Friday, October 20, 2017

Tanner Ross || 15 months

ah my TANNER boy!!
goodness gracious how we love you.

we've already had a whole 15 months with you and somehow it feels like you were born just yesterday, and yet as though you've been apart of our little family for always and forever.

you are so dear to us all and have the absolute sweetest little spirit. you've surely got some fire in ya when you get worked up/upset about something (daddy says one day you'll use that on the football field) we shall see!! ;) but along with that you are also the happiest. so calm. love your family. the best cuddle giver. so easy going, just like your daddy.
your dad and I have talked how we just LOVE this stage you're in. this 'toddler boy, looking cute as can be, running around to always explore' stage. it's my favorite. and you somehow keep getting better & better the more you grow.
I love watching you as you become yourself and your personality shows through more and more.

we go in for your 15 month check up in about a week and half and I can't WAIT to see how you've grown and just how much you tip that scale :)
you little stinker, you! we love you so!!
E A T
a little bittersweet to me, but we are all finished with nursing. we stopped around 14.5 months. we were slowly slowing down, and were down to 1-2 times nursing a day (first thing in the morning and/or before bed), then the flu bug hit our house. initially we thought tanner had made it through without it, but the day after harper was done, tanner got hit with it. and with that his appetite was slim to nothing... and i was nervous of milk making his tummy upset... so with that it seemed to be the right time to be done.

this boy eats, and he eats, and he EATS! he's such a big eater and always has been.

i don't even want to think about what he's gonna be like ten years from now! having good eating children is something I am so thankful for yet, I also make sure to follow their cues and trust them on when they decide they're finished. no force feeding!
with my background in nutrition, I've learned how important it is to not overfeed children. as mom it's my job to decide what they are eating, where they are eating, and when they are eating. and it's their job to decide how much. it is also so soooo important to limit distractions during meal times. in our house when we eat the tv is off and toys are not to be played with.
meal time is about meal time.  :)
((obviously we are human and there are exceptions to this too))
ok, off my soapbox now!
S L E E P
sleep is top notch right now. and thank heavens for that.

NAPS:: 10:30/11-12:30/1  &   3:30/4-5:30/6
that's been typical and usual, but isn't always quite that structured depending on what we have going that day. BUT we're getting to where that second nap is getting a bit too late for bedtime to still happen on time. so I think we're actually gonna start trying to transition to one nap more seriously and see how that goes.

BED:: 8:00pm-7:30am
no wake ups in there either, hallelujah!!
((for most always at least))

I have found though (and it was the same with harper at this age), the better he sleeps in the day for his naps, the better he sleeps at night. recently there were a couple afternoons where tanner wasn't able to get his late afternoon nap in and both of those nights he woke. it didn't take much to get him back go sleep, but still a mama would rather it didn't happen! ;)

so with that.... I REALLY strive to make sure naps happen. cause we are ALL much happier that way ;) and Lord know he needs it and I need it.
P L A Y
not a whole lot to say here, cause it's just plain + simple.. this boy LOVES.TO.PLAY.
I mean what 15 month old doesn't, BUT gosh he's into everything and has become quite the little friend and companion to his big sister.
it's non stop on the go every second he's awake.
favorite 'toys': the broom, mop, & duster. my spoons & spatulas. books. the stack of dvds in the tv stand. cars. balls. the play kitchen. the computer keyboard. dad's golf clubs.
13-15 month P H O T O   D U M P

12 months    11 months    10 months    9 months    8 months    7 months
6 months    5 months    4 months    3 months    2 months    1 month

Xoxo
-Brittney

follow along on instagram @brittneyhjelseth

Friday, September 22, 2017

Friday Favorites

I think this is likely the longest stretch I've gone off the blog.
a little break from it & stepping back from social media over the last week felt quite refreshing.
& i'm quite sure i'll take little breaks a little more frequently. to just unplug and be more present in the now.
but blogging and catching up on instagram are also fun outlets for me. and creating a keepsake 'book' here on the blog is the whole why of why I even blog :)
...so of course it continues ;) with a few of our favorite things as of late!


..ONE..
rest + quietness were my focuses these last handful of days.
..TWO..
harper started back to kindermusik last week and her love for it has like doubled this year!
year two of going to kiddos and kin.
it's also been great mommy + harper time that we get just the two of us on friday mornings. usually followed by a run through our favorite donut shop for some donut holes on the way home  :)
..THREE..
our nursing journey will be coming to a close here in the near future.
tanner + I have had a great experience nursing. I cherish and love it so much.
we're down to nursing about 1-2 times a day, and each time I feel like it could very well be the last.
..FOUR..
THIS BOOK.
I became a fan of jen hatmaker after reading her devotional written for moms, Out of the Spin Cycle.
(if you're a mama-- go order it NOW!! i swear you will love every bit of it.)
I'm not quite halfway through her new book here, and its just SO.GOOD.
what a gift this woman has, how she shares jesus, and her humor is just the best! I can't wait to go to her Moxie Matters tour when it comes here the beginning of november!
..FIVE..
happy, healthy, growing kids.
that I thank the lord for on a regular.

happy friday, friends + family!!

Xoxo
-Brittney

follow along on instagram @brittneyhjelseth

Thursday, September 7, 2017

Cannon Beach, OR || summer 2017

family getaways are getting better and better as our family grows and as we return back to the same places. the memories we make, and getting to repeat our destination makes for an extra special little place in our hearts. 
we went to Cannon Beach, OR for the first time as a family of THREE last year when I was pregnant with tanner. and to have gone back the following summer and tanner is actually there with us.. just warms my heart.
this trip was a last minute thing, but it was all just as fun had it been something we had planned for months. we knew we wanted to make the 3ish hour drive there again this summer, but we didn't anticipated it'd be in the plans only two days before going!
because of that (and it being the busiest weekend EVER-- labor day weekend!) we just barely found lodging. we stayed two nights, and each night was in a different room :) I think we literally got the last available rooms in the whole town.
we were honestly fine with it, because all that mattered was that we were THERE!
and harper actually got soooo excited with each room and exploring it. like the second we walked in the door, her three year old energy just EXPLODED!
honest to goodness, there is nothing more special to me than spending time with my little family. all four of us.
as much work that there is to come along with traveling with a one year old and three year old.. it is absolutely worth it.
these two do so well. we make sure our days are flexible with little to no big plans. if a nap needs to happen, we just spend a little time going for a drive. which brandon and I actually LOVE doing. it kinda becomes like a little bit of date haha! quiet time, just him + i :)
we took this same picture, in the same spot last summer.
last year's picture HERE!
we would've included tanner here, but he had fallen asleep in the stroller :)
salt water TAFFY!!
sunsets over the ocean are spectacular!
and pictures just never do them enough justice.
harper every time she found something she liked... "take a quick picture of me like this!"
the afternoon spent at the beach-- definitely everyone's most favorite part of the weekend!
both kiddos we in heaven.
tanner jumped right to playing in the sand as if it's a thing he's done a hundred times. pure boy ;)
and harper. poor girl, I forgot to pack her swimsuit along!! #MOMFAIL
she still had a great attitude about it though and thankfully it didn't ruin the moment. cause those moms of three year olds... you know how something like that can just ruin a moment, right?? ;)
this ocean water on the pacific northwest coast is anything but warm. SO COLD!
but harper could care less.
if we would've let her, she would have been out there swimming in it.
in her makeshift swimsuit and all ;)
we had pizza for dinner both nights and we would've had it again for a third if we'd stayed longer :)
it was that good.
CLEARLY tanner boy agrees with me on that! ;)
ice cream three times in the two and half days we were there.
birthday cake with sprinkles was harper's go-to. in a cone. of course.
until next summer cannon beach!!
I can't wait to see what changes come in the next year for our family and how much these littles grow and learn.
our next family getaway will be planned for Suncadia just before christmas. I'm already looking forward to it. it'll be our THIRD year making that trip.
--last christmas, suncadia HERE--
--and the photo every hour post of that trip HERE--

Xoxo
-Brittney

follow along on instagram @brittneyhjelseth