my sweet baby boy, 

I can't believe how full of life and light you have become in the last month! You just finished your 5th Wonder Weeks Leap, and it is so evident. The leap was all about relationships and you definitely love them. The smiles and squeals you give your brother all day long makes my momma heart so proud. The two of you are so sweet together. You are not a fan of your big brother pushing you over when you are sitting up, which definitely happens from time to time, but 90% of the time you two are precious. 

You are also saying Da-da all the time which Daddy loves! You say Momma too but only when you are screaming and crying, losing your mind. HA, not as sweet as the Da-da moments. It's okay though, I know you love me!! 

You are still almost always smiling, and if you aren't for any reason, all you need is a little eye to eye contact and conversation. You are going to be a people person for sure. which I love. I pray that you will love others well, with God's big love, and share His love with so many! You also love music so much, and your favorite song is My God is Powerful, thanks to Solomon's request to hear it so often. It helps you sleep, eat and just be a happier baby all day. I can't imagine how many times I've heard the song now. At least it's a happy song that sings the truth!!! 

We love you so much, sweet boy!! I can't believe you are already 7 months old. The time is flying by!!! 

stats //  28 inches & 25.8 pounds

eating // nursing has slowed down drastically since he loves eating solids now. I feel full of milk when I realize that he hasn't nursed for 4-5 hours and then when he does nurse he empties me so quickly. It's crazy how efficient he is getting. 

As for solids, he loves: bananas, carrots, peas and I made a mixture of oatmeal, bananas and cherries and blended it for him to eat at night for dinner. He really loves to eat, which makes him sitting at the table with us so fun, now. 

sleeping // his naps are so consistent it's crazy. Officially only two naps a day. Always asleep by 10AM for his morning nap and then sleeping by 1PM for his afternoon nap. The morning nap is usually around an hour, and the afternoon is at least two hours, but can be up to three some days. 
Nights are not the same.... I'm hoping he will return to great sleep since his fifth leap is over. Some nights he's awake every hour, others is 1-2 wake ups. Before the leap he was sleeping much better, even one night with no wakeup at all. Reeeaaaally hoping that will happen again soon!

wearing // all 12 month and 18 month but the only shorts that fit are Solomon's 2T shorts. His booty and legs are so big, haha!! I'm wondering how layering for fall and winter will happen?? 

firsts // tried so many new foods, saying Da-da, jumping in his bouncer a lot, and even pulling up while sitting in my lap.

favorite things // chewing on his spoon, watching Solomon run around and play, breaking my back all day long since he's SOOO heavy, listening to music, riding in the car (I NEVER THOUGHT I'D SAY THAT!!!) & talking up a storm!

weekly three.

Our weeks are starting to feel all the same with the hot weather and no big plans. I'm craving a trip to Charleston so badly, and I'm also dying for some Fall weather. We have a busy couple of weeks coming up so I'm going to try and get some things done around the house this weekend. August is going to be a busy month, and then it will be September, which means we will have a three year old! I can't believe it. The days may seem long but the weeks and the years just fly by, right?? Hope you have a beautiful weekend!!! 

All of the crape myrtle trees all over greenville are so pretty, but the massive one in our front yard makes me happy!

I finally cut the cantaloupe from our garden last night, and it wasn't as sweet as we hoped, but it's still fun to have a full size melon that's homegrown!   

Somehow, this guy is 30 weeks old today?!? And he'll be 7 months on Sunday.

His first year is going by SOOOO fast!!!!

peach season.

Peach season is one of the few things I love about Summer. Vacations, longer daylight hours, thunderstorms, & swimming with Solomon are also a lot of fun, but peaches are the sweetest!! Such a good fruit, and so easy to share while piled around the kitchen table. Over the weekend we decided to go to one of the roadside produce stands to get some baskets of the delicious fruit. 

Solomon walked around sneaking bites of all the fruit and checking out the veggies. We also got some honey that he was very excited to try while we waited to pay for the fruit. And Asher got to take in all the sights in one of his favorite places. It was a fun morning!! It also made me excited for apple picking very soon in the Fall. Can't wait!!

weekly three.

It's been a busy week for us with more potty training & figuring out the business side of Color Street with my first party. Thankfully, everything has went pretty well. We are still figuring it all out and I'm so excited to see the weekend!! I have plans to finally finish some laundry and enjoy some time with my family. It's going to be a good one!! 

Sweet moments with cousins, makes me so thankful they can grow up together!

Carrot face! haha, this kid loves food just as much as he loves his milk now!

pizza party, friday night. It's officially a thing now. 

pizza party.

Peter got a new Ceramic Grill for Father's Day and we wanted to start having pizza party nights as soon as we got it home! Since we had family in town we thought it would be a great time to do it. I went to the Trader Joes to get all the ingredients and it was honestly much easier than we expected. Everyone got to make their own pies and Peter figured out the perfect timing to get the crunchy crust and bubbly cheese! It was a lot of fun, and the kids loved it!!! I'm voting for Pizza Party Friday Nite, every week! 

my very yummy pizza with a thick and crunchy crust!

This sweet boy, looks so much like his uncle Peter, and I absolutely love it!

some yummy peas for this boy!!

So yummy and so fun!!! I'm reeeeaaaally looking forward to the fall weather when we can make the pizzas and then enjoy them out on the deck. 

weekly three.

It's been quite a week around here. Potty training, teething baby & I signed up to sell finger nail polish! HA! I never thought I would sell any kind of Multi-Level Marketing, but then I tried Color Street Nails, and I was hooked. So, I took a leap of faith and signed up to sell the awesome product. A week of a lot of changes around here, thankfully, all very exciting changes. I know we are ready for the weekend!! Happy Fri-Yay to you! 

When they actually sit and play together well... Asher has been a little moody because of the teething pain this week and Solomon has been such a sweet brother. He was saying all morning, "it's ok buddy!" "what's wrong buddy?". It makes me so happy when he's such a sweet brother, especially when Asher is driving me bonkers!

Week old nails that still look amazing!! Let me know if you want a FREE Sample.

The new smile this week that makes him scrunch his nose and almost wink a little bit. It's the cutest!!

vacation littles.

Vacation is always a good time, but I can't help but feel so happy and blessed, when I have time away with my favorite people. Like always, traveling with Peter while he's working, makes me feel so blessed! Seeing new places, and staying in beautiful hotels (that we would never pay for on our own), is such a big gift. It was a wonderful week away and I wanted to remember a few of these things that made me smile..... 

one // While I was getting ready for dinner one night, I laid out the clothes for the boys, so Peter could get them dressed. When I came out of the bathroom, he had put Asher's clothes on Solomon by accident, but the hilarious part was how they actually fit! I died laughing when I came in the room and saw Solomon running around in his brothers 18 month clothes. 

two // The way our sweet boys completely shocked me each time we had to drive for more than twenty minutes in the car. I was really worried about the long car rides we would need to take to get from Fort Lauderdale to Marco Island, and then from Marco Island to Miami, but they were both so great. I was never worried about Solomon, but Asher made me nervous. But, he slept for almost 2 hours straight, even in over thirty minutes of stand still traffic!! It was a major answer to my prayers while leading up to our vacation!! 

three // Deciding we need to renovate our master bathroom, instead of our kitchen, thanks to the shower at the Marco Island Resort. It was incredible!!!! And sitting down on a bench to shave my legs was life changing. It may sound dramatic, but it's the truth. 

four // I can't believe it, but the "are we there yet" question has already started with Solomon. We all died laughing when he asked for the first time. We had just gotten in the car and hadn't even pulled away from the restaurant. 

five // Peter's patience and sweet moments with the boys made me so thankful for the really good man that I married, who has become a really great husband and father. We are so blessed by him in so many ways. 

six // My mom and Solomon laughing about inside jokes during his bedtime routine. He ended up sleeping in her room each night and he loved it. When we got home, and he had his first nap in his room, he woke up and the first thing he asked for was Gigi. I'm so glad he loves her and appreciates her like I do! 

Lemon muffin face (which he repeatedly called cupcakes) on the patio, before we went down to the pool for the day! 

weekly three.

The week back from vacation is always a crazy one, but then you throw in a midweek 4th of July holiday, and it's just bonkers. I couldn't figure out what day it was, every single day this week. And I'm feeling pretty yucky and sluggish, thanks to all the vacation food, and then the holiday food. I need a detox and a slow weekend, which is exactly what I'm gonna have! Hope you all have a beautiful weekend!!

Stumbling upon a LUSH in Miami was such a happy moment for me last week... but opening the new jar of Ocean Salt made my face suuuuuuper happy!

Super hero cousins are the cutest cousins!! I love these boys so much!

The fresh and yummy fruit from the garden that I have to fight Solomon for. He said I could have one bite of a fig and one blackberry, that's it. HA!

Florida Trip // Miami + Fort Lauderdale

Just like last year, I wanted to go see Miami again. We had such a great time last year and we really enjoyed sight seeing and drinking some delicious beer. Well, Peter did.... I was pregnant, so maybe that's why I really wanted to go again. I guess I mentally blocked out how overwhelmingly hot it was??? Peter said it was even hotter last year, but I was about to die this year. And like I said, I was pregnant last time... I don't know how I did it!?! We also realized that part of Miami is so not family friendly. I guess we didn't notice it with only Solomon last year, but this year with a baby and a stroller, was a different story. We couldn't even find a bathroom with a place to change a diaper. It was crazy. But, we did enjoy the city again. I just realized we wouldn't be going back for a visit until we had kids. Not babies. 

We found this adorable Greek restaurant, Meraki, while walking down a little alley full of restaurants. I'm not going to lie, the only reason we chose it was because it had inside seating with AC, haha! But, it was so good and the perfect little spot to start out trip in Miami. We ordered one of the big platters full of kabobs to share with an appetizer of spanakopita. It was all delicious!

We stayed at the same hotel again since we had such a great stay last time. JW Marriott Marquis is a great option in the downtown area of Miami since it also has suites, which made it the best choice for three adults and two boys. It's nice to have two big joined rooms for all of us, and Solomon got super spoiled since he got to sleep with Gigi the whole time. We also got to enjoy the concierge lounge for breakfast which was Solomon's favorite thing! Bacon, toast and fruit!!! Of course the pool looking over the downtown city was another favorite for Solomon.

After a little pool time we drove over to the Wynwood area to show Gigi all the beautiful walls covered in art. It was fun to show Solomon again also, since he didn't remember the trip last year. Again, it was SO HOT, but we made it through the concrete jungle trying to find the shade as much as possible. We also found some ice cream and a lot of beer along the way!! 

My mom's favorite wall!

Still a favorite of mine from last year!

& this is what group photos look like when Solomon skips his nap in the hot heat.

We found the cookie monster (I think? HA!) at the ice cream shop, and then Solomon was REEEAAAALLY excited to find Darth Vader at J Wakefield Brewing. & I was excited to try all the beers this time around! YUUUM!

Family photos in the same spot as last year, just with one more boy in our arms. This is the stuff that makes my heart almost burst and also makes me want a dozen more babies. 

After a couple nights in Miami, we drove over to Fort Lauderdale, since we were flying out very early Monday morning. We thought we'd enjoy a little more pool and some sight seeing around there before we flew home. By the time we moved there, we were all ready to be home, but we tried to make the best of it with a little sunshine and some good food!! 

Asher got in the pool for the first time, but he wasn't that into it. I'm sure he would have enjoyed it more if he had a little float to swim around in. He is definitely at the stage where he doesn't want to be held all the time since he can play unassisted now. 

One last brewery for daddy and some games for Solomon. This was probably his favorite brewery stop during our trip since he got to play a game with daddy. Then we had one last ice cream shop trip before we went back to pack up the room and get ready to leave for Greenville. 

Ending the trip with strawberry ice cream is always a good idea!!