Mini & Me Beach Style

"Let's go to the beach, beach, let's go get away!" ;)

We are headed to California for a family vacation in a week and I can hardly wait! It will be Liam's first time seeing the ocean and getting to swim in a pool! If he is anything like his mom, the beach will quickly become his favorite place on earth. And we already know how much he loves just being outside. Packing at the last minute stresses me out. So does choosing outfits for myself!! Why is that so hard?! With that said, I thought I'd get a jump start on packing a few things that I won't need much between now and then like SWIMSUITS! Here's what Liam and I will be wearing to the beach ...

Mini ... Rashguard Striped Swimsuit, Sandals, Baseball Hat, Sunnies (Carters, old)

Me ... Floral Peplum Top & High-Waisted Striped Bottoms, Flip Flops (American Eagle, old), Hat (T.J.Maxx, old), Aviators

Even if you don't have a tropical/warm vacation coming up, good news is that summer is right around the corner (thank goodness!) and it will be swimsuit season before you know it. XO

Liam at almost 18 months

I can't believe we're already here. I'm sure I'll be saying this time and time again. Probably right around the time he turns 3 and goes off to preschool, and again at age 5 when he starts Kindergarten, or heaven forbid, 18 and is graduating and leaving me. But right now, I can't believe he is ALMOST 18 months ... in two weeks!

This has been one of my very favorite ages yet so I thought I would share some of my favorite things about Liam at 18 months!

While he is still a boy of few actual words, he is always jabbering to himself. Like most kids, he picks up things in his own time. I feel like I keep waiting for his vocabulary to take off, hoping I'm doing everything on my part to help him get there and at times feeling hard on myself, but then I remember like most kids, Liam picks up on things in his own time. And it always seems to be right around the time I am feeling this way when he suddenly learns something new. Just yesterday for example he learned to say the word, "WOW!" in a great big breath of excitement with the perfect amount of exhale at the end of it. Of course it was at a particularly exciting part during his favorite movie, Home. I have yet to catch it on video but you better believe I will because it's adorable! For the last few weeks his favorite sound has been "doy doy doy" but this week he learned to say the "b" sound which is either followed by the word "baby" or "biash" ... you can imagine how that second word sounds coming out of his mouth. haha Yikes!

That toy phone which we call "scout" is attached to his hand whenever we are in the car or on an outing. Every time he holds it up past his ear and talks into his elbow we say, "Who are you calling?", and he gives us that cheese ball look in the first picture on the left. Favorite age! 

Liam is ALL boy. Sticks, dirt, rocks ... if it's messy, you better believe he is finding a way into it and then covering himself from head to toe.

I'm convinced at 18 months old he already thinks he is ready to move out. And by out, I mean outside. And by move out, I mean live outside for the rest of time!! There are kicking fits of rage and gnashing of teeth when it is time to come inside. It is NOT pretty. I have a feeling there will be fun times to be had at age 2 (tantrums)!!

BUT just when I think to myself, I'm not sure I can adore this little boy anymore, I do. Every day I do. He is such a little spot of sunshine, even when mixed with a little bit of stubborn temper to keep me on my toes. Now if I could just figure out how to bottle up 18 months and keep it with me for all of time. Thank goodness for pictures and video! 

Like this picture, a favorite of my almost 18 month old Liam and his ALMOST 18 year old dad. haha ;)

a new favorite "non-toy"

I know Nic and I haven't been parents for long (a mere 17 months to be exact) but we've definitely figured out by now that kids prefer non-toys or over their actual toys. Water bottles, tissue boxes, anything in the kitchen that resembles cookware, toilet paper rolls, keys, definitely cell phones, wallets, you name it, if they aren't supposed to be touching it or it is not intended to be a toy, it is EXACTLY what they want. Liam is no different. I'm not even sure anymore why we even have toys around here when all I have to do is give the kid a basket of pens (that he doesn't know how to open yet mind you) while I cook dinner and it lasts AT LEAST 10 minutes. Genius!

Nic has joked about how we should come up with a basket product that holds random kid-friendly non-toys and we could make millions! haha The truth is though, kids are smart, and Liam definitely knows the difference between mom and dad's keys and his own toy/kid-friendly keys. But, sometimes we can fool him! One of Liam's favorite non-toys right now is Nic's work badge. The second he gets home at the end of the day, Liam runs to his arms to be picked up and reaches inside of his work jacket to pull out his beloved badge. So for Easter, Nic had Liam's very own badge made to match.

It has his picture on it and says his name with his job title, which is of course, "The Boss". It's fitting, right?! haha Now anytime we go to visit Nic at work, Liam wears his badge too. Like father, like son. Nic's response, "Instead of Liam working at a fast food restaurant during high school like I did, maybe I'll have my very own data-analyst partner and he can work for me." haha I wouldn't put it past him.

Easter 2016

Another wonderful Easter in the books. Did it feel strange having Easter in March this year instead of April for anyone else or just me?? Maybe I am feeling this way because I just don't want it to be over yet. A holiday centered around the Savior is one to cherish. This quote by Jeffery R. Holland was on my mind and in my heart yesterday as I reflected on the Savior's Resurrection ... "One of the greatest consolations of this Easter season is that because Jesus walked such a long, lonely path utterly alone, we do not have to do so. His solitary journey brought great company for our little version of that path-the merciful care of our Father in Heaven, the unfailing companionship of this Beloved Son, the consummate gift of the Holy Ghost, angels in heave, family members, prophets and apostles, teachers, leaders, friends. All of these and more have been given as companions for our mortal journey because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ ... Trumpeted from the summit of Calvary is the truth that we will never be left alone or unaided" and I've never been more grateful for all of those heavenly and earthly angels that surround me each day and never leave me alone, especially the Savior.  

Anyway, Easter morning ...

We had wheat blueberry muffins and fruit filled Easter eggs for breakfast. :) I'll give you ONE guess which egg Liam went for first ... 

BANANAS!!!

After breakfast we opened Easter baskets. Somebody's keen eye went straight for the carrot shaped bag filled with Reece's pieces and he never looked back. haha

Those baby blues and that tiny polka dot bow tie kill me!!!

When he discovered there were jelly beans inside the Easter eggs, he tossed the m&ms to the wayside and shoveled them in as fast as he could while daddy ready him That's Not My Bunny. :)

The weather hasn't been the nicest (it snowed today) to be spending time outside so he hasn't gotten a chance to try out his new bubble gun yet but he sure likes carrying it around the house with him! I'm not sure how well he is going to like it though after seeing his reaction to the Thomas the Train Engine toy that grandma gave him. It blows bubbles out of the top as you push it and it totally freaks him out. haha

That handsome Easter bunny of mine got me this sweatshirt and it is now my favorite thing in my closet! I love it!!

We had Nic's mom over for Easter dinner. I made these fun bunnies out of cloth napkins and we tried a hummus filled garden pot for an appetizer. We had the traditional ham dinner with roasted rosemary red potatoes, salad, and asparagus. So yummy!

Holding Grandma's hand and waiting anxiously at the door to go outside for the Easter egg hunt ...

I had every intention of starting a new tradition of burying magical jelly beans with Liam on Saturday to grow into suckers on Easter morning but the weather did not cooperate and Liam is still too young yet to understand and enjoy it so we'll postpone until next year! However, I still stuck suckers (say that ten times fast, yikes!) throughout our dirt patch in our backyard and it was the first thing he noticed! His face lit up when he saw them and he immediately plucked two out of the ground, one for each hand, and carried them all around the backyard. It was game over for the Easter egg hunt after that! Instead he followed daddy, carrying those two little suckers with a death grip around the yard, while Nic gathered all the eggs. haha Look at how happy he was though!!!

Such a good egg gatherer. haha

The highlight of his day, finally getting to have one of those beloved suckers.

We wanted so badly to take Rue outside for her first time on Easter. Up until the end of last summer, we didn't have a fully fenced in yard so we never wanted to risk her hopping away. I swear the older she gets, the moodier she gets. She is still so sweet but with an attitude. She was being very stubborn and her usual nocturnal self so she didn't want anything to do with coming out of her cage a minute sooner than her normal time in the evening. Sadly, it was after Liam went to bed and it was dark outside. Another day! It looks like our little Easter bunny got herself a salt lick for her favorite day of the year. ;)

Happy Easter from this little family of mine! Hope you had a wonderful day! XO

P.S. Pictures of last Easter here. Look at how tiny Liam was!

Decorating Easter Eggs

On Monday night we decorated Easter eggs and I felt like a kid all over again (I love this kind of stuff)! Decorating Easter eggs with a one year old however proved to me that I was in fact, not the one who was the kid in the room.  

I thought I might be losing my mind to let Liam anywhere in a 10 foot radius of glass cups filled to the brim with colored die but those little hands were highly monitored on daddy's lap and all was right in the world! He loved helping lower the eggs into the glass and became a master at swirling the spoon! 

Instead of buying a kit from the store like we usually do we used vinegar and food coloring. I used this chart to create some pretty mint and coral colors. I'm sure I can count on a whole host of stickers, crayons, and other craziness involved in the future but this year we called it good after coloring them. We made it through the whole process without a single egg being dropped or broken so I called that a win in my book! 

I'm getting so excited for Sunday! The Easter program at church is always one of my favorites. I used nap time today to fill Easter baskets with fun goodies and I can't wait for the Easter bunny to hide eggs for Liam to hunt for! ;) I think he's going to freak when he discovers there are jelly beans inside! We're hoping for good weather to let Rue hop around the backyard for her very first time too!