Hazel's First Snow!

We took a little one night mini-break this weekend to the mountains and (what is left of) the snow, so that Hazel could have her first snow experience!

We had a nice sushi dinner when we arrived and then some wine and cheese on our balcony after the babe was asleep for the night. It's always nice to spend some one on one adult time with the hubs.

The next morning we took the aerial tram to see the snow on the top of the mountain. We had a really cute snow suit for Hazel, but it turned out to be about 70 degrees so we didn't get to use it. The top was at 8200' and we thought it might be colder there so we bundled up a little bit, but just ended up sweating our butts off!

Hazel was pretty serious about the whole experience but she did enjoy tasting the snow!

Here are some pics from our trip...

We got in our winter outfits at home before we left.
 

    

 

 

When we got to the resort it was time for pants off dance off!

 

 

 

 

Wine and cheese on the balcony with G.

 

 

 

 

The ski village and the trip up the mountain on the tram.

 

 

 

 

Checking out the snow with Daddy!

 

 

 

 

Touching it and tasting it too!

 

 

 

View from the tram on the way back down. See ya next year, snow!

 

 

 





Five on Friday

ONE

Kind of crushing on these jeans. I'm not sure if they'd look good on me though (with my hip-y hips)? Since I initially started this post, I went ahead and bought the jeans online. They haven't arrived yet but I'll post an update when they do! Update: It wasn't my hips that were the problem (they are quite roomy), it was my short-ness. The rise is reeeeally long and they just made me look super short legged (I bought the short size too, which usually helps). Plus they kind of have a weird smell. And apparently my husband is "not a fan of those ripped up type jeans." Who knew? :)

TWO
Loving this dress. So cute! Waiting for a good sale from Loft before I order it.... and trying to come up with another reason to get a new summer dress!


















THREE
This awesome drink dispenser for H's party (and all parties thereafter!). We are going to serve fresh blackberry limeade in it (see item 5 for blackberry simple syrup). I'm thinking of freezing lime slices and whole blackberries to keep it cold and keep it festive too.















FOUR
"Don't get so busy making a living that you forget to make a life." I saw this quote on Hello! Happiness last week and it just struck a chord with me. Ever since having Hazel work/life balance is even more important to me, and even harder to achieve. But it is so important to remember what it is that makes your life and to cherish and nurture that.



FIVE
Blackberry margaritas with homemade blackberry simple syrup. One of our favorite Mexican restaurants has the most amazing blackberry margaritas.

I crave them.

But with the little one, getting out to happy hour isn't happy-happening. When the weather was so nice last Friday I really wanted a nice cold one... and then I had a light bulb! I bet I could make those! So I googled blackberry simple syrup and found a super easy recipe from tiny farmhouse. We just added it to our normal margarita recipe and adjusted the amount of lime juice accordingly. They tasted just like the ones from the restaurant... #win! I think we will also use this simple syrup to make blackberry limeade for H's birthday party. Yum!

Blackberry Margarita Recipe

2 shots good tequila (we like Hornitos or Patrón)

1 shot orange liqueur (we like Patrón Orange Citronge)

Fresh lime juice (to your taste)

Blackberry simple syrup (to your taste)

 

Add everything to a drink shaker with ice and shake it up!

Pour into a glass with a sugared rim (if you are feeling fancy).

 

 

 

I'm linking up for Five on Friday!

 

         

 

 

 

Hazel's First Easter Basket

H's first Easter is coming up and it will be her last 'first' holiday... how is that even possible?! Since she still doesn't really have a concept of presents or holidays, I am not going too overboard this year, but still wanted to put together something small for her to unpack (pulling things out of containers is her favorite right now.. seriously, she could do it for hours).

 

ONE // TWO // THREE // FOUR

 

 

ONE: I want to get a neat basket and liner for her (probably from Pottery Barn Kids) but nothing stood out to me this year, so I am going to wait until next year or the year after.. maybe try to get something on sale! So when I saw this little and much cheaper basket on Target's website I couldn't resist. She can use it in years to come to collect her eggs on her egg hunt, so it won't go to waste.

 

TWO: My sister has a tradition of the Easter bunny giving each of her children a new and different bunny each year in their basket. I love this idea! I definitely wanted to start this tradition for Hazel too. I searched around for something cute that I thought she would love, and found this little ballerina bunny in the most gorgeous pale lilac. It comes in cream and pink too!

 

THREE: Hazel is into books right now. She loves to sit on her daddy's lap and help him turn the pages. She has just started lifting flaps and peeking underneath (weirdly enough some pages she will always skip, and does not want you to open the flap at all costs). Two of her favorites are "Where is Baby's Belly Button" and "Where is Baby's Pumpkin" so I know the Easter version will be a hit!

 

FOUR: Her other favorite books right now are the touch and feel ones. It is so sweet to see her reach her chubby little fingers out and feel the different furs and textures. I hope she will like this Easter themed one! And I love books as a gift since they can definitely be used and reused each year (and all year long too... we are still reading Halloween and Thanksgiving books right now!).

 

I'd love to hear everyone's fun finds for their littles' baskets!

 

And just for fun, here is my bunny baby!

Hazel's Outfit

 

 

9 Months Old!

So this post is late.. since H turned 9 months old on March 3.. such is life as a momma!

 

It is really hard to corral an on-the-move 9 month old to "pose" for pics!

Age: 9 months

 

Stats: Weighed 18 lbs 14 oz (65th percentile) and was 27.5 in tall (46th percentile) at her 9 month check-up, wears size 6-12 months in clothing, size 3 diapers & has 2 teeth!

 

Favorite Foods: Breastfeeding is still her main source of calories. Other foods she loves - mango, peaches, pears, prunes, broccoli, spinach, apple, yogurt, yogurt melts & puffs. She also tried French fries one time and loved them.

 

Words: Dada, Momma (although I'm not sure she has made the connection to us yet), Hi, Hi Cat, Kitty Cat (she definitely knows Renzo is the cat. She will wave at her and say "Hi cat!").

 

 

 

 

Favorite Activities: Swinging, cruising, playing peek-a-boo, waving, crawling (so fast!) and pulling herself up on everything. She loves to "kiss" everything too - she even laid one on the refrigerator! Dancing - she puts 1 finger in the air, bops her booty and shakes her head around. Her favorite jams are Uptown Funk and GDFR (obviously we are playing highly appropriate baby music over here). Loves doing anything with Daddy. She also loves when Momma lets her open and close the cover on her iPad, or lets her push a couple of buttons on the remote control. She just figured out that those buttons do things on the TV so she will push one and then look over to see if anything happened! This kid is a daredevil too - flinging herself everywhere and trying so hard to walk on her own.

 

Favorite Things: She is in love with the cat. If she could follow her around all day long, she would. Yogurt melts are really her jam. She has also gotten great at feeding herself and not gagging so much on chunks of solid food now. She loves riding in the shopping cart at Target or the grocery store, although she has started to try and climb out now (giving me a heart attack)! She loves when Momma walks away and then turns back with a jump and points at her. Cracks her up every time (the silly things we do to get a laugh!!). Nomming on anything.

Least Favorite Things: Teething. She had a few bad days as her teeth have been coming in. Realizing it is nap time is also another un-favorite of hers - she has gone from 3 naps to 2 (9 am and about 2 pm), and it really varies how long they last - sometimes 45 minutes, some times an hour and 45 minutes. New foods that aren't fruit based - she will totally gag and then stonewall us, swiping anything and everything away from her. She also has a time limit for errands (can you blame her?) and will usually be good for a stop at one store.

 

Signature Moves: Sleeping with her bum in the air and her legs underneath, doing a funny one legged crawl when she crosses over from the rug to the hardwood, shaking her head when you tell her "shake it!", standing, squatting and then standing back up (go sumo girl!), laughing and scrunching her nose up.

 

 

 

 

Hazel - your daddy and I love you so much and know that you are the most special blessing we have ever received. Now I am going to go kiss your chubby cheeks!!

 

 

 

Our Weekend

G, H and I had a nice weekend. We didn't do a ton, but aren't those the best ones?! H was in a much better mood than she had been in a few days (teething?). Her top right tooth is just about to break through.

 

We had a short work day on Friday so we went out to Yardhouse (yum!) for lunch

and then to the park to do some swinging.

On Saturday morning, we hung out in our PJs.

 

 

 

Later, we met up with Auntie C, went out to lunch with her and did some swinging at the park (don't say we aren't spontaneous and adventurous around here!). C also got to read H some books before nap time. Also, when did my baby become a legit kid?!

On Sunday we decided to be wild and crazy, and so we went out to lunch and then went to a small zoo near here that we had not been to before. It was disappointing - all the enclosures were so small, it just seems so sad for the animals. H napped on the way home... and that was our weekend!

 

Hazel at lunch in her bunny outfit from Grandma

 

H happy in the car after her nap. This car monitor is seriously the best invention.

 

PS One funny(?) #epicfail. While H was napping in the car, I ordered us Panera for dinner on my phone, for us to pick up. We get there, G hops and out... and doesn't come back. He calls me and asks if I had placed the order at a different Panera. I was sure I hadn't.... oh, but I had. One that was way too far away to drive to. And it was already paid for. Womp womp. Lean Cuisines for dinner for the win!

Bun in the Oven Momma Favorites

Being pregnant for the first time was nothing like I expected it would be. Before I found out I was pregnant I remember wondering if I was or not, because I didn't feel any differently (yet). I thought for sure I would have an inkling, or I would just know. So when I got a positive pregnancy test I honestly couldn't believe it! The 'not feeling anything' didn't last too long as the morning sickness kicked in not long after... and from there the pregnancy journey began! I had already been reading other momma's blogs and researching products, so I had an idea of some things I wanted to try. There ended up being several things I loved while I was baking little baby H.

 

ONE // TWO // THREE // FOUR // FIVE // SIX

 

 

ONE: Prenatal vitamins were something I actually researched a lot, and started taking a few months before we started trying to have Hazel. I wanted a vitamin with no iron (I could supplement separately if needed) and I have a really hard time swallowing large pills (and it sure seems like most prenatals out there are gigantic!) so these gummy vitamins were a no-brainer. Plus they taste great. Check and check.

 

TWO: Oh these Gap leggings. Heart. I lived in them. So soft and comfortable. I wore them around the house and to workout in (see next item). I dressed them up with boots and a tunic. I dressed them down with a t-shirt and flip flops. One note of warning - they are looong. So if you are a shorty like me, buy the cropped ones.

 

THREE: Tracy Anderson's Pregnancy Project was the main workout I did during my entire pregnancy... she has a separate routine tailored for each month of your pregnancy. I definitely felt that I stayed pretty fit throughout and gained within the healthy range of weight. I also mixed in some prenatal yoga and for the first half of the pregnancy did the Pure Barre prenatal workouts, as well as walking 2 miles a day pretty much the whole time. I definitely think working out helped me during labor and delivery, and helped my body to bounce back after H was born and I was cleared to exercise again.

 

FOUR: The Bump Nest was my savior. I started having problems with my hips while I was sleeping within the first few months of my pregnancy and this pillow was a Godsend. Cradles you, supports you in all the right places, but it does take over your bed. Sorry G!

 

FIVE: This tummy rub butter has "no nasties" so it is perfect for a pregnant momma-to-be. It is thick and feels great on. It helped so much when I got itchy tummy (which was all of the time). I also did not get any stretch marks. I know that a lot of that is genetic, but if a lotion can help, this one definitely did!

 

SIX: As I got further along in my pregnancy, I needed additional bump support when I slept at night... just something small wedged under my bump to hold it up, so it didn't feel like baby was going to slide right off the side of me. This wedge pillow from Boppy was ah-mazing. It also doubled as a back support for uncomfortable chairs, and then as an elbow support when I started nursing! Gotta love a multi-tasker!

 

For any of those preggo mommas out there, hope this list is helpful!

 

Five on Friday

ONE

H's first St. Patrick's Day! What a cute little leprechaun. And just as mischievous!

TWO
This dress. Swoon. Emoji with heart eyes. It is above the normal amount I pay for clothes, so I just had to find an excuse to splurge. We have some family photos coming up, and H's birthday party too... rationalization found!




















Dress



THREE
Hazel's 1st birthday invitations!!!!! I finally decided on which ones to get and placed the order. I just love Minted and have used them for my Christmas cards the past 2 years as well as H's birth announcement. I love all of the different things you can do - coordinated backers, shapes, envelope liners (gold glitter!), return address labels and they will also print your addresses on the envelopes for free with tons of gorgeous styles to choose from. I got coordinating thank you notes too! Use this link to get $25 off your first order!













FOUR
This new workout tee from Target. So motivating! I first spied this tee on Katie Did What's blog. And there is nothing better than new workout clothes. I also got a neon orange sports bra that matches my kicks! I need to clean my mirror... yikes... sticky baby hands!















Tee // Sports Bra // Shoes





FIVE
New nail polish colors. I love changing up my toes when the seasons change. These new colors from Essie's Spring 2015 line are so pretty and I love that you can get a little mini set!

 

 

 

Nail Polish

 

 

 

I'm linking up for Five on Friday!

 

         

 

 

 

It's the Weekend...

On Friday Hazel was so excited

for the weekend to begin...

 

...and after her nap Saturday morning she 

couldn't wait to get the party started.

Hey everybody, hands up, it's the weekend!

 

 

 

The weather was super nice. We got to spend a lot of time outside

so she was excited to wear some new spring-y clothes...

 

 

 

...but she never stays in one place too long.

"Momma I need to crawl off on my next adventure."

 

 

In the afternoon we had a play date with our

neighbors and their 2 year old. Hazel loves other

kids so much. They always make her laugh!

 

 

 

Sunday we took a mini road trip to visit my aunt, uncle and cousin.

We had a St. Patrick's day feast of corned beef and cabbage. Yum!

To burn off the calories we did some swinging in the backyard afterwards.

 

 

 

Hope everyone had a great weekend!