I thought I would share a roundup of Valentine’s gift ideas for him, her, and for toddlers! As a first time mom, I was the most excited to put together a Valentine’s gift guide for toddlers. I had a lot of fun working on that one, so I hope you guys enjoy it! It’s always a little tricky finding things that aren’t candy candy or just too cheesy. As always, I try to offer ideas of gifts that are classic and timeless. There is something for everyone’s budget as well!
Not only have we been celebrating all of Sage’s first holidays, but Andrew and I have been celebrating all of our first holidays together too, which is really special! I can’t believe that after 4 months of dating, we didn’t have a single photo of just the two of us. It was about time to correct that, so we thought we would get dressed up in honor of our first New Year’s Eve together. It was really fun seeing each other in our fancy party attire, and I think we look pretty snazzy if I do say so myself!
Andrew and I recently filmed a video for my socials of five easy gluten free breakfast ideas. We spent the whole day baking and shooting these delicious recipes that we have been enjoying for days now. I snapped a few photos on my camera that I thought I would share in this blog post with the finished dishes as well! I thought it would be helpful for those of you that are gluten-free or have recently gone gluten-free. For those of you that are new here, Andrew is a chef & food consultant and these recipes are all from his cookbook, “The Simple Art Of Gluten-Free Baking Cookbook“.
I wanted to show Andrew this beautiful spot that my family and I have visited several times since moving to the Phoenix area. Superstition Mountain is located in Apache Junction has been the backdrop for many photoshoots like my full term maternity photos and some family photos with my mom and sister after Sage was born. I thought it would be the perfect spot for capturing some holiday photos of Andrew, Sage, and I as well! I love that I have captured so many life milestones in this gorgeous desert setting.
In early November, we went on our first trip together as a couple, and as a family! Andrew, Sage, and I spent a few days in Flagstaff and boarded Arlo at a local dog boarder. During our time there, we stayed at an amazing hotel, High Country Motor Lodge (read more here), and ate at some incredible local restaurants. In this blog post, I am sharing those spots as well as fun things we did while touring the city! I actually visited Flagstaff with my parents last year (read that blog post here), while I was still pregnant and healing from my traumatic breakup, so it was very full circle to go back with my son and new boyfriend Andrew. It was such a great trip, and I can’t wait to see where we end up going next!
I am just now getting Sage’s seven and eight month updates up, the months have been flying by! He had his first cold at seven months which was super tough because I was sick too. He started sitting up, and rolling on his own, which he was very pleased about! He also started taking swim lessons, and he loves splashing around in the pool at my parent’s house. This boy was definitely meant to be outside! I couldn’t wait to spend more time outdoors with him when it cooled down here in Arizona. At eight months old Sagie had four teeth and several more are popping through. He loves eating his homemade blends, and going on walks! Nighttime sleep was super tough, and at the end of eight months he was down to two naps during the day. I was super excited to take him on some fall trips, and to experience his first holiday season (my first holiday season as a momma).
This time of year has been extra special, not only because it’s baby Sage’s first holiday season, but also because it’s our first time celebrating them as a family with Andrew and Arlo! Meeting Andrew this year was such a blessing after everything I went through in the past year, and I have so much to be thankful for. I remember being so sad last year at this time while I was still pregnant, and emotionally recovering from a difficult breakup. It’s amazing how much has changed in a year! Andrew has brought so much happiness into my life, I’m so lucky to have a second chance with an amazing man who makes my son and I feel so loved.
The month of December is already flying baby! For those of you that are new here, my son Sage Wylder was born January this year, so it’s his first holiday season which has made this time of year even more special. Things have been crazy over here! Andrew drove the whole gang down to Colorado so that we could spend Thanksgiving with his family, and we just bought tickets to fly down there for Christmas. I somehow found the time to throw these holiday gift guides together for those of you who need some ideas for what to gift your loved ones this year, hopefully you find them helpful!
When we moved into our new rental house, I was so excited for Sage to have his own nursery! While Sage and I were living at my parent’s house, we had to share a room. Luckily the room was big enough for me to have my bedroom space on one side and his nursery space on the other, but I was really excited to decorate a true nursery room for him. His furniture set from Dadada Baby is so perfect for this modern neutral nursery for baby boy! In this blog post I will be highlighting the furniture and other decorative aspects of Sage Wylder’s new nursery.
We had the best time on our trip to Flagstaff and an amazing stay at High Country Motor Lodge! Formerly a roadside motel, the property has been renovated into a beautiful 4 star boutique hotel. It’s located minutes from downtown Flagstaff which made it really easy for us to sneak back for Sage’s naps in between exploring the city. It was the perfect hotel for our first family trip! With a unique nordic spa experience in a mountain setting, a cocktail bar & lounge, and it’s convenient location I couldn’t recommend this hotel more for your visit to this Arizona mountain town. In this blog post, I am sharing our experience at the hotel!
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