Snapshots from my 30th birthday weekend

And just like that I am now in my thirties. Crazy! Like every birthday, my husband, friends and family spoiled me rotten. Here are some of my favorite moments from my birthday week...

I'm a firm believer in celebrating birthdays big so we celebrated all weekend long. Friday night we met up with some of our friends at a local winery where on the weekends you can grill your own food. They provide the meat, the wine, the sides and dessert, but you get to grill the meat yourself. I love an interactive meal so this is always a place I like to go to for celebrations. We had a great time. I love these people!

Saturday morning my sweet husband made me birthday pancakes since I had to get up early on my actual birthday and go to work. Birthday pancakes have become a tradition in our house on birthdays! He also set the table with flowers and got me birthday balloons. He knows I love my birthday and always rises to the occasion.

Not only was this my 30th birthday, but it was my first birthday as a Mom and Drew's first Father's day making it extra, extra special. We loved having our little guy with us this year to celebrate.

Since my birthday fell on the same day as Father's day we had a joint family cookout to celebrate Drew and my Dad too. It was fun to be able to celebrate as a family and let me just say Jimmy Fallon's book is hilarious and served as the perfect Father's day card for Drew. I wrote my mushy gushy note to my husband and baby daddy inside.

And last, but not least I finally, finally have a big girl DSLR camera and I am so excited to start playing with it!!! I have been wanting a camera for years, but it just never has felt like the right time to spend that kind of money on something I don't actually need. But now that Aiden is here and we have a beach vacation coming up...it was time according to my sweet husband. Please share any posts with camera/photography tips that you have found helpful. I'm going to need them!

Happy Monday friends! XO

Mr. Cool {Fayebeline Onesie Giveaway!}

Whoever said that baby boy clothes weren't cute, didn't know what they were talking about. I absolutely love finding outfits and dressing my little guy. My favorite place to find clothes for him lately is online. I love shopping small and supporting people who have a heart for kids so when my friend Emily contacted me and let me know that she and her husband started designing baby apparel I was extremely excited.

Their line is called Fayebeline, which they started shortly after welcoming their little girl, Faye into their lives and they are putting the money they earn from their apparel towards their baby girl's future education. Emily is kindly giving one of you a chance to win a onesie from their shop for free! You can enter at the bottom of this post...

But first, here's Aiden to model my two favorite designs from their line for you...
The first one is their "Made in USA" design which you just might be seeing again for the 4th of July! It's lightweight, comfortable and washes up nicely! Aiden is almost 8 months and fits in the 6-12 month perfectly.

The second design is their "Sunglasses" Raglan. I love the neon colors and that the raglan is made in America. I think I am going to have to call Aiden "Mr. Cool" whenever he wears this shirt! Haha.

This Giveaway will be open June 22nd-June 26th. So what are you waiting for? Enter now...

a Rafflecopter giveaway

To my husband on his first Father's Day!

Dear Drew,
I always knew you would make a wonderful Dad someday, but I honestly never could have imagined how much more I would fall in love with you as I have watched you fall in love with our son. It is the most special thing and it makes my heart burst with happiness.

When you walk in to a room, Aiden lights up. You know how to make him laugh and smile his biggest smiles. I love that you are not embarrassed to use goofy voices and nicknames for our little guy in any setting we are in. He adores you and I love the way you look at him.

I love that you want to introduce our son to everything you love. Toy stores, book stores, the reptile house at the zoo, searching for critters on our hikes and running through fountains in your clothes with him at his first splash park. Your love for him shines so brightly.

When I have to work on the weekends you take such great care of him. You dress him better than I do, you make sure his diaper bag is always fully stocked and you don't just sit at home. You go out and adventure! You aren't afraid to clean out his ears, clip his fingernails or give him a bath on your own. You want only the best for our little man.

Thank you for taking the middle of the night shifts, for helping me change blow out diapers and laughing about it, for telling me to go take a nap while you take Bubba out to get groceries, for tip toeing around the house while Aiden naps and for encouraging me as I learn how to be a mom. I would be one lucky lady if Aiden grew up to be JUST LIKE YOU.

We are so blessed to have you as our leader through life. Happy First Father's Day to the best Daddy that God could have ever chosen for our Aiden Paul. I love you.

Love, 

Allison

Smale Riverfront Park

Last weekend we checked off the first thing from our Summer Bucket List! We took Aiden to a new park downtown along the river and it was incredible! We knew Aiden would love it because he is a big fan of water, but he loved it even more than we could have imagined. We had such a great day!

I loved watching Aiden and his Daddy play in the water. They were both loving it! My friend Betsy was in town visiting us so she came too and we loved the excuse to be able to play in the water with all the kids. Having a baby in your arms gives you a free pass to do any kid friendly activity.

The park we went to is called Smale Riverfront Park so any of you Cincy ladies need to make a plan to go there ASAP if you haven't already. We went on a hot day because we knew there were places that we could get wet. There are at least 3 different splash areas with fountains to run through and there is also an area that has misters so there are plenty of ways to stay cool.

There is also a carousel, a bike and walking trail along the river, swings to sit in, gorgeous flowers and an awesome playground! We had a great time walking along the river as we dried off.

We will definitely be taking Aiden back to this park. 

Smale Riverfront Park...check!

Summer Bucket list 2015

Every year I look forward to summer and making our summer bucket list. This year we have our sweet little one to think of too so our bucket list looks a little different. Taking Aiden with us to try new things is so much fun, but Drew and I also know the importance of date nights so some of these are for just us. Here is our 2015 Summer Bucket List...

//Take a day trip to Yellow Springs {Hike at John Bryant State Park and visit Young's Dairy}

//Check out Smale Riverfront Park

//Take Aiden to his first Red's game

//Go to a Drive-In Movie

//Celebrate me turning the big 3-0

//Try out a new restaurant downtown {KAZE 8/7/15}

//Find a new hiking trail and hike it

//Visit a new farmer's market

//Go to the Columbus zoo

//Have a family picnic

//Take Aiden to the beach!

What's on your summer bucket list?!

Baby Friendly Popsicles: Avocado & Banana {GIVEAWAY}

Now that summer is here I've been trying to come up with some ways to keep Aiden cool on those unbearably hot summer days. I got these Fruitsicle Popsicle Molds to try out and have been coming up with healthy and simple recipes to make into popsicles for Aiden who is 7 months old.

These popsicle molds are the perfect size for creating baby sized popsicles! There are 4 molds and they each hold 1 fluid ounce, which is plenty for a little one who is just starting solid foods! They are easy to fill, the molds snap into place and are easy to remove after the popsicles have been frozen. They are also BPA free and are freezer, dishwasher and microwave safe. You can purchase your own Fruitsicle Popsicle Molds here or enter for a chance to win a set on my Instagram today over here!

What you need to make Avocado & Banana Popsicles...

(Makes 4 large popsicles or 6-8 small ones)

1 banana

1 avocado

1/2 cup Plain Organic Yogurt

Fruitsicle Popsicle Molds

I started by peeling a banana and using my Garden Fresh Mash n' Feed to mash the banana until it was smooth. I then cut the avocado in half, removed the pit, scooped out the insides and used the same process to mash it.

After the avocado and banana were mashed, I pureed them with the yogurt. I used my BEABA Babycook, but you could use a blender as well.

Once the ingredients were blended and were a smooth consistency I tasted it (yum!) and then poured the mixture into my popsicle molds.

After the molds were filled I snapped on the tops and stuck them in the freezer. I left them in the freezer overnight and they were easy to snap out the next day.

Aiden absolutely LOVED these! He gobbled one down and was able to hold his popsicle all by himself. So both the popsicle molds and this recipe are baby approved!

Want a set of these Popsicle molds for FREE?! Head on over to 

my instagram for a chance to win yourself a set!

I was given these Fruitsicle Molds to review as part of the Nuby Parent Blogger Program, but all opinions are my own.

3-6 Month Favorites

Since Aiden is now 7 months old (wait, what?!) It's time to share my next set of favorite baby items. These last few months have been full of new things...teething, rolling over, sleeping in his crib and eating solid foods. Each of these milestones requires some new gear so here are my 3-6 month favorites:

For Teething: All of these items have really helped Aiden who has now been teething for 2 months. Still no teeth to show for it either! Teething toys, drool catching bibs and popsicle molds are all essential in my opinion for a teething baby!

Teething/Nursing necklace
Bandana drool bibs
Nuby 3 Stage Teething Set
Garden Fresh Fruitsicle Frozen Pop Tray

For Playing: Aiden is way more interested in sitting and standing up than laying down so the days of his bouncy seat and swing are on the outs. These items are both great options for my little guy who so badly wants to be on the move!

Baby Einstein Activity Jumper
Any inflatable pool with these balls

For Sleeping: Aiden is still sleeping well and I credit his good sleep to these things!

Baby Merlin Magic Sleep Suit
Sound machine-I listed a different sound machine in my Newborn favorites post, but recommend this one for overnight because it goes all night long and doesn't turn off after a set time.

For traveling: Since we are on the go a lot more with Aiden at this age these things help us when we are out and about!

Ergo360-We initially registered for a different Ergo carrier, but then later realized it doesn't have the front facing feature so we bought the Ergo360. We absolutely love everything about it and take it with us everywhere!
SkipHop Shopping Cart Cover-Now that Aiden is big enough to sit up and sit in the shopping cart this is perfect to use to keep him secure and entertained. It has spots where you can clip toys and it is so easy to put away and is compact for storing in your diaper bag!

For learning: Aiden is soaking up everything right now so we read to him every single day!
Sandra Boynton books-She is just hilarious. Drew and I love reading these books to Aiden!
Indestructibles

For Eating: Aiden is now eating solid foods so these are some things I use to make his food.
BEABA Babycook-Perfect two in one tool for making baby food. It steams and purees!
See this post for other helpful products for making home made baby food.

**Honorable mentions: Baby Einstein Tummy Time Pillow, WubbaNubs, Boogie Wipes, Honest Multi-surface cleaner

You can see my newborn favorites here
You can see my 0-3 month favorites here

Baby's First {Findlay Market Trip!}

The last time Drew and I visited our city's big Farmer's Market was last July, when I was pregnant with Aiden. This past weekend we decided it was time to go back! We strolled through the shops, ate Pad Thai and a giant egg roll for lunch, bought some fresh vegetables to puree for Aiden and found some candied popcorn to eat with our movie that night. We absolutely love our Farmer's market and it was a great first visit for Aiden.

Mama Bee Shirt found here

And I couldn't resist doing a now and then picture! 

July 2014 vs. June 2015.