11 Months and 12 Months

i'm finally getting back on my computer to a share a few photos. since i'm playing catch up and we celebrated our little man cub's birthday last week i decided to post the eleven month and twelve month entries together. i wrote the eleven month entry and snapped these photos a few weeks back, but with the holidays sneaking up on us so quickly things have been crazier than usual around here.

at eleven months you are walking tall, screaming loud, laughing hard and cuter than ever. mama and daddy's baby is quickly turning into a toddler. where to begin… so much has happened during this month. you are officially walking, attempting to sing, hugging more and you love to laugh before bed. i think you get sleepy giggles. you hate wearing socks and remove them as soon as you get the chance. it must be because you prefer to practice running bear foot. you explore everything (touch everything) and your love for music continues to grow. your favorites on your playlist seem to be songs from the sound of music, edward shard and the magnetic zeros, and that silly fox song everyone seems to like.

 

 

mama and daddy can't believe you are a year old. where did the time go?! it has been such an amazing year. we have had a great time. you bring such happiness to our home. your walking has turned to sprinting especially if it leads to trouble. you love to stand on things and will climb onto or into anything you can, like the dishwasher, your bachi's coffee table and stairs. i swear you have super sonic hearing. when that dish washer door opens you come running and if someone forgets to close the gate at the bottom of the stairs you are on top of it. you definitely keep us on our toes. your favorite game is peek-a-boo at the moment. it's very funny. you are also talking a whole lot, but we only understand a few words. your newest words are dog and dora which you say often. you insist on eating your food in a bowl with utensils. you have even mastered your fork while eating eggs (your favorite food.) we are so proud to be your mama and daddy.

 

 

xo, beth-ann

Happy Birthday Nana

my husband took these photos last summer of his mom and our little man. 

i think they came out great.  

happy birthday nana! xo, kingston

For Him: Want. Need. Wear. Read.

want : need : wear : read

our gift purchasing continues here at camp anywhere. next up are gifts for the husband. i usually find him hard to shop for but this year has been very easy. not sure if it's the want, need, wear, read theme we got going on this year but whatever it is i like it. want: keith has been wanting to brew beer ever since i can remember. the growing popularity of brewing at home has many small brewing companies offering brewing starter kits. big timber brewing company out of saco, maine offers an affordable brew kit which is perfect for a first timer. i'm excited. need: several years ago i gifted kieth a deadstock velcro wallet from the eighties for valentines day. i didn't realize the dimensions were super small when purchasing it so when it arrived i was a little sad thinking he would not like the petite version of what i had in mind. however, he loved it. he claims he no longer has wallet budge. there is no room for non-necessities. recently his beloved wallet has become a little on the holey side. we both love frank clegg leatherworks so this year i thought i would surprise him with one of frank clegg's pieces. bonus. frank's workshop is super local to us. we try our best around here to support local business. wear: men's shirt are always the best. i wish they made the same shirts for women. this cozy fleece lined flannel from llbean is no exception. i love the buffalo check and it's perfect for the guy that hates wearing a winter coat. read: a beer brewing kit would not be complete without a good book. how to brew is apparently the must have book for home brewing according to our local brew masters. i can't wait for the first batch.

xo, beth-ann 

For Baby: Stocking Gift Guide

play. one, two, three // need: one, two // create //  build // cuddle // mimic

i was always most excited about my stocking as a little girl. the presents i could have done without and been quite content with a cute sock full of goodies. my mother always did such a great job hunting for nice little surprises. according to her it was hard to find good stocking items on a budget. there were no dollar stores or online shops. even with these available it took me a while to find items that i liked for a one year old. i certainly went a little over budget, but i included a few things he needed and figured since we were being minimal on gifts under the tree i could splurge a little on stocking stuffers. i also find that he likes to walk around with smaller toys in his hands. plus smaller toys are awesome for a baby on the go.

play: shatters and clackers make fun noises and i just love the porcupine by green tones so perfect for tiny fingers to grip. need: green sprout toothbrush/teether this is our second one and it is great for those back teeth. my little one is also ready for a new cup. i really like this one from dwell studios. the thermos will keep his drink cold and the top will hopefully keep the drink inside. we will test how unbreakable and leak proof it really is. our man cub has gone through two cups already. he likes to launch them to the floor. create: these jumbo beeswax crayons come with a canvas carrying case and received great reviews on old mill candles etsy. i can't wait to try them out. build: i think tegu are some of the best gifts around. this pocket pouch of magnetic wooden blocks are fun for ages 0+. they are currently running a 25% off sale and keep an eye out for deals on sites like zulily. next year a full set may be on the gift list i think. cuddle: i admit that this little guy i may like more than kingston, but i couldn't help myself. jacob is a native american linen doll from the leilalou doll shop on etsy. mimic: our little man is constantly reaching for our phones and anything that looks like a phone, mostly the remote control, goes straight to his ear with his best attempt at a hello. when i spotted this cute phone made by the original toy company with it's colorful buttons i knew i had to get it.

xo, beth-ann

For Baby: Want. Need. Wear. Read

want : need : wear : read

keeping up with the same theme of want, need, wear, read for our little man's christmas gifts as we did for his birthday is not as easy. there are so many nice gifts ideas available for the holidays it was hard to not over purchase. but we are staying strong and continue to remind ourselves that he will be receiving from family also.

here are the items that made our final cut. want: i scored the vintage radio flyer at a local consignment shop for twenty bucks. they are common on ebay starting at about forty dollars. its perfect for riding around on our hardwood floors this winter. need: we are big fans of the columbia fleece bunting with waterproof shell. since he has one for winter already we purchased the next size up for spring. he is growing so fast. wear: i love smartwool. after purchasing there infant socks this spring i discovered that they make kids xs wintersports socks that are perfect for keeping tiny toes warm outside. i couldn't resist this matching the north face hat. bring on the snow. read: books. its so hard for me to control the book buying and remember our local library is a five minute walk down the street. after seeing robert mccloskey's beautiful children books for years in shops in maine i figured what a great collection to have at home. and you know once they get their favorites that's all they want to hear (over and over again.) in our family, all the boys seem to be creatures of habit.

i also wanted to share this link for making your own want, need, wear, read gift tags.

xo, beth-ann

Wanna Wrestle

this little man cub has been waiting for the chance to wrestle with these two. while we were in maine he finally got it. he was one happy baby and the boys thought this was quite entertaining. the older boys ages three and seven were so good about taking their ruff housing down a notch so the youngest could join the fun. after a bit i removed the little one and let the big boys have a quick pillow fight before settling down for a story. a good round of laughter before bed gets the wiggles out and is good for the mind and soul.

happy bedtime, beth-ann

Want. Need. Wear. Read. | First Birthday

want : read : need : wear

the holiday gift giving theme of "want, need, wear, read" dominated social media last year. the ideal to strive for minimalism has captured people that feel overwhelmed with our purchase happy culture. i'm definitely included in this group and have been attempting to declutter our lives for the past year. we still have a long way to go. however, adopting this theme to gift giving will at least help us control what we bring in to our lives.

our little man cub's first birthday in coming up right before christmas so the gift guide is actually a birthday one. want: this drum by plan toys makes the best sounds. their toys are so well made. i'm really happy with the few we have. need: warm baby base layer from the north face. we will put this to good use for outdoor winter activities. wear: this are the cutest corduroy's from sunshine salad on etsy. read: i can't get enough of these baby lit board books. his collection is growing. i love that kingston and both his cousins really enjoy these books. together their ages range from zero to seven. last year the oldest started reading them to the younger two. he is so proud to be reading and teaching his brother and cousin.

xo, beth-ann

Lost Halloween Photos

just found these cute photos from halloween on my camera. we were busy preparing for our huge crowd of trick or treaters that i forgot that i snapped these before dark. keith and i agreed to go low key with the costume this year. i had purchased the hoodie from old navy on sale after last halloween while pregnant. i figured it was festive for a boy or girl (we never found out what we were having.) the skeleton pj's were a gift from my mom. and the best part is he still wears both. a few years ago my friend made her older son a skeleton costume out of white felt, thick red thread, a black zipper hoodie and black jogging pants. she used a template to cut out her felt bones (similar can be found here.) she also used an adhesive webbing to stick them to the fabric and stitched them with red embroidery floss. it is a perfect costume for our chilly new england halloween nights and he wore it all winter. he actually may still be rockin' the cute hoodie.

our little man cub is quite the wiggle worm these days. it is not easy snapping a clear photo of him. i did my best. i'm actually surprised any of them came out. guess it is time to up the shutter speed and learn how to take better action shots.

xo, beth-ann

10 Months

mama and daddy can't believe you are already ten months old. everyone told us it would go by fast but, wow! this is lightning speed. you are changing so fast and becoming a little boy right in front of our eyes. recently you have perfected the figure four leg lock and twist around our arms during diaper changes, a persistent fish hook to my bottom lip while nursing, the strongest pinches i have ever felt, the turn and speed crawl away from us, the word "no" in a french accent along with a few other choice words that we will not mention and a fierce case of curiosity which is getting you into all kinds of trouble. good thing we love you so much. it also helps that you have started to become more cuddly. you give eskimo kisses and rest your forehead on ours. it's super sweet. your ability to melt our hearts is incredible.

<<< special thanks to auntie jocelyn for the super soft black dog tee >>>

xo, beth-ann

Under the Weather

everyone has been a little bit under the weather around here lately. the last few weeks have been filled with tea, tissues, saline spray and snot suckers. add teething to the mix and we have one unhappy house. keith and i try our best to only use medication when absolutely needed so i'm forever looking gentle natural remedies. our little camper sports him amber teething necklace regularly to help with teething and we also give him chamomile pellets sometimes to help soothe him. however, once we have exhausted these we definitely turn to tylenol or motrin. recently, i saw this baby foot chart online and thought it is worth sharing. i have been giving kingston a gentle foot messages while nursing. i pay special attention to his toes. he loves it. if i forget he reminds me by placing his foot in my hand. it's very cute that he knows exactly what he wants and is not afraid to tell me.

* image adapted from pregnancy plus

xo, beth-ann

Maine Weekend

a few weekends ago we piled pups, kids, aunts, uncles, mamas, papas and grandparents into several cars and drove north to the coast of maine. we are super lucky to get to visit this beautiful area several times a year and stay in this cozy sun filled boathouse rental on the water. it's such a peaceful relaxing place. the weekend was filled with family, close friends, comfort food, and lots of fall like activities. there were tractor rides, corn mazes, pumpkin hunts (similar to an easter egg hunt), walks in the woods and my favorite a boat ride around the coastal islands. everyone had a great time, especially the boys. i was a bit under the weather most of the time, but our gracious host kept me supplied with cold tea from china and cough drops from switzerland, thank you, thank you, thank you. here is our little family holiday in photos.

dinner at conte's 1897 this is always a fun and interesting experience. our family embraces the quirky scene of his place and can't get enough. you can read about the owner here in down east magazine. he is quite the character with an eatery to match. my nephew sam insisted on running into the kitchen and saying hello to the chef after dinner. he had been trying to get into the kitchen from the moment we arrived. he received a trophy of garlic seasoned tongs for his courageous and determined efforts. sam is so proud of his prize (and he might be flipping us off here for holding him back most of the night. not sure.) 

the boat was the best part of the trip. keith and i love the ocean and being close to the salt water. we hope kingston will also love and respect the sea. he was quite happy and content out there so we are off to a good start. can't wait until he is old enough for sailing lessons. our local state park offers them right down the street from our home.

i have mentioned on this blog before how much i like using websites like homeaway.com and airbnb.com for vacation rentals. we find that they allow you to immerse your self in a local and live like a local for a short period of time. in addition they are often more economical than hotels and with kiddos having separate rooms for napping and a kitchen for snacks/meals makes travel less stressful. i also ran into a brilliant local business owner that rents baby and toddler gear to travelers. she's the owner of lil' sweet pea's consignment boutique in rockland, me. her rentals include anything from cribs and baby carriers to a bucket of sand toys waiting for you upon arrival. the company serves hotels, inns and rentals in the midcoast maine area. i just think it is such a clever idea. 

until next time maine! xo, beth-ann

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