Seattle: Part One

Well friends, I was all set to link-up with some fabulous ladies and blog "What's Up Wednesday" yesterday, but my world looks a bit like this right now...

See that potty in the background? Yep, we are on the front porch with the little potty outside, because we are in full potty training mode right now! We started on Monday and are doing the Three Day Method, so technically today is our last day of "training." Being on the front porch is how I am keeping my sanity since we have not left the house. I would say that things are going really well, but when I started to blog yesterday, my one track mind couldn't really come up with anything else going on other than potty training.

So there's your small update with what's going on with us, now let's look back at our kid-free Spring Break trip to Seattle! 

Seattle in March...yes, we know, so many people told is that is not the best time to go, but we figured...why not? We'll just get to experience the real Seattle! 

In January, Ben and I talked about going on a trip together without Henley before baby George gets here in July, and when we were out to dinner with friends one night, it happened to come up and we said the more the merrier! Both of our friends happen to be in education, so Spring Break was really our only option. Yes, it was rainy and dreary, but we still had a great time! 

We flew separately, and Ben and I got to Seattle around 1 o'clock on Monday. If there is one pointer I could give y'all for this trip it is...if you can, Uber to the airport! We dropped Henley off at Ben's parent's house early in the morning and Ubered to DFW for only $35 (we live in Denton). That sounded so much better to me than leaving our car at the airport for $25/day. Anyway...

We should have gotten to Seattle at about the same time as our friends, but their layover got delayed, so after Ben and I got our luggage and the car, we headed out in search of food. There was a place called 13 Coins near the airport that came highly recommended, and it did not disappoint two hungry travelers. We were both so hungry that I didn't take a picture of our food, but we both got a sandwich and they were huge and yummy! After a quick lunch, we headed to a Best Buy, because we had the bright idea to buy a Roku for the apartment we were staying in! After that, we just drove around until we needed to be back at the airport to pick-up our friends. Holy moly, I was so amazed by the houses on the edge of the water. They were so high up and gorgeous! We loved just driving around to see the houses and the scenery and were even amazed at how the people in Seattle don't even have umbrellas in the pouring rain! We saw a group of school kids running and I was amazed that they were totally unphased. We definitely would have pulled athletics inside for the day in Texas! 

Once we picked up our friends, we headed to the apartment we rented through Airbnb. We stayed in a complex called the Harbor Steps and it was in the middle of downtown, just about a block for Pike's Place...perfect! Once we got settled, our friends wanted a little snack, so they found something to eat while we unpacked and then met up with them for a drink. We then all went to the grocery store for breakfast and lunch items before heading to a late dinner at the Crab Pot. 

The Crab Pot came highly recommended to us and had super high ratings on Open Table, Yelp, etc. It was also about a block from where we were staying and looked super casual, so we figured it was perfect for the night. Here's the thing...I wouldn't recommend it. I don't know if it was just that we ate there around 9 o'clock at night, so things weren't as fresh, or what, but coming from someone who LOVES seafood...like could live off of seafood...it would not be the restaurant that I would recommend. 

We ordered what it seemed like everyone else was ordering and it was just ok. It definitely did the trick for the night, but the crab legs and the rest of the seafood didn't seem super fresh. Of course, we enjoyed the company and just needed something to fill our bellies before bed, so I'm glad we got The Crab Pot out of the way on day 1. 

We started day 2 off nice and early at Pike's Place! I am in love with this place and could probably walk around it all day long! 

One of my friends told us to look for a neat little donut place that we had to try before we really started walking around. We found it pretty quickly! We actually got there a little early for the vendors, so not a ton was set up on one side, but the normal market was already bustling. These little donuts are a MUST! They are pretty tiny, but OMG so good! We got some maple and cinnamon ones as a breakfast appetizer and oh how I wish I would have gotten one every day! 

Now, I am more of a walk around and taste everything kind of girl, but my company was not, so while they went and had a full breakfast at Lowell's, I walked around and saw the sites. I grabbed a biscuit at Honest Biscuits and made a mental note that I would for sure go back there. 

Y'all, I could not get over the flowers! I so wish we had a market here like this where I could buy fresh flowers once a week. They were gorgeous and so dang cheap! 

Of course, we saw the famous Fish Co. that throws fish and was on the Bachelor (Sean and Catherine's season). All the guys that work there seem so nice and really interact with everyone that walks by. There seemed to be a field trip of kids there every day. 

After everyone finished breakfast, we continued walking around. These are from Beecher's, the cheese company. Holy moly, they make the cheese behind a window, so you get to see the process and they have little tasters in the store which are beyond amazing! We put this place on our list to come back to for lunch. They have a small menu of sandwiches and such, and nothing sounded better than a grilled cheese from Beecher's! 

We obviously had to stop at the original Starbucks! I am actually the only one who ordered anything, but I couldn't deny myself the experience. Everyone told us the line would be out the door and crazy, but on a Tuesday morning, I could walk right in. The people were all so nice! 

We then headed to the gum wall equipped with our own chewing gum! Apparently, this wasn't so bad...someone told us that they had cleaned off the walls in the past couple of years. I joked that my pre-Henley self (when I chewed gum like an addict) could probably have filled these walls all by myself...no really! 

For the rest of the morning we just walked around and saw the sites of Pike's Place Market. We tried a few different little treats along the way and I made a mental note to come back and get Henley something one day. 

Since it was a rainy, dreary day, we decided to get in the car instead of on the ferry later in the day and drove to Alki Beach. 

We pulled into the parking lot at Salty's and the views were amazing! There were a few places recommended to us to try for lunch on Alki Beach, and one of them happened to be Salty's, so after taking some pictures outside, we headed in for a late lunch. 

We were able to sit by a window so we could enjoy the view! After we all looked at the menu, we decided to indulge in a bigger lunch and enjoy a later, relaxed dinner. I got the salmon salad and it was delicious and so fresh! Exactly what I look for in my seafood! I waffled between it and the open-faced crab sandwich, so Ben got that and OH MY WORD! He let me have a few bites and it was beyond amazing! I kept thinking that I needed to ship one back for myself and my dad...we LOVE crab! I HIGHLY recommend Salty's on Alki Beach. 

Once we finished lunch we drove around for a little while, stopped to get some coffee (for everyone else, not me, I already had my caffeine intake for the day), and then headed back to our place. The boys wanted to enjoy the hot tub, and since that wasn't something I could partake in, I headed to the gym. A good workout was exactly what I needed! I love working out on vacation and enjoying a good book on the elliptical! 

We were all pretty beat from traveling and walking around, so we decided to walk a few blocks and pick up personal pizzas before watching a movie at our place! I mean, it's not often we get to do those sorts of things with kiddos at home. We were all pretty dang ready for our pizza when we got back, because Seattle is like San Francisco. Man, I did not know this! The hills in Seattle are NO JOKE! 

Since I'm a bit of a talker, I will stop Part One right there and probably break this up into three parts! Whoops...sidenote: I once had to eat dinner with our cat in the bathroom because I couldn't stop talking at our dinner table. :) 

See you soon for Part Two! 

Show & Tell Tuesday: Favorite Pictures

Happy Tuesday! Today I'm linking up with Andrea for Show and Tell Tuesday and today, we're sharing our favorite pictures! Thankfully, Andrea gave the option of either our top 5 or our top 10. Gosh, I just couldn't narrow it down to 5 pictures! I had to delete, delete, delete in order to just get down to 10. I'm sure I could add a thousand more, but these are my favorites for now! 

This is from our trip to Hawaii last summer! I just love how much fun this little girl is, and this just about sums up how much fun we have together! 

This is an oldie but a goodie! This will always be one of my very favorite pictures. It was taken while Ben's fraternity and my sorority were outside waiting to perform in SING, a production Baylor does every year. We weren't dating at the time, I was actually dating someone else, but we were friends, and always seemed to find each other at events to take pictures. Little did I know, that Ben had already decided he was going to marry me. I was completely oblivious, but just loved his friendship and personality! 

This is also last summer in Hawaii. We took a catamaran out for the day and Ben and I were getting ready to go scuba diving. While the instructor was talking to us, Henley fell asleep and was out cold in Ben's arms. I just can't get enough of those sweet cheeks! 

This is my Mamaw and Papaw, and is the last Thanksgiving we got to share with my Mamaw. They were married for almost 62 years, and I just adore the two of them. I miss Mamaw every day, and this is the picture that is framed in my hallway, and I get to see on a daily basis. 

Ohmygoodness, this picture will be a forever favorite! I think Henley was just a couple months old here and sat her in this chair while I walked out of the room to grab some laundry to fold. When I walked back in the room, she was out! 

This is from this past summer, and I just love it because I love that sweet little smile. It's not often that I can get a real smile out of Henley when I am snapping a picture! 

I mean, those eyes...on both of them! Henley was 9 months in this picture and we had just gotten to the beach for our first vacation with her. We went with my whole family and drove to Seaside, FL. After being in the car for two days, we were all happy to put our toes in the sand and water. I just can't get over how much these two look alike and how sweet they are in this picture! 

My little water baby! Last summer Henley really got to enjoy the boat and has already been asking to go back out on it this year. She is ready to be a "fishy!" 

Anyone else a Gilmore Girls fan? I just imagine Henley and I as Lorelei and Rory here! We were clearly having a very intense conversation while we enjoyed the view! 

This one may seem a little odd to slip in there from our wedding, but it so clearly shows the vibe of our wedding reception. WE HAD SO MUCH FUN! Ben and I are in the center of the dance floor in this picture doing Thriller with all of our guests. We danced the night away, and it was without a doubt the best night ever!! 

I hope everyone has a fabulous Tuesday! We are on our first day of potty training in our neck of the woods, so I have a feeling that your day is a little less messy than mine! 

Back from Spring Break

Sorry guys...I took a minor hiatus before we left for Spring Break to try and balance life out a bit. I've been working for Ben as well as tutoring and a few other things here and there and life has been busy. Then, we left on Monday, March 13th for Seattle and got back late on Saturday night, so we cherished the rest of the weekend with our sweet girl. 

Before I do a post about our fun trip to Seattle, let me just recap our Sunday with Henley, because that deserves a post all on its own! 

We were so ready to get back to Henley, and from what we heard from grandparents, Henley was pretty darn ready for mommy and daddy to get back too! She even cried a little bit in her sleep on Saturday night/Sunday morning for mommy, so I took the opportunity to go into her room and rock her back to sleep. It took a little longer than usual, because we just could not stop smiling at each other and giving kisses! I just love her! 

Since Henley didn't get to go on our trip with us, I wanted to make Sunday all about her and super special. Originally, I thought we'd plan a fun little outing as a family, but with the weather the way it was, Henley just wanted to play outside and I couldn't say no to that! 

We spent the entire morning outside enjoying the sunshine! Ben mowed, then Henley and I helped him rake up the leaves and bag them (yes, Henley did help), we blew bubbles, and we jumped on the trampoline too! After all of that, we worked up an appetite and decided to head to Sonic for a picnic lunch! Henley wanted a hot dog and I will never say no to a vanilla coke zero, so Sonic it was! We had a blast and all left saying that we need to do that more often...there's nothing like being filthy, no make-up, hats on, and enjoying lunch outside! 

After lunch, we had some quick errands to run and on our way home, Henley fell asleep in the car. She was so sweet while we ran our errands and kept asking "where we going, mommy?" I think she was just making sure we were all staying together. Ben had to get out of the car a couple of times and she made sure to double check that "daddy comin' right back." 

While Henley napped, I unpacked and did laundry and Ben got to work on building a desk for my sister and her family. Once Henley woke up, it was back outside for us! Ben continued working on the desk, so we brought our sidewalk chalk and bubbles to the driveway so we could be close to him too. We ate snacks on the driveway and then took a walk around the block in the wagon, while daddy finished up for the day. While we were walking, Henley asked if we could go to the park, and that sounded perfect to us! 

It was about 6 o'clock at this point and all of our tummies were starting to rumble, so we hustled to the park to play for a little while. We have this awesome park in Denton called Eureka that was just redone and Henley loves every square inch of it! You would think that my two year old would stay in the little kids area, but absolutely not...she is all over the place and mostly on the "big slides." I love how brave she is! 

After the park, we went for pizza and ice cream to wrap up our perfect day! Seriously though, Ben and I said that we just couldn't quit staring at Henley. I'm not sure we will be leaving her for another six days for a long, long time! She was in the best mood all day (I think we all were) and was all smiles! I'm hoping for many more days like this now that the sun stays out a bit longer! 

Bump Date

Welcome to the first "bump date" for baby Clark #2!! 

First of all, in case you missed it, baby Clark is a BOY!! We found out at 14 weeks, because I just couldn't take it any longer...I HAD TO KNOW! :) I think I could have waited until next week when my original appointment was supposed to be scheduled, but the sonographer was out of town, and then we are out of town the next week, so I just couldn't wait until the end of March. Pretty much every single person I know thought that it would be a girl, especially Ben. For some reason, everyone just had a feeling that we would have all girls, but I had a feeling that it was a boy! Yay for mother's intuition!! 

Neither myself nor Ben really cared whether it was a boy or a girl. We are planning on having more kids, and honestly, what can you do about?! It is super special though that this one is a boy, because he is named after my sweet Papaw, George. My Papaw is 85, so I was really hoping that he would be around to see me have his namesake. When we told him he got all teary and cried, and he is so excited to meet our George. It is also special to Ben, because he is the last Clark, so the name will be carried on. We are so excited to welcome our little George Phillip Clark in July! 

Now, for the stats! 

HOW FAR ALONG: I am 19 weeks and 3 days. My day is Monday, so each Monday I get to open up my app and see how big George is, and how he is growing. We are almost halfway, woohoo!! He is currently the size of a mango and weighs about half a pound. 

FEELING: I have really felt pretty normal for this entire pregnancy. I feel very blessed not to be sick since it seems to run in my family. Throughout the first trimester, I was mostly just nauseous between meals if I didn't eat in time and extra tired. I'm not sure the tired will ever go away since I now am chasing after a 2 year old as well, but I am no longer nauseous. With Henley, I remember the ravenous hunger going away after the first trimester, but with George, it is going strong. I am seriously hungry ALL THE TIME! 

I have been feeling the flutters, aka little kicks, for a couple of weeks now and LOVE it! Over the weekend, Ben and I went to see a play, and George loved all the music! He was kicking away each time the cast broke into song. He also kicks a lot at night when I lay down in bed. I can't wait for Ben and Henley to be able to feel it too! 

WEIGHT GAIN: At my doctor's appointment last week, I was up 12 pounds. I don't weigh myself at home, so that is the only time I see what I have gained. At the previous appointment (a month before) I was up about 8 pounds. 

CRAVING: I wouldn't say that I am craving anything in particular right now. I am definitely leaning towards all things salty. I usually have a big sweet tooth at night, but I can do without my after dinner chocolate and would trade it for a bowl of goldfish! Yes, I'm a toddler! 

WORKING ON: I'm currently working on cleaning out the guest bedroom, so we can get started on Henley's big girl room and then work on George's room. I cleaned out all of Henley's clothes tubs and have moved those out of the guest room, so we are making progress. Today, I plan on taking the bed down. I am also working on just decluttering our house in general. I am not sure whether or not it is nesting, but I want the house organized with everything that we don't need gone before George gets here. I have already done some closets and am working my way around the house room by room. 

BIG SISTER: Henley is loving my baby bump and the fact that she can now call it, George! She is constantly talking about her "wittle brover," and telling me that she really wants to give him a high five! She also likes to stick her finger in my belly button to talk to him which is pretty amusing. After we watch our episode of Minnie before bed each night, she gives George a kiss and tells him goodnight. It is pretty much the sweetest thing ever! 

WORKOUTS: I have been able to keep up my regular workouts so far. I have definitely noticed a difference between weeks 15 to 19. In the past two weeks, during my bootcamp class on Mondays I have had to start modifying things. This week, I have had a lot of round ligament pain, so when I went to do high knees, stadium taps, etc., my body did not like it. I have had to go from the jumping and hopping to the standing movements which still wear me out. As for my spin classes and body works class, I am still going strong. I haven't had to modify anything in these other than the ab work at the end of body works. 

I have had a few people ask how long I will workout, and I'm planning to continue everything until my body tells me otherwise. I'm sure things will continue to slow down along the way, but I'd like to keep this an active and healthy pregnancy. My workouts this time around might also have something to do with my appetite. With Henley, I would mostly just do weights and the elliptical before school, but this time around, my workouts are much more intense. I find that about 20 minutes into a workout, I'm ready for a snack! 

What's Up Monday

I was hoping to link-up with everyone last Wednesday for February's "What's Up Wednesday," but life got in the way. Henley and I got to go hear George's sweet heartbeat and then we ran around all day enjoying the fabulous weather. I decided to take her to the park instead of blogging, and it was glorious. Sorry bout that! :) 

Anyway, we have lots going on right now that I would love to share with you, so I am doing my own little "WHAT'S UP MONDAY?!" I'll follow the same questions, just a few days late! Plus, this week's bonus question: What's your "can't live without" beauty product?

WHAT WE'RE EATING THIS WEEK...

This is what we ate last week, minus Wednesday night when I changed things up since it was National Margarita Day and didn't feel like cooking. The links are below for all of the recipes. We will be eating leftovers tonight since they were all so good! 

Enchilada Elbow Bake 

Nutella Oatmeal Cookies 

Easy Cheesy Crockpot Chicken and Rice 

Meatball Mozzarella Bake - this is happening this week :) 

WHAT I'M REMINISCING ABOUT...

This kid! My Time Hop is full of pictures of Henley from when she was only 1-2 months old, and I am just loving them! Ohmygoodness, how in the world did she get so big? I miss the cozy days at home when she was a newborn! 

WHAT I'M LOVING...

Coconut oil, coconut oil, coconut oil!! I finally bought a jar for my bathroom at the beginning of this month, and I am so in love! Really, I just started using it as eye make-up remover, but last week, I started using it as a moisturizer, and it is amazing! I love the way my skin feels when I use it! 

WHAT WE'VE BEEN UP TO...

Oh goodness, so much! Things have been pretty busy in our house. I have started working for Ben, and find that on the days that Henley is at school and during her nap time, I am mostly taking care of the contracts and clients I have right now. Although our house was a little messier than usual last week, I am really enjoying it! 

February has been the month of celebrating birthdays too. First was Ben, and it was the never-ending birthday celebrations! Then, we had two of our best friends in back to back weekends. It has been fun to get together with everyone so often and enjoy a few adult only nights!

We have also been spending LOTS of our time outside enjoying the warm weather and blowing bubbles! 

WHAT I'M DREADING...

My oldest sister has her fourth chemo treatment this week, and if it is anything like her third, we are definitely dreading it. Thankfully, it is her last treatment of the "Red Devil," and we are praying that her 12 week treatment of a new drug will be much better. I just hate that she is having to go through all of this. 

Ps - How adorable is she in her bandana?

WHAT I'M WORKING ON...

Cleaning out tubs of clothes like whoa! Henley had tubs upon tubs of clothes that I saved for her, some that I bought and some hand-me-downs from my sister. I finally got tired of having so many tubs and last week went through them all and cleaned them out. Holy moly, why did I save that many clothes?! I condensed three tubs into one and am so glad I don't have that many clothes to keep up with anymore. I'll be taking them to a couple of resale places, and what I don't sell, I'm going to donate. I am loving the feel of less clutter! 

I'm also starting to clean out our guest bedroom and get it ready to be Henley's big girl bedroom! Woo hoo! I can't wait to decorate her room and start on George's room! 

WHAT I'M EXCITED ABOUT...

We are taking a trip next month for "Spring Break." Since I'm not teaching anymore, technically, we don't have a Spring Break, but we were planning on taking a trip this spring anyway and our best friends both happen to be teachers, so it is our Spring Break! 

We wanted to pick a place that we had never been before and Seattle was it for both of us! So, we are headed to Seattle, and I can't wait! It may rain the whole time, and that is fine. I am just excited to spend quality time with Ben and our friends and relax! 

WHAT I'M WATCHING/READING...

I am loving Debbie Macomber right now! I finished a couple of the books I purchased after Christmas and needed a new one fast, so I checked one of her books out at the library and really liked it. When I went back last week, I checked out another one and was excited to find that it was set in Seattle! I am loving reading about some different spots that we should visit! Her books are super easy reads and I have fallen in love with all of the characters. 

I'm not watching anything super consistently. Ben and I are still watching This Is Us together, but are behind a little bit. I watch The Real Housewives episodes when I'm working around the house and sometimes The Bachelor too. 

WHAT I'M LISTENING TO...

Mostly Mickey Mouse! I find myself getting so excited when Henley is not in the car and I get to change the channel, but Mickey Mouse isn't so bad either!

WHAT I'M WEARING...

I have finally caved and started wearing mostly maternity clothes. I still workout in normal workout clothes, although I did go to the thrift store and buy some more workout tanks that are more roomy. I'm a bargain shopper and it was totally worth it to purchase about 6 tops for $20 instead of 1. I bought a pair of maternity jeans last week at Motherhood Maternity since I didn't have any and figured I would need some for Seattle. Originally, I planned on just using the Belly Band with my regular jeans, but once I tried on some jeans that actually fit, I was SOLD! 

I really only have pictures of me dressed up though and in workout attire...surprise surprise! 

WHAT WE'RE DOING THIS WEEKEND...

Since this was supposed to be for last week, I'll tell you what we did last weekend. It was fabulous! 

On Friday, we had Ben's annual Keller Williams banquet and we got to get dressed up and enjoy a night out. Well, we were home by 9:45, but we sure had fun getting dressed up and enjoying some uninterrupted adult conversation with friends! 

On Saturday, Ben took Henley to breakfast and a soccer game while I went to a friend's house for brunch and a Pampered Chef party. It's safe to say we both had a blast with who we were with! Later that day, we got to celebrate my best friend's birthday by doing an Escape Room, going to dinner and enjoying dessert back at their house. It was so much fun! If you have not done an escape room, I would definitely recommend it for a night out with friends! 

On Sunday, we started the morning by getting some things done around the house and then going to church. After church we enjoyed lunch with a friend before Henley was picked up and Ben and I went to a play downtown. Ben got me tickets to Sister Act for Valentine's Day, and we had a blast! We love going to the local theater every now and then, and I can't wait for the show in May! 

WHAT I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO NEXT MONTH...

See "What I'm Excited About." March is also another month of lots of family birthdays, so I'm excited to celebrate them all and spend some time with my family! I'm also looking forward to seeing baby George at the end of the month! We had an early sonogram to find out that it's a George, but we have our 20 week sonogram after we get home from Seattle. I'll actually be 22 weeks by then, so he'll be getting nice and chubby! 

WHAT ELSE IS NEW...

I think most of you have heard by now, but baby Clark is a BOY!! I'll be doing a "bump date" later in the week to let you know how this pregnancy has been going. I can't say that it is too new, but I am hungry all the time and in bed by 9! 

BONUS: WHAT IS YOUR "CAN'T LIVE WITHOUT" BEAUTY PRODUCT?

Right now, I would say that it is a big tie between these three. See "What I'm Loving" for my explanation on the coconut oil. I have been using the moisturizer since college and have always been asked how I keep my color throughout the winter, and this is my answer. I do not do tanning beds anymore, so in the winter, I use this lotion on my face and it does the trick. I love waking up in the winter and still being able to wear minimal make-up! Now, the hairspray, OMG! My mother-in-law got it for me for Christmas, and I am obsessed! Not only does it smell good, but it is magical! My hair isn't hard and crunchy, but after I curl it and spray some of this in it, it has some fabulous extra volume! 

I hope your week is getting off to a great start!!