Happy Heart Day!

Just popping in to spread a little love this Valentine's day! 

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Also, wanted to share a few pics of Valentine's that we put together for the kiddos.

I found these adorable felt envelopes at Target in the dollar bins - such a steal! 

We are off to enjoy our first Saturday at home in weeks... with a great Valentine's breakfast and lots of work on the nursery. But first, a sneak at my beautiful roses delivered to my office yesterday by my hubs! 

Have a wonderful Valentine's day... doing whatever it is that makes you happy! 

Baby Lyons | Week 22

How far along? 22 weeks

Size of baby: A papaya (11.8 inches, 12.7-20.8 oz) 

Gender: Keeping it a surprise! 

Weight Gain: Up a total of 15 pounds from my pre-baby weight. 

Maternity Clothes: Trying to wear as many of my regular clothes as I can. Tops are still fitting ok, but bottoms are def out. The bump is really starting to pop out! Loving dresses, tights and loose tops. Looking forward to warmer weather, so I can start wearing lots of sundresses. 

Nursery:  Still not much progress, but we have big plans for the weekend. Picking out carpet, blinds and knobs for the dresser. Excited to get to work on it!

Movement: Still waiting. patiently. :)

Symptoms: Not too many - slight aches after workouts this week - but nothing bad. Tired, and defiantly logging some good sleep. Overall, feeling pretty good!

Sleep: We may have splurged on a snoogle this week!  Ever since, I've been sleeping like a baby. I'm still not sure how it helps so much, but it's been heaven. 

Workouts: Feeling pretty good during my workouts this week - mostly long walks - but feels good to be moving. I hit 10,000 steps on my Fitbit a few days, and that felt great!

Cravings: Umm.... not too much this week. Living off cereal, fruit, PB&Js, granola and yogurt. 

What I Miss: Still missing my cold deli sammies, but that's about all. Totally worth the wait. ;)

Best Moment This Week: Seeing lots of friends and AOII sisters in Nashville. Loved getting to spend Friday with my old roomie and her new beau - and enjoyed getting lots of good luck wishes and love from my AOII's on Saturday. The hubs and I made the most of our long road trip with lots of "baby moon" planning {to be announced soon} and other baby prep. It was nice having so much down time together to plan. 

Looking Forward To: A weekend home with my hubs, celebrating our last Valentine's as a family of just two, and getting the lil cubs' nursery together. Overall just feeling very content this week and blessed. 

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 Week 19 | Week 20 | Week 21

Tasty Tuesday: Grown Up Hamburger Helper

It's been COLD here in VA - and after a long day of work and dragging ourselves to the gym - the last thing we wanted to do was go to the store as well. So, we decided to clean out the pantry and see what we could throw together. What turned out was pure deliciousness! We called it "Grown Up Hamburger Helper."

Photo courtesy of the hubs, on his second bowl... since we scarfed down the first. 

Ingredients
1 lb. turkey sausage
12 oz pasta (any kind will work, we even used a variety of 3 boxes - one was veggie)
1 can cream of mushroom soup, we only used about 2/3's of the can
1 tomato, diced
1/2 onion, chopped 
2 tbls garlic, minced 
2 cups spinach or arugula (we used a mixed blend)
1 cup hot pepper cheese (really any sort of white cheese would work), shredded
Olive Oil
Black Pepper

In a large skillet, brown sausage in one tablespoon olive oil. Leave in larger chunks. Meanwhile, cook pasta until al dente. Once sausage is browned, set aside (do not drain). Sauté onions and garlic in small skillet until fragrant. Meanwhile drain pasta and set aside. Add onion/garlic mixture to sausage and place over low heat. Add tomatoes, arugula and cream of mushroom soup and cook for 5-10 minutes. Season with pepper. Add mixture to large bowl with pasta - top with cheese, mix and enjoy! 

Such an easy week-night meal. Hope you enjoy!

Weekending

There is nothing I love more than a great Sunday at home. :)  While we had a fabulous weekend in Nashvegas, I was so happy to be home. I have spent the past 5 weekends on the road - and while I also enjoy my travels - sometimes a girl just wants to be home. But first, to re-cap our time in Nashville. Friday night we hung out with one of my besties and her new beau and enjoyed a great BBQ dinner at Edley's on 12th South. {My old stopping grounds... that I hardly recognize anymore.} We drove past our old house - and what used to be a huge house - could now certainly be qualified as a million $ home. It was beautiful! But, dinner was fabulous, and of course the best part was catching up with an old friend. Love you, Mols!

Saturday I sent the day in "panda land" with all my AOII's. It was a great day with Jess from PhiredUp, such a cool gal. She always has the best advice and perspective. Can't wait to share some of her great tips with my chapters. If you are curious as to what we do... check out her book, I Heart Recruitment.

Did I mention that Saturday was also my Dad's Mardi Gras parade and ball? We were so sad to miss... but now Mobile has a live feed, so you can watch all the parades from wherever you are. It was awesome! His float was "King Cobra" this year. Not that you can tell, but he's on the one on the top in front - with his head down.

Not quite like the real thing... but it'll have to do this year. I think this live feed will be up on my desktop all day on Fat Tuesday!

Saturday night J and I went to Sambuca in the Gulch - still one of our all time favorite spots in Nashville. We snagged a spot at the bar where we stayed for the next 3 hours, munching on some fabulous food and enjoying a wonderful band, The Familiar Faces. They were so great and had everyone up and dancing all night long!

After our weekend of fun, we hit the road early Sunday to get home and enjoy some of this beautiful weather!! We got home just in time to do a little grocery shopping, laundry, dishes and cleaning. You know, the fun stuff. Does anyone else get excited to do these things when you haven't done them in 5 weeks?? We also enjoyed some great burgers from the grill {yay for warn warm weather} and these tasty carrot fries on the side.

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Last, but certainly not lease - a quick shout out to my beautiful niece and goddaughter, Emilia Cay. She's such a beautiful little lady, inside and out and today she turns the big 5! Happy Birthday sweet girl!!

At her My Little Pony party. 

Baby Lyons | Week 21

How far along? 21 weeks

Size of baby: A pomegranate (10.5 inches, 12.7 oz) 

Gender: Well, this would have been our week to find out - we had our anatomy scan on Monday - but we kept our eyes closed {during that part of the ultrasound} and didn't peak. We're just so happy to have seen a healthy heart and a little wiggle worm, keeping the ultrasound tech on her toes for sure. :)

Weight Gain: We are defiantly growing - we as in me - I am up 15 pounds total. A little motivation to get back to the gym I suppose.

Maternity Clothes: O yes! Still getting by with dresses, tights and flowy tops - but my maternity leggings, workout tights and pants have defiantly come in handy!

Nursery:  Is starting to get organized. Somewhat. We did pick up a few odds and ends last week that I can't wait to share.  

Movement: The ultrasound tech was able to see that the baby is hiding behind the placenta, which is why I haven't been able to feel much of anything. Every now and then I get a little nudge. But after seeing the ultrasound, we know that baby is moving all over the place these days - so that was a happy! 

Symptoms: Very odd symptoms this week. Noticed a couple moles that have started growing bigger - that the doc says is completely normal - thank goodness. Waking up with a nosebleed most every morning, some are just small amounts, but still there. The past few mornings, I've woken up to a sharp pain in my ribs/stomach area. Doc says it's just my stomach muscles growing and stretching out - or maybe my belly growling. It's just funny. Laying on my back is totally out of the question now - after about 5 minutes I get lightheaded and hot.  

Sleep: Overall sleeping pretty good. An extra pillow is helping hold up the belly a little. 

Workouts: Getting back to the swing of things. Made it to the gym a couple times and out for a few walks and runs this week. It's defiantly getting harder, and I get tired much quicker - but taking it slow and pacing myself. 

Cravings: Salads, fruit, smoothies, peanut butter, yogurt and granola. Oddly enough, pretty healthy. I felt like I was constantly hungry all weekend - and really couldn't find a way to keep my belly full. So, trying to stick to more hearty snacks with lots of protein that fill me up! 

What I Miss: Sleeping on my back and belly. 

Best Moment This Week: LOVED our anatomy scan on Monday! It was such a re-assuring feeling to see that lil cub on the screen moving all around. We have lots of pictures of hands, feet, legs, heart, spine - and a cute little profile shot for the baby book. Look at that adorable nose. 

Looking Forward To: Our trip to Nashville this weekend to spend time with one of my besties and her new beau. Spending a weekend in my old stopping grounds is just what the sole needs - a little country music and lots of good food! 

Our Announcement | Weeks 5-12 | Weeks 13-16 | Week 17 | Week 18 | Week 19 | Week 20

Happy Friday!

Hey Friday!!  We've had a great week, but it's been busy. Even though my weekend is going to be filled with sorority recruitment - I'm excited for the break. Today I am linking up with the gals, and sharing my thoughts for five on Friday.

ONE. No office is complete without a little bit of fun, right? I'm loving my new gum ball machine from my parents. It makes the office a little more fun, especially on Fridays!  You can get your very own online.

TWO. My new job hours give me an extra 30 minutes in the morning - which feels like an eternity during these cold winter months. I know I'm really going to love it come spring when I can get out for a long run {ok, walk for now} in the mornings! This is how I've been filling my mornings lately.

THREE.  I love writing thank you notes, and especially when it comes to baby gifts! I found these sweet notes at Hallmark {couldn't find any online to share} and couldn't resist. One fish... two fish... little brand new fish. 

FOUR.  Our old neighbor came over this week for cocktails {and mocktails} to see the new house and visit. It was so much fun catching up, we miss having her next door! She is an amazing knitter - teaches classes to kids after school and even started her own knitting club that has become a huge success in town! For our wedding she knitted us the most amazing thrown for our sofa, that is still my all-time favorite blanket. So she couldn't resist making something for the lil cub. Look how sweet these little hats are? 

FIVE.  We still have a few things on our "house to-do" list before the baby arrives, and one of those is picking out a light fixture for above the kitchen table. I'm really loving this picture April posted today - I love this light fixture.

If you'd like to join the 5 on Friday party, grab the widget below and join in the fun.

Have a great weekend friends!

Baby Lyons | Week 20

How Far Along? 20 weeks... halfway there!! 

Size of Baby: A banana (6.5 inches long, 10.2 oz)  

Gender: Saving this surprise for June!

Weight Gain: Last check-up, I had gained 11 pounds total from my starting weight, but that was 2 weeks ago... and I'm feeling like this lil cub has really grown since. 

Maternity Clothes: Broke out a couple gifted items from Shannon this week. They certainly are coming in handy. The closet variety is getting slim. Looking forward to warmer weather to break out my dresses and sandals.

Nursery:  Is currently a mess - but the closet is empty. Our way of organizing was to take it all out so we could see it - and then maybe, just maybe things would slowly disappear. We'll see how this process goes. 

Movement: I think I finally felt a little nudge this week - but nothing distinct. So ready to feel the little cub and J is too!

Symptoms: Mostly just tired. Belly is growing and I'm slathering on the body butter. My feet still occasionally fall asleep, but they say that's normal. Headaches when I don't eat every two hours, but have been pretty good about keeping small meals with me.

Sleep: Sleeping great - up a few times to potty {and sometimes eat}, but otherwise getting in some good rest. Some nights I am awake longer during the night trying to get comfy. Laying on my back is not an option anymore, so getting used to sleeping on my side. Sometimes an extra pillow helps.

Workouts: Umm.... does walking around town count? If not, this means I only got in one run on Saturday and one trip to the gym for a walk on the treadmill. 

Cravings: Still loving Cheerios, but splurged on the crunch this time. A-mazing! Craving lots of fruits and peanut butter. Going though a gallon of skim milk a week at the house, which is double what we normally consume. Anything with PB means a cold glass of milk is necessary, right? One night I made Jesse cook me a grilled cheese - at 11pm - totally normal. haha

What I Miss: Had a couple nights where a big glass of Malbec sounded wonderful... but I poured me a lil Fre, and it did the trick. I don't think I even finished the glass, but it was still fun. 

Best Moment This Week: Enjoying Our first baby shower with my old staff at O∆K. They threw us a little going away/baby shower last Friday and it was so sweet. We got our first little outfit, booties,  washcloths and a cute towel. They also got us our rock n play and baby book. So excited to start filling it in - my baby book is one of my most favorite things from my momma and I wanted to be sure to start early, so we actually get one done. 

Looking Forward To: Our ultrasound next week!! Even though we aren't finding out the sex, I am so excited for the anatomy screening. Hoping and praying for 10 fingers and toes and a sweet little nose. 

Our Announcement | Weeks 5-12 | Weeks 13-16 | Week 17 | Week 18 | Week 19