New York City Adventure

In early November we took Jonah on THE BEST adventure our little family has been on yet...

THE BIG APPLE!!

Jeremy and I talked about summer vacation plans for 2016 and we decided to do a Fall trip to NYC rather than a summer beach trip, and I am SO GLAD we did. I am totally a beach girl, but I've always wanted to go to NYC with Jer. Taking Jonah was the icing on top. We had more fun and adventure in four days in the city than we've ever had together. We made tons of memories with Jonah that I'll cherish for always.

Here's a (long) recap of our adventures.

We flew out early Saturday morning from Houston to La Guardia. We landed around 2pm, and began our adventure. Jonah was so excited to fly- and loved everything about the plane...especially the seat back tray table (sorry lady in front of him!!) and ordering orange juice as the beverage cart came around. He also kept asking me to read the safety card, which totally creeps me out. But I humored him. Thankfully we stayed in the sky (yes, I am a frequent flier and yes, I am still a nervous flier!).

His face. I can't even deal with how excited he was to see the big planes. I love this photo!

Once we landed and grabbed our bag (I'm pretty proud to say that ALL of our junk fit in one 49.5lb suitcase, Jer's duffle and Jonah's backpack and duffle!!) we bought unlimited metro cards for each of us and headed out to the bus stop. We took a bus from La Guardia to the 74th and Roosevelt stop, and hopped on a train in Queens straight to Grand Central.

Jonah fell promptly asleep by the time we got on the train. He was a tired little traveler.

From Grand Central we walked a couple of blocks to our hotel (stayed at the Shelburne Affinia and highly recommend- we had a great stay here!) and dropped off our bags. After showers we walked to Bryant Park via way of the NY Public Library. Isn't the library so pretty?! I would have loved to
have had time to explore the inside of it.

I was really excited to shop at the Winter Village. We ate dinner from street vendors at the Winter Village and topped it off with THE MOST AMAZING waffles + Nutella + ice cream (yes) at Waffles and Dinges.

I snapped this pic later that night and I think it's the cutest. He loved looking at the city lights out our hotel windows. Little boy in the big city!

We had big plans on Sunday. Jeremy's wish was to see the NY Giants v Eagles game, so much to Jonah's delight we got a cab to Grand Central and then took several trains out to the stadium. He was so excited to be in his first yellow cab. His excitement was contagious. It was the cutest!!

It was standing room only on the train to the game (we stood the entire time) and was the most fun experience to be with all of the hard-core Giants fans. Their accents cracked me up. Everyone was so friendly and we had the best day at the game. Strollers aren't allowed inside the stadium so we made the ENTIRE trek without the stroller. I was so proud of our little guy. He sat through the ENTIRE game (he's FOUR, y'all!!!) and happily munched on his popcorn. What a champ!!!

After the game we made the long trek back to Grand Central and decided to hit up Shake Shack for dinner inside the Grand Central terminal. Of course, Jonah fell asleep on the train to back to the city...

The next day we kept completely open to explore and shop. Jonah and I woke up and went for a coffee run while Daddy slept in. He caught the eye of the morning commuters with his bright stripes, and looked so cute on the big city streets!

After breakfast and coffee we headed out for the day. I have always wanted to go to Fish's Eddy in Flatiron (go, y'all!!), so that was first on the agenda. Flatiron did not disappoint. The cutest shops and restaurants! We explored Union Square for a couple of hours and then decided to head downtown for a special treat for Jonah Knox.

When we asked Jonah what he wanted to do on our trip to NYC his response remained constant- "I want to see Lady Liberty". So, we made that happen. We jumped on the Staten Island Ferry round-trip and he got to see it up close twice! He loved it, and it was the most beautiful day...

After we got off the ferry we decided that it was now or never for my bucket list item- walking over the Brooklyn Bridge. And, I'm not going to lie. I thought I was going to DIE. We probably walked 10 miles on Monday. Soooo much walking. (normally walking isn't an issue but this girl of mine is totally burried down low and it HURTS to walk!!)...... But walking on that wooden bridge was so worth the aches and pains!! It was the coolest, and as we were walking across the sun was setting.

I will always remember that sunset on the Brooklyn Bridge, and I'm thankful I was able to experience it with my two favorite people.

When we made it to Brooklyn pizza was first on the agenda. Juliana's to be exact. And it was just as delicious as I imagined it would be. I'm not even telling how many of these pieces I inhaled.

After pizza we hit up the Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory and then called it a night. I was more tired than I've been in years, so we caught a cab back to our hotel. Worth every penny because I literally COULD NOT walk another step. Thought I was going to die at that point. Haha.

The next day was our last full day in the city so we wanted to make it count. We spent it playing the day away at Central Park and ended it at Rockefeller Center.

I have four days of memories with Jonah and Jeremy to last a lifetime. We laughed and laughed, made tons of rookie traveler mistakes and generally had the most fun vacation of all time. Sometimes pictures make a trip look more fun than it really was (thanks to social media) but I can honestly say that the photos don't do this trip justice. I tried. I did. But they're stored in my head and heart. It was the best trip.

Can't wait to see you again soon, New York... (and next time with a little girl in tow!!!)...

Thanksgiving 2016

My heart is so full this Thanksgiving season. I try to be thankful for all blessings in my life, all the time, but I get especially weepy around this time of year. Plus I'm pregnant. So weepy is a common thing these days. Nonetheless, I am so thankful for every big and little blessing in my life. Our family. Friends. Neighbors. Our house. Car. Jobs. Church. Just everything! I try to talk about it with Jonah so he understands what the real season is about. Thankfulness brings about a positive heart, I think. Thanking God for the things and people we have, allows us to really appreciate them.

I love this time of year so much! Here are a few photos from Jonah's Thanksgiving Feast at school, as well as our family Thanksgiving celebrations...

And, I'm officially 25 weeks!

Nursery Inspiration

I've got all things nursery on the brain these days. Specifically girly girl nurseries, which is a totally foreign thing to me. I'm really, really excited to make a cozy space for my sweet girl.

I've been pinning some nurseries and general room elements and furniture that inspire me and thought I would share some of the images here. It will be fun to see where I end up. I'm really into classic feminine spaces. Nothing too modern, or vintage. Loving all things classic and preppy.

Halloween Fun & Festivities

This year Jonah wanted to be Cat in the Hat for Halloween. So, naturally...

The Cat in the Hat and Thing 1 & Thing 2. It was inevitable!!

He had a class party at pre-school so I went over on my lunch break and celebrated with him. They had the cutest little Halloween parade, and then a party in their room.

Happy Halloween to everyone! We hope you have a SPOOKtacular holiday.

And, I'm officially 20 weeks!!

Our sweet girl!!

Y'all. We are having a baby girl.  A GIRL!!!!  I seriously can't even wrap my head around it yet. I've started thinking about it and it's TOTALLY overwhelming me and making me a little emotional (in the best way possible).

My ultrasound appointment was this past Friday morning. Jeremy went with me & dropped Jonah off at school (which was just the cutest, he was so proud to have Dad there!!). Jeremy and I were both pretty nervous on the way to my appointment, Jeremy even stated that out loud before we got there.
During the scan we were both pretty quiet. It's always nerve wracking when they are checking the baby to see how everything is growing and developing. I just kept thinking, "God, please let my baby be healthy and well"... what would be going through any Momma's head, I think.

The tech asked us if we had thought about the gender and Jeremy just said yes, but most importantly we want baby to be healthy. I love that he said that (so did the ultrasound tech!) and, she said, well....

'You're having a little girl!"

I just remember thinking wow. A girl. I don't know what to do with a girl. This feel so foreign, but yet so right at the same time. We were both over-joyed!

We planned to meet our parents for dinner later that evening and do a little gender reveal surprise with Jonah. It was the cutest. From day one Jonah said he was having a Sister and when he opened the balloons he was SO EXCITED to see the pink!!

Here are a few photos from our night celebrating our GIRL-

Gender Musings

This is the week we find out if our sweet little nugget is a BOY or GIRL. I seriously can't believe I'm almost half-way through my pregnancy. It's really flying by.

My appointment is later this week and I cannot wait. I have a gut feeling baby is a girl. I don't really know why, but maybe because I love being a boy mom so very much that I feel like I'm destined for pink. If so, I'll ROCK out being a girl mom, too. But it will definitely take some getting used to!!!

Here are our predictions:

Jeremy- Boy
Lindsay- Girl
Jonah- Girl (since day one he's been saying his "sister")

Momma Must Haves: Round II Gear

Y'all. I am so much more than giddy about getting to research tons of cool, new baby gear for a second time!!  It was one of my fave parts of being pregnant with Jonah. Reading lots of reviews and finding cool products.  Definitely with this go-around I have more of an idea of what we will and won't use or need which is a plus. Here are a few of my Momma Must-Haves at the 20 week mark-

1.  First on my hit list was a new stroller for two. Initially I thought about a double stroller, but after thinking it through it just doesn't make sense. Plus I don't think I'm cut out for double stroller drama (so wide! so heavy! need someone to open doors for you!) Jonah will turn five shortly after I have the babe. After much research I decided on the Joovy Caboose. It is a lot less expensive than our Bumble Ride. We have the Bumbleride Indie jogging stroller (retail $549). The Joovy retails for around $200, basically half the price of the Indie. And, how cute is it?!

What really stood out to me (besides the great reviews that I read!!) was its functionality for an infant and a five year old. It has a place for the infant carrier in the front and also the coolest kick board that works for sitting or standing for your big kid. I mean. Y'all. Jonah and I are both obsessed. We've tried it out with our sweet niece who was about 18 months at the time and it worked like a charm. The smaller child goes up front and is strapped in with the snack tray, the big kid at the back. They share the umbrella cover. It has a bunch of cool additions too that you can purchase.

If you are searching for the perfect single stroller I (still) highly recommend the Bumbleride. It is compact for a jogger, has amazing wheels (real, not fake plastic-y) and also is the best for jogging. I loved it and plan to keep it for our walks. I'll just need to work on Jonah's stamina on his bike. Our child wants to stop for a water break every five seconds!!

2. Next let's talk infant carriers. We plan to keep our Chicco Keyfit and get a fresh, new cover. A new carrier isn't something that I personally want to spend money on. You have it such a short period of time and they're all basically the same (not pretty and so heavy!). So, I plan to keep the one we had, replace the insert and outfit it with a few of these cute new covers. These weren't around five years ago and I am SO PUMPED about them!!

They keep the babe shielded from wind, rain and sun PLUS tons of eyes/hands of people you've never met before wanting a peek at your baby. That always weirded me out. Problem solved, y'all.
Bonus- these also convert to a cute nursing cover.

3. Wrapin' it up. Solly Baby wasn't around five years ago (to my knowledge) and with Jonah we used an Ergo Baby. Which I still plan to do for some outdoor type things, but I love the softness and how great these wraps seem to work. The reviews are fantastic and the colors are just my fave ever!!

4. Infant co-sleeper. After checking out a bunch of new stuff I found DockATot. I'm really excited about the find! A friend (Hi Ash!) let us borrow the coolest co-sleeper with hard sides when Jonah was an infant. He slept right between Jeremy and I the first month. I remember we would wake up and put our hand on his chest to make sure he was still alive. Ahh, memories of being first time parents. I loved the ease of having him right in the bed with us for easy feedings. It made my life SO much easier!! We transitioned him to a bassinet after the first month or so where he slept until he was three months old. I didn't put him in his crib until after I went back to work at 12 weeks. It totally worked for us!

So,  DockATot is interesting to me and has great reviews. I think it could work well for naps during the day and also in transitioning to the crib or for travel!

And a quick list of things we won't be spending money on (didn't use/didn't like/didn't work for us):

Wipe warmer
Diaper pail
Fancy infant bathtub

I have a ton of other finds that I've been reading up on so I'll try to break it down by type. I'll be back with cute swaddles and other things at a later date. This is some of my top gear for now. Do y'all have any suggestions, or products that you've tried/love?? I would love to know!!

*I also plan to go back and read this post of "Diaper Bag Necessities: One Year" because literally I can't remember. It's been too long. SO THANKFUL that I blog..

Halloween Happenings

It's officially October so I can post the Halloween shenanigans that are going on around here. It's been so fun (more than previous years) to decorate for Halloween because as I add little things here and there around the house Jonah freaks out. Loves it!!

His favorite parts are the spiderwebs on our light fixtures. He said, "Mom! My friends are gonna be sooooo scared at the spooky spiders!!" and was pleased as punch at our decor.

Mission accomplished. I don't decorate for anyone but my little fam-bam gang. And I love to do it for every single big (and little) holiday. So. Here's how House of Strickland is looking these days...

our front door decor- 

I made the wreath and garland last year and it was so simple! Followed a YouTube tutorial!

Spooky little spider hanging out on our entry way lantern 

The dining room

Small glitter pumpkins from Walmart! $1 each, y'all!!

This bench & little nook is in our entry. 

I always decorate the Celebration Tree for each holiday.

The fireplace mantle. Jonah is really proud of these spiders. 

(Garland, spiders & web from Walmart. Light up pumpkin from Hobby Lobby)

Breakfast Nook

Y'all. I have found soooo many cute things at Walmart this year. I know. Fall over dead. But the spider web, little spiders, mantle garland, & candy corn wreath in our breakfast area (how CUTE is it for just $19?!?!), as well as all the little glitter pumpkins ($1 each!!) came from none other than Walmart. Oh! And our cute little Boo Y'all front door mat. I had no idea how much they've stepped their decor game up, but seriously. Loving it. I spent $20 and it made a huge impact on our space.

I painted some regular gold chargers with black chalkboard paint I had sitting around and made the cutest little chalkboard chargers for the dining room. And my personal favorite part of the decor will always be the Halloween salt dough ornaments I made of Jonah's little hands and feet. Hands down my favorite treasure!

I love me some Halloween!! How are you celebrating this new Fall season?!