May 2013 | Dearest Lou

Blaisdell Temple Sealing

Hillary and I have been friends since our junior year of high school and even lived together for a period of time. It's unbelievable how much she's changed and grown over the years. I'm so proud of her and so thankful for all that she has done for me. She is one of the funniest and sweetest people I know and it's always a guaranteed good time when we hangout together.

We were able to attend their temple sealing back on the 9th of this month. They were sealed for all time and all eternity in the Draper Temple, exactly one year after their wedding. It was such a blessing to see them make sacred covenants to one another and be apart of their big day. Congratulations you two!

*Huge thanks to my mama for watching Z so we could attend the sealing*

+4

Kandice and I had two of our other mama friends and their little ones join us for our weekly hangout. It was so entertaining seeing our little ones interact. It was pretty difficult getting pictures of all of the action since we were nursing, changing diapers, etc. at different times, but here is a glimpse of our hangout. 

City Print Maxi and PS I Adore You

I've been wearing a lot of skirts and dresses lately since it's been unbearably hot the last few days. One of my favorite skirts is this city print maxi from lulu's. It's light weight and has such a unique look to it. It's also very easy to style since it's black and white and goes with nearly any top in my wardrobe. I decided to style it with some burnt orange items and a swoop neck for easy nursing sessions.

I've also been pulling my hair up in a top knot almost everyday since Zaden loves to tug on it so much and it just seems to get in the way most of the time. I have a ton of layers in my hair so I usually have to put at least six bobby pins in my hair to keep my layers and fringe in place. That's where this headband comes in handy. It's so versatile, keeps my hair out of my face without using bobby pins, and most importantly away from Zaden's sneaky little fingers (;

For those of you who haven't heard of PS I Adore You, they are an amazing site that offers great deals on trendy items. One of the company's that has partnered with PS I Adore You is Lemons and Lace. They sent me this adorable studded headband. It's currently one of the deals on PS I Adore you and 25% off! A portion of all sales goes towards children fighting cancer, how cool is that? They have six different styles available to choose from and also have adorable little ones for baby girls. There are also other great deals going on. Some of my personal favorites are these baby leggings and garden markers. Be sure to stop on by and shop for a good cause (;
Outfit details: Shirt, thrifted// Vest, F21// Belt, Rue21// Headband, c/o Lemons and Lace (on sale on PS I Adore You)// Boots, UO// Skirt, c/o Lulu's

19/52

"A portrait of Zaden, once a week, every week, in 2013."
Tipped over while practicing sitting up

Black, White, + Red Stripes

Pictures 1,2,&6 captured by Kandice

18/52

"A portrait of Zaden, once a week, every week, in 2013."
This weekend you caught a cold. Hope you get better soon little guy <3

Tulip Festival with Whitney + Arlo

A little over a week ago we met up with our friends Whitney and Arlo and attended the Tulip Festival. The weather was so beautiful and I wasn't anticipating it to be so warm outside. I completely forgot to put sunscreen on both Zaden and I. Luckily I kept Zaden covered up while he nursed and throughout the day so he didn't get burned and I just got a slight farmers tan (; 

This was the first time Arlo and Zaden met. Arlo was the sweetest little guy and kept wanting to hold Zaden. We thought it was so funny because there is probably less than a 10 pound difference between the two of them (;  Zaden hasn't interacted with very many boys his age and he really enjoyed hanging around Arlo. We had a great time walking around, talking, and taking a breaks every now and again to attend to our little boys needs. 

Here are some pictures from our afternoon:

Z at 5 months

Zaden Eliot turned 5 months old last Tuesday. He has recently found his voice and is quite the chatter box. I talk and play silly games with Z throughout the day but something I have been focusing on is the word mama. About 2 weeks ago I started taking Z to the bathroom mirror with me for about 3 minutes every morning. I would point at me and say mama and then point at him and say bubba. Well sometime between then and the end of last weekend I'm pretty sure he made the connection that I'm mama! We have noticed that whenever he cries he says mama until I hold him and comfort him. I can't wait for him to randomly say mama one day when he's happy and I know he has definitely made the connection. For now crying and bellowing mama works for me (; Another random word that Z has been saying frequently is habla (which means speak in spanish). I found it both clever and funny.

Zaden is such a curious little guy and will reach for anything and everything and put it in his mouth. I have to keep a close eye on him at all times. He loves reaching out for phones, cords, hair, and pretty much anything we don't want him to yank or put in his mouth. During our playtime he has been yanking lots of hair from my head. Whenever he does this I remind him that I'm going to be the ugliest mom when he goes to kindergarten with bald spots all along my head. I know he doesn't understand me but I think it's funny and I like pretending that he thinks it's funny too when I see him grinning back at me.

Baby Z is fascinated with his feet and hates wearing shoes and socks! He loves it when people kiss his toes and play with his feet. I've never kissed or understood why parents kissed baby feet until I had a baby myself but they are so darn cute. Heck, even Aunt Ti who HATES feet kisses his little feet. We like to call his toes "monkey toes" since he loves grabbing things out of his reach with them and pulling them up towards his hands and then towards his mouth. Whenever it's a bit chilly I try to put socks on him and I turn my head around for a brief moment and at least one sock is off. He is super sneaky when mama isn't looking (;

Zaden is very strong and moves his little legs at a million miles per hour. Once this little guy starts crawling I will always be on the go chasing after him. He is a very tough baby and is constantly hitting himself with his Sophie and other toys. I have yet to introduce him to some of his plastic and wooden toys since I know he is bound to accidentally hit himself. He enjoys smacking Sophie up against everything and everyone in order to hear the little squeak she makes! One of his favorite times to throw Sophie around is while his dad is watching him while playing a video game. Daryl gets quite the beating from our tough little guy!

Nursing Zaden is something I will always cherish, especially at this age. I love the way he strokes my hand with his as he slowly begins to drift off. I love it when he takes a break and just looks at me and gives me the biggest smile and coo's. I love knowing that I can provide all of the nourishment his little body needs. Co-sleeping with our little guy has made nursing throughout the night so much easier and helps us all get a better nights rest. Waking up in the morning and seeing his little perfectly round face looking up at me ready to start the day always makes my morning. 

5 month Zaden is my favorite Zaden. I can't imagine things getting any better than this. I guess I'll have to see what the future has in store.
Zaden's outfit: Shirt, Carters// Leggings, Carters (stamped by me)

Blue Dress, Colorblock Sandals, and a Cross Stitched Fox

This past week was spent with family and dear friends. I have some pretty pictures to share but still haven't gotten around to editing them. Zaden has been a bit more needy then ever before and constantly wants to be held which makes editing pictures a bit difficult (; I'm finally getting around to editing/posting these pictures during the wee hours of the night. 

After having a baby I came to the quick realization that almost all of my pre-pregnancy dresses didn't fit my chest anymore. I had an urge to go thrfiting for some new dresses that were nursing friendly and fit my new body. Having a newborn and going shopping in the winter didn't really sound appealing and the few times we went I had no luck. However, now that the weather is warming up and Zaden goes longer in between feedings, I have been able to go thrifting more often and have had better luck in the dress department (;

I thrifted this pretty floral blue dress a few weeks ago. I was immediately drawn to it since it had buttons down the front which makes nursing in public ten times easier. It was light weight which is perfect for Utah's hot summer days and it had pockets! I was so excited when it fit me just right and purchased it for a little under $6. I styled it with an old belt and these pretty colorblock sandals from lulu's. 
My mom cross stitched this adorable little fox on a onesie for Zaden and I wanted to get a few more pictures of him in it before he outgrows it. When I was looking through his dresser I knew that his red pants would go perfectly with the onesie! I completed his look with a chambray top and these adorable striped sneakers that Kandice gifted us at the baby shower.
Outfit details: Dress, thrifted// Belt, Rue 21 (old)// Sandals. Lulu's
Zaden's outfit details: Onesie, unknown brand (my mom cross stitched the fox)// Chambray Top+Pants, Gap// Shoes, Gift from Kandice