mama was here.

So, grandma (or gama) came to town.  And boy did some things get done.
lots of shopping was had.  many little and big projects were checked off the list.
and home now feels a little more homey.

evidence mama (or gama) was here:

a new fall wreath was made to spice up our front door.

Quinn's curtains were made. (full room reveal coming very soon)

The nursery rocker was revamped with a removable sage dot cover on the ottoman.

pillow covers were made and brighten up the living space.

kitchen curtains were made.

painting was done. fun light fixtures were hung.  more to come on this project...

I fully intended to 'insert picture here' of Quinny in her new outfit.  Yup, the yellow bubble skirt with grey striped shirt, leggings and aqua headband have come home.  Thanks to grandma and grandpa. :)  And grandma's suitcase went back to Florida half empty as well.  New jammies and clothes are always crazy appreciated around here. :)

While my mom was here other projects were in the works as well.  Finally, some updates are in store from the new house soon.  Quinn's room is complete.  The playroom is almost complete.  The guest room and guest bath are almost complete.  Lots of in the middle projects.  Our fireplace got a little face lift too.

Amidst the busy week of projects there was also lots of time spent together, and with cousins too.  (my sister and kiddos popped down for a weekend visit).  We also were able to share my 31st birthday together, and enjoyed some scrumptious cupcakes. :)

Looking around our home its so warming to see the marks made by family.  The new curtains will always have an invisible permanent etching of "mama was here".

Thanks mom. :)

the end of the day.

We make sure that we savor and enjoy every little second of the day.
But sometimes the end of the day is just extra special.
You see, that is when daddy comes home, and someone has been a little daddy's girl lately.

Quinn loves her time with her daddy at the end of the day. We both do.

I have mentioned it regularly on here, but we are SO grateful to daddy for all of his hard work, for every little thing he does for us, and for allowing both of us to stay at home together. Something I will be eternally grateful for, and something I appreciate every single day. My husband is a provider in every sense of the word, there is never a doubt that caring for us is his top priority. We cherish all of our time together as a family. Quinn is so lucky to have such an amazing dad.

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Many posts to come about new house projects. We had my mom in town with us for 8 days, so busy projects and lots of time for Quinny with her grandma was had. New room reveals coming soon.

strong will.

I read on a good friend's blog that she found 18 months to be a tough age and I kind of wondered as Quinn just recently had hit that age, but... BAM!  Now, I know.

She is determined.
She is losing her patience.
She is strong-willed.

She knows what she wants, but can't communicate it clearly yet.  And THAT is what makes this age a little challenging.  The testing your limits, the recognizing that they have a choice, that they can go to the pantry a hundred times a day and try to demand more fruit snacks, or whine for a bottle they know they only get one at bedtime, or scream like a "somebody just hurt me" type of scream just to get your attention only to smile at you (this is a fun one in the grocery store). :)  We are there, and it is full-force 18 months.

Strong-willed, my girl is.

Aside from all of this though, 18 months comes with just as many (in fact more) amazing and wonderful and fun new things to add to our family and add to the personality of our Quinn.

 

like this breakfast of champions she had this morning before we rushed off to music class.  yogurt melts.  yum.

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Strong will - I need some of that when I roam Target these days.

We made a quick trip to pick up a gift and of course I scan the toddler girl racks.  And this time, it was SO hard not to snatch up everything.  There are so many adorable things there right now.  I needed some stronger will power to march on past. I purposely picked up an extra box of diapers while we were there so that I wouldn't have to go back and be tempted again soon.

When it comes to clothing for Quinn, this is how we roll -  we purchase maybe 2-3 outfits a season and then utilize birthdays, Christmas, and any other opportunity a grandparent gift package may be coming our way.  We are so appreciative of clothes, because they add up fast.  So since we limit our clothing budget quite substantially, I have to make the best choices and deals I can.  When an outfit is picked, it is an "I love it" outfit.

This fall, one outfit has made the cut so far.

 strutting her stuff like a little model.
Target is good to us.  (And no, I am not being paid by Target for this post.)

Do you hear a little These boots were made for walkin' playing in your head?  I do.

Mommy was able to get a few things at Target recently too.
Dress - $12, Sweater $12 and navy blue flats $10. 
Quinny's outfit here was $10 dress and $6 cranberry flats from Walmart.
Leggings on both of us we already owned and have worn many many times.  Leggings are good on the budget for both of us as we change sizes.  I have lost 40 pounds and I'm still wearing the same leggings.  They are great for post pregnancy as you are shedding the weight, and they are comfortable when you are toting an infant or chasing a toddler.

The boots on Quinn above were a splurge when it comes to what we usually spend on an item.

 

Now, what did I pass up?  Seriously, when I said there was a ton of cute stuff I wasn't lying.  Some of these things are on clearance online, so we may have to add them to a wishlist.  Anyone want to buy some cake pops? :)

 

The shoes below are $6 for the blue and $4 for the yellow.

And this just may be the outfit that makes the cut next.  Along with an adorable headband that matches the color of the aqua flower (not pictured).  The mustard yellow corduroy bubble skirt was the hardest to walk away from.

You just may make the cut you adorable mustard corduroy skirt. :)

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This is the sign of a good morning...

Or the sign that we had a little extra time this morning to drive through the dunkin donuts drive-through, that a certain little girl was awake from 2:30 till 5:00 this morning for some odd reason and that mommy was so thankful she had two single dollar bills in her wallet.
The sippy cup in front of the coffee cup really symbolizes so much.  Always comes first...

Sippy and coffee cups in tow, we made our way to music class this morning with the windows rolled down, Katy Perry playing on the radio and a little girl singing in the backseat with a tapping foot.  Good thing we were headed to music class. :)

And there I watched the same brave little girl we saw in gymboree who took to center stage (or the center of the circle) and marched and danced and clapped and smiled and loved being the center of attention.  She is not shy, she is not scared, she is not a follower.

She is a happy, courageous...strong-willed little girl. :)


Happy Monday.
A special daddy post to come soon...

little sack of sugar.

As a mommy, I can truthfully say I have loved every single stage of babyhood.  From the sweet tiny embracing moments with my newborn - to the cuddles and smiles of an infant - to the endless chases huge giggles and all the fun of a baby on the move.  I have loved it all and I wouldn't trade a single stage.
Quinn was always a peanut, but for a fleeting moment we embraced the sweet juicy cheeks and some chub on the thighs.  It was at a stage I remember so sweetly, and while I have loved them all this stage may have topped the list (just barely).  It also was probably the easiest parenting stage, sleeping all night, taking 3 naps a day, smiling constantly, never asking/crying/whining for anything, peaceful, patient, snuggly, will still be in the same place if you need to use the bathrooom and come back, loves everything you give her, goes with the flow of the day easily, will fall asleep anywhere and still needs you like a newborn needs you.  This was the 4&5 month stage.  When she started to show the juicy cheeks and some chub on the thighs. :)  My little sack of sugar.

long weekend love.

We love long weekends.
It gives that little bit of extra family time during a busy season.

This past long labor day weekend we were able to:
- accomplish a lot on our to-do list.
- spend time with Todd's mom and Derek.
- visit an apple orchard.
- go on a date with my handsome hubby.
- relax a little.

While Todd's mom, Genny, and Derek were in town we decided to go visit a nearby apple orchard.  Of course it was the hottest day we have had around here in a while, so our visit was short but sweet.

cool little babe.

ready to play.

little duck races.

feeding the petting zoo animals.

I was ready to snatch this little calf and take him home.

getting a little more comfortable with the animals.

bring on the jumping pillow.

quinn loved it, but I think her daddy may have loved it even more. ;)

all aboard the apple train.
(two little things to note in this picture, one her hair is getting longer and fuller, two...why didn't her mama put it up in a ponytail on such a hot day! poor girl.)

ready to go home.

baking scotcheroos with grandma.

It was a wonderful weekend.
We are always grateful for time with family and as a family.
I was thankful for a low-key evening out with my husband consisting of eating a big dinner where we could take our time and talk :) and indulging in some delicious ice cream and a local joint I had not had the joy of trying out yet.

gradual.

We continue to work on many projects and decorating in our new home, and we promise some updates on a few rooms will come soon.  It is very gradual.  With Quinn, we try to keep our days pretty normal with lots of playtime as usual.  So, while our process is a little slow, we have also accomplished so many things off the long to-do list.

We are getting there.
The house is becoming more our home.

And if you leave some paint cans lying around long enough, they are assumed to be permanent pieces of furniture.

 

 

We have been doing random things all over the house. 

But we can officially say that Quinn's room is complete (minus the curtains that Grandma is making).

The guest bedroom is almost complete as well. 

Otherwise, many many more random things have been done in each room to make each space organized and livable, it's just a matter of painting, decorating, etc. 

 

We are getting there.

And loving our new home more and more every day.