For The Boys

This is the perfect tie to match the girls' awesome dresses. Got to pick up a couple for the boys. Now, to find the perfect yellow dress for me and we've got the makings of a fabulous family photo.

{Via Modern Kiddo.}

Jaipur

As much as I love my current bedding, I'm always in the mood for a bedroom make-over. This gorgeous set is in all my colors! Love love love. There's a shower curtain too.

Wishing...

...I was there.

Photo by Yosigo, spotted in Real Simple.

Sisters

I'm so grateful these girls have each other. And I'm so grateful that I have both of them!

Party Envy: Gingham

Please go & check out all the pics of this gorgeous party! Man, I could go for one of those strawberry shakes right now! Beautiful, right? I'm SO excited for some parties in the yard this fall.

Pampered Princess + Compliments

Chris keeps asking me when I'm going to "get tough" with Lucy. See, I'm rather famous for my Nazi-like scheduling. And super-harsh sleep training. (Hey, it works!) But I have to get to a certain point before I'm ready to go hard core on my babies. And my babies have to push me to that point. And Miss Lucy seems to have no desire to push me, whatsoever. She's on a pretty darn good schedule. All she requires is constant holding. Which, you know, sounds like a lot. But she never cries. Well, she cries if you put her down. But pick her up & boom...crying stops. And she sleeps well on her own if you get her good & drowsy. Takes good naps during the day. And the past 3 nights, she's slept until 7am or later. The only time of day she's even a little "fussy" is in the evening, and even then, as long as you'll snuggle her, she's fine. So I've figured out that my babies have to cry while I'm holding them before I'm ready for "crying it out". You know, they cry if I hold them, they cry if I put them down, might as well put them down. I'm sure she'll get to that point eventually, but for now, we just snuggle. Sure, some evenings it gets old. But really, what else would anyone rather be doing than this:

And come 11pm, I feed her again & she's down for the night. Plus, we know it won't last forever. Pretty soon she'll be sleeping the 7pm to 7am like the rest of 'em and we'll have our evenings back. For now...we snuggle on.

As for those other little monkeys, well, they sure know how to raise a ruckus. On a calm day they are fairly rowdy. And when we have company over, everything is just amplified to the millionth degree. Loudness. Craziness. Sadness. Tears. Fits. It's nuts. Sunday after our dinner company (Chris' brother & sis in law) left, Chris was ready to sit them down for a real good talking to. Somehow, that didn't end up happening. Then today, I dropped Maya & Mason off to their "art camp", put on by a neighborhood 'teen. Then this afternoon I received an e-mail titled "Great kids!" which said, in part: "I am really glad your kids could come. They set a great example for everyone! They are obedient and calm and very creative." Wha wha what?! My kids?! Creative, sure. Obedient...well, thank goodness. And CALM?! My kids?!! I have to say, it made my day. I'm so glad that, as crazy as they can be at home, that when I send them off into the world, they know how to act. So I rewarded them immediately (as I always do when they "get a compliment") and then informed them that now they'd set an expectation...and they'd better not ruin the illusion!

Hooray for small victories!

Banana S'mores Nachos With Peanut Butter Sauce

The kids & I have made this twice now. Please excuse the blurry picture of the half-eaten dish. I was high on sugar & eager to get back to this delicious treat! Yum, if you love s'mores (as I do!), you'll LOVE this. PLUS, it's a super-fun & simple recipe to make with the kids. We did it as a "cooking school" activity (complete with aprons) one afternoon. It was just their speed and had a very rewarding conclusion!

Recipe from Sandra Lee:

Ingredients

• Nonstick cooking spray
• 8 graham crackers, broken into quarters
• 1 ripe banana, chopped
• 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 (10.5-ounce) bag mini marshmallows

For Peanut Butter Sauce:

• 1/2 milk
• 1/4 teaspoon pumpkin pie spice
• 1/4 cup creamy peanut butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly spray an 11 by 7-inch baking dish or a medium sized oval baking dish with cooking spray.

Layer half of graham crackers, chopped bananas, chocolate chips, and marshmallows into the baking dish. Repeat with remaining ingredients. Bake in for 10 to 12 minutes or until marshmallows have turned slightly golden and chocolate chips are melted.

For Sauce:

In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, combine the milk and pumpkin pie spice. Once the milk is hot, whisk in peanut butter until well combined and smooth and let cook for another 3 minutes until thick. Drizzle sauce over top of baked S'mores.

Team Player

I was super proud of Maya for winning the Sportsmanship Medal at basketball this week! The value of the week was "teamwork". I have to say, she is quite the team player, both on the court and in our family. I'm so grateful for this girl...I definitely would have had a harder time of it this summer with a brand new baby without her help. She's always willing to hold Lucy. Or help me with Simon. Or play with Mason. Or get snacks for everyone. Or move the laundry from the washer to the dryer. Or set the table. She hardly ever complains. She's a huge help to me. Her brothers & sister adore her. We're so grateful for her.

Party Week {Theme} - 4 Ideas For Boys (Or Girls...)

Every week is going to have to be party week around here...there are still so many links I want to share! Here are a few ideas that I LOVE for my boys...but they'd be great parties for girls, too.

Well, maybe not this first one, the "Little Man" party. I will most likely be borrowing lots of these ideas for Simon's 2nd birthday in October - this is absolutely adorable. Simon gets referred to as the Little Man around here pretty often, so it's perfect!

Love this pirate party! Complete with free printables! So cute.

And this astronaut party is awesome.

Also, be sure to check out this fabulous dog party, not pictured. I especially love the cake.

Party on, party people!

Party Week {Inspiration} - Sugary Sweet Love

This party is so amazing, there are not one but two posts of eye "candy" to inspire you! Adore the color scheme. And of course, the treats!

Easy Salad: Mandarin Orange + Greens Salad

My lovely friend Kristi finally got me eating my veggies by introducing me to this super-simple and yummy salad. I've never eaten so many greens in my life! The super-simple how-to:

You need...
- your favorite salad greens (I use a spinach & spring mix mix.)
- a can of mandarin oranges (You could use less, but why? They're so yummy!)
- candied almonds (heat a skillet...add slivered "raw" almonds + a bit of sugar & stir until toasted...it only takes a minute or two...cool on wax paper or foil)

You can also add...
- chopped green onion (I usually leave them out.)

Toss toss toss. The orange juice is the dressing, which is what I love most about it. Dressings are always too gloppy, too thick or too tart for me. The orange juice is a perfect dressing.

Never thought I'd be a salad girl, what do you know!?

Easy Dinner: Crockpot BBQ Pork

My friend Meghan made this for us after Lucy was born, and I have literally made it weekly since then. Sometimes with beef, sometimes with chicken, but usually with pork. It doesn't get any easier {or yummier} than this:

- Crock pot country style pork ribs (boneless or bone-in, both work) all day on low or half day on high with nothing on 'em. Nothing.
- An hour before serving, shred meat with 2 forks and squirt in a bunch o' Sweet Baby Ray's BBQ sauce. (Remove bones if using bone-in ribs, obviously.)
- Serve up on slider buns. Or regular hamburger buns. Or whatever.

That's it! Delicious & best of all, soooo super simple.

Party Week {decor} - Lemonade & Sunshine

The Lemonade & Sunshine party {at Pen n' Paper Flowers} is one of the most beautiful parties I've seen...well, ever! Absolutely amazing.

Crafting Dummy's Guide To...Easiest Ever Headbands

I've been trying to be better about "doing activities" with my kiddos. It's hard because of the age & gender differences between Maya & Mason...you know, they're not into the same things. But Mason is off to Little Gym camp in the afternoons this week, so Miss Maya & I are gettin' crafty. Today's project: Easy Peasy Headbands!

Cut some flower and/or whatever shapes you like from some craft felt & glue gun 'em on to whatever headbands you like. We chose the stretchy fabric variety...$3 for 6 @Wal Mart.

Maya then proceeded to do a QVC-style presentation of her headbands for the family. She'd love for us to buy them for $50 each. She's wanting to buy a Lots-o-Huggin' Bear, you know. She's an enterprising gal, that one. She'll go places in life, I am positive of that.

Party Week {Color Scheme} - Sweet Strawberries

SO in love with...well, pretty much everything about this simple & sweet strawberry party from Kara's Party Ideas. But especially the color scheme...pinky-redish + light blue. This is going in the file of ideas for Lucy's first birthday, since this is the color scheme of her room (red + blue). So, so lovely.

Party Week {Food} - S'mores Bar

As the s'mores queen, I'll be most definitely stealing this idea for my next party!

Michelle from So Wonderful, So Marvelous is the genius behind this s'mores bar. Check out her full post, including the downloadable s'mores recipes (all cleverly named). My favorite option? The Elvis: graham cracker, PB cup, marshmallow + a banana slice. Oooh, baby!

Party Week

(Easy + cheap DIY party decor...how-to here. Even I can do it!)

True story: My mojo ain't what is used to be! Adjusting to 4 kids has been fine emotionally, luckily, but as far as getting stuff done...I've had to lower my standards a bit. (Not that they were very high to begin with!) Holding the baby takes top priority most of the time, followed by taking care of 3 other little rascals. Then there's laundry, which I've been staying pretty well on top of in spite of the increase in volume. And dishes, which are always out of control, but I'm working on it. And cooking, which I've done with MUCH more regularity since Lucy's been here than I ever did when I was pregnant. (I'm even starting to enjoy it sometimes.) Of course, reading my Facebook news is my guilty pleasure...I love knowing what's going on with everyone. And I even scan most of my blog subscriptions most days. Showering happens regularly. Mopping the floor...not so much. But we're getting into our groove, and I'm feeling good about my performance in life...you know, mostly.

Blogging, though, is one of those things that I'd love to do more of but that always falls to the bottom of my priority list. Vegging with a snoozing baby and watching Seinfeld reruns seems to have replaced it. When I do take the time, I'm reminded why I LOVE it so much. So I'm going to make an effort to blog more consistently, starting with....PARTY WEEK! All this while I've been collecting links to some really amazing parties that I want to share with you and bookmark for myself. So this week I'll be sharing those links with you, along with updates on the kiddos and whatever else I can muster.

Are you still reading this? You deserve a trophy. So...you ready to party?

Let's Be Random

This weekend was a good one. My big bro Chris was down @ UT finishing up his last ever MBA test/class/presentation. He's DONE! So proud of him. Of course, a party was in order.

Hooray for Costco & easy peasy catering! Croissant sandwiches, chips & fruit. I picked up a few Texas-shaped things...crackers, tortilla chips. (Got to love living in Texas, the most in-love-with-itself state in the nation.) Of course, the requisite orange soda and treats. Oh, and a couple o' cakes from Nothing Bundt Cakes, a Mason family favorite.

Yum yum yum. I'm a little too into food, I know.

Which brings me to my next point. I'd really love to lose that baby weight. 10, 15 pounds. Someday. Once this munchkin gets a little bigger. Perhaps I'll invest in a jogging stroller. Give up Coca Cola and my nightly cookies. Really get serious. Maybe. Or maybe the baby weight just isn't bothering me that much...we'll see.

A few random Natalie things:
- I'm trying to psych myself up to becoming a couponer. I've been reading a few good couponing blogs. Saving random coupons. No serious coupon action yet, but I did buy a recipe organizer to use to organize those coupons. Baby steps.
- I'm addicted to "Daily Deal" sites such as Groupon & LivingSocial. I get very excited to receive my daily deals in my inbox every morning. That is very silly, I know. Perhaps I need to get a life.
- Inception was the dopest movie ever. LOVED it. So interesting. Would love to wax eloquent with any and all of you about your thoughts. And while we're at it, let's discuss the Lost finale, too.
- "Everything" bagels, Toll House "Chocolate Lovers" break-n-bake cookies, County Line day old bread (toasted, with peanut butter), microwave peanut butter/chocolate brownies and salad greens w/mandarin oranges & candied almonds are my current favorite foods. Healthy diet, right? Hmm, see my "wish I could lose the baby weight" lament above...Hey, at least there is a salad on that list! Oh, and baby carrots with miso dressing to dip. Yumma.
- Seinfeld reruns are our distraction of choice around here lately. Never gets old. Other summer favorites: The Good Guys, Lie to Me and Burn Notice.

Look at this little chica! Smiling! Can you see that?! She smiles! She gurgles and tries her best to communicate via her eyeballs. (Seriously, you can almost see the words that she's trying so hard to burst forth from under them.) She's delightful. Sleeps until 5am-ish, usually. And takes great naps. (Usually. Not presently. Grrr.) She feels she needs to be constantly held. Which is sweet until you want to get anything at all done. But seriously, who doesn't love a fuzzy-headed snuggle with that girl? I've got more than my share of volunteer snugglers, and I hardly ever pass on the job myself! She's a goodie.

How about the little man? This guy kills me. He's such a combo of Maya & Mason. Independent and sure of what he wants (and completely capable of getting it, mind you), like his sis. But also goofy and silly like his bro. And he's so much himself, too. Quite a love, that guy. Obsessed with shoes. And food. Hmm, like his Mama.

So where are the others?

Oh, there they are! Chugging their orange sodas. Maya & Mason are quite the pair these days. They are so inventive...always up to something clever. Maya is the idea queen, and Mason is her perfect accomplice. And he's got some amusing things up his sleeve as well. They are noisy and funny and creative. Some randoms:
- Maya got to change out her earrings! She quite loves picking out a new pair each day.
- Mason had his first solo playdate! Although he prefers to have Maya along for the ride, he ventured out on his own. (On Maya's advice, of course. Thank goodness she's willing to help me out with the coaxing.)
- Legos are the big thing around here at the moment. Well, Legos and espionage. Never a dull moment.
- From here on out, it's all about summer camps! Mason has Little Gym camp this coming week (all on his own!). The week after that, there's art camp for both. Then Maya has a 2 week morning camp at her new elementary school, followed by a dance camp the week before school starts. Man, this summer has gone fast.
- Maya is LOVING summer basketball league. And we're loving it, too. I'm all in favor of indoor sports. I think Maya will do volleyball in the fall. Should be fun!

Hmm, who am I forgetting. Chris! Right! That guy is always behind the camera, so he's "not pictured", at least this time. Some Chris randoms:
- His latest wardrobe preference is the "vintage" tees that are the big thing. He's got Coca Cola. He's got Dr. Pepper. He's got some soccer shirt. And Texas Longhorns, of course. Vintage tees + lace-less Converse. Such a kid! A very handsome kid.
- Now that World Cup is over, he will have to turn his attention to predicting what College Football will hold this fall.
- His (and my) current favorite Band of Horses is playing everywhere but here. Well, they're playing here, but at the Austin City Limits festival. And we're too old for festivals. Sad times.

So that's our latest & greatest randoms. Got any randoms to share with me?

Katie Daisy

There are so many prints I want in Katie Daisy's Esty shop, I don't even know where to begin.

I could decorate my entire family room in her lovely art...the color scheme & messages are a perfect fit.

Big Baby | Little Baby

Since seeing Toy Story 3, we've been referring to Simon as "Big Baby". I have to remind myself all the time that this guy is, in fact, still a baby! He's just a big baby. A very sweet one, most of the time. He's starting to talk more. He says "Lucy" and "Maya" very well. Shoe. Please. Thank you. Buzz Lightyear. (Okay, it's more like "BzzzEEEE".) Cookie. Blankie. 'Rama. (Grandma, of course.) Choo Choo. And, you know, Mama, Dada, MommEEEEEEE.

Things Simon loves:

• His blankie.
• Cookies.
• Bananas.
• Grapes.
• Shoes. (Especially mine.)
• Getting into the pantry and helping himself to snacks.
• Reorganizing the game cabinet. (By that I mean...dumping all the games out onto the floor.)
• His nap.
• "Reading" to himself.
• Elmo.
• His sisters & brother.

Things I love: Simon. He's the greatest.

PS - Lucy is also in that picture! She's starting to coo! And smile! And sleep through the night sometimes! She loves her binkey. And her Mommy. And snuggling. We adore her too!

Simon's First Hair Cut

Simon had his first hair cut a few weeks ago...geez, I'm behind! What am I doing around here? ;) Anyway, that kid's job seems to be to throw me for a loop. I think I've got things figured out...he's my third child, I should know what I'm doing by now...and he likes to change the game. I put this hair cut off...and off...and off. He was growing a pretty sweet mullet. But I was just dreading it so much. After all, Maya threw down hard at her first hair cut. Mason was hysterical, and continued to be at every hair cut until...oh, a few months ago. (Okay, last year-ish.) It's a stressful experience, the hair cut.

Simon, though, did not find the hair cut worthy of a fit. He chilled in the car. Steered a bit. Watched Elmo. Clutched his blankie. Sucked his thumb. Was generally unimpressed.

And he sure does look handsome all trimmed up.

Popsicle Party

We moved onto a street with a bunch o' girls Maya's age - hooray! I keep thinking I'm going to whip up some of these cute invites and have the girls over for slip n' slide & popsicles before school starts...

Red, White + Blue

In planning Lucy's post-blessing family luncheon, I knew I wanted to use the colors or her room...red + light blue. (I never did post pics of her room, did I? Man, I'm behind.) It was after that that I realized that it was the 4th of July that day...perfect! Here's how it turned out.

Simple picnic-y table in the middle of our family room. We scooched the couches to the side and it was a perfect spot! Also, as much of a red & white dessert table as I could come up with: red vines, gummy sharks, chocolate + vanilla cupcakes (from Delish, my absolute fave), cinnamon bears, blue + red Lindt truffles, Toy Story sugar cookies (!) and red hots. Plenty o' junk to go around...you know my kids loved it! Who am I kidding, so did I!

I tried to get a shot of the food table right before we ate...not a great one, but oh well. We had mini bottles of Martinelli's cider, Pelligrino Limonata & Aranciata (my current obsession...) and water to drink, my absolute favorite mandarin orange + greens salad (serrrriously my favorite salad ever), BBQ chicken, pina colada fruit salad (made by my mom, also amazingly yum!), caprese salad (a hit!), pasta salad (sis-in-law Jessica's...so good!), rolls, corn on the cob & watermelon. Yum YUM! We are definitely a family that LOVES our food!

The kids got a few party favors at their table...including some nose & glasses sets that they were kind enough to share! (Ben - Maya - Daniel - Jessica)

(Mom - Mason - Chris + Sam - Mom + Dad)

(Chris + Tara, Chris + Mama, Chris + Matthew)

So grateful for this family of ours to come out & celebrate our girl with us. And what a good girl she is...she slept the entire party & missed the whole thing. Hey, she's got her whole life to party - and she's got Mason & Cottam genes, so we know she'll be game for it!

Sweet Dreams

I'm fairly in love with these bedding sets from Posh Tots. I might could even get Maya to go for the 2nd one, if I were made of money, that is...

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