OLIVE TURNS 8 MONTHS

the photo's for these monthly updates are getting difficult.  we seriously have such a wiggle worm.  she doesn't sit still for more than two seconds. [as you can see from the pictures above]

olive is 8 months old!!! where has the time gone? she is learning so much every single day and more and more of the "baby" in her is disappearing. :( i can't believe in 4 short months we will have a ONE YEAR OLD.

> olive weighs 16 pounds 7 ounces.
> she has her first tooth and working on her second.  she has been such a champ through it all. we've had rough nights, and sad moments but over all she has done really well with the teething thing.
> she's crawling!! about a week after christmas she was crawling. she loves that she can get around all by herself. and she keeps us very busy.
> she loves water. and big girl food.  she would much rather eat what we're eating than her baby food.
> she LOVES cheerios and marshmallows from the lucky charms :)
> "dada" came out of her mouth this morning while she was playing with dave.
> she always has oh so many stories to tell.  she loves to laugh.  and is all smiles, all of the time.
> she loooooves to wave to people.
> she started to [try] to pull herself up on couches, coffee tables, etc. at the beginning of the week and is now PRO at it.  she thinks it is the coolest thing on this planet.
> also- today, she let go of the couch and was STANDING all by herself for a good 2 seconds......... all by herself!!! what?!
> she loves to hold your hands and walk, walk walk.  last night she was walking and holding just ONE of my hands. [i think we'll have a walker sooner than we think]
> she's still horrible at sleeping. poor us, right?
> she loves reading stories and playing with her toys.

we love this little one so dang much, it drives me crazy!! i still can't believe how big she is getting.

HOW TO DISPLAY YOUR PRINTS

i've said this before, and i'll say it again- i love being a mom! but it is hard work. from the get-go i  knew that i needed a hobby, something that i enjoyed doing on my free time. whether it be nap time or when olive is playing with daddy, i needed something that i loved to do.

i love anything to do with designing and creating new things. so i started my etsy shop selling prints.  i think prints are the new way to spice up your home a little bit!!

i received an email from Tiny Prints that inspired me to pursue a creative way of displaying prints. so i thought i would share with you!!

[wall art] this is probably the most popular way to decorate with prints. it's easy and simple. and can be added with your family photos hanging on the wall.

[center pieces] most everybody has a coffee table in their living room or family room right? instead of having a bare table, spice it up and throw a small frame with your favorite print!! or throw it in the middle of your dining room table for parties!

[entry way] your entry way is the first thing your guests see as they walk into your home.  and you want it to look good!! here, is another location to place your favorite saying.

[scrap booking] i'm not way into scrap booking, but i know a lot of people out there are.  i think placing one of your favorite prints inside your family scrap book would be a great way to change things up.

how do YOU display your prints in your home???

i am so excited for my 14 days of valentine's this year.  i started this last year, and would surprise my husband with something lovey dovey every day until valentine's day.  this year, i wanted to change it up.  for 14 days i will be posting a new print (here on my blog & on my etsy shop) for $1.00, ONE DOLLAR! and guess what the best part is? it will be available for instant download, so you can print it right away.

thanks for stopping by, and while you're at it- head over to Tiny Prints and check out all their adorable stationary!! 

EMMY LOWE PHOTO

a while back, i entered to win a free photo session with emmy lowe photo. i never win anything that i enter so i was shocked when i found out that i was the winner!! shocked and so excited! we scheduled our shoot for the saturday before christmas, we've had our pictures for a little bit now- i'm just finally getting around to posting them! we love how they turned out. olive was a happy baby the entire time, but we could not get her to smile!!

CALIFORNIA ROAD TRIP

grab a snack, there's a ton of pictures! enjoy.

 (10 hour car ride with a baby= a long drive through the night)

(olive's first experience at the ocean)

 (dave took olive paddle boarding near the beach. she loved it!!!)

(the pool was definitely olive's favorite part of the vacation, can you tell?!)

we enjoyed our little road trip to cali, the warm weather, the beach, and time with friends. olive and i are trying to convince dave to move there...... some day! ;)

LOOKING BACK ON 2013!!

two thousand and thirteen was filled with so many happy memories, i still can't believe that it's over.  we rung in 2013 for the first time as a married couple, celebrated my 22nd birthday, had lots of baby showers, celebrated our FIRST wedding anniversary in park city, dave turned 28 years old, we moved, welcomed our sweet little baby girl into this world, enjoyed a low key summer with a few small vacations, survived the newborn stage, dave started working on his own, we celebrated olive's first thanksgiving and christmas, and enjoyed another new years eve together.... and not to mention our 7 month old decided to stay up until midnight with us!!! we can't wait for this new year and what it has in store for our little family!

HAPPY 2014!!

i am so excited for 2014- a lot more than i usually am to start a new year! i think it's because i am excited for what our future holds! and i am much more motivated to accomplish a few goals that i have set for this year.

-go through the temple.  this has always been a goal of mine.... or more like a dream.  after having olive my feelings changed drastically about this {in a good way} i have been going to the temple prep classes, and my goal is to be able to go to the temple by my birthday or by our anniversary!

-eat healthy.  this is always everyone's goal.  it's hard to do, especially when you have such a sweet tooth like i do.  there are a few foods that i am going to cut out of my diet. dave and i are cutting out all sodas, caffeine, etc- only water here at this house!

-get out of debt.  not much can be said about this one.  we're hoping to accomplish this by june, if not sooner!

-exercise.  i love to exercise.  it's just hard to find time and a babysitter to get to the gym.  i'm really going to make this happen this year.  my goal is to lose 10 pounds and really tone up my body.  enough said.

-i started my etsy shop in the fall of 2013. i have many, many goals and new ideas for 2014!! i want to succeed and increase my numbers for this new year.

-pretty sure i've set this next goal before as well- read a book once a month.  12 books a year.  i feel like the longer i am out of school, the more.... dumb....? i feel.  reading one book a month will change that.  any good book recommendations? send them my way!

bring it on 2014!!