Snapshots of our week

So I'm thinking of starting up a new weekend post/photo dump with randoms that happen throughout the week, nothing fancy, just extras that I don't get to blog about throughout the week normally. I find myself with a ton of pictures left at the end of the week, photos from a day spent out back, at the park, cute snuggles with daddy, or even sometimes mommy if I'm lucky. We'll see how this goes, I'm not sure I can keep up a weekend post every weekend...but i'll sure try :)

Now I fully understand the term "sleeping like a baby", She's so cute.

Having fun hanging out side with daddy

and a couple attempts at family photos that didn't turn out so well...

Happy Weekend!

Wordful Wednesday: Plums

While camping this weekend Brent introduced Stella to her first red plum.... and....... I think it may have been love at first taste,

Yummy Plum.....

Even my hands taste delish! (Look at that tounge work!)

Dad "rejuicing" the plum, because she kept sucking all the juice out and would leave dry spots, lol. 

So much better with new juice

She took to this plum like it were my own breast, sucking and holding it, making the little 'nomnomnom' baby noises, it was hilarious! We have been letting Stella explore more flavors over the last 2 weeks. We're holding off on any more Brown rice for just now, she wasn't sleeping very well after having it, so I stopped for a few days and she returned to her better sleep patterns, tried once more and no sleep that night. So, Were just sticking with letting her taste things for now. So far she's in love with plums, Rainier cherries (Seeds out, just licks them) and grapes (bit in half and she just licks them). She's not so much a fan of peaches, but that could have been because they were not quite ripe, she really likes juicy fruits with lots of flavor. I am so excited to be introducing her to these flavors, we really want the little to love her fruits and veggies, and to have a very versatile palate. One thing Brent insists is that she never say no to any food, or tell us she "doesn't like" something. I know it's bound to happen, all kids go through some stage of frowns and noses turned up at the suggestion or look or smell of something, or they come home from a friends house or school and magically no longer like something, but he's really hoping we can nip this in the butt from an early age, I never realized he meant this early though.

Linking up for Wordful Wednesdays with http://parentingbydummies.com/ and http://sevenclowncircus.com/.

Like that Stella's exploring the world of flavors??? Show us some love with a few clicks for a vote :)

Camping on the Columbia River

This weekend we packed up the little and headed to the Columbia River for a little condo camping with Abuela Beth and Opa Jim. I say condo camping because we got to stay in their amazing 5th wheel, instead of our plain 'ol tent, we were pretty spoiled. We had an awesome trip, took several very long walks, a couple fun bike rides (my first in almost 2 years!) and played in the water a ton. Abby swam all over the place, even Beth and Jim's dog Mia went in the water past her paws, a big first for her! We stayed at the Boardman Marina Park, In Boardman Oregon, It was great! We lucked out by booking last minute and got an amazing spot right on the water, it was perfect. 

Abuela with Stella Wrapped on her, I got tired on our long walk and passed her off for more snuggles.

Loving this cup, It entertained her for a good half hour or so.

checkin' out the river with opa

Lovin's

Apparently it's never too early to learn how to tie on a fish hook

The view from our camp. Stunning.

UPrinting Giveaway Winner!

I'm blogging this weekend from Boardman State Park in Boardman, Oregon! It's a beautiful day here on the Columbia River, We've met up this weekend with Brent's parents, and had an awesome 3 mile walk already today down along the river. Stella's loving the sun and time with her Abuela and Opa, I'll be sure take lots of pictures to share sometime this weekend. 

Now on to the winner, I'll keep things short and sweet. The winner of the UPrinting.com Stickers Giveaway winner is comment 2, Jenn! Jenn, Please Email me your at my contact info with your Email address, so I can get you the info for the stickers from the sponsor. 

I hope Everyone has a fantastic, fun and safe weekend!!

Raspberries

No, Not the juicy red fruit, more like the juicy baby kind! Stella has been mimicking us blowing raspberries for about 2 days now, and its so freakin' cute I just had to share! She does it constantly, and drools and spits all over the place, but she shreiks and really loves the reactions she gets from it, its so darn cute! Enjoy!

Wordful Wednesday. 4 month photos

Today I finally took a few minutes to get some of Stella's 4 month photos done in her rocking chair, yay! I'm happy when I'm able to get these done within a week of her monthly birthday lol, which was just barely the case this time, she hasnt changed a ton in the 8 days she's been 4 months though, so i'm not too worried. I love taking these pictures, it's been so fun to see how she's growing and changing. She can now sit up in the chair on her own, I dont have to prop her up in the corner or hold onto her while I shoot to make sure she doesnt flop forward or to the side. This shoot she finally took interest in the chair! She just stared at the polka dots and really seemed to be examining them! I only got a couple smiles today, she was very excited about Abby's bringing her toy to her, which is probably one of her most favorite activities now, she loves that Abby retrieves! You should see how excited she gets when Abby is swimming! legs go crazy and huge smiles and shrieks! 

Happy girl watching her puppy

So serious, this is the look she gave me in most of the pictures

totally diggin' the polka dots

This week Stella had her first sorta giggle! It was just a little one, and of course Brent is out of town, so I haven't tried to get another one out of her, I want him to be here. I tried to video it, but whenever my phone or the Flip come out she's mesmerized, its pretty funny how into the cameras she is, future toys i'll have to keep on the high shelf I guess. I'll try my hardest to capture it next time, hopefully with Brent getting the giggles :)

Linking up with parenting BY dummies and seven clown circus for Wordful Wednesday.

How 'bout clicking through for this little sunshine??

New Giveaway! and a Winner!

I am very excited to announce my second ever giveaway!! Mom's (Or dad's) with personal businesses or Etsy shops listen up!! UPrinting.com has graciously offered to give one reader from A Snapshot of Our Life the following item:

250 Customizable Stickers for One (1) Winner 

2" x 3.5"70lb Label Matte, 

Front Only Printing, 

4 Business Days Turnaround

All readers are welcome to access their FREE Label Templates, Enjoy!

To Enter:
1. Leave a comment below telling me about your personal business.
2. "Like" A Snapshot of Our Life on Facebook
3. "Like" UPrinting.com on Facebook
4. Follow A Snapshot of Our Life publicly with Google Friend Connect




This giveaway will end on Friday, July 22nd at noon. Winner must reply by email to me with their Name and Email Address within 24 hours to claim their prize. 


Restriction: Limited to US residents 18 years old and above only.


This giveaway is sponsored by UPrinting, no monetary compensation was given and I will receive
stickers for hosting. Check out standard label templates on UPrinting.com.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now for the winner of our very first giveaway! Per the random.org sequence generator, the crochet stuffed animals go to Comment number 3!


Random Sequence Generator

Here is your sequence:

3
1
6
8
4
7
5
2

Timestamp: 2011-07-18 18:05:55 UTC

Bri, Please email me within 48 hours to claim your animals. If I do not hear back, the animals will go to comment number 1, as per the sequence :) 

And don't forget to show us some love with your votes :)

Wordless{ish} Wednesday {On Thursday}

Stella had her first taste of food the other night, and? SHE LOVED IT! See that smirk? And the organic brown rice bits stuck all over her face? Yea, it was pretty adorable. 

licking every last bit off her fingers... mmmmm

MOMMA!!! I WANT MORE!!!

I thought I'd link up to my first Wordless Wednesday today, hosted by The Paper Mama. I realize i'm a day late, yesterday kinda got away from me, I had this all planned out... and then life happened :) So, at least i'm only a day late, not too bad in my book for blogging.

Happy Thursday!

4 Months and Growing!!

Stella Jean,

Today is July 12th, which means you are officially a 4 month old! You have had a TON of first this past month monkey! You now love to stand up! Which gets pretty tiresome for your daddy and mommy, so we broke down and bought you a Baby Einstein activity jumper, you love it! We don't let you spend too much time in it just yet, I only really put you in it when I need to shower, do laundry, dishes, or anything else that requires both hands and possible bending... Otherwise you're still quite content being wrapped up to mommy, or held. You have become quite the little chatter, talking almost ALL day long, nonstop... currently your daddy is holding you, and you have half your hand shoved into your mouth, but, your still talking, it's pretty awesome. You even seem to talk back sometimes when we talk to you, it's pretty funny when I ask you a question, and you actually seem to answer! I know you have no idea what i'm asking, but your sounds are starting to mimic ours enough to make it sound like your talking, we love it.

Baby girl you've become quite the little sleeper also, another thing mommy is extremely grateful for. Some nights you'll let us put you down in your co-sleeper next to me, some nights I give up after 11pm and bring you to bed with me, either way, you'll sleep well wherever you are, better when you're next to me. You also love to follow me around the bed, which really scared me at first, now I think subconsciously I know you're there, so I wake up with my arms around you, and you curled up against me. It's such a wonderful feeling waking up with you, and to see your huge smiles first thing every morning melts my heart. I cant imagine not waking up to those smiles, they set the mood for my entire day.

Other new things you've become pretty great at this month?

Traveling. We drove to Seattle again, and then to Portland for a friends wedding. You did fantastic in the truck every time! and you loved staying in your first Hotel, The Benson, in downtown Portland. Thankfully Auntie drove up to hang out with you during the wedding, or mommy would have missed the entire evening, you were quite chatty and sometimes fussy. (Thanks Auntie!!)

Boating. You went on your very first boat ride this month! and your second just last weekend. You love the boat! and love being on the water. We are so thankful that you enjoy your life jacket, the waves and bumps (go figure huh), the sound of the motor, and all the other things that make a day on the water fun.

Wiggling. You are a mover. Have been since the first time we saw you on the monitor in the doctors office, you were wiggling away, and I'm not sure you've ever stopped. You can move yourself in a full circle in just a few minutes. You roll from side to side constantly. You've even rolled from back to tummy a few times! You can scooch now also, pushing yourself along the floor on your back, The other day you even moved yourself a little bit forward while on your belly, you lifted your leg up to your side and pushed, and off you went, a couple of inches albeit, but you still moved your body forward! I couldn't believe it, so I took a quick video, which i'll be sure to post soon.

I'm sure there are a ton of this i'm forgetting, but it's getting late, and you and daddy are fast asleep. I really should join you both, so for now, I'll leave you with an I love you Stella girl. You are my world, your daddy's light, and the joy of our family. Keep on growing like a weed, keep on making us smile every minute of ever day, and keep on being our perfect baby girl.

Love,

Mommy and Daddy

Night Walks to the canal

With the temperature in the low to mid 90's outside now, walks have become more important to us than ever. We usually have to wait until the late evening to head out, and Stella is always draped with a gauzy blanket until out of the sun, otherwise it's a blinding 5 minute walk to the canal for her. But once were down there it's wonderful. Abby loves to swim, it runs in the family I guess, and she's an awesome jumper, with some pretty impressive splashes and retrieves. We have so much fun on our short walks, I really hope one day soon we'll be able to resume the entire 'loop', which is just over 2 miles down the hill, and around the canal back up the hill to our house. I did the loop often during my pregnancy, and walked it every day the week before Stella's arrival, trying to help things get moving. I love the walk, but there is zero shade, no trees, all sun, so it's tough to be out that long in the direct heat, especially for Stella. I think we'll stick to our short evening trips for now. 

mommy checking in on Stell

They were having a 'moment', I love when she looks at him like that.

Just a girl and her dog. This is bound to be one strong companionship between these two, it's love already.

Abby waiting patiently to be allowed into the canal, we make her sit until were close enough to see the water, then she goes charging in, she loves it. 

I love the lighting in this picture, how you can see the sunbeams, I never get this lucky with lighting :)

And now for an awesome sequence of Abby jumping into the water, it's rare that I actually get the launch off the side and the entrance into the water, this is pretty neat (I think) :)

Don't forget to check out our awesome first giveaway! 

and show some love, click through for a vote :)

Our Little Water Baby

We spent last Saturday up at Arrowrock Reservoir with our good friends Jayson and Lindzee on their jet boat, It was Stella's second boat trip with them this month! We have such a great time with them, and loved spending the super hot day (it was 93!) out on the water. Stella got her first taste of 'swimming' in the lake, you'll see that below, I actually rode the tube (which I am super afraid to do, but Jayson is a great driver and understands my fears, thankfully!) and only freaked out once... I thought they were going to do circles, and started screaming and waving for them to stop... turns out they were just trying to get me outside the wake to ride the smooth water... oops :). We swam, Brent fished, and we all had a great time out on the water. Stella LOVES the boat, seriously, I think she maybe fussed once or twice, it was a great day. We've got a little water baby on our hands, maybe it's time to start saving for our own piece of fun on the water. 

First catch of the day! and one of two... it was a sad day fishing... especially because Brent was the only one who remembered their licence... fail. 

Stella says "always wear sunscreen, your lifevest and a UPF 50 hat while on the water!"

and make sure your daddy holds onto you tight over the big bumps

She was chattin' away, loving the boat

and her safety schpeal is done, thanks Stella for the tips!

'aunt' Lindzee driving the boat 

and 'uncle' Jayson relaxin'

Look how cute her tankini is!!! Hard to see really, but she enjoyed it :)

Daddy riding the tube!

And what boating trip isnt complete without a good 'ol nap!? she slept for over an hour while we were docked at our beach, naps are important! 

So, this is how mommy introduced Stella to the water, just toes at first, and gradually going up to her knees... The water was 73 degrees and so warm, how could she not enjoy it!?!

And this is how daddy introduces her, dunks her naked bottom in up to her belly off the side of the boat, lol. She had pooped and we rinsed her off and let her cool down before getting her dressed again. 

She wasnt really happy about being swished around sans pants, lol. 

And now for the epic first wipe out of the day, Brent going feet over head off the tube, and I got almost all of it... enjoy :)

"Picnik Show"

Create a free slideshow with Picnik!

Vacation Time! and my first GIVEAWAY!

Checkin' out Grandpa Thomas

And showin' him how well she can stand

An Awesome puppy cupcake stand at the Auburn market

Pammy with a bunch of pretty glass flowers

And at a booth of fun signs and bird houses

4 generations here. My Grandma Rea, My mom, Me and Stella (who wasnt quite happy about getting more pictures taken)

Stella with her Great-Grandma Grisham

So... When I was about 6 months pregnant with Stella, I found this adorable crochet book for animals and asked my grandma if she would be willing to make Stella the animals in the book. She thought they were great, and now Stella has a huge stash of crochet animals made with love for her by her great-grandma, something we hope to keep forever and she can pass down to her kids one day. Grandma loved these animals so much, that she kept making them, and now has this huge stash of her own! She makes several animals a day, She's incredibly talented and these are easy-peasy for her. She has found another book, with more animals, and also creates animals from pictures, she's that good! So, keep scrolling down for my first ever giveaway, featuring my grandma's animals! 

Stella hangin' with Great Grandma and Auntie.

My beautiful mama

relaxin' with daddy

Playing out in the yard with daddy and grandpa

Hi friends!

Abby Waiting for a toy to be thrown

Stella, Momma and Grandma

Happy girl!! Stella loved visiting with her great grandparents!

We think Stella has a lot of my grandpa's looks in her, I see it in the nose, and face kinda... 

This is her new thing, feeling faces, she loves grabbing chins and mouths and noses

Great-Grandpa checkin out his newest great grand baby

I'm pretty sure were all laughing because Abby had just licked Stella's face, it's always pretty hilarious :)

SO... Now for our first giveaway info!!! As you've seen me post many times, particularly here, and in some pictures here ,  These little stuffed animals are awesome! Stella loves her's, she'll stare at them for every, and is now holding them, chewing on them, and knocking them over. They are so fun!! My grandma is thinking of starting her own Etsy shop to sell these fun and baby safe animals, so I thought I'd do a little feedback to see if there would be interest in them, and what better place to ask for feedback than on my blog?! So, she has graciously agreed to make either 2 small custom animals, or one larger custom sock monkey! What a great first giveaway!! 

*These animals are machine washable, and filled with regular cotton batting. She uses hard eyes on the animals and sock monkeys for kids 4 years old and older, babies to 4 years get good 'ol crocheted eyes, so no choking hazards for little ones. 

Here are the 4 ways you can enter:

1. Leave a comment telling me about your child's favorite animal, and colors (2 max), and why they would love one of Grandma's Animals.

2. Follow A Snapshot of Our Life publicly on google friend connect (leave a comment letting me know you already follow or are a new follower)

3. 'Like' A Snapshot of Our Life in Facebook (leave a comment letting me know you 'like' us)

4. Let your friends know about our giveaway by posting a link to this giveaway on your own blog, or link up to our Facebook with this giveaway, be sure to let me know when you do. 

This Giveaway will close on July 18th, 10 days from now. 1 winner will be chosen and will get to choose their favorite animals to be made in their choice of colors. It will take a week or two to receive the animals, since they are being custom made for you. 

Stella napping with all her buddies, including her jumbo sock monkey "ms. pinky" :)

Don't forget to show some love and head on over to vote for us on Top Baby Blogs! The love is much appreciated! :)