GCCA Mardi Gras Ball

Best ball we've been to so far on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. We had a great time checking out all the carnival costumes and watching the presentation of the court in their elaborate outfits. Eric and I love to dance, and the band at the ball was so good!!! Forgot I was pregnant there for a while until my feet started hurting....joy's of pregnancy, of course! Anyhow, I was glad we went and look forward to going again next year :)

The King and Queen

The Court

Always getting a smooch from my sweet hubby :) 



Meal Planning Monday!

So, we've really fallen off our healthy eating kick! Back to business now! I hate when I allow myself too much starch or sugar. I'm at the half-way mark in my 3rd pregnancy and I'm not about to gain any extra weight caused from poor eating habits or a dessert everyday. It all adds up on the scale and causes me to panic! I've already slowed down on my running, so I've got to take control of my eating to make up for the fewer calories I'm burning through exercise.

This is what I have meal planned for the upcoming week so far:

Dinner:
Monday: Shrimp Cakes with Cauliflower Mashed Potatoes and Green Beans
Tuesday: Flank Steak with Roasted Butternut Squash Cubes and side salad
Wednesday: Taco Salads
Thursday: Meatballs with Crunchy Sweet Potato Chips
Friday: Roasted Beef Tenderloin with Squash, Zucchini, and Carrots
Saturday: Salmon Patties with Deviled Eggs and Steamed Asparagus
Sunday: Crock-pot Chili (I add 1 small roughly chopped onion, red pepper, and orange pepper and use 1 can diced tomatoes, 1 small can tomato sauce, and 3/4 cup water. I also use lean ground turkey, 1 can rinsed kidney beans, and add extra salt, pepper, and chili powder).

Breakfast:
Egg Muffins with Bacon, Onion, Diced cherry tomatoes, and shredded sharp cheddar
Banana Muffins
Coconut Pancakes
Omelets with left-over meats

Lunch:
Tuna Stuffed Avocados
Chicken Salad
Sweet Potato, Bacon, and Egg Salad
Ginger Shrimp Salad and Sweet Potato Hash

Snacks:
Nuts (organic unsalted)
Fruit with slice of cheese
Almond butter with half banana

Get Inspired!

What's on your face?

My whole life I've been blessed with great skin, never have really had a bad experience with breakouts. I can only remember having a bad reaction to some products used in my first facial that were too strong for my skin. Other than that, I've never really invested a lot of time or money into facial cleansers, moisturizers or make-up. I've splurged time to time on a few things I really like, but skincare has never been on the top of my list...until now!

Recently I've experienced horrible breakouts for the first time in my life due to pregnancy hormones. I've also experienced increased oiliness throughout my t-zone and very dry cheeks. Right before my birthday a few weeks ago, I threw my hands up in aggravation and decided I needed some new facial cleansing products and make-up. After a little bit of research, I quickly found that the brand Philosophy had received amazing reviews on all of their products. One trip to Ulta and 3 weeks later, my skin looks clear and smooth. Here's what I purchased:

A one-step facial cleanser that melts away the make-up from my face. This product is great for my combination skin and I use it every night.

I have never used an exfoliating wash that did not dry out my skin. This one, however, is gentle enough to use everyday, and has cleaned out all of my pores. Love this stuff!

This is my favorite moisturizer ever!! It's light weight, non-greasy and oil-free, deeply hydrating, and makes my face feel so smooth. I love how my face feels after applying. I use this twice daily. 

This on the spot sulfur treatment targets my blemishes and helps to quickly clear my skin and prevent future breakouts.

Don't really need to spend too much attention on the eye area yet, but at 31 I've noticed a few fine lines. This is perfect and fights against the 7 signs of aging.

After cleansing my face in the morning, and applying my mineral foundation, I dab this stuff on my cheekbones for a soft dewy look. I apply a tiny amount with my fingertip and it drys fast leaving a sheer glow without the sparkles!

I've used Lorac blush for a really long time, but since my cheeks have been so dry, a friend recommended using a cream blush. Never crossed my mind to purchase. This Convertible Color blush by Stila adds a natural sheer tint that is non-greasy and can be used on my lips as well. I purchased this in Camellia and I've been very happy.

I purchased this mascara a few months ago after a close friend said she found the perfect mascera. Mac Haute & Naughty Lash has this dual-wiper system that refines the lashes for a clean defined look, while the other loads the lashes for greater impact...great for night.

Wanted to share a few of my favorites! Hope you enjoyed! I know this stuff is working because a woman from my bible study said I looked 21, not 31. Now my secret is out :)

18 months

I feel like I haven't blogged about William in a while. Not only is he 18 months old, but we're starting to break him of his "boppy" (paci) this week. He is so smart and so sweet, it's really hard disciplining or taking things away from him. I think like anything else, he'll quickly get over his love affair of the "boppy" and we can all move forward! I just purchased him a matching twin bed and mattress to Nolan's for when they start sharing a room here shortly. I can't imagine taking him out of the crib in the next few months, so if he's not ready by the time baby #3 arrives, I'm going to borrow a crib from a friend! I'm definitely not going to rush/push it because he is so scheduled and such a great sleeper. I have always been able to just lay him down, and he falls asleep without crying. Such an easy baby. I really don't want to mess up a good thing, especially since William is so active and busy all the time, I could totally see him getting out of the bed consistently. Same reason I'm hesitant to convert the crib to a toddler bed. He will get out in a heartbeat...without a doubt!

William weighed in at 26 pounds at his 18 month check-up and was 33 inches long. He finally made it to the 60th percentile :) He's ahead on a lot of milestones, but still has trouble feeding himself with a fork/spoon. He makes a terrible mess in the high chair, so I often just let him feed himself with his hands. For now he's still my baby and I'm so lucky to be his mommy :)

Flag Football

So we decided to sign Nolan up for 3 year old flag football with the Ocean Springs YMCA. He's definitely still a little young for this....but it's fun for the kids to run around chasing each other for their flags. Nolan did great his first game until he had the ball and his flags were pulled. He was done after that! Last game they got new flags and Nolan smashed his finger in the clip right before the game started, and cried on the sideline saying he wanted to go home :( Tonight we have practice and we really hope he just has fun and enjoys the time with his friends. Expectations are pretty low considering he's only 3, but at least this can prepare him for future team sports.

Christmas 2010

What a procrastinator I've been! It's mid-January and I'm just updating my blog with Christmas pictures! We hardly took any pictures this year and Eric video taped the whole thing Christmas morning...which we later watched and realized the whole thing was in night vision! Oh, well! the kids had a blast...especially in their new truck!

The kids loved their soccer goal from Nonna & Pa-Paw

Nolan loved his guitar from Nommie & PapPa Mike

Our pretty tree Christmas morn

All about Thomas again this year

A Merry Christmas

What a blessed year we have had with our two precious sons! They are such a light to our lives and make everyday better with their sweet smiles, laughter, and playfulness :) We are also blown away by the unexpected news that we would soon welcome another child into this world! God is so good...even when we least expect it he pours out His blessings on those that fully trust Him with their lives.

We have had so much fun this season blessing others with what God has blessed us with. I feel like we have given more now than we ever have, and in return, I feel "wowed" by how good giving really feels. I am really looking forward to staying home this weekend with my family and starting our own Christmas traditions. I'm looking forward to our candlelight service at church tomorrow night, reading the Christmas story to the boys, and baking a cake for Jesus :) I'm going to be cooking our first real Christmas day dinner for family...so I pray the 5lb beef tenderloin is amazing! More than anything, I'm just so thankful for my husband and to share this special time of year with him. I just love him immensely, and I'm really looking forward to sitting back with him and enjoying our boys faces Christmas morning.

And the results say:

So, I bought the test yesterday because it has been right for a few of my friends. I think it's only 80% accurate, but I thought it would be fun to do until we go in for our next scheduled ultrasound.

And the results said:

I'm definitely not going to get my hopes up in case we find out it's a boy (which I will certainly be happy to have). It's nice to think I could really have a girl this time around :)

10 weeks

Baby #3 is on the way and moving all around in my belly! We had our 10 week ultrasound yesterday and the baby was literally dancing all around :) The heartbeat was 175 and I'm measuring right on time for a due date of July 9th. We are finally used to the idea that we are REALLY having another baby...the shock has finally subsided! This pregnancy has been very different from my other 2, but the sickness has let up and I'm starting to feel a lot more like myself. I will try really hard to be a better blogger now!!

Now that's a deal!

If you're a stay at home mom, you're probably looking to save money on a regular basis...especially this time of year when it seems like all we do is spend, spend, spend! Anyhow, I was in the process of picking out our Christmas cards on Shutterfly, and I came across a blog entry from a close friend about free Christmas cards for bloggers!

So excited to learn about this and even more thrilled I'm going to save some money on our cards. They have some amazing card designs this year and I'm having a hard time picking a favorite. There are just so many possibilities! I have had a Shutterfly account for many years and have always been pleased with their wall calendars, photo books, and Valentine cards.

So the deal is, they are giving 50 Christmas cards away to bloggers. Yippee!
Check it out!