August 6th - happy birthday, Hubs!

i posted to IG recently that our vacation was postponed cause of the zika virus outbreak running rampant in Florida and other tropical and domestic areas (be safe, mamas) at this time. getting a glimpse of this guy or gal helped me get out of my feelings rather quickly though!  we were just gonna roll Sonny's birthday festivities right on into our trip at that... so unfortunately i was very bummed for a few days after Hubs and i decided to call it off.  i had been looking forward to our very first family vaca all summer long.  it's just not worth the risk at 6 months preggo though.  plan b? #StayCation at one of our fave places in Houston to go!  besides, we've got 1 more year to get Dego into Disney for free before he turns 3 so it's all good, haha.  he will be more aware of what is even going on by then, and i'll also have time to save a bit more so we even can stay and play longer.  just looking for the positives, as usual.  

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 saturday morning, august 6th: happy birthday, papa!!

excitedly running to give Papa his gifts!  i barely captured them in time.the love they have for this guy...it's such an incredible thing to witness. 

we are a fit family, forreals!  Sonny and i could both receive workout shoes and gear for every single birthday and be completely fine with that.headed to birthday breakfast! we don't eat breakfast out much at all; only everything else.  always a treat.originally i planned on going to The Breakfast Klub, but changed it up while en route.  the food is fantastic and worth the wait, but that super long line with two hangry kiddos?  nah, son.   i made a game-time decision and headed to a place i knew would be a family hit,  Barnaby's Cafe! definitely one of our breakfast faves.

hot chocolate :)  we never skimp on the whipped cream round here. steak, eggs, and pancakes for the birthday boy,Chiso requested red velvet pancakes outta nowhere! they were delish. loli ordered the green eggs (egg whites with spinach and cheese, chicken apple sausage, home fries); i just can't order anything else. #iaintsorryafter trying to get Dego to look once i just let him be. that baby was hungry and i understood.we usually need a nap after we eat breakfast out, so  it was the perfect time to check into our room at hotel Sorella.  the last time Sonny and i stayed there, we were celebrating our 3rd wedding anniversary in 2011.  i was pregnant with Chiso (5) and surprised Sonny with the news that weekend!  we're back again, 2.5 kiddos later. admiring my huuuur! my sista-friend Ogechi keeps me fly and not looking a mess!when Sonny is on vaca, Sonny is on VACA.  all he wants to do is...nothing!  so i took the boys to the pool while Sonny enjoyed a quiet birthday nap. afterwards, we went back upstairs to freshen up.  i sent Sonny over to the Lifetime Fitness (best gym evaaaaar ;) ) City Centre spa to get a needed back massage that he enjoyed.  it only made him sleepy again though but it worked out because Dego had just began his nap in my arms.  Sonny and Dego went to nap some more while Chiso and i headed to the gym for a pre-dinner workout.i actually got a fantastic workout in cause Chiso was fascinated with the cardio machines and had a blast all by himself lol.  i will post our workout vid and entire workout in my next post!!loved my relaxed, dinner fit that night! those jeans were always a lil' loose in the hips on me, but  they are now the perfect size for my 6 month belly. deets below!

look... between IG stories and Snap Chat i am so done with social media some days!!  every app is basically vying for our attention and i sometimes feel like i have to be active on every single thing... and that just isn't true.  

we walked right across the courtyard to Ruggles Green, another game-time decision made by the birthday boy in the family's best interest.  Texas de Brazil was my first option, but the boys kept asking for pizza so... we found a great people-watching table on the RG patio while a live 1-man-band band played Sunny 99.1 type hits on his saxophone. he was amazing!  there were kids running, playing, and dancing everywhere and the boys couldn't wait to finish their food and join them. what a seriously perfect family night. we skipped across the courtyard from RG to Red Mango for fro-yo! the boys wanted to make Sonny a homemade birthday cake, but we weren't able to whip it up the day before we left.  so, i planned to just buy a mini one or a cupcake from Sweet, which is what i did.we thank God that everything worked right on out. cheeeese!back to the room to sing happy birthday to Papa and his candle-less cupcake!  not even room service had one we could use :(Chiso picked out a yummy s'mores cupcake.we sang and split that thing 4 ways!  we then put our jammies on and watched tv 'til we all fell asleep.next morning, breakfast time again! we headed downstairs to enjoy Sorella's beautiful continental breakfast buffet. afterwards, more pool time for my water babies.   i am so honored and grateful to share and celebrate yet another birthday with Sonny and our 1st family staycation was one to remember.  happiest of birthdays, Hubs!

K E E P   U P   W I T H   U S !

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this is.... thirty fo'

and another one! 

y'all know by now my hubby puts it down for special occasions!  he revealed to me that he had a weekend getaway planned for my bday (April 7th) buuuut he forgot all about my weekend fitness classes and clients. bummer.  he recovered nicely though and we enjoyed a memorable, kid-free, staycation instead.  instead of IGing the play-by-play of the entire weekend like i planned, i decided to put my phone down and unplug for a lil' bit and truly live in the moment.  the big day! thursday morning i woke up at 4:15am full of energy (enough energy for a douchebag selfie LOL..it's been a good while...allow me this one), threw on my birthday fit, and hightailed it to the gym to teach my Lifetime Fitness class.i could not wait to wear this! both the top and bottoms are on sale right now!i go grab a kiss from my hubby before i leave in the mornings and he had these in his hands, sitting in the dark #creepy.  hurray for no more silent cardio!  i told him to find me a new pair (after snapping my old pair in half over Easter weekend) and he came through for ya girl and even upgraded me to wireless.

 seriously... the gifts and all the extra hoopla... those things are nice and added blessings no doubt. but this is what makes my heart happiest.  being with my lil' family.  

they serenaded me with the cutest munchkin voices and i blew out my candles.  Chiso almost cried he wanted to know my wish so bad, lol!  Chiso also wanted some cake before school so we all enjoyed a lil' bit right then. next, we dropped off the kiddies with family and went straight to check into The Westin Galleria!  i love staycations.  still feels like i'm in another city.  we drove down the road to iPic Theaters after that to catch Batman vs. Superman. we've heard so much about this place!  the movie was already pretty lengthy (2.5 hrs), and we were super comfy, soooo it was basically a nap trap.  i mean they give you a pillow and blanket for crying out loud! i ordered the chicken wrap salad with the dressing on the side, and Sonny ordered the fish tacos. birthday hair transformation!  i never thought i would go from wearing my hair straight ALL the time to only having it straightened a few times a year.  going natural is a TON of work for me but it was definitely worth the switch.  this is the healthiest my hair has ever been!

i actually bought a cute cocktail dress from H&M for my birthday earlier that week but saw this jumper as i was leaving out of the store. i got home and couldn't stop thinking about it!  so i went back and exchanged my items. i love this thing! my sunglasses  and earrings are from there as well.       would you look at the size of this bathroom!? Sonny wasn't telling me to hurry up and stop selfying, haha, he was only saying that a fridge was all somebody needed to live up in there. i agreed!  i'm still getting used to community bathrooms though...... what are your thoughts on them? you could say i was excited about dinner!  because we stayed in town, Sonny asked a few close friends and fam to join us for dinner at Quattro.  also, so much shoe LOVE!  i adore them too and had to have them! unfortunately they are in-store only, but this similar pair is apart of Aldo's current spring sale, and this new arrival is just as cute IMO.

i enjoyed the chilean seabass with baby potatoes, carrots, olives, cooked in an acqua pazza broth, and of course i ate off of Sonny's plate of gulf wild snapper, dried tomato and olive crust, broad bean cream, and asparagus. suuuuper yummy! it was last-minute, so i was extremely grateful for those who came and happy to spend time with my fam.y'all... the next morning i slept till like 10am. haven't slept that late in years. no kidding. no tiny elbows or feet were there to slap me in the face and interrupt my sleep :) .  apparently i needed that! i actually did join Sonny in the gym for about an hour, but i did zero cardio and lifted 'pretty' (basically i barely sweat) so my hair wouldn't frizz up so fast.cleaned up, dressed, and ready for day 2! i've had this springy, Urban Outfitters dress for a while now.  as soon as i sat down in the truck though, my left strap popped right off! i was ready to eat... so we did just that first #FoodOverEverything. i tucked it in and rocked it with 1 shoulder like nobody's business. off to brunch!we all have those nostalgic treats we order that just make us 100% happy.  this is one of mine!  hot cocoa with whipped cream from Le Peep.  it will always make me feel like a big kid no matter how old i get.our protein plates! basically... Sonny has a photo shoot in a few weeks and when he's on his best food behavior, so am i. we headed back over to the Galleria H&M and i found this super similar 17 dollar slip dress in like 3 seconds flat. 

next, my first pedi of 2016. i think! i don't even know, smh

 by recommendation, we went to The Palm for dinner.  Thanks again, Jerry! all he had to say was lobster mac & cheese though.everything was incredible, especially the service!  Sonny ordered their 28oz steak with sautéed spinach, and i got the lobstaaaaaaaa! the waiter explained that the cheesecake was New York style but it wasn't as creamy as i anticipated.  that didn't stop me from take it with me and eating the rest in the hotel bed. good times!  after another night of restful sleep, it was time to check out. we went straight to Lifetime so i could teach my class there (Sonny took it too!), then to my prenatal fitness class so i could put my Preggo Patties through a saturday afternoon cardio workout.

 grateful to God and to Hubs for another wonderful birthday spent with the people i love!

thanks for reading!

K E E P   U P   W I T H   U S !

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Thursday Threads! H&M Neon Orange Sports Tank

H&M has quickly become a new fave of mine for fitness gear!    just like their 'grown up' clothes, i've found several workout items that are unique, great quality, and crazy affordable.  this neon orange tank is one of them! isn't that twist in back the cutest?i love how open the tank is!  racerback is my thang, and i appreciate that ventilation while i'm running.Nike pro shorts are never going out of style. the end.ooooh, just playin' with my bird's nest and pondering my next protective style. don't eeeeeven act like you didn't do this when you were a kid! my brother and i scuffed up all the hallways at my parents house. speaking of scuffs, i have put my Nike flyknits through the RINGER. yall don't hear me! i have washed them so many times because i wear them pretty much daily. i love them and own way too many pairs of Free Runs.  i've included a link to the updated version of my shoes below; i need them!lunging into the weekend!

{tank|H&M} {compression shorts|Nike} {sneaks|Nike} (headband|Lululemon} {HR watch|PolarUSA}

everything i'm sporting can be found directly below. happy fri-YAY, fit friends!

wedding anni numba 8! #maui #greateight

we had an absolute BLAST celebrating our 8th wedding anni in Maui last month.  i took way too many pics. like a ridiculous amount.  if you make it to the end.... thank you in advance for your time, haha.

 when you have to be at the airport at 5am, you don't even bother going to sleep.  my girlfriend had just finished installing my faux locs like 3 hours earlier (18 hour job if you're interested!) and my head was sooooooo tender. but i loved them and Sonny did too.  he better had! he requested them :) 'happy wife, happy life.' is cute... but i rock with 'happy hubby, happy her.'

i didn't find out where we were going until we got to our gate (still didn't know in this pic!) but i knew i would not be disappointed.

my Modern Oats package hit our mailbox juuuust in time.  i took the very last container from the 8 count variety pack they so graciously sent me and ate it for breakfast on the plane.

soon as Sonny sees this i'm going to get a text. nah, prolly a call.  get your laugh in while it's still up, tee hee

snackin' on the plane!  eating the freeze-dried raspberries i got from Trader Joes before we left.  Sonny missed out cause i ate them all.

that's a really, really big hole. diamond mine, i guess. i have no idea where we were at that moment and didn't ask.

back to my snacks. since you have to purchase EVERYTHING on a plane these days i pretty much brought us our own personal mini bar.  i had seen these in Sprouts Farmers Market for months before deciding to purchase them.  maui made me do it.

my goodness, they are DELICIOUS and seriously addicting.  especially this flavor!

layover in phoenix.  we spotted a Le Madeline while heading to our next gate and got some more grub. it was still breakfast time so we got omelettes.

finally!!!!! long flights are just not my thing.  6 hours from phoenix to maui and i almost lost it. how will i ever go to Nigeria one day? no idea. i kinda don't want to sleep for 3 days straight before we have to go though. sigh. anyway, we made eeeet!

loaded up Red Vevet and you already know what was next....

the rental car peeps suggested we try Da Kitchen so we went straight there. sure, we were hoongry, but they were spot on with that recommendation.

i started with a green salad,

and followed that up with some salmon (duh) and Sonny requested the biggest dish they had!! soooo that's exactly what our waitress brought him.

yep, that's spam. i have never eaten spam in a restaurant. ever. whatever you think is in that bowl, it is.  eggs, brown rice, colby jack cheese, spam, ground beef, onions, gravy, and green onion. it was actually REALLY good, just way too heavy for me.

 look them up on IG and you'll find our pic in the hashtag cloud. #DaKitchen

on to the hotel. we were extremely pleased with our Westin Ka'anapali premium villa. check out the periscope tour we did! straight to sleep that night though, zzzzzzzzzzzz.

the next morning was the BIG day! and yep, it started with prayer and a workout.  it's automatic and it wasn't forced at all either... we enjoy starting our day this way. i pretty much ran for fun and did a weight circuit with Sonny and called it a day. that's pretty much what our workouts looked like our entire time there actually! we worked out 4 outta the 5 days there.

post-workout brekky!  i eat this way cause i love it. i enjoyed myself and indulged but i would be eating these particular items regardless. everyone we asked suggested Mama's Fish House for our anni dinner but you have to make reservations like 2 weeks in advance.  sooo that was out. we asked for the next best thing which was Merriman's.

we spoke to Chiso on Skype during breakfast! gosh i missed my boys so much. he was actually at the hospital at that very moment because my sis in law, Kara, had just delivered her baby girl!!!! we spoke to the proud parents too and even got a glimpse of baby Natalie!  we now gladly share September 15th with our niece, Natalie Chizara Egwuatu <3

it rained on our very first day out and about, buuuut it cleared up after breakfast thankfully. we took some pics and then a lil' drive through the mountains in the 'stang.

the winding roads, the mountains, the water, the scenery...gaaaah it was incredible and kinda hard to take all in at once.  i saw a sign that said 'scenic look out 1000 ft' so i told Sonny to pull over.

we hopped out and basically made a post card. look at that!

8 years. you ever look back on your life like, 'THANK YOU GOD for not making it work with any of my ex's.'!? He knew best.

every city/country we travel to... this is on my agenda. deal with it, Sonny.

i just wanted some snacks!  look, i did a two week sugar fast to get beach ready so i was about to enjoy me some chocolate. i found the bulk aisle and made myself at home.

salted carmel chews and chocolate covered pretzel balls. worth the tummy ache.

then we found a Walmart and bought some souvenirs for our family and a breast pump! i actually packed my dual electric Medela pump but naturally something went wrong with my tubing and it totally wasn't working. bum. mer. back to z hotel!

'ooo, wait, this is the selfie cam.'

it was still cloudy when we got back but we couldn't wait any longer!  we went out to the beach anyway to explore and take in the views.

and have a mini photoshoot.

well we definitely weren't in galveston anymore!

enjoying this life.

we went back to the room to get ready to go to our anni dinner. i found this dress at H&M for 30 bucks! 2 weeks prior to that day it would not zip all the way up.  nixing refined sugars from my diet... that'll do it.

i see ya with the fancy lighting, Red Velvet.

we had an awesome, intimate dinner at Merriman's! we arrived after dark so we couldn't see the magnificent view they are known for, but i couldn't have cared any less! i was so happy to just be there with Sonny at that very moment.  before we tore up that food, we took a pic for #8. to God be all the glory.

it was super dim in the restaurant so excuse my flash and these horrid angles, yall. i had half lobster enchiladas with asparagus and fillet mignon with garlic potatoes.  the portion sizes weren't outrageous, so i had plenty of room left for dessert.

Sonny had fillet mingon as well with swordfish and seasoned veggies. it was just right!  we were satisfied, not stuffed. i was so ready to go IN though, hahaha.

then Sonny had a big ol' cup of coffee cause he was STRUGGLIN' to stay awake!!! it was only 8 there but 1am in Houston.

dessert was a scoop of vanilla bean ice cream paired with this chocolate-filled 'purse'. we broke through the dough with our spoons and it oozed right onto the plate. yummerz.

meanwhile... i was constantly wondering what my babies were up to! my mom sent me this pic of Dego getting a good ol' fashion kitchen sink bath. so bittersweet cause i couldn't reach out and kiss his little face.

same plate, different day!

the weather was picture perfect that day.

so i put on my two piece (H&M, 10 bucks) and hit the beach solo cause somebody needed a nap after breakfast. immediately before i left,

knock, knock!  what an unexpected, pleasant surprise. a day late, BUT they spelled our name correctly and brought us dessert so it was all good! i ate a couple and went on my way.

this.

soaking it all in.

i was bummed we couldn't get into Mama's Fish House for our anni dinner, but we DID snag a lunch reservation, yay! we headed there to see what all the buzz was about.

this was a very, very good sign in my book.

:)

strawberry lemonade!

bread, butter, and a complimentary sip of cream of mushroom soup.

a real, fresh lei! nice touch.

tank tops weren't allowed, so our waitress brought Sonny and made him put his guns up.

i feasted on the Opa,

and this.... this was THE best coconut rice i've ever tasted. i saw it on the menu and added it to my meal cause i had to have it!

Sonny got the stuffed Mahi Mahi. clearly there is a reason this restaurant is ranked #2 in the NATION!!!! everything was scrumptious. everything.

Hana Banana Macadamia Nut Crisp topped with the cutest little sea turtle cookie. lick-the-bowl DELISH.

so we had a delima...we ran outta ice cream with a bit of macadamia nut crisp left to go.   our waitress solved that problem and gave us another scoop on the house. that's going the extra mile right there. she was incredibly sweet and took fantastic care of us from beginning to end.

the restaurant faces the shore and the windows were all wide open to the ocean air.

what an experience. stuffed and off-balance. cheese!

the very next morning, we set out to do some sight-seeing and hiking.

but first,

we hit up the 'Bucks for some caffeine before we rode out, map in tow.

the winding roads seemed to just go on and on and on...  it was fun being completely submerged in nature.

checking out the Nakalele Blowhole.

the sign says: 'Warning. Stay clear of blowhole.  You can be sucked in and killed.  It's not a waterpark.'  although the sign did make me a bit nervous, i wanted to get way closer naturally. but Mr. Egwuatu said no.

as good as it got.  i later googled to see other tourist photos of this spot and found this one:

we could have gotten a lil closer, Sonny, dang.

anyhoo, on to hiking!  i was really looking forward to a good, long hike. we drove back to the Kapalau Hiking Trails and hopped out.

buuut Sonny's achilles tendons had other plans. they've been giving him trouble for months now and that day was no different. we hiked for about 15 min before we called it quits :(

we still had time before the breakfast buffet ended so we sped back to the hotel.

i saw this class going on while we were at breakfast the day before so after we ate i went to change into my 'kini and jumped right in.

next up, snorkeling! first timers, here.  we had NO idea there were so many fish at our feet and that they were that close to the shore. crazy! even after 15+ years of knowing this guy, there are still so many firsts to experience together. 

the next day we literally CHILLED and lounged around. we also did some really boring stuff like driving to the Sprint store to check on Sonny's phone's memory card slot. i totally dropped his phone when i hopped out of the pool earlier that week and was hoping i didn't jack it up too bad and lose all our pictures. whew.

we came back to our room and ordered in!  Sonny got this banh mi sandwich,

and i ordered a gluten-free hawaiian pizza. we wanted to see Straight Outta Compton that night but didn't want to fall asleep in the movie theater.

last day :( ! we woke up and got all our stuff together and headed to check out of our hotel. no breakfast buffet that day; we headed to a recommendation from one of the valet guys minutes away: Slappy Cakes!  if Food Network says they're the bomb, i had to go see for myself.

our patiently-waiting-to-be-seated usie.

basically, you make your own pancakes right at your table!!! i do this at home for the boys, so this was right up my alley. what a fun concept!

spot on, Food Network.  i confidently claim Slappy Cakes as having THE best gluten-free pancakes i have ever eaten. EVA.

aaaand an extra stack for the road didn't hurt. finished'em before we got to the airport though.

we said our goodbyes to Red Velvet and took the shuttle to the airport. this was it! finally homeward bound.

maui to honolulu, honolulu to phoenix, then phoenix to houston.  somewhere along the way we devoured this together.

back home to our babies!!!! our families held it down and took excellent care of our boys while we were gone and we are so grateful for their support and willingness to help. back to life, back to reality....which is pretty darn good.

THANK YOU FOR READING!

Q: where should we go next year? i ask cause it'll be my turn to plan ;)