an a(maize)ing weekend

 this was just the best weekend.. lots of family, fun, and fall-ness!

it started on Thursday. Evynn and I matched (which is just one perk of having a daughter, am I right?) in eyelid sleeve white shirts from old navy. 

My parents and I arrived that afternoon. Cody and I decided to take advantage of my parents weekend visit and go on our first date since July 22nd! While I was at home visiting with my parents and Cody was at work, the doorbell rang and there was a beautiful fall orange rose arrangement from my husband. Someone was going big on date night ;) Once he got home from work we headed to Lubbock and went to Hyashi for sushi (the first thing I wanted after being pregnant) then the pie bar for dessert. We missed our girl very much but it was great to enjoy time together without worrying about her next feeding or her getting fussy.

Friday morning we woke up and took our time getting ready. we headed to lubbock and ran a few errands. and I traded in my iPhone 4 (that i've had for 5 years!) for an iPhone 6s! yessss!!

I really wanted to do something fun this weekend with my parents in town and i love all things fall, so i thought visiting the corn maze would be a fun activity. We had a lot of fun, may have gotten little lost, and enjoyed the fall atmosphere. 

Saturday morning I went to Lubbock to a RSC alumni brunch. RSC is a christian sorority that I was in in college and loved the friendships and experience I had through it. It was so great to see my college friends and get some good laughs in!

once I got home it was time for the Tech game! Although we lost, it was fun to watch. 

(^too busy watching the game to do tummy time ;))

we made chili and had pineapple upside cake for my dads birthday!

Cody and I are always especially thankful for family at around 10pm ;) Evynn is particularly picky when it comes to laying down for bed. So after several attempts at bedtime last night I handed her off to my parents (who were still up watching the A&M game) and headed to bed for some rest. score!

This morning we went to church, then to Lubbock for lunch (and to see Claire!) then back for a church open house/dessert party. Now we're enjoying this cold,rainy fall weather, candles lit and a movie on. 

parenting 101 // links i love

jk. more like we survived the first two months!!!

we are so far from being able to tell anyone how to do anything... and even farther from parenting. right now our job as parents is to love and keep this child alive.

the last few weeks have been so fun! evynn is smiley and talkative and on board to go on any outing with us! we can usually be prepared for any diaper changes or feedings that cause her to be upset before she completely looses it, so most of our trips have been great! although she's not the best sleeper, we're either making bigger leaps or i'm just so delirious at night i can't remember how often i truly am awake. either way, it doesn't seem as bad a few weeks ago.

at this point, even the grossest part of being mom isn't bad. i do find myself doing things i never thought i would (sucking snot out of her nose...). for some reason, i think any kind of spit up or poop accident is still hilarious at this point. for instance the other night we sat in our car in front of our house to watch the blood moon and evynn had just finished eating. i sat her up to burp her and she spit up a ton all down my shirt.... threw me into a full laughter fit. guess that's a better response than to be mad! ...or yesterday when an impromptu nursing sesh in the backseat of my car in the target parking lot reveal evynn's diaper blowout (anyone know why my childs poop is all on one side or the other?! sheesh!). thank goodness for nursing covers that double as a backup top ;)

overall cody and I love this little cuddle buddy and the joy she brings to our lives! i love this sassy, dramatic personality of hers already! and those grins she shows her daddy.. melt my heart.

links i love for your wednesday entertainment:
i just discovered kortni jeane swimsuits this morning on the gram. i am 110% in love with fall right now, but can't help but be excited about these swimsuits for next summer! they're adorable, modest, and cover up all things mom body ;) and even better, they have mini versions. having a daughter totally means matching outfits, right?

this article is great on what to do with a baby all day long. i love these days of cuddling and lounging but some of my most frustrating days have been at home. "it's time for your nap.... it's been 2 hours, you still need a nap..." vs. when we spend a day out running errands, even just walking around target, it helps my mood improve and helps me cherish our days at home more. i do look forward to evynn being little older so i can incorporate activities into our day. i have to tell myself, don't rush this season

these pumpkin marshmallow cookies look delish.

our 2nd anniversary is quickly approaching! time to plan the sappy stuff and watch our wedding video on repeat. mayyyyybe we can use this as an excuse to go on our first date in 2.5 months?!




and because no post is complete without pictures (and evynn is still nursing...) here's some fun over the last few days ;)

...someone found momma's hair... joy.

big smiles in target, like mother like daughter ;)

the perfect weekend

this was the kind of weekend you invasion when you think of fall. cooler weather, fall candles lit, and football on tv. 

friday: cody, evynn, and i spent the morning getting over a nasty cold. for cody and i we drank carrot/apple/kale/mustard green juices like they were going out of style. if they even are in style and alka seltzer. for little evynn it meant sleeping with a humidifier, constant bulb suction of the boogers and long naps. by friday night we all felt 90% better! we went to a friends house and enjoyed pizza and new friends. we came home to our in laws at our house which meant an early bed time for cody and I while they loved on evynn ;)

saturday morning I got up early and started prepping for my brunch with some of my college girlfriends. my friend ashley is always up for a party of some kind so she teamed up with me to make some tasty fall treats. the weather was perfect (even a little too warm!) so we set up outside. it was so much fun to celebrate the start of fall with friends and to catch up with our evolving lives ;)

i made these little breakfast cups by putting a small handful of frozen hash browns and cheese in the bottom of these baking cups, baking them for 15 min at 450, then cracking an egg in each, topping with bacon bits and parsley and cooking for another 15 minutes. 

homeade pumpkin spiced latte and water to drink. it was no starbucks PSL but yummy nonetheless! In the crockpot I combined 6 cups whole milk, 5 cups coffee, 1/2 cup pumpkin puree, 1/2 cup sugar, 1/2 cup vanilla extract, a dash of cinnamon and 3 cinnamon sticks. 

I also made the easiest pumpkin cinnamon rolls. I used 1 pkg of seamless crescent rolls, spread pumpkin butter all over, sprinkled brown sugar and cinnamon and rolled it up. cut them into inch slices and set in pan. I topped it with 1 pkg of cream cheese, 1/2 cup butter and a 1/4 cup sugar all mixed. (i made this x2 for the amount i wanted)

 ashley made pumpkin donuts and brought fruit and fruit dip, yum!

so fun!

saturday afternoon, cody, evynn and I lounged around and watched the Tech game which was so close! 

excuse the blurry picture but this was the last few minutes of the game, cody had to get up close and personal. what.a.game.

sunday: we went to church then to torches for lunch then home for naps and lounging and blogging! 

our life | what we eat

Cody and I both have a love for some good, healthy food. It also helps that I'm trying to reshape our diet to get off these baby pounds. Here are a few ideas for some healthy snacks and meals!

chia seed "pudding"

ingredients:

some fruit: bananas, peaches, berries, etc. any kind works!

coconut milk (fill bowl about half way)

chia seeds (about 1/4 cup)

coconut shavings (about 1/4 cup)

vanilla extract (a dash)

cinnamon (a dash)

mix them all together and let it sit for a minute to allow the chia seeds plump up :)

this is a great breakfast or snack!

dinner:

spaghetti squash pad thai

ingredients: 

spaghetti squash

meat (we used shrimp)

veggies (mushrooms, carrot shavings, broccoli)

eggs

sauce (I used lettuce wrap sauce from the store)

Cook the spaghetti squash first, cut the squash in half, sprinkle with oil and cook at 350 degrees for 40 minutes. Meanwhile, put broccoli, carrots and mushrooms in a skillet to simmer. Once they are soft, add shrimp in for a few minutes. If theres room in that skillet (or else get a separate one) to cook and scramble an egg. Add the egg and veggies together and top with sauce. Once the spaghetti squash is done cooking, you should be able to scrap the "pasta" out of the squash shell with a fork and it have  a spaghetti appearance. Put squash "noodles" in a bowl and top with the veggie mixture. 

it is so delicious and so nice to know it is essentially all veggies!!

cauliflower crust pizza

i was skeptical about this because how could cauliflower possibly replace pizza crust but it actually turned out great!

first, I cut off the cauliflower florets and put them in a food processor where I chopped them to a "rice consistency". I made about 6 cups worth (about 3/4 of the cauliflower). then i microwaved that (no water added) for 7 minutes to soften the pieces. meanwhile, preheat the oven to 450 degrees. once the cauliflower was cooked, i added one egg, a sprinkle of basil, a sprinkle of garlic powder,  a sprinkle of parsley, and black pepper. (i never measure spices in these situations). mix it all together then spread it out on a greased pizza pan. I didn't make it too thin and i bunched up the edges to be a crust. then add your toppings. i used what we had on hand: pizza sauce, sliced tomatoes, green peppers, mushrooms, and cheese. we had to eat it with a fork but it was great! and so nice to know it was all veggies and not all greasy. 

fall squash salad

for this salad, I cut an acorn squash into thin slices, then cut the slices into smaller pieces about 4 inches long. I sautéed that on a skillet with brown sugar until soft.  i added pecans and pumpkin pie spice  to one part of the skillet to brown those. meanwhile, i chopped up a cucumber and avocado. i made a vinaigrette with vinegar, olive oil and black pepper. put all on top of a spinach mix and ta-da!