celebrationnnnn! {Glambanners Giveaway}

In honor of Mia becoming a big sister and finding out the gender of our baby, I thought it was perfect timing to team up with Glambanners for this super fun giveaway! My little family is in serious celebration mode as we gear up for all the change that is coming our way, so of course all things celebratory and glittery are on my mind right now ;) Glambanners is your one stop shop for any party, wedding, pregnancy (and the list can go on) decor needs as she offers the most darling banners, cake toppers, confetti, etc. Glambanners is offering one of you a $15 shop credit (although we wish you all could win!) so be sure to enter the giveaway below! XOXO

P.S. Don't forget to tell me your guess in my previous post... do you think we're having a GIRL or BOY?!

GIRL or BOY?!

I have some exciting news... we are finding out the gender of baby #2 sooner than planned! I thought we would have to wait for our anatomy ultrasound to find out what we are having, but my awesome doctor checks out the baby at each appointment with a quick ultrasound. So different than when I was pregnant with Mia, and I am not complainin'! Anyway, I thought it would be fun to see what everyone else is guessing! So tell me, GIRL or BOY?!

Oh hi Mia! Bracelets c/o Poppy Lane and Co

Since I don't really have a bump to show off (which is what many people base there guess off of) I thought it would be fun to share what I should be having based off of old wive's tales (and yes, I totally got this idea from my sister in law! So fun that our babies are going to be so close in age! These sweet cousins will be the best of friends!)

Ancient Chinese Birth Chart: The chart says GIRL!

How I Carry Baby: They say that if you're carrying high it's a girl, carrying low is a boy. Again, since I'm not showing yet, it also mentions that if you carry in front you've got a boy, if your belly grows horizontally you've got a girl. So far my body is following the same growth pattern that it did with Mia, but I didn't grow horizontally with her, I carried in front (if that helps with anyone basing off of the bump shape) So if I continue to carry in front the way I did with Mia this should be a BOY (but it would have been wrong with Mia!)

Acne: Legends say that if you're having a girl, she'll still your beauty. Acne (and other skin blemishes) are signs of a girl. I'm not one that is blessed with beautiful, glowing skin while pregnant. I experienced acne the first half of my pregnancy with Mia and I'm experiencing it again so GIRL!

Cravings: Sweets = girl. Salty and sour = boy. My sweet tooth is out of control this pregnancy (although I couldn't stand the thought of sweets during my first trimester with Mia) I literally dream night and day about chocolate cake, ice cream, donuts, etc so GIRL!

Husband: I couldn't help but pull Eric into this one since this pregnancy IS half his fault ;) They say that if my spouse indulges in my pregnancy cravings as well, and adds on a little sympathy weight, we should expect a girl. Eric has been hitting the gym hard and taking charge of his diet so BOY!
Funny story though- while pregnant with Mia we would rent a redbox and Eric would go grab blizzards from Dairy Queen to enjoy during the movie. He gained some weight during my pregnancy but I thought it was from the stress of his job. He just recently told me that when he got our blizzards, he also ordered a large ice cream cone and ate it on his drive back home... BUT NEVER TOLD ME! Little stinker, HA!

Morning Sickness: If you experience morning sickness, especially during the first trimester, it means pinkl. If you sail through the pregnancy with nary an upset stomach, it's blue all the way... so BOY! (But I didn't have morning sickness with Mia as well. Thank heavens!)

Moodiness: If you are really moody, expect a girl. All smiles and happy, expect a boy. Let's just say that I kind of lost my mind a couple of times (SO moody) before I found out I was pregnant. Now that I know my hormones are crazy right now, I really try to keep myself in check but I am easily irritated, so GIRL!

Baby Names: It is said that when you can only think of specific names for girl or boy, you will have that particular baby... so BOY! (This one rings true with Mia's pregnancy as well.)

I can't wait to see what you all think, and I'm so excited to share when we find out if we are having a GIRL or BOY!

just some randoms {28}

One from Easter day because I am in love! There just isn't enough room on her darling little face for all the happiness and excitement she has (gimme alllll the heart eye emojis!)

I love how sweet Mia looks in this photo, hugging that little baby photo to her chest! Too bad that dreamy smile is aimed towards the jelly bean I was bribing her with... instead of daydreams of when she finally gets to meet her new baby sibling, HA!

I slacked on the sleeping pictures this past month! I promise Mia's not sick in this photo, the flash totally washed her out :) But I love how cuddly she is with her stuffed toys... and the fact that she can sleep so soundly in such an uncomfortable looking position!

I ran into a friend at the grocery store and let Mia run over to her cart. Next thing I knew, Mia was throwing tomatoes into both of our carts. I replaced all the tomatoes, not realizing I'd missed one in our cart, and put Mia in the back of the cart to keep her caged in. I looked down just as Mia was taking a second bite out of this tomato! Oh the germs! ha ha! Of course the cashier just handed the tomato right back to Mia and she ate the whole thing! I was officially grossed out (I didn't get to wash it first, AH!) but now I know that I don't have to waste my time chopping these up, because she will eat them like an apple, ha! If you can't tell from this picture, Mia was so SO proud of herself!

Dirty feet, messy hair and totally zonked out in the car seat... sure signs of a successful day in toddler land!

17 weeks {babybrink#2}

I decided it's time to stop waiting for the bump to make an appearance to start documenting all the little details! Pregnancy brain has hit me with full force and I keep forgetting to write down the little things before totally forgetting about them. So for now, I'll document the bloat and I'm excited to see which week the bump decides to pop out!

Size of baby: You know, I totally had to google this! I religiously read my weekly updates on pregnancy apps with Mia, but I haven't read a darn thing with this baby. Things are so much more lax this time around! So according to google, at 17 weeks baby is the size of a turnip, or pear, or onion... so we'll go with the size of a pear since that's what sounds most appetizing right now :) ha ha!

Stretch marks and weight gain: I'm grouping those two together because I probably won't mention them again until my very last pregnancy update... it's just something I don't need to spend time worrying about or stressing over (because I would waste my time worrying about the stretch marks that are totally out of my control anyway, HA!) So, stretch marks: I delivered Mia at 40 weeks and 4 days with ZERO stretch marks on my belly (or back, chest wasn't so lucky but I believe that's very common.) About 5 days after Mia was born (Merry Christmas to me) I discovered 2 small stretch marks near my belly button. I'm not sure why, but they appeared days AFTER she was born. They were so faint and I almost forgot about them until getting pregnant again. I'm not excited to find out if those will deepen, darken, stretch even more, etc. Weight gain: My last weigh in with Mia before she was born we discovered that I had gained 40-43 pounds total... I retained a lot of water those last weeks of pregnancy. I'm hoping to avoid swelling this time around, but not counting on it. I don't know what my pre pregnancy weight was as I avoid scales like the plague, but I would have to guess that it was between 115-120. I went to the doctor at 16 weeks 4 days and weighed 127. It's never fun to see the scale go up, but I could care less about the total weight I gain this pregnancy. I eat healthy aside from the times I give in to cravings, and I workout 6 days a week so I know my body's just doin what it has to do to grow this babe. :)

Movement: I felt movement for the first time at 15 weeks, and have felt movement every day since! I wonder why it took me until 18 weeks to recognize the movement with Mia, ha ha! I questioned whether it was baby or just belly movements the first couple of days because it felt like rolling. So different than the pulsing/fluttering I first felt with Mia. But I quickly discovered that the rolling sensation I felt each time I laid down (especially at night) was in fact, baby! It brought so much more excitement to this pregnancy journey :)

Cravings: I don't really have specific cravings these days, which was pretty similar to the second trimester with Mia as well. Of course, I instantly want every sweet treat I see a picture of :) but that never turns into an actual craving that lasts more than a couple of hours. Gourmet chicken tacos from Rubio's have really hit the spot for me this whole pregnancy, so we can claim that as a craving! And chocolate milk :) Although the other night I got takeout with a friend from Red White and Brew in Mesa and I was SO excited about their complimentary bread (that stuff is bomb) and I legit almost cried when I realized they didn't give it to us. Good grief!

Miss anything: Other than not being able to give 110% to working out and running, and NOT having pressure on my bladder at all times ;) I really don't miss anything else! I'm trying hard to enjoy this time of being able to bend in half, pick Mia up with no problem, etc. The bump will be here before I know it and a lot of aches and pains will accompany it (it's all worth it, of course!) so I'm trying to soak up the freedom my body has left instead of wishing this time away!

Best moment this week: Going to my second doctor appointment for this pregnancy. Maybe it's the lack of visits I've had, but I felt like I should be 10-12 weeks along instead of over 16 weeks at my last appointment! Time is flying and I'm not complainin' ;) I loved seeing that sweet baby on the little screen and sharing that moment with Mia! Side note: Mia loves going to the "doctors" Glad her shots didn't scar her view on doctors!

This was a long one, oops, but I'm excited to start documenting this pregnancy better! We are just so excited (and a little nervous) to be adding another sweet baby to our family!

it's true what they say...

Dress c/o Lularoe Laura Bracelets c/o Poppy Lane and Co

Have you heard of Lularoe clothing? I've seen a lot of posts on Facebook about Lularoe, not to mention the fact that their leggings are everywhere. I was starting to think that people lived in those, and only those, and I didn't understand why. Then I saw posts of darling little girls wearing these twirly dresses and mom's were saying their kids literally wouldn't wear anything else... again, I didn't understand why. Well, now I know! 

I received a pair of black leggings (I gotta start small, the prints totally intimidate me even though they are SO CUTE!) and my pregnant body is loving how soft these leggings are! But since I'm not as cute as Mia, not even close, I'm only sharing pictures of her in this twirly dress (officially named Dot Dot Smile's Lucy dress.) It's true what they say guys, these dresses are the softest ever and Mia LOVES it! I'm actually afraid she won't wear anything else but this from now on... looks like I'll be stocking up on a few more dresses! The second I put this "pwetty dwess!" on Mia, she started giggling and swaying side to side (like she enjoyed feeling the movement of the dress) then she started twirling all on her own. I can't make this stuff up! It was adorable and made my girly momma heart burst! Mia feels so pretty in this dress and isn't afraid to show it off!

Now that I know what all the fuss is about, you'll hardly see us wearing anything besides these soft little numbers ;) My girl, Laura, will help you with any questions (etc) if you're ready to check out Lularoe- you can find her (and all of her inventory) on Facebook or Instagram! I guarantee you will love it!

sharing the news about baby #2

Gosh, I keep dragging this out, don't I? I'm sorry to leave you guys hangin' as I slowly share the details about baby #2... but between life being crazy busy right now (plus a trip to Utah last week) and no bump (it's all bloating!) I keep dragging the details out as long as possible :) I will probably start my weekly bump posts next week even though it feels like I'll never have a bump (and when I do have a bump, it will feel like I'll never be rid of it, HA!), just to document everything from here on out!

 My two sickies... oh how I wish I could have a redo with this announcement and wait until they were feeling better, ha ha!

So, as I mentioned before, I found out I was pregnant just days after moving to Arizona. I wanted to share the news in a special way with Eric, the way I did with Mia's pregnancy, but he was working SO much so I knew I would have to wait! I decided Valentine's would be the perfect day to do it! I searched online to find the perfect "big sister" shirt but actually had the hardest time finding one. The few that I did find just weren't that cute... so I went with a darling "best sis ever" shirt that I knew I'd have Mia wear over and over again! It was set to arrive the week of Valentine's Day which made the waiting to tell Eric a little easier... because I couldn't share the news without Mia taking part in it after all ;)
The Sunday before Valentine's Day was spent at the urgent care with a very sick Eric and Mia. They both got meds for their sore throats and other symptoms. Eric isn't one to milk it when he's sick, so I know it's really bad when he's pretty much useless and sleeps the whole time. But of course the neighbors showed up that evening with a package that had been mistakenly placed in their mail box... and it was Mia's sister shirt! Since I had it in my hands and Eric was home I decided I just couldn't wait until the next weekend to share the news! While Eric was dishing some ice cream (he was positive that would help his throat, and Mia's, feel better... HA!) I quickly changed Mia's shirt. Of course Eric didn't notice the shirt because he was so out of it, and Mia was way too into her ice cream to listen to me when asking her to "show daddy your shirt!" I finally told Eric to read her shirt and he just stared at it.... that was it! NO reaction! Yeah, totally anti climatic. Thanks for that, babe. Just kidding, I should have known better than to spring the news on him when he was sicker than sick, ha ha! Later that night, and each day after, Eric showed more and more excitement about the news! I blame his no good, very bad (or just plain NO) initial reaction on being super sick... and I suppose I jumped the gun and should have just stuck to my fun Valentine announcement plan, ha ha!

Mia basically told our families all on her own... who knew that my little two year old couldn't keep a secret?! I certainly didn't realize I had to worry about that :) Here are the short stories:

Eric and I decided that the best time to tell our families about baby #2 was when Mia and I went back to Utah the end of February. We were super bummed we couldn't share the news together, but at least Mia and I could do it in person. While at the cabin with my family, I changed Mia into her "best sis ever" shirt and waited to see which of my family members would notice it first. No one noticed, of course ;) But during dinner Mia suddenly started lifting up her shirt, patting her belly and kept saying, "baby!" I remember hearing my sister in law, Alycia, saying, "what the heck?!" before I prompted Mia to show them where mommy's baby is! She just kept patting her belly and saying, "baby" before I pulled her shirt down so that my family could read what it said, ha ha. They were pretty shocked as we had already spent a couple days together and I never said anything before, plus my mom really couldn't believe I was telling them without Eric there... one sad part about living all the way in Arizona!

A couple days later Mia and I traveled to my in laws to spend a couple days with them. That night we face-timed with Eric and the whole family. I had Mia come out in her "best sis ever" shirt and my mother in law immediately noticed the shirt. Much to my surprise she said, "I knew it! Mia already told me!" Umm, WHAT?! Earlier that day during lunch, she was holding Mia while I was dishing food on our plates. Mia kept saying, "mommy, baby! mommy, baby!" LaNita asked her, "are you mommy's baby?" Our little loud mouth said, "no! Mommy, baby!" and that's when my intuitive mother in law made the connection... but it's only fitting that Mia spilled the beans to everyone because of how in tune she has been with this pregnancy since I first learned about it!

I just need to remember to watch what I say around Mia from now on ;) Especially if it's meant to be kept a secret, ha ha!

birthday weekend

Saturday was Eric's birthday, last birthday in his twenties!! So of course we celebrated big by doing a whole lotta.... nothing! Eric's request, of course. It's funny how opposite we are. I would die of happiness if Eric planned a surprise party, actually, it wouldn't even have to be a surprise! Any party would make me so happy, or if Eric whisked me away for a quick little trip, etc. Eric feels the same way about having zero plans on his birthday, the icing on top would be if I didn't make him take a single picture, but we all know I failed with that birthday wish ;)

It really was a perfect day of sweet family time! When Mia woke up, we brought her in to our bed and all watched Despicable Me 2 together... we didn't roll out of bed until 9! We got our work outs in then Eric played "tea party" with Mia and indulged in all her other play time requests :) He's such a good daddy! During Mia's nap I ran a few errands and left Eric home to sit around and do nothing (of course he worked on little projects around the house, but at least none of those projects came from my to-do list! I tried my best to make sure he didn't have to do anything that day!) When Mia woke up we went to Oregano's for the first time because we've heard how popular it is here in the valley!  Probably my favorite request of the day was when Eric asked me not to bake a cake. He's really been hitting the gym hard and is holding back on the treats, so he didn't want a cake sitting around all week to tempt him (especially because I don't like his cake of choice). I can't even tell you how much I dislike baking, especially when I get nothing out of it in the end! Does it make me a bad wife to be so happy about not having to bake him a cake? Probably. But I'll own it, especially because I will totally make his cake (frosting is even from scratch!) anytime he asks for it, ha ha. Instead of birthday cake, we tried little bundlet cakes from Nothing Bundt Cakes, our first time, and they did not disappoint! After putting Mia to bed we cuddled up in our bed with the little bundlet, a movie and called it a night! Most relaxing birthday ever, for the both of us :) Happy 29th, babe!

2.4

Is it just me, or does each month fly by faster than the last? I can't believe Mia's another month older! We made a quick visit to Utah last week and family/friends kept commenting on how much Mia's vocabulary has grown, how she's even smarter, etc since our move to Arizona just 2 1/2 months ago! I know I'm biased, but of course I think she's the smartest little girl there ever was! But it was so nice to hear those comments as they made me think that I'm doing something right and contributing to Mia's learning! Mia is such a curious little girl and can't get enough of learning! I love watching her little brain soak it all in!

This is Mia's "ta da!" pose... totally though it was appropriate to share on today's post :)

- I've really started to notice how much Mia remembers, and the fact that she can communicate her memories with me! She will tell me about "swimmin" from a few days ago- she'll mention who we were with and what we did while swimming. For some reason it just totally blows my mind that she remembers this stuff and TELLS me about it!
- Mia figured out how to escape out our front door. Exactly one month ago I heard Mia get super excited that the garbage truck was in front of our house. Suddenly it sounded like the garbage truck was actually IN our home... I peek around the corner to find that Mia unlocked the dead bolt and was standing outside. Que my freak out! I told Mia that was an absolute "no no" and we DON'T open the door... she innocently replied that she was just looking at the garbage truck, ha ha. She opened the door one more time before she took me seriously. If only we weren't renting... we would add a dead bolt up high! 
- She pooped in the potty for the first time. It was totally by accident but now I know why mom's talk about that crap... it's SO exciting, ha ha. She's only done it one other time but I haven't really pushed potty training. We are about to get serious about it though, so wish me luck!
- Mia got stung by a bee for the first time. This seriously broke my heart and reminded me why I hate bee's so much. Mia was a little dramatic about it, but I would expect nothing less from her. She is my daughter, after all :)  
- Mia can count to 10! Although most of the time it goes like this: 2 3 4 5 6 8 9 10! She loves to count and talk about numbers all day long. When I change her diaper she tells me, " ONE diaper!" etc. It's so cute to hear how excited and proud she is of herself now that she knows numbers!
- She said "Eric" for the first time... although she still hasn't made the connection that that's daddy's first name. Not sure how I feel about that since she's been calling me by my first name for months now, ha ha! I pointed out Prince Eric when we were at Disney on Ice and she repeated, "Ewic?!" That's the first, and only day that I've heard her say his name :)
- I'm mostly dressing Mia in 2T clothing, aside from her 9, 12 and 18 month dresses that she wears as shirts or dresses :) She wears a couple shoes that are size 5, but we've mostly moved to size 6 now.
- She still wears size 5 diapers- I'm curious to see how motivated I get with potty training, or how well Mia catches on, we'll see if she's still wearing diapers next month!

The most exciting news we've shared in the last month is that Mia's going to be a big sister, yay! I know there will be challenges with the huge change that is coming our way, but I have no doubt that Mia will handle it like a champ and love her role as a big sis!   

my main squeeze

It's Eric's birthday tomorrow... last birthday in his 20's.... and we can't wait to spend the whole day with him tomorrow (doing a whole lotta nothing. His choice, of course! Whatever makes the birthday boy happy!) Eric gets very little recognition on the blog these days (just how he likes it, I'm sure) but then again, if your name isn't Mia, you're not really getting recognition on this here blog ;) But I thought it would be appropriate to share 5 things (because I'm a trend follower) I love about my main squeeze, in honor of his birthday of course!

1- He loves Mia and I more than we could ever imagine or appreciate. He doesn't hesitate to put our needs before his. He's never too "manly" to kiss Mia's owies or give her the love and comfort she needs, to teach Mia how to have pretend tea parties with her princess tea set, to enjoy a chick flick with me or play with my hair because he knows it's my favorite. We are the luckiest! 
2- He is the hardest worker and good at everything he does! 
3- His sense of humor is kind of the best and worst. Eric can be straight up hilarious, or very sublte with his humor, and sometimes embarrassingly (for me, he loves it!) awkward. I never know what to expect from him and it keeps things fun! We find out who can handle our friendship real quickly with Eric around, testing the humor limits (or sometimes he just leaves them completely clueless as to whether he's joking or not, ha)
4- He is a dreamer. Granted, we have very different dreams in life but we find a way to intertwine them and make them goals that we someday hope to reach together. He is always reminding me (by his example towards me) to be more supportive of his dreams!.
5- He is incredibly smart (but downplays it way too often)!

Happy Birthday, babe (a pet name both Mia and I love to use, ha ha!) You make your girls so happy and we are the luckiest to call you ours forever!

currently

Loving: My sweet Mia girl. Lately when we go out to eat, we will be half way through our meal when Mia will suddenly remember that we didn't say a blessing on the food, and start demanding a prayer until we stop eating and say one! It doesn't matter if we are out with friends or just me and her, we never leave a restaraunt without blessing the food at some point during the meal :) And to think that just a few months ago I was stressing out because I hadn't thought to teach Mia about prayers yet (besides blessing the food) She loves to pray now and it's becoming a habit for her at such a young age!

Reading/Watching: I don't even know why I update this. Of course I'm not reading anything new besides books to Mia. Although if you ask us, Princess Potty is a real winner in this house. So, SO cheesy but Mia loves it and hopefully it's starting to pave the way in her brain to potty training (that's about as hard as I've pushed potty training, ha!)
I'm still lost in the world of Gilmore Girls. It will be a sad day when I finish the series. I've been guilty of letting Mia finish an episode with me if I'm watching when she wakes up from her nap, and now she will randomly ask me, "I sit couch, Girrrls?!" Oops!

Trying to: be more creative with Mia's hair. I thought I would keep her short bob forever, but I'm actually loving the longer bob on her, plus it gives us more freedom to do more fun stuff with her hair! Luckily she holds pretty still for me while I do it right now, so I need to take advantage! Why am I always the laziest with my hair and my family's? I'm pretty useless as a hairstylist in the Brinkerhoff home, ha!

Wishing: that my work life had picked up and moved to Arizona with me :) I'm extremely grateful that I get to spend my days with Mia instead of having to find work, but I do miss my one day "break" each week! We had the perfect set up as my parents watched Mia, I got to do all my favorite clients (and enjoy that creative outlet), while spending the day with my girls at my favorite salon. I miss the work, the people and the "break" away from home more than I thought I would! But again, I am so grateful that I don't have to put Mia in daycare to go work here in Arizona!!

Excited for: the second trimester! I am a couple weeks into it now and feeling alllll the relief! This is definitely my favorite part of pregnancy as I get my energy back, eat normal again, gain a cute, little bump that isn't horribly uncomfortable yet, feel baby movements for the first time (again, before they get horribly uncomfortable, ha ha!) and find out the gender of the baby! So many exciting things to look forward to in the next few weeks!

the day I found out

Don't let this photo fool you, I don't have a bump! This is definitely a case of not sucking in and a bloated belly, HA!

I have the sweetest memories from the day I tested positive for our second baby! I had been suspecting for a couple of weeks that I was pregnant but I was so busy with our move to Arizona that I didn't find the time to take a test. Once we moved I started unpacking the bathroom boxes first so that I could find my last pregnancy test, because I hate spending money on those, ha ha! I wasn't ever able to find it (I'm guessing it got thrown out in the packing process) so I waited until I had to make a trip to the store a couple days later to buy one. Before taking the test, I gave myself a little pep talk trying to convince myself that it was no big deal if it was negative (although something would have obviously been off with my body if so), and it would also be no big deal if it was positive... HA! The moment that second line appeared I smiled so hard, and couldn't wipe that smile off my face no matter how hard I tried :) It was a sweet relief to finally have an answer as to why I was so exhausted (making unpacking extremely difficult) and knowing Mia was getting a sibling. This absolutely felt like the perfect timing to grow our family!

I was so stinkin' excited about my news but I didn't tell a soul. I didn't say anything to Mia, I didn't call Eric and tell him, I didn't say a word. That evening before Mia's bedtime routine, we were sitting on the couch in our new living room reading a book. Mia stopped me in the middle of the page and said, "mommy? Baby!" and pointed at her baby in it's stroller across the room. I smiled, nodded and told her, "good job!" Then she lifted up my shirt, pointed at my belly and said, "mommy! Baby!" I sat there in complete shock, with that stupid smile plastered to my face again as my heart nearly exploded with happiness. You see, Mia didn't really know about baby's and belly's. She's never ever said that to me before so I knew that somehow, Mia knew. She knew I was pregnant! And it was just another confirmation for me that I was in fact, pregnant! It was the sweetest moment to share with my Mia, a memory I will always cherish! She has been very in tune with this pregnancy ever since and it's the sweetest thing to see her get excited about baby and tell others about it :) Best sis ever!     

a silly dream come true

Eric had to work over the weekend which was a huge bummer, but luckily for us, he had additional days off last week to make up for it! We took advantage of all the extra time with him by going swimming, eating good food and treats, getting stuff done at home and just playing and spending time together as a family. It was the best!

Gotta love crappy selfies... I think it's time for a phone upgrade, ha ha!

Since Eric worked on Saturday I planned the funnest mommy/daughter date for Mia and I, and we had the best time! I discovered that Disney on Ice was coming to Phoenix and I couldn't resist taking Mia! This is one of those silly things that I've been looking forward to doing with Mia since she was born and while she won't remember this in the future, I knew that she was old enough to totally love it! She's so into characters these days (even for shows she's never seen. For example, she is obsessed with the Sesame Street characters, Ewmo, Cookie Monster (said in a toddler monster voice), Ouch (Grouch) and Bird (Big Bird) but I don't think she's ever seen an episode!) so I figured Disney on Ice would have to be a hit with her. It did not disappoint!
I only told Mia we were going to see a show, so she had no idea what to expect when we arrived. She was pretty overwhelmed with the large facility, the crowds and the souvenir shops, so she had me carry her around, pointed out the Mickey paraphernalia every once in awhile, but mostly sat there in awe as she took it all in :) We bought popcorn and an annoying spinning-light toy that Mia absolutely adores. All completely unnecessary purchases but I just couldn't stop myself (all those "enabling your children" posts that are circulating were totally written for me) Once the show started Mia was in total heaven! She thought it was so "cool" and shouted "OH YEAH!" every time one of her favorite characters came out on the ice :) I was totally in my happy place as I got to snuggle with Mia, squeal and clap with her over the show, etc. Everything I imagined a date with my little girl should be! I know I'm gushing and it sounds insane, but I also happen to be the cheesiest adult ever. It's great now but I'm sure that will haunt Mia as she keeps growing and gets too cool for her mom, especially her cheesy mom ;)
We missed Eric like crazy as I knew this was something he would enjoy as well, but I'm so grateful for these sweet memories I got to make with my girl! I need to make it a point to plan some really special moments with Mia before our next baby arrives, and to keep it up after her baby brother or sister officially ruins her life ;) Gosh, I love having a little girl!

because I could only choose 5

Easter weekend was such a treat as the LDS General Conference meetings fell on the same weekend this year! It is such a blessing to receive council and a spiritual boost all weekend long! The peace I receive from the words shared during conference is undeniable and such a blessing! The belief of families are forever, and a most important key to our happiness is so refreshing when it seems like the world is out to destroy marriages and happy families. The reminders to live a Christlike life is always the kick I need to dig deep and be a better me. Goodness, I could go on and on but instead I'll share five of my favorite quotes (I could have picked a million!) from the weekend :) I can't wait to listen to each talk individually and focus on the words that were shared that I may have missed thanks to Mia ;) in the coming weeks! If you're curious about the talks, you can find them here! Happy Friday!

via

What a beautiful and perfect reminder to hear on Easter Sunday. I am so thankful for Christ's sacrifice!

“Today we celebrate the gift of victory over every fall we have ever experienced, every sorrow we have ever known, every discouragement we have ever had, every fear we have ever faced—to say nothing of resurrection from death and forgiveness for our sins.”

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insta-life

If you need us, you'll find us here from now until November, ha ha!

This is the outcome when you leave daddy in charge of dressing Mia, and he hands the reigns over to Mia. Those two, oh how I love them :)

We have been blessed in our short two months here in Arizona with some amazing friendships and play dates for Mia. I can't even believe how quickly we are adjusting to this move- all thanks to the amazing people who have taken the time to befriend us and make us feel loved!

This is about as crazy as we got for St. Patrick's day... a special green drink for Mia! She only had a few sips because she's not used to the "bubbles" but man, she loved it!

We have officially phased out of footie pjs because it's just too hot, & will only get hotter, but the cuteness of these pj sets are definitely making the transition on my momma heart easier! Ask me how hard it is to get her to change into real clothes each morning... Or if I can get her to change at all... 

 I promised this girl a day at the pool but Mia woke up too sick to go, so I let her swim in our tub instead. Happy baby = mom win!

 "Mia, do you remember when you used to be mommy's little baby?!" M- "Yeah! I do!" "You do?!" M- "I do! I cry... Wah" (hahaha) I have no idea where she came up with that. I miss my little baby Mia (who actually hardly ever cried) but this toddler Mia is super fun & makes up for growing up too dang fast!

I kind of pulled away from posting a lot on Instagram during the month of March. I'm not really sure I can chalk it up to one specific reason why, but I've moved on and I'll be back to sharing little squares of our life in full force (beware.... ha ha!) I just love having a space to share our happy little moments (as well as the sad or frustrating ones) and the fact that I can have them printed into little books? The best! I don't want to hold back because of a following, or worrying what people will think, or whatever the reason! My Instagram feed will be full of our day to day life and the people I love most, and I'm not going to apologize for it or hold back from sharing what I want to share. So- if you want to follow along, we'd love to share our moments with you! You can find me at courtbrink!

details, details

How do I even begin to express our gratitude to all of you?! THANK YOU for all the love and support for this sweet baby! My heart is so full knowing that I haven't met most of you in real life, and sadly won't ever get to meet most of you, yet you shower us with all the excitement in the world with our pregnancy announcement! Just like I said yesterday... happy and thankful doesn't even begin to describe it :)
So! The details! I am 14 weeks (and 4 days) along now and let me tell ya- it feels SO good to finally share our secret!! I'm due October 3rd but there is a very real chance we could have a September baby! I'm not counting on it with my history though, as I was induced with Mia 4 days over my due date :) dang babies, ha ha!
I took a pregnancy test just a few days after we moved to Arizona to confirm my suspicions of being pregnant! I had been suspecting pregnancy for a good 2 weeks before actually taking the test, but I was hesitant to take a test because I didn't want to be let down with a negative result. Then I just got busy between babysitting 5 boys, moving states and unpacking. I always thought I'd be terrified the day I got another positive pregnancy test, but it was just the opposite! I was so happy and it just felt right. God is so good!!
So, how have I been feeling? This pregnancy has been very similar to Mia's, so far! I hate to complain because I could be a lot worse off, but letsbereal, the first trimester is not my favorite! I haven't experienced morning sickness yet (just as I never had it with Mia) but I do need to be eating something every 1-2 hours to keep from feeling yuck. I've been extremely exhausted and I just kind of always feel "blah". I don't really know how else to describe it :) My skin doesn't love pregnancy and I break out constantly so I can't win at everything, ha ha! I'll take acne over puking though! I am starting to feel some relief from the first trimester symptoms and couldn't be happier about it... all hail the second trimester :)
My first doctor appointment was actually on Monday, April 6th, which is why we waited so long to share our news! Between waiting for insurance to kick in, trying to find a new doctor and this being the second child (aka- we are way more laid back and relaxed about this pregnancy, ha ha!) we weren't able to get in to see a doctor before now. Time actually went pretty quickly but goodness, I was beyond ready to see my baby in that little ultrasound and hear a strong heart beat. We are still on a high from that special moment on Monday! I was right on point with how far along I predicted I was, so that was a relief to not have the due date pushed back!
Cravings: I have a total sweet tooth! This is completely opposite from the first trimester with Mia. I couldn't stand the thought of donuts, ice cream, treats, etc. This time I day dream about chocolate cake and donuts all day long, ha ha! Tuna fish sandwiches with a side of pickles are my jam, I wish I could eat that every day! Textures are killin' me this time around! I absolutely love avocados but it's become nearly impossible for my to choke them down :( And Eric grilled the most amazing, moist chicken that was so wrong in my mouth. The texture was... ugh. So depressing! Another weird thing that is so different from my pregnancy with Mia is that I don't sleep good at night! With Mia, I slept a good 12-14 hours straight each night (heaven!) This time around I sleep through the night maybe once or twice in the week, and the rest of the nights I'm wide awake at the most annoying hours, for hours at a time. What the heck? It's a big bummer considering this is the most comfortable I'll be in the months to come.
I still workout 5-6 days a week (I just listen to my body as to not over do it, or hurt myself) and eat as healthy as I can, despite my nagging sweet tooth :) Overall I'm feelin' good about this pregnancy and so thankful that I get to do it again!

P.S. I made plans with a photographer to do our pregnancy announcement photos but our schedules ended up not lining up so I talked my dear friend into attempting pictures. Luckily she's still talking to me after that little nightmare, ha ha! Ornery husband + a toddler who would not cooperate for anything... this is how most of the pictures turned out:

Crying mommy and crying Mia as she runs away. So many blurry, running photos of Mia, ha ha!

and this:

Run, Mia, run! At least we all ended up laughing in the end! Mia still got her treat I tried bribing her with even though she only cooperated for like three? photos, ha ha! Always a good time with toddlers (and husbands)...

knocked up! {baby B #2}

(Just keeping up with the theme of our first announcement, ha ha!)

Coming October 2015...

We are feeling so ecstatic, blessed, nervous and excited that we have this opportunity to grow our family and promote Mia to the roll of big sister! Happy and thankful doesn't even begin to describe it! Brinkerhoff family of 4... bring it on!

until next year... {Easter 2015}

Oh Easter weekend, I am sad to see you go! We had such a wonderful weekend celebrating Christ's resurrection and listening to LDS General Conference. Our bellies and hearts have never been more full as this was the perfect mix of being spiritually fed... as well as indulging in all the sugars ;)
Saturday was a good day as we accomplished a lot at home, worked out and played together as a family. My favorite part was getting together with our favorite friends and going to the Easter Pageant at the Mesa Temple that night. I definitely hope to go each year!

Easter morning was super exciting for Mia when we gave her her basket! Of course the first thing she discovered was her very own EOS chapstick (a last minute decision to buy and throw it in!) and she instantly start putting it on :) Then she moved on to her little princess tea party set and snacks that kept her busy all morning! Eric made us the most delicious breakfast of bacon, egg and spinach scramble and blueberry breakfast cake complete with milk and orange juice! Heaven, I tell ya! We enjoyed our food and Mia's new toys all while watching the morning session of conference and it was perfect. But do you know what made it even better?! Mia crashed by 11am! I can't remember the last time she went down for a nap that early!

This is as good as we could get with Mia's mouth full of candy, ha ha! Bless that man of mine for cheesing it big time, instead of scowling like normal!

We spent our Easter afternoon in Mesa being spoiled by my cousins and it was the BEST time! We had a delicious meal followed by the best Easter egg hunt, pictures and tons of playing! I am so happy we were able to spend this holiday with family and Mia could play with kids (with hardly any fighting- score!) We have felt so loved and blessed this Easter holiday! I am already looking forward to this time next year :)

rockin' a new look {Rocksbox + free promo code}

Have you ever heard of Rocksbox? I hadn't until very recently and this was one monthly subscription box I couldn't pass up! You see, I am SO "plain Jane" when it comes to jewelery and I basically wear my wedding ring and bands. If I'm feelin' real crazy I'll throw on a pair of earrings. That's it! But the thing is, I've been itching to get out of my comfort zone and wear more jewelery... I just didn't want to spend all the money on stuff I may or may not wear. Plus, I never know what pieces to pair together and the excuses could go on forever. This is why I said YES to a trial run with Rocksbox!

There is a stylist that sends me a pretty little box full of jewelery according to my specifications from the survey on their website, I can wear it (or choose not to) and send it back for a new set of jewelery. The best part? I can do this an unlimited number of times through the month!

I just received my first box and at first glance, I was instantly uncomfortable with all the gold. Totally out of my comfort zone! This stuff looks gorgeous on everyone else... but me? I wasn't sure I could pull it off. Then I remembered why I signed up for this, put my big girl panties jewelry on and I rocked the gold! I've already sent these back and can't WAIT to see what I'll get in the mail next!

If you're interested in giving Rocksbox a try, then today is your lucky day because I have a special promo code for you that will give you your first month FREE! Free is the best excuse to give something a try, right?! Use the code "courtbrinkxoxo" to soak up all the unlimited designer jewelery possible :)

this screams SPRING

Yesterday we were invited to a playgroup Easter egg hunt and I was so happy to take Mia! Have I mentioned lately how wonderful this community is that we moved to? It's seriously been perfect for our little family! Anyway, it was a perfectly hot morning but we had the best time with our "fwiends" :) Mia was such a pro at finding the eggs, and she didn't even pop one open until the hunt was over (as opposed to the little egg hunt we threw for her in our backyard when she opened every single egg before putting it in her basket!)

Screaming "Easter eggs!" while jumping up and down. So much happiness :)

After taking a break to stuff at least 7 hundred jelly beans in her mouth at once, Mia discovered the sprinklers at the park. Running through the sprinklers was one of life's simple joys when I was a kid, so I didn't stop Mia from enjoying it for the first time since our yard is all rock (bummer!) To say she loved it is an understatement! She was completely soaked and happier than ever! These are the things that spring time is made of and I'm so glad I get to share it all with my little bestie :) Next up- painting hard boiled eggs (because I'm lazy and don't want to deal with the mess of dying them... as if painting is any less messy, ha ha!) Happy Easter spring time to Mia!

s i m p l e

The best moments in life are usually quite simple. Which is why I'm taking a moment to write down all the simple things that truly are the best, and all to fleeting. Time just isn't fair and these are the little things I always want to remember.

Like...

... the times that Mia rarely sleeps with us, she has to be touching me in some way. Whether it's her hand, or her knees ;) She's always making physical contact with me even though she doesn't realize it!

... the feel of Eric's hand in mine. I've noticed that we are becoming that couple who is too busy to hold hands, etc while out in public. Let's be real here, one of us is constantly chasing after Mia while the other is catching up with our bags and everything else in tow, ha ha! So sneaking in a little PDA when we get the chance gives me the butterflies (cheesy alert)!

... rompers. Dressing Mia in general is the best, I live vicariously through her mini sized items ;) But I am especially in love with her rompers and I'm quickly realizing that they will be 100% impractical when the days of potty training begin. So I'm soaking up the cuteness now and trying to have her wear them down to threads that are barely hanging on by the time we have to ditch them!

... the way Mia tries to prolong me tucking her in after we sing our songs and say our prayers for bed by pointing out all the pictures in her room as if she's never seen them before. She gets SO excited when she sees "mommy!" "daddy?!" "BABY!" (baby Mia) and has to point us out in every single picture. She thinks I'm clueless as to what she's trying to avoid... HA!

... watching a movie. Watching movies or shows with my people is definitely one of my favorite things as it ensures quality cuddle time with Eric and/or Mia. We really monitor how much the TV is on for Mia, so we soak up all the cuddles when it is family movie time! But goodness, how I miss watching shows/movies together with Eric. We have not watched one movie since our move, and maybe a total of 4 shows together? Life is just so busy that these quiet, lazy moments of leisure are few and far between.

... listening to Mia as she excitedly throws her arms in the air and yells "DA!!!" (ta-da) or "I DID IT!" It's the littlest things that make her so proud of herself... and of course my heart can barely hold it together while trying to burst with pride, ha ha.

... hearing her sweet voice tell us "luh yoooooou!" That will never get old. Oh how we LOVE love in this house :)

Nothing like missing the mouth and planting one on the nose ;) Bracelets c/o Poppy Lane and Co

P.S. If I'm absent from blog land today it's only because I'm incredibly naive and I always fall for everyone's April Fool's jokes :) Happy first day of April... and happy pranking ;)