Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies

Last Friday Michael needed 70 cookies for a school lunch event he was co-hosting. So Lydia and I got to spend the morning baking! That girl is seriously happiest standing right next to me on a stool "helping" in the kitchen. And I was shockingly able to convince her till the very end that cookie dough is icky (lies) and we shouldn't eat it! Haha. 

I posted a photo of these cookies on my insta story and got a lot of comments/questions about the recipe! It really is pretty perfect. Nothing fancy, no browned butter or secret ingredients, but as far as basic chewy chocolate chip cookies go these are always winners. Over the years at least a dozen people have asked me for this recipe!

A few tips: 

- It really does make a world of difference to let the butter sit on the counter for a few hours (or in this case over night) to soften. Every time I try and microwave soften butter it ends up being half hard and half melted. 

- As with most cookie recipes, I use way more vanilla than called for! 

- Just put everything in your mixer. Saves time and dishes and precious arm muscles! Gotta save up my strength for hauling around two kiddos ya know.

- Beat the wet ingredients forever, but right when the dry ingredients are combined stop mixing.

Classic Chocolate Chip Cookies!

Ingredients: 

- 1 cup softened butter

- 1 cup (plus a little!) brown sugar

- 1 cup (minus a little!) white sugar

- 2 eggs

- 2 tsp vanilla

- 3 cups flour

- 1 tsp baking soda

- 1 tsp salt

- chocolate chips 

Directions: 

- Preheat oven to 375*

- Mix together butter and sugars

- Add eggs and vanilla

- Cream together 

- Add dry ingredients

- Make balls and put on a slipmat-lined baking sheet

- Bake for 7+ minutes and check! You don't want to overbake them!

(Mine took exactly 7 minutes and 20 seconds, but every oven is different.)

- ENJOY!

Recipe adapted slightly from Cheryl Flake's :)

Frozen Zoo Date & Valentine's Cards!

Ahh you guys sorry I've been the worst at posting the last couple weeks! My mind is in full blown baby mode and it's that perfect level of stress - enough to keep me really busy, but enjoyable so I'm stoked to wake up every morning and tackle my to-do list. I seriously am most happy when I have too many things to do and not enough time! Weird I know. And all this is with my little shadow of course. Lydia insists on doing e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g. I do. I do dishes, she wants to do dishes. I eat jicama sticks, she wants jicama sticks (she hates jicama sticks). I spray perfume, she wants perfume. Haha it literally means everything takes twice as long, but it's pretty cute so we'll go with it.

On the baby note, I'm re-reading Bringing Up Bebe and loving it! I only read a few books when I was pregnant with Lydia, and Bringing Up Bebe is one of my favorites. Highly recommend to all preggos out there! It's more of a memoir style book, but talks about this lady's experience raising children in France and everything she learned. And anything French must be awesome right? ;)

But really, there are some super helpful nuggets in there about how to raise children who play on their own and eat their veggies and sleep through the night at six weeks, etc. 

Also I walked in on Lydia sitting in the rocking chair cradling Baby Doll and giving her kisses the other day! My heart about burst! 

Also also the mailman gave what I'll regard as the HIGHEST FORM OF COMPLIMENT EVER by asking me (almost 9 months pregnant) if I had my baby already. Bless you kind (blind?) man!!!

Oh and these pictures! These are the zoo. Obvs. Michael and I took Lydia for 45 minutes today and we only saw like three other people the whole time. The one benefit of going when it's below freezing?

Wait for it...

Valentine's cards!!

I'm so happy with how these turned out! Growing up my mom always did Easter cards instead of Christmas cards, so I have been wanting to do something a little special as well. I used Minted for Lydia's birth announcements and loved how they turned out, so I was excited to use them again for this. And free recipient addressing! Holler.

Now back to the zoo. 

Do you like how random this post is? Kind of a sneak peak into how all over the place my mind is right about now. 

Look at that toddler! Time really is flying, and I'm trying to strike the balance between getting a million baby things done everyday (organize every closet! sanitize old bottles! line up babysitters!), and finding the time to just be still and enjoy Lydia. Because before I know it this "bibi brudda" is gonna be here! 

Jacket: J.Crew (doesn't quite button right now ;) )

Shirt: Target maternity 

Denim: H&M maternity 

Tennies: New Balance

Lydia's jacket: Gap

Lydia's hat, mittens, jeans: Target

Lydia's boots: H&M

The Fastest Family Pics in History

Last weekend my sister Olivia flew in from San Francisco and stayed with us! And Lydia was IN LOVE with Aunt "Weevee". Like always insisted that Olivia hold her, not me. Ha! We had such a fun time just running errands together and hanging out and talking about everything. Sisters are the best :). 

The whole weekend I had been telling everyone that we were going to have Livi take some family pics for us, since I don't think we've had real family pictures since a week after Lydia was born. And while those were pretty, I was super post-pardum chubby and Lydia was tiiiiiiny and we just need something slightly more updated. But we got so busy doing things all weekend that finally the night before Livi left we only had Michael for like 15 minutes! So we hurried and threw some outfits together, all based on the dress Lydia was already wearing, and then headed to the backyard - HA. Not quite the winter wonderland or city-scape I was envisioning, but it worked! We stood by our fence for all of 3 minutes, snapped 40 pictures and then called it a shoot! Michael was pretty stoked :). So I guess we'll just have to wait till Baby Boy comes to get some legit photos.

I ran into Carter's to buy some boy onesies, and when I came out Lydia was laughing her head off at Olivia smashing the snow! Hahaha. It was the cutest little moment. Watch a clip of it on my instagram  here. 

And we decided to try Cubby's for breakfast! Michael and I love their tri-tip steak salad and sandwich (well really we love everything there), so we were stoked to try brunch. And it did not disappoint! We split the egg white breakfast burrito and the brioche french toast.

YUM.

Best buds. 

Ooh also, so many random things have happened this week since Livi left! 

For starters, I hate Zara. 

Like I love Zara but I am mad at them. I first discovered Zara 6 years ago when I did study abroad in Spain (Zara began in Spain). I thought I found the best store on earth. Which I kind of did, their stuff is pretty amazing, their prices are decent, and their kid clothes and shoes are high quality.

So I recently stocked up on a lot of clothes for Lydia and Baby Boy since they were running a huge kids sale online. But when I got the package, so many things were wrong! First off, a tee shirt had a button completely broken in half and the tags were missing (they must've just sent me a return). Then a pair of joggers was just missing, they sent me two pairs of shoes that I never ordered, and there was no order slip or anything legit-looking! Also their kids clothes run HUGE, which I knew, but I should've sized everything down a bit for Lydia. So that's my bad. 

To spare details I literally have been on the phone with Zara FIVE TIMES just trying to get them to send me out the pants I never got and exchange the broken tee. And still nothing is really resolved. Ugh so frustrating.

Also, Michael and I about killed each other sticking up this amazing white brick wallpaper in the nursery! ;) Haha. We were initially going to paint, but I found this awesome self-adhesive wallpaper at Target and decided that'd be a lot easier and not much more money. 

It actually ended up being a super easy process once we got it all figured out, the first roll was just the death of us. Two type A personalities + one tiny yet lopsided nursery = fireworks (not the good kind ;) ). But I'm so happy with how it's turning out!! Target only had two rolls in store, so the rest are coming in the mail today and we can hopefully finish it this week. 

Oh by the way these are oreo-pops. They look like oreo-poops but I promise they were edible. And Lydia insists on standing right next to me at all times in the kitchen. 

Also, the funniest thing all week happened last night. I put Lydia down in her toddler bed for the night, and she did amazing! But I can't sleep (thank you third trimester insomnia), so I was up from about 3am-6am reading and sending emails. Around 4:45am I hear Lydia just happily talking to herself and singing little songs. Adorable. Then I hear laughing! And I listen closer and realize Lydia is fake burping and then LAUGHING at herself! All alone in the pitch dark in her big girl bed, just fake burping! LOL. I am completely blaming this one on Michael ;). Hahaha. I had to walk to the basement so she didn't hear me giggling. She's the sweetest. 

So grateful for this gang!

Red coat: J.Crew

Yellow dress: Anthropologie 

Suede booties: Sam Edelman 

Lydia's yellow dress: Target

Lydia's tights: Target

Lydia's boots: Zara

Lydia's pink beanie: Target

Lydia's jacket: Gap

Striped turtleneck & necklace: J.Crew

Striped dress: thrifted in the Dominican Republic!

Bumpdate: Week 32

HELLO THERE.

Today marks the start of Month 8 of this pregnancy, and I am kind of in shock! 

In some ways I feel like I've been pregnant forever. I mean I peed on a stick way back in June! June feels like an eternity ago. Lydia wasn't even walking yet! So I've known this was coming for a while.

But between Halloween and Thanksgiving and finals and Christmas break, time has flown. We are in the final weeks!! Like some websites say to pack your hospital bag right now?!

For the record I could not handle staring at my hospital bag every day for 2 months. I don't even own blue swaddle blankets or newborn diapers yet, let alone a going home outfit for him!

Luckily I think Lydia is kind of coming around to the idea of babies! Though at first she wanted nothing to do with her Dolly, she now insists on taking her everywhere with us. 

And occasionally shoving her face in the snow. 

So here's one of the last few bumpdates for ya! 

How far along: 32 weeks

Fruit size: Kale (??) 

Weight gain: 23 pounds. Shockingly I didn't gain any weight over Christmas break? No clue how that happened, ha. 

Maternity clothes: Are the worst. Every morning is like a huge battle between my belly and my bum and my arms and my triple chin ;). YAY. Really missing the gym and my skinny jeans right about now.

Sleep: Uncomfortable. I wake up every time I move. And I'm still waking up SO tired! No matter how many hours of sleep I get I feel so drugged in the morning! Like I can hardly get out of bed. I don't know why this is but it's worrying me. Hopefully it's just a continual side effect of the medication I'm taking. Cuz I cannot start off this drowsy in a couple months. Pairing this with a newborn and a toddler will be the death of me if something doesn't change!

Symptoms: Occasional backaches, but they're not bad. A few nights a week I'll feel nauseous but I haven't actually thrown up in weeks!! Once in a while I have heartburn.

Food cravings: Not really. But I am loving those key lime Chobani yogurt flips and apples with cheese. 

Food aversions: None!! 

Gender: Boy and we are SO not prepared! Haha. I have purposely been putting things off till now so that I have something to keep me occupied. We need quite a few things to make our home appropriately boy-worthy. Clothes, for starters. We have like a total of 4 outfits. Also I need to get going on this nursery makeover! Not that he'll be sleeping in it for a while, but still, I'd love to have it done before he's born.

Bump: Big as ever! Lydia seems increasingly concerned with my belly - she's constantly touching it and lifting up my shirt to see what's hiding under there. 

Thoughts: This past month has been so much better than the previous few! Most of the anxiety from a few months ago has subsided and I am just trying to enjoy these last eight weeks with only Lydia. There are of course those times when she is freaking out and won't stop crying and throws her entire plate of pasta on the floor and the house is a disaster, and in those moments I think, "How the heck are we going to add another one to this mix?" But then there are the adorable times when Lydia bows her head for the prayer and sings the ABCs and laughs her head off when Daddy tickles her and I remember, "Oh ya, I'll take 12 of these please."

Top: Target maternity 

Jacket: J.Crew 

Leggings: H&M maternity 

Boots: Hunter

Hat: Urban Outfitters

Bracelets: Alex & Ani

Lydia's Sweater: Old Navy 

Lydia's Vest: Nordstrom

Lydia's Leggings: thrifted

Lydia's Boots: Nordstrom Rack

Lydia's Turban: Topknotco

Lydia's Necklace: Crewcuts

Thanks Tuesday for Saving Me from Monday!

This photo kind of sums up Monday. 

No makeup, bun as big as my head, no bra, that kind of day.

Which sometimes is liberating, but sometimes means the mix of grey skies and hail(!?) and moodiness and toddlerhood just got the best of us and we didn't end up leaving the house - or changing out of pjs - once. 

And for me those are always the most depressing sorts of days! I'm a do-er. Pretty much the opposite of a homebody. Few things get me more excited than having a lengthy To Do list. If I'm home for too long I get antsy. Even if I've been in the same city for more than a few weeks I start to get a little stir crazy. Who can I visit? Where can I go? And this becomes especially applicable in the dead of winter in Utah! I've been home for all of one week and I'm already looking into flights to go see my sister in San Francisco ;). Sue me.

But I'm learning there is a bit of upside to being a change-a-holic! For starters, whenever crazy life events occur I'm usually pretty good at taking it in stride. It's more like, "Okay, let's do this. A new adventure!" Also any parent will tell you that right when you've got your child figured out, they change. Think they're sleeping through the night? Nope! Think you figured out their favorite vegetable? Not anymore! Kids are the epitome of change. So at least I've got that going for me - bring it on change! Lydia and I can keep each other on our toes.

Lydia's baths double as alphabet time. This is the current line up of letters she likes. Apparently we're a little consonant-heavy!

And her new "cheese" face ;).

Homemade granola makes everything better! Recipe  here from my blog post back in June. 

And I couldn't leave out this shot from AZ last week. Girlfriend is OBSESSED with yogurt. Like literally I have to limit how much she gets each day and hide the container to the back of the fridge so she can't spot it. Hahaha. Kids are hilarious. 

Thorns and Roses

It has been a week full of really tender ups and some pretty hilarious downs! Lydia and I flew back to Salt Lake Tuesday night, so we've basically spent the week just getting back into the swing of things (I.e. our fridge was empty, Michael's dirty clothes were piled high, all our bills needed to be paid, etc. What would that guy do without me? ;) )

We spent every free moment outside last week to soak up that AZ sun! 

Michael and I decided we're a pretty good doubles team in badminton ;).

HAAAAA such a lovely toe kick don't you think?

Tried this button up on at Nordstrom Rack and still regret that I didn't get it! So cute with a bump but would still work after Baby is here. Should've done it! You know when you pass on something and then you spend the next two months trying to find that exact same thing somewhere else? Ya that's this top.

I'm convinced her face is perfect.

Baby eye rubs are like one my top five favorite things ever.

Thorns: 

- I finally remembered to bring a blank check to Target so I could sign up for a Red card! 5% off everything - woot! So I'm all proud of myself until the screen asks for my social security number. And I completely drew a blank! Like I stood there for a good three minutes just racking my brain trying to remember the first three numbers. Two annoyed people behind me loudly switched lines, the cashier asked if there's someone I'd like to call - ha! Spacey. They say pregnancy brain isn't a real thing, but I sure hope so or else I'm just losing it! (And yes I eventually remembered it!)

- Lydia completely freaking out when we were like two minutes away from being done grocery shopping. Literally could not get her to sit in the cart, she wouldn't let me hold her, she was sprinting away from me screaming, the whole bit. So we pulled a very classy frazzled mom move and ditched the cart and marched straight to the car. HA. I'd love to see the video of that one.

- We've been transitioning Lydia to her toddler bed, but every night I forgot to set up the baby monitor. So last night Lydia is screaming at her locked door and I set a timer for 10 minutes. But out of nowhere she immediately stops! She goes from full on yelling to silence! So of course my mom brain panics and thinks her dresser fell on her or she got abducted or something. So I race in and she is just peacefully snuggled up in her bed - she put herself back in there! Hooray! But because now she just saw me she immediately starts yelling again and I feel guilty and cuddle her for 20 minutes and then end up putting her in the crib. Mom fail.

Roses: 

- Lydia was in the car while I was shoveling our driveway, and the nicest neighbor came up and said, "You shouldn't be doing that! Let me shovel!" And of course I got all teary eyed. She proceeded to shovel the entire driveway so I could leave, and then while I was gone she shoveled our whole walkway and sidewalk, too! So thankful for thoughtful people. 

- I was shoveling ^^ to go to the glucose test - which went SO much better! I drank the lemon lime thing, then just ran errands with Lydia for 45 minutes to get my mind off it, then went back and got my blood drawn No Big Deal! The lady was super quick and was good at talking to me all about her Christmas (I usually request that they tell me stories, haha) and then it was over! Holllllaaaa.

- I was weirdly anxious about flying back alone with Lydia. I've flown with her dozens of times, but being huge and pregnant with a crazy toddler was making me all sorts of nervous. I was just praying for an empty seat next to us. We boarded the plane and one flight attendant kept announcing, "It's completely full, so take any seat you can find." Great. But then this awesome hipster flight attendant guy with oversized square glasses who kept using words like "selfie" and "fabulous" motioned for me! He asked if we wanted a row all to ourselves and I cried, "Yes please!!" So he ushered us into an empty row and then proceeded to stand in our row for the duration of boarding so no one else could sit there!! Talk about amazing customer service! Thank you random flight attendant! And Lydia happily spread out across all three seats and we had the best flight ever. 

Top: Madewell (sized up) 

Denim: AG maternity 

Lydia's Top #1: Target

Lydia's Leggings #1: Target

Lydia's Boots: Zara

Lydia's Bow: Etsy

Lydia's Sweater #2: Zara

Lydia's Leggings #2: Target

Lydia's Turban: Topknots  here