things i'm lovin!

it's been a good while since I've blogged and even longer while since i posted some of my latest favs! regardless, I am alive and well over here... just a little busy, tired & my housework won't ever stop making me feel guilty long enough to sit down & blog! we've all been there, right? anyways... on to my latest favs.

if you live near lafayette, you've undoubtedly tried a coke from the igloo or mccords. we are kind of famous for put flavored cokes around here. people used to rave to me about said cokes and i didn't really get it. well, i recently just needed some caffeine on the go in hopes of kicking an awful headache, so i swung through the igloo and got a coke (just a plain jane coke... i don't go crazy and get marshmallow in it like half of this weirdo city!). and let me tell you... it was so. good. igloo serves their drinks with super skinny straws (think coffee stir sticks) and the ice is little pellets. it was wonderful. and the worst habit i could possibly ever think about committing to...

I've posted about my love for bath & body works things on here several other times. recently, I picked up some of their foam hand soaps in holiday scents (tis the season, iced gingerbread & winter cranberry). they are all delish & I'm a big fan for sure! I've been a faithful aromatherapy hand soap user (also sold at bbw), but was craving something diff for the holidays. love love love! 

my dear BFF got married beginning of oct. she used 'one step closer' as her first dance song and i hadn't really ever heard it before she told me about it (I'm a non-twilight fan & it's from one of the movies). well, this weekend, I heard boyce avenue's version and am lovin it!!! boyce avenue redoes tons of popular songs and most of them are superb!

my fav bag that I'm carrying right now is a classic stella & dot bag in a fab goldy sheen perfect for fall/holidays! this bag holds so stinkin much & is perfect for mamas that don't want to give up their style for an ugly mom purse! big fan!!!

what are you all loving right now?? any fav scents or a new lipgloss you can't get enough of?? do share! :)

my sweet love's bday!

my sweet holden turned the big two yesterday and my heart has been overflowing for days! he's simply the best thing that ever happened to me and is a constant reminder of the lord's goodness. but how does it seem he was this little yesterday?

and by little, of course i mean all 10lbs 4oz of him at birth... ha!

i know these first years go by so quickly that i'm consciously trying to soak it all in. i'm attempting to store every funny phrase and silly face in my proverbial memory box, but still the days, months and now years are passing before my eyes. 

i don't want to forget...

-how he says "cuuudddlllle" in the morning when he's sitting on my lap on the couch, but wants under the covers, too. 

-how when he knows he's doing something dangerous he will say "carefulllll" to himself. 

-that the first thing he wants to do in the morning when he sees daddy is get ok the bed and jump. he asks for this by saying "daddy bed, daddy bed". 

-his love for walks and saying "big jump" over the sidewalk cracks. 

-how observant he is. doesn't miss a beat when it comes to mommy eating something, his bunny missing or the scarecrow fall decoration i set out during naptime. 

-when i realized he really does know his colors (although he tells me a random color every time). all it took was some m&m's and me requiring him to tell me the color before he could have one. little stinker!

yesterday, we had a pretty low key day which is perfect for holden's personality! we started the day w birthday pancakes. i added sprinkles and choc chips and let him dip in syrup. all things that i typically wouldn't do, but felt was completely necessary yesterday! :)

since he'd been up half the night before, we stayed home and played for the majority of the day. i started some of the baking for his bday party this weekend and asked him to help! he is such a good helper and it's obvious how special it makes him feel! 

 we met up w grant's family for dinner and gma brought a little surprise! h loves surprises, to say the least! he kept saying 'prize' and couldn't get it open quick enough! 

i tried to get a pic w the birthday boy, but that wasn't happening. typical toddler pic! 

we chose texas roadhouse for dinner so that h could ride the saddle. well, as expected, he hated it... my sweet boy kept saying 'i scared' and all done. poor buddy! gpa eventually sat on the saddle and held holden while they sang.

he wanted everyone to wear his cowboy hat besides him...

 

like most people, i had a laundry list of things i swore i'd never do/say as a parent (all said before i was actually a parent, obviously). once you step into the journey of parenthood, loving that baby ultimately is waaay more important than not eating cheerios off the kitchen floor or giving your baby a paci. and for that, i'm grateful. 

yesterday, we celebrated the last two years of being this sweet babe's parents and learning what unconditional love really feels like. my heart is full thinking about the friends & family who love holden like their own. it takes an army to raise a child and i personally think our army is the best...

so what! wednesday

hey hey! it's mid-week and although this doesn't mean much for me as a stay at home mama... i still appreciate that i not only survived another monday, but i made it through half of the week. big deal, folks! i'm linking up w shannon to tell you my so what's of the week!

-so what if my sweet boy has not slept through the night nor stayed in his own bed for probably two weeks now. i'm a zombie, but at least i don't have to get up and go to work after a rough night!

-so what if I need new windshield wipers and the replacements have been in the garage for a week. today's rainy weather might just be enough motivation to actually change them!

-so what if holden's 2nd bday party is on sunday and i haven't bought a single thing, made a single dish or prepared in any way, shape or form. it'll all come together somehow... right?

-so what if i miss my besties more than words can say... some girls just get you and, unfortunately for me, all my girls live in other states! :(

-so what if indianapolis is only an hour away... it feels like an eternity. i am going to force myself to make the trip next week, though. it just seems like it's been awhile & i need some big city in my life!

-so what if I've been realllllly strict w my eating, but all i can think about right now are the reese's pumpkins that i desperately tried to find discounted after halloween & they were sold out. whatever!

what are your so what's today???

weekend love.

i'm a sucker for weekends. always have been. always will be. this weekend was full of fall fun and reminded me why we moved to the fab midwest!!!!

we bonfired...

churched...

footballed...

haybail rode...

and did lots of reflecting. about expectations, disappointments, emotions & what really matters. and then i saw this on pinterest and it sums up everything.