Thanksgiving

a Thanksgiving SURPRISE!

November 23, 2017 by Rachel 26 Comments

I’ve been keeping a HUGE secret. Like, bigger than big. And it explains everything, friends. I promise. And what better day to share it than Thanksgiving, right?!

That’s right — Remy Bea will be a middle child as of June 2018!

I know, I know. After Remy Bea was born in January 2016, I swore off anymore babies. She was such a horrible baby (for a full 12 months), that I fully intended to not have anymore children. As soon as we outgrew baby gear and clothes, I passed it on to someone else.

But something happened a few months ago. I told Chad I didn’t think we were done. He didn’t disagree, but he also thought I was a tad bit crazy.

So we tried. And here we are, 11 weeks pregnant. Because that’s how it works for us, I guess.

And now my complete exhaustion and inability to write more than a tweet should make a bit of sense. Because this first trimester has been kinda kicking my butt.

Not in the same way my pregnancy with Remy Bea did, but enough to where I am actually falling asleep during dinner and/or not eating dinner because I feel so nauseated.

Regardless, we’re thrilled to finish our family with JUST ONE MORE baby.

That’s right — I had a real fear that the ultrasound was going to show two babies (my mother is a fraternal twin AND I’m 33 AND you’re more likely to have multiples after the more babies you have…). But there was only one, thank the LORD. And it’s heartbeat was strong, steady, and healthy!

My official due date is June 16, 2018.

I’m not certain if we will find out the gender this time around. Part of me is dying to know, but I also realize that at this point we have one boy and one girl so this one will be the tie-breaker… and I kinda want it to be the ‘last surprise,’ of surprising events.

And now… we breathe. We breathe with the comfort that our secret is out! And, of course, we celebrate with eating a glorious Thanksgiving feast!

Oh, and I promise now that the secret is out, I’ll update a bit more! ♥ ♥

Much love to Shop Pink Blush for my amazing black lace maternity dress!

Many thanks to Alex Lucas – Photographer & Graphic Designer from the Cleveland, Ohio area, for coordinating this amazing pregnancy announcement shoot (and for dealing with my two crazy little monsters). Follow her over on Instagram at @ohtheraven and go check out her full portfolio here.

Special offer for my followers!

Mini Family or Lifestyle Shoot in the Cleveland, Ohio Area (Nov 27 – Jan 5th) or the Greenville, South Carolina Area (February 5th – May 11th) only $140.

Whats included? 30 minute shoot, minimum of 20 photos delivered, photos delivered within 5 days. Just send Alex an email at alex@ohtheraven.com with ItsAHero in the subject line.

Photography credit: Alex Lucas

Maternity Dress credit: ShopPinkBlush

Kids Biggest, Middlest, Littlest shirts: Treehouse Apparel, Etsy

Kids Christmas Outfits: Cat + Jack, Target

Christmas List Announcement: FairyTaleWeddingPro, Etsy

Happy Thanksgiving //

November 24, 2016 by Rachel Leave a Comment

Thanksgiving is here! This holiday has long-been my absolute favorite. But over the last two years, that has changed. It still ranks high on my list of favorite festivities; but having kids means that Christmas is actually quite amazing. I will admit, this year I have found myself itching to put up our Christmas tree and decorate accordingly. But I’ve held off. I told Ari we would decorate tomorrow.

Because today we give thanks.

I’m thankful…

that, although Miss Bea has been miserable and sick all week, both of our children are happy and healthy.
for our jobs. My husband works so hard to provide for our family and I am incredibly grateful. And my job fell into my lap at the weirdest time in my life — and it has made me incredibly happy and fulfilled.
to have a warm bed, in a warm home, with plenty of food to eat.
for my health — and the ability to see a healthcare provider with just a call.
for my family. My sister, brother-in-law, and parents, mean more to me than I can even put into words.
to be a Mom and wife. For those who are new around here, it may surprise you to hear that I never really wanted these roles. But it’s crazy how life works. And it’s crazy how things change. I am so incredibly grateful to have Chad, Ari, and Remy. They are my entire world.

And today I will spend my day, offline, enjoying my time with my family. We are currently eating blueberry pancakes, sipping on coffee, and watching the parade. In a few hours we’ll head to my mother-in-laws house to eat a delicious meal, surrounded by love. And long after the kids are asleep, I’ll sneak out for some Black Friday shopping — completely alone!

To all of my friends, near and far; old and new; I wish you a very Happy Thanksgiving. I hope you fill your day with things (and people) that make your heart smile!

holiday wrap up! //

December 1, 2014 by Rachel Leave a Comment

[I feel the need to preface this post with two things: 1. Sorry for all the pictures; 2. Sorry all the pictures are of crappy quality. I’m tired]

Thank you to everyone who checked in with me over the last week or two. It’s been a rough couple of weeks, but I’m feeling so much better about everything since the holiday. <3

Wednesday when I (finally) got off of work, I came home to just relax. As I mentioned before, we cancelled our Thanksgiving plans to stay home. It was the first time in the seven years that Chad and I have been together that we have spent Thanksgiving alone. Well, alone meaning me + him + Moosh.

So we slept in until Moosh woke up on Thursday. And then we watched the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade in our giant king sized bed (PS. it’s been a while since I’ve mentioned how much I LOVE our Sleep Number bed…. but it’s true. I love it so much). Moosh was completely entranced by the floats and characters.

Especially when Thomas the Tank Engine appeared around the corner. Just “CHOO CHOO! CHOO CHOOOOO!” nonstop. Freaking. Adorable.

We spent the rest of the morning lounging around. Literally. Parade + Ho Ho movies (which means Frozen + Saving Santa + Curious George Christmas) and spending time in our PJs. Perfection. No where to go; no where to be; nothing to do! Fantastic.We just cooked. Let’s be real. I didn’t cook. I just cleaned the green beans. Oh and I cleaned up after the real cook! Ha!

Our dinner was delicious. Chad made the turkey with the sous-vide. The mashed potatoes? Not potatoes at all… mashed cauliflower! Amazing cranberries & green beans. Oh. My. GOSH. So delicious.

Because our Thanksgiving was kind of last-minute, I didn’t plan for dessert. I ended up picking up a pie from The Blue Door Café. A delicious pumpkin pie with molasses crust!

It was incredible. After dinner when we were all struggling to stay out of a food coma, I decided to brave the Thanksgiving shopper crowds. First at Toys R Us, then at Target. I know, I know… I’m crazy. Luckily I wasn’t after any big items. Just some toddler toys for Moosh.

And honestly I had the BEST shopping experience ever. I usually hate going to Toys R Us. But, for whatever reason, the employees were incredibly helpful AND happy. I was in and out in no time at all!

And then… Target. I found my favorite Target pharmacist in the toy section just there to help out! Truth: The Target Pharmacy has the least convenient hours of any pharmacy ever; But they also have the most friendly and helpful pharmacists of all time. So I always go there for our prescriptions. And they make an effort to say hello when they see me outside of the pharmacy. Seeing a friendly face almost made the 30-minute wait to check out bearable. But in truth, I had no where else to be and I wasn’t in any sort of hurry. The most painful part of the line was the 20-something dude in front of me that commented on EVERY SINGLE ITEM he found in the aisles about how it “was on sale! Better buy it!” as he stood with his XBOX one game. I almost punched him in his childless, XBOX one playing face.

It’s hard to believe we packed that must awesome into one day. But we did. On Friday all I wanted to do was sleep in, but I was awake by 7AM. I almost crawled back into bed, but decided that since I was up, I had no excuse not to make it to a free yoga class at Lululemon. I’m so glad I went. It was just what my body (and my mind!) needed. Much love to Gretchen and the Lululemon crew for the amazing post-Thanksgiving burn!

In addition to the yoga, we went to the gym on Friday (while everyone else was busy working/shopping), and I went for a nice 3-mile run! It was a lovely day… minus the fact that Ari’s nasty cough came back and we had to use his nebulizer (his “Pup-pppeeee”). He’s become quite a champ at holding it himself.

We were all so exhausted by Friday evening that I ended up falling asleep before 8:30. Ha. But I had to get into work Saturday morning. (Yuck)

Luckily Saturday flew by. I came home to a happy baby and happy husband. Moosh and I played. And then the mister and I had an at-home date night, complete with red wine, The Maze Runner movie, and LOTS of cheese.

It was perfection. Complete perfection.

And Sunday was equally was awesome. We slept in until Moosh woke us up with his “Mommy??” over the monitor. And then we did more snuggling in bed while we watched Super Why.

This kid makes me SO happy! I was also lucky enough to meet up with my running partner for a nice 5 mile run on the towpath followed by an adventure with Moosh at Crafty Mart in Akron where we met up with Gretchen and her two boys!

Such a perfect perfect holiday. <3

Happy Thanksgiving //

November 28, 2013 by Rachel 1 Comment

Today, and everyday, I’m thankful for…

1. My husband. He is my best friend. He is my rock. He is my sanity. And he is an incredible father to Ari.

2. Baby Ari. Our unintentional little babycakes! He was a surprise, for sure; but an amazing blessing in our lives!

3. My family. My parents, my sister and soon-to-be brother-in-law, and all of my aunts and uncles. They are the village that helps us raise this little family of ours. And they are an awesome support system.

4. My job. And my co-workers. Not only am I grateful to have a job; but I’m grateful to have a job that I’m good at and that I like to do. And my co-workers are my second family. All of us girls are like a bunch of sisters. We laugh, we cry, we tease, we yell and we pick on each other. But I can also count on them to tell me how it is, holding nothing back.

5. My friends. I have a core group of girls that I have been friends with for forever. And I love them. No matter how much time passes between phone calls and visits,

6. The blogging community. I have met so many amazing people through blogging and social media. I know that some people think it’s weird. But I don’t care.

Wherever you are in your day, in your year, or in your life… I hope you’re able to take a moment to be thankful for something today. XO

Hello, November!

November 11, 2011 by Rachel 4 Comments

Tweet

November Dreams and Goals:

1. Make wine at the Grape and Granary here in Akron.
2. Make the annual trip to the Fabulous Food Show at the IX Center in Cleveland.
3. Get crafty! There are a lot of fall/winter-ish things I want to get done before the holidays are in full swing!
4. Take one bubble bath a week. It’s so necessary. I love being able to decompress with a bath bomb and a glass of wine.
5. Bake, bake, bake. And cook, cook, cook!
6. Get Oscar Puppy to the dog park before the end of the fall.
7. Stay positive throughout the month.
8. Order Christmas cards!
9. Don’t let any of the Groupons or Living Social deals expire without using them!
10. Get a mani-pedi.
11. Read. Since our cruise I haven’t finished another book.
12. Work out a LOT.
13. Host a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner!
14. Enjoy the month.