5 years ago...

Now that the month of August is coming to an end, I thought it would be a good time to touch on why August is such a special month to me :)

 5 years ago Eric and I started dating!

Eric took me out for the first time, the first Tuesday of the month. And the rest is history!

You can read the story of our 1st date here. I'm pretty sure that was my third blog post.... oh how my blog has changed since then :)

We look like babies!

I can't believe how our lives have changed since we found each other 5 years ago!

Eric makes me happier than I ever could have imagined... I'm so glad he's mine!

hair talk {hana flat iron}

My straightener pretty much died on me a few months ago (break my heart!) and the amazing company, Misikko, swooped in and put the pieces of my heart back together :) They sent me a Hana flat iron (along with some other hair/make up goodies. Like I said, amazing company!) and I couldn't wait to try it out!

If this isn't the cutest picture ever... I don't know what it is. Ha ha! I let my hair air dry because I have some crazy curls that make an appearance when I don't blow it out. I wanted to see if this flat iron could handle my beastly hair that has a mind of it's own... and I have to admit that I'm so happy with the end result!

Much better... right?! The Hana flat iron has different heat settings which is what I recommend to my clients looking for a straightener. We all have different types of hair, fine or coarse, thick or thin, which means that our hair requires different heat settings. Those with super thin, fine hair can turn the flat iron onto a lower heat setting, and visa versa for those with thick, coarse hair! No need to fry those ends off with too much heat :) And I love how sleek and small the straightener is. Super easy to straighten my hair but it's size is also perfect size for curling! I love my new flat iron :)

P.S. I've been debating whether I should start doing regular posts full of hair tutorials and tips... what do you think?! I love my job as a hairstylist and I'd love to share some knowledge on hair care and tips on hair styles. But if I'm going to bribe my hubs to take pictures of me for these posts, then I need those bribes to be worth it, ha ha! So I need your honest opinion.... do you want to see regular "hair talk" posts?! If so, what would you like me to touch on? Any hair tutorials in particular? Hair care questions? Be honest!! :)

24 weeks

 Picture taken at 24 weeks 1 day

I mentioned before that I've been having sciatic pains and my lower back just aches and aches after a full day of doing hair. I try my best to wear supportive shoes when I know I'll be on my feet for a long period of time, and Eric has been helping me do stretches each night to relieve my back and hips... but I've been seriously debating whether I should try a chiropractor or massage therapist. Because the pain will only get worse as baby girl grows! Luckily I scored a daily deal (kind of like a groupon) $10 for a 30 minute prenatal massage! I'm hoping that's enough time to figure out if the massage will work, or if it will be more worthwhile to put my $$ into a chiropractor. What did you momma's do to relieve lower back and sciatic pain? Massage, chiropractor, or are you stronger than me and just suffered through the pain with no relief?! :)

On another note... 16 weeks left! How is that possible? Time is flying by! And I get butterflies each time I think about meeting our baby girl :)

p.s. I haven't done one of these in forever... life has been too crazy! But I guest posted over on Eryka's blog so check it out :)

once upon a time...

Eric made dinner the other night, took pictures of the food, then told me I better blog about it! How could I say no when he went to all that effort? I mean... he took pictures of the food! I usually get in big trouble for delaying his food from entering his mouth because I "need" to take pictures for the blog ;) So here's a very short story about how the best husband in the world is also the best cook!

Once upon a time Eric asked me to pin a recipe he found online. (Eric loves that I use Pinterest for recipes... he learned very quickly that his taste buds benefit big time from that site. Now he tries to get all the guy's he works with to have their wives get a pinterest account as well, ha ha!) The recipe claimed to create the fluffiest pancakes ever, and Eric was going to give it a try! After a long day of handy man work and shopping, Eric let me put my feet up and rest while he made dinner! (Have I mentioned that he's the best husband ever?) When dinner was ready he called me into the dining room and had this waiting for me...

Can you tell this picture was taken by a man? Plop the toppings on and snap a picture :)

This pancake was bigger than my head! That thing takes up a full sized dinner plate... Eric made the caramel banana sauce that was also included in the recipe, and homemade whipped cream. Am I spoiled or what? 

We agreed that the recipe wasn't lying, definitely the fluffiest (and thickest) pancakes ever! We could hardly move by the time we were finished eating (actually, we could hardly move for the rest of the night) because we were so full. And clean up was quite the chore. Eric had to use soooo many dishes to make these pancakes, but we decided it was all worth it! The end.

p.s. Recipe found here.

nursery/crib bedding inspiration {HELP!}

Our lease will be up 3 months after baby girl is born and we will be moving out. For that reason I just can't seem to find any motivation to set up a nursery. I mean, why would I work so hard to put together the perfect nursery, just to pack it up in a couple months after it's finished? We're talking about buying a home next (we'll see what happens... a lot can change in just a few months) which would be amazing! I'd love to paint walls and have total control on what goes on under our roof! If I knew I could do whatever I want for the nursery I would have no problem throwing together a perfect little room for our perfect little girl :) I would definitely paint walls. Maybe have an accent wall? I will definitely do some type of vinyl design. I probably won't do this, but I'm in love with the tree!

Source: pin4fun6606.blogspot.com via Courtney on Pinterest

But I also love the idea of having a chandelier-like mobile to hang over the crib. (That's totally the princess wanna-be coming out in me, ha ha!)

Source: godblessournest.blogspot.com via Courtney on Pinterest

And I definitely want this quote in the nursery.... whether it's in a frame on the dresser, or the vinyl on the wall. I don't know where or how, I just know it needs to be in her room.

Source: rockababywallquotes.com via Courtney on Pinterest

I have plenty of other ideas, but I just can't picture how to make them flow to create the perfect nursery. Once we move I know I'll have an easier time because I'll actually see the room that I'll be able to transform. Right now there are just too many what ifs.... the room could be tiny or it could be huge. It could have 1 window or 3. Who knows!
But I do know one thing for certain... Eric and I have decided to set up the crib before we move. I was going to keep it in the box so it wouldn't get damaged during the move but the more I've read, the more I realize that baby girl might prefer the crib before she's 3 months old. Or we might prefer having her in the crib and out of our room, ha ha. So I NEED to get the crib bedding before she's born but the trouble is... I don't know what to get!! Since I have no idea how I'm going to do her nursery, and I just can't get inspired while living in this rental, I NEED HELP! I don't sew and I'm not very savvy with online shopping so please tell me, which etsy shops and websites are your favorite for the crib bedding?? I'm all for going gender neutral with the bedding and going all girly with the rest of the decor... but I can't find anything. I don't know why but this is stressing me out so badly! I just need help, inspiration, advice, ideas, ANYTHING! Help me... pretty please? :)

weekend review {a good one}

Ha ha

Last time wake boarding until next summer!

Eric almost died here...

I NEED these bibs :) Check out my instagram to see another one...

This was HUGE!

Materrrrrrrnity clothes!

- Eric and I went for an early morning lake trip with my dad and we had the BEST time! The temperature of the water and air was perfect, the water was smooth as glass most of the time, and we were the only boat on the lake! I didn't get any pictures of my 50 year old dad killing it while water skiing because I was driving the boat, but I made sure Eric got a picture of me wake boarding for the last time until this baby is born!

- We registered at Target and I found the CUTEST bibs! I need these for baby girl (as I'm typing this post I'm mentally kicking myself for not buying them! What was I thinking??). The first thing Eric said when I showed him was, "Oh great. She's going to be a freak like her mommy...." ha ha. Such a loving husband who truly doesn't understand how great blogging is :) I have a picture of one of the other bibs on my instagram if you want to see!

- I rewarded Eric with a huge ice cream treat for being so great while we registered for baby items and went shopping for maternity clothes!

- Everyone who suggested Ross for maternity clothes.... THANK YOU! I scored a couple pairs of jeans (it was so weird to be buying maternity jeans but WOW! They are so dang comfortable!) and a few shirts. This is the first time I was excited about buying clothes in a long time. And Ross is so cheap, major score!!

All of this good stuff combined with my accidental camping trip made for an awesome weekend!

23 weeks {mama bear}

Picture taken at 23 weeks 1 day

I swear I look more pregnant than these weekly pictures show! Instead of showing off a nice baby bump, I'm showing off my "plumpness" ha ha.

So I feel like this pregnancy hasn't made me any more emotional than normal. I cried when I found out I was pregnant, but I didn't cry the first time we heard the heartbeat, or when we found out she's a girl (I was in too much shock to cry, still am!) Other than that? I've only had 1 or 2 weird crying sessions.... ha ha.

But Eric thinks it's okay to tell me I'm being "crazy" or "overly sensitive" and just blame it on the pregnancy, because the hormones do that to me right?! No, it's still not okay! His favorite thing to say to me when I'm a little bit worked up is, "Mama Bear! Go back in your cave and let Courtney come out and play." Then he gives me a huge, smug smirk.

Ummmm......

Way to give me the urge to go all Mama Bear on my husband!!

But I still love that man :)

beauty swap

I love checking my mailbox lately! I've been getting the funnest packages from sweet blog friends for baby girl (the blogging community is the BEST)! And I've been receiving other fun packages for various reasons. I'd been expecting a specific package and when I left town for a night last week, so Eric gave me a call when he checked our mail. He told me I had a package from "Jennifer so and so" and I couldn't figure out who that was (pregnancy brain!) so I told him to open it up. His reaction was, "Whoa! There's a ton of make up and stuff in here... dang! You got spoiled!" My beauty swap package arrived!! How the heck did I forget about that?? Oh yeah, pregnancy brain ;)

I wish I could give Jen a big hug! She got me the best stuff and I can't WAIT to try it out! As you can see, she spoiled me with mascara (I've never tried any of these, so I'm excited about them), eye shadow, perfume (I'm a perfume junkie and love trying new scents), nail polish (I just realized 1 is missing, I tried it out already and put it with the rest of my polishes), nail file and compact mirror. Holy crap! Thank you sooooo much, Jen!!

girl time

I had the BEST Saturday!

I got to enjoy serious girl time with Laura and baby Leighton. 

Explored a tiny town in Utah that I never knew existed.

Went for my first ride in a rhino (it was like a 3 minute cruise around the campsite, but when I'm not pregnant anymore I definitely want to go for a real ride :))

Almost had my head taken off during a float down the river, ha ha. And learned just how much of a workout it is to paddle a raft, especially while pregnant. I can't wait to have my core muscles back to normal :)

We accidentally camped overnight which ended up being so nice, minus the fact that we didn't have our tooth brushes. Oops!

Girl time is the best, but now I'm ready for a weekend like this with our husbands and other friends! Cross your fingers for me that this will happen before the summer comes to an end :)

little letters

Dear blog friends, I've been in such a slump when it comes to our dinner menu. I LOVE food and look forward to meal time, but it's extremely difficult for me to get motivated to cook something. How SAD! Usually my food board on pinterest gives me some inspiration for meal planning, but lately? Nothing is helping! So I was wondering if you'd tell me your FAVORITE recipe and help me spice up our dinner menu again?? Oh and... you guys are the BEST!

Dear feet, ummmm..... I've been experiencing some pain and discomfort from you two lately and I'm not okay with this. Are you shifting? Growing? Let's get something straight- I don't want you to get bigger! I love the shoes in my closet and if I have to replace them with shoes half a size bigger.... well I'll probably cry. Because I won't be able to afford it, ha ha. So just STOP whatever you're doing and stay the same forever, please!

Dear Fall, I am SO ready for you! The temperature, the clothes (even thought I won't be able to fit into mine), the scents, I want it all!!

Dear sciatica, you are the worst thing that has happened to pregnancy. Ouchy!!

Dear hair, I've been so tempted to just chop you off! Actually, if I'm being honest, I've even considered taking the clippers to my head and sporting the buzzed look ha ha! I really do love my hair and I still want it to grow a couple inches longer.... so please stop tempting me with cute, short hair styles! What do you think friends, keep growing it? Or do you want to see me with short hair? :)

Dear hubs, you are amazing! You've been such an amazing support system throughout this pregnancy. My love for you has grown in ways I didn't know was possible. I really am the luckiest.... I get to be with you for eternity! That's a long time to put up with your crap ;) But I'm not sure it's long enough to satisfy my love for you {insert gagging over my extreme cheesiness}. LOVE you, babe!
P.S. If my feet do grow because I'm carrying your child, can I use some of the money from our diaper fund to buy new shoes? No? That's selfish of me?! Dang.

weekend review {just a bunch of randoms}

Our weekends have been anything but exciting lately. We are in serious need of a fun get away, camping trip, or something! Instead we've been cleaning house, working and running errands. So not exciting :) But it's good to document the boring times in our life, right?

If you follow my instagram then you saw this picture of heavenly looking cookies. Well... I baked those! I know, I could hardly believe how perfectly they turned out! My baking skills are slowly improving :) The recipe is super easy- you can find it here.

Don't mind Eric's little love note on the mirror :)

Remember this post? I squoze into that pencil skirt for the last time! I was feeling pretty proud of myself and my 22 week baby bump.... until I sat down at church. Let me tell you, that was the most uncomfortable I've ever been during church! I've learned my lesson.... comfort is key!! :)

It is nearly impossible for me to go a whole post without talking about baby stuff! But seriously.... aren't these tiny socks the most precious thing you've seen all day? One of my sweet clients gave these to me and my heart melted! I can't get over how tiny they are... ah!

We got our crib this past weekend! I'm so ready to pull it out of the box and set it up, but I don't know if we should. Our lease is up just a couple months after baby girl arrives, so we'll be moving. Do I set up the nursery or only set up the necessities to make the move easier? Decisions, decisions!

See what I mean? Our weekend is hardly worth talking about, ha ha. But I must say... I am loving our new friendships in this town! We have been lucky enough to get together with friends the last 3 nights and it's SO great to be social again!! So even though life is on the boring side lately, we are definitely feeling very blessed and very loved :)

22 weeks {cravings}

Definitely not the cutest picture of me, ha ha! 22 weeks 2 days

While I was in my first trimester if you asked me how I was feeling... I was feeling pretty darn good! I knew I had it better than most, I wasn't experiencing any nausea. But looking back? I'm so glad I'm out of that stage when it comes to food! I had major food aversions. I'm pretty sure the only things I craved during those first 3 months was steak (apparently my body needed whatever the red meat had to offer) and Dr. Pepper. I have craved Dr. Pepper since day 1 :) I had to start my day out with a bowl of Honey Bunches of Oats cereal. Not because I was craving it, but that would kind of sooth my belly. Which sounds weird because I didn't have nausea, but that's the only way I can describe why I felt the need to eat it. And I ate more peanut butter and honey sandwiches during the 1st trimester than I have my whole life! Other than that, the only things I could make myself eat were fresh fruits and veggies. And that was incredibly difficult because textures really got to me! 

Now that I'm well into my second trimester? Everything is pretty much back to normal! I can eat anything and the idea of food doesn't gross me out at all... phew! I have a horrible sweet tooth and it doesn't take much  more than a glimpse of a picture to trigger a craving but I never indulge right then. If I'm still thinking about it days later then I'll enjoy the treat. I still crave Dr. Pepper daily (but I rarely drink it). I crave red meat 1-2 times a week. I am still loving honey! I always have oranges in the fridge, which has never happened before! And I crave cupcakes daily. The weird thing for me has been my love for cereal. I usually have 2 bowls a day! My pantry seriously has 20 different boxes of cereal to choose from, it's just ridiculous! But I can't stop eating it, ha ha. Other than that, I haven't experienced any bizarre cravings! I'm just loving having my love for food back... a little too much if you know what I mean ;)

Love is...

... telling me how beautiful/hot/sexy/blah-blah-blah I am and how much you love my changing body. Sometimes I struggle with the changes (not my belly and it's precious cargo... but everything else...) but you're loving every second of it. You're the best!

... also telling everyone that your wife is getting FAT and she needs to start working out twice a day. It's a good thing I know how you really feel about me, and that I understand your love/need for creating the most painfully awkward moments for people, ha ha!

... being a Red Sox fan even though they are sucking.

... talking about baby names every day. You are searching names on the internet, or browsing through the name book constantly and it's adorable :) I hate to say it, but I just don't think your favorite: Shakira LaFonda Brinkerhoff is going to work out...

... cleaning your guns weekly. No one can deny that loving relationship between a man and his guns :)

... taking me out for ice cream when I'm craving it. Especially since you know baby girl will start moving around like crazy after I eat a bite or two :) It's so fun to watch your face as you feel her movements. Such a proud daddy!

... working your tush off on the job. You take such pride in your work and love being the provider for our family!

Love is you + me + baby girl! Gosh, I am the luckiest :)

21 weeks

picture taken at 21 weeks 2 days

I still feel like I'm at the awkward "is she pregnant, or fat??" stage with the baby bump!

But our baby girl is growing and thriving in there! 

She reminds me of it every single day with all of her movement :)

Feeling her little thumps throughout the day is the best feeling! 

It reminds me that my body is changing for a reason, and it's the best reason EVER!

i want, i want, i want!

Ever since we learned just how much it costs to have a baby, and not to mention the cost of all those baby necessities... I've pretty much put a stop to spending money on myself. Not that it's been too difficult, our small town offers nothing as far as shopping goes and I despise online shopping! And it's worth it, I'd rather be spending the money on our baby anyway :) But now that I've cut myself off from splurging- the idea of spending money on myself is SO much more tempting! Does that happen to anyone else?
I'm just feeling so frumpy lately! I want to splurge in areas that will help make me feel cuter (which means... no buying clothes! Ha ha. It's a challenge to watch my body change and realize I just can't wear the same size of jeans I could before... not because of my baby belly... it's because of my butt and thighs, ha ha!) So #1 on my want list is: EYELASH EXTENSIONS! I rarely do my make up these days (my poor husband) so it would be SO nice to feel like I've gotten ready for the day, even though I haven't touched my mascara :) This will probably happen eventually, and I blame that all on my occupation and having the hook ups through my salon ;) Maybe after the baby gets here when I'll be feeling super frumpy. This would be a good pick me up!
#2 on my want list is: EARRINGS! Besides my wedding ring, I hardly ever wear jewelry. But I LOVE earrings! And I just realized it has been YEARS since I've bought a new pair of earrings. I wouldn't feel guilty at all about buying a couple pairs of earrings to make me feel a little cuter! But I don't even know where to look for earrings these days.... so my friends! Where do you love to shop for cute, inexpensive earrings??
#3 on my want list is: MATERNITY LEGGINGS! Like I said before, shopping for clothes is not the funnest right now. But I'm definitely going to have to add a few maternity staples to my wardrobe. I've been searching the internet for different ideas and I'm pretty sold on the tunics, leggings and boots look for the last couple months of my pregnancy. Super cute, definitely comfy, and will keep me warm enough until I have the baby! And let's face it, when I'm not wearing the leggings I will definitely be sporting my husbands sweats. Leggings would be much cuter out in public ;)

via

See? I LOVE that look! The best part is that these leggings are only $13 from H&M... score!! EXCEPT, I can't order these online! AH! The one time I find something that I just have to have (and need to have), and is the perfect price, the website doesn't offer this for online shopping. How depressing. How the heck am I supposed to get my hands on these maternity leggings? I know, I know, my life is so hard :) But I am seriously bummed out!

My lists of "wants" grows daily (I'm stopping at 3 things because the list is very atrocious from here on out, ha ha) but it's not too painful to avoid the splurging. Like I said, I'd rather be spending the money on our baby! But when I DO find something I want, that totally fits into my "needs" list as well, and I can't get my hands on it? SAD DAY! So if any of you have advice for me I'd love to hear it! What's best for online maternity shopping? I'd much rather do the shopping in person but I just don't have access to anything besides a Walmart and Cal Ranch.... so sad, ha ha!

she loves her daddy

I'm trying to limit posts on our baby to once a week but sometimes all I want to do is talk about her, and other times there are just so many memories I won't want to forget! So sorry, but I can't help it that baby girl is taking over the blog :)
We had our gender reveal ultrasound last Monday, then spent our evening getting rained out at Aladdin :) By the time we got home and ready for bed, it was pretty close to 1:00am before we snuggled up to go to sleep. I'm never up that late so I don't really know if baby girl moves around throughout the night. But I got to witness the sweetest moment between Eric and his daughter! You might think I'm crazy, but I just know that she is already crazy about her daddy!
Eric leaned down to my belly and started talking to baby girl. I can't remember what he was saying.... sometimes he rambles, other times he sings, he'll even give her spanish lessons every once in awhile :) He rambled on for a minute, stopped and waited with his hand resting on my belly.... then BAM! Baby girl gave one swift kick or punch that made us jump a little! I've never felt so much power in her movement! Eric started laughing and started rambling to her again. Each time he stopped talking he'd wait for her, and BAM! She'd give him one big thump to get him talking again. Once he was done talking to her I didn't feel anymore movement that night.
Seriously guys... I've never seen or felt her do anything like that before! And watching her during our ultrasound earlier that day, she'd react every time Eric spoke. Our ultrasound tech even commented on it! Those two are going to have one amazing bond! I just hope she loves me as much as she loves Eric :)
I can't end this post without sharing a couple shots from her ultrasound. I know these are a little freaky to look at... but I'm one proud momma and can't help but want to show baby girl off!! :)

She kept moving her mouth as if she was talking, smiling, and laughing!

Precious little foot! She has all 5 toes (even though it looks like 6 in this picture. But we made sure!)

That's all I'm going to share because like I said, these pictures are a little freaky to look at, especially when you have no attachment to the baby :) And I don't want to embarrass her too much before she's even born, ha ha! ;)

it's a hard knock life...

A couple weeks ago the battery died in my car. I'd been telling Eric that the car was starting slow and that the battery might be dying a few days leading up to the end of it's life. It was a sweet victory for me when we got in the car and it wouldn't start... I was finally right about something that Eric definitely has more knowledge in :) Well my sweet, loving husband decides to jump the battery to see how long the charge would last. This would determine if it was really a dead battery, or if I needed a new alternator. I'm pretty sure he just wasn't in the mood to change out the battery.... so he thought he'd see how many days he could get away with the jump start. Well that stupid charge lasted 4 days. 4 whole days of me telling Eric that the car is still starting slow, and that it was going to die on me at the most inconvenient time possible. And my sweet, loving (and snoody) husband would just grin and tell me that, "it doesn't matter how it sounds! All that matters is that it will start!"
I was sick of driving around a car that I knew was going to kill over on me, so I told Eric that he was driving the car to work the next day and I would be taking the truck! That way I won't have to deal with the stupid thing when it died :) Being the sweet, loving wifey that I am, I went to fill the car up with gas so that Eric wouldn't be driving on empty. Of course my car didn't start when I was finished filling it up.... and Eric still had over an hour and a half left of work. Oh how I wanted to strangle my sweet, loving husband! I asked someone to jump my car and long story short? The cables got crossed- causing my battery to "blow up" and the jumper cables melted into a mess of nothingness. Eric was so dead meat by that point!! I was stuck at the busiest gas station in town, and was going to have to wait for over an hour for Eric to be done working to come tow me. I felt SO humiliated (I'm not sure why... this was ALL Eric's fault after all... if he had been around to jump my car I could have avoided the battery and jumper cable mess... or if he'd just replaced the battery in the first place I never would have been stranded.... DEAD MEAT!) so I called my friend Laura and she sent her husband right over to tow me home. That's not even the reason I called her, but I didn't even have to ask! They came to my rescue and we laughed about the whole mess on the way home.When Eric made it home from work we all just stood around my dead car chatting and hanging out.
That night, in those simple moments of chilling around my stupid car, I realized how blessed I am! This new town and this new life that I complain about constantly really isn't so bad. Do I miss northern Utah and all of our loved ones and fun times?? YES! Is this new town boring as heck? Yes! Do I have friends everywhere I turn in this town? NO! But I can proudly say that we are friends with 4 couples now.... FOUR! And we are slowly meeting more and more people. I've said this in my last couple of posts, but this town is slowly starting to feel a bit more like home each week. And the main reason being that I have an amazing little family- my sweet, loving husband and a precious baby girl on the way. And our friends, those 4 couples, are true friends. Who needs a plethora of friends in this small town when we've got these amazing people in our lives? I'm thinking that epiphany of how lucky we are to have amazing friends in this town is the beginning of a major attitude change :) I still miss my northern Utah life everyday, but I'm so blessed to have amazing friends all over the state of UT (and AZ, my best friends just keep moving away, ha!).  I can't wait to see more goodness from this town with my slow-changing attitude :) It has to keep getting better, right?

we're having a baby....

GIRL!! 

And she will be the most precious, spoiled little princess ever!