17.52

"A portrait of my child, once a week, every week, in 2014."

Jack- We took family photos this weekend, saw daddy race the Carytown10k, went to the park, had lunch with Finley, his cousin, and played all night while making s'mores at aunt Chasity and uncle Avery's. I bet this child is beat since I had to drop him off at daycare at 7am. Cheers to the weekend!

Coffee is my life.

I mean, I'll admit it. I go to Starbucks waaayyyy more than any coffee-aholic should. Sometimes twice a day. That's like $40 a week if I were to go every day. I just LOVE when someone makes me coffee. And there's a drive thru. I'm

Lazy. And it's right across the street from my work (ok, enough excuses). 

I've been trying really hard to make my coffee at home, but spring has sprung,which means I crave iced coffee. I found an iced coffee recipe and decided to give it a whirl. Not too shabby! 

Here's what you would need to make a homemade iced vanilla macchiato. 

I brewed strong coffee the night before and put it in the fridge. 

So in a saucepan on medium heat put the sugar and water in and stir until sugar is completely melted. Add vanilla extract. Set aside to cool. 

Fill your glass with ice. Add a couple tablespoons of the vanilla syrup you just made and pour milk overtop. Add coffee on top and voila!

Perfect for a nice walk around the neighborhood. 

16.52

"a portrait of my child, once a week, every week, in 2014."

Jack- school pictures. 4 years old. So adorable!

Easter 2014

We had such a wonderful weekend. Jack actually sat still long enough for us to listen to the entire sermon at church. Although it was rather funny that he kept asking, "Why does she keep washing his feet?" :) Referring to Mary washing Jesus' feet. I loved that he was listening, but he was speaking so loudly when the entire church was silent. He are working on sitting still/being quiet. He did a wonderful job this time occupying himself with stamps and coloring. After soaking up church, we ventured to Starbucks after church for some coffee and apple juice while waiting to go to brunch at my mom and dad's house.

Brunch at my mom's was delicious and the Easter egg hunt was a hit. 

After my mom's we headed to TJ's parents to eat more, play corn hole, and find more eggs. Easter was good to the Gilbert's :) but my absolute favorite part was soaking up the sermon at church with my 2 boys. It filled my heart with warmth and brought me back to the true meaning of Easter. 

Also I made these cute strawberry shortcakes in mason jars. I made them with angel food cake, cool whip, and strawberries. Not too many calories, right?!

15.52

" A portrait of my child, once a week, every week, in 2014."

Jack- A throwback, even though it's not Thursday :) this just makes me smile. Jack at the farmers market. 2 years old. 

Weekend Discoveries

I need a re do on this past weekend. They go by so fast and are always jam packed. It actually felt like spring all weekend which was amazing. Saturday TJ, Jack, and I went to look at a couple places to possibly move to. We have been debating on moving for years now. Do we stay in Richmond, the place that we are totally IN LOVE with, or move? You can't beat Richmond. We can walk to local restaurants, book stores, and coffee shops. We live in a beautiful neighborhood. We have a huge space with tons of yard for Jack to play. When we searched other places we thought, "Why would we pay $300.00 extra dollars a month for less space, no yard, and no washer and dryer?" We ultimately decided we are richmonders :) We took out money that we have been saving for a move and are going to weed out all of our hammy down furniture. We want to make our space welcoming and peaceful. We also want to make it our own. so that's that!

We also ate out more than we should this weekend, but it was sunny and gorgeous! We de-cluttered Jacks room and rearranged it. We got rid of everything in our bathroom and went to my BFF Target to pick out what we have now.


Also you have GOT to try these all natural cleaning products! The brand is Mrs. Meyers and are available at Target. They are naturally derived ingredients with essential oil. Gentle and smells amazing. I love that you don't have to worry about harsh chemicals in your house, especially with children. I bought a few hand soaps(honeysuckle and basil) and will move on to trying the counter top cleaner and floor cleaner. #teamallnatural :)

Today.

Things that have made me happy today

A day off in the 70's

Jack sleeping until 8 a.m.

Morning coffee with no interruptions

Afternoon coffee with interruptions :)

Windows down, music up

Making hopscotch for Jack to practice on

Blowing bubbles

Jack yelling out our window, "Attention birds. Get out of our yard. You right there! You're in trouble!"

Picking up essential oils from our favorite place

Sitting in the sun with some sweet tea

Dear Jack

  To my sweet boy who is now four years old. Who has grown into such a polite, caring, and gentle soul. My lover of Despicable Me, Toy Story, dinosaurs, and chocolate pudding. You have changed my world so much in the last four years, that I can't imagine my world without you in it. You are hilarious. The things you ask me daily sometimes catch me off guard and I can't help but giggle. What I love most is when you wake up in the morning and still need cuddles from your mama. Though you are becoming more and more independent as you grow older, I love that you still want to me hold you, carry you, kiss your boo boo's, and tell you bedtime stories.

  As a mom, I question myself daily. Praying that you feel enough love from me. Hoping you always feel safe and taken care of. I just want you to know that is exactly what I feel from you everyday. You keep me going, make me a better person, challenge me, and accept me for who I am. I am so lucky to be your mom. It's literally the best thing I have accomplished in my lifetime.

  I love that you look just like your dad and are just as silly. I love that we have the same eyes. Every time I look into them I see a little glimpse of myself and that makes me proud. I love that you have a little bit of OCD in you and that you need everything in its place. You can dress yourself, brush your teeth, bathe yourself, put your dishes away and help with chores. You always love to help your daddy fluff the pillows. And you're just the best at helping vacuum. I just love everything about you. I could go on forever.

  Since you were born you have always been a co-sleeper. It's what's brought me the most joy. I take comfort in hearing you breathe, seeing you chest move up and down, knowing you are safe and secure. You always reach out to find my hand in the middle of the night to make sure I am there. I love that bond. Ever since your birthday we have moved you into your own room. You are a big boy now and more independent. You have been doing such a good job, but last night was the first night I did not lay with you. You said you would be okay to go to sleep by yourself with the light on. Even though I am so proud, I couldn't help but feel some type of way last night. You're growing up and now you won't need me as much. I took extra time to study your face after you were asleep. You were so peaceful, so big. my heart ached to climb in that bed and just lay there, but you don't need that anymore. Maybe it is me who is more attached, but I will have to accept this as another chapter starting in our little life.

I can't wait to see where four takes you to. My little April Fools baby.

love,
your mama

14.52

"A portrait of my child, once a week, every week, in 2014."

Jack- my big boy on his second year at daycare!

My how he's changed, grown, and become such a gentle soul.

How I know I'm closer to 30.

Today I have:

Paid my taxes!

Refinanced my vehicle for a better rate!

Chose salad over cookies

Finished my evaluation for work

Reviewed my benefits

Have chosen water over a Dr. Pepper :(

Written down everything we need to move

Thinking about making a homemade dinner tonight after working 11 hours

If this excites you, as it does for me, you are old! OMG I'm almost 30! I'm going to need to not act 30. Someone please shotgun a beer with me, do a keg stand, pull an all nigher downtown, dance on tabletops, break out some cards and play kings!!!!! Save me!!! I'm only 28!! 

But seriously.  

Let's go back to the younger days. A little flash black:

AH! That's better!

Snippets // our weekend

1. Friday night greeted us with warm weather. 

2. A sick 24 hour bug on Saturday had this boy taking a 3 hour nap. 

3. Hubby always sneaks in this pull and peel shrimp at the grocery store. 

4. Treasures from our walk to the park. 

5. Helping Papa set up the Easter decorations. 

6. The best Mexican food at Chuy's on sunday night. 

Happy Monday!

A day without a phone.

Not by choice, mind you. My cheap charger decided to break on me! Luckily, I had the day off with Jack and we could be outside and enjoy the gorgeous weather. I'll admit I am totally addicted to having my phone right beside me at all times. I never want to miss a picture and I'm a little obsessed with checking instagram every hour to check up on James Franco. So yesterday was a little bit of therapy for me. A day without a phone. AHHH.... It was AMAZING! Jack and I ventured out for a walk around Carytown, stopped by a local store to grab some picnic foods for our trip to Bryan Park. We were actually the only ones at  the park, so we carefully layed out our food and soaked up the sunshine. Jack was too busy running to the slide, coming back and taking a bite of lunch, then running back to play on something else. It was so nice to just sit there, listening to him laugh. The sun was just beautiful. It's amazing what you miss out on when you're attached to a mobile device. It was actually freeing without it for once! I may do this more often! Sadly, there is no picture to go with my beautiful day, but it was sooo lovely.


xoxo,
E