A Blessing Day and a Brand New Year!

On December 26'th, we blessed our sweet little Brooke in my parents' ward down in San Diego. It was a wonderful day, filled with family and lots o' love!

Our first picture as a family of FIVE!

All the men who helped with Brooke's blessing:

Precious little baby! She looked so beautiful in the white dress!

My grandparents were there!

And of course my parents were too!

The kids had a great time running around the grassy hill. It's the same church building that I grew up attending, and I can remember doing log rolls down that same hill.

All the cousins looked so cute in their (unplanned!) red and black outfits!

And here it is. . . officially the latest New Years post you've ever seen!!!
If you think you're behind on your blog, now you can feel better, because at least you're not posting your New Year's eve pictures in MARCH!

I didn't want to skip it though, so enjoy my pictures of all the little party animals we had (none of whom actually stayed up until midnight).

Baby New Year just wanted to sleep!

The adults had a fun time staying up to eat and play games, and I was so happy that my bestie Carrie came over with her daughter to spend the night. We had such a great time!

So. . . even though it's VERY late. . . happy new year from our family! We hope 2011 is completely amazing for us and for everyone reading this!

Fun Finds: Lovin' Little Girls Super-Giveaway!

Since I have three little girls, I figure I might as well embrace it and post a SUPER girly giveaway, full of things little girls will adore!

(Boys might like some of this stuff too, by the way)

#1- TWO winners will each receive a copy of the brand new Strawberry Shortcake DVD, 'Puttin' On the Glitz'. I haven't even watched this yet, as it's not being released until March 22'nd, so my winners of this DVD will be among the first to receive it!

I love the new Strawberry Shortcake movies and toys. They're very cute and wholesome, and the movies have really great messages to convey to young girls.

*Free printable alert: You can go here to download and print the cute, free coloring page from the movie!

#2- Cute little toy pets in purses from the Pawparazzi Pet Shop!

Here's why we like the Pawparazzi pets in our house:
*Each one really comes as a complete playset! Each animal comes with a mini purse to carry it in, blanket, clothing and accessories to match the pet's personality, a trading card filled with facts, and a pet poster.
*These are fun collectible toys, and you can buy additional sets of clothing and accessories to make your pets super-stylin!
*If your kids like dressing up and carrying little purses around as much as mine do, they'll think it's even MORE fun to carry a little pet around in their purse!
*The packaging doubles as a play stage. Pretty cool!
*My kids are a bit young for this, but older girls will love going to Planet Pawparazzi where they can play, learn, and be entertained by their pets.

The winner of this prize gets their choice of Karma, the Inspirational Yoga Master Kitty (comes complete with yoga mat and yoga outfit!). . .

Or Woofgang, the Celebrity Chef Dog!

The winner will ALSO receive a Day At the Spa dress up set, or. . .

A Winter Holiday dress-up set! Pretty good prize package, I'd say!

#3- A Harper Hat from Tweetlebug Boutique!

This is SUCH a sweet little hat for a newborn girl!
These hats are handmade out of actual hospital newborn hat material, so you can be sure they will be the perfect fit for a tiny little head. . . just a lot more stylish!
The Harper Hat sells for $16.99 and they offer free shipping on all hat orders.


#4- An adorable umbrella in your style of choice from Kidorable!
Kidorable makes my very favorite rain gear for kids (and living in Seattle, I should know, right?) The quality of their products is top-notch and everything is really cute. I'm loving this Butterfly Umbrella!

Okay, boys will like this giveaway too. How about this Frog Umbrella? Definitely one of my faves!

We were able to review some rain gear from Kidorable's new Ballerina line. This is perfect for my almost 4 year-old daughter, who just started taking dance classes this year and now wants everything to be ballet-themed! My favorite product we reviewed are these sweet rain boots:

#5- an Ultimate Receiving Blanket from SwaddleDesigns in your choice of fabric!
(This one's for baby boys too!)
Isn't this Paisley fabric the cutest???
What I'm loving about SwaddleDesigns:
*The fabrics are gorgeous and HIGH-quality! So much of the time I'm bummed that baby products look too babyish (ducks, teddy bears anyone?) and not really beautiful. These fabrics are truly awesome!
*The Ultimate Receiving Blanket is made out of cotton flannel. . . the number one choice in hospitals for swaddling. The blankets are large, square, lightweight and breathable. They are also really soft and preshrunk!
*If you've ever had trouble swaddling your baby, you're not alone! It sure isn't as easy as those hospital nurses always make it look. For the rest of us, these blankets have 1-2-3-Swaddle instructions sewn to the edge of each blanket. I love this feature!

I was able to review one of their Fitted Crib Sheets. I really love the high quality of the cotton flannel, and the Lime with Brown Mod Circles fabric that I chose!
Swaddle Designs also has great info on their website about Safe Sleep for infants. The SwaddleDesigns Goldilocks Guide states that baby should be dressed appropriately for the current temperature of their environment- not too hot, not too cold, but comfortably warm.


#6- $20 gift certificate to Flowerz In Her Hair!
One of the best things about having little girls is definitely the fun of dressing them up and accessorizing them! I'm constantly on the lookout for new hair clips and flowers, and it feels like I hit the jackpot at Flowerz In Her Hair.

Reasons to love them:
*Awesome variety! You can get pretty much any size, style, and color of flowers and bows here. They do flowers with rhinestone centers, natural centers, or button centers, and you can choose your type of clip you want. They are all interchangeable with the hats and headbands too!
*Really good prices! Flower clips sell for as low as $3 and $4 each, and you won't even get hit with shipping costs, because every order over $10 has free shipping. AND each order comes with a free clip holder you can hang on the wall! I don't know if I've seen a better deal than this anywhere on hair accessories!

A $20 gift certificate to this place will go really far, and you can choose anything you want from the shop! Here's my Natalie modeling one of their marabou puffs:

Here's how to enter to win all this fun stuff (there will be 7 separate winners!!!):

*Become a follower of my blog! Or let me know if you already follow me. Either way, leave me a comment and tell me you're a follower! (Just click 'Google Friends Connect' on my sidebar!)

Get extra entries (up to 27 this time!!!) when you:
1. Like me on Facebook! Just click the button on my sidebar to become a Facebook fan!
2. Leave a comment telling me why you like Strawberry Shortcake and whether or not you used to play with them as a kid.
3. Visit the Pawparazzi Pet Shop and tell me which cute little animal there is your favorite.
4. Go here and Like Pawparazzi Pets on Facebook.
5. Become a Pawparazzi Twitter follower here.
6. Sign up for the Pawparazzi Pets newsletter here.
7. Tell me which hat you love the most at the Tweetlebug Boutique.
8. Like Tweetlebug Boutique on Facebook here.
9. Go here to follow Tweetlebug Boutique on Twitter.
10. Look at all the umbrella styles on Kidorable and tell me which one you'll choose if you win.
11. Go Like Kidorable on Facebook.
12. Follow Kidorable here on Twitter.
13. Go here and join the Kidorable Birthday Club.
14. Look at all the gorgeous fabric options at SwaddleDesigns and tell me which fabric you'd choose!
15. Tell me if you've swaddled your babies and for how long.
16. Like SwaddleDesigns here on Facebook.
17. Follow SwaddleDesigns on Twitter.
18. Join the SwaddleDesigns email club for exclusive savings!
19. Look around Flowerz In Her Hair and tell me some of things you'd want to get with your $20 gift certificate!
20. Like Flowerz In Her Hair on Facebook.
21. Follow Flowerz In Her Hair on Twitter.
22. Mention this giveaway on your Facebook status, and be sure to link to this post!
23. Tweet about this giveaway and link to me.
24. Mention this giveaway on your blog and link to me!
25. Grab my button off my sidebar and display it somewhere on your blog.
26. Leave a new comment on any of my other recent blog posts (doesn't matter which one, I just love to read your comments!), and let me know you did.
27. Tell me which prize you'd be most excited to win.

*Please leave a separate comment for EACH entry, and make sure I have a way to contact you if you are the winner! This giveaway will close on March 24'th. Good luck!!!

My Disclaimer: I received some free products in exchange for writing honest reviews. All opinions are totally mine and I was not compensated!

Warm Up!

Want to take the chill off your cold winter day? Check out these pics from the last day of our San Diego trip, at Oceanside Beach.

If these don't make you want to be a kid again, I don't know what will!

Doesn't that just look like the most idyllic day at the beach?
It was actually kinda cold that day, but the kids didn't care. My girls are true little beach lovers, just like their mommy and daddy! I look at these pictures, and I want to be a little kid again. Playing in the waves, running around in the sand, without a care in the world. It doesn't matter to them that the air's a bit chilly. It doesn't matter how they look in their swimsuits, or how sandy and dirty they get. They've got only one thing on their minds. . . FUN. It's how I want to live my life!

Fun Finds For Kids and Babies!

I don't know if it's just a "mom thing", but I get a lot of pleasure out of researching and finding adorable, fun, and awesome products and designs for my kids.

Absolute cutest kid wall EVER. . . found!!!

Isn't that just adorable beyond words??? I fell in love with it the second I saw the Scroll Tree MegaPack from RoomMates Peel and Stick Decor. The RoomMates website is one of the best I've seen for wall decals, featuring tons of variety for every room in your home! Here's why I totally love 'em:

*Their products are completely innovative! They have peel-and-stick mirrors (genius!), and chalkboard and dry erase decals that can be repositioned at any time. The endless options for using these in playrooms and kids' bedrooms are just spinning through my mind!
*These are the easiest things in the world to apply! Seriously. . . just peel and stick. If you make a mistake, you can just pull it off and position it again, since these are removable and can be reused over and over again.
*RoomMates leave no residue behind and are totally safe for your paint. They can attach to any smooth, dry surface, and they are non-toxic and safe for children to play with.

They literally do have designs for ANY decor or design style, and my favorite are their kid designs. They're very affordable too! The whole mega-pack that comes with everything to create the adorable Scrolled Tree scene (80 decals total!) is $40.49!

I have really loved being an Infantino Test Drive Mom, and the latest product they sent for me to try out just makes me happy. . . the Infantino Savvy Bag Baby Changing Clutch!
If you ever feel weighed down by a huge, heavy diaper bag (my hand is raised for sure) and want something smaller and lightweight, you'll love this. Since I have more than one small child I usually have to heft my huge diaper bag around, but this bag is perfect for going on outings with just one child. Some stuff to note about it:

*I love the bright, happy pattern! Seriously cute!
*I love the removeable changing pad that folds out from the bag. The bag is so slim that you wouldn't think it would fit such a large changing pad, but it somehow does! The changing pad is even cushy and provides plenty of padding to make your baby comfy when you're changing her on the go.
*It's a great size to hold exactly what you need for quick outings. . . diapers, wipes, and a few little extras.
*The price is pretty amazing. . . $22.99!

Thinking ahead for when I'll be packing lunches for Kirsten in the fall. . . I was pretty pleased to find this Bento Box from My Square Meal.
I love this concept! My inner organizer (the one who does exist there despite what my house looks like) squeals at how tidy and cute the little compartments are. I can just envision myself packing healthy, well-rounded lunches by filling each compartment with something different. No squished, soggy sandwiches! No millions of Ziploc baggies! I love it!

The Bento Box has a hinged lid, and it's recyclable AND dishwasher-safe! It sells for only $9.99, and at that price it would be easy to have two or three or them so you don't have to wash it every single night. It comes with the spork too! Their website has a great page featuring some fun lunch ideas for these boxes. I'm feeling inspired.

Okay, if you are a mom of little girls, I'm guessing that dressing up and dancing takes up a portion of your day. I know it does at my house! My girls (and me!) absolutely LOVE the Prima Princessa Presents The Nutcracker DVD. It's the perfect way to introduce your little girls to a famous ballet, while keeping it interesting for them and helping them learn some ballet steps while they're at it!

Dancers from the Birmingham Royal Ballet perform excerpts from the Nutcracker, while kid-friendly narration tells the story so that young kids can understand. Then they take "breaks" and teach some dance steps. Kirsten is really enthralled with it. Sometimes she dances along and other times she just likes to sit and watch the dancers. You're not going to believe the price tag. . . $6.99 on Amazon! Amazing, huh? Go here and order one for every little girl you know!

The latest obsession for my kids involves a simple, glowing, portable nightlight. Seriously, they fight over it and I make them take turns carrying it around. The GloMate Jr from Mobi is just that cool. My kids are fascinated by the glowing colors, and you can choose to put it in color-changing mode or single-color mode. One thing that I really appreciate is the 15-minute timer mode, where the light will slowly fade to off so it doesn't zap your batteries too quickly. It's a cute, safe nightlight that kids can carry around and keep in bed with them and I think it would be helpful for children who are transitioning from crib to bed or moving to a new home. It comes with 3 AAA batteries, and it's a really great value too. . . $9.99!

Hope you found something you liked here! Don't kids get the greatest stuff???

My disclaimer: I received some free products in exchange for an honest review. I was not compensated, and all reviews are my own opinions. I am a participant in a Mom Central Consulting campaign for Infantino and have received various Infantino products as part of my participation.

Some Fabulous Finds!

Here I go with my backyard envy again. . . I'm wishing for a big, tree-filled backyard with a trampoline, lots of space for the kids to run and play, and one of these amazing backyard swing sets. Sigh. . . someday!!!

I'm happy to be sharing with all my readers my #1 favorite product for cleaning up kid messes and pet messes. . . Kids N Pets!
This stuff is such a lifesaver! You can buy it at WalMart, and it comes in a large bottle that will last you awhile. I spray it all over carpets, couches, chairs, mattresses, really anything and it does such an amazing job of removing odors and stains. It doesn't use any cover-up scents or perfumes, but it saturates into the area and really does get rid of nasty smells.

Here are just a few of the many times this has come in handy:
-Baby spits up. . . all over the recliner chair
-Cats, dogs, or kids throw up on the carpet
-Cat pees outside the litter box on your couch or carpet
-Kid spills juice on the couch or carpet

I like to stock several of these bottles so that I don't run out when I need it most. I have tried many other cat-specific products to remove urine smells (like Nature's Miracle) and this Kids N Pets stuff really does work the best to get rid of it! Another bonus: It's non-toxic and biodegradable!

Here's a first on my blog. . . a fabulous find for your little furry friends! We have cats in our house (three of them, and we love 'em to death!), and I was sent the Dolce Diner from Loving Pets for our kitties to review. This is definitely an upgrade from the cheap plastic food dishes we usually use for them! These are suited well for dogs or cats, and here's some things fellow animal-lovers will appreciate about them:

*The removable stainless steel bowls are great! Instead of using a pet food scoop, I can just take these bowls out and scoop the food up directly into the bowls. The stainless steel is also bacteria-resistant.
*They have rubber feet to ensure skid-free eating. Since our cat food goes on top of our dryer, this is great to ensure their food dishes won't slide around on the surface. You can also remove the rubber feet when you wash the dishwasher-safe food dish!
*Comes in five different colors!

I can't believe it's already time for preschool registration for the fall. Crazy! There's still around six months to go until school begins for the new year, but it's never too early to start thinking about some great school supplies like a custom promotional pen.
I remember being so excited as a kid starting the new school year to get personalized pencils and pens you can customize. I need to start looking for a cute backpack for my new little preschooler too! When do you start thinking ahead about new school supplies?

Angels In the Metro

I've been to a whole lot of great cities around the world, but ask me which city is my favorite and I will answer without hesitation. . .

Paris

Unbelievably amazing, gorgeous, exciting. . .there are no words to describe my love for this city. And for those of you who think all French people are rude, have I got a story for you. . .

It was 2003 and I was on an art history study abroad tour through Europe with Brigham Young University. We finished our incredible two-week stay in Paris and were all packed up and ready to hop on the train to Belgium, our next destination. We had to navigate our way through multiple stops on the Paris Metro (their subway system) to get to the train station, and lots of the metro lines were on strike and not running reliably. So we got up at the crack of dawn, thinking we'd have enough time, only to find ourselves literally running through the metro station, trying to make our train.

The problem for me with running through the metro station?

My suitcase.

My giant, mammoth, behemoth of a suitcase, dubbed "The Titanic" by the other members of my group. It was holding me back big time.

In the middle of our mad dash between metro stops, we came to a massive flight of stairs. As I struggled with my suitcase, I soon came to realize that my group was gone. Nowhere to be found. Nobody had noticed that "The Titanic" and I had fallen behind. I started stressing out, as I pulled that darn suitcase as hard as I could and tried to get it up the stairs. My mind was spinning as I realized I was almost certainly going to get left behind in Paris, and I had no idea what I was going to do.

Right at that point, two Parisian natives were walking by on the level above me and noticed me struggling my way up the staircase. They stopped, came down the stairs to me and helped me get my suitcase and backpack and other bags up the stairs. I told them my group had left me behind and I was trying to get the train station, and these two kind people (a man and a woman, who didn't even know each other!) walked with me to my next stop and gave me detailed instructions about which metro trains I needed to take to reach the train station. I felt such relief and such immense gratitude towards them. I couldn't believe that they had even noticed my plight in the first place, and then gone so far out of their way to help me. I hope that I would do the same for someone else.

I will certainly never forget that act of kindness from the two French strangers who I will never see again. I wish I could let them know how much that meant to me. I ended up getting on the train. . . barely, by the skin of my teeth! Without their help, I would have been stranded alone in Paris.

Should I write more of my travel experiences on my blog? I realize I hardly ever post about them, and I'm wondering if people are interested in reading about them. I've been having a down kind of day, and I really wanted to write this story about my two "angels in the Metro" to uplift myself and anyone else who is reading this post.

Happy Love Day!

"There is no surprise more magical than the surprise of being loved. It is God's finger on man's shoulder."
~Charles Morgan

Happy Valentine's Day! I'm so blessed to be loved by so many people. I'm thankful for a wonderful husband, sweet little girls, and incredible family and friends. I love you all a whole lot!!!

All the little objects of my affection are currently needing my attention, so I only have time to do a quick post. Last year's Valentine's pictures were SO cute that it's worth posting them again.

Love from Natalie, 9 months old in this picture!

Awww, and here's Kirsten's first Valentine's day when she was 9 months old. I can hardly remember her being so small and sweet!

I hope everyone reading this has a LOVEly Valentines day!