to buy each other stocking stuffers. We go to the store together, split up, and get 15 minutes and $20 to buy stocking gifts. We check out separately and then meet at the front! I love it because it makes buy each other gifts less stressful because we go at the same time and have a limited amount of money to spend. This year we went to Walgreens because I already needed to go and pick up some pictures I had printed for a part of a Christmas gift. Also it was two days before Christmas, and I was scared to go to Target and Walmart.

After opening gifts and stockings, we headed to Texas to see my family! We arrived around 2:30, just after my brother and SIL and just before my other brother and SIL. Within the span of 20 minutes, six people had arrived. Every year we draw names (my parents included) and buy one $25 gift for a gift exchange. After R and J went to bed, we all sat in a circle and passed out the presents we'd bought. I had my sister and got her a picnic blanket from Pottery Barn. My brother had me and got me a nice big double-walled water bottle. In the morning we ate breakfast and opened stockings and a gift from my parents. We also all always get my parents something else even if we had their name in the gift exchange.

Taking a funny group photo with a few Christmas gifts has become a fun tradition. You can see last year's photo here.

It was such a lovely Christmas season, and Jordan and I both had the next full week off work, which was amazing! We are adjusting to our regular work schedules this week, and I'm trying to get a jump on my new year goals. We've had lots of snuggles and family time lately, and it was a great way to send off 2017. I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and New Year as well!

Currently December

Hello, friends! Guess what? Big news over here.... I started work in the office on Monday. Yes, the time has come. I cried a lot and it was hard to leave J. I was holding it together pretty well until the director asked me how I was doing as I handed her J's "baby's first day" paper, and I burst into tears and basically ran out the door.

Everyone has been so incredibly sweet texting me to ask how I'm doing and sending prayers and love my way. Yesterday after work I walked in and Jordan had Christmas music playing, a fresh cup of hot chocolate waiting for me, and he was cooking dinner! That guy. He made sure to tell me not to expect that kind of entrance every day, but I will take it when I can get it.

We are trying to figure out a new normal over here. Our routines have changed a lot, and I'm just trying to take it one day at a time. The good news is that I absolutely love our daycare and am so thankful for the fact that I know I'm leaving both of my babies somewhere they will be well cared for. 

I wanted to stop in and share a currently post while I have a minute!

lighting: Other than the Christmas tree, I'm lighting a mint candle in my office. One of the things I decided upon returning to work was that my office needed some sprucing up. I brought some new stuff from home to hang up, and I have been lighting a candle, which makes it feel cozy.

Also, related to lights, I'm mostly including this so I can remember it later, but R has been loving all the lights on the houses. Yesterday on my way home from work, we spent 10 minutes just driving around our neighborhood looking at all the lights and she was so happy. It's really true what they say: children make the holidays even more fun!

spending: You don't want to know what sorts of damage I did to our credit card in November. At least with our Double Cash card we are getting double the points! But the Instagram rabbit hole is real, and it has sucked me in with all the cute things. My most recent obsession are these pacifier  clips, which I love because they are shorter than average and so much easier to deal with (in my opinion) than the regular long ones. Jordan and I are both big fans.

choosing: What gift to get for the person whose name I drew in our family Christmas draw. I have three siblings, two of whom are married, and ain't nobody got the money to buy each person a gift, so each year we all draw names, my parents included! Then on Christmas Eve we sit around and open the presents we got one another, and it's such a fun and special time.

sending: A box of baby goodies to one of my best friends, who is due with a baby next year. I won't be able to attend her baby shower because she's out of state, so I put together a box of some of my favorite things and mailed it off! Isn't mailing packages just one of the most fun things ever?

singing: Christmas songs, obviously. There's a radio station here in OKC that plays 24/7 Christmas music starting the day after Thanksgiving, and that's about all I have on for the entire month of December. R somehow knows which is the Charlie Brown song, and when it comes on she shouts CHARLIE BROWN and gets really excited.

linking up with anne. also linking up with kristen.

A Million of Those Moments

Happy Monday and happy 2017! Anyone else excited about another day off work? Jordan and I have both been off work since the Friday before Christmas, and it has been so awesome being at home with R and living the stay-at-home life together for a week. The weather has been amazing, and I've taken R to the park 5 days in a row! We went and got donuts together one morning, we've run errands and put away our Christmas stuff and laid around the house doing nothing, and it's just been really nice to not feel for once like I'm rushing from thing to thing. It was the perfect way to end 2016, and I'm very thankful for that time together.

I already shared some pictures from Christmas with R this year, and today for my first post of the new year, I'm recapping Christmas with my family in Texas! On Thursday I have a comparison post reflecting on different areas of my life in 2016 and what I would like to change/adjust/keep the same for 2017, so be sure and come back.

You know those moments when you just stop and take it all in? You look around and think how wonderful life is right in that second? I have those a lot when I'm with my family, and this Christmas weekend was no exception. It not always perfect, and we annoy each other just like any other family does, but really and truly these smiles are real. We had such a lovely couple of days in Texas, and even though it was 60 degrees and didn't really feel or look like Christmas outside, it was a very merry time.

Every year my mom says she's cutting back and then we wake up to this giant pile of presents. As our family has grown and we've added spouses and now a grandchild, the pile just seems to get bigger and bigger! This year and last year we've done the "want, need, wear, read" categories, so each person gets four presents to open and it's fun to see what everyone got. We also draw names so each person has one person to buy a gift for, and we exchange presents the night before. I had my mom this year, an my brother had me!

R was spoiled this year and got some fun presents. Jordan and I were surprised how into it she was. Like I said in my last post, it seemed almost like R's first Christmas this year, since last year she was 4 months old and didn't know what was happening. This year she ripped paper and pulled presents out of boxes and she absolutely loved the baby doll my parents got her. It was cracking me up, but she wanted to carry it around the rest of the day and kept feeing the baby its bottle and saying, "ba ba."

My brother and sister-in-law made R this latch board, which she loved playing with! They painted one end with chalkboard paint, and now she asks me to, "dra dra" all day long. 

She's holding the baby doll's bottle! Cracks me up.

My dad made a very special gift for R this year... he wrote a children's book and had it printed and gave it to her! Since we were little, my dad has told us the story of Falling Rock, which is a story he made up to explain the signs you see along the road that say "watch for falling rock." You might have seen those before too. Well he wrote the story out and I helped him edit it, and he found someone to make illustrations and everything! We all got copies of the book, and it's so fun!

A lot of the gifts this year involved Cubs stuff. Hats and sweatshirts and t-shirts and car decals, and my dad got the Life magazine special Cubs edition. Still celebrating that epic win! 

The weather was super nice, so after lunch we headed outside to play some yard games. We played darts (I am terrible) and wiffle ball, and a game I'd never heard of called Molkky. We played Molkky two times, and the first time I lost pretty bad, as I tend to do with anything involving my brothers. Those jerks beat me at everything. So we started the second game, and I was losing bad again. I had 2 points and everyone else had in the 20s or 30s (the winner is the first person to 50, and just to remind you: I had 2).

Long story short, I ended up staging a huge comeback and was tied for first with Jordan and my brother--all with 45 points each. I was up next, and if I hit the 5, I would win. Everyone was silent watching as I threw, and I knocked over the 5 and I won! It was super exciting, and I immediately ran a victory lap around the yard. R was very confused by why we were all shouting and clapping.

We ate way too much delicious food and Christmas treats, laughed too hard, stayed up too late, and it was all so much fun. I'm very thankful for a family I enjoy spending time with around the holidays. This year definitely had its low moments, but I feel like we're going out on a high note. And not even because I finally beat my brothers at an outdoor game involving skill. 

That's just icing on the cookie ;)

So This Is Christmas

Before I had R, I heard over and over how magical holidays are with kids, specifically Christmas. Last year was R's first Christmas, but she was only four and a half months old and while it was wonderful, this year Jordan and I agreed that we totally understand the magic of Christmas with kids. Honestly, at sixteen months, we still weren't expecting R to be super excited about everything, but she was so much fun. I mentioned in an earlier post how we took her to see the Christmas lights, and she shouted "woah! woah!" the whole time we drove around. Then we took her to North Pole City to pick out our annual Christmas ornament, and she ran around looking at everything.

^^^Jordan's parents gave R this airplane that was Jordan's when he was little.

We are blessed to live close to both sides of our family, so we can celebrate with Jordan's family and mine. We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas morning with Jordan's family, and then we left around noon on Christmas day to drive to Texas and spent Sunday and Monday with them before driving home Tuesday. R got a great assortment of gifts and actually played with them and not just the boxes and tissue paper!

We woke up on Christmas morning and opened stockings. We got R a drawing pad, a box of crayons, two food pouches, a three-pack of toddler forks, and a set of ABC flashcards. After stockings, we went to Jordan's parents' house, where we had breakfast and opened gifts! It truly was a magical Christmas this year, and I imagine it will only keep getting more and more fun as R gets older. And next year we will have another stocking to hang and even more fun to be had!

See pictures from Christmas 2015 here.

Instead, Let There Be Thanksgiving

Last week it snowed for a hot minute and of course everyone freaked out. Oklahoma is famously confused about the weather. Two weeks ago R was frolicking about in the leaves, over the weekend we had snow, today it was in the upper 50s, and it's supposed to be highs in the 60s on Christmas Day, so basically I just don't know how to dress anymore.

December has been really busy for us, like it seems to be for a lot of people. We haven't even had that many parties to go to, so I'm not entirely sure what has been keeping us so busy, but I just feel like December has flown by. Two weekends ago we took R to North Pole City to pick out our Christmas ornament. Jordan and I have gone every December since we got married and chosen an ornament for our tree. I write the year on the back or bottom of the ornament so we can remember when we got them, and it's pretty much our only standing tradition. 

Last year was the first time to take R as a four-month-old, and let me tell you: carrying an infant in the Ergo is a whole different ballgame from chasing an infant around. That girl is crazy and into everything. It was hilarious and exhausting. I did manage to capture this family selfie.

R and I drove downtown one Saturday to meet a friend at the pop-up shops. Every December, local businesses host "pop-up shops" in these white domes they set up in the middle of downtown. They have music and there's a Christmas tree lot and food trucks and hot chocolate. It's one of my favorite things. R and my friend's daughter are about the same age, and the four of us sat and drank hot chocolate and ate mini donuts and it was so fun!

I've been trying to make an effort to hang out with people more. I am a social person who likes conversation (shocker, I know), and this year I've found myself craving in-person friendships beyond the texts and calls that pass back and forth between my very best friends who unfortunately live far away. It's also fun to see R actually starting to interact with other kids. A few days ago, I dropped her off at daycare and a little boy immediately ran up and said, "Hi, R---" and gave her a big smile and I nearly fell over. Cutest thing ever. Although I wonder what they think when all they get in return is a blank stare. We need to work on learning to say hello.

Jordan and I went on a date at the beginning of the month, our third since our anniversary in May. We have never been very good at dating, even before having a baby, but I do always enjoy when we get out for the evening. And then just this past weekend, we ended up going to see Rogue One at the last minute. Jordan's mom offered to watch R, and some other friends were already going, so we joined them and it was fun! I probably wouldn't be a Star Wars person, but I happen to be married to someone who loves them so I basically have no choice. It makes me happy to see him getting all geeked out about it, and trust me he geeked hard over the ending of this one.

There have also been some hard things too this month that have really been weighing on my heart, both on an international and national level. Closer to home, I have friends going through some really hard times with illnesses of family members, divorce, jobs, and a host of other things. And even on a more personal level, I've been struggling with a few things that have made it hard sometimes to feel very Christmasy. I'm sure some of you can relate. And yet, it's been such a good year too, with so much laughter and joy, and there are so many things to be thankful for.

And speaking of thankfulness, I think I found my verse for 2017. Someone mentioned it during a discussion at church on Sunday, and I immediately felt like it was one I wanted to memorize and try to live intentionally next year.

Ephesians 5:4 - "Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving."

There is a lot of foolish talk and crude joking on social media these days, and I don't want to have any part of that. And even more, I need and want to work on not having foolish talk in my own home regarding things I read or see online or things other people are doing. I know some people don't have a problem with this, but it's something I struggle with.

Instead, let there be thanksgiving.

For a quarter-inch of snow and mini donuts and Star Wars. For sunrises and sunsets. For conversations with good friends. And most of all, this Christmas, for Emmanuel, God with us. For grace upon grace, mercy without end.

Lamentations 3:22-24 - "For the steadfast love of the Lord never ceases; his mercies never come to an end; they are new every morning. Great is your faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, says my soul. Therefore I will hope in him."

If I don't see you (virtually speaking, of course) until after Christmas, I hope you have a joyous one! 

*And here are a few posts I want to write for the end of the year/beginning of next year just so you know what's on my radar: Final book review roundup of 2016 / 2016 by the Numbers / Quick-start budgeting tips for 2017 / 2017 Goals / Things I'm excited about for pregnancy #2 / How to support working moms

Currently // December 2016

First of all, I want to go back a few posts and thank you all for your sweet and kind responses to my confession about being a working mom. It’s been a difficult adjustment for me this year, to say the least, and lonely at times, but there are so many things to be thankful for, and one of those things is how lovely all of you are.

On that note, thank you for your excitement about Baby Bum #2! We really are just so thrilled and thankful. I have more thoughts to share about pregnancy this time, but for now I will just say that I do not take the privilege of being pregnant for a second time lightly, and Jordan and I are continuing to pray for a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby while treasuring any and all time we get to have this little one in our lives. He or she is already so very loved. 

Now for a quick currently update! Linking up with Anne.

Doing 

I had been doing pretty well with my running 2-3 times a week until the middle of September, and then my whole house was sick for a while, and then I got pregnant and felt nauseous and so tired. I can’t describe the extreme exhaustion, but let’s just say it was epic. Anyway, needless to say I didn’t do much for a while. But I really want to try to stay as active as possible, and having a desk job doesn’t do me any favors, so it’s up to me to put in the effort at home. 

About a month ago, I started going once a week to the gym with Jordan’s brother. He can take a guest for free, so we’ve been meeting every Tuesday at 8:00 after R is in bed, and you guys, I never thought I would be a night gym person, but I love it. Of course, every night around 7:45 I start questioning my own sanity, but knowing that someone is meeting me there gives me the motivation to get off the couch and in the car. 

Once I’m on the treadmill, I just want to stay forever. I’ve been running 2 miles, then speed walking on a high incline for another half-mile or so. Then I either do the stairs or the bike for 10ish minutes. Then I do some weights (just arms and legs, nothing that directly involves abs/stomach and nothing too strenuous). The whole thing takes about an hour, and then I go home, stretch, and do my 10-minute yoga video. I’ve been trying to make sure I do the video every night, and it feels amazing. 

I know that once a week really isn’t very much, but at this point in my life I’m all about setting realistic goals and celebrating small victories, and a consistent once-a-week gym routine is something I’m excited about!

Jordan and I were also able to do a date night last week for maybe only the second or third time since our anniversary IN MAY. And this isn't because we have a baby. It's because we are terrible at dating. Forget once a week. We can't even handle once a month. I had a buy one entree, get one free at one of our favorite places, so we went out for dinner and had such a great night. We talked about real adult things, not just R (although we did pause and watch a few videos of her on my phone, no shame), and we made each other laugh and it was all fun and games until I ate too much and laid on the couch groaning for an hour with my feet up after we got home due to a gas bubble in my stomach that wouldn't move. Pregnancy problems.

Enjoying

I am really enjoying watching R experience the Christmas season. Last year at this time she was 4 months old and let’s be honest: not very much fun. I mean, sure she was fun, but this year she’s FUN. There’s a giant light display through the park in a nearby town, and we took her through it one night before bedtime. We rode in Jordan’s truck so she could see out the windows better, and she absolutely loved it. 

We taught her to say “woah,” so she just kept shouting WOAH WOAH the whole time. Cutest ever. Speaking of cutest ever, she has also started doing this hilarious dance move that had Jordan and I rolling last night. Seriously I was crying I was laughing so hard, and I had my hands over my mouth with glee and R put her hands over her mouth too and it was the funniest thing. I need to try and get it on video.

Cooking

Chili! A few years ago my brother gave me the recipe for the best chili ever that he created himself. Part of the recipe includes pouring an entire bottle of Shiner Bock into the crockpot, and the strong beer taste cooks out of course, so it just gives the whole thing this amazing flavor. Yum. Crockpots were made for working moms, I think.

Oh, and before anyone makes the most obvious joke, yes I'm cooking a baby too ;)

Wrapping

Presents! I’ve sent a few Christmas presents in the mail to friends already, and I have all of our presents piling up in the spare room closet. I’m excited because I actually thought of something perfect to get my father-in-law! I always end up getting him socks. Borrrring. 

We bought R three things this year. The girl plays with empty shoe boxes and bubble wrap, so Jordan and I don’t feel like we need to go broke buying her things. I think she will love what we picked out!

1) A Little Tikes shopping cart that we bought at a consignment store for $12 and I just need to clean it up a bit 

2) This hopping rabbit that she can pull behind her when she walks and it hops! So cute. 3) 3) Finally, I found this book, which she’s a little too young for right now but I think it will be hilarious when she’s a tiny bit older. For now I think she will love turning the pages.

For anyone interested, Christina recently posted her toddler Christmas wish list that has some great ideas.

Playing 

The event on our advent calendar a few days ago was play Skipbo, so Jordan and I turned on  Christmas movie after R went to bed and played a few rounds of Skipbo. For some reason even though this is basically a game of chance, I always beat Jordan pretty handily.

In the second game, I beat him only to find out that he had been holding a Skipbo in his hand for the last few rounds and let me win intentionally! Which offends me on many levels, but he said he was trying to spare himself from my inevitable rage when I lost, so I guess that’s acceptable.

So those are a few things going on currently! 

I have a super busy next couple of days with rehearsals and performances for our church’s big Christmas program that I’m playing violin in, so I probably won’t be able to post until next week, but maybe over the weekend I will get a post written on all things pregnancy related that have led up to this point. 

Let me know if you have any specific questions or things you’d like me to write about in that one!

Confession Session vol 4

1. I got our Christmas cards in the mail a few weeks ago, and they've been sitting on our table addressed, stamped, and ready to send out since before Thanksgiving. But I wait (very impatiently) for December 1, which is what I consider to be the earliest possible time to send out Christmas cards without looking crazy. This happens every year because I love sending out Christmas cards so much.

2. Speaking of Christmas, I don't get why pictures of babies sitting on Santa's lap screaming their heads off are funny. The kid is clearly terrified! Why are we taking pictures and sharing them all over the internet? This seems like cruel and unusual punishment, but maybe that's just me. I probably made some people mad just now.

3. I bought a half gallon of ice cream two days ago and it's half gone, and Jordan's only eaten one bowl, so I can't even blame him for most of it but I'm going to anyway.

4. I've watched two episodes of the Gilmore Girls Revival so far, and it is completely and totally fulfilling all my TV hopes and dreams. It's clear that I have a mildly embarrassingly strong emotional attachment to these characters, because every time a new cast member appears in the scene, I shout, "It's ____!" like I'm meeting an old friend I haven't seen in a while. Oh, and Jordan claims he doesn't care, but he sat down of his own choice and watched the whole second episode with me and told me very specifically to not watch the third episode without him, so that's all I'll say about that.

5. R has regressed somewhat and is back to her old biting habits at daycare. It's actually really stressful because I'm not there to see it and so I really can't do anything about it. I picked her up the other day and they said, "She had a few attempted bitings but not as many as usual." Of course I was horrified and said, "HOW MANY IS USUAL?" And they said it depended on the day and her mood, so apparently she's 15 months old and moody. Yay. Jordan says she got that from me, and I can't even disagree. I'm moody.

6. I really really really want to find more blogs written by full-time working moms. And by more, I mean any. I do follow a few bloggers who work full time (to name a couple off the top of my head: Katie, Leslie, Christina, Rachel, Steph), but for the most part bloggers either don't have kids or stay at home. And a lot of the bloggers who do work don't blog very often, which I understand because hello, who has the time? (Me, apparently. I must be doing something wrong.) And when I do actually find a new blogger who works full time, she doesn't reply to any comments I leave! Apparently replying to blog comments is not what the cool kids are doing these days. I was really excited because a couple of bloggers I read consistently and were pregnant were going to work full time, but then they quit their jobs and now stay at home so that ruined that. I'm so very happy for them, of course, but I just sometimes don't feel like people get me anymore and are tired of me writing about motherhood and working, etc. And I start to get a complex about it and question the point of everything. ANYWAY. I could go on but I'm already tired of myself.

7. I've been taking R to the park with me right after work. We don't even go home; we just drive straight to the park and play for a half hour or so, and we both love it. She is so funny! Last time, we sat on the ground while she sat and poked sticks through a hole in the bench for a full fifteen minutes. I'm not even kidding, and if you know toddlers, you know that fifteen minutes is a long time to focus on one specific activity. I tried to get her to go down the slide or climb the ramp, but she just screamed and ran back toward the sticks. She also dives headfirst down all the slides, or at least she tries to and sometimes I let her because why not. I was talking to a mom I ran into one day who said her two-yr-old daughter just got over her fear of the slide, and I was like, "Yeah, we don't have that problem." Fearless, that one. Hold me.

8. Every night I go to bed wearing a sweatshirt and sweatpants, and every night I wake up a few hours later covered in sweat and rip off my pants and sweatshirt and swear I will never fall asleep with them on again. But I'm cold when I first get in bed, so what's the solution? Maybe I need to buy an electric blanket or something. Or tell Jordan to get over himself and come to bed when I do so I can snuggle up. That guy is a furnace.

9. When you have a husband who plays video games, you sometimes hear some ridiculous things coming from his room. (For example: this) A few weeks ago I was passing by and heard, "Well dang it. There goes 20k and all of our cocaine." I immediately popped my head in and was like, "Um, excuse me?" And he says, "We're drug dealers, okay? We just got robbed!" So I looked at the screen and his character was literally a skinny dude in a polo shirt and frat boy shorts and loafers hiding in a warehouse. Who is this person I married? I told him I was going to tweet about it, but I never did because without context I didn't want people to get the wrong idea about us. I also told him that once R starts talking and not just babbling, he won't be able to play those types of games because what are we supposed to do if she repeats that kind of thing to the daycare teachers???? They'll send DHS over with sniffer dogs or something. Gracious.

10. Thanksgiving potlucks completely ruined our November food budget, and I don't even care. I refuse to stop the bleeding and went to the new Trader Joe's last week and spent a rather absurd amount of money on an individual serving of microwavable organic frozen mac and cheese. And let me tell you: it was delicious.

Want to confess something? Go right ahead. This is a safe space, friends.

See also: Confession Session vol 1. / vol 2. / vol 3.

Our 2016 Christmas Cards

Sending out Christmas cards is one of my favorite things to do every year. I always order them way in advance and have them addressed and stamped before Thanksgiving, ready to send out. This year is no different!

I've ordered our cards from Minted for the past couple of years, as you probably already know from reading my blog. I've collaborated with them on a few giveaways in the past, which has been awesome because I would be using them anyway so why not also be a sponsor and be able to give something back to my readers?

This year, I was able to splurge on upgraded recycled paper and red backing (instead of plain white) and I love how they turned out! We didn't take special Christmas pictures; I just used the ones we took in August during our family photo shoot.

My absolute favorite part of getting Christmas cards at Minted is the free address printing.* SO CUTE.  They have all different styles and colors, many of which match directly with the card design.

I happen to know that they will have some killer deals coming up during Black Friday and Cyber Monday with some of their deepest discounts of the year! If you haven't ordered your cards yet, check out the selection at Minted. I guarantee you will find something you love that you won't see anywhere else this holiday season.

Do you send out Christmas cards?

*While we are on the subject of addresses, PLEASE FOR THE LOVE OF APOSTROPHES DO NOT PUT AN APOSTROPHE IN LAST NAMES THAT YOU ARE MAKING PLURAL. Example: The Bumgarners = correct. The Bumgarner's = incorrect. Seeing apostrophes in plural last names puts me into a bit of a rage, so just don't be that person. I'm more than happy to clarify this point if it's at all confusing to you. There are no stupid questions, but there are stupid apostrophes in the wrong places.