on the eve of February

the kids were confused why they had school when it "snowed" ... also Bosco and I have varying levels of love/hate for said snow

1. 89 cheers for the last day of January. I think February is happy to have its moment in the spotlight because it's going to be almost 70 (!!!!!!) on Sunday - a miraculous temperature I haven't been stalking for the last 8 days, definitely not. Are we looking ahead at the snow in the forecast on Tuesday? Also definitely not. I don't think I look at the weather app at all during the warmer months but it feels like I check it hourly during these colder months as if it's going to suddenly change for the less sad.

2. The girls and I do have a once in a life time type of trip planned with Lauren in a couple of weeks so this winter might go down as one of the better (best?) ones to date! I'll keep you overly posted. The weather looks similarish to here so I'm over thinking shoes and coats and clothing and will probably still pack all of the wrong things. When I'm old and grown I'm going to invent a normal colored lined kids ankle rain boot that isn't super heavy with non-slip bottoms  (these look close-ish but the price tag does not). Mark my typed words.

3. I finished The Dream Daughter this week and I can't remember the last time I stayed up so stupidly late to finish a book. So many herky jerky twists and turns (the good kind) and while I don't think I ever would've picked it out on my own - I'm glad I read it. You know I'm always looking for new meal ideas and Emily's brand new cookbook is an answer to meal prayers + the proceeds go to thee most wonderful cause! Win/win/WIN.

4. Did you see that the Crown will "end" in 2003? Selfishly, I'm not pleased but I can't complain because the next two seasons are sure to be just as great as the first three. However, I was looking forward to seeing how the recent split would be played out ... I'll survive. I think. I did enjoy the special ABC aired on Wednesday night on Harry and Meghan - I'll take what I can get.

5. I'm not sure where I've been but I only recently discovered this gorgeous shop. Julia and Sebastian are starting to grow out of the kid-kid (technical name) sizes and I feel completely lost as we (slowly!) approach the tween years style but am hoping I can sneak a few seasons of this goodness in before they officially grow out of their sizes!

6. This is a strong statement but this might be my best Amazon purchase to date. Clement is completely obsessed with it and we try to reserve it to keep him happy in the car and at Mass and it works like an absolute charm. I even bought an extra + the keychain version because I'm so amazed at his undying love for the seemingly simple toy. And now I'm wondering what other Fat Brain toys he might love ...

7. I've been looking for a moto jacket and was thrilled to see this one at Nordstrom Rack earlier this week. I won't be able to zip it up until the fall but still! It's very cute. I also love these shorts (they look much shorter on the model than they are IRL) and was happy to see them on sale to size up for the postpartum months of summer delight. LOFT is having an extra 50% off all sale styles sale (say that 3x fast) and this adorable top caught my eye along with this cardigan. The Zella pocket leggings have ruined me and now I must have pockets on all of my leggings and I've been very pleasantly surprised by these. They'll be great for the warmer weather with the calf ventilation too. ha Ha HA.

Have a phenomenal weekend! Go Chiefs!!

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and so this is still January

1. Even though last week seemed to fly by it still feels like we should be a teeny bit closer to February than we are which feels about right for January, you know? You do. The appropriately awful January weather is upon us and I find myself checking the 10 day forecast before I do anything else in the morning with the hope that we'll have another 60 degree miracle. No such luck, yet.

2. I hit the 20 week mark this weekend and had the big ultrasound this morning. Simon and the girls really wanted to find out the gender but I held strong (although Julia confesses she peeked). We'll find out in a very short and painless ~4.5 months ... patience, young + old grasshoppers. I had been feeling decent so eased up on my nausea medicine but have paid the price this week and am back to praising the wonders of western medicine. This is the latest I've felt this crummy (which is not to complain! I have it very easy compared to so many!!) and I'm going to blame my age ha.

3. I read the super sweet, In The Moonlight this past week and recommend if you're looking for something relatively light and zippy. I just started The Dream Daughter as part of Abbie's February book club and it's feeling less light but already very engaging and I'm super intrigued thus far. I also started watching the Netflix Documentary, "Cheer" and ... can't stop. Even Simon looks up from his book and admits it's really interesting. I'd recommend it but I think everyone has already watched it!

4. Kidizen very kindly made me my own link to the clothes I'm selling - lots have already sold but there are lots left and more to be listed! Hopefully that's less confusing that what I tried to explain last week. My apologies!!

5. As our Lego collection grows (and grows!!) I'm starting to think beyond the big plastic bin the boys lug all over the house. I really do love how much (especially Bosco) enjoys building, "machines" but think I'd love them more with a setup like this ... isn't it lovely? It is.

6. I've been struggling on the dinner front lately. I made two meals I was sure would be hits with mostly everyone but they were not (to put it politely) so if you have any great dinner ideas you'd like to share - I'm all ears/eyes. I think I've linked these before but they're worth a relink - if you have Reeses lovers in your house - these are sure to be a huge hit.

7. The LOFT sale caught my eye (is it just me or do the January sales feel even better than the ~black Friday stuff?) esp these sunglasses, this dress, and this sweater (use code: FLASH for 50% off). And J.Crew seems to really be cleaning house with their markdowns and I'm not complaining. And finally I'm wondering if these boots will be the boots to end my black boot search? I'm hoping!!

Have a wonderful rest of the week!!

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and so this is January ...

... and you might have to suffer through a few more weeks of Christmas pictures because my super talented sister-in-law took too many great snaps not to share with the masses.

1. The above photo is from a fun book exchange we did with the grandkids on Simon's side of the family (he has four siblings - all married or almost married so five couples total and ten grandkids total so each couple drew two names and gifted a book to the niece(s) or nephew(s) they drew! It was really fun - I highly recommend) shortly before Christmas. Simon's sister made one heck of a feast and we put a Christmas movie on for the kids (already in their pajamas - genius idea that was not mine) and I think a yearly tradition was born! Did you want to know all of that? I think you did.

2. There's a new and updated prayer for Amber over here if you scroll down to the January 7th update in the event that you have some prayer time to spare!

3. I can't not touch on the weather because it was the most beautiful 60 degree day yesterday and I was in figurative heaven but tomorrow's forecast is predicting snow and lots of it. In another life I will get excited about snow but I've already gotten super stuck in the snow in our notsmall van this winter and I'd be happy not to see it again for a long, long time (and we don't even get it that often). Anyway, it's appropriate to start wishing for spring in late March/early April - not early January but maybe if I just whisper the wish ... maybe it will listen.

4. Listen, I know the Bachelor/ette franchise is not everyone's thing but it was a GEM of a premiere this past Monday. Simon reluctantly watched it with me and was even feeling strongly about Hannah's reappearance at the end of the episode (we have differing feelings on the matter - mine are the correct ones.) I don't think Peter and Hannah are back together but I would love it if they were. My favorite off the bat (and she was given the gift of an incredible edit and date) was Madison but time will tell as I still don't feel like I know 75% of their names. Sharleen's recap echoed a lot of my thoughts and I'm just really excited for the season. I tried to edit this overeager paragraph down but I can't.

5. I'm selling (with the help of an awesome style scout - shout out to Shara!) some gently used (sometimes new!) kids + mom clothing over on Kidizen if you want to check it out. I peruse the app almost daily and have gotten lots of the kids clothes and shoes there!

6.  Amazon find of the week was this lilac-esque nail polish. I usually go for dark or super light barely there colors but this is a fun in between one that isn't too purple-y but is still deemed fun enough that the girls have requested it. Definitely recommend if you're in the market for a new nail hue.

7. I really REALLY love and wanted this dress when it first came out but it sold out almost immediately but I guess I'm glad I was forced to wait because now it's on sale + an additional 50% off. Woo to the hoo. I promise to never type that again, apologies. My very favorite leggings are still 40% off (maternity version too!) and I finally settled on a winter coat after trying on and returning more than I should admit.

I just discovered that Amazon has the BBC Little Women 3 part series on Prime right now so I'll let you guess what we'll be doing tonight! Wild, as always.

Have a good one!

bonus pic that Becca took of our house (plus her dog, Truman!) on Christmas day. Every year we promise we'll get a new (faux) tree since this one is covered in dead lights and every year ... we don't Keep us honest, 2020.

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Merry Christmas + Happy New Year

requisite Christmas card in e-photo form for you.

1. Sliding in in the nick of time here. I really thought I'd get another post in before the festivities began but (oh so shockingly) ... I did not. I hope YOU had a merry Christmas though and that you're ready to get back to the rigors of (glorious) routine tomorrow. We have been gifted with the most beautiful winter weather in the 50s this week and getting outside and perhaps more importantly -- getting the kids outside has felt like the best present of all the presents. Will we be paying for this with heavy and dreadful snow in April? Probably. But, let me lap up the sunshine now. 

2. It would be appropriate to dedicate an entire blog post to this prayer request but my track record tells me it's smarter to just get it out there right now. A friend from college is undergoing treatment for metastatic stage 4 colon cancer right now and she and her wonderful family could really use your prayers. She has always been so kind to me throughout the years, especially after I miscarried Felipé, and I'm all but selfishly begging that you dedicate a chunk of your prayer time to her healing. Thank you thank you thank you!

3. I've only managed to make reading headway on Little Women over break and it seems like the new movie version is going to be a real treat - at least according to the few glowing reviews I've read from my e-friends. Almost every night I tell Simon I wish I could, "find a good book" but then remember I am reading a good book and shut my mouth and plug away again. I did finish Virgin River and didn't think I enjoyed it all that much but I catch myself looking very much forward to season 2 so maybe I enjoyed it more than I realized. Maybe! Peter's season starts tomorrow and as it's one of the only silver linings of January ... my hopes are up very high. 

4. We celebrated Theo's 7th birthday on the 30th and despite it not really being ice cream cake season -- that's what he requested and I made. It's a little time consuming but super easy in case you have a celebration in need of a frozen dessert looming in the future. I've made it with all different kinds of ice cream (the most recent being mint chocolate chip) and so far we haven't gone wrong. He also requested spaghetti and I tried my hand at these super easy garlic knots which seemed to be a hit. 

5. As predicted - one of the reigning + favorite presents from all of Christmas morning were these flashlights. Abe is suddenly the perfect age for these "coloring" books and I should've just given him a box and called it good on his present front. Simon has been eying these for well over a year and Santa made sure they were under the tree and you know you're a real funion when your favorite gift was a sweater blazer (followed closely by a blender) and you have to bite your tongue when you're tempted to tell any and everyone that, "it has pockets!" as if that justifies the fact that you live in said swazer now. 

6. I've been thinking about (re)painting our room for several months now but sprung it on Simon the night before I went to the store to buy paint. I hemmed and hawed over Benjamin Moore's Antique Jade or something super dark ("and moody" as I told a skeptical Simon) like Narragansett Green. The latter won in the end as I wanted to kind of blend our bold headboard in with the room -- which makes no sense, I realize. The room is full of cream colored built-ins (that won't be torn out or painted anytime soon) and I like the stark contrast of light and dark. I just need to spray paint our mirror gold and hang some art and replace all of the light switch plates and and and AND ... but it should be done and fun to show you SOON. 

7. I used some Christmas money to buy this long coveted sweatshirt and it has not disappointed at ALL. Paired with my new kicks - it's always tough to tell if I made the trek to the gym that day .. or not. No shame in my athleisure game, ever. 

8. And as a fitting bonus #8 -- maybe you saw over on the old IG but baby #8 will make his/her debut in June (or May!). We're excited and Simon is realllllly putting the pressure on to find out if it's a he or a she but I have two weeks until the big ultrasound to convince him that my final answer is: NO. At 18 weeks I'm feeling pretty darn good and we are so grateful for a healthy + kicking baby thus far!

Hope you all have a wonderful and relaxing Sunday. If you'd like to come and take our Christmas decorations down .. I wouldn't mind a BIT. 

xoxo, 

GP

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