Our Little Lamb

Annalee wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Halloween!!! 

Our little lamb loves her costume! 

We will be trick-or-treating downtown today and then hanging out at the house after. I bought some candy... just in case we get a couple trick-or-treaters. Usually kids don't wonder that far down the street to see us. At least we have some candy to eat ourselves, right? 

Check out her fluffy little tail!!

______________

Today is also our 'dateiversary'! Our first date was 9 years ago on Halloween. How fun, right? 

Pumpkin Throwbacks ~ 2008  |  2010  |  2012

I wish we had a picture from that night... but, I'm pretty sure I still had a flip phone in 2007. It was certainly a memorable night though. I lived in Richmond at the time, and Jesse drove over from Lexington. I cooked my mom's famous stuffed pork tenderloin, twice baked potatoes and green beans. A far cry from the hotdogs and chili we will be cooking tonight. {They say the way to a man's heart is through his belly, right?  I guess it worked!} We left the garlic bread in the oven and burnt it {the first of many times that has happened over the years} and Jesse brought a bottle of Meritage from Horton Vineyards, the first time I ever drank red wine. It was such a memorable night. We didn't have a single trick-or-treater, but enjoyed a big bowl of reese's and snickers. Happy 9 years, love! I can't wait to share many more bowls of candy with you.  

Have a wonderful Halloween!! 

Annalee Estelle | 16 & 17 months

Baby Girl,

I can't tell you how lucky I am to be your momma... and I'm pretty sure your Daddy feels the same way. At the moment you are a momma's girl - but you sure do love Da Da and think he is the funniest! (I do too!) Your personality is truly one of a kind - laughing, smiling and giggling at every turn. You are on the go - running and climbing - and playing hide-n-seek. You are also talking up a storm. You will repeat most anything we ask you, but some of your favorite words at the moment are cheese, please, apple, yes, yo-yo (yogurt), baby, mimi, bye-bye, momma, da da, puppy and cheer (Cheerios). You are wearing 18-24 month clothes and size 6 shoes. You are still in size 4 diapers - baby dry's at night for sure. You love to eat and will try almost anything we give you. You love all fruits, veggies, chicken, avocado, pancakes and waffles, eggs, yogurt, APPLES and applesauce, cheese, crackers, pork, fish and of course, cheerios. Your favorite toys are the little people doll house, babies, the kitchen at mimi's (specifically the toaster and microwave), books, puzzles, balls, the slide, picnic basket and all buckets, boxes and doors you can open and shut. Coloring and painting are favorites at the moment and you ask every day to 'co-ugh' as soon as we get to Mimi's. You love to be outside, going to the door and pointing when you say 'aw-sigh'. You're a great helper, throwing things in the trash, closing doors, helping to warm your milk in the microwave and picking up your toys. You love music and dancing is your favorite.

You love other kids and are warming up to them pretty quickly now. You give the biggest hugs when they leave too. At your last check-up you were 25 lbs and 32 inches long, but we are pretty sure you have grown. You have great balance, squatting to pick things up and standing on your tippy-toes to get things on the counter. We still give you a sippy cup of milk before bed, but we brush your teeth after and then lay you down after prayers. You sleep with your paci and baby from Papa Sam and almost always go right to bed. Most days you are in bed by 7 p.m. (sometimes sooner) and sleep until 6 a.m. You have a full mouth of teeth - probably 6/8 on the top and 8 on the bottom. Your molars are coming in, and it's been so pitiful to hear you cry at night. We've been so blessed that you are healthy, happy and a great eater! I hope that you always keep that determination we see every day in those big blue eyes, while keeping that softer sweet side that we see each morning and night when you give us the biggest hugs and sweetest kisses.

We love you baby girl!

MangoTango 2016

Our annual girls' weekend is always the most fun. We are all spread around the country now - Arizona, Alabama, New York, South Carolina, Virginia and Texas. So for all of us, this is the only time we get to catch up on life... and reminisce about the good ole' days.

We don't really do much, other than eat, drink, swim, watch sunsets and talk. A lot. It's the best kind of medicine. I had forgotten what it was like to sleep almost 10 hours at night and stay on the beach from 9:30am-3pm. I even got to read a book, which I haven't done in months.... maybe years. 

It was the perfect little getaway. I always miss my fam when I'm away, but there were plenty of baby snuggles to be had, and when you're surrounded by the bestest gals, it's basically family. Just wanted to share a few pics to recap our long weekend.

Tracy surprises all weekend long!

Lots of pool time. 

Sunsets. Every Night.

Pretty mommas! 

And lots of fun!! 

...until next year girls. 

Mango recaps 2012, 2013, 2014.

Our Annual trip to the Pumpkin Patch

Year #2 was a success!  It was 95 degrees, there were zeros good pumpkins left in the patch, and the crowds were nuts. Did I mention it was 95 degrees outside? OK, maybe 80, but it was hot.

Sounds terrible, right? But it was far from. It was the BEST day!!

Annalee was happy as could be trotting around the pumpkin patch and playing ring-around-the-rosie with Mary Mac. Stopping to pose with a couple pictures and heading back to the tasting room, so the adults could enjoy some ice cold Cider. Did I mention it was HOT??

Last year it was freezing... we drank hot apple cider and ate warm doughnuts. This year we chugged crisp Bold Rock Cider and watched the 5 kiddos {and two babies} toss bean bags.

#perspective

We may not have left with a pumpkin, but we did get some great pictures and left with a bag of apples, which made Miss Annalee very happy.

After the patch, we headed over to the Hollomon's for some tasty chili and playtime.

They did have fun, despite the look on their faces.

It was a perfect Sunday! Now it's time for a trip to Herman's for some pumpkins.... 

Cheers friends!

Five on Friday | Pumpkins and Yo-Yo's

Cheers to Friday! Blogging seems to be taking a back seat more now than ever, but I'm aiming at once a week these days... I figured Friday would be as good for an update. Linking up for Five on Friday.

{one} I made our first batch of pumpkin muffins this morning and they were so delicious! I changed it up a little this time, adding oats, raisons and applesauce. Made them a little heartier! This is the recipe I followed:

1 box spice cake mix
1 can pumpkin puree
1/2 cup oats
1/2 cup raisons
1/2 applesauce
cinnamon and nutmeg to taste

Bake at 350 degrees for 13 minutes. I used mini-cups. Makes them much more 'popable'!

[two} I ordered this Halloween treat bag from Personalization Mall for Miss Annalee, and it's even more adorable in person. It's soft and sweet and perfect for toddlers. She's been carrying it around the house, filled with dolls, blocks and animals. So sweet!

On sale for $13.95 today!

{three} On Mango last weekend, I started The One and Only... the first book I have read in over a year. I sure do miss reading. So far, it's a pretty easy and funny read. If you're looking for something to pull you back into ready, Emily Giffin can always do it.

{four} I picked up the cutest little stocking stuffers for my nieces and nephews and I had to share. First, let me just say how shocked I am as well that I have already started Christmas shopping - this never happens. But, I couldn't resist. I mean... how cute are these yo-yo's?

$6.95 at Groopdealz

{five} It's the weekend! A new brewery is opening in our County and tomorrow we get to attend the soft-opening. We are also headed to c'ville on Sunday to go pumpkin picking with friends. I am so excited!! We are looking forward to a weekend of fall decorating, pumpkin picking, good football and making memories with great friends. 

Happy Weekend!

New Series! Rose with Tracy: Thoughts on October

I decided it would be fun to start a new series on the blog to give some monthly updates. I like posting in the mornings, so I thought Coffee Date would be cute. But then... I typically have more time to blog after little miss is in bed, and who are we kidding, I'm not drinking coffee. Being a little more realistic, here's to my first 'Rose with Tracy' with some thoughts on October.

We are ready for fall in this house. Just the site of pumpkins and mums on porches has me ready for FALL! I moved a couple things over from our September List... but here's our Top 10 things to do for October.

Free printable via KailaAimee.

1 | Visit Herman's Produce for pumpkins and mums
2 | MANGOFEST 2016 - 10 year anniversary of our girls trip! A few recaps... 2012, 2013, 2014
3 | Go apple or pumpkin picking
4 | Make a new fall wreath
5 | New pillows for the bed
6 | Finalize plans to redo our bedroom and bathroom {yay! so excited for this one}...and laundry. 
7 | Pick out a Halloween costume for Miss Annalee and go trick-or-treating
8 | Try a new pumpkin recipe
9 | Schedule Fall Pictures
10 | Plan another date night

I had my first mani in probably a year while I was home visiting family. Mom watched Annalee for a little while so J and I could get some work done. Jesse chose the Flora Bama to work, I chose the nail salon. Anyway, I'm loving my nail color - Do you Take Lei Away? - and think I'll try a new fall shade every couple weeks. 

I haven't had my haircut in over 3 months, and I'm finally starting to love the length. It's a struggle to get past those awkward short/long months and I'm glad I held out. Now I just can't decide what to do with it. Does anyone else get tired of their same ole hair? Maybe it's also post-baby hair. I miss the thickness. 

I'm trying to get back into red wine, but I just can't steer away from the Rose. Hints the name of my new series. Don't get me wrong, I love a good Malbec. I just feel like after a glass, I'm toast. This is still my favorite Rose. Trader Joe's has a cute article about 5 Ways to Rose, totally worth a read. 

I'm trying to plan (ok, maybe in my head) (or maybe by writing this down) to start Christmas shopping early this year. I'm terrible at this, but my cousin, who own's A Boy's Life decided it was her mission for the month of October to buy as many small business gifts as possible this year. So I decided it would be mine as well. Do you have a small business that you would like to highlight? Send me a message. 

That's all for today folks. I hope you have a Happy Tuesday!

Our trip to Maker's Mark and other Fall Fun

Happy October!

The best part of October.... it actually feels like fall! Time to break out the cardigans, scarves and booties. I can't wait. To re-cap our long weekend.

We left Thursday night after work and drove to Lexington, KY. We made it in five hours solid, with one stop - Micky D's for Miss Annalee's first happy meal. Well, sorta. I ate her cheeseburger and most of her fries.... and she had the apple slices, milk and a couple nuggets from her Dad. I think she loved the box the most. PS - How precious are the little fry boxes?

First Happy Meal

On Friday morning, the little one and I went for a long walk and grabbed some coffee at Daily Offerings Coffee Roastery, while the hubs did a couple hotel site visits. This place was so cute. Annalee loved the cool seats.

We packed up from the hotel around 10:30 and headed for Maker's Mark, where we had reserved our tours to dip a bottle of bourbon from our barrel that finally matured. Side note, if you're not an Ambassador, you should be. Christmas presents every year and your name goes on a barrel. After 6-7 years, you get to visit and dip a bottle, or two, from your barrel. Such great customer service - and talk about a way to create brand loyalty.

OK, back to our road trip. We took a tour, dipped our bottles, took a special visit to the Heritage Room to see a KA plaque for the hubs, and got a private golf cart ride to the car... which was needed for our box of bourbon we purchased. It was so cool. And totally worth the drive.

This was just after spying Jerry Jones drive by on a golf cart... he was there to purchase a Private Select barrel for the Cowboy's stadium. He even gave Annalee a little nod hello! 

We hit the road back to lex around 2:30, making a couple more stops this time. This gal was a great road-tripper and we made it back to Lex around 9pm.

Even though Saturday was October 1 we finished off a couple items from the September to-do list, installing new blinds in the bedroom and spending the afternoon at a vineyard.  It was Rockbridge Vineyard's Harvest festival - complete with grape stopping and hayrides.

That afternoon we got a sitter and had a fun date night hopping around town.We enjoyed dinner at the Southern Inn, followed by drinks at the Bistro, TAPs, Macado's and the Palms. A little bar-hopping around town was the perfect date night!

It also made for a lazy Sunday... watching FreeForm? Who even knew that was a channel? I guess that's what the sitter was watching, so when I turned on the TV Sunday, it was on. We proceeded to watch The Perfect Man, Failure to Launch and How to Loose a Guy in 10 Days... while napping and meal planning. It was the perfect lazy Sunday.

Did I mention my shirts arrived from Shein? They are so cute! I'm so excited for a new fall wardrobe.

Cheers to October friends! Looking forward to a great month ahead. Stay tuned for our October bucket list coming to the blog tomorrow.