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 :)!