Easter Baskets (Blogger Link-up)

I'm joining a link-up with Darci over at The Good Life  and Sarah at Our Journey where we are sharing our Easter Baskets this year.

We have only children on my side of the family, five in total.  This year I decided to do a little something different, instead of filling baskets with treats and little things I would scour Walmart usually for, I bought these adorable beach towels, for hopefully the upcoming warm weather.

For the younger of the four I got hooded towels.  This Spider Man one from Walmart for the only other boy in the family my cousin Daniel, and this Fairies one for my little niece Emily.  For the two older girls I got them these larger Princess towels also at Walmart.

Then I just spruced them up with some ribbon and a small bag of Easter egg chocolates.  I'm going to add freshly baked chocolate chip cookies that I'm making Friday night as well.

For my little man, he obviously is getting a much larger basket from the Easter bunny also known as his mommy and daddy.  I'm reusing this Yoda basket he got last year, but I have intentions of splurging after the holiday sales for personalized baskets from pottery barn.  By then we will know what baby #2 will be and he/she will have a name so I can buy both and have them ready for next year.

I filled Lucas' basket with things he needs, and I know he loves.  I included new pajamas from Walmart and they are awesome cause they are nice and thin for my little sweaty sleeper, and they are full one-pieces without footies, which is also great for a certain little man who likes to have his feet uncovered like mommy and daddy.  I added a cute trucks book, cause you can never have enough in a boys world.  Garanimal bath toys, since I recently purged all his other bath toys, and this adorable lion bib for messy dinners (Lucas is slightly obsessed with lions, and it is his favourite sound to make).  I'm going to add some cookies Sunday morning when he opens his basket, and we may just indulge in sweet confections for breakfast that morning, cause why not.

I can't wait to see what everyone else has in store for their littles this year.

Five on Friday

Its been a while since I did this link up, thought I would try to get back into the swing of things.  Here's just a small rundown of whats been going on around here.

ONE

I am currently obsessed with Downton Abbey! I have no idea why it has taken me three seasons to discover this show since it encapsulates so many of things that I adore: period dramas, English History, and the role of women (for those who don't know I have an English and History Degree, and my senior thesis was on the literary women's movement in England).  I am so in love with the characters, and the lovely intersecting of classes and the upstairs/downstairs movement.  I watched the first two seasons in a week and half thanks to nap time.  I'm currently engrossed in the third season, and have already started PVRing the fourth season.  I am going to be pretty sad when I'm done, and must start researching possible replacements on the PBS Masterpiece website!

TWO 

Last Saturday Lucas and I went over my aunts for a little playdate, just the boys and their mamas.  Girls pretty much rule the roost in my family, I only have sisters, my mom only has one brother, and he in turn has one son and daughter.  My uncle is actually only 7 years older than me so his kids are more like cousins to mine and my sisters children, than they are to us.  Usually at family events the girls tend to over power the two lonely boys in the group, and they are stuck playing some sort of girly endeavour.  So this time they played with their trucks until the heart's content, and screamed and threw balls like it was no one's business.  Its nice that they have each other, and even though there were a few scraps, it will be great to see how this relationship grows in the future.

THREE

Last week was a doozy in the Baccega household.  You know how they say bad things happen in threes, yeah its true.  We started off the week with the motor for our central vacuum deciding to die on us.  Thankfully we are still warranted, but will have to pay some sort of replacement fee.  Then the brake pads on my van decided to make all sorts of creaky sounds, and worried as I was to drive in this horrendous weather with a possible problem with the car, the hubby quickly got them replaced on our mechanics, yet again another expense.  We capped off the week with our master ensuite toilet which has been on the fritz deciding to overflow and creating a huge leak into my kitchen ceiling.  I discovered it after nap time bu slipping on the floor with the babe in my arms.  Yup not cool at all.  We currently have ugly holes in our kitchen, and have decided to do the potlights and new light fixtures in there that we were waiting for the spring to do.  Thank you to my hubby's boss though who has offered to send some guys and material to get it done for us.  It was the small silver lining in a messed up week.

FOUR

Valentine's Day is right around the corner, and I'm kind of pumped for crafts and special lunches with my boys.  Last year Lucas had no clue what was going on, and obviously this year won't be much different, but I'm getting into the spirit and just yesterday we worked on our first set of homemade Valentines to send some special people in his life.  Also we are pretty excited for our Valentine's themed double family date tomorrow with my sister and her family.  I have some crafts set up for the kids, we are going to enjoy a "romantic" home cooked meal, and heart shaped desserts might be involved.

FIVE 

My parents have been on vacation in Dominican for the last two weeks and they come home today!  This is the longest I have been away from them since I went on my own two week honeymoon.  I was so happy for them to finally go away on a nice vacation but I realized just how many times I call my mom for the most frivolous things.  I lost count of the times I picked up the phone and almost dialed to then remember that they weren't home.  I will be glad to see them!

Hope everyone has a great weekend and keeps warm, its supposed to be a cold one again.

Happy Holidays!

We have been busy with all things holidays, and just life in general.  I should be back later this week with a ton of updates, and recaps from our lovely Christmases.

I just wanted to wish everyone a Happy and Safe Holiday, full of love and laughter.

Until next year everyone!

Holiday Pajama Link Up Party

Today I am linking up with Darci, Natasha, Ashley, Jenny, and Julie for a Holiday Pajama party for all our minis!

I absolutely love the holidays, and I have been having a ton of fun sharing the festivities with my little guy this year.  Last year he was only 3 months old when Christmas came around, and although he was such a bright eyed and attentive little baby, he had no clue what was going on around him.  This year there is still so much that I know he doesn't understand, but I can't help but expose him to everything holiday, and make memories, that at least his father and I can remember and share with him one day.

Here's a throw back to last year on Christmas morning sporting his cute Santa's little helper pajamas, and one at our holiday session.

God I could squeeze those cheeks, and look how absolutely little he was.

This year I went the traditional route with some candy stripped pajamas I purchased at OskKosh.  I must say holiday attire for boys this year was pretty slim pickings, and I found some great ones online, but sometimes I just don't trust online orders, and then I just felt it was a little too late.  I love how these look on him thought, and that face well makes it look that much more adorable wouldn't you agree.

I also got these snowmen themed pajamas as Carters and this was the best I could do getting a photo of Lucas in them.

And just like that he's over it! 

Hope everyone is having a great week we are off to finish some Christmas shopping.

Family Christmas Photos

The internet was completely down for a few days in my neighbourhood, so I am once again behind on my intended blogging, and to make matters worse I cannot find my computer cord to download my photos for some of my posts, so yup technology is not my friend lately.

I planned this post for close to the holidays, but due to the unforeseen tech problems I'm going to go ahead and share the photo goodness today.  We once again used our professional photographer Trayc with Blue Rooster Photography, and took advantage of the mini sessions she has for holiday photos.  I love how they turned out but I am really wanting to do outside family photos next year.  Lucas was really a great little boy throughout the whole session.  I had booked two sessions in fear that now that Lucas is extremely rambunctious, and can't sit still for too long, that it would take extra long to get some good shots.  Well my little man made me proud, not only was he so well behaved but he was so aware of the camera that he practically posed for the photos.

Taking professional photos is an investment I'm glad to make.  Even though I am constantly taking photos of our family, its so hard to get behind the camera with my little man, so I cherish the moments that the photographer has captured so far of my little family.

On to what really matters.

There are really no words to express how seriously I love this picture of my boys!

At first I thought the posing of this photo was a little cliche but now I kind of like it.

I'm a little critical of myself in photos (probably why I don't turn the camera around to myself that often), and I'm not a huge fan of my face here, but my little man's smile just melts my heart. 

I just die over Lucas' face here! 

I have a few more photos to share of Lucas' in his Christmas pajamas, but I'm reserving those for tomorrow's link up party. 

Hope you all enjoyed!

Holiday Gift Guide - Mommy Edition

The hubby is generally pretty good at gift giving, but he has his moments where he honestly sucks (sorry babe you know its true).  So this list is as much of a guide of some great things for the women in your lives, as well as a list to help the husband figure out what he can get me hehe.

1. Reitmans Pajama Set - I love sets like this to lounge around the house in on days when all you do is stay inside, watch movies and drink copious amounts of warm coffee and cocoa.

2. Beanie Hat - I have never been a winter hat kind of person, but I have also never spent this much time outside in the snow as I have been now.  As a mom of an outdoorsy son this is kind of essential for me this year.

3. Roots Side Satchel - Its getting easier to leave the house with Lucas and not have to lug a diaper bag, however there are always a few essentials that need to come with me, and the convenience of a bag that can be slung over the chest and be big enough for mine and his needs is a must.  This particular bag is on the expensive side, so honestly I would prefer a cheaper knock off, but this particular style.

4. Chapters Gift Card - This is always a winning gift for me.  Chapters is my happy place, and I go there with Lucas at least once a week, and he loves it just as much as I do.  This gift would probably be for the two of us hehe.

5. Eos Lip Balms - I have a fetish for lip balms, and I'm pretty sure there is always one at hand in every drawer possible, car and purse.  I'm running low and I have heard great things from this particular brand.

6.  Pandora Studs - I have discovered recently that I cannot wear my beloved hoop earrings for now, since my son finds it amusing to put his fingers through it and then yank.  Yup, lets just say I found that one out the hard way.  I'm in love with these studs right now, so classy and would make any mom on the go outfit look just that much fancier.

Hope all the fellas out there enjoy buying some special gifts for their hard working baby mamas lol.

Holiday Gift Guide - Daddy Edition

The hubby and I are looking into saving for a family vacation this upcoming April, so we decided to keep it low key with gifts for one another.  So here's a wish list of a few things that I know the husband needs, or would make a nice gift for him.

1. Pajama/Casual Lounge wear set - Here's a big confession about my man, he is one hot tamale...meaning the man is always hot hehe.  He gets home and literally lives in no shirt, and I have to beg him to put on shorts over his boxers.  Have you seen the new show The Goldbergs where the dad gets home, and immediately takes his pants off at the front door, yup that's pretty much like Gianni.  They have some nice thin casual wear at Marks Work Warehouse on sale for the holidays that I'm thinking of picking up, hopefully he will get the message.

2. Wool Beanie Hat - Gianni works outside a lot, and the weather has been getting progressively colder, and I feel his ratty one could use a replacement.

3. Under Armour Sweater - These sweaters are amazing for Gianni since they offer just the right amount of insulation without getting too sweaty.  This is great for work under his safety vests, or for quick shopping trips.

4. Batman Trilogy Set - This is on sale at Costco, and he is a huge fan.  I usually get him a DVD for his collection every Christmas, and I think he would love this one.

5. Starbucks Thermo Cup and Tim Hortons Gift Card - Gianni's mug could also use a replacement this year, a lot of Gianni's gear gets banged up on job sites and they need to be replaced every once in a while.  Plus the coffee card is a nice gesture for those mornings when I forget to pre prepare the coffee maker.

Hope everyone else is having a fun time putting thoughtful gifts together for the men in their lives.

Holiday Gift Guide - Toddler Edition

Every year my side of the family has done Kris Kringle for the adults at Christmas time, we are just too many people to buy individual gifts for everyone.  Usually I still give something baked, or framed photos for my parents.  So this year we all decided to forgo that tradition and just spoil all the little ones in the family. 

In the interest of getting things for the kids that they would actually need and appreciate all the moms sent out a list of their kid's likes.  Here's a synthesized version of what Lucas is into this year, and some ideas for gifts for him.

1. Mega Blocks - He recently has taken an interest in building things, and this is a great toy to help enhance motor skills by putting the blocks together and tearing them apart.

2.  Lucas loves to be read to, and its honestly a proud moment when he grabs a book and brings it over to be read.  His favourites are definitely Karen Katz flip and flap books.  They are engaging, interactive, and quite entertaining.  He already has a growing collection, and I just discovered how many more there are!

3. Leap Frog Letter Factory - So I already know he's getting this, and I already know he loves it.  I was running errands at Walmart the other day, and grabbed a toy to keep him entertained while I continued to shop.  He figured out how to use it, and was trying to imitate the sounds of the letters and words while playing with it.  I was already a fan, since I'm a sucker for educational toys, but when I saw how he responded to it I was sold.

4. Little People's Farm - We practice animal sounds and names often when we are doing learning games and exercises, and as a consequence Lucas is pretty fond of animals.  This will be a great addition to our growing animal kingdom.

5. Trucks - I have resigned myself to a life of trucks and dirt!  Lucas loves like any boy his trucks, this is also am ever growing collection, but when he's playing with them and makes his little vroom vroom sounds, well its enough to make this mama smile.

Gianni and I had been debating getting Lucas a play kitchen as his big gift this year, since he loves to be in the kitchen with us, and takes an interest in making food.  However, they can get pricey, and I wasn't too sure how well he would play with one, but then I scored this Little Tikes Gourmet Kitchen set for $50 and I just couldn't say no.

 

Since we saved big time on the kitchen set, I have my eyes on a Little Partners Learning Tower.  I found this little gem from a fellow blogger and have been obsessed with it ever since.  Lucas often hangs with us in the kitchen sitting on the island and its not the most ideal situation since I need to swipe the area completely devoid of anything remotely dangerous from the little guys quick hands.  This learning tower is the ultimate in steeping stools for children, and allows them to participate in activities in the kitchen, and elsewhere.  I just saw that they are on sale, and may be making this purchase for Christmas as well! 

 

Happy Shopping everyone.

Five on Friday

Its been a long week around here.  Lucas is having a hard time teething his molars, and wakes up really early because of it, which in turn makes for some really long days, especially if he isn't in the best of moods.  We have been keeping busy with crafts and outings, but I'm usually ready for bed when Lucas goes down for the night too!  On to this week's five.

one

Next week we have our family photos for our Christmas card, and I'm pretty excited about them, more so cause its giving me an excuse for some mommy time this Sunday.  While the boys stay home and watch football, I'm going for a much needed haircut, and I'm working up the courage to chop a lot off.  I'm thinking of maybe a bit longer than this version from Katie Holmes.  I definitely need some texture and a bit of a new look, but I want still the option of being up to pull my hair up if needed.

two

In the interest of helping teach new words to Lucas, and having realized his newfound love for crafts I started a routine of centering at least three crafts a week around a new word.  This week we worked on tree, and it has been really great.  I have a whole post dedicated to our activities but for now here's a preview of the fun he's been having.

three

I recently purged several boxes of books from my collection and donated them to my brother in law's school.  It was actually a lot easier to part with them than I thought, if I didn't think I would read the book again then in the box it went.  There were a few book on the shelf that I haven't gotten around to reading yet so they are up next on my list, but all the extra space has me itching to go to Chapters and fill them up!  I'm staying away for awhile, or else.  Book nerd problems.

 

I have lost it when this has happened, especially to a new book!

four

I've slowly started getting the house Christmas ready, and I'm itching to put the tree up, but I'm waiting until next week after the Santa Parade.  I have a few DIYs that I'm working on this year to spruce up my décor, and trying to make a few non breakable things for my living room, since I have a toddler who thinks that anything within his grasp is a either a toy, a teether, or just plain his to do as his likes.

five

I've been mildly obsessed with researching events and activities for the upcoming Christmas season, since its by fair my absolute favourite time of the year.  Last year we didn't do that much since Lucas was only two months old, so I really want to try to do more this year.  Last year I went to the mall for his Santa pictures near my sister's house, and I will definitely be going back there for sure, the Santa is incredibly believable, and was just a jolly (hehe) man.  Last year we had no tears, so lets hope for a repeat performance.  Lucas is a pretty social kid, so I'm not too worried.  Can't wait for another round of cuteness like last year's, maybe with a smile though instead of the worried stare lol.

And just because here's my little man in a bout of laughter, this smile is the only thing that makes teething, poor sleep, and crankiness really that much more bearable.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Five on Friday

In honour of yesterday's Halloween festivities, here's a rundown of our day.

 

one

I dressed up Lucas in a hand me down monkey costume from his cousin, and although the pants fit fine a month ago, Lucas confirmed my suspicions that he just went through a growth spurt when there were no way the pants were getting on him.  My child will one day tower over his mother that I am sure of.  He looked absolutely adorable in the what did fit him, but it was a feat to get a good picture of him cause he couldn't stand still for a moment.

two

We went to the Halloween party at our play group, and it was a zoo, since yesterday it was for all ages.  There were so many people there, that at one point the coordinators had to stop letting people in.  Lucas always loves going to the group, and his favourite activity is always the musical toys or the balls.  Yesterday I was such a proud mommy when he figured out how to get the ball in the basket, and then that was all he wanted to do; until someone finally put some tunes on, then Lucas was the only kid just dancing up a storm in the middle of the circle, it was quite a sight.

three

Every year we go trick and treating with my little sister, and at first I thought she had outgrown us, as she had said she wanted to go with a friend this year.  I'm not going to lie, its the only tradition I have every loved about Halloween, and I was feeling a little sad that she didn't need me; so imagine how giddy I was when my mom asked if I could take her after all.  All order was restored in my world.  Lucas stayed with my parents, I still think he's too young to go out trick and treating, plus it was pouring here last night.  I'm pretty sure he and my parents were happy to spend time together if their smiles are any indication in this photo.

 

four

My parents live in a neighbourhood where the houses are very spaced out (think large lots) so its quite the work out trick and treating, but due to the rain, and very generous neighbours Gyselle made out pretty well last night!  Plus Lucas had his first taste of chocolate, you can't really tell from this picture but pretty sure he loved it.

five

After a long and full day, I passed out the moment I got home, and Lucas slept until well past 7am, so all in all it was a winner of a day!

Hope everyone stays nice and warm this weekend!

 

 

 

Little Ghosts and Goblins Halloween Pajama Party!

Today I'm linking up with the lovely ladies Darci, and Meredith  for a virtual pajama party!

Anyone who knows me knows that I'm not really a Halloween person. I'm not into dressing up and it's my least favourite holiday of all. I only really started getting more into it when my little sister was born and I started the tradition of always taking her trick and treating, one that Gianni joined me in the moment we started dating.  I thought I would get more into it after Lucas was born but I think until he starts actually understanding the holiday it's still going to be a low key affair in this household. Therefore I haven't really decorated for Halloween and Lucas' holiday attire is on the more subdued side (wait until Christmas, then I might go just a little overboard!)

His first pajama is the skeleton one from the Gap, that I know a lot of you ladies have purchased for your minis. This was a gift from his nonna and i must say he looks too adorable for words in them. I'm actually thinking of using them for his day costume to his play group next week since it's nice and light (the building where his play group meets is super warm, and his costume this year is one of those insulated ones perfect for outdoor trick and treating). As you can see by this picture he was not amused by his mama deciding to undress him and dress him all over again for these photos!

The second one is actually not a pajama per say, from Carters, but I feel the pants are a little too thin for the sudden cold weather that we have been having, and I think they are way cuter for night wear. This face just slays me every time. His personality has been just too cute to handle lately!

The pants have this adorable Frankenstein face on the tush that Lucas couldn't stand still for the two seconds it would take me to photograph so I grabbed this one while he was sleeping in his favourite butt in the air position.


Looking forward to seeing all the other cute little ones in their festive pajama wear!
Happy Halloween everyone!