Franklin's Tower

Jett and I were just perusing Spotify, listening to the new Head and the Heart album, when he informed me (in his own special way, hehe) that he wanted to listen something else.

He's always loved the Grateful Dead, so I put on a little dance tune (Franklin's Tower, which we've been playing for him since he was a newborn) and he was so excited! Not only did we have a little dance party, we also had a sing-along (one of the first for him, as far as I can remember)!

So, watch the following video, and just imagine Jett singing "roll away... the dew!". And if you want some fun, happy music that your baby is sure to love, play some Dead!

Haul out the holly!

Hey y'all! I hope you're enjoying this most wonderful time of the year!

We've kept ourselves mighty busy, and I have to admit... When your holi-DO list is a mile long, things can get a little stressful.

And then you start feeling a little under the weather, and then, well, things are even MORE stressful, because not only are you blatantly failing to meet your holi-DO deadlines, you're also feeling not-so-hot and therefore upset that you're not enjoying this time of year as much as you SHOULD be.

I am guilty of letting the holi-DO list/deadline stress get to me... And, yes, I haven't been feeling so great. 

BUT! Here we are, just three days before Christmas, and I'm determined to make them full of peace, love and JOY. It's easy to let the stress get to us, isn't it? Sometimes we just have to take a step back and focus on the reason of the season. 

Here's a cute picture that I snapped last weekend at a friends' house. We were invited over to make Christmas cookies, and it was such a lovely time! I think we might try to make some gingerbread men this week, too, just to round out the holiday baking fun! 

I hope you're having a relaxing weekend, enjoying family and friends!

XO

20 - 23 months!

I'm *ahem* just a little behind on my monthly updates! Ha! 

It's so fun to look at four of these together, though, to see how much he's grown in such a short time! I'm so excited to compile ALL of the pictures (We will have 22 after his 24-month photo... I bought them when he was already a couple months old. We might have to rely on ol' Photoshop for months 1 & 2!). 

Here's what he's up to now:

Talking! He "talks" all the time, and loves to say hello and goodbye... And he's very polite with his frequent use of "thank you"! He also really likes to talk about cars and trucks and`calls most SUVs "Hummers". He loves to point out kittys and dogs too! He's great with names, and gets very excited when we talk about family coming to visit!

Running! Instead of merely walking, it's usually a run/walk for Jett. Ha! He's pretty quick, and I'm sure he'll be at a full-blown sprint in no time!

He is loving his pre-school and has already made some friends. In fact, he was sitting "very closely" near a girl in his class the other day and even put his hand on her arm! A little heartbreaker already! Last month when they were working on a Thanksgiving activity, he actually answered his teachers when they asked what he was thankful for. "Dad", he said. And while I would've loved a mention (LOL), I'm proud of him for understanding! His teachers also told us that one day he was trying to share his lunch with a classmate. Love it!

He is really loving playgrounds now, especially slides! Sometimes he can be a little risk-taker and wants to go on the big kid playgrounds!

We (affectionately) call him "Bam Bam" every now and then when he's being especially rough at home. Lately, he has been wanting to run on the couch, bounce against the side and fall flat on his back. He loves to make his momma nervous! 

He's also loving music, and LOVES to dance! His daddy's (and Uncle Walker's) guitars are probably his favorite things in the world, and he also loves his little drum set!

We've been enjoying getting into the Christmas spirit around here! Jett loves our Christmas tree (our first real one in YEARS!), and we hope to pay a visit to Santa soon!

That's what we've been up to lately! It's hard to believe our little guy will be TWO in less than a month! 

XO

Saturday things!

Hey y'all! Here's what's going on in my world...

1) The above picture was from a meal my husband called "the best meal I've ever made", to which I responded, "Ever?", naturally... But really, guys... Make this one. Fairly easy, and so, so good! It's Real Simple's Chicken & Dumplings. Oh, and the "best meal" comment came after a little *ahem* discussion about his distaste for onions, and his concern of the "large pile of onions" I had included. Ha!

2) Speaking of delicious recipes, I also made this baked ziti this week. YUM! I just discovered the website where you'll find the recipe... It was started by the Pioneer Woman herself - I'm looking forward to exploring!

3) If you live in the Tulsa area, Whole Foods is having some unreal deals throughout the next month... Check their Facebook for deets.

4) On one more food-related note... With the mother of all culinary holidays right around the corner, I've been doing a little pie research. Since my sister and I usually host the dinner, I'm not used to not making the entire meal. Therefore, the pumpkin pie I make (the one thing I'm in charge of) must be the most delicious! Ever! I've been eyeing this recipe. Thoughts?!

Happy weekend, y'all! XO

we heart nashville

A couple months ago, Ryan and I celebrated our 10th (TENTH!) anniversary, and decided that there was nowhere we'd rather spend it than Nashville.

Okay, maybe we could've gone for a trip to Paris, or San Francisco, or NYC... But Nashville was a close runner-up. :)

I'm so glad we were able to call Nashville "home" for nearly seven years... I'll always have a soft spot in my heart for the place. And since we still have lots of family and friends in the area, we'll definitely be back often! 

After rolling into town at 3 a.m. (I'm seriously too old for that... It took me at least a day to recover!), we enjoyed a full day - I was able to attend a baby shower for a dear friend, and we had a family hair appointment at Salon Bouge, LOL.

And of course, this wasn't just your average family hair appointment... It was Jett's FIRST haircut! He did great (I'm sure the Yo Gabba Gabba on the iPhone helped a little!).

He also had a chance to catch up with a lady friend at Aunt Ali's salon...

That night was our big anniversary celebration! When we were planning, it was hard for us to decide between the tried and true (Rumours East) and the new and noteworthy (Rolf & Daughters), so we did both!

We went to our absolute favorite place ever - Rumours East - for some wine and cheese outside on the lawn, and then hopped over to Germantown to check out a newish restaurant that's been getting a ton of buzz (and that I hadn't been able to get reservations at in the past!) - Rolf & Daughters.

Both were fabulous, but, really, I can't imagine the experience at Rumours East being more perfect! If you're ever in Nashville, GO THERE!

At Rolf & Daughters, one of the things that we shared was the squid ink pasta. It was seriously the best pasta I've ever had - I most definitely recommend it!

Rolf & Daughters also has fabulous cocktails!

The next day, we hung out with Cici, and enjoyed a little Chuy's after doing a little H&M shopping...

That evening, we met some friends at an old fave, Silly Goose. Because, really, what's a trip back to Nashville without a little King Kong?

It was so fun catching up with these lovely ladies! And look at cute pregnant Mende (second from left)... She doesn't look 32 weeks pregnant, does she?

On Sunday, we were invited to the Bouge Estate (my words, not theirs, LOL) for a most fabulous brunch. Their house and surrounding property is so lovely, I didn't want to leave!

But, alas, we had to leave, as there was somewhere we had to be... The Titans/Jets game! And what a game it was!

Oh, and this last picture is from after we returned home... It was my most treasured "souvenir"... A bag full of TJ's goodies!

So, until next time, Nashville! Love ya! XO

TGIF Things!

As we are now SPRINTING through this most wonderful (and busiest) time of year, I'm reminded to take time to do those things that are important to me, like:

1) Spending time with my little guy! We've had a blast enjoying these warmer than usual days at the park, and he's officially a fan of Starbucks now (he loves the hot chocolate!).

2) Cooking nutritious and delicious meals for my family!! Of course, it's nice to take short cuts on some nights (Hello takeout!), but there's nothing better than sitting down with loved ones to share a home-cooked meal. On Tuesday night, I made Real Simple's Baked Chicken Parmesan which was a big hit in my house! I ended up only using 2 chicken breasts, though, which worked totally fine with this recipe. Also this week, I made some yummy (and super simple) stuffed mushrooms to take to a dinner party. I'll post the recipe soon!  

3) Soaking up the beauty of the gold/orange/crimson leaves, which are now starting to fall to the ground (so sad!). It seemed like one day, all of a sudden, the trees exploded with color... And now, only a couple weeks later, that window is starting to close.

So, happy Friday, y'all! Have a wonderful weekend! XO

FALL in love

Hey y'all!

I've been completely HORRIBLE about blogging lately. We've had so much going on in this little family of ours (good, productive things!), I'm surprised I actually remembered to brush my teeth before running out the door this morning.

After months of stay-at-home-mommyhood, I've rejoined the working world. But my part-time jobs (yes - there are TWO of them.) aren't like anything I've ever done before. Doing things so different from the norm is refreshing, but also a little exhausting! My next big career-related thing is in January, so things may be completely changing once again - we'll see! Right now, I'm just taking advantage of these out-of-my-comfort-zone experiences and thinking of this time as a period of growth. What that really means, I'm not sure yet, but do we really ever know exactly what we're doing?

Amidst all of our changes around here, we've been trying to enjoy the last bit of fall. The leaves have exploded and now frame the quaint neighborhood streets with gold, crimson and burnt orange. My favorite fall sky is a grey one, so that I can see the brilliance of the colors against a neutral background. Gorgeous!

Anyway, yes... Super bizzy, but I just HAD to post these cute pics of our trip to Carmichael's Pumpkin Patch in Bixby - such a wonderful place!!

Have a happy week! XO