T-shirt and necklace: Target
Skirt: Umgee via Classy CrossRoads
Shoes: Aldo

I mentioned last week that my Dad sent me shopping for Mother’s Day with my Mom and Sis-in-Law. This skirt is one of the fun pieces I brought home that day! Thanks Dad!!! I wore it for date night, but since it’s covered in sequins I thought it needed to be paired with a plain t-shirt. Anyway, I thought the girls were taking me to shop in the middle of nowhere, but we ended up at a fun boutique (in Macclenny, FL!) and all found some great stuff! We always have the best time together and pretty much laughed the entire time… so did the patient shop girl who helped us. I hope she gets paid commission, because she earned it that day after helping us try on 427 pieces of clothing and hearing this (and a lot more) from the dressing rooms:

“It’s great that denim jackets are back, but these sleeveless vests look like something Joe Dirt would wear.”

“Am I too old for this?”(Said about 37 times.)

“Where is your butt?”

“Everybody will talk about me if I wear this.” “They already do. Get it!”

“We really should’ve eaten lunch before we tried on clothes. Now we’re all just going to order some carrot juice.”

“My back looks too old for this.”

“You look like you’re wearing a diaper.”

If you’re going to shop with friends, make sure they’re the type who will tell you that your shorts look like a diaper. :)

Beach days are here!
We find ourselves at the beach at least once a week during the summer. It’s just hard to stay away from the sand and surf. (And it’s a good motivator to get all our work and chores finished!) Kingston and I are headed out the door to meet some friends there today. He’s feeling a little stuffy, and we all know the beach cures everything. :)

We spent Mother’s Day afternoon at my parents’ house. Every year my Dad cooks (orders in), so my Mom, Sister-n-Law, and I don’t have to cook on our big day. He also sent the 3 of us shopping last weekend AND babysat. Talk about taking one for the team! Anderson and Kingston gave me some fun presents (this necklace, this print, some custom Kingston Almeida art, and a mysterious gift that is being delivered today!) and we spent Saturday at the beach. Not a bad “Spoil Your Mom” weekend!

My brother has ALWAYS made fun of the way I dress. This picture makes it clear that he is the true fashionista in the family. I’ll never doubt his critiques again.

When Don was a kid my Mom always told him, “I hope you have twins who act just like you one day!” This pic speaks for itself. :)

Kingston playing trucks with “Gwamma and Quampa.”

After lunch there was some tackle soccer, lawn mowing, and chicken feeding.

Crazy people.

Just so we’re all clear on who started the original top-knot, sock bun craze. :)

Thank you for being selfless and dependable and honest and funny.
Thank you for teaching me to care about others and for showing me what it means to be “the hands and feet of Jesus” in this crazy world.
Thank you for making me and Don your top priority after your relationships with Jesus and Dad.
Happy Mother’s Day, Momma!

I love you!

“Being a mother can be the most beautiful, priceless, thrilling, happy, joyful experience in all the world.
Or being a mother can be a living hell.
It all depends on the man in the home!”
- Dr. Homer G Lindsay, Jr.

My Grandpa was a pastor at a large church here in Jacksonville. And to be honest, he was a pretty big deal. :) He was a very literal, “back and white” person and sometimes said things that I thought came across a bit harsh. But he was also an amazing man with a huge heart. (Also, I was his only granddaughter, so based solely on my level of spoiled-ness, he was pretty perfect in my opinion!) Recently, I came across one of his sermons that had been turned into a little booklet back in the late-eighties/early-nineties. I’m not sure of the actual date but guessed that time period based on the cover art. :) It’s a treasure, for sure! Anyway, the sermon was titled “The Working Mother” and because of his conservative views I honestly expected it to be all about how being a working mom was a selfish decision. And I had a bit of a bad attitude when I opened the first page and started reading. But I was so completely surprised (and felt pretty lame for pre-judging him), because the whole sermon was about dads and the huge role they play in the home. Especially homes where mom works. It was refreshing, and God totally spoke to me through it!

That quote up there came from this sermon. I know it might not sit right with you at first. Does it really ALL depend on the man in the house? I don’t know. Maybe not. But you know what? I get the point! Being a mom is hard stuff. Can I get an AMEN?!? And it’s even harder for moms who don’t get a lot of support at home. And really hard for moms who do it all on their own. Those of us who have a supportive man at our sides have a lot to be thankful for. I know this weekend is all about celebrating Mom, but I wanted to give a little shout-out to the man in my house who sacrifices and does all he can to make sure that my experience into motherhood has indeed been joyful and happy and fun and all the good stuff I ever imagined about being a mom!

Of all the rooms in our house, Kingston’s favorite is mine and Anderson’s bedroom. He always wants to play in “Dadda’s bed.” Not sure where he thinks I sleep! We have some of our best times with him playing with his cars, making tents, and jumping on our bed. And after all that we’ve been through this year I find myself so much more “in the moment” and enjoying the little things more. These are the happy memories I want to look back at one day… two lunatics and a little monkey jumping on the bed. :)

PS – Apparently we make up our own lyrics too. I had no idea what some of the words were to this song and always thought it was “Ring around the roses.” Oops! What the heck does that mean anyway?!

Ring Around The Rosie from lyndsay hyatt-almeida on Vimeo.

I had another post ready, but I’m experiencing some technical difficulties. :)
So instead, here’s a look at last month via my cell phone:

We spent a lot of time in the backyard. Mostly eating popsicles and playing in the dirt.

Beach days!!!

Kingston and his cousin, Asher, enjoying a little “futebol” while their dad’s played on another field. Don’t tell, but this game was much more exciting. :)

L: Our church just celebrated it’s 15th birthday!
R: Kingston loves listening to the music every Sunday. Anderson started it, and now it’s a MUST. He talks about it all week!

L: Mom and I at “Fashion on the Fly.” BTW-We won the People’s Choice Award. Thanks for voting!!!
R: Hyperactivity Squared.

Spent some time at a beach condo with girlfriends. We talked and made pizza… and talked.

I walked around for most of an afternoon with a big hole in my skirt. Classic. But not to worry, I cut it up into a head-wrap!

L: Cute little second-hand store.
R: Triple fail at another thrift store. I mean. WHY?!?

L: Restaurant entertainment is important these days.
R: So is making a trip through the neighborhood with a grocery cart. We like to fill it with pine cones and rocks.

It’s summertime!!! No really. We skip spring down here. L: Annnnd more thrifting.
R: And nature walks.
K. Rock and Asher. I miss seeing these little guys together!

I made some onesies for friends. :)

L: If you’re sitting on a blanket or towel, it’s a picnic. No matter what you’re doing.
R: Just imagine you can hear this picture… in a quiet bookstore.

L: We worked together for 1.5 days. Then decided we could either work together OR live together. Soooooooo…
R: Easter decorations stayed around a little too long.

For someone who doesn’t eat burgers, I end up in a lot of burger joints.

He just keeps getting more fun!!!

French fries are his favorite… mine too.

Earlier this week I participated in “Fashion on the Fly,” an event hosted by Bluetique of North Florida. Bluetique is a Goodwill Company created to offer higher-end and designer apparel… basically a high end thrift store. Y’all know how much I LOVE thrift stores, and because my Mom is the only person I know who enjoys them more than me, I brought her along to be my partner. She’s a total pro and even wore a complete head-to-toe outfit purchased from thrift stores. :) We were in a styling competition with other local fashionistas and bloggers and had to dress a mannequin in 30 minutes with items from the store. The catch was that each contestant had to draw a random scenario and dress the mannequin accordingly. Of course, I drew “Black Tie Red Carpet Event.” What?!? If you shop at second hand stores very often you know that the weakest areas are usually menswear and formal wear. So Team Hyatt didn’t have much to work with but had THE BEST TIME running through the store, throwing shoes and accessories, and laughing like crazy people. The place was a mad house, and it was fun competing with some of my friends and colleagues (Danielle, Amy, Shae, Stacey) and meeting lots of new faces too! Goodwill is an amazing company, with a mission to create jobs all over the country, and I loved supporting them by participating as a stylist in this event. Thanks for having us, Goodwill!!!

Now the stylists are competing for the “People’s Choice Award” on facebook.
So… if you’re in the mood, you can go here and like our picture to help me and my Mom win!

We spent Saturday morning exploring the Riverside Arts Market.
I enjoy checking out all the art and street performers. But let’s be honest, we really go for the food vendors!
Everything is always so colorful… and yummy! And Saturday did not disappoint. :)

What Our April Looks Like: Better than our March. That’s for sure! Thank you Jesus! It’s been a sweet month of thanksgiving around here.

Thanksgiving…
for a God who never wastes a hurt
for a little boy who gives sloppy kisses and has a car in his hands 24/7 (preferably Mater or McQueen)
for new beginnings
for a husband who has a gift for keeping things light even in the hardest times
for warm nights and green grass
for health insurance
for hats and head wraps – Humidity isn’t kind to Almeida hair. :)
for hope (Romans 5:3-5)
and for family and friends who love like Jesus.

Since it’s “Blog Circle” day head on over to Cass Miller’s blog and click through the whole circle until you end up here again.
It’s a great way to find a new favorite blog or two. :)