I always feel like somebody's watching me!

Namely a super adorable almost two year old.

It boggles my mind that a year ago we were constantly fearful she would break her face while she was learning to walk. 

She's now a real life little person. She dances like a boss.  Loves to sing and harmonize.  Rocks at using apple products and tablets.  Has actual conversations using real words in place of grunts.  Is an awesome little helper who loves to "clean clean!"

And she's a kick arse big sister!

It's pretty incredible to watch her with the little guy.  She is so gentle and loving.  She adores him, and him her.  We're seeing this bond form before our eyes. 

Yesterday, she blew me away and also gave a reminder that I need as a parent.  

While cuddling in our bed, Bree was rubbing his belly and holding his hand. I said, "Wow! Nathan's hands are cold!"

She brought his hand to her mouth and blew on it to warm it up. 

Just like her daddy does to her.

And with that one simple, sweet and thoughtful act, I realized someone really is always watching. 

It's not just about modeling "gentle touches" when cuddling brother or petting kitty.  It's not just about saying please or thank you so she learns.  It's not just speaking kindly of others or toning down my choice of words so she won't repeat what was said.

We have this amazing, sweet, thoughtful almost two year old who is always watching.  

She can watch me lose my temper when I don't get my way, or she can see what patience looks like.  She can watch me 

stew over perceived slights or she can learn how to forgive. She can watch me 

lie because it's easier or learn to be honest. 

She can learn to be kind to others.  To do good deeds. To be friendly and thoughtful and empathetic.  To help and serve others. 

It's up to me to be a better person so she can be a better person than me. 

She is always watching.  

I swear it's a real thing!

Pareidolia.

Seriously, it's real.  It's both an awesome name and an annoying ability to see "faces" in random objects and places where no such face actually exists. 

I can recall sitting on the toilet in elementary school and staring at the dots on drop ceiling tiles and seeing faces.  Happy, sad, scary, strange.  Clowns and dogs and normal people.  

I see the patterns on tile and in gum on the street. Splotches of paint, in drops of rain.  Anywhere and everywhere I go I see these things. 

According to google I might be nuts.  Me?! Imagine that. I'm a weirdo, we know this.  I don't try to hide it. 

Isn't this a common phenomenon though? Does anyone else do this all the time?  

I mean, it's hard NOT to see them. Right?

And if you haven't done it before, I bet you will now!  

Whoa. WHOA!

                                         Bree does her best Joey Lawrence "WHOA" impression.


                                                      Or sees the ocean for the first time.

Guess which one of the above statements is true and which is a load of carp fish.  Betcha ya can't!


Her reaction was totally priceless!  I grew up in Ocean County, and I often took the ocean for granted. It was just always there, the beach and boardwalk in Sea Side and Pt. Pleasant were fixtures of our childhood.

Its easy to forget just how awesome and powerful and large the ocean really is!

Cozywoggle Car Seat Jacket (Giveaway starts 12/13!)

Bloggers Wanted!! 

What is Cozywoggle? I know you probably want to know what a product is before you opt in to help promote it, so here is a little enplination of the Cozywoggle.

 Cozywoggle is the new safe, warm and convenient car seat jacket! Jackets are not to be worn in 5 pt harness car seats as they are compressed when in an accident making the car seat straps too loose and potentially ejecting the baby, toddler or child from the seat. Cozywoggle has zippers along the sides of the jacket as well as along the sleeves, allowing you to unzip them, buckle the straps against your child w/o having to loosen straps for bulky coats (there should only be up to 1" or 1 fingers width between straps and your child's shoulder) and then you "drape" the jacket over your child and the straps and you can rezip the sleeves to keep their arms warm. Leaving them safe as well as warm!

Okay, onto the giveaway information!

Prize: Cozywoggle in winner's choice of color (4 to choose from) and size (12m through size 6y)
Value: $74.99
Open to US only
Giveaway will run December 13th - December 27th

Sign-ups close December 10th!

Bloggers click here for more information and to SIGN-UP!

Disclosure: This is a blogger opp post, please do not "enter the giveaway" through the sign-up form. Only bloggers should be using this form, check back to the blog you are seeing this on December 13th and then you can enter through the giveaway post.

Pirates and Princesses Adventure - Disney Junior Live: Review!

What did the pirate on Wheel of Fortune say?

"I'd like to buy an AYE!  Then an Arrrrrrgh!"

Not kidding, that's one of my favorite jokes.  It cracks me up every time.  I'm like a five year old when it comes to jokes.  If it could potentially be found on a popsicle stick or in the back of Highlights Magazine, I probably adore it.  I'm pretty much just a giant kid in an adult sized body pretending that I'm an adult doing adult things. somehow tricking everyone that I'm a real adult.

That's one of the best things about having kids, I can totally rock out to Disney Radio and watch "Jesse" and "Good Luck Charlie" and pretend that I'm just a super awesome mom who gets into the things her kids love.  Except, you know, my kids are both under two years old, so I'm not really tricking anyone, am I?

I mean, Bree is all about Disney Junior and the princesses.  Sophia the First is like her favorite thing ever.  EVER.  EVER!  (Except Doc McStuffins, but really, no one can compete with Doc, amirite?!)

So when we saw Disney Junior Live: Pirates and Princess Adventure was coming to a town near us, we happily snagged three tickets.  I, opps, I mean She was super excited!  We watched Sophia The First then  Jake and the Neverland Pirates like it was our job!

After what felt like 647,102 days, it was finally Pirates and Princesses day!  I, opps, I mean She was super excited!

We took a princess bath, complete with bubbles and pink water!

And then we had a nap, and a Disney princess lunch:

We donned our princess and pirate gear and dropped little brother off at Grandma and Grandpa's, stopped for dinner and headed to the Sun National Bank Arena.

We bought our cotton candy ($12! Ouch!) and foam Sophia The First Princess Crown, and took our seats in section 108, row G.

And ten minutes before show time, we heard a familiar voice!  Was it? Could it be?  Is that?  It is!

Doc McStuffins!  An adorable pre-show that certainly got us excited and interested in what was yet to come!  We got to sing a song with Doc, and she diagnosed a toy car with "Too-excited-itis" and wrote it in her big book of boo-boos!  So cool.

Mickey and Minnie hosted the show, appearing before each act and at the end.

Next up, Sophia the First!  I loved that the show used the actual voices of the characters, so it was recognizable for the kids.  From the moment the show started, and the theme song was sung, it was lots of action and tons of fun!

 The storyline was cute, and the costumes were fun.  Some familiar songs were song, like "You Can Always Count on Baileywick" and the fairy godmothers Flora, Fauna and Merryweather are featured.  Cinderella even made an appearance when Sophia's amulet started flashing!

A short intermission and it was time for Jake and the Neverland Pirates! It was late (the show started at 7pm!) and I wasn't sure she'd make it through the whole thing, but she was super into it!

And so were we!  Captain Hook had the coolest outfit of the night, there was swashbuckling and swords, and FLYING.  Like for real (harness) flying, y'all!  Peter Pan flew and danced, and even Jake and Izzy got to use the pixiedust and fly!  Say wha?!

It was amazing, seriously.  Smee was just as loveable.  Scully was there!  It was overall just an awesome show and we all loved it.

When Feld Entertainment does Disney, they do it big and they do it right.

I may have (totally did) cried more than once from happy tears!  It was such a fun night and I, opps I mean she had the best time ever!  EVER!

                                                         Leaving was kinda sad, actually.