Friday Favorites

I am so glad it is Friday. Having time off in the middle of the week was awesome, but it completely threw my week off. I thought yesterday was Monday, but it was really Thursday.

Sadly, I have to work all day today since it is a holiday week, but at least everyone else at my work does too.

Let's get onto Friday favorites and happenings.

ONE. We had the best 4th of July. We got up, gave the girls baths and got them in their new festive gear. Then before we headed out to breakfast, I made everyone stop and take photos. The girls were so thrilled (not).

We had to drive around a bit to find a restaurant that was open on the 4th. After breakfast, we headed to Petco to get Walter more food (a bigger bag of the new one we got him) and then down to the mall to pick up a hanger for our coffee bag piece we got in Hawaii almost 4 years ago. The hanger didn't fit, so now I am on the hunt for another one. We tried to stop in Lululemon, but they were not open yet. So we decided to head to a nearby park.

We got to this park everyone talks about and they were setting up for a 4th of July event, so we had to park around the corner and it was pretty busy there.

This park was amazing. They had swings, some kind of teeter totter and two huge play structures. The one in the picture above was three stories high.

After the park, we headed home for lunch and naps. The girls didn't nap very well. Well Sutton didn't. She ended up watching The Secret Life of the Pets with me while her sister slept. Once Avery woke, we got everything packed for their sleepover at their grandparents house.

Around 3 pm, Rory headed to his parents house to drop off the girls and Walter (so he wouldn't be near the fireworks). I freshened up and waited for Rory's friends to arrive. His best man from our wedding was coming up from California with his girlfriend. Once they got there, we said our hellos, gave them a tour of the house (updated kitchen) and got to catching up.

We took an Uber downtown and had appetizers and drinks on the river. It was so beautiful outside and the weather was amazing. After drinks, we walked over to the Basement to show them the beautiful building, but they were already closed. So we walked over by the ballpark for dinner and drinks. We did lots of people watching and enjoyed the slight breeze going on.

We wanted to show them the ballpark, so we walked over to the second story bar and were able to go up. I am not sure if it was because the game was close to being over or they just didn't care, but we went in for free. We grabbed another drink and watched the rest of the game (2 innings). Once the game was over, they set off fireworks.

After the game was over we headed back down by the river to a bar and did more people watching. Around midnight we decided to walk home since it was just over a mile away. And that walk was so beautiful at night. So much fun.

How was your 4th of July?

TWO. Remember how I bought three dresses for the wedding I am going to next month? Yes, the one I have mentioned a million times. Well I finally took some photos Wednesday of me in the dresses. Well two of them. The third should be here any day now. So what do you think?

 I love the color of this dress, the lace and the feel of the dress, but I am unsure on the length of the dress. The photo on the right where my arms are down isn't that flattering, so I am not sure about it.

I love the length of this dress, the fabric, but it is slightly big on me. It doesn't show that it is bigger in the photos, but the chest is a bit big, but nothing a strapless bra can't fix.

And the last one is the beige maxi dress I posted last week. That should arrive any day now.

THREE. When we had our friends over on the 4th, we showed them our backyard and all the work we put into it with the DG. They suggested we get some sort of corn hole game and we could teach the girls to throw the beanbags for hand eye coordination. Plus it would be fun for summer evenings. So we are either thinking of getting one made or finding one we really like.

But while searching for a corn hole game, we found this Chippo game which would be so much fun. Plus I definitely could use some chipping work.

Chippo

FOUR. Remember the cute Allbirds shoes I talked about here? Well I got them this week and put them on and complete comfort, BUT my toes went to the end of the shoes. I bought a size 8 and I am always a size 8, but I am afraid they are too small. So I am sending them back (free) and hope to get the next size up. But when I did try them on they felt soooo amazing and comfy. Like walking on pillows. I will update you when I get my exchanged pair.

I am linking up with April, A Little Bit of Everything, Karli, Meet @ the Barre and Cup of Tea.

I hope you all have a good weekend!

Getting to Know Me More with 20 Questions

So it is an off week being that most people are on vacation, camping or just taking a week off. I do have today off, but I did work Monday and I have to work Thursday and Friday. Boo.

I have been fresh out of blog ideas lately (saving some good ones for later this month and next month!) and when Emily posted this getting to know me more link up on Monday, I knew I had to join. Just a few days late. Ha. Feel free to link up to The Blended Blog as well.

1. Favorite animal.  Dog. Especially my dog, Walter.

2. Wine or beer? Hands down, wine. But I do love beer. I just love wine more. I am especially loving whites and rose'.

3. Socks on/off while sleeping? Off. I do like my socks on when I am camping in a sleeping bag or if it is a really cold night during the winter, but generally off.

4. One piece or two piece swimsuit? Two. I am going to rock the bikini until my body won't allow it anymore. Or I look awful.

My J Crew bikini I rocked last weekend

5. Cooking at home or eating out? Eating out. I don't mind cooking at home, but when you eat out, you can chose something different, don't have to clean up the mess and are waited on instead of waiting on others.

6. Pepsi or coke? Coke. Always.

7. Regular or electric toothbrush? Regular. I used to have an electric toothbrush that I loved, but I hated buying the new brush heads. Lazy.

8. Candy or chocolate? Candy. I love fruity types of candy the most.

9. Coffee or tea? Coffee. If it is black coffee, add in all the creamer. If it is espresso, then a nice vanilla latte please. I do like tea though. I just like coffee more.

10. Music or talk radio? Music. Rory has been giving me crap lately about how much I complain about the stereo in my Highlander. I am used to having a good stereo with nice speakers. When my kids are not in the car, I turn it up, sing and just rock out. There isn't much better than good music.

11. Chick flick, action movie or documentary? Chick flick. I love chick flicks.

12. Regular or mechanical pencil? Regular. The mechanical ones break too easily (the lead).

13. Swimming or laying out? I love both, but I love laying out at the lake.

14. Dog or cat? Dog. See #1.

15. What do you drive? SUV, Van or Sedan? SUV - Toyota Highlander

16. Early bird catches the worm or night owl? Well I used to be a night owl. I loved staying up late and going out late, but ever since I had kids, I am more of an early bird. But I think I am most accurately a mid day person. Ha.

17. If you could only eat one food for the rest of your life, what would it be? Pasta. Pizza is a close second.

18. While sleeping: phone in your room by your side or phone in another room? In my room by my side. It sits on my nightstand but as far from my head as possible. I use my phone as my alarm, so I need it near me.

19. Singing in the shower: yes or no? Not really unless I have music on.

20. Oreo cookies: eat whole, take apart and/or dunk in milk? I love to take them apart. I eat the cookie side that has no cream on it first and then I eat the other side and really enjoy that side so much more.

Happy 4th of July!

Happy Independence (4th of July) Day to all my blogging friends! I hope you stay safe and have an amazing day. We are kid free this evening and I can't wait to see how the night unfolds. I will be back tomorrow with a getting to know me more post.

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4th of July Weekend (Early)

Another weekend passed and today I am at work while my family is off for the day. Boo. That is what happens when your kids daycare closes and you use leave that you were not supposed to. At least I can look through my weekend photos and reminisce all the fun stuff.

Let's get onto the good stuff.

Friday after work I had a few errands to run. Mainly, I had to sell some clothes at our clothes exchange, go pick up wellness papers from the girls pediatrician for their new daycare, grab lunch and go to Trader Joes. Since I had time to kill between the clothing exchange and Trader Joes, I snuck in a manicure and it was amazing. I usually see the same people from my pedicures, facials, lashes, etc., but this time I went to a new place and I didn't have to talk to anyone and it was glorious. Plus they did an amazing job.

Trader Joes was insanely packed. Everyone was buying all the things. I missed out on the cheese I wanted, but was lucky to get everything else.

I also picked up this romper and dress for the 4th. They were $5 each. Such a great deal.

After my errands were finished, I headed home to relieve my in-laws from watching the girls. The girls and I played and they helped me clean up while we waited to start making dinner. The girls ate and then we played until Rory got home. He got home just in time to play for a bit and then it was their bedtime. Once they were in bed, he headed out to grab us some pizza. Then we settled in for some House of Cards and wine.

Saturday morning we got up bright and early to pack for the beach. We knew it would be crazy with 4th of July weekend. We got there just before 9 am and it was already packed. We got to the front of the line and they closed the parking lot because it was full. The girls were not thrilled and we just sat there waiting talking to the park rangers. After a bit, she suggested the girls and Rory head down to the beach and I could wait until a spot opened. So they did that. And just about 5 minutes later a call came through  and they had opened the private parking, so they let us in. And she let us in for free which was even better!

I grabbed the rest of the beach things and headed out to find Rory and the girls. Once I found them, we got everything set up and then we played in the sand, swam in the beautiful water and just people watched. We spent four glorious hours up there and I loved every second of it. I am truly a beach girl through and through. I could live up there. Don't believe me? Check out these photos.

 This was about 9:30 am (to the North)

 (to the South)

I grew up going to this beach. It was either free of $2 to get in. Now it is $10 for locals to park here. It has the sandiest beach, the most crystal blue color and is just beautiful. I am so happy to share this with my girls. And I can't wait to go back up this weekend. Totally dreaming of the beach while I am working. Ha.

We left the beach at 2 pm and took the long scenic drive home. We wanted the girls to get a nap in since we had plans with family later on. We stopped for coffee by our house and then came home to take showers and baths and get ready for dinner at my in-laws house. My sister-in-law, brother-in-law and nephew were in town, so we all had dinner together.

After dinner, we were all outside and they turned on the sprinklers for the kids. My nephew loved this. He was running through the sprinklers over and over again. Such pure joy. The girls were afraid to until they saw their cousin doing it and then all the kids were running through. So adorable.

We left around 8:00 to get the girls to bed. We watched another episode of House of Cards and then went to bed.

Sunday morning we got up and headed out to breakfast. Then we tried to go out and get Walter dog food, but nowhere was open yet. Sundays. So we took the girls to the park for a bit, but it was getting hot quickly, so that was short lived. Plus one pooped. So we headed home and the girls and I played, vacuumed my car out and watched Rory mow the lawn. Then I fed the girls lunch and headed out to the grocery store.

After naps, I got the girls ready again and we headed to my friends house for a little get together. Our other friends from Portland were in town so we all wanted to get together. Plus the girls got to meet my friends kids. They all played together and had a great time. And us adults got to catch up. We stayed for almost four hours before heading home to make dinner and relax for the evening.

After we put the kids to bed, I took Walter for a walk and then we watched one more episode of House of Cards and then went to bed since I had work today.

How was your weekend?

I am linking up with Biana from B Loved Boston.

Friday Favorites

Wow what a long week. I am so looking forward to this weekend. We don't have much planned, but I hope to hit up the beach and spend some time with friends who are coming into town. Fingers crossed.

Let's get onto Friday favorites and happenings.

ONE. I run and I always listen to music or watch something on Netflix when I run. I use earbuds and the cords often get in my way or I accidentally pull one out of my ear. I was at the gym this week, running, and the guy next to me had these wireless wifi earbuds in. I was intrigued only to go back to work and see that my coworker had them too. The same ones. So I asked a million questions on them and really want a pair. My only hang ups are that I would have to charge them (who has time for that) and I wanted to make sure they stayed in your ears when running. The guy next to me was just walking. So do any of you have experience with the Jaybird earbuds or similar ones? Thoughts?

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TWO. Rory was reading articles on the internet and came across some amazing shoes. How he found Matthew McConaughey's wife's shoes and looked at them is unbeknownst to me (maybe birthday shopping?), but when he showed me, I wanted them. Ugh. But they are $95. But you don't have to wear socks with them, they are soft, lightweight, breathable, minimizes odor and are machine washable. Sold. They are perfect for traveling.

Allbirds

THREE. So I got my two dresses in the mail and I love them both. I need to get photos taken of me in them for you to decide which you like best. I soooo want to order this dress below to try on as well, but I don't want to love them all and not send them back because I only need one dress for the wedding and can't justify them all. But seriously, this is the cutest dress for a wedding.

 Dress

I am linking up with April, A Little Bit of Everything, Karli, Meet @ the Barre and Cup of Tea.

Confessions and Thoughts on Thursday

It has been a slow week around here. I think we are all just prepping for the upcoming holiday week. But I decided to write some confessions and things that have been on my mind lately. Nothing crazy or ground breaking, just some good ole venting. Enjoy.

CONFESSIONS...

- I haven't been blogging this week because I have no content to write about. Plus I feel like June is a down month and I don't want to waste my good content when no one is reading. Yes, I do this for myself, but I don't want to write just to write.

- I figured out the Pretty Little Liars A.D. twist, but I still was surprised by how it all went down. Did I like it? Part of it. But I wished it was Ezra who was A.D. The evil twin stuff has been done many times. I just don't think the motive was strong enough to torture and kill so many people. But I do love the little twist that Wren was an ashes gem on Alex's necklace. So good. (Sorry to those who don't watch the show)

- I rarely will go to a fast food place, but I seriously can't help myself when it comes to Sonic's cherry limeades. I am sure they are just sugar and awful for me, but I don't care because they taste like heaven.

THOUGHTS...

- My coworker asked me if I liked Jolly Rancher's to which I said, yes, one of my favorite candies. He said I needed to try the Hotties. They are the original flavors with spice added to them. I tried the watermelon with cayenne and it was pretty good. Definitely the watermelon flavor with a hint of spice. Quite nice. I want to try the green apple with ginger next. Would I buy them? Probably not, but it is fun to try my coworkers.

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- I know everyone is into the whole Microblading thing (I am considering it), but what will your eyebrows look like in a year or 18 months or however long it lasts? Will you have visible marks on your brows that have no color after? Will you always have color, but just not what you usually like? What if you hate that shape in a couple years and are kinda stuck with it since it is semi-permanent makeup. I just worry that it will look bad after if I don't continually get it touched up. 

Weekending - Potty Training and the Children's Museum

This weekend was a struggle. A big struggle. I thought potty training wouldn't be too bad, but guess what, it is. Especially with twins.

We decided to go full force into on Saturday morning since we worked Friday. So let me back up a bit.

Friday after work, we ran a few errands and then came home to the girls. After some play time, we got the girls ready and headed to pizza for dinner. The girls played in the restaurant and we watched some sports broadcast and happily had our beers and pizza.

After dinner, we drove to a school that is close to home and let the girls play in the playground. They had a ton of fun and didn't want to go home.

After playing we headed home and gave the girls a bath. After getting ready for bed, we snuggled for a bit and then put the girls to bed. We caught up on some shows and called it a night.

Saturday morning was the start of potty training. The girls were excited to wear real underwear. Everything was going pretty well. We asked the girls constantly if they needed to go to the bathroom and we put them on the potty every 30 minutes or so.

They were getting the idea since they have been potty training for awhile, but they would tell us just as they were starting to pee or right before and not in enough time to get to the potty. Avery had one accident in the morning and Sutton had a lot more. Every successful time, they got a M&M and they were pumped on it. But Sutton was very mad when her sister got one and she didn't. That happened a lot.

I headed out at 8:40 to get a pedicure since it was cancelled from the day before. I wasn't too excited to leave the girls since we were going full force into this, but I didn't have much choice. So I happily got my toes done and Rory took care of the girls.

We stayed at home and inside all day long and it was very boring. Ugh. I so wanted to be at the lake, but we really wanted to potty train. Such is the life.

Avery had two accidents Saturday, one in the morning and one right before bedtime. I told her we were going to go to the potty as soon as we found her paci, but if she needed to go, tell me or just run to the bathroom. She decided to pee on her little couch. Ugh. Sutton had many accidents on Saturday, but was still excited when she did go and got her M&M.

Saturday night we had wine after a long day and some take-out.

Sunday morning we got up and were excited to try again, but the girls were not. We still pushed through, put on their underwear and tried. They were doing pretty good. Sutton was going in the potty and so was Avery. Avery even went #2! Then we decided to take a walk since it was still cool enough outside (it was 99 Saturday and 93 yesterday). We made sure to try to go potty before, but Sutton had an accident about a quarter of the way through. She told us she had to pee and then peed. And then she didn't care that she had to walk in it. Ha.

Avery was good to go until the last 10 minutes of the walk. Then she said she had to go and she held it in as long as she could before she went a bit, but not fully.

We got them changed and I headed to the grocery store by our house to get a quick trip in. I came home and apparently they had 2 accidents each in that time. We still pushed on. We made the girls lunch and put them in their pull ups for naptime. Once they got up they didn't want underwear on. They were refusing it. We tried and tried, but nope, they were not having it. So we left them in pull ups and just asked them a lot if they had to go and kept going to the potty just with pull ups on instead of underwear.

And since we had been cooped up and the girls didn't want to wear the underwear, we decided to get out of the house and go to the Discovery Museum. The girls had a blast. We even went to the potty a few times when we were there.

The girls got half way up (way farther than this) and Sutton started to cry. The staff tried to have a kid help get the girls down, but no luck. So I headed up there and it sucked. I am not going to sugarcoat it. There is not enough room for adults in there. Especially tall adults like me. There were areas I couldn't fit through so I had to coach them to get down. I hit my head more times than I can count, had a bunch of kids climbing on me and felt like Reese Witherspoon in Four Christmases. Ha. But I did manage to get the girls down only for them to want to go back up. Nope. Time for the next exhibit.

Percussions 

We spent two hours at the museum and closed it down. We took a drive around the city and then headed home to make dinner for the girls. Once they had dinner, I worked on our dinner (which the girls ate that as well). After we ate, we bathed the girls and got everything ready for the week ahead. We tried to do more potty time as well. Once the girls went down, we sat down with a glass of wine and just relaxed, ie did nothing.

We went to bed early since Rory is in Las Vegas for the day teaching a class.

And there was our not so successful potty training weekend. Got any tips on potty training using pull ups or other methods? Send them my way.

How was your weekend?

I am linking up with Biana from B Loved Boston.