Christmas 2016 Pictures

since having babies, taking family pictures means so much to me. and they become even more meaningful when I look back after time has passed. to capture and freeze these moments is everything as these babies are growing and changing ever so quickly and not going to be slowing down anytime soon!

it can feel a bit chaotic at times but that's also just real life ;) kristal always amazes me at the moments she captures for us.
original plan was to be at a local tree farm, but living in WA the rain isn't always in our favor. being in this old studio downtown was just as great and no way having two kiddos out in the rain and mud would've gone well!

last year's pictures HERE. I am amazed at how much harper has changed over this last year.

it was hard to choose which to share, so here's a majority of them :)

this first one is my absolute fave.

 ...and the best for last ;) can't wait to show them both this one in a few years.

 we're heading to Suncadia for a few days this next week and we are all so ready for it. we did this last year too, and will likely be making it an annual thing for us before the holiday. there's so much busy-ness and hussle during december. we found it so nice to escape for a couple of days and just enjoy our family without the to-do lists.

Xoxo

-Brittney

follow along on instagram @brittneyhjelseth

sleep. sleep. SLEEP.

Brandon and I have been quite blessed in the sleep department with our kiddos. 

there's always that anticipation that once you become parents you won't get ANY sleep. and though it has definitely been reduced (and there are of course always sleepless times) overall, we haven't been too sleep deprived. 

*i'm literally knocking on our wood desk right now*

and then.. harper got sick.

and then.. tanner got sick.

and then.. thanksgiving weekend rolled around.

and we are doing everything in our power to get our sleep back!

tanner has just been all thrown off. with a whole bunch of variables in the mix. bronchiolitis. moving out of the pack 'n play and into his crib in his nursery. and then of course the fact alone that he's a four month baby ;)

harper's days run so much better when we have our structure and routine. that was lost for about 3 weeks. and then comes thanksgiving weekend where she went days without a nap + bedtime was much past it's usual. 

.............

fast forwarding to now. tanner we've pretty much checked him off our list and sleep's improving for him. the toddler, miss harper, on the other hand. for about a week's time there's been nap protesting, bedtime protesting, and early morning rising. a few days of skipping nap and she was quick to realize that fun things go down while she sleeps ;) 

...but hearing that sweet little voice come into our bedroom at 5:30am really takes away its sweetness.

the last few days the 2-3 hour naps are making their way back (hallelujah!!!!), bedtime hasn't been quite as much struggle, and we're on night three of using the ok to wake clock. so far that brilliant thing is slowly helping the bags under our eyes.

so a post about sleep... but it's always a hot topic...

and I'll forever remind myself and say, "it's just a phase" :)

Xoxo

-Brittney

follow along on instagram @brittneyhjelseth

three + four month favorites

...doing this quick before yet another month flies by!

november has been a bit of a tough month over here. from harper being sick with a yucky cold, to then tanner coming down with bronchiolitis. I'm not quite sure where the last three weeks went. sick babies make for such a roller coster of days/weeks. it looks like we're finally seeing the light though! 

so... a few of our favorite things for three + four months!

floor play mat // since tanner began reaching and playing with toys- toys have been a big new favorite around here. the floor mat we have is from when harper was a baby and it's just as loved!

car seat toys // we're entering the phase of needing entertainment in the car. of course tanner gets very entertained by harper :) a few carseat toys have also been helpful. we have this elephant and this hanging toy and he really likes them both. 

nursing cover // I ended up buying a second of these after tanner was born. being that it doubles as a carseat cover, it easily got dirty and days (or weeks) could pass by the time I got it washed, dried, and back in my bag :)

paci clips // we use these every day! though my legs could benefit from the squatting down all day long, it's much easier that we use a clip to keep the paci from falling on the ground. and these leather ones by Ryan & Rose, I love for tanner.

monitor // we had/have this exact same levana monitor for harper and were so happy with it that we bought a second to have for tanner. harper's has been dropped a thousand and one times, but is somehow still hanging in there and working for us!

play chair // we used this chair allll the time when harper was a baby. and we're already getting lots of use out of it with tanner! it's also so easy to clean- which makes me love it that much more :)

mama roo // another hand-me-down from harper. we're likely nearing the end of swing days as tanner prefers more and more to be in a sitting position. but it's still quite useful to bring into the kitchen for him to hang out in while i"m making dinner on the nights where he doesn't want me out of his sight :)

how in heaven's name will he be tuning F I V E months in just less than two weeks!?

xoxo

-Brittney

follow along on instagram @brittneyhjelseth