Pregnancy/Baby/Kid Stuff

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So, so many of my friends are expecting... as am I! So, I thought today I'd do a fun recap of my favorite pregnancy and baby must-haves and more!

For when people ask you if you've had the baby yet... tell them to click here -
http://haveyouhadthatbabyyet.com/

A few hilarious posts from Pregnant Chicken -
10 great things about being pregnant

Clever pregnancy comebacks

10 things never to say to a pregnant woman

Favorite decorating/idea sites -

On To Baby

Lay Baby Lay

My list of must have baby items - 

Click here

This "Motherhood Mondays" series is something I look forward to reading each week! Scroll through the years worth of posts someday when you're "bored" and you'll learn all sorts of amazing things!

I love Little Green Notebook's blog and have read it for years. I recently read the birth story of one of her daughters and it made me a bit weepy. Read it here. Isn't everyone's birth story so great? I love hearing other mom's stories!

It's important to remember... your days with a newborn might seem endless and slow, but remember the weeks/months/years go fast and before you know it your little baby is onto the next age and stage. Keep things in perspective and remember... being a mother is the greatest honor in the world.

Tell me, what are your favorite pregnancy/baby/children things?

Perch Swim Certificate

Nina finished up her swim lessons last week and she graduated with flying colors! She love loves class and we're sad to see it end. But, hopefully spring is on its way ... which means summer and time at the lake is not too far behind!

P.S. Here is the last session's certificate. How cute!

Valentine's Day Recap

Part 1 of our Valentine's Day fun was here. Part 2 is a recap of the rest of our Friday! Mr. Evans took the day off to celebrate his birthday, so naturally he chose to head to Il Ritrovo for lunch. If you've never been and live in the area (I'm talking within 2 hours), RUN do not walk. It does not disappoint. We gravitate to delicious and consistent restaurants, and this is one of our favorites. We over eat every time, but it's sooo worth it. Notice how we each order (and eat!) our own pizzas. See below... I actually took photos of our meal, which I am usually totally against (except I forgot about Mr. Evans's dessert... whoops)!!

Later that evening, the indulgences continued and I hosted dinner for six to celebrate Valentine's birthdays. My in-laws (my MIL had a big special birthday on the 13th) and my parents came over... we had a blast! Here's the menu I cooked up:

Ina's Balsamic Roasted Beef Tenderloin
Pioneer Woman's Roasted Garlic Mashed Potatoes
Pioneer Woman's Cheddar Bacon Wedge Salad

Dessert was Strawberry Lake Cake in our traditional heart-shaped cake pan

Just because...

Despite this non-stop snow that I (we) are totally over, this little girl brightens my day. I haven't even brought up my sun lamp this year!

I'm hopeful for spring and a long, hot summer!! Have a happy Tuesday!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day! Here are a few scenes from around the Evans household. Mr. Evans has the day off today for his birthday and tonight I'm hosting a special dinner for six. Stay tuned next week for a recap. :)

Here are a few of the projects Nina has brought home from daycare recently. Melts my heart!

For Nina's daycare Valentine's Day party, we had to bring in 14 valentines. Here's what we made together... I found the free printable online, heart cellophane bags in the Target dollar section, and Nina helped fill them will Teddy Grahams and staple the bags!

This morning, I received a beautiful bouquet of roses and thoughtful gift, and Mr. Evans gave Nina a special valentine's present before daycare... which she loved! The pasta was dinner last night. Stay tuned next week for the rest of our day!

P.S. Nina's 1st Valentine's Day was my favorite. Isn't she SO adorable here?
P.P.S. But, he's my real valentine and birthday boy!
P.P.P.S. Here are Nina's valentine's day cards from last year!

Read this if you're a mom!

This is such a great read... I had to pass it along! You'll relate, no matter what side of the coin you are on.

If you are a mother, please read this article: A Letter from a Working Mother to a Stay-At-Home Mother, and vice versa

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P.S. Isn't this hilarious - Dr. Seuss explains pregnancy!

28+ Week Bump (baby #2)

Here's baby at about 28+ weeks along... from two sides. :) She's growing as expected and is surely keeping busy kicking and moving around. Most of all... I cannot believe I'm in my third trimester already! Crazzzzy!!

Happy Wednesday! 

P.S. We keep baby's name secret until she's born. We are working on choosing a name. Here are some of my favorite ideas to come up with a name -- what are yours?

- Go through the comments in these posts... here, here, here and here.

- Peruse imbd.com for movie or tv show cast names

Daddy's Girl

Nina loves her daddy ... probably because he's a fantastic father and always makes her laugh, matches her energy level and is sensitive to her sweet little needs. It must have something to do with having 3 sisters himself. :) I know he will be just as loved by baby girl #2. It's true what I've read ... "I never knew how much I loved your daddy until I saw how much he loved you."

5 Bits

1. Rejection is God's way of saying "wrong direction." - unknown

2. I choose to start with cocktails, because no great story ever started with a salad. - amelie laurent

3. There is no passion to be found playing small - in settling for a life that is less than the one you are capable of living. - nelson mandela

4. Be a yardstick of quality. Some people aren't used to an experiment where excellence is expected. - steve jobs

5. Your greatest contribution to the kingtom of God may not be the something you do but the someone you raise. - andy stanley

Lately...

Just a few random things going on lately... Happy Wednesday!

Nana painting Nina's nails... :)

Yummm... Basil Brioche Berry French Toast at Cafe Hollander. We've been eating out at some fun restaurants lately... this was a quick brunch stop! Something about the cold weather (and pregnancy) makes me want comfort foods and tons of citrus and fresh produce!

Can you relate? Constant cold, wind and snow. Fun stuff! Here's the regular view out our back window.

The one good thing about all this cold weather is that there have been some amazzzing sunrises... this photo is totally blurry but you get the gist.

Nina had pajama day at Montessori last Friday. She was so excited!

P.S. This made me chuckle last week... especially since I was a religious Oprah watcher!

P.P.S. This app (7 Minute Workout) seems like something I should try! :)

P.P.P.S. I mean seriously... can't we all relate to this card!! hahahaha.

P.P.P.P.S. This post got me thinking. I'm sure everyone grieves differently, but is presence a common denominator? 

Nursery Update

A bit of a nursery update... 

Mr. Evans and my dad painted the walls Martha Stewart Seed Pearl (a light lavender/grayish color) about a week ago. They also hung this chandelier from Pottery Barn Teen. Then, Mr. Evans installed a dimmer, which is a total must have in my opinion. We are big dimmer people, but they are especially helpful in little kids rooms!

A few days ago, my mom helped me stencil the wall in baby girl #2's nursery. It turned out fabulous!! Thanks momma - she seriously did 99% of the work on this!! This is the pattern I was after (inspiration here) and luckily after lots of hunting on Etsy found the exact wall stencil pattern here from OMG Stencils. You can see a quick sneak peak of how it turned out in the photo below - it's from my iPhone and clearly the lighting is terrible. We used a regular white paint - the effect is subtle, but elegant and feminine. 

As of today, the furniture is moved up from the basement storage room and now decorating and accessorizing shall commence! Any fun color combinations you think would work great? I'm scouring Pinterest, Lay Baby Lay and more for inspiration. For some reason, I'm being very indecisive... which is very unusual for me... :) I'll keep you posted how things progress!