Life Lately

Hi my name is Kristin and I am the world's worst blogger. I really thought leaving my 9-5 would turn me in to some kind of super blogger and I'd have all this time to sip coffee and channel all my inner creativity but as proven by this little old blog of mine, leaving my job has done quite the opposite. It also hasn't helped that the snow is melted and back-to-back spring & summer plans have started to fill our calendar, here's what I've been up to...

My friend Kari and I joined my friend Nadine for a super fun Zumba class that benefited the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society. It was my first attempt at Zumba and I absolutely LOVED it!

 

 We found out that one of my besties and her hubby are welcoming a baby GIRL in September!!! This exciting news also means that I have a baby shower to plan which you all know makes me as happy as a clam!

Carolyn and I have been taking kickboxing classes and are having a blast. It's an insane workout and don't be fooled by our pink boxing gloves....we are pretty bad ass. 

I got together with some of my favorite MN Bloggers {Jess, Carolyn, Katie, Kelly, Dawn & Bridget} for a wonderful yoga practice and a Zula Juice tasting with the owner Renee - if you read my post on Zula from a while back you already know I'm obsessed and I was really excited to get my girls obsessed as well!

 

I sent my baby sister off to prom! Kara is just finishing up her junior year of high school and it is beyond me how she is already this grown up and this beautiful. It's making me feel old. 

 I'm spending as much time as humanly possible outside with my love bug. We are READY for summer and READY for the pool to open! C'mon Mother Nature!

We celebrated my dad's birthday - complete with sister selfies, a family dance party to Whitney Houston, a group plank session and of course pies because our family can't get together without pies. 

This past Friday night our best friends Colin & Sharisse welcomed their baby boy, Wesley, in to the world and to say I was excited t meet him was a HUGE understatement. We are all so excited to have this bundle of joy here safe and sound and I am excited to watch him grow {so is Kenley}.

 

Also this weekend I met Dawn & Melissa for a blogger coffee date {and failed to take pictures}, I met my mom for dinner and a movie {we saw The Other Woman} and Jason and I took Kenley to a Twins game - which they won! We were shocked!

I got myself a fancy blog planner {more on that soon} and let's hope it helps get my butt in gear!

Girls Weekend

Holy macaroni! This weekend was amazing! 

I'm excited to be linking up with Sami to recap it with all of you!

Jason left town on Thursday night to help my dad with his tournament in Denver. 

SO my weekend consisted of hangin' with my girls...

Yup, it was just me, Kenley, Bailey and my dad's dog Shiloh all weekend. 

I HATE when Jason leaves town because I do not handle staying home alone well. I absolutely love having "me" time and I won't lie, having the house to myself is nice now and then, but once the sun goes down my anxiety is through the roof. But, for some reason, this time I was fine! Maybe it was all the fun stuff I had planned. 

I figured if Jason is going to be gone, I am going to do all of my favorites things, SO...

....I ate take out Chinese. 

....I watched A LOT of Gossip Girl /  Keeping Up With the Kardashians

....I got an Oreo McFlurry from McD's

....I went shopping for our family photo shoot coming up at Carter's, Baby Gap, Old Navy and Target

....I bought baby gifts for some expecting friends

...I had chips & salsa for dinner 

....I brought Kenley and the dogs to the dog park 

....I painted my nails
....I bought all of the necessary items to start Kenley on solid foods next week! 

....I got new shoes and wore sandals for the FIRST time this year

....I drank my fair share of wine once Kenley was asleep
....of course I facetimed with Jason so he could see Kenny
--and--
I did a shit ton of laundry, went grocery shopping and got my oil changed. None of which are anywhere near my favorite things to do but I felt super productive and that is always a good thing!
PLUS, thanks to a little couponing, I saved $41.29 at Target!

HOLLA!

Even though all of that was amazing, there were definite highlights to this weekend:

On Friday morning, Kenley and I took our first BYOB {bring your own baby} Yoga Class at Blooma. The class that we took focused on restorative movements for mom and baby. We started with some infant massage and then went into yoga poses for mom which focused on restoring the core and relieving back pain from carrying around that bambino. It was absolutely the best $22 I've ever spent. I loved it! And so did Kenley. I want to start going on a more regular basis.

Kenley was definitely the class clown, shrieking and screaming {with glee} from the top of her lungs. It was such a fun and special way to bond with my baby, get in a good work out {yes, I was totally sore the next day} AND connect with other mamas. PLUS, it doesn't hurt that there's a Starbucks two doors down so that Kenley and I can have a coffee date after class. 

On Saturday, my brother and I took Kenley down to campus for the Gopher football Spring Game. By now you all know what HUGE Gopher fans we are so I was beyond excited to bring Kenley to the stadium for the first time. We met up with our friends Pat & Nicci and their two daughters and had a great time. 

It was a BEAUTIFUL day {finally} and Kenley did great. It was really, really special to spend the day with my brother and my baby girl at one of my favorite places on Earth. 

Sunday, I FINALLY got to find out the gender of Baby Roe!!! I know it's hard to believe, but I DID NOT know the gender before the party. It nearly killed me and Carolyn but I am so happy that she kept the secret because finding out with her family and closest friends was so special. 

Kenley and I both guessed that Baby Roe was a boy, so we rocked our blue and Kenley appropriately matched the "Waddle it Be" theme with her blue duck jammies.

 

 I was absolutely thrilled to tears {literally, I actually cried} to find out that Jake & Carolyn are expecting a LITTLE BOY! I could not be more excited for them and I cannot wait to meet my little Beebo and start arranging his marriage to Kenley.

see....tears!

Our weekend didn't end there, my mom and step-dad came home from Arizona on Sunday and are here to stay through the fall! I am SO happy to have my mom home, I can't even tell you! So clearly, I had to meet them for dinner! We went to Redstone and it was so wonderful. 

Seriously, so so so so so happy to have them home! Damn you snow birds. 

And now it's Monday, but I'm not too mad because my hubby gets home this afternoon. 

I cannot wait to see him!

I hope you all had wonderful weekends as well! 

My Sorta Second Job

Happy Frickin' Friday everyone!!! 

I apologize for my extreme absence lately! But I have been crazy busy. Not sure if I've explained this before or not, but I mention it every now and then...so I might as well try and explain why I am so darn busy this time of year. 

My dad runs an elite AAU basketball program called D1 Minnesota (formerly Minnesota Pump N Run). Pretty much my dad recruits high school basketball players to play for his program during their off season. He has three teams (17, 16 and 15 year old boys) comprised of some of the best basketball players in the state of Minnesota. His teams travels around the country playing in highly competitive tournaments, allowing the boys to play other elite players from all around the country and also to get recruited by college coaches. There's a ton more that goes in to it, but I won't bore you with all the crazy AAU details. 

In addition to D1 Minnesota, my dad also runs three NCAA Certified tournaments a year, two in Minneapolis and one in Denver. 

These tournaments aren't affiliated with D1 Minnesota but obviously his teams play in them. Basically, my dad invites other competitive AAU programs from around the country to come and play in his tournaments. Along with the teams, my dad invites college coaches to the tournament so that they can watch and recruit players. It's definitely the coolest part about helping run the tournaments. I've had the opportunity to meet Bill Self (from Kansas), Josh Pastner (from Memphis), Bo Ryan (from Wisconsin), John Calipari (from Kentucky) and many others! 

My big job for the tournaments is to put together books for the college coaches. These books have a roster for every team playing in the tournament with information on each player....height, graduating year, address, phone number, high school, etc. Basically all the information a coach would need to recruit a player. It's definitely a HUGE undertaking since each tournament has over 100 teams playing in it. Then once the tournaments start I do everything from checking in the AAU teams, helping the college coaches, selling admission, updating brackets, you name it. 

It's a TON of work but it's so much fun. My family is definitely the definition of a basketball family and if these tournaments aren't proof, I don't know what is. All of us kids (and Jason) help and have even recruited the Beeb and her hubby Jake to help out each year too. 

So anyways, tournament season is in full swing which is why I have been too busy to find the time to blog! We have a little break until the next tournament now, so hopefully I'll be back to blogging on a regular basis! 

Have a great weekend my friends! 

Spring! Baby.

HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SPRING!

I don't know about you but I am PUMPED that winter is technically over because that means mother nature has to at least start to cooperate and start sending us some warmer temperatures AND after Spring is Summer! And there is NOTHING better than Summer! 

Before I can do anything else, I have to wish my FAVORITE  spring baby

my brother Nate

a very HAPPY BIRTHDAY! 

I hope you have a wonderful day! I love you!

Now on to business...

With warmer weather just around the corner, I need to start thinking about a Spring/Summer wardrobe for my Kenny. I have a bunch of super cute outfits from my showers and that we've gotten as gifts that I cannot wait to pull out but you know there's no way I can resist buying some ensembles myself. Even at 4 months old, Kenley has a very distinct style, which my Beeb describes as "adorable baby chic." I am not a girly girl, so I'm not a fan of putting my baby in super girly things BUT I would hate for her to be mistaken for a little boy, so I make sure she always looks feminine. I've been perusing my favorite stores and have put together some inspiration looks for Little Miss Kenley.

Kenley actually already have this outfit thanks to her yai yai {thanks mama!J} 

For Easter...

- Sweater Knit Cardigan via Carter's

- Sateen Sleeveless Dress via Carter's

- Ruffle Bottom Tights via Carter's

- Stuart Weitzman Baby Bud Crib Shoe via Nordstrom

For rainy days...

- Flower Dot Hooded Raincoat via Gymboree

- Flower Stripe Long Sleeve Tee via Gymboree

- Button Bow Cuffed Jeans via Gymboree

- Curly Bow Hair Clip via Gymboree

- Poppy Espadrille Sandal via Gymboree

For day care with her grandparents...

- Short-Sleeve Graphic Bodysuit via Carter's

- Knit-waist Denim Shorts via Baby Gap

- Layered Chambray Headband via Baby Gap

- Faux-Leather Woven Sandals via Old Navy

For Summer Parties...

- Printed Flutter-Sleeve Jersey Dress via Old Navy

- Grosgrain Headband via Baby Gap

- Ankle-wrap Espadrilles via Baby Gap

For Brunch...

 - Dot Bubble One-Piece via Baby Gap

- T-strap Bow Sandals via Baby Gap

- Grosgrain Headband via Baby Gap

For Play Dates...

- Striped Baby Doll Top via Carter's

- Pull-On Woven Denim Shorts via Carter's

- Ribbon Hair Clips via Carter's

- Canvas Sneakers via Carter's 

Finally, because this is after all my baby, she will undoubtedly be spending the majority of her days

 by the pool....

- Polka-Dot Tutu Swimsuit via Old Navy

- Hooded Loop-Terry Cover-Up via Old Navy

- Polka-Dot Swim Hat via Old Navy

- Glitter-Jelly Sandals via Old Navy

Finally, I've saved the best for last {no offense Nate or Kenley} but today is also the first day of March Madness, which is basically a National Holiday in our house. My Beeb sent me this video yesterday and I about died. 

You guys...I cried from laughter and then I proceeded to watch it like 5 times.

Then {we're a little late on this apparently}the Beeb and I found out that this is a "thing" and there's a ton of Kid President videos. And we watched all of them...and cried some more. This kid is my idol. Seriously. If you need a way to kill some time, or some hours...watch them! Watch them all! 

Spring! Baby.

HAPPY FIRST DAY OF SPRING!

I don't know about you but I am PUMPED that winter is technically over because that means mother nature has to at least start to cooperate and start sending us some warmer temperatures AND after Spring is Summer! And there is NOTHING better than Summer! 

With warmer weather just around the corner, I need to start thinking about a Spring/Summer wardrobe for my Kenny. I have a bunch of super cute outfits from my showers and that we've gotten as gifts that I cannot wait to pull out but you know there's no way I can resist buying some ensembles myself. Even at 4 months old, Kenley has a very distinct style, which my Beeb describes as "adorable baby chic." I am not a girly girl, so I'm not a fan of putting my baby in super girly things BUT I would hate for her to be mistaken for a little boy, so I make sure she always looks feminine. I've been perusing my favorite stores and have put together some inspiration looks for Little Miss Kenley.

Kenley actually already have this outfit thanks to her yai yai {thanks mama!J} 

For Easter...

- Sweater Knit Cardigan via Carter's

- Sateen Sleeveless Dress via Carter's

- Ruffle Bottom Tights via Carter's

- Stuart Weitzman Baby Bud Crib Shoe via Nordstrom

For rainy days...

- Flower Dot Hooded Raincoat via Gymboree

- Flower Stripe Long Sleeve Tee via Gymboree

- Button Bow Cuffed Jeans via Gymboree

- Curly Bow Hair Clip via Gymboree

- Poppy Espadrille Sandal via Gymboree

For day care with her grandparents...

- Short-Sleeve Graphic Bodysuit via Carter's

- Knit-waist Denim Shorts via Baby Gap

- Layered Chambray Headband via Baby Gap

- Faux-Leather Woven Sandals via Old Navy

For Summer Parties...

- Printed Flutter-Sleeve Jersey Dress via Old Navy

- Grosgrain Headband via Baby Gap

- Ankle-wrap Espadrilles via Baby Gap

For Brunch...

 - Dot Bubble One-Piece via Baby Gap

- T-strap Bow Sandals via Baby Gap

- Grosgrain Headband via Baby Gap

For Play Dates...

- Striped Baby Doll Top via Carter's

- Pull-On Woven Denim Shorts via Carter's

- Ribbon Hair Clips via Carter's

- Canvas Sneakers via Carter's 

Finally, because this is after all my baby, she will undoubtedly be spending the majority of her days

 by the pool....

- Polka-Dot Tutu Swimsuit via Old Navy

- Hooded Loop-Terry Cover-Up via Old Navy

- Polka-Dot Swim Hat via Old Navy

- Glitter-Jelly Sandals via Old Navy