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