lookin' so fly {Lunaby Baby}

I am so excited to share Lunaby Baby with you all today! Lunaby Baby is a brand spankin' new shop and they already caught my heart with these adorable bandana bibs! I'll be honest and admit that I didn't know what the fuss was about with these bandana bibs (I don't think they were around when Mia was a babe?) until James started drooling... then teething. Have I mentioned that James has two teeth now? Nursing is super fun now... but I digress! These bibs soak up all the drool and keep James dry and lookin' fly ;) ha ha! I couldn't resist. But seriously, I love how these bibs dress up any outfit, or a naked baby for that matter (as pictured above) and they go with everything! Look how adorable our set is and that free pacifier clip is a total bonus! I kind of wish I could get away with the girl bibs because those prints are so stinkin' cute!

But back to keeping James dry... poor kid has had a rough go with his neck (or lack there of) and it gets really red between his little neck rolls. We've discovered that putting cornstarch on his neck each night really helps heal the skin, but with all of his drooling, etc, we've had a hard time keeping the skin nice and dry during the day. These bibs have been heaven sent as they soak up all the drool and give his little neck rolls a break and keep them dry. 
As I mentioned above, Lunaby Baby is a newly launched shop and have a lot more goodies coming our way soon! Be sure to sign up for their newsletter to receive 10% off your first purchase and to be the first ones to know when new product drops! I love supporting new shops and can't wait to see Lunaby Baby take off!

Bandana Bibs c/o Lunaby Baby

happy 7 months to my little love

I can't believe James is 7 months old now! There's something about passing the 6 month mark that makes him seem so much bigger, older... we are going to be out of babyhood before I know it :( But we are loving every second of life with our sweet boy! James is such a happy baby and he brings so much joy into our family! Watching his relationship with Mia grow with each passing day is almost too much for my heart to handle... they are the sweetest siblings and I'm so thankful!!

- James is finally sitting up! We work on it every day and he's getting better at it, though we still have some work to do to perfect it. Surprisingly, he's most sturdy in the grass, ha! 
- Speaking of grass, James likes grass! He sat on it for the first time just a couple days ago and he sat up for SO long! Then when he finally toppled over, he rolled around and played in it for quite some time without any protest!
- He's working real hard on becoming more mobile! James rolls all over the place (like across rooms and everywhere in between), he does "sit ups" when he's on his back, and he's testing out getting on his hands and knees.
- James got his two front bottom teeth! I have to admit, this was one milestone that I was totally okay with not hitting for a couple more months, ha ha! Teething is the worst! And teaching a baby how to nurse around those teeth is also the worst.
- His favorite "toys" are water bottles and packages of wipes. Those trump toys every. time. 
- We are finally getting more sleep (for the most part)! James is pretty much up once in the night... the best is when he doesn't wake up until 4:30-5 because then I just stay up and get my day started. I accomplish so much that way and then I catch a nap when the kids nap. Some nights James wakes up crying for his binky more than other nights though, and that's what can be the death of me.
- Speaking of nap time, James kind of has the schedule of being awake for 2 hours, then napping for a couple hours (usually). But his nap always lines up with Mia's so they are both asleep for an hour or two at the same time each afternoon. Woo hoo!
- Now we just need to work on breaking the swaddling habit. James is such a swaddle bug, but he also likes to sleep on his belly. He usually pulls his arms out of the swaddle within seconds, but he has to start out swaddled! When we have a few days in a row where I know we will be home all day, I'm really going to focus on sleep training without the swaddle. Mia broke the habit on her own so this is all new to me!
- James is eating solids now and loves it! The first couple of weeks were a total pain as he was getting the hang of it but he's got it down now and is loving every new food we introduce him to! Just yesterday I fed him a banana in small chunks instead of having to mash it up for him which is a pretty big deal! Sweet boy is growing and catching on to things so fast!
- I think James is going to say "mama" before "dada"...mostly because he already has, ha ha! When he's really upset and crying he will look at me and (scream), "mama!" Even Mia has pointed out a couple of times, "hey! He said mama!" He's a momma's boy ;)     
- Last month I mentioned that we finally pulled out his 6 month clothes... and they lasted for 2 weeks :( I've pulled out his 9 AND 12 month clothing and both fit! He's such a chunker! And now I need to do some shopping because I wasn't expecting to build a 12 month size wardrobe for a few more months... ha ha! We seriously have like two 18 month outfits and he'll be in that size before I know it, yikes!
- He's wearing size 3 diapers... this size should last a little longer than the smaller sizes. We'll see ;) He's also wearing the swim diapers that Mia wore last summer (when she was 2 1/2)... baby got back ;) HA!  

Whoee, there were a lot of milestones and changes for James between month 6 and 7! My only wish is that time would slow down! But thankfully, every day with this boy is better than the last! We love our James SO much! 

when you're pretty & you know it {Zaza Couture}

Mia and James' outfit c/o Zaza Couture

I am so excited to share the darling Zaza Couture with you all today! James and Mia received the most adorable outfits and we are so obsessed! I'm in love with the nautical theme, especially when the weather is warm (although I do wish I was on a sailboat on the ocean instead of melting away in the desert, ha ha!) and James' outfit could not be cuter! Mia literally swooned over her outfit! Actually, to be honest, I'm not entirely sure that I know what "swooning" actually is... but the that's the first word that comes to mind to describe her reaction over her new outfit, ha ha! Mia threw the shirt and skirt on in the blink of an eye, then ran to the mirror where she twirled and admired herself for a few minutes. Then she came twirling up to me and told me how "'eutifole" (beautiful) her outfit was. Then I watched her saunter over to James, curtsied, then twirled for him while asking, "do you like my 'eautifole clothes?!" I mean, SERIOUSLY! I was dying!! Anything that gets that kind of reaction out of her is a win in my book! One last plus? The fabric is super lightweight, a must to survive our summer heat, and SO SOFT!
I highly recommend checking out Zaza Couture for adorable, unique and just plain beautiful clothing for children AND adults! Alsooooo, hurry and get entered in my giveaway on Instagram for the chance to win an outfit of your choice (subject to size and availability)! As always, thank you for the support, my friends! xoxo

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a place after my own heart

 I couldn't resist :)

Our last and final stop on our California vacation was Legoland! This has been on Eric's bucket list since Mia was born, and it did not disappoint! The only thing we wish we could have changed was the crowds, ha! That's what we get for going during spring break! Legoland was sooooo cute! I wish we lived nearby; I would totally get a membership! This park has everything a kid could want: rides, splash pads, park/play areas, lego building areas and a water park!
Funny story- there was one ride we wanted Mia to go on, but they only let children 4 years of age and older ride it. So being the responsible parents that we are, we told Mia she was 4 for the day! Mia more than owned her new age... every stranger that looked her way she proudly told them she was "four now!" while holding up four fingers! In fact, it took us a couple days to bribe her to be 3 again... ha! So never lie to your kids about their age. It's harder to undo than you'd think :)
We left Legoland early because we couldn't resist a stop at the beach while we were so close! We weren't prepared with swimwear or towels but that's okay, Mia was totally content to run around on the beach and watch her cousins brave the icy water! We celebrated my nephews birthday with cake while we were at it... that's my kind of beach time ;) ha ha! It was so fun to spend a bit of time at the ocean with the Brinkerhoff family! This was James' first time touching the ocean... the first time I think he was too shocked to react but when the second wave rolled in? He let us know he was NOT a fan of the cold water, ha!
Good and "rough" memories were made during this trip (as with any vacation, I'm sure! Especially when you travel with children and hangry husbands ;)) but it was worth all the effort and every penny to experience this with the whole family! I'm still feelin' "blue" knowing we won't be going back any time soon. Thank heavens for a million photos to look back on anytime we want to reminisce :)

 

Mia's bow c/o Teeny Bow Nation

 

James' very first time touching the ocean!

celebrating the big three oh!

When I turn 30 I would love to have a spa day, a huge surprise party, go on a killer vacation, or... actually, I want it all ;) ha ha! What did Eric want for his 30th birthday? "I just want to sit at home and do nothing." Like literally, nothing. Good thing it's true what they say, that opposites attract, ha ha! I'm not sure Eric got his wish exactly the way he wanted it (I mean, there's not much "nothing" happening with two young children and a needy wifey around) but I sure tried to give him a relaxing birthday weekend!
We started the celebrating Friday night by going out to dinner with friends! We never go out on a Friday night so that was a fun change of scenery! We started our Saturday off with working out, then Eric washed the car, I took Mia to the store while James napped and gave Eric approximately 20 minutes of alone time to do "nothing" (but hey! I offered to disappear with the kids all morning and he declined!), then Mia took him on a birthday date to get ice cream... she even picked up the tab ;) We all took a nap that afternoon, watched TV and went for a walk around the neighborhood. It was a pretty lazy day, if you ask me! We went to church Sunday morning then spent the rest of the day being lazy bums once again! I cooked a roast and baked Eric's favorite- a german chocolate cake! Mia topped it with Star Wars characters and we cut into the cake a whole day early!  
Monday, the big day, his actual birthday, started out with workouts, and then Eric... wait for it... washed the jeep. I mean, seriously!! That was first on his list for the day, ha ha! We went to lunch at BJs, Eric's favorite, for pizza and pazookies! Our server was so sweet and surprised him with extra pazookies and a discounted tab! Next, we dropped the kids off at my friends house for a hot date at... wait for it... home. HA! My friend suggested the idea and it was really kind of genius! James won't really eat food for other people, and he definitely won't take milk any other way than from nursing (little stinker!) so it was nice to know we were just a few minutes away from the kids if we were needed. We were able to relax, watch a movie, eat whatever we wanted and only worry about ourselves in the middle of the day! That never happens now that we have kids! It was a relaxing couple of hours doing just what Eric asked... nothing!
I'm not sure I delivered 100%, but I sure tried to make Eric's birthday weekend a special one... one that he asked for, but I hope he had the happiest of birthdays! I truly am so blessed to have Eric as my husband and the father to my babies. There's nothing he won't do for us and always put himself last to make sure we are all happy and content first. I don't deserve him even on my best days. I love my "old man", as Mia says ;) SO MUCH!

P.S. Eric has gifted himself a 30th birthday gift... he's growing out his beard (where are the emoji icons when I need them most to express my emotions on this "gift"?!) "I'm a grown man and I've never grown a real beard!" So Eric spent his day marking "week 1" on the calendar, taking selfies, googling beard kits, and weird crap like that as his gift to himself. I am NOT a fan of facial hair but I'm really trying hard to be passive about his newest hobby, and even trying to act a little supportive about it... wish me luck. HA!
P.P.S. What I'm lacking in nice photos for the blog, I really make up for with the best videos on snapchat (not that I'm biased or anything...) Find me, courtneybrink, and follow along!

A really crappy selfie but do you expect anything more from me now a days?!

dirty THIRTY

Happy Birthday to the guy that does it all! The kids and I couldn't be more lucky to call Eric ours forever! 

Here's to making your birthday wish come true and getting you that gosh, dang motorcycle you've been dreaming about. This is your year, baby. You deserve it!

Happy 30th! We love you!

my fab kid {FabKids}

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I've got a treat for anyone with kids in their lives... FabKids just made shopping easier for momma's, doting grandparents/aunts/uncles, etc! FabKids is an online retailer with beautifully made, stylish and surprisingly well-priced clothing for children (betcha didn't catch on to that from the shop name, HA!) They sent Mia this gorgeous ombre style dress that quickly became one of our favorite pieces in her closet! One day I had Mia's hair curled in ringlets and somebody pointed out that her ringlets match the ringlet style fabric on the dress, WINNING! You know me and my love for matching, ha ha! Anyway, the outfit came complete with creme leggings which we will pull out in the Fall once it cools down, and those darling "sparklies" shoes as Mia adoringly calls them. They are her favorite part of the outfit, for sure! Anytime she's feelin' fancy she grabs her "sparklies" to complete her look :)

FabKids is such a fun way to get new, customized outfits sent to your door; we highly recommend checking them out!

currently

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Loving: my incredible husband! He has been my rock since James was born (and before that, obvi) and I'm so thankful for all he does for me! He gives and gives of himself (and I take too much!) and does all that he can to make my life easier. He busts his buns at work to provide a good life for us, one where I can stay home with our babies. He busts his buns at home on his days off, and often in the evenings after working a full day cleaning the house or whatever I need help with! He is constantly reminding me to enjoy my days with the kids because they will grow up in the blink of an eye. He does all of this and more while fighting his own personal battles and sometimes I just plain don't deserve him. I am definitely feeling lucky in love and so blessed to call him mine, from here to eternity!
P.S. I was introduced to s'mores with starbursts this week and that is totally worthy of a shout out here as well ;) Somethin' 'bout that melted marshmallow, melted starburst and graham cracker that makes one killer combination for the taste buds. YUM!

Reading/Watching: I'm not reading anything for myself right now, shocker! Just reading to the kids and day dreaming about the day that I can spend at the spa/pool with a good book and no interruptions ;)
I finally finished The Bachelor (thank you, Hulu!) and I've got a long list of shows to catch up with on Netflix, but guys, I HAVE NO TIME! Add that to my day dream, a full evening of binge watching my shows and a tub full of calorie-less ice cream, ha ha! But Eric and I have been watching Fixer Upper and we are totally ready to take on our own fixer upper... HA!

Trying to: soak up the last days of Spring weather before it is hotter than you know what outside. We are playing outside as much as possible... I will be super envious of every one's gorgeous summer's when we are hiding inside to avoid the triple digit heat (but I'm not complaining too much after experiencing our first, gorgeous Arizona winter! It's worth it to endure the summer heat!)

Wishing: I could get my life together and cross everything off my to-do list! I will say that my kids have a routine, are happy, healthy and thriving and no one is starving at the end of the day, which is truly what matters most ;) I need to give myself grace as I know that life will fall into place a little more each day as time goes on, James grows and we get more sleep at night! I'm pretty sure if I could have cleaners come to my home weekly, that would be the answer to all of my problems though ;) I kid, I kid! Sorta.
But one thing at the top of my to-do list is update my blog and give it a bit of a face lift. The problem is, I've been in and out, but mostly out, of the blogging scene since James was born, that I don't know where to look for a designer  (and my girl is not currently in business). Any recommendations?!

Excited for: I'm gonna be honest for a second and tell you that I've been super bummed since we got home from our California trip a couple weeks ago. We have NOTHING else planned for the rest of 2016 as far as vacations go, and I'm the kind of person that lives for vacations! I was feeling a little bummed about our lack of itinerary until Eric suggested making the most of our time here in Arizona. So, I'm excited to take on the challenge of making our time at home and Eric's days off, feel like a vacation even though we aren't actually going anywhere. I'm sure I'll try to sneak in a road trip here and there, but I'm excited to just enjoy the day to day moments with my people! I'm also crossing my fingers that we get more visitors in the coming months because it feels like a vacation when we have friends/family in town- hint, hint ;)

we couldn't stay away

After Disneyland (recap here and here) we drove down to San Diego for the next leg of our trip. That's right people, our trip wasn't over yet! We got the city pass which included Sea World and Lego Land.
Our morning totally started on the wrong foot when Mia got a bad case of car sickness and threw up all over herself. Poor girl seems to have inherited that from her momma :( I grew out of my car sickness but I remember road trips being a yucky nightmare. Thankfully in the hundreds (or close to ;)) of trips I've been on with the kids, I FINALLY learned to over pack, so luckily we had a change of clothes for Mia in the car! Eric dropped us off at Sea World then went on the hunt for a car wash with a power sprayer-thing. I'm telling you, it was a super great morning...

The rest of the day carried on smoothly, thank goodness! We watched the Shamu show and sat in the soak zone thanks to my nephew :) When the splashing part came, I took James and ran for the hills (ha ha) but my family managed to sit through the splashes without getting wet! I mean, we were seriously 3 rows from the front and RIGHT next to the "stage". They lucked out! The dolphin stadium was closed for renovations so all in all, Sea World was pretty lame sauce when it came to the shows. I realize the Black Fish documentary has changed their ways, but if you ask me, Sea World is nothing but a glorified aquarium now. Maybe I'm saying this because I haven't actually watched the documentary, but if I go to Sea World, I want to see these animals flipping through the air! I'm pretty sure the city pass is such a great deal because you aren't actually paying for Sea World, they just want to get bodies inside the park :)
Mia had a ton of fun running around with her cousins, it was a great day hanging with the family (much easier to stay together than at Disneyland),we indulged big time with the food and we even got to touch a dolphin... but I'm pretty sure that was our last time ever going to Sea World. I just remember it being so much cooler than it is now. I'm grateful for the memories we made with the Brinkerhoff's, but I have a list of places I want to see in San Diego and Sea World won't make it back on to that list :)

happiness is...

...falling asleep under a blanket cuddled up to your littlest love with the windows open, listening to the sound of chirping birds and the smell of rain on a Sunday.

...a big ol' bowl of ice cream.

...a full night's sleep, I think. I can't remember for sure because it's been well over 6 months since I've experienced that. But I think I'd be pretty freakin' happy after a full night's sleep!

...sorting through the photos on my phone and not being able to delete any because the people in them, the memories they hold, are just too good.

...watching my husband with our kids. Nothing sexier than a good daddy who owns his role and is adored by his little ones (and wifey... when he's not driving me crazy ;) ha ha, I kid!)

 ...when your 3 year old randomly says, "momma? I lub you!" multiple times throughout the day.

...big gummy smiles! I'll miss that when James gets his first tooth! (It made me sad when Mia got hers as well, but then I fell in love with her toothy smiles, so I know that will happen with James as well!)

...when friends, some of our bests come to visit and we don't miss a beat despite the time and distance between us.

...laughing until we cry.

...game night... cause that only rolls around once every, 3 years? Maybe someday Eric will fall in love with games...

...family movie night and Eric's air popped popcorn.

...making goals happen and watching dreams become a reality! It may not always be a happy road, or an easy one, but it's worth it to fight through the hard times to create a better life; our life!

why we LOVED potty training

Mia has officially been potty trained since... the end of November 2015 and I'm just now getting around to posting about our experience, oops! Guys, I was terrified, terrified of potty training! But in the end, Mia and I both loved the process and I couldn't be happier with how smooth the transition was!

Christy Brown Photography

Mia went pee on the potty for the first time the day after Thanksgiving 2014. We had her sit on the potty each night after that to try and pee before her bath, and she did almost every single night! Other than that, she showed no signs of being interested in potty training. I found out I was pregnant just a couple weeks after Mia turned 2, and as exhausted as I was, I was totally okay with waiting to potty train until Mia was interested, instead of forcing her into it. As I progressed with my pregnancy, my patience grew short and I decided I would just wait until after James was born to deal with potty training. Mia deserved a patient mom through the process, and I also feared a regression period after the baby was born... there was no way I was potty training twice if it could be avoided ;)
During a moment of weakness just a couple months before my due date, I let Mia pick out some underwear from the store. When we got home she begged me to let her wear them, so I did! I mean, why not? Maybe I'd get lucky and she'd magically be potty trained... in 20 minutes she peed twice in the toilet, and twice in her underwear (aka, all over the floor) Who even pees that much in 20 minutes?! You better believe I had just talked myself out of potty training for like, ever, ha ha! Two kids in diapers forever couldn't be that bad, right?! ;)
After James was born, we had a Disneyland trip planned for mid November. I didn't want to deal with a newly potty trained Mia on vacation, so I gave us to be finished with diapers once we got back. Every day we talked to Mia about potty training, explaining the process (as we had been doing for a few months by this point) and let her know that when we got back from vacation, it would be time to start potty training and her diapers would be all gone. I almost chickened out when we got home, but I knew it was time. Mia was ready!

When Mia woke up the next morning... and she was magically potty trained! I kid, I kid ;) But it did seem that way! She picked out Cars underwear (that we bought in the boy section, ha!) and she had one, maybe two (this is what I get for waiting so long to recap, I can't remember exact details!) tiny accidents where she started to pee, but caught it and held it while we ran to the potty. I told her that McQueen and Mater got SO sad that they were dirty which made Mia sob (ha ha) then we picked out Ariel underwear and I reminded her that Ariel would be so sad if she got peed on... and that was it! I kept wondering all day what all the fuss was about when people cried and complained over potty training.... until I remembered that one 20 minute underwear wearing session a few months back... HA! It took Mia 2 or 3 days to poop but once she did, I was ridiculously excited for her and did the goofiest congratulatory dance which Mia deemed "the POOPY dance!" and demanded that I do it each time she went after that, ha ha! I wish I had a secret for how easy it was for her to do her business as I know a lot of kids struggle with that, but Mia made the connection that first time she went, and that's all it took! I did make Mia wear her diapers (I called them her "special sleeping underwear" but Mia is no fool. She knew they were her diapers and I was too cheap to buy pull ups since I was trying to use the last of her diapers, ha ha.) during nap and bed time, but after a week of that she refused to wear them. I was super nervous about her waking up to a wet bed but after her nap she was totally dry. She has yet to wet the bed!! She has had a few accidents since potty training... Occasionally she gets too busy playing and doesn't stop to use the bathroom, but other than that, she has been the queen of potty training and I couldn't be prouder!

So why did we love potty training so much? Aside from it being incredibly easy (which I attribute to all the talking/explaining we did on the subject, being so close to the age of 3 and could really understand what we were saying and a year of peeing on the potty every single night) the process actually brought us closer together. On our first day of potty training I had nothing on my agenda other than keeping my kids fed and running Mia to the potty. Not only was I able to do that, but I cleaned house, did laundry, played games with Mia and cuddled James. That was all before nap time. I hadn't even accomplished half of that in a whole day in the 2 months that James joined our family!! I felt like I reconnected with myself and my kids and it was just what I needed! Who knew that potty training would pull me out of survival mode, when I assumed it would pull me deeper into survival mode?! Now I'm crossing my fingers and toes that we luck out with this easy of a time when it's James' turn ;)

it's a princess life for her

Continuing on with our California vacation recap... our last 2 days at Disneyland/California adventure were exhausting and amazing! I find myself wishing we had an annual pass so that we could go relive these moments anytime we wanted throughout the next year ;) If only, HA!
We split day 2 between the two parks! We started our morning at Disneyland and hit up the princesses so that our little Cinderella could have a photo with Cinderella! We took Mia on more rides, including Pirates and The Haunted House which totally freaked her out, but she was so brave and tried so hard to act like she wasn't scared. She loves to talk about them now and tell us how scared she and James were :) Eric and I went on a ride together, aka a mini date ;) and Mia got to be in a parade while grandma and papa were watching the kids! I wish I had a video of that! I can imagine how thrilled Mia was! At California Adventure we hit up as many rides as we could and gorged ourselves at the Ghiradelli shop! I took the kids on the Ariel ride countless times (my favorite to do with them!) and our funnest ride that day by far was meeting up with family to do Tower of Terror! The group photo of us during that ride is golden :) It's memories like those that make the exhaustion and money spent well worth the effort to make a trip like this happen!
Our final day at Disney was spent in California Adventure! We accomplished so much that morning! We met the Frozen sisters, Olaf and Sofie, We rode multiple rides including the infamous Cars ride and took Mia to the Frozen sing a long (so much fun when you're the parent of a mini Elsa or Ana, depending on the day ;) ha!). We rode more rides, indulged at Ghiradelli again, met up with the family for the Toy Story ride, then ended the evening with some character meets in Disneyland.
I was super bummed to head back to the hotel early each night. By early, I mean we didn't stay for parades, fireworks or water shows. The kids were tired and Eric was so done (the crowds were seriously insane!) and I would have pushed for it IF we didn't have two more days of vacation left to go... can't wait to recap those! Until then, here are a few of my favorite iPhone photos!

Eric didn't realize the photo size was switched to square, bummer! But I had to share a picture of Mia dressed as Cinderella with Cinderella! Also, I was shocked that she wanted to hold James in the photos! It seems like they aren't supposed to hold babies for liability reasons, but it makes for a cute picture with a princess and my babes!

Disneyland (California Adventure if we are being technical) + baby lovin'... is there a better combo?!

Mia was dying to wear her Elsa dress AND Anna nightgown when she saw the princesses, but I put my foot down and told her to save her nightgown to wear to bed that night, ha ha! She was so thrilled to talk to the sisters and showed off her braid to them as well :) It was so dang cute! 

Rides with daddy!

Princess Sofia was on Mia's wishlist of autographs and we crossed her off without having to wait in line and a successful hug at the end! It was so cute to watch how star struck Mia was with the characters! 

20 minute dates each time we got to go on a ride together... we'll take it! ha ha!

Pluto was one of the cutest meets with James! My parents got James a stuffed Pluto during our last trip to Disneyland and we keep him in the crib so James often plays with him after waking up. His mind was blown meeting a life size Pluto, ha ha! I swear he knew exactly who it was! He instantly grabbed his ears and tried sticking them in his mouth, then he moved on to poking Puto's eyes and sucking on his nose, ha! I try really hard not to think about the germs James encountered during that meet, but he was going crazy over Pluto :)

My kids are obsessed with Mickey Mouse :) James was fussing in all these pictures until he turned his head and saw Mickey, then he's staring in awe for the rest of the photos, ha!

no place like home {Rugs USA}

I never understood the need for rugs in a home until we moved to Arizona. I love a good, soft carpet but the style in Arizona is tiled floors (I'm assuming to keep the house cooler?) and suddenly I want allllll the rugs!
We are in a rental home and while the square footage is nice, we've had a hard time with the layout of the floor plan, the lack of carpet (and old, crappy carpet that is in the bedrooms, if I'm being honest!) and just plain making this house feel like home. We are just itching to buy a home (maybe that's a sign that this is it?! maybe this means we will stick around long enough to buy a home and feel "settled" for a bit?! only time will tell!) but in the mean time, I'm really trying to decorate our rental and add as many personal touches as possible, to make it as homey as possible! As I mentioned above, one thing we've really been missing in our main living areas is carpet!
Rugs USA came to the rescue and sent us this beautiful rug that we placed in our living room, and let me tell you, we are so in love with it! While they offer every type of rug you could ever imagine, I chose a nice shag rug because I wanted a soft, cozy place to sit and play with my babies! I still remember the way my heart skipped a beat when I walked in the house and saw the play mat sitting in our living room after receiving our rug... We always left James in our bedroom during tummy time, etc, because we were worried about his head hitting the tile too hard when he was still building neck muscles and had little control over his head movements. As incredibly cheesy as this sounds, this is so much more than just a rug to me! It has made our living room a more inviting place where we are all more comfortable to get down and play with each other! I catch Mia and James playing and giggling together on the daily, instead of hiding them away in a bedroom for the softer floor!
I can't wait to buy more rugs to add that "homey" feel to our house, as well as decorative uses! Just searching "kid rugs" gives me SO many fun ideas for decorating the kid's bedroom and play room! I'm pretty sure there will be a rug in every single room in my house once we finally settle down and buy a home now... ;)

Rug c/o Rugs USA