Sea of Red

You know Spring is officially in Italy when you see the sea of red everywhere you turn. This is the last year we're able to enjoy the Poppy fields so I of course asked my awesome husband to snap a few photos of Noah and I with the little red beauties.

We had to work quickly because the rain was moving in. We literally missed a hail storm by about 20 mins. The weather this month has been rough for this sunshine loving girl. Come on Italy, I am ready for warmer weather and sun! 

I sure will miss this season in Italy but I am thankful for the memories we've made and these pictures I'll cherish forever...even if my little guy wouldn't crack on smile haha. He was too distracted by the farmer near by...typical ;)

Happy Friday, Friends! 

Collecting Moments not Things

Sure I'm like every other girl out there who loves a good designer bag every once in a while or a new outfit but you certainly won't see me indulging in those things very often. I wish I could say I sport all Lululemon and Nike to the gym but that would be a lie. I just can't stomach spending $90 on a pair of workout pants. I live in my $25 workout pants and that's OK with me. Maybe one day my priorities will change but for now I am all about collecting moments and memories vs things. 

When we moved to Italy almost 3 years ago (how has it already been 3 years?!) it was a dream come true. We embarked on this journey with the Air Force knowing we wanted to travel and take advantage of the opportunities given to us. We were lucky to get Italy as our first base.

We've become accustomed to "small town" Italian life.  The stores aren't open 24/7 and most close mid day. We can't go to a restaurant whenever we want. It can be inconvenient at times but you get used to it. In the states you can "get everything right now" and here it's not like that. It makes your days more planned and relaxed vs go,go, go. Our house is nice but small so it's not filled with fancy furniture or decor, but it's perfect for us! We make it work. I would be lying if I said I wasn't excited to one day have a dishwasher and actual closets again, but I do really hope we keep bits of this lifestyle when we go stateside. You don't need the best of the best to be happy, drive thrus (only a few around here and they're not close by), starbucks, Targets etc. basically convenience at every corner.

I can admit that I sometimes get sucked into the Instagram/Pinterest world, especially after having Noah. Mom jealousy can be very real. Beautifully decorated homes, perfect DIYs, kids dressed fabulously etc. especially when a lot of these things aren't right at your finger tips. I have to remember where our own priorities are at.

When you think about what you do have vs what you don't have or what your wants are you quickly realize you have more than enough. 

Once we moved traveling was a top priority. We saved money for big trips and spent less to afford the smaller ones. "I haven't been everywhere, but it's on my list." This quote is so me and it probably drives my husband a little crazy! I just love collecting special moments with my family. I will never forget seeing Santorini's blue doors, crystal clear waters of Dubrovnik, my baby staring in awe at the eiffel tower or when he had pizza for the very first time in sicily! I don't need fancy hotels, souvenirs or expensive meals. Give me my camera and I'm a happy girl!!

I know that looking back I will be so happy we lived a simpler life to afford the richer moments while overseas. There is so much of the states I haven't seen yet that I hope to keep traveling. I don't think my wanderlust heart will ever go away.

Our kids won't remember what brand shoes they were wearing but how they felt in that moment with you. 

Travel and make memories! The TV can wait ;)

22 weeks

How Far Along? 22 weeks 2 days (pic taken yesterday)

Weight Gain? At least 15 pounds...I'm not sure how much more. I have a doctors appointment soon.

Workouts? I am not teaching two spin classes a week! So much fun and definitely outside my comfort zone. I got certified to teach a while ago and just needed to commit to finding time to teach. I wanted to get used to it now so that it wasn't a totally new thing post partum and at our new base (wherever that will be). So far I am enjoying it! I work a lot harder instructing than when I am the student haha. I burn close to 200 more calories! It's def great cardio for me and little girl. I am able to do cross fit 1 day a week and then lift when I can. At this point I am just trying to keep some strength but continue to train for the end result of an easy labor. 

Maternity Clothes? My fav skinny jeans are about the extent of my maternity wardrobe other than a pair of capris that seem to be too big on me this time around. I did pick up some maternity leggings yesterday that I am very excited about!

Sleep? Sleeping great at night and some nights needing to head to bed earlier than others but overall energy is good.

Best Moment of the Week? Seeing my belly jump when she kicks. I have been feeling them for a few weeks now but I haven't been able to see it from the outside. So fun to watch!! 

Cravings? We love anything sweet!

Symptoms: Super awesome breakouts. I rarely breakout but it seems lately like I keep getting one zit after another which is so fun annoying. 

Looking forward to? Finding out where we'll be headed next and whether we'll be going before the baby or after. Life in the military is often full of unknowns and I gave to just trust that He has a plan. 

Name Reveal

We have loved the name Sienna since before we were married so it's always been a contender for a girl. 

The name became sweeter after we booked our wedding venue at a beautiful place called Via Sienna.

We moved to Italy and began seeing it in many places but spelled with 1 "n". I decided I liked that spelling better and it made it more Italian. We are leaving Italy this year and I really wanted an Italian name for our little girl to remind me of our love for the country. 

I wanted something classically beautiful but not super trendy or popular. A little unique but not completely made up or hard to spell. 

August is Robbie's middle name and I've always loved it especially for a girl. We always loved Siena August together. Noah's middle name is Robert after Robbie so when we talked about August for a girl he suggested we use my middle name, Rose, instead. I couldn't decide because even tho 2 kids would technically be named after daddy I just really loved the name August!! So after much consideration we thought it would be nice to give her both of our middle names. I'm normally not a fan of two middle names but this one just flows to me. I just love it! 

With Noah we waited to announce his name until his birth to avoid the opinions of others, but it was so hard to not say anything. This time around we weren't decided on a boys name so figured we'd do the same, but when we were told it was a girl we knew instantly what her name would be and I was excited to announce it. 

We can't wait to meet you sweet Siena!!  

Gender Reveal!

Oh. My. Gosh. Guys, I am still in shock!

We are having a little GIRL!! What?! What a blessing to have one of each! We of course didn't care what the gender was as long as it was healthy, which everything looked great!

At the beginning of my pregnancy I had this feeling it was a boy and dreamed about it many times, but the last 3 weeks or so I have had a nagging feeling that it's a girl. Especially after I started to feel her kick I kept thinking girl.

I feel so connected to her already. I am dreaming of what she could look like and what her personality will be like.

I'm not going to lie though, the thought of raising a girl in today's world is pretty terrifying. I feel SO much responsibility to install good morals into her and I hope that she grows up with self respect. I know that God is giving me a big job to raise this little girl into a classy lady. I know I can do it and I hope we will be best friends! I love my mom so much and I hope our relationship is special like ours is.

I can't wait to see Noah interact with her and be her protector! Robbie has already volunteered him as her prom date hahaha :)

I couldn't decide how I wanted to announce the gender so I took a few different pictures to choose from. I ultimately went with the balloons. Classic, right? We also had fun with this bright pink lolly pop. Noah was in sugar heaven. It lasted about 10 mins before he was a sticky mess. He kept getting grass stuck to his hands and wiping it on me! lol so mama had to be mean and say all done and throw it away, but the stickiness was totally worth these cute pics!!

Because cool kids eat their lollies on the slide

Stay tuned for her name reveal! I will be posting this week :)