Wednesday, April 24, 2013

Florida ( Pt. 3) ... the end!


Let's get something straight....One Broken Egg in Panama City has THE. ABSOLUTE. BEST breakfast I have ever had. The beignets were ridiculous, and then I ordered an appetizer with chorizo and cream cheese....what!?! Delish...serioulsy! I think  know we freaked our waiter out with how much we were raving.


One of the best things about the trip was that the end of our vacation overlapped with the beginning of my bestie's! We met Lori and Heath in Rosemary Beach ( absolutely BEAUTIFUL), and walked around where they were staying and shopped a little. 



I couldn't get enough of the architecture! All of the small details on these homes were stunning!
Then, we started to all question the line of work we are in ;) This mom gig won't pay for a second home like this... sigh.





Look at that happiness!!!


It felt like a little european town with these alleys, lanterns, and cobblestone walkways.... I just loved it so much!

Later, we went to dinner at a local hot spot called The Red Bar. It seems to be a must try for everyone in town. You could hardly find parking around it, and it was jumpin jumpin. I had some out of this world manicotti and a margarita. It was well worth the wait.


Talk about someone who just "gets you" ( the best that they can) and allows you to be vulnerable and spill your guts....that is this beautiful lady! I appreciate you, Lori! I am so glad that are close enough to want to hang out on our vacations! haha.


Salt of the Earth people.....and superb Amara lovers!




Florida ( Pt. 2)

More photos from our trip! We walked the Pier at sunset. It was beautiful, and so peaceful!



I couldn't wait to walk the pier at sunset one night! Pier walks cost money???? I was clueless. I think that is RIDICULOUS!


 Amara giving me "side - eye" while I am being silly. This is a glimpse into the future when she has her " cool " friends over, and mommy does something that totally embarrasses her ( not to my knowledge).....yeah......


Probably my favorite picture from the whole trip! (above) Her curiosity, and lack of fear, right now amazes me. It is almost like I rediscover things that I don't take the time to appreciate sometimes. Thanks for slowing me down baby girl.


I am going to start calling this hairstyle a pony tail mullet I think...


Kisses...



We ended the night with a ride on the carousel. It totally made me feel like a little kid again!
Amara seemed to really enjoy it, but I have no pictures to prove it. They were all too blurry. Fun times!

Tuesday, April 23, 2013

Healthy PB, Chocolate and Oatmeal cookies



 I have no words to describe how yummy these things are! I found them on my bestie's Pinterest board, and decided to give them a try. My newly found sweet tooth has been going crazy lately, so I need something that takes care of that AND doesn't make me feel extremely guilty.

 I am pretty skeptical of all of these "healthy, no butter, no sugar cookies", but I am so glad I gave these a whirl. They are so delicious and perfect for your little one to munch on as well! I can't wait for Amara to get up from her nap to try them!! I must say that I made a smaller batch for A with NO PEANUTS. We are giving this whole PB thing a try, and I didn't want to overload her. That is the only thing I excluded from hers.




I gave myself a manicure while I waited for each batch to cook.... seriously, such a relaxing part of my day! Much needed after my child embarrassed the crap out of me on our Target run this morning. All because she couldn't have her vanilla milk at Starbucks ( she had already had one this morning), but instead she had to drink apple juice. Oh...the injustice!!!


Recipe: via The Skinny Fork


Servings: 18 • Size: 1 Cookie • Calories: 99.3 • Fat: 5.1 g • Carb: 12.3 g • Fiber: 1.6 g • Protein: 2.9 g • Sugar: 4.4 g • Sodium: 91.1 mg
Ingredients:2 Ripe Bananas, Mashed
1/3 C. Reduced Fat Peanut Butter
2/3 C. Unsweetened Applesauce
1 Tsp. Vanilla
1/2 Tsp. Salt
1/2 Tsp. Cinnamon
Dash of Ground Cloves
Dash of Ground Nutmeg
1 1/2 C. Quick or Old Fashioned Oats
1/4 C. Nuts (I used dry unsalted peanuts.)
1/4 C. Semi Sweet Chocolate Chips
1/4 C. Reduced Fat Unsweetened Shredded Coconut (Optional)
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside. Mix together the bananas, peanut butter, applesauce, vanilla, and spices. Add in the oats, nuts, chocolate chips, and coconut; stir until well combined.
Spoon a rounded 2 tbsp. of the cookie mixture onto the lined baking sheet, leaving an inch or two between each and flatten slightly. I placed a few more chocolate chips on top of each cookie. Bake for 20-30 minutes and allow to cool slightly.
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Monday, April 22, 2013

We're baaaack! ( Florida Pt. 1)

We made it back home from FL on Friday evening! I miss the beach already, and I am definitely daydreaming about our next vacation....possibly withOUT a child in tow. I love the memories we got to make on this trip, but traveling with a toddler is EXHAUSTING, and hardly feels like a vacation in certain instances. It just feels like you are doing regular life in a different place.

 We only really got ONE beach day due to windy weather and chilly temps, but one day in the water is better than none! We felt so blessed to stay in a friend's condo, which totally helped out with the expense of the trip. Favorite parts of the trip: salted caramel gelato, an omelette with cream cheese and chorizo, walking around Rosemary Beach with people we love, shopping in some BEAUTIFUL boutiques, naps on the balcony right on the beach, watching Amara splashing in the pool with daddy, and our morning in Seaside where I had the best grilled cheese ever.....just to name a few. It was just so nice to get away!!

There are a fair amount of pics below.....and this is only the first of 3 posts :)


We spent most of the mornings on the balcony. It was the first thing Amara would run to when she woke up! I can't blame her.


Our view...


 kisses


Our power breakfast a couple of mornings!


Amara DID NOT like the sand, sooo.....


We opted for pool time with daddy, which went over really well.


Beach curls.... love!


We caught an amazing drum solo in Seaside.



Wednesday, April 17, 2013

A blog worthy grilled cheese...

 We strolled around Seaside this morning, and it was so beautiful! I loved the small "beachy" town feel. Everything from the adorable boutiques ( which definitely sucked me in and stole my money) to the food trucks made it so charming and perfect for a little outing with my babes!



 I must admit...my whole reason for taking time out of vacation for this dinky little post is to tell you how amazing my lunch was. I love food people!! Grilled cheese is one of my weaknesses, so as soon as I laid eyes on this heavenly truck, my decision was made. The Melt Down on 30A has made its home in my heart as the BEST. GRILLED. CHEESE. EVER!! I got the turkey grilled cheese with avocado, bacon, and some kind of delicious tangy mayo. YUM. Gabe opted for a chili dog. The man loves hot dogs, but I believe he said he "made a mistake" not getting the grilled cheese about 3 or 4 times during lunch.

 We left with the cutest baby T for Amara as a keepsake. Fun times today! We are going to walk the Pier after her nap time, and then hit Pier Park this evening for dinner and some more shopping. Let me just go on record and say " Shopping is not so fun with a toddler". Thank God for daddy! :)

Salted Caramel gelato with the only one I would ever share my spoon with.


Tuesday, April 16, 2013

Florida bound...

 




I had every intention of doing a blog post about what I packed for our beach trip, but honestly.....After church, errands, cleaning and packing for the family....I had ZERO energy left! Soooo.....skipping that post, and moving forward a bit....WE ARE HERE!!! 

 After 7.5 hours in the car with a baby who only slept about an hour of the tip was rough. We stopped 3 times and she cried every time we had to put her back in her seat. I felt so bad for her. I know she just wanted to get out and move around, but she was also so tired, and just didn't know how to settle herself. She stayed in pretty good spirits though, and it could have been a lot worse. Gabe was such a trooper driving through the evening. He listened to podcasts, and I kept Amara occupied. 




We got in and unpacked a little, then went right to sleep! Unfortunately, I woke up with a horrific headache, which triggered some serious nausea that lasted allllllllllll day looooooong! We made a quick trip to Target to get some groceries and then I had to come back and lay down immediately. We didn't even make it down to the beach. Gabe was such a big help! He went out to get a movie, pizza and salad ( which I ate maybe two bites of), and then we ended the night by watching Wreck it Ralph. I don't know what it was, but it really tugged on my heartstrings. Those dang Pixar movies! 

These are just a few pics from yesterday, and this morning. I am feeling much better today ( Thank you Lord), and I am looking forward to some beach time and hitting up Seaside tomorrow!!







 I hope wherever you are, or whatever you are doing this week, you find some time to relax.


Friday, April 12, 2013

Life Lately.....According to my Iphone



It has been such a busy couple of weeks since Gabe has been home! I am off to decorate for a baby shower that I am partially hosting and packing the family up for a beach trip to FL. We leave on Sunday night ( so we can drive while baby sleeps). I am not trying to rush these next two days, but I am sooooooooooo anxious to get on the road! I have yet to purchase sunnies or sunscreen for my super pale self! Gotta get on that! 

Check back tomorrow for what's "In my suitcase....and Amara's"

Enjoy your weekend! It is beautiful here today!!! 
xoxo

Sunday, April 7, 2013

18 months and a new haircut!

I am definitely late on posting an 18 month update on Amara....yikes! We got her first all over hair cut this weekend, and since we had some friends in town visiting, we were able to really document it. Thanks Sarah!!

 Amara did REALLY well. She only cried when she actually saw the pair of scissors, so I turned her away from the mirror and our hairdresser, and all was well. She played with a bottle of hair product ( taking the top "off " and putting it back "on"), which helped us out a lot as well.





All I can say is, "WOW!!" Amara is so grown up feeling. It feels so appropriate that I am writing this post on the heels of us having company in town this weekend because Amara has captivated my heart this weekend while entertaining our guests. I am glad that I don't have to speak this update because I would probably lose it and start crying trying to get my words out.  

The things that really sum her up right now....the things that I really want you to know ( and for her to know) about her 18 month self is that she is full of pure joy. She loves to entertain, and it is really starting to come out in her personality. She loves making people laugh!! She gives great hugs and kisses! She just started making the actual kissing noise, which MELTS me. She says "peeeaaase" and "thank you", feeds herself oatmeal and yogurt, loves to stir our drinks with a straw, loves wearing shoes, chases Sadie around with any toy that is loud, scary and possibly on wheels, she goes to the church nursery without crying, still obsessed with pushing shopping carts, even MORE obsessed with the Target dog that appears on the tv screens in the back of the store, says "cheeese" every time a camera points and shoots, watches her 1 year video on repeat daily and shakes her head "no" anytime I start to sing or dance. It makes me feel great! ;)

These things barely scratch the surface of all the little things she does to make us laugh ( or cry) everyday. This weekend, we have let Amara stay up until 10 or 11 each night to visit with us. She is so full of energy and doesn't want to miss out on a thing. I have been eating it up. The eagerness that I usually feel to get her in bed each night has disappeared.

 Just when I didn't think it any more possible....I fell deeper in love with her this month. 
It's not that there was room in my heart for that love to grow, but that my heart swells to make room for my growing love for her.

 Today in church, we talked about abiding in Jesus and what life looks like without Him. What is OUR purpose?  I know that without Jesus and a loving God, I am NOTHING. I cannot be half the mother I want without Him. I know that we are to produce "fruit" in our lives. Amara dear.....you are part of that fruit for mommy! If I do nothing else in my life, being your mother will make me feel more complete than anything this world could offer me. I will not take credit for the woman that you grow up to be, but I want to do my best to equip you to succeed in all the ways that the Lord would have you do so. Daddy and I pray for you daily!! Even when daddy is away, he prays for us! I feel it! We have spent more time apart than together as a family in these last 6 months, but we were covered in prayer and loved on by family and friends. You are so loved, and I couldn't be MORE proud of you as I sit here and reflect on your 18th month. We love you boots!