Throwback Thursday.

{Me, circa 1985}

They say Kingston looks a little like me.

... Two babies in a tub.

Happy pictures?  Yes and no.  Both boys are down and out with pretty strong colds right now... but seem to be semi-happy during the day.  The coughing fits for Cole and fever for Kingston only seem to happen at night/bedtime... which makes for a long, long day.  And now I seem to have a smaller version of what they have, with a pretty rough sore throat.  So, we're laying low today.  These two will probably have a couple baths throughout the day - hot steam does each of them some good (and maybe this momma too).

The Heartbreak Kids.

{Carson and Kingston, 3 years old}

Matching pirate jammies after Carson's pirate-themed birthday party?  Ye bet yer lucky starrrrrrs, matey.  

Oh what a fun weekend away we had.  These two boys had a blast playing together and it was so fun to overhear their conversations.  They are too much.

Cole: 7 months

And another month has come and gone.  And our little turned seven months old yesterday.  Which means only five short months until we are celebrating Cole's first birthday.  This is all moving way, way too fast.

No doctor appointment this month... so no update on this guy's stats.  Although, I'm sure he is still a big and healthy baby boy.  I mean, he's 7 months old and he is wearing 18 - 24 month old clothing.  And we thought Kingston was a moose when he was this age...

Here are a few fun facts about our little Cole:

• Cole has/had his first cold(s?) recently... and seems to be powering through just fine.  No runny nose, but a pretty raspy cough that is now just an occasional dry cough.   
• He has yet to pop a tooth, but sure drools like it is coming soon.  We'll see.
• You know how they say that babies are ready for solid food when they show an interest in the food you're eating?  Yeah... this boy ALWAYS shows an interest in my food.  His brother's food.  The hubs' food.  And probably your food too.  He loves food.
• Cole's reaching and grasping capabilities are really strong - he can reach for pretty much whatever he wants now.  
• The boy's motto:  Why sit when you can stand?  If you try to sit him down, he will stiffen his legs so that he remains standing (while holding your hands because he can't stand on his own quiet yet, of course).  
• Not quite a crawler, but definitely a rotator.  Cole will turn his body/rotate to where he wants to get, then adjust his body into push-up position.  I think we're close, friends.  Which means we should probably get busy on baby-proofing again...
• Cole is definitely not a push-over; he will fight his brother already for the toys he wants to play with.  
• He's decided that he needs to sit in the tub next to his brother, sans baby bath chair.  
• He is probably one of the happiest babies you will ever see when he wakes up... even if he has just been crying, he will light up with the biggest grin when you come in his room.  Hard to stay mad at the little guy, even if it is the fourth time you've been in his room that night and it is not even past midnight yet (some nights, not all nights... but definitely some nights)...
• So far, this boy is the best traveler.  We went away this weekend, traveling about 2.5 hours in the car without having to take a break.  No tears, but lots of happy coos.  And maybe a nap or two.

Want to see Cole's post from last month?  Click HERE. 

4 Ingredients Cookies

Recipe found HERE.

Lucky number 13.

If you ask the hubs, I may have a sickness.  And he might just be right.  But... is there anything better than a decorative basket?  I think not.

I found the one pictured above at JoAnns this last weekend for a steal.  It is now the proud holder of my little's toys, animals, and puzzles.  And if we were ever to get tired of the "Stuff" displayed on the front - have no fear.  We can easily turn this basket (or maybe linen bucket?) around; the seams are on the sides of this bad boy.  Oh, snap.

Oh... and if you were wondering, this basket marks number 13.  We now have 13 baskets... in the downstairs portion of our home.  There may be a few more upstairs.  A few...

Instagram Challenge: 5 Photos "Looking Up"

From left to right:  Cole looking up at me, Knight Kingston looking up at his sword/sky on Halloween, looking up at my Anthro kitchen timer, looking up at two little hand prints on our fireplace mantel (see blog post HERE), and looking up at a fun/colorful lantern on a shelf in my kitchen.

Last Friday I was tagged by a good blog friend of mine to participate in a fun little challenge via Instagram.  Such a fun idea; when you post your photo of the day, you then have the task of tagging five other friends (each with their unique theme) in hopes that they will participate.  So far, four of the five ladies I tagged have accepted the challenge and I cannot wait to see how creative they get.

To see each of the photos above (to include who I tagged and who tagged me), click on the "Instagram" link in the menu bar above.      

Baby Leggings

Baby Leggings.  For both girls and boys.  This trend has not been lost on me, as I am a card-caring member of the grown ladies in this world who still wear a few pairs of leggings in any given month week.  So when I found a pair of heather gray baby leggings for $3, I just had to give them a whirl on my little Cole...

And I'm in love.  I feel baby boy pants can be a bit too baggy and expose too much skin during the cool winter months - this is a nice, comfortable option that will keep my little warm.  

DIY Canvas: Baby Handprints

When Kingston was a baby, I came up with the idea to memorialize his cute little hands via black paint and a white canvas.  For some reason or another, I decided seven months old was the perfect age to attempt this project... so with Cole's seventh month coming within a few days, I thought I would go ahead and attempt a handprint canvas with him today.

Cole's handprints are on the left, Kingston's on the right.  It is fun to see the differences in the boys, even when it comes to this simple little project.  Cole's hands look a little bigger, but hard to tell for sure... he was a little more cooperative with the process than Kingston was.

Such fun little keepsakes; neither canvas is perfect, but that is what I love about them.  Oh, and this is a super cheap project to tackle... One tube of black paint and two canvases (which come in a set; Cole's was a leftover that I held on to from when I made Kingston's).  Now, to go find the perfect spot to display them.

Happy Monday, friends!    

The cookie mishap.

So, it's Friday again friends.  Even better... it's a Friday of a four-day weekend for me.  No big plans for the long weekend, but I am so thrilled to spend some time at home relaxing, helping my boys heal (both Kingston and Cole have colds they cannot seem to kick), and maybe working on a few house projects.

To start of the weekend right, I thought I would bake a few semi-healthy cookies for my family... you know, ones where you substitute out the butter for applesauce and include oats?  Yum.

It was going so well.  Until I decided to use my tablespoon ceramic measuring spoon to help ball the dough on the cookie sheet.  On my seventh ball, the handle snapped off of the spoon in the dough.  Not good friends, not good at all.  Not good even one bit.  Because although the break was a pretty clean one, there were still two chunks that were unaccounted for... in the dough... with oats... and white chocolate chips.  Eh.

And that is why we only had six homemade cookies on this lovely Friday.  Which are now down to three, thanks to Kingston and I (we had to have ourselves a little taste test).  Oh well... I said I wanted to make a few healthy cookies, right?  Right.

 

Throwback Thursday

January 17, 2012 - A little frosty, a little snowy... but definitely cold.  Much like today.

Fort Day.

Friday unofficially became fort day last week, when I opened this circus tent for the boys.  Kingston was so happy to play in his fort as he referred to it... unless the flag was placed on top... then it became a castle.  And he became a knight.  And I was appointed princess.  

We had story time in the tent.  Kingston played with toys in the tent.  He even drank his morning and after-lunch milks in the tent.  The boy could not get enough.  

Cole even got in on this circus tent/fort/castle action, which was captured thanks to Instagram:

Now, if only we could fast-forward to Friday and do it all over again.  

Happy Wednesday, friends!  Here's hoping it is a good one.

Re-post: {a take on} Tazo Shaken Iced Passion Tea

A popular post from my prior blog, I thought I would re-share the yumminess that is the shaken iced tea.

I know, I know - we're in the dead of Winter.  But if you're looking for a refreshing, seriously yummy, treat... you have to try our at-home version of the Tazo shaken iced passion tea drink.  You will not be disappointed.

 
(Recipe first posted on my PRIOR BLOG in 2011).  

Ingredients:

1 Tazo tea bag
4 oz. hot water
3 bags Truvia sweetener (optional)
12 or 16 oz. water glass 
Ice (to your liking)
Cool water (to your liking)

Directions:

1. Select your Tazo tea; we prefer the Passion Tazo tea.  
2. For one serving (one glass), fill an 8 oz. coffee mug half-way (approximately 4 oz.) with hot water.  
3. Steep one tea bag for at least one minute but as long as you wish (the longer you go, the more flavor your drink will have).  We read the box, and the recommendation is about 3 minutes.
4. While your tea is brewing, you will need to add your choice of sweetener (however, if sweetness isn’t your thang – no worries, just skip this step).  Our choice?  Three bags of Truvia per serving (as recommended).
5. Once you have the tea brewing, grab yourself a tall water glass and fill it to the brim with ice.  
6. Pour the sweetener/tea mixture into the tall water glass full of ice and fill the remaining space with water.
7. Stir and ENJOY!

Party Sunnies and BFFs.

We spent Saturday afternoon celebrating our friends' two sons Sam and Sawyer's birthdays.  Such fun, sweet little boys... Kingston was thrilled to be invited over for their birthday festivities.  Because he gave up naps awhile ago (ugh) and did not take one that day, Kingston was a little grumpy towards the end... but perked up when he was handed his beloved party favor goody bag.  His favorite item?  The silly "sunglasses" pictured above.

"We need to put them in your car, momma." - I am assuming so that he can wear them when it is sunny out?  I am loving his little imagination and thoughts he shares these days.  

Their littlest guy, Max (on the right in the photo above) is definitely a cutie and sure to be our little Cole's future bestie.  They are super cute together and I love that they are only 2 days apart in age.  Cole slept for pretty much the entire party (party on on, Cole!), but woke up at the end for a few minutes to take the above photo and say goodbye.

Oh, and both photos were taken and edited via Instagram.

Lazy Day.

With two little men that I know.

Spaceman

Santa hooked a brother up this year!  While Kingston's main Santa gift was the beloved knights he had been dreaming about since he saw them displayed in a local toy shop last summer ("momma, can we go look at knights?!" - a quote we heard over and over again from August until Christmas), this boy also hit the jackpot with his stocking goodies... particularly the picture projector flashlight in the photos above.

Flashlight? YES.
Projector of about five different space-related images?  EVEN BETTER.

Our boy is really into rocket ships and the moon, so I'm glad Santa did his homework and picked up this little number from Land of Nod.  Go Santa.

Refreshing a Fish.

I am a little obsessed with housewares.  I love to find fun little ways to spruce up and decorate all of the different spaces in our home.  So, a few years ago when I received a porcelain fish for Christmas, I was pretty excited... until I pulled it completely out of the package to find that the tail had been broken during delivery (boo).  Luckily, the tail was still one complete piece... so putting it back to together was pretty easy.  

With a little super glue and some white paint, the fish looked better than ever:

I'm not gonna lie - I kind of prefer the white paint.  The fish looks crisper and fits in with our home so much better.  So I'm thinking the breaking of the tail was a little decorator blessing-in-disguise.

A close up:

Yep, pretty pleased with how it looks.  This is definitely one of my favorite decor pieces in our home today.

Almonds + White Chips

Last weekend, the hubs and I had a "date-night-in" at our home.  Once the boys were in bed, we turned on a movie, grabbed a few snacks, and relaxed.  My choice of snack?  The unsalted dry roasted almonds mixed with Ghirardelli white chips pictured above.  Pretty much perfection friends; pretty much perfection.

One {sitting} Baby

This baby thinks he is pretty cool to be sitting all by himself.  In fact, most of the time he wants to be sitting (in this position) instead of lying around on the job.  I should have taken these photos from another angle, too - so you could see that he is in fact sitting by himself, not leaning against the wall behind him.  This six month old is definitely working on being a big boy.

{And just for an idea of the big boy-ness he is rocking these days - that sweatshirt is OshKosh size 18 months!}

Keeping Christmas.

I was a little faster than usual at taking down our Christmas decorations in December.  Usually, I like to enjoy them until the new year... but this year, I opted to take them down two days after Christmas was officially over.  That is, all but my Christmas card display and a strand of pine cone ornaments.   

I feel like they should probably come down, but just can't bring myself to do it yet.  I still enjoy looking at each card we received this year and I feel the pine cones could be neutral enough to be considered a "winter" decoration...?

What are your thoughts?  How long is too long to keep up these two reminders of the Christmas holiday?

Easy Rider

Kingston got a big wheels for Christmas.  He was super excited to ride it... even though it is a little big for him.  So, the hubs fixed him up right with an outdoor cushion.  And when I saw him riding down the street like this, I just had to take a picture.  

Love this boy of mine. 

Snow for the Holidays.

When we got about 4 inches of snow mid-December, I couldn't help but wish for a white Christmas.  In Western Washington, however, this hardly ever happens.

But this year I got my wish... on Christmas Day and New Years Eve.  Hooray!

This snowman turned into one pretty great baseball-player snowman.  Too bad this momma didn't get a picture of him before he melted (mom fail).   

Did you get any snow during the holidays?

Cole: 6 months

On December 27th, our little turned six months old.  This is big.  This means Cole is half way to celebrating the big O-N-E year old birthday!  Wow-wee.  

We took Cole to his well-child visit on Friday.  Yeah... check out these stats:

• Weight: 23 lb. 10 oz. (100%)
• Height: 28.5 in. (100%)
• Head Circumference: 45.8 cm (99%)

Wow-wee is pretty much right, friends.  Here are a few more notable things about our little:

• Cole is an assisted-sitter!  If you sit him open cross-legged style, he can sit on his own for a good two minutes.  He reached this milestone about a week or so before he turned six months.  
• He graduated out of his infant car seat into a convertible backwards-facing car seat.  He thinks he is Joe Cool.
• The boy loves to suck/chew on his lower lip or fingers.  Pacifiers need not apply.
• If you think there is anything better to Cole than his momma, you would be wrong... the boy is definitely a momma's boy.  
• Cole started physically interacting with Kingston this month, rolling and "wrestling" in our living room with his brother (gently and very carefully, of course).  
• Thank heaven for a baby dedicated to his schedule - the boy has two naps daily (10:00AM and 2:00PM) and is in bed between 7:30 and 8:00PM every evening.  What a beautiful thing.
• Cole enjoys his solid food; we are already working through our fourth box of single-grain oatmeal and he has added peaches and sweet potatoes to his favorites.
• Our little likes to make sure he gets his workout in...his favorite toy is his jumper.  The boy works it daily.
• Another nickname for Cole?  "Juicy Joe," in reference to the pools of drool we see each day and some spit-up.  Hooray.
• Christmas tunes may be here to stay in our household, regardless of season - Cole loves listening to Christmas carols... and maybe loves them that much more when I jump in and sing a line or two...

We are truly blessed and spoiled to have another sweet baby boy in our family.

Want to see Cole's post from last month?  Click HERE.