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Monday's Obsessions

Monday, March 31, 2014
Hello Monday, the last day of March! I'm really hoping April will bring better weather because yesterday I woke up to more snow. This Winter has been pretty brutal and it seems to be never ending. Last Monday night Braxton started to run a fever which turned into him not feeling well at all. At one point during the week his fever hit 104.6 which is totally scary but it turns out he has yet another ear infection. I will be so happy once the tubes are put in so hopefully he can get away from all these ear issues. Ava was grumpy almost all week, which is unusual for her, but she got THREE teeth! She's a teething machine haha As for me, I've been running a little low for the week. Having a sick child along with one that's teething is exhausting.

Besides the sickness, our week was pretty uneventful except on Friday because Braxton was feeling better...his class had a field trip at the local skating rink so he got to try rollerskating for the first time. It was exactly how you would expect a three year old to try skating though...it didn't go well. He loved it and it was sweet but after one time around I just put his boots back on and let him run around the rink with those instead, just to be safe. He wasn't the only one doing that so it was just fine. A classmate's birthday was that day so her mom brought cupcakes…yay, cupcakes before 11 am!



Shakira's new song Empire is so so so catchy.

The best April Fool's Day pranks kids will fall for. 

Over the weekend I saw this quilt by LWPH sews. It's a collaboration with Casey Wiegand and it's beyond beautiful. The mermaid print is actually familiar to us...for Christmas Ava got her first blanket with that print on it. Now if only we could get her the $250 quilt! If only…

How crazy is this article on the Black Plague?! (Sorry to get a little morbid haha)

I have such a sweet tooth lately and that looks heavenly. 

I saw a post on Elizabeth Taylor's gardens and it made me long for spring/summer even more. How beautiful?! (and no it's not a plug for the perfume mentioned haha)

I want this and this.

Mindy Kaling is perfect and I love that she did a crop top. 

I just bought my first Sakura Bloom sling in plum. Wrapping Ava just isn't the same now that she's bigger so I really wanted to try a ring sling. I can't wait until it gets here!

I got caught up in the Animal Face craze.

You might have a 3 year old if….

Our kitchen really needs an update so I need inspiration.
Actually, who am I kidding, the whole house needs an update.


Here's to a good week xx

Shadowbox memories

Saturday, March 29, 2014
I wanted to share the shadowbox I did for Ava awhile back because it's one of my favorite little DIY's. I'm pretty sentimental so I really cherish the memories of when my babies were little. Seeing the little foot prints, their first little hat, and the coming home outfit brings back so many emotions for me. Excitement, nervousness (no matter if it's your first or second you're still a little nervous!), happiness...there are just so many memories tied to those days. The great thing about a shadowbox is that you don't have to just pack away those memories, you can display them and have a precious keepsake. Shadowboxes can be so simple and there are hundreds of ways to do them but here's how I did mine...

What I used:
Ava's hospital keepsake blanket
Coming home onesie
Coming home headband
Hospital hat with bow
Footprints
Bassinet card
5x7 picture from the hospital
Wooden letter "A" covered in glitter
16x20 shadowbox 
Pins


The day before I did the shadowbox, I covered the wooden letter with Mod Podge and then sprinkled rose colored glitter on it. You'll shake the excess glitter off and then let it dry. I have done so many things with Mod Podge and glitter, I love it. You can choose to leave it be, or sometimes to seal it, I will use a clear gloss spray paint on it so the glitter doesn't go everywhere. I thought the glittery "A" would be kind of unique and it would pop against the pink blanket. 

-A tip, you want to make sure you  line your working space with either newspaper or cardboard because glitter will be everywhere. I usually will do either of those and then put a piece of printer paper over it so I can save the excess glitter.- 


Line the shadowbox with the blanket of your choice. We got a "Special Delivery" blanket with the name of the doctor who performed my c-section. This blanket is a thicker material so it was a little bunched up in the frame which is okay, it just shows a little. I thought of using the little hospital blanket that is given to all the newborns, which would match Braxton's, but thought it would be cute to use this one instead. Pin the blanket where it's folded so you can take it out and arrange everything. 




Here is where you can do whatever you want. I placed everything in different spots until it fit perfectly. I originally wanted to use her full coming home outfit but the onesie looked best without it being too busy. With the thick blanket, I didn't have to use pins or hot glue for the stuff to stay. If you're using something thinner, you may have to but remember, with the hot glue you won't really be able to re-use anything. I decided against it just in case Ava wants to use them later down the road. 

After everything was where I wanted, I placed the glass over it and then carefully flipped it over. I put the cardboard backing on it and closed it up. 


Simple and easy!

A quick little party moment

Wednesday, March 26, 2014

First off, I wanted to say THANK YOU to everyone who entered my Freshly Picked giveaway! It was so much fun to be a part of and a big congratulations to the winner, Whitney Orick! Keep an eye out in the future because I have a few more fun things up my sleeve...

I'm in party planning mode. I have mentioned before how I've been "planning" Ava's first birthday for months now but I'm officially doing it now. I have a collection of things going now, I'm about 90% sure we have a place figured out, her dress is bought and everything. How is my little girl almost one already?! 

While we were driving home from Florida all I talked about for a good few hours, yes that long, was her birthday party. It's a miracle Brian didn't kill me, or at least kick me out of the car haha I'm just so excited for it! I love everything girly and that's exactly what I want. Lots of flowers and lots of pink...which I'm not scared of. I know some people with girls shy away from the color pink but I can't help myself with her. 

Over the weekend I bought some beautiful floral plates and a glass cake stand from Marshall's, at a great price. The idea is to have a sweets table so I knew they would be perfect. Last night I picked up all those faux flowers pictured above. I have to say, I'm quite proud of how they look because silk flowers often get a bad rep but all real flowers for the party is not in the budget. The big, white peonies are actually "real to the touch" and they're my favorite. I can't wait to start crafting but first I need to find a place to put everything! 

Philly cheesesteak egg rolls

Tuesday, March 25, 2014
I don't usually fry foods, well actually I never fry anything, except when I make homemade egg rolls. So Brian and I had a cheat day on Sunday with Philly cheesesteak egg rolls (and cheesecake). I went grocery shopping that day and I happened to pass by the egg roll wrappers so I put them in the cart. We haven't had egg rolls in quite awhile so Brian was excited for them. There's a small process to them but I didn't mind that day since he was entertaining the munchkins. 

My sister Toni originally shared this idea with me years ago so I can't take full credit for them but I wanted to share because they're that good. It's one of those recipes you can kind of just play with and add whatever you want to it and that's how I do it. Whatever sounds good at the time I will usually put in them but here's the basic recipe. 


You'll need:
  • Egg roll wraps
  • 1 to 1 1/2 lbs of beef 
  • 2 green peppers
  • 1 to 2 onions
  • 2 cups mozzarella cheese 
  • Mushrooms
  • Salt
  • Pepper 
  • Garlic powder
  • 1 tablespoon olive oil 
  • 1 egg for an egg wash
  • Frying oil


Chop the onions and peppers so they're decently small. Separately, chop mushrooms and set them aside.


In a warm pan, add 1 tablespoon of olive oil (or butter) and then sauté onions and peppers until they're tender.  I add about two teaspoons of salt, a teaspoon of garlic powder, and about a teaspoon of pepper. Sometimes I use more, sometimes less. It's all about seasoning to taste. I add the chopped mushrooms after that and let them sauté for about one to two minutes, stirring frequently. 


Put the cooked onions, peppers, and mushrooms in a bowl and then add 1 cup of the cheese.


In the same pan, cook the beef. - With the beef this time I went the easy way. Usually I will have thin strip steaks on hand and will just cut them in small pieces. However, while I was out shopping, I noticed there were beef cubes the perfect size so I got those to save time. - Cook until browned, but not well done. 


Mix the beef, after draining, into the mixture and let cool. You don't want it to be hot/warm when you're rolling it into the wraps. Depending on the time, sometimes I put it in the freezer for a few and other times I just let it sit in the fridge if I have enough time. (These are perfect to prep in the morning and cook later in the day!)

I have a little set up when I'm rolling the egg rolls. I'll put the remainder of the cheese in a bowl and in another bowl I'll have the egg wash. I line a plate with wax paper so the rolls don't stick. 


Add a spoonful of the cheesesteak mixture onto the middle of the wrap and then sprinkle with cheese.  You're going to roll the wrap just like you would a burrito by doing the sides first. When you do that, brush a little of the egg wash on so the roll stays together. 


Once you have the majority rolled, brush the edge with some of the egg wash to completely close it. 
- A tip, make sure you don't over fill the egg roll because that will make it tear when rolling, which you don't want.  

Here's where you can do whatever you want with the cooking process. You can either fry or bake them. Brian prefers me frying them, which makes them oh so crispy and good. With frying you want to make sure the oil is at 350 degrees. I will pop one to two egg rolls in at a time, no more than that though, and I will turn them frequently so they brown evenly. They only need to go in for two to three minutes. Once done, put them on a paper towel lined plate and let sit for about 5 minutes

Then enjoy...



Monday's Obsessions

Monday, March 24, 2014
Okay, so I took a blogging vacation and I missed two weeks of Monday's Obsessions but I'm back! I had the intention to blog but I was just way too busy. In the back of my head though I was like "I have to stick with this, I'm not going to be like some people who flake out on everything!" That's the worst thing with some blogs, in my opinion, the inconsistencies. 

The past week at home was nice. While we were in Florida I kept saying that I never wanted to come back but I kind of did. Sleeping in our bed, getting to relax in a kid proof home, and getting our routine back has been great. Braxton went back to school and the first day back we got a great report saying he listened well (which is a big deal!) and that he was a flirt with the girls, no surprise. Brian went back to work on Tuesday and he said that he actually didn't mind it- aka he was getting a break from us haha Coming up they're changing his hours and it's going to positively affect us, where he'll be home earlier, woo! Ava had her nine month check up and the doctor said she was looking perfect...close to 18 pounds believe it or not. She's an eating machine lately. We haven't tried a food that she doesn't like yet, and we're having lots of fun doing the whole baby led weaning thing.

Even though the calendar said it's Spring, it still feels like Winter here unfortunately. Yesterday I woke up to some fresh snow and it was bitter cold outside. Boo! I can't wait until we can get outside to play and I can direct Brian at what flowers to plant since I don't have much of a green thumb. I'm ready for dresses, skirts, and sandals as well.

My dressing room selfie at Marshall's because I haven't been there in ages. Trying the whole crop top trend.

My Freshly Picked mocc giveaway ends in under two days! 

Totally loving the new Bayside album 'Cult' and this single. The entire album is great, check it out.

I have had Spotify Premium for a couple years now and can't live without it. Here's a free trial

I scooped up a few things from the Oh Joy! for Target collection for Ava's birthday party. I ordered online, while we were driving home, so they were at the house a day or so after we got back. Unfortunately one thing I ordered was all messed up - the "Hooray" cake topper arrived saying "Hoooay" and they're all out of stock now.

My Plum Street Prints phone case is perfect for Spring. 

A new pair of Rayban aviators is on my want list.

I was in heaven with Sonic's limeades. I prefer cranberry but here's a great recipe for cherry limeade.

I'm now obsessed with Rocket + Lace thanks to my friend Denae who let me borrow her floral crown for a day. Anna, the creator, just launched new stuff yesterday so check her out!

Speaking of Denae, she recently posted on her blog about beauty and how we see ourselves and others. She mentions me and it made me cry because it's so sweet. Give it a read. 

After I'm done with this ombré hair of mine I told Brian that I want purple hair just for a little while. Now if only I could give up the blonde that I have worked so hard for haha

I'm going to try a version of this recipe of stuffed pasta shells in the crockpot this coming week. - I'll post about how it turns out...

We have so many shows to catch up on but how crazy is Scandal now?!

Mama Bear camo shirt is on my wish list but they're ALWAYS sold out on Loved by Hannah and Eli.


Here's to a good week xx

Potty training with speech delay

Saturday, March 22, 2014
I can't tell you how many times I googled that. "Potty training with speech delay" doesn't come up with much except other parents asking how to do it. Why? Maybe it's because speech delay is so different with every kid, not every kid's speech delay is like the other. Or maybe it's because potty training in itself is difficult, let alone adding the fact that the child has a speech delay. I didn't know where to start, or what to do, so I just kind of winged it.

I won't lie, potty training Braxton made me nervous. We tried when he was almost two because he was kind of showing signs of readiness. I bought him a singing potty that he seemed to enjoy which was pretty cute. He got the idea of it but, because of the speech delay, we didn't stick with it. I remember asking Brian "How are we going to know if he needs to go if he can't even tell us?" We pushed it aside and stuck with the diapers because we thought that he would definitely be talking any day but we were wrong. As I've mentioned before, Braxton's speech delay is pretty intense, and we're still dealing with it.

This past December, right before his third birthday, we decided it was officially time. When we ran out of diapers we didn't buy anymore, but bought a small pack of Pull Ups instead. The singing potty came out again, but this time it stayed in the living room. I figured if he couldn't tell us he had to go, at least have it close by. Where he took to it great the first time- the year before- I thought it would be the same but it wasn't. He hated the idea of it. Of course he would!

There were tons of leftover Halloween candy in the pantry so I decided that we would do a little bribing. Yes, I'm not above bribing in certain circumstances. Braxton doesn't get lots of candy at all so I figured it could be a good idea. I put all the candy into a little paper bag where he knew it was specifically for him, when he went to the potty. At first I would give him a single M&M for even sitting on it, since that was an issue. He started to warm up to it after that but still wasn't a fan. I still let him have the Pull Ups on, to avoid a mess, but looking back that could have been what was hindering him. I mean Pull Ups technically feel like a diaper still....I went out to Walmart and bought him two packs of Fruit of the Loom undies, which were the cheapest. It took him a few days to get used to them, and I'm pretty sure I had to change more pee undies than I ever imagined, but slowly but surely the Pull Ups were moved to only night time wear or school.

I swear he's not pouting, I just caught a silly face. He still uses the singing potty in his room.
Where he's in nursery school two days a week and he had a birthday party planned at a gymnastics place, I told Brian that I wanted to wait until Christmas break to officially potty train. The whole two weeks was spent with Braxton naked and with me having a mop on hand for accidents. I sat him on that potty every ten minutes it seemed. When he finally would go, I made a huge deal out of it by saying "Yay! Way to go Braxton!! You went potty!" and then I would let him pick any piece of candy he wanted - once again, the joy of mini Halloween candy. (Seriously, try potty training after Halloween, it's perfect haha) We had fewer accidents but he still wasn't too into it. I was racking my brain, and trying to think of what else I could do, when I typed in "potty training" into the app search. Potty Time with Elmo was the first thing that popped up so I paid for the app and gave it a shot. It's interactive so the kids can play as they go, and it teaches all the basics with songs. All the songs are pretty ridiculous but trust me, you start singing them after awhile. (Keep Clorox wipes on hand for this, trust me!)

With Braxton's speech delay he still completely understands what we say, and he catches on to things pretty quickly, which I'm thankful for. Once we started using that app, he thought it was more fun, and I also started using less candy. I would watch him, without bothering him, and see what his cues were...like how long it would take after he drank something until he had to go for instance. Since there was no school, and it was cold/snowy outside, we didn't really go anywhere for those two weeks and it was perfect because all we had to do was work on potty training. After a week of all day success, I bought some GoodNites bed liners and we attempted him sleeping with just undies, no more Pull Ups. I set up his potty in his room, along with a night light. Before he fell asleep I had him practice pulling down his undies and sitting on the potty about ten times haha A few hours later, when I was going to sleep, I went in there and woke him up to go potty. He was so drowsy but I finally had him sit down. Half asleep, with his head still down, he whispered "all done" so sweetly. Brian still laughs at that. I'm proud to say that we haven't had a night time accident yet. (Key word yet but still, that's huge.)

We ended up leaving the singing potty up in his room for nights and we bought a little potty seat to go on top of our toilet downstairs for the day. It was under $15 at Target, and blue, so he loved it. Taking him out for the first time, without those, were a little rough. I would sit him on the regular sized toilets and he would just freak. I mean they're massive compared to a little three year old so I didn't blame him. I asked on Facebook for opinions and I was told to pick up a travel potty seat, which had helped a couple other moms. I ended up just working a little bit more with him so we didn't need it but I wanted to point that out for others. I didn't even know that they made those things!

As for accidents, we actually have only had one so far, and it was totally my fault. We went out to breakfast, he had chocolate milk, and without planning it we stopped by a place in town that has an open bounce house for kids. We were all in the moment and right before he went into one of the bounce houses I saw it happen. Then I realized I forgot to ask him if he had to go potty before! Ooops. Besides that, everything has gone great. Even our road trip that was 1,300 miles, one way, went great. Sure, we had to stop more times for potty breaks, just to be safe, but he did well.

We're still working on him actually telling us that he has to go...right now he just pulls down his pants so we obviously know he has to go. The thing with that though is that we immediately take him, so he doesn't technically need to TELL us. That's something I'm just noticing so hopefully it will change soon. He can say "pee" and "poop" (sorry if you hate those words, it happens though) so he knows what he's doing. We avoid any accidents, or him trying to pull down his pants, in public by just asking him every so often if he needs to potty. If we're close by a bathroom I will just take him in anyways. We no longer use the Elmo app OR candy which is nice considering it's only been 3 months since he's been potty trained.

My advice for anyone trying to potty train a speech delayed child is have patience. I thought it would never happen after I had to wash so so many pairs of undies he had peed through, or the time he had peed on the rug...for the third time. Remember that they don't mean to have those accidents so you shouldn't freak out when they happen. Anytime it happened I just took a breath and then I would calmly tell Braxton "Oh no, you have to go sit on the potty when you have to pee" and then I would show him the wet undies before putting a clean pair on him. It's a process! Speak clearly and get down on their level so they completely understand. Praise them when they do a good job. Braxton would get so proud of himself after he went because I showed him how excited I was. If you're fine with a little bit of candy, do it. A little goes a long way, especially for a kid that doesn't get it often. Make sure you always, always, always have a change of clothes with you just in case. We now keep a spare pair of undies and pants in the Jeep after that accident at the bounce house place.

What helped us: bribing candy (don't judge), Graco potty seat, GoodNites bed mats, cheap Fruit of the Loom undies, and Potty Time with Elmo. 

I know that it could have been more difficult, we actually got pretty lucky with potty training Braxton, but maybe here's a story of hope...it doesn't have to be hard! When you know your child, you can see their cues so just watch for them. Good luck! I'm always open to other moms who have questions about speech delay as well.

Vacation part three

Thursday, March 20, 2014

On Sunday we were adjusting to Daylight Saving Time. My mom and I decided to take Ava and Braxton down to the port, which is only about 10 minutes from her house, for some breakfast at Grills. When I lived down there we always went there to eat and the view is just so nice. You can see all sorts of little boats, along with huge cruise ships. I thought Braxton would really enjoy that and all the birds, which he did, but that meant he wasn't interested in eating. I brought along my camera (which made me feel like a huge tourist) so I could take a few pictures of my mom with the kids. It kind of didn't work but I got a couple of her and Ava at least. This was the first time she had seen Ava since she was just about 3 weeks old. I loved seeing them together this time because Ava has such a personality and she really took to her nana. 

My mom was so happy to have us stay with her and her husband Austin. She's actually sort of a newlywed believe it or not, they celebrated their one year wedding anniversary last October. It was so nice to see her finally happy with someone who treats her so greatly. She deserves it. Austin was great too...he's a cook and I got a homemade meal every night there and it all tasted amazing. It's funny to see the cooking dynamic at the house now because my mom is a great cook, and I learned how to cook from her, but now she barely sets foot in the kitchen because Austin is just that good. 

A boy with his paci and some crayons.
Braxton wouldn't give up the paci because my mom insisted on him having it. We had a mini power struggle over who knew better...mom or nana. Ugh haha Every time she sees Braxton it's like she forgot just how much of a handful he really is but each time is still so sweet because he loves his nana so much. I hate that there's so much distance between us since I know she loves spending time with them. 


Toni came to see us one last time before we left and we had a little beach day. Where she lives an hour away and is the BUSIEST WOMAN EVER it was nice to have her come to me. Any time I didn't have to have the kids in the car was a bonus for me. 


Ava's first time in the water was a success, she loved it! That bathing suit she's wearing is something I picked up last year, while I was still pregnant, from Target for only $2 on sale. I was so glad she actually fit into it and we got to use it. 



Brian's grandmother later commented on the picture above and said that Ava looked like a tub of butter haha I'll take it as a compliment. 



The picture above has to be one of my favorites, and it wasn't even planned. While I was down at the water with Braxton, Toni had Ava and she was playing with Toni's camera. Ava took this picture and in the background you can see Braxton and me. It's perfect, especially for a baby selfie. 



Braxton, being the flirt that he is, had to go up to all the ladies. It didn't matter how old they were, what they looked like...he would walk/run up to them and grab their hand and just try to take a stroll on the beach. Finally, after it happening a few times, I took a picture because it was just too much to handle. So much for stranger danger, right? 


Speaking of a ladies man....We got to meet up with my friend Mary and her son Ronin Riot and it was so adorable. Ava and Ronin instantly started kissing each other, like right away. You have to ignore the terrible quality in the first picture because I quickly grabbed my camera to capture the moment and I didn't check the lighting on it. Ooops...I'm a beginner, remember?


I have known Mary since high school and since we were pregnant around the same time, we grew a closer through Facebook/Instagram. The joys of social networking with distance! Ronin is about two months younger than Ava but he's huge! Ava was loving him, and the fact that we were taking pictures. 



In the background of this, you would never guess that things were semi-hectic. Brian was with me since he had finally gotten back from his cruise, but he was busy cleaning up a route 44 cranberry lime aid from Sonic that was spilled, by Braxton, in the Jeep. Yeah...our not even six month old Jeep was doused in sticky soda. It's my fault a little because I let Braxton have a sip (which he is never allowed soda, ever, but I thought no harm if it's just a little, just this once, since we're on vacation) and Sonic cups are really terrible for being flimsy but still. I kept telling Mary that it was totally bad timing because it happened literally as soon as I stepped out of the driver's side door to meet her. Talk about being side tracked...a couple minutes later, while Ava and Ronin were still giving each other kisses, Ava accidentally bit him (she doesn't know her strength yet with all those teeth, I promise) so that was our cue that it was probably best to head on home haha 

Our before the beach selfie in our Solly wrap.
We finally got to go to the beach with Brian before we left. I was excited that he would be able to see just how much fun Braxton had there. The wind made things a little chilly but Braxton didn't care, he was in the water again and again. He would throw shells in, chase the birds (which can be a great babysitter for a few) and he was just so happy that his dad was with him. 



We had the perfect time down there as a family of four. At one time Braxton came running up to me and insisted that I get in the water with them to play. I had jeans on which were luckily rolled up some and Ava was wrapped in the Solly so I said okay. Brian had one of his hands, I had the other, and with each wave we would lift Braxton up and then he'd go into the water. He thought it was the funnest thing in the world. Watching him in that moment brought me so much joy. 

Freshly Picked / Review + Giveaway!


Freshly Picked have the cutest, and best handmade baby moccasins I have ever seen. I've had my eye on them for seriously quite some time, even before Ava was born, because they're that cool. The company has been around for awhile now but a couple months ago Susan, the creator of Freshly Picked, was featured on the ABC show Shark Tank and her following has just exploded! Her story impressed all the sharks but she struck a deal with Damon and you can tell that it was a perfect match. Everyone is talking about Freshly Picked now!


When it came down to choosing what color to pick, it was actually kind of hard at first because there were so many great and unique colors! I ended up choosing Frosted Pink because it's just oh so girly and perfect for Ava. When it came down to sizing I decided to go big so she had plenty of time to wear them/grow into them. Growing baby feet are so unpredictable. 



Shipping was pretty quick which was pleasant considering they're handmade. The day they arrived, I was excited like they were mine haha The bag that they came in was unique and it even included a FP pin...I'm a sucker for packaging so this was an A+ 


A pair of these moccs have been on my wish list for what it seems like forever now. Since I'm a stay at home mom though it was hard to justify $60 on something like baby shoes. Now that we have them though I have to say, they are 100% worth it. Awhile back, before these, I ordered a cheaper pair of baby moccs and they don't even come close to the quality of Freshly Picked's moccs. The leather is genuine leather and it's oh so soft. The color is vibrant but not tacky...you know how some pinks can look tacky. With the other pair of moccs, the elastic left marks on Ava's feet which I hated. These moccs are perfect and you can tell that they're ten times more comfortable. Each pair of moccs is stamped with the Freshly Picked logo which is adorable. 


I'm looking forward to Ava walking in these! The soft soles are ideal for babies who are learning how to walk because they allow baby to feel the ground and move their feet more freely. It also promotes stronger ankles and flexible foot bones. With these moccs, you can tell that they're durable and will go for quite awhile. We also have a pair in their Platinum color and I'm obsessed with both of them now. They go with everything, they're easy to get on, don't come off easily, and they're trendy. 


Freshly Picked is being oh so generous and letting me host a giveaway! One person will get to choose a pair of moccasins in the color and size of their choice! I will announce the winner on March 26th and they'll have 24 hours to claim their prize. Good luck! 



a Rafflecopter giveaway

Vacation part two

Wednesday, March 19, 2014

The whole vacation I kept getting comments from literally everyone saying how Ava was the happiest baby they had ever met. It was nice to hear but it's really the truth...that girl is just always smiling and she's pretty easy. I'm lucky because if she was a handful like her brother, I might be crazy already haha Ava was teething the whole time we were gone and actually had a tooth (and a half) pop through but she wasn't grumpy about it. I had fun and bought her loads of clothes while we were down there...Target got me with all the cute, and affordable, little girl things. 



My friend Denae, and her boyfriend James, showed me a little on my new camera because I'm still sort of clueless...but I'm learning! That wicker chair was Denae's when she was little, she has a whole little set and it's all so cute. 





After the little picture session, we headed back inside where Braxton was napping. Ava was obsessing over James so I snapped the picture below while Denae held her. Over the past year I have gotten very close with Denae, even though I have known her for years. We get each other and since we're both parents we can relate so easily...it's nice to connect with someone on so many levels. I can go to her for anything, at any time, and I know she will tell me the truth and I'm always honest with her as well...even if we're just asking each other's opinion on a selfie. That's not something you'll come across often so I know she's a keeper haha 


Caiden, Ava, Denae, and Christian
That evening was her son Caiden's sixth birthday party. Caiden is obsessed with Ninja Turtles so he had a pizza party, Ninja Turtles style with a homemade "pizza" cake and Toxic Ooze for the kids. I remember when she was pregnant with Caiden so it's surreal that I was there for his SIXTH birthday! 



Braxton was a huge handful that day. He woke up from his nap grumpy and I don't think he wanted to listen to a single thing that I asked him to do, or not to do. Where I'm used to having Brian's help when we're out, I was really stressed without it. There's only so much you can do when you have a baby in one arm and you're trying to direct a three year old who just turns into jello on the floor when you ask him to do something. Luckily I had friends there who helped me out but still...I had the child who was just ALL OVER THE PLACE. At one point, right before we were getting ready to sing Happy Birthday, Braxton made a break for it and he was hauling ass towards a big playground that was off in the distance. I literally took my eyes off of him for about a minute and he was already so far away. Thankfully he was safe, there was no road getting in his way, and the playground was at Denae's grandfather's church, but still...that's what I was dealing with. Maybe if he listened even a little that night it would have been different but that night ended with me crying because I was that stressed and exhausted. 


The next day we had a beach day with my mom and it was perfect. Braxton had a blast, he got loads of energy out which was needed, and he even got to fly a kite and loved it. Denae came out and I apologized to her about the night before and she assured me that Braxton was totally fine, and I didn't need to worry at all...it was nice to hear. 





Later on, we also got to meet up with my friend Krystal and her daughter Bianca. I have known Krystal since high school and it's nice to still have her in my life. They came up to New York when I was pregnant with Ava so it was cute to get them together again. Braxton was obsessed with Bianca...so many kisses and hugs. Where he kept going in the ocean, and was kind of cold, she had enough with the cuddles so she finally told him "stop kissing me Braxton!"



It was so much fun seeing Braxton acting so freely at the beach. I don't think I have ever seen him have THAT much fun before. It made me want to move back right that second. Having the opportunity to play like that, and around so many people who care, would be amazing. Sometimes I feel like people up here are too stuffy. They're set in their ways and it's boring. I want the chance to explore, and I want the kids to know there's so much out there for them. 

I'll be posting part three tomorrow...

 
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