happy 5 months to my little love

I'm still in denial that I don't have a newborn anymore. Does anyone else feel like James was born just a couple of weeks ago?! Maybe I still feel like I should have a newborn since I have yet to sleep through the night since he was born... someday we will get there. Right?! RIGHT, JAMES?! In all seriousness though, he's too cute to be mad at. I mean, those rolls don't maintain themselves ;) So a few of the milestones my 5 month old has logged since his 4 month update-

- James weighed in at a whopping 15 lbs 14 oz at his 4 month check up. I called it!! I knew my chunky boy had to weigh at least 15 pounds! I still can't get over how opposite he and my tiny Mia baby bodies are!
- He started grabbing his toes right around the 4 month mark! Of course now he has mastered sucking on his toes. Boy does he go to town on his little toesies, ha ha! I don't blame him! You won't find me sucking on his toes, but I can't NOT kiss them whenever I get the chance! Baby feet are the best!
- I assumed that with his love of pacifiers and sucking on anything that makes it to his mouth, that James would have no problem taking a bottle. Well, I was wrong. Eric tried giving him the bottle once and James was not having it! It's time to start training the boy so that I can have some freedom! We received the Minbie bottle and I can't wait to see if it does the trick to get James to take a bottle! 
- James fake coughs and it's the cutest :) Because isn't everything the cutest when he does it?! HA!
- He had his first cold. Thankfully it cleared up in just a few days and he never got too congested. I was a nervous wreck with it being sick/RSV season! This winter was the worst ever with Mia... she was sick every other week with croup, fevers, congestion, etc. Thankfully James has only had the one cold and it never developed into something more severe. 
- At his 4 month check up, the doctor asked if James was flipping from his belly to his back. My sweet boy who started doing that daily at just 1 week old STOPPED doing it when he had his crazy growth spurts which resulted in rolls and a huge head. Lazy boy just gave up when he was on his belly and laid there until he fell asleep, or I turned him back over, ha ha! BUT! He was flipping from his back to his belly! The doctor informed me that that was a 6 month milestone (which made me cringe- stop growing so fast, James!) and instructed me to start nudging him on his belly so that he could get the feel for flipping onto his back. Of course I didn't do it because I knew he would figure it out in due time. Mia hit all the milestones early and of course we were proud parents! This time around I'm okay with him taking his sweet time (depending on the milestone, of course!) because I know how quickly time flies. And I'm not ready for a mobile baby.... well! Ready or not! James figured it out just 2 days later and now he rolls 360 all over the place. Dang baby!  
- James is still wearing some 0-3 month clothes (depending on the brand) and 3-6 month clothes, but those are starting to fit a little small! Perfect timing since that's his winter wardrobe and we have definitely moved on to summer spring (Arizona spring) temperatures! I have no idea what shoe size he is, and probably won't find out until he starts walking. It's too hot for shoes now :)
- He's in size 2 diapers but judging by the blowouts he's been gifting me with the past few days, we will be moving up to size 3 shortly!

We have the happiest baby ever! Just this last Sunday at church someone described him perfectly, "he's just in a constant state of bliss!" Yes, yes he is! We love our happy James! 

the story behind his name

My sweet granddad passed away at the age of 97. He was loved and adored by practically everyone who met him, including Eric and me! During his funeral, Eric (who is not the sentimental type) leaned over and quietly suggested naming one of our boys after granddad. I was totally floored that he would suggest that because, again, he's not the sentimental type! Since then we always knew that our first born son would be named after Eric, his dad and my granddad!

When I was pregnant with James and we found out he was a boy (which was no surprise to us!) we had no trouble picking his name! Eric's middle name is Wendell, a name passed down from his father, and a name we knew we would pass down to our first born son. My granddad went by "J.W." and it's actually embarrassing to admit just how old I was before I realized that wasn't actually his given name, but the initials of his first and middle name :) ha ha! We knew our baby had to have the same initials and Eric loved talking about the days ahead when he would call his son, "J. dub".
We didn't really have any specific inspiration for the name James, other than the fact that it started with a "J" and we both liked it. After agreeing that "James Wendell" felt pretty perfect, we discovered that James is another Brinkerhoff family name, so that worked out perfectly :) Since James was born, we have discovered that he shares the name with incredible men on both sides of the family! We are so proud to have such a beautiful son to carry on the incredible namesake of so many men that we love!

James Wendell Brinkerhoff (or J.W. ;)), the men that you are named after are/were strong, honest, loyal and loving men, and you are lucky to have them in your life from here to eternity! Follow their examples and you will live a happy, successful life filled with love! We love you, sweet boy!

summer vibes {Shabby Apple}

When we were making the decision to move from Utah to Arizona, weather was a big factor. We agreed that we'd rather deal with 3-5 months of extreme heat versus 6-9 months of snow and freezing temperatures! But if you ask me, hitting 90 degrees in February already has been a little discouraging... this beautiful dress from Shabby Apple and that gorgeous scenery is the perfect reminder that we do in fact, prefer the heat over the cold though ;) If only winter lasted just a smidge longer here. Winter in Arizona is glorious! Cheers to an early summer and beautiful sun dresses!

Dress c/o Shabby Apple Shoes c/o Head Over Heels (located in Utah)

Save This Memory Photography 

Want to win $50 to Shabby Apple?! I'm running a giveaway on my Instagram now! Follow along @courtbrink and stay tuned for more fun giveaways in the future ;)

just some randoms

I have been slacking on my "randoms" posts! I love this so much because I share some of the 6 million, okay... 6 thousand (I wish I was kidding) photos on my phone that never make it to social media. I took a trip down memory lane while browsing my photos for this post and I couldn't resist sharing my newborn James again. My goodness, was he really that tiny?! Where is the heart eye emoji?!

The very first time she nursed her baby! So glad I caught it on camera :)

I tiny boy in his hand me down crib for the first time! Sister jumped right in and joined the party just seconds after I took this photo. He won't experience much without her cheering him on by his side ;)

Sibling love. She loves to cuddle him every chance she gets!

Tiny little stink bug!

And just like that, she's an angel again :)

James and Mia have identical baby pouting faces (again- where is the heart eye emoji?!)

a peek into the nursery {Hey Kaylie B.}

I am thiiiiiiis close to finishing decorating the kid's room and I'm so excited about it! Since we are just renting, I've had the hardest time decorating the home and making it feel like "ours", since it's not. Does that make sense? But when it comes to Mia and James' room, the sweetest room in the house, I can't resist going all out (while staying in the guidelines of our rental agreement) and making it their (our) special place! I've been working on the collage wall (that always takes the longest, amiright?) and these prints from Hey Kaylie B. were exactly what I needed to tie everything in!

Kaylie is an incredibly talented letterer and offers the most beautiful prints in her shop! Not only is she talented, but she has a heart of gold! On her website you can find a section titled "Lift Up" where she encourages and offers ways for you and me to brighten some one's day and serve others! You know when you occasionally (or maybe daily) receive a thought or impression about someone you know and love, but you're not sure how to act on it, knowing they deserve to be lifted up? Next time that happens, simply visit the Lift Up section on Hey Kaylie B. then send her a chat (she has it linked!) with a little blurb about who you're thinking of. She chooses two people a week and sends them an 8X10 print (you can request to be kept anonymous or she will add a little note with who it's from!) Amazing, right?! Such a sweet act of service that will surely brighten any one's day! Not only do I recommend this hand lettering shop for the talent, but this is one movement I can definitely stand behind!

I can't wait to share these beauties along with their finished nursery with you all soon!!

the darndest things... {Miasims}

It's time for another edition of "Mia says the darndest things"... because no one can have me crying tears of frustration one second, and in the next, tears from laughter ;) It's been too long since I've done one of these, so her vocabulary has grown quite a bit since I first started making notes! She's also become incredibly inappropriate since I started making these notes.... BAH!

Hat c/o The Posh Plum

Mia was covering her eyes with her hands and told me, "look at me, momma! I hidin', momma!"

I recorded the first time she said, "holy cow!" because it was too funny. We've moved on from that phrase though. I was changing James' poopy diaper when Mia randomly said, "holy crap!" so.... ha ha!

When we brought James home from the hospital, my parents were staying with us for a few nights to help. Eric and I took advantage of them being home and took Mia out on a little date his last night before returning to work. As we were walking in for ice cream Mia informed us that she deserved a big ice cream (because she's a big sister now!) "not a wittle one, a BIG one!"

Just a couple days after bringing James home from the hospital, Mia and I were reading a Halloween book. I explained that when she was a baby, she was a lady bug for her first Halloween. She quickly told me, "I not a baby anymore!
"Yep, you're a big girl!"
"I'm a sister!!"
She has loved her role as big sister from day one ;)

One morning I explained to Mia that I needed to shower because "I stink" (to put it bluntly, ha ha!) That night she heard Eric in the shower and told me, "daddy stink SO HARD!"

James was only a few days old when Mia looked at his face and exclaimed (with a horrified look on his face), "oh no!! Where'd his eyebrows go?!"

Mia overheard me say, "that is SO stinking cute!"
She quickly corrected me, "it's NOT stinky!"
"No, it's not! It is SO cute!"
"It's not stinky cute!"
I started laughing.
"It's NOT funny!"

I was loading Mia in the car to head to our church Christmas party and reminded her to tell me when she needed to go potty.
"Uh huh!! I ho'd it in my pants and then I pee on Santa!
"Oh pleeeeeeeeease don't pee on Santa!" (I was totally shocked that she said that, by the way!)
"Okaaaaaay...." with a mischievous giggle. HA!

James was grunting in his sleep, plus trying to breath through his congested nose and it kind of sounded like snoring. Mia said, "James sounds like a chicken!"
"He does?!"
"Yeah, like Papa!"
Poor Papa... he does snore but he does not sound like a chicken when doing so, ha ha!

Mia got some new clothes and she had to try them on the second we pulled them out of the packages. She tried on her "ballerina" dress and instantly told me, "I twirl now!!" as she tested out it's twirling abilities. Next she tried on her superman pj's (from the boy's section... the girl kind was not super hero-y enough!) and instantly exclaimed, "I need my super hero cape! I gotta get my cape now!" and ran off to find her pink cape :) She was such a hoot that night as she tried on each item. Something I don't want to forget!

The other morning she hollered from the bathroom that she needed me to come wipe her bum. I walked in and she excitedly said, "It's a BIG poop, mom!"
"It is?"
"No! It's just a baby poop. It doesn't have it's mommy, dad and big sister!"
The things you never thought would be normal conversation before having kids....

GIVEAWAY {Swaddle Designs}

Raise your hand if you're as obsessed with swaddle blankets as we are! We seriously adore muslin swaddles in the Brinkerhoff home! Mia is going through a princess AND super hero phase so she uses her old (and James' new ;)) swaddle blankets as capes throughout the day. She even has a fairy godmother swaddle cape... you can imagine how many blankets are laying around our house at the end of each day ;) And my sweet James baby... he's growing way too fast (literally, he weighs practically 16 pounds!) but he still loves to be swaddled up like a burrito! He's also REALLY into peek-a-boo these days and these soft, light weight blankets are his favorite way to hide from me while he waits for me to pull the blanket down and act surprised ;) AND his momma is really obsessed with taking pictures of her baby and these just happen to make the most perfect background... I guess what I'm trying to say is that we think swaddle blankets are a necessity that won't ever be outgrown!

Muslin Swaddle Blankets c/o SwaddleDesigns

SwaddleDesigns soft muslin swaddles are made from high quality cotton and get softer with every wash! They are well respected by the medical community- often recommended by pediatricians, nurses, doulas, and newborn care instructors! SwaddleDesigns gives the best step by step on how to swaddle a baby here, so convenient!!
We have absolutely loved our swaddle blankets so far, and I know that we will continue to love them for years to come! The sweet print is so fun for mom and baby (and it's helping me teach big sister her letters ;) anyone else going through that phase?!), not to mention the black and white print is hot right now! SwaddleDesigns wants to give one of YOU your own muslin swaddle blanket, yay!

I couldn't resist a little X's and O's action with Valentine's day and this adorable blanket! He didn't seem to mind ;)

Giveaway will run for one week and it's super easy to enter, so get to it! Good luck, my friends! xoxo

a Rafflecopter giveaway

LOVE {and snapchat!}

You know that moment when you're up waaaaaay too soon for a night feeding and it hits you that you never blogged about the weekend, and you want to go right back to sleep but hey, since I'm up feeding the baby anyway... But thank heavens it was Valentine's weekend, because it's been a lot of fun thinking about the memories we made just hours ago!

Save This Memory Photography 

 

Eric worked all weekend so I kept things simple with the kids, but I'm reminded once again that it truly is the little things! I did try to throw in as much heart shaped, random fun as possible though ;) I took the kids out for a little heart shaped donut date (James was more or less just along for the ride ;)) and I definitely plan on doing that each year from here on out! We made Valentine's for Mia's little friends and delivered them by way of doorbell ditching at their homes (and then going back and knocking on the door after to say hi, because Mia totally doesn't understand doorbell ditching and cried when I tried to put her back in the car without actually seeing her friends, ha ha!). Eric surprised his girls with roses for me and a little orchid plant Mia was eyeing when he took her grocery shopping with him a couple weeks ago. Sweetest husband and daddy! We heart attacked Eric's car and made homemade Valentine's (the only time I get crafty is when we make holiday cards for daddy!). I baked a heart pizza that was totally store bought because I'm too lazy to make them from scratch, ha ha! But Mia loved it just the same ;) Not Valentine related but Mia gave her first talk in primary and she rocked it! She was SO excited to talk in the microphone :) You can find more of our holiday weekend on Instagram and drumrolllllllll- snapchat! I finally made an account and had so much fun posting little random love day shenanigans yesterday! You can find me under courtneybrink!

We hope you all had a weekend full of LOVE whether you shared it with loved ones or just yourself, you all deserve to be treated or to treat yo self! XOXO

rub a dub dub {Tubby Todd}

This picture cracks me up! James didn't know what to think about the flash on my camera, ha!

Bath time is my favorite! James loves it and I swear he waits until bath time to give us the most special smiles and belly laughs! Tubby Todd sent us their lavender wash and lotion and it's so yummy! My favorite part is that it's all 100% natural ingredients... have you seen the craziness coming out about Johnson & Johnson?! But I digress, I'm so happy I found a new brand to fall in love with! It's easy on his sensitive newborn skin and smells delicious! Wanna know what else I love about bath time?! It means bed time is next ;) 

Wash and Lotion c/o Tubby Todd Bath Co.

so much for winter {Spring bucket list}

One day we woke up this week and BAM, just like that it was 80 degrees. It's hard to believe that we were bundled from head to toe at the park (mid day) just last week! With high 80's in the forecast for the next week and a half, I find myself scrambling to soak up the great outdoors before it's too late... apparently triple digit heat is just around the corner :( Enough of my whining- here's what's on the agenda before Springs ends as abruptly as winter did!

Mia's Shirt c/o Loved By Hannah And Eli James' Pants c/o Osh Kosh

1- Go hiking! We have gone out twice so far and Mia absolutely loves it! She out hikes me right now (I blame her chunky brother, ha ha!)

2- Run a 5k.

3- Go to the pool. I don't think I'll be braving the pool by myself with 2 littles very often this summer, so I'm thinking now is the time to do it, while it's still cool enough for James to hang out in the shade. 

4- But just in case I'm not brave enough to take them by myself... buy a new kiddie pool for our backyard! Mia can swim to her hearts content, and we might even introduce James to swimming that way ;)

5- Teach Mia to write her name with chalk. That means lots of time outside with the chalk before it's too hot!

6- Go to the zoo as much as possible before our pass expires, and buy a freaking icee one of those visits! I want one every time but talk myself out of it. I need to splurge, just once! Where is my "pregnant" excuse when I need it?! HA!

7- Basically just spend as much time outdoors as possible! And when we're inside? Nap time! Taking more naps is definitely on my bucket list!

It's hard to believe that it's winter weather for the rest of the country... but soon enough you will all be enjoying gorgeous weather outside while we are hiding in our freezer until next November ;)

surviving the food coma

I didn't get around to posting yesterday because I was recouping from, you know, napping, eating and super bowling... ha ha! But in all seriousness, our weekend was so good! It was just what we needed considering it was Eric's last weekend off for awhile... we are now entering survival mode again for the rest of the month with his crazy work schedule!
 

After lots of food prepping (okay, mainly Eric prepped food, he's the best!) I stole Mia away for a little girlfriend date, just the two of us! She has been pushing me to my limit these days with her "threenager" attitude and we were both in need of some alone time. I told Mia we could go ice skating of hiking and of course she picked ice skating! It only took a few minutes to get comfortable with her little "walker" until she decided she was a pro at ice skating, ha! I heard a lot of, "don't touch me!" or "leave me 'lone!" or "I gonna go FAST now!" or "hey! wait for me! I'm gonna follow you, friends!" to the random kids skating around us :) Mia also loved to try to copy the kids which mean a lot of sitting on her bum (because the kids kept falling, ha ha!) and occasionally ditching the "walker" to try and skate by herself... at one point I had to tell Mia that if she didn't hold on with both hands the whole time we were going to have to leave.
"but WHY?!"
"Because you are too little! This is only your first time."
"I not too wittle!"
"Why do you have so much attitude?!"
"I NOT ATTITUDE!"
Well, okay then. Ha ha! Mia keeps asking when we are going back... it felt good to have nothing on the agenda but to have fun together! I think we just found the perfect mommy and Mia date during the summer time! The ice skating rink will be a sweet relief from the triple digit temps!

Sweater c/o Friday Apparel

Sunday was the perfect day of church going, napping, cuddling and good stinkin' food! Eric made 3 different cake pops and guacamole stuffed onion rings (oh yeah, they are definitely as good as they sound!) and I whipped up some spicy chicken tacos. Plus we gorged ourselves in the chicago mix popcorn from costco... which we lovingly refer to as "popcorn crack". So addicting! Eric wasn't too happy about the Bronco's win, since they are the reason the Patriot's didn't make it to the super bowl, ha! I didn't care about the game, I was in it for the food ;) We laughed the hardest at the doritos commercial, and James was a dancing machine (with a little help from momma) during the half time show! Of course he called it quits once we tried recording it, ha ha! I was sad to see the weekend go, I'm counting down the weeks until we get to have Eric back! Until then, I'll be drowning my sorrows with the left over (I'm not sure how there's any left?) popcorn crack ;)

Save This Memory Photography 

P.S. If you missed the giveaway on Instagram (you really should be following me!), you can still snag this sweater for 10% off using the code "COURT10"!

nursing mom necessities {Shuga Bebe Couture}

I am so excited to be featuring some goodies I wish I'd had from the moment James was born! I received the most AMAZING nursing pillow, swaddle/nursing cover and onesie from Shuga Bebe Couture when James was around 2 months old, and I've been using them for two months (and have the most random pictures to show for it) now to give the most honest review. So if you know any momma's who are currently nursing, or will be giving it a try, be sure to recommend these products that will make life a little easier (when nursing a newborn is anything but easy in the beginning!)

Onesie c/o Little Adam and Eve

 Outfit c/o Loved Baby

Let's start with the nursing pillow, my very favorite item of all! Oh how I WISH I'd had this from the beginning! I have the boppy pillow but I found myself stuffing 3 more pillows under it to get it high enough for nursing. What a pain! This pillow is the perfect height and sturdy enough to help support the baby without any discomfort (or bending/slumping/etc) on my part. My body was so weak after James was born and I wish I'd had this just for the support it gives! I'm able to have perfect posture without straining to hold James in place! I need to have another baby JUST to be able to use this from day 1 ;) ha ha! 

Fast forward 4 months... I have a HUGE baby (he weighs almost 16 pounds and he's just barely 4 months, whoa!) and I haven't been able to build my strength up in my back the way I want, plus our mattress is the worst (we are in dire need of a new one!) and I keep tweaking my back each time I workout. Seriously, I am a hot mess right now, ha! This pillow has once again been a saving grace! I thought nursing pillows were only needed in the newborn days, but I've been proven wrong! I seriously can't say enough good things about this pillow! It's the only one I'll ever recommend!  

 

Moving on to this darling swaddle/nursing blanket. The muslin material gets softer with each wash, plus its a simple, cute print (that also makes a great background for Instagram photos ;)) The bonus is the snap on one side that allows me to throw the blanket over while nursing in public, but snaps in place around my neck so that James won't rip the blanket off. Then I can take it off and swaddle my little burrito up and snuggle him close. 

Last but not least, the organic swaddling body suit. This is another gem I wish I'd had from the beginning! I am obsessed with elephant prints for the kids so this onesie was already a win in my book, but when I discovered it's secret, I was sold! Notice those little snaps on the shoulders of the onesie? When changing a diaper, instead of just pulling the onesie up out of the way, you can actually roll the arms up nice and snug then snap them in place at the shoulder snaps! Diaper changes were extremely stressful after his circumcision, and the flailing newborn limbs did not make life easier on me, ha ha! James would have lived in this onesie (or I just would have bought more, ha!) until he healed just to ensure less stressful diaper changes knowing that his arms were one less thing I had to keep track of!

So there you have it, my honest, obsessive review on Suga Bebe Couture products ;) They are a necessity in my opinion!

our last day at Disney

Two nights ago during Mia's bedtime prayer, she thanked Heavenly Father for Disneyland (seriously!!) and I've been reminiscing about our trip ever since! So of course this was the perfect time to recap the last day of our trip!

We started our morning in California Adventure with the goal of hitting all our favorite rides. We had so much success the day before so we were totally let down when the rides we wanted to go on were closed down, and we missed the sing a long show by just a few minutes... so we took a few pictures and let Mia pick which rides she wanted to go on before heading over to Disneyland.

One of Mia's favorite rides! She loved crashing into daddy!

One of her favorite rides was the little bugs bumper cars. I got to ride with Mia and she LOVED crashing into Eric. It's a good thing those little cars crawl along at the slowest speed, Mia would be a total maniac if she could get them to go any faster, ha ha! 

After eating lunch we made our way over to Disneyland! Our main goal was to meet as many princesses as we could and ride the last few rides on our list. 

Ariel was by far her favorite!! Eric is less than thrilled to be taking a photo, but this was our favorite part of the day!

One of my oldest blogging friends (who is no longer on social media) told me to look her up if we ever went to Disneyland so that she could give Mia a special meet and greet, and she did not disappoint! Mia still talks about Ariel almost daily and tells me they are best friends, she wishes she could play with her, etc. It was so sweet and my heart felt like it was going to burst when we had our time with Ariel! You can just see the adoration on Mia's face in every single picture on my phone! 

I can't remember all the details from our last day at Disneyland (this is why I blog, because I forget things even more easily now that my kids have fried my brain, ha ha!) but I do remember indulging in beignets, cinnamon rolls (holy cow, those are bomb! First on my treat list for our next trip to Disney!!) and riding the train and It's a Small World, Christmas style. We hit that ride at the perfect timing as Small World always has the LONGEST line! We went during the afternoon parade and walked right on the ride with no wait time at all! Mia loved the ride (and it's not nearly as annoying hearing Jingle Bells over and over, ha!) so we decided to do it again. As we were walking through the line (again with no wait) the princess float just happened to be going in the parade right next to us. The area was closed off so there were no crowds watching and we had a perfect view of the princes and princesses, and they had a perfect view of us! They ALL waved at Mia, blew kisses, etc. ALL FOR MIA! Oh my gosh, I seriously almost started crying I was so happy, ha ha! Mia has no idea how big of a deal that was, but I won't ever let her forget how magical it was in that moment to have all that attention, ha ha! I know I'm so cheesy, but c'mon! This was like all of my childhood dreams coming true for my daughter! So special!

Clenched fist and smile... this picture cracks me up! Mia was SO excited to talk to Cinderella! 

We also got really lucky with meeting the princesses in their little area next to the big castle. We literally walked right in (but there was the longest line when we came out!) and first met Cinderella. Mia was so thrilled! I still laugh every time I think about Mia saying, "look at my Nike's!" She obviously remembered that shoes were very important to Cinderella, ha ha! Next we saw Snow White (again, and she was obsessed with James!), Belle and Merida. We don't really know the Brave movie so Mia was a bit more shy around Merida. I noticed Merida tucked some hair behind Mia's ears, then Mia quickly pulled it back out, ha! But now EVERY. TIME. I tuck her hair behind her ears, Mia tells me, "don't do dat! Only princesses do dat!" ha ha!

Mia wasn't that into Minnie, but boy was she in love with Mickey!! SO cute!

We hit up toon town when it was dark and were so bummed that we forgot to take Mia there! That is definitely first on our list next time we go to Disneyland! We met Mickey Mouse though and goodness, it was so sweet to see how star struck and in love Mia was! We watched the parade and ended the night with Mia falling asleep sitting up just before the firework show :) That girl played non stop those 3 days and didn't crash until the very end of it all! Of course the fireworks were amazing and then we drug our tired bodies back to our hotel. It was seriously such an amazing and exhausting vacation! Eric swore we were never going back but we are already day dreaming of the next time we get to take our kids back :) We love Disneyland!

 Disneyland part 1

Disneyland part 2

it's been a year

This weekend was a good one! It was the kind where Eric and I both had a wish list a mile long of events we wanted to go to, but we opted to just stay home, relax and play with our kids! We spent the weekend feeling so grateful that we had the option to enjoy city life, or just chill at home and be content with our people. This weekend was our 1 year mark since saying goodbye to Utah and hello to Arizona. We reflected on the move and how happy we have been with it... sure there have been hard times, even bad times, but the good far out weighs them all! We've learned that attitude makes all the difference and we chose to stay happy and positive even when we didn't want to be, and we survived the trials with a smile on our faces (for the most part ;)) We discovered that we could be more homesick for our friends and family (and greenery... the Arizona landscaping is still growing on me, ha ha!) more than we ever imagined we would be, but our little family has grown closer because of it!

My Jacket c/o Yoga Outlet Capris c/o Senita Athletics Wrap c/o Happy Baby Wrap

This weekend Mia and I went on a much needed date (to buy her a pink ball cap... She is definitely Eric's daughter to be on the hunt for a ball cap, ha ha! At least it was pink!), we had family game night, ate good food and relaxed as much as possible. I'm so grateful for the time we get to spend together as a family and I'm even more grateful for all the wonderful memories we made together this last year!