Coffee Date Friday: Pre-Baby, Girls Weekend Edition

Top o' the Spring morning to you, friend! Thanks for stopping by for Coffee Date Friday, where we'll pretend to be meeting face-to-face and sipping chugging caffeine as we close out the work week (via link up with Rags to Stitches). 

Were we to meet up on this warm but rainy day, I would first want to hear about YOU. I would love to hear about your week, about your weekend plans, about next week's plans. I would want to know if you have any news, big or small, you wanted to share. After being properly saturated on all things you, I would share the following about me over our caffeinated cups: 

...That I am headed out of town, alone!, for a mini girls weekend with my Momma and sisters tomorrow. My stepsister is getting married in less than two months, and we'll be spoiling her and her fiancé tomorrow night at a fun shower. Earlier in the day, there are big plans for taking my littlest sister to register for her first baby (yippee!), and we may even squeeze in a pedicure or (non-alcoholic) cocktail or two. I can't wait! This will be my last girls only weekend before Baby Lu arrives, and I am definitely looking forward to the down time with my sistas and momma. 

...That earlier this week, I gave a 50-minute tap dance lesson to one of my girlfriends' daughters, who needed to learn a few steps for her new tap routine. First of all, it was so fun spending time with her--she was such a sweet, talented, and hard-working dancer! Second of all, it was so fun to be back in the swing of dance again--actually, I'll be taking up a hip hop class with another girlfriend shortly after Baby Lu arrives! Third of all, if you could have seen my 34.5-week, big-ol'-belly-baring-bod teaching tap steps...well, let's just say I'm sure it was quite entertaining! It's been quite a few years since I have danced regularly (10 to be exact!), but it was fun to be reminded of the days on the Clemson football and basketball sidelines of this:

...That I found great success during my solo trip to the outlets last weekend. Between sales and coupons, I was able to save a huge chunk o' change while stocking up my kiddos' Spring/Summer wardrobes and bringing home a few surprises for my hub as well. Unfortunately, I had no success when shopping for myself that day. Being less than a month from D-day, it is really hard for me to justify buying any more maternity clothes. And yet, I am just not in the mindset to buy postpartum clothes yet. Oh well. Maybe next time!

...That I have a tradition with my babies of scheduling special "Momma Dates," every couple of months, which basically translates to a special one-on-one outing with just one of my littles at a time so that I can focus 100% of my time, energy, and attention on him/her while doing something exciting and fun. These dates are so, so important to me, and honestly, I would really like to make them a monthly occurrence. Once every couple months is just not enough for this Momma. But I digress. Anywho. With Baby Lu just 4 weeks away from arriving, I knew I definitely wanted to squeeze in one more Momma Date with each of my littles before our world gets turned upside down. So. Earlier this week, I took Raleigh to Build-a-Bear for the first time where she chose to create a new rabbit friend, named "Hop," and then we had milkshakes for lunch. It was such a special morning with my sweet girl. And then, last night, Banks and I went to the toy store so that he could pick out a new toy before we headed out to a restaurant to repeat our favorite previous Momma Date: having a big ol' slice of chocolate cake for dinner. It was an awesome evening with my special little boy, who was so chivalrous and opened every single door for his Momma. Oh. Be still my Southern heart. 

...That we jumped on the bandwagon for our weekly Family Movie Night last Friday. We rented Frozen. Honestly, after watching it, both  my hub and I thought, 'Meh.' I think maybe I had heard so many amazing things about it that my expectations were too high. You know how that can happen sometimes? But...the kiddos were mesmerized. They absolutely loved it! And both have been singing the songs since then. I guess those Disney folks really know what they're doing . ;) I have a feeling we'll be purchasing it at some point in the future.

...That our LifeGroup recently welcomed Baby #4 of 6, with me being the next scheduled for delivery! And it is the sweetest thing to see, not only the house full of preschoolers (3!) and toddlers (2!) when we meet every other week, but also now 4 (soon to be 6!) precious new additions. It is really rewarding (and fun!) to be going through this chapter of our lives with our group. 

...That I can finally, officially, on-the-record say how very, very proud I am of my hub, who will begin a new job with a new company next week! It was a tough decision for us, as we absolutely love the company he has worked for over the last 8 years and will certainly always hold it and it's employees in the very highest regards. But. I am so excited for him and this next chapter of his career. My hub truly is such an ambitious, hard working provider for our family, giving his job his absolute all during his daytime working hours, but then making it a point to completely put his work away from dinner time until our kiddos' (and my!) bedtime, focusing all of his energy and attention on us during those hours, before going back to work again after I go to bed each night. He is a dedicated, loyal, and extremely involved employee AND father, and I could not be more proud of him. I can't wait to see where this next chapter takes us!

...That I received a thrilling package in the mail earlier this week: the grasscloth wallpaper I ordered for our dining room! After meeting with a wallpaper-installer-lady last week for measurements and quotes, I selected and ordered the paper, and it already arrived! We are hoping to have it installed before Baby Lu arrives, and I cannot wait to see how it looks on our dining room walls.  


And with that, I would offer a fist bump, high 5, and loud and resounding, WOOT!, as we finished our coffee and coasted into the weekend. Have a good one!