Ethan's 9 Month Photo Shoot

I'm kicking off my weekend by sharing Ethan's 9 month photos!  I'm so happy with how these turned out...Darcy of Artyard Photo captured the moment perfectly {as usual!}.  I wanted to get outdoors to showcase our spring and incorporate some fun and whimsical details, like the adorable tepee below.  We also took some shots in his nursery...totally obsessed with all of them!

 Doing high fives!

 We adore his Freshly Picked Moccs.  They're the best!

I LOVE our tepee!  It's by TwoFeetFirst and I highly recommend them!  The tepees are made in the states and come customized with the poles.  Megan was awesome to work with!

 Ethan's Shirt: Zara Pants: Gap  My shirt: Zara

 Seriously...one of my faves.

 Shirt: Zara Pants: Gap

 Crawling like crazy!

And we're done!  :)

Hope they made you smile today...Happy Friday!

xo natasha

F21 Finds {and Zara too!}

I'm not a regular Forever 21 shopper...I get way too overwhelmed when I step foot in a store and usually leaved empty handed.  But when some of my favorite bloggers, like Andee and Natalie, post about their fabulous finds, I always get hooked.  I just bought the following items and love all of them!  Better check them out before they sell out!

Popcorn Chain Bracelet

Best $4 I've spent in a long time...this is actually two bracelets, but they're great for layering with gold or silver because of the two tones.  I think they look pretty high-end too!

Cheetah Print Top

Such an easy top...I've already worn it with some boyfriend jeans.  I also plan to dress it up with slacks for work.

Faceted Spike Studs

These are a little bigger than I anticipated, but they're grown on me now that I've worn them a couple times.

Cutout Floral Midi Dress

How adorable is this dress?  I love the length and the little cutout!  It's definitely meant for a bustier gal {so sad my BF boobs are gone!} but it's nothing a little alter can't fix!

Another retailer that I love, but don't get to very often is Zara.  I love all of their things, but can also sometimes get a bit overwhelmed with all of their inventory.  I found this dress on my last trip to SF and love it!

Do you shop at F21 or Zara?  What are your favorite finds as of late?

xo natasha

Baby Ethan: Week 46

Weight: I think somewhere around the 18 pound range?

Health: Pretty healthy, though he's showing a lot of signs of teething.  But not new teeth in sight!  He hits his cheeks and drools a ton, so I'm thinking they'll show up sooner than later.  We'll see!

Sleep: Super hit or miss...but averaging at least one wake up call per night.  We hit him with a bottle and he's back down pretty quickly.  I'm enjoying the cuddles in the meantime.

Social: He's a social little butterfly!  Especially enjoying time with family...and his girlfriend Eden!  ;)

Diet: We fed him shredded chicken from the slow cooker last week and he scarfed it down!  Trying to be more consistent with proteins, but he loves his raspberries.

Clothes: Officially moving into 12-18 jammies...but still rocking 6-9 month onesies and pants.

Baby Gear Love: Balls!  We just found out that he loves balls and will totally throw the ball back and forth.  Too cute!  

Crying: Never. {I kid}

Likes: He's recently loving to twirl his hair when he drinks his bottle.  Love it!  

Postpartum: Not too much new to report here!  But I am super excited to share Ethan's 9 month photo shoot on Friday!  ;)

Milestones: He can officially climb stairs, but not climb down them yet.  And as I said above, he throws the ball back and forth.  Also, he's been able to drink from a sippy cups.  OH!  And he loves making a MMMMMMMMMMoo sound, like a cow.  Love.

xo natasha

Summer Mantel

I usually let my spring mantel roll into summer without making too many changes.  But this year, I scored a couple fun decor items and was excited to really do it up!  We've hosting several summer birthdays and barbecues over the next couple months, so I'm happy to have a fun mantel on display.

I won this awesome tassel garland in a giveaway.  It's by Everylane and I love the colors.

I don't know if they're supposed to be this crinkly, but baby got to them before they went up!  ;)

I scored this vase at our local TJ Maxx.  I love the seaglass color for summer.

The mantel even matches the art on the wall.

This is probably the least I've had on my mantel, but I really like how fresh and open it makes the room.

xo natasha

PS...I'm also posting over at Jen's blog, Down with the Dearmore's, talking about my go-to outfit these days!  Check it out here.

Airocide: Breathing Easier

You may have noticed a strange contraption in Ethan's nursery over the last couple of months:

You see that gray and orange thing sitting on the stool?  It's an Airocide Air Purifier, and the wonderful people at this NASA developed company offered us the chance to review it!  We've had it for over six weeks and I'm super impressed by the technology...not to mention the difference it's made in Ethan's nursery.

For us, testing this product was a no-brainer.  Airocide promises to remove all VOC's and other harmful pathogens from the air, which allows baby to breathe easier.  It's such a sleek and modern product too...there's no need to clean a dispenser or tuck it away out of sight, it utilizes the best there is to offer technology wise...and added bonus?  It's a great white-noise machine too!  Win-win all around.

We definitely noticed a difference, especially in allowing Ethan to sleep through the night.  Knowing that he was breathing the best air possible is a huge peace of mind.  We are sold!

If you want more info, check out this technology video, or better yet, check out Ellen's review!  Additionally, you can find out more info by following them on Facebook or Twitter.

Thank you to the generous folks at Airocide for allowing us this opportunity!  Be sure to check it out!  :)

xo natasha

First Mother's Day

As Ethan approaches his first birthday, I think it's pretty appropriate that I'm getting to celebrate my first Mother's Day today.  After ten and a a half months, I've gotten to know the pure joy of what it means to be a first time mom.  I've gone though the ups and downs, experienced a whole lot of firsts...some that have made my heart explode with happiness and others that have made me cry with compassion.  I never really understood a mother's love until now, and I can't imagine my life before this time.  Ethan is the light of our lives and I am so dang proud to be his mama.  He's an amazing little boy and I can't wait to watch him grow up and experience many more trials and tribulations along the way.  

I don't know how how my mom did it...raising four children under three!  It's beyond impressive...I feel like I can barely manage one most days!  ;)

Sending all my love to my mom, grandmother, step-mom, mom-in-law, and grandmother-in-law along with all the other specials moms in my life!

Have a wonderful Mother's Day!

xo natasha