Liam's First Snowman

Hey friends! If you've missed seeing posts around here that's definitely my fault. My sweet grandma even sent me an email this week saying, "Meagan, is there something wrong with my computer or has there just been nothing new on your blog??" haha I figured it was probably about time to break that silence. 

One of the reasons I haven't written much in this space is because our days lately have simply been filled with trying to stay warm inside during this surprisingly snowy winter while playing with trains, tractors, and play food on repeat. Very few pictures have been taken. 

It has been too cold to spend much time outside but we did find a day about a week or so ago when the temperature was in the 30's and it started to snow. I had been waiting since our first snowfall before Christmas to finally have that perfect textured snow to build Liam's first snowman with him! Here she is in all of her glory ...

I would like to say that it was a bonding experience for the two of us where Liam learned how to form a tiny snowball with his gloves (ten sizes too big!) and then roll it across the yard to create each section of the snowman but instead, it looked more like this ...

or this ... 

or this ... (filling the wagon with snow!)

or when he got really ambitious, laying on top of each ball as I tried to roll them across the yard! In other words, making it nearly impossible for anyone to be building a snowman. haha His first snowman was definitely the fruits of ALL of my labor but next year, we'll try again. ;)

As Nic was driving home from work that day I asked him what a good name for a snow(wo)man would be and he said Betsy, so Betsy it is! Betsy is still standing tall (with a few added inches from snow storms that followed) in our front yard a week and a half later but is currently missing her eyes, nose, and buttons. haha Those painter stick arms and hat though, still hanging in strong! We'll probably find the rest (along with the mittens that actually fit Liam's hands) come spring.

Thanks for being patient between posts this winter and for reading! It means the world! XO

TGIF!

Happiest Friday! I'm thrilled to be welcoming the weekend because it means NIC IS HOME!!! That in and of itself is something to celebrate, no parenting alone. I don't know what it is about January but I feel like I struggle through it a bit every year. Day after day cooped up inside with a two year old can get to you. Thankfully we have Liam's tumbling class starting back up this next week and a library so close by! Part of my January struggle is just feeling a bit uninspired in all aspects of my life so if you've been missing me around here since January 1st rolled around, that's why. 

Holidays are a huge inspiration for me which is probably why we had a jam packed October, November, December followed by a slow January. However, Valentine's Day is right around the corner so up went my Valentine's Day decor this week and a trip to Hobby Lobby for festive heart stickers to make Valentine's Day cards with Liam!

Other than that, a few pictures from January so far and most days look something like this ... 

We've gotten quite a bit of snow this winter. More than we've seen here for several years, anyway.  Just about the time that it became impossible to lift another shovel full of snow over the accumulated 4 feet mountains on either side of our driveway, we got a huge rainstorm this week that cut it in half. It was definitely a blessing!

A week ago from today it came down all night and all day. Nic was working so I decided to bundle  Liam and I up after he woke up from his nap to get a jump start on shoveling the driveway while Liam played. I opened my back door to find this ... SO.MUCH.SNOW. and super heavy! Needless to say, we didn't make it very far before Nic came to our rescue.

We accidentally left behind a phone charger and Liam's bunny that he sleeps (the necessities of life) when we were staying at my mom's for Christmas. Sita (my mom) quickly shipped both back to us and all is now right in the world! Look at the reunion hug, melted my heart!

Twice a week we get to have lunch with Nic at his work and it's a wonder why Liam will never eat the lunch I pack for him anymore. #cafeteriacookies

I figure, if we're going to be stuck inside all of January we might as well get some projects done. I don't necessarily know that he agrees with me (haha) but my handy husband hung our chalkboard sign in our kitchen this week and I already gave it a makeover for Valentine's Day! "Forget butterflies, you give me the whole zoo" Nic Williamson! 

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend! XO

Liam's Big Boy Room Inspiration

While Liam hasn't climbed out of his own crib yet, it has felt like the time to transition him to a big boy bed for a couple months now. Such a bittersweet thing for me. As I went to tuck him in the other night, seeing how big he looked cuddled in his blankies on his crib mattress, I couldn't deny that I no longer had a baby in that crib. He has grown so much, even just in the last few months, and there is nothing I love more than watching him grow. Even if it means having to let go of those stumbling steps from when he learned how to walk for the first time or even those sweet chubby hands, feet, and tummy that are growing thinner with each passing day.

The room Liam's nursery is in now will stay a nursery for a future baby so we will be moving him down the hall to what has been our gust bedroom up until now. Double the transition, I know, but my fingers are crossed that it will go well when the time is right. His big boy room is almost ready! In fact, his mattress finally arrived on our door step last night! We have a few more things to hang and the great transition for all of his toys but it is nearly complete and we are so excited! Terrified about what the transition could mean for his napping/sleeping schedule but excited. haha

There is nothing Liam loves more than being outside! He is a typical boy ... loves dirt, rocks, sticks, exploring everything, and taking adventures. We decided that an adventure/camping theme would be perfect for his big boy room. A couple of sneak peaks and inspiration below ...

Lion Print | Journey Print | Happy Camper Print | Lantern | Wooden Stump | Tree Bedding | Rug

Nic built Liam's bed frame and I can't wait to show the full finished product!

Liam hasn't seen his new room yet so I'll be sure to video his reaction and share it here with you when we show him for the first time. More inspiration for an adventure/camping theme room on my Pinterest board here as well. Stay tuned for the finished room soon! XO

The ones from 2016 ...

H A P P Y   N E W   Y E A R !!! (a week late!)

Just popping in on this wild and crazy Friday night from my bed. All three of us have been under the weather since we welcomed 2017 and have spent the better part of this week laying on the couch, watching movies, and wiping noses every few minutes. I'm happy to keep the first two around as we muscle our way through this Arctic season we've been experiencing (-10 degrees and about 4 feet of total snow for the season, yeesh!) but the third one (the part about wiping our noses every few minutes) can totally go. I thought I'd better take a moment to properly say goodbye to 2016 before 2017 is already half over so here we go. haha

Nic and I rang in the New Year watching The One with All the Resolutions and The One with the Routine, two of the best Friends episodes about NYE! It only seemed fitting to look back on last year as "The Ones from 2016" Friends style. ;) Some of our favorite memories ...

January ... The one with the last time I nursed Liam (an incredibly hard time for me), when we refinished our kitchen table, and many trips to the library so I could see Liam in a pair of ginormous headphones that squished his cheeks together in the most adorable way!

February ... The one with all the Valentines and Liam in a basket surrounded by hearts! The one where he is 15 months old and covers himself in yogurt (still does that to this day!) and won't put down my phone, sounds about right. The one with his first goose egg (hugely traumatic for me, short-lived for him) and the time he pooped in the bathtub ... WITH ME IN IT!! And last but certainly not least ... the one with the lost wedding ring.

March ... The one with a St. Patrick's Day Pinterest breakfast gone wrong and pizza Saturdays. The one where Liam decorated his first Easter eggs and ditched his first Easter egg hunt for the suckers he found sticking out of the ground! The one with the boss badge.

April ... The one with Liam's stick obsession and other milestones at 18 months (I loved that age!). The one with our trip to California and Liam's first time seeing the ocean (Take me back, THE BEST). The one where Liam learns to drive and Rue experiences the great outdoors for the first time (our babies are growing up!). But the biggest growing up moment of all that had my momma heart beaming with pride, the one with Liam's first Sunday in nursery at church.


May ... The one with the yearbook date. The one celebrating my most cherished role in the whole world, being Liam's mom. The one with 5 years of marriage and a blissful overnight getaway to Salt Lake (still dreaming of that hot springs and chocolate fondue with my person!).


June ... The one where he turned 29 and I turned 26. The one time we celebrated our favorite dads in our life. The one with the whirlwind trip to the beautiful Bear Lake and a first visit (for Liam) to the Pocatello zoo!


July ... The one with the 4th of July in Meridian (Liam was scared of the fireworks and we went to Roaring Springs for the first time as a family!). The one with Liam in a diaper playing in the backyard with the hose at 21 months! The one with the yard update and hiking galore!


August ... The one of many summer nights spent at the Wellness Complex. The one with a spontaneous trip to Utah to see the Living Planet Aquarium! The one with too much candy at the Chubbuck Days Parade. The one with a trip to Meridian to see friends, cousins, Sita, the park, and the Idaho State Fair (Liam rode his first rides and would cry when it was time to get off because he loved every single second of it)! The one with my future black mail or graduation cake pictures for Liam someday ;)! The one time we visited the Idaho Falls Zoo and were amazed at how great it was!! August was a really fun month!


September ... The one with a second trip to the fair with more family! The one with our new beautiful kitchen lighting! The one with the Idaho Power exhibit and Sita's visit. The one with the last Liam update before he turned two. The one walk at Cherry Springs with papa.

October ... The one with all the rain (and a broken phone, boo!) during the first week of fall, celebrating Liam and Sita's early birthdays (& in video!), a photoshoot for Liam's birthday invitations (he makes the cutest construction worker in the whole world!), and our annual trip to the corn maze and pumpkin patch (with friends and Liam's little girlfriend, Hadley, this time!). The one with Liam's second birthday where he got his very first bike and celebrating with a construction theme party with his little best friends! The one with my very first photo shoot (such a nerve wracking yet growing experience for me). The one with parties, pumpkin carving, boo at the zoo, and all things Halloween (dressed up as the Big Bad Wolf, Little Red, and the Lumberjack)! Like August, October was jam packed full of so many fun memories!


November ... The one with hilarious tales of a toddler! The one with all the Thanksgivings (brunch with Nic's mom, dinner with Nic's dad and a weekend in Meridian with my family to follow). The one with some of my favorite family pictures!


December ... The one with all the Advent Calendars, the trips to visit Santa (first time, second time, third time haha and the third time was NOT the charm this year), decking the halls, snow days (with Ralphie's little brother), a weekend in Salt Lake that didn't quite go according to plan, and gingerbread house building with friends! The one with this year's Christmas card and a letter. The one with more snow (and a beloved snowball). The one with Christmas Eve & Christmas day (where Santa brought Liam a new train set and his very own kid table)!

So many sweet memories we'll never forget. Welcoming a new year with endless possibilities, big dreams, and change. Hopefully a few less runny noses too, please! haha
Cheers you guys! XO

Christmas Day 2016 & a video

Despite the 500 times Liam woke up in the night from his cold (sleep deprivation is so real!) I always have the hardest time sleeping on Christmas Eve. There is so much excitement and it is just as hard waiting for the morning to come as a parent as it is for a child, I think. haha Christmas morning was nothing short of magical!

A little boy and his train set ...

We spent most of Christmas morning watching Liam's eyes light up as he played with his train set from Santa! It was the absolute best.

Of course he had to stop and take a break to press all of the buttons on Sita (my mom's) 4 remotes. If it weren't for Christmas presents, he would have never put them down the whole time we were there. He is still obsessed!

Liam opening his stocking ... Santa brought a helicopter candy holder that lights up and spins! It was a hit!

Liam loves his kid table just as much as we thought he would. He has used it every single day since finding it Christmas morning for coloring, trains, snack time, etc.

After opening stockings we went to my dad and Edie's new house for brunch! They put so much work into this meal and made just about every food you can imagine ... prime rib, breakfast pizzas, egg casserole, apple pudding casserole, sausage, and fruit. It was incredible!

My Grandma made all of these stockings for her great grandchildren that Grandma fills for each of them!

Liam found a hot wheel car that he carried around in his fist for the rest of the day ...

And an orange which he took a giant bite straight out of the peel. haha We could not believe how long he actually chewed that thing before finally deciding to spit it out. 

Trying to get a picture of all of the cousins together went well (eye roll! haha) ...

And my brother photo bombing in the background, nice. haha

Everyone scratching their lottery tickets ... Nic and I didn't win anything (which is a testament to why I never buy them). haha

My poor niece Abby was up all night with flu and I felt terrible for her. She was white as a sheet and spent most of the morning huddled up on the couch. There is nothing worse than being sick with the flu, especially on a holiday!

My cute niece, Olivia, in her Christmas jammies! She was so much fun to shop for this year. Surprise surprise, I love shopping for little girl things any chance I can get. haha One of the gifts we gave her was a pink fleece sweatshirt with BUNNY EARS ON IT!! 

My favorite part of being the one taking pictures of the whole thing, seeing everyone's reactions to their gifts ... 

The wonderful host and hostess!

After warming up, Maddox and Liam finally started playing with each other. I love this one of Maddox putting his feet on Liam's head. haha

And because it is tradition now, I couldn't miss my favorite baby in a mug picture!

After brunch all the kids went down for naps while the adults rested as well from the chaos of the morning. I watched one of my favorite Christmas movies with my mom, The Holiday!

When Liam woke up we had some time until we needed to leave again for dinner so he colored at his new table. It is so fun watching him color and seeing how much his writing abilities are growing. If you ask him to draw a circle or a line he does it perfectly!

We had Christmas dinner at my step-brother Josh's house. They made an amazing turkey and potatoes meal.

And last but not least, some of our favorite moments from Christmas on video ...

You can view it HERE!!!

Hope you had a wonderful Christmas with the ones you love and rang in the New Year last night the same way! I certainly was with the ones I love and even managed to make it to midnight. haha I definitely didn't want miss out on my New Years kiss from my two favorite boys (one at 8:30). ;) 

Happy New Year!!!