What's Up Wednesday!

Hey, hey there friends! I'm linking up today with Mel, Sheaffer, and Shay for What's Up Wednesday! A little monthly link up where we share What's Up! 

Each month we share the answers to the same questions! So, here we go!

1. What We're Eating This Week.......

So, I am totally not a foodie. I hate cooking and would definitely go out to eat each evening. But, we have to cook (thanks to our three little girls, dinners out would add up quick!) So, on the menu this week: Sunday evening DJ grilled steaks, we had baked potatoes (mine was a sweet potato) and we had green beans. Monday: Chicken fajitas. Tuesday: Sausage Penne Pasta Wednesday: Grilled Chicken, Salad, and a Veggie. Thursday: Probably something quick and easy. I have an event that will last all day and probably won't feel like cooking! This weekend, we have a little girls trip planned, so DJ will be on his own. 

2. What I'm Reminiscing About......

The first day of school has been on my mind a lot! We have three weeks left, and Megan will be starting kindergarten and Gretchen will be in the 3rd grade! Babies don't keep and I'm super excited for this year, but I'm not ready for us to head back to school. 

3. What I'm Loving....

Days at the pool, sleeping in late, having a clean house, when my children get along, Summer. These things are just my love language. I could live every single day in summer. 

4. What We've Been Up To.....

This summer we have done a lot of traveling! We went to the lake....

We headed to Frisco/Dallas to visit DJ's uncle. 

We celebrated Adalyn turning 3! 

DJ and I had a get away weekend to Waco!

And we celebrated Adalyn again at her Flamingle party!

5. What I'm Dreading.....

Heading back to work in less than 3 weeks. I seriously love my job working in the schools as a speech-language pathologist, but nothing beats the days home with my girls, traveling with DJ, and having lazy days at home. The school year is just SO busy, and football season is right around the corner (i.e. NEXT WEEK) and I'm not ready for DJ to be gone for days on end and the girls to rarely see him. Football is obviously our lifestyle and we love the game, and I couldn't be more than thrilled that my husband loves his job, but the long days are rough. 

6. What I'm Working On......

I'm gearing up for a back to school event tomorrow. There will be over 400 educators from our state, and I was asked to set up a booth for Young Living. I've been working all week on getting materials ready for teachers, and trying to get everything organized and ready! I'm a bit nervous as there are more people than I anticipated, but I cannot wait to share Young Living with these educators and how essential oils can make a difference!

7. What I'm Excited About.....

Is it okay to dread football season and be excited about it at the same time? While it's so difficult that DJ is away, it's also a fun time for us to be together during games and for the girls to see what their daddy does every day. We take pride in his job and we love our team. Our football staff and their families become our families and we absolutely love getting to spend time with them. We have dinners together on Sunday evenings, and we cheer on the team and our husbands every Saturday. Now that the girls are in school, we don't make it out to practice during the weeks, but many wives do. The camaraderie is like nothing else amongst the football staff, wives, and families, and I really do look forward to spending our time with each of them. 

8. What I'm Watching/Reading.....

So, I've heard great things about Orange is the New Black, and I debated forever on if I really wanted to watch it. I decided to try the first episode, and the story line has me hooked. There are parts I could live without, but I have totally started binge watching. Like, I wish I could spend the day in bed and watch all of the seasons on Netflix, but for now, I'm just trying to watch one every few days. 

I started reading For the Love by Jen Hatmaker last week. I'm just a few chapters in to it, but in my head, I'm going "YES" right along with her! I love Jen Hatmaker and I am definitely going to recommend that every single overwhelmed mom needs this book! 

9. What I'm Listening To....

HGTV is on in the background, but in the car we jam to some Christian radio. 

10. What I'm Wearing....

Workout gear and swimsuits are in full rotation, along with pajamas. 

I mean, it's still summer, and we're soaking it up! Plus, it's 100 degrees and who in their right mind wants to put on make up and get dressed every day! And, for anyone that can wear jeans in this heat- you must be a super hero or a nut. I don't see how anyone can wear jeans in the summer. 

11. What I'm Doing This Weekend....

It's a girls weekend! We're meeting my mom, sister in law, and niece in Branson for a little girls trip! We'll hit up Silver Dollar City, lounge at the condo pool, and do a little shopping! 

12. What I'm Looking Forward to Next Month.....

Um, it's August, and to be honest, i'm not looking forward to a whole lot! Back to school and football, and I have a love/hate relationship with both of them!

13. What Else Is New.....

The girls will be starting their back to school activities soon! Megan is starting gymnastics again and Gretchen will be taking a musical theatre class this year. She's also begging to play basketball again!

14. What's Your Favorite Part About Summer?

Being home (and traveling) with the girls (and DJ) is hands down our favorite part! I love when we get to slow down and just be together as a family. When we have lazy days and busy days. We get to have crazy fun adventures, and it's always nice being together. This summer we've made lots of memories: little weekend getaways, trips to Texas, Arkansas, exploring our home town, date nights, pajama days, and pool days! 

So, that's it for this months What's Up Wednesday!!!! Choose a question from above, and answer it in the comments below! I'd love to know what's up in your life! 

Let's Talk: School Days

I cannot believe that back to school is 3 weeks away for me! I am not ready for summer to be over at all! Summer is my jam. It's my favorite season, and I count down the days for summer to begin. The sleeping late, days at the pool, time at the lake, trips, and family.... nothing beat's summer. 

I'm linking up today with Andrea and Erika for "Let's Talk"..... a little link up where we blog about a given topic! I haven't participated in a while, so I thought it would be fun today to link up and share! 

So, today we're talking about School Days, and y'all can already tell that I'm not a huge fan of heading back to school! 

But, here we are, so I'll give it a go! 

We've been doing this back to school thing for a while now! I remember getting Gretchen ready for kindergarten and I was not ready to send her! I was excited for her, but I just felt like my baby was getting so big. It probably didn't help that I was two months postpartum, from having Adalyn, but I just had lots of mixed emotions. As a first time mom, sending your big girl to kindergarten just makes reality set in, that she really is growing up. I remember buying her school supplies, taking her to her kindergarten "orientation" and everything in between. That first year was an adjustment. 

But, they were so excited!!!! I think we were heading somewhere kindergarten related before school started, and Meggie had to have her backpack too. 

On the first day of school, my mom drove up from Arkansas, to be with us to see Gretchen off. It also helped, that she stayed behind with the little girls, so DJ and I could take Gretchen and focus on the moment. She had a special first day of school outfit, and I bought her a little school bus necklace so she could remember us all day long, and I made her a matching hair bow. I bought the chalkboard sign just a few days before and our tradition of taking pictures with this little chalkboard was born. I remember every  moment of taking her to school that very first time and wiping tears away when she kept telling me to "go, just go." 

Since she had a special outfit for the first day of school, my mom and I made her a shirt for the 2nd day of school. It said "kindergarten princess." 

And a year later, I started documenting the first day of school for the little girls too. 

Megan started her pre-K three year old class at her preschool. 

And Adalyn moved up to Miss Ju-Ju's room. 

This pencil dress that I made her was one of my favorites! And, I wish you could see all of Megan's tank because the crayons with the ruffles was adorable! 

This was the year that Gretchen started 1st grade. I definitely wasn't as worried for her as I was the year before. In fact, this year was totally different because it was in 1st grade that we were able to move her to the elementary school that I worked in! We were so excited to be going to school together every single day! She wore a smocked crayon dress and again, I bought her a special necklace to wear. 

And, on the 2nd day, she wore a shirt that I made for her. 

Last year, started our 3rd year of heading back to school! Addy started school a few days before her sister and moved up to the 2 year old classroom at her preschool. She wore a shirt that I made for her..... see the tradition?

Gretchen started 2nd grade, and Megan started pre-k at a public preschool that was right down the road from my elementary school. 

And on the first day, they both wore shirts that I made. Megan's says "Backpacks, and Bling, it's a Pre-K thing!"

And Gretchen's says "Big Bow, Cute Shoes, 2nd Grade, Let's do this!"

Through the years, DJ has continued to take off the morning of the first day of school in order to drop the girls off with me. 

Megan will be starting kindergarten and she'll be at the same elementary school that I work in, and Gretchen will be starting 3rd grade there. I definitely don't have the same worries as I did when Gretchen started kindergarten. Most likely, because I know Megan's teacher, I know that I will see her every single day, and because I know that she absolutely thrived in school last year because of her amazing preschool teachers! Megan loves school! I am a little worried that she'll be very shy and timid on her first few days, as she normally is. She's very slow to warm up to new situations. However, once she's warmed up, she is a wild one and is the life of the party! She's so funny and fun to be around! I know that she and her teacher will get along very well! 

I'm super excited about Gretchen starting 3rd grade! I feel like she's settled in to school and she loves to read! She'll thrive this year! We are still working on her spelling skills, but i'm not worried that it won't eventually come along! 

Addy will be starting her pre-K 3 year old year and will have the same teacher that Megan had. Megan thrived that year, and I know that Adalyn will too! I can't wait to see how much she grows and learns! Although, I am super sad that this will be her last year at her preschool and that we won't be with this school after this year. Those teachers have loved my children every single day and we have grown to love each of them. They are an amazing group of Christian ladies who love their job! I'm sure the last day of school next year will be difficult for us as we leave them behind. 

Now, on to a few of our Back to School traditions! 

Last year, I bought Megan "The Night Before Preschool" and read it to her on the night before her first day. When Gretchen started kindergarten we read "The Night Before Kindergarten". Both books are super cute, and hopefully helped ease some school jitters! I found them at Target! They have an entire back to school book section! 

And last year, I decorated our little kitchen corner with a "back to school" theme and I'll carry it over this year too! I had the girls make school buses that I hung up, and we decorated with apples, books, alphabet letters, fun straws, chalkboard signs, and crayons.

It was fun for the girls as they got ready to head back to school! 

And this year, I'm already stocking up on our back to school supplies with Young Living! My August order includes Thieves (for immune system boosting), peppermint & lemon (to increase focus), en-r-gee (for myself to get going each morning!), and I've grabbed a package of the Thieves lozenges for throat irritations, and I'm making us roller bottles for seasonal sniffles that always seem to hit us in October! In the next few weeks, I'll try to have an entire post dedicated to heading back to school and using essential oils! 

So, how do you and your kids get ready to head back to school? Do you buy school supplies super early or wait until the last minute? Do you have fun traditions with your kids each year? Are you ready for the first day just to have a break?! Ha! 

Friday Favorites: A Random Mess

It's Friday, and in true Friday Fashion (okay I've skipped a few Fridays) I'm linking up with Andrea, Erika, and Narci for Friday Favorites and I'm sharing a random mess of a few of my favorites!!! 

Nignxia is a favorite around here! This is a high powered antioxidant juice available from Young Living. It's full of wolf berries and other fruits and essential oils that help boost our immune systems and provide us with natural energy. The girls love it plain, or mixed with orange juice, and I even throw it in smoothies! So yummy! 

Last week, the girls pretended they were "camping". So I fixed them a lunch to go right along with their theme for the day. A hot dog and Annie's Bug-shaped mac-n-cheese! And yes, they like ranch on their hot dogs (and ketchup) Don't ask me why, but it's a favorite! 

And then after nap time, we made inside s'mores to continue with their camping theme! 

Each girl made their own s'more, and then we put it in the microwave for a few seconds (about 15). The marshmallow gets big and fluffy and when we take it down, it shrinks back, and we top with another graham. 

Inside s'mores were a favorite! 

Yum!!! 

Speaking of yum, stuffed bell peppers are a favorite of mine! I made taco meat, mixed it with corn and black beans and topped with cheese. Since the little girls don't like stuffed peppers, I gave them taco meat, veggies, and sliced pepper on their plates. 

One day last week, Addy Pearl woke up on the grumpy side! It's totally unlike her, but she was so fussy! I for sure thought she was getting sick, so I diffused some Thieves, and she laid on the sofa for a while. Finally, after she ate some breakfast, she felt much better and we were able to go about our day as normal. 

This photo is from a few weeks ago when we were at my moms, but since we're talking about Addy Pearl, I had to share. She holds my hand and my heart forever. 

We transitioned her to her big girl bed about two weeks ago, and so far, so good! She's staying in it all night long- which is much better than she did when her crib was a toddler bed! She would always fall asleep in our bed, but around 4 am, would find herself in our bed. Now that she's in her big girl bed, and she has the most comfortable mattress, she's staying put all night! She asked me to lay down with her at nap time and she fell right to sleep! 

Frogs/toads are NOT my favorite! I swear every time I go outside there's one by our front door and it freaks me out! I know that we have two that live in our flower bed under a rock, and I'm thankful they eat the bugs..... they could find their way to our back porch because it is loaded with flies..... anyway, frogs jump and they jump AT you and it just scares me because I never know when they're going to jump or in what direction. The girls know that I'm terrified of frogs, and Gretchen teases me about it all of the time! The other day she asked if we could go to some town in Louisiana because it's the 'frog capitol of the world'. I told her "heck no!"

The girls favorite breakfast these days? Chobani kids yogurt with sprinkles. They've eaten it almost every single morning for breakfast. 

We've been spending a few days at the pool, and Sunday was a hot one! Thankfully, some lavender oil did the trick and my back was as good as new the next day! 

Celebrating this girls birthday was also a favorite!!! We had so much fun at her Flamingle Party! 

I  made an Orange Fruit Dip and promised that I would share it! It's so easy, and it's quickly become a favorite of mine! I had made it once before but I can easily see making it and bringing it to some potlucks this fall. 

In your stand mixer mix 1 package of softened cream cheese, 1 7 oz jar of marshmallow fluff, 1 tsp vanilla, and a few drops of lemon juice. I did not have lemon juice, so I used 2 drops of lemon essential oil. Add 5 drops of orange essential oil (more if you'd like it more orange tasting.) Mix everything together, fold in to a bowl and chill. Serve with lots of yummy fruit! My favorites are oranges, pineapple, strawberries, and grapes! 

While we were at my mom's, we had family photos made. This one of the girls is my favorite!!! I love that these sisters and their cousin will be each other's bridesmaids, best friends, and confidants. Much thanks to Lady with a Camera for taking our photos and dealing with the 10 of us! 

Sunday was DJ's birthday. He spent the morning playing golf with a friend, and then he took all of us to see Finding Dory that evening, followed by dinner at Pei Wei. I'm sure spending his day this way was a favorite of his! 

We are working at getting in a back to school routine. I've began a new chore chart routine with the girls and have started a "homework" time to get them use to going back to school. I cannot believe school starts in about 3 weeks! So far, the girls are loving their homework time and working on their chores! They haven't complained one time about cleaning their room which is major around here! While the big girls work in workbooks, Addy colors or plays with stickers, but I pulled out some file folder games that I had forgotten we had, so next week we're going to focus on shapes and colors. 

The big girls went to a cartwheel class on Monday and had tons of fun! We signed Megan up for gymnastics this fall and Gretchen will be taking musical theatre instead of dance. 

And, I have finally gotten back in to a work out routine. After having a fabulous June, I jumped off the bandwagon while we were out of town for three weeks, and I can definitely tell in my waistline. So, I've started working out again this week, and praying that I can make it stick! Working out is not my favorite, but I know that it must be done. 

While DJ and I were in Waco, I picked up this tiered stand from Magnolia Farms. This was the one thing that I knew I wanted while we were there, (I found some other goodies too). I put it on our kitchen counter, although I'm thinking it will eventually find it's way to the dining room table, and after letting it sit undecorated last week, and then using it as a fruit tray for Addy's party, I finally got around to decorating it this week. I love that it's decorated from every angle. On this side, I placed artichokes, a mini chalk board sign, a few of our most used essential oils, and a gold "w". 

I picked up this little plant from Marshall's earlier this week. 

And then added a photo of the girls and I in the kitchen, and some pastries on the top tier. 

It's definitely going to be a year-round favorite piece of mine!