emerald city diaries – Page 50 – family + adventures + the emerald city

my weekend in pictures.

20151106_165622430_iOS {baby Violet & Eloise had so much fun together!}

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{waiting for brunch at the new Portage Bay with Auntie Meg & Vi.}

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{Eloise insisted that she carry this book up the stairs with her. Oh boy!}

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{whenever Sadie comes in from outside, Eloise grabs the towel for wiping off her feet. it is so cute!}

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{we are hosting Friendsgiving this next weekend & my to-do list for this week isn’t too bad.}

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{we went to Auntie Sara’s to work on a project & Eloise loved reading with her.}

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{I have been working on organizing all of Eloise’s old baby clothes & storing them by size. it is crazy to see all of her old clothes & how tiny they all are!}

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{Eloise has an AWESOME bath Mohawk. thanks papa!}

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{Friendsgiving day prep! I am officially done with all of the DIYs, hooray!}

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{Eloise wanted to be outside with papa this afternoon.}

this weekend was a bit blustery & definitely felt like fall. we didn’t have a lot of plans, but it felt like we got things done! sadly, the holiday family photoshoot we had this morning didn’t happen due to the rain, so pray for some drier weather this week! also, how can it already by a week into November? how was your weekend? M

friday I’m in love.

Welcome back Friday!

{one} 5-minute strawberry frozen yogurt.

5-Minute Healthy Strawberry Frozen Yogurt #recipe {via Just a Taste}

We don’t keep ice cream in the house all the time (I really shouldn’t eat it since I am lactose-intolerant) but I sometimes want an icy treat. Last night we tried this frozen strawberry yogurt & it was so delicious! It took a while in the food processor & we had to take some of the yogurt out half-way thru in order for all of the strawberries to be blended up. Aaron recommends using a Vitamix if you have one!

{two} livie & luca shoes.

'Flint' Leather Crib Shoe (Baby & Walker)

{via Nordstrom}

I have been looking all over for shoes for Eloise now that she is walking all over (practically running!) but have had SO much trouble. Why do toddler shoes all have to be either pink & glittery, or superheroes? It is awful. I LOVE Eloise’s FP moccasins still (she is still sporting gold), but she needs something more weather-proof for the rainy season. I finally found a cute pair of neutral shoes (they are probably boy’s shoes) at Nordstrom & really like them! They have elastic laces & Velcro so they are super easy to put on & easy for Eloise to walk in since the soles are really flexible. Plus, they were on sale!

{three} hardcover chatbooks.

nie-nie-blog-1000

{via Chatbooks}

I have used Chatbooks to make Eloise’s quarterly books – all of our phone pictures compiled chronologically. I love having them as keepsakes, we sent them to the grandparents as gifts, & Eloise has a few copies that she loves to flip thru! Just this week Chatbooks announced that they are doing hardcover books!

what are you loving this week?

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my weekend in pictures.

{lately, eloise wants to have her sunglasses on & will keep them on for a few minutes. on Friday, she wanted them on while we were grocery shopping!}

{world series – go Mets!}

{Lower family pumpkins 2015.}

{we had the Andersons over for Halloween & these little ones love each other.}

{the start of our neighborhood’s annual Halloween parade, complete with the drumline from Roosevelt High School. have I ever said how much I love our neighborhood?}

{our friends Elliott & Emily & their puppy Winnie – last seen here – also joined us for the Halloween festivities. Winnie was SO tired!}

{no get-together is complete without Cards Against Humanity – the kids were asleep!}

{on our way home from brunch this morning, Eloise’s entire cup of milk dumped into my diaper bag. I was literally pouring milk out of my wallet & the bottom of the bag… this was Aaron’s solution for a drying rack! Luckily, everything seems to have cleaned up well & I didn’t ruin the car key in a puddle of milk.}

{seahawks at cowboys. tough game & it wasn’t pretty, but we won!}

{we didn’t get any family pictures on either of our phones – it was wet & windy, but a total fail! – so this picture of Pebbles & Dino will have to do until I get pictures back from Aaron’s brother. we took this photo with us last weekend when we dressed up as Fred & Wilma.}

We had a soggy, but fun weekend celebrating Halloween & the last bit of October. We took a family walk this evening & there was such a chill in the air – winter is coming! (Game of Thrones reference, anyone?) It feels like we are super busy already & we are only the first day into November! Christmas is only 8 weeks away… so much to do! How was your weekend?

friday I’m in love.

Welcome back Friday!

{one} gathre mats.

MIDI City Scape - Love Taza + Let's Playground

{via Gathre}

Naomi over at Love Taza has been one of my favorite bloggers for years! I love her little family & her quirky style. She lives in NYC with three littles & it sometimes makes me want to move into a big city! Any-hoo, she collaborated with Gathre (formally Let’s Playground) on these great mats this past year & I wanted one in each color! The mats are made of a bonded leather with a suede backing & work well for picnics, painting, & everyday messes. This collaboration was “sold-out” pretty quickly, but I just got word earlier today that they are having a warehouse sale this week of the remaining stock for 50% off! I may have picked up the Micro Stripe (perfect for diaper changes sans diaper bag)

{two} hello.

{via YouTube}

I was apparently living under a rock because, until yesterday, I hadn’t heard Adele’s new single “Hello.” Aaron introduced it to me just last night, & I am already obsessed. I can’t wait for her new album to drop next month.

{three} anthro sale.

anthro is having a limited time sale – 30% off sale items with the code: XTRAXTRA. I usually don’t find much in my size by the time it hits extra-clearance, but I was able to pick up this cute tank on sale. A tip for sales: I started putting things I like at Anthro into my cart (even at full price) because when you are logged into your account it saves what you add & then shows you the markdown when there is a sale! And if it isn’t available in your size by that point, it will show as unavailable.

what are you loving this week?

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my weekend in pictures.

{we went to visit aaron at work on friday afternoon & stopped by a “break room” to explore.}

{I was putting the finishing touches on Eloise’s Halloween costume – Pebbles Flintstone!}

{Hunter boots
for toddlers!}

{I actually made this tassel & it is awesome!}

{it was game day on friday, & Eloise & Aaron were cheering on from afar!}

{performing our civic duty – don’t forget to vote!}

{I love this age. I was helping Aaron organize his shed in the new backyard & Eloise was up early from a nap & joined us! That vest, those boots, & look at that grass!}

{we left Eloise with a (non-family) babysitter – for the first time! – & headed to Ben & Sarah’s annual Halloween bash. It was so fun to see these costumes come to life after weeks of planning & sewing. We even made the walk-off for best costume!}

{the Halloween décor at the party is out-of-control!}

{one gal at the party was taking polaroids with the camera mounted to her helmet. I love this one of Fred & Wilma!}

{I came up this morning to find Aaron & Eloise enjoying some Sunday morning football.}

{I finally had time to start into a big sewing project – lengthening our living room curtains – which has been on the back burner forever. I am so excited about this!}

{since I had Halloween decorations out, I thought Eloise would like to play with one of the many pumpkin buckets we have acquired. she was practicing her trick-or-treating for saturday!}

we had such a fun weekend, celebrating Halloween a little early & really enjoying the fall weather. we got a good amount done around the house & got to sleep in (even though we got home SO late on saturday night!). fall in seattle is so fun & the weather has been pleasantly mild. but I still can’t believe we are quickly approaching the end of October – what?! how was your weekend?

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our trip to texas {san antonio & austin}.

I apologize for the slight absence this past week from the blog. we unplugged & enjoyed the past week on a family vacation to TEXAS y’all!

it was great to have some family time to explore new cities & to hang out with friends. the entire purpose of the trip was to attend Jess & Cale’s wedding (Aaron was a groomsman), but we went down early to visit my very good friend Meg & her family (we have known each other since we were 12 & have been friends ever since! i also know her husband from high school, so it was a little reunion of sorts!).

{san antonio}

{eloise loved looking at the planes from the gate while we waited. she even waved at the ground crew guys, but I am pretty sure they didn’t see her!}

{eloise was catching up on some reading during the first part of the flight.}

{after lunch, eloise napped. hooray!}

{we had an amazing lunch at Bird Bakery & I wish I could go there every day. they have amazing sandwiches & cupcakes!}

{eloise & violet (Meg’s daughter). it is hard to believe there is only 8 months between them (Vi is 6 months)! they are BFFs already.}

{we headed down to downtown san antonio to the Riverwalk we had heard so much about. Meg suggested we take a river cruise & it was awesome! we learned so much about the history of the Riverwalk & the city, & it was so gorgeous!}

{#imonaboat}

{there was beautiful architecture all along the Riverwalk.}

{a group shot! eloise’s morning nap was a no-go hence the pacifier in the middle of the day!}

{& then we ventured down to the Alamo. I had no idea it was in the middle of downtown.}

{there was a gorgeous old & huge tree right near the Alamo.}

{the obligatory family shot in front of the Alamo.}

{the girls weren’t too keen about the fur trapper hats, but they sure were cute!}

{we hit up Bakery Lorraine for lunch & I had to try the French macarons. they had an Earl Grey flavor, so it was pretty much my favorite thing ever!}

{Meg & I took the girls to the DoSeum which is the brand-new children’s museum in town. it was such a great place & even though the girls are little, there were things for them to do. there was a little town & eloise had fun exploring all around. she loved putting the mail in the mailbox!}

{we played a few games of Settlers of Catan. it was fun to play after a few years & it makes me want to play at home!}

{I had my dresses for the wedding (I had three sent – one back-up size & one back-up style which you will see below) sent to san antonio so I didn’t have to do an eight-day rental. I was a little nervous since I would have had just one day to find a dress if none of the dresses fit, but Rent the Runway did not disappoint!}

{austin}

{this little one was so good at the wedding rehearsal & so ready for lunch!}

{picking up aaron’s wedding suit. it was a formal wedding, but no tuxes. the guys looked great!}

{we watched the first half of the huskies vs. ducks game, but it was too late to stay up for the entire thing! it was a sad loss, but I am proud of UW for not letting it be a blow-out!}

{shenanigans with eloise. those are her shorts on her head!}

{this was the outside of the chapel at the venue. “A” is for Anderson!}

{after being with just mama all day while papa was celebrating pre-wedding with the groom & the wedding party, eloise was so happy to see aaron after the ceremony! she had seen him thru the window as he was waiting to walk down the aisle & was pretty disappointed when he had to walk right past. she did pretty well during the ceremony with her pacifier & a stolen set of crayons (from the little boy in the row in front of us) that she used to make really pretty artwork all over the inside of my satin clutch… but she didn’t scream or cry, so no complaints!}

{the wedding party’s table. the bride & groom sat in that little settee in the corner! the dinner menu was BBQ, so we stripped all the kiddos down to their diapers for dinner, & I tucked my napkin in like a bib!}

{this was our family photo from the guest book. I love instant photos!}

{we asked the pro photographer to take a family photo (hence the great lighting!) & then we filmed a little bit for Jess & Cale’s video photobooth! my dress was this Marchesa from RTR & I was so in love! We still aren’t sure what was going on with Aaron’s hand!}

{one of my favorite new photos!}

{I had the BEST wedding dates y’all!}

{we made sure to get a group photo with the new Mr & Mrs Anderson!}

{this is one of me, Hailey, & Carmen. yep, that’s a booster seat in my hands; we shared it between eloise & lily for dinner!}

{my back-up rental dress – which was this Monique Lhuillier – was a twin to the dress that I made for Eloise for the wedding. & we had to get some photos in our matching dresses before I had to return them!}

{you can see the back of Eloise’s dress here – a huge bow!}

{we went to Torchy’s Tacos for lunch & it did not disappoint!}

{we made our way to the “greetings from Austin” mural & Aaron set up the timer on my phone for a great family photo!}

{& there just happened to be a French patisserie right next door to the mural. So we wandered in & found ourselves with a half-dozen macaroni to-go!}

{Austin is a really young town & very hipster. I feel like this picture is a good representation somehow – a huge aloe vera plant & a silver airstream!}

{downtown Austin.}

{this was a great mural right down the street from our rental house: living the good life in Austin.}

{we learned at the Alamo about how there was a Mexican cannon in our possession & we basically said “come & take it” & then they did… this was a nod to that great act at Frank’s.}

{our cute little rental house. In a bit of an up-&-coming neighborhood, but so nice on the inside!}

{we drove out of Austin to The Salk Lick for some BBQ lunch. It did not disappoint!}

{my two lunch dates hamming’ it up!}

{posing with the BBQ pit. That thing was impressive!}

{we had a few hours in Austin before our flight so we headed to the Thinker which is a children’s museum that focuses on science, technology, engineering, arts, & math (STEAM). Most of the museum exhibits were too old for Eloise, but we did find a few that were perfect! It was nice to get some wiggles out before the flight.}

{a giant light-bright! I was in love.}

{Eloise loved the lights too!}

{Eloise & Aaron running round with our buddies Andy & Lily (who were also on our flight!)}

{Eloise fell asleep almost immediately on the flight – & we had the entire row again, thank goodness – but after the flight attendant announced that the fasten seatbelt sign was off & then om & then off (a billion times), she woke up… she was really pretty good the entire flight & only fussed when we tried to put her in the Ergo to sleep. She was awake the entire time we de-boarded, got our bags, & walked to our car. As soon as we got her buckled into her seat she was out!}

except for the piping hot weather (it was in the mid-80s!) we LOVED Texas. seriously, it was a really fun place to visit. luckily we had a rental car (which you absolutely need) & got to explore all over san antonio & austin. if you ever get a chance to visit, we highly recommend it!

eloise did really well traveling, & we were super (super) lucky to get the entire row on both flights! it helped tremendously to have a bit more space for her to wiggle; aaron & I sat in the aisle & window seat (respectively) & eloise bounced around between sitting on the seat, climbing up & down, & standing. the hardest part of the trip was that eloise slept terribly the first three (out of four) nights we were in san antonio. like the worst she has ever slept. I think part of it was the time change, part of it was sharing a room, part of it was teething, etc., etc. even though she wasn’t sleeping well at night, she napped fairly well (even with one nap per day on some days) & wasn’t really grumpy from lack of sleep. when we got to austin for the second part of the trip, we all slept so much better! we rented a house on AirBnB & it was perfect. we wanted a kitchen, two bedrooms, & close to downtown & freeways, & it met all of those requirements. I also set up baby gear rental which changed my life! we brought down our own car seat & stroller (both check for free on the plane) but didn’t want to worry about bringing other gear down, especially since Meg had a highchair & Pack N Play for us in san antonio. so I searched before we left & found I Love Baby Rentals in Austin & set up a rental for: a Pack N Play, audio monitors, booster seat, & activity table. it was delivered & set up at our rental house, & then picked up by the owner – so awesome! I highly recommend this if you are traveling with littles!

thanks for having us Texas!

friday I’m in love.

Welcome back Friday!

{one} a Halloween dinner party.

dinner party ideas for Halloween or autumn - via Style Me Pretty:

{via Style Me Pretty}

Halloween is one of those holidays that I have grown fond of over the years. Aaron & I have a fun time dressing-up (usually in a couple costume!), our neighborhood has the best Halloween parade & a million trick-or-theaters, & chic home décor (thanks Pinterest!). I really LOVE this idea of hosting a dinner party on Halloween!

{two} disposable bibs.

Bella Tunno Disposable Bibs

{via Amazon}

{three} Ella’s kitchen snacks.

{via Ella’s Kitchen}

Eloise has always been a great eater, & every meal I thank my lucky stars! I feel like we did a good job starting a wide array of foods early on, with an emphasis on veggies, but I have come to grips that I won’t be able to make every single thing she consumes. It is nice now to have finger foods & I recently was told about this brand: Ella’s Kitchen. Organic, no added sugar, real food. I picked up a whole bunch of things (puffs, sticks, crackers, bars) at Whole Foods for our trip last week & it was so nice for snacks or supplements to meals. Eloise really liked everything (though she prefers Larabars to the Ella’s Kitchen bars – called nibbly fingers) & it was so easy to have something ready to go! I am not a huge fan of food pouches, so this is a great choice for us.

what are you loving this week?

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my weekend in pictures.

{we had sod delivered & installed on friday. happy dance!}

{I have already started incorporating some ideas from the new Young House Love book! I needed an idea for all of eloise’s weekly pictures & this poster print from Social Print Studio is perfect! I am obsessed & so is eloise; every time we go by it she stops & points at all of the pictures!}

{our landscape designer dropped off a few new trees on saturday. in the pouring rain. that is aaron out there braving the weather too!}

{& inside it was also wet when eloise opened the plug on the bottom of her water toy! my first thought was that her diaper was leaking (!) but then I realized it was just water. phew!}

{packing for our trip coming up this week. it is going to be HOT!}

{happy second birthday to our good friend tahlia! she had a dinosaur birthday & eloise had a blast!}

{aaron & I spent the better part of the morning planting trees. plus, this is a sneak peek at our yard!}

{finished off the weekend with a PSL & a fresh mani – perfect!}

we had a great weekend, but boy it flew by! we were super social on saturday hosting a PEPS get-together (6 one year olds – so fun!) & attending a 2^nd birthday party, & it poured rain all day long! today we were super busy in the yard, planting trees & getting the dog run area ready – thanks for all of the work on the yard babe! I shared a picture of the yard above & promise to share a full yard update soon (it looks so amazing!). how was your weekend?

eloise {fourteen months}

{lion: jellycat via nordstrom // tunic: Carter’s // leggings: Target // moccasins: Freshly Picked // book: Olivia Saves the Circus}

{month fourteen} this month it feels like eloise really went from an infant to a toddler (even though that officially happened when she turned one!) because she started WALKING! she was cruising all around before (meaning she could walk along if she was holding on to something, like the couch or coffee table) & even standing for a few seconds on her own, but now, now she is everywhere! when we were out on Orcas Island a few weekends ago was when she really started wanting to walk on her own & would go from point A to point B. now she is gaining a lot more momentum & learning how to balance, & it is amazing to watch her learn! she still can’t stand up on her own without having help (she needs something to climb up) so if she falls, she crawls until she gets to something she can stand up on, but I know that will come in time. these days she toddles (or waddles?) all around & it is the best. she still does better when she is holding onto something, & these days, the more things she has in her hands the better! does anyone else’s kid like to hold a million things in his or her hand at once? even though walking is brand-new for eloise, I know she will be running in no time, which is absolutely terrifying!

this month has also been a big one for teeth. eloise has gotten nearly all four of her molars in the past 6 weeks & we are blaming any extra fussiness or weirdness on them! aaron also noticed last week that eloise is getting her canines as well… oh boy. at least we are getting it all over with at once, right? & honestly, I can’t really complain. sure she has been up a few times at night in the past few weeks (which is a definite change from her sleeping entirely thru the night – 12 hours!) & we are blaming it on teeth, but who can blame her? I can’t imagine how painful it is to get molars (that is so much tooth thru the gum!) & she is still such a happy kid! the craziest part for me about her getting all of these teeth right now is that she looks so much older. once her canines come in, you really won’t see any more gum when she smiles.

a new trick that eloise has learned is to put objects inside a basket or bowl. this is a huge progression since she basically throws everything out of her toy baskets! while I am not counting on her to help me clean up all of her toys just yet, it is nice that she can put some of her toys away. you just have to be careful because sometimes she is nicely putting things away & then all of the sudden pulling them all back out! with this new found skill has also come being able to take simple direction. eloise will bring a toy or book, or stop doing something if I say “no thank you” (most of the time!). it is pretty cool to see how much she understands!

speaking of understanding, the last few weeks have also brought signs, as in sign language. we have been signing a few words to eloise since she was a newborn, but she didn’t really seem to notice until now. eloise can sign for milk, water, more, & please. I had my doubts about whether she would ever sign & if I was just signing for no reason at all, but lo & behold here she is signing away. it is awesome for me to be able to communicate with her & know exactly what she wants. sometimes she signs for water when she wants something to eat (they are the same sign to her) & she tugs on the neck of my shirt when she is thirsty (a habit that has stuck from nursing during the day), but she is doing so well. I want to start using “thank you” & a few other signs too. what signs to your kids know that I should be using?

eloise has also started to cuddle with toys, particularly stuffed animals, & it is the cutest thing ever! she LOVES leo the lion who is the one in all of her monthly pictures. he is still about half her size, so she has to work at hauling him around. we also have a lot of different Jelly Cat stuffed animals (the smaller ones) thanks to Grammie & those are perfect for her right now! even though her lovey giraffe is her go-to for naptime & bedtime, she sometimes will grab another stuffed animal on the way to bed to cuddle with.

since we have had such a sunny & warm fall, we have continued to spend a lot of time outside during the day (& of course, now the rain is starting…) since it is nice to be in the fresh air & I think that being outside, even for a little bit, helps eloise sleep better! we don’t live near the airport, but are under a flight path so we get a few planes fly overhead. eloise has always noticed planes when we are outside & will look up & point them out. she can even find them in the sky when they are too high to hear! lately, if she hears a plane & we are inside, she will point up to the sky. such a smart little one!

like last month, eloise is still really into giving things – food, toys, books. food seems to be a little random since sometimes she wants to eat what she just gave you & other times she isn’t interested in eating it (at least at that moment). it is great when she brings over books because it gives us a chance to peruse a book during playtime. we read a lot of books each day since it is the first thing she wants to do when she wakes up & the last thing she wants to do before she goes to sleep; we must read at least a dozen books each day!

as I mentioned last month, eloise was back to see her physical therapist about her head tilt. since then, she was discharged because she had progressed enough, meaning her head tilt was not really present. I occasionally see it when she is tired or in her car seat if she is sleeping, but most of the time eloise has a straight head! plus, now that she is walking, she is really upright. even her cranial sacral therapist (who is like a baby chiropractor & we have been seeing since eloise was a newborn for both head tilt & latch issues) was so impressed with how straight & upright eloise was just the other day!

as I mentioned above, we have been noticing a change in eloise’s sleep, both during naptime & at nighttime. eloise is still taking two naps per day, for the most part, but I am starting to see signs that she may be ready for just one nap. yikes! a few weeks ago she actually went on a napping strike in the morning & for two or three days didn’t take that morning nap, & she seemed okay with it. I was ready to get her on a one-nap schedule, & then she started taking her morning nap again. I am mixed about the transition even though I know it is going to happen sooner or later. the biggest thing for me is that during her morning nap is when I get ready for the day (shower, get dressed) & check email, etc. I know that I will have more time to do things once she is down to just one nap, but I sure will miss two! eloise has also started waking more during napping & nighttime. she never used to wake up in the middle of naps, but she does now & I will go in & rock with her, lay her back down & she will go back to sleep. she is also up at least once during the night. part of it may be that we were out of town, but she seems to be waking around 6 or 6:30 am & wanting to nurse & then go back to sleep (until 8). & in the last week she has been waking around 1 or 2 am & wanting water. it is a pain to go upstairs & get her a cup of water in the middle of the night, but since she is going right back to sleep afterwards, it is hard to complain. I am hoping this is just a phase & she will get back into her normal sleeping patterns.

and finally, in the past few days, I have noticed two things: eloise is happy to sit & actually listen to a book being read (she used to just flip thru the pages as fast as she could!) & she started waving with her entire arm for hello & good-bye (as opposed to just with her hand which was really cute because she turned her hand towards herself & waved!).

{weight} I am guessing around 23 or 24 pounds, but I haven’t weighed her since last month!

{hair} dark (reddish) brown. it is starting to get long & is layered in the back with side-swept bangs in the front. (we are getting close to mullet territory so she may need a haircut soon!)

{teeth} four bottom teeth & four top teeth, two molars (one top & one bottom) with two more coming in, & the start of all four canines. phew!

{eyes} dark brown.

{clothes} 12 month, 12 to 18 month, 18 month, & some 18 to 24 month (though it is really big!)

{diapers} full-time cloth {bum genius freetime, pocket, & elemental} & honest company size 4 diapers at night with a bum genius diaper cover.

{feeding} during the day, 4 hour cycles. nursing once a day (after she wakes up in the AM). 2 to 4 oz of milk in a sippy cup at mealtime, though she prefers water.

{likes} books, mama & papa’s cell phones, toys that squeak or rattle, singing & music, Sadie, standing, FaceTime, bathtime, standing, her snack cup, shoes, mama’s (diaper) bag, laughing.

{dislikes} having something taken away from her that she really wants to have, diaper changes, (sometimes) her carseat.

{nicknames} Bug{s}, Love Bug, Baby Bug, E, Wheezy, Kiddo, Love, Bugaboo, Ellie or Elle.

happy fourteen months eloise!

friday I’m in love.

welcome back Friday!

{one} tiny tassel tutorial.

{via The Sweet Lulu Blog}

I have been having a recent love affair for tassels, on pillows & even my key chain (I have one from K. Slademade but it isn’t available anymore. Boo.) Any way, I pinned this tassel tutorial some time ago & I want to make one (or a bunch!). It is super easy! Maybe for our front door key?

{two} WA high school rankings.

{via U.S. News & World Report}

While we have a few years (um, 15?) before Eloise will be going to high school, it is something that I think about a lot. Partly because I can’t believe she is ever going to be that big & partly because the public high school is just three blocks away. The U.S. News & World Report for 2015 ranked the top Washington schools & guess which one made the top ten? Yep, Roosevelt High School is #8 (& in the top 500 nationally)! Wahoo! One of the greatest things about our location is the school district (sort of planned & sort of sheer-dumb-luck) & I am thrilled! Eloise Lower – Roosevelt High School graduating class of 2032!

{three} our sweet Sadie dog.

{from Sadie’s 9th birthday}

So first, a belated birthday shout-out to our number one dog Sadie who turned 11 two weeks ago! We were out on Orcas Island & Sadie had the best time with our rock-star dog/house sitters! & two, Sadie got an A+ on her check-up today. It was just a routine exam & updated vaccines, but the vet was impressed with how well she is doing in her elderly age. The only thing was that the vet tech mentioned maybe cutting back on some kibble since she is clearly getting some extra food scraps (read: Eloise)! We were working on trimming her meals down already, but noted! We love this lady & even though she doesn’t get as much of the spotlight anymore, she still has our heart!

What are you loving this week?