Weekend Wrap Up - Menu Monday

Friday night we were bound and determined to have a date night, so we grabbed our girl from daycare, took her home for a bottle, and she was out by the time we walked in the restaurant. #parentingwin

We were at our FAVORITE sushi restaurant, SugarFish, and were able to snag a table so quickly because we got there at 5:30...ha! She woke up just in time for the check #onfridaysweweararmyjackets

Sweet girl with a bow change (because there are not enough days in the year to use all the bows we own).. I tried to snag some pics for my mom in her outfit from her, but little girl is always on the move! 

We picked up Molly from daycare on the way home from SugarFish and she promptly got a bath and was PUMPED her monthly Bark Box came in!

Maddie Jane has struggled sleeping through the night since she has been sick, but Friday night we got a solid 9 hours in.the.crib. Huge deal folks! 

After a great night's sleep, she was ready to see the Easter Bunny! That smile.. she KNOWS she has us wrapped around her finger. 

Once we got to The Grove.. she wasn't too excited anymore, ha! I mean that bunny IS creepy.. I don't blame you girl! 

A morning full of excitement wore her out and we got to have a lunch date at Umami. Two peaceful meals out in a row.. we should have played the lottery this weekend!! haha

We brought Molly girl home a doggy cupcake from Sprinkles (because she isn't spoiled enough...)

During Maddie's afternoon nap, we had a few drinks on the balcony. I tried to get him to take a picture with me with no such luck.. 

Not amused.. 

Molly girl is always down for the camera.. 

Sunday morning Maddie Jane was all smiles about tummy time for the first ever! She was so proud of herself! 

Sunday afternoon we had a nice stroll around the neighborhood. It just blows my mind how much more aware she is of her surroundings.. she is so much fun!! 

Naked and snoozing in Mama's lap is her favorite. She looks so big!! ahhh 

This morning she was helping Dad with some work while I got ready.. these two!! (insert heart eye emoji)

And we were EARLY this morning, on a MONDAY! So we had a quick little date at Starbucks. What a great way to start off the week.  

On the menu this week..

Sunday: Potstickers

Last night I made potstickers for dinner (and a ton to freeze as well!) I did these on Sunday because these bad boys do take some time to make, but they are SO good and now we will have a super fast meal to have in the future. (Side note: prettyyy impressed with my folding technique..) 

Monday: Pork Chops and Alfredo Mushrooms

Tonight we are having seared pork chops with alfredo mushrooms. We randomly discovered how good just a splash of jarred alfredo sauce is on any vegetable and it is now one of our go to side dishes. 

Tuesday: Cheeseburger Pizza

Tried and true recipe around our parts.. ground turkey, ketchup, mustard, cheese, lettuce, pickles. YUM

Wednesday: Pesto Chicken Pizza

When I make pizza dough, it's always enough for two pizzas.. So we are trying out a new topping combination of chicken, homemade pesto, and mozzarella. 

Thursday: Chicken and Rice

And to make life easier, I will cook a bunch of chicken on Wednesday then throw in the leftovers with rice for a super quick dinner on Thursday. 

Meal planning saves money, time, and waste when you just give it a little thought each week! Enjoy your week guys!! 

xoxo

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Friday Favorites

Hey, y’all!!  I have been off the blogging train for almost two weeks!! Oops. Mama was sick, Maddie was sick, Dad left us for EIGHT whole stinkin days. We were just struggling to get by! But it’s FINALLY Friday!!! And we are going to get rested up and back on track this weekend, I swear. I'm linking back up with Narci, Erika and Andrea for Friday Favorites!!

1. Gigi in LA!! 

Holy cow, what would we have done without her last weekend!?! Talk about perfectly timed trip. Maddie and I were both so stinkin sick.. (We survived the daycare germs for two whole weeks before they kicked both our booties!) Mom cooked, cleaned, grocery shopped. We had planned to have a big weekend of shopping, sushi, and nails and it turned out to be take-out, netflix and doctors visits.. sure am thankful for this Mama of mine :) 

She even had my girl smiling through all the snot and sneezing and coughing. 

2. Tummy Time

We are working so hard on tummy time. Maddie still hates it and Mama is still pushing it.. We will get there one day.. 

This is always the face she makes when she is trying to talk to us. I never, ever want to forget those little lips and her cooing. #babiesdontkeep

3. Daddy's Home!!! 

Man oh man, I don't know how Mamas with their husband in the service do it.. Missing that extra pair of hands is HARD. Maddie LOVES her Daddy. She lights up as soon as he walks in the room.. I am like chopped liver if Daddy is around. We were both missing him big time while he was up at Berkeley. And not only missing the extra hands.. I just need my person. He is my rock. That hour or two in between Maddie's bed time and when we go to bed is my FAVORITE time of day. Love this man of mine. 

4. Wednesday Afternoon

Wednesday afternoon was just one of those days you sit back and think.. life.is.good. The weather was perfect, so as soon we got home I stripped off her stinky daycare clothes and put on some cute new stuff from Gigi.. of course a photo shoot had to happen.. 

Then we soaked up some sun on the balcony.. Maddie had her bottle, and I had mine (wink, wink) 

Then home girl KNOCKED OUT .. full belly, dry tooshie, and a warm breeze is her love language.. 

Sweet thang woke up and Dad played us some tunes on the guitar.. 

Be still my heart.. those lashes, those lips... and that drool. Oh Maddie girl. What a PERFECT afternoon.

5. Barrett Turner.

This.Kid. He has started karate and he is soooo in his element. Love, love, love the back and forth I have with Amanda every week giving updates on our kids. Makes those 2000 miles feel a little more bearable.. 

He was PUMPED he got a stripe.. whatever that means?? 

We have a trip to see the Easter Bunny, Palm Sunday service, and a long list of shows on the DVR on the agenda.. Hope you guys have a great weekend!! 

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Weekend Wrap Up

Hey Y'all! It was a great weekend at home! I was counting down the minutes on Friday till I could get to my girl. It was tough being away from her so much last week, but thankfully the weekend didn't completely fly by. 

Friday night we had a date night at a super authentic Chinese restaurant near our house we had been meaning to try. She was on the verge of tears the entire time and it was so stressful, but we were glad we got out. It's tough not changing your life for a baby.. most times I don't even want to try getting her out in public for fear of her having a meltdown, but I'm always glad when we do! Trying so hard to start her early so when it comes time for vacations or things we HAVE to do, she is a go with the flow kiddo. At least she always looks cute even while she's screaming, right?? (Thanks for the outfit Auntie Paige!)

Saturday we all hung out in our comfy clothes All.Day.Long. Maddie napped on and off. We deep cleaned the house and then watched about 37 episodes of Parenthood. ha! Seriously, I LOVE that show. I even have AJ watching it with me now. I know its going to be one of those I mourn when it's over.. 

And you may notice this little outfit from my Instagram account from last May when we announced we were having a baby!! Holy cow it is so weird to think she was just "Baby P" back then. We had NO idea what we were in store for!! 

Sunday morning we worked on tummy time. Goodness gracious I have worried about her lack of head control and not being able to roll over yet. I really need to stop reading all of these milestone posts about where babies "should be" at each age!! This is as high as she has been able to hold it - we cheer and clap every time she makes it off her face, ha! 

Sunday afternoon we headed to Maddie Jane's first gymnastics meet at UCLA because the Gym Dawgs were in town!! Man oh man I loved seeing my girl in red and black!! My mom and I have such special memories going to Gym Dawg meets when I was younger and I cannot wait to get MJ back to Georgia to experience the 10.0 club and Sundays spent in Athens!

She slept through most of it (thank you Jesus!), but AJ and I had a ball! I like when I am able to explain things to him for a change :) AND we got to see the first 10.0 on vault since 2009! It was a great first UGA event for Maddie to go to - very laid back, no crowds, and super close to home.

For the next 9 days it's just the two of us while Daddy is at Berkeley doing some research. My mom is coming Thursday night to help out, but please pray for us until then! I not only miss AJ for the extra set of hands, I just miss MY husband!! He is my rock, he keeps me grounded, he knows just what I need at the end of a hard day. I'm probably going to shed some tears this week, but I know I'm going to feel like superwoman at the end of it!!  And uh.. no menu this week! Mama lives off frozen chicken nuggets and cheeze its when Dad is away! 

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Friday Favorites

Hey, y’all!! It’s FINALLY Friday!!! It's been a long time since I have even cared what day of the week it is, ha! Man oh man am I ready for 48 straight hours of snuggling with my girl!! I'm linking back up with Narci, Erika and Andrea for Friday Favorites!!

1. Maddie Jane's 1st museum 

We have been meaning to go to the Hammer Museum ever since we moved to LA. It's super close to our house and FREE, so not quite sure what took us so long! Saturday we decided to do lunch out and culture our girl with some modern art, ha!

She didn't really care what we were doing, but Mama was having fun! 

She did great in her stroller for awhile, but after about 45 minutes she was DONE. Can't wait until we can take her to the Children's Museum for a interaction. 

2. Getting back to work.. 

Okay, this really isn't a favorite. In fact, I have DREADED this week like the plague. But all in all, it hasn't been that bad. The first day was completely miserable, but each day has gotten easier and easier. Tons of pics of my girl on my desk help :)

And MANY trips to the Starbucks in my building have been made.. 

3. Sweet Surprises

Surprises from two of my absolute favorite people made day 1 and 2 a little easier. Paige sent some chocolate covered strawberries.. 

And my mom sent me these gorgeous flowers! They sure do know how to make a girl feel special :) 

4. HR Offsite

I picked quite the week to come back to work! We spent two days this week "working" by the beach. Wednesday we had discussions, a team building "Dancing with the Stars" event and then dinner at this gorgeous restaurant in Santa Monica. 

Oh how I have missed seeing Devri every day!! And Ronn our little photo bomber, ha! 

Thursday was more presentations/discussions. But I will listen to a talk ANY day when this is my view!! 

Thursday afternoon we ended the offsite with a group version of American Idol. Our group was given Shake Your Booty and these stunning costumes to "match"! 

All of the performances were HILARIOUS. Thankfully they loosened us up with some cocktails beforehand!

So nice to ease my way into work with some really fun days by the beach my first week. 

5. MY GIRL!

SO proud of how well Maddie Jane has done with daycare! She is SO happy at drop off and pick up. Ms Jenny let us know that she giggles and squeals all day long! It is SO much easier taking her to daycare knowing that she is a happy girl.

We are so pleased with the daycare we have chosen - everything really has been a breeze this week. And we can already tell a difference in her! She is so much more just after 4 days of being around other kids. We are eager to see how she learns to talk, crawl, walk being around the "big kids". AND she has slept 9 hours straight every.single.night this week! YAY DAYCARE! 

Y'all have a great weekend!! 

Anna-Grace

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