The Perfect Wedding and Silly Expectations...

Another epic weekend has come and gone. This past weekend was extra special, because one of my best friends in the universe got married. Location: the ridiculously gorg King Family Vineyard in Charlottesville, Virginia. Friends and family were so excited to be there for an absolutely perfect weekend of fun, wine and laughter. I was matron of honor, Matt was a groomsman, and all three girls were the flower girls... it was quite the family affair. The only snag in the weekend which turned out to be no snag at all was the rain on Saturday. It did force the ceremony to be inside, but in my opinion it was just as gorgeous and perfect as it could have possibly been outside. Tears flowed with their perfectly adorable vows. I gave my speech (a public speaker I am NOT), and was able to relax and dance the night away after that. Every detail was thought of... down to a late-night snack bar (I didn't even partake because I was too busy dancing, obvi). I got quality time with some ladies I have officially dubbed 'The Bostons'... Liz's friends that I kind of adopted as my own and am semi-obsessed with because they are just flat-out awesome. It really was a perfect weekend for a perfect couple. I am going to apologize about the quality and lighting of most of these pics. I forgot to bring out our legit camera, and most were taken frantically with my dear old original iPhone 4 (fear not for the future... an iPhone 5s in gold has been requested for Christmas. I hear the camera is beyond). I will post more actual wedding pics in the future with permission from the bride, who is currently honeymooning. 

So my absolute favorite pic of the rehearsal dinner is my girls running in the field (wearing different colored tutus, obvi). Photo credit: Sof Sof 

I mean, seriously. That is pure beauty and adorableness. 


We got our hair and makeup done on wedding day, and Summer was kind of obsessed with the pampering: 

Prior to actually needing to take pictures, I didn't dare put the dresses on the girls... so we had some diaper drawing time: 

The dresses finally went on: 

Sidenote about the headbands... they were absolutely GORG from Etsy, but the only problem was that they were super heavy in my girls' fine hair. What I ended up doing was actually sewing them into my girls hair. Yes, that actually did happen. Needle and thread. But it wasn't necessarily successful. Livi's fell out in about four seconds. Layla got super over it and tried to actually pull it out and got mad. Summer's stayed in all night. Oh well. 

 Me and my amazeballs sister-in-law Karli. Our fav hashtag: #marriedtobrothers.

I love my little family: 

At one point (sort of late-night) they pulled out a bin of silly props, and I just put my hand in and pulled out... a catcher's mask. If I am presented a challenge, I will go with it. No one can say I don't fully commit. This is our dear friend Jenny who is going with the whole Fantasia vibe. You can see Goofy's head above us, and there may or may not have been an individual with a seashell bra over her dress with a boa. Amazeballness. 

Layla fell asleep very early on. Summer sobbed and begged for "one more song" when she had to go (We brought my brother to help us with the girls). Livi danced as long as we let her. My absolute favorite pic of the reception of them was Matt and Livi dancing. This is a pic I want at her wedding. Just beyond cute:

Literally melts my heart. 


So every Sunday at the vineyard, they host a polo match. When I hear 'polo,' I think of Prince William and Prince Harry, and of course... Pretty Woman. It was probably the most gorg day you can imagine. I decided I want to move to Charlottesville and go every weekend. Everyone pulls their car up to the sidelines, sets up tents, food, etc. There is a wine cart. I repeat, a WINE CART!!! Perfection. Here are a few shots from the match: 

I just love them: 

We even got to go out on the field and put back the clumps of dirt (divots). Beware of the steaming divot! (I truly hope you got the reference):

I look super awkward and semi-pregs but I had to post because I love Olivia running in the background after Summer and Nana: 

The clouds were ridic: 

I was only minorly afraid that the horses would come leaping over the "fence" on top of us: 

It could not have been a better weekend, seriously. I would love to go back there again some weekend. What made it better is that we were just so beyond happy for Liz and Conor. They are awesome. 


So at the moment I am writing this portion of the post, it is 10:13 in the morning and I am already on my third shirt. Shirt #1 got caught on the random hook by the sink and ripped a big old hole in the bottom (super annoying because I love the shirt. Michael Stars, long-sleeved, boxy, grey stripes, super comfy and soft. Grrrr). Shirt #2 got a yogurty face smeared all over the front past the point of wiping it off. Shirt #3 already has a few small things on it in the approximately four minutes I have been wearing it, but I am just over changing. I mean, whatever. I am also on my third cup of coffee. I have been realizing my beyond ridiculous ingestion of coffee. I need to cut back, but then I have this hanging in my kitchen... 

I am one that usually thrives on busy-ness. When I have a lot to do, I get a ton done (if that makes any sense). These days, despite not working a 'real job,' I now feel busier than ever... in part because I feel like I should be doing these 'stay-at-home' mom things. I think I put stupid pressure on myself to have great meals for dinner, a clean house, do fun activities with my kids, etc. The fact of the matter is that no matter what, whether you work a schmillion hours a week, part-time, or none at all... we are all just trying.

An article has been going around Facebook from some radio guy Matt Walsh on parents and non-parents, judging, etc. If you haven't read it, I definitely recommend. If you have read any of my previous posts, you can imagine what side I am on. My favorite line from the entire article is, "Parenting is the easiest thing in the world to have an opinion about, but the hardest thing in the world to do." As you see, I put a ton of my life and parenting out there. Obviously I am going to get plenty of judgements despite my "don't judge" add-ins. I hope people know I am not out to say 'my way' or anything of the like is in ANY way the right way. I actually hope my self-deprecation shows that I really feel like I am screwing up all the time and have no idea what I am actually doing. I am just trying to do my best, as my blog title shows. In some ways I thought that when I quit work, it would become so much easier. Stress would be gone. Welp. Not so much. It has become harder in different ways, and easier in different ways. We all have our challenges. Mine right now may be very different or very similar to yours. I am going to have my good days, and bad days. I just want my priorities to be right, and everything else will fall into place. 

Happy Wednesday! 

A Few "Firsts" and Roaming Children...

A few thoughts from the last couple days: 

-After three days of using Matt's deodorant, you'd think I would remember to buy some for myself... buuuuut Old Spice it is. I smell like a boy. I really need to get to the store. 

-My children do not have my stomach. Matt can't sit backwards on the metro. I can read in the car upside-down if I want to. Layla's first day of school... Matt picked her up and her class was out on the playground. My dear La (who I have to feed Kids Dramamine if the car ride is like longer than 20 minutes) was on the tire swing. Cue her vomiting all over his car in the 8 minute drive home, right before we were supposed to leave for the Redskins game. That added some last minute fun to us getting packed up and ready for the home opener. Here is Layla in the morning before the puking issue: 

-I cannot seem to get my kids inside the house in an orderly fashion. Clearly this is something we need to work on. So coming home from my sister's the other day (I drove. Yes it probably took longer to drive than walk... but it was hot. Don't judge), I was trying to get all three girls in the house plus a few things I needed to bring in from the car. I think it was karma for the whole walking thing, because it took approximately eight trips in and out of the house to get all three inside. Here is what happened: 

Took Layla out of her carseat. In an attempt to expedite the process (or so I thought), I carried her inside. (1) Came back out, got Olivia out of her carseat, carried her inside. (2) Came back out to get the things from the car, went back inside. (3) Realized Olivia wasn't in the house, had a slight panic, ran back outside to find her inside the car with Summer laughing hysterically. Carried Olivia inside the house again. (4) Went back outside to get Summer and ask her why she is dawdling so much, find Layla back outside, take her back in the house. (5) Summer now came through the front door (no idea why) and left the door open so Olivia is now back outside. Go back out to get her, bring her back inside. Shut the front door. (6) Layla is now back outside via the garage. Go out to get her, bring her back inside. (7) Realize I left my phone in the car. Go back out to get it, come back inside. (8) 

At this point it was 7:11. I got all three girls in pajamas with their teeth brushed and in bed by 7:22. I was just done. I didn't really care if they actually went to sleep, I just needed them to be in bed and to be quiet. And guess what... they all were asleep within a few minutes. These are long days at the beginning of the school year and everyone needed an early night, including mommy. 


-Kids activities are hilarious. I mean SO cute/hilarious. Layla's first day of soccer was last Saturday and Summer's first day of ballet was Monday. (There are more pictures of Layla because we can't stay and watch ballet... and Matt and I were at the Redskins game and so my sister got her ready and took her. Don't judge).

There was a moment she was running and ran right off the field over to me, but we got her back on. 

-Olivia is our "artist" and she has mixed feelings about being alone. 

After dropping Layla off: 

Lashing out in her "own" way: 

Plus about five other locations, including the floor, rug and furniture. I was putting laundry away upstairs and I come walking out of my bedroom to see her frantically running around the family room spastically drawing on every surface possible. This is where she ended up: 

But she tried to redeem herself the next day: 

Lastly, 
-Even if the Redskins are getting trounced, I still have an awesome time with my hubby

Happy Thursday!!!

One Year in our Home...

If you have read any of my previous posts, you will probably know we moved last year and I LOVE my house and neighborhood. We recently passed our one year anniversary of living here, and it was interesting to look around and see how much we have done. I did have motivation (I threw an engagement party for 90+ people three months after we moved in... there was a bonus to having a few rooms with no furniture), but it still has been a long process. 

So I knew pretty much the nanosecond I walked into this house that I wanted to live here. When you have looked for a house, you know what I am talking about. The vibe is obvious, and this vibe was US. I loved the street, the area, the neighborhood, everything. We had looked at a house up the street prior to this, so finding a random short-sale on the street we loved was sort of crazy. We had to battle it out to get it (or more correctly, my mother-in-law battled it out for us and is the sole reason we got it). We had put our contract in sometime in May, and didn't hear until August. We closed August 16 and moved August 19. It has been such an amazing home for our family. 

We had nearly the entire house painted in the days between closing and moving. I vowed to leave everything at our old house that we didn't want (we kept it and are renting it out). I wanted to start fresh and stop the hand-me-down trend of getting furniture. 

FOYER: 

Before: 

After: 

DINING ROOM: 

You saw the transformation, but here it the official before (and I'll add after for effect):

After: 

We have still pretty much done nothing with the formal living room. I didn't even take an after pic of it. We have a bookshelf and a piano in it. 

KITCHEN:

The kitchen is still something I want to do major work to. The cabinets and countertops are horrid and I detest electric, but I LOVE the space and layout. We painted, changed up hardware and some appliances: 

Before: 

After: 

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 (Matt was wiping off what appeared to be beer pong rings on the counter. It is the perfect length for it...). 

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The Breakfast area is great, and we eat here for pretty much every meal. I switched up the lighting, did the roman shades myself (pinterest, future post), and got barstools: 

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After: 

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After: 

From the family room looking in: 

Before: 

After: 

FAMILY ROOM:

The family room is large with TONS of natural light. We actually don't yet have a ladder tall enough to change the lightbulbs. 

From the kitchen, looking into the family room: 

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After: 

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View from the balcony: 

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THE OFFICE: 

So neither of us doing the work from home thing that requires an actual office. We have a desktop and lots of papers and junk, so I wanted both a place for that stuff and a place to have the girls able to keep their art stuff. This is what I came up with: 

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Sorry for the lighting issues. Lots of natural light. I LOVE having a place to keep all of their stuff. 

Here are the stairs, and I loved how it broke off into two directions. I do use both options quite a bit. 

Before: 

After: 

I had to get Emmie in this picture. That is her station. 

The hallway upstairs overlooks both the foyer and the family room. We have four bedrooms upstairs and three full bathrooms. I loved the bright and airy feel. And you will easily be able to see my favorite part of the after pics in the next few. 

Before: 

After: 

After: 

MASTER BEDROOM/BATHROOM: 
I had picked out bedding first for the Master Bedroom. I went with a totally random color that I ended up being absolutely obsessed with... it is warm and coppery, and goes great with the floors. I have barely done anything else to our bedroom. In time... 

We had the same furniture at our old house but I literally had to suck my stomach in to get between the bed and the dresser. Quite a bit more room here. 

Before: 

After: 

The Master bathroom needs some work as well but it is a great size. One of my favorite aspects of it is the separate room for the toilet (apparently called a poop closet?).  I love keeping certain things separate in my marriage, that being one of them. 

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I love love loved the ceiling, but the sellers took the fan (not too devastated over that one). I installed a new one myself on a whim and I love it. 

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After:

I have no "befores" of these, but here is the master closet (I can't wait to redo it because I think it can be SO much better holding clothes.

 And this. THIS is one of the SOLE reasons I wanted this house. Okay maybe not the sole reason, but it is a MAJOR reason I was obsessed. A laundry chute from the master closet down into the laundry room. I mean, if that isn't amazeballs, I'm not quite sure what is. (Yet I still somehow have clothes everywhere): 

BEDROOMS: 
We have a bedroom we currently use as a guest room upstairs, and it has an attached full bathroom. We haven't really done anything to that but I hung an awesome shower curtain (moroccan print, shocking): 

I didn't have 'before' pics of the girls bedrooms either. We are currently having Layla and Summer sharing a bedroom, and Olivia has her own. There is a jack-and-jill bathroom in between the rooms. 

These bunkbeds are kind of awesome. (No idea where the 'a' went in Layla). The steps are drawers, and there are drawers underneath as well (a trundle was also an option but my girls are clothes horses): 

BASEMENT: 

We have a fifth bedroom in the basement and an additional full bathroom. This will eventually be the guest room and all the girls will have their own rooms upstairs. For now, the basement bedroom looks like someone vomited pink, princesses and babies. I wanted to be able to contain their toys to a room while still having an adult "man cave" situation down there. That fails miserably, but at least I have somewhere to stuff all the pinkness when I want to. And the moonbounce is pretty much a staple there so I left it as-is. I put tons of our sports memorabilia (there are like six more boxes in the storage area) dedicated to our fave teams: if you can't figure it out, they are the Redskins, Capitals, and Orioles. We are also golf fans and have other random stuff like the Kentucky Derby. 

This is where we eventually want to build a bar: 

This 60 incher and surround sound was an early purchase when we moved in. And who can guess the show that is on? It is a tough one... 

It walks out to the lower part of the deck (the breakfast area has the door to the upper area): Eventually a few comfy chairs will be going in front of that fireplace: 

The walk-in closet is the official "dress-up" area along with stuffed animals: 

OUTSIDE:

The upstairs deck: don't ask why we have two grills right now, long story. And don't judge my herb planters that I never got herbs for...

So if there were absolutely no leaves on the trees, you would be able to see the back of my sister's house. I know, it's amazeballs. 

The best thing about this picture is the path that you can see, which is the path that goes directly to my sister's cul-de-sac, as well as the park, tennis courts, and pool. 

One thing I was a complete idiot about was cleaning. I actually thought it would be easy to keep clean because we were literally tripling our living space. I thought, "Oh, everything will be spread out, it won't look as messy." Totally wrong. When there is more room and surfaces for crap, more crap expands to that room and those surfaces. But I really do feel spoiled and like I am not mature enough to live in this house sometimes (I mean it has crown molding everywhere. That is very adult-like), but it has been absolutely amazing for our family. My sister and I often look at each other and say, "This is literally our dream come true." We also have amazing neighbors who I already consider some of my dearest friends. We are extremely fortunate. 

So it is Layla's first day of preschool AND Summer's first day of ballet AND the Redskins home opener. BIG DAY! Happy Monday!!!