the future.

{via}

big changes are on the horizon for this little family of mine.  nothing earth-shattering, nothing life-threatening... but significant enough to change our everyday life as we've become comfortably accustomed to.

i'm so grateful for my amazing husband & best friend who i get to see these times through with.  someone who likes to sit down, write down goals, & plan our future together.  someone who makes these times exciting rather than scary, & sees change as an opportunity to make life better for our little family rather than worse.  someone who refuses to see the grass as greener on the other side of the fence, but rather, someone who likes to make the most of everything we already have. 

sam, i'm so glad we're in this together. <3


i'm so glad for your votes, too. we made it to the top ten together muh friends.

seven months

it seems like i waited & waited for six months to come, because it was such a huge milestone.  well, it came & apparently it went.  it's weird because i kinda sorta expected time to stand still for a while.  i hadn't thought ahead to seven months.  eight months.  one year!  yikes.  let's not get ahead of ourselves.

here's my little boy, all growed up to seven months.
{compare previous monthly pics here.}

parker changes every single day.  people aren't joking when they say that... it really happens.  every day he does something new & we fall in love with him even more.  he is hilarious, & he knows he's funny too.  he makes us laugh so many times a day & i am so proud to be his mama.

this month, parker has really started talking.  he babbles all day long... consonant sounds like "bababah" & he even yells "mamamammah!" when he gets really worked up.  sometimes instead of crying when he's frustrated, he yells at us in what we're sure are obscenities & we can't help but laugh.  as soon as his pants & socks come off during changes, his toes go straight for his mouth.  diaper & clothes changes have become an all out war as he squirms & wiggles to get off his back & off the changing table.  he hates being changed.  his feet are super ticklish & he laughs hysterically when tickled all over.  he is so so so close to crawling.  he gets up on his hands & knees & rocks back & forth, & he even kicks his legs out to try & get moving forward.  he had his first solid food this month.  sweet potatoes.  that's all he's had though because i am in no hurry to feed him lots of food for convenience reasons {read: selfish reasons} but we are going to try to be better about introducing more foods this month.  he is still exclusively breast fed & eats about five times a day for about ten to fifteen minutes per feeding.  we haven't found a diaper that can contain his wetness.  he leaks almost every day, multiple times a day. argh.  he loves books & story time.  he squeals with every single page turn & will lay next to you & giggle & gasp at the pictures.  when he's well rested in the morning & after his naps, he will usually hang out in his crib babbling to himself until you go in to get him.  when he sees you he will give you the biggest smile & squirms his whole body with excitement.  he can sit in a high chair at restaurants & does pretty good for a decent amount of time.  his favorite "station" in the house is his walker, where he can stand upright & play with toys for a good long time {long enough for me to clean the whole house!}.  he self entertains really well, but manages to find the only things around the room that aren't meant for babies, like cords, remotes, & non-baby books.

we've done so many things with him this last month.  he's seen his first snow days, he went on an eight hour road trip, he got bundled up & went to see christmas lights, & he's taken it all in stride.  he continues to go with the flow & just take in his surroundings with amazement & curiosity.  we can't get over how much fun he is & the amazing little personality that is emerging in him.  we're convinced we have the best baby in the whole freakin' world.

and he is still so dang cute.

love this kid.


and i will always love your votes. for reals. always & forever.

we're home & i'm as giddy as a school girl {not related}

{yes, my kid travels in his pajamas}

and so we're home with mixed emotions.  it's nice to be home, in the comforts of our house, no more driving ahead of us.  but how much does it suck that the holiday weekend is over?  lots.

we had an awesome holiday.  parker turned seven months {look for that post tomorrow}, we ate a ridiculous amount of junk food {including the world's best pizza.  true story.  world's best pizza is in clarkston, wa}...

...& i bought a new camera.

oh.  em.  gee.  i bought a new camera ya'll!!  i took the plunge, made my choice, put in my credit card info, & clicked "buy".  and now i wait.  i am so excited about it, & my only regret is that we didn't buy it sooner.  i can't believe how excited i am!  i'm a little nervous about the learning curve of using it & taking awesome pictures, but i'm excited to try. 

for those of you who followed me throughout the whole "what camera should i buy there are so many choices i am so intimidated by the world of dslrs" drama, here is the final rundown of what i decided on:

•  canon eos rebel t2i {body only}
•  lens - 50mm f/1.8
•  telephoto lens - 18-200mm f/3.5-5.6

...and i bought from b&h who came highly recommended by everyone i talked to.  wow... did i mention i'm so excited?  {insert little school girl squeals here}.  if you think i made some wrong choices in my decision, keep it to yourself.  it's too late now & i'm not looking back.  so just be happy with me!  hooray!

on an unrelated note, parker was an amazing little traveler.  eight hours there, seven hours back.  he slept & played with toys the whole way & cried a grand total of maybe 10-15 minutes.  my kid's a rockstar. 

whenever we would put his car seat cover over him to block the sun, he would push it down to his feet & then turn around & give us this disapproving look like, "why would you do that?  really?"

true story. 

another true story?  we're in the top ten because you guys rock.  please continue to vote, & i'll continue to love you forever.

weekday recap - {in iPhone pics}

monday

in case you missed it, the pac-northwest got buried in snow this week.  and by buried, i mean like, two or three inches.  yes, we openly admit that we don't know how to deal with snow here in seattle.  it's just how we are.

p-ray & i opted to stay in our pj's all day & watch the snow fall from the comforts of the living room.  he also took this time to work on his crawling skills.  he's getting close, & i'm not quite sure i'm ready for the mobile stage yet.

tuesday

after sam got home from work, i was feeling pretty cabin-feverish.  two days in the house will do that to a person.  so guess where we all went?  you guessed it:  target.  a pair of $10 skinny jeans & a couple of cute tops later, i was feeling much better about life.

wednesday

road trip day.  the drive to eastern washington to see sam's family usually takes five hours but apparently in icy-snowy conditions, this drive is increased to eight hours.  luckily p-ray was a trooper & didn't complain at all.  seriously, he cried maybe ten minutes max, the whole trip.  love my kid.

thursday

the day to give thanks.  we stayed in our pj's til three or four pm, parker played with cousins, sam played football, & we all ate lots of food.  later that evening we bundled up & headed downtown to check out the park all decked out in christmas lights {aka: an excuse for me to put parker in a bear suit}.

friday

black friday.  we braved some of the crowds & i found my dream boots at macy's.  they were 50% off.  only problem is that the only available sizes were a 6 & a 6.5.  my size 8 feet couldn't make it work.  i'm still crying about this.  it just wasn't meant to be i guess.  but serioulsy?  how cute are they.

parker wasn't too impressed with all the black friday hype & chose to snooze on my shoulder most of the time instead.  

did you take your "week in camera phone" pictures?  
there's only one rule to linking up... your pictures have to be taken by your camera phone.  that's it! you don't even have to have a picture for every day.  got one camera phone pic of something fun from this week?  link up!

grab the code below & put it in your post to have the linky with all the thumbnails show up on your blog too.  the more kids who come out to play, the more fun it will be, right?

grab the code here:

<script src="http://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=58662" type="text/javascript"></script>

...and get on the linky here:

black friday - four deals & a laugh

it's black friday & i have some deals to pass on to you.  who doesn't appreciate a good deal, right?

{except for when you're shopping at macy's & you find the perfect brown riding boots to wear over skinny jeans & they're even 50% off & then it turns out the only size they have in stock are a six & a half, & then you curse black friday all the way home.  just me?}

alright then, moving on:

{LilyBaby}



20% off + free shipping now through December 8th.  type the code "P-Ray" in the seller notes & jamie will refund you, same day.

{weeds & wildflowers}



download free word art HERE.  just use checkout code "thankful4U" at checkout.
also, be sure to look around the shoppe as there are tons of items marked down for black friday.

{turtle & rye}



25% off everything in the shop... even custom orders, today only!  use checkout code "turtlefriday".  there are tons of super cute animals & color choices to choose from.  check it out.

{seven slings}

remember that sling i wore in my last steppin' out post?  well they've just given me another code for a free sling, & now i'm passing it on to you.  get one free sling per transaction using the code "Thanksgiving".  all you pay is shipping!

not looking for some awesome deals? 

ok then, how about a laugh?  so i'm at my in-law's for the weekend, & my sister in law showed me this video.  i might be the last one in the world to have seen this, which is often the case, but i thought i'd share it just the same.  it cracks me up.  if you like cute kids with cute accents, that alone is gonna make you love it.

be sure to watch all the way to the end for maximum english accent cuteness.  



do you think if i only talked to parker with an english accent he would grow up talking like this little boy?it's totally worth a try.


guess what it costs to vote for us? absolutely free! best deal of the day muh friends.

thankful thursday

{sorry such horrible quality.  taken by my phone,  in the dark}

today i am thankful for: {in absolutely no particular order}

family.  my best friend.  the kind of father sam is to parker.  their friendship.  our friendship.   moms.  dads.  sisters. sister-in-laws.  brother-in-laws.  grandparents.  baby-sitters.  date nights.  girlfriends.  crafts.  writing.  creating.  taking pictures.  making them pretty.  being able to go cool new places.  the sunshine.  the rain.  clouds.  clear skies.  hugs.  kisses.  flip flops. laughter. good tv & movies. peanut butter & jelly. good in-laws.  good food. iPhones. my religion. oreos. running, cycling, a good work out. funny youtube videos. animals.  turkey dinner.  a car that runs.  singing in the car.  baby gibberish.  baby squeals.  a warm place to live.  a cozy bed. good health.  safe travels in really crappy conditions.  good jobs.  living in a great country.  freedoms.  good talks.  new clothes.  ice cream. chocolate.  parker's giggles.  technology.  blogging.  hair.  music.  hearing.  skype.  eyesight.  gorgeous scenery.  sunsets.  sunrises.  amazing parents.  electricity.  aunts.  uncles.  memories.  blankets.  snow.  hot chocolate.  puffy coats.  warm boots.  sleeping in.  nursing.  modern medicine.   jokes.  vacations.  holidays.  snowflakes.  sports.  a husband that loves sports.  legos.  crafts.  inspiration.  service. 

happy thanksgiving.

what is one thing you're thankful for today?  

oh yeah, & i am SO thankful for you votes. but hopefully you knew that.

a good life giveaway - {LilyBaby} - winner!

we have a winner folks.  congrats to:

rachel from "and then, she {snapped}"!!

random.org picked comment #73 which was rachel saying she'd like one of LilyBaby's tote bags!  yay!  congrats to you rachel, we're all jealous.

but to those of you who didn't get it this time, keep in mind that jamie is offering:

20% off + free shipping on all purchases from now until december 8th to all of you!

just enter the code "P-Ray" in the notes to seller section when checking out & she will refund ya, same day.

wordless{ish} wednesday: photobooth fun

at {almost} seven months, this little boy is so. much. fun.

he's a giggler, a thumb-sucker, a crawler scooter, a babbler, & a cuddler.  he's in such a fun stage that i told sam yesterday i'd be ok if he stayed this age forever.  he is incapable of doing anything intentionally bad, he can self entertain with his toys around him for a pretty decent amount of time, he gets so excited when he sees us, & everyday he is doing something new.

so this is why people have kids, huh?


your votes are pretty fun, too.  they make me a happy, happy girl.

on having another + {sponsor spotlight}

i swore it would never happen.  in between contractions while walking the halls of the hospital, i distinctly remember telling sam "i am never doing this again. EVER."  while caring for my newborn, i sometimes wondered how moms of multiple kids kept their sanity & figured i was destined to be a mother of one.

but somewhere between p-ray's birth & his {almost} seven month birthday, it has happened.  i can actually-kinda-maybe-sorta think about seeing myself have another baby.

i see girls with cute belly bumps & my heart beats a little faster.  i watch parker interact with other kids & imagine a house full of baby laughter.  i pack up his newborn clothes & get misty eyed wondering if they'll get put to use again some day.

this isn't a post to say we're trying.  oh h-e-double-hockey-stick no.  we are not trying.  now is not the time.

but maybe someday.  that's all.

________________________________________________________________

sponsor love.

i am so excited to introduce our newest sponsor, turtle & rye!  after the holidays, we'll be hosting a giveaway from turtle & rye, as well as learning a lot more about kim {the talented mastermind behind the animals} & her amazing story of how she got started.  but for now i would love for ya'll to go check out this super cute etsy shop full of handmade sock monkeys, giraffes, dogs, zebras, & whatever else your heart may desire, because she does custom animals too!

AND, kim is offering 25% off to our readers on black friday when you use checkout code "turtlefriday".  that's 25% off everything in the shop - even custom orders - this friday.

{just in time for christmas}

check it out, & expect more good things to come from turtle & rye in the dang near future.


your votes are always a good thing & i love ya for it.  no really, i do.  no. really.

high chairs, steppin' out {shopping}, & basketballs

two weekends ago sam laid around the house & complained of boredom.  that's what happens after one weekend of no plans.  the guy doesn't like sitting still!

so last weekend, after spending the morning deep cleaning & organizing our house, we set off for an adventure.  the adventure consisted of driving fifteen miles south to eat burgerville {yum} & hit up some outlet stores.  go crazy!

p-ray has the high chair thing down.  it's awesome.  i'm totally loving being able to eat my food without wrangling a wriggly child.  he loves sittin in his own chair & enjoying the view from where he's at.  and where he's at is table height, which is totally convenient for sucking the edges of the table... if you're into that sorta thing.

and parker's definitely into that sorta thing.
 

amy

hat - roxy {bought in sydney. ahhh, memories!}

hoodie - nordstrom

tank - target

puffy vest - old navy

jeans - gap skinny jeans

boots - uggs, nordstrom  

{say what you will about uggs, but i will tell you they are like walking in a couple of dreams} 

parker

hoodie - baby gap

jeans - baby gap

shoes - old navy

sling - seven slings

this is my standard mom attire.  i am usually found in a hoodie & boots.  i switch up the hoodie from day to day {usually} & am working on getting some new boots.  it's on the christmas list. 

this is one of those slings that has been seen all over the blogosphere.  you know, the ones that are "free" with the cost of shipping?  i actually love it.  i use it every. single. day.  target, grocery shopping, the mall.  parker loves being worn & can go hours hanging out in there.  and i can use two hands!  love it.

if you wanna see what other mamas around the blogosphere wore this weekend, check out mandy's blog by hitting the badge above.

and lastly, parker got his first basketball this weekend.  as you can see, it was love at first sight.  and no, we weren't paid to strategically place the nike swoosh like that in the picture.  i promise.


this banner actually is strategically placed. for your convenience. two clicks & i'm a happy girl!

parker's first snow day

this is usually where i would do my weekly steppin' out post but the host of that blog hop, mandy, is having some technical difficulties with her site so we're holding off.  look for that post tomorrow {hopefully}.

in the meantime, guess what is going on here in the beautiful pacific northwest?  it's snow day!

SO much more snow has fallen since we took these pictures an hour or so ago.  the grass is now completely covered & everything from trees to rooftops are blanketed in a thick coat of white snow.

p-ray is loving the falling snow.  he has been looking out the window & just cracks up, every time.  when we took him outside he was totally giggly & batting at the flakes. 

snow is always a HUGE deal around here.  i guarantee every school age kid is already thanking the snow gods for the possibility of no school tomorrow, since school regularly gets canceled for even an inch or so of snow.  i'm just loving it because it makes me feel justified in my christmas music marathon & bottomless cup of hot chocolate.  yum.

how about a snow day vote? c'mon, this doesn't happen everyday around here.

weekday recap - {in iPhone pics}

this is gonna be a new weekly feature here on "a good life", but it's not something i thought up all my own.  it's something i've seen a few places around the blogosphere {like here & here}.

after talking to a few other bloggers who thought making "a week in camera phone pics" blog hop would be fun, we decided a linky should be posted so we can get this party started.

here we go.

monday

pre-bedtime family time.  parker thinks his dancing fuzzy monkey is hilarious.  like, red-in-the-face belly-laugh hilarious.  here's video proof of the hilarity.

tuesday

sam got to work from home this morning because his office lost power due to the seattle windstorm of 2010.  parker liked having dad home for the a.m., & i liked taking a long shower that wasn't eating up nap time.  oh yeah, & having sam home was pretty fun too.

wednesday

p-ray & i cheered sam on during his last city-league basketball game of the season.  bonus points if you can spot sam.  hint: he's not under the hoop.

thursday

i made apple crisp for dessert.  it was so good i decided to have some for breakfast on friday, too.  seemed easier than making a bowl of cereal.

friday

parker & i met up with whitney & adorable little poppy for some tasty bbq.  fun fact about poppy: she's exactly one month to the day younger than parker.  fun fact about parker: he's definitely trying to put the moves on poppy.  unfortunately for him, i don't think she's feeling it. 

fun fact about bbq: you know it's gonna be good when the restaurant has a neon pink pig sign out front.

so there ya have it!  my week in review.

there's only one rule to linking up... your pictures have to be taken by your camera phone.  that's it! you don't even have to have a picture for every day.  got one camera phone pic of something fun from this week?  link up!

grab the code below & put it in your post to have the linky with all the thumbnails show up on your blog too.  the more kids who come out to play, the more fun it will be, right?

grab the code here:

<script src="http://www.linkytools.com/thumbnail_linky_include.aspx?id=57548" type="text/javascript"> </script>

...and get on our linky here!



oh yeah, & don't forget to vote here.  many, many thanks muh friends.

flashback friday: {mom&dad}

i am so in love with these two pictures.  my parents.  early twenties, newly married.  my three sisters & i are just a twinkle in their eyes.  seriously?  how cute are they.  and my mom's hair.  i wouldn't even know where to start with a 'do like that.  but i want it.

what a couple of moments captured, right?  no digital cameras, no photoshop... just a couple of young loves with their whole lives ahead of them.

love it.

and?  after fourty-five years of marriage, they're still adorable.  here's my ma & my pops a {few} years later from then, & just a couple months ago from now.

we miss you guys.  skype helps, but christmas just can't come fast enough.  {love} you mom & dad!

ps: my mom is an amazing artist & has recently been testing the waters of the blogging world.  maybe you could give her a warm welcome by visiting her blog & tell her i sent ya.  she's a nice lady.  i promise.



and ya'll know i {love} your votes. but that goes without saying. don't worry though, i'll keep sayin' it.

a good life giveaway! - {LilyBaby}

LilyBaby is an etsy shop that is near & dear to my heart.  why?  because jamie {the super cute girl who is responsible for lilybaby & the super cute little man seen below} is a homie of mine from my home town of good ol' auburn, washington.  jamie was totally excited to be a sponsor of "a good life" back when i had less than thirty followers & has been along for the ride the whole time!

and now, i am beyond excited to show off her amazing sewing talent & eye for some of the cutest hand-made kiddie clothes around.  for instance, this hoodie.  i fell in love with it immediately.  i saw it in her shop & knew p-ray had to have one.  but more on that later.

oh!  does it look familiar?  it would if you read kidlet because it was featured a month or so back. yay... go LilyBaby! 

you'll find uh-dorable dresses, cardigans, hoodies, neckties, & more when you check out LilyBaby.  jamie is super creative & is always adding new things to her shop & totally encourages custom orders.

like the style of something you see, but have another color in mind?  no worries, jamie is all over that.  tell her what you want & she makes it just how you like it!  she is so fun & easy to work with.  she's not limited to clothes either.  she does custom crib bedding, baby blankets, & nursing covers too!

i told you she was amazing.

{click photo to enlarge}

and here's my little man, who happens to be a big fan of LilyBaby.  looking pretty good in his avery hoodie, dontcha think?  {sorry the pictures kinda suck. this is what you get in low light with a point & shoot on a gloomy northwest day. ick.} 

alright.  now for the part you've all been waiting for!  here's what is up for grabs...

{a $30 gift certificate to the LilyBaby etsy shop}

here's whatcha do:

mandatory entry:
• visit LilyBaby & leave a comment telling me what you would pick from the shop.

additional entries: - {leave a separate comment for each additional entry}
• like LilyBaby on facebook
• follow this blog publicly via google friend connect
• follow me on twitter @amy_agoodlife 
• like "a good life" on facebook

giveaway ends november 24 at 11:59 pm pst.

but wait, there's more:

jamie is offering 20% off + free shipping on all purchases from now until december 8th to my readers!

that's you, yo.

just enter the code "P-Ray" in the notes to seller section when checking out & she will refund ya, same day.  easy peesey.  lemon squeezy. 



voting's pretty easy peasy too. two clicks & yer done. lemon squeezy.