December 31, 2015

New Year Reading Goal

I love reading and I love books. I have a serious book hoarding problem. Just ask my husband. I always have a mountain of books in my "to-be-read" pile and it's ever-growing. 

At the beginning of this year I made one new year resolution. I was going to read more. I had gotten into the bad habit of watching Netflix in my free time and completely stopped reading. I really wanted to change that. 


In a few short months after the start of 2015, I was going to birth a human. Perfect timing, I thought to myself. I'd have endless free time to read while I fed Taylor! Well it turns out keeping a baby alive is hard work. You don't get much sleep (imagine that) so when I was feeding the baby, my zombie-like mind wasn't exactly in the mood to read (or think in the slightest). I watched a lot of Downton Abbey and re-runs of The Office instead. Netflix/Amazon Prime/Hulu was easier on my mushy brain. 

Fortunately, I did manage to read a little in 2015, however little that was. I'm ending the year with a grand total of eight books. You read that right, a measly eight books. This next year I'm determined to make my list of completed books longer. I joined Goodreads and that has inspired me in my reading endeavor. I've also found some awesome accounts on Instagram that post book reviews and their current favorites.

If you want to follow along and see what I'm reading (and keep me accountable), you can visit this page or add me on Goodreads. I'd also love to know what your favorite books are. Leave a comment telling me what I have to read next and it will be added to the mountainous "to-be-read" pile.
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December 26, 2015

Best of Snowstorm 2015

This Christmas was one for the books. We had a fantastic holiday, but that will get a dedicated post of its own later on. 

With the new year approaching, I decided to look back through the past year of posts. It was a great year for our little family. Andrew and I bought a house! I had a baby! We kept a baby alive for 8 months and counting! We went on trips and adventures and made lots of memories. I'm so glad I have this blog to document all of our experience.


Below are a look at both my most popular and my personal favorite posts from 2015.  






And of course every month of adorable Taylor pictures.
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December 21, 2015

Merry Christmas

Fun fact about me - I've never sent out a printed Christmas card before. This year I got a little farther than I normally do and whipped up a card on the computer (thanks to Brooke and her mad photography skills for providing us some family photos). Maybe next year I'll finally be a grown up (we'll see) and get to the post office with a non-digital version. 

Until that day, here's wishing you and yours a very merry Christmas from the internet.


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December 13, 2015

Lovely Links, Vol. 6 (Holiday Edition)

+I'm a big fan of life hacks so when I stumbled on 51 Life-Saving Holiday Hacks on Buzzfeed, I knew I had to share it. Most of these I look at and think, "Duh, how did I not think of this before?"

+If you're in need of an advent calendar, Sugardoodle has a great one available. Here's the description from their website: "We know how crazy busy December can get and how hard it can be to help your family focus on Christ so we've created a really cute "A Savior Is Born" 12-day advent and it's free!  Each day you add a numbered pennant flag to your advent banner. The pennant has a scripture on the back, a short topic to discuss, and a simple activity. Keeping things short, simple, and festive just the way you need them to be!  All of the printables and activities were designed to be inexpensive and easy to create.  Most require only card stock, scissors, and less than 15 minutes of your time."

+One of my favorite things from this year has been the 12 Days of Social Media. The LDS church has released a video the last 13 days from a new YouTube star. All these videos will definitely get you into the holiday spirit.


+Did you know there's a book version of the movie Home Alone? It is adorable. I think I will have to purchase it to add to our growing Christmas book collection.

+I can't have a holiday edition without including a link to the Santa Tracker. I realize Santa isn't heading anywhere until Christmas Eve, but until then there's a Christmas countdown, games, and fun educational activities for kids.

Want more?
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December 3, 2015

8 Months of Taylor


We had a great Thanksgiving with lots of food and family in Nevada. Unfortunately, when we got home, Taylor and I became sick. We're still recovering and have spent our week staying in our pajamas and taking lots of naps. There's nothing sadder than a sick little baby.

This past month, Taylor has become increasingly more into snuggling. If he's sitting next to me, he'll lean his head against me or reach to be held. It's very sweet and I hope he stays cuddly. He isn't crawling yet because I think he prefers us carrying him around. I'm hoping he'll be crawling by Christmas, when he has lots of mobile cousins around. That may be a long shot for this lazy boy, but we will see,

Other than that, I'm just excited it's December and that Taylor will be experiencing his first Christmas season. We will probably set up our Christmas decorations today and I can't wait to see what he thinks of all the lights on the tree.

And of course a Taylor post wouldn't be complete without some adorable pictures:

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November 25, 2015

25 Days of Christmas: Book Advent Calendar





Ever since I found out I was pregnant, I've been counting down the days until I could share the holiday magic with my little one. Taylor is still a bit too young to understand what's going on, but I can be excited enough for the both of us this year. Since we're still a new little family, Andrew and I have been trying to think up traditions to start.

When I saw a tradition that involved a countdown to Christmas with books I knew it would be part of our family's celebrations. Instead of an advent calendar (or in addition to if you want to go all out), how about unwrapping a new holiday book each day leading up to Christmas. Books are some of my favorite things in the world. Andrew has to constantly remind me that our baby doesn't need more books (I beg to differ). This is the perfect excuse to purchase some more (or use books you already have) (or you can borrow from the library, wrap them up, and then return them after you're finished).

I have a loooong list of books I want. I've put those plus a few others I've rounded up below so you can be inspired for your 25 books of Christmas.

Did I miss any books that are a must? 
I'll keep updating the list as I find more.
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November 5, 2015

7 Months of Taylor

Two days late, but Taylor is seven months old! This month he experienced his first Halloween and has started sleeping through the night! He's becoming a pro at sitting, has mastered the fake cry, and loves to wrinkle his nose when smiling real big.

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November 1, 2015

Baby Travel Basket With Huggies

This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #HuggiesForHolidays #CVSHuggiesHeroes #CollectiveBias

I can't believe it's already November which means the long awaited holiday season is upon us! I am so excited that this year we get to celebrate with Taylor in tow. People have always told me that holidays are much more fun once you have kids, and it's so true!


As thrilling as it is to now have a kid to share in all the excitement, it can also be a bit challenging. One of those challenges we will be facing this Thanksgiving. Holidays often result in traveling to celebrate with family and friends, but having a baby in the car for any length of time can be a nightmare.  We are headed to California for turkey day which translate to an 8 hour drive to reach our destination. We've already taken a few long car rides with Taylor and have learned some tricks along the way. The trick that has helped us the most is to always have the car stocked with the needed essentials. We keep everything Taylor might need in a basket that stays in the car. Here is everything we have in our travel basket.


Sophie: Taylor is a teething monster right now. He loves Sophie the Giraffe so she goes with us pretty much everywhere. If you're wondering if she's worth the hype (and money), she is. I was skeptical in the beginning too, but I'm glad I decided to make the purchase.

Sippy Cup: Taylor doesn't really drink from it yet, but he loves chewing on the spout. I figured it's good practice for the future and an easy-to-hold teether.

Blanket: We love our Aden + Anais swaddle blankets, so one always goes with us in the car for naps.

Extra Outfit: We haven't suffered from too many blow-outs just yet, but I know as soon as I don't pack an extra outfit, it will happen.

Diapers: Obviously these are needed.

Boudreaux Butt Paste: This is the best diaper rash ointment out there in my opinion. If his bum starts getting a little red, this clears it up instantly.

Huggies Clutch N' Go: This is my new favorite thing. I've always been a fan of Huggies, but this is a game changer. I like the Clutch N' Go for two specific reasons. The first one is rather silly, but I love looking through the different clutches to pick out a new design. Second, the convenience. I think I have one of these in every room of the house. In fact, I like these so much that I made Andrew take us to our local CVS last night in the middle of Halloween festivities to pick up some more when we ran out of the ones in the diaper bag. Plus with Huggies being the number one, dermatologically tested, brand choice for moms, you can't go wrong.


I would love to know how you survive road trips and the holidays with kids, so please share in the comments! You can click here to see how others are using Huggies to survive the holidays and don't forget to visit Huggies website for coupons, parenting tips, and more!

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October 15, 2015

Baby's First Camping Trip

Andrew and I both love camping. Except we haven't gone camping together the entirety of our relationship. By the time we had a chance to go, I was already pregnant, and sleeping on the ground in the wilderness didn't seem that appealing in my uncomfortable state. 

Luckily, about a month ago a chance came knocking at our door once again. My brother Blake and his girlfriend Lisa invited us to come camping with them on The Rim (which is near Payson). We packed up Taylor and our dog Harley and met Blake, Lisa, and their two Mastiffs for a weekend of camp fires and s'mores.


People warned us that camping with a baby would prove challenging. We lucked out with our dream baby and he was an absolute delight the whole time. The one mishap we did have was when Taylor decided to pee all over himself mid diaper change one night. A wet baby and cold weather do not agree. Other than that, I think Taylor is a big fan of camping.
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