39 weeks!

i can't believe i {hopefully} have one week left before baby brother is with our little family. but then again as i attempt to roll out of bed—and have to ask todd for an assisted push—i can't imagine have baby brother in me one more day! pregnancy is such a lovely, beauty, silly, annoying, crazy, miraculous thing, isn't it?

i am so dang lucky to be trusted by my heavenly father with one gorgeous baby, let alone another on the way. motherhood is such a beautiful thing. and especially at this christmas time, i am so aware of it. i love being a mom. it is crazy challenging and my patience is tested every hour {every 10 minutes?}, but i love it. i love it. i love it.

here's to a beautiful christmas season with another blessing on the way!

gingerbread houses & sugar rushes.

what's a christmas week without gingerbread house making! and if this isn't a craft for children and candy-lovers alike, i don't know what is. i think harper ate a piece of candy for every three placed. it's a few hours later and she's still buzzing!

 ***the cutest team of builders***

***sneaking a piece a candy***

***guilty. chocolate-covered and all.***

a chat with father christmas.

harper: hi! i'm harper, and i want a sparkly princess cup. 

santa: a what, sweetie? 

harper: a sparkly princess cup.

{santa hands her a gift. harper opens it. it's a book.}

harper: {in the most confused and hushed voice} moooom? this isn't a sparkly princess cup. 

{insert a motherly explanation here about being a good girl and christmas day and all princess dreams coming true...} 

since then, you better believe mr & mrs clause have passed that important news onto their elves.

halloween.

i know i know. it's mid-november and i'm just now taking this back to halloween but a) harper was the cutest "spaceman" {so the brits say} which i can't miss documenting, b) i'm pregnant, hormonal, and that's just how it's going, and c) i've got even older photos to post-date so you just wait! :) 

halloween around these parts is very american driven. the brits haven't fully come around to our ghoulish traditions just yet. only a few neighborhoods celebrate, but the ones that do really go all out, decorating their porches and dressing the part. harper was old enough this year to really get into the trick-or-treating spirit and loved running from house to house yelling pumpkins!!!, as that's what marked which houses were passing out candy.

i bought harper two costumes this year {thanks to target for having a BOGO sale!}. the first, being an astronaut. she's been on this whole la luna kick lately, so i knew she'd dig it. the second, was an elsa costume. i don't push the princess thing around our house, and to be honest i kind of hate that i bought it for her. but then again, technically it was free, and i felt like i'd be a horrible parent NOT giving her that option. ya with me? luckily, with only minimal persuasion, she bought into the astronaut idea. i couldn't be prouder. she rocked it. and london was at ease knowing there was one less elsa on the streets that evening.

***carving our little 'ol jack-o-lantern to get into the spirit***

***harper was quite into the guuuuuts and had to document every step of the process***

***early on, either todd or i went with harper to the door. after she got the hang of it, she was on her own!***

***ground control to major tom***

cows say moo, sheep say bah…

three singing pigs say la la la.

anyone else know that book by sandra boynton? a popular choice in the matheny household. and the only thing i could think about while at the farm with harper this week. well that and how ridiculous she looked in the over-sized riding helmet they had her wear. seriously, it was as tall as the horse. but i digress…

there are urban farms scattered throughout the city. as they're all a little tricky to get to we hadn't visited one until now. but this particular one in hounslow was a really good time. it's a large interactive farm, and upon arriving they were having "animal encounters" in the barn, making all sorts of animals available for kids to hold and stroke. harps and her friends were so brave as they touched way more exotic animals then i would have at their age…or even now! :)

***the things we do for our kids… amiright?***

***after watch a specific go, diego go episode, harper has had a strange obsession with chinchillas. her world was rocked when she was able to see one in real life!***

cornwall beaches + a giveaway with sunuva! {closed}

if you're anything like the mathenys, swimming takes top priority on our daily summer to-do list. harper is always asking to swim—even if rainy london doesn't agree. and if all fails, she'll simply wear her pink floaties around the flat. on our first day in cornwall, before even reaching our b&b, we scouted out the best beach in the city and hit it up. harper was giddy as we put on her suit and set out towards the sand. 

and since we love swimming so much, i am ecstatic about our giveaway today! we have partnered with our friends, sunuva, to offer you the chance to get your hands on £150 worth of vouchers to spend towards any children's swimwear and beachwear in the shop!*

and let me tell you, these clothes are ridiculously cute. i adore the unique designs and brightly-colored prints, all of which are UPF 50+ protected. i mean, look at that little mexicans dress on H! {giveaway details at end of post!}

mexicana embroidered dress

mexicana bikini

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CONGRATS TO JANELLE H. FOR WINNING THE GIVEAWAY!

to enter to win your sunuva £150 credit, please click *HERE* to leave your name & email, and then come back here to comment with your favorite summer travel destination. the winner will be drawn thursday, 7th august. open worldwide!! good luck.

*items must be full-priced. accessories excluded. 

it's going to be a happy new year...

baby #2 is on the way, and arriving in true matheny style—on new years eve. all ready to party! 

we are so thrilled and feeling extremely blessed. and harper is pretty pumped to become a big sister. she's come to all my appointments and loves seeing the baby. just this week after they checked it's heartbeat, she hopped on the table, pulled her shirt up, and said my turrrrn! and every morning before i pull her out of bed, she exposes my belly and excitedly asks baby to hurry and come out and play.  soon enough, harps!

we love you, baby, and we're all pretty thrilled for your sweet arrival. 

radio silence no more.

hey there! so here's the thing. there's no excuse for this radio silence. but ever since warmth has graced us with her presence, i can't seem to find time to sit down and write. and heaven knows that whenever we are finally inside, it's nap time. and that goes for both of us. and then we're back to scooter riding and whatever else we do.

but i need to be better. and with all this vitamin d, we're getting some pretty darn cute pictures that need to be documented. you know what i'm saying? so, here's to being better. summer and all. 

btw. we just got back from a week in spain. whoa. spain is the new italy. can i just say that? it doesn't get near as much attention as it should. that country is something else. anyways, i'll be back soon to post about it. parts I, II, and probably a III if you're lucky :)

kicking it under the arizona sun.

here are a few more photos of our wedding week in arizona. dang, i miss that sun!

***harper was one lucky girl getting loved on by grandparents all week. ***

***okay so get this. on our way to nordstrom last chance(!!) harper fell asleep in the car, stayed asleep as i put her in the cart and throughout the store, and then was STILL asleep as i put her back in the car and drove home. that's what we call a shopping miracle***

***after all the wedding festivities ended, the girls spent the day relaxing {read: burning} by the pool***

easter day recap.

this easter season was a long and fun one. it seemed like we were doing easter egg hunts every other day, whether it be outside with friends or around the house to keep us busy. quite honestly, i think harper had come to expect candy hidden in all corners of the house. so on easter morning, she was awfully excited at yet ANOTHER easter egg hunt! 

by this time around though, the easter bunny had learned that little girls don't need sweets in every single egg and started packing them with any non-sugary food said bunny could find around his rabbit hole late the night before—cereal, crackers, fruit…you name it! needless to say, she still had a blast scavenging for those eggs. 

***this beautiful painting of Christ stands in the doorway at our church. and every time we walk by it harper waves at her jesus. so it was very fitting that the only photo i managed to snap of her wearing her easter dress was by the photo. i'm still hitting myself for not getting that family photo though!***

 ***heading home from easter dinner with friends. they melt my heart***

happy friday + some really good vids!

happy friday! harper has been a real hoot lately, so i have some fun videos to share. enjoy!

{first video} when asked what does a robot say?

{second video} little did i know this girl watched her daddy so closely. monkey see, monkey do!

{third video} i like to think this talent came from her lucero genes. :)

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we're going on an egg hunt + video!

i want to share a few photos from the cutest easter egg hunt ever. y'all, the cutest! my smart and talented friend trina really knows how to throw a party and… how to get kids awfully high on sugar. after they did some easter crafts and had lunch, the hunt began. all the kids grabbed their baskets and took off. eggs were scattered everywhere—in every pot, flower and corner of the garden. harps was in heaven, shoveling candy into her mouth as quickly as she was popping eggs into her basket. that girl! like mother like daughter.  

 ***happily sitting in the corner eating her sweets***

***trina is a pro cake baker. well a pro everything, but a legit professional cake baker. she just whipped this up while we were chatting in the kitchen. no big deal.***

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