Friday Favorites

Happy Friday! There is snow on the forecast for the next three days so the only thing on my weekend wish list is to take Liam sledding! ... and maybe get my house cleaned ... but playing in the snow sounds so much more fun. ;) He's finally starting to get over his almost two week long cold and is getting a bit stir crazy (three year old boys never slow down) so I think he'll love it!
 But before we jump into the weekend I thought I'd share a few Friday favorites!

A quote that reminds me so much of my Lyla girl ...

I think I need to find a place for it in her room. <3 p="">
How fun is this peach shower curtain and the bath mat to go with it?!

I have to keep my finger nails painted otherwise I bite them but I always have a hard time finding enough time (kid free) where I can paint them and they won't get smudged. It drives me crazy how long it takes for nail polish to dry. Insert my new gem! This stuff seriously works.

My go-to lunch lately. I use plain greek yogurt instead of mayo.

I think this wreath is SO pretty! Spring, where are you?! ;)

Lyla is growing out of all of her 3-6 month clothes right now and I've gotten so used to Liam growing a new size each season, not in the middle of a season like she is. I'd so much rather buy her fun springy clothes right now ... like this cute little chambray romper ... but long sleeves are still very much necessary. sigh. Good thing she looks cute in anything!

Hope you have the BEST weekend! XO

Valentine's Day 2018

I feel like I'm an anomaly when it comes to my love for Valentine's Day. Maybe it's because I'm a hopeless romantic at heart but a day to spend showing the people you love just how much is the best thing ever! What made it even more special is that I have THREE Valentine's this year! 

How darling are my two littlest Valentine's ...

As I was taking that picture I leaned over to Nic and said, "Do you think it's weird that I put Liam in a babe watch shirt while he has his arm around his sister?" haha Truthfully it was the only shirt he had that seemed to fit the holiday. I can't even believe it still fits him after how much he has grown in the last year and half. I made it for him to wear two 4th of July's ago! That little cutie will forever be my little boyfriend!

Then there's this girl ...

Cute as ever and smothered in kisses, just the way I like her!!!

I surrounded our chalkboard in the kitchen with pictures that walk you through our love story and Valentine's Days together. I added two more to the story this year. :)

On Valentine's morning we had heart-shaped fruit skewers (Liam's had donuts too) for a festive breakfast before Nic had to leave us for work.

Liam opened his Valentine surprises right away and they've kept him entertained the last 4 days while he has been recovering form being sick. That bubble fan was from his Papa and Grandma Dee and he got a new transformer Jet toy (a character from one of his favorite shows, Super Wings) in his mailbox from us.

Lyla girl got a teething mit that she attacked the moment I put it on her hand. haha It is a hit!!

Like I mentioned before, Liam was sick on Valentine's Day but you'd never be able to tell apart from the endless running nose and two red streaks left behind from where it has been wiped so many times in a row. You can tell a 3 year old boy 20,000 times that he is sick and needs to rest and he'll never hear you. I tried to have an endless stream of movies on in the background in hopes it would keep his attention and he would actually rest but instead he was either standing ...

dancing ...

or throwing this "red snow" as he liked to call it from his Valentine mailbox all over the living room floor. Boys!! Where he gets all of his energy (especially while sick) I'll never understand! haha

Since we were trying to have down time while Nic was working, I took it upon myself to take a million and one pictures of Lyla on her first Valentine's day because #priorities. ;) She is my only immobile and willing subject right now so I have to take advantage while I still have the chance! 

Those baby blues kill me!!!

And those toes constantly pressed together too!

Her adorable Valentine outfit said, "Just Hug Me".

Nic surprised all of us and came home from work early with a beautiful bouquet of roses in his hand ... red for me and white and pink for Lyla girl! It melted my heart that he thought to celebrate her too. It is so sweet watching him be a daddy to a daughter.

I made tortellini, cesar salad, and bread for dinner and while this may look like a romantic candle lit dinner for two ...

It looked more like this! Naked baby in one arm, eating with the other ...

And a pants-less toddler who refused to try a single bite. As romantic as they come and we wouldn't have had it any other way. :)

I know I say this a lot but there isn't a single moment that goes by when I don't thank my Heavenly Father for how incredibly lucky I am to call these 3 Valentine's mine. Nic is the most amazing dad, so patient and always putting their needs before his own. He is an even better husband and knows just the way to my heart when he gifts me with time off to spend together. 

Liam's love knows no bounds and it is what I love so much about him. He is my first and therefore the one I often make the most mistakes with as a mom and he is always ready to forgive me when I fall short. Lately he'll lean over, wrap his little arms around me, and bring me to tears as he says, "Mommy, I wuv you. Daddy, mom, Ya Ya and Yeeum ... we're a family."

Lyla brings sunshine to every single one of my days. That girl's smile is something else! I hope she'll always look at me that way.

 I'm lucky to be loved by them!!! 

Happy Valentine's Day! XO

five months | letter to Lyla

f i v e   m o n t h s   o l d

| LOVES |

Smiling.

Grabbing her toes.

Her crinkly books.
Liam.
Standing.
Blankets.
Nursing.

Her hands.
Chewing on blankets.
Bumbo seat.
Bath time.

Rolling over.

| HATES |

Naps.

| DEVELOPMENT // GROWTH |

Lyla started showing an interest in toys. Her favorites are these soft crinkly books that she got from her grandma for Christmas! She also learned how to grab her toes and sometimes sucks on them too. haha She still has her cyst on her gums that I mentioned last month but our pediatrician said it is normal for it to take a while to go away. She hasn't quite mastered rolling over from her back to her tummy just yet. She has a bald patch on the back of her head that I imagine will go away as she learns to sit up on her own ... which she is getting really close to doing by the way! Lyla is wearing 3-6 month clothes and size 3 diapers. She still fits in her 0-3 month shoes. #tinyfeet

| SLEEP |

Lyla's sleep schedule looks very similar to 4 months old. She goes to bed at 7, wakes 2 times a night to nurse and gets up for the day somewhere between 7 - 8:30. She did sleep one 9 hour stretch this month and it was total fluke thing but also, HEAVEN! She refuses to nap in her crib (screams for hours on end and just skips sleeping during the day altogether) but she will nap in her car seat on the go or in our bed. Since she started rolling over more often, I've found her sleeping on her side or her stomach at night. 

| EAT |

Between staring at us while we ate and continued lack of sleep through the night, I realized Lyla wasn't staying full from breast milk alone and was interested in food so we introduced her to solids. So far she has just tried oatmeal mixed with breast milk and a little bit of apple sauce. She is still working on opening her mouth and swallowing so most of the food is spit out. Other than that, she nurses every couple of hours.

Dear Lyla girl,

Or "Ya Ya" as Liam has so sweetly nicknamed you. Truth be told, it has kind of stuck with all of us. You are the happiest baby I've ever known! Not even just during the day ... when you wake up in the middle of the night and cry out for me, I'll go into your room and find you grinning back at me as you cry. It the cutest thing ever! You're always smiling!  Learning to grab your little toes and suck on them is probably my favorite new milestone of yours this month. You roll around on your back with both feet pressed together and I wonder how I could even have a fraction of your flexibility. Our local paper was having a cutest baby of 2017 contest and I couldn't help but enter you. It was based on votes and even though you didn't win for the paper, you were always the winner from the very beginning in my eyes. You never look more proud than when we help you stand. Being a mom of two, I'm kind of thankful you are still immobile but it is fun to watch you roll over and get stronger and stronger as you move around on your tummy. I have a feeling you will be my curious one about the world and baby proofing will need to commence immediately after you discover how to lift that tummy of yours off the ground. Please never ever lose those adorable knuckle dimples and leg rolls of yours! Your daddy and I fed you your first solid foods the other day and you not only spit it everywhere but gave us the most hilarious face to go along with it. I promise it gets better from here! Just wait until you get to try ice cream for the first time. ;) Don't tell daddy and Liam but I secretly hope you will be my good eater because those two just might be the pickiest eaters I've ever known. haha Us girls have to stick to together ya know! ;) I've never been more happy to have you in my life! Love you pretty girl!
Love, Momma

| FIVE MONTH PICTURES |

LOOK AT HER!!!!! Happiest, cutest ball of chub eating solids for the first time ...

Look at those leg rolls! She loves bath time with her big brother ...

Looking down at her favorite toy, that crinkly book ...

She hangs on his every move and word all day long. She adores him!

Lyla grew out of her hand-me-down bear suit that was Liam's when he was a baby so I bought her a new one for Christmas for winter walks. I intentionally bought it big (6-9 months) so that it would fit her all winter. The truth is, it will probably fit her next winter when she is a year old! haha It is ginormous, oops!

Sunday naps all snuggled up together are the best!

Sleeping in my arms while Liam is at preschool ...

Leave it to big brothers to show you the finger puppets up CLOSE. ;)

These next series of eating photos were all taken by Liam. I love them because they show just how he sees her through his eyes! I also had to laugh because another 1,300 pictures followed after that on my camera roll, all photo bursts, all of his finger covering the lens. But that's beside the point. ;) haha

She'll stare at the spoon and then as soon as you bring it to her mouth she looks away, go figure! haha

Cutest thing ever ... Liam goes, "Mommy, Ya Ya would like to wook at these pictures as she is having her food." 

I also had to post this picture because you can actually see the back of her hair. Poor girl and her bowl cut bald spot. haha

This was when she discovered her feet for the first time ...