Steph's Pick | Hannah Anderson PJs

Mar 30, 2012

Ever since stumbling across a pair of PJs at Costco (yes... Costco), I've never turned back.


The footless pjs from Hannah Anderson are hands down my favorite pjs for the girls. No questions asked.

Why? Well - a number of reasons. First, they're cute. Second, the fabric is stretchy, thick and soft (not always easy to come by when looking for jammies for lil' ones). And thirdly, I love that I can buy them at Costco ($15/each). Any place I can buy a large amount of paper products, eat yummy samples AND buy cute clothes is a win, win for me! ;)

Now I can't guarantee that your local Costco will be carrying these lovely PJs - but it's worth a shot!

Happy jammie searching!

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Steph's Pick | Subway Art

Mar 23, 2012

I have a new found {mini} obsession... I love subway art! Just check out my Pinterest account and I can guarantee you'll find a good sprinkling of this type of art throughout my boards.

In light of this I decided it was time to get my DIY Craft/Design self on and create my first subway art piece.

After a couple hours in Photoshop I finally decided on the below design.
Cool, huh?! I'm a little biased myself (obviously).

I ordered it in poster size (24x36) and can't wait to get it in the mail this next week! I'm thinking I'll either frame it or glue it onto a canvas of some sort. Thoughts?

If you're interested in reading more about what all went into writing Elsie's blessing, you can do so HERE.

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in our home :: iowa vacation

Mar 15, 2012

We were totally itching to get back to Iowa to see my family for awhile now. Especially since my parents have bought (and moved into) a new home. It's been over a year since we had been back and we figured it was time to bite the (money) bullet and take the whole family for a week.

Here's our trip in review...
1) Thank you Allegiant Airlines for flying direct to Cedar Rapids, IA. You've made my flying life significantly easier.... especially with two little ones.

2) Nora was all smiles upon entering the plane and flying on an airplane. She LOVED it.

3) I just had to swing by my parents old home (the one I grew up in) and take a quick picture. For memories sake (tear).

4) And this is their new place. Their new place is a perfect home to host family and friends in and to grow old in. There will be so many memories made in this home - we loved it!
1), 2), 3) & 4) Despite it being a very mild winter, we were super stoked to have one of the few snowfalls happen while we were there! And Nora was even more excited than we were! I can't get this girl to wear a coat in AZ (too restrictive I guess?) but as soon as she heard that in order to play outside in the snow she'd need to wear snow pants, boots, coat, hat and gloves, she was all about it.

Alan spent hours outside with Nora - building snowmen, sledding, throwing snowballs - all of the fun things you can do in snow (and not in the desert).

I unfortunately played outside for a total of 10 minutes before landing the sled (which Nora and I were both on) on the corner of a step. To my embarrassment (and everyone else's humor) this little "accident" landed me in the ER with a broken tailbone.

Let's just say I was thankful for the pain meds and inflatable donut for the remainder of a trip.

If you'd like the extended version of the story you'll have to call me. It was actually pretty hilarious. Let's just say the extended version includes three pairs of ripped pants, blood, frozen peas, my dad taking me to the ER and the ER Dr. telling me "Looks like you broke your a**!" Good times.

**Note for all of you mommy readers - don't break your tailbone. Just don't do it. It's amazing how dependent you are on it when it comes to caring for children :(
1) & 2) Alan and I spent one of the days we were in Iowa traveling to Ames - where we met 10 years ago (aww...). This was the first time we had been on Iowa State's campus since graduating so it was a wonderful treat to drive and walk the campus and see all of the changes that have since happened. We loved the four years we spent at ISU.

In all honesty it kinda made us want to go back to college. We had such incredible memories in Ames.

3) & 4) We were also able to meet up with some friends for the afternoon and evening. Brian and Allie are two of our dearest college friends. We had a little double date with them in downtown Des Moines. So. Much. Fun.
Love you Allie!

And these are my wonderful parents with the girls! We couldn't appreciate and love these two more than we do! What a blessing it was to spend a full week in their home.

We also spent s significant amount of time seeing other family members that live in the area(ish) - both sets of my grandparents drove to Mt. Vernon for a few days, my aunt Peggy was in town for a day, and my uncle Mike and cousin Matt flew in to see the girls for a day as well.

1) & 2) Here we are at happy hour with my brother, Erik, and his wife, Amy. Buy one get one free drinks? Yes please!

Every minute we spend with these two makes us want to live closer.

3) & 4) And then it was time to go home (boo).

It was an awesome trip! Definitely one of those trips that makes you miss "home."

Thanks mom and dad for your incredible hospitality and generosity. We love you!

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sister comparison pic | 10 months

Mar 10, 2012

It's been 5 months since I did a sister comparison pic (insert tired mommy sigh).

Elsie is growing up so fast. I just wish I could bottle up all of this cuteness and keep it around for another few years. I'm already thinking about (aka : just started a Pinterest board for Elsie Birthday Party ideas) this little girl's One Year Birthday Party!

Many of you have asked me if Elsie is different than Nora, and if so, in what ways.


Here's what I've discovered (so far in her 10 short little months of life)...
  • Elsie is VERY sensitive. A stern "NO!" makes this little peanut bust out in tears. This isn't so much the case with Nora.
  • Elsie is not spirited. Nora is the poster child for spirited children.
  • Elsie's energy level is pretty middle-of-the-road where Nora is bouncing off the walls (on most occasions).
  • At Elsie's 9 month appointment she weighted in at 16 lb 12 oz. Nora at 9 month was 20 lb 12 oz. A whole 4 lb difference.
  • Elsie isn't the best sleeper. Nora has always slept like a champ.
  • Elsie has already consumed more meat in the past 10 months than Nora has EVER consumed. Really.
  • Elsie's little tummy just doesn't really like dairy. Which essentially means we buy her very expensive formula - boo. Nora probably could have drank milk straight from a cow. :)
All in all they are two very different little girls but both exactly who God created them to be and we love them both so very dearly.

Till next time...

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Steph's Pick :: Postagram & Sincerely Ink Apps

Mar 9, 2012

Looking for a way to simplify your life? Aren't we all?!

Since being introduced to the wonderful world of apps on my iphone just 6 months ago, I've found some amazing make-my-life-so-much-easier apps.

Two of these specific apps are Postagram & Sincerely Ink. Both of these apps have greatly helped reduce the time it takes for me to send snail mail (and you all know I love me some snail mail).


With Postagram you can brighten someone's day with a postcard you've created using Postagram and a photo - either one you take with the app or snap from your phone's library or even Facebook. The app is free and the postcard is only $0.99.

So easy.... and so cheap.

Get the free Postagram app for iPhone or Android HERE. {Sign up using my link and we both get one Postagram postcard free!}

Sincerely Ink is very similar. Sincerely Ink allows you to choose from their 30+ card designs and include photos from your phone (if you'd like) and customized text.

Sincerely Ink postcards are 5x7 in size and very high quality. Like Postagram, the Sincerely Ink app is free and the cards are $1.99 (which includes shipping).

Happy App "Shopping"! ;)

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