Wednesday, April 3, 2019

30th birthday celebration! :: Dallas/Waco

I was so excited when we came up with the idea of making a trip we've dreamt about actually happening! to visit magnolia in waco, and what better reason than to celebrate turning 30! kaylani and i both had our 30th birthdays, being just one month apart in january (her) and february (me), so it worked so perfectly to make this a joint trip.
i had so much anticipation leading up to this trip and couldn't wait to really visit the silos in person! to actually get to see all that has been so beautifully created there- down to the perfect details. I COULDN'T WAIT to step foot on the place i've seen a thousand times on tv and instagram! 
with getting grandparent schedules to line up so that between us three couples, we'd be able to leave our five (!!!) other children behind, we tried to make it a quick trip. and then keep in mind we brought along our three babies! all within 4 months of age of each other. we flew out from seattle saturday afternoon, and returned tuesday afternoon. that allowed for us to fit in our day in waco (the reason for the trip!) as well as some time to spend in dallas, where we had our hotel booked.
::SATURDAY::
three babies. grouped together in three rows on a flight. could be a recipe for disaster. but let me tell ya, the three of them did amazing! us six parents (and no doubt all the passengers around us) couldn't have been happier.
take a second and watch this video. REALLY. stop and press play.
as if traveling around with three babies and three strollers didn't bring enough looks + comments, our 'ride' for the four days only added to it! it was so fun and we wouldn't have done it any other way!
we stayed at the crescent court in dallas and had such a great experience there. they were so thoughtful and courteous of our group. and not to mention it was beatiful! i couldn't get over the amazing architecture and detail to the building of the hotel.
once we got to our rooms, we quick refreshed and then headed out to grab a bite to eat.
::SUNDAY::
we hit the ground running. well... brandon and I overslept and we had to delay our "meet time" by about 45 minutes ;) but then we all loaded the babies up in their strollers and off to breakfast we went. the bread winners cafe was within walking distance to our hotel and OMG the food was divine. best breakfast i've had. pineapple upside down mimosa + breakfast tacos hit the spot.
this won't be the last time i say it, but i was so shocked at how good the food was in texas.
after breakfast we headed back to the hotel to refresh a bit (we were already sweating hot!) as well as nurse a few sweet babies. then we headed out for a little bit of shopping before we headed to top golf for the afternoon.
the people we met in texas were so kind! a sweet couple about our age stopped to chat with us for a good 10 minutes as we were just strolling down the sidewalk- which is when this photo op came along ;)
after a few hours, a few cocktails, and a handful of times extending our 'time' at top golf, we headed back towards our hotel (changed again haha!) and then went to a highly recommended restaurant right by our hotel- sixty vines and enjoyed the most delicious dinner!
i can almost taste our meal just thinking about it. tending to a baby didn't really allow me to snap a picture of our food, but the crispy zucchini, chicken fettuccini, and pizza paired with a couple glasses of wine was SO GOOD. i would go back there in a heartbeat.
::MONDAY::
the day that we had come for.
MAGNOLIA.
took our 1.5 hour drive from dallas to waco in our 12 passanger van and voila, we made it!
a little bit of wind here and there, but it was such a beautiful day!
thankful beyond the words i can express for the friendships we've got going on here. there was a time (shortly after moving to washington from idaho) that i remember so often putting in my prayers a request for good friends. i've never been one to have a "ton" of friends, but more so the handful of good, close ones. these people here hold me grounded. and life without them, wouldn't be the life that it is. 
traveling together + having babies together continues to deepen those roots.
everything is so beautifully done and all done so well. 
the food (here i am again talking about the food), the bakery, the food trucks at the silos, the photo ops, the landscaping + flowers, even the bathrooms were so perfectly created.
it was an experience i soaked in, and i just wish we lived closer so we could make our way back!
maybe i can talk brandon into making this trip happen again! because i am certain he enjoyed it too and what fun it would be to take our kids along.



after spending most of the morning + afternoon, we headed back to the hotel in dallas before heading out for our last dinner.
quick snapped a few pics in the room of these cute cousins! they're just four months apart, and we can't wait to watch them grow together! along with their two older brothers :) between brandon + i and tyler + angela, we've got these four boy cousins who are two years old and younger. so many fun years ahead for us all. and i am thankful for their strong fathers to help in guiding and teaching them!

::TUESDAY::
our last day! we wished we could stay longer, but also were all so ready to get home and get back to our other babes waiting for us.
tatum was completely wiped from the busy days we'd had. zonked out and took a quick little morning cat nap while we got ready and packed up our room.
...and no way we were leaving town without a second stop for the most delicious breakfast we've ever eaten. i would pay top dollar if someone in the tacoma area would open up a bread winners cafe & bakery. the breakfast tacos + potatoes. TO.DIE.FOR.
friends who are family. and also family who are friends.
i miss seeing these three sweet things lined up together in the car!
tatum literally slept all but 10 minutes of our four hour flight home.
angel boy was WIPED.
Xoxo
-Brittney

follow along on instagram @brittneyhjelseth

Tuesday, March 12, 2019

tatum ross | 5 months

this boy is sweet as pie.
our most talkative baby, and yet he is also so content.
we love his sweetness and his happy, contagious personality!
five months is turning out to be so much fun as toys and objects are everything to him. his curiosity is exploding. any happy, friendly face who smiles at him, he gives those big open mouth smiles and giggles/squeals right on back.
you are sweet, my boy! and as lovable as they come!!
trucker hat // george hats
thermal romper // little bipsy
tatum name sign // quincyjeanart
month banner // hooray everyday
crib // franklin & ben - from sugar babies
E A T
still exclusively breastfeeding. with all of our babies, i've chosen to wait for any solids until they reach six months. though this boy has become extremely aware of when we're eating and he's so curious of it. so much so that brandon was soooo tempted to give tatum some of his cookie crumbs the other day (and i'm sure if i wasn't around he would have caved into tatum's adorable hungry baby face). he was grabbing hold of brandon's hand like he know just where he wanted that cookie to go :) we have let him suck on a few pieces of fruit (apple + kiwi) when we've been eating. and he sure has loved the taste that he's gotten. feeding him will be so much fun, i just know it!

more on his curiosity, he is always so so interested in our cups/mugs. he knows just what they're for and that they go up to the mouth. which is what he does if i'm holding him and a drink at the same time. he'll grab ahold and bring it right to his mouth to suck on the straw or cup. he did this the other day and was able to suck my water right up out of the straw! i think he surprised himself just as much as he did me! our quickest babe yet to figure out drinking from a straw! and thankful it was just water rather than diet coke or iced coffee ;)
S L E E P
we moved tatum into his own room (from ours) this month. for some reason i was so nervous for it, and it was tough for me to let him spend the night all the way down the hall. but he has done soooo good and his nighttime sleep even improved.
i started the transition to this, by placing him in his crib in his room for bedtime around 7:30/8, and then grabbing him and bringing him into our room for the rest of the night when we went to bed around 11. it worked and honestly, helped transition me more than i think him ;) 

there's no exactness to nighttime. but our usual is:: bedtime at 7:30/8, i go in to dreamfeed around 10:30/11, then he usually will wake around 2 or 3 to nurse. back to sleep, and might wake around 5 or 6 to nurse again. and then awake for the day around 7:30/8am. 

he's been quick to get to this, but he is definitely a two nap a day baby. three naps a day did not last very long. i reason it up with the fact that he takes a 1-1.5 hour nap in the late morning and then a bigger 2-3 hour nap in the afternoon. he's most always up from his big nap around 4pm and then stays awake until bedtime. which shocks me that he can hang that long! he most definitely starts getting sleepy around 6:30/7, but it's too close to bedtime for a nap and he always hangs on without becoming too fussy or overtired. which is not like our others babies before!
P L A Y
at this point every month is just getting more and more fun with him here. his playfulness and interaction is becoming so so fun, and harper + tanner are just in love with their little brother!
he's working on all his little (BIG) developmental skills. 
grabbing + reaching + pulling + rolling. and he's so close to sitting up!
everything is fascinating. especially those tiny hands and tiny toes. and mom's face :) grabbing hold of my face and giving me a big 'ol wet kiss is about the best thing on earth right now.

5 MONTH
:: P H O T O   D U M P ::
some of these gems made it onto the gram, and others did not ;)
Xoxo
-Brittney

follow along on instagram @brittneyhjelseth