What's Up Wednesday

First and foremost I want to begin today by sharing this post by my girlfriend, Meagan.  Meagan lives in Houston, is part of the Houston Moms' Blog group, and she's written a post about all the ways others can help Houston-both near and far.  My heart is going out to all those affected by Harvey.  The pictures and videos are devastating.  I'll continue to be praying for everyone affected, but also wanted to pass on ways to help.

 I'm joining Mel, Shay, and Sheaffer for their What's Up Wednesday link-up!

What we're eating this week:

Monday: Roasted Florentine Meatballs with pasta, green beans, and a salad were what was for dinner.  With some major dessert because #thefirstdayofschool.  :) 

Tuesday:  We had brisket with smashed potatoes in the slow cooker.  There's something about having dinner in the slow cooker on the first day of school...I feel like Wonder Woman.  haha!

Our refrigerator is stocked with leftovers for the week.  So my people should be fed.  :)  Today is Britt's surgery on her cleft palate.  Please say a prayer for her.  I've heard the recovery is awful, but I know in a few months we'll be so glad this is behind us.

What I'm Reminiscing About:

This moment and just how far we've come.  Britt is definitely quiet and reserved in social settings but the more she's around people, the more she begins to let them in.  At home she is loud, full of life, and isn't afraid to let us know what she's thinking.  It does my mama heart good to know she must feel so safe and loved at home in order for her to let us see all that.  We've come such a long way.  I've heard surgeries are good for bonding (not that anyone would have a surgery to help bonding but you know what I mean) but there's a part of me that's so nervous this will set us back.  I'm thinking about just how far we've become.  God is good.

What I'm Loving:

As sad as I am to see summer go, I LOVE the structure and schedule a new school year brings.  Along with cooler temperatures, ALL THE FALL candles, fall recipes, fall clothes...you get the idea.  :)

What We've Been Up To:

We squeezed the very last bits of fun out of summer by hitting up the water park on Friday.

What I'm Dreading:

I'm dreading the next couple recovery weeks.

What I'm Working On:

I shared this last month and we're still waiting on the dresser to arrive.  Hopefully, this month we'll be able to completely check the girls' room off our list.

What I'm Excited About:

Did you see my girl, Shay, on QVC?  She did a FANTASTIC JOB!  I would have been breathing into a paper bag, wearing a turtleneck to cover my hives, all while trying to spit out the names of recipes but she was a PRO!  So proud of her!  If you didn't order on QVC you can pre-order the new Simmers cookbook here!  Mine arrived last week and it is FABULOUS!.  Shay's recipes are my FAVORITES!

What I'm watching/reading:

WAHOO!!!  ALL THE BIG BROTHER!

I can't stop with this show.  It gets pretty difficult to keep up with once the school year begins, but have no fear...I'll figure out a way.  ;)

I'm currently reading...

Just Life

Amazon recommended this one and the verdict is still out.  Has anyone read this?

What I'm Listening To:

All the country music...I've been in a country mood over here.

  

What I'm Wearing:

I shared my love of MULES just last week.  And I also highlighted a few fall transitional pieces. 

This was what I wore to church on Sunday (minus my wedges).  I bought this floral dress from Anthropologie back in the spring, but they have a wide selection (some on major sale) of floral dresses and jump suits available.

What I'm Doing This Weekend:

This made me LAUGH!!!  It's kind of my life!  haha!

 Nixon is going to go to Tab's game with him this weekend.  The other three kiddos and I will be hanging out while taking care of Britt and her recovery.

What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month:

Fall.

Need I say more?

See you on Friday for Friday Favorites!

Back to School

Today is the day...

My big kiddos head BACK TO SCHOOL!

Ebby Lee will be in third grade and Nixon will be in second.  Bowen starts his pre-k preschool class next week and Britt and I will be shuttling them all to and from.  :)

On days like today I have ALL THE THOUGHTS rolling through my head...

*Will they be kind to everyone?

*Will they invite the shy kiddo who's new to play?

*Will they be confident enough to raise their hand and answer?

*Will they...will they...will they?

I'm telling you ALL THE THOUGHTS are swimming around in my head.  We've been praying for this school year and have been doing our best to prepare.  Now it's time to see what they've got.  :)

 These little pieces of my heart will be walking the halls of the local elementary school instead of spending all their free time at the pool with me all summer.  It's so bittersweet.

One of the hardest days of my life was sending sweet little five-year-old Ebby Lee to kindergarten.  I was a blubbering mess that day and I have no doubts we arrived thirty minutes early to sit in the carpool line.  We were so eager to pick her up.  Mamas sending kindergarten babies to school...it gets so much easier.  That first day {and so far the first kid has been the hardest} is just tough!

I just thought I'd share a few BACK TO SCHOOL things since it's on our minds over here.  :)

If you're looking for a little inspiration for BACK TO SCHOOL clothes, be sure to check out this post.  

A couple years ago I shared our favorite BACK TO SCHOOL recipes.  We've added a few new favorites but these are still our tried and trues.  :)

I also polled you guys for some great BACK TO SCHOOL traditions and then I compiled a list of the top recommendations.  You can see the list here.  As silly as it sounds (and looks) a reader suggested decorating the front door on the first day.  I did just that on Ebby Lee's first day of kindergarten and she remembered it ALL YEAR LONG!  So now it's a thing!  I get decorations at Dollar Tree...even GET WELL SOON balloons if that's all they have and decorate the front door/yard.  Last year I also grabbed silly string and we had a blast!  {Just keepin' it real...I actually FORGOT on the first day of school last year and did all this on the SECOND day.  Trust me...I have about five alarms set for today so I don't forget.  :)}

Now I'm off to meet some of my favorite girls at our BACK TO SCHOOL breakfast.

Moms of littles...hug your babies a little tighter today.  The days are going to fly by and before you know it...you'll be sending them off to kindergarten.  If you're like me...you'll be excited to see them go but you'll miss them like crazy.  I might hold Bowen and Britt all afternoon.  ;)

Good luck to all the BACK TO SCHOOL'ers!

Friday Favorites

HAPPY FRIDAY!

Today is bittersweet for us here in McKinney....the last official day of summer.  We're saying goodbye to late bedtimes, no schedules, way too much screen time, and wet swimsuits, but with the beginning of a new school year comes excitement, routines, and adventure.  So we're feeling ALL THE EMOTIONS over here today.  And we're doing our very best to enjoy every single moment.

I've teamed up with Narci and Andrea to bring you FRIDAY FAVORITES again today.  Every Friday we host a link-up inviting other bloggers to join us.  Simply grab our graphic, link back to us, and add your blog to the line-up (at the bottom of the post).  If you missed it this week, please join us next Friday!

I have a random group of FAVORITES for you this week...

First up, are FALL CLOTHES from Nordstrom.  Nordstrom reached out to ask me to talk about some transitional fall pieces and I found some new FAVORITES just for you.  :)  I know I've said this before but the online ordering at Nordstrom with free shipping and free returns makes my life so much easier.  

The first department I scanned was the shoe department and you know what I saw?  

-A LOT OF MULES-

I wasn't sure I was gonna be a fan and then I spotted these beauties...

 Aren't these shoes CUTE?!  They're a GREAT price point, are a perfect transitional shoe, AND come in six different colors.

Then I went down an entire mule rabbit hole and I have several other options to show you.  Stay tuned...

A look at the entire outfit...peplum sweatshirt (so comfy), jeans (I LOVED the bottom of the these jeans but they were almost too short on me.  I'm about 5'7"/5'6" and they were on the verge.  Under 5'6" ladies, these are your jeans!), and mules.

And a close up of the shirt...it's a short sleeve peplum top made out of sweatshirt material.  You can dress it up or dress it down and the entire time no one will know you feel like you're wearing pj's.

I switched out the jeans and mules to give you a different look.  These jeans have a frayed hem...and make me think of college football.  If your team is maroon, you need these!

I LOVED the sleeves on this top.  It was on the verge of being too short (I have a long torso) but I'll add a little cami underneath and no one will even know.  I was also a big fan of the cuffed jeans for fall AND check out the mules in the mustard!

I'm telling you...the sleeves are CUTE!  This top comes in six colors.

 Mustard is often a tough color for me to wear so I love that I can add a pop of mustard with these shoes!

Same jeans, same shoes, new top (comes in a TON of colors)...I'm such a fan of those peplum tops at the moment.  This top would be adorable with white jeans right now or paired with denim and mustard in the fall.

 This outfit was built around these mules...top, cuffed jeans, and the cutest mules.  I'd say they're more of a burnt orange shade-Texas fans-THESE are your shoes!  They have fur on the inside and were crazy comfy.  If you're in between sizes, I'd recommend sizing up-because of the fur.

 You know how someone will say a word too many times and then it sounds weird?  Well, I feel like that word today would be MULE!  hahaha!  Here's a closer look at all the MULES I ordered to show you (except I realize now I forgot to take an alone picture of the Toms' mules-oops!  #bloggerfail).

Grey Bow Mules

Toms Mules (If you prefer a heeled mule)

Taupe Mules

Mustard Bow Mules

Free People Mules

Yesterday, I showered and a few other items arrived at the door.  I was hurrying to put them on and Britt woke up from her nap.  She's hanging in that pink car-that's why it's scooted right beside the mirror.  :)

This is something I would wear to run errands, to volunteer at the kids' school, or to meet friends for dinner. 

Ruffle Top-Distressed Jeans-Mules

This top screamed, "FALL", to me!?  Do you hear it too?  I paired it with those same distressed jeans and the mules.

Top-Jean-Mules

I hope you guys found a little fall inspiration.  Now I hope you can get the word MULE out of your head today.  :)  #goodluck

A big THANK YOU to Nordstrom for sponsoring this portion of the post.

You can shop all the items I shared below...

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 This Sunday we'll be welcoming our new lead pastor at church.  I feel like there's such a big wave of excitement throughout our church family, which is awesome.  I'm looking forward to Launch Sunday (a FAVORITE of mine)-this Sunday-which is when kiddos are promoted to the next grade level class and the new year (at church) begins.  If you're local and are looking for a church home, please come visit us this Sunday.  You can see service times here.

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If you missed my last little summer getaway post on Wednesday, you can check it out here.  We joined the Shulls at the JW Marriott resort in San Antonio and had a BLAST!  A FAVORITE week of my summer, for sure!

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Any other wives feeling the same way?  This is our last weekend before football season officially begins in our house.  Last year the kids and I went to four games (not all kids attended each one) but the season flew by because we were with Tab so often.  This year with Britt I'm thinking we won't be attending as many.  We'll see how it goes!

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After church on Sunday I wanted to grab a picture of my new jumpsuit for you.  I wore it with my denim jacket at church but the second we were in the car I shed it.  It was CRAZY HOT here last week.  Who knew I'd be such a fan of a jump suit?  But I love it!  I plan on pairing it with my jacket (like I did this week) or a cardigan and the colors will carry me through fall.  A new FAVORITE!

Nixon decided to join the picture and the girls went CRAZY!  

Whew!  That was  LOT of Friday FAVORITES!  If you made it to the end, THANK YOU for reading.  :)

We're gonna enjoy every minute this weekend.  Hope you do too.  XO

An InLinkz Link-up

Last Summer Getaway

Last summer our family of five took a last minute trip to the JW Marriott resort in San Antonio.  We had an absolute blast!

Doesn't it look like they're loving it?  You can read the entire post here.  It was also the trip where I channeled my inner-Lady {my hair was a MESS!} and bumped into SHEAFFER!

This summer we knew we wanted to go again and we knew just who to take with us...the Shulls!  Our kids were stoked!  Can you imagine going to a resort with water slides for several days?  Awesome.  Right?  Now imagine going to that same resort with water slides WITH your besties?  Even more awesome.  That's pretty much what my kiddos thought.

#andmetoo

:)

We left McKinney bright and early on Tuesday morning so we could get to the JW ASAP!

I'm sacrificing my crazy face so you can see her sweet, sweet smile.  :)  We had lunch and then we were all set for an afternoon/evening of fun.  This just happens to be the only picture I took ALL day!  ha!  That's what happens when you're having fun.  

Day two...I parked myself beside this sweet girl for part of the morning.

Big Brother did a little babysitting.

Madeley thought Britt needed a snack.  She's not smiling because she's saying, "Britt-Snack".

From my chair I could see this cutie cruise by on a raft.  He's such a big boy.  He rode three of the water slides and the lazy river-no floaties this summer!

 Every afternoon the kiddos would have a Dippin' Dots break...Shay and I preferred having a quesadilla break.  haha!  #vacation #imnotevenkidding

Britt and Madeley took naps pool side each afternoon.

 Day two was a huge success!

It's such a crazy, blurry picture!!!  After dinner the kiddos were playing in this big grassy area and a group of about ten of them had a race.  It's blurry because they're running SO FAST!  ;)

Day three we all woke up with big smiles ready to do it all over again!

I've mentioned before Britt likes her mama to hold her 24/7...right?  In this picture she's so mad I'm taking her picture instead of holding her!

These cuties set up some chairs and relaxed in the sun.

The next morning we took crazy early morning selfies in bed before packing up.

We LOVED this little last summer getaway!

Britt was a BIG fan too!

And then she realized I should be holding her.  :)  haha!

 We packed it all up on Friday morning and said goodbye.  This resort is a super family friendly spot...the food is AMAZING {HELLO, CHICKEN FRIED STEAK-I'M LOOKING AT YOU!}, there are plenty of water slides and pools to keep the kiddos busy, and it's really nice and clean BUT the FRAMILY we were with made this trip SO SPECIAL!  LOVE our Shull/Slaughter trips so much!

Tab's cousin recently purchased a lake house on Horseshoe Bay which is just about an hour away from the resort.  So we drove over to spend the day/night with them before coming home on Saturday.

We stopped in Marble Falls {I've never been before and this town is CUTE!!} for a yummy lunch at the Blue Bonnet Cafe.

#lakehairdontcare  Right?  I was already ready for the lake!

Britt was keeping the boys entertained at her end of the table.

Their house was on a little canal off the lake.  It just happened to have some gorgeous views.

These four enjoyed a little tubing time.

While we cheered from the boat.  :)

Can you tell which two were really enjoying themselves?  ;)

We packed our car up on Saturday morning and made our way back home.  I think we managed to soak every bit of fun out of the last little getaway that we possibly could.

Lots of memories were made which what it's all about. 

Happy Wednesday, Friends!