5 Year Anniversary and 5 Fun Facts about Us

So today we celebrate 5 years of marriage! Sometimes I feel like we just got married and other times I feel we've been married forever.  We celebrated just the two of us last week so today we're just going to grill out and enjoy our time at home relaxing.

I thought it would be fun to share 5 things about us as a couple to celebrate 5 years:

1. We've been together for 11 years. We met in June 2003 between our junior and senior year of college when we were 21. 

2. We both run late and together we're awful.  If you want us to be on time for something tell us it starts 30 minutes before it really does.

3. Breakfast is our favorite meal.  Before we had Miller we made elaborate breakfast/brunches or went out every weekend. Now we do it at least once or twice a month.

4. I'm the loud, talkative, impulsive one. He's the quieter, logical one. We balance each other out perfectly.

5. We want to retire to The Villages in Florida... it's become a running joke with us but honestly it might be fun haha.

Now just tons of photos of us through the years...

Thoughts for Thursday: 30 Day Closet Remix Challenge

Hello, hello and welcome to another Thoughts for Thursday!! Thank you to everyone who links up every week.  Remember you can write about whatever you want- just grab the button below and link up at the bottom.

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Since I have less than 10 weeks left in this pregnancy I really want to avoid buying anymore maternity/bump friendly clothes.  With the clothes I've purchased to get through the summer and the cooler weather options I have left from my pregnancy with Miller I've decided to give myself a 30 day closet remix challenge. I first did one of these back in January when one of my favorite fashion instagrammers mrsstrock did one. You can see my post about it here.  The idea is that you "shop" your own closet for 30 days.  The goal is to not bring anything new into my wardrobe and to only work with items I currently own. This includes accessories like jewelry, scarfs, handbags, and shoes too.

I'm going to start on September 1 and end on September 30th.   In order to hold myself accountable I'm going to be documenting my outfits on Instagram and post weekly here on the blog.  I can't guarantee that I will document all 30 days since it isn't always glamorous around here but I will try.  If anyone is interested in joining in the fun my instagram is @eastcoastnat and I'm using the hashtag #ecn30dayclosetremix 

With a limited maternity selection this could get interesting but I keep reminding myself that I don't want to spend any more money on maternity clothes so I can spend on fun winter clothes once I have this baby! 

In other news I have some fun posts in the works for next week thanks  to all your great suggestions!

Now it's your turn!

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Bump Update: 30 Weeks and Thank You

Thank you to everyone who commented yesterday I'm still emailing everyone back but you all gave me some great ideas and helped me feel motivated again!

How far along? 30 weeks 

Baby Size: According to the what to expect app the baby is 17 in, 3.1lbs and the size of a butternut squash

Total weight gain/loss: 24lbs- y'all I seriously thought I was going to do better this time around. While I haven't been perfect I've been so much better than last time and I'm moving so much more. Apparently my body just likes to gain weight while I'm pregnant. The good news is that it's 5lbs less than I had gained at this point with Miller.

Maternity clothes? A big mix.  Most of my dresses and tops are not maternity but I am in maternity shorts. I have been lucky this go round since I'm not working that I can pull off a lot more non-maternity stuff that works at the park or pool with kids but wouldn't in the office.


Sleep: I'm just reaching the my-belly-is-getting-big-and-uncomfortable sleeping stage. Rolling over takes a lot more effort and I have to sleep with a pillow under my belly.  I never bought a pregnancy pillow the first time around and now that I only have 10 weeks less I don't think I'm going to splurge on one, unless they really are that life changing!   I'm also back to getting up to use the bathroom sometime between 2-4am
 

Miss Anything?  Alcohol and sushi (the raw stuff not the rolls) 
  
Movement: Yes-this little guy moves non-stop!! 

Food cravings:  ICE!!! I cannot get enough ice.  Everyone keeps telling me it's my iron levels but I just had them checked and they were fine. My docs think it was something to do with me trying to stay hydrated. I am a huge water drinker in general but have a really hard time drinking it while pregnant so this might be my body's way of getting water.   I also need to have a little bit of chocolate everyday.   

Food aversions: Nope- a nice change from last time. 


Symptoms: Huge belly, insomnia, sore hips, hard time sleeping 

Gender: Boy!

Happy or Moody:  Happy most of the time but I have been a little moody lately.  My husband said he'll be happy when my emotions are "back to normal" haha  

Looking forward to: Getting the nursery finalized and pulling out all the bins of Miller's baby stuff to sort through.  Can't believe I only have 10 weeks left!

Weekend Recap and a Reader Survey

 Happy Monday!  Hope you all had a good weekend.  Ours was nice and low key. 

Saturday Kyle went golfing early so Mills and I made a donut run. 

I haven't been to Donut Shack (a local donut shop) in years because I'm lazy and always go to the Dunkin Donuts right by our house. Omg I don't know what I've been doing because these donuts are to die for! So, so good.  I think we're all officially converts.

Saturday started out gorgeous but quickly turned to a rainy yucky day.  It would have been a great day for cleaning but someone was on a nap strike all day so that didn't happen.  Let's just say no naps and rain make for a super long Saturday with a busy 1 yr old.

We headed out to celebrate our 5 year anniversary in Annapolis.  Our anniversary isn't until this Friday 8/29 but this was the only date we could get out.  For locals we went to Osteria 177.  We had never been there before but I would definitely go back.  It's Italian food and it was all so good.  We had homemade burrata mozzarella to start and I had penne alla vodka with fresh crab meat and Kyle had a veal Parmesan. We finished off the dinner with creme brulee and (decaf) cappuccino.  We don't go on many date nights anymore just the two of us so it was nice so sneak away for a bit.

We tried to snap a cute couple photo before we left but everyone wanted in on the picture :)

I have to say I love this group of people and my life more than I could have ever imagined 5 years ago.

On Sunday it was absolutely gorgeous so we couldn't stay inside.  We played tourist and walked the Naval Academy and had lunch downtown Annapolis. There were about 1000 other actual tourists down there but it wasn't as bad as we expected. I love when the weather cools and the tourists leave, that's when Annapolis is at its best.

Since September 1st is next week I'm holding onto summer just one more week with this super pink Sinful Colors polish, then I'll start breaking out my moody fall colors. It's called Pink Forever but I call it Barbie Pink.

Now I would love to hear from you all... lately I feel like I'm running out of blog ideas or I have a ton of ideas but don't feel inspired to sit down and actually write.  I would to hear from you all about what you like reading here or if there is anything you want more or less of. 
- baby, pregnancy, life recaps, fashion, around my house, budgeting, shopping, etc.  Feel free to be honest!
 Thanks again for always coming back here and being loyal readers!! 

Linking up with Biana for Weekending

Thoughts for Thursday: Baby #2, The End of Summer, Toddler times, and other randoms

Hi and welcome back to another Thoughts for Thursday! Remember you can blog about whatever you want. Just grab the button below and link up at the bottom.

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- This is the state of baby #2's nursery. As you can see we've done nothing and this room has been a bit of a catch all this past year.  The clean out starts this weekend.

 All my old clothes from either working or that don't fit anymore.

- I'm actually excited for Baby #2 to wear Miller's clothes because I had some outfits I really loved and hated putting away. I just hope I can pull it off with sizing since they're going to be born in totally different seasons.

- I have bought him a few new outfits though so it's not only hand-me downs.

 - I've changed my mind for the 10th time and I think I want this Jenny Lind crib for his nursery.  I was at first worried it might be too feminine but I've found some good inspiration photos on Pinterest.

- As much as I've been hating the heat (despite our quite mild August) I am sad to see summer go. I'm going to miss the pool the most.  It's been so much fun for Miller this summer and such a good way to get through our long days.

- I also know come December I'm going to be sorry I ever complained about the heat and wishing for warm days so I'm going to enjoy it as much as I can.

- We have a full blown toddler on our hands these days.  I'm so blown  away by how much he has grown up since his 1st birthday. I feel like I see less and less baby everyday :(

- We've also suddenly developed a very picky eater and he can love one thing one day and hate it the next and then love it again.  I'm assuming this just comes with the territory but man is it hard to figure out what he wants to eat!!  He also suddenly hates all fruit- I've been giving him the baby food fruit pouches so he at least gets some but anyone have any suggestions?

- We are going out this weekend to celebrate our 5 year anniversary!!  We haven't had a date night that doesn't involve a wedding sinc April so I'm super excited to go out and get dressed up.  Since I'm pregnant (and no fun) we decided to hold off on a big trip until  next year.  We're thinking the Caribbean- anyone have any resorts they love?  We've been to Aruba and St. Maarten, I'm thinking maybe St. Lucia or Barbados. I'm looking for relaxing, good food and drink, and no kids :)

- I could really use a glass of wine these days.  Phew this whole not drinking for what feels  like 2 years straight is getting hard haha.

Now it's your turn!

Grab the button below and link up to Annie and Natalie  on your Thoughts for Thursday post.  

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Handbag Love: The Tote

I know I've mentioned on here a hundred times or so that I'm getting a new handbag for the fall and I think I've finally narrowed it down to my top five choices. (I'm super indecisive and suck at making decisions) At first thinking about a crossbody but I think that a tote is more practical for me right now. Of course next week I could change my mind again ;)

Here are my choices:

Gigi New York Taylor Tote

I love the color of this in the pebble grain leather. I saw this bag in person and the quality and color are great. I also love that it's lined and has three interior pockets. The monogramming is also a plus.

Kate Spade Cedar Street Medium Harmony

I feel like I can't ever go wrong with a Kate Spade bag and I'm loving this green color- which would be a fun change from my normal neutral bags. I do worry that it might look too much like a work bag.

Gigi NewYork Teddie Tote

I've been eyeing this bag on so many people and I love the size of it. The snakeskin isn't necessary something I would choose all the time but I feel like this looks classic and neutral without looking cheap. Plus I love the size and the lined inside with 3 interior pockets. Again I love that you can monogram it.

Madewell Transport Tote

I love, love, love this tote. It's so classic and chic and I love that you can get it monogrammed now. My only hesitation is the unlined inside and the lack of pockets. 

Annabel Ingall Isabella Tote

This one has been on my wishlist for a long time since it's the softest leather I've ever felt.  Again I hesitate with the unlined inside and lack of pockets.

Anyone own any of these bags?  Any advice on them? Which one is your favorite if you had to pick?

Introducing leo+lamb

I am so excited to tell you all about leo+lamb!  

 

leo+lamb is a new online stationary and invitation company where you can edit, download, and print the invitations instantly! No having to wait for someone to edit the design, email you a proof, and then wait for the final product.   You can choose from an array of designs including holiday cards, thank you cards, save the dates, instagram wedding signs, decor, tent cards, and more.

When Leigh the owner of the company contacted me to check out the site I was so intrigued. I don't know about you all but as a bit of an impatient control freak with no design skills I loved the idea of being able to pick a design, edit it myself, and then instantly download it to my computer to print.  The best part is that the printable designs range in price from $10-$18.  If you don't print them at home it should be relatively cheap to print at a local print shop or even your local Office Depot or Staples for around $0.40 an invitation.  Much cheaper than many online sites that can charge well over $1.00 per invitation! 
Don't worry if they don't have something you're looking for on their site they are more than happy to provide custom designs if you request! 

Here are some examples of what leo+lamb offer:

 

As a special thank you to celebrate their grand opening, leo+lamb is offering a free stationary download for this gorgeous floral stationary below. All you have to do is click the link below and customize your stationary.  The free offer is available August 19-31st so hurry and get yours before it's up!

Free Stationary Download

Make sure to get your free download and check out the leo+lamb website. Also find them on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.

www.leoandlamb.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/leoandlamb

Twitter: https://twitter.com/leoandlamb

Instagram: http://instagram.com/leoandlamb

So tell me do you like the idea of being able to instantly edit and download your own stationary and invitations?  Anyone else impatient like me and hating waiting for a proof?