Currently…

So today I’ve decided to join in with Becky of Choose Happy’s Currently Link up for the first time… Fun fun! 😉 You should join in and link up with us!

Currently I am….

Photographing… my sweet girl in the midst of her naps. I know this napping thing won’t last forever and she’s so cute when she’s snoozing!

Klara and Tate Sleeping

Klara Sleeping

Enjoying… sitting outside on our back porch with my Klara girl. It’s one of her favorite things and the weather is SO nice right now!

Klara Outside

Working on… getting my 10,000 steps a day with my FitBit tracker. I’ve been joining in some challenges with friends to see who gets the most steps throughout the week. I have yet to win a single challenge!!! Must step up my game! Anyone have a FitBit? Let’s be friends!

FitBIt

Excited for… my niece is coming to spend some of her Spring Break with us! Klara just loves her and I have missed getting to spend time with her since we moved and she moved. Anyone have ideas for fun things to entertain a teen over break??

Klara and Taylor

Loving… days spent with the hubs and Klara on horseback. He’s trying to rope more now that work has settled down and Klara is getting braver every time she gets to ride our horse, Lady. Even going a tiny bit all by herself!

Nate and Klara on Lady

What are YOU up to currently??

Swimming and a Sweet Vacation Home!

When we went on our Disneyland vacation in June (you can see my Disneyland recap here) my in-laws rented an AMAZING Disney themed vacation home.

It had a princess bedroom for the girls…

Princess Bed

A Superhero bedroom for the boys…

Superhero Bedroom

And a fun Mickey Mouse pool right in the backyard!

Mickey Mouse Swimming Pool

Klara got to take her first ever swim in that sweet Mickey Mouse pool! She did not like it at all at first. I think the water being a little cold didn’t help the situation, but after awhile she started warming up to it.

Klara's First Swim

As long as mommy held her or was close by when she was in her floaty she did just fine.

Baby Swim Floaty

Family photo in the pool!!!

Family Photo in the Pool

The hubs and I loved our bedroom. It had a nice king sized bed and our own in suite bathroom. I’ve only been once, but so far I am convinced that if you’re taking a large group a vacation rental home in Anaheim is the way to go when you visit Disneyland!

fancy bedroom

Again, I am not an expert, I have only had one daughter so far, but if you have any questions about taking baby on vacation, or baby’s first time swimming, I would be happy to try to help! Just let me know!

Taking Baby on Vacation

A $10 Pool…

$10. That’s all it took these last few particular days to make an epic day for my little girl. A $10 baby swimming pool filled with water on a warm summer day.

Klara in the pool

She loved it! But more than anything having her mommy step away from the computer, the cell phone, the other things that tend to fill up our days…. THAT is what made it epic.

Take a couple of hours today, and maybe $10 ;), and spend some time just enjoying your children. I swear to you their smiles make it SO SO worth it!

Sniffles and Heartbreak

We’ve been really lucky… Klara made it all the way past nine months before catching any yucky sicknesses. In all reality she’s not exposed to very many people on a day to day basis, so there haven’t been many opportunities for her to get any germs. But even still, it finally happened. Last Friday morning my girl woke up with a cough.

It’s been 4+ days of coughing, sniffles, sneezes, wiping her poor little red nose… It’s also been 4+ days of this mama’s heart breaking for my sick little girl.

Klara's First Cold

The other morning she wanted so bad to be happy and play with her toys like normal… She really tried. Finally she just climbed up into my lap and fell asleep! That never happens. Klara fights sleep until the very end!!! Her daddy says she’s like me in that she never wants to miss anything. 😉 I can’t blame her for that! But you know she’s sick when sleep comes so easily.

I know this won’t be the last time that she’s sick… Kids are magnets for sick germs, but I pray every day for a healthy, happy baby girl. Not only for her benefit but man it’s hard on a mama to see your kiddo feeling so bad. Especially when they’re this little and there’s not a whole lot you can do for them but offer comfort.

Today finally she woke up acting more like her spunky, funny little self. So glad to have my girl back… Even with a cough or two still plaguing our day it’s better than nothing until she’s completely well.

Klara's First Cold 2

What’s your favorite method for comforting baby while they’re sick??
Klara loves baths and rocking in our recliner. 😉

Linking this here.

A Trip to Caboose Frozen Treats

14. Visit here in Safford.

Another wish marked off my list of Twenty Wishes for 2014!!! While Kayli and some of our nieces and nephews were here for their Spring Break last weekend we paid a visit to the frozen yogurt caboose!

It is such a fun little place!!! It looks like an actual caboose for one thing, and the inside is decorated like a train. You get to choose your frozen yogurt from several flavors, then choose what toppings you want from a little bar of goodies. The kids loved it! And I’ll be honest… I loved it too! 😉 I got New York Cheesecake frozen yogurt then piled on a little of almost every topping…

{Sorry for the bad cell phone photos… Should’ve taken my camera. 😉}

Kayli, Kassi and Klara at Caboose Frozen Treats

Kayli, me and Klara at Caboose Frozen Treats

Little miss Klara Beth got her first taste of frozen yogurt. She kind of balked away from it at first because it was cold, but once she really tasted it she wanted more. :)

Klara_Frozen_Yogurt

If you have a fun little place like this in your area I really recommend you take the time to make a visit. Caboose Frozen Treats has been open for years and we had never made the time to go. SO glad we finally did and took our nieces and nephews, MeeMaw Tammy, shown below with Klara and sisters in law. It made for a fun little afternoon outing!

Tammy and Klara Frozen Yogurt

And like I said before, another wish marked off my list!!! 😉 How are your 2014 wishes coming along? Haven’t written your list yet?? Write it up and join us for the next monthly link up the last Wednesday in April.

A Monday Giggle

Ugh, Mondays. Right?? Thought I’d share a little funny with you. Hope this makes you smile and sets you up for a happy week! 😉

Whenever I laugh here lately, whether it’s at the TV, something someone said, etc, and Klara hears me she starts laughing. So now it’s a game. I fake laugh, she fake laughs, which causes me to really laugh. Hours of entertainment! 😉


 
Happy Monday pretties!

A Brand New Baby

Did that title catch your attention? 😉 No worries, Klara is still an only child for the time being, BUT she does have a brand new baby cousin! The first week of March my brother, Brent, and sister in law, Jessie, had their first child… a sweet little cowboy they named Grady. Things just happened to work out where my dad was at my house so Klara and I took him to the hospital, in another town a few hours away, to meet his new grandson. My mom was already there.

After HOURS, literally, of waiting…

GradyBirthday2

Papa (my dad) and Klara were getting impatient…

We finally got to meet the newest member of our family! Being able to see my brother’s face when he came out to announce that his baby boy had arrived was worth all the waiting and then some!

Jessie and Brent did a good job! Mister Grady is the cutest!!!

GradyBirthday1

Klara was too cute! She leaned over to check him out and started waving. They will grow up almost exactly 8 months apart. I’m so excited to watch the relationship between them develop and grow. My mom can’t wait to have two grandkids so close in age to visit and entertain.

Nana and Papa with their two youngest grandchildren

Nana and Papa with their two youngest grandchildren

GradyBirthday3

Little mister Grady is blessed to have loving family on both sides. (Shown above with his other grandma.)

It’s an amazing thing to watch your little brother become a daddy. When everyone around you, including yourself, has grown up, gotten married, started a family… it’s incredible how life changes. For the better of course.

Ok Mamas… I Get It Now.

I was one of those women. I’ve been around children my entire life. I have a ‘kid’ sister. I became an auntie at a young age. I felt like I was born to be a mommy. I also knew things always happen that you don’t expect so in that aspect I felt like I was even prepared for the unexpected.

What I wasn’t prepared for was that I would love a little girl I had just met with such an incredible intensity. That I would hold her in my arms and already know that I would do anything for her.

Klara

I wasn’t prepared to miss one little person even just while she took an hour long nap. I didn’t know that a toothy little grin especially for me would be able to change the outlook of my entire day.

mom and klara

I had no idea I would hate to leave her even just to go out for a couple of hours. That I would be so thrilled to teach my girl to clap her hands, wave bye bye and give a kiss.

Klara in chair

I didn’t know that I would appreciate and love those special people in my life even more because of this one little person. That I would love my husband even more after seeing him become a daddy. That I would be so grateful for my own mom and dad, my siblings, grandparents, etc.

Each and every one of these things that I wasn’t prepared for are some of the things I love most about being miss Klara’s mommy. So mommies that told me, just wait, it’s more amazing than you could ever imagine… Now I get it.

Friends and family members that are about to become mothers soon or will sometime in your future, you have no idea what an amazing experience you’re in for!!! Just you wait.

Baby Poo at the Airport

Before I became a mother, I was like most naive young women… I’d see a stressed mom having a hard time wrangling her kids and think, that won’t be me. I’ll just be more organized. I’ll be prepared for anything… And then reality struck in the form of an 8lb brand new baby girl. 😉 Here’s one of those moments that I was NOT prepared for, but crack up every time I think back on it!

The middle of September was considered #weddingbonanza2013 in our house. I had two weddings on two consecutive weekends not only to attend, but to be honored as a bridesmaid for two of my good friends. The first wedding, went off without a hitch. My sweet girl slept the entire 3 hour drive, was an angel for my sister, our official wedding nanny, during the wedding and we even got an adorable family photo. 😉

Mortensens

The second wedding was on the beautiful island of South Padre, Texas. The trip required a three hour drive to the airport in El Paso, Tx. A flight from El Paso to Dallas. Then a three hour layover and a flight from Dallas to Brownsville followed by a thirty minute drive to the island. You guys, my husband was out of control nervous. He’s one of those types that almost has a nervous breakdown at the thought of having to speak in public. {He had to give a toast as the best man, but that’s a story for another time… ;)} He was so worried that Klara would cry and be upset on the flights and we wouldn’t be able to comfort her. You can imagine where this is going, but let me stop you right there. She was AMAZING on every single flight we took both there and on the way home. She slept or nursed the entire time and we had several people tell us they didn’t even realize there was a baby on the plane! Don’t let her daddy’s face fool you… he just didn’t want to take a photo… haha.

Klara's first flight

The real interesting part of my story happened right as we were about to board the first flight out of El Paso. We had gotten to the airport with plenty of time to spare, made it through security without a problem, had lunch, changed Klara and were standing in line ready to board the plane. We are literally being called to hand over our boarding passes and I, standing beside my sister and husband, holding Klara, start to feel a blow out coming on… Seriously. I handed over my boarding pass and started down the tunnel to the airplane thinking if I could just hurry into the bathroom I could get her changed before take off. As I’m walking down the tunnel I felt a drip. Right on the top of my foot. {I had flip flops on.} Miss Klara’s blow out was running down her pant leg!!! I had my sister hand me a wipe from the diaper bag so I could keep the rest from leaking out, ran onto the plane and asked the first flight attendant I saw for the restroom.

As quickly as I could I had to change her diaper, her entire outfit, wipe off my foot and get into my seat before we backed out of the terminal. Now if that’s not a winning mommy moment, although completely hilarious afterward, I don’t know what is… :) Needless to say I’m sure the first class passengers weren’t all that thrilled with the air in the restroom for that flight… hahaha

Your turn: What’s your favorite embarrassing mommy moment? Yours or a friend, relative, etc??

Linking this to the fun parties shared on our linky party page!

 

Baby’s Firsts with Pampers and Giveaway!!

Disclosure: “This review was made possible by Double Duty Divas and Pampers. I was provided the featured product free of charge to facilitate my review, but all opinions are 100% mine.”

 

Pampers Logo

Our sweet little lady will be five months old on Friday. In these five months of her life so far we have celebrated a lot of firsts….

Klara's Firsts

From the top left corner, clockwise – Klara’s first Thanksgiving, her first trip to Hannigan Meadows, her first horseback ride with Daddy, her first Halloween. That’s not to mention the everyday firsts, things like her first smile, her first laugh, rolling over for the first time.

We just recently had one of my favorite firsts… Klara had her first taste of rice cereal. It was the very first time for her to eat from a spoon. We waited until her daddy got home from work so he could join us. We are both big food lovers so it was really exciting to be able to start Klara on solid foods. It will eventually lead to us sharing our love of food with our daughter. I can just picture fun restaurant outings, trying new recipes at home, etc!

Klara's First Food

As our girl grows it’s exciting to experience each new first. I am thrilled that as Klara keeps experiencing fun things for the first time she can continue to wear our favorite diaper brand, Pampers Swaddlers!

Pampers Swaddlers PackagingPampers Swaddlers are now available all the way through size 5!! To celebrate Swaddlers sizes 4 & 5, Pampers has 30 days of incredible giveaways and a grand prize of FREE Swaddlers diapers & wipes for a year going on right now!!!  Visit and enter to win daily prize bundles, plus the grand prize.

Pampers is also hosting a live Twitter party on December 5th at 9PM EST. To join click this link, Pampers Swaddlers Twitter Party,  and follow the hosts, @DoubleDutyDivas, @BridgetteLA, @CeceliaMecca @AngieKcom @WhatMommiesNeed @RamblingChick, and our sponsor @Pampers.

Prizes will be given away to participants of the twitter party and will include:

3- Celebrating Firsts Gift Packs, ARV ($250), which include:

  • Baby’s First Friend Doudou Bear Plush Doll
  • Baby’s First Tooth and First Curl Treasure Box
  • Baby’s First Words Book
  • Baby’s First Steps Plush Toy
  • $50 Shutterfly Gift Card to celebrate all “firsts” moments
  • Baby’s First Bath Robe
  • Pampers Swaddlers

Grand Prize: Canon EOS Rebel T3 DSLR camera worth $450!

 

Pampers Celebrating Firsts Prize Pack Giveaway:

Right now, I have a giveaway for ONE lucky Truly Lovely reader!!! The winner will receive a Celebrating Firsts prize pack from Pampers which includes:

  • Baby’s First Friend Doudou Bear Plush Doll
  • Baby’s First Tooth and First Curl Treasure Box
  • Baby’s First Words Book
  • Baby’s First Steps Plush Toy
  • Pampers Swaddlers

Enter using the Rafflecopter form below. The giveaway will close one week from today at midnight on December 10th. Winner will be announced the following day. Thanks for playing and good luck!!!

a Rafflecopter giveaway