5 on Friday!

ONE | HELLO, LONDON!

If everything is going according to plan, we should have landed in London by the time you're reading this!!!! Eee! Let the babymoon begin! (And catch the latest on Instagram while we're away...! xx)

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TWO | COLEY'S WEDDING
Isn't it so fun when your besties get their wedding pictures back?! I thoroughly enjoyed re-living Nicole's whole wedding day when she posted all of her pictures this past week. It's such a joy to walk through chapters and seasons of life with friends who are family.  Love you, Coleybabe!

Mille Holloman Photography

THREE | EO INFO
After asking about essential oils with pregnancy, labor, and newborns last week, I got some great information! The most helpful? This site and these IG accounts!

@oilmagicbymichelle | @hollystic_oils

FOUR | JUDGING OTHER PARENTS

Please say you've watched this! Every mama should!! :) Funny yet made this hormonal preggo cry too.

FIVE | THE CROCHET ENVY

Please say you saw the loveliness of this Etsy shop earlier in the week. If not check it out...and take advantage of the Cheers Y'all exclusive discount code!

I Heart | The Crochet Envy

Happy Friday and CHEERS from our Euro babymoon!

 
  FRIDAY means I'm linking up with...5 on Friday:  Darci, April, Christina, + Natasha | Friday Favorites: A Little Bit of Everything, Momfessionals, + Grace and Love | Oh Hey, Friday: September Farm + The Farmer's Wife 

Be sure to pop over to Lena's blog -- January's champagne sponsor!

January Sponsor Spotlight

Can you believe January is nearly over?! Craziness! Before it passes by, be sure to say hello to these wonderful ladies and read their goals for this fresh year. Love their hearts!!!

Name: Elizabeth Burns

Blog: That's Mrs. Burns To You 
Best Part(s) of 2014: This is tough!!! One thing that happened in 2015 was that my husband and I finally started going to church together. He was raised Catholic and I was raised Protestant. It was a tough journey and we are still on it, but we are on it together.
Looking Forward to in 2015: Again, so tough! I am going through a leadership program right now and I am really excited to see how I grow, as well as the new friendships I am forming through it. There are also weddings, babies, and trips to look forward to!!
Do you have goals for the New Year?: I have three resolutions and so far, I would say I am doing "okay" with them, not perfect but not terrible! To learn more about them, check out my post Resolutions for 2015

Connect with Elizabeth

Twitter // Bloglovin' // Pinterest

Name: Lizzie

Blog: Lizzie Somerset

Best Part(s) of 2014:  

In blogging terms it had to be going self-hosted! A friend of mine, Harry, took my Pinterest board for inspiration http://uk.pinterest.com/lizzieroles/blog-design/ & using the colours I liked designed the blog header.  Another friend Veronika then changed up the font & voila! I'm so grateful to these friends for their gifts of time & creativity!

My bro in law is a web designer for major & uber cool companies, his name is Jason Bradberry & Jase did my move to self hosted for me & I couldn't be more grateful to him.  It meant I could finally move forwards with my hopes & dreams for the blog.  Check out his cool website here: http://jasonbradberry.com  Best bro in law a girl could hope for! 

Looking Forward to in 2015: Everything.  My little girl turning 2, & my little boy (not so little now turning 5), savouring all the day until my little boy starts School in September. Our all inclusive holiday to Spain in May. Spending time with the people I love most.  Just cherishing every moment with these precious babies while I can & with my husband Jon.

Do you have goals for the New Year?: Loads! Grow my blog, connect more with people, get outsie, be consistent, exercise, love in full measure, invite friends & others into my home are the top ones! I hope so much I will become a better inviter this year. I'm hoping for warm & imperfect hospitality, I believe that's where God is leading me. To invite and not worry about what it will look like. If all we have is beans in the cupboard then beans on toast it will be!  I hope for a house full, I hope for consistency in blogging & concentrating on letting my yes be yes & my no be no. Really working on that in all aspects of my life!

Connect with Lizzie

Twitter // Instagram // Facebook Cheers to 2015!   

Be sure to pop over to Lena's blog -- January's champagne sponsor!

Pregnancy | Week 28

How Far Along: 28 weeks...HELLO, 3rd TRIMESTER!!!!

Size of Baby: About 2.5lbs and 16" long -- basically the first time my two apps (What to Expect and Ovia Pregnancy) agree! Fruit comparison: coconut!

Gender: Our little girl, Nancy Hope Houston!

Movement: Is my favorite thing. I love and look forward to feeling her moving around everyday. I'm so thankful for it. Homegirl is chilling more on my left side than my right. And she certainly is still breech. I can tell by those kicks! And her little arms poke at my sides which is kind of funny to feel!

Sleep: Still sleeping great!! Savoring it while it lasts!

Workouts: Pure Barre x 7 and three 2-2.5 mile walks

Maternity Clothes: The usual. Mixing and matching non-maternity with maternity. And a whoooole lot of leggings, cardis, and boots. 

Symptoms: Just feeling a lot more stretching/pressure/strain (?! not sure how to describe it) around the muscles around my lower abdomen. I'm making an extra effort to stretch slowly and carefully in Pure Barre and to stay up higher in lunge and chair positions, for instance! 

I've also been pretty weepy this week. How weird is this: I had a dream about crying for no reason, and I woke up to myself crying...for no reason. WHAT! And I'm not the biggest Sex and the City watcher, but the series finale was on tv this weekend, and I watched it. Y'all. I couldn't get through one scene without crying...Carrie and Big, Miranda helping with Steve's mom, Charlotte's adoption, Samantha's breast cancer...I was a pregnant hormonal mess. Ha!!!

Cravings/Aversions: No. 2nd trimester pregnancy has been a little boring where these are concerned. ;)

Missing Most: Honestly...Charlotte, NC.

Nursery: I got several projects done this weekend! I spray painted like a madwoman on our driveway, bought a mirror and big golden frame (for her art above the crib made by my best friend and talented artist, Lizzie Morrison!) from Hobby Lobby, and even did a little name doodle to hang on her wall as well. It was a productive week!

Bumpin around the driveway in the name of love and gold spray paint.

Did you hear about The Crochet Envy? I couldn't be more in love with Nancy's new blanket.

I also can't wait to replace that chaise with a glider in a few weeks!!!!

Hubby: Is so excited about our little girl. We talk about her (and he asks about her) everyday. I am certain that he is going to be the best girl daddy in the world. My man's man and all of his girly girls...the thought makes my heart burst. :)

 He's already wrapped around the tiny paws of this tiny pup.

Best Part of the Week: Feeling Nancy move around is always the highlight of my day--truly. It's joyful and reassuring to feel her each day. Love those little moments...and these too:

 Homebody Saturday nights with #tinainthemiddle

Can't Wait For: BABYMOON TAKEOFF! TOMORROW! London + Paris, here we come!!!! You can keep up to date with us on Insta. :)

Our Announcement | Weeks 4-12  | Week 13 | Week 14 | Week 15 | Week 16 | Week 17 | Week 18 | Weeks 19 and 20 | Week 21 | Week 22 | Week 23 | Week 24 and 25 | Week 26 | Week 27 | Week 28 

Be sure to pop over to Lena's blog -- January's champagne sponsor!

I Heart | The Crochet Envy

I might not have crib sheets yet, but I do have Nancy Hope's first blanket. And you know what? I think it's perfect.

Call me craycray, but I've been daydreaming of a nursery with a crochet heart blanket since, well, very specifically: this pin, pre-pregnancy, 32 weeks ago (Pinterest told me that little detail). My daydream came true when I happened upon the loveliest brand new little shop on Etsy, The Crochet Envy.

Swoon. This beautiful crochet detail. Handmade with love. Jessica, The Crochet Envy's shop owner, is the sweetest and such a delight to work with. She let me approve the yarn colors once the spools she ordered for me arrived; furthermore, she sent me sneak peek pictures on Instagram the whole way through my ordering process! The entire experience felt exceptionally personal and customized.

In the land of Etsy where handmade anything is beautifully aplenty, The Crochet Envy specifically caught my eye because of the option to add softer, more baby friendly minky fabric on the back of the blanket. I can't imagine anything more snuggly for my baby girl! I chose the light pink rose swirl fabric backing, but there are a plethora of different texture and color options from which you can choose. The selection is amazing.

Wouldn't this make a sweet Valentine surprise for your babe or a mama-to-be? You can order the blanket in any yarn/minky color combination you wish! And (!!)  The Crochet Envy is exclusively offering Cheers Y'all readers free shipping with code CHEERSYALL. Enjoy shopping small and supporting handmade! :)

Oh, and just so we're clear, this is just the beginning of pictures you will see with this blanket. Just you wait until Nancy comes and I can photoshoot it up with my little babe and my new most favorite blanket of all time!

Disclaimer: Per Cheers Y'all's sponsorship policy, I received this product in exchange for a review; however, all opinions are my own.

Cheers to The Crochet Envy!

Be sure to pop over to Lena's blog -- January's champagne sponsor!

The Width of Life

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I'd never read this quote until yesterday. (Thanks, Pinterest.) I thought it to be supremely appropriate with our upcoming Euro babymoon...and that daunting to do list that always grows exponentially before leaving town. Speaking of: does anyone else have to make their house sparkle before vacation?! From dusting, to scrubbing, to laundry (and everything else in between), I can't let myself leave without knowing I'm coming back to a clean slate. And somehow cleaning the house is only a sliver of the pre-travel to do list, right?

Even still: I have a smile on my face, joy in my heart, and I truly cannot wait for the week ahead. Instead of merely surviving the length of today, let's live the width of it.

So bring it on, Monday. Let's do this. Well, with a little help...

Instagram

Cheers, y'all...cheers to living the width of this glorious day!

Be sure to pop over to Lena's blog -- January's champagne sponsor!

5 on Friday | Crushes + Questions

ONE | crush: VALENTINE HEART COASTERS

I mean...(!!)

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TWO | question: PREGNANCY + BABY ESSENTIAL OILS
Mamas! I wanna hear from you! What oils did/do you use during pregnancy, labor, and for baby?! Fill me in with your experience and expertise!! Please! (P.S. I'm a doTERRA gal. :))

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THREE | crush: SPRING PAJAMAS
This week of sunny weather in the 60s has me daydreaming of spring pajamas. I am crushing on these...and thinking how the button down tops would be good for nursing too. Perhaps an excuse to buy at least one!? ;)

Okay, so maybe the first one doesn't have the nursing excuse. It just looks so comfy. 

And though I'm not particularly a red wearing gal...I always swoon for hearts!!!

FOUR | question: BABY DAYDREAMING

I posted this on Instagram yesterday. I've been wondering: what baby Nancy will look like? ...Especially after I dreamed this week about her coming out with light brown hair! Doubtful considering Mark and I were both baldies. But crazier things have happened!

Little Elise + Little Marky

FIVE | question: LONDON + PARIS

This time next week, we'll be kicking off the third trimester on our Euro babymoon!! Any must packs or must dos for this preggo!?
 

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  FRIDAY means I'm linking up with...5 on Friday:  Darci, April, Christina, + Natasha | Friday Favorites: A Little Bit of Everything, Momfessionals, + Grace and Love | Oh Hey, Friday: September Farm + The Farmer's Wife  

Be sure to pop over to Lena's blog -- January's champagne sponsor!

Pregnancy | 27 Weeks

How Far Along: 27 weeks...7 days away from the 3rd trimester. WHAAAT!!!? And about that: for the first time in my pregnancy, over the past couple of days I've THREE strangers comment on my pregnancy/ask when I'm due. Considering I asked Mark on our walk on Sunday, "Do you think people can tell I'm pregnant or do I just look fat?"...I'm calling the strangers being confident enough to know I'm pregnant a total win.

Also - got the call back from the doc this week that my glucose test results came back normal. Woohoo! Thankful for that!!

Size of Baby: A little over 2lbs and 15" long!! A cucumber/bunch of bananas are the comparisons this week.

Gender: Our little girl, Nancy Hope Houston!

Fun Fact: Baby's organs are pretty much fully developed...now it's time for her to put on some fat and grow, grow, grow that little body!

Movement: Everyday. Lots of it. Some of my favorite moments this week were just laying on the couch or in bed with Mark and watching our little girl dance around. The moments are so real yet so surreal; they surpass my understanding!

 My heart

Just before I laying down for the night...which typically cues a Nancy dance party!

Another movement-related favorite part of the week happened just yesterday during the very last exercise of Pure Barre. I felt her press some part of her body against the top of my tummy and I quickly put my hand there and pressed back. There was pressure between the two of us "touching" and it literally was the coolest thing in the world. I didn't care that I looked like a cheeseball smiling through our last bit of seat work. That was one of the most incredible moments in pregnancy that I've experienced thus far. I never want to forget it. My are welling up as I type about it! I love her so much already. 

Sleep: Pretty good. Had my first horrible baby related nightmare this week. I woke myself up to the sound of me gasping for air in a crying kind of way. In my nightmare, Nancy was abducted, and when I woke up I was running towards the firemen telling them to find my baby. It was a horrible way to wake up! Also did anyone have a "water baby" doll growing up? Because Nancy looked like and was the same size as a water baby in this dream. Ha!!

This snuggler! We fell asleep like this. :) Always our first baby.

Workouts: Pure Barre x 7 (what what!!), a 2 mile walk with Tina, a 3 mile family walk, and a WB loop walk with my friend, Steph! Trying to amp it up in preparation for indulging during our babymoon?! Give me all the Parisian chocolate croissants and pastries...for real.

After last week being FULL of rain, clouds, and only 1 day of sun, we couldn't help but walk lots this week (and take advantage of the January mid 60s temps!!!).

Maternity Clothes: Constantly mixing regular + maternity. I live in these tanks (2/$10 in store!) + leggings/maternity jeans + a cardigan. I have the tanks in four colors and wouldn't hate having a couple more. They're non-maternity but the length is crucial for the bump!

Symptoms: I think it has been there for more than a week now, but I totally have the faintest, faintest linea nigra on my belly. Arms falling asleep all throughout the night...particularly my right arm. And I've had some sharp round ligament pain in the middle of the night if I flail turn over in my sleep too quickly.

Cravings/Aversions: No

Missing Most: My family and best girlfriends, but that's always in general...not just because of pregnancy!

Nursery: I'm resisting the temptation to keep posting progress pictures. I want there to be an exciting end product. Plus, my mommy (AKA interior design mastermind) is coming down in a couple of weekends to help me get down to business. That girl can flip a room in minutes, I tell ya. I have a few little projects I'll be working on this week thanks to good old Hobby Lobby. 

Other than nursery stuff, I worked really hard (read hours on hours) on our registry this past week. Oh! My "diaper bag" came in yesterday! I'm in love!!! I plan on putting a diaper bag insert in it.

 

 

I must hang it here in Nancy's room so I don't use it yet. I'm obsessed. Reversible. Tote. Crossbody option. Check, check, check! (And it's $10 less and a liiittle smaller than the Free People version--I don't think I need those extra 3 inches in width!)

I also had a little (first world prob) conundrum about which PB Anywhere Chair to choose for our registry. I wanted to be 100% with my decision since I plan to take her monthly photos on this little get up! And the winner is...#3! Could I ever resist the faux fur?! :) (Thanks for all of your help and input on Instagram, sweet friends!)

Hubby: The first thing that pops into my mind is "has been on a smoothie kick this week." I've loved fixing him a big ol' smoothie every morning for breakfast in lieu of cereal or toast. I've started making enough for two...and our refrigerator is overflowing with fresh produce. It's awesome. Besides enjoying making his/our breakfast smoothies, I've loved watching my belly move with him and having him feel how strong her kicks, wiggles, and rolls are getting! And now that Nancy and I have "touched" through my tummy, I am looking forward to Nancy and her daddy experiencing that too!

Best Part of the Week: This weekend. It was an uneventful, uninterrupted, lovely, fulfilling weekend of just us--our little Houston family. It filled my homebody heart so!

Can't Wait For: Our Euro babymoon in 1 week! Can't wait to see my in-laws for a weekend in London and then head to PARIS for the first time. HOLY STINKIN' MOLY I'M EXCITED!!! 

Our Announcement | Weeks 4-12  | Week 13 | Week 14 | Week 15 | Week 16 | Week 17 | Week 18 | Weeks 19 and 20 | Week 21 | Week 22 | Week 23 | Week 24 and 25 | Week 26 | Week 27 

Be sure to pop over to Lena's blog -- January's champagne sponsor!