Lyla Grace Turns 1

A few weeks back our baby girl turned one.  I have still not quite processed the fact that we have a one year old, but it's true.  Or at least we had a party for it :).  This past year has been a blur - but an incredible one.  Exciting, anxious, wonderful and full of joy.  Lyla Grace has brought a light into our world that I never could have imagined.

For her party, we didn't have a true theme, but we mish-mashed a few things together to make it bright and vibrant - lots of colors, stars, balloons, and streamers.  We tried to keep it small so that she was comfortable, so we had family and a few close friends.  It was perfect.

This is precious Adrienne. She's one of the most wonderful people to us as she watches Lyla Grace part time during the week.  Such a blessing how she loves her.

Then we have the amazing Cashins.  They were lifesavers for her party.  Came Friday night to help setup and prep and then came early Saturday to continue to help.  There's no way we could have pulled it off without them - love them!

Someone's in love with baby Jo Hartzler!

See the grump face? It continued for quite a while.  Fortunately we got a few pictures!

She gave this to most people.  : |

Freshly Picked Moccasin Review & GIVEAWAY!

Congratulations Camilla Brooks, winner of the Freshly Picked moccs! I'll email you shortly!

I have a confession.  I've been a wee bit head over heels for a particular brand for a while now - Freshly Picked.  Susan, the owner, started the company a few years back and I've been obsessed since I saw them on Kim Kardashian's son.  I had always wanted a pair for Lyla Grace and was really grateful when they sent me a pair to review and giveaway. We received the coral moccasins and we're still so smitten.

Lyla Grace has always had tiny feet.  All shoes tend to fall off of her, or she can easily pull them off.  When I heard these moccs were easy to put on and stay on, I didn't believe it. But, alas, they truly do stay on her feet.  And, she seems to like them too!  She picks them up and carries them around the house everywhere.  I found one dropped in my tall hunter boots the other day. It was cute :).

The leather - oh the leather.  I love animals, but I'm sorry, I love leather.  The smell, the supple soft, pliable leather. That's what gets me about these.  It's perfect.  There is a risk to them getting dirty, but you can clean them off with a wet rag and soap.

They're now our main go to shoe when we go out an about.  It's going to be hard not to buy many more of these in the future as she grows out of them. They do come with a hefty price tag ($60) so I'll have to choose wisely for a size she'll be in for more than a few months.

Now for the super fun part! 

I'm so excited to be giving away a pair of Freshly Picked moccasins for one of you to have!  The winner will get to pick a pair of in stock moccasins in their choice of color and size.  The giveaway will end Monday Jun 23rd at 11:59 PM EST.  Good luck!

{Please note: Must be 18+, a US resident, and not have won any other pairs of Freshly Picked moccasins within the last 60 days to win}

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Monday Musing - Step Down

Travel Tips - Flying With an 11 Month Old

The thought of flying to Florida with an 11 month (almost 1 year) old was daunting, to say the least.  We weren't able to get direct flights so we had two there and two back.  I read up on it quite a bit, but the best advice I received was to make it feel like "just another day".

Packing was interesting because both Brian and I are used to traveling for weeks + on just a carry on.  With a babe? Not so much.  We checked one bag and it topped out around 49.5 lbs, just a half pound under the 50 lb limit.  If you go even an ounce above 50, there's an exorbitant fee associated.  So, we packed my purse as a diaper bag, a stroller (with car seat attached) and the checked bag.  We were able to rent a high chair and crib in the beach house we stayed (saving a ton of packing room).

We got to the airport 2 hours early.  This meant waking up the babe at 4AM.  She was OK when we woke up, but refused to nap until early afternoon.. While this was a situation I was terrified of, it ended up just fine.  After we got to the airport, we found a Starbucks, bought some coffees, breakfast and a fruit pouch for the babe.  I then proceeded to walk her around for what felt like forever, trying to get her to nap, but.. it didn't work.

Boarding - When you travel with kids, you're able to board first.  The nice thing about this is getting the stroller gate checked early and getting situated in the seat. We split up and I let Brian board first to get everything in place.  Then, Lyla Grace and I boarded last. We survived take off and landing by offering lots to drink and eat.  I tried nursing a time or two, but she was just not having it.

Here are essentials I would pack again, for sure -

Puffs plus this munchkin snack catcher = clutch.  This kept her occupied for probably hours.  We also got a little play phone (because she's obsessed with ours) that we didn't give her until we left.  It was nice because it was "new" and she was excited about it.  The straw cup was helpful to get her to swallow throughout the takeoff and landing.  She's also obsessed with feeding herself, so the pouches of food were perfect.

She didn't nap for either flight, but as soon as she got in the car to drive to Rosemary, she passed out.  The flight home was similar, but in the afternoon.  It was honestly a bit more difficult because she hadn't napped much at all that day and just felt kind of strung out.  All in all, we survived and I won't be too scared to do it again!

Rosemary Beach

We just came back from paradise.  The lovely, so lovely Rosemary Beach, Florida.  Ever so grateful to our friends Katy and BJ who introduced us to this beautiful stretch of 30A on the gulf.

It was babe's first time at the ocean and she loved every minute.  It was also her first flight. She did exceptionally well considering we woke her up at 4AM and she missed her naps.  I'm so grateful for her resilience and patience with us.  Hopefully I can recap later, but for now, here are a few pictures from our trip.

Have you met my baby?

Almost a year ago now, a sweet little girl came into the world and radically changed our lives.  She's given us a glimpse of God's love for his children in the way that we love her.  She's sweet and spunky.  Never stops smiling and is overall a wonderful blessing to us.  She came into the world peacefully and she brings us constant gratefulness that we could be given such a beautiful gift to steward through life.

Since it's been so long since I've blogged, I think I'll start from current and work our way backwards.

Monday Mantra

via flickr

Ah, my mantra right now.  To live a happy life without regrets.  To not worry about things that simply don't matter. Need this reminder daily.