five on (good) friday

happy Good Friday!  I love Easter weekend.  after Christmas it is my most favorite holiday.. the meaning and emotion behind the recognition of Christ's death on the cross for our sins is very powerful for me. 

it was three years ago on Easter Sunday that we lost our first baby in miscarriage.  the twins were about 15 months old at the time and I prayed and prayed for our sweet baby after watching it decline over the previous weeks. emotions flooded my brain with wishes and hopes that all would turn out just fine, but I knew in my heart that there wasn't much hope.  Easter morning we got up and ready for church and I felt a wave of relief + calm in my heart.. the first tearless morning I had had since finding out we would probably lose our little one around 7 weeks along. I knew my prayers were being heard but I also knew that the Lord was breathing redemption into a story that he had already engraved in my life ahead and I just didnt know it yet..

we lost our baby that afternoon at 10 weeks.

as I look back at that confusing and really angry time in my life I couldn't understand why this was happening TO ME.  but now, as I type with a sleeping baby on my chest and listening to sweet girl babbling on the monitor from her crib, I recognize that I am richly blessed. I have those experiences to be able to share and offer hope to others.. and Easter is so much about hope.

HOPE in forgiveness + new life.

--

we have such a busy weekend ahead!  the weather has been so beautiful the last couple weeks and will carry through this weekend, too! we have Easter brunch and an egg hunt with our Supper Club besties and then heading over to spend the afternoon and eat Easter dinner with the cousins + grandparents.. and more egg hunting!  Sunday it will be just the six of us for church, brunch and then Easter baskets.

ya'll! I had so much fun building an Easter basket for a baby BOY this year!!

holidays with kids are WAY fun!

one. building the baskets

handmade paci clips + bonnet c/o pine and poppy shop

teething ring + bandies c/o grey + gingham

just a few things I've collected for Brady's Easter basket!  last year I went with wire baskets for the girls (similar HERE) and ended up using them in Baker's closet for storage (shoes/bathing suits/diapers).. so I had to find something different this year.  Jordan made me promise that whatever I got would be used for their baskets for more than one year, at least.  I came across these darling buckets from petit pehr a couple weeks back while nursing at 2am..  I got the blush pom pom pints for the three girls and this really cute striped blue one (on sale!) for Brady.  I cant wait to share how I build their bins.. which probably wont even happen until Saturday night:)

two. owlet monitor

we've been using the owlet smart sock monitor and really love it!  Brady has a touch of reflux that really can keep him up at night and after the breathing scare in the hospital due to him having an episode of reflux into his nose the monitor gives both Jordan and I the best peace of mind. I plan to give a full review soon, so stay tuned! 

three.  SO many baby snuggles!

miss Baker had a busy week of follow up appointments.  we went to the pediatric ophthalmologist to check the progress with her eyes and to see how much longer we need to patch.  great news is that we are going to start to wean her and start patching every other day!  and then progressively to once/week.  we also went to her follow up appointment with the ENT after getting tubes last month.  her hearing is awesome and much improved!  I could tell immediately that her hearing had changed and her vocabulary has been boosted with new words everyday, but seeing the test results on the computer screen solidified it for me.

while the big girls are in preschool twice a week Baker gets her one on one time with little Brady and its just the sweetest thing I have ever seen!  

 literally more than my heart could ever imagine.  now.. if we could get some of these random kicking and screaming (terrible twos?) tantrums under control we would be golden!

four. dinner is served

 the weather has been amazing!  I'm so so so ready for summer, but not totally ready for the 100+ degree temps.

no one could possibly be ready for that! we tried an online meal delivery service this last week and I cant wait to share how we loved it!  that burger was WAY easy and looks WAY more gourmet than I could take the time to whip out of my kitchen these days. 

I've been throwing lunchables and fruit snacks at my kids since Brady was born, so it was actually really fun + refreshing to get in the kitchen and dust off my rusty cooking skills.  cooking totally suffers while I'm pregnant + postpartum so I needed the motivation!

also.. this prickly pear margarita.  

britt brought me my first alcoholic bevy in like a YEAR .. salted rim and all.

made my burger taste even more delicious:)

side note: would any one believe that I took these photos with my iPhone (7)?! I've been playing around with the portrait setting on my camera phone and it it producing some pretty amazing photos!

five. baby wearing FTW

Jordan + Brady having a moment. the next best thing to baby wearing while trying to make dinner?  

your husband baby wearing while you make dinner.

we loveeee our solly wrap!  it has become my go-to gift for all my new mom girlfriends.

Hoppy Friday, friends!  I hope you have a beautiful Easter weekend!  see you monday for the recap!

life lately | waiting on baby

life has been rather.. boring lately. this is my Friday version of friday favs/life lately/baby update.. maybe my last baby update?! 

I've hardly been snapping any photos for lack of energy and have hardly had the energy to sit still and blog about it:)  we are waiting on baby Brady and his arrival and all the things that go into getting myself, the hubby, and three littles ready for baby number four has been a bit hectic! trying to keep things relatively normal by adding in bed rest for this pregnant mama along with a couple of puking kiddos and a snotty virus that has completely overtaken the house.

sounds about right.

THANKfully the puke only lasted about 12 hours, and my mom dropped everything and took almost a month off from work to come and stay with us until after Brady has arrived.  she's still very new to the whole "grandma" thing, but having someone just feed my kids has been a giant help so I can stay off my feet.

in case you aren't familiar with my family story.. read HERE:)

SO- bed rest.  last week when I made my weekly trip to the OB's office I whined and complained about just being uncomfortable. I've been on procardia for contractions since about 28 weeks- same script I took when I was pregnant with the twins.. and when Walsh was measuring the fundal height of my giant belly it seized up with a hard contraction so she hooked me up for a stress test to check on these because they have become much more consistent over the last couple weeks and she also wanted to make sure Brady wasn't in any distress because of it.

well two hours later resulted in that stress test showing lots of contractions and a ton of uterine irritability. the needle just swiveled back and forth about a million times.

after checking me out there were no signs of dilation AT ALL, which I was thankful for.  Brady could have very well come a week ago if I had actually been in active labor. 

but I wasn't.. and I was just being a cry baby and was sent me home with orders to stay off my feet. 

another fun fact is that my OB has been out of town this entire week on spring break so.. everyday I'm praying to make it just until at least she's back so she can deliver! 

support leggings + white support tank 

denim shirt // duster vest // sneakers

 final preparations have been accomplished this week! I have never been so excited in my entire life.  the anticipation of meeting this boy and seeing that full head of hair everyone keeps talking about and that button nose thats so prevalent on every sonogram capture.. I can hardly sleep at night!!  bags are packed and his little coming home outfits are just my FAVorite ever!

I usually don't bring any other clothes than what I'm going to bring the baby home in. usually I bring a couple options for sizing- my kids have all gone home in premie size, but I usually have a newborn just in case!  after birth they just wear a tiny white tee and their diaper that the hospital provides, so then just keep them swaddled up and their head covered the entire time.  to save space I just skip all the tiny baby things and bring a handful of swaddles and a couple hats to "dress them up with" during our hospital stay.  

personalized "brady" hat // striped romper

"b" initial hat // onesie // harems

also.  packing for three other little girls is overwhelming.

but its DONE.

final little things have been trickling in as the week goes on.  my most favorite thing right now??  this milestone board from chalk designs by me!  such a FUN way to celebrate Brady's monthly milestones!  I did the stickers with the twins and I did the month by month banner for Baker and I hunt quite figured out what we were doing for the little man!  it even came with a chalk marker!!  

the best! 

other NONbaby things (shock!).. 

we are THIS CLOSE to finishing the twins' big girl room. I've given Jordan the deadline of TODAY, ha! I'm eager to get it all put together and I want it done done donnnnee by the time we get this baby boy here:)  Jordan has been working his tail off every free moment he has, which isn't a lot these days.  I'm so proud of him and what an amazing job he's done with their space.

I also cannot wait to share with you guys the finished product!

another weekend is here!  always a good reason to celebrate

happy FriYAY, friends! 

five on friday

one. eighty-seven

this February weather is insane, ya'll.  it was 87 degrees yesterday and has been a perfect 75 all week long!  not that I'm completely ready for the summer and the Texas heat that goes along with it, but we have basically bypassed winter and walked straight into spring over here. 

we've been spending a ton of time outside and enjoying our afternoons when the weather is just right.  we met britt and her family for burgers and fries for dinner this week- I feel like this needs to be a weekly thing and the weather needs to stay.  not to mention.. the sheet pan of garlic parmesan fries.

two.  good friends

the big girls went on an Auntie + Uncle J date last weekend and they had THE best time complete with mint chocolate chip ice cream and dirty knees from hard core park play.  I always appreciate the relationship my girls have with them! and they are still talking about their time spent with those two a week later.

three. it is finished

..and we are waiting patiently for you sweet boy!  Sarah created the sweetest name sign for Brady's nursery to hang over his crib and delivered it this week.  I'm doing a canvas wall of his hospital pictures along with this sign, so it wont officially be finished until after he's born, but everything else is in its place!  this girl has some crafty talent and I'm so proud of her for it!

check out her shop, HERE!

four.  box cars

the theme last week at preschool was "transportation" and we got a letter home a couple weeks ago about drive in movie day along with instructions on making homemade box cars to bring for that day, too.  these were SO FUN to make and the girls loved picking out their decorations (thank you Target dollar spot!) and choosing their own wrapping paper to cover their box in (I was solo and didn't want to mess with the paint and wrangle three toddlers).  I asked the produce guy at Target if he had any empty apple boxes and he happily handed a couple over! 

I had been wracking my brain for three days about where to find an apple box (what's an apple box!?) and I could have jumped for joy when he walked out with them!

Jolie kept hugging me every 5 minutes while I was hot gluing her wheels and cutting out her name letters. Jo is all about the little details and I absolutely love her for it. no matter how raw my finger tips are today from all that hot glue.  worth it.

five.  baby boy love

so much love is being showered over this boy!  I am so thankful for how amazing some of my favorite small shops are as the care packages trickle in

six. because.. she's too good.

..lastly, for good measure and to carry us into the weekend

AND because she just makes our life so much brighter.



five on friday

mama is tired.

my goal for this month:

felt board // letterfolk via magnolia market 

felt ball garland // hooray everyday

 

one. double take

we got to see Brady twice this week! early in my pregnancy while waiting to get in to see my OB I bought a package at a place near my house that does 4D sonograms only.  this week we got to see how much those chubby cheeks have changed and I am so in LOVEE! his lips and his nose look exactly like is sisters and ya'll he has a FULL head of hair.  we could see it floating around in there, which doesn't surprise because Parker, Jolie, and Baker all had lots when they were born..

 we also went to the perinatologist to check on baby boy's kidneys as well monitor my amniotic fluid.  being diagnosed with polyhydramnios and Brady having a kink in his left kidney I'm in the high risk category for pregnancy and so we get the benefit of seeing him pretty often.

GREAT news is that, for the first time in my pregnancy, my fluid levels are relatively normal! my belly size hasn't changed much over the last couple weeks so I was hopeful this was a sign that I was finally leveling out a bit. the fluid around Brady's kidney is in fact slightly elevated, but the talk of early delivery is off the table- yes!!  she does want me to come back one more time and to start going to my OB weekly.

 I officially have 6 weeks left of cooking this baby boy:)

its going by SO quickly, you guys!

 two. THE most random craving

I haven't had too many wild and crazy cravings this go round with pregnancy.  I usually have one or two things I cant get my mind off of when I am pregnant, it was peanut butter toast with the twins and I definitely ate a steak about once a week and absolutely had to have an iced coffee every single day in my pregnancy with Baker.. and this time around?

sweet tarts made their appearance early in my first trimester when I wasn't hardly able to eat much of anything due to nausea, and now in my third trimester I am craving radishes.

radishes?!

I bought them for a recipe I was making and after putting them away in the fridge until it was time to use them I couldn't stop thinking about eating them! 

just one!  or two!

..I ate the entire bag.  and have bought and consumed several bunches since.

I just eat them raw but after posting them on my IG stories (@masseya) I had several people mention delicious ways to prepare them.

salt and vinegar?!  YAS.  100% yes. changed my life.

and someone else mentioned roasting the radishes. 

that's next on my list.

three. grow them well

we made some time to take head shots of the big girls this week.  I've had a few good friends give me advice on presenting them to a local and very large modeling agency in Dallas and after much discussion and prayer about it, Jordan and I decided to pull the trigger.  we've been putting it off for almost a year now and the main reason for all this is it would give a giant boost to their college savings fund. we started savings accounts for each of them when they were born, and adding to it more than a couple times a month would be beneficial for all of us! my adult friends that have worked with this agency both mentioned that they were able to pay their way through college with their earnings.

I have no idea where this will go, if it goes anywhere at all, and if they absolutely HATE it we will be done. its not worth the trouble for any of us.

but look at these girls.

love them.

four. SPA DAY!

a couple of my besties are sending me to the spa this weekend to celebrate Brady.  I am SO excited!apparently this place has multiple rooms and like three restaurants + a juice bar.  I'll take a cheeseburger and a green smoothie, please:)

would you like that before or after your prenatal massage?

how about both:)

five. weekend motivation

I hope after my day at the spa on Saturday I'll return with plenty of energy and a renewed desire to be the best mom ever to three little ladies waiting for me at home.

a little motivation for the weekend:

its Friday!!

five on friday

still feeling pretty under the weather.. going on 10 days over here (eye roll!) but hoping these meds will be able to kick this mess soon. 

one. cheeks for dayys.

Brady wins. we got the best frontal view of his little face on the sonogram at my 31 week checkup this week and we were all giggling over how full his cheeks are!  it totally made my entire week!

two. registry picks?

I dont have a registry for baby number four, but I have a handful of things I "need" to be fully prepared for baby Brady's arrival!  I didnt buy hardly anything as far as baby gear goes when Baker was born but this time I'm having a b o y and need to get myself some boy gear!

three. we have paint! and a crib! 

I cant stop looking at that barn door.  it was this door that provided my original inspiration for Brady's "industrial farmhouse" nursery. knabe woodwork is THEE BEST.  this baby boy's room is coming together so perfectly!  at the moment the floor is covered in baby boy things and paint drop cloths because Jordan has been working on putting the finishing touches to the changing table and getting new hardware installed. the "plan" is to finish it this weekend:)  I feel like a broken record here talking about the "almost finished nursery!" but i swear.. 

we are almost finished

four. this + that

its no secret that I am a giant supporter of shopping small and have developed some amazing relationships through growing this blog and over social media.  these mama's that work their tails off to provide something unique and full of handmade quality and being able to share their brand is amazing.  Baker has worn golden hill designs since birth and now baby Brady has his very own stash of these amazing onesies!! these are my favorite for layering under cardigans and dresses during the cooler months and they were a life saver for dressing my newborn when it was 104 degrees outside in July.  I cannot wait to get his little self into these!!  

we also got a box of goodies from Nuby this week and it took everything I had to keep Baker out of the pacifier stash!  how amazing do these silicone bottles look?!  I am excited to try them! 

five.  meal planning

I've had a wild hair to cook over the last couple weeks which has brought me back to meal planning for the first time this entire pregnancy.  before now my meal plan has consisted of pre-made salad bags, cereal, or peanut butter + banana toast. I'm trying to get myself motivated to make two or three meals throughout the week in hopes that I can start freezing some things to have on hand when Brady arrives.
this week I made baked chicken chimichangas and failed to arrange them on a rimmed pan and the butter I brushed on them to crisp up the tortilla in the oven ran off and burned to the bottom of my oven and smoked out our entire house.  it smelled like smoke for 2 days up in here!
oops.
I also made spaghetti lasagna last night. it makes a GIANT dish and we will have leftovers through the weekend for sure.
I have this bulgur + black bean enchilada casserole on our meal plan for next week.. along with chicken alfredo baked ziti and I'm pulling out my slow cooker for white chicken + quinoa chili

happy,  happy Friday, friends!

five on friday

we have been quite under the weather this week.  it started with Parker coming down with croup on Sunday night and its made its way to my lungs and I've been hacking ever since..and then yesterday Jordan all the sudden is feeling whimpy.  its been a slow week over here. I hate feeling like this!  it doesn't help that I'm not sleeping that great, so overall I could literally just crawl in my bed and stay there. BUT.. aside from feeling a bit blah, its been an okay week!

one. nursery progress
we finally FINALLY decided on a paint color and slapped it on the walls this week!  Brady's nursery has literally been "finished" for over a month, aside from a couple décor details, but everything has been just sitting on the floor in the middle of the room while we went around and around about paint colors.  I ultimately decided on SW Dorian Grey for the walls and SW Repose Grey for the ceiling. both fall under the greige color category and I totally love the way it looks now that the room is finally painted!  Jordan has grand plans to put the crib together and the chair..and finish sanding and painting the changing table this weekend:)  the changing table was a major steal of a deal at $35 bucks found on the facebook garage sale page for our neighborhood (thanks, Britt!).  a little paint and some new drawer pulls and its literally the perfect fit! 
I cant wait to share more details.

two. baby boy things + sale!
I can't can't can't handle how cute baby boy things are. I will admit that gap didn't impress me over the summer and spring for the girl things but browsing this morning after getting an email about their sale (50% off!!) I am filling my cart with all the boy things!!
skinny jeans for an infant? sign me up!!

three. finding balance..?
so, I still definitely have polyhydramnios. BUT  this week I have felt less "large" and more proportionate than I have in awhile. not getting too ahead of myself about that because I'm still catching all the attention of anyone that wants to express how big I am.. I also feel like since I took those steroids for Brady's lungs last week homeboy hasn't stopped dancing up in my ribs and I swear he's wearing his tap shoes and practicing on my bladder.
oh, and lets mention that I've been having Braxton Hicks non-stop.
which is 100% normal for me! but I have been having them much less with him than with the girls.. up until now.
I head to my OB on Tuesday for another sonogram.  I always look forward to seeing his little button nose.

four. full circle

last weekend, on a whim, we went to visit my parents. we decided that this would probably be the last time we would be able to visit them before the baby comes and maybe our only "free" weekend to go, so we went. I snapped this picture of Baker and my dad watching the football game on Saturday (Baker LOVES my dad) and this week he sent me an oldie of he and I when I was probably just a couple months old.

a couple things:

I haven't seen this picture in probably 12 years.

..and my dad has turned into such a sap. he is NOT a sap and never has been.  EVER.

so many good things and good feelings.

five. for the sweet sister love

spending time with my girls this week makes me realize how much is about to change.  we are on the tail end of having just the three of them in the house before baby brother makes his arrival and it makes me so emotional to think about! Baker basically looks like a giant these days and her interaction with the twins is on HIGH right now.  she cannot go to bed without hugs and sugars from her two big sisters and if you asked me how this all came about I would have no idea because its basically slapped me in the face.

good lord I am so thankful for them.

this is what life is about, folks.

I cant wait for a lazy weekend with my favorite people.

a few more links and love for your Friday..

if you are a Bachelor fan- you have to check out Ashley's recaps.  crying.

I'm totally making these BBQ chicken and pineapple lettuce wraps this weekend.. and if I feel really crazy I try out her turkey tortilla soup, too!

I bought this nursing bra online and it came this week.. its nursing bra GOLD, I tell you!  I also love their seamless bra (I have four!) and wore them for the entire year after having and nursing Baker.  I also went ahead and got this nursing cami to toss in my hospital bag.

happy Friday!!

five on friday | happy Christmas week!

one. christmas snail mail

literally THE BEST part of my Christmas decor comes from all of our family and friends.  I've been covering our cabinets with cards for the last several years and love getting the mail everyday to add to the collection of these sweet faces.  

I absolutely wish I could leave them up all year round! I get so sad to see them all go.  I do leave them up a little longer- well into the the New Year.. but how long is too long..?

two. christmas babes + bellies 

we got to meet our newest little friend- baby Cohen! our friends Andrea and Sonny became parents this week and Jolie and I snuck out a couple evenings ago to go visit and meet this sweet face!  it made me so so so excited to meet Brady in just a few short months!

 speaking of.. we all made the trip to the doctor to check up on Brady and his mama.

thankful for those iPads sometimes, you know? 

 AND I got the call this week that I passed my glucose test.  they did tell me that my iron is a little low, but everything else checked out great.  yippee!

three. christmas with nana + duke

my parents came in town this week to celebrate Christmas with us.  it was a really short trip but we jammed about a million things into their time here and had a great time.  

Patrick + Sam came over to visit, too! Patrick is my middle brother (25yrs).. and this was the first time the twins have really ever met him.. and that other cutie on the right is Sam, my youngest brother that is a freshman in college. the twins ran them ragged but they all seemed to love it anyway:)

 we made a trip to the movies- left miss Baker with Britt and took the big girls to see Moana.. which was SO darling, by the way.  Jordan was particularly pumped because his man crush, The Rock, played a starring role along side little Moana, so it took little convincing for him to get on board for the movie outing.

--

my beanie is borrowed:) but you can find a similar cardigan to the one I'm wearing HERE // blanket scarf HERE // my favorite maternity tees HERE // and THE most amazing support leggings HERE

 everyone was sad to say our goodbyes, but we will see them again soon!

four. polar express + pizza + presents

Christmas with Auntie + Uncle J + Grayson!  we ordered pizza, exchanged gifts and watched Polar Express on their theater sized screen.  oh, and the best part was that everyone was in their jammies.

five. christmas morning 

what is everyone making for Christmas?  like.. food-wise?  I get so hungry and so BOLD surfing my pinterest page in search of something yummy to make for Christmas morning.. brunch is the best meal of the day and I look forward to the goodies waiting for me on Christmas morning! there are always sausage balls (1lb sausage + 2 c. bisquick + 1 c cheddar cheese + 8oz cream cheese baked for 25-30 min at 350 degrees) and we usually make waffles with fresh strawberries and cream.. and soaked in maple syrup! but this year I thought maybe a breakfast casserole or one of those overnight French toast things would be good?  I pinned this sausage and hashbrown casserole and for something sweet, I think a cinnamon roll over night French toast bake would be delicious.. the original or what about this pumpkin version!
how about both?
I'll snack on some Christmas crack left over on Santa's cookie plate as a pre-breakfast appetizer.


TWO more sleeps!! Happy Christmas Eve, EVE! XO!