Five on Friday - September 28

Affiliate links used in post.

October is almost here which means I'm getting closer and closer to my due date! Here's what's on my mind this week.

__one__ While we were beaching it last week, my new Rocksbox set was sent to my house. I don't really buy a whole lot for myself - it's always for the girls or Daniel - but this is the one fun thing I spend a little money on each month. You basically get to try out jewelry, and if you like it, you can purchase it (and your monthly subscription price goes towards what you buy!). They send three things at a time, but my favorite thing in this last set were these adorable earrings. I typically wear very understated jewelry, so these were such a fun way to add some pop to my outfit Monday morning at work!

__two__ It was picture day this week for my two cuties, and Caroline dressed up two days in a row since her class had class pictures Tuesday, but since her sister's pictures were Monday, she took her sibling pictures the day before. I went for a very simple look for their sibling pictures, but let Caroline wear a new fall dress for her class photo.  I actually got the dress on Zulily and wasn't sure what to expect, but it definitely surpassed my expectations! I just love her sweet smile.

__three__ Halloween decorating is in full swing at our house, and that's honestly because I felt decent this past weekend and was worried if I didn't get it done it would never get done! I did buy new fall wall art from JoAnn Fabrics this weekend that I love - I didn't realize JoAnn had such cute decorations! I was really impressed with their selection and prices.




__four__  Thursday before my doctor's appointment to check on baby, I took the girls to Dunkin Donuts for a special breakfast treat. We don't go out for breakfast much, so the girls LOVE to go to the "donut store" as they call it. Caroline had to try the halloween sprinkle donut, while Emmie picked her classic chocolate glazed.

__five__ I recently got the girls these fun unicorn slippers, and they are the first pair of slippers I have bought them that they ACTUALLY wear. They are so fun and girly.

Beach Recap

 Affiliate links used in post.

We just returned from a very relaxing exhausting trip to the beach. A beach trip is always a little hectic with littles, but the girls had an amazing time and that's all that matters, right? Of course, if I wasn't 30 weeks pregnant it might have been a little easier.

We love going to the Florida panhandle in September, because there are virtually no crowds and you have the beaches and restaurants to yourselves! Next year Caroline starts Kindergarten, so it may be 20+ years before we get to go back this time of year, so we soaked up one last trip before baby #3 gets here.

Of course, the girls favorite part of the beach was the pool. I kept joking we could have gone to Great Wolf Lodge and saved some money.

 

They did spend all day at the beach the last day, and it was by far my favorite day of the trip. Lots of hanging out in the ocean, building sandcastles, chasing pelicans, and more.

 

 Caroline's Frozen hat//Puddle Jumper

We tried taking some nice beach photos one night. It was basically a long five minutes of the girls saying the sun was in their eyes. We managed to snap a few halfway decent pics and called it a night.

Of course, we ate to our hearts' content. That's my favorite part of vacation - no cooking and delicious food (especially seafood!).

I was even able to sneak away to the outlet malls one day and did a LOT of early Christmas shopping. With a late November due date, I realize I'm not going to have a lot of time or energy in December to be shopping for gifts.

I'm glad we took this last trip as a family of four. The girls love the beach, and Caroline even requested to go to the same frozen yogurt place one night after dinner we went to last year. Emmie got really into crab hunting at night and has asked to go every night since we've been home. It made me realize how important these trips are to our girls.

Baby #3 - 29 Weeks Pregnant

I am now in the stage of my pregnancy where I am really starting to feel slow, sluggish, and like a big sloth. We head for the beach Saturday, and I can only imagine what a 7+ hour car ride and a week of sun, sand, and eating large amounts of food will do to my body.

Size of Baby: An acorn squash......15.2 inches long and 2.5 lbs.

Total Weight Gain/Loss: 20 lbs + or - a few

Gender: Surprise! This week I'm back to thinking this is a sweet little girl. It has been so fun to not find out this time!

Movement: I think the baby is starting to have a harder time moving around, because the movement is less frequent but definitely stronger.

Sleep: Ha. The other night I counted I woke up FIVE times to pee. Five. And it is taking me a really long time to fall back asleep.

What I miss: Just my energy! Having energy to play with the girls and not yawn all throughout the day.

What I am looking forward to: Even though there's alot I'm complaining about (see above), I'm enjoying this last pregnancy. I know it's nothing I'll experience again, so I'm soaking it up.

Cravings: Sandwiches and candy.

Symptoms: The worst acid reflux. I am going to need to invest in Tums stock.

Best Moment This Week: Preparing for our last vacation as a family of four.

You can see my 28 week update post with Emmie here, and my 30 weeks update post with Caroline here.

Emery's 3rd Birthday!

Affiliate links used in post.
 
We had a great time at the end of August celebrating our soon-to-be middle child's 3rd birthday! She has lately become obsessed with Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (if you forget to say Clubhouse she quickly corrects you). That meant a Minnie Mouse party!

We decided to host it at home, which I have quickly decided is the LAST time we host a party at our house (other than the first birthday party for this little babe due in November...after that it's parties at Bounce U, gymnastics, Chuck E Cheese...anywhere but home). It was fun doing a theme though and I was excited for everyone to see our new house.

We kept the food pretty simple. The party was at 2:30, so I didn't feel super stressed in preparing a big meal. We did have hot diggity dogs (pigs in a blanket), artichoke dip, Minnie's bowtie pasta salad, sausage balls, Minnie rice krispie treats, and Minne's bowtie fruit. Not everything kept in the theme, but I still had fun doing some small things to make her party super Minnie-fied.

I used a Mickey Mouse cookie cutter to make the Minnie rice krispie treats, and Emmie helped me by dousing the treats with a healthy dose of pink sprinkles. The bowtie fruit was SUPER easy...I just cut the tops off of strawberries and added a blueberry in the middle on a toothpick.

I was able to get a lot of the table coverings on clearance at Wal Mart at the end of summer, and I got the fun Minnie confetti at Party City.

The fun cake was made by a local baker that actually lives in our new neighborhood! I was so tickled I was able to drive a few houses down the street and pick up the cake the day before the party. I thought she did a fantastic job and it tasted just as good as it looked.

The kids all played outside on the swingset even though it was blazing hot while the adults stayed on the porch or inside and enjoyed the air conditioning. The kids had a great time though playing and burning off lots of sugar.

When it was time to blow out candles, Emmie got really shy and made me sit with her and help her blow them out. Last year she wouldn't even look up when people sang to her, so I'll take it as an improvement!

 

We love our little 3 year old so much!