When many years have passed and I reflect back on my life, I know that this weekend will be one I'll remember for a long time. No, nothing spectacular or extraordinary happened, but it was the little things I got to appreciate and enjoy and I know I'll cherish those moments forever.
A little back story - around Christmas, Brayden hit a crazy growth spurt and not only did he grow physically, he also grew cognitively by leaps and bounds. My soft-spoken kid who didn't really begin talking until right before he turned 2 is now a chatter box who doesn't stop and I seriously love it. He's putting more and more phrases together, counting up a storm, and he even memorized his first scripture verse which completely melts my heart.
I wish I could stop time and everything right here, just the way it is right now, because in exactly two short months, my sweet little boy will be a three year old!
So this weekend, we enjoyed the weather, playing outside, swinging "high" to our hearts content, riding our little Mickey 4 wheeler, and simply just being together - with Brayden chattering away the entire time. No deadlines, no projects, no to do lists - it's weekends like this that do a heart good.
He even slept in on Saturday morning which afforded me the opportunity to run four miles solo. Jason was home but working nights, so I checked in on Brayden every mile or so and once he started stirring, I got him up and he joined me for the final two miles of the run!
During nap time, I even managed to complete a project for my YouTube channel that I've been rolling over and over again in my mind for a long time and I LOVE the way it turned out! I've wanted to have true opening credits for my videos for a while now and I finally completed that project on Saturday.
Throughout the weekend, I also finalized the ideas in my mind for my Princess Half Marathon outfits and can't wait to share them with you guys!
Speaking of Princess and runDisney, I listened to these guys a LOT over the weekend and boy did it just get me even more and more excited for our upcoming Disney trip!
If you don't listen to Joyful Miles then you need to! They are a wealth of runDisney knowledge and will seriously bring a smile to your face!
Last but not least, if you'd like to check out the project for YouTube I mentioned earlier, check out these videos below! Yes, I'm WAY behind on our August cruise recaps, but better late than never, right? :)
I hope you're having a great start to your week! Happy Tuesday! :)
Well, somehow I blinked and my little man turned TWO years old!
Since his last update at 21 months, so much has changed by leaps and bounds!
Clothing: Some 18-24 month but mostly 24 month Diapers: Size 5 for both day and night time diapers Shoes:Size 6 Weight: 32 pounds (estimated) Height: 35 inches (estimated)
My little baby isn't so little anymore! His car seat is now forward facing and he's grown in so many ways! He gained several inches of height since his last update and his feet grew a ton. He's already in a size 6 shoe and almost outgrowing those! I purchased new shoes for him for the summer and I don't think they are going to last until September, sadly.
In the vocabulary realm, Brayden has grown a ton, too! He reached a "word explosion" so to speak around 23 months. His words just began to come more often and more frequently! Before, where he would say a new word every couple of weeks, he now says a new word almost daily! It's also much easier to teach him things now - he picks up on things fairly quick and he remembers them - like his age, what does a dog say, etc...
If he could figure out how to dress himself, he would do it daily. He loves attempting to put his socks and shoes on just about as much as he loves to take his socks and shoes off! I love how he tries to mimic things I'm doing, too. Take "the stick" for example. He saw me rolling out my legs one day and decided he wanted to roll his legs out too! So. Cute! Also sweeping - we bought him a little play broom for around the house because he likes to try and sweep things.
As far as shows go, Puppy Dog Pals is the big one around here. Little Einsteins has grown in popularity. Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and PJ Masks also rank up there, too. If he can get his hands on a phone or ipad, he will put it on YouTube in a heart beat. He learned super fast where the YouTube button and Disney Jr buttons were on my phone! (We do try to limit his screen time but when he's restless at a restaurant, sometimes you gotta do what you gotta do...)
Water (of any kind, anywhere), the park, and being outside are all things Brayden loves. I can't wait for it to get warmer outside so we can take him to the splash pad once again! Busy, busy, busy...he's always on the go!
The "terrible two's" have been interesting to say the least. My laid back little baby is now a toddler and has an opinion and a voice of his own. If he doesn't want to do something, he will let you know right away. However, he is super easy to redirect and refocus on something else when he's upset (which is very nice)!
Food of any kind is a favorite here. Brayden loves his veggies, yogurt, pizza, tacos, snacks...the list goes on and on! If you put it in front of him, he will more than likely eat it. Sippy cups with straws are his usual favorite, but he picked right up on the spout less trainer cups like a champ! Self feeding hasn't come as easy as I'd hoped (because let's be honest...why do it for yourself if someone else does it for you??), but he seriously knocked out an entire bowl of spaghetti this week on his own (with a fork)...so we are definitely making progress there!
Since the last update, we've celebrated Easter as well as Brayden's 2nd birthday! Both were super fun and egg-citing. See what I did there? Whomp whomp whomp. Speaking of eggs, he LOVED helping with the egg dyeing process! So. Much. Fun!
Brayden's sisters...oh my goodness he loves his puppy sisters! Anytime they are around (which isn't often because they do keep their distance), he tries to give them hugs. Actually, he loves any kind of animals including "tur-tles" and "fwags" that we frequently see on our run.
Seeing the world through Brayden's eyes is such an amazing thing - it's like learning the world all over again from a new perspective! I don't know how or why I became so lucky to be Brayden's mom, but I sure am grateful for every single moment!
Taking time to cherish and truly live in the moments I have with him is something I started very early on. These past two years have gone by oh so fast and I want to just bottle up those memories to hold on to for later because I know I'll blink and he will be a teenager.
Thanks for following along in the journey of life with our little family! It's been fun sharing our adventures with you along the way! :)
On Saturday, we hosted Brayden's 2nd Birthday party, themed after the Disney Junior show, Puppy Dog Pals.
Puppy Dog Pals is a relatively new show that revolves around Bingo and Rolly, two pug brothers that "Go On A Mission" in every episode - their missions involve exciting places all over the world and it's just a cute little show. Brayden fell in love with it last fall and I knew that it would have to be his birthday paw-ty theme for his second birthday!
In my search for ideas for Puppy Dog Pals themed parties, I discovered a consistent standard - hardly anything exists when it comes to ideas and items for these parties. Every idea I came across was homemade or something that could be purchased off of etsy.
Y'all know me - I love a good challenge! Mission: Accepted!
At the entry way, we had side walk chalk paw prints leading to the front door. I'm not an artist, so I used a paw cutout as a stencil for these paw prints. It worked perfectly! His party day was also very rainy and wet, otherwise I would have also added the paw prints on the walkway leading up to our front door.
On the front door, the signs read "Welcome to Brayden's Paw-ty" and "We're Going On A Mission"! (This is a common phrase used throughout the show.)
Just inside the front door was the entry-way table which contained "TWO" letters, a digital picture frame of his studio portraits from birth to now, a couple of centerpieces, and a "growth track" file I purchased from Etsy.
Beneath the table was a basket of the kids goodie bags.
Each goodie bag contained several items - a set of five stickers, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, and a Puppy Dog Pals Grab & Go pack!
Our living room and kitchen were the main "party spaces" I had to fill. A couple of banners were made using my Silhouette Cameo and decorations were hung in the windows. We also purchased balloons from Party City. The bug balloons you see on the ground were purchased on Amazon and filled with helium at our local Party City.
One of my favorite banners is the one you see hanging across our entertainment center. I attempted to utilize symbols from the show in the banner, so you'll notice a lightning bolt like the one on Bingo's collar as well as a yellow dog bone like the one on Rolly's collar.
The paw print banner at the fireplace was made with ideas from Pinterest and the cardstock was purchased at Hobby Lobby. On the Mantle you'll notice photos that were printed from his 2nd birthday session.
For this party, I also searched in my "party bin" to find decoration that matched this party color scheme. I found most of the items that you see hanging in the windows as well as a few extras here and there already on hand. Score!
Water bottle labels were made in photo shop and printed on card stock. If you're looking for a super easy way to make these, I just use packing tape on top of the cardstock to affix them to the water bottle.
It's super easy and adds a fun little touch to the party!
At the cake table, we had a patch of turf I found on amazon, desserts, a couple of centerpieces, and the giant "2"/two letters.
These centerpieces were scattered throughout the house - the fire hydrant being my favorite! I found this idea on pinterest and it was SUPER easy! We made four total and used toddler formula cans, empty toilet paper rolls, red bowls from Walmart, a ribbon holder, and a water bottle top.
Other centerpieces included a flower pot that was spray painted red (re-purposed from last year's Mickey Mouse party). Inside was a piece of green felt to symbolize grass, a doghouse cut out from the silhouette cameo, and a couple of Puppy Dog Pals figurines.
One of my favorite touches to this party was the sugar cookies! A lady in the next town over made these for the party and oh my goodness they were precious and added the perfect touch!
Brayden's cake also came from a local lady who makes cakes out of her home. I sent her a picture and she re-created his cake almost perfectly! The "Happy Birthday Brayden" piece was cut out from the silhouette cameo and the figurines on the cake were purchased from the Disney Store. I found the "2" candle at a local craft store.
For food, we served "Arf's Famous Pulled Pork" and "Hissy's Hot Dogs".
I also found the paw print napkins at Party City and mixed them in with plain blue napkins I already had on hand at home.
These dog bowls were my FAVORITE find! I came across the exact same bowls on Amazon but also found them at the Dollar Tree (you know, where everything is a dollar) for WAY cheaper! Score!
Themeing the food was so much fun! We had "Fetch Sticks" (pretzel sticks), "Pawtato Chips" (potato chips), "Paw-Berries" (strawberries), "Chew Toys" (Twizzlers), "Pup Corn" (Pop Corn), and "Ruffage" (Veggies)!
Brayden's outfit for the party was a two-parter...a friend made his shirt and I found the shoes at JC Penney in the little Disney Store! So cute!
There's the birthday boy! He was SO EXCITED to see everyone at his house! He would walk around the living room with a huge grin and would stomp his little feet out of excitement. It was adorable!
He also discovered that he could reach the "Pawtato Chips" and it was his birthday party, so you know...whatever goes!
Brayden did way better than I thought he would with opening presents. You never know what you're going to get with a 2 year old but I couldn't have asked for better!
Of course my dad purchased him a wiffle ball and bat!
Although I tried and tried to teach him how to blow, he didn't have it down by his party...next year though, it's on!
Brayden LOVES the Happy Birthday song! He went through a very short time last fall where he wasn't a fan, but he's so much better now! Thinking back, I'm pretty sure it scared him one time at a restaurant and that's what he associated the happy birthday song with. Once I realized he was scared of it, we started listening to the happy birthday song on pandora and he fell in love. He even asks for "more" "please" after it's over! So cute!
We sat our two toddlers on the couch for a picture and everyone was trying to make them smile. Did we get a smile? Nope. But we sure were funny in the process!
Now it's time to PLAY!
...and that's all, folks! Mission Accomplished!
I posted all of this in hopes that it might help someone else who is looking to throw their own Puppy Dog Pals party but has no idea where to start!
Brayden's second birthday party by far outlived any expectation I set. Actually, I didn't set any expectations because my dad warned me not to from horror stories he'd heard from other people. So yes, to say that Brayden's party was exactly what I hoped and prayed it would be is spot on! It truly was a great day and we had so much fun celebrating our precious blessing! We just love him so much and I'm already looking forward to party #3! Stay tuned for a full 2 year Brayden update coming in a few weeks! :)
For a video recap of the party, check out this YouTube link below:
