Wednesday Wants-Jumpsuit Edition. GASP!

Yep, I said it, I'm crazy about the Jumpsuit! I remember in third grade, I had this beautiful teacher named Mrs. Ford. She wore jumpsuits on a regular basis, and I remember thinking back then how I wanted a red jumpsuit like hers :). Although, I think I will stick to just black for now :). 

But in case you were wondering, the jumpsuit is BACK and all over the place for Spring 14.I may even go as far to say that I think the jumpsuit could possibly be the next maxi. The nice thing about the jumpsuit is it is like the dress in that it's one complete outfit :). The jumpsuit is a great day to dinner addition to your wardrobe. I was browsing on Shopbop looking for one and they have so many great styles at great price points. Since this is just an emerging trend, I personally don't want to spend a whole lot of $$ on one.  

Here are a few that I like:

Young Fabulous & Broke Howell Jumpsuit

This one is a little more than I want to spend, but not crazy at $211. I love that this is casual but with the right jewelry could easily be worn on a date night or a GNO!

Amalfi $125 Jumpsuit

Love this one as well,  and I think with the surplice neckline and self belt, this one would be super flattering. The other great thing is it is only $125!!! 

Young Fabulous & Broke Lisle Jumpsuit

I love that this one is a wide leg trouser and has the cowl neck. I think this one is the dressiest of the three. 


My splurge selection on the jumpsuits is this Halter Haute Hippie one. I love that it is a halter with an open back. This one is definitely a winner for date night. However, I'm pretty sure Greg would not be happy if he saw the price tag on this one. 

Haute Hippie Halter Jumpsuit



This week is always so crazy. I feel like by the end of the week I will have averaged at least 1 stop at the grocery store per day.  When I'm not at the grocery store, cleaning, playing with bear, then I'm scoping out all the black Friday sales. Do you go out? My mom and I plan to hit up JCP of course on Thur night, since we open at 8 :). There are some great door busters! We will also hit up all the other big guns that night.  I really enjoy going out on Friday am or what is now Thur night, mostly to watch the other people act like crazies and to see what our competitors are offering. I hope you all have a wonderful Thanksgiving. Please take some time to truly reflect on how thankful you are!

Cheers!

JNK

What day is it? What is our address?? Where am I?

Oh my gosh, how is it already near the end of November??? This month has FLOWN by. I feel like I'm caught up in a crazy Tornado. We have been going non stop since we moved into the house on November 8th. I know lots of you have been begging for pictures, so this blog post will be one of many to have house pics and me asking for decor advice

We moved in on November 8th, and surpisngly got everything unpacked, and boxes removed. However, we still have all of our pictures to hang and some items to purchase etc. I received some very sad news on Friday, November 8th the day we moved into our new home. I received a phone call that my grandmother, had suddenly passed away. The ironic thing was 3 years ago when we moved from the M streets to Frisco, my grandfather passed away. I suppose my grandparents want me to stay in one spot :)!. I loved my grandmother dearly, and I'm sad she never got to meet Bear in person. However, I'm very excited she is up in heaven with my grandfather and watching out for us every minute of the day. I was sad that my mom's sisters and cousins had to meet Bear under bad circumstances but knew my grandparents were smiling down as all of their children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren got to spend some quality time together. 

Now, onto the house! So we are loving our new home. Greg has already repainted our dining room, as it was a crazy bright orange. The prior owners used the dining room as their play room, which I did not want to do. We painted the dining room in the Benjamin Moore color Revere Pewter. It's a very light grey, and I love how it compliments our dark brown table. 

The one hard part about this home is the very open family room. The prior owners left a nice cushy rug thing. I don't know how to describe it, but the first floor of the home is composed of wood floors and stained concrete. They purchased the cushy rug thing for the family room as they had a little boy, and it was easy for him to walk and crawl on it. They left the cushy rug thing for us, and although it's not the most decorative accent, it is very useful for Bear, so I'm leaving it :)! We have talked about condensing the squares, so it's just on one side of the room. I'm going to try and decorate the space in two rooms. You can see from the pics below we have the couch and tv on one side and then a little sitting nook and the wet bar on the other side. We have just purchased a new coffee table from RH which will hopefully be here in time for the holidays. We need a nice little coffee table to go between the two chairs. Here are a few pics:

**please ignore the stroller, boxes, and please note we have nothing on the walls yet, so the home looks  very bare!**

So like I said it's a large space, so just trying to section it off into two different rooms. Greg and I purchased these chairs a few  years ago, and never really had a place for them, so I'm happy to finally put them in our family room. Although, my mom was just over here yesterday and stated that they should go into our master bedroom :)! I feel like I need a decorator to come over and just tell me what room to put our furniture in. Our next room to feature will be our master bedroom. Bear's room is a work in progress as we purchased furniture for a different room, and now it doesn't all fit, EEK! His room also has wall accents of bright orange that needs to be painted :)!

On another note, our little man started crawling at 7months, so we are on bear patrol 24/7 :)!. He just turned 8 months on Friday, it's crazy how fast time flies!  We have started planning the big 1st bday, as we know it will be March before we know it. 

I love this time as year, as the weather changes and we get to spend time with our family and friends and have time to reflect of all that we should be thankful for. I am so thankful for these two :)!

I have been slacking on my blogging, but promise to blog at least once a week from here on out. 

Cheers!
JNK

Front Door Decor

We are officially in the final countdown until we move into our home!! November 4th will be here very soon, and we can't wait!!! My mom has been so generous to let us stay here, and has been so helpful with Bear. I told her when we move out, she still has to come down and stay the night at least one day at week :)! I have been searching for a wreath for our front door which translates to; I've been a pinning machine and Etsy stalker. I found some I love at Horchow and Williams Sonoma but I'm thinking I should try to keep this wreath under $100.

I love Monograms, but then again what Southern girl doesn't love a good monogram. I love the simple letter monograms. Greg likes the single letter that is covered in yarn. Here is my problem, some of these Etsy wreaths look too homemade, that makes me not want to purchase them. I am debating, if I should try to make my own wreath, but have decided I would rather spend my time doing other things :). So, here are a few wreaths I'm thinking about:

I love this one, probably because I love polka dots and chevron. It's neutral which is perfect since our house is white. My only thing is, does it look too girly?

 I liked this one as well. You can customize your colors, which I love. I'm a sucker for green and navy. Those colors would be perfect against our white house, and fitting since they were our wedding colors as well :).

I love this one, it's simple and still charming. I just wonder if it's big enough? But I like the idea of just a simple chevron letter.

I like simplicity as well. I love boxwoods and have seen some wreaths in the shape of the square or rectangle with a letter in between. This would could be perfect against the white house and is simple and clean.

I love this Christsmas wreath,  but also thought this could be a good idea for an everyday wreath. I could put a chalkboard in the middle of an everyday wreath and either have our last name on the Chalkboard or change it based on the season or event.

I am on a hunt for the perfect wreath, because it sets the tone of the house in my opinion. I mean the wreath is the first thing they see before they enter your home. I think the wreath should be an extension of the decor inside the house. I know I'm probably spending too much time shopping for wreaths when there is cable to be set up, and painters to be scheduled. But, wreath hunting is more fun and you don't have to talk to anyone. If you have any good spots for wreaths please share.

Have a good week!

I'm Alive!!!

Do you ever have those weeks, where you feel like Jessie Spano in Saved By the Bell? You know the scene she is in her room having a breakdown, and saying, "There is never anytime." I've had a crazy last couple of weeks, hence no blogging!!! I don't care if you are SAHM or a working mom each job has their own set of challenges. 

We had a great weekend, my dad was in town so we spent the weekend hanging out with him. I love seeing my nephew and Bear interact. Coop is so in love with Bear, it's so cute!!

We only have a couple of weeks until we are in out house and we are soo ready!!! Get ready for some home posts :)! Bear is growing up so fast and gets more and more fun each day. My favorite time is in the am when he wakes up and I walk into his room and say, "Good Morning" and he gives you the biggest smile:). It melts my heart every time.

Here are a few pics of our lil man:

Picture day at school. Love this Rugby from Janie and Jack it has elbow patches which I'm a total sucker for :).

Wearing his Tiger gear to help cheer on his Daddy's favorite baseball team.

Bear has started to eat puffs, it's hilarious. He usually has more puffs on his chin than in his mouth:)! 

Not sure if you have heard of Peek Kids, but I'm obsessed with them! They are sold at Nordstrom and have their own stores. If you haven't shopped them before check them out at www.peekkids.com.

They are like an Anthropologie for little guys. Their boys stuff is so cute, which finding cute boys stuff can be challenging. I love that we have cooler weather here now. Bear's daddy loves jackets and has bought Bear quite a few jackets :)!!!

Hope everyone is having a good week! 

My new favorite LBD

Oh 

It has been a crazy last couple of weeks between my traveling, Greg's traveling, Bear getting sick and turning 6 months we have been going non stop. 

I meant to post about my new LBD discovery weeks ago, but I just kept forgetting :(. I was going to NY for work and knew I needed a good LBD (little black dress for those of you who don't know :)) . I needed one that can be comfortable walking all over Manhattan in and be suitable for a nicer dinner that evening.

My mom and I found my new favorite dress at Neimans. I have a few go to dress designers that always fit me well and Theory is at the top of my list in pretty much any category not just dresses. We found this adorable fit and flare with a great flounce skirt sitting on the rack. It is ponte so a perfect fabric to wear any season. Theory typically runs small in my opinion but I actually sized down in this dress. Here are a few pics of the dress: 

Here it is just by itself. I paired it with some flat TB camo flats, which I apparently forgot to take a picture of :(. I also added a cute black jacket from H&M with it during the day:

The dress was perfect it was super comfortable, didn't wrinkle, and the perfect combination if flirty and sophisticated! It's a dress that you can easily wear day to night!!!

On another note Bear turned 6 months this past week and he had a heck of a week. He was ill, had a rash, and has his two bottom teeth coming in! Here is a cute pic of our little man :

Oh and as you can see from the picture he is up on all fours!!! Just scooting backwards for now...He is just growing up soo fast! 

I loved the verse in my daily devotional tonight, so I wanted to share it:

Praise be to The Lord,to God our Savior, who daily bears our burdens. Psalm 68:19

Have a good week!

JNK

Casa de Kirian

It's official we are homeowners again in Dallas!!! We are so excited to be back in the neighborhood where we first met almost 7 years ago! We are thrilled to be in the M streets although the commute isn't as easy as it was in the burbs we are excited to be closer to our family and friends in addition to being able to walk places!!! Although we closed on our house today we don't get to move in until the first week in November! We have started our countdown to move in. We are so grateful that we are able to stay with my mom until we can move in. Hayes got to see the house on Saturday and really liked his future room! After lots of moves in the past year we are excited to get settled!

Watch out Pinterest here I come... Can't wait to decorate our new home! Here is a picture of our new casa:

Happy Monday!

JNK

Back to Reality!

Wow, we had a great vacation and it was so nice to have a day off yesterday to do laundry, grocery store, and decompress!

We loved Rosemary Beach... I highly recommend it if you have not been there before.It is a great community and the best part is you can walk everywhere!  Bear loved every minute of vacation. He loved spending time with his cousin Coop. It was great for me to spend time with him since I used to be with him 24/7 until 4 weeks ago. We had lots of great family time! He is growing so fast, it amazes me how much they change daily. He is scooting backwards, sitting up by himself, and starting to use a sippy cup! My favorite memory of our trip is dunking Bear in the water. We have ourselves a little water baby. He just wanted to be in the water at all times. Greg and I loved watching him just giggle in the pool:)! 

Since I've been back at work my workout schedule is hard to maintain so I've been doing Paleo and love it. However, this past week I think I consumed carbs and alcohol every day.. 😳😁🙈! So today we are back on track. I definitely feel so much better on Paleo. 

Hope everyone had a great Labor Day! Cheers to a four day crazy work week! 

Here are a few pics from the vaca:

I love this picture! Bear loves his daddy!

Date night- I got this dress right before we left at Neimans and I love it! It's Tibi and was 40% off :)!! 

The Countdown Has Begun!!!

The countdown has begun until we are sitting beachside with our toes in the sand... We are definitely in need of a vacation, between all of the moves, starting new jobs,and the arrival of Bear we have not been on vacation in over a year! Next Sunday we fly out to Rosemary Beach to spend some great family time with my sister and her family and my dad! This has been a tradition in our family for awhile and I always look forward to the time away from the grind and making memories at the beach.

This weekend has been a great one. Two of my best friends came over on Friday night to hang out with me, since my mom and Greg were both gone for the weekend. It was so nice to hang out and catch up. Then on Saturday one of my college girlfriends was in town so she came over with her family. Today we spent some time with my sister, bil, and my nephew. Bear had so much fun today, he went on the swing for the first time, and was giggling the whole time.

Greg will be joining us in Atlanta as we fly on to Fort Walton Beach. It will be two weeks since we have last seen him, and we are definitely missing daddy! We do facetime about 3-4x a day on the weekend,and I love watching Bear just smiling thru the phone at his daddy :)! We are blessed to be surrounded by such great friends and family. This weekend just helped me realize how great it is to be surrounded by such great support.

  It's hard to believe our Bear will be five months this week on the 22nd, TIME FLIES!! Little man is just growing up so fast. He has started to scoot backwards, so I have a feeling we will have a mobile baby soon!

Hope everyone has a great week!!

JNK

Travel Tips from a Pro! A Guest Blogger Fills In!

I hope everyone had a great weekend, ours was pretty much spent in the bathroom trying to get Bear over this croup! Needless to say it wasn't our best weekend, but we made some memories :)! I'm so excited to introduce Kendra Thornton. Kendra reached out to me to post some great travel tips for the families. I thought this would be a perfect post for this week, especially since lots of us will be taking our trips before the kiddos head back to school.We leave for Rosemary Beach in 2 weeks, so I know I could really benefit from her tips! Kendra is a mother of three and before she decided to stay at home she was the Director of Communications at Orbitz. Having said that, you know she is well traveled and can provide us all with lots of good hints.

There Is Still Time! Enjoy a Family Vacation This Summer

Have you taken your vacation yet?  It may be August now, but there is still time to put together a great family vacation!  There’s still a few weeks of summer left.  Traveling with kids can be fun, exciting and educational; with some planning ahead of time, your best vacation yet still awaits.

Tip 1: Where to Go

Do a little research, and remember you’re taking the kids with you.  What do they like to do?  Have they outgrown the petting zoo?  Is a waterpark with enormous slides too extreme for their personality?  If your family’s ages and interests cover a wide spectrum, look for a place that has something for everyone.  Hiking, swimming, and camping are fun activities that everyone can enjoy.  You know your kids the best, so determine a destination they are going to enjoy.

Tip 2: The Fun of Getting There

With the ever-increasing cost of airline travel, many families are opting to travel by car.  Plan ahead, and allow plenty of time.  For kids, it’s often more fun to stop along the way to stretch and play, or visit interesting roadside stops.  Play some fun car games together, and take advantage of electronic devices (iPads, portable DVD players, etc.) to keep the kids occupied as the hours of traveling add up.

Tip 3: What, Where, and How to Pack

Car-top carriers can seem like a much-needed addition of space, but their wind resistance can play havoc with your gas mileage.  Try to fit everything within the car’s trunk.  More importantly, keep a “travel pack” with you that has any essential items that might be needed at a moment’s notice.  Have this readily available (and not in your check-on luggage, or packed away in the trunk), and keep in it things like medications, a change of clothes, some snacks, a bottle/pacifier, or some napkins.  Just remember to double check what can go through airport security if you’re flying.

Tip 4: Where to stay

If you’re planning on staying in hotels, or at a resort, do some research before you make your reservations.  Does the room(s) have a microwave or fridge?   Will there be a high chair or crib available for your little one?  Are there fun kid activities on the premises or nearby?  What about nursery or baby-sitting services so you can enjoy adult activities or an evening out?  I used Gogobot to look through a list of reviews on Orlando hotels, and found one that offered a free continental breakfast to my whole family.  Make sure to find a hotel that suits all your specific needs.

Tip 5: Surprise the Kids!

Wake the kids up early one morning with their bags all packed and ready to go, and tell them you’re going on vacation!  They will be thrilled at the prospect of going to a new location.  If this seems too extreme, drop little tidbits of information about where you’re heading without actually giving it away in the weeks leading up to the trip.  The little breadcrumb trail of clues will peak their excitement, and the anticipation will be huge leading up to the trip.  If you choose to do this, make sure the destination is somewhere the kids will really be excited about so they don’t feel let down, though.

The end of summer is rapidly approaching, but that is all the more reason to start planning your family vacation today!  I hope these tips help your family while on vacation this summer, and remember to have fun!

Friday Finds- The best casual dress under $75

My friend Lindsey is the one to credit to finding this great brand at Nordstrom's. She was on her way back from Toronto and saw this girl in this super cute maxi and asked where she got it- the response Nordstrom Juniors. I received mine tonight and I LOVE it!! It's the perfect throw and go dress. I just ordered the black one, but they have some very cute prints as well. The fabric is awesome it's so soft and doesn't wrinkle either, which makes it the perfect travel dress:)!!  I haven't even told you the best part about the dress... Ready for this... It's only $52!!!! I swear to you it feels just as soft as my James Perse stuff!! I will definitely be purchasing more of this Lush brand! Ignore my no make up picture, but here is a shot of the dress:

 Lindsey told me the brand runs big... I was hesitant to order an XS because its Juniors, but definitely size down, because it definitely runs big!!

Here is the link to the dress:

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/lush-knit-maxi-dress-juniors/3502418?origin=keywordsearch-personalizedsort&contextualcategoryid=2375500&fashionColor=BLACK&resultback=2814&cm_sp=personalizedsort-_-searchresults-_-1_9_A

This is the print one that I will be adding to my closet:

http://shop.nordstrom.com/S/lush-knit-maxi-dress-juniors/3494033?origin=keywordsearch-personalizedsort&contextualcategoryid=2375500&fashionColor=&resultback=2857&cm_sp=personalizedsort-_-searchresults-_-1_9_B

It's tax free weekend here in Texas, so I will be avoiding the malls at all cost!!! 

Have a great weekend!

Jill 

Slow down

It has been a crazy last week and a half as we have adjusted to work and school life. It has been a blessing to have Greg here this week working from home. I have been a bit delayed in blog posts but had this Sarah Young passage marked as one I wanted to share. I also figured what better way to start off this hump day than with SA devotional. This one really hit home because it always seems like we are rushing around which leads to frustration or a feeling of overwhelmed. 

This passage is from July 31:

Trust me in the depths of your being. It is there that I live in constant communion with you. When you feel flustered and frazzled in the outside,do not get upset with yourself. You are only human,and the swirl of events going on all around you will sometimes feel overwhelming. Rather than scolding yourself for your humanness , remind yourself that I am both with you and within you.

I am with you at all times, encouraging and supportive rather than condemning. I know that deep within you, where I live,My Peace is your continual experience. Slow down your pace of living for a time. Quiet your mind in My Presence. Then you will be able to hear Me bestowing the resurrection blessing:Peace be with you.

To them God has chosen to make known among the Gentiles the glorious riches of this mystery, which is Christ in you,the hope of glory.

Colossians 1:27

Take time today to slow down your pace and rejoice in his offering of Peace!! Happy Hump Day!!

JNK 

We survived!!

Well day one is done, and we both survived!!! Bear and I arrived in time at school so that I could spend some time playing with him at his school. He was smiling and flirting with all of the pretty girls! I was able to sneak it at lunch and see him and love on him while he was going down for a nap. He didn't sleep as well in school and our schedule has been  thrown off a little. Bear normally goes down by 6:30, but didn't go down till 7:30 tonight. I was ok with the delayed sleep time, because it was more snuggles for mommy :)! 

It felt so good to be back in the office environment. I was able to see some of my old colleagues and meet some great new people that I look forward to working with. I will say I'm exhausted and the thought of working out right now and doing a 4.5 min plank just isn't going to happen tonight :) ! Instead I'm going to sit back and indulge in Real Housewives!

Hope everyone had a great Monday!!

Bear's first day of school outfit!

JNK 

Bear versus The Bottle

We have arrived in Dallas and we are all adjusting well! Greg and my MIL are en route and should arrive Tom afternoon! 

Seeing that I start work on Monday my main mission last week was to get Bear to take a bottle. I was very fortunate in that my MIl arrived last Wednesday so she was ready to help out. I had read that the best time to try a bottle is the first feeding since they are the hungriest. My MIL was nice enough to wake up at 5:45am on Thur to try the bottle after I had pumped. He took the bottle like a champ! He ended up not taking the 9am bottle that day but took the Bottle once more from her. I still let him feed from me three times on Thursday. On Friday we started the same routine except he got one less feeding from me and one more bottle. On Saturday we went to all bottles. Greg and my MIL were the only ones who have him bottles those first couple of days. On Sunday, I fed him a bottle and he had no issues!!! Yeah, mission was accomplished!!! 

Right now Bear will only take the Dr.Brown's bottles. My friend Marcie had told me about the MAM bottles which I love, but unfortunately he didn't like them as much. Hoping Bear will take them as I now have an assortment of MAM and Dr.Browns! 😁

On another note our Mabel's labels have arrived for Bear's items that he takes to school. We went with a hockey picture since his daddy is a hockey fanatic and he was born in Michigan. Here is a picture below :

I am pretty strict with his schedule as Bear like his momma likes a set schedule. I'm sure his school teachers will laugh at me when I give them his schedule 😜! Since I go back to work on Monday I find myself just wanting to hold this sweet boy instead of putting him down!

Cheers!

JNK

BIG NEWS!

Greg and I have some exciting news to share.... We are.... HEADING BACK TO TEXAS!!!!  We are so excited to make this journey back to the South, as we will now be closer to family and friends. It was important to both of us to raise our family near relatives so they are a big part of Bear's life. It has been a whirlwind the last couple of weeks.  I had been praying about the direction our family should take, should we settle in Michigan or get back to Texas. Literally, within 48 hours I had received a few emails and calls from JCP asking me if I was interested in coming back. It was amazing, I truly felt that God had opened a door that I had not expected. After some Skype interviews, I was offered a position back at JCP. Greg is staying with his same company but will be working remotely. He is mainly traveling anyways, so instead of flying out of Detroit he will be flying out of DFW.

There are lots of changes in store for our family. One being my return to the working world. It has almost been a year since we left Dallas, and after stints in Toronto and Birmingham, we are excited to return.  Secondly, Bear is enrolled in school in Dallas, so I will no longer be his full time caregiver during the day.I feel blessed that I was able to stay at home with him for almost five months before he goes to school. I think it will be good for him to be around other kids his age and other adults. I know I will be fighting back tears when I drop him off next Monday. Bear and I fly down this Wednesday and Greg will be driving my car down on Thursday am. We are lucky that my mother in law is here so that she can be a copilot for Greg and help out with Bear so that I'm able to run errands and pack! You forget how much stuff your little one has until you realize you go to pack! YIKES! 

We are looking for a home in Dallas, and once we have found one Greg will move down along with the rest of our items. Until we find a home Bear and I will be staying with my mom. We are again blessed to have family there.  There will be much more  blog posts as we learn to transition back to Dallas and back to me working. If any of you moms out there have tips to make this transition easier, please send them our way!

We have met some wonderful people here in Michigan, and enjoyed our time up here.However, we are excited to raise Bear in Texas, and more importantly truly settle. We have been nomads the past three years with Greg living in Toronto and I in Dallas. The hardest part for our family will be Greg's travel schedule, but like all things we will make the best of the situation and learn how to make it work. 

Hope everyone has a great week, say a prayer for our little family as we are flying and driving this week!

CHEERS!

PS- How exciting is it that Kate is in labor!!! I think we will have a little princess to admire and maybe a potential wife for Bear :)! ha! 


Here are some new pics of Bear from 4th of July that I forgot to post! He is getting SOO big and so much fun :)!

The Turnaround

I had posted a few months ago how we were worried about our dog Rex and not being able to adapt into our new family atmosphere. When we brought Bear home from the hospital Rex was very possessive of me which led him to be aggressive towards Bear. It was MISERABLE! Rex is 5 years old and has been a huge part of our lives. We didn't want to give him up, but we would not in anyway put Bear in danger. It also wasn't fair to Rex to spend 75% of his day in his crate and only come out when Bear went down. We looked into options and found the Canine Academy which was located just down the street from our townhome. Their slogan is,"Have a Good Dog, Want a Great Dog". After spending 7 weeks at their facility we truly have a great dog.

It has been amazing the transformation in Rex. Their philosophy is they teach the dog how to be safe. Rex was acting out of fear and now he knows how to  put himself in a safe place. The training is definitely not easy. We say that because Greg and I spent hours memorizing our new commands for him and still get corrected when working with Leah at Canine Academy. Leah was the best trainer we have ever come across, and we have come across many trainers with Rex :). We went from having a dog that  ruled the house to now having a dog who is fun to enjoy. He is now able to be in the nursery with Bear and I and just lay on the rug and hang out. He now will even kiss Bear's feet or hands. It truly is remarkable. He is great on walks now, he can heel with the stroller and is even off leash trained. While walking yesterday, someone come out of their townhome to compliment Rex and how good he was with the stroller. We still have some work to do around new visitors coming to the house and the doorbell, but we are just amazed at the progress we are seeing right now.  More importantly, we are just excited to have a dog that can assimilate into our new family life. 

Rex is much calmer now, which Leah did say is a result of the training. He can relax and not have to be  constantly on watch.We were heart broken thinking that we would have to give up  Rex. We are so glad we spent the money to invest in this training,because now we are equipped with the tools to teach Rex how to be safe in any environment.  I have pasted some pictures of Bear and Rex together playing in the nursery. 

The change seriously is remarkable. Leah mentioned how some families will send their dogs there right when they pick them up as puppies so they don't develop any bad habits. You can bet that for our next dog we will be doing that right from the start. We can't thank Canine Academy enough for all that they have done. We are so grateful and so glad that Rex can stay part of our family!

Canine Academy

If you are in need of some extra help with your furry friend please check them out!

Cheers!

JNK

I Dare you...

During one of Hayes's feedings I was looking at Pinterest to pass the time (um, please tell me I'm not the only guilty one) I came across this Plank Challenge. I was up to a 2 min plank in my pilates mat class; but with a beach trip to Rosemary beach coming up in August I thought this is one challenge I must take. I even challenged our family to a fun healthy plank competition once we arrive :). I have pasted the challenge below. I'm currently at 3 minutes, and I must say it does get easier. I never would have thought I could do 3 minutes. The worst part is just passing the time, hence I try to find an upbeat song that helps me not think about the time. The plank challenge is below:

Some have asked what my current workout regime is to get back into shape. I have been doing 6-7 days a week at the gym. Yes, you read that correctly. It's not easy getting your body back into shape. Although I'm only about 4-5 lbs away from my goal weight my stomach still isn't as tight or my hips as small as pre baby. I know that maybe just the way it will be from here on out, however I'm not ready to accept that just yet :). I do 2 reformer classes a week and then one Pilates mat class. The other 3-4 days I run. I try to always run at least 12-15 miles a week.I promise to post an updated pic but I am waiting until 6 months, as that really was my goal to get back to my pre pregnancy shape. 

 I haven't been as focused on eating since I'm still breastfeeding. However, those of you who know me, know that I really never have been a bad eater. I am ready to quit breastfeeding if only Bear would take a bottle again. Ugh! He was fine when he was little but I must admit we laid off the bottles because it was easier for me to just feed him. I have already tried 2 different bottles and have another one arriving from Amazon on Wed! My MIL arrives on Wed, so I'm going to recruit her to help me get Bear to take the bottle. I have heard that you should try the bottle for their first feeding and only offer the bottle. They will learn to take the bottle because they are starving. Some have said it takes a couple hours others have said a couple of days. But I welcome any advice you mommies out there may have. We started introducing food as a snack last week and the little man is loving it. Here are a few pictures of Bear enjoying food:

I thought I had one with his face covered in mango, but I guess I don't! I'm loving every minute with him as he just gets more and more fun each day!!

Have a good week, and take the Plank Challenge :)!

JNK

I wear my sunglasses at night..

I've never really been a huge sunglasses person. I mean I would pick up a couple pairs and they tend to break or I lose them :(. I broke down a few years ago and bought my first pair of designer shades only to have them lost to the rapids of a river trip down the Frio.
However, recently I have found that I'm becoming more of a sunglasses person. One of my girlfriends Lindsey has probably my favorite collection of sunglasses. She is definitely my sunglass snob, but I have major sunglass envy over her collection.

Here are a few that I'm loving right now:

Karen Walker Number One

I see lots of celebrities and blogebrities sporting her shades. I want these number ones in tortoise.

The other pair of Karen Walker's I love are the Cabbie's:
Karen Walker Cabbie's

These are the perfect brunch shades :).

I have always been a huge fan of the Tom Ford Shades. I always gravitate towards them whenever trying on sunglasses. That is probably a sign that I should just go ahead and get them right? :)

Tom Ford Rhi

Tom Ford Whitney


Aviators are definitely a must have in any handbag, car, stroller, etc  . Here are a few of my favorite aviators:

Ray Ban's Original Aviator with Mirror Lens

I am loving all the colors in the mirror lens.I personally would go for the green flash.

I love these Vince Camuto's and the best part is they are under $100

Vince Camuto Aviators

Chanel Aviators

I love these Chanel Aviators. I think I may like the version with the metal sides as opposed to the lambskin, but right now I will have to settle with just admiring the images online.


It's a big week in our home this week as Bear hits the big 4 month mark on Friday. We are so excited to give this lil' man some food :)! I don't know if any of you other mommas out there have experienced this 4 month sleep regression but the past few days have been a little challenging at night. We have been so lucky as Bear has been a good sleeper since he was 4.5 weeks old doing stretches of 7 hours a night and we have had a few 9 hour stretches in the past couple weeks. But that all came to a halt this past week. He is waking up a lot in the night. We have tried to implement the cry it out method, but I have to be honest it's not as easy as it seems. I have read that they go thru this sleep regression because they are now entering different levels of sleep. Just hoping we can get back to our long stretches of sleep. If you have gone thru this, I would love any tips. We are very disciplined on our schedule, and he goes done so easily and normally would be down for a good 7 hours. Now he wakes up about 40 minutes into going down and if you rock him will go back down pretty easily or he will start to wake up as soon as you put him back in the crib. Oh the joys of parenthood. These little ones always keep you on your toes! My mom did warn me in saying as soon as you think you have them understood they change!

Hope everyone has a great week!

Cheers!

JNK

Thankful

We have had a tough couple of weeks as Greg and I were faced with some tough decisions to make for our family. We spent what felt like every minute of "our time" weighing the pros and cons of our decision.  It was not always easy at times, but now that the decision has been made I am able to reflect on how thankful I am for the man I married and the life that we live. 

Our marriage is by far not perfect, but I am grateful to have a man by my side for this crazy journey who supports me, uplifts me, challenges me, inspires me, and most importantly at the end of the day is my best friend.Not to mention, he is pretty handsome to look at :). I know I can be a little bratty at times and probably a pain in the royal you know what, but he puts up with me, and I'm very grateful. I have been blessed to share this journey with a man who is not only a great provider for this family but also a great spiritual leader and continues to be a great leader for this family, we are blessed!

I know Greg doesn't usually read my blog, but this is one I hope he does read, and if he does; Hayes, Rex, and I are so lucky to have you! We love you to the moon and back! 

Manic Monday

Oh, hello Monday!!! I felt like this weekend just flew by and here we are at the start of another week! We had a great weekend!! We got Rex back after his 7 week bootcamp, and I must say we have a brand new dog on our hands!! It is just amazing the transformation we are seeing. We know that it's a work in progress, but I love having him home. Here is a pic of us today walking:

I would have never been able to do this before. He stayed with us the whole time!! Canine Academy is amazing! Here are the two boys after the walk:

Tired both of my little guys out!

Ok, so now on to my next question. Do you Paleo??? I keep reading about how great it is, and I must say my friend Anna has been following the Paleo diet and she looks Amazing!!!! I should have had her send me a pic so you could see how great she looks. Now don't think it's just paleo, she has been doing crossfit,yoga, and running,but she loves the Paleo diet. I'm seriously debating doing it. I want to wait until after I'm done breastfeeding to be on the safe side. I have been doing pilates and running and still am about 5 pounds away from pre pregnancy weight. However, even only 5lbs away there are jiggles there that weren't there before:(!! If you Paleo what are some of your favorite recipes??? We head to the beach at the end of August so I'm thinking of starting Aug 1!! Greg is on board with it, which is always nice:)! Easier to stick to something when the whole family does it together!! 

Hope you have a great week!

Cheers!

JNK 

Homecoming

Yeah for Friday!! This week has me whipped! We have had so much on our plate that I'm physically and emotionally exhausted! We have had this date circled on the calendar for awhile because we get to pick up Rex today after being away from him for 7 weeks! 

We have had 2 appointments this week to learn all the training and he is doing so much better! However, Greg and I have been studying the rules and commands. The training is definitely not easy as there is lots to learn, but it will be nice having a well behaved dog in the house. I'm nervous to bring him home but also very excited! He has to stay off furniture for first 30 days and no sleeping in our bed. I think he is definitely going to test his boundaries with Greg and I. We have a follow up appointment in one week and then again in 30 days. The one thing that's nice about this program is that they have social outings every week, that allows you and your dog to go as a group with other graduates to the local parks and get them used to people and public areas. We can already tell a huge difference in him. He still has corrections but it was amazing to see him on the sidewalk of a busy street with people walking by in a down stay without a leash on. 

This weekend is going to be a little crazy with Rex being home and the plans we have. I'm trying to convince Greg to attend a Pilates class with me on Saturday. Bear is growing up so fast, and is just giggling up a storm these days we are having a blast!!!  Here are a few pics:

Fell asleep while I was changing!

Making faces with Mommy!

What are you doing Mommy!

In his doggie onesie this am in preparation for us taking Rex home! 

Have a great weekend!

Cheers!

JNK