what i'm pinning

one//dots + a cozy sweater 

two//yummy guacamole bruschetta 

three//glitter leaves 

four//casual flannel 

five//bat wreath 

six//caring cowls 

some of my favorite pins from lately. how amazing are those glitter leaves? and can we discuss how much i am loving flannel this year? sure, i can't button them up but hey doesn't stop me from wearing em! 

see more pins here.

xoxo

four from our weekend

one//my halloween "costume" this year. hopefully i wont be able to wear this again...

two//our ward had it's halloween party saturday. we went and stayed for a little maybe next year, we will stay longer with the twins. next halloween we will have 2 ten month olds-what!

three//gahhh i love fall. 

four//guys, i had never seen this movie before....well i got 40 min in and was soo bored. sorry all you lovers of this movie. i just couldn't do it. i tried! 

can we talk about how october is almost over? so crazy. time is going so fast these days!

xoxo

a letter to the babies

Let me start with saying that I {your Mama} have a little thing called pregnancy brain. I had this idea that I wanted to write letters to you every month during this pregnancy well here we are almost 3 months away from your arrival....and this is the first letter. I promise to write a few more before you guys get here. 

I will never forget the day I saw the plus sign on that test or most importantly the day we saw you both on the ultrasound screen. It took your Daddy and I by total surprise. Pssttt...your Daddy cried more than I did. But, sshhh. We could not believe that our Heavenly Father had blessed us with two babies. I remember falling in with you that very moment I saw both of you little gummi bear sized babies. Hard to believe you were that small huh? You both stole my heart right then and there. 

We left the doctors and immediately called all your Grandparents. Oh yeah-be prepared for all your very excited Grandparents. Your Grandpa Bruce & Grandma Susan, Grandma Cathy & Grandpa Eden, and Grandpa Steve & Grandma Heather cannot wait for you both to be here. They love you so much already! How lucky are you to have all those loving Grandparents. Since then time has flown by. I love watching my belly grow and feeling your little kicks and movements. You are both pretty active and already seem pretty cramped in there. I don't blame you if you are cramped....at 24 weeks pregnant you each are the size of a grapefruit. Mmm, now I want a grapefruit. 

As much as I love this pregnancy, I cannot wait for you to be here. Your Daddy can't wait either. I think he says once a day "I want the babies to be here, already!" We are both so excited to meet you and snuggle you both up. We love you so much and cannot wait to see your precious little faces and kiss your cute little feet! Don't worry, we can wait a few more weeks while you do more growing! 

Love, 
Your Mom
xoxo

some birthday wishes

1 {aztec sweater from windsor} 2 {h&m maternity sweatshirt} 3 {olive green cardi from lulus} 4 {dream diaper bag} 5 {curling wand} 6 {new phone case} 7 {target booties} 8 {studded mocs-WANT SO BAD!} 9 {lace up boots}

am i too soon in posting my birthday wishlist? my birthday is less than a month away {november 17th}. my 25th birthday...by the way. ahhh! the big 2-5!

can we talk about how bad i want those studded moccasins? like, real bad. {wink wink daniel!} i cannot believe it's already time for my birthday again. seems like yesterday it was my 24th. last year was a great birthday spent with family and friends. this year i have no idea what to do for my big day. i feel like it should be something special since it's my 25th. i don't know im sure we will figure something out. 

so, if it was your birthday what would be on your wishlist? am i the only one who loves putting together a birthday wishlist? almost more than a christmas list! 


pssstt....to see the links to these items click the number below the photo! 

four from our weekend

follow via instagram @erykaann or click on the instagram icon over on the left

one//date night with the helvey's. we love that they are family and friends! {pssstt annie needs to blog more!}

two//tried ritas and maybe because i was so full i wasn't too impressed. have you been?

three//our ikea trip was successful we left with cribs, mattresses and other things for the babies room. cannot wait to show you guys everything when it's all done. 

four//couples who wear flannel together stay together. we matched saturday not on purpose. so funny! 

this weekend was a beautiful one. the weather was perfect and we got a lot accomplished. don't you love that?

on instagram i posted picture number 3 and my mom accidentally spilled the beans on the baby names. {its okay mom, i forgive you!} i freaked and deleted the photo. well, guess you can just delete comments. i had NO idea, feeling pretty dumb. i re posted it later though. a few saw the names and that's ok. if you saw please ssshhhh!

because, i love you all so much. i will give you guys a hint one name starts with an H and the other starts with a C. not saying which is which! 

i feel like everyone has so many opinions these days on what people name their children. i am so guilty of this, trust me. it's rather dumb, if we think about it. we want to wait to see our babies before we make anything official. even though we are 99.9% positive on the names. i can't wait to share their names with you when it's time. so, remember if you saw then, sshhhhhhh! thanks guys! :)

til then they will be know as baby h and baby c! 
xoxo

my pregnancy favorites...

1. up&up prenatal vitamins-i've found these to be the best on my stomach. of course, every woman is different. i have been taking these for almost over 2 years. i've heard the gummi vitamins are good too, haven't tried them though. you can find them at your local target!

2. pregnancy pillow-i highly suggest investing in one of these. mine is from walmart.com. i know there are fancy fancy ones that cost like a $100 but, i didn't think i needed to fork out that kind of dough. you can find the one i have here. i love it and it makes all the difference in your sleep. it's sold out but they have other options too.

3. maternity shirts-i love the h&m ones and the ones from motherhood maternity. so comfy and make you look pregnant not fat. i've tried my normal shirts and i just look chunky. so i stick to the shirts with side ruching. 

4. cardigans-throw one over any shirt and ta da your outfit is that much better, plus your stil comfy. i love the boyfriend ones from target because, they are a longer. you can see them here. 

5. water-your doctor has probably already told you drink that water. i have prided myself in this. i think i am pretty good at drinking tons of water daily. so, don't forget drink your water! i drink about 8 glasses a day, sometimes more!

6. i'm expecting app-i have several apps on my phone and this one is by far my favorite for info. i love the layout of the app and i love how easy it is to use. other faves include-baby bump and pregnancy companion. look them up in the app store or google play! 

7. french fries- oh my goodness i crave these on a daily basis. so darn good. i have been know to text the husband before he gets home to pick me up some. he's so good to his babies mama. trust me, i don't eat them as much as i wish i did. ha. but, thats a good thing. what was your biggest craving?

8. old navy maternity leggings-things babies are amazing. they aren't see through and are oh so comfy. i personally love the under the belly ones but, they have full panel as well. i may need those towards the end of the pregnancy...we will see. see them here. 

9. aveeno lotion- i have sensitive skin and usually can only use this for my hands and usch when i got preggers i tried to use the palmers cocoa butter for my belly....well, i broke out in a rash all over my belly. i talked to my doctor and she told me: it's not necessarily the lotion you use but, the motion of rubbing that helps with stretch marks. i was surprised too. i rub this on my belly & the girls {wink wink} 2-3 times a day. usually just 2. after my shower and before bed. so far, no stretch marks on the belly but, im not holding my breath on that one. im sure they are going to pop up!  

10. nearly naked foundation + falsies mascara- on days when i don't feel so great these help me look less like a zombie and more like a human. add some bronzer, powder, eyeliner, lip balm and you pretty much have my make up routine these days. im pretty simple when it comes to makeup. haha. 

there you have some things that i have been loving this pregnancy so far. i thought it would be fun to share with you fellow preggos and you future preggos my faves. everyone is different and i love to see other lists that bloggers have put together. if you have put together something like this please send the link over!

happy weekend!
xoxo

our pumpkin patch adventure

 

last saturday we went to pick pumpkins with jase + rachel. it was so fun. we found some really good pumpkins and for pretty cheap too. i think we payed $8 for all four pumpkins we got! 

we went to packs pumpkin farm in farmington, utah. i highly recommend it. especially if you have little children. they had a cute little hay maze and all kinds of fun kid stuff. we will totally be taking our babies there next year! 

now i can check one more thing off my fall list! 

xoxo

four from the weekend

one//lots of snuggle time on the couch with the hubby and the bump.

two//on friday dan took a much needed and deserved day off to rest. he's been fighting a cold for a while and he so needed to rest. i think it helped, i can tell he is feeling a lot better! we ended up seeing captain phillips that night-sooooo good. we loved it! 

three//finally tried the habit. pretty dang yummy! we went after picking pumpkins with our friends {you can read all about that later this week}.

four//biggest pumpkins ever from our pumpkin adventure!

what did you do this beautiful fall weekend?  

xoxo

bumpdate {22 weeks}

HOW FAR ALONG:  22 weeks 1 day in the photo with twins!-currently 22 weeks 3 days

MATERNITY CLOTHES:  oh yes. this question is going to get rather silly from here on out. i can wear some non maternity clothes but, maternity are much more comfy. 

WEIGHT GAIN/LOSS: gained about 11 lbs-a little hard to see that scale go up but, i know it will just keep on going up. only for these precious babies. really it's just baby so far, i haven't noticed weight going anywhere else. {knock on wood} people say i don't look pregnant from behind then i turn around and bam. haha. 

BEST THING THIS WEEK: having our 20 weeks scan {a little late} and being able to see our cute babies. even confirm the genders for sure. we were able to see that both babies are healthy and look perfect! it's crazy to see all their little parts their cute little feet melted my heart and their precious little noses. gahh i love!

GENDER: 1 baby boy and 1 baby girl! so excited.....cannot wait to snuggle them. 

MOVEMENTS: um, yes they love to move after dinner and lately in the middle of the night. the other night they were pretty much boxing each other for 2 1/2 hours. it was great that they were moving but, not so much at 3 am. silly babies. 

FOOD CRAVINGS/AVERSIONS: french fries and a cheeseburger. that seems to be the common craving around these parts. oh and fish tacos. random! no food adversions anymore! huzzah! 

WHAT I MISS: bending over without feeling sooo out of breath-that is something i just have to get used too. 

SLEEP: still hit and miss. i never know how the night will go. lucky me, i still can nap if i want too. sometimes i find myself falling asleep on the couch around 4pm. haha. 

WHAT I'M LOOKING FORWARD TO: getting their cribs and putting the nursery together. i feel like we have so much to do and so little time. hopefully these babies stay cooking until at least 36 weeks! 

this week we were able to see the babies two days in a row. tuesday with the tech for our anatomy scan and wens with my real doctor for a check up. can i just say how much i love our doctor? she is amazing. she makes me feel so comfortable and she is the right fit for us. 

she said i am measuring 25 weeks which is normal for twins and that everything looks great. the next appointment is going to the "dreaded" glucose test. i already have that orange drink in the fridge. wish me luck on the 30th with that. i think after this next appointment we start seeing her more often and then start seeing someone up in labor and delivery for monitoring the babes closer since, i am consider higher risk than a normal single pregnancy. 

we also discussed a little about delivery and she did say if baby a {our baby boy} stays the way he is {fingers crossed!!!} that we will be able to have a {excuse the word} vaginal birth. so let's pray he stays that way. we appreciate the thoughts and prayers from all of you! i feel so blessed that both babies are doing great and i am as well. despite the normal aches and pains. huzzah! 

oh and i got a flu shot for the first time in years and guess what? the very next day i felt so ill. darn you stupid flu shot. its all for you babies!

that is about all that is new so far. i am getting really really excited for my babies to be here. i cannot wait. as much as i am excited i need them to stay cooking for a little longer at least until im 36 weeks! :)

see past bumpdates here. 

what i'm pinning

one//someday i will have a fireplace to decorate

two//perefect fall + winter outfit for the bump 

three//can't wait to take monthly photos of my twins 

four//i might need to make this shrimp pad thai soon

just some pretty pins for your weekend. you can see more pins here. 

xoxo

this fall

a little list:
+ fall colors drives 
+ bake a pumpkin pie from scratch 
+ pick out the perfect pumpkins-at a pumpkin patch 
+ carve pumpkins 
+ make a fall banner 
+ have friends over for a chili night 
+ create my birthday wishlist 
+ get a carmel apple cider from starbucks 
+ hand out candy on halloween for the first time in our marriage 
+ not be so shy and attend a blogger get together-who is going to this party on the 29th? i'll be there
+ finger kint a scarf or two or three
+ figure out what to do for my 25th birthday
+ watch hocus pocus more than once 
+ attend our wards trunk or treat 
+ drink hot chocolate-a lot of it
+ burn the heck out of my bath & body works candles-one almost done another to go-im so obsessed 
+ snuggle the hubby on cold crisp weekend mornings 
+ make caramel corn 
+ eat said caramel corn 
+ decorate the house for fall & halloween

my fall maternity must-haves

dressing my new body is something that i dreamed about for so long, then it happened. it was like hello basketball in my shirt, somedays i love it and somedays it really takes its toll of my emotions. luckily fall is all about comfy sweaters! i've had a few friends ask what maternity items i have and love. so, i gathered some and put together a list of other fall items i am loving. 

a good pair of skinny jeans//

i found mine at kid to kid in the maternity section but, they are pea in the pod brand. maybe try these or these. i love the full panel jeans but have a pair of semi panel and love them too. its all personal preference 

under the belly leggings//

mine are from old navy and im so in love it's not even funny. get them here. i love the under the belly for some reason in these leggings. they are amazing!

full panel jeans//

h&m was the first places i looked at jeans and i picked up these. they are so comfy and adorable with flats. 

side ruched shirts//

in the same trip where i got the h&m jeans i grabbed a few of these shirts. i love the motherhood maternity shirts as well. next on my list is pick up some long sleeve shirts. 

oversized sweaters//

the only sweater i have purchased since being pregnant is this from old navy. the rest are old ones from last fall. if it's and open sweater you should have no problem. currently wishing for this one. 

cardigans//

since buttoning it up isn't happening these days, cardigans that look good open are a must. im sure we all have a few cardis that we love right? my faves are from target or nordstroms. they don't have them anymore but, they are amazing! 

riding boots//

a fall must. swooning over these steve maddens. 

flats//

currently wishing these were in my closet. 

booties//

guys, i am dying over these boots. i really really hope to get them. please hubby! 

scarves//

is that even a question. you need scarves here in utah. when it's chilly your neck gets freezing. nothing i hate worse than a cold neck! how cute is this chunky scarf?

there you have my favorite maternity fall items so far. i may even start posting a maternity oufit on here every now and then. now, that its cooler and i actually like getting dressed. haha. i do post some outfits on my instagram. follow along via @erykaann.

you preggos or past preggos what are you fave maternity items right now? pssssttt...happy weekend!

xoxo

from the weekend

 gold pumpkin for our porch//finally finished insurgent-sooo good. cant wait for the 3rd book

 date night with the hubs in slc//cute baby cousin cece

a little selfie on date night//the leonardo in slc

saturday afternoon we had tickets for gc//amazing seats-we could hear the prophet giggle

sunday morning watching conference in our jammies//it was one beautiful weekend full of upliftment 

love my new table {aka belly}//a little halloween baking sunday afternoon

this weekend was general conference and oh man it was amazing. i don't even know where to start. there were so many amazing talks. i think my favorite was jeffery r hollands talk. {click his name to watch the talk!} we were at the session and the spirit in that room was unreal. i may have cried the whole time.

i loved that we were able to attend a session. what a special experience for us. we found tickets off ksl friday night and bam the rest is history. we get to the conference center and find out that we have some pretty amazing seats. we were so close to the prophet and the other church leaders. i was in awe. i love those men and women. i will never forget that day. man, what a weekend. i always feel like after conference i need more. lucky for us, we can watch the talks again online. click here!

did you watch conference? what was your favorite talk? 

xoxo 

{crock pot} meatless chili

ingredients 

1 can diced tomatoes 

1 can stewed tomatoes 

1 can black beans 

1 can red kidney beans {i had light in the cupboard but, dark would work too} 

1 can cannellini beans

1/2 c frozen corn or canned corn

1/2 can of water {OPTIONAL-if you don't like chunky chili like me}

red pepper flakes 

chili powder 

cumin 

onion powder 

garlic powder 

salt + pepper 

1. gather all your ingredients and open your cans. {be warned that is probably the hardest part of the whole recipe} plug your crock pot in. 

2. put all ingredients into crock pot. 

3. next you add your spices. i didn't put measurements because i honestly just eye balled it and went with what felt right. {haha} if you like it spicy i would add about a tsp and half {you can always add more later if you want it spicer} of chili powder, red pepper flakes, and cumin and if you are like me a medium spicy type of person i added a little over a tsp of chili powder, red pepper flakes and cumin. add a little over a 1/2 a tsp of the rest of your spices. 

4. give a little stir and put the lid on it. leave it to cook on low for 5-6 hours or high for 2-3 hours. 

5. serve with rolls, or corn bread + top with sour cream, cheese or any other toppings you desire. ideas; green onion, red onions, tomatoes, tortilla chips, etc  

now, if you man is super against the meatless idea you can add a frozen chicken breast in after you put all canned ingredients into crock pot or brown some ground beef or turkey and add it in at the start. i chose meatless because, i was sick of chicken and didn't have any other meat so....meatless chili it was. it was so yummy and perfect for the crisp fall weather! 

enjoy! this would probably make a perfect conference sunday dinner. :)

a glimpse into life lately

totally ate my entire sandwich that night, never happens//hubby doing some nursery prep

dressing the bump on sundays is easier some days then other//first cup of the season 

 my feet are slowly disappearing//"gatsby, what gatsby" 

you should probably make these like now//boot weather-love it 

first instagram shop purchase//breaking bad finale at jase & rachels-SO GOOD

other happenings:

+ made these chicken alfredo lasagna roll ups the other night. so darn yummy, i've made them before but, totally forgot how amazing they are. i just used a jarred sauce and it was super easy.

+ our babies are currently the size of carrots. pretty crazy right? they are growing so much and can't believe in a few short months they will be here. so excited yet, so nervous! im currently 21 weeks. boy time is flying by.

+ a few fall shows have come back and i am so happy. revenge, new girl, greys-oh how i love thee. can't wait for the others to come back this month. 

+ re-discovering my love for tumblr. i was mia from it for a while. check it out here.

+ getting the nursery together. my current task is choosing prints for the collage wall. i cannot choose. pregnant lady issues-being so indecisive.
+ one more pregnant lady thing-i am going through the whole "holy cow my body is changing so much" phase. its often hard to get dressed and look in the mirror and see this "basketball" under my shirt. i don't feel like myself. i do however feel more womanly these days. i guess that is something that is hard for me. its crazy how much you change during pregnancy, i know i have so much more to do. i could write a whole post on this but, might spare you all. i guess i just have a hard time accepting my changing body on certain days. that's life though and i even if i feel this way i still LOVE LOVE LOVE being pregnant. it truly fascinates me that my body can grow two humans. like, woah!  

thats about it, folks. enjoy your day! 

xoxo 

confession

i'm not perfect. i don't always make our bed, sometimes the dishes pile up, dan doesn't always come home to a home cooked dinner. you get the point. you know what? it's okay that i'm not perfect and it's something i am slowly becoming okay with. 

saturday was the relief society broadcast {where women from our church & anyone who wants to come, get spiritually uplifted by leaders in our church}. holy moly was it great. there were so many amazing quotes that just hit me. my favorite talk was the one our dear prophet gave. he reminded me that i am not alone no matter how i feel. lately i have been feeling like i am the only wife in the world who isn't perfect. {how dramatic, right!} that is not true. nobody is perfect. 

as women we tend to be our worst critics. we strive to be the most perfect versions of ourselves all the time. which isn't so bad, but when we beat ourselves up about it that's when it gets to be an issue. something that helps me is the relationships i have with fellow ladies. my bestest friends {even strangers} are always there for me when i need uplifting or to be reminded it's ok to not be perfect. when they aren't around, there is someone who is always there. our heavenly father. he loves each of us, including each of our flaws. 

so, basically the whole purpose of this post is to remind you all that is ok to have flaws and struggles. as women we need to stick together and lift up one another. right? i loved this quote from the broadcast. {print from the talented corina} we need to remember even when we feel alone, we are not. 

happy list: october

+ the smell of autumn in the air 

+ feeling the twins' tiny movements 

+ hearing our babies heartbeats 

+ tea in my favorite mug
+ finding new blogs to read 

+ our precious babies in my belly 

+ loving and supportive family 

+ boots, scarves, sweaters, etc 

+ fall crafts 

+ good hair days 
+ no bathroom breaks during the night {these happen once in a blue moon}

+ the cool crisp air 

+ my pregnancy pillow 

+ general conference weekend {cant wait!}
+ you amazing readers {thanks for sticking around all this time!}

whats on your october happy list?! see other happy lists from abcde here.