5 on Friday

ONE.  I got my eyebrows waxed this week (for the first time in months - thanks to my sister for the gift card Xmas gift) and I feel like a new person.  It really is amazing how much better it makes me feel to get a little grooming done on my face!  I love Benefit - and their Brow Bar.  It's so nice that I have it close by at our Ulta!

TWO.  I actually like American Idol this season.  I have always somewhat watched it, but this season I really like the judges.  They seem to have a lot of personality and I have seen some pretty good talent.  And how cute is Keith Urban.  Seriously... I love when he calls people 'baby'.

THREE.  One of my favorite things about life right now is when my squishy baby throws her chubby arms out and reaches for me with her toothless grin.  Gah... this kid lights up my world.

Her favorite activity in the car is taking her socks off... exhausted after a lunch date with her cousin, Stella.

FOUR.  As a long time Niner - loving family... we hope the Broncos destroy the Seahawks on Sunday. :)  Plus, I also love Peyton Manning.  TL was able to get the day off of work, so we are going to hop around to a couple of Super Bowl parties and I am looking forward to it.

FIVE.

So much truth to that.

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5 on Friday

ONE.  Absent.  Not enough time in the day.  I had a hard time falling asleep last night, even though I am tired, because my head was spinning with the list of things I need to do.  Laundry, organizing, work, writing (for my blog), emails, errands, grocery shopping, etc... prioritizing can be tough.  Most importantly, I don't want to miss anything going on with Andie, so it makes it tough to get other things done during the day when she needs my attention.

TWO.  Andie has been doing really well with Baby Led Weaning (the feeding herself kind, she's still breastfeeding).  I did a lot of reaching out to other mamas on Instagram and decided to start letting her feed herself.  It's been going well.  She seems to really like bananas, avacados, pancakes, organic puffs, sweet potatoes, and baby teething biscuits.  I am still spoon feeding her for some meals as well because I need to sometimes be able to feed her when we are out and about.  I am hoping she is able to do both for a while.

THREE.  I started my own little business.  It's nothing major - but after buying several bows for Andie, I decided to start making them myself for her.  After lots of encouragement from family and friends, I have started selling them, too.  I am calling it "The Bow Jar Boutique" - because I have always stored Andie's bows in mason and apothecary jars.  I am just doing it through facebook for now because I don't imagine it will get too big, but I really enjoy it and am having so much fun trying out something new.  If you are interested in getting some bows for your little girl or any baby girls in your life, stop by my facebook page... I would love your support.

FOUR.  I am excited for Valentine's Day this year.  I know, I know... it's just a silly Hallmark Holiday... but why not have a day dedicated to celebrating LOVE!  TL has to work all day on Valentine's Day... but hopefully we will be able to celebrate early or after.  Do you have any fun plans for the Holiday?

FIVE.

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Dear Andie... You're 8 months old

My spunky, sweet, beautiful baby girl...

My goodness, month 7 brought so many changes.  I think more than any other month of your life so far.  You're growing and changing so quickly and that feisty but sweet personality is starting to shine through more and more everyday.

You make us laugh everyday.  You make us proud and just by being you, we love you more every single day.  Your daddy and I talk about you all the time... often about how much we love you, how cute we think you are, and what a good baby girl you are.  I hope you don't ever doubt how much we love you.

You are so squishy and petite.  You snuggle, and oh my goodness, those snuggles... they make me melt.  You've turned into a little bit of a mama's girl, and I absolutely love it.  You come to mama when you want snuggles, loves, and are sleepy.  You want daddy when you're feeling playful, excited and happy.

This month was a huge month for "firsts".  You had your first Christmas, your first trip to Hawaii, you started crawling, saying "dada", saying "mama", and "ba-ba".  You also started scaling furniture, pulling yourself up on everything, and you had your first cold (no fun!).  One of our favorite things you started doing is waving when we say "hello" and wave at you.

Your first trip to Maui was so special.  You went into the ocean, loved the pool, and did so well on the flights.  You've become very good at sitting in a high chair at restaurants and gotten better at sitting in your stroller while we shop around.  You loved the sunshine and seemed to love being warm.  You are definitely a water baby, and we love it.

Christmas with you this year was so special.  You were very into the wrapping paper and boxes.  You got several new toys and clothes... but most of all, you livened up the spirit of Christmas for us.  It was so much fun!

You started crawling soon after 7 months old.  You army crawl everywhere, and have gotten so fast!  You love to stand more than anything, and pulling yourself up on furniture and anything you can has been fun (and a little scary) to see.  You've taken some big tumbles and falls, but are pretty good at recovering.

You still aren't a fan of the car, which is sometimes very hard, but when someone is back there with you to shake toys and talk to you, you seem to do a little better.  Your first cold was very hard for me, I felt so bad for you and wished I could make you feel better!

We've started exploring with what we feed you!  You're getting lots of baby food and this month, I started feeding you true solid foods.  You've done well and eaten avocado, banana, and baked sweet potato.  You're also still exclusively breastfeeding, and you and I both love our time together.

You're wearing size 6 month clothes, some 6-12 month, and size 3 diapers.  You're getting on a better sleep schedule and went 2 nights in a row of sleeping 12 hours.  You love spending time with your cousins, aunties, and uncles and especially your Gramz and Pops who both love to see you, snuggle with you, and play with you.  You seem to really love other kids.  You love toys, especially your stacking cups, rings and musical car.  You also love wrappers and anything that makes a crinkle noise.

My favorite thing this month has been you saying "mama"and the sweet snuggles you give me when you nestle your head into my shoulder and hold on to me.  The other day you followed me around the kitchen crawling while saying "ma-ma-ma-ma" and it was one of those moments that I will always remember!  You are so sweet and loving, and I love being your mom more than anything in the whole world.  You truly light up our lives!

I love you and can't believe my baby is 8 months old!!

Love,
Your mama

5 on Friday

ONE:  I found these awesome hair ties while we were in Hawaii and I am addicted to them.  They don't leave a kink in your hair, they don't hurt, and they do a good job at staying in.  I can't remember the last time my hair was down, seems like it's always in a bun or pony tail these days.

TWO: Nail polish.  OPI polish to be exact.  Even if I haven't been as good as I want to at painting my nails lately... I still love it.  I have it in an apothecary jar on our counter and I love how colorful and pretty it is. 

THREE: Hands of Hope hand cream.  My mom got this for me a couple years ago, and I love it.  It has been SO dry lately in California (we are experiencing a drought... I know it's not that way in other parts of the country) - and this hand cream is so nice!

FOUR:  Lush Bath Bombs.  Bath time is my quiet and alone time... and I love their bath bombs.  (The colorful ones sometimes turn my tub colors, so I stick with their white ones).  They smell so good.

FIVE: 

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Our Vacation in Maui

A few weeks ago, TL and I took an adventure to Maui, with our sweet Andie in tow.  I was a little nervous about the flight (she's flown twice before, on much shorter trips) but she did very well on both of flights to and from Maui.

We stayed on the Kaanapali side of Maui, and didn't really venture out too much.  In fact, Andie only had to take one ride in the car (we went to breakfast at The Plantation House in Kapalua) but other than that, she only had to go to and from the airport!  She did really well riding the shuttle, we did take it one day into Lahaina to do a little bit of exploring.

It was a lot of fun to bring her into the pool (and she took a short dip in the ocean) and she seemed to really like the water.  TL was tossing her up in the pool and went to get out and she started crying in protest.  It was fun to take her to Whalers Village for the first time, and take her to new restaurants where she got to see lots of new faces.  She did really well, and it was fun to see her take everything in for the first time. 

Our friends were visiting at the same time so we were able to do dinner with them many nights.  I relaxed by the pool and on the beach for a little while (which was awesome).  It was just a laid back visit... we didn't do much - just enjoy the beauty and sunshine.

It was so wonderful, and we feel so lucky that we were able to take her!!

Hope you're having a great week!

5 on Friday

Woo hoo!  First 5 on Friday of 2014:

ONE:  I don't really have any specific resolutions for the new year, they never seem to last... so I have some ideas on what I want to keep in mind this year...
1. Maintain a solid and loving relationship with my husband.
2. Drink more water.
3. Worry less about things I can't control.

TWO.  I have been looking for some cute thank you cards to order and found these online... I love it when Tiny Prints has good discounts.  20% off until next week.

THREE.  TL and I love to travel (if you've followed along you probably guessed that).  We are planning on hopefully making a trip up to Portland, Seattle, and Vancouver at some point this year.  Maybe we will do all 3 in one trip.  Have you visited these places?  What do you recommend?  Is taking the train in between each city convenient?  Can you explore enough with out a car?  It is so beautiful up there - we just want to wait until it warms up a lil!

FOUR.  Andie is on the move!  She started crawling before Christmas (army crawling) and it's incredible how fast she has gotten.  Trying to figure out if we should put up baby gates (we have one set up, but she isn't a fan of being in there) or if it's best to let her loose.  She is already pulling herself up on everything, too - she loves standing by her car.   It's amazing to think how quickly the process of her growing up is going... I love seeing her little personality come out :)

FIVE.

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