Happy Halloween!!!

This is the first year that I have TWO little ladies to dress up and I really love the idea of doing costumes that go together, but are still different, so when Scarlett became obsessed with Madeline, I started talking about Halloween and hinting about what she'd like to be.  Then, Madeline rescued a dog and the discussion for costumes was closed.  Hello, puppy dog, Poppy!  Good thing Scarlett was still really excited about the Madeline idea because it has been a few months since this whole fascination began...she's still trying to get me to be Miss Clavel.  "Mummy, when is your costume coming?!" was how she broached the subject this morning...smart lady, but it's not gonna happen!  (I have too much birthday planning to do [still] to worry about dressing up!  Maybe next year!)

So there we were, Madeline with her rescued pup, Genevieve!  Too bad Poppy was less than thrilled with the idea of wearing a costume.

SO crossing my fingers that trick-or-treating goes a little more smoothly!!!  Luckily, Scarlett was the perfect Madeline and even tried to make Poppy less of a grumpster!

We tried to include Poppy in our photo shoot, but Scarlett totally stole the show!  What a fantastic Madeline!!!

And just because I want to see, here is Scarlett in each of her past costumes:

CUTE!  I wish I had been smart and picked a costume for Poppy without something on her head!  Scarlett last 3 minutes with that cupcake hat...next year!!!

Have a Happy Halloween :-)

So What Wednesday

• I can't commit to strictly vegan, but Mary coined the perfect term to what we're eating, "Vega-tarian."  Works for us!
• Baby 2 has her baby book filled out until about 8 months!  Fail.  Buuut, Scarlett's baby book has 0 pictures, so look at me not playing favorites!
• I let Scarlett watch PBS while Poppy has a nap, so that I can facebook/blog/read clean. 
• For weeks before my hair appointment, I was psyched and constantly pinning different style/color ideas!  Never before have I been that excited for a new do'. 
• The $5 extra that Pop Sugar has added to their must have boxes is making me reconsider my subscription.  Just out of spite!  Hello, Julep!
• Tyler took the babies grocery shopping so I could get some more organization done around the house!  And I'm blogging!!!  Way more fun;)
• I want Scarlett to earn her stickers for sleeping in her bed every night because I am SO EXCITED to order her her first American Girl doll.  She will flip when it comes in the mail...! 
• I spent this afternoon buying all of our fresh fruits and veggies at Hannaford.  Then took the ladies to the health food store for our dinner ingredients and no preservative snacks.  After all that, on the way home, I went through the drive thru at Burger King (veggie burger, no mayo, but still.) because I was too drained to even think about cooking dinner!

Can't think of a title. It's a post about all kinds of stuff. Yay for actually blogging!!!

My number one thing that I care more about than 50 Shades of Gray: Okay, BA.  She rocks my world.

I have been birthday planning list-making 24/7 in my head...time to actually make it happen!  (How fun that I get to do it again!)

I went to volunteer in Scarlett's nursery school classroom...and stayed the whole time.  Suffice to say, I miss teaching.

The Blacklist.  Scandal.  There goes my weekend.

I HAVE A HAIR APPOINTMENT SATURDAY MORNING!!!!!  Getting a cut and going brunette...my mom is going to think I'm in a funk, but really I'm just looking for some fun, a change, and a little bit of perk!

Staying home with my babies is amazing.  AMAZING.  And I want to do nothing else, buuuut...it never occurred to me that I needed to maintain hobbies that interest me.  ???  Clueless.  But then my mom "interventioned" me AND I read Kelle's post.  I have made walking, tanning, reading, volunteering more of a priority and I feel more like myself now.  Loves it!

I am tanning again.  Gross, I know.  But prettiessss x100!  I just need to make sure I don't look like I tan.  Just vacation lots in Mexico.  ;-)

Scarlett sleeps in her own bed.  In her own room.  All night, every night!  Now I have to buy her an American Girl doll...more on that later!

Have you seen Julep's new lippies???!!!  Because I have and I want them. all.

Halloween is coming...strange to think of where I was just one year ago...!  Always with this little piggy and about ready to have a second baby girl!!!

...so I never have to live without you.

This is hilarious and seems like a nice, light-hearted way back into blogging:

Happy Tuesday, Friends!

Friday Links!

I have to say, I agree with Drew.

YAY!  Exciting news...and very surprising to me!

This non-foaming shampoo ROCKS my world!  Even Tyler noticed how great my hair looked after one use.

Scarlett's favorite show -- I don't feel that guilty letting her indulge.

In case I ever go to New York.

This baby!  It looks just like Poppy, but I can never quite capture her hair color.

With my 30th birthday quickly approaching, this seemed appropriate.

I freakin' love Prince Harry!

What?!  This is wicked awesome!

Marilyn Monroe when she was a little girl.

Stolen Diary Entry: Taylor Swift.

6 Signs It's Time To Start Taking Care of Yourself -- #5 is oh so true, for me.  Yeesh!

I keep forgetting about Jenna Marbles and all of her cheesy hilarity.

Yep.

Our nights...in pictures!

Miss Poppy would rather stay up with Mummy & Da than go to sleep with her sister! She is stealing my free time to relax, but who wouldn't want to spend time with this face?!!!

Just go to sleep, Sweetness!

Seriously happy baby!

photographer fail.

Look at those eyes...SO tired!

Naked lady found her toes!

Add caption

She has thrush, therefore, a purple mouth!  

Liebster Award Nomination!!!

I was nominated for the Liebster Award!!!  How cool is that?!  It's really surprising fun that people other than my sister are reading my blog!  

Thank you, Stephanie -- what a fantastic surprise!!  (Fyi, her blog, And Baby Makes 10, is so fun!)

This award is given to new or up and coming bloggers who have less than 200 followers...the award is then passed along to other bloggers in the same category to help spread the word and support one another.

If you receive the award, there are a few rules to follow...

1) Each blogger nominated must post 11 things about themselves

2) Then answer the 11 questions the tagger has asked

3)Blogger must then create 11 questions of their own to ask the bloggers they decide to nominate

4) They must choose 11 bloggers with less than 200 followers to nominate and link them on their blog post

5)Bloggers must be notified of their award!

6) No tag backs!

11 Things About Me:

1. I bake cookies for the dough; the cookies are just a happy consequence!
2. My danskos are an everyday staple in my "mom" wardrobe, but in my head, I still feel like the queen of high heels!  I swear, I'm going to rock the heels again, once the girls get a bit older...!
3. After working in an elementary school for three years, I decided to go back to school for my masters degree.  I completed one class, then I found out that I was pregnant.  When both babies are in school, I swear I'll go back...I can't imagine homework on top of everything else right now!
4. I love that I get to say, "the girls," now that I have two of them!
5. Make up, sunless tanner, and fancy perfume makes my world go 'round, but I'm such a granola mom! Breastfeeding for two years and cloth diapers are how we do things around here -- I had no idea I'd be like this until I actually had babies.
6. Shopping for little ones is way more fun than shopping for anything else--oooh, the cuteness!  Make up is right up there on the list, though!
7. I drive a Jeep, but I'm more of a car girl.  Volkswagon Passat (wagon for the room), please!  
8. I'm an in the closet tanorexic!  Though it's been a year since I've actually gone, I'm starting to get the itch...
9. All through college, I worked at Bath & Body Works.  It was so fun that once the little ladies are a bit older, I'd love to go back part-time to get out into the world a bit!
10. For Christmas decorations outside and for our tree, I'm a colored lights type of person, but I love white lights for accent decorations!
11. I'm a huge lover of books, but lately, the only things that I've been reading are blogs!  The best thing about bloggers that I've found is that it's nice to get a sneak peek into real people's lives/get ideas for things to do with the girls!

(Those were really difficult to come up with!  Now for my questions...!)

Stephanie's Questions:

1. We were considering "Meggie" as a name for baby 2, so I re-read The Thorn Birds.  Way more depressing than I had remembered!
2. Urban Decay eyeliners and a Tarte lippy.  I used my "push present" (gift card to Ulta!) a few weeks ago -- thank you, Tyler!
3. A "congratulations for your baby" gift from Tyler's aunt.  I loooove snail mail, so I'm psyched for the Christmas cards to start coming...!
4. Sylvester Stallone, Dalai Lama, George W. Bush, Nancy Reagan, Frida Kahlo, Tia & Tamara Mowry, and 50 Cent all share my birthday, July 6!
5. Buying matching Christmas jammies with the entire fam and then staying in them all day!
6. Margaret is after Margaret Mitchell, author of Gone with the Wind, and Karen is after my dad's sister.  I was Meggie growing up from The Thorn Birds.
7. Scarlett giving Lulu kisses!  A rare moment for them!  ;)
8. No idea!  With a newborn, it makes travelling and vacationing a thing for the future...!
9. Twenty-nine!  The big 3-0 is coming next...
10. One.  My sister!
11. Yes!  I love instagram!!!  Megkb76 -- come follow me!

Questions for my nominations:

1. What is your biggest guilty pleasure?
2. If you could travel one place in time, where would you go?
3. Can you tell me about one of your favorite blogs?    
4. Did you buy a Powerball ticket for the $550 million jackpot?!
5. What are your top name choices for your next baby or pet?!  (I probably won't steal them!;)
6. Are your holiday cards ordered?!  Is your tree up??!
7. What's one thing you love about where you are from?
8. What is one of your biggest pet peeves?
9. What is a favorite someecard that you've found??  
10. Recommend a favorite children's book.  (From your childhood or that your kids like.)
11. Where is your favorite place to shop online?

My Nominations!

Quite Contrary -- Mary

Kate As Of Late -- Kate

Boredom Leads to Blogging -- Sarah

  Life as a Seed -- Crystal

 Adventures by Me... -- Kelly

 Once Upon a Dime -- Katie

   Where Your Treasure Is... -- Melissa

Strongly Feminine -- Darci

Charmed Life -- Heather

Caffeine & Cocktails -- Ana

A Coffee Break with Brittany -- Brittany 

So What Wednesday

• I left my ipod upstairs on purpose because I couldn't stop taking and sharing pictures of my little ones!  It was getting ridiculous and I think my facebook friends appreciate the break from constant updates of yet another baby picture!
• We call Poppy, "baby 2," 90% of the time.  Still.
• After having Poppy, it took me 9 days before I ventured out into public, and even then she was strapped to my chest in the moby wrap.
• Christmas shopping is consuming way too many of my thoughts these days!!!  I'm so excited!!!
• I don't have a cell phone.  Well, I do, but it's never charged and when I give out the number, I usual get it wrong because it's so rarely used.  Sad.     And Scarlett left it in the fridge for an unknown amount of time.
• Poppy looks like Frank.  I mean, super old man baby!  Luckily, I had Scarlett, so I know it gets better!
• It snowed here last week, but I made Tyler close all the blinds, so I could show Scarlett when I woke up instead of her seeing the snow when she went downstairs with Tyler at 6am.  Selfish, much?!
• Okay, I get to sleep in until 7:30am every day, but I'm up with both little ladies during the night.  I say that's fair!
• Tyler being home on paternity leave has been super-helpful, but then when I get in my jeep and the sports radio is on and his pocket trash is everywhere and I seriously question my sanity!
• Still have not read any news books...must get on that!
• Pinterest makes me happy!  Home decorating tips and yummy things to bake are fine, but the inspirational quotes are my favorites!!!

Okay, and this is just hilarious!

Trusting my instincts...

As a mother, it is your job to defend your kids.  I've always known this as a fact and have done my fair share of glaring when people smoke too close to the playground and rolling my eyes when someone's child is not playing safe near Scarlett, but I've never had to take the initiative to actually stand up for my babies.

My mom set the perfect example of always sticking up for my siblings and me.  My third grade teacher allowed our class to watch the movie, Roots.  Well, I started having nightmares, so my mom marched into school and got me out of watching a movie that she felt was inappropriate for an eight year old.  I could give a million more examples of my mom sticking up for me or protecting me.  It was what she does did, but now that I have my own babies, I knew that it was my job to protect them.  I never had to actually do anything to protect them, until last weekend...

Tyler's family was coming into town to visit and meet Poppy.  That was fine...until Tuesday.  Tyler's sister started posting facebook updates about how sick she was with tonsillitis and strep throat.  When I read that, I assumed that she would not be meeting Poppy at this time,  but she lives 15 minutes away, so no biggie.  I didn't hear another thing about it until Saturday when his sister posted about how the amoxicillin was working and how excited she was to meet baby 2.  ALL IN THE SAME POST.  Um, no, you are not going to be breathing my 9 day old baby's air when you've been on meds for a few days.  Strep is contagious.  No.  

While I had made up my mind, Tyler's family had other plans.  After phone call after phone call about her illness and his entire family convinced that she was fine to meet an infant and Tyler not saying anything to dissuade their decision, I soon realized that it was up to me.  I was going to have to protect my newborn, therefore becoming the bad guy in their opinions.  (yet, again!)

So I did it.  At first, I called my mom and my sister to ask their advice, but when they didn't answer, I knew what I had to do.

I called my sister-in-law and told her the bad news.  It went worse than I had expected, but when I hung up the phone, I felt fantastic.  I had done it.  Is that crazy?!  I didn't think I was out of line; I was trusting my instincts.  I had stuck up for what I felt was right for my baby and was not walked all over and taken advantage of.  And Poppy wasn't exposed to strep!  Extra bonus!

My kind of night!

Now that I'm not pregnant, this is so allowed...finally!

I had my first alcoholic beverage since February and it was divine!  Scarlett had fallen asleep while I was reading (girlfriend was exhausted!) and Poppy had nursed during the stories and was sleeping too!  Two babies sleeping at the same time = MAGIC.  It was time to bust out the Pumpkinhead!!! (I had made Tyler keep it in our fridge for just this occasion!)  The Pumpkinhead did not disappoint!  Add in a little Pinterest and I was in heaven...also maybe a little toasty!  ;)

Why?? (Baby 2's name)

Poppy Ballerina Smith

Now here's the back story!  

It started with Alyssa's name, Alyssa Kristina.  You'd never know that her middle name is Kristina if you're around my family ever because we always call her "Alyssa Louisiana."  It started from the very beginning and just stuck.

So when it came to naming baby 2, I started with naming her Poppy Marilyn.  Our last name is Smith, so her initials would have been PMS.  I was still okay with it -- she'll get married eventually!  But then Mary started calling her "Poppy Ballerina."  After a few days of hearing it, I decided that her middle name should be "Ballerina."  It's a girly, pretty sounding name and if is anything like "Alyssa Louisiana," it was going to stick whether I embraced it or not!  An added bonus??  The fun, craziness fits our family!

Tyler was easy to convince because he was happy that I'd moved on from Meggie Monroe, but as we got closer to her due date, he started having nightmares second thoughts!  At that point, it was a done deal, though!

So Poppy Ballerina is the name -- I had fun choosing her name!  I also love it because naming babies is so fun -- when else do you have such power a big decision to make that effects someone for their entire life?!

You can thank me later...

I stumbled upon these sites on pinterest.  They're just pure awesomeness!

Little Texts -- a fun way to spend a quiet evening.  And it is pretty much like reading a book!

happy pretty sparkles -- 43 pages of pretties -- how can you go wrong?!

Here are a few of my favorite tidbits:

I am a huge Marilyn fan and have never seen either one of these pictures!  LOVE.

YES!

The last line is my favorite.

Diddos for Kiddos

Last weekend was SO amazing; I love it when that happens!

Friday night, Mary and I went to Diddos for Kiddos.  Baby-free!  Thank you, Tyler for watching the little ladies for FOUR hours by yourself.  That was magic!

Babies/toddlers/children are not welcome to the Friday night sale, so Mary and I scramble to find sitters for the spring sale.  Tyler was out of town and my mom was unavailable, so we hired their FIRST EVER babysitter.  It worked out well, but we felt like we were on a time-crunch.  This time around, we had all the time in the world!

Diddos for Kiddos is hard to write about because they misspell "dittos."  It drives me crazy!  And I have to agree with Mary, it's too painful to update your facebook status because you just can't type "ditto" as "diddo."  You just can't.  But I have to write about my fantastic finds, so "diddos" it is.

Diddos for Kiddos is a flash sale that happens twice a year (Spring/Fall) at the same location about 25 minutes from our town.  Anyone can sign up to be a consignor; you tag all of your items with your given number and your choice of price. Some sellers are fair, but others either ridiculously over-price their lame items or way under-price their fantastic ones.  The latter ones are the best finds!  About a week before the sale, you bring your items, from children's clothes, toys, equipment to maternity clothes, and the workers inspect every item.  Then it's time to put your items on the racks; it takes about 15-20 minutes for this whole process.  NBD.

The actual sale is all day Saturday and then everything is half-price for the Sunday sale.  Everything's pretty picked over by Sunday, so we never hit that.  Mary and I are both consignors, so we get to go to the pre-sale on Friday evening.  YESSS!  The doors open at 6pm, but we get there to wait in line by at least 5pm.  By 6pm, the line is probably 200 people deep.  Serious business...don't even get me started on the line cutters...!  This year, the ladies at the front even ordered pizza to be delivered and they ate in their beach chairs while they waited.

Finally, it was 6pm and we were let in!  I'm really all set with baby equipment, but it's just addicting to buy!  And at such great deals, I couldn't help myself!  Here are a few of my favorite finds:

The Galt Playnest and Gym

Eeeekkkkk!!!  I saw this and freaked when I saw the price.  I snatched that bad boy right up!!!  And for ONLY $12.  Woohoo!  It's in almost brand new condition -- I just had to bring it home and wash it to freshen it up a bit.  What a find!  I just wonder what the seller was thinking...!  I didn't have a playnest with Scarlett, so I'm curious to see how much better this is than a playmat.  And really, I just need lots of things to entertain baby 2 because Scarjo is still high-maintenance when it comes to needing attention!

Baby Uggs (for reals!!!!!)

My mom bought Scarlett and Louisa their own pair of Uggs for Christmas last year that still fit them and she just bought Camdyn and Alyssa their own pairs of the same boots.  With this find, now all of the girls have Uggs!  Too adorable -- especially when they all match!  And here's the best part; guess how much I paid...$2.  TWO DOLLARS.  They look brand new and I paid only two dollah, dollah bills!!!  (Okay, Mary found them, but still...!)  You can't beat it!  

So Diddos for Kiddos started out my weekend on a fabulous note.  (I swear I get a shopping high -- great deals make me happy!)

Actually, my Friday started pretty fantastic because my mom kidnapped Scarjo and took her to a Halloween cookie decorating party with Cam and Alyssa!  (no school for the big girls!)  Tyler had that day off to help with my to-do list for baby 2 preparations, so with no Scarjo, we got lots done and even had time for a baby-free lunch out!  I cannot remember the last time that happened!  Turns out, it's pretty awesome, but I'm not sure when it will ever happen again now that baby 2 is about to come.  Hello, dependable and trust-worthy babysitter!  Hopefully.  

My mom has an instructional video on how to dance like a princess!

Friday was the best day ever, though I missed Scarlett lots!!! 

LOVE, LOVE, LOVE THIS!

Pinned by Elizabeth von Schlederer -- Postsecret rocks! 

I know everyone thinks it, but this is so hilarious and true!  Tyler and I have fights (that I always win.  for reals.), but we are besties and he'll even admit that.  And we rock as fun parents, mostly, and talk about how much we rock.  How lucky am I to have someone who I can talk to about how awesomely fun we are?!

Best. Postsecret. Ever.