Weekend Links

unsure of the source. anyone know?

Happy Friday, everyone! This weekend we'll be celebrating both of our birthdays and our anniversary so I'm signing off, but here are some links to check out. I'll be back Monday with some fun weekend photos. Enjoy!

This is the dress I've been LIVING in. Amazing quality, loveliest print, perfect for pregnant gals and non-pregnant gals alike.

I would LOVE to own one of these gorgeous quilts. 

As a former teacher, I especially enjoyed this article about teachers who got the last laugh.

Love this, especially Connie Britton.

A great Etsy vintage shop- so many gems!

Can't wait to try these new bars- they look awesome.

These images of summer make me SO happy.

Wishlist: this bag, this dress, this plant stand, and these sunglasses.

My pal Angela shared these no-bake cookies via Twitter via Pinterest (make sense?) and they're now on my must-make list.

Farro Salad. This looks great!

The sweet folks over at The Wishing Elephant sent Charlie over this cute onesie and hat. Star Wars love!

A fascinating read: 7 reasons child stars go crazy.

How great is this baby blanket? And this tee too!

Enjoyed this little post about not being perfect over on Elsie's blog.

Jessie of Style & Pepper is bringing Pepperologie to Phoenix this October! Will you be attending?

Waiting for this little number to arrive in the mail!

Reading the final installment of this trilogy and LOVING it. Such a good series.

And finally, I love Busy Philipps, and I love this clip of her speaking about body image.

Red Dirt & Blue Skies

It's weird, growing up I wouldn't have considered myself a total outdoorsy kind of kid even though we lived acres of lush, green forest and my Mom and Dad were always gardening or working on something outside. My Mom likes to joke about how I would have done anything to avoid getting dirty. I loved sports, riding my bike, etc., but I was never one to go digging in the dirt or want to jump in mud puddles or anything. My sister was much more of the adventurous one, and even later I've always preferred more "controlled environments." Ever hear of "glamping"? ;)

So it's funny now, that I have this need to be outside as much as possible. I have an urge to camp, to dig in the sandbox with Henry, to get dirty in the front yard planting flowers. I'm not sure when it happened, but I'm sure it had to be after college. Have I ever shared the sorority camping incident story here? If not, someone let me know, because it's a good one. But I do think this whole shift has something to do with being a parent, wanting to simplify (in my own way, at least), and get back in touch with nature. Although that begs the question, was I ever IN touch?

Henry and I spend a lot of time outdoors, and every weekend the three of us always find ourselves outside exploring or on some sort of an adventure. Last week we all made the short drive to beautiful Sedona, and spent some time at Red Rock Park, one of our favorite places in Sedona. Have you been there before? There are a ton of picnic areas and trails to explore, but the most beautiful little spot would have to be the first bridge as you're walking down into the main hiking area. I just love it.

This time we decided to wear Henry in our ErgoBaby carrier (Ergo generously sent us some carriers last month for Henry and Charlie) and it was AWESOME. I actually didn't know you could wear a toddler as big as Henry in the pack, but both Hank and Henry were pleasantly surprised with how easy and comfy it was. Henry even remarked that Hank was Luke, and he was Yoda. Ha!

A few things about our day:

1. At the end of our hike Hank and I both finally decided it was DEFINITELY time for H. to get a haircut. The mix of sunscreen, sweat, and the breeze made it all sorts of tangled (dreadlocked even) so a couple days later I ended up cutting a few inches off. Much better!

2. Sedona = red dirt. And that red dirt gets everywhere! The running shoes I wore are now gray, neon yellow...and red.

3. No matter how much time I spend in the great outdoors, I'm a still a wimp. A crack of a branch or the rustle of a bush sends me jumping towards Hank, positive there is a mountain lion set to pounce, when in actuality it's usually a squirrel or a bird hopping around. I'm trying to reign this in as much as possible so I don't rub off on Henry! Easier said than done, though...

4. We ended our day with hot dogs are the BEST PLACE EVER. I'll write a separate post about this later!

p.s. Here's the carrier Hank has on, and you can use this with children up to 45 lbs!

Some thoughts on my 31st birthday.

Last year's birthday festivities- spent a weekend with some of my favorite girls...it was such a fun time!

Were you expecting a long, wordy post when you saw the title? Probably, if you're a regular reader (you know how I love those words!). I really think though, that I've said all there is to say about birthdays, and turning 31, and getting older...so now all that's left to say is this: I'm happy, the happiest I've been maybe ever. I just feel so full of joy that I get a chance to spend another year loving and being loved by this little family of mine. I feel almost weird typing out I AM HAPPY (which is so silly- we need to shout and share our joys, don't you think?), but I'm going to just go with it because hey! It's my birthday.

Thank you guys for being so supportive- you all are really the sweetest, most wonderful readers in the world. And yes, even you crabby anonymous ones who occasionally comment something not-so-nice, because you make the sweet ones that much sweeter. ;) I love you all!

Here's to 31, friends! And here's to a fun-filled birthday/anniversary week...mine's today, our anniversary is on Friday, and Hank's birthday is on Saturday. Talk about celebrating!

Henry, 21/52

"a portrait of my son, once a week, every week, in 2013" 

Henry: sometimes curling up in Mom and Dad's bed and watching a movie is the best thing in the entire world. Add in a sliced Pink Lady apple, and you're in Henry heaven.

I also just realized in a few months this project will include Charlie too! Ahh! So exciting. :)

See previous portraits here.  
This is a part of the 52 Project from the Che and Fidel blog.

Weekend Links

  2 sweet things: sweet Henry, helping me grocery shop, and sweet girlfriends who brighten up your day!

I cringe to even give this guy more page views, but if you're in the mood to read some craziness, check this out: "Tattoos and Other Easy Ways to Ruin Your Body." And of course everyone is entitled to their opinion, but some of the things he says are just...really crazy, at least from my perspective.

No joke, these are the VERY BEST caramels I've ever had in my life. Order, order, order!

If you are looking to get family photos taken, and you're anywhere in the West, contact my sweet friend Lauren- she's SO good. Tell her I sent you!

The perfect 4th of July bowtie for your little guy.

The 20 most expensive homes in the world. Fascinating!

The cutest birthday shirt I've ever seen.

Wishlist, dress edition: this dress, this dress, this dress, and THIS dress.

These guys are having a HUGE Father's Day sale. Enter "LOVEYOUDADDIO" for a 3 for 2 deal. So good.

Why Angelina Jolie's Op-Ed Matters.

Love this round-up of summer party ideas. And collection of Shutterbean recipes too.

Hating on Motherhood: Is it Hip to be Negative? Great post over on Gigi's blog. What do you think?

A delicious-looking summer salad.

And how about this avocado hummus...yum!

Oh, Bill Cosby. 

How to style a long pixie-cut. Short haired ladies, where ya at?

Hello, most amazing bathing suit bottom ever.

Have you checked out this month's Emma Magazine yet?

If you have a moment and want to read a short story, check out Missing Women and Others.

Presidents: they're just like us. Ha!

Take 20% off EVERYTHING at ASOS (their maternity stuff is awesome!) with code "take20." 

Jennifer, Ellen, and Portia...love this.

If you've been thinking about getting healthier for the summer, check out my friend Megan's new consulting business. She is SO inspiring and will get you on the right track!

And speaking of health, are you "scale or size?" I try to focus more on size.

19 signs you're a homebody. 

I'm Chronically Ill and Still Believe in Body Acceptance.

And finally, if you finish these links, and want some more, head over to my girl Kaelah's blog...SO many good things in that post.

Disneyland, Day Three!

The last Disney post! All you non-Disney people, (do you exist?) you may be excited you no longer will be seeing these updates, but maybe someone out there wishes there were more! Either way, this is my last little "what we did" post until I share a "what worked for us/what didn't work for us" post sometime next week, which I'm looking forward to most of all.

Day Three was my favorite day by far. And isn't that how vacations often go? Just by the time you get the hang of it, the lay of the land...it's time to pack it up and go home! By the third day Henry was in the zone- he knew what to expect, what we were doing, and how fun and awesome the sometimes intimidating or scary things actually were!

On Saturday morning we woke up ready for our last day at the park. We grabbed a quick breakfast, then walked over to the special monorail entrance, which we hadn't realized existed until the night before. By entering through the monorail, we could bypass any and all lines into the park and just enter that way! Super convenient and another perk of staying in one of the on-site resorts. Henry had been fascinated by the monorail since day one but we hadn't yet gotten a chance to ride it and was so excited. It was the best start to our day.

We rode it into Tomorrowland, and then cut back over so Henry could ride all of his favorite rides one more time- Dumbo, Casey Jr., etc. We were also going to attempt to check out the Winnie the Pooh ride but once we walked over there it was closed for the morning, so we spent the rest of the AM just exploring the park and soaking it all up before Henry's nap. After he woke up we ended up having my favorite night out of the whole trip, and I'm still thinking about it and smiling. There were so many good parts- the parade, my very first Dole Whip float (OMG!), riding the train some more (a major theme of this trip), seeing Henry light up so many times...and then the very end of our night at California Adventure.

We reserved World of Color "seats" for the first showing and we weren't really sure what to expect at ALL. As far as we knew it was just a fireworks show with some lights? No idea what we were in for. When the show started I was pretty much blown away from the first moment. It was absolutely beautiful. The music, the lights, the water...for a Disney fan, it was really such a special thing and Henry spent the entire time watching in awe. And of course, I cried!

After the show we got our last churros of the trip and then went back to Cars Land so Henry could say "bye-bye" to Lightning McQueen. Up until this last visit he had been a little apprehensive, but during our last time through the line he finally let that goofy smile shine through and had the best time (and we snapped the best photo!).

It was a perfect end to our trip- so fun, so wonderful, and I know it might sound cheesy, but it really was just such a magical few days getting to watch Henry so excited over everything. Disneyland, we already miss you!