Mother's Day Weekend 2016

Mother's Day weekend... it was pretty darn great!  My boys do a great job of making me feel loved and appreciated every day, but this weekend they just went over the top!  Every Mother's Day, I request that Chris take some photos of just me and Noah.  While Chris always obliges, it's Noah who sometimes has to be persuaded bribed ;)  Here are some of the photos Chris took as well as a few of my favorite moments from this weekend...  

Me: shirt | distressed jeans | shoes | watch (old Marc Jacobs, cheaper option)

Noah: shirt | jacket | sweats | sneakers

Noah drew me a few pictures, one that even said "Noah and the Octonauts love Mama"... and you know you're special if the Octonauts like you ;)  

Chris recorded a special video (two actually) of Noah saying Happy Mother's Day. I will treasure these forever!  Just last year Noah could only say "Happy Mama" and this year he's speaking in full sentences, asking me questions, and sharing his opinions... oh my mommy heart bursts!  

Noah picked out a box of chocolate spelling MOM for me.  He immediately told me that I could eat one of the Ms and he got the O and the other M.  In the end he ate the entire thing.  While I didn't "need" the chocolate, I'm not sure if a 3 year old needs such expensive chocolate!  

Taking photos with Noah in the town where he was born.  It was amazing to take him back to our old town, walking around the "green" and the streets where we would take many walks.  I used to love pushing him around in the stroller as a baby, going to the grocery store or just to get some fresh air.  And today we were back, but instead of sitting in a stroller, he was holding my hand walking, smelling the flowers, and playing tag with me.  Oh how time flies!  

Considering how well Mother's Day morning went, it's funny to think that Chris and I were really worried about it just a few days before.  The past 2 years (2015, 2014), we've gone to another restaurant in town.  They have great outside seating and we just love the environment.  But when the forecast was in the mid 50s with random rain showers, we knew we couldn't count on eating outside.  The restaurant itself is just a normal deli, which wasn't what I had in mind for Mother's Day breakfast.  Chris called around everywhere and could not get a reservation anywhere last minute.  Then we remembered The Committed Pig and figured since they don't take reservations, we'd give it a try.  There was a half hour wait, so we used the time to walk across the street to "green" so Chris could take some photos of me and Noah.  A few bribes had to be offered, but we ended up with a few gems :)  Then it was off to  the most delicious breakfast... NUTELLA STUFFED FRENCH TOAST, need I say more!?!  We were ready to go home after that, but the sun had finally come out and when given the option, Noah chose to walk around some more.  It was so cute watching him smell all the flowers and telling us that they smelled like strawberries, bananas, and kiwi!

^^^ outside the Committed Pig, where Noah said it was "too sunny!"

When we got home, I was spoiled with some more gifts.  Flowers, cards, and a balloon.  Chris and Noah also gave me the personalized bracelet that I hinted towards in this post.  I am in love with this rose gold bracelet with Noah's name engraved in it.

While I could go on and on about how well my boys treated me this Mother's Day, we also made sure to spend some time with our own moms, Noah's Grandma & Nonna.  My parents came over Sunday evening.  They played a little with Noah, we gave Grandma her gifts, and got a few photos before heading to dinner.  I'm so glad the rain stopped and warmed up enough that we could get some photos outside.  We tried a new (to us) restaurant this year, called Seasons 52.  We had a feeling we'd like it since they have a very seasonally fresh menu, and boy were we impressed.  They gave us this amazing corner booth (which is perfect for Noah), the ambience was perfect, and the food was absolutely delicious.  My favorite part was that the desserts were in little shooters.  I love dessert, but sometimes a taste is all you need :)  

Noah: shirt (similar) | jeans

^^^ Noah is really into using the camera on my phone all by himself.  He took the top two photos without any help :)

On Saturday, we got together with Chris' parents.  We went to another new (to us) restaurant, Washington House, for lunch and then back to our house for some dessert and gifts.  Noah once again grabbed the camera and took some candid shots of our table.  We also showed Nonna all about Snapchat and had a pretty good laugh at ourselves with all the funny filters!  

I feel so blessed to be a mother and to have both our moms close by.  It's such a treat that we get to spend time with both of them over Mother's Day weekend.  And while Noah wasn't always a fan of going out to eat so much, he really was such a trooper.  He definitely had his moments where he didn't want to smile for another photo, but who could blame him after the millionth photo!  In the end, my mom and I figured it was time to give up requesting smiles and instead gave our "less than impressed" face too ;)

How did you spend Mother's Day weekend this year?  I hope whatever you did that it was wonderful!

*affiliate links used

Mother's Day... What We Really Want

Mother's Day is going to be here before you know it... less than 2 weeks now! And while I could easily come up with a mood board full of pretty things I think most moms would like, I figure there are enough Mother's Day gift guides floating around the blogging and Pinterest world. Instead, I'm going to share some things that we moms actually want. I reached out to some of my blogging friends and asked them, "I know we will love whatever our kids/husbands give us, but what do you actually want??? I'll start... I'd love a cleaning lady.". While all the answers may not be necessarily practical (or within budget), this is what young moms REALLY want... 

Cleaning lady for sure! Or getting my car detailed...I desperately need that! - Natasha @ SchueLove

I'd love spa day - mani/pedi, facial and massage. - Jen @ And Hattie Makes Three

I would love a weekend getaway to the Texas Hill Country! - Crystal @ Hall Around Texas 

A weekend getaway that he plans would be wonderful! We don't get to take a lot of trips as it is, but when we do I'm always the planner. It would be nice to just show up and have it all planned sometime. - Vanessa @ Sunflower State of Mind

I would love to hire a mother's helper for a day. Someone to play and visit with Connor so I could tackle and actually complete a handful of projects around our home. - Stephanie @ Wife Mommy Me

I love the idea of a cleaning lady. I would love one day to do absolutely anything I want it to have a babysitting come over so I could clean, DIY, etc without interruptions. - Jessica @ Secrets of a Stay at Home Mom

A cleaning lady would be amazing. I also want a day where all I have to do is lay in bed and watch Gilmore Girls. - Jess @ Being Mrs. Beer

I'd love to sleep in as long as I want. And also not have to cook a thing! I miss waking up at a time of my choosing. - Courtney @ Sweet Turtle Soup

To sleep in and not have to do the dishes! Like a "one day no adulting" pass. - Whitney @ Work it Mommy

A full day at the spa! Bonus if he plans it with a mommy friend! - Sarah @ Seeing All Sides

Probably to have a spa day where I'd get a massage, a facial, and a mani/pedi and then lay poolside with a cocktail in my hand. Oh and have calories not count also! - Elizabeth @ Chasin Mason

A Day to myself!!! ALL ALONE from morning to bedtime! LOL - Emily @ Dear Owen & Natalie @ East Coast Nat

I'll take the cleaning lady and prepped meals for an entire week! - Leah @ Leah with Love

I am asking for makeup... because my husband thinks you can get new makeup for $10 and I'd be a happier mother if I had new cosmetics.. LOL - Natasha @ Hello Happiness

Meal prep foooooor sure! - Ashley @ Being Brickner

I would love a day of surprises with clues -- or a plane ticket to Maui. - Laura @ Happily Ever Parker

A cleaning lady, hands down! I'd take a weekend trip to wine country as a back-up though. - Desiree @ Mack Monologues

Pampering, shopping, and all the cooking and cleaning done for me!! - Laureen @ Chateau Deveau

A cleaning lady and day alone! Also, someone to grocery shop for me, someone to stalk my freezer with meals. Someone to clean out my closet and be my personal shopper. A day at the spa. - Julie @ The Girl in the Red Shoes

My gifts would be really random. Like several boxes of ammo and a trip to the shooting range. I also don't want to cook a single thing that day or referee a single disagreement that the girls have. There MUST be ice cream and a guilt free shopping trip would be a welcome addition too. - Beth @ Our Pretty Little Girls

I love the idea of a spa day...with a mommy friend...and champagne...and a cleaning lady to deep clean the house while I'm there. - Sara @ Running from the Law

I am loving all the answers, and realized that we all want some time alone where we don't have our regular mommy responsibilities ;)  But if all else fails, just stick with jewelry and something personalized.  I for one would love to get one of these personalized bracelets from Made by Mary's Etsy shop.  I would love to get one in rose gold with Noah's name on it, wink wink ;)  

personalized bracelet

But in all seriousness, Chris and Noah are really good at making me feel super special and loved on Mother's Day.  Our tradition involves going out to breakfast just the three of us.  And flowers, cards, and something homemade are usually part of the holiday too... I love it!

Now it's your turn... what do you ACTUALLY want for Mother's Day???

Mother's Day Weekend

This weekend was all about celebrating the moms in our life, me included :)  We got together with both of our families, Chris and Noah took me out to breakfast, I got some amazing gifts, and I even got to sneak away with a friend for a mani/pedi during nap!

My boys definitely outdid themselves this year!  We had wanted to try a restaurant in our new town, but they only took reservations for 6 or more people and when we found out the wait was going to be 90 minutes, we gave up.  We drove back to our old town and went to the Morristown Deli, which is where we went for breakfast last year as well.  The day started off foggy and overcast, but just as we got there, the sun started peeking through the clouds, so we sat outside.

my shirt | Noah's shirt | Noah's hat

In addition to breakfast, they spoiled me with gifts.  We stopped by the local nursery on the way home.  I love peonies, so in addition to the last three stems they had left, we bought a peony bush to plant in our front yard!  When we got home, Chris Noah surprised me with the Blue Topaz ring I had on my Mother's Day Gift Guide.  I love how Noah is even wowed by the ring!

Since we live close by to both of our families, we were also able to spend Mother's Day weekend with both of our moms :)  My parents came over for Sunday dinner and we gave my mom (Grandma) some hydrangeas.  While some might be against hosting and making dinner on Mother's Day, I loved it and preferred it!  It was great to let Noah be at his own house with his own toys... it made for a very relaxed evening.  It was a beautiful night, so while we ate dinner inside (because of bees), we hung out on the deck afterwards while Noah played in his sand table.

Noah's shirt | my dress

^^^ my dad helped Chris plant the new peony bush and Noah then watered it for me :)

And since we seem to celebrate every holiday with a candle and singing, we did the same for Mother's Day... singing "Happy Mama's Day"!

We celebrated with Chris' family on Saturday and brought Chris' mom (Nonna) a bouquet of flowers.  Noah thought long and hard as to what color flowers to choose... pink was the winner :)  

Noah's shirt

^^^ Noah loves watermelon just as much as Chris does... it is a borderline addiction!

We also celebrated Justin's birthday (a few weeks late) this weekend since he was away for his actual birthday.  Noah had to help him blow out the candles!  

I hope you had a wonderful Mother's Day Weekend!  

It's The Little Things | What it means to be a mom!

photo by Kristen Boylan Photography

With Mother's Day this weekend, it has me thinking about how much I love being a mom.  As long as I can remember, I've always wanted to be a mom.  Not only did I want to be a mom, but one that stays home and that is super involved with their kids' lives.  I know many women worry about losing themselves and their identity when they become a mom, but honestly, I have no problem with that and love that my life revolves around Noah.  Maybe it's because I really look up to my mom and hope to be half the mother she was to us, and that's how she always was with us.  We were, and still are, her world.  There isn't a single thing that she wouldn't do for us.


1 day old

I assume I would be like this regardless, but since getting pregnant with Noah didn't come easily, I feel an even greater honor that I get to be his mom and experience life through his eyes.  I feel that being mom is all about sacrifice and providing your child a beautiful life full of love.  Chris and I are so thankful that we were blessed with this amazing little boy.  We love coming up with new and fun things to do with Noah... we truly love spending all of our time with him.


6 months old

Noah made me a mommy.  The most important title I will ever have.  Some nights as I'm rocking him to sleep I just stare at him and fight back happy tears.  While we have our moments and there are days that I can't wait for nap or bed time, the majority of the time we are having so much fun together.  Noah has such a sweet soul and I'm happy to be able to spend each and every day with him!  He really is my best bud!


1 year old

As most mothers will tell you, it's the hardest but most fulfilling job they've ever had.  While some days can seem long and I'm exhausted by the end of the day, I am so proud to watch Noah grow and feel like I am a big part of that.  It makes me smile and my heart swell every time he does something new and I see how pleased he is with himself.  It makes me feel pretty special when a hug from me is the only thing that will make him stop crying.  I love that he needs to play with my hair to soothe himself or go to sleep.  And while it would be nice to eat, pee, or shower in peace once in a while, I love that he wants to be with me at all times.  One day this won't be the case and I will definitely miss it!


18 months old

Make sure to stop by Jess' blog for the link up!