weekend // christmas fun

this weekend the christmas spirit (and weather!!) arrived here for the Massey bunch.  we've been nothing short of excite for the holiday season, but life in general has been insanity and going about a million miles a minute- growing a fourth baby and having three very busy ones to tend to is no joke..so its been hard to take time to recognize the magic of the holiday upon us in just one short week!  

Friday we wrapped up the week with our annual "kids Christmas" with our supper club group.  We've been doing a family centered christmas get together for a couple years now that our babies are getting older.. and back in November when we had Supper Club at our house we had the kids draw names for a gift exchange. the Cabrera's had taken a light tour on a carriage ride through Frisco last Christmas and it was amazing enough that they wanted to treat everyone this year with a tour!

we met at Starbucks before the tour for hot chocolates (and coffee!) and to do the gift exchange- the babes were SO excited to share and receive their presents they had picked out for their little friends!

Baker is all about the WOW factor of everything right now.. she started this whispering "WOW" thing several weeks back and it kills me to laughing tears every single time! she even wowed at the array of grocery bags on the counter after I got home from the store yesterday morning. 

I love her.

Baker got the VTEC pet carrier and she WOW'd it over and over and over..and has carried it around from the moment we opened it!  even slept with it in her crib on Friday night because she wouldn't give it up:)

the really cold weather held off through Friday evening, and although it was cold and a bit damp out we had a great time on the carriage ride! 

you can find Baker's pom hat HERE + booties HERE. I snagged my beanie on a last minute whim at target (its the mossimo brand) and my tee HERE and jeans HERE.. the sweater jacket is from  groopdealz at the end of last season and I haven't seen it this year!

there are nine kids between the four couples..with two on the way by the summer.  they have all been together since birth and have the best time when we bring the crazy group as one! which also means getting everyone to focus for a picture is near to impossible:)

AND.. matching hanna jams for everyone.  doesn't get any better than this, folks.

   

we had the carriage ride all to ourselves and it was just a perfect night! 

a yard full of dancing Santa's made the kiddos squeal!

the neighborhood we rode through was fantastic and we will definitely be making this a holiday tradition.

Saturday morning the cold front and the 19 degree weather behind it came through and kept us all inside.  we really did stay in our jammies all day long.

lots of coffee + coloring, and christmas movies:)

Sunday morning was slow. we played hookie from church and slept in.. it was almost 10am before Baker decided to join the party.  I put my online order in for grocery pick up at my local Kroger on Saturday afternoon so Jolie and I made a starbucks run and grabbed the groceries Sunday morning- it was SO COLD, ya'll.

I got a wild hair and decided I wanted to brave the mess and make Jessica's sugar cookie recipe with the girls.  I also think it might have had to do with my need/want/craving of the DOUGH all together that did me in for making these, too.

my kitchen was one big giant flour mess.. with sprinkles on top.. by the end of it, but we had so much FUN!  and these cookies are super soft!  probably the best and easiest recipe I've ever tried.

..after we got the kitchen de-floured, we finally measured the girls on the growth chart ruler board my talented friend Sarah made.  its been hanging for a couple weeks in my kitchen but I didnt have the right pens/markers to write with.  finally I took just a browse through amazon to find these Sharpie paint pens to use and they are great! 

we finished off our Sunday evening with bit of last minute kidless christmas shopping- a quick dinner at Panera bread and settled into our freshly washed flannel sheets after getting home, thanks Jordan:)

much needed chrismtas-y weekend for my soul.

the countdown to Christmas is ON!

happy Monday!

October love list | checking off the weekend

better late than never to throw this list out there. we are in the last week of October, so I figured I can give myself a little leeway of overflow into November, because November is just as amazing as October.

1. visit the Dallas arboretum // oh this place is magical.  the pumpkins, the flowers, the crisp air.. everything about this place just makes you fall in love with this time of year even more.  we visited the arboretum over the weekend with my niece and nephew and the grandparents and had just the best time.  the best time of year to visit this place is in the fall.  

2. visit the Texas State Fair // its been YEARS since I've been to the state fair, and after taking the girls this year I think we are safe to say that we will go back every year!  they loved every minute of it and for that reason alone we will be going back. I can hardly imagine having a 7 month old baby BOY tagging along next year!!

3. enjoy 800 of my favorite lattes before they are gone for the season // because why the heck not.

4. pumpkin patching // as much as we can in 31 days.

5. pick the perfect pumpkin // we made our way to the pumpkin patch again this weekend.  I love watching the girls just run up and down the hay mazes and rolling the pumpkins and finally we picked the perfect one to take home and carve. 

this time of year is SO stinkin fun.

6. carving the perfect pumpkin // Jordan takes this.  last year with the twins was so much fun and after a little bit of a clean freak out over the slime, they finally enjoyed it!  

7. roast pumpkin seeds // me and Jo love love LOVE roasted pumpkin seeds.  after we carve our perfect pumpkin we will totally be making some of these to snack on.

8. have a picnic dinner // now that the weather has cooled off a bit, its so much easier to enjoy being outside without being swarmed by mosquitos or sweating into your meal.  we checked this one off the bucket list this weekend- I packed dinner for the girls from home and me and Jordan enjoyed a Friday special (BOGO burgers) at Market Street while they played.  $2 glasses of wine and $4 beers.. my pregnant (burgers) and non-pregnant (WINE) self really appreciates this kind of dinner. 

8. watch a movie on the patio // again.. because the weather is getting to be absolutely perfect.  maybe something like Its the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown for the kiddos and NOTHING scary for me and the hubby.  we have become the biggest wimps.

9. SOUP // one of THE best parts about this time of year is the toasty comfort of delicious food. soup is my foodie love language.  I could write a book with the amount of soup recipes I have made and created.  this taco soup is a crock pot favorite. actually anything in my crock pot is a favorite:)  this spinach + mushroom tortellini soup is on my list to be one of the first I make and my favorite potato soup will find its way back into the regular dinner rotation.  also.  two words: bread.bowl. 

10. trick or treat // I'm so excited about this year's costume!! we have so many fun dress up opportunities coming up in the next week (can you believe halloween is in ONE week??!). we have a halloween birthday party on Saturday with costumes and all.. going to a neighborhood halloween trunk or treat celebration on Sunday and then Monday we are getting the supper club + kiddos together for one big trick or treat celebration!

its been the best month so far.. and we still have so much to do!

weekend | a second visit

..was quite possibly better than the first.  on a whim i asked my mom to help me pull together this shower hosted at my house over the weekend.  I needed help with all the last minute details and just didnt feel like I could do it alone.  I was SO thankful when she immediately replied yes without even thinking about what I had just asked her to do. so they arrived early on Friday morning and while my mom and I ran our errands, Jordan and my dad had baby duty:)  after the last minute errands on Friday we called it quits to grab a bite to eat.  it was perfect weather so a patio somewhere was in order.  Baker sat in my dad's lap and pigged out on enchiladas and guacamole and tortilla and cheese..  didn't move a muscle or fight to the death to get down and run like a banshee.

my dad has found a little friend.

watching him with her and the twins was so bizarre. so gentle and sweet and SO HAPPY.  which in turn made my stomach do flip flops in joy. he kept thanking me for allowing them to visit again and sharing our family with them.  it was easy to allow the entire 32 years of life behind me fizzle to a blur when my dad, the man I wanted nothing more than to please my entire life, says things like that.  it took me a long time to teach myself and learn not to seek my identity in him. 

my mom did her best to love as sweet as she could with them.  when Baker finally gave up her favorite seat in my dad's lap, she swooped in to get her hands on the baby. 

after we satisfied my pregnancy craving with eight tons of chips and the equivalent in fresh salsa I also requested a stop at bahama bucks for a cotton candy sno cone before we headed home for more party prep.  my mama did the food, I handed the decor.. while my dad read every single book we own to the big girls. we knocked it out in just a couple hours. and when they finally headed back to their hotel it was almost 11pm.  I would have been up ALL NIGHT if it wasn't for her help. 

but thats my mother.  always with the servant's heart.

and finally.  finally she was there.  ALL THERE for me- there when I needed a mom.

a normal mom.

saturday morning came SO SOON.  Jolie came down with a stomach bug early saturday morning, so from about 1am to 5:30am she threw up every 15 minutes.  I finally crawled into bed with her after she had kept water down for longer than a half hour, but was up by 7am to get myself ready for the day.  my mama treated me to my most favorite form of pampering- drybar.  someone to wash and dry AND FIX my hair is literally priceless to me:) she had never had anything like that done before, so we sat together drinking coffee while someone played with our hair for an hour.  

after last minute details were completed for the baby shower- the time had finally arrived for the guests to start showing up.  Jordan and my dad took Baker and Parker to hang out for a couple hours- while sweet Jolie was still under the weather and posted up in my bed watching PJ Masks and eating saltines- but NOT PUKING thank goodness.  my mom was dressed and ready for the party (I invited her myself- since she did so much of the prep work!) and mingled here and there but ultimately landed herself in my bed with Jolie to be with her/keep her company while she got some much needed sleep and her mama finished hosting all the guests.

after everyone left and my mom helped me get my house back into some form of order, we all sat around and watched college football.  skipped dinner and ate leftover cake instead:)

such an easy going time.  much different than anything we've ever done before.

I always felt so stressed out when I was around my parents- in their space or mine.  didnt matter.  I never felt comfortable.  but feeling comfortable is SO much more important right now especially when I'm trying to make my kids comfortable, you know?

my parents left early on Sunday to make the drive back to Austin and we skipped church to sleep in and then set out to run some errands before we started the week- but definitely stayed close to home because Jolie was still running fever and feeling blah.  I hated to see her like that! 

(my favorite tank tops from gap come in long sleeve, too! Also.. how about day two of my drybar do'??

sams + costco for cereal and fruit in bulk.. that lasts less than 3 days around these parts, anyway.

home in time for the cowboy's game

..and more leftover cake.

such a good weekend and a great visit with my parents. we have a visit planned for the first week in November and I've been pumping up the girls for the trip to see Nana + Duke and I think we are all excited.  I actually have no idea where my parent's live or what their house looks like.  they moved from downtown Austin (literally 7th street) to a little suburb outside of Austin when my dad retired shortly after I removed myself, so it will be new to all of us.

until then I'll enjoy daily check-in's from my dad with random articles about baby products and name suggestions for baby boy.. cat pictures from my mother and answering random questions and curiosities she has, like what time do the girls go to bed or what their favorite foods are.. I forget this is all new territory for them as well.

one day at a time- but its going great so far.

weekend | pumpkin everything

IT IS October, after all!!

this weekend was FULL and so fun- and we are still recovering.. well I am still recovering.  its amazing how easily my energy level can be zapped. we spent every moment together as a family with only interruptions to take naps for Baker and me, myself, and I- and baby brother, too I suppose, right??  Parker woke me on Friday morning at like 5:30am (!!!) and I told her NO after she repeatedly requested absurd things like a banana and bubble guppies she finally sunk my "mom stance" of putting my foot down with "mom.  I just want to wuv on my baby brother.  he wuves it when I rub his head.."

fine Parker.  FINE.

the weather was amazing this weekend and we took full advantage of getting and staying outside.. and I took about one billion photos to prove it..

side note: we discovered Baker was allergic to insect bites maybe a month ago after she was bitten on the hand by a mosquito.  her hand swelled tremendously and blood pooled around her joints, so we made a trip to the doctor in panic we were all relieved that it was just a mosquito bite. she was bitten on the cheek on Wednesday and by Friday her eye was swollen shut. 

exhibit A:

moccs / sweats / tees / striped leggings / hoodie

 we made our weekly trip to Costco for the essentials and then headed to Market Street for lunch and to play at the park.  OMGGGG this weather. 

 pumpkinssss! the twins were fascinated with the piles of pumpkins in front of the market.. my mama heart skipped a couple beats when I saw all the festive October-y things every where I looked!

this is my favorite time of year.  hands down.

 ..we ended our Friday night with a walk + a trip to the park before the babes went to bed.

Saturday, October 1st

the best day of the year!  I celebrated a good mama friend and her growing baby boy belly on Saturday morning and then we headed for church on Saturday evening.  by the time we got out of service everything was closing down, but we made a quick stop at a small nursery on our way home to grab a couple pumpkins for the porch.

hats c/o / tees c/o / skirts c/o / boots c/o

 Sunday. 

it isn't really public knowledge, and I'm not totally sure WHY, but I've worked as a stylist for Stitch Fix for almost a 8 months now and they hosted their Dallas team and our families for an amazing brunch at the Truck Yard in downtown Dallas on Sunday. I LOVE this place, and their cheesesteaks are phenomenal.. and not to mention my company was pretty awesome, too. such a random job to have found myself in- but its fun and I don't feel like I'm "working" when I am styling women of all sizes, preferences, and ages. plus, since cutting back on the amount of hours I work away from home from my growing family- every little bit helps.

SO ANYway.. food.    

 we ate a lot of it and enjoyed every moment of it. 

plus.. the weather.

 after we filled our bellies with food, we stuffed the grocery cart with all the food.. and hardly made a scene while doing so.

 somehow I convinced Jordan, after our entire Sunday spent away from the house, to skip the Cowboy game and head to the weekend opening of our favorite Pumpkin Patch!
flower bow / denim dresses 

 $5 bucks to park + 1 billion pumpkins + tractor rides + hay mazes + bounce houses + giant slides  

we will be here everyday of October.

 Baker's first real experience with a pumpkin.. she was cracking me up!

#rookie
bow / romper

 the girls and their amazing sport of a daddy rode these cars about 5 times before we finally said TIME TO GO with promises we would return super soon.

gah.  take me back to the weekend! I took a two and a half hour nap to make it through my Monday after this fun weekend, but still so worth it.

'tis this AMAZING pumpkin season!