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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