Grable Getaway: Oregon Coast

Back in January, Sam proposed heading to the coast for a few days to relax & discuss our plans for the upcoming year. As someone who loves to travel (near or far), I was immediately on board! The thought of getting away with my boys without the distraction of regular life was very appealing.

Fast forward to last week.

Prior to our trip, I prepared my heart and body for cold winter weather by packing rain jackets & scarves, but those items remained in our bags as we soaked up some (rare) February sun. With a rental just steps from the sand & some of the mildest weather I've ever experienced on the Oregon coast, we entered this trip with hopeful hearts.

As you can gather, we played AND rested hard!

In a matter of just a few days, we explored several different areas along the beautiful coastline, spent hours dreaming + discussing what the next year(s) might hold for us, and experienced a handful of firsts with our little guy. It wasn't elaborate, but it was memorable, and that was exactly what we needed!

And he said, “My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest.” Exodus 33:14

Dear Calvin // Ten Months

Dear Calvin,

What a fun month!  I am honored to get the chance to watch you experience everything for the first time and love seeing your reaction to even the most simple things.

This month, you finally decided crawling was cool. Sometimes, you still prefer to army crawl, but you're getting faster + faster on your hands & knees.  You have also mastered standing up (with something to hold onto) and I'm sure it won't be long before you're walking... ((tears))

Other things to note for your last month:
*another tooth (to the left of your bottom two teeth)
*we are still introducing you to real food, but it's slow
*you are starting to wave, sporadically

It's getting harder to photograph you because you are a mover, but occasionally you want to snuggle with us and we soak up all the hugs + kisses you want to give us!

Keep growing, little one!

love,
mama

[one month]

[two months]
[three months]
[four months]
[five months]

[six months] 

[seven months] 

[eight months] 

[nine months]

 

What's In My Bag?

I don't know about you, but my diaper bag is a workhorse.

I just keep stuffing things in until it seems like it's going to burst, but yet there is always one more little area to cram something into.  Maybe it's that baby stuff is generally tiny or maybe they are just magic :)  Either way, here is what you can find in my diaper bag at any given time:

1. Jacket // living in the Pacific Northwest, we generally see rain at least 6-8 months out of the year, so this is a necessity.

2. Wubbanub pacifier // we have two of these and they are Calvin's favorite.

3. sippy cup // Calvin hasn't mastered the sippy cup, but he likes playing with it, so it comes along.

4. blanket // Aden + Anais swaddle blankets are good for just about anything, so we tend to carry one with us at all times.

5. nursing cover // I generally don't nurse as often when we're out, but keep this on hand just in case.

6. diaper + wipes // enough said.

7. toys // something to keep Calvin's attention while we're out, even if only for a little bit.

8. wallet // thanks to the zipper, I can cram just about everything into this one.

9. essential oils // lavender, lemon, OnGuard, DigestZen... just a few of our favorites to use on Calvin throughout the day.


What are your diaper must-haves? Anything I'm missing?


I was not compensated for my thoughts on the products mentioned above, they have just become some of our favorites over the last few months.

February Goals [with Grace]

One month into 2015 and I'm already tired. Partly due to Calvin's latest sleep regression, but also because of my own doing.

When January arrived, instead of treating it as a fresh start, I just carried on some of my (failed) goals from the past several months and kept working. But that's just it --- whatever I was or wasn't doing, was not working for me and ultimately left me discouraged month after month.

So for February, I've decided to step back from my usual goals & focus more on some self-care...

February Goals:

1. Participate in Nancy Ray's Contentment Challenge // For the next month, I want to control my instincts to buy stuff because we have some financial goals we are working towards, not to mention impulse purchases are generally unnecessary.

2. Walk 3x/week // Seems easy, but most days my laziness takes over and my body (& mind) suffer. This month, I want to get out of the house more, even if just to walk in circles around the neighborhood.

3. Go on a date with Sam // Admission: since Calvin was born, my marriage hasn't been the priority that it should be... So, I'm setting the bar low with one date, but I'm vowing to find a babysitter and spend alone time with my husband! What a concept, right?


Linking up with The Tiny Twig // Goals with Grace