Mini Vacay to Columbus

{Warning: picture heavy post!}

The last time we ventured to Columbus was two years ago and we had been wanting to get back before Deuce was born. We decided July was just a bit too hot last time, we figured late May would work out well. Although it was rough being 8 months pregnant and it was super packed, I survived all the walking for those 3 days and am so glad we went.

We left bright and early on Sunday morning and went straight to the zoo for a day of fun. We stayed until around 6pm before grabbing some dinner on the way to the hotel and ending the night with a swim in the indoor pool. On day 2 we started off the morning with an adorable little Memorial Day Parade followed by a trip to Easton where we hit up the splash pad and ate at Northstar Cafe. (SUPER yummy by the way!) That afternoon we didn't have much on the schedule for after nap and decided to head back to the zoo for all the areas we missed. After a pancake breakfast, we spent day 3 at the Center of Science and Industry which is basically like a gynormous children's museum. Then it was off to a late lunch and the trip home where we always make a quick stop at Grandpa's Cheese Barn!

Below are just a few of the pictures from our fun on the trip.

 32 week shot with my gorilla friend:

Whose kid is this that will touch a SNAKE?!?!!?

Our kid does NOT transfer to his bed if he's asleep in the car. We've tried countless times to gently carry him inside but he ALWAYS wakes and never goes back to sleep. You could tell the trip was exhausting when we carried him in from the car and he went right back to sleep without his panda in his arms. 

Thanks again to Derek's parents for giving us a fabulous suite for our stay while in Columbus!

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Also, on a separate note, I'd love for you to like my new photography page on FB! I had started one before, but per the recent suggestion of some friends/family, I've officially finalized one! 

I would appreciate any and all love while I get my side business promoted a bit more!

Sarah Marie Photography

Thanks friends, and if you know anyone in the Cleveland area looking for some pictures, be sure to spread the word. Photography has been a passion of mine for years, but only in the past year did I realize how much I love snapping newborns and other families. It's not my 9-5 job and therefore don't charge professional rates for a session. To me, it's simply a hobby that I would love to devote more time to. Thank you in advance!

Day Out With Thomas!

If you know Drew at all, you know that he's in love with Thomas the Train. The kid has so many Thomas tracks, trains, games, books, movies and more that our house is swarming with them. I always watch for when the "Day out with Thomas" event comes to Cleveland, but we were unfortunately out of town the past two years it was here. Thankfully we were here this year for it and went this past Saturday!

First, though, I had to start the morning off right with some french toast.

Then it was time. I wish I had known that he would spot Thomas in the car or I would have had my camcorder ready to capture the squeals. It was one of the happiest moments I've seen with my guy in his entire life.

Thankfully we did have to walk a ways to get to Thomas and therefore I captured a couple other shots when he saw and heard him again.

He did one of the bounce house obstacle courses, but wouldn't get his face painted and really just wanted to stare at Thomas.

The little guy loved the trip. Our little introvert studied the tracks, listened to the noises made by the cars and noted when he saw an engineer or conductor walk by. It was super sweet.

He blew his whistle and showed off his certificate from the conductor.

After the actual ride, we met up with his bestie for a couple pictures and some train table time.

These guys really are two peas in a pod. They found a quiet little corner under the crazy kids tent to quietly play with their trains together. Can't you just see the deep thoughts and internal processing going on below?

If you have a little one that loves Thomas, I'd highly recommend this excursion! Although I felt it was a bit pricey, the smile and excitement that came from my little guy made every penny worth it.

Family Picture Gallery

Last fall I came across this post. I absolutely loved the look of the white frames with a splash of color and was sold. I knew that once we had our wall knocked down I would love a picture gallery added. Slowly over the next few weeks, I would grab a frame here or there if I spotted one on sale and even found a couple tucked away in our basement that I knew would work. As soon as it would warm up, I'd get outside and start spray painting.

Then it got cold.
And the cold never ended.

The frames sat in a pile in our living room forever.

Cue up to a couple weeks ago when it was finally warm enough to get outside and paint. I purchased Valspar flat spray paint in both white and La Fonda Mirage and began the fun. I thought about doing the mustard like that blogger had done, but I'm just not a mustard person  (I think I have a spray paint addiction)

I decided on black and white pictures to keep the look more uniform but pictures range from our grandparents to vacations, to our immediate families to the turkey himself.

I love it.

We have another 5 steps or so that go up to the left beyond what you can see and once Deuce is here I plan to add even more frames!

Take a guess at how many nails I have up? Zilch. My interior designer friend who has guided me through so many projects introduced me to Command Tape and I'm in love. It's super sturdy and I can still take down the frames to switch out pictures if I need. Plus, with my clumsiness little ones running up and down nonstop they can't just be knocked off like they would hung on nails. SCORE!

All in all, this was a super easy project and I love how it turned out. To me, it's the perfect focal point for right when you walk into the house and balances out the fact that there's a playroom right there. 

It Begins

On the way to Drew's first tball practice last night, I looked at Derek and said "this is the beginning, huh?". The answer was in the smile painted across his face and the excitement in his eyes. Since finding out we were having a boy back in 2010, he has been waiting for his day and finally it was here. The beginning. The beginning of filling endless water bottles and checking the weather for rain. The beginning of dinner being eaten around sports schedules. And the beginning of your child being part of a team.

And those thoughts made me smile.

He was a bit nervous at the beginning so daddy stayed near him for a while. Being one of the youngest there, it just took him about 20 minutes to warm up to the experience. Having his friend on the team definitely helped, but it was our smiles and thumbs up each time he looked over that I knew he needed.

As much as I couldn't take my eyes off Drew, I found myself watching Derek throughout the practice as well. A former college baseball player himself, I could tell that he wanted to jump out there and coach the team. There were more 'eyes on the ball' and 'bend your knees' than any other husbands, and the proud look that never left his face melted my heart. 

Even though it was pure unorganized chaos, it was surely a glimpse into our future. Saturday morning chats with the other soccer moms and weekday batting practice at the cages. Tennis balls strewn all over the house and late night basketball games of horse in the driveway. Up until now he's been my baby who would toss around a ball, but I knew last night was the beginning of something much different.

And I'm so glad it has begun.

Yes I Have a Favorite Dog

I don't think dogs are like kids. I've always preferred one over the other depending on situations, but lately, I really prefer Bailey. In all fairness, we did have Lacy for 6 years before rescuing Bailey and she was our only child. We treated her like a human, she was spoiled rotten and has become old and annoying over the past year. Don't get me wrong, she's wonderful with Drew, but it's the eating grass and horrible breath and begging for food that gets to me. 

Since I work from home, I'm with the dogs all day. Lacy generally hangs out downstairs but Bailey is my shadow. She follows me around wherever I go and sleeps in the office all day while I work. 

She's my favorite.

Weekend Moments & A Giveaway Winner!

We enjoyed a semi-low key weekend with this guy and it was great. The next few weekends will be crazy so it was a much needed break. I played DD on Saturday night while we went out with friends, but thankfully another pregnant friend was there to enjoy virgin drinks with me. Can I get a sticker for staying out until 11pm?

Drew enjoyed his all time favorite activity with daddy and I enjoyed a trip to Michael's to gather materials for Deuce's mobile. I'm attempting to create one that I fell in love with on etsy, but will spend about 1/4th of what it costs online.

On Sunday we were invited to our friends Ukrainian Orthodox baptism for their son and it was so interesting seeing how it's done in other faiths. Following the ceremony, they treated us to Buca Di Beppo and the most delicious cake ever. I did not reject their offer to take an extra piece of cake home for today.

Dining al fresco after mowing

Hope you had a great weekend as well! 

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Also, congrats to Desiree for winning the $25 Pink Blush giveaway! 

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Enjoy your winnings!

Muffins with Mom & A Cowboy

Just like every other school out there, Drew's school had 'Muffins with Mom' earlier today. I always enjoy time with my man, but it was a different experience spending a bit of time at his school and seeing him interact with his friends and teachers.

Also, some of you might have seen him dressed up on IG, but I just had to share on here as well. Drew had 'farm day' at school on Wednesday and therefore, he dressed as a cowboy. The boots and jean jacket were Derek's when he was young and the cowboy hat is mine.

If we lived in the country, I'm sure the cowgirls would have swooned over this one.

Also had to note that Bailey totally looks posed here, but she wasn't. Whenever I try to snap a picture of Drew, she jumps right into the shot. (#attentionwhore) I didn't make her move though as she fit this scene well with her pink bandana. Plus, Drew told me he could pretend that she was his horse. My kid is the best.

30 Weeks

First things first, a quick update! 

Things are going just fine! My weight gain is probably a few pounds more than I wanted and I'm starting to get super sleepy around 9pm each night, but overall I feel great! Thanks to some baby resales and friends who donated clothes from their daughters, Deuce's closet and dresser is fairly full! It's becoming more real that there will be a girl joining us soon with all the girly colors in there! 

Moving on, I have an exciting giveaway for you today to celebrate only have 10ish weeks left!

Are you pregnant or know someone that is? 

Then this giveaway is for you!

Let me introduce you to the online maternity clothing store, Pink Blush, a I've been super excited about this giveaway for months, but unfortunately it's been too cold to get some outdoor shots of me in my new dress!

It's hard to find quality dresses that look good, but are long enough for my 5"10" height. I'm not a fan of super short dresses and definitely want to cover up even more now that my legs aren't in the best shape. It was super hard to narrow down what I wanted to order, but this dress stood out with the adorable ruffle top and classy length! The online site is full of trendy maternity clothes at reasonable prices and I'd highly recommend you check Pink Blush!

Here are a few of my other current favorites from the shop!

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HAVE FUN!!

(winner will be announced 5/19)

Terms and Conditions: Winner will be determined at random using Rafflecopter. The giveaway begins Tuesday, May 13th at 1:00am EST and and ends Sunday, May 18th at 11:00pm EST. Entrants who have won a giveaway from Pink Blush in the past 6 months, or have hosted a giveaway with Pink Blush in the past 6 months, are not eligible to win a credit. Subject to all federal, state and local laws/regulations. Neither Our Journey, Giveaway Sponsor, nor any giveaway affiliates will have any liability whatsoever for any injuries, losses or damages of any kind caused by any giveaway prize or resulting from acceptance, possession, use and/or misuse of any prize or participation in these promotions. All opinions are 100% that of Our Journey. 

*Disclosure: This is a sponsored post, brought to you by Pink Blush. I was not financially compensated, 

but did receive an item for review. All opinions, however, are 100% mine! 

Weekend Recap

We had another fun weekend filled with friends and food and followed by a nice mothers day.

The first stop was the zoo with our friends. It was overcast, breezy and just perfect weather.

Derek booked brunch at one of our favorite places again this year and it was delicious!

I think Derek's finger rolled the ISO button when I handed him the camera so these are completely blown out, but I had still had to post as they would have been good. I tried to edit them the best I could but really didn't have much to work with.

I also enjoyed my 2nd annual mother's day pedicure with my sweet friend Virginia.

The rest of the weekend was spent running errands, playing outside and enjoying our neighborhood ice cream social. We also spotted a couple of nests in our pines, and saw that one set of eggs has yet to hatch! It's crazy how such a vivid color is found in nature.

I also had to post this picture I snapped of Drew's panda. Panda is Drew's absolute favorite stuffed animal and as we were heading out the door one busy morning, he took a minute to prop him up on a pillow so he "could watch the birdies". I think I might have melted a bit and to me, this was just reason #821 why I think he will be the best big brother ever.

Hope you had a great weekend as well and a Happy Mother's Day to all the mothers out there!

Fairwell Awkward Wall

When we moved into this house, two things bugged me. One is hard to explain, but it has to do with where our interior garage door opens up into our house.

The other is this.

We have called it the 'awkward wall' since moving in last fall and haven't ever really done much with it. It's at the top of our stairs and opens into the loft area and really has just been a catchall for random stuff thrown over it. We never really found a table that would look ok there and really, it just made the landing/loft area feel choppy.

Cut to a few months back when a new neighborhood friend hired me to do her newborn photos. She has our same floor plan but chose to do spindles and posts instead of a half wall.

It. Was. MAGICAL.

Like, instantaneously I knew we had to knock the wall down and open it up. Remember when we had our wood spindles replaced with wrought iron? I just KNEW that a row of more pretty spindles up there would look amazeballs and thus began the search for a contractor who could do the work for us.

We had to wait a couple of months to get in with the home reno group I liked, but they've been here working hard all week to replace that wall. It was a scary couple of nights building a barricade that would keep Drew and the dogs from falling when it was open, but overall it was a fairly painless project and we're SO glad we did it. I chose some bigger, blockier newel posts instead of the smaller, rounder ones generally used when building houses for durability and a higher end look and the wrought iron is the same as the ones on the stairway.

And now, for the after pics:

 

SO much light, SO much more open and SO not awkward anymore! It's hard to capture in pictures the change in the hallway light, but I tried.

Next up: a family picture wall going up those stairs!