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28 week bumpdate (with a video!)


Jessica Roberts in Blue Mamma Belle Dress with Sunflowers
 
It’s so crazy that I’m already 28 weeks, which also means that I’m in the 3rd trimester–the final stretch! If you want to know how the pregnancy has been going, make sure you go all the way to the end of this post where I have included my first bumpdate video! 
 
This has been one stressful week for us. This time last week, I was going back and forth, trying to decide if I needed to go to the ER. I had a pain in my jaw/tooth/whole left side of my face. It was so severe that I was curled up in a ball, hardcore crying. And though I’m a wimp with pain, I usually never cry from it. I decided to wait it out until the next day. I have had pain off and on this past week but it’s almost all the way gone at this point–so weird! I did find out that I need one, if not two, root canals on Monday (and to be honest, I’m completely dreading it!!)
 
Jessica Roberts in Blue Mamma Belle Dress
Blue Mamma Belle Dress Maternity
These pictures were taken on Wednesday night, right after a fast, but powerful storm blew through our area–taking out our electricity for 24.5 miserable hours! It was sad to have to throw out all the food that went bad in that time but I’m thankful that we are safe and that no real damage was caused!
 

Blue Mamma Belle Dress with Evangeline

Blue Mamma Belle Dress with Evangeline 2Blue Mamma Belle Dress with Evangeline 3
Those pictures with Evangeline are some of my favorites ever!! Don did a great job capturing this stage of life of me with all my little loves. It’s stressful to get everyone in the shot sometimes (especially since my boys are entering the stage where all their smiles look fake and forced haha) but I truly treasure each and every picture. And the promise of cupcakes made the kids extra well behaved and motivated to get into a few shots with me 🙂
 
Roberts Family Group Shot with Blue Mamma Belle Maternity Dress

Roberts Family Group Shot with Blue Mamma Belle Maternity Dress 2

 Can we just pause and talk about this maternity dress that I’m wearing?! It’s from Mamma Belle and I am in love! I don’t own anything else in this color and I think I need to change that because it is too good! The maternity clothing industry has come a long way since my first pregnancy (and so has my style–or lack thereof!) I love the ruching on the sides and the black and white floral pattern. But I think my favorite part is that it’s lightweight and so comfortable. Comfort is pretty much my number one requirement for clothes these days–and dresses and leggings are my comfort clothes! Mamma Belle also offers other beautiful maternity and nursing friendly dresses, so be sure to pop over and check out the site!
**this dress was kindly sent to me but I was not asked to give a review. These are my real, honest opinions!!
Blue Mamma Belle Dress Maternity 2

Blue Mamma Belle Dress Maternity 3Blue Mamma Belle Dress Maternity 4Roberts Family Group Shot with Blue Mamma Belle Maternity Dress 3Roberts Family Group Shot with Blue Mamma Belle Maternity Dress 4

 Now, before you watch this video, a few disclaimers!!!

1) I usually end up editing myself out of every video we make! It is extremely awkward to talk to a camera–but I’ve heard it gets easier with practice? We’ll see! But editing this video was tough and I was cringing the whole time. How do my friends deal with me? 
 The fact that I’m posting this video is actually kind of a miracle because after I made it, I wanted to just delete the whole thing!
 
2) The clip that appears while I mention my exhaustion cracks us up–so I hope you get a kick out of it too 😉
 
3) I recorded the talking videos right as the crazy storm was blowing through. So there are some weird lighting shifts. Also, you may hear kids being loud in the background because…well, #reallife.
 
4) If I don’t go into hiding after posting this, I may do a couple more videos before baby girl is here. But I’m not making any promises!
 
5) Fun fact: Evangeline fell into the pond while we were videoing at the park. I thought for sure we would have to leave right then and there but she toughed it out. I still keep laughing about it though.
 
Anyway, enjoy! And thanks for reading/watching!

 
 

 

All Videos, Blog, Family, Videos, Vlog

family pizza night–a recipe + video


****Edited to note that when I make our pizzas, the crust is not as thick as the kids made theirs! We do love thick crust–just not THAT thick 😉 The kids even stated they prefer the thickness that I make it. Just had to note that in case you looked at the crust and thought it was way too much!

Like a lot of families, one food we love and eat frequently around here is pizza! I’ve been asked quite a few times for the recipe I use for our pizza dough. My dear friend, Molli, passed a recipe on to me a couple of years ago and it’s been our favorite ever since.


I am horrible at writing out recipes, so bear with me, but I thought I would pass it along to anyone who is looking to try a new recipe. If you like thick crust, you’ll probably love this! And the added bonus is that it’s so super easy to make and memorize! I never have to pull out a recipe card! 
roberts kids about to make pizza
We had a little family pizza night last week. The kids helped me make the dough and then they made their own pizzas. They absolutely loved getting the chance to make their own dinner. It’s one of those things that I need to work on–letting them help out more. Most of the time I’m just wanting to get dinner on the table, not wanting the extra work of 4 little helpers. But it is so worth the extra time and mess! They were so proud that they made dinner that night. We made a video of our family pizza night and it seriously makes me (and them) so happy! Check it out at the end of this post!


Our favorite pizza crust recipe:
1 c warm water
1 tbsp yeast*
1 tbsp sugar
Whisk together and let it rest for a few minutes until the yeast starts to foam. 
Then add in:
1 tbsp olive oil
1 tsp salt
2 1/2 c flour**
Knead with the dough hook attachment with your stand mixer (if you don’t have one, you can knead with your hands–it just takes a little extra time!) until the dough pulls clean away from the sides of the bowl. Then knead for an additional 5-6 more minutes. The dough should be slightly sticky but should not completely stick to your hands when you touch it. 
 
Coat a bowl with oil or cooking spray. (Put a little on your hands as well to avoid a mess!) Form the dough into a ball and place into the bowl, flipping once. Then cover with a towel and let it rise for about 45 minutes, or until doubled in size.
After the dough has risen, uncover and gently punch it down. Then form the crust. 
 
This recipe allows me to make one (pretty large) thick crust pizza. We usually double the recipe and get 3 medium pizzas. Top with sauce, cheese, and whatever other toppings you would like and bake for about 10 minutes at 500 degrees, or to your preferred done-ness 😉 (Is that even a word?)
*I use the big bags from Sam’s so I’m not positive how many packets you would use if you go that route
**With all dough recipes, it’s always smart to start with a little less flour than what is called for. Differences in humidity, altitude, etc. can affect how much flour you may need. So you could end up using a little more or little less. But it usually ends up being about 2 1/2 cups for me.
 
I don’t often write out recipes for anyone so I apologize if there is any confusion anywhere. But if you have any questions, feel free to ask!
And as promised, our pizza making vlog!