Ergobaby Babyyyy!!

We are LOVING the Ergobaby carrier today! When J was younger we loved our Moby Wrap and used it to death! And we still love our Moby. But it doesn't seem to work as well now that he is a lot bigger and heavier - so he usually prefers to walk himself. 

BUT...

since we haven't been using the Moby Wrap and since we are going on vacation soon (doing LOTS of walking) we decided to finally get one after seeing and hearing SO many good things about them! (Plus Target was having an amazing sale at the time.)

Also, Josiah loved #babywearing as much as I did - and I think we were both missing it. The only thing I worried about was that he would not want to be carried anymore. (you know, since once a toddler gets the taste of freedom and independence - there is no turning back.)

However - HE LOVES IT. 

YAY!

1 point for mom 

1 point for baby

10 points for Ergobaby!

Everyone wins.

I was testing the three carrier ways out and every time I took him out - he would cry and want back up! 

I think we will use it a few times a day until our trip so we can wear it in and get him used to it.

Pros:

• love the comfort
• for mama and baby
• light feeling
• not too hot
• puts pressure lower in hips rather than back
• front, back, and side carrying
• safe for baby's hips
• sleeping/weather "hood"
• cute colors
• easy to put on/off by self

Cons:

• Not outward facing (although I didn't care for that much anyway)
• although they now have Ergobaby 360 for that.

Any other baby wearing mamas love their Ergo?

In the Blink of an eye

My baby boy is 15 months and 3 days old today. It is hard to believe sometimes that I have a TODDLER. I remember when he could hardly hold his head up, the first time he said da-da, and the rush of joy and love I felt when HE wanted to kiss ME for the first time.

I found this old picture that was taken a year ago. J was barely 3 months old.

and here he is yesterday at 15 months old:

That same amazing smile that lights up his (and everyone else's) face. That same soft face and beautiful brown hair.

The same blue-gray eyes, just like his mommies. The same silly attitude and olive skin like his daddies. 

I love seeing the little boy that he is growing up to be (even if it is a little naughty every now and then!) ;) I wouldn't trade him for the world and I am SO blessed to be able to stay home with him and enjoy every second taking in his AWESOME-ness.

Just needed to get that out. I am a little emotional right now. Why do they have to grow up so quickly?! 

Barnyard-Themed First Birthday!

Josiah's birthday was in January but since it happened before the website launch, I thought I would make a post about the party! It was very much "Pinterest inspired" and it turned out exactly how I pictured it. He enjoyed himself and LOVED all of the decorations!

I will start with the food since I LOVED the clever names for all of the food.
It was an afternoon party, so we mostly had appetizers and cake.
Here is some of the food:

Included is:

"Farm Fresh Eggs"

Deviled Eggs

"Barnyard Chicken Sandwiches"

"Chicken Feed"

Chex Mix

"Pigs in a Blanket"

"Hay Stacks"

Rice Crispy Treats

"Garden Veggies"

Along with that. Here are a few more shots of the table, as well as the decorations. We even had a friend of our bring in hay bales for the gift table (which also allowed Josiah to feel like a "big boy" sitting on them while opening his gifts.

And more decorations...

Last but not least, THE CAKE.

We bought a small and large cake for the guest but I also made J his own "healthy cake" - and he didn't even know the difference ;)

Found it here: 

http://whisperedinspirations.com/2011/05/30/babys-first-organic-birthday-cake-recipe/

Pure joy.

For party favors, we wanted to keep it simple. We stuck with the rustic/farm theme and tied up brown paper sacks with burlap ribbon and gave everyone homemade caramel corn and chocolate chip cookies.

What were your little one's first birthday themes?

Most Important

Even though your mind can get caught up in eating healthy, choosing the right portions, and finding time to work out - remember to take time each day to reset and remember what is important, what your priorities are, and how you can change your focus back to where it needs to be.

I love that my "job" allows me to take that refocus any time I choose. Because of my husbands job at a private Christian University, he has Good Friday off and that means we have a TRHEE DAY WEEKEND as a family. So we decided to take today to be in the moment and share our time together as a family.

Amidst our busy culture that is always go-go-go, we need to remember that the current moment we are in will NEVER come again - so take the time to slow down and remember this moment. So many people told me when J was first born that "he will grow up fast"and it will go by in an instant. While that is SO true - I don't HAVE to let it go by in an instant. I can milk the moments, the days, the cuddles, as MUCH as I possibly can. It can be hard sometimes, but I do believe that it is NECESSARY.

So in this moment I want to simply stop and love.

What will you stop to do today?

First Year Pictures

I just wanted to take a little time to give a shout out to our Photographer for J's first year pictures!

We did this the day of his birthday and birthday party and it was quite hectic but they turned out amazing. 

It was so much fun being able to celebrate his first year of life in so many ways that day.

Plus if you ever need a photographer in Portland - I suggest visiting Climbing Vine Photography page to check her out.

Here are some of our favorites: