just some randoms {7}

Check out her eye lashes *swoooooooon*

I already posted a picture of Mia from her 6 month check up that melts my heart on instagram... but this one kills me as well! That little face (and the hair)!! I mean seriously, how did I get so lucky?!

One day (July 22) she just popped up on her knees and hasn't looked back since.
"she believed she could so she did"

Celebrating 7 months (and Pioneer Day) with our love bug!

The girl loves her food. And neon pink clothes.

happy Monday {group giveaway}

Is there any better way to start off a Monday than with a giveaway? Well probably.... but since we don't get to have the day off, I thought this would brighten your day :) I've got a group of generous girls giving away the best items! I'm actually really jealous I can't enter this giveaway! So do me a favor... enter as many times as you can!! If you win and don't have a baby, you can't totally send those prizes my way ;) #butseriously.

One winner takes all! Good luck and happy Monday!

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Kelsi is giving away the cutest items from her shop!

Lovestrong Shop is a baby accessory online boutique. They hand make clips, headbands, bracelets, and bottomless sandals for you little one!

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Arika is giving away a $20 giftcard to her shop!

Boykrazie is full of the cutest handmade accessories for baby boys. The hats are to die for!
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Heather is giving away the cutest pair of baby shoes from her shop!

 

The Merry Meadowlark is a shop full of handmade shoes and bows. The shoes just kill me!

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Pamela is giving away a coaster from her shop!

PRBaker has the cutest handmade accessories for your home!

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Brielle is giving away a city and state print from her shop!

elevenlove is full of the prettiest prints!

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Amberly is giving away a $5 gift card to Jamba Juice!

Her blog is so cute and full of tons of marriage advice!

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Sweet Pea's Party is giving away this cute chalkboard sign from their shop.

Sweet Pea's Party are just two best friends who love making hand crafted decor and simply want to benefit you in the process. Check out their shop and hopefully they can make your day!

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Kelly is giving away an ad space valued at $50 (!!!) on her blog.

 I don't know what to say about MessyDirtyHair except that you MUST check it out!

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a Rafflecopter giveaway

...you never know what you're gonna get

Here's part two! I wish I would have written this post months ago! You all gave the best advice... seriously! Thank you so much! It's definitely helping (and will continue to help me) as I'm finally willing to make the changes to be a better wifey! Oh and I apologize! This isn't short and sweet like I thought it would be. What can I say? I just don't know when to stop talking!

I haven't been able to admit my weakness before now because I didn't know how to change my ways. Actually, I didn't want to change my ways! I mean... I wanted to be the best wife possible, but it's always hard to admit when I'm wrong (because I'm always right ;) and because I'm stubborn) and I just didn't want to see my faults. But life has been so much happier since I made the decision to put my pride aside, and make the changes to be the wife that Eric deserves!
I briefly talked about my failing attempts to show Eric my love and appreciation for what an amazing husband and father he is when Mia was born. Being a mother was the most easy and natural thing in the world for me! (Note: being a mommy was easy. Nursing was not. But once that fell into place, I was in heaven with my baby!) I was so wrapped up in taking care of Mia that I forgot to nurture my relationship with Eric. Once we realized what was going on, Eric and I had one conversation and decided the best thing we could do was to start making a conscious effort to serve each other. I didn't realize that letting the simple thing go could totally affect our relationship! We started doing the small things again- packing Eric's lunch, making one of his favorite dinners, making time to watch a movie with him (even if I slept through the whole thing, new mommas know what I'm talking about), leaving little love notes, voicing a compliment instead of assuming Eric knew I thought he was handsome, taking the time to have conversations and actually listen to what he had to say, being conscious of not snapping at him even though I was exhausted, etc. And Eric did the same for me! It only took a couple days of working at this for it to be totally natural again! I am still trying to find new ways to surprise him and show my love for him, and I will continue to do that for the rest of forever! It's part of how you keep the marriage alive, no?
The hardest part for me (as I'm sure you noticed) was dealing with my feelings for Eric's job. I have left a ton of details out, which is to be expected considering this is public to the whole world. But that's okay! Yes, we have had to put up with a ton of crap and no, I have not handled it the way I should have... that's all I need to share. A little over a week ago I had the epiphany that I was taking the easy route. I would ask my friends/family how to forgive, how to forget, how to move on when I still had to put up with it each day? I couldn't escape from it! (Do you like how selfish I am? I was talking about Eric's job, not mine. I am so ridiculous sometimes!) It was so much easier to hang on to my anger and resentment instead of letting it all go. It truly is as simple as that. Just. let. it. go. I saw this quote on facebook the other day: "Victims focus on what they do not control. Survivors focus on what they do control." It's easier to be the victim, isn't it? I wouldn't admit that holding on to that anger was seeping into my marriage, into my relationships with others and into my sanity (ha ha). Once I set my pride aside I decided to be a survivor. For me, this means I've had to hand it over to God and let Him help me to just let it go. 
I decided to make these changes a couple weeks ago. Just a few days later I learned that someone took my words, twisted them around, gossiped, and made life difficult for Eric at work. I was so angry I literally thought my blood was boiling. I mean, I was thiiiiiis close to breathing fire (ha!). I wanted nothing more than to punch this guy in the mouth and to tell him to stay out of my business. How dare he twist what I said and use them against my husband! These thoughts consumed me as I daydreamed about beating this guy (because you know, I'm so strong) and teaching him a lesson! Then it hit me. I was doing it again! I knew I didn't want Mia to sense my anger, I didn't want Eric to know just how mad I was or to be ornery about it and take it out on him, so I had to just let it go. It was the biggest battle I've had with myself for a long time. It was so much easier to hold on to the anger, but through lots of prayer and determination I started to feel lighter inside until those awful feelings disappeared. It is going to take a long time and a whole lotta prayer before I will be able to master my self control.... but it is so much better for myself and for my family to just let it go. I don't know why it took me so long to realize what I already knew was right, but I am looking forward to a better marriage and life because of it :) This is one learning curve I hope to never experience ever again (except I will, because I'm hard headed like that)!

headband c/o Sew Much Baby

life is like a box of chocolates...

 headband c/o Sew Much Baby

I'm going to get real today. Like really real. It's scary to admit when you're struggling, when life's not fair, or when you need help, advice, love and support. And when I say " you" I really mean "I".
When we moved to this town I was depressed out of my mind! I swore I'd never live here, yet here I was. I am generally the happiest, friendliest girl but when I feel low, I feel really low. I was driving a wedge in our marriage but I just couldn't stop crying and complaining. One day it finally clicked that I was blaming Eric when it wasn't even his fault! Yes, we moved here for his job BUT we both knew this was the right move for us. We both agreed. So I worked on changing my ways and swore that as long as Eric loved his job, I would learn to love it here. Shortly after I made the changes that I needed to make to bring us back to that "good place" in our marriage, we discovered we were pregnant! Life was good. Then Eric's job started making changes that we didn't like. Shift work (days to nights, nights to days), 12 hour days, weekends and holidays. This is going to make me sound awful (because it was awful) but I went C R A Z Y! Things weren't going like promised when he was offered the job and it was so easy for me to be angry and blame it all on his job (good heavens, I needed a swift kick in the rear and a major attitude check)! Months later I got used to the awful changes (I really look up to the couples that handle these situations with grace!) and we prepared for the arrival of our sweet daughter!
When Mia was born I was sooooo grateful for my husband. Eric was so loving and helpful to me and our baby! The first few weeks I just couldn't believe how lucky I was, but I slowly stopped showing my appreciation. I think I got so wrapped up in taking care of Mia that I forgot to take care of my marriage as well. Other things like sleep deprivation, hormones and hating Eric's job definitely played into that! If you haven't noticed a pattern here... I'll point it out. Every time his job changed things up, or put Eric through the ringer, or didn't treat him how I know he deserves to be treated, I would go C R A Z Y! But what I didn't see, or rather, what I refused to see, was that I was making life harder on Eric.
Eric told me not too long ago that he just needed me to support him 100%!  I was shocked when he said that... Of course I support him! I love him! I want what's best for him! Why couldn't he see that those were the reasons I was so angry and non supportive of his job? (Has anyone noticed that something is about to click in my brain? About a year and a half too late... It's pretty horrifying for me to share how close minded and hard headed and just plain awful I've been!) Eric and I have made the decision that this is where we need to be living right now. Eric is very loyal and dedicated to his job. He is good at what he does! So my question is this. How do I support my amazing husband 100%? He needs me to support every aspect of his life. Our marriage needs it!
I've just painted an awfully dark picture of our life, but I promise it's still every bit as beautiful and happy as the picture above shows. But we (or I) have struggles like anybody else! And sometimes the simplest solution is the hardest to acknowledge. So this is where I come for advice!

Stay tuned for part 2! It will be short and sweet next time :) But until then... talk to me, people!

Mia's 6 month photos {pt 2}

headband c/o Sew Much Baby (I didn't realize it slid down... I don't pull her headbands down like this normally!)

...because a crying face is just as cute as a smiling face on this girl! Ha! Poor baby didn't like being stuck in the grass!

headband c/o Sew Much Baby

P.S. Remember when I mentioned that I have a post coming about how to (as in, I'm expecting lots of input from you all, you'll see what I mean!) support my husband and blah blah blah? Well, it's coming next! I'm just having a hard time with wording, especially because I can't come out and say what I want to say... the "perks" of posting online where anyone has access to my words. So for those that care, it's coming :)

P.P.S. Which picture is your favorite? I'm having the hardest time choosing between them all! 

weekend review

We were able to go home (I say home because my hubs talks about his hometown with pride, but it's not somewhere I'd ever choose to live :) I do love going because our family lives there!) to visit my in laws! We got to enjoy their Pioneer Days which was so fun! Small towns really know how celebrate holidays! (For those of you who don't know, Utah has an extra holiday on July 24th to celebrate the pioneers settling the land!) Saturday started off with a 2 mile race with my sista! I love my baby, but it felt SO good to run without the stroller for once. SO much easier! Next on the list was the parade!

Everyone was ready for the picture except for me?? That never happens! And check out Mia... showing off her fake smile again!

My in laws have the best seat in the house (pun intended) for the parade. No fighting over a spot (or the candy) on main street because they round the corner and drive right in from of the house! The floats basically dump the rest of their candy for us (they even offered us boxes of  ..... it took all the self control I could muster to kindly turn them down. Seriously, I love that stuff!) Too bad Mia can't eat candy... she would have been in heaven ;)

She gave it her best shot!

That evening grandma and grandpa played with Mia so that we could have a little one on one time at the rodeo! I think they were happy to kick us out of the house and have that baby all to themselves :) ha ha! But I must admit, Eric and I were kind of missing Mia! I just kept thinking that she would LOVE to see this (because she totally understands what's going on around her....) because she IS such a social baby! Next time we will have to go to the movies. I won't miss her as much because there's no way we would enjoy a movie with Mia in da house :) Anyway, I decided rodeos aren't for me. #1- there's not very much action. As in it gets kind of B O R I N G! And #2- I feel so dang bad for those stupid cows. Every. single. time. they had their legs tied I cried a little inside... ha ha! But seriously, I don't see myself going to many more rodeos in my life.

We had a great weekend hanging out with family and gaining 10 extra pounds ;) The best part was watching Mia light up every time her grandparents or aunt/cousins came in the room. I love that my baby is so social and falls in love with everyone around her. We are the luckiest parents!

P.S. Winner of the Shabby Apple gift card is Sarah C! Congrats!!

happy 7 months to my love bug

I know, I shouldn't be posting a picture that was taken on her 6 month birthday, but it's just too cute!

- Mia has TWO teeth! She cut her bottom two teeth June 26-28th. It was pretty painless for mommy and daddy... Mia hardly put up a fuss! Hopefully the rest of teething goes that smoothly :)

- She is super mobile now. She rolls and scoots all over the place! The girl is fast for not even crawling yet! 

- We gave Mia a sippy (of water, only water) and that thing is her FAVORITE! Nothing makes her light up quite like the sippy cup :) 

- Mia eats food like a champ! We gave her rice cereal about a week and a half before she turned 6 months. We celebrated her 6 month birthday with carrots that night annnnnnnnd she hated them, ha ha! But now that she is used to fruits/veggies, she loves them all! We haven't come across anything that she won't eat, yet.

- We have been feeding Mia off of our plate as well. She's had oranges, watermelon, bacon (she just licks it), pasta, creamies, ice cream, avocado, and carrots. I know she's had more than that but I didn't write them down, and I just can't remember now :) 

- Mia also eats the little baby puffs. The first time I gave them to her? She H A T E D them! I wish I knew how to upload videos to the blog! You can find the video on my instagram though. Seriously, hilarious!   

- This girl has some pretty impressive motor skills. The first time I fed her said puffs, I let her grab them to see what she would do with it. She totally went for it with her thumb and pointer finger, picked it up and shoved it in her mouth. I was shocked she didn't try to grab it with her whole hand! She was so precise with it :) Such a smart girl!  

- She had her first trip to Disneyland and the beach! Of course she was an angel the whole vacation!

- Mia got her first bruise on July 10th. She was scooting around when all the sudden her head slammed down on the corner of our lap top. You better believe I was crying with her! I felt awful about it :(

- One of Mia's favorite things is to mimic us "clucking" our tongues. She smiles and laughs when we do it, and then she does it back. It's such a great reminder that it truly is the little things!! We can make her day just by the clicking of our tongue :)

- Mia wears 3-6 month and 6 month clothes.

- She is still in size 2 diapers.

- I mentioned on her 6 month post that we took her into the doctor on her 6 month mark and she weighed 14 pounds even. Well, the girl was born at 7 pounds even. So fun that in a half a year, she doubled her weight exactly!

Mia turned 7 months yesterday. I'm not gonna lie, that really pulled at my heart strings! Mia is officially out of the new baby phase and before I know it? She's going to be moving out and moving on with her life... ah! I know, I'm crazy! These past 6 months have brought us so much joy! I can't imagine what life would be like without our sweet, happy baby. Mia is the best thing that has ever happened to me and Eric! Even though I'm sad that time is flying so quickly, I am excited to see what milestones and fun 7 months will bring to Mia, Eric and me!    

Mia's 6 month photos {pt 1}

headband c/o Sew Much Baby

Is there such thing as too many pictures on the wall?! How am I supposed to choose which pictures to print? I love them all!! I know I'm biased, but my daughter is the epitome of perfection, no?!

And the best part is.... there's still more to come! 

P.S. Have you entered the Shabby Apple giveaway yet? Hurry! It ends in just a couple hours! 

baseball, beaches and Disneyland {baby essentials}

A lot of you asked how our vacation was with a baby, especially Disneyland. What would I suggest taking for a baby? Is it a waste of money to go with a baby? Etc. I thought I would just whip up a quick post sharing what worked (and didn't work) for us!

Baseball 

- Hotels. Unless we are staying in a Marriott, I hate trying to choose a hotel (that sounded snobby, but I feel like we have the right to be snobby when we have a baby and have to live in a hotel for a week. these places are gross enough, staying in a crappy spot makes it even worse). We really wanted to stay right next to the Angels stadium so that we could take the shuttle to Disneyland, but just walk to the game. It just seemed easier that way, and it totally was! We stayed at the Ayres Hotel and we loved it! It was like a 5 minute walk (at most) to the field, and only 2 miles from Disneyland. Their rooms were spacious, clean and we felt so comfortable there! And their breakfasts were SO good and filling (just the fuel we needed to race around Disney)!  Even if we weren't attending baseball games, we'd still recommend the Ayres Hotel!

- We briefly mentioned packing ear muffs to take to the games for Mia, but we totally spaced it. Being in a stadium with 40,000+ people gets kinda loud, and throw in a firework show each night? I was wishing I had ear muffs, ha ha! But I just took a good blanket (which you want anyway, it cools down at night) and wrapped it around Mia so that it covered her ears when she went to sleep. When the cheering got to loud I made sure she was snuggled tightly against me so that one ear was covered with my body, and I covered her other ear with my hand. Having the blanket in between really helped I think because she didn't flinch during the fireworks (which were so loud they set off all the car alarms in the parking lot)! I should mention that the cheering didn't really bother her when she was awake.

- We brought a sippy of water (Mia loves her sippy cup), food in a pouch, and a toy or two for when she got bored. But the games were so late that we didn't have to do a lot of entertaining. She slept through most of them!

Beach

- The first thing I'd recommend is a beach shade. This is the one we bought. This thing saved us. I could feed Mia in it and feel like I had some privacy, we let Mia roll around in it and she stayed in the shade, and we were able to take breaks from the sun when we needed it! 

- Sunscreen!! I rubbed Mia down with the stuff like every hour! I just did NOT want her to get burned! Even though Eric and I use the cheap stuff, we bought this for Mia. Blue lizard was recommended by our dermatologist and we love it! Mia didn't get sunburned our whole trip! And don't forget a hat!

- Take a sippy of water. When you're out in the sun all day (and not used to it) you drink more water than normal. So doesn't the same go for babies? I felt better giving her sips of water throughout the day!

Disneyland

- A good stroller. If we had a BOB we would have taken that for sure :) But my mom suggested taking an umbrella stroller because it's so much smaller (and we had limited space for traveling) and easier to maneuver through the crowds. No way! We took our travel system stroller and were so glad! We could lay the seat flat and Mia would curl up and take naps. We could store the diaper bag, jackets, etc on/in it. A good/comfy stroller is the best thing you can take in our opinion!

-Sunscreen! We used the cheap stuff but used Blue Lizard for Mia. And a hat! We are a fan of those floppy hats for the babes. A little extra protection never hurt anyone :)

- Sippy of water, food in a pouch and a light blanket (like A&A blankets) for nursing. I only mention this because a lot of you asked how nursing was at the park. For us it was super easy. Mia is a fast eater, 5-10 minutes tops. Disneyland/California Adventure offer care centers for feedings, diaper changes, etc but we never used them. We just found a quiet corner in whatever area we were in, throw the blanket on and fed her real fast. It was hot when we went so I felt better about having the light, breathable blanket to cover up.

- A binky clip. We bought one specifically for the trip and don't know why we waited so long! Mia only has her binky for sleeping but she fell asleep on some of the rides! It was SO nice to have the blink clipped to her clothes and not worry about it falling out and having to clean it, or losing it all together.

- Warm clothes. It cools down at night and you don't want the babies to get cold! I took a pair of pants and a jacket for Mia. I skipped taking a bigger blanket because we didn't want to haul it around. Take jackets for yourselves as well!

- Map out which rides you want to do. Eric and I wasted a lot of time going from area to area, park to park. You can take babies on any ride without a height requirement, which is a lot! So map that out before you arrive to the park, or the first morning there. And then you can do all the rides in one area before moving on to the next.

- Single rider is mom and dad's best friend! We were at Disneyland by ourselves the first day. The next day we met up with friends and were able to take turns watching babies so that we could ride the rides together. But if you don't have friends or family (I would definitely recommend grandparents who would rather sit with the baby than ride the rides, ha ha!) DO SINGLE RIDER! I didn't figure that out until the evening of our first day, but you basically walk on each ride. It's awesome! At first I was kind of sad because I really wanted Eric sitting next to me.... but once I was strapped into California Screamin' and we were about to take off, you better believe I was grinnin' like a fool! It doesn't matter who you're sitting next to, you'll have fun and feel that adrenaline pumping through your veins ;) If you are with friends/family learn about the parent pass! It's almost as good as single rider as far as walking onto the ride!

Mia really didn't hold us back too much on this trip. It helps that she is such an easy going, happy baby! But if you have the mindset that taking a baby will hold you back, then he/she probably will. But you can have just as much fun with the baby if you let yourselves :) If you have any other questions please ask! I'd love to give you my opinion!

the perfect summer treat

I am no photographer, especially when it comes to food. BUT! I do have taste buds that work extremely well and let me tell you... they LOVE this treat! So don't judge by the pictures! Take my word for it and give these a try asap!

I got this recipe from a friend and I don't know where she got this, so I can't give credit.
Strawberries (I just buy from Costco and use 'em until the cream cheese is gone)
Cream Cheese (8 oz)
Powdered Sugar (3-4 tbs)
Lemon Juice (half a lemon)
Graham Crackers (crushed)

Wash strawberries. Cut off the stem and scoop out the core so that you can stuff with mixture.
Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar and lemon juice. Taste and see if you want to add more powered sugar.
Stuff strawberries. Dip in crushed graham crackers. Chill in fridge. Devour.

I promise you'll love this! The best part iiiiiis if you keep eating and eating, you keep adding to your fruit servings for the day. It's a win win!

weekend review {once upon a time...}

You guys. The town I live in is kinda weird (but we already know I'm not a fan of it).

But my husband is even weirder.

Our town held a Renaissance fair this past weekend which was actually a lot of fun! But the weird thing is that people practice year-round for this thing. Adults will get all dressed up and go to the park and sword fight.... It's the weirdest thing to us, but I guess it's because we don't understand that hobby. Anyway, as we were walking into the park where the Renaissance fair was held, Eric mumbled that he was NOT going to be in any of the pictures. (I'm sure you can imagine, the man hates pictures!) But guess what? He turned into a little boy... running around playing with swords, photo bombing the characters (Date Night anyone??), looking at costumes from the vendors. And the best part was that he wanted me to take the pictures (but he will deny that until the day he dies, ha ha)! 

Gosh, I love that man. He always keeps me guessing :)

We had a fun night with friends eating fried junk food, watching our husbands run around like little boys, and checking out the car show. I kind of don't want summer to end!

Mia's just showin' off her TWO TEETH! / Fried oreos. Disgustingly good.

Introducing Mia's fake smile. I don't know how she has figured out how to fake it already?

Belly dancers who have swords lit on fire. Not the hobby for me. / Eric is so proud of this photo bomb.

Couldn't keep a straight face :)

P.S. Don't forget you can purchase ad space for 25% off this month! Just use the code "25july"

P.P.S. Who's spent the weekend buying up hostess goodies? I may or may not have eaten a bag and a half of those rotten donuts already. Shame. on. me.
*Linking up with Sami.

sneak peek...

... of Mia's 6 months photos.

headband c/o Sew Much Baby

The last picture kills me!! Well, they all kill me. But seriously... {insert laughing/crying emoji}

Is anyone else dying to see the rest?!

how is this possible? {+ a winner + a giveaway}

6 days new

3 months old

6 months old

Does anyone else think that Mia is growing way. too. fast?!

It does help that she happens to be the cutest, and not to mention happiest baby in the world ;)

We are definitely wrapped around this little girls fingers! Love her!!

P.S. The winner of the custom blog design is: Natalie Crockett! Congrats, girl!

P.P.S. I'm thinking it's time for another giveaway, who's in? Shabby apple is offering one of you a $50 gift card! Who doesn't love free money to shop for themselves? I know I wouldn't mind it, especially since I pretty much shop for a tiny human named Mia ;) I would love some money to shop here! Shabby Apple is an online dress boutique that specializes in vintage and retro dresses. Click Here: vintage dresses to see the selection! Good luck and happy shopping ;)

 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

* Shipping address must be in the USA 

vacaaaaaation

We were so lucky to be able to do everything we wanted with this vacation! Two days at Disneyland, 4th of July at Huntington beach and a baseball game (Angels vs Cardinals), Newport beach and another baseball game. The last game we went to just happened to be Angels vs Red Sox; Eric was in HEAVEN! This was our first Red Sox game.... and they won! It was the perfect way to end our vacation :) Mia was an angel the whole time! She was all smiles, played so much and slept through all the firework shows (and trust me, they were LOUD) I don't know why, but we are truly blessed to have such a good baby! These are the kind of weeks that make my world go 'round :)

P.S. Last day to enter this giveaway!!
P.P.S. Does anyone else think Mia looks like a little dinosaur (because of her hair) in the beach picture? HA!