tummy troubles

Well guys, I hate to report that an illness finally found it's way to catch up with me. The weekend was hell for me and I'm thankful it's all behind me now. I think it might have been something I ate because no one else seems to have been affected but then I'm left to wonder, what food would turn on me like that?! The only real culprit could have been..

..the #9.

Surprisingly I don't feel sick thinking about it. Probably because I love Jimmy John's so much that my mind is truly blocking it out or I have left over bread opioids making my brain extra happy. Or maybe because this isn't my usual order and my body is incredibly grateful that I don't have to debate about one of my favorite meals in the future. Either way I'm happy the whole ordeal is behind me.

Freaky sick.

Leia

kindergarten fun facts: week 3

Kindergarten is going well so far; we are all really getting into the swing of our new schedule and our routines we need to stick to. 

One annoying thing that happened this week was we got a letter from school regarding the book fair that is happening next week along with Kennedy's wish list. This is fine and great, but attached on the wish list was a note saying, "Book fair is such and such day, please make checks payable to such and such for the correct amount as we want to make sure no one is disappointed and can get everything they want." I'm a book lover. I'm all for kids having their own books and picking books of their liking, but what about the families that don't have the extra money to send to school for the book fair? The note made it seem like an obligation and how is that supposed to make those families feel?

ANWAYS!

What's one thing you learned in school this week?

Kennedy: "I learned to read three new words. In, the, and see."

Going places!

Leia

harry potter and the cursed child

It's now taking me one month to read a book. What has my life come to?! The Cruelest Month did not have me as engaged as the first two books in the series, but overall it was a good one and I will definitely be picking up the fourth installment in a little while.

One quote/excerpt from one of the main characters in the series really got me: 

"I did. But I hated being left out more. Everyone does, don't you know that?" Clara thought of all the wedding invitations she hadn't received and how she'd felt. Partly relieved at not having to go to the party and bring a gift they couldn't afford, but mostly offended at being left out. Forgotten. Or worse. Remembered but not included.

Being on the younger side of motherhood and all the other roles I fulfill, one hard area to keep fueled are friendships. So often I have to say no, or give a rain check because a lot of my friends are last minute people and last minute happenings aren't really a possibility for me so in the long run it seems like I always say no and then eventually I feel like the invites to tag along are few and far between. Blah, blah, blah, I know enough with the sob story.

Next up though we have Harry Potter and the Cursed Child - Parts One and Two, #18 for the year. I was going to start it on Friday but thanks to my damn nails that slayed, I started it yesterday. The script style sort of takes a moment to get used to but it's good, no large paragraphs! My biggest flaw is that I'm typically reading past whose line it is and at the end of a page I'm like, 'wait, what is actually happening.' Annoying story: typically I buy my books online since they are cheaper, for instance this book was 40% less online. Well, they were 20% off in store, and I had a 20% off coupon to use so even though I knew I wouldn't get to it in a little while I thought I would just get it in store for 40% off. Well, all the way at the end of the coupon it said this book was ineligible.

..and I'll just leave this here for you.

Expelliarmus!
Leia

a bachelorette in chicago

On Friday night, I headed to Chicago to celebrate with my cousin for her bachelorette party! First things first, I obviously wanted to slay so I had planned on getting my nails done. The part I had not planned on was my nails taking almost two hours causing me to miss my damn train. Luckily I was able to get refunded 80% of my tickets, but I was still so incredibly angry at myself because it was all my fault. I mean really it was the perfectionist nail tech that I had. I like to think they were at least worth it.

So, I put Piper to bed for the first time as a two year old, Brendon gathered me some snacks and kindly filled my gas tank and I was off! I made it just under 4 hours; only 30 minutes later than my train was scheduled to arrive! Either way I was unfortunately going to miss day/night one of festivities. 

The room was setup so cute! What a wonderful maid of honor she had! Why didn't I document more of it..

The next day we all got up, got ready and headed out to a delicious brunch!

Yah, the eggs benny was so good I coudn't even get a picture before digging in. Haha, why yes, I AM A YELPER! 

Afterwards we made our way through the city to a wine tasting event. I'm absolutely not into wine but it was such a good time with everyone! Initially I was nervous about fitting in because out of 11 guests I was 1 of 3 that was not in the same sorority, but after meeting and hanging out with  everyone (two of which I had met previously but had completely forgotten about - my bad, girls!) those worries drifted right away.

We headed back to the hotel for some drinks and a few games before getting ready to go out for the main bar hopping event. Everyone looked AMAZING, so of course we had to celebrate by doing an impromptu photo shoot! In addition to the cutesie decorations, there was a confetti champagne bottle popper and we were attempting to recreate a photo Amanda found on Pinterest. To practice for the champagne pop self-timer photograph we were throwing regular confetti and I was extremely happy that I decided to bring my big camera along. We were not happy for the huge mess it created; our hotel room was trashed with confetti.

Next up was making our rounds through the city. No one got too crazy and it ended up being a pretty chill evening.

^^ This place was def a swingers bar. At first we.. or maybe just me.. were feeling sophisticated since they required a dress code and had rules like "one drink minimum" to stay.

This old gal can still have a good time. Some of the bars/clubs in Chicago are open until 5am which I did not know or expect. Definite bags under my eyes after those 36 hours, but well worth it. Now to wait for the wedding in October!



#miss2smith
Leia

rip brangelina

I just want to know why you did this AFTER Jennifer Aniston got married?!

Maybe this was an entire 'plan' having backfired? Maybe she has always been unhappy after ruining Hollywood's ultimate couple and she had to stay with him for so long but saw her way out after Jen got married? Is that what's happening here, Angie? 

We can just take a minute to appreciate Justin Theroux and his happy marriage to Jennifer, though.

But I mean sure, now that George Clooney is off the market.. hold on let me wipe the tears.. it will be nice to have another eligible bachelor on the loose.

"Jennifer Aniston Meme Day"

Leia

piper hazel turns two

Piper Hazel, Piper Hazel. Where to start? She is the coolest kid with the best attitude. There are some days when a lack of sleep or food get the best of her, but I mean, that happens to all of us so who am I to blame?

It's hard to believe that after two years with this child I'm still functioning. I can still count on my fingers how many uninterrupted nights I've had (to be fair this does not include nights I've spent away from her or that she's been with granny). Would I change it? You know, some days as horrible as it sounds, yeah. But I mean, I would only change it for a kid who sleeps through the night!

Extremely active, a daredevil, a joker, a love bug, a talker, an animal lover. She's talking so much more than Kennedy did at this age; still not putting multiple words together but she says "thank you", "night night", "bye bye", and "love you". All her in own speak, of course.

Other words she's mastered:

• mom, momma, MOOOOOOMY
• dad, daddy, DAADDDDDYYYYYYYYYY "da-yee"
• Kennedy "dee"
• blankie "gankie"
• puppy, doggy "goggie"
• kitty "kee"
• water "wa"
• drink "gink"
• paci "ba" (I have always been confused about this one)
• granny "ga-yee"
• papa
• hungry "gungie"
• shoes "ew"
• wipe, napkin "weep"
• sleep "weep" (all in the context clues, peeps)
• chips "chippies"
• car
• truck
• ride
• welcome "gum"
• gum
• snack
• phone "mone"
• baby
• bike
• boo boo
• plane "peen"
• bird "bir-yee"
• eye
• butt
• toe toe
• bug "buggie"
• get up "gup"
• stop
• good boy "boyyyy"

There might be more, but this is what happens when you don't write them down as they happen because like always, you THINK you'll remember and then you just chuckle at the absurdity of that self confidence.

She can identify so many body parts; including elbow!

I just can't believe how the time flies. Yeah, I know. The most used but highly accurate statement in all of parenting. The time only speeds up with you have more than one kid in the mix.

At the end of the day I just truly love being her mom and all the different emotions she brings to our little unit. She loves to follow in big sissy's footsteps (even when she's not always wanted) and she wants whoever is leaving; it never fails. We all love you so much, Pipes. 

Happy Birthday, baby girl!

Leia