Our Weekend.

What day is it? Just kidding! I'm tired of those commercials ha!

Monday morning my BF and I were talking and when she asked me how my weekend was I said it was long and great! She asked since when are weekends long (she's right) and I told her honestly this weekend just seemed that way and it felt so good. Jack and I did a lot and our time spent with Elliot is always amazing.

If you follow me on Instagram (@shadiabrown), I posted this picture of the painting supplies I got to do a painting for our living room. These colors are some of the ones we have on the furniture and although I do not want it to match exactly, I have some ideas on how to make it work. I cannot wait to work on this! My mom has two huge paintings that I did in college and although I feel tempted to ask her for them to put in our home she has them in her bedroom and living room so I will just settle for this smaller version.



Sadly, Elliot decided to go to bed a little later than his usual time and this mama was tired so Jack and I only got to work on another little project while having some beers, very much needed for both of us. When you drink a Stella, you need a Stella glass. Period. ;)



I printed a bunch of my Instagram pictures through Artifact Uprising for Elliot's first year party and I wanted to find a place for a few of my favorites. I bought a frame at Hobby Lobby with my 40% off coupon and got on it.

After a few beers the measuring and making sure the spacing is perfect isn't so good so I made sure I started drinking while working on this and not before. :) We used double sided tape on the pictures and it worked out great. Terrible picture but we love how it turned out! We hung it in our bedroom and eventually will go to Button's room.



The next day, Elliot and Jack read the newspaper while we all drank our smoothies. Jack is a huge fan of them and is always making them for us. They're so good. We throw kale and spinach in them and Elliot loves them too. He has been a little picky about his veggies lately and these smoothies have been a good way of incorporating lots of fruits and veggies in them without losing the taste.

Elliot is very intent on finding us some good sales at Lowe's.



This one was made with a little bit of coconut water, orange juice, peaches, strawberries, and a couple of blackberries. We make Elliot's with milk and usually add banana, peaches, strawberries, kale or spinach, blueberries and blackberries.



We spent the day doing yard work and hanging out. My new favorite hobby is yard work! It is so relaxing and as they days get nicer and nicer, the more time we spend outdoors the happier this girl is. It was a beautiful day and it lasted forever!

The loves of my life.

The next day we did our grocery shopping and even got to grill. We made steaks and veggies.



It wasn't a great day to do it but grilling is one of our favorites especially when it comes to veggies so Jack pretty much was the one hanging out outside by the grill. Elliot couldn't take daddy being outside and wanted to join him but it was cold and windy! Mother Nature, make up your mind please.

Finally we started preparing for the week ahead, making lunches, laundry, ironing, giving Elliot a bath are among our usuals for Sundays.

I love you all and I haven't forgotten about blogging, it has just been hectic! I hope you all had a great weekend!! I'll say it, happy hump day!

Loving.

I have been thoroughly enjoying this semi cold weather we have been getting here. With the summers getting above the hundreds, any form of cold weather sounds good to me. With that comes cozy clothing, hot drinks and lots of snuggling and movie watching nights.

I am loving all of these things right now thanks to this season.

This Sensual Amber body cream from Bath & Body Works smells amazing. I keep it at work where I am applying it throughout the day on my hands because with cold weather comes dry skin (at least in my case) and I apply it every single time I wash my hands or whenever I feel the dryness. It is so so good. I'm definitely going back for more. The name doesn't hurt either ;)

These cozy socks from target. I have numerous pairs and I gave a pair to every girl in our family including the little ones this past Christmas. I love them so so much. Jack and I never wear shoes in our house and I immediately throw these on after I get home from work and wear them all weekend, they're perfect! They keep my feet nice and warm and they are so soft. Huge plus.

Warm leggings. I live in these. I have them in different colors and thicknesses and after I get home I get into these and sleep in them. I even go to the grocery store in them ;) Who's looking anyway? Oh wait...

Hot chocolate or hot tea. The holidays are over but not the hot chocolate with marshmallows. These are a must during cold weather aren't they? I had talked about my favorite hot tea in this post and had to bring it back because it's just too good not to mention again. What's better than getting in bed after a long day with a nice cup of chocolate or tea snuggled up with a good book? Or in the morning with some warm pancakes? Yum.

I've mentioned it before, but I am loving all the IG and blog mama friends and non-mama friends I've made over the last couple of months and all the new ones! I truly appreciate all of you. I love seeing your baby announcements (they get me excited too and cause a bit of baby fever) and all your beautiful babies and everyday lives! 

And last but not least, the Target dollar section. They already have Valentine's goodies and I couldn't wait long enough to buy a couple of things. It's the best little section anyone could have created! I know, I just reread this last sentence and I understand how ridiculous I sound. I love it though! ;)

Have a great weekend! 

Weekend Recap.

Man, these posts are all I seem to write about lately. Life has kept me so busy!

Friday was such a nice day. I got a call from my mom at work telling me she would be cooking for us and to stop by to pick up dinner at her house. Hell yeah! We ate her delicious food and didn't have to go through the tedious and routine "Where do we go? I don't know. What do you want? Whatever you want?" Ugh! Jack and I do this every.single.time. Maybe because we aren't picky at all and can eat anything (I guess this explains my weight gain). My mom's food was sooo good. My best friend then came over to see Elliot (that's what happens when you have kids, you become secondary to your friends and family ha!) and we had a beer and talked, while she played with Elliot. Of course.

Saturday morning we had to be ready early to go get our inspection stickers because they were about to expire. I work on the military post and you can't get in unless you are current on registration and inspection. Hmm, maybe I should have let it expire so I could stay home :) So to the West side of town we headed and while Jack's car was also getting an oil change, we headed out for lunch. Jack wanted Middle Eastern food and so we went to the restaurant that my dad used to own. It was the weirdest, saddest, I-don't-know-how-to-explain-it feeling it the whole world. Kind of depressing actually. I had not set foot in it since my dad had sold it and didn't think I would ever, but since I had no idea who the owners were (if I had known them I wouldn't have been there) I gave it a shot. The food was okay although a lot changed. I can honestly say that my dad was the best cook the restaurant ever had.

The place itself, decorations, ambiance, etc, changed so much. Nothing looked the same (except for the music playing and I told Jack I should have taken those CD's since they were mine). Hearing the music brought familiarity back to me, and I just couldn't shake off the fact that I had painted that wall, I had stained those tables, I had hung that painting (or helped at least), I stood right there waiting for the food to come out, I cleaned those floors. It was also remodeled (which they did a horrible job at). You get the feeling. We worked so hard for a dream that quickly vanished when my dad gave up on everything. You can read what I'm talking about here.

Anyway, I went because Jack was craving it, but I think that will be the last time we go there. The food was definitely not the same anymore. After that, Jack saw that I was sad and kept asking me if I was okay. He said he would take me shopping after to cheer me up. It worked, ha, nothing a little retail therapy can't cure. I was happy that we took care of his craving too! We stopped by Bath and Body Works. Their candles? A-mazing! They have the best scents of all time for Fall! I am not a big fan of sweet or food/dessert smelling candles, I'm more of a fresh, fruity scents and I found this pumpkin apple one that is the perfect combination! Not too sweet but you still get that feeling of the holidays. They are also on sale right now!



I also did some more Fall decorating and bought some goodies for some DYI'ing I have in mind for Halloween! Jack helped me with some of it and we will start the actual decorating next weekend! I can't wait! Seriously, Pinterest has the best ideas and by tweaking them and adding your own ideas and touches you can make really awesome things. Check out some of my inspiration ideas here.

Sunday was the best day out of the week! We relaxed, did grocery shopping, front yard cleaning (well Jack did), cooking, cleaning and laundry but for some reason the day lasted for ages! It was the best. Spending all that time with Elliot and Jack just makes me the happiest and I already can't wait for next weekend.

In other news, Button has two teeth! Jack and I get a kick out of him because we see them every time he smiles or laughs. So cute! He's growing way too fast for us.



Hope you all had a great weekend! Happy Monday!

Our Weekend in Pictures.

Ugh, Monday. I hate you. It doesn't fail. I get the crazy blues every.single.Monday. Is this normal? I feel empty on Mondays.

You know that scene in SATC when Miranda quits her job because her boss is a jerk to her and she finally makes Brady's science fair and she says something like, "I made it, I never make it." Well, I don't want to be like that! I want to be able to make all of my son's activities so that is something I always think about. I've also just been wanting to be with Jack and Elliot as much as possible. I think that instead of Elliot dealing with separation anxiety I am the one going through it. Weird. I'm not being clingy, or needy I just love my family so much and I love spending time with them.

I also think it's a combination of missing Jack and Elliot and hearing and seeing so much bullshit and hypocrisy from people. Do you ever get that? You're almost at that breaking point but you decide you will be the bigger and better person and you hold on to that for dear life? I'm almost there. But I won't let it get to me. I won't.

I can't complain about the weekend though. College football season finally started for us and Elliot got to go to his first game with us. They are always so much fun and this year we get to enjoy them as a family. Besides, we get to go back to our old college stomping grounds and Jack and I always talk about how we met and how things were back then and how far we have come. We loved it there and still do.

Elliot did great, but after a while the later it got and as the crowd got louder he just wasn't having it. He cried every time we screamed poor thing. We ended up having to leave at the end of the third quarter but it was so much fun nonetheless.

 I know his looks are deceiving but I swear he had fun! (Ha!)

Our football field is in the middle of the mountains and the weather and view are perfect! I love being there. It's so pretty and peaceful despite the awesome, loud crowd. The sky was overcast and it rained for a couple of minutes before we even got there but it cooled us down. There was a fan of the opposing team among our team fans and if his team made a good play he would get up and start cheering and asking for high fives and we all just stared at him. It was hilarious.



My entire world.

Then of course some mama and baby fun the next morning. His first bottom tooth is finally coming in and he is getting whatever he can in his mouth to help the itching. He hasn't been complaining, yet. We can't wait to see his smile with his little tooth!

I found this beer while grocery shopping and with Fall here I couldn't pass it up! It's delicious! This will definitely be my go-to beer for the season.

This little one is almost officially crawling now. We have been practicing with him as much as we can. I say officially because he slithers and gets to where he needs to that way, but he's already getting on his hands and knees and rocks back and forth. So damn cute!

Happy-not-so-happy Monday! Go Miners!

Seven Months.

Sorry guys I've been crazy busy these past few days and I'm posting Button's update a little late. It's just beyond crazy to me how smart and amazing this little creature is. He's learning so much at such a fast rate. I know as mamas we say that about our kids all the time and to everyone but seriously, how can we hold back such information about our little ones when they're so awesome!

Excuse the half erased board. This kid could not get his hands off of it.

Weight: About 18lb. Your next appointment is not until nine months.

Clothing size: 6-12 the six month stuff I got you is going out the door pretty soon. 

Diaper size: 3 I seriously think we will be getting 4's in no time.

Feeding: Your schedule is pretty much the same as last time but you don't drink as much formula as you used to because you like your solids a lot more. And you drink water now too. I'm not going to let you drink juice until you're older.

Milestones: You are literally days away from crawling. I also love to stand you up on my legs because you push yourself up and down. I love that!

Loves: We recently got you a baby remote control. You crawl (or slither rather) your way to it and you press the buttons changing channels left and right. While all that is cute, we opted for one just for you. It plays songs, numbers and it lights up, you love it. We also bought you a Glow Worm and you are mesmerized by the way it lights up. I give it to you when I lay you down and you lay on your side touching its lit face. Your absolute most favorite toy is a monkey your auntie Yams bought you when you were born. We hang it from your car seat and you ALWAYS hold on to it when you're in it. Even if you're asleep. If we forget it (cause grandma takes it out so you can play with it) you look for it and you give me a look as if you want to ask me "where the hell is it mama?" It's the cutest thing.

Dislikes: You're starting to give us a hard time with diaper changes. You don't complain but you are so squirmy and try to get your hands on everything you can find on the bed while we are changing you. I think you just don't like not being able to do what you want during that time. When you're congested, you hate saline and the bulb. You already know when we get close to your nose and you start swinging your hands and turning your body away from us. I don't blame you on this one, it probably sucks. You also have never liked ANY teething toys. This has given us a hard time because although you love your hand, it's not enough to calm the itchiness of your gums.

Adventures: Everyday is an adventure with you! You did hit your head on the high chair because since you want to grab and touch everything, you were looking down on your little safety belt and you were slouching and hit your head. You cried for about 2.5 seconds and went about your business. You also love leaning all the way to the edge of the tray and biting it with your gums. It probably feels good since you're teething. 

Mommy and Daddy could not get through the month without: Still your paci but mostly all your toys. You can play with anything and you stay occupied for a good while.

I am also loving the stuff that Old Navy is coming out with and seeing that Fall and Halloween is almost here and reading other blogs it seems like everyone is in the spirit already! So why not join them?

The toys were purchased at Target and the PJ's and onesie from Old Navy.

More on ON. Seriously, I snagged this onesie as soon as I saw it. I love it!

Happy Wednesday! 

Our Weekend in Pictures.

This weekend was nothing short of relaxing, busy and fun. I will let the pics do most of the talking.

Friday after work I got home to this and just had to snuggle with my little monkey.

I also got the latest IKEA catalog and got immediately depressed upon seeing all the awesome stuff they have for such good prices and we don't have one here. Boo to that.

After drinking a beer and getting over my severe depression (totally kidding) Jack and I decided to install a brand new mirror after taking down a hideous oval shaped one that came with the house in our half bath downstairs. We measured and prepped everything all we needed to do was attach the brackets to the back of the mirror to hang it. I'm in the bedroom and I hear Jack cussing so I go to the kitchen to find that he had broken the mirror while drilling the brackets onto it. Yay! Broken brand new mirror. We got over it pretty quick though and went to Hobby Lobby the next day and got a better one. I forgot to take a pic after we hung it up. Duh.

Saturday we headed to our usual grocery shopping and this little one slept through most of it.

 I can't believe he's sitting up!

I also got to snap a few pics of him in this cutest little outfit from Old Navy. We then headed shopping for a few items and one of our stops was World Market. Picked up some olives stuffed with Pepper Jack (get it? Ha) and this awesome bottle opener. We are having a mini party for Jack's birthday this weekend and I can't wait! It will be the first official party in our house. I hope I can make it through the night considering the fact that by ten-thirty or eleven I am out. Such a party pooper.

Sunday morning Elliot woke up at his usual time of six am to have his bottle and miraculously went back to sleep! Know what that meant? This girl got a whole hour and a half extra of sleep and this little Button woke up at eight-thirty. Win for mama. Jack was still asleep so I took Elliot upstairs for some playtime. 

We then cleaned like mad people in preparation for Saturday night. We did so much! We even had time to have a little cookout for ourselves and a glass of wine.

 To add to all of this weekend excitement, our front yard will be finished by Wednesday! Post on that coming right up! Hope your weekend was fun!

Six Months.

Button got his six month checkup last Thursday. He also got his shots which always suck but he actually did pretty good this time. Slight fever for one day and back to himself the next. My little trooper. We also found out that he is now sixteen pounds and is in the fifty-sixth percentile for his length. Above average! This kid will be a tall one. I got these questions from Molly Alpert and decided to try this.

My little Button you are getting so big! It amazes me to see how much you're already doing. I can't wait for more! I love how we learn new things about you every single day. You love your daddy so so much, I can see it when you look at him and you make noises to get his attention. He's always telling me how amazing you are and how he can't believe we have you and neither can I. He's right.

Weight: 16 lbs.

Clothing size: 6-12!

Diaper size: 3

Feeding: This is your schedule-

6am- 8oz bottle

10am- Oatmeal with fruit

11am- 8oz bottle

4pm- 8oz bottle

6:30pm- Veggie & sometimes I add Oatmeal. (You're a hungry boy)

9:00pm- 8oz bottle

Milestones: You roll over all over the place like no other. You're almost sitting up and I can leave you sitting for a few seconds before toppling down on the bed. It's beyond cute. You're almost holding your own bottle! I can't wait for that day to come. I also started giving you water in a sippy cup and right now you play more with it than what you drink from it but you're getting the hang of it. I'm a proud mama!

Loves: You love, love, love your jumperoo. You can be in there playing for hours if I let you. You love EVERYTHING we feed you. You're just like daddy! I am so glad you're not being picky (yet), but for right now, I'm letting you try everything I can get my hands on and you've been doing so good. You love playing with your little rattle ball and love munching on your hand and blanket. You also love it when we make you laugh and being on your belly. If we make you laugh while on your belly you smile and put your head down as if you get shy. Melts my heart every time.

Dislikes: There's nothing that you don't like! Well, you've been giving us kind of a hard time with napping and going to bed. You sleep through the night fine but going to sleep is a problem. I think you just want to be awake all the time and you fight me when it's nap time and night time. You will probably get over it.

Adventures: You went to the mall with us for the first time! Well this is actually your second time, but the first time your were about two months old so it doesn't count. This time you were looking at everything and everyone! You loved it.

Mommy and Daddy could not get through the month without: Your paci. I know we are going to have a hard time getting you off of it but you love it right now and if you're starting to get a little fussy that just completely and immediately calms you down. Your jumperoo for sure. When I put you in it I can go get some things done and you're fine with this. It's a life saver.

Sorry for the blurry pic!

 We love you monkey!