Happy last Friday of April- I can't believe this weekend will officially bring us May.

I can remember time moving at a painfully glacial pace as a child- Impatiently counting down the days to summer or Christmas or a visit from my grandparents.

Today, time vanishes in a blink. Yesterday my teeny-tiny newborn transformed into a little girl before my eyes- giving herself a bottle at the ripe old age of 10 months old while mom and dad shared a morning cup of coffee.

Obviously she's still my baby girl- as she'll likely forever be. But, as cliché as it sounds, it truly feels like yesterday that we brought her home- when we were terrified of breaking her and were utterly unaware of what we were doing.

And while I'm a little less scared of breaking her these days, I'm still learning as I go along on  these quickly passing days- calling my mom a little less often with tearful questions.

A little over a year ago we celebrated our baby girl at a beautiful backyard baby shower- just a few weeks before she arrived.

We were so blessed to celebrate with family and friends, all of whom gifted us so many amazing things in hopes of making that journey into parenthood all that much easier.

The best part about these helpful tokens was that we were given essentials we could use throughout the first year of new parenthood. Some of my most favorite gifts have been the ones we couldn't necessarily use right away. Of course we love and needed the onesies, swaddles and binkies; but there's something about opening a gift or two every few months throughout that first year that makes you feel like a kid on Christmas the whole year through.

This B.O.B Stroller is one of those gifts.

I've been reading to Maddie Mae since the day she was born- my hospital bag packed with a few favorite bedtime stories, in addition to a loaded iPod to play her first lullabies.

And while she probably didn't understand the stories I read, I wanted to instill the act of reading into our daily routine- hoping it would someday perpetuate a love of books. And today, whenever I see Maddie light up at the pages, I'm grateful I made that a priority from the start.

Recently, I've gotten really into making breakfast. I was never a big breakfast-girl growing up, but in my adult years I've made a point to at least eat something- a bar here, a smoothie there. But now that I've been cooking breakfast for Maddie Mae on a regular basis- the girl loves her pancakes- I've started thinking about some quick and delicious meals I can make for myself and the hubs.

I came across this recipe for breakfast quesadillas on Pinterest- they looked colorful and delicious, and the fact that I had all the ingredients on hand completely won me over.

Sometimes, Monday's call for a beachside ending- one complete with your babes, burritos + an ice cold beer. 

Our local beach is a real beauty- particularly on these gorgeous spring nights when it's not too hot and not yet filled with the summertime crowd. We are lucky enough to live moments away, allowing us to swing by for a quick bite before sunsets.

These sweet moments with my family are ones that I live for, and can make any case of the Mondays drift far, far away.

This past weekend was pretty perfect- the sun was shining, we spent some much needed time outdoors, and Maddie Mae + I got to watch Dad coach his very favorite sport. We also enjoyed our first good old fashion bbq of the year- complete with delish margaritas, family + friends.

It's weekends like these that make me stop to count our lucky stars, and feel humbled by how blessed I really am. 

Here are five things I'm currently {extra} grateful for:

Friday already?! This week's been a fast one- starting off cold and snowy and ending happily sunny + spring-like.

The past few days have been filled with a few fun excursions, afternoon walks + shipping off lots of pretty packages filled with lyrical baby onesies.

In the midst of it all, my Maddie Mae turned ten months old- blowing my mind when I finally made the realization. My little babe is no longer such a baby- she stands + babbles + is so close to walking; but she'll forever be my little girl. It goes way too fast; and as exhausting as it sometimes is, these 10 months with her have been the best of my life. And I can't wait to explore another season outdoors with her this spring.

If April showers bring May flowers, then we are in for a treat.

Spring has been a bit shy the past few days- giving us glimpses of its glory, then sneaking away to hide behind the clouds {and snow}.

Thankfully, forecasts call for brighter and warmer days in the near future, getting me super excited to explore another season with my loves. As those sunnier days approach, I've been thinking about my spring favorites.

They say a Sunday well spent brings a week of content...

Despite a few flurries, we managed to enjoy a fun-filled, sunny weekend with family and friends.

The hubby said "bye-bye" to his man cave, as Maddie Mae welcomed her very own playroom. Some Much needed spring cleaning uncovered a few gorgeous family photos that brought a tear {or two} to my eye. And while temps kept us inside, it happily left us plenty of time to snuggle and play while I worked on finalizing a few touches on my brand new shop.

I started this blog a little over a year ago- the February of my pregnancy, four months before Maddie Mae arrived. I founded L + L as a creative outlet; a way to focus my energy during a not-so-great pregnancy. I had hoped blogging about cute baby clothes and fun recipes would take my mind off of the Morgan-shaped divot I was creating in our bed while I watched Netflix and waited for the little one to arrive. Shockingly, the worries and mandatory rest that consumed my pregnancy left me wholly uninspired, and not such a great writer.

I was also entirely too afraid. Way too scared to voice the fears about my first, fragile pregnancy to the world.

OK, that's dramatic- at that point only my mother and husband would have read them. The world would have had better things to do. But you get the point: I couldn't muster up the courage to put pen to paper, and Lilies + Lambs was barren as could be for several months.

Rain, rain go away / Come again another day.

Maddie + Mommy want to play / But I guess we'll settle for baking all day.

Those are the words right? Anyhoo.

The rain {and snow} has kept us cooped up once again. And while Maddie can't yet enjoy the fruits of our labor, we spent afternoon in the kitchen whipping up some yummy treats.

I'm a fan of oatmeal in my cookies, so when I found this recipe for cookie-bars that called for all my favorite ingredients- vanilla, chocolate, oatmeal- I couldn't resist.

Hello, my name is Morgan, and I bottled feed my baby. And, what's more: I'm not ashamed of it.

My milk never came, so I can't say this was much of a choice. The decision not to torture myself with lactation consultants, pumping, and triple feeding on the other hand, was.

I tried a week. That's right- just one week, before I threw in the towel, and decided to stop forcing my body to try to do something it might not ever do. The decision was difficult- gut wrenching, in fact, for a person who didn't buy a single bottle before her baby arrived; confident she would breast feed for months, or maybe even a year.

Happy Fri-Yay, ya'll! This week has been a great one- despite the fact that I have a little girl with some very sharp teeth coming in. The weather finally got a little warmer, my sister spent a few days off with us, I was able to get a few very necessary workouts in, and my first article was published on The Huffington Post. Not too shabby.

So besides the fact that this week has been sleepless, caffeine-fueled and somewhat fussy- it's also been a beautiful, beautiful joy,

And that, is exactly what I've been talking about...