Stocking Stuffers

Now that we have a kid to shop for, the Hubs and I usually keep it small and simple when it comes to gifts for each other. He's impossible, mostly cuz the usual "dude" gifts don't work for him. He doesn't have the kind of job that requires a tie or cuff links, not into brewing his own beer, doesn't play golf, and he's not a gamer. On top of that, he can get all the gadgets and gizmos he needs for his big hobby (offshore & kayak fishing) at work...with a big discount. That makes it super tough when it comes to gift-giving. If you're headed out to do a little gift shopping this weekend, here are a few ideas. 

For Her: mug | bracelet | Yes Please | Essie polish 

 Peppermint Bark candle | Tassle keychain

For Him: Burt's Bees | Waterproof Journal | The Trident 

 Socks | Dollar Shave Club | Moose Mugs

The Hubs claims I'm the tough one to shop for, but, honestly, I had a hard time narrowing it down. You can't go wrong with a great mug, good book, simple bracelet or keychain, a delicious candle and the perfect shade of holiday red.

For him? Practical with a touch of fun. Hand salve for those wintry fingers, cozy socks for work, a clean shave, a good book, a waterproof journal to keep track of secret fishing spots, and a little something to set the tone for the perfect fun old-fashioned family Christmas. 

What are your great gift ideas? 

Zoey's Christmas List

Is it just me, or is December flying by? Fifteen days till Christmas? Seriously?! Wasn't it just Halloween? In true form, the Hubs and I took forever to come up with a decent list for Zoey. With her birthday in February, we don't want to use up all the great ideas for Christmas, and have nothing left for the old birthday. Plus, we like to over research every idea, reading reviews and other blogs, making sure that our, the grandparents', Santa's dollars are well spent. So here's a few of our best ideas we think Z will be super jazzed to see on Christmas morning. 

BlaBla Bunny

Radio Flyer Trike | Magna Doodle

Alphabet Puzzle | Secret Life of Squirrels

Kind tee

I'm slightly obsessed with BlaBla dolls, but their price tag has kept me from getting one for Z. But now that she's older, and very into stuffed animals, we figured the time was now. Tough deciding on one, we're torn between Pierre the Bunny and a snazzy little fox in a necktie. Too cute! 

While taking a spin through Toy's R Us not too long ago (on a Christmas recon mission-yes we are total dorks!!), the Hubs and I came across this Radio Flyer and the magna doodle. Two toddler-hood essentials. We put Zoey on the trike in the store and she went nuts for it, so I can't wait to have her wheel around in the driveway! She's so artistic and loves to color, paint, and draw...the magna doodle is such an obvious choice.

I love a good puzzle, and Zoey does, too. And she loves "singing" the ABCs with Ernie on her Sesame Street phone. So this puzzle will be perfect. Plus, I love how colorful the chunky letters are. We'll have fun with this one, for sure!

Zoey is majorly into squirrels lately. They're all over our backyard, running around in the coconut palms and burying palm nuts under the holly tree in the front yard, driving Scout bonkers, and she can't get enough of them. So when I saw this book featured on the Today show, I knew it would be a big hit. She even saw it when I was grabbing the picture above and started squealing the way she does when we see the squirrels out side. I know she's gonna love this one!

I love a good tee, and there are so many great ones out there right now for toddlers. Storenvy and Etsy are lousy with them. This Mama Said Tee is one of my favorites...I may even have to get one for myself. (Big dork..I told you!) 

So there you have it.  Throw in some stocking stuffers, maybe some Little People, and few more books, and you have Zoey's second Christmas wrapped up with a bow. 

What's on your toddler's wish list? Any must-haves that we're missing? (we can always add them to the birthday list!)

Our Extra Long Weekend

Happy December, friends!! The holiday season is officially upon us and I couldn't be more excited!  Over here, we're already listening to holiday music and getting ready to start cookie baking! Hope you all had a delicious and relaxing Thanksgiving. If you're like me, you're probably just coming out of the mashed potato and pie haze. 

Our Turkey Day began the way it always does: bright and early in the chilly temps for Bacon Fest.

tunic - Gap (sold out) | skinny jeans - Gap Outlet (in store only) | boots

What's that, you might ask? Well, our street is on the route for the annual Running for the Pies 5K, and one of our neighbors sets up a tailgate tent, brews some coffee, mixes mimosas, and fries up a ton of bacon. Neighbors gather to cheer on the 1500+ runners as they fly by at the start & end of the race. Every year the Hubs & and I swear we're gonna run "next year", and this time was no exception.   Next year is gonna be our year!

Once the runners passed, we headed back to our place for breakfast, peppermint hot chocolate, and the parade, then started prepping for the big meal. We were super excited to have my brother in town for the holiday, since we haven't seen him since Easter. I'm just bummed that I didn't get a pic of all of us together. (I managed to lose my camera charger about a week ago and still need to replace it. I keep hoping it will magically appear before I shell out $$$ for a new one. Grr! That also means no pics of our decor or table and only selfies and one tired iPhone shot of the three of us at the end of the night. Boo.) Zoey pulled a Beyonce and had several wardrobe changes thanks to the changing temps throughout the day. 

bunny dress

Friday was a lazy day for Z and I. The Hubs had to work (boo!), and I'm not much for Black Friday crowds, so the kid, Scout, and I snuggled in and spent most of our morning under a quilt on the sofa before braving the cold wind for a long walk around the hood. 

striped tee - Gap (old) | skinny jeans | gray Chucks

We actually ventured out on Saturday to watch a little Gator football. The game ended terribly (but not surprisingly), but we had such a good time seeing old friends and watching Zoey play with their dog (this kid love loves dogs!) and another little girl her age. She actually cried when her new friend left. It was so sweet!

striped tee - Gap (sold out- similar here)

Sundays usually mean errands, and this weekend was no different. We hit Target, had lunch at Moe's, one of Zo's favorites, hit Home Depot, and started the hunt for our Christmas tree. Along with everyone else in Palm Beach County. 

The weather was beautiful, and the day started out so promising, but this is where it took a turn. We checked two places for trees and came out empty handed. So we decided the tree could wait, and turned our focus to putting lights on the house. In our old house, we really did it up. But the place we're in now is kind of limited, landscaping-wise, as far as places to actually put lights. So we keep it on the simple side, which is tough since we trend more towards the Griswold side of things. And in true Griswold fashion, most of our lights had gone kaput, so we foolishly braved our under-construction walmart in search of a few new strings of lights. And that's the last time I go anywhere near that joint until construction is done, and maybe even after! We got a few strings up before dinner and settled in with a little Christmas Vacation before bedtime. Not a bad way to end a crazy day! 

And today...we finally got our tree!! Zo had way too much fun running between the trees and made it impossible for me to get a decent pic. 

Lights went on tonight, ornaments later this week. Once you get the tree, it really starts feeling (and smelling) like Christmas! We are hosting Christmas this year, so we really had to find the perfect one. Z even helped with the lights! 

pjs - Gap (sold out - similar here)

It's amazing how a lighted tree can make your whole house feel cozy. I think Clark would agree. 

Have you guys started decorating yet? 

Baby's First Christmas - In Four Parts

This year, we decided to do Christmas a little differently. Instead of racing around town, trying to fit everybody in on Christmas Day, exhausting ourselves, and feeling more stressed than festive, the Hubs and I chose to keep Christmas Eve and Day to ourselves. A little selfish? Not at all! As a child of divorce, I've been sharing Christmas my whole life, and I always swore that when I had my own family, I was just gonna stay home. And it was better than I could have hoped! (Not counting the too-warm weather...would it kill Mother Nature to send some of that chilly weather this way?!)

Kid's Chair | Alligator 

You can see that Baby Tuna's enthusiasm on Christmas Eve was just out of control.

Part One
The bambino had us up bright and early (ok, maybe not bright - the sun wasn't even up yet!), so we snapped a few shots of her checking out some of her presents. Her reaction was priceless!

We wanted to wait until the sun had come up a bit before opening presents, so we enjoyed some snowman pancakes (don't worry, Z didn't get any of the chocolate chips or faux bacon) and OJ. This was Z's first taste of daddy's pancakes, and I wish I had gotten a shot of her wolfing them down. She loved them!

Z spent the next half hour tearing into her presents, but she surprised me...it wasn't until that evening that she became truly interested in the wrapping paper itself. She just really like her presents and spent the day playing with all of them. It was so wonderful!

Little Red Car

Crazy Animal Magnets

Some good friends of ours gave Z the most amazing little piano. My little musician crawled right up to it and started pounding playing like she knew exactly what she was doing! I'm so excited that this little munchkin is so musical!

Piano

The three of us spent the entire day in our Christmas pjs, eating cookies, and enjoying a stress-free, totally relaxing, amazingly wonderful baby's first Christmas. It. was. perfect. And I really can't wait for next year when we get to do it all over again!

Part Two
The next day, we headed north to see our families. Z met her cousins for the very first time at the Hubs' parents' house. We were a little worried that she may be overwhelmed by all of the new faces, but she loved all three of her cousins, and they were all so good with her! The babe was especially taken by her cousin Aria, which she demonstrated by climbing her. I think Aria was a little nervous at first, but was so gracious and wonderful and let Baby Tuna sit in her lap and pass a bow back and forth. It was such a great moment!

Part Three
The next morning, we had breakfast with my dad and step-mom, which meant chowing down at our favorite hometown breakfast joint, The Blueberry Muffin, and more presents for Z. She had done such a great job the night before ripping open the paper and playing with the bows, but on this morning, she was in more of a climbing mood!

Part Four
The final Christmas installment happened at my mom's house, where we had been staying. Z opened a few more presents and we spent the rest of our time relaxing, feeling lazy, and watching the babe play with her new loot. I'd say Santa treated her well!

Ball Ramp | Zany Zoo Activity Box

While we were there, we also got to see a few old friends, the kind that don't live too far away, yet we don't see nearly enough. Now we are back at home, enjoying as much family time as we can before the Hubs heads back to work in the New Year. We hope all of you had a restful and festive holiday, and that you have an amazing New Year!

The Halls Have Been Decked

Holy smokes! Christmas is just around the corner! We've been so busy around here, it feels like December is just flying by. I'd love it if December were 60 days long so that we could enjoy the season for twice as long. There are just too many holiday movies to watch and cookies to eat (not that I've had one second to bake any) for one little month.

I started decorating for Christmas the minute Thanksgiving was over. And we picked out a perfect tree for Z's first Christmas that weekend.

I've been keeping it simple with our holiday decor, partly because I'm kind of tired of some of my stuff, partly because we live in a thimble and too much clutter makes me crazay, and parlty because a curious little tuna I know is getting into everything.

And you know I couldn't resist putting up a little Christmas in the nursery.  It's a tradition in my family for the kids to have a little Christmas tree in their rooms. Each year you get a new ornament, and make some too, to add to it so that by the time you have your first tree as a grown up, you've got a nice collection of special ornaments. Our tree is lousy with ornaments from my childhood, which brings back so many memories each year when we decorate. I love carrying on that tradition with Z!

I couldn't wait to set up a little tree in Z's room at the first chance I got! She already has two ornaments to kick off her collection. The red and silver stars are a set from Target that we got to match the red on the big tree in the living room. I made a festive banner out of glittery scrapbook paper and baker's twine, and made a print for the dresser. With just a little more free time (bwahahahaaaa! free time!!! funny stuff!), Z's crib would probably be decked out in some kind of wash bunting or tinsel garland.

After much deliberation, we picked up the cutest stocking on sale at Pottery Barn Kids. We loved the Baby's First stockings, but wanted one that she could enjoy through the years. I think we found the perfect one! Since we bought it in-store, and not online, we couldn't get her name embroidered, so I made black felt letters to match our other stockings. Maybe someday I'll meet some fabulously talented person who can embroider all of our stockings, but for now, the felt DIY works.

Well, that's how things are lookin' around here. I'm hoping to score big at some post-Christmas sales. A holiday-themed pillow or two, or an advent calendar for next year. The next task on the agenda: some serious baking...if my little helper will let me!

Baby Tuna's Wish List

How is it possible that Christmas is two weeks away?! We've been doing our best to get into the holiday spirit, despite the warmer temps (my apologies to the rest of the country currently under a blanket of snow and ice - but is it too much to ask for some highs in the low 70's/upper 60's around here?!). Having a little one in the house sure helps you get excited for Santa's arrival. And as long as the big guy isn't looking during nap time, I think it's a safe bet that Baby Tuna is at the top of the Nice List.

We've held off on buying any new toys in the last little bit, knowing that Santa would hook Z up. And since she's only recently started getting into actual playing, as opposed to just chewing and drooling on everything, Christmas couldn't be coming at better time! And while there may be a box under the tree that's just filled with old catalogs and tissue paper (this kid loves playing with paper in the worst way!), there will be plenty of fun new toys for her to enjoy. After a lot of research (you know how we are when it comes to this stuff!) here are some of the items on Z's Christmas List.

1. B. Zany Zoo: I've been wishing for this gem for months now, and I'm excited that Z is finally old enough to have fun with it. We have some other B. toys and love them, so I'm feeling good about this one.
2. Octopus Alone: One of Z's favorite books, Little Owl's Night, is by the same author. I love her illustrations and this story is very sweet.
3. Kid O Go Car: I just think it's super cute!
4. JellyCat Cordy Roy Gator: I am obsessed with the JellyCat stuffed animals. In fact, the very first toy I bought for Z was a floppy JellyCat elephant. I think it's time to add another to her collection and, although it's super tough to narrow it down, I think the gator is the winner.
5. Anywhere Chair: I think the Hubs is more excited about this gift than any of the others! He's been wanting this for Z since before she was even born, if you can believe that. And when I found out that the slip cover was machine washable and it was on sale for Black Friday, well, sold! Could it be any cuter? And how can I get one in my size?
6. Boon Bath Toys: We are big fans of Boon and I'm always looking for fun bath toys that won't get too funky. And now that Z has graduated from the whale tub, these should be a fun option for her when she's splashing around.
7. Peek-a-Boo Forest: Cloth books = must haves for paper-eating little ones! And this one is just way too adorable to pass up!
8. Activity Walker: Something else to keep our little noise-making widget busy. And, even though she's not quite ready to give up the speed-crawling yet (thank goodness!), it seems like it will be a sturdy little walker.

I'm totally prepared for the wrapping paper and bows to be the biggest hit on Christmas morning, but these gifts should come in at a close second. Any other ideas for gifts for little ones out there? We'd love to hear it (Z's first b-day is coming up in February, so we're always looking for ideas!).