I don’t know about you, but when I think of the holidays I think of family, reading a good book by the fireplace, drinking hot chocolate and eating lots and lots of food. My family shares the best Holiday recipes from candies to comfort food. We get together every year to throw a big Christmas party and make special treats. To prepare, we decorate, set a theme and prepare a menu. This year, that menu will include my version of a delicious Mezzetta recipe: Pasta Salad.

Ingredients:
1 bag of Whole Wheat Pasta
Light Italian Dressing
Shredded Parmesan Cheese
Mezzetta Peperoncini Peppers
Mezzetta Roasted Bell Pepper Strips
Mezzetta Castelvetrano Whole Green Olives

Directions:

Boil the noodles and drain. Pour them in a large mixing bowl. Chop peppers. Add the peppers, olives and Italian dressing to the mixing bowl (add as many as you prefer) and stir it all up. Top with Parmesan cheese. Store the dish in the fridge until party time!

This recipe is so easy, delicious and it looks so festive for the holidays! This is the perfect side dish to any holiday meal and is a big hit with my family. The Mezzetta peppers and olives make this dish. The flavors are outstanding.

Be sure to enter the Mezzetta favorites holiday gift basket giveaway! There are 31 winners daily. Yes, daily. The basket includes an apron, ceramic bowl, tote bag, metal olive spoon and lots of Mezzetta favorites that you can include in your Mezetta Holiday Recipes!

Also Mezzetta is offering you all a $0.50 off coupon now through December 31st! Be sure to snag one!

What is your favorite Holiday Memory? Does your family have a special Holiday Recipe?

I hope you all enjoyed Thanksgiving with your family and ate lots of yummy food! We were very blessed this year. Did you go Black Friday shopping yesterday? I racked up on the deals and I am only 2 presents away from being finished with all of my Christmas shopping! Woo Hoo! I’m hoping to finish up with a few of these amazing Cyber Monday deals. These are some of the deals I plan on shopping this year. Did I leave any out?

Amazon:
Kindle Paperwhite 
Nikon D300 DSLR

Ulta:
FREE 19 piece beauty bag with a purchase of $60 or more
$75.95 Ultra Chi (Holiday flat irons or dryers) with free tote

ASOS:
30% off everything with code “ILOVEMONDAYS”

H&M:
30% off entire purchase and free shipping on all orders over $50

What I’m loving:
Black Booties
Mama Treggings (for my preggo self)

For Hampton:
Shell Jacket
Pajamas
Socks

Khols: 
Extra 20% off with code “CYBER20” (now through December 6th)

What I’m loving:
Lauren Conrad Eyelash Sweater
LC Quilted Skirt
Elle Ponte Pants

For Hampton:
Flannel Plaid Shirt
Thermal Tee
Fairisle Sweater

Anthropologie:
20% off all items using code “HOLIDAY20”

What I’m loving:
Monogrammed Mugs
Floppy Hat
Faux Fur Scarf

The Loft:
50% off everything using code “Monday”

How far along: 17 weeks!


Size of baby: 5″ long 


Gender: No idea! I’m getting really excited to find out! Ryan is still saying girl, but I’m just not sure. 


What do you think it is Boy or Girl?


Movement: YES! There is no mistaking those all too familiar little flutters I have been feeling. They make me smile. I can’t wait to feel it more often!


Workouts: I’ve had another great workout week! Thank goodness for TIU! Their schedule has helped me tremendously during this pregnancy.


Sleep: Sleep has still been pleasant. I’m not as big this pregnancy as I was with Hamp (probably thanks to my exercising) so I haven’t been uncomfortable yet.


Maternity Clothes: No, but I have been wearing leggings all week. They are just so comfortable. My maternity jeans are still too big for me, so I am probably going to rock the leggings for a while.


Cravings: Still no cravings. 


Favorite Moment This Week: Thanksgiving! I definitely gave myself a pregnancy pass this year. It was so nice to enjoy good food with my wonderful family.


Looking Forward To: Our ultrasound in 13 days! Not that I’m counting or anything… haha I can’t wait to find out who is in there! 


Announcement // 14 Weeks // 15 Weeks // 16 Weeks 

Fall is my favorite time of year and I am trying to suck in every last minute of it. Here are some of the things I am loving this fall:

Leaves candle from BBW

This vest from Top Knot Goods (be on the lookout for this beauty in an upcoming outfit post!) 🙂

This buffalo plaid shirt! Gimme!

Neutrogena Moisture Smooth Color Stick in Plum Perfect

Essie polish in Don’t Sweater It

The Lovliest Chocolate Shop in Paris by Jenny Colgan

These slippers! Ahh Target…

These corduroy pants in deep antique blush.

What are you loving this fall?

How Far Along? 16 weeks!

Size of baby: 4 1/2 inches – about the size of an avocado. 🙂

Gender: Ah I still have no idea. Everyone else thinks it is a girl, including my doctor. She walked in the room today and asked how our little “Princess” is doing. haha I will definitely laugh if it is a boy.

Weight: 4lbs. so far. I have done so so much better with this pregnancy so far. I’m just hoping I can keep up the slow eight gain throughout… haha I know, I know.

Movement: I definitely felt the baby twice this week. No mistaking that all too familiar flopping sound. I was also very giddy at the doctor today when I heard the baby literally doing flips in my stomach. It is very active in there.

Maternity clothes: Not yet! Probably really soon. I am carrying so much higher this time that I can actually still wear most of my pants. I am not complaining about that at all!

Cravings: Still no cravings. Maybe they will start soon?

Looking Forward to: Thanksgiving next week! I can’t wait to see all of my family and show off my little bump!

Announcement  // 14 Weeks // 15 Weeks

Super Hero Shirt // Corduroy Pants – Old Navy similar // Converse

How far along: 15 weeks!


Size of baby: 4″ long – about the size of an apple!


Gender:I still have no clue. My Doctor said she thinks it is a girl because the heart rate is much faster than Hampton’s was and it is sitting much higher in my stomach. We will see in 3 weeks!


What do you think it is Boy or Girl?


Movement: Not yet, but I’m hoping it will come soon!


Workouts: Thank goodness for TIU! These girls have encouraged me so much this week. I had a great workout week thanks to them! 


Sleep: Other than getting up to use the bathroom about twice a night, I’ve been sleeping really well. 🙂


Maternity Clothes: Nope! I actually bought a pair of non-maternity pants last weekend that I am obsessed with! I’m hoping I can wear them for at least a couple more weeks! You may have seen them on IG! Yes, I love corduroy. Go ahead and call me grandma! haha


Cravings: Still no cravings. I’m actually kind of thankful for that. I craved cookies and milk with Hamp and gained so much extra weight thanks to that, so those cravings can take their time coming!


Favorite Moment This Week: Realizing I go to the Doctor next week and then 2 weeks after that we have our gender ultrasound! I’m getting excited to know who is in that belly!


Other Changes: No new changes other than the breakouts. They are still pretty bad. I’m hoping it clears up soon and isn’t something that will follow me through the entire pregnancy.


Looking Forward To: Finding out the gender in a few more weeks! I can’t wait to start picking out a name and preparing for our little one! I’m also excited to tell Hamp all about his little brother/sister! He won’t understand, but I’m going to try to prepare him as best I can. 


Read my 15 week baby update from my pregnancy with Hampton here!

I can’t believe I still haven’t shared Hampton’s Halloween on the blog! Oops. Well, better late than never, right? I put a picture on Instagram, so if you follow me there, you at least got a glimpse of him in his koala cuteness.

Funny story: Hampton was supposed to be Thing 1 for Halloween since we already had everything for the costume from his party. The thing is, he refused to wear his blue hair and therefore looked like a kid in a t-shirt. That just wasn’t okay. He definitely needed a cute little furry costume. We ran to Party City the night of our Trunk-or-Treat at church (because I’m a new procrastinator aka new mom) and the line literally wrapped around the building. We definitely did not have time to stand in that check out line. We left kind of disappointed when I spotted TJ Maxx next door. I convinced Ryan to run in there with me really quick just to see if they had anything. They had one boy costume in Hampton’s size and it was half the price of all those Party City costumes. That was it. So without further ado, I give you our little koala bear:

1 and 2 – posing for mommy // 3 trick or treating at his great-grandmother’s house // 4 trunk-or-treat at church

Link up all of your mama related posts below and don’t forget to grab our snazzy button! I hope you all had a Happy Halloween!

How far along: 14 weeks!

Size of baby: 3.5′ long – about the size of a lemon.

Weight: I had gained 2 pounds, but lost a pound at my doctor appointment last week. Probably due to lack of appetite during that cold I had last week. :/ So, I would be back down to a pound except I gained another pound this week according to my at-home scale. So that’s a 2 pound gain for me!

Gender: I have no idea! I keep trying to picture myself with another boy or a little girl, but I just have no feelings yet of what it might be. Ryan thinks it’s a girl, but he also thought Hampton was a girl, so… haha

We have our gender ultrasound scheduled in four weeks! What do you think it is Boy or Girl?

Movement: Nothing yet. I thought I felt a flutter the other day, but I’m still too early to really feel anything yet.

Workouts: I’ve been running/walking 2 miles every day and keeping up with my TIU workouts as well. Since I was sick last week, I hardly worked out, so I got back after it this week and did really well.

Sleep: I’ve been sleeping pretty well. No complaints or discomfort yet!

Maternity Clothes: Not yet! My jeans are definitely getting a little snug so it probably won’t be long. I did just order a pair of corduroy pants from the Loft! I love them and can’t wait to wear them this winter! Did you know the Loft has maternity clothes? Online only!

Cravings: Nothing. I’m not kidding. With Hampton, I was all about tomatoes and them sweets. So far, I’ve had no cravings or aversions for that matter.

Favorite Moment This Week: My stomach popped out a little! I’ve been wondering when that would happen. I literally woke up Wednesday morning and squealed when I looked in the mriror! Finally! With Hamp, I was in maternity clothes at this point already and I was visibly showing by 10 weeks. I thought I would show earlier with this being my second pregnancy, but it has taken it’s time showing up. I’m glad it is finally showing up!

Other Changes: My face started breaking when I quit breastfeeding Hampton. I was hoping that this pregnancy would help my face clear up, but it has gotten a lot worse. It’s so gross and nothing I seem to do has helped. Any suggestions, mamas?

Ryan: Is probably more excited than I am about this pregnancy. I’ve been a little nervous about having 2 babies under 2, but he is thrilled. I don’t even think he was this happy over Hampton. haha It’s been really cute to watch him.

Looking Forward To: my growing belly! I can’t wait for it to show up! I am just hoping I don’t gain as much weight this time around. I gained way too much with Hamp (45 lbs.) but, so far I am doing a lot better this time around.

Read my 13 week bump date from my first pregnancy!

I wanted to write about August 25th. The day we found out. 5 days after our close friend’s funeral, we were sitting in the living room early Monday morning talking about everything. We were planning for our vacation to my grandmother’s house in Jax Beach and talking about how difficult it would be to have a good time when we were still so upset and just not in the right frame of mind for a vacation. I started trying to pack about mid-morning and then I started feeling light cramps. I immediately looked at my calendar and guess what? I was over a week late. Surely I just wrote the wrong date down? I got a really sick feeling in my stomach trying to think about everything in the last month. We thought we were careful. Apparently, I have a really weird body that ovulates when it wants to aka VERY late (tmi? Sorry).

I took a pregnancy test and it said “pregnant” almost immediately. I stared in disbelief. I walked into the living room and showed Ryan. He smiled and then shook his head and said “are you serious?” I started crying. Okay, sobbing/freaking out/panicking. Ryan just kept laughing and smiling saying that it would be okay. We had a 10 month old. How on earth can I have another baby right now when my hands are already so full with him and work? Of course we want more children, but we had definitely planned to wait longer than this. We wanted to be in a new house before we had another child. This is definitely not ideal timing for US. Then I started thinking…over the next several weeks. Hampton wasn’t my timing, either. He came in God’s perfect time. I would have had him months sooner than I did if it were my timing. This one must be God’s perfect timing again. We have been nervous about our house, but in reality, there are people living in far far worse situations than we are and we can definitely make it work. We have been nervous about finances, but we know that God always provides.

After weeks of letting this “surprise” really sink in, we are growing more and more excited each day! Ryan has actually been a lot more excited than I thought he would be. I have been the one freaking out a good bit. haha Honestly though, this first trimester has not been as hard as my pregnancy with Hampton. That has been a wonderful blessing. I’ve been able to hide it a lot easier this time which was nice because we needed time for the news to set in with us first. I feel like God is definitely trying to teach me a lesson on His timing vs. mine.

In a way, this is a huge answered prayer. I have prayed since my pregnancy with Hamp that I would not have to get back on clomid to get pregnant again. I wanted it to be easier for my other pregnancies. God definitely answered that prayer in a big way. I am thankful for that and for a healthy baby/pregnancy so far.

I will start bump dates SOON! There isn’t much of a bump yet, but I will start sharing updates soon!

Read all about our Christmas miracle here.