{miscellany monday} on memorial day

1.} the beach is one of my favorite places. i could spend all day, every day there. it's a peaceful place to me. the sound of the waves is soothing to my soul.

i was super nervous about the beach this year with two kiddos. jude is all over the place and i wasn't sure if i wanted to take both of them by myself, but the thought of only going on the weekends when daddy was home wasn't appealing when we have 5 days of the week to fill.

so, i ventured out on my own...both kids in tow to the beach.

this little man loves the beach and was so excited to go.

nora was a huge fan, too. her first time at the beach was a success.

he's a boy after his mama's heart. he could spend all day here too.

these two melt my heart. i think it's sweet how he plays next to her.

2.} we had such a great time at the beach that day, that we decided to take daddy with us the very next day. jude loves his daddy.

3.} i wasn't ready for this. i thought i'd have her to myself a little longer before she became a little more independent. why did i think that when her brother started crawling at 7 months too? wishful thinking.

she's up on all fours sloppily scooting around underneath my feet.

4.} this is my go to recipe for taco seasoning. just thought i should share.

5.} i don't get dressed up very often. my everyday attire usually consists of workout shorts or pants and a tshirt. so, when i get dressed up, and by dressed up i mean make-up and wearing anything that resembles looking like i shouldn't be on what not wear, i feel like i should document it.

why did i get dressed up? my sweetie and i went on a much needed date. after our vacation visiting my family and then him coming back to work immediately, we needed some we time.

we actually went on a double date with two of our dearest. 

isn't she fab.

our men. 

we tease them and say they have a bromance. (when did bromance become a real word)

they spend everyday together (they started a technology company last year together).

we went to see marvel's the avengers.

it's great. if you haven't seen it, it's a definite must for the theater.

i'm a huge nerd and was so excited to see this. i'm a fan of joss whedon, who wrote and directed it, so i couldn't wait. like i said...huge nerd...i like comic books...there, i said it.

6.} thank you to my grandfather, my papa, and my dad. thank you for your service in this country's military. i'm thankful i still have you. thank you to all who serve and have served this country to keep my kiddo's safe and free. happy memorial day.

family vacation {with instagram}

i've been a little mia from the blog because we took our first trip together as a family of four. we left last thursday and came back home wednesday. we drove ten hours to visit my dad and grandparents in sunny florida. are we crazy? maybe...probably.

the road trip actually went really well. the kids were amazing...we were thankful for the ipad...don't judge.

the start of our trip. dad doesn't look to happy, but i promise he was. he was telling me i was holding the phone to high.

the south. the lowcountry. beautiful isn't it!

when we were driving in florida, we passed some sky divers. they might be crazy.

my grandma...my kid's great grandma. this was the first time she's met my babies. she loved every second. isn't she pretty?

my granddad...my kid's great granddad. he had just had eye surgery earlier that week for cataracts, so he could actually see the kids well. so thankful for modern medicine!

meet nicole. she's my childhood best friend. i've known her since 2nd grade. i haven't seen her in about 16 years or so...it was so great to have our families meet and just spend time together.

love her.

 our sons. both named jude.

 our families.

i met a great milestone while in florida...

i turned 30.

this was taken on that momentous day.

happy birthday to me. 

my granddad makes the best homemade pecan pie...and he did while we were there for my birthday.

thanks granddad!

just some kite boarders.

jude got to spend some quality time with his daddy on this trip. 

he ate up every minute of it. he loves his daddy...i love him too.

me and my grandparents. do i look like them? i'm not sure who i look like in my family.

a picture i'll cherish forever. 

and this one too.

the kiddos and my dad.

when did he become such a little man? look at those long legs. i feel like he's already a teenager! stop getting older, please.

my daddy and me.

on the road again. back home we go.

jude eating bah-bees (arby's) like a big boy.

my dad saved this horse head on a stick from my childhood. jude loves it.

i found this little treasure at the salvation army while we were at my dad's for a whopping $.50! i was so excited! it's called 3 in 1 (a picture of God) by joanne marxhausen. i've never seen a book that explained the trinity and faith in such an elementary way that a child (or adult) can understand it so easily. the more i look at the book, the more i get excited about sharing it with jude and nora. it takes an apple and it's three parts and compares it to God and His three persons. the seed of an apple like faith. and it talks about how in order to believe in Jesus, you must have faith that comes from the Holy Spirit. 

you can find it on amazon for $10. i know that's not $.50, but it's a must read for your littles.

another {instagram} friday

another week has passed, and i feel like it crept by...which is unusual around here with these two children of mine that are growing like weeds on scott's lawn fertilizer. 

here it is friday again, so you know what that means.

pictures of my week instagram style.

i really enjoy using instagram. i think i use it more than any other app and social network. 

if you'd like to follow me, you can find me here or my username is julieyaryan.

i love old books. i saved a lot of books from my childhood to pass on to my children, so i guess now they are vintage...yep i'm getting old. i will be 30 this month! i found out about a hole is to dig by ruth krauss from this awesome girl. i decided my kiddos should have it and thanks to amazon it arrived in two days. i also ordered these amazing books with it. i love the illustrations and the way it's written.

this is the way to the moon by miroslav sasek

this is new york by miroslav sasek

a hole is to dig by ruth krauss

i do a lot of laundry.

target is where i shop.

target no longer carries my favorite downy scent.

amazon sells it in bulk.

i won't be needing to buy any for a long, long while.

jude likes to 'match' things right now...letter cookies, colors, shapes...why not let him help me put his socks away by matching them. he was so excited to match mcqueen to mcqueen, mac to mac, guido to guido...he's obsessed with cars if you can't tell.

banana chocolate chip pancakes for breakfast? 

yes, please.

i wish you could hear the snoring that went along with this picture.

poor thing can't shake this cold or allergy or whatever it is, and so he snores...very loudly.

her hair is coming in and standing up.

love her to pieces.

i selfishly never want her to grow up. 

this boy loves my phone.

not sure when he took this of himself, but it's a cute one.

love him.

this girl is going to crawl soon, i know it.

in the mean time, she body surfs on the floor, flailing her arms and legs about.

i was contemplating getting my hair cut short...well, a lot shorter than it is because little miss likes to grab and not let go. however, i couldn't do it.

so, i opted for a trim and color like always. same old, same old.

going to the salon is a treat. i go every 2-3 months to get a cut, and only recently started letting a professional dye it again...after it took 5 boxes of hair dye to let my mom do it...five boxes...it almost cost as much as a salon.

this mommy-time was much needed.

have i mentioned before that i love sleeping babies...especially this one snuggling with her jellycat.

  

little miss {photo shoot}

many of you know this uber talented girl.

and, if this uber talented girl asks to take pictures of your little miss, you of course say yes. 

carissa took these pictures a while ago, and i forgot to share them. not sure how these beauties slipped my mind...could be the almost 7 month old and 2 1/2 year old that i love on everyday, but who knows.

these are a few of my favorites from that day.