Ships Ahoy!

Our little captain set sail this past weekend ~

Ruffled T-shirt - Ralph Lauren
Cardigan - Ralph Lauren
Embroidered Jeans - Old Navy 
Shoes - LelliKelly

She peeked out portholes ~

She climbed overboard ~

She considered going back out to sea ~

But then decided to sit the next journey out ~

Hairbow - The Dollar Store (oh yeah)

Anyone else set off on any exciting adventures?
Sadly, all of mine are of the park variety as of late.

What.I.Wore : Colour Blocked

My husband and I attended a renewal of vows, one year anniversary, after a destination wedding, wedding on Sunday. say that 5 times fast. I dare you.

Tunic Dress - Armani Jeans

I went with a simple tunic dress, opaque tights and lace-up ankle boots. 
And then added a statement bracelet.
Not unlike a statement necklace. Except in bracelet form.

Braided bracelet - Stella & Dot

Ankle Boots - B. Makowsky

You would think we would have snapped one little picture of us together.
Alas, it was not to be.
These pictures were quickly snapped by my daughter with just a few minutes to spare before  we were picked up.
And whisked away to see the happy couple pledge their love. Again.
And that's what I'm wearing on Wednesday.

Bringing Home Baby

A friend of mine had her second baby today! Another girl. I'm so excited for her, I swear I feel like it's me. 

I had terrible pregnancies.

Lots of nausea, in a couple of cases short-term leaves from work. 

In all cases, I was on medication throughout.

But all of that aside -- I LOVE having babies.

Especially the "in the hospital" part. Delivery, the quiet moments afterwards, the visits. all.of.it.

We brought our Ava Grace home after just one night in hospital.

I packed a "going home" outfit for both the baby and me.

And in the end, after a multitude of tests and waiting for the go ahead ~ it got so late, I went home in pj's and Uggs. Ava went home in a sleeper.

Sigh.

So much for planning. 

The older ones were still up and waiting.

I never had a younger sibling so I can't imagine what that must have felt like.

But I would think it was can't sleep exciting.

We brought the baby in all bundled in her car seat, put her down in the foyer and all kind of stared at her for a bit.

It's weird how even after 3 babies, there is still a moment of "now what do we do?".

My mother-in-law went home.

And then it was just us.

She took over our bed that first evening. and for many nights to follow.

We didn't mind at all.

Our bundle of joy was HOME. 
Right where she belonged.

A Winner

And the winner of our Halloween Comes Early  giveaway is...
Comment #15 - Zoe Hunter Lee!
I will email you.

The Message

It didn't take me long to realize that there were signs being sent that I chose to ignore.

Taking too long to find the right nanny.

Feeling so unsure about that decision altogether.

The older kids never quite feeling comfortable.

My first day back at work was overwhelming.

Hundreds of emails to sort through. Many kind welcomes. Many visits.

But still...all I mostly did that day was look at my watch. Repeatedly.

I kid you not - I felt like running.

I envisioned it. I would pack up my laptop, books, files. Grab the few pictures and awards I brought along to make my workspace homey.

And then run.

Everyone would wonder what had happened to me.

"She was there a minute ago" they would say. 

I didn't run. But I did think about it again in the days that followed.

Especially the one where meetings started downtown at 8am followed by a team dinner which meant no Ava that day.

It just didn't feel right.

I've said before that I feel that our little miss was a gift from God. A last attempt perhaps to make us realize that how we were living our lives wasn't how it should be.

always running. always rushing. always telling the kids give me two minutes.

checking emails non-stop. working non-stop.

I extended my year-long maternity leave for an additional 6 months. Thinking that maybe at 18 months, it would be somehow easier to leave her.

Things would go back to the way they were. Nothing would change.
I would see my children for a few hours in the evening (if I was lucky) and on weekends.

And a message would go unheard.

My dear bloggy friend, Danielle, from Changing Lanes made a similar decision not that long ago.
She too had a fantastic job that she enjoyed.
And she too made the decision to leave it and look after what was truly important.
her little family
Her words to me struck such a chord ~ "I kept telling myself I may regret going to work...but I know I will never regret being home".

I resigned last Friday. Only 8 days in.
20 years of service. A substantial income. 6 weeks of paid vacation. Great benefits.
Gone.
And yet, I have never been so sure of something in my life.
It feels so good to have clarity.
And it feels extra good to know that when Ava calls for mama after nap, I WILL be here.

Thank you for praying for me sweet Danielle.
It worked.
And I heard.
Finally.

***you can still enter our little giveaway until midnight tonight***

What.I.Wore : Feathers & Such

It's getting darker. Faster.
A telltale sign that it's almost here. For good.
Fall that is.

Cardigan - American Eagle
Lace Tank - Banana Republic
Trousers - Mario Serrani

An ode to the feather trend. Since I'm not planning on extensions anytime soon.

Feather Necklace - American Eagle

Studded Shoes - David Dixon

And that's what I'm wearing on Wednesday.

Pssst. Have you entered my little giveaway yet? 

Halloween Comes Early

Remember my wonderful bloggy friend Christina's fabulous goodies?

She's giving away one of her lovely headbands on my little blog TODAY.
This one is aptly called "Halloween" although I think it would be fabulous any day of the year.

Perfect for your little pumpkin...

To enter:
Follow my blog via GFC

Follow The Olive Tree blog here

Follow me on twitter here

Add The Olive Tree Boutique on Etsy to your favorite's here

~For an extra entry tweet or blog about the giveaway including url~

Leave a comment for each entry

GOOD LUCK!
*winner will be chosen at midnight on Friday, September 23rd*

Last Days of Summer

We had a great couple of days this past weekend.

Just warm enough to still get away with layering up our summer clothes.
Tunic over leggings? Yes, please.

Tunic dress & floral leggings - BabyGap
Sandals - Naturino

I fear this might have been one of the last really warm days. 

So we took FULL advantage and spent most of the day outdoors.
Ava loves the park. And has no fear.
So unlike our other two at her age.
She climbs UP the slide. And slides down all alone just like a big girl.
please stop growing now. thank you very much.

Embroidered jean jacket - BabyGap

The jean jacket worked perfectly for the slight chill of the morning.
But by the afternoon...

Here's to the last days of summer!
xo

What.I.Wore : Backwards

Just cool enough to throw on a leather jacket.

Leather Jacket - Baldani

Albeit, not for very long.

Cargo pants - American Eagle
Studded shoes - Pegabo

The back is by far prettier than the front, non?

T-shirt - Moon by Noon 

Extreme close-up...

Diamond initial necklace - Holt Renfrew
Studded rose necklace - Vintage

And that's what I'm wearing on Wednesday.

Zoology

The zoo was one of the few outings we had on our "to-do" list this summer.
I put it off. And put it off some more.
You see...little miss sucks does not do well in the car.
Now that Donna was with us though, I figured, how bad could it be?  
She could sit in the back with her...entertain.feed snacks.repeat.
Yeah, it didn't work.
She screamed the entire way there. And it is not so close.
I pulled over. Took her out of the car. Consoled her. Put her back in.
She screamed some more.
And then we were there. praise God.

The worst over, we quite enjoyed the rest of the day.
The zoo is so oddly peaceful. Quiet even.
I could have watched this little family for hours.
Obviously, the monkey in the middle was a bit of a drama queen.

Little miss caught a glimpse of this beautiful creature and started freaking out.
Apparently, she knows that her Bobo is also a giraffe. gifted I tell ya, gifted.

Julian wrestled with a tiger.
And won. I think.

We visited with the elephants.
So ridiculously big it was surreal.
Not sure this picture does this wrinkly wonder justice.
Miss Ava's first big outing ended up a big success.
And at the end of it all...she was the quietest she had been all day.

Mission accomplished.

Work Wear

After being home for just shy of a year and a half, it has been quite the adjustment  to have to get up and actually get ready every day. Albeit, so far, this might be the best part of actually going back to work. Sigh.

I have ofcourse checked out what the other ladies are wearing. on Wednesday.

So far, I am less than impressed.

Not sure anyone is understanding the whole business casual concept. 

Leggings and tank tops have no business here. 

Tom's in the office? Cute but yeah, ummm, no.

And for everyone's sake...please cover up. Enough said?

Here's what I might wear. They should too. hope they are not reading my blog. or maybe I do.

Dress - H&M

There is no easier way to get "dressed". 

Throw on some cute shoes and you are good.to.go.

Skinny pants - Banana Republic

Leaving the leggings for the weekend and replacing them with skinny trousers.

Equally cute with flats, pumps or an ankle boot.

Ruffle T - Zara

Tank tops will be saved for layering.

I would replace with this equally comfortable and cute t-shirt.

Ballet flats - Oasis

Ballet flats in a fun color, like red.

These are as soft as butter and feel like slippers on...not unlike say...Tom's.

Navy cardigan - J Crew

Cover.up.

A cute basic cardigan or two will do the trick just fine.

Polished Denim Blazer - The Loft

As might an equally cute denim blazer.
I can see this one easily transitioning from work to weekend. 

I might make this my first order of business. A project of sorts.

So do tell, what do you wear.to.work?