Elf on a shelf:: Polar Express ride

If you know Zane then you know he is completely 100% obsessed with 

the Polar Express.

He can recite the entire movie 

and does multiple times a day to anyone who will listen.
And wants to watch it every.single.day...
multiple times a day!

So when I was thinking of things to do for the Elf on the Shelf 

this idea popped into my head and I got super excited.
{for both him and myself}

He got the Polar Express train from Pottery Barn Kids for Christmas last year from his GiGi

{it actually comes with the little boy and the bum sitting on top of the train and a bell}

So I went on a hunt...

a hunt to find::
a miniature cookie 

an itty bitty mug

and
a tiny bell with red ribbon.

Because if you have seen the movie or even been on the train ride yourself

they give each person::

a cookie

a steaming hot mug of cocoa

and
each kid a bell with red ribbon

{on the ride each kid gets a bell but in the movie just the main character gets a one}

I also borrowed a Santa from my mom
because what's a trip on the Polar Express 

without meeting Santa?!

I worked hard on trying to get it perfect for him

because I knew if it wasn't perfect that he'd notice since he's so obsessed.

And this is the result of all my efforts::

He was so excited this morning.
Unfortunately the camera was dead so I didn't get any pictures of him seeing it.

We will also be going on the Polar Express train ride on Sunday night on Mt. Hood Railroad

and we always buy the most expensive tickets so we can get the special mug

and best seats for him.
We will be bringing our copy of the Polar Express book
this year since they do a reading
and I want him to be able to follow along this year.

Well this year I also found the most perfect pjs of all time for him to wear on the ride
and for Lilah something coordinating of course::

Polar Express by libbyuglesich on Polyvore
Both are from Hannah Andersson

I really don't think they could be anymore perfect
and when he saw them he flipped out because he was so excited.

He's already told me on more than one occasion that this is going to be the best Christmas ever
and/or
his favorite Christmas of all time...
because he's had so many ;)

Because I know everyone would love to know what I'll be wearing,
I put together my outfit for it.

polar express train ride by libbyuglesich featuring a patagonia vest

Teaching body image to kids

Katie from Loves of Life wrote a post that inspired my post for today. 

Her post wasn't so much on body image but on being in a moment with her daughter 

and not saying something that could start something in her daughter seeing her not love her body completely 

and she did not want that. 

But it put a spark into my brain about writing a post on body image and how I am going to try to deal with it when it comes to my kids. 

So thank you Katie for this post here.

First of all I want to tell all of you that you are beautiful!

Don't let anyone ever tell you otherwise. 

Our society has such a distorted view on what is beautiful

and we as mother's need to try to change that. 

Since I am a mother of both a son + a daughter...

I have to come at it from both perspectives::

How males view women 

and how women view women.

For Zane {+ any future son(s)}::

I am going to try to make it extremely clear that no matter what size a woman is 

they are still beautiful.

I want him to understand that even if you are larger 

you're still beautiful.

I am not a small girl and I have my problem areas which make me completely uncomfortable 

because of what our society has made me think is beautiful.

I get asked on a regular basis when I am due.

{which by the way if you are not 100% positive that someone is pregnant do not ask them when they are due. It is embarrassing for both parties and makes me feel like crap! 

Oh and it also completely pisses off my husband when someone asks me this 

because of how rude it is.}

Really I don't look pregnant at all...

I gain all my weight in my stomach 

and yes it's bigger than the rest of me but it definitely doesn't look like I'm pregnant.

I have cried many times when I've gotten home after a comment like that.

{Please people be considerate of others!}

Ok sorry so back to how to deal with it with Zane.

I don't want him to look at women and judge them by their size 

{or in any other way}

I want him to look at women and think wow she's beautiful 

or I would really like to get to know her because she looks interesting.

I know there have probably been people I have passed by in my life becoming friends with because of
the way that they looked...
and I D O  N O T want that for either of my children.
I want them to be friends with people because they are good people + are caring
+ loving + kind hearted.

For Lilah {+ any future daughter(s)}::
I want her to love herself no matter what she looks like.
I think she is the most beautiful girl in the world and so does her daddy...
I want her to look at herself + see beauty.
I want her too look at other women + see beauty in every.single.one of them.
I want her to look at her mama + think wow she's beautiful...
she's not perfect but she is beautiful.
I want her to know that no matter what anyone else says about her she is perfect in my eyes.
I will do E V E R Y T H I N G in my power to show her that.
I don't want her to look at someone + envy them for the way that they look.
I want her to love the way she looks.
I can't express enough that she is the most gorgeous little lady in the entire world
+ no one will ever be more beautiful than her.
Because in my eyes she is.
Plain + simple.

It's so important that we as parents try to teach our children how N O T to judge!
I want them to love people for who they are
+ not the way that they look.
So now it's time for me to love myself
+ stop hating the way I look.
I need my children to see me love myself so that they can love themselves.

** All photos courtesy of Lauren from Lulabell Photography **

Happy Birthday to my THREE year old!

Today you are 3.

I cannot believe that 3 years ago today I woke up in the morning 

and went into labor with you.

{you can read his birth story here}

You are the one that made me a mama.
You are my favorite toddler.
You have the best sense of humor.
You laugh at yourself.
You make me smile every.single.day.

You tell me you love me all the time
and come cuddle up next to me on the couch
and tell me you love to sit with me.
You insist on giving nose kisses, kisses and hugs whenever you go down for a nap/bed
or we are leaving.

You have an A M A Z I N G vocabulary for only being 3.

You are so darn smart 

and say things all the time that we all just are like where did he learn that?!

You are the sweetest and kindest most gentle hearted kiddo I know.

You always want to hug + kiss your baby sister.

You are constantly checking on her 

and if she cries you always tell her it's going to be ok.

You love trains, Mickey Mouse, Baby, being outside, all things sports,

your sister, Avengers, talking, pizza, Tangled, french fries + cheeseburgers, 

your blue shorts + pants, shopping at Old Naby,

your rainboots, Toy Story, running

and anything blue + orange.

I love you so much my sweet, sweet boy!
You are the best thing to happen to me
{besides your sis + daddy}
You made me a mama
thank you!

Love,
mommy

An interview with my child, Zane

These are taken straight from Zane's mouth...
and are direct quotes.

1. What is your favorite thing that you and I do together::

Go to Miss Lauren's house.

2. What is something important I have taught you that you will always remember:: 

I love the bath.

3. What is your most special memory about me:: 

Going to the park.

4. What is something nice I always say to you:: 

I'm your most favoritist boy in the whole wide world.

5. How are you and I the same:: How are we different::

same:: nope.

different:: we are different.

On the plane for the kiddos

zane plane by libbyuglesich featuring backpacks

:: For Zane on the plane ::

:: Wear ::
Jeans // Gap
Shirt // Carter's
Sweatshirt // Gap
Shoes // Stride Rite

:: Bag ::
Backpack // Target

:: Snacks ::
Fruit Snacks // Target
Cheddar Bunnies // Target
M&Ms {his fave} // Target
Water Bottle // Camelbak

:: Entertainment & Toys ::
Leapster Leap Pad // ToysRUs
Color Book // Target
Crayons // Target
Movies // Target
Cars // ToysRUs

His baby
{a gift & is his 'security blanket', he goes everywhere with us}

lilah plane by libbyuglesich featuring hair accessories

:: Wear ::
Onesie // Carter's
Jeans // Carter's
Sweatshirt // Gap
Hear Clip // Carter's

:: Bag ::
Diaper Bag // Petunia Pickle Bottom

:: Toys ::
Sophie // Target
Cupcake Rattle // ToysRUS
Ring Rattle // ToysRUS
Giraffe Teether // BabiesRUS

:: Blankets ::
Cupcake Blanket // Gymboree
Babycakes Swaddler // Aden + Anais

:: Extra Clothes ::
PJs // Carter's
Dress // Carter's

:: Feeding & Diapering ::
Bottle // Target
Formula // Free Samples
Diapers // Target
Wipes // Target
Aquaphor // Target
Binky // Walmart

Diaper bag

Thought I'd share what we have in our diaper bag all the time::

diaper bag by libbyuglesich featuring lacoste sunglasses

The Bag:: 
Petunia Pickle Bottom bag::
I love this thing!
It has a built in diaper pad that is removable
+ tons of pockets for
all those things you need to stuff inside for your babies
+ toddlers.
Huggies refreshing wipes::
That's a given when you have two in diapers still!
We love Huggies refreshing wipes because they are thick
+ do the job really well.
Plus they smell amazing!

Momma::
Camelback waterbottle::
I've gotta stay hydrated + I love this thing so much.
Sunglasses::
Even though I live in Oregon I wear my sunglasses all the time.
I have sensitive eyes so I've gotta protect them.
Hand sanitizer/holder::
Gotta have this stuff to keep your hands + your toddlers hands clean.
I love Bath + Body Works stuff it smells so amazing...
also the holder to hang it from the bag so it's not taking up valuable real estate inside the bag.
Hair ties::
I have long hair so I have to have hair ties to quickly through my hair up in a
pony/bun when it's getting in the way.
Sugar lip treatment::
Love this stuff + it has a hint of color to it...
I don't wear lipstick
{James hates it!}
so this stuff gives me a little color.

Zane::
Tommee Tippee cup::
Love these cups they don't leak
{which is a huge thing}
+ they are not straws so they don't randomly stop working.
Ella's Kitchen fruit pouches::
Great snacks for toddlers
+ hello they're fruits + veggies...
what toddler doesn't need more fruits + veggies?!
Socks::
I always keep these in the diaper bag for those moments when you go to a play place
+ we forgot socks...
always have to have them in those nasty play areas.
Huggies Pull-ups::
Zane's not potty trained yet but we're trying to get him to start...
so we are transitioning to pull-ups.
Annie's bunny crackers::
Just like goldfish but I think they're better
+ snacks are important to have when you have an almost 3y/o
who's always hungry!
T-shirt::
Messy toddler = need for a new shirt sometimes.
Toy Cars::
We always have cars in the bag to keep him occupied when we
have the occasional out to dinner or lunch.
Leapster Leap Pad2::
LOVE,  love love this thing!
It keeps him occupied in the car + he is learning to take pictures with it
+ he thinks he's so big for having his own "Ipad".

Lilah::
Huggies Snug + Dry diapers::
Obviously but we are a Huggies only household!
Every other diaper leaks when we use them.
Bibs/burp rags::
Always have a couple of these + some burp rags in the diaper bag.
Tommee Tippee bottles::
These bottles are the most amazing bottles we've used.
She hardly gets any air in them
+ she seems to love them.
Outfit/onsie/pjs::
I always have something to change her into
because if you don't that's the day you're going to have a blowout!
Socks::
Always have extra socks...
socks seem to disappear for some reason
off of babies feet so having and extra pair is a good idea.
Binky/clip::
She loves binkies
+ it's nice to have extra's in the bag.
Also the clips saves you from losing them all the time!
Formula dispenser::
I love this because then you don't have to shove the entire can of formula into your bag
+ it's all pre-measured out for you.
Sophie the giraffe teether::
This is the best teether in the entire world.
I love this thing + so does every baby that's used her.
She's soft rubber + the legs are the perfect shape for them to shove into their mouth
+ chew on for those darn teeth that cause so many problems.
Bling bling rattle::
Love this rattle it's got a great ring for her to grip...
it's adorable
+ what girl doesn't need a little bling?!

Update via instagram

I thought I'd do a little post of instagram pics to catch you up on what we've been up to lately! 

I know I haven't posted an actual post in awhile so I thought I'd share some of the goings on in our house.

First of all we went on vacation in April to Palm Springs with my parents {they took us} and while we were there we took Zane to Disneyland for a day & to say that he had the best day ever is a complete understatement! 

I have never seen him smile so much in his life... 

I don't think he ever stopped smiling that whole day. The pool at our resort had a little slide for the kiddies and Zane loved it... 

we spent most of our time going up and down with him on it. 

We also ate lots and lots of good food!

    

 My baby belly has been steadily growing and growing... 

This is about week 10 to 17.

 

  

And my boy also turned 2 a few weeks ago, we went to breakfast and then we had a party for him the day before his birthday, 

with a couple of his little friends and then we went out on his actual birthday as a family and had dinner then we got him birthday cupcake 

{because what birthday is complete without a cupcake?!}

  

and finally here is just some fun things we have been up to lately!

Wearing gram gram's sunglasses at Home Depot

helping daddy mow

target popcorn is the best

mommy loves

something is very interesting

cuddle time with momma

sliding

family time

first slurpee

much needed coffee for momma

fell asleep with his new baby

new birthday kicks

climbing all by himself

brought momma some flowers

hi mom