E's One Year Photos

This past Thursday I took the girls over to our local JCPenney Portrait Studio to take E's first year portraits. (If you recall from previous posts, I have taken K to get her pictures done each year as well.) I was trying to wait on getting her pictures taken until the injury on the bridge of her nose was completely healed, but it still isn't totally gone and I didn't want to be a half year late like I was on K's 3rd year pictures.

E is not exactly the best napper and this particular day she napped early so she was getting quite cranky by the end of her photo shoot. I have to say though that she did great and I think we got some really cute ones. I also had our photographer take a few of the girls together in their Easter dresses and I got a collage of three of my favorites.

So, without further ado, our baby girls first year photos:

Hi, I'm one!

You know that expression, "If you love it so much, why don't you marry it?"
I'd marry this picture if I could.

When K was 9 months old, I had her picture taken with her "Grammie Blanket".
I wanted to get a photo of E with her Grammie Blanket so my Grandma can have
one of each girl with their blankets.

Here is the collage of the pictures of the girls together:

This is the dress E was supposed to wear for Easter but then Grandpa bought her such a
beautiful one that we decided to wear than on Easter and save this one for her pictures.

And here are each of the pictures individually so it's easier to see them:

Our Boo Bears.

I'm so happy with how this one turned out!

Oh how I love that smile.

So there you have it! It's fun to go back and look at E in the mermaid pictures we took only 6 months ago. Her hair has grown so much and her looks have already changed quite a bit.

Thanks for stopping by!

Let's Review... Baby Carriers

Hello! This is the first of many posts where I will write a review of my experience with something. That "something" may be a product, a movie, or food. I rely heavy on the reviews of others before I purchase something or even sometimes whether I go see a particular movie or to a certain restaurant. Hopefully these reviews will be helpful to you as well and, as always, if you have any questions or need more clarification, please don't hesitate to ask me.

Today I will be reviewing baby carriers. I'm actually going to be doing a comparison of the four different types of carriers that we own and what I see as their strengths and weaknesses. I am including links to each of these products on Amazon in case you are interested in any of these carriers. And for the record, I don't get paid for my reviews or endorsements. I'm just hoping they will be helpful to other moms out there.

A baby carrier is a fantastic item to have for several reasons. Babies love to be held. And most people want to carry a baby. It's a great way to bond with your little one, look them in the eyes, smooch their faces, smell their heads, you get the drift. However, after hours of lugging that sweet little 10, 15, 20 pound baby around, your arms begin to feel like they're going to fall off. Also, there are certain circumstances when a carrier is much more convenient than a stroller. A super crowded museum or aquarium is a great example on when it's a whole lot easier to just maneuver your body around the masses of people than it is a stroller. Plus you never have to worry about losing your baby in a crowd since they are attached to you. It's also great for when your baby is still itty bitty and the sweet, well-intentioned people in the grocery store want to touch your baby and you don't want them putting their hands or faces in your babies face for fear of germs, most people won't do that when you have your baby right up against your chest in a carrier.


First up is the Baby Bjorn Classic. We received this as a hand-me-down from a coworker before K was born so ours is a bit different than the one pictured and in the link. For all intents and purposes though, it works the exact  same. The Bjorn works nicely for young, lightweight babies. It's convenient for travel purposes since it's soft and can be rolled up and stuffed into a diaper bag. It's easy to get your child in and out of and it's nice that you can wear your baby facing toward you when they are very tiny and facing out when they are a bit older. (You cannot wear the child on your back though.) However, when your child gets a bit older / heavier, here is where it fails. I found that carrying a heavier baby in the Bjorn for an extended period of time was very uncomfortable on my back. Also, this carrier is not very ergonomic for your child as there is a great deal of pressure placed on their private bits since the area between their legs is very narrow and all of their weight is resting right on that spot. This is especially significant as your child gets heavier.

The second carrier we used was the Chicco Smart Support Backpack. This carrier is only worn on the back and has an aluminum frame to give it structure. We used this backpack primarily for hiking since it has a sunshade and a more rugged design overall. It comes with a zip-off rain shield, a zippered phone / key pouch, and a little bit bigger pouch for a diaper and a few wipes, etc. that clips on the back (you need someone else to access it or you have to take the carrier off to get into the pouch.) The part that rests against your back is well padded making it pretty comfortable to wear but after a few hours of hiking, it did start to make my shoulders and neck ache. Also, it's not convenient for travel with its rigid frame. I found it to be a nuisance having it take up a bunch of room in our trunk when there are so many other things that I need to have back there, like the double stroller and three cases of wine. Just kidding about that last part - I don't have a double stroller ;)  While it is easy to get your kiddo into and out of this carrier, it isn't the easiest to get it on your back by yourself. I found the best way to do it was to load the kid in it while it's either sitting on a table or on the tailgate of our van and then shimmy it on my back while trying to keep it balanced and then pulling in the kickstand once I had it secure. If the hubs was with me he could hold it up while I slipped the straps on but again, neither method is super easy or, I felt, that safe.

The picture on the left shows it with the kickstand out for easy loading/unloading.
The picture on the right shows it with the kickstand pulled in for walking/hiking, etc.

Next up is the OneStepAhead Zip-N-Go Hip Carrier. This carrier is the ultimate in convenient travel. The whole thing zips up into its own small pouch that you can then throw into your diaper bag or even a purse. And, when you have the carrier on you can then use the pouch to keep your essentials in (keys, phone, diaper.) Plus, it's kind of neat because it carries the baby on your hip instead of your front or back which is a natural place for most people to carry a baby. Unlike the Baby Bjorn that can have your baby facing toward you or away, this carrier only allows the baby to face you. There is a large movable padded section on the shoulder/neck strap that also covers the clip that holds it on. It's easy to get your baby in and out of it on your own and it's quick and easy to put on. This is a good carrier for a baby that is old enough to hold her head up but not so old that she will be flinging herself out of it backwards. This last point is even more important with the model I have since it looks like they have made the back higher than the one I have. I find this carrier to be good for shorter trips like going to the grocery store and your kid wants to be held instead of in the cart but your arms are tired and you still need to be able to get to the food. I was using it for longer, several hour events and I was finding it to really hurt my neck and shoulder and even lower back after that long.

Our fourth, and last, carrier is the Boba 2G Baby Carrier. I *LOVE* this carrier! It can be worn with your baby facing you on your front or your back, it's adjustable for me or the hubs to wear, it's super convenient because it's soft and can be rolled up and stashed in our diaper bag, and most importantly, it's comfortable to wear for long periods of time. Like the last two carriers above, this one is designed for your child's weight to be evenly distributed to their bottom and thighs instead of their sensitive areas making it much for comfortable (and safer) for them as well. It also comes with a sun cover that does triple duty - first as a way to keep the sun off of their heads while out hiking. Second, as nodding head-catch for when your kiddo falls asleep and their head starts bobbing backward. And third, as a cover up for nursing. I've had E on my front and have been able to loosen the straps enough that I can actually nurse her in the carrier and use the sun cover to give us some privacy. I chose to purchase the organic version because inevitably E was going to chew or suck on the straps. Plus, I got a better deal on it since it's a 2G model and they already have a 3G model out with some nice upgrades but nothing that seemed like I couldn't live without to save a few bucks. The only downside to this carrier that I have found so far is that when E was younger I had a REALLY hard time getting her on my back by myself. I'm guessing that now that she's a little older and more able to hang onto me that we can try it again and it will be easier but it was definitely a two person job the few times I tried it. They have YouTube videos online demonstrating how to get your child onto your back so maybe I'll have to try watching those again before we attempt it.

The picture on the left is the front carry (that's the model & color I own.)
The picture on the right is the back carry (that's the 3G model.)

I hope this has been informative / educational / helpful in determining what type of carrier to get for you and your child. Like I mentioned at the beginning of this post, I'm a firm believer in using a baby carrier which is why I'm on our fourth one. Oh, and if it isn't obvious, none of the women, children or man in any of these pictures are us. Just in case you were wondering :)

Muffin Tin Lunch

Sometimes (well, most of the time) I have a hard time coming up with lunch ideas for K. She's at the age where she only wants to eat one thing, macaroni and cheese. Thankfully she still enjoys most fruits and quite a few vegetables (even if she does dip EVERYTHING in ketchup). So in order to mix things up for her and have a fun lunch together, we make Muffin Tin Lunches. I use a twelve cup standard size muffin pan and fill each one with a different kind of finger food.

In this example I have blueberries, half of a graham cracker, a slice of American cheese, baby carrots, Goldfish, Craisins, Oatmeal Squares, ketchup, marshmallows (for dessert), mandarin oranges, celery, and more blueberries. I find that K will eat more fruits and vegetables if presented in this fun manner. While she eats I make a big deal about having her count how many of her cups are empty and I tease her that there is "no way she can eat everything in ALL the cups." So far, she's never not finished an entire pan. (The dessert cup is always the first one empty.) My only rule with her is that she has to eat everything in all of the cups before she can have seconds of anything. That way I know she'll eat all of the vegetables before getting more Goldfish or something else that I want to limit.

I think I'll go make a Muffin Tin Lunch for her right now.

Have a great Tuesday!

How to easily core a strawberry

Hi! I'm here today to show you a quick and easy way to core a bunch of strawberries for slicing. (Please ignore the bad quality of the photos. It's not so easy to hold the strawberries in one hand and my iPhone in the other so several of pictures are blurry.)

Step 1.Wash your strawberries. ;)

Step 2. Insert a regular old drinking straw into the bottom of your strawberry.

Step 3. Push the straw straight through the strawberry and out the top.

Step 4. Admire the cool little hole in your strawberry and the perfect cylinder of strawberry core.

Step 5. Cut off the top and slice the strawberry however you chose.

Alternatively, you could pick off the leaves and then push the straw in from the top but that was an extra step and I had two containers of strawberries to get done in a short amount of time for a preschool Valentine's Day party so this way was faster. I hope this is helpful and that you all are having a great weekend.

St. Patrick's Day Shenanigans

Hi! Did you have a fun St. Patrick's Day? I have to admit, this is one of my favorite holidays. Not only do I really love shamrocks and the color Kelly Green but for one day out of the year, everyone is Irish :)

We walked in the local town parade with the preschool the weekend before St. Patrick's Day and even though it was really windy and chilly, the girls were super troopers!

It was a constant battle the whole parade trying to get E to keep her gloves on.

Here we are before the parade started. K wore a green, Kiss Me, I'm Irish t-shirt over her sweatshirt but no one could see it anyway since the girls were so bundled up.

The other big news was that on St. Patrick's Day a tricky little leprechaun made a treasure hunt for K.

This is Lucky the Leprechaun. He has the first clue
for the treasure hunt rolled up on top of his shoes.

Daddy read each clue to K and then she had to solve the riddle to find the next clue.

Some of the hiding spots were a bit tricky...

But K was able to outsmart that old leprechaun and find his hidden pot of gold.

And here she is giving Lucky a hug to thank him for sharing his gold with her.

I hope your St. Patrick's Day was fun, filled with a bit of shenanigans, and that you feel blessed in your life and not just lucky, even if you ARE Irish ;)

Little E's 1st Birthday Party Recap, part 2

Today's post is a really fun one for me. While I absolutely love planning and decorating for parties, it's our babies that really make the event special. And Little E definitely did not disappoint!

For her birthday outfit E wore a bunny shirt complete with gold crown and furry feet, a gray tutu skirt with black leggings underneath, and for about 10 seconds, a big pair of pink bunny ears.

Sharing a cuddle with Great Grammie

Wearing the Birthday Princess hat. I couldn't even
get it tied on before she had ripped it off her head.

When K turned one she didn't like to be messy (which I will freely admit is my fault because I didn't like her to be messy so I wiped her face and hands a lot) and she didn't eat many sugary foods so her first birthday cupcake experience was a bit anti-climatic. Not so much with E. This little girl enjoyed every single bite of frosting!

Starting out slowly and not too messy...

That whole "hands" method is way too slow.

This is how I eat cake too.

I loved every second of how messy she got while eating her cake.
I'm so glad that I've relaxed when it comes to being clean vs having fun.

Big Sis giving her a smooch for a job well done.

Little E was also a champ at opening gifts. She really tore into the paper and was genuinely excited about each gift. Plus if there was even a slight doubt that she wouldn't be able to unwrap something, Big Sis was right there on the job. You can also see the Peeps bunny bunting I made to decorate her high chair. Each side originally had one more bunny and a bow on the end but E kept pulling them off so I cut them off to save my sanity.

Check out the totally adorable bunny shoes she's wearing!

It was a really fun party and I think everyone who was there truly enjoyed themselves. I know I did!

Little E's 1st Birthday Party Recap, part 1

SomeBunny turned 1 back in January and we had a sweet bunny-themed party for our Little E.

Here are a few behind-the-scene photos of the decorating tips and tricks I used to make this birthday fun.

Invitations: As with most of the parties I throw for the girls, I made the invitations with some help from the internet. I found this great bunny stationery and was able to import it into Photoshop to make just a few minor adjustments. I added my own text to the invitation and simplified the front of the envelope. This was the first time I made envelopes and I was worried about how they would hold up in the mail, but all of the recipients said they arrived unscathed so that was great. I printed the envelopes double sided with a pink gingham print for the inside and the invitations had a brown gingham print on the backside. I love how they turned out and will definitely do this again for future invitations.

Front of the envelope. I used a silver Sharpie to write the addresses.

Inside of the envelope. I used a glue stick for the sides.

The invitation. The back was double sided with brown gingham.

Back of the envelope. I used double sided tape for the flap.

Decorations: I reused the birthday banner from K's Alice in Wonderland 4th birthday party. It has a white rabbit on the last flag of HAPPY so it was appropriate for the theme. I also had pink polka-dot balloons for the girls to play with at the party.

Table decorations: I ended up using plastic tablecloths for this party since I wanted pink and we don't have pink cloth ones. The pink plastic ones I found were too bright though so I also used plastic white lace tablecloths over the top of the pink ones to subdue the color and make it look a bit softer. Considering they were plastic I think they looked pretty good. For "centerpieces" I used two stuffed bunny toys per table. K has *lots* of stuffed bunnies so it wasn't hard to find the 6 that I needed.

The main part of the centerpiece were these edible bunny pops. I found the idea on Positively Splendid and love how they turned out. The large zig zag pot is a steal at $1.99 from The Container Store and I love how it looks like an over-sized cupcake liner. I stuffed a green floral ball inside and covered the top with Spanish Moss to make it look like the bunnies are frolicking in the summer lawn.

The great part about these bunny pops is they are made out of readily available store-bought items. The pop itself is a mini powdered sugar doughnut, the ears are flat marshmallows, the tail is a mini marshmallow and the nose is a pink jellybean. It's all held together with melted white chocolate "glue". However, a word of caution if you make these. While they are super easy to make, we found out the hard way that we should have inserted the ears BEFORE "gluing" on the nose and tail. We had to re-attach 90% of the noses & tails because pushing the toothpicks in after they were attached caused most of them to fall off.

The funniest part about these little cuties is that no one realized they
were supposed to eat them and we ended up with 20+ pops left over.

Party favors: As with all of the parties I host, I had been collecting bunny-themed toys for years before the actual party. Yes, that means I had been collecting party supplies for the birthday of child that hadn't even been born yet. I know, it's a sickness. Each girl received a stuffed dutch rabbit that bears a striking resemblance to a super cute real bunny I know (woot Sid!), a pair of bunny ears, a set of pink pom poms and the super cute pink bunny party favor bag from Mr. Printables was filled with Annie's Homegrown Bunny Grahams Friends and Bunny Fruit Snacks.

The rest of the party favors included a bunny mask craft, bunny socks, a bunny shaped straw and note pad, and some happy mushroom erasers.

We served sandwiches, fruit, vegetables, macaroni and cheese, and of course, carrot cake for dessert. I also made these milk bottles that were a pretty big hit.

Stay tuned for part 2 to see the rest of the party and the beautiful birthday girl herself :)