california here we come

a wonderful opportunity came about from my thoughtful sister to come see her in cali.  we are going to december to see her graduate from nursing school, but b and i haven't had a vacation since our honeymoon 4 years ago.  so i think we are taking the plunge and going to cali with caleb for a week or so. 

i'm freaking out because
1.  i hate flying and think the plane is going to crash no matter what
2.  i have never flown with caleb yet and don't know quite how to manage him sitting on my lap for 4 hours or dada's lap.  just thinking about a screaming toddler on the plane with no leg room is enough to send me into a panic attack.

i need help, what are some tips to travel with a toddler.  he's under two, so he will fly free and have to sit on our laps.  we do not have a laptop, but we have our phones for videos and movies.  how does one carry all that gear, stroller, bags, car seat, etc... oh my head is spinning already.  we are looking to go at the end of july in correspondence of our 4 year wedding anniversary. 

any ideas are welcome from seasoned travelers with tots, please help!!

blog love

so i'm currently obsessing over these two new blogs and they are sisters.  they remind me so much of my sister and myself.  i love their sense of fashion and style, it is right up my alley.  i have been reading their blogs for days and watching all their great tutorials.  i can say that being 34, i finally learned how to curl my hair.

Lauren

Kate

pretty

i don't need a reason to want to curl my hair for the fun of it while i'm just playing with my son all day, so why not?  i love that i get to spend the summer months off from work and and be home with my buddy, but it doesn't mean that i have to be a frumpy frumperson all day.  i like that i can spend some time in the bathroom while caleb is quietly destroying playing in the bedroom while i try out the latest hair tricks i learned from a new blog or magazine.

this is the time that i can experiment with makeup because i don't have to rush off to work or be somewhere at a certain time, and it has been refreshing for me.  it's been really nice that the mister has given me some time to myself so i can run without having the fear that caleb will try to climb onto the treadmill while i'm on it or trying to shove something dangerous into his mouth while we hang out in the basement.

i think this is the most random post i've written, but it's just what was swirling around in my head and felt like writing.

mama style

i was so excited about this cute little dress when i bought it, only to find out after washing it once, parts of the fabric tore in a couple sections of the dress.  i guess that's what i get for paying $12.99!

22 months

there are so many fun and new things that you are doing my sweet caleb.  here are just a few of them.

• you have this new thing where you say "ok" with a southern drawl instead of your usual "da",
• you are so loving jumping and climbing especially on a trampoline,
• you can't wait to go outside and play and especially go on our walks with or without the wagon
• you made friends with the whole neighborhood, especially our friend/owner of a local antique store and her cats and ceiling fans,
• you love to wrestle with dada,
• you are wearing 18 month bottoms and 2t or 3t tops, size 6.5 or 7 wide shoes,
• you love watermelon and freeze pops,
• you still can't get enough of books and we can find you sitting in your chair in your room listening to your music and reading a book by yourself so quietly,
• you kiss everything, boo boos, leaves, bugs, trees, flowers, water, horse statues,
• you also wave at all these things and more,
• when we're at the store and you don't want to come follow me all i do is say bye bye caleb and then you come running, until yesterday when you just waved bye and stayed in the middle of the floor playing and cracked up the people all around you,
• everywhere we go you get noticed by someone, no matter where we go,
• you are learning so many new words 
•  you can recognize all the letters of the alphabet and can point them out on signs, books, and tv
• you can count to 2 and then just keep repeating two as you keep on counting, it's so precious,
• you love Jesus so much and say hi to him on our crucifix at home and you HAVE to give him kisses.

you are still a mama's boy and i never want to let that go.  i treasure and cherish each moment the best i can and tuck them away in my heart.  spending my summers with you each day is the best blessing that i can get. i love you so much baby!

with love,
mama

mama style

mama style by sabinameister featuring straw handbags

Yellow top
£18 - fashionunion.com

Hollister Co. vintage shorts
$40 - hollisterco.com

Wedge heel sandals
$50 - modcloth.com

Valentino straw handbag
$98 - forzieri.com

parties

lots of gatherings and parties to go to this summer which is always fun.  enjoying our friend's daughter's second birthday party, the one b made the rocking horse for.

happy birthday

to my sis, my shopping partner, and my best friend.  they're aren't words that i could use to describe how meaningful you are to me.  i celebrate this day with you from a far and wish you all the best things to come in this next year of your life, new degree, new job, and hopefully with my fingers and toes crossed, a closer move to us.

this day is all about you and and awesome you are.  you are missed every day and i look forward to all our skype sessions. 

love ya long time g-funk!

wood working

so i just have to brag a  little about the mister's skills.  he is new at wood working and this is one of his projects he just built for our friend's daughter's second birthday.  caleb also has one but it is orange instead of lavender.  i am so proud of his handiwork and just wanted to showcase it. 

museum

it was our first time at a children's museum, and it was like heaven watching caleb explore each different room with such interest.  next time we go, dada is coming with us.  this time we went with caleb's future wife, aubrey, right lyz,?!  we had a blast, but it wore us out more than the kiddos.

 loved this race track for cars

 pushing a cart of course which is his fave thing to do when we shop, but this is just his size

 pressing a button to made the fan blow the blades and spin them

 choo choo

 oh the water room was a splash

 this was cool, press the button and a jet of water would shoot up and fall back down

 when caleb is pondering something, we notice that he bites the side of his lip

 drums filled with confetti

 band bang bang

 miss aubrey

 beaver face just for you sis

 painting the house

more pushing

outside

caleb loving to be outside is an understatement.  we took him to a local park with a splash area for kids and he just hammed it up.  he watched the kids running in and out out the jets and various water shooters.  caleb would get a little closer and then run away, it was so cute.  a little boy came over and wanted to be his friends by taking his hand and trying to lead him in his direction.  he is getting to be such a social little boy but at the same time he is very observant and careful which is awesome!

Some older kid almost got a kick in the pants because he was so bossy and kept telling me that caleb could not go down the slide and he even tried to stop him!  oh mama bear came out and so did papa bear.  of course his parents were nowhere to be seen.

great way to hold onto dada.