Strength & Courage

 

How do you know that what you are doing is the right thing? How do you know that the decision you make at this moment in life will be the best choice for you and your family? I am not sure if there is or ever will be a clear answer to those questions. I have to trust that all decisions that are made come from the heart with only the absolute best intentions. Making big decisions takes an overwhelming amount of strength and courage. Strength and courage that I did not know I would ever have enough of. Decisions have been made and although some may say they are selfish I strongly believe that my happiness is a huge priority.

"HAPPINESS" is the word that comes to MY mind when I think of what I need more of in my life. I have to make that happen.    

My son is without a doubt my absolute #1 priority in life and ALWAYS will be. Being a mommy is a dream come true and I will in no way take one second of this amazing journey for granted. He is the biggest and most amazing blessing I could have ever received. Being a mommy is also the most challenging, rewarding and occasionally overwhelming job I have ever had but I wouldn't change a single thing about it. He makes me be a better mommy and a much better person all around. I will never ever take even one second for granted with my little man. He will ALWAYS be the first thing I think of.

I sometimes still have a hard time believing that I get to be this sweet little mans Mommy. Blessed beyond measure doesn't even begin to describe it.

 

Spring

I think that it just may be safe to say that spring is finally here. The beginning of the week started out rainy and cooler but the last couple days have been AMAZING and seriously refreshing. We have been outside a TON and even opened the windows to let the fresh air in. Its amazing how sunshine and perfect temps can change your mood.

 

I think that this may be the best summer yet with Brayden. He is so excited to be outside and is seriously interested in all his toys. I have a feeling I may be living outside till winter. I am so ready for fun in the sun with my little man.  

He asks to play in his "house" everyday! He has played with his mower more in the last couple days than I think he did all last summer.  

 Chalk has been a huge hit again this year. Having Mama draw shapes and numbers is one of his favorite things to do. I can see my driveway covered in chalk all summer long. As I was taking his picture while sitting in his chair he says "Mama, I relaxin". The kid is always cracking me up.

Life Lately

Its officially spring and I feel the need to clean and freshen things up around the house. I need to reorganize, de-clutter and rearrange stuff. I would love a fresh coat of paint on the walls but I have been thinking seriously about moving at some point so not sure that's something I want to tackle just yet. Painting is a lot of work. So, I think I will just try and clean and rearrange things first and hopefully that will do the trick.

 We are definitely ready for warmer weather and exploring outside. We have had a very cold and snowy winter so we have spent a crazy amount of time inside. I know that we are in need of some fresh spring air and a change to our daily routine.

 

Life here lately has not exactly been going how I thought things would be going at this stage in my life but we are embracing the changes and are excited for what the future holds for us. 

A Day In Our Life {Vol 2]

I did a post very similar to this one last year and I wanted to do another one as things in our daily schedule have changed greatly.

A typical day with Brayden at 2 Years Old

6:30-7:00 AM Wake Up

This is one of mommy's favorite times of the day. We usually cuddle up on the couch under the covers and watch a little Disney Jr for a bit while Brayden enjoys a cup of milk. Mickey's Clubhouse, Jake, Doc McStuffins & Sofia are his favorites.

8:00-8:30 AM Breakfast

Around this time Brayden decides he is ready for some breakfast. This usually consists of scrambled eggs and banana with milk or bowl of cereal. Every once in a while mommy whips up some French toast or pancakes but almost daily (per his request) he wants eggs and banana.

830-Noon Playtime, Activities & Get stuff done around the house

This time of the morning is almost always spent at home unless mama needs to run some errands. The weather this winter has been awful so we have stayed home more than I think I normally would. Some days he plays independently and mama can get some things done around the house and other days he very much wants mama to sit and play with him. He loves to sit and play with his cars, trains and build with blocks. His new favorite activity is coloring. He loves picking out his page to scribble on and often makes mommy do most of the coloring. We have been working on shapes and he can clearly identify (by pointing at and telling me) circles, triangles, squares and stars. I am a proud mama. More about Brayden at 24 Months old HERE.



12:30ish-1:00 Nap Time

 

Up until a couple months ago I always had a pretty good idea when nap time would be...usually 11:30AM. Putting him down for a nap was not going as "smooth" as it used to so I decided to transition him into a later nap time. Brayden also still refuses to nap in his crib which means I still lay with him until he falls asleep in our bed. Trying to get him to nap in his crib has been a battle for the longest time. It's also a battle I gave up fighting, it's just not worth the fight. Our way works so we are sticking with it. Nap usually lasts anywhere from 2-3 hours.

Somewhere between 3 & 4PM Wake Up from Nap

3:00-7:00PM

This time can be used in several different ways...one of them is running any errands that we may not have done earlier in the day. More than likely we spend the late afternoon/evening at home. Playing with toys and then getting some dinner made is as exciting as it gets sometimes around here. If this time falls on a day that mommy has to work then Brayden spends time with his daddy.

7:00PM Bath time
For the most part this kid LOVES bath time. His favorite thing to do is fill his cups with water and then empty them repeatedly. Mommy has a garden tub with a ledge so he can fill and empty as much as he wants and keeps all the water in the tub.

8:00-8:30 Bed time
Some may say that this is a little late for a 2 year old to go to bed but it seems to work for us so we are sticking with it. Our normal bedtime routine consists of brushing teeth, reading a book or watching an episode of his favorite show and then rocking with mommy for a few minutes before laying him down in bed. Rocking him to sleep has always been one of my all time favorite things to do. Something so peaceful about a sleeping baby in your arms. He actually doesn't fall asleep on me anymore. We usually rock for a minute or two and say goodnight and give hugs and kisses before I lay him on his pillow.  

Brayden {24 Months}

I am not really sure how this happened so fast but my baby is officially two years old. I have a 2 Year old. I am still trying to wrap my mind around yet another milestone. Brayden is such a sweet, loving, silly, energetic & smart little boy. I am absolutely amazed every day at how incredibly smart he is.

Taken the morning of his birthday

Favorite Words or phrases
Brayden's speech continues to grow everyday and the fact that he is starting to form more sentences other than just short phrases just blows my mind. He repeats just about anything we say or anything he hears us say.

"I Don't think so"
"What Happened"
"Nice to see you Mama"
"Where are you"
"I found you"
"What doing"

Me: Brayden, I think it's time to get ready for a nap
Brayden: I don't think so Mama

Brayden: Mama, I hungry
Me: What would you like to eat
Brayden: Chocolate Milk


Favorite Activities
Brayden is always super excited to do just about anything. His favorite things to do right now include:
coloring or being given a pencil and a piece of paper
building with blocks
doing puzzles
playing with his train on his new train table
(I of course wanted the biggest and best table we could find but unfortunately I am not made of money so we had to go with a smaller cheaper one for now. He loves it and plays with it several times a day.)

Brayden is a big "helper"  most of the time and loves to clean with mommy. I often give him a towel and he will go around washing things down. He also must get his little vacuum out every time I get the big one out. It's just the cutest thing.


Other Milestones
Brayden knows his basic shapes and is also well on his way to being able to count to at least 5 or six but with a little help still. He is very interested in his colors but often still gets them mixed up. It's a work in progress but I am sure my smart little man will have it down pat really soon.

Potty training has been in full force for a good month or two now and I have to say I am very proud of Brayden. He wears his "undies" most often if we are at home and while we still have a lot of accidents we have made some great progress. He stays dryer longer and is even starting to tell us when he needs to go. Consistency really makes a difference.





 

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 2nd Birthday Party

We celebrated Brayden's 2nd Birthday this past weekend with a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Party. I had the BEST time planning for this party and of course like any other mother wanted it to be nothing but perfect but simple. I am a planner and planning a party is one of my favorite things to do. After spending far to many hours searching Pinterest for inspiration I decided that I LOVED yellow, black and red as the color scheme mixed in with touches of polka dots. I am a huge fan of the polka dot trend going on right now so I was pretty excited to add them into the party decor. You can read my Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Inspiration Post here.

I decided instead of a hand drawn chalkboard like last year I would make a digital print using Photoshop. I am not a pro at the program by any means but I love how this came out.

  

I for some reason took more pictures on my phone so those are the ones I am posting. The quality is not the greatest.

 

Food cards were hand made and were named Clarabelle's Candy for the M&M's, Red Gooey Fish for the Swedish Fish and Goofy's Goldie Fish for the Goldfish crackers.

 

 

These last few pictures were taken with my big girl camera and not my phone.

 

 

Polka Dot napkins-Party City

Mickey Mouse Cupcake stand-Party City

 

2nd Birthday Inspiration

Brayden's 2nd Birthday Party is fast approaching (I mean super FAST) and while I had debated the theme for his party I have decided that he will indeed have a Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 2nd Birthday Party. He LOVES Mickey & all his friends so I felt it was only appropriate. Pinterest is absolutely filled with tons of ideas for the greatest Mickey Mouse party ever. I also found some great inspiration on Etsy as well.    

 

Brayden's 1st Birthday was a very small party held at our home with an animal theme, similar to that of my baby shower & his nursery theme.

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse Birthday Inspiration Board
View my pinterest board with more inspiration and links to all the  photos below here!

Our Mickey Mouse party colors will be red, yellow and black including as much polka dots without going completely crazy.
 

 

Other Birthday Theme we considered...
Thomas the Train

I actually did a great deal of research on a Thomas party because up until the beginning of December I was pretty sure that was going to be the theme for sure. More than likely it will be the theme for his third birthday if his love for Thomas continues to grow.

While Pinterest provided a great deal of inspiration I have found the greatest inspiration for a Thomas party  came from Etsy.

I made a banner for his first birthday using my cricut so I will be making another one this time as well. I will also be doing another photo banner featuring monthly photos from birth to 24 months. I can't wait to finish all the details. His party was originally scheduled for last weekend but we had a ton of family sick so we decided to reschedule in a couple weeks. I can't wait to share all the pictures and details from Brayden's Mickey Mouse Clubhouse 2nd Birthday Party.