Stocking Stuffers

Now that we have a kid to shop for, the Hubs and I usually keep it small and simple when it comes to gifts for each other. He's impossible, mostly cuz the usual "dude" gifts don't work for him. He doesn't have the kind of job that requires a tie or cuff links, not into brewing his own beer, doesn't play golf, and he's not a gamer. On top of that, he can get all the gadgets and gizmos he needs for his big hobby (offshore & kayak fishing) at work...with a big discount. That makes it super tough when it comes to gift-giving. If you're headed out to do a little gift shopping this weekend, here are a few ideas. 

For Her: mug | bracelet | Yes Please | Essie polish 

 Peppermint Bark candle | Tassle keychain

For Him: Burt's Bees | Waterproof Journal | The Trident 

 Socks | Dollar Shave Club | Moose Mugs

The Hubs claims I'm the tough one to shop for, but, honestly, I had a hard time narrowing it down. You can't go wrong with a great mug, good book, simple bracelet or keychain, a delicious candle and the perfect shade of holiday red.

For him? Practical with a touch of fun. Hand salve for those wintry fingers, cozy socks for work, a clean shave, a good book, a waterproof journal to keep track of secret fishing spots, and a little something to set the tone for the perfect fun old-fashioned family Christmas. 

What are your great gift ideas? 

Zoey's Christmas List

Is it just me, or is December flying by? Fifteen days till Christmas? Seriously?! Wasn't it just Halloween? In true form, the Hubs and I took forever to come up with a decent list for Zoey. With her birthday in February, we don't want to use up all the great ideas for Christmas, and have nothing left for the old birthday. Plus, we like to over research every idea, reading reviews and other blogs, making sure that our, the grandparents', Santa's dollars are well spent. So here's a few of our best ideas we think Z will be super jazzed to see on Christmas morning. 

BlaBla Bunny

Radio Flyer Trike | Magna Doodle

Alphabet Puzzle | Secret Life of Squirrels

Kind tee

I'm slightly obsessed with BlaBla dolls, but their price tag has kept me from getting one for Z. But now that she's older, and very into stuffed animals, we figured the time was now. Tough deciding on one, we're torn between Pierre the Bunny and a snazzy little fox in a necktie. Too cute! 

While taking a spin through Toy's R Us not too long ago (on a Christmas recon mission-yes we are total dorks!!), the Hubs and I came across this Radio Flyer and the magna doodle. Two toddler-hood essentials. We put Zoey on the trike in the store and she went nuts for it, so I can't wait to have her wheel around in the driveway! She's so artistic and loves to color, paint, and draw...the magna doodle is such an obvious choice.

I love a good puzzle, and Zoey does, too. And she loves "singing" the ABCs with Ernie on her Sesame Street phone. So this puzzle will be perfect. Plus, I love how colorful the chunky letters are. We'll have fun with this one, for sure!

Zoey is majorly into squirrels lately. They're all over our backyard, running around in the coconut palms and burying palm nuts under the holly tree in the front yard, driving Scout bonkers, and she can't get enough of them. So when I saw this book featured on the Today show, I knew it would be a big hit. She even saw it when I was grabbing the picture above and started squealing the way she does when we see the squirrels out side. I know she's gonna love this one!

I love a good tee, and there are so many great ones out there right now for toddlers. Storenvy and Etsy are lousy with them. This Mama Said Tee is one of my favorites...I may even have to get one for myself. (Big dork..I told you!) 

So there you have it.  Throw in some stocking stuffers, maybe some Little People, and few more books, and you have Zoey's second Christmas wrapped up with a bow. 

What's on your toddler's wish list? Any must-haves that we're missing? (we can always add them to the birthday list!)

Our Extra Long Weekend

Happy December, friends!! The holiday season is officially upon us and I couldn't be more excited!  Over here, we're already listening to holiday music and getting ready to start cookie baking! Hope you all had a delicious and relaxing Thanksgiving. If you're like me, you're probably just coming out of the mashed potato and pie haze. 

Our Turkey Day began the way it always does: bright and early in the chilly temps for Bacon Fest.

tunic - Gap (sold out) | skinny jeans - Gap Outlet (in store only) | boots

What's that, you might ask? Well, our street is on the route for the annual Running for the Pies 5K, and one of our neighbors sets up a tailgate tent, brews some coffee, mixes mimosas, and fries up a ton of bacon. Neighbors gather to cheer on the 1500+ runners as they fly by at the start & end of the race. Every year the Hubs & and I swear we're gonna run "next year", and this time was no exception.   Next year is gonna be our year!

Once the runners passed, we headed back to our place for breakfast, peppermint hot chocolate, and the parade, then started prepping for the big meal. We were super excited to have my brother in town for the holiday, since we haven't seen him since Easter. I'm just bummed that I didn't get a pic of all of us together. (I managed to lose my camera charger about a week ago and still need to replace it. I keep hoping it will magically appear before I shell out $$$ for a new one. Grr! That also means no pics of our decor or table and only selfies and one tired iPhone shot of the three of us at the end of the night. Boo.) Zoey pulled a Beyonce and had several wardrobe changes thanks to the changing temps throughout the day. 

bunny dress

Friday was a lazy day for Z and I. The Hubs had to work (boo!), and I'm not much for Black Friday crowds, so the kid, Scout, and I snuggled in and spent most of our morning under a quilt on the sofa before braving the cold wind for a long walk around the hood. 

striped tee - Gap (old) | skinny jeans | gray Chucks

We actually ventured out on Saturday to watch a little Gator football. The game ended terribly (but not surprisingly), but we had such a good time seeing old friends and watching Zoey play with their dog (this kid love loves dogs!) and another little girl her age. She actually cried when her new friend left. It was so sweet!

striped tee - Gap (sold out- similar here)

Sundays usually mean errands, and this weekend was no different. We hit Target, had lunch at Moe's, one of Zo's favorites, hit Home Depot, and started the hunt for our Christmas tree. Along with everyone else in Palm Beach County. 

The weather was beautiful, and the day started out so promising, but this is where it took a turn. We checked two places for trees and came out empty handed. So we decided the tree could wait, and turned our focus to putting lights on the house. In our old house, we really did it up. But the place we're in now is kind of limited, landscaping-wise, as far as places to actually put lights. So we keep it on the simple side, which is tough since we trend more towards the Griswold side of things. And in true Griswold fashion, most of our lights had gone kaput, so we foolishly braved our under-construction walmart in search of a few new strings of lights. And that's the last time I go anywhere near that joint until construction is done, and maybe even after! We got a few strings up before dinner and settled in with a little Christmas Vacation before bedtime. Not a bad way to end a crazy day! 

And today...we finally got our tree!! Zo had way too much fun running between the trees and made it impossible for me to get a decent pic. 

Lights went on tonight, ornaments later this week. Once you get the tree, it really starts feeling (and smelling) like Christmas! We are hosting Christmas this year, so we really had to find the perfect one. Z even helped with the lights! 

pjs - Gap (sold out - similar here)

It's amazing how a lighted tree can make your whole house feel cozy. I think Clark would agree. 

Have you guys started decorating yet? 

21 Month Update

Oh boy! 21 months (and one week, cuz I'm a total blogging slacker!).  How is it even possible that in three months we will have a two-year-old on our hands? And while it feels like our little overachiever is already giving us a taste of the terrible twos (oh the whining, picky eating, tantrums over ridiculous things, crappy sleep...the molars!!), she's still mostly our sweet little baby girl.

And our favorite outtakes from the last three months... 

I think they really give you a clue as to what we were dealing with at the time of each pic: low blood sugar, too much sugar, and "think I'll have a waffle". This kid. I swear. 

Overalls | Striped Tee - Gap Kids

In the last three months, the goofiest little personalty has emerged, and although she isn't speaking much English yet, she is sassy and hilarious! Scout is, for sure, her bestie. At 21 months Z has become a prolific selfie taker, and she loves her three favorite stuffed friends (Ellie, Kiki, and Stuffy) more than anything in the world.

When we're having a particularly "toddler" moment, any song from the Frozen soundtrack will snap her back to reality, and Olaf will always make her giggle (but isn't that true for all of us?). Now if the Hubs would just learn all the lyrics...

We spend a lot of time listening to music of all kinds, and in the last few months our little music lover has started singing along. For some songs, and not just those from Frozen, she has the rhythm and dynamics of the lyrics, even if she isn't singing any words yet. It's pretty amazing. 

It isn't all dancing and Olaf over here. There's lots of coloring, painting, and drawing with chalk. And LOTS of reading, of course. And not just books. Zo loves to peruse the Land of Nod and Pottery Barn Kids catalogs and "discuss" her favorite items. 

Stats: about 26.5 lbs and 32.5 inches (probably. we measured her a bunch of times & each one was completely different.)

Favorite Words: Daddy (da-ee), doggie (daw-ee), choo-choo (too-too), boo, uh-oh... still no "mommy". In fact, we're pretty sure she's calling me "da-ee".

Sassing down the sidewalk with her Sesame Street smartphone in hand. We are so in trouble! 

Happy Thanksgiving Eve, friends! Hope you have a wonderful holiday filled with good food, family and friends. 

Boo to You! and Friday Favorites

Happy Halloween!

This year, I DIYed Z's costume. She's been obsessed with the tutu I made for her first birthday, so I made her a little witchy tutu that's nice and long so she can play dress up for a couple of years. Her b-day tutu looks a bit like Ace Ventura at this point.  And we'll see how long the witch's hat headband stays on. I'm guessing we won't make it out the door. LOL! 

We don't get many trick-or-treaters since most of the kids head to the church down the block. They throw a big fall festival on Halloween, which I guess is better than knocking on a stranger's door and getting free candy? Anyway, since Z isn't quite ready for the whole door-to-door thing, we've decided to walk over and see what the fuss is about. Not sure what to expect, especially with a kid under 2, but we'll see how it goes. 

The weather has been so gorgeous lately, we spend most of our days outside: long morning walks, fun with the water table, and collecting coconuts around the backyard.

But a cold front is coming thru tonight, so we may need to put the water table on hold for a bit. I'm really looking forward to temps in the 70's for a few days. Planning on the first pot of chili for Saturday night. May even have to bust out the fuzzy socks! 

And here are the latest favorites:

I don't know if you guys have seen it all yet, but the holiday stuff is out at Target and it's all so cute! We're hosting Christmas this year, so I'm super excited to start decorating the minute Thanksgiving is over. And I feel the urgent need to head to Target and stock up before all the cutest stuff is gone! 

Have you seen the GapKids/Kate & jack Spade collab? Y'all know I'm a big fan of the Gap, and most of Z's clothes come from there (usually with a really great coupon code!). I'm dying over this bow tie dress with these candy stripe tights. So freaking cute!! A wee bit more than I would spend on toddler clothes, especially since we celebrate the holidays in pretty low-key fashion. But if we were a bit more fabulous, you can bet the kiddo would be decked out in that outfit! 

The Hubs and I enjoy a nice bowl of froyo from time to time, after the kid has gone to bed. These bowls are perfect for a scoop of deliciousness! I've been swooning over them for ages and have visions of the different shades of blue stacked on open shelving in my beautiful spacious white kitchen.  Perhaps I need to spend less time on Pinterest?!

Never have many trick-or-treaters, but we always grab a bag of candy just in case. I sometimes send leftovers to work with the Hubs, but this year, I'm thinking of trying something like these candy bar cookies. There's a ton of ideas for leftover candy on Pinterest (of course). I like the idea of getting to eat a bunch of it all at once!

And as for a post-Halloween breakfast, these apple cider donut holes just might hit the spot. Are they not the most addicting thing in the world? 

And in the spirit of spookiness, have you guys been watching Stalker? Holy cow, is it terrifying! Obviously, you get some great eye candy with Dylan McDermott, but this is the kind of show that I can't watch without the Hubs. It's good, but seriously disturbing. And how about How to Get Away With Murder!!!??? So good! Just when you think you know where it's going, the last line of each episode completely throws it all in another direction. We were so worried that waiting for season 3 of OITNB would be torture, but these new shows are filling the void pretty well.

One more shot of the littlest which before we go...

Hope you all have a spooky and festive Halloween!!!

Pumpkin Patching

Monday's weather was super sunny, clear and warm. I know what you're thinking. You're thinking that I just described perfect pumpkin patch weather. Well, yes actually. While I'll admit that the eternal summer we've been experiencing this last year has made me pretty grouchy, it actually was a beautiful day for a visit to the pumpkin patch.

bat shirt (on sale!!) | sparkly Toms (I purchased for $12 at a local consignment shop. Jackpot!)

So we headed out to a local church, fully expecting it to be a hot morning and slim pickins in the patch, but we had such a fun time chasing Z around the church yard. Tons of pumpkins were laid out underneath a huge beautiful oak tree, which made it so wonderful in the shade.

Z had a ball running around patting all the pumpkins, and even picked out two

little ones for herself. There was a random milk crate in the middle of the sea of orange, so naturally the kiddo put her pumpkins in it and carried them around for a minute.

It's always been so hard to get a really great pic of Z since she is always in motion, and this day was no exception. I usually end up with a million photos of her back...maybe I'll end up doing an album of just those! I was totally that mom. I kept trying to hop in front of her to snap something with her smiling, but only managed to get a bunch of blurry pics and even backed over a pumpkin or two, practically falling on my ass. 

In the end, we came home with two toddler-size pumpkins and one for carving. It wasn't quite as amazing as our pumpkin patch adventures last year up in Georgia, but we had such a great time following Z around as she checked out each and every pumpkin! 

This weekend was also Zoey's 20 month b-day and we did her monthly photo shoot on Monday before our pumpkin patch adventure. Last month it was a nightmare trying to get a good shot and most of the outtakes feature a red face and teary eyes. But this month some of the outtakes were so hilarious, I had to share a few of my favorites...

This really is the best age, isn't it?!

Any great pumpkin patch adventures this October for you guys?

Happy October!

felted ball garland - similar here | multi-color bunting - DIY

In my mind, fall officially begins on October 1. Living in Florida, September is still so so summery, but October is a whole different ball game. (Not today, though. Today it was well over 90 degrees!) The sun starts setting earlier and there something a little different about the sun's light. And word on the street is that the first cold front (and by cold front I clearly mean "not-as-hot-but-still-technically-warm front") is on it's way this weekend. So it may not be crisp air, fallen leaves, and apple picking down here in SoFlo, but we probably won't sweat ourselves into a puddle for a few days at least. And while I have yet to taste my first PSL of the season, I'm still pretty psyched about the free iced white mocha I scored today in Target, thanks to a computer meltdown. Nothing ushers in fall better than free Starbucks! 

Around here, we've started decorating (keepin' it simple this year thanks to our table-clearing toddler), thinking about what Z will be for Halloween (a ladybug? strawberry?), the kid has mastered the word "Boo!", and I've found a yummy sounding recipe for homemade skinny pumpkin spice latte (I'll let ya know how it tastes!).  The Halloween books have made their way to the bookshelf, and a certain cutie is already sporting her festive glow-in-the-dark pjs.

As for fall style, well, for me (and my mini), it's all about cute jeans, long sleeve tees, and cozy sweatshirts (most of which we won't be wearing until it's technically winter). So here are some of our favorites so far this season:

sweatshirt tunic | leggings | heart sweater

pom pom beanie | denim moto jacket | eek! tee | chucks

hello sweatshirt | plaid skirt | baseball tee | jeans

denim jacket | striped tee | plaid shirt

jeans | sneakers

sweatshirt | hello tee | varsity sweater

 I'm really looking forward to the days when I can cozy up in some fuzzy socks and that red sweatshirt for a viewing of Hocus Pocus with the kiddo. Ok. So maybe we'll wait another year or two for Hocus Pocus, but surely there's a Halloween episode of Doc McStuffins we can snuggle up and watch together!

So, what are your fall favorites this year? 

Our Weekend

I don't post too many weekend updates these days, cuz, honestly, our weekends are all pretty much the same: football (bonus if the Gator game kicks off after the Hubs gets home from work!), brunch and laziness on Sunday, a project around the house, pool or beach time, and trips to Publix and the produce market on Monday. Not too exciting.

This weekend was a little bit more eventful. My mom was visiting, and during a break in the lousy weather, we decided to take Zoey to the public library for the first time. Holy wow! She was in heaven! It's well documented that the kid loves loves books and being read to. She goes nuts in Barnes & Noble and the library was no different. Running up and down the aisles randomly pulling out books and DVDs. She was so cute!

On Sunday, after a late night and triple overtime in the Florida game (Gators FTW!!), the Hubs, Z and I needed to get ourselves out of the house. So what if it was minutes from nap time (parents of the year, folks!!)? Since it's still so hot here (no fair to everyone enjoying gorgeous fall weather right now), we bummed around the mall for a while. Exciting stuff, I know.

After the mall, we headed to our favorite little froyo joint. This was Z's very first taste of froyo...with rainbow sprinkles to match her dress, of course! I think we all know that the froyo was a hit.

To our surprise, Z zonked out in the carseat just minutes from home. Typical. So we cruised over to the inlet to watch the boats, though the people watching is way better. (I once saw a woman walking a cat on a leash there. Who does that?!)

We headed home and watched a little football before the power went out - during the last quarter of the Packers game! With no way to cook, it was Jersey Mike's and PB&J by candlelight.

Z didn't appreciate the romance of a candlelit dinner. Not sure if she was freaked out by the dark all around or the flickering candles, but she just wasn't having it. The FPL guy walking around out front with a headlamp and flashlight didn't help either.

Thankfully, the power came on after a while and life was back to normal. Bed time for the bambino and vegging out in front of the TV for us. Life is good!

Any excitement in your weekends? Football, froyo, and power outages spell excitement for us!