Tuesday, November 12, 2013

Our Favorite Things: Twelve to Fifteen Months

I've really enjoyed looking back on the lists of our favorite things. Every item brings back good memories or our little man and makes me thankful for the happy boy we have been blessed with.

Without any further adieu... here is another edition of our Monthly Favorites.

12 - 15 Month Favorites:



  • Playtex Sippy Cups - the best sippys we've found by far and we still continue to use these. They are easy to clean and best of all as long as you have them put together correctly and tightened (which I generally don't), they are virtually spill-proof.
  • Safety 1st Baby Proof - we loved this entire line, however, were most impressed with this one for the toilet. It may not look the fanciest, but it really saved us from fingers slammed in the toilet seat, many different types of toys and other items being dropped into the toilet water as well as keeping little man from sticking his hand in that grossness. Definitely a must have.
  • Munchkin Snack Containers - we tried out quite a few different containers and found these to be the best. The lid is soft on little hands, but they keep snacks contained the best as well. We use these for dry foods, cut-up turkey dogs on the go and grapes or blueberries can oftentimes be found in ours.
  • Plum Fruit Shredz - can you say yum? Not only did Cruz gobble these up, but I loved them as well and if there happened to be a random package in my bag, you can guarantee I ate them. Plus, they are from our fave brand, Plum. Loved virtually all of their foods.
  • Welsh's Fruit Snacks - these were the best "oh shit I forgot to pack a snack and need to stop at the gas station" go-tos.  Not that this happened to me (only like once a week), but little man loved them and they weren't greasy like I found some other fruit snacks to be. Plus, the package is big enough to share with mama.
  • Cloud B Twilight Turtle - this is a great nightlight and noisemaker/sound machine for Cruz's nursery. The light can be adjusted to different levels of brightness, it has music & relaxing noises and a timer, which shuts off after a certain amount of time. He loves to look up from his crib and see the lights dancing on the ceiling, I really think it's soothing to him and he has to tell me as soon as I lay him down, "mama, turn turtle on!" It's super cute and we obviously use it still to this day.
  • First 100 Words Book - little man loves this board book. Bright colors and great pictures. We started using this to learn colors and animals and now it's gotten to the point where he can go through each page and essentially "reads" the book to us, because he knows what each item is on every page.
  • Safety First Convertible Car Seat - we moved Cruz to this seat right around one year because his legs were dangling over the edge of his other one. We had narrowed our research down to this one and the Britax, but after speaking to our daycare's owner (at the time) who is a well-known pediatrician in our area and who has also done a lot of car seat research, she told us that one of the engineers from Britax went to Safety First with the goal of recreating the popular Britax model, but making it more affordable. Even knowing that we did not want to skimp on safety just for a lower price item, she still recommended this one. We love it and have one in each car. 
  • Mickey Mouse Plane Ride-On Toy - Cruz got this as a gift and it was one of the best presents ever. He still uses it to this day and he's almost two. It had so many awesome features: very colorful, moved easily when pushed or ridden, the seat lifts and stores four shape blocks and the propeller moves with the push of a button and lights up while Mickey talks. Plus, the propeller is made of foam, so it's very soft to the touch. Very cool toy.

Well, there you have it, another edition of our favorites - 12 months to 15 months. What were some of your favorite things during this time?

Linking up with Kristin and her adorable new blog. =)



Friday, November 8, 2013

Love Lately {November 8, 2013}

Well hello there. My name is Katie or better known as MIA. As in I've been MIA from this little ol' blog for much longer than I would care to admit lately. While I miss it, I have been very busy single parenting and planning the biggest 2 year old bash imaginable (ok, the biggest two year old bash I've ever thrown, how about that?)

Let's get on with it, shall we?

{one}
My 'almost' two year old!  As Cruz's 2nd birthday is almost officially upon us (next week to be exact), I can't help but get a little sappy looking back on his pics from the past two years and how much he has changed and captured our hearts. Check out this adorable little dude!


You can also find his monthly updates here.

{two}
The bash. Tomorrow we have approximately three thousand people (or at least it feels like it) coming to our house to celebrate Cruz man. I've been working on decor all week, we get our new sectional delivered today and will put the finishing touches on everything tonight. I love this part of being a mama.

{three}
My man. I'm picking up Nick from the airport today and we are going to surprise Cruz at daycare this afternoon.  I don't think Cruz or I could be more excited to see him! This is week two of him being gone for training for his new job and it's easy to say we are missing him something fierce. But we made sure to stick in his mind with fun little pics and videos like this all week:


{four}
Sweets and treats. I fully intend on gorging myself on cupcakes (thanks to auntie Morgan), Nothing Bundt Cake and candy all weekend long and I'm not even sorry about it. I mean, I've basically been doing this since Halloween last week, so why stop now?

{five}
The freakin' weekend. My weekend officially starts on Friday like the rest of you all for once and I'm loving it! I get to skirt out of work a tad bit early too. Can't beat that!


Hope you all have as much fun as I know I will this weekend!