It’s that time of month again, time for our monthly coffee date.. and I’m so thankful that you’re here friend.

If we met for coffee, I would start by asking how you’re doing? How was your March? Are you excited and ready for Easter? I can’t believe it’s this weekend already! I would also ask if you and your family do Easter baskets. It seems like Easter is becoming the second Christmas in our families (in the sense of all of the gifts and expectations) and I’m not sure I like it. When I grew up, my mom gave us an Easter basket (from the Easter bunny) which was filled with candy and that was all. Now our kids get gifts from aunts and uncles and their grandparents too. It’s a lot and the expectations are there for us to return the gifts of course, which I don’t necessarily mind but the financial aspect is also a lot. I just wish it were more simple I suppose especially because I don’t want the real reason for the season to be lost along the way.

If we met for coffee, the topic of weather would also likely come up as it usually does when meeting with friends who haven’t seen each other in a while. I would share how much I’m enjoying this weather and how thankful I am that we made it through another winter. I would also share how the boys have been playing outside for hours each day and it makes me so happy. I love watching them enjoy their childhoods in a way that I never got to experience. I truly am so thankful for this life that God has given to me. It’s not lost on me for a single second, even through the more trying seasons.

If we met for coffee, I would also ask how you read your Bible. I had started rereading it in May of last year and have been switching back and forth between old testament books and new and I’ve been bogged down in the old testament for a while. I’ve just gotten to 1 Chronicles and am feeling a need to switch things up a bit. Do you read the Bible in a year? Do you follow a reading plan? Or do you just read as you feel God is leading you?

If we met for coffee, I would also likely give an update on how my social media schedule is going and let you know that I fell off of the wagon when it comes to taking time off of Instagram. I am thinking it’s time again to delete it and have a longer break. I was reading a lot of books on my time off of Instagram but ever since starting my Youtube channel, I feel like I don’t have the mental energy to be reading all of the time. But maybe that’s just a lie and I need to keep pressing in to spending my time on more fulfilling things, not wasting it scrolling endlessly.

If we met for coffee, I would apologize for chatting about heavier topics this month, it just seems to be where I’m at right now. I would ask if you could relate or if you’re feeling much lighter in this season. I would thank you for spending some time we me today and say that I’m looking forward to meeting again next month.

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It’s been a minute since I’ve shared a Friday Favorites post so I thought it was time. ☺️

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This sweet pea turned five months old this month! We had a doctor’s appointment last week and she’s doing so well! But she has given us a run for our money this past month or so. She went through quite a sleep regression and it was quite exhausting for a few weeks. I thiiiink we are coming out of it and she seems to be sleeping a lot better again thank God! Getting more sleep is also a favorite! 😉

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I ordered some new curriculum for Shane a couple of weeks ago and it finally came this week and we’ve been enjoying it so much! For the past few months we’ve been using a different curriculum and while we liked it and are still using it, I felt like we needed a bit more review. So I ordered The Good and the Beautiful Preschool and so far we really like it. I also ordered the Kindergarten Math because I am finally out of the newborn haze and had time to do some more research and have more time to dive a little deeper with Shane. We are both having so much fun working on this math curriculum together.

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Speaking of homeschooling, I started a second Youtube channel just for homeschooling content. I thought it would be fun to start documenting our homeschool journey. I have already filmed my first two videos and am just figuring out when I’m going to start posting them but I am aiming for Tuesdays and Thursdays.

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Another favorite was Valentine’s Day this week! If I’m being honest, I threw this together last minute (like Valentine’s Day morning) and it was super cute. I cut out a few hearts and wrote reasons why I loved them and gave them a few chocolate kisses and it was perfect. I didn’t need to spend any extra money but was able to make Valentine’s Day a little extra special.

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And lastly, I ordered this new bible this week. It’s the She Reads Truth bible and I am really loving it. It’s the Christian Standard Version and I am finding it so much easier to read and follow. It feels very much like “every day” English, which is really helpful. I also really like how in the beginning of each book of the bible there is a reading plan you can follow. If you are in the market for a bible, I highly recommend this one!

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Thanks for joining me and thanks to Andrea and Erika for hosting this linkup! 🙂

Hey friends! I’m so excited for this linkup 🙂. My friend Bella from Over the Teacups and I are starting this little coffee date linkup where we can meet together once a month on the first Wednesday of every month. I’ve always loved these virtual coffee dates and am so excited to start sharing them again!

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If we met for coffee, I would of course ask how you were doing! It’s been too long since we met for a coffee date and would want to know all of the things going on with you. How is this season treating you? I would likely mention the weather and how grateful I am for this unusually warm winter we are having. It has been so life giving in a season where I am usually just trudging through. The boys have even been able to get outside and get their energy out and for that I am super thankful! Everyone in the house is happier when they are able to get outside! 😉

If we met for coffee, I would share about how I took all of January off of Instagram. I would explain how I have separated my Instagram accounts to have a personal Instagram and an Instagram for my blog and how I have all of my “real-life” people who I actually know on my personal Instagram and “influencers” or online friends on my blogging Instagram and this past month have taken a break from my blogging Instagram. I would share how amazing and life-giving it was. You never really understand just how much social media is affecting you until you take an extended break from it. It’s always shocking to me how different I feel after a few weeks off social media.

If we met for coffee, I would share that the time I would have been on Instagram was replaced with reading books on my phone. I’d share how I read 5 (!!!) books in January and how much fun it was to spend my time doing that instead of mindlessly scrolling. I’m excited about this change because I feel like it’s going to stick and help me continue to spend less time on social media once I “allow” myself to go back on it.

If we met for coffee, I would probably share about how we became members of our church in December! I know I’ve shared a little bit on here in the past but we switched churches a little over a year ago now and it was such a good decision for us. The church we switched to is much smaller and a lot more family focused and I’m really excited about getting to know the people there more as we are now officially members! 🙂

If we met for coffee, I would share about how Melly is almost five months old and I’m not sure how that happened! She is the sweetest, most fun addition to our family but I am not sure how it has already been five months since she arrived. I am loving having another girl in the house, much more than I realized I would. I keep day-dreaming about what life will look like when she’s older and I get to teach her things about being a wife and mom. I can’t believe that I get to be her mama, I’m so grateful!

If we met for coffee, I’d also likely mention that I used some Christmas money to get some new fun home decor (as mentioned here), and I also rearranged some things in our house and those two changes have been really refreshing. Have you noticed how sometimes it’s hard to make the decision to get rid of something or change something in the house but once you do you feel so refreshed? It seems silly but it really is something small that has been bringing our whole house some extra joy.

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Thanks for joining me for this little coffee date! Don’t forget to linkup below if you want to join or at the very least leave a comment below and share about what’s new with you! ☺️

Hey friends, it’s been a while so I thought I’d share a little Friday Favorites post to catch you all up on what’s been going on around here lately.

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We have a 5 year old in the house! I can’t believe Shane is five already. It just goes too fast. We had a lot of fun celebrating this sweet boy this month. We had a little family party for him as well and he had a blast. It was definitely a recent favorite of ours.

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Speaking of birthdays, this little girly and I snuck out on my birthday and had a little shopping date. I had some money from Christmas that I got to spend on some fun home decor. I also got to cash in my free Starbucks drink. We had a great time.

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Another favorite this week is how much I am loving the home decor we bought on our little date. I am in love with these three flower canvas prints. I also bought the bunch of flowers on the mantel as well and am loving that too! It adds such a nice touch to our home and makes it all feel a lot more pulled together. Now next on the list is to refinish the brick and mantel. I can’t wait, it’s going to look so much better!

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I almost forgot to add this one but a definite favorite these past two weeks is my new Nespresso machine!! Tommy surprised me with it for my birthday and it’s been so much fun to have some fancy coffee. I can’t wait to make some brown sugar shaken espressos when it starts getting warmer! It’s going to be so much fun! (and delicious!)

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The boys have been absolutely loving having “snack trays” for lunch the past few weeks. Ever since Christmas when we had a lot of leftover crackers and cheese, we’ve been putting these snack trays together for the boys about once a week for lunch and we all have been loving it. Me because it’s so easy and them because they find it really fun and delicious! I’ve seen other people do this a lot but have never tried it and I’m so glad we finally did.

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Another favorite is that I have been loving how much I’ve been reading this month. I decided to take the month off of Instagram and I am so very glad I did. I have gotten into a new habit that has been so much better than scrolling Instagram. When I’m nursing now I have started reading books on our library’s digital apps and also keeping a copy of the hard books when possible too and it has really helped me get into a lot more books than I usually read. I am probably going to hit five books this month, which is just crazy! I think I’m going to do a book review post in the beginning of February of all the books I read this month so stay tuned for that if that’s interesting to you.

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Thanks for joining me and thanks to Andrea and Erika for hosting this linkup! 🙂

January

January started with me being in the first trimester and feeling very exhausted and just generally not great. We had Shane’s 4th birthday party that we had been planning all the previous year. This was the year he had his “big” party where we rented a place and invited all of our extended family and friends. It was super fun even though I was still very much in the first trimester haze of exhaustion. Unfortunately after the party all four of us came down with COVID and were very sick for a week or so. (Hence the picture of Riley and I on the couch looking miserable. 😂) We were unfortunately really sick for Tommy and I’s birthdays but tried to make the best of them and celebrated the only way we were able to, with some yummy food.

February

February brought our first ultrasound and our first blood test when we found out we were having a baby girl! This was such a fun month sharing the news with our parents and being shocked ourselves. Other than that we spent lots of time inside trying to stay busy, including lots of reading and some indoor exercise videos.

March

March brought a little bit of time outside as it started to slowly warm up, a growing babe, and a trip to the zoo!

April

In April we celebrated a small Easter at home, our twenty week ultrasound, and had a sad sick boy. 😔

May

May brought lots more time outside, which was much welcomed. The boys got into a habit of spenting lots and lots of time outside as it warmed up even more. Tommy and I celebrated our six year anniversary with a couple days home with no kids. We made dinner at home together which was really nice. We also enjoyed seeing our sweet girl grow and grow!

June

In June we went to Ocean City, New Jersey for a week of relaxation on the beach. We had such a good time and can’t wait to go back as soon as we can!

July

In July we celebrated Riley’s second birthday! The boys joined me at the OBs office a few times. We ate many, many acai bowls this summer. Shane started swim lessons! And we took a week vacation to Lake George, New York with Nana and Pop and our cousins! It was a very exciting month!

August

In August Shane went to many more swim lessons. It was so nice to get to the little beach many times this summer even being very pregnant. 😅 (Thank God the lessons were only 30 mins, ha!) I also got my hair done for the first time in a salon just in time to celebrate our sweet girl at our baby sprinkle. I also went to many doctors appointments this month and very impatiently awaited our baby girl’s arrival.

September

September was the best month yet when our girl FINALLY graced us with her appearance. We were all absolutely in love with her the minute we all met her. We enjoyed many, many baby snuggles this month (after everyone got over their colds). We also got out of the house a few times and went for walks and even was able to go fishing once or twice.

October

October was when we officially started homeschooling! We went fishing a few more times and took a trip to go pumpkin picking!

November

November was really fun! We went apple picking right at the beginning, Tommy and I got to sneak out for a few hours and celebrated a wedding that was very conveniently 15 minutes down the road. We ended the month getting our Christmas tree and decorating our house for Christmas!

December

In December we enjoyed snuggling our sweet girl a whole bunch, baked lots and lots of Christmas cookies, and made prime rib and homemade cinnamon rolls on Christmas Day! It was a very sweet and enjoyable time of year! ❤️

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I love making these posts because it reminds me just how blessed we were each year. I’m so, so thankful for everything that we were able to do in 2022 and can’t wait for what 2023 has in store for us. In case you want to see what we were up to in the past you can see some of my other year in reviews here: 2015: Part 1, 2015, 2015: Part 2, 2016, 2019.