It Came In The Mail Just For Harlow...Great Gift Ideas for Babies

I didn't have a clue on what we should get Harlow for Christmas but with 2 older siblings I knew "Santa" would have to get her some goodies since she has been a good little baby this year.

Then today the perfect catalog came in the mail with lots of great gifts for babies and in my case Harlow. I had never received this catalog before and I am so happy that it found its way in my mailbox today. The catalog is called nova NATURAL TOYS+CRAFTS. They have a wonderful website with great gifts for all ages and in my opinion they have a really reasonable price point on a great selection. Here are a few great gifts that caught my eye:

baby boo silk $7- perfect for peek-a-boo


amber necklace $22- helps to alleviate teething pain


animal teether $10

horse swing $135- great for indoor (I want it for Harlow's nursery) or outdoor use


teething doll $13

I had already intended on getting Harlow one of these blabla dolls, I have seen many kids holding them tightly in their arms so my guess is it will be a favorite:

Do You BOO? We DO!!!

I guess not everyone does it but we have done it for the past two years now, Paige and Aiden love going out to do some BOO-ing in our neighborhood. Well if you don't know what a BOO is check out these links, they will tell you everything you need to know and give you FREE printable poems and signs to get the BOO-ing started in your neighborhood.

Halloween How to BOO
Halloween BOO Poem & Signs

Costumes are optional of course. Paige and Aiden were already dressed head to toe in their costumes because we had just gotten back from a Halloween party. Aiden chose Peter Pan and Paige wanted to be a "Fabulous 50's Girl". Harlow has two costumes because she couldn't decide who to team up with (or should I say mommy couldn't decide?) so she has both a 50's girl costume and a Tinkerbell costume. More pictures to come of the kids in their costumes, just wanted to get the BOO-ing started in your neighborhoods.

Ready to BOO!


Run Run Run...Fun Fun Fun!

Amazing Custom Costume Giveaway!!!

I just had to share this amazing costume and giveaway, WOW it leaves me speechless so check it out!!!

Grosgrain: Queen of Hearts and Alice in Wonderland Costume Set GIVEAWAY!!!!

Family Fall Fun at the Fair and the Zoo

Did I mention how much I just love fall? Such perfect weather to get the family outdoors together. We did just that this past weekend.

On Saturday, we met up with friends and took the kids to see the new 3D movie Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. It was such a cute movie, both Paige and Aiden sat still the entire time and enjoyed sitting next to their friends Hudson and Preston. When we returned home Jon and I gave the kids their Halloween baskets which I filled with fun Halloween themed goodies. Thank goodness for the dollar spot at Target, makes for some great inexpensive treats.



On Sunday, Jon and I took the kids to the Texas State Fair. It was our first year going and we were really excited to watch the kids ride all of the fun rides and we were ready to eat some yummy fair food.

Before we left for the fair I got some really great pictures of the kids together which isn't an easy thing to do.

Paige and Harlow wearing my favorite brand of clothing by Matilda Jane






A couple of the rides Paige wanted to go on Aiden didn't measure up but we were able to find a ride that was just right for our little man.






Paige and Aiden just loved this car ride, you can see me smiling in the background. I love to see my kids having so much fun.




On top of our fun fair day we had a celebrity sighting, we saw Oprah Winfrey. I of course was beyond excited and was eager to get a good picture of her. The first time I saw her I was using my fingers to tear apart a turkey leg for the kids so I wasn't able to get a picture of her and Gayle driving past me but as luck would have it I saw her later in the day.

The only down side of this sighting is that it started to rain but I wasn't going to let that stop me, so I moved through the crowed almost to the front (with my camera tucked into my sweater) in hopes of getting a good picture. Just as I was ready to move ahead another person they turned around and I realized it was Nate Berkus and Ali Wentworth. I couldn't get a good picture of Oprah with the umbrellas in front of me (would have been nice if I myself had an umbrella) but here are a few of the pictures I was able to get before the rain did us all under and everyone fled for cover. We actually had to buy ponchos to make it back to our car and head home.



Oprah was giving away awesome prizes if you won this game at the fair


At least we were able to keep the kids fairly dry




You would have thought that a movie and the fair were enough but nope, we decided to extend out our weekend a day since Paige was off from school and take the kids to the Dallas Zoo with some free passes I won a few months back. The weather was nice and cool and the zoo was empty so it made for the perfect zoo day. I just asked the kids what their favorite animal at the zoo was and they replied the elephant.

2 Months with Harlow Evelyn

It seems like it was yesterday I took the 1 month pictures of Harlow and now she is already 2 months. Jon and I can't say enough wonderful things about her, she is seriously the best baby ever. She can light up a room with that smile of hers, she loves a good nap in her swing, enjoys laying on her back kicking around watching tv with Jon and I at night, she goes down for bed at 10 pm and almost always sleeps until after 5 am and sometimes even 6 am!

The chair Harlow is sitting on is named Lulu the Lamb, it was Paige's chair when she was a baby and I took the same monthly pictures of her laying on it for her first 12 months as well.

Harlow 2 months old -

All Smiles!






Aiden all smiles sitting on his dog chair named Porter. I also took monthly pictures of Aiden on his chair when he was a baby and now look at my big boy sitting on Porter.

Lucky Mom to 3 Beautiful Kids

There isn't a day that goes by that I don't feel grateful for our 3 beautiful children. I cherish everyday I get to spend with them. Being a Stay At Home Mom is such a gift, I couldn't ask for anything more in my life. Ok, well sometimes I do wish for a vacation but even then it's a family vacation I'm wishing for.

My Beautiful Girls 10/08/09...Paige loves to match her sister, SO CUTE together!


Bright Eyed Baby Harlow


I have most of our decorations up for Halloween now, it's kind of hard to get pictures of it all since its scattered around the house but this should give you an idea. The kids love the decorations and we have some really fun Halloween events planned in the month of October.






Aiden playing dress-up as Buzz Lightyear...To Infinity and Beyond!


10/06/09 - Aiden loves wearing his Big Brother shirt, he loves "baby Harlow"


So lucky to be me!

8 Years....Many Beautiful Memories...and 3 Kids Later

It was 8 years ago today that my husband Jon and I married standing in the sand on Laguna Beach, CA. We met on the Internet back in 1998 when AOL was what you used....remember that irritating sound the modem made when you connected? We had a lot in common, both of us owned vintage Volkswagen's at the time and had went to the same school in 8th grade even though we didn't know each other at the time.

Of course when I told my friends I was going to meet a guy from the Internet they were not very supportive, but lucky for Jon and I both I went anyway. We instantly hit it off and both looked forward to seeing each other again and again. So that was the beginning and with many, many memories in between here we are blessed with 3 beautiful children, a wonderful marriage, a beautiful home in TX and are looking forward to making many more beautiful memories in the years to come. So off to dinner we go with the kids to celebrate our 8 years...still going strong.

Jon and I in our first apartment not long after we met back in 1999


Our Wedding Picture - Laguna Beach, CA October 7, 2001