blueberry pancakes and dresses with pockets

Shoes: c/o Shoemint, Dress: Target, Sunglasses: Free People

Happy Friday! Around here, every morning has sort of felt like a Friday. Everett has been sleeping closer to my dad's room than to mine, so each morning he lets that Poppy know that he's awake and I get to sleep an extra 45 minutes. This trip is like the gift that just keeps ooooon giving. My room has these double doors on it, so whenever Everett DOES decide that he's ready for mama to wake up, he runs over in that wobbly way of his, bursts through the doors with both hands and yells Hiiiiiiiiii!!! It is THE BEST thing I have ever seen.
Then this morning, my dad made us blueberry pancakes which I have not had in ... 7 years? Maybe 8. We had triple helpings and then took a walk in our bare feet, making friends along the way with the neighborhood puppies and who else, but the sweet retired next-door neighbors. Honestly, it feels like we've skipped spring altogether and poured straight into summer. Between ice cream runs, tennis games, hiking, swimming and upcoming plans for campfires and cliff jumping. Time with this family of mine, man. It's the best. I'm just going to shove my hands in these especially roomy pockets {I just want to celebrate them a tiny bit. A sleeved summer dress with big pockets is like the unicorn of all dresses} and head straight out the door. Hope you have a beautiful weekend!

just consider this an open invitation to saucy buffalo wings everywhere

Shoes: converse, Jeans: H&M, Shirt: F21, Sunglasses: H&M

I know, I'm asking for it.

beetlejuice

Shoes: c/o Shoemint, Pants: H&M, Tee: Thrift, Sunglasses: H&M, Hat: Free People

I like these pants for two reasons.

One: I'm not always entirely sure how to dress myself in the spring, when layering becomes either non-existent or a really bad decision. Lately, all of my outfits have seemed to morph, plain and simple, into the jeans and t-shirt combo, which is becoming my favorite. The less I have to think about these things in the morning, the better. Enter, the beetlejuice jeans. Sort of the throwback solution for keeping things a tiny bit more interesting 1988 style.

And two: I believe in owning at least one {or five, whatever} item{s} of clothing that you know you will regret in 10 years, but your kids might want to wear in 24. I swear, if my mom had JUST held on to those baseball tees and bell bottoms!

a weekend in park city

Hey, it's 2:30 in the morning! Let's blog. By the way, this always happens to me when I'm away from my bed and/or the handsome man who shares it with me. Staying up until I am near the point of face-planting into whatever it is I'm doing, has somehow become a better option than just falling asleep by myself at a decent hour. So we'll just run with it.
Park City! My mom and I headed up from St. George on Friday, picked my sister up in Provo and headed up the canyon to cabin it up with the Small Fry chicks, Emily, Jenna, Nicole and their sweet families. I don't think I went to bed before 2am there either. It was a girl-talk bonanza and such a good time. While we were there, I also had the chance to catch up with an old friend from our North Carolina days. She's become this wildly talented florist, and for my next wish I'd like to have just an eighth of her skill please. Utah needs to stop with this delicious food, mountain views and cozy stuff. We're spoiling rotten.

 For those who asked, this dress is from Free People!

Also, technically, we were supposed to be headed home yesterday morning. {And changing that flight, man. A tiny bit painful, I miss that husband of mine so much. Let's just thank the heavens for sexy face-time. ;)} BUT! Big news, my mom got engaged last week! They've decided to plan for a quick wedding at the end of the month so that all their children will be able to be there. So with that in mind, along with Everett's newly adjusted western time-zone schedule, etc, we just decided to extend our trip until then. I am soaking up all the extra time with my family. This NEVER happens and I'm so excited to finally get everyone together. Congrats, mama! I'm so happy for your happiness.

happy mother's day!

For the first time in a really really long time, I got to spend Mother's Day with my mom. My mom, the brand-spanking new grandma, and me and little Everett, and it was sort of feeling a little bit circle of life-ish. So many "you were just like that" stories and "those fat cheeks and tiny lips are straight from the Sydney archives" and other things that only your mom would be able to remember and re-tell like it was yesterday.  I love her. So grateful that I was blessed with such a beautiful person inside and out to call my mom. Getting to be Everett's mom is the brightest light in my life. I would do anything for that boy. A-NY-THING. And to know that this whole time, someone has loved me exactly that much? It's almost shocking, you know what I mean? I am the luckiest to be both a daughter and a mother to those two up there. Smack dab in between their love and wisdom and innocence and bright, beautiful spirits. Motherhood is one of the greatest privileges of my life and I am so lucky to share that with so many beautiful women. Happy Mother's Day to all of you mamas out there!

one & a half going on seventy

I've mentioned before how Everett is sort of a man's man. The older man's man, to be specific. When we take him to the nursery at our church, he'll only go in if there are a few men around to keep him company. If we're mingling with friends and there's an older man around, you can bet Everett will find him and wrap his arms around his leg. And if there's a grandpa on an airplane, by some miracle we'll find our seat next to him. They are his people, his kindred spirits, and somehow they always seem to find each other. I suppose this doesn't surprise me entirely. He's always been bright and curious, but also very serious and contemplative, quiet and observant, with an expressive brow that furrows easily and takes the world in at his own pace. An old soul from birth. On the first leg of this last flight coming out here, I was NERVOUS. 18-month-olds are a different ballgame and we had 8 hours of travel ahead of us. But we sat next to this kind gentleman. Everett climbed over to his lap almost immediately and they quietly watched the planes go by outside the window together. Mid-flight I was having trouble putting E to sleep, so amazingly, this man asked if he could try. No surprise, Everett snuggled right in, held his hand and went straight to sleep. I felt guilty immediately. MY arms were supposed to be the ones getting tired holding him while he slept. Not some sweet guy who was previously enjoying a leisurely game of solitaire with two hands, sans baby. But he insisted and eventually zonked out right along with Everett. {Which was stinking CUTE, by the way.} I'm never going to forget him. Which might sound a little melodramatic, but truly, his kindness shocked me and I was so grateful for an extra pair of loving arms to hold my baby, especially since that baby already adored him so much. 

After the flight, he helped me with my bags and stroller, made sure we knew the gate for our connecting flight, and then gave me his card so that we could look him up if we were ever in his home state. I could tell that he was sort of fond of that Everett. I just hope he knows what a difference he made for one little boy and his mama that day. There are some pretty wonderful people in this world.

dixie, we love you

I hadn't intended for it to be so quiet over here, but I jumped on a plane with Everett last week to see my family and it's been so sweet and so relaxing, I sort of let everything else fall to the side for a second. I've been visiting this red-rocked dixieland with my family since I was a little girl, but now that my family lives here, it feels like this has been home forever. I swear it's the weirdest thing, but I haven't missed going home to North Carolina yet. Maybe one day I'll wake up in a cold home-sick sweat, desperate for our old brick house on the hill and wet air and southern accents and vinegar-based BBQ. But this place. THIS place! The red bluffs, and green fields, the brightest blue sky, and the rust-colored earth. And the dry, dry air that just leaves your hair the freak alone! It's a field of dreams, man. It's home. It's sunshine. It's naked babies running free on the back porch at sunset. It's sisters and one little brother. Grandparents, and dirty dr. peppers {death by Dr. P + coconut}, hiking, swimming and waffles at 3pm. I'm always gonna get sappy about it and that's just the facts.

So is this guy, sitting in his yard MADE OF ROCKS.

Little brothers are great for stuff like this, you know?

Hey and anyone who is ever coming out to these St. George parts, Xetava out at Kayenta is a major thumbs up.

erryday they're photobombing

Love this boy. Love this place.

Miss my man.