• The littlest Carroll hosed me down this morning while I was changing his diaper. I mean, really. Hayes peed all over the room! I was in such shock that all I did was scream. I’m not sure why I didn’t act faster and just throw a towel over the situation. I think Hudson did it once when he was a baby. Hudson was in the room when it happened and he died laughing. I’m hopeful that when potty-training starts Hudson doesn’t get it into his head that it’s funny to tee tee on Mommy!
• I am itching to throw a party. It’s time to get started with Have a Ball. I delayed my official “launch” and have just been taking projects very slowly because of pregnancy and Hayes’s arrival. But now I’m ready. Email me for details! (Yes, I refer to this part of the brain dump as Shameless Self-Promotion.)

• I’ve lost all but 4 pounds of what I gained during my pregnancy with Hayes. After I get rid of those 4 pounds, I’m going to work on the 10 that I never lost from my pregnancy with Hudson. When I get rid of those 10, I’m going to work on the 5 I gained after we got married. Whoa. That sounds like a lot when I put it in writing.
• I am completely freaked out by public toilets. I have a really hard time when I travel. When I was pregnant with Hudson and was so nauseated all the time, I would drive the full 3 minutes home from work just so I wouldn’t have to get sick in the scary toilets at work. I also kept those fun barf bags in my car just in case I didn’t make it.
• I can also get really freaked out by hotel beds. I will tuck my knees up so far into my chest so my toes aren’t down near the unknown under the covers. I’m not exactly sure what it is I’m afraid of.
• I have been wanting a pom-pom throw for a long time. I would love one in Hayes’s room and one in the living room. I just hadn’t been able to find a great price for one. But then they were on One Kings Lane today! I scooped up a couple of fun pom-pom throws in yellow and purple!

• Hudson is really into elephants and I’m thinking that may be his Halloween costume this year. His Daddy may put an American flag bow tie around the elephant’s neck.
• I heard a loud crash and the sound of glass breaking this morning. I honestly thought someone broke a window in our front door. So I looked all over the house and couldn’t find anything. When I went into the bathroom, I saw a picture frame had fallen from the top shelf and was shattered all over the floor. Do we have a ghost?
• When having budget discussions this week, TC suggested we stop using our cleaning people. I suggested I stop highlighting my hair and dye it brown, my natural color that I haven’t seen in 18 years. TC was not a fan of this idea. I prefer my hair blonde in a major way, but vanity kind of went out the window when I had Hudson. The topic is still up for discussion.
• Of course I can clean my own house, but it would take me a full week because I’d do it one room at a time. I’d never be able to enjoy the full pleasure of having a fully cleaned house all at one time. I know, poor me. But it’s my brain dump and I’m just being honest.
• I’ve been battling a bad attitude over the past few days. And I honestly think the negativity on Twitter is rubbing off of me. I should spend less time reading tweets.
• I’ve seen so much talk lately where women/mothers are challenging each other’s opinions and parenting choices. I just don’t understand it. From how you discipline to how they are dressed. And milestones… why does it matter if someone else’s child reaches a milestone before yours? It’s hard not to feel competitive and like you want your child to be the best, but it’s exhausting to try to keep up. We have enough stress as parents without having to worry about other parents making it harder for us.
• We took the first step toward potty-training and bought Hudson some Cars and Toy Story underpants. But after Hayes’s tee tee adventure this morning, I’m not sure I’m ready for Hudson to be having accidents all over the house.
• That’s about all I’ve got!

It’s been a while since I’ve done a giveaway and I’m so excited about this one. My friend, Sarah, is the Monogram Chick! And she is so sweet to ask me to host a super fun back to school giveaway on my blog!

I can’t believe it’s that time again, but it’s time to start thinking about back to school gear for the kids in our lives. Whether you’re a mom, an aunt, a big sister, or you have a special child in your life who needs back to school gear, these items from Monogram Chick are so cute!

While this giveaway is running and through the end of August, you can receive 10% on your Monogram Chick order by entering BACKTOSCHOOL.

And we are going to have 3 WINNERS for this giveaway!

*Edited to add: Today’s giveaway is for these three items in the navy and orange color combo

Winner #1: Receives a personalized backpack and lunchbox set

Winner #2: Receives a personalized toddler backpack and a snack square

Winner #3: Receives a personalized nap map

To enter, leave a comment on this post. Easy peasy!

For a second entry, “like” the Monogram Chick on Facebook.

Good luck! And be sure to check out Monogram Chick for any great gift ideas!

I realized the other day that we’ve gotten some fun pictures lately and I haven’t posted them. So this post is just a little picture dump and an update on what we’ve been up to.

Last Saturday, TC and his friends played golf out of town. So the wives hung out at our house for the afternoon. We had lunch and the babies got to play. My friend Emily’s little boy is just 7 weeks older than Hayes, so we’re pretty sure they’re going to grow up to be great friends! Before this picture was taken, they were looking at each other and smiling.

That same day, I took Hudson and Hayes to another little girl’s birthday party at The Little Gym. She’s the adorable one with the pigtails and the pink shirt. Her mommy is sitting right next to her and she’s pregnant with a little boy! We’re so excited for them and excited to have two kids around the same age.  Hudson had a great time at the party. We had to skip his nap before the party so he didn’t wake up cranky and he was pretty much running on fumes. He was absolutely slap-happy and just had a great time.

This sweet guy just smiles all the time. We love him so much! I know I sound crazy, but I’m determined for Hayes to wear all of the outfits in the closet for each size. I also want to take a picture of him in everything. I know someday I’ll be packing all of the itty bitty clothes away and I’ll hold the clothes and wish I could see how tiny they were in some of their little outfits. I love the little embroidered circus animals on this Magnolia Baby sleeper. And it’s so soft!

I attended a fun blogger meet up in Charlotte on Thursday night. It was so much fun! I had met two of the girls before and was excited about meeting everyone else whose blogs or tweets I read. We missed Ashley and Faith!

on the left: Melissa from The View From Five Two, me, Rachel from In No Simple Language, and HRo from Robud’s Musings

on the right: April from A.Liz Adventures, Lauren from Preppy Newlywed, Christina from Carolina Charm, and Katie from Snippets of Me… K.T. Louise

Hudson loves playing in his room. All of his toys are in there. Before we found out we were expecting Hayes, we turned that room into the playroom and moved all the toys in there and built shelves for his TV/DVD player, books, and toys. Then it had to become his bedroom. Sometimes we have a little bit of trouble getting him to settle down in his room, but for the most part, he recognizes that when lights are out, he’s supposed to be in bed and not playing with his toys.

I am so happy that he loves to play in there during the day. During Hayes’s morning nap, Hudson invites Boudreaux, Fiona, and me to come into his room to keep him company.

Hudson and Fiona totally have a love/hate relationship. They totally want to be around each other, but he screams when she licks him. She barks when he runs through the house. And he often chases her just to get her to run. But they also sit nicely together and she watches him play.

This guy is God’s gift to pet-lovers. He is so sweet with Hudson and Hayes. And for the most part, he and Fiona get along. Most of the time they just tolerate each other, but we know they miss each other when one is gone. Boudreaux loves to follow Hudson into his room and just lie down to watch him play.

We had another drama-free, successful morning of getting up, getting dressed, and getting out the door for church. We even had time to stop and take a couple of pictures. There are so few pictures of me with either of the kids, much less both of the kids, which is why I love having a professional photographer come to get pictures of us all together. Mommies are always behind the camera.

Hudson wasn’t really wanting to cooperate to have his picture taken and TC was teasing him and pouting about it, too. So of course, when I go to take the picture, Hudson puts on a happy face and I catch TC pouting.

We’re off to another birthday party this afternoon. I hope everyone has had a great weekend!

It’s Friday and I’m linking up with Stefanie from Paw Prints and Pastry Bags for Pinnable Me!

Once again, Pinterest is having embed issues so I’ve just had to take screen shots and link back to the original source. I’m sorry I can’t help you with “repinning.”

This week I am loving libraries. Home libraries, old beautiful libraries, photos of people in libraries. I even created a “libraries” board on Pinterest because there’s just something about the smell of a library and the tradition of the whole thing. I kind of want to start tap dancing around the library and singing “Marian the Librarian” from The Music Man!

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This home library is gorgeous and so cozy. I love the frames hung on the outside of the bookshelves.

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This girl is so cute with her striped shirt, ponytail, tennies, and glasses. It looks like such a relaxing Saturday afternoon.

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This may just be the best idea ever! I love the windows in this library and love that it’s floor to ceiling books on every wall. What a great little room for kids and adults!

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This has been one of my favorite library photos for a long time. I just love the books arranged by color. I did this with some of my cookbooks, but I wish I had this many books to really make a rainbow in the room. I adore the pillows on the couch and the turquoise vases. And of course the darling pug who looks like he’s ready to pounce!

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Such a great bookshelf arrangement. The silhouette lamp is fantastic and I adore the wooden monkey hanging from it!

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What did you pin this week?