This was Glow’s birthday dress for her special birthday adventure. It’s a style I’ve made numerous times before and since she’s all about bears, I dug this unused fabric out that I bought years ago (I’m a fabric hoarder) and finally put it to good use. I love being able to make her a little something without having to spend money. Since she calls all animals, especially bears, “baby,” that’s what she was doing to the print on this dress. It was “Baby! Baby!” It was the perfect birthday dress for her 2nd birthday!

See her birthday breakfast in bed here.

This was The Zombie Run round 2! We loved it so much last year, that we signed up to do it again this year. The race was at a different location, it was much hotter, and it was steeper and rockier, so I had to be careful around those parts because I did not want to chance rolling an ankle. I’ve got 4 little ones to take care of, so it’s safety first even if that means I become zombie dinner. The course was filled with lots of zombies, which meant lots of interval running, and a whole lot of screaming and fun. One thing I  did notice this year was that there were less obstacles. I love the obstacles and I wish they would have put more on the track. Jumping walls, crawling in mud, and under barb wire are my cup of tea (well, for fun runs)! It just makes the whole thing much more exciting!

I did finish the course with one flag left, so I did come out a survivor even though they gave me a medal that said “infected.” Part of the fun is seeing the zombie outfits and makeup. They’re really good and the brides are always the freakiest ones. Our group mostly stuck together and it’s makes the whole race so much better (and less scary). I love running fun races with these people. We all loved it so much that we already signed up for next year’s Zombie Run in March! Anyone else wanna join?!

A half marathon or even a full would be on my to-do list, but Ben doesn’t run and it gets lonely to train by yourself. We do our workouts in the morning together and since he doesn’t run, I’m not as motivated to go outside to run because I’d rather be exercising next to him. I really want to try the Spartan Race. That one is a much more intense endurance test, but since it’s only 3 miles, I don’t think I really have to train and I can just keep my regular workouts with Ben, but probably throw in a few more burpees in preparation. I don’t know, we’ll see. Now the obstacles in that race kind of freak me out, but I’d really like to see if I could do it. Have any of you done the Spartan Race? How hard is it?

P.S. The photos were taken by Ben. He doesn’t run the race, but he comes as a spectator and tries to find us throughout the course to snap our pics. He’s such a sweetie. Also, don’t forget to check out last year’s zombie run here.

We headed out to our community Harvest Festival for the first time ever. We typically go to another one that takes place during the day at a local college, but we thought it would be fun to try something new this year. We went with some friends and in the early evening, we all strolled over to the park together. We packed a picnic dinner, some picnic blankets and we had no idea what to expect at this community event.

Ben and I were pleasantly surprised at how great the whole thing was. There was a petting zoo, hay rides, a zebra (A ZEBRA!), this corn kennel play area, a maze, (unhealthy) festival food, and live music. Of course, there were inflatable jumpers too, but we skipped that because we were having too much fun with the free activities (and we didn’t want to pay 10 bucks a kid!).

We loved that corn kennel play area, but we all came out with a lot of corn inside our shoes. Glow was smitten by the zebra, and the bigger girls liked the petting zoo, though they were a bit afraid to touch the animals. We set up a blanket with all our friends and had dinner together. I even brought fancy sparkling water for the occasion! It was just such a great night of fun together as a family and with our friends, who are pretty much our family too.

It was a cooler California evening, or rather it was really windy, so we were excited to wear some sweaters out. Summers seem to last forever here, but the sweaters have been coming out more often lately, so that’s very good. At least, for this cooler weather loving mama it is. I love the patterned sweaters Old Navy has for kids and I love my simple sweatshirt (it’s only 8 bucks online!). I can dress it up with a pretty necklace or leave it plain (it’s been my go-to top these days with a skirt or jeans). All evening at the park, we were definitely warm and cozy. We stayed a little past the girls’ bedtime, but breaking the rules is okay once in awhile, especially when it’s for some nighttime pumpkin patching. Wouldn’t you agree?!

on me: crew neck sweatshirt and necklace c/o old navy. denim skirt, vintage. shoes, converse. glasses, rowley eyewear. on true: graphic sweater and dotted skirt, c/o old navy. on brave: animal graphic sweater and shoes, c/o old navy. pants, c/o panache box. on soul: striped terry dress, c/o old navy. shoes, superga. cardigan, c/o panache box. on glow: polka dot sweater, c/o old navy. shoes, freshly picked. crochet bauble, ava mae & ruby lu.
*This post was sponsored by Old Navy. Check out Old Navy’s latest fashion lineup in store or online at oldnavy.com. I love blogging and these opportunities really wouldn’t be possible without you, so I’m very thankful for the time you take to visit this space! xoxo

It was one of those “we need to get out of the house” days and RJ (baby sister) was over, so we took this opportunity to go do some adventuring. We did some thrifting (found nothing) and then got the bestest ice cream ever. It’s a bit of a drive for it, and Ben thinks I’m crazy to do so, but he doesn’t understand how good it is. It’s seriously bomb dot com.

A la Minute Ice Cream is made to order using liquid nitrogen! Say what?! Not sure how it works, but look at that picture above with all the smoke, that’s how it works. It’s pretty much made for you in a minute. It’s utterly amazing! My fave flavors are their salted caramel and chocolate lavender… oooh so good! Our friend Steph, who introduced us to the ice cream, texted me the other day to tell me they had pumpkin. Unfortunately, the day we went, they had just sold out that morning. They said they were making another pumpkin one, so that means we will just have to make the trek back. I was bummed, but excited because that means we have to go back. There was also a thrift store that was closed that we want to check out, so another day of ice cream and thrifting must happen again very soon.

This banner is a quick (and festive!) way to spruce up your home for Halloween. Head over here to check out the how-to and maybe you’ll have some other fun saying you’ll want to put on a banner for your home! I made one awhile back (see here), but this one is much better in getting the letters to stay up and not be floppy.

Holy moly it rained! Then it cooled off. It was just 100 degrees last Sunday and I’m hoping that was the last hurrah of summer. I’ve been in cozy sweats since Wednesday, so I’m kinda feeling good about it.

This week’s learned, links, and thankfulness…

I love these girls, even with all the chaos that ensues daily, I’m so thankful for them.

We had an impromptu girls’ wine and cheese night this week and it was awesome.

This chair is just so rad. If it came to live here, I wouldn’t mind.

This wedding proposal and wedding all done in the same day is really so sweet! I love what they said about what makes their relationship tick. That’s what makes my relationship with Ben tick too.

If you’re a 9, I love these vintage ankle booties (great price too!) or these woven ones for a size 7 is awesome!

We’re planning a trip to San Luis Obispo soon, so send over your recommended places to eat and visit please!

I loved that I actually got to wear layers this weekend. Yay!

My baby sister started her World Race blog. I can’t believe she’ll be leaving us in a year. I start to tear up just thinking about it.

I’m probably going to the Oh, Hello Friend 5 year party on Friday, anyone else going to go too?

Happy Monday! I hope your weekend was fabulous. Mine was as I got to clean my bathroom and we took the girls to Disneyland!!!