Photo Dump Wednesday: 6th Wedding Anniversary

Continuation from my post last week. 

Our 6th wedding anniversary fell on Easter Sunady so we decided to celebrate instead on Monday since we already had a full plate. I am glad JOE took the below picture because at least we have one of just us on our anniversary.

The 6th anniversary is metal and it took me a while to come up with gifts for J. But I was able to just look for things he likes and work from there. 

First, I got a him a moscow mule copper cup. Keeping with the metal theme. He loves White Russians and I have already scouted Pinterest for some easy recipes to make for him. 
He also likes peanut butter chocolate so I got a few of his favs.

The next gift was a tee I made for him. Since it is our 6th anniversary, I looked for a bible verse to commemorate it. This passage was perfect for it. So I designed and put this on the bag.

A while back, J saw a tee shirt with this saying and joked about it. Even though he joked, I knew it had the perfect saying for him because he really is an awesome husband. So I put those words on the front of the shirt, 

J on the other hand got me this GORGEOUS bouquet of flowers. The name of it is "HOT HOT HOT". Yup...for real...that's the name of the arrangement and J said he got it for me because he thinks I am "hot hot hot"...LOL...that man knows the way to my heart :-)...flattery...

In addition, he had a custom made chocolate bar wrapping. It came complete with our wedding picture after we said our I DOs.

He even had them use our wedding color on the outside :-D.

The back had the sweetest ingredients list and words. 

We worked out first thing on Monday before exchanging gifts and then cleaning up before heading out. 
Car selfies on our way to one of our favorite restaurants. 

As you can see, I am wearing the headband from AyoBE Boutique. It is so beautiful and easy to wear that it effortlessly makes my hair look good.
The earrings can also be found here. I love these earrings because they are light weight, stylish and speak the word without my even having to open my mouth! Triple win!

A close up of the earrings. 

Since I am on the Atkins lifestyle healthier eating plan, this was the perfect place for our lunch. Why? Because it is all about MEAT! Glad I am not a vegetarian :-D.

I took the broccoli but then read up on it there and realized it has extra carbs that I didn't want to consume since I planned on having dessert. So I skipped it.
The olives were a little too tart for me but I enjoyed everything else on the plate.

And often times, I'd get a drink but instead, decided on a glass of water this time :-).

Since J is supporting me, he also decided to skip his drink. Love him!

Selfie in teh restaurant. 

We told them we were celebrating our anniversary and we got a complimentary dessert. They wrote "Happy" on one plate and "Anniversary" on the other. Very sweet. 

I had the flan and J had the cheesecake. I skipped the cherry and whipped cream and syrup. I know...not a huge deal but I saved myself some extra calories there.

Afterwards...on our drive home. I love living in this area because you get to see and appreciate a lot.

J, wearing his shirt after we got home.

He loves it.

It definitely was an awesome anniversary celebration. I am glad we took time to reflect on where we are, where we came from and where we hope to be someday. We are very grateful for God's continous blessings on our lives. 

I hope you enjoyed reading the recap. Enjoy the rest of your week and remember to be kind to strangers!

Photo Dump Wednesday: Easter 2017

Easter this year was fun. We stayed in the area and celebrated with J's family. 

The weekend before, we went to a local mall to take pictures with the Easter bunny. We thought for sure that JAE would be scared of the bunny but instead, she was VERY eager to meet him and sit next to him. She wanted to cut in line but we made her wait. 
When it came time for her to take pictures with the bunny, she was really happy! Check out the following pictures.

She wasn't thrilled that she had to leave but the bunny gave out jelly beans so that helped. 

After pictures with the Easter bunny, we decided to walk around the mall for a bit. JAE went with J to go get her diaper changed so JOE decided she wanted to take a selfie with me. I love that she is still at an age where she thinks I am cool to hang out with. I pray this lasts for as long as possible :-).

Then she wanted to take a picture of me. Since she always takes great pictures, I often let her.
By the way, I'm wearing a tee from AyoBE Boutique. This is a must have for the upcoming season. 

I didn't get a chance to post this picture of JAE enjoying her birthday present from J and I. She LOVES it!!! We definitely got it right this year. 

With each passing day, amid the current climate of the world, I find myself holding on more to God's goodness and trusting him to see me through any challenges. 
These earrings are a reminder to Cling to the Cross. They are chic, beautiful and can be a reminder to others as well. You can preach the word without even saying a word!

The earrings are lightweight and pair very nicely with any outfit you have on. 

We got to celebrate JAE's birthday on her real birthday. Since she isn't big on sweets, we just got her a single cupcake and her favorite candy to sweeten her new year. She tried and tried to blow out her candles but her sister and I had to help her a bit.

During the day on her birthday, she visited a local jump park and thoroughly enjoyed it. 

That evening, we opened the presents she received from her party the Saturday before. She loved everything!

JOE and JAE's child care provider worked with them to make this beautiful Easter themed bunting. I absolutely LOVE it!

On Saturday, J had to work. But I didn't want to lose my exercise goal of 10K or more steps 6 out of 7 days of the week. So I decided to take the girls out. 
I am an allergy sufferer BUT JOE insisted I take the below picture for her. My eyes and ears and nose itched all day afterwards but it was nice to see the smile on my daughter's face.

I went shopping for the girls' Easter dress on Saturday after J got home. Yes, was very last minute. Blame it on a busy schedule. 
Anyways, I kept going back and fourth between dressing the girls in the same thing or something complementary. Finally, I decided to video chat with JOE and she told me she did NOT want the same dress as her sister. 
So I got them different dresses. Keep scrolling for pictures from Easter morning. I think she made the right decision.

I made some Kale chips at home as an option for healthier snacks and a requirement for one of my kids. These are so delish and so easy to make. JOE ate 2 batches that day and asked for more the next day. Thankfully, they only take about 20-minutes from start to finish.

I have been doing well on my exercise regimen but haven't been seeing a solid loss week to week. So I decided to go back to what worked for me over 10-years ago when I lost close to 40-lbs. 

At the time, I used weight watchers but I didn't want to start anything that'll require me trying to figure out and count points. So I went to Atkins. I got this book back in 2003. I successfully lost some weight while on it but didn't stay on it because I just wasn't committed enough. 

Fast forward 14 years and I am ready to make a solid change. I started back on Atkins last week Friday. The first few days were painful! I was addicted to sugar and honestly, felt the withdrawals physically. However, it has gotten easier in the last 24-hours (day 4 and 5) and I am excited because the scale has been going in the right direction. 

I log my goals and accomplishments on Instagram so if you are interested, feel free to send me a friend request on Instagram.

Easter Sundar marked our 6th wedding anniversary. I am so thankful to God for the man I married. A man who believes in me and supports me and loves me just the way I am. 
The time has gone by so quickly but it has not dulled our feelings towards each other. 
Cheers to many more years together.
Here is a picture from our Nigerian ceremony. An oldie but goodie. One of my favs.

On Sunday, we all got ready and made it out the door earlier than usual because we figured the church will be packed. I am glad we did. 
Before leaving though, I wanted pictures! Being a blogger mom and all :-).

Both girls wore different dresses and I loved both their dresses.

I paired my dress with one of the newly listed headbands from AyoBE Boutique. I LOVE LOVE LOVE these headbands. They are colorful, fun to wear and very comfortable. I have worn one everyday since I made them last week. 
Go check them out. I'm sure you'll want one for yourself!

Check out JOE with her hands out like a princess. She loved her dress that much :-).

After we took pictures, we were about to leave but then JOE said she wanted to take a picture of us to mark our special day. 
We were rushing to leave early but we obliged her and I am glad we did.

Car selfie on the way to Church!

After Church, we recorded our Sunday Family Chronicles on our way home. Then I cooked our lunches and some dinners for the week before we all got a quick nap and headed over to J's folks for Easter dinner. 
We had a great time. Especially the girls. They thoroughly enjoy hanging out with their grandparents. 
Check our JAE in her grammy's rocking chair. 

PS: She had on dress shoes for Church but when we went to leave for J's parent's, she said she didn't want those shoes. She wanted these instead. Yeah...my very decisive child.

We didn't celebrate our anniversary on Sunday because we already had a full day. Instead, we decided to take the following day off and celebrate. I'll blog about that next time. 

Have a fabulously blessed week and remember to be nice to strangers!