Dear Kenley on your 2nd birthday,

The more I get to know you, the more I realize how unlike me you are.

You are adventurous, fearless, & brave. I wish I were more like you in this way.

You are a go-getter, & will stop at nothing to succeed at whatever it is you are trying to accomplish. Whether it be climbing on a couch, or turning on my Iphone. You will figure out how to do it--even if it takes you a while.

You are not the least bit shy. You greet everyone sweetly, let anyone hold you, & you don't mind at all being left with someone else. If there is one word to describe you, it would have to be "friendly." You have no concept of personal space and other toddlers your age have kindly let you know this after planting a big wet one on their cheek or wrapping them in one of your kung-fu grip hugs.

You are as active as you possibly could be. Who needs to do squats & go running when I have you to take care of? You are never sitting still. This makes some things very hard--like grocery trips. But I know, deep down inside, that you are an adventurous spirit, & I should just let you be.

You are so smart. I love teaching you new things, but the best is when you let me know that you already knew something. A couple days ago I tried to get you into one of my favorite shirts of yours and you told me “too small, mama!”  … You are becoming such a good listener too. One of my favorite things that you are doing right now is that whenever you are somewhere you are not supposed to be or touching/holding something you know that you are not supposed to you stop and look at me and say “HIIIII!” or “HEY!”… Im sure you wont always let me know when you are doing something wrong but for now-- I will take it.

Last night as we were finishing up dinner you ran outside with your daddy to go to the park while I finished up the dishes and took a nasty fall. I heard your cry and knew something was very wrong. You split your bottom lip right down the middle and hurt one of your baby teeth so much that it moved. You were such a good girl at the dentist this morning and we are going to do our very best to make sure that your tooth ends up ok. Even we end up having to take your tooth out you will still be the most beautiful little girl in the world. Your little hillbilly smile right now is actually pretty cute.

Most of the time I just want to stick you in a big padded bubble where no one or nothing can hurt you... but then again I cant think of some place that YOU would hate more ;)

I cant believe its already been two years since you graced us with your presence. In some senses it feels like you have always been here but then in other ways it seems like in a blink of an eye you went from baby to toddler.

Its been the most amazing two years… full of adventure, discovery, creativity and more love than Ive known in a lifetime.

I'm so proud of everything you are.

Love, Mama

instagram photo dump

As one of the locals told me... we couldnt have picked a better day to make the trip down. I am in love with Encinitas.... and Moonlight Beach may be my new favorite spot. We swam, tanned, dug in the sand and took in the view all afternoon and by the time we were ready to leave I was wishing I had applied more sunscreen to myself; Mike and I are feeling the pain this morning (but of course I was lathering up Kenley every ten minutes).

This heat we are having is supposed to last through July so I predict at least a couple more trips to the coast before we head north.

yes, so cal... we realize you have better beaches.

and thats about it ;)

random ramblings

The Inland Empire has a great chain of stores called "Clark's Nutrition & Natural Foods Market." Check them out here.
While some of their stuff is on the pricey side, if you know what you are looking for, they are a great place to find items like I have pictured above.

Check out this link: 10 uses for apple cider vinegar ...

I've also been using coconut oil in most of my cooking. It has no taste and is much better for you than your average cooking oil... and like the vingegar also has a bunch of different uses.

Like I mentioned earlier I am doing my best to stick to my paleo plan for the second week. No flour (wheat) is allowed & coconut and almond flour are perfect alternitives.

If you are interested in Paleo recipes this is a great link.

I spent more time than usual in Clark's today since I was waiting for my new brakes to be put on next door at Firestone ...which by the way was completely funded by my sales from the Kissui cloth diaper/baby carrier garage sale where I made over $250! (which is almost exactly how much my new rotars and brakes cost... wish I could have used that on something a little more fun!)

... and speaking of Kissui events, we have another one this weekend that I will also be working.

cutest flyer ever...  currently obsessing over ALL things "chevron striped"

Tomorrow Im taking the day off to head down to north San Diego (Encinitas) with my brother and Kenley to just hang at the beach for the day and shop around while Gavin is at school/working summer baseball camps.

Im requesting that we leave nice and early so I can hit up the most AMAZING breakfast/coffee/tea place ever, Pannikin (introduced to me by my best friend Torrey who has family from her mom's side that live right by there in Escondido.)

you must check out their site.
Im not sure what I love most: the location, decor, art, coffee or food.

I cant believe we will have a two year old on Friday... who has been having a little trouble sleeping lately but slept for 11 hours straight in her crib last night... MUCH needed for all of us.
Thanks Kenley!

Im having fun keeping track on here lately.

I feel like these last weeks in so cal are going to be ones that I will want to remember. I love that this blog has been a way to do that.

as always thanks for keeping us with us as well.

❤

more party pics!

...as promised I am attaching a few more party pics... (thank you Lynn!)

AND just had to share some super sweet tutorial links of course.

I made a few "tulle pom poms" (courtesy of Pinterest) that you can find at this link here:

SO CUTE & EASY!

also.. the big hit.. the "bacon and egss"

They were so much fun to make and went perfectly with our breakfast theme :)

All it requires: white melting chocolate (find at local craft stores), pretzel sticks and yellow m&ms!... melt the chocolate and put little blobs onto wax paper... add  your "yolk" and "bacon" and you are done! I sent them home it little blue Chinese to-go boxes :)

In the left corner is a danish wheel from a bakery in Costa Mesa courtesy of the Boudeaus... it was amazing... along with the monkey bread and breakfast casserole made by sweet Lynn Andriese who can COOK/BAKE!

On the far right are the pancake kabobs Gavins mom and I made. The night before the party I made over 100 mini pancakes. In between them are whipped cream and strawberries. YUM.

Gavins Dad, Grandma Grandpa and Mom... so glad I had their help!

the beautiful Kayla and Kelly

loved opening presents... she is loved!

If you look closely Kenleys candles are lit here and we are singing happy birthday... she kept her eye on me the whole time with a big smile on her face. A whole week later and she is still singing "happy birt-day to Kenweee!"

Joie, Kyle and David... cutie pies.

cant believe I will actually have a 2 year old this Friday... love you baby girl!

3 ingredient healthy-ish ice cream

For this week, I am juicing before noon (only raw fruits and veggies in the juicer) and the rest of day I am going "paleo" (no dairy, grains or legumes)... I felt so good after I did this last time and on day three I feel like a million bucks.

This morning I am making this three ingredient "ice-cream"... cant wait to see how it turns out!

Almond Butter & Honey Banana Ice Cream

makes 2 servings
1 1/2 peeled medium bananas, sliced into coins and frozen until solid
3 tablespoons almond butter
2 teaspoons honey
Blend bananas in food processor until they are the consistency of soft serve ice cream. Blend in almond butter and honey, and transfer to a freezer container and freeze until solid.

birthday breakfast

I cant wait to do a longer post about Kenley's party when I have a little more time but I couldnt resist posting the video of everyone singing happy birthday. We hadnt even practiced blowing out candles but she totally did it all on her own!

lucky for me, I wasnt the one behind the camera today (shocker!) so I am also waiting on a couple different people to send me pics before I do a real post. I definitely have to share a couple DIY tutorials that helped make the party a little cuter.

It was such a perfect day with an amazing group of people who are beyond generous ;)

Kenley did so great and had so much fun with all of her little friends. She just went down for a nap and I think she might sleep until tomorrow.

Happy Fathers Day to all you awesome dads out there (especially the ones who spent their morning with us) and most importantly, the one that didnt. Gavin missed Kenleys party all together because he worked at the golf course from 6am-2pm. (We started breakfast around 10).

He makes it all possible.

pics to come!
jess

essentials for a sick baby

Thank goodness Kenley has been a very healthy baby. I cant count the times on one hand that she has been truly sick. This is probably because she is at home with me most of the time (so thankful for that), has a balanced diet, and is on a good schedule.
The worst was her scare with Roseola when she was 6 months... which there is no cure/medication for and then our lovely bout with the stomach flu last summer which the following wouldnt apply to either. But unfortunately the occasional cold is inevitable and right now Kenley has a pretty good one.
We had a ROUGH night sleep Monday night and by the time I got home from work on Tuesday she was a mess... but! luckily I can come home with a couple quick fixes.
I would highly highly reccomend three products (all totally natural solutions) to help with the common baby cold.

The first is the Nose Frida. This thing is AMAZING. Its been my favorite new baby gift to give ever since I was introduced to it at Kissui. It sounds totally disgusting but let me explain. Yes, the suction from mom or dad's mouth IS what gets the snot out... but the snot goes nowhere NEAR your mouth. Even with Kenley's worst cold it has never even gone half way up the little blue tube that stores it. Even if it were to go all the way up there is a little sponge filter to catch anything that should come up. Ever tried a bulb aspirator?? ... they suck. And by that I mean they DONT suck! haha (k, you know thats funny.) But really guys, this thing WORKS! It gets all of the gross stuff out that keeps baby from breathing well and getting a good nights sleep. Now of course it's not Kenleys favorite when I whip out the Nose Frida and she sees it coming. She knows full well  what it is, but its quick and all over with within 30 seconds. During cold season we have customers RUNNING in for this thing... and usually its the parents who initially saw it in the store and commented on how gross it sounds... desperate times call for desperate measures people!

The second neat little Kissui gadget that I would reccomend for a sick babe is the Raz Baby Vapor Clip. This thing is awesome.

The little bear on the left in the above picture has a little slot (that locks and closes so that baby cant open it) that a fingernail sized pad, that is eucalyptus/menthol scented, is inserted into. The same little bear on the left clips onto baby's shirt and the other end is a pacifier clip. (It doesnt come with the little bear on the right, just the clip around it) So even if your baby doesnt take a pacifier you can take the paci-leash off and just leave the scented clip on their shirt. I swear Kenley breathes better with  it on... I wouldnt mind using one myself next time I have a cold.


Lastly, every parent needs a humidifer... especially if you live in the Inland Empire. Even if Kenley isnt sick and the air just seems grosser than usual, I will turn this thing on.

Im sure there are lots of good brands but this is the one we have and I love it. Its called the Crane-USA cold air humidifier.

Hope that helps any of my new mama friends :)


Feel better Kenley!

celebrate good times, c'mon...

Coming at you on a smoggy hot Monday afternoon (a year older!) after a very fun/busy weekend down here in ol' Riverside.

Kenley and Gavin and I just made our decent off of the side of Mt Rubidoux. I wanted to go earlier this morning knowing that it was supposed to be a scortcher today but Kenley let me sleep til NINE this morning... and I took full advantage.

There were lots of critters that were out and about up there this afternoon. Nothing like bounding into a full sprint to avoid a swarm of angry bees.

notice the little lizard (or "din-ah-sore" as Kenley was calling it) in the top left corner??

as for this weekend...
my birthday was so much fun, super low key and spent with some great people. Tuesday night Gavin got a group together to go to taco tuesday... there ended up being 14 of us, I felt so loved!... they even sang to me  :::embarrassing:::
my actual birthday (Friday) I spent with just Gavin and Kenley and got a quick lunch and drinks with my friend Kaley while Gavin was in class. I got some extremely sweet phone calls, cards, flowers and gifts. I feel like this birthday more than ever and the older you get, its so much less about things people do or dont get you and MORE about who takes the time to call instead of text/facebook or send a quick card etc. I try to be really good about that myself so it always means a lot to me when friends do the same. I really do have the best friends in the world... still making me feel so special from 500 miles away.
We ended the day at the drive in movies... SUPER fun and a great alternative to the movies with a two year old.

The rest of the weekend was crazy as usual. Saturday Gavin worked at the golf course from 6am-2pm and had to come right back to take a final at 3 (yes, on a Saturday). As soon as he got back we jetted out the door to get to Mae and Miles (Kissui friends) birthday party. You may remember they are the adorable brother/sister duo that Kenley hangs out with on the occassional Thursday. We honestly all had so much fun, such an awesome group of people that I am going to miss so so much. Kenley slept like a champ that night after chasing around her little friends and bouncing in the bouncy house.

Mae and Kenley

even made some new friends

slightly obsessed with this outfit I thew together :)

Straight from the birthday party we jammed on over to our friend Eddie's going away/"signing" party. For those of you who dont know, Gavin had the opportunity to play with a stellar all-star pictcher at UCR... who will now be taking his talents to the Chicago Cubs organization. Eddie signed with the Cubs on Friday and exactly a week later will be shipping out. It is such a HUGE accomplishment and I really cant think of something so awesome happening to a better person. Eddie and his girlfriend Kaley really have been our closest friends down here and have been such a huge help in so many many ways. We will truly miss them as well. It was a teary/sappy goodbye but we wish him all the very best in the world. Cant wait to see you pitch in the BIGS Eddie!

And speaking of giant accomplishments... GAVIN GRADUATES THIS WEEKEND!!!!

His family, grandparents included, are making the trek down to watch him walk the stage. Most of you know how absolutely huge this is. How fitting that it should be the day before Father's Day :)

Keep him in your thoughts and prayers during finals week!

We will also be celebrating Kenley's 2nd birthday this Sunday with a few close friends and family (since Gavins will already be here). It is a "breakfast" theme and if all goes according to plan, should be very cute.

Love, J