summer favorites.

at the beginning of each summer, it's no secret that i love coming up with a summer bucket list with my family. this year, brooklyn and i did it, sitting at the kitchen table, while she painted and i wrote down our ideas. we came up with a simple but pretty fun list. then, i had kayla make it into a fun print for us to hang up and refer to all summer.

since summer started, there have been a few things i can't get enough of and i've put together a little list of them for you. it's a good mix of yummy stuff, and beauty products. and if anyone has any other fun summer suggestions, i'd love to hear them.

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1. while i stayed with my parents' my mom got me hooked on this delicious beverage. it's super refreshing and i love drinking it all day. plus, it helps me get my water intake for the day. it's ice, a few slices of lemon and grapefruit, water, and some mio energy. my favorites are strawberry pineapple & tropical fusion. so good you guys!

2. this nivea moisturizing creme is the bomb! i have oily skin and truth be told, i'm afraid of moisturizers. but this one, it's so good. i use it on my face, neck, and hands every night. i love it. plus, i read that kate middleton swears by the stuff. boom.

3. every summer we'd go to bear lake with grandma jackie. and every summer, she would bring nutter butter cookies. i loved them. as i've gotten older i never buy them because they're too dang expensive. enter: target. these peanut butter cookies from target are so close to nutter butters i'm not even kidding. i even kind of like these a little more. if you're even just the little bit curious, try them! they cost less than $2. come on!

4. while we're singing target's praises. have you ever tried their watermelon penny candy knock offs? these are heaven. i keep them in a candy jar on my counter at all times in the summer. they're the best. something about them in the summertime just makes them so much better too. try them.

5. this body spray by nicole miller: pink lily. it smells. like. summer. i found it at tjmaxx for less than ten bucks. it smells soooo good! i've only been using it for a week but i can already tell it'll be the scent that reminds me of this summer. brooklyn likes it sprayed on her too and i love smelling it on her throughout the day.

6. philosophy's coconut frosting shower gel. peter cottontail put this in my easter basket this year and i was pumped about it. i've always wanted to try it and it definitely exceeded expectations. i love the smell. it's subtle but so good. and if we're being honest, i think my husband loves it more than i do.

7. we'll end with another target goodie. when i shower, i usually have about 3.5 minutes to do so. i'm in and out. as soon as i get out, i'm running to the next room to make sure the girls are still alive. i hate doing that in a towel. i usually put on a duster (family fave!) while i'm getting ready but sometimes that's just too hot. i found this towel wrap at target and haven't looked back. it velcros on, and even has a handy dandy little pocket. i love it. it's the most simple - yet best invention ever. i have the gray floral one and i'd wear it out if it were a dress.

h a p p y  almost  f r i d a y

monday + fall faves

monday actually started off with beautiful sunshine. it totally tricked us and we ended the day with clouds, rain, and some super loud thunder. brooklyn was excited to wake up from her nap and see that it was pouring outside. she wanted to go "play in the rain" and i let her. she got dressed but i made her put on her rain jacket and and a hat. it made for quite the ensemble. she didn't last long, but she said it was worth it.

i think the weather change made kendall an awesome napper today. she took such a long afternoon nap that i had time to fold my laundry and make dinner. the original plan was to take hobo dinners up a canyon and have a little fireside meal for family home evening, but our little parade got rained out so we had to improvise. hobo dinners cooked right in the oven. it turned out to be the perfect rainy day dinner. the pie tin hobo has changed my life. so much better than just the regular old tinfoil. i also threw in a peach crisp for dessert. totally hit the spot!

family dinner is a little more interesting with a newborn in the picture. but this is how we do it and it works. kendall loves being up at eye level with us and i love that we can all be at the table together. i want this always.

^in true hobo fashion, newspaper as a place mat.^

^topped with vanilla ice cream, this peach crisp was bomb.^

this girl is changing and growing every day. and every day i love her a little more. oh the chub.

and now a little bit on my favorites right now. the things that i've been loving as a transition from summer to fall. a transition i usually struggle with (mostly clothing wise), but i've found some things to love while the weather can't make up it's mind.

1. johnson's baby wash - honey apple. i use this on both the girls and love the change-up in scent at bath time. i used to buy this at the beginning of summer when brooklyn was a baby, but i figure fall is a great time too! this smells so good, try it if you haven't.

2. china glaze - ahoy. this polish has been my absolute favorite for the past couple weeks. i almost never paint my nails the same color twice in a row, but this is the exception. the picture doesn't do it justice. it's the perfect summer to fall transition color and it's totally sparkly. i love it.

3. rose gold watch. james bought me this watch when kendall was born. it's not a name brand or anything fancy but i seriously love it. it's just the right color. 

4. victoria's secret lip gloss - punchy. my MIL gave me this lip gloss last mother's day and i always go back to it. it's sparkly, just the right hint of color, and i have been obsessed with it lately.

5. b&bw - twilight woods. i figure that since i switched up the girls' bath time scent i might as well do the same. this scent is so fall to me. it smells warm and cozy and definitely deserves a spot on this list. 

6. sweet-n-swag moccs - golden rose. possibly my favorite on the list. i love their quality and their price. the color couldn't be better. oh my gosh i love them!

i'm really trying to hold off on all things pumpkin for a couple more weeks and these things are helping me do it. i imagine my next list will include chunky socks and a new fall polish color. i look forward to it and can hold off all at the same time because i am loving this warmer-yet-cooler weather. i'm really trying not to wish this year away and enjoy each season as it comes. we'll see how long my patience holds out!

h a p p y  t u e s d a y

the past couple of days...

the past couple of days have brought projects, peonies, and sunshine. brooklyn has enjoyed the latter two. she has been obsessed and patiently waiting for our peonies to bloom. every morning she'd go out with me to water the flowers just to see if they had bloomed yet. i told her they would be big, beautiful, and pink. she couldn't wait! they've finally bloomed and she was beyond thrilled when i told her we could cut a couple to make an arrangement for the kitchen table.

i let her hold one and she immediately stuck it right under her nose, giving her a yellow stained little face. she didn't care. she was holding a big beautiful pink flower. 

i'm working on getting the nursery 100% complete by the end of next week. i have just a few little projects left and i'm loving it.

the heat has been upon us the last couple of days as well and we've spent plenty of time outside basking in it. brooklyn starts out in a swim suit or shorts and tee, but eventually ends up in her undies or naked. i can't blame her. that's how i'd rather be. especially being over eight months pregnant.

but my goodness this girl is soaking up summer in a good way. she loves to play with water, jump on the tramp, water our strawberries (and anything/everything else), and eat popsicles. she loves that it's summertime, and i completely agree.

we took advantage of a family night special and ate out monday night for fhe. brooklyn ate a ton of pasta as usual and was happy as a clam when we stopped by the park on our way home.

we gave her a short thirty minute time limit, and this is what she chose to do...

sand, sand, and more sand. james did get her to go down the slides a couple times right before we left and she was happy he did.

breakfast is a favorite at our house. brooklyn likes her breakfast sweet just like her mama. as soon as she wakes up she knows exactly what she wants and i get right on it, also, i'm exactly the same way. we like to take our time with breakfast. it's nice and slow. ah, these slow mornings. i am cherishing all of them. the day is approaching much too quickly where we'll all be up early, going different directions, and it'll be total chaos. so, slow mornings, stay slow. we'll enjoy every bit of you.

h a p p y  w e d n e s d a y 

p.s. 20 days! T W E N T Y.

jt road trip 2013

back in my good ol' college days, i had the opportunity to go to new york city to see my all time favorite, justin timberlake in case you didn't already know that, perform at madison square garden. i had floor tickets and got to be a couple feet from the stage. it was heaven people. i cried when he came out in the beginning. not afraid to admit it. i totally cried. i've loved this guy and his talent since the good ol' mickey mouse club days. it was a dream come true to say the least.

this time around, i held off as long as i could before i asked my husband if we could possibly go see him in las vegas. after justin's performance at the vma's this year i could not help myself and we got tickets within a few days after that. luckily, i'm surrounded by other jt fans in my life. my sister whitney, and my cousin amanda were also really wanting to go. the husbands were all convinced and the trip was planned.

the day finally came. we left coalville bright and early to make the long drive to vegas. we stopped in pleasant grove to pick up manda and mackay and filled up on french toast at kneaders.

our drive was the fastest i've ever experienced to vegas. it seriously went so quickly. there was great conversation, good snacks, and some good laughs to keep us occupied. oh man. good times were had in that car.

i could hardly contain my excitement as we rolled into vegas. ahhh! excitement was in the air and i wanted the concert to start right away. i still had a good six hours until it started.

we scoped out the mgm a little, played some slots, checked into whit and chuck's room, freshened up, and then headed downstairs for dinner. we came upon the rainforest cafe just a couple hours before the concert and decided it would suit us just fine for dinner. we all ordered shrimp, steak, and ribs. so good. i couldn't eat as much as i normally can because i had butterflies in my stomach. seriously guys, make fun, but i was probably the most excited person at that concert. biggest. fan!

we fought the crowds and made our way to our seats. there was a dj getting the crowd pumped and i started to get super anxious. then i read on my phone that paul walker had died. totally sad! it definitely took my mind off waiting for the show to start, thank goodness!

oh, then the show started. my goodness. he opened up strong and just kept going. hit after hit. so much energy.

//can ya spot him?//

i love when he plays the piano. he's talented folks.

the front of the stage moved clear to the back of the arena making justin that much closer to us. so cool, and yes, i was dying. :)

click here for a little taste of the concert (in philly not in vegas). all of my videos are so loud and you can hear me singing in most of them, so this clip is way better. 

the concert overall was amazing. high energy, awesome choreography, and of course, the songs are my favorite. it ended around midnight and by the time we fought the other 18,000 out of the garden arena, we were pooped. what a day we'd had. we crashed in whit and chuck's room for awhile before making our way, by taxi, to our lovely room at circus circus. it really wasn't that bad. we were prepared for worse, but our bed was comfy and that was all we cared about. we slept in, which was so nice (and weird without our kids there), and then we hit the road. we made it only a few miles out of vegas and found out the freeway was closed down. ugh.

so, we pulled over for breakfast at a trucker type stop and had a breakfast that was surprisingly good. i am a fan of breakfast people. sweet breakfast.

the only other thing you need to know about the trip home was that there was tons of traffic, and it took us forever to get home to our babies. we picked brooklyn up at my parents' and finally got home around 10:30. loooong day. loooooonger drive. but SO worth it. so fun to spend time with whit, chuck, manda, and mackay. james and i thoroughly enjoyed ourselves.

jt fans for life.