Party of 5

Some patriotic swimwear to kick off your holiday weekend...as well as some fun news - we're expecting! Shuffler child number 3 will join us this November. Remember when I didn't blog at all in April? #firsttrimester But it's over and I'm feeling much better!

So cheers to my growing family and a fun holiday weekend ahead with lots of pool time, friend time, and family time. See you next week!

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Friday Crush

Cheers to my tiny bread-lovers...they take after their mama. 

Ana Claire and Mac are all joy and light, folks. I know Sunday is about me and my attempt to be winning at motherhood, but it really boils down to these two. And their bread chomping. And those little faces that I could squeeze all day. And I do - squeeze. A lot...and they don't like it.

Hope you are celebrating the mothers in your life this weekend. Enjoy it. See you next week!

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Happy Belated Halloween

Just a quick Monday hello to show you the Shuffler children in all of their Halloween finery. We opted to mix holidays and went with a Nutcracker Ballet theme - Ana Claire was Clara and Mac was her nutcracker.

Ana Claire's eyes have been opened to the world of candy. And we can never go back.

Hope your holiday was wonderful!

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Mac's Nursery: Inspiration

Mac is finally getting a nursery...I think.

The plan has been to put Mac in Ana Claire's room once she moves over to the bed from her crib. Which has not happened. And Mac is still in our room. And we are approaching one year.

Carter and I are convinced that having them together would actually work fine (and would be more convenient for us). But it's a question of timing and I'm getting impatient with Mac's unsettled state and the fact that the little guy has no dedicated space in our house (stuff. is. everywhere.).

We also agreed that there is something nice about devoting space to a child...Ana Claire's room is hers. The older she gets, the more she loves her room. We designed it for her and every little touch that went into it was carefully planned for our baby girl. And I want to do the same for Mac.

So, that's where we are headed. Though we asked Ana Claire if she wanted Mac in her room, to which we received a hearty "Yes!"...hmmm, what to do with that.

In the meantime, the nursery design is coming together rather quickly in my head. And I stumbled across this picture which is part inspiration and part teaser to show you where I'm kind of going with my own design:

Design by and image via Smitten Design

LOVE this nursery. It's not exactly where I'm going with Mac's space but I'm hoping the overall feeling is similar. I am employing black and white buffalo check, a wood jenny lind crib (Ana Claire's current crib once we evict her) and dogs.

I am no dog person, but I can appreciate a solid dog motif. Especially for a little boy's space.

I'm hoping to strike a balance between whimsy and masculine and the above nursery captures that quite well...though I'm planning for more color (you know me).

Plans will be shared. I think I just need to mentally get over the room-sharing idea which was our hope...but I know having a sweet space just for Mac is going to make my heart happy.

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Beach Trip Photos

Ready for a recount of our beach trip according to my phone? Which is essentially only pictures of my children. This is why you read my blog, right??

^^Not a beach pic. And it's blurry. But he's so cute.^^

We Shufflers come alive at the beach. And in the mountains. Don't be fooled - I am not outdoorsy, but I like to be in these places. Sitting. Watching. 

Ana Claire had just about the best time a two-year-old can have. So much ice cream. A constant wet bathing suit. A non-existent bedtime. Driving the golf cart with daddy. And so many cousins to play with.

And little Mac just relaxed and enjoyed many LONG naps that he is unable to take at home with his sister's busy library-storytime-music-class-playdates schedule.

We are refreshed and happy to have had some much-needed quality time together and with extended family. 

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Snapshots from the Beach

Sun, sand, and pimiento cheese can do wonders for the soul. We are back from a short but lovely trip to the beach in South Carolina and we are ready to go back! Here are some snapshots from our weekend (see how big Mac has gotten??):

Our trailer park is situated on a canal and at dusk, the egrets swoop in and settle into the trees for the night. It's quite the sight and a great excuse to get out for a post-dinner walk. This evening, AC was already in pajamas but that didn't stop us:

"Look, Tibi! A BIRD!!!" Tibi is Carter's mom. In the real world she is known as Janet. She makes the World's Best Pimiento Cheese TM.

We are relaxed and ready to get our summer going...here's to counting down the 8ish weeks until we're back at the beach for a whole week.

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Easter Joy

Our Easter was joyous. The day was beautiful allowing a pause for spiritual reflection and quality time with family. And we had baskets, bonnets and so much candy.

My table was a bit last minute so it wasn't as layered as usual, but I did get some close-ups to show you the bright combination I settled on - Scalamandre's China Rose with Caspari's Garden Follies:

 The kids donned their first set of matching smocked outfits and let me tell you, my heart was full:

Ana Claire's Easter bonnet (from here) was just about the most precious thing I've ever laid eyes on. My phone blew up with all the pictures I took yesterday. Indulge me for a moment:

Holidays around here are ramping up in their excitement as Ana Claire gets older. She is just a joy to watch getting excited over special celebrations (and stuffing whole chocolates into her mouth like her father). And having Mac on hand to celebrate his first holiday doubled the fun. These kids...what a gift.

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Friday Crush

Thought you might like to check in on our little Mac. I can't BELIEVE he is two months, y'all. His newborn phase is just flying by me.

Like his sister, he has turned out to be a relatively easy baby and, as you can see, he doesn't hold back with his smiles. He also has the longest eyelashes I have ever seen. And two dimples. Basically, he is delicious.

Ana Claire is doing great in her big sister role. Overall, she is a big fan of Mac and loves bouncing him in his bouncy seat and popping his pacifier back in (which is incredibly helpful when I'm otherwise engaged). Here she is enjoying the snow we've been having:

Looking forward to thawing out a bit this weekend...hope yours is a good one. See you next week!

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Meet Mac

He finnnnaaalllyyy arrived!

Alexander McIver (pronounced McKeever) Shuffler was born on January 2! The baby I swore was going to arrive before Christmas ended up being the first shiny object of 2015. And he is shiny and gorgeous and just sweet as can be.

And we're calling him Mac. He's named for Carter's grandfather (Alexander McIver Bowen, Jr.) and nicknamed for C's great grandfather ("Daddy Mac") and my grandmother (Meca).

So far, Mac is super chill...just like his sister was (emphasis on was) as a newborn. We've been enjoying being home and having Carter around on paternity leave. Hence why I haven't opened my computer to update y'all...

But Mac is here. I'm here. And we're all doing great! Already have my eye on some posts so stay tuned...don't think I'll stay away too much longer.

Happy New Year!

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