Insta-MommygoesonvacationtotheHAMPTONS...

So I just returned from a major bucket list vacation to the Hamptons. 

(I still can't get over it, I just spent the weekend in the Hamptons.) 

("the Hamptons"... like it was just down the road or something)

I'm a nerd.

I should also warn you - this may be a long post. :)

I caught a 9:30am flight out of College Station on Thursday which meant I got to drop these kiddos off at school with Ryan for one last goodbye before my trip. Let's all take a minute and reflect on Emmy's face. This girl. cracks.me.UP!

I arrived in Houston around 10:00am and was just two little flights away from my second favorite place in the entire world. 

And - I lucked out and got on a BRAND SPANKING NEW plane. It was the biggest, nicest plane I have been on to date. AND, no one was sitting next to me. AND, I managed to talk the sweet, kind, friendly flight attendant into free Bloody Mary's. 

Not a bad day for Katy King.

When I got to DC there was the unfortunate experience involving a cancelled flight and lost wallet. Both of which belonged to me. Luckily I was put on a different flight that was going to land earlier in NYC than my original plane and found my wallet before the plane left me. They actually opened the door to the jetway back up just so I could board. 

And then the plane sat on the tarmac for an hour because Newark wasn't letting anyone in. 

But THEN... our plane took off, safely landed, I hopped on a train to Penn Station, grabbed my bags, walked up the stairs, and breathed a sweet sigh of relief. 

There is just something about NYC. I feel so at home there - no worries about what to do or where to go. I just hailed a cab and was on my way to Niki's. 

Niki and Joe were out to dinner to celebrate their 4th wedding anniversary so Abby and I had the place all to ourselves. I dropped off my bags, ran and got a quick bite to eat and then we had some girl talk until they got home. 

(And for all of those out there that are shocked I would let a dog lick me... Abby's probably the only dog that I would let do that.)

Friday morning arrived like most mornings do and Niki took me to her favorite breakfast spot, Sarabeth's. Located directly across Central Park - kind of like heaven on a plate. 

A quick stroll to Niki's office so I could "see where the magic happens" before leaving. Niki works for Primary Wave , a music management company. In short - she's kind of a big deal. She rubs elbows with big players, attends the Grammy's and got to go to one of the inaugural balls this year. NBD, right? So, I wanted to see where all this "work" happens. :)

Oh, this guy is one of their clients. 

After a fun tour, we headed back to her apartment and we.were.OFF!!

OMG - going to the HAMPTONS!

First stop? Soul Cycle. 

What? You don't work out on vacation? Neither do I - but Niki insisted. And I am so glad she did. This class is awesome! We were pumped before...

And slightly exhausted after!

:)

But not too tired for a fun night out. We have this same photo of us from about the 5th grade in Louisiana. Our moms wanted a picture and told us to "do something" when we asked what they wanted one of them shouted, "pick each other's noses". 

So we did. 

Maturity at its finest. 

From Robinson to the Hamptons 

Day 2 started with another workout - holy cow was it hard. These NYC people are crazy, luckily there was a hammock right outside for me to lounge in. 

And a coffee shop next door to get some "juice". 

That afternoon we were planning on going to an pool party for a new hotel opening in Montauk (the town where we were staying).  I made some new friends in no time. 

:)

We got to lounge by the pool, drink some fruity beverages and just enjoy the sun. Not a bad way to spend a Saturday afternoon.

Then we hit the beach!

Isn't her hat adorable?

And then the water actually hit our toes and we almost froze to death. So glad that Jason was able to capture this reaction!

And like I do most places, I made friends with the nice gentlemen in front of me who were happy to treat me with frosty beverages. 

We hung out, took naps, read silly magazines and then headed out for night number 2. 

Another AMAZING dinner of lobster guacamole, oysters on the half shell, pizza, fish, dessert, wine and beer. Oh - and awesome company with one of my dearest friends. 

Who just happens to love me a lot.

:)

We ate and laughed, got pushed around on the dance floor (we push back), busted some moves, scored some drinks, and caused zero trouble at all. 

We spent our last day in East Hampton (after a morning yoga session of course). This is what most people think of when they hear "the Hamptons". This is "Diane Keaton in Something's Gotta Give" Hamptons. This is where I told Niki to buy a house. :)

Every single house, shop, restaurant, and garbage can has hydrangea bushes surrounding it. I was in floral heaven and could not believe how beautiful this place was. I felt like I was on a movie set because places like this just aren't real. 

I could have walked up and down the streets for hours and been perfectly content. We popped into the East Hamptons bookstore so I could buy the kids their souvenir. Ryan and I buy a book for them every place we go. The collection is growing pretty large and it's a fun tradition to have. They really enjoy reading the books and hearing about where we have been. Recommend it to anyone!

And then much too quickly, it was time to say goodbye. 

(See - doesn't it look fake?!?)

We took the train back to the city and arrived to rainy evening. We grabbed a cab and had our sweet driver take us to pick up dinner and dessert before settling in for an evening of silly movies, deep conversation, and a menu that may have done some damage to our three days of work outs.

You only live once, right?

Niki and I had a slow morning and then had to part ways once again. I am SO so SOOOOO thankful for our enduring friendship. Her generosity, her spunk, her passion, her laugh, her determination, her beauty both inside and out make her a treasured and protected friend. I love you, Niki! Thank you so much for an unforgettable weekend. A weekend where I didn't use my "real" camera one time. A weekend where I was only responsible for feeding myself. A weekend where I got to use the bathroom alone for FOUR days. A weekend to soak up you and us. 

And as sad as I was to leave... nothing is better than coming home to these three (and their sweet Daddy).

:)

A visit from the besties...

Jenni and the kids came for a quick visit this week. I hadn't told my kids they were coming and Radley and Emmy were ECSTATIC when we pulled into the driveway on Tuesday night to see them waiting for us. We had a quick dinner at Chick-A-Lay (as referenced in yesterday's tale) and then headed home to squeal, camp, play dress up, and other shenanigans - sadly Landry goes to bed so early that she missed out. But, I'm not sure if they would have room for one more... 

(I think Jenni and I may have the same picture of us drinking a red drink out of a pitcher somewhere. Only it was college and I should leave that story for another day. ;))

We finally got them settled down enough to watch a movie. Silly me thought that at least one of them would fall asleep - ha! 

On Wednesday we hit up our local Children's Museum that morning. Landry has been there a few times but this was the first time that she really got to play with everything. She walked at least a mile up and down the museum with that shopping cart.

Radley, Karli and Emmy set up shop at the art center - he was finding all of his "favorite things". 

Karli was roping the moon...

and Emmy was just making a mess practicing her cutting.

Cooper must have been too quick for me because I never caught a picture of him. We left the museum and ate a picnic lunch before heading to our next stop at the splash pad.

Where they got soaked...

danced in the water...

cooled off...

looked cute...

and explored.

At one point the water turned off and no one could figure out why. The "trigger" didn't seem to be working and all of the kids lined up with their faces against the ground trying to see what was wrong. If only I could have snapped the picture of their reaction when it popped back on!

We dried off, went home, ate some popsicles (from the left over red drink) and said goodbye too quickly. Thank you for visiting Jenni, Karli and Cooper. We love you tons and wish we could see you more often!!!!

Tiny Tales Thursday...

This is a double whammy... first up; the first born.

I love him a lot.

He's funny. He's smart. He's kind. He's compassionate. And he's pretty cute, too. 

The other day we were driving home and Radley did something horrible to Emersyn. Like look at her or breathe in her general direction. This got an immediate response of...

Emmy: Maybe I not like that Radley King. 

Rad: I didn't do anything. 

Emmy: Yes you did. (I am making the same face she makes as I type. I thought you would like to know that).

Rad: No I didn't.

::short pause::

Emmy: Maybe I not talk to you anymore.

Rad: without missing a beat Maybe I can handle that. 

I died laughing. 

And then a few days later we were driving in the car again on our way to "Chick-A-Lay" (per Emmy) and this time I was the offender.

Emmy: Maybe I not like you anymore, Mommy.

Me: Well, that's too bad, because I love you. (What do you mean?? Of course I didn't use sarcasm with my barely 3 year-old)

::long silent pause::

Emmy: Mommy?

Me: Yes, Emmy.

Emmy: Maybe I get my own Dr. Pepper at Chick A Lay?

Me: Hmmm. I don't know. I mean, I would normally say yes, but since you don't like me very much maybe you should just get a water. 

Emmy: Ummm. M-may-maybe I like you again Mommy. Now can I have my own Dr. Pepper. 

Kids. Cute kids. 

Answered prayers...

I lived on the BEST street growing up. 

Don't believe me? Here is a run down of our crew:

Nikki and Monica - across the street neighbors. 6 years older than me. And UBER cool. ;) Nikki was a cheerleader and basic idol of mine. She would let me come over at 6:45AM just so she could french braid my hair before school. 

Mindy and Stephanie - down the street neighbors. We rode bikes, slept under the stars, "lived" in their camper, etc. They had the most awesome playhouse in their backyard. Our moms were each others' "go to" in a bind. 

Niki - Around the corner neighbor. Our friendship grew as we got older. We have basically done everything you can imagine together. Road trips. Senior trips. House parties. Laughed. Cried. Fought. Made up. School projects. Life projects. She's kind of amazing. 

Clint and Wes - down the street neighbor. Cute boy. Fun parents. And a pool. That we got to use whenever we wanted. Even when they were out of town. 

And that's a just a few of the awesome people that lived on our street.

I LOVED it. Loved growing up with friends close by. Loved that we could go as far as my dad's whistle could be heard. Seriously, I was lucky.

And - that (to have great neighbors) has been a major prayer of ours since we lived in our first home. We really want our kids to be surrounded by good people. Reliable people. Fun people. And we want to be friends with the people that live all around us. We are lucky to live in a good neighborhood, with nice neighbors. Neighbors that we can have quick conversations with, wave hello to in the morning and have them check our mail when we are away. Can't complain.

BUT. Y'all... I can't tell you how happy my heart is that we now have friends as neighbors. 

Meet Maegan. 

This was Sunday afternoon. I had taken the girls to run a quick errand and Ryan and Radley were working in the yard. When I got back home I didn't see Rad but Ryan let me know that he had gone across the street to play. 

I think I almost cried. 

Three minutes later he and Maegan were in our house because he wanted to bring a Batman leggo toy over for Hudson to play with. 

I cried again.

Then we all just threw on our suits and went over for a quick swim and popsicle break in our day before a thunderstorm rolled in. No pomp and circumstance. No special occasion. Just an hour in our day to hang out. 

AND.

If the fact that our new neighbors/friends aren't just amazing on their own...Maegan was college roommate's with Ryan's best-friend's wife in college. (Follow?) Ummm. What kind of amazingly small world do we live in?

Later that night as we were sitting in bed my phone beeped. I went to check the text message and it was from Maegan:

We are laying in bed watching TV and Joel just bust out laughing. I asked what is so funny.... and he just says he keeps picturing Ryan dunking poor Landry!

(I should include that Landry is fine and he didn't really dunk her. She just kind of slipped. #thirdkid)

Anyway - we then died laughing again and I was reminded that sometimes we wait for our prayers to be answered, but it is always worth it. 

Welcome to the 'hood, y'all. So glad you chose our neck of the woods. 

You are NEVER allowed to move. 

Pinterest WIN...

We have lived in our house for 3 years and 50 days and I have wanted to do some type of window treatment in our family room for 3 years and 49 days. (The first day I was worrying more about getting everything out of boxes).

And after all that time, I am happy to report that we now have window treatments!!!

I didn't want anything fancy. Or expensive. Or hard to make. So turned to my trusty friend, Pinny, and am thrilled with the results. Not going to lie - searching "DIY valences" was a bit overwhelming, but I found one that seemed simple enough and the rest is, well... pretty awesome. 

Step one: 

Gather supplies. I spent $29 total on everything I needed. The fabric I chose was actually one curtain that was on sale at HobLob. 

Step two:

Follow all of these instructions.

Can we pause for a second and reflect on the fact that this person just seems to have come up with this idea/process on her own? Like she was just walking through Lowe's and said... "I know, I need some polystyrene insulation - that will make the perfect valence."

I was really kind of impressed with my direction following skills. Unlike baking or cooking, I actually followed everything step by step.

And she, Diane over at In My Own Style, gave really great instructions. And awesome pictures. Seriously, if you are looking for a way to dress up your windows, this is your answer!

I maybe should have possibly attempted to iron this fabric first, but if anyone wants to judge my wrinkly window treatments, then feel free. 

I am mostly amazed that these are still hanging (I made them in early June and have just not taken the time to blog about it). I mean, they are held together with pins!

I tried to make my corners just like hers, but, well... 

Before:

After:

I know, right? I am OBSESSED!

(please be surprised when you get these for Christmas)

(please also don't stare too long at the picture because you will notice they may be hung a little crooked)

And since I sometimes like to pretend that people read this blog other than my mom, Cindy, Jenni, Katelin, and Ryan and that those same people want some "advice", here goes:

1. I am not exaggerating. This was freakishly simple. 

2. Maybe try to iron the fabric first ;)

3. Get more straight pins than she suggests - I used a lot because I wanted to make sure the fabric stayed in place

4. Wait for someone to help you hang them (as she suggests). I was a little stubborn and attempted it alone the first time and maybe have the scuff marks on the wall to prove it. 

5. If you ever come to my house, don't look at the back of these. I'm a messy crafter. 

6. At some point I am ordering this slip cover for the couches. (unless Gigi wants to order them for me).

7. I think my favorite part about this project is that when I get sick of the chevron, I just have to buy a few yards of something new and get a whole new facelift for the room!

:)