Our Weekend + Apple Picking

Zebra, my favorite restaurant in Charlotte, does what they call 'magic night' every quarter. It's black and white attire, a five course meal, wine pairings, and then they do a magic show with the 'best magician in North America' (self proclaimed, I'm sure). They only take ten couples, and it sells out immediately. We had a sitter and did that Friday night - so much fun! And the food there is always sooo good!

This was the only weekend in October that we had a free Saturday, so we had to go apple picking. After being up too late Friday, I dragged Dan into the car to head to Sky Top Orchard.

As soon as we got in the car, I realized I forgot my camera. Mom brain. So these are all cell phone shots.

We wore vests on vests.

Because what one year old doesn't need a fur vest?

Olivia loved holding the bucket. We have since gotten her a Halloween pumpkin bucket for trick or treating - she is obsessed with carrying it around and putting things inside it.

I waited in line 45 minutes for apple cider donuts.

#Worthit

It was SO crowded. There were thousands of people there. Most were in the donut line. And then I swear they all migrated to the apple cider line, once I wanted that. 

Olivia excels at taking the apples out of our bucket.

Based on this chart, she's somewhere between 0 and 3 feet tall. 

This flower one just cracks me up.

These two:

My favorite pumpkin in the whole patch.

I love going to sky top orchard, despite the two hour drive and how crowded it is. Olivia had a blast and I hope she enjoys it every year!

Freshly Picked Winner and Pictures of Olivia

You guys, Olivia has some good news. Come here. Closer.

A winner has been chosen (by Rafflecopter) for the Freshly Picked giveaway!

You want to know who it is?

How about an unrelated story to help build suspense?

Olivia was walking. And then fell.

Check out the momentum in these cheeks!! She hit the ground hard, and girl has some cheeks on her!

Anyway, who won?

You can check out the original post, but it was Kristen from Playground Prepster!!

Yay!!

Sad you didn't win??

Here's a hug from Olivia:

AND, even better, I will be hosting a SECOND Freshly Picked giveaway prior to the holidays! So stay tuned!

Her Heart is Made of Gold

This little one is the greatest thing in our lives.

Can you see her one tooth?

And that smile that never goes away. I'd do anything for that smile.

Her unsteady zombie walk.

And those cheeks. Oh those cheeks.

Our Weekend

Our weekend, in cell phone pictures.

1. Who spends $45 at the dollar store? How does that happen?

I'll tell you how it happens. I run out by myself, without Dan reigning me in, and Olivia takes the mother of all naps - so I never have to come home.

Paci Hoarder

2. I did a lot of spray painting this weekend. Including, but not limited to, my feet.

Many dollar store vases, glassware, and frames for Olivia's first birthday.

3. We took Olivia to her fifth, sixth and seventh breweries. NoDa, Birdsong, and Heist were all within a half mile of one another.

Mmmm Beer.

At Birdsong, there was live music - including a bongo player. Olivia was in heaven. She was smiling - and hitting the chair along with the bongo player. She was clapping for them. I think she could have stayed all night.

4. Olivia stole my piece of pizza, ate half the slice, and gave it a thumbs up. "You guys have been holding out the good stuff." Wait until you try cake, Olivia.

5. We are working more on walking - really hoping she would be able to walk to down the aisle in a wedding she is in in two weeks. It looks like she wants to take things slowly. Still walking with a destination, but I don't think she will make it down the aisle.

6. Ughhh. Monday.

Freshly Picked Review and Giveaway

When I turned 18, packed all of my stuff, and moved away, my dad helped me lug my 3 suitcases of shoes to college. That Christmas, he bought me a sweatshirt that said, 'will work for shoes.'

Olivia was born with the same problem. I believe she had 8 pairs of shoes prior to her arrival. Dan likes to blame me, but it's Olivia. Swear. Girl likes her shoes!

At seven months old, she started pulling up and 'walking' around everywhere. I don't think she has sat down since. (She also gets this from me. Sorry, Dan). Chick even likes to take a bottle standing up. Pretty quickly, we had to start the process of looking for 'practical' shoes - especially once they were required for daycare.

Olivia's doctor recommends soft soled shoes for as long as possible. They help her feet grow correctly, and are easier for unstable walkers to grip with their toes. 

Enter, Freshly Picked moccasins.

You have undoubtedly seen them on Olivia, as she wears them every single day. You might have also seen them on the Kardashians and other celeb babies, because they are that awesome. Olivia is so trendy.

They are soft soled shoes, made of incredibly soft, high quality leather. The hidden elastic around the ankle makes them easy for parents to put on (even Dan will dress her - that's saying a lot!) and it keeps them on her feet (which, in the world of infant shoes, is huge!).

But the best part? They are toddler proof. Olivia has worn the same pair every day for the past four months, and they have held up so well.

These have been kicked, and stepped on. Dragged along 100 degree concrete and through the dirt. Splashed in puddles and carried away by the family dog. They have protected her feet through all of those miles, and barely look worn. 

Except for the sweet little footprints on the bottom.

I chose Platinum because Dan could put these with absolutely anything in her closet, and they would match. Also, they match my Jack Rogers.

BUT, since the obsession, we have purchased a few more colors: birch, neon pink, chrome, and blush.

Now for the really exciting news? Freshly Picked is offering one of you a pair in your choice of size and color. Nothing is off limits. Not even the new fall colors that dropped yesterday. I am dying over 'oui oui.' 

These make such a generous baby shower gift, first birthday present, christmas present, etc.

Fine print? Contest runs this week, and the winner will be picked on Thursday, October 2nd. The winner will have 24 hours to claim his / her prize or another winner will be chosen. Valid to US residents only. You cannot have won another Freshly Picked giveaway in the last 60 days.

Good luck!

*Olivia received her platinum pair in exchange for review - although the obsession with Freshly Picked started much earlier.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Olivia - 11 Months

Height: 29.5 (80%)
Weight: 18.5 pounds (40%)

Sleep: She is still sleeping 7-7ish, with two naps a day. 

Eating: Still drinking milk as a primary source of food. She LOVES protein - she is clearly not my child. Meat, eggs, cheese and yogurts are favorites. She really doesn't like vegetables. I put some mixed veggies on her plate and she tried a bite of the broccoli - spat it out - threw all the broccoli on the floor, tried the carrot, spat it out, threw all of the carrot on the floor, and so on until her plate was empty - then looked at me like 'seriously, what is for dinner?'

Milestones: This was a big month! She got her first tooth - one on her bottom, it's only about halfway in. And she started walking! She only walks with a destination a few feet away. She isn't steady enough to walk down the street or anything. We keep rooting for her to walk more. People keep telling us we are crazy and our lives will be over. :) We'll see.

Clothes / Diapers: Still in a 3 diaper and still true to size. Now that she can fit into 12 month clothes, it has opened a whole new world of clothing options. And bank account depletion options. I saw a quilted khaki skirt and brown riding boots the other day. So unnecessary. And necessary at the same time.

Best Moment of the Month: Definitely her walking. She seems like such a big girl. And she loves to walk toward us and then just collapse into our arms with a huge hug. 

Parent of the Month Award: Both of us feel like the worst parents. Olivia had hand foot and mouth once we got back from Destin. She was sick for over a week, barely ate, high fever, didn't want to walk or crawl. Not more than two weeks later, she got Croup - again, 103 fever, didn't want to eat, sore throat, etc. After five days and the second doctor appointment, they found out it turned into a double ear infection. She's now on antibiotics. Poor baby. Part of me wonders if she thinks we did this to her.

Favorites: She still loves everything that isn't a toy. She loves to take things out of baskets / drawers / etc. She can make a mess faster than anyone I know. She likes to "help" us empty the dishwasher by taking our clean dishes out and throwing them on the floor.

She plays peekaboo with any blanket, curtains, etc. She also plays this game where she fake sleeps on the floor (head down, eyes closed, HUGE smile) and we say 'goodnight Olivia' and she pops her head up and starts laughing out loud. 

If she's in another room, or not in sight, we can say 'Olivia, where are you?' and she laughs and comes crawling really fast. No matter what she is doing, we can stop her in her tracks by saying, 'Olivia, where are you?'

The way she peeks around corners, and gets up on her tippy toes to reach things (like the door knobs) makes me realize just how big she is getting. She's quickly moving from my baby to a toddler - and I wish I could just capture all of this in a bottle. I tell Dan all the time that I want to go back to her being a newborn for just one day. And I know I'm going to want to go back to my 11 month old for just one day. Trying to soak all of it up - but, oh, does it go by quickly.

Scary Story for Halloween

This happened today:

I think I have mentioned this before, but my fear of spiders is slightly abnormal. 

I was on my way home from work, driving down the highway, when this small spider was crawling on the windshield. Being an optimist, I used my wipers to shoo it away. 

The wipers quickly confirmed that I was living out my greatest fear: the call is coming from inside the house spider was inside the car.

I had to be brave. Or neither one of us was getting out alive.

I grabbed my high heel shoe to smash it. 

I needed to hit it hard. Insta-kill. Or this demon creature would land in my lap. 

And I can't promise that I wouldn't have had a full-on panic attack if that happened. 

I took my shoe and slammed it against the windshield as hard as I could. Since I kept my eye on the road, the heel hit first. 

I thought for sure the heel was going through the windshield. Have you seen this meme?

Source

I just imagined trying to explain to both Dan and the insurance company. With a broken windshield and glass everywhere. "But..there was a spider." 

Luckily, I'm not nearly as strong as I think.

Second smash and he was gone. 

I continued home just knowing that I was the bravest person on the planet. And that there were a million and one spiders crawling all over me.

Dan - you can take my car to work tomorrow. There are glass cleaning wipes in the glove compartment.