L.A. Vacation Family Photos

During our California trip, we stayed in a charming rental home in Los Angeles with the loveliest enclosed patios full of succulents and citrus trees. My dear friend Amy of Reams Photo paid us a visit from San Diego and did an impromptu family photo shoot for us one afternoon because the setting and light were just too pretty to pass up. I love how she captured this moment in time for our family. These are a few of my favorites.

Family Photos at Joshua Tree

During our California vacation, we stayed at Joshua Tree National Park for one night. I'd come across these beautiful family photos a while back, so I wanted to take some of our own during our brief stay. Despite the hot sun, a rattlesnake sighting (eep!), and Harrison getting a face full of sand, we managed to capture a few sweet moments. It seemed fitting to share them today since I'll be enjoying my first Mother's Day this weekend. I'm so happy to be a part of our fun, little family. Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful women out there!

Food Tees

 

I think our little family of three could use a set of these shirts. Next on the list, donut tees.

Teething Toys

We're at a phase now where everything Harrison gets his hands on goes straight to his mouth -- so we may as well give him something cute to gnaw on. These teethers from Little Sapling Toys are handcrafted from maple, naturally anti-bacterial, and I love the simple, modern look.

I Bought It, I Like It: Diaper Bag

When I was choosing a diaper bag, I wanted to keep things simple, sophisticated and make sure I picked something my husband wouldn't be embarrassed to carry. I ended up going with this faux leather option by Canadian brand Matt & Nat, and I've been so happy with it. You can carry it by the handles or the strap, and there are internal dividers and zippers to keep things organized. I especially love the accessibility of the outside pockets for my phone and keys. It meets all my mama pack rat needs, but it's stylish enough that I can see myself using it beyond the baby stage. The tan shade mine came in is no longer available, but Land of Nod is releasing the same style bag in black, navy, clay and natural later this month.

This series highlights items I've purchased with my own money that I think you would like too.

Gifts for Your Tiny Valentine

Chocolate and flowers are good for grown-ups, but if you want to show your little ones some love on Valentine's Day, here are some gifts that are as cute and sweet as they are.

[found here: 1. onesie 2. origami bath boat 3. stuffed lion 4. bib 5. heart sunglasses 6. night light 7. heart teether 8. car 9. hat and mittens 10. moccasins]

Three Months

Harrison is three months old today so I thought I'd share a bit about him and our life as of late. It feels like just yesterday that we brought him home, and at the same time, I can't remember what life was like before him. Amidst the blur of feedings, diapers and every baby-related Google search you can imagine, I'm finding such joy in motherhood. Harrison is smiling a lot now and getting noisier, and it never gets old. If we're lucky, we can get a grunty little laugh out of him, which usually requires us making fools of ourselves.

We're slowly working towards getting him on a schedule. Naps are unpredictable at this point, but at night he'll sleep from about 11pm to 5:30am, which I'm enormously grateful for. He's been sleeping in a bassinet in our room, but I think he's about ready for the transition to the crib. We're all about swaddling as flailing arms are the thing that consistently wakes him. And since he Houdinis his way out of them, the double swaddle has become our go-to method.

He loves his car seat and has proven to be a great traveler with a 17-hour car ride to Savannah and a flight from Austin to Seattle. We haven't snuck him into any Oscar-nominated movies, but Jonah and I have taken advantage of this portable infant stage. Early dinners at restaurants and coffee outings on the weekends are our primary entertainment these days. Harrison generally sleeps while we sit and stare at him or look at pictures of him on our phones. We're pretty much head over heels around here.

Where to Stay: House vs. Hotel

I've always loved a good hotel. A pool, room service, tiny shampoos, they're all part of the joy of vacation for me, but more and more, I find myself drawn to vacation rental homes. Over the holidays, we took a quick trip to Portland and stayed in an adorable 2-bedroom bungalow we found on Airbnb. It was so nice to have extra space, especially with the baby and all his stuff in tow. A full kitchen, washer and dryer and multiple trash cans (to keep the dirty diapers away) were all important amenities I hadn't even thought about. Plus, if you're traveling with family or friends, a house quickly becomes the more affordable option. Where do you prefer to stay when traveling?

Happiest Holidays

Hope you're enjoying the holiday season and taking it easy! We had a long visit with Jonah's family in Seattle complete with lots of good eating, catching up with friends and family and some quality grandparent time for Harrison. We're back in Austin now and are keeping things low-key for New Year's. I can't believe 2014 is coming to a close. This was one of the most eventful, challenging, wonderful years of my life. I'm feeling very grateful for all the blessings 2014 brought with it, but one in particular stands out. Harrison, Jonah and I wish you a very Happy New Year!

A Happy Holiday Card

I made a point to send out Christmas cards this year since it feels like sort of a requirement when you have a new baby. I ordered this design from minted., and it couldn't have been easier. Harrison's the star of this year's card. Hopefully, we can get the dog in on the action next year ... if she can sit still long enough.

Gifts for the Baby Under $50

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! We had a wonderful time with family, and the dog and baby boy both did great on our road trip. I'm diving into the Christmas season this week, and I'm kicking things off with a few holiday gift guides. This year features a new addition inspired by our new addition: gifts for the baby. Hope you enjoy these gifts for the little one that will hopefully earn parental approval.

1. personalized stocking, $27.50 2. wooly lamb, $32 3. bear print, $24 4. buffalo plaid beanie, $7 5. tiger night light, $21.95 6. rainbow stacker, $49 7. dim sum tee, $18 8. A Christmas classic in pop-up form, $15.39 9. corduroy baby shoes, $30

Gifts for Kids from UncommonGoods

I'm trying my best to get a jump on Christmas shopping this year before the holiday rush sneaks up on me. I can't even believe it's November already! I tend to do almost all of my shopping online, so when UncommonGoods contacted me, I jumped at the chance to pick out some of their cute and clever items. You can check out their gifts for men here and gifts for women here. I decided to sift through their gift selection for kids. Now that we have a baby, I'm definitely making myself more aware of unique goodies for little ones. UncommonGoods has a wide selection for all ages, and I love their focus on handmade goods, American-made items and their mission to work with artists and small manufacturers. It was tough to choose just a few things, but I decided to order these classic wooden alphabet blocks, a fish rattle and a pair of cute animal booties. I think Harrison will be a fan once he gets a bit older. He's enjoying looking at all his new stuff in the meantime. Check out UncommonGoods to see more of their gifts for kids. I'll definitely be looking through their items again before Christmas rolls around.

Last-Minute Halloween Costume for Baby

I was debating whether to dress Harrison up for his first Halloween. He's not even two weeks old, so the store-bought options are too big, and I've felt too busy to make something myself, then it hit me: ghost onesie. All it took was a white onesie, which I already had, and a black Sharpie. I just sketched out the friendly ghost face and then filled it in with the Sharpie. Put a paper bag inside the onesie so the ink doesn't bleed through the back. Voilà and boo! And if you've got an orange onesie handy, you could turn baby into a cute little jack-o-lantern. Hope you have a Happy Halloween!

Meet Harrison James!

Pardon the blog silence. Harrison James Broulette arrived on Monday, October 20, at 11:18 am, and I've been in a blissful, exciting, sleepy whirlwind ever since. Everything went smoothly with the birth, my parents provided a ton of support, and Jonah and I are just obsessed with our little miracle. Thanks for all the well wishes on instagram. If you want to be bombarded with more baby pictures, feel free to follow me at natalieaerin.

Little Legs

Yesterday, my due date came and went, so while I'm waiting on this baby to show, I seem to be occupying my time by shopping for him. I came across these sweet little leggings from Etsy shop hold you me and love the fun patterns, especially since I've realized this boy has a dresser full of stripes. As his personal stylist, it's my responsibility to mix things up a bit.

Before Baby Arrives

I'm anxious to meet our little guy this month (and be rid of my achey back and swollen feet), but I also keep wishing we had more time. I'd love to stock the freezer full of soups and stews, I'd love to get some more art up on the walls, and I feel like there's a stack of books I still need to read. But at the end of the day, all I want to do is eat dinner on the couch and watch Gilmore Girls on Netflix. I'm sure parenthood is one of those things you're never fully prepared for. It's about adapting and taking one day at a time, which is a tall order for a lifelong planner. But if there's one major lesson God's been teaching me over the course of my pregnancy, it's that I'm not in control, but I can find joy wherever I'm at. I'm guessing motherhood will give me years and years to put that into practice.

Have a wonderful weekend! As always, thanks for stopping by here.

Weekend in Photos

I'm not sure if I've gotten lazy about taking pictures over the weekend or if they just haven't been especially photogenic lately, but it's nice to have something to share today. Since the doctor said "any day now," we finally got our act together assembling the crib and installing the car seat. So the hard part's over, right? ;) I was craving waffles, so we had a tasty brunch at Trace and a walk/waddle around downtown. And we've been taking Zuzu out as often as we can to get out some of that puppy energy. It's been so nice to have even slightly cooler weather. Fall in Texas might be just my speed.