Our Halloween!

We started off Halloween well...Ethan was tolerant of his costume and looked super cute in it {if I do say so myself!}.

He had a ball dancing to the music last night and swishing around his Halloween buckets.

And even got some play time in with his buddy!

I mean...how cute are these two?!

Unfortunately. the night took a sudden turn for the worst when Ethan bumped his head and got a pretty big bruise.  Fortunately, sweets saved the day.

And though he loved trick or treating, he was especially happy to pass out candy to the other trick-or-treaters.  Seriously...this kid passed out candy, like a champ!

I've gotta say...I love this little face!!

How was your Halloween!?!

xo natasha

Ethan is 16 Months!

What's New:

Ethan understands more and more everyday, though he can't quite communicate the same way he comprehends.  He's completely got our number...he knows when to cry and when to laugh.  He's verrrry dramatic.  He loves pushing buttons and switching the lights on and off.  

Wears:

Ethan's official weight is 21.4 pounds from his 15 month checkup and he's 31 inches tall...I think the walking has definitely kept his weight down and he seems to be about average height as well.  He's just growing out of his 6-12 pants and is mainly wearing all 12-18 month clothing.

Eats:

It's hit or miss.  The little guy seems to be getting more and more picky.  Some days he loves pasta...other days he wants nothing to do with it.  He consistently likes banana {sometimes I roll it in crushed graham cracker} and he LOVES these little snacks.

Teeth:

I believe he has a total of 8 now.  He has his top front four, two molars {maybe more} and his bottom two teeth...maybe more?  It's getting harder to tell.  But he LOVES brushing his teeth at the end of the night.  I'll say, it's time to brush our teeth and he'll run back to our bathroom.  Hilarious!

Talks:

Ethan is getting really good at mimicking us and is able to repeat more and more words.  He's also very expressive.  He'll try to grab for things too far above him and flail his hand in an upward motion and I'll say "You can't reach it" and he'll squeal along.  It's hard to explain but it's super cute!  He can sign please, thank you {sometimes} and more.  He also shakes his head no when he doesn't 

want something or is done.  While his vocabulary is building every day, there is no shortage of babble.  He'll walk around and babble to himself...it sounds like he's having a fully involved conversation on his own.

Loves:

Anything he can push, pull, knock over, roll, the list goes on.  And the cat {per usual}.  Oh and his blankies...he can't get out of bed without grabbing his blankey.

Hates:

Still hates his diaper changes or being told no.  Or being contained in general.

Goes:

Everywhere!  He's starting to get faster and he'll be running any day now.  

xo natasha

Links to Love

The ultimate fall bucket list...I've checked off four on the list, including the photo above. 

This has to be the sweetest series of naptime ever caught on camera.  So creative!

We started watching Orange is the New Black over the weekend.  Not sure if I'm a fan yet...

We made the most delicious chili this past weekend...it has black beans and sweet potato!

I'm pretty sure these need to be my new go-to boots this winter.

xo natasha

Friday Five

1. Refined Boucle Coat from Forever 21

Katie convinced me that I need this coat...like stat!  I think it looks WAY more expensive than $50, don't you?!  I can't wait to get my hands on it!

2. There's a new Christian Grey

And I am not mad about their choice!  I never really understood/saw the other guy fitting the mold, but Jamie Dornan {pictured above} is a hottie!  And if you're not convinced, just google Jamie Dornan Calvin Klein to see what I mean!  ;)

3. Crane & Canopy Feature

Speaking of gray, hop on over to Crane & Canopy to see how I styled their Page Gray duvet.  Don't you just love the trellis pattern?

4. New Ottoman Purchase

West Elm was having a quick sale on ottomans so I decided to finally bite the bullet and order our ottoman {you can read about my ottoman predicament here}.  I'll keep the color a surprise...I'm nervous about how it will look!

5. Happy Halloween Weekend!

I can't believe Halloween is almost here...and of course this weekend is the official weekend of Halloween!  So I can just imagine all the fun and festivities that will take place.  Can't wait to get our little pumpkin all dressed up...of course, it will be hard to beat last year's costume!  ;)

Happy Friday!!

xo natasha

Linking up with The Good Life, Carolina Charm, A. Liz Adventures, and Hello Happiness for 5 on Friday.

Sweet Potato + Apple Sausage Breakfast Burrito

I really love sweet potatoes {as demonstrated in this post}, so naturally, I'm always looking for some new recipes to try.  One place I haven't gotten to incorporate sweet potato as much is breakfast.  I love breakfast burritos...which often time include potatoes {or hash browns} so why not switch it our for sweet potato?  I also picked up some apple sausages, which seemed appropriate for the season.  The end result?  A super savory and delightful meal!  The sweet potato added a lot of great flavor...I don't think I can ever have a bland white potato again!

Ingredients

Large flour tortillas {flour is best for burritos, but I'm sure corn would work too}

1-2 eggs per burrito

1 large sweet potato, diced

Apple Chicken Breakfast Sausage {we used this brand}

1/4 cup cheddar cheese, shredded

Method

Preheat your over to 350 and line a sheet pan with aluminum foil.  Dice the raw sweet potato into small cubes and spread along the sheet pan.  Drizzle with olive oil, salt and pepper.  Toss to cover.  Roast for 10-15 minutes or until soft and slightly browned.

Meanwhile, sauté the sausage according to direction and scramble your eggs.  

To assemble, I like to start with the eggs, and then add the potato, sausage and last, top with cheese so it can melt slightly.  Fold and serve.

Hope you enjoy!

xo natasha

Halloween Pajama Party!

What what?  TWO baby outfit posts in a row?!?  Well, silly me almost forgot that Darci at The Good Life and Meredith at The Tichenor Family are hosting a super fun Halloween Pajama Party today.  And not being ones to pass up on the fun...we had to join in!  ;)

Unfortunately, this is about the best picture I could find of Ethan in his Halloween jams.  Oops!  They're from Carters and the front is super cute with glow in the dark candy!  

While I failed in capturing tons of cute Halloween jammie pic, I do have some cute Halloween outfits to show off...

Top-out of stock // Jeans // Shoes 

Sweater One-Piece {similar here}

Jacket // Skull Top // Pants

One thing's for sure...

our little guy has definitely changed this past year!  ;)

Be sure to join in on the fun today!

xo natasha

PS...Happy Birthday Mom!

Shoe Love: Toddler Edition

I mean...

Honestly...this child just kills me sometimes!!

*squeeze*

Ok...so the purpose of this post is to show off Ethan's killer style while promoting a great new website, Sally's Babies, which features Pediped shoes.  I had never heard of Pediped before but I can tell you they are SUPER cute and SUPER comfy {or at least they appear that way!}.  Ethan runs around all day in these bad boys and looks super stylish doing so.

We got the Josh style, which are soft, yet very well made.  They have the cutest styles, including this tassle pair and these adorable loafers.  And for the young ladies...I die over this metallic pair.

Sweater // Jeans {similar} // Shoes // Snack Tray // Toy

I highly recommend checking out Sally's Babies now...they also carry toys, bedding and furniture as well!

xo natasha

*The kind people behind Sally's Babies sent along this pair of shoes for review.  As always, the thoughts and opinions expressed here are my own...and Ethan's!  ;)

Links to Love

We celebrated a beautiful life yesterday...if you have a desire to help his family, click here.

My sweet friend Michaela just launched her design & event website!  Congrats M!

100 places to visit before you die...how many have you checked off?

Check out this list of top toddler apps...we've already downloaded several and Ethan is smitten.

My best friend's wedding professional photos have been uploaded!  Check them out here!

xo natasha

Thirteen + Fourteen Month Favorites

B. Wheeee-Is Cars: Ethan loves anything that rolls or makes noise and these do both.  These cars make a great clicking noise as they wind up and then move on their own.  Plus they're bright and soft(ish).  I've said it before and I'll say it again, we love B. Toys!
B. One Two Squeeze Blocks: I'm bringing these back from Ethan's 6 month favorites.  He now loves to build little towers {or have us build towers} and then knock them over.  He'll do it over and over and over again.
Pottery Barn Kids Blanket: Ethan has really taken to blankies lately and he especially loves this blanket.  It's even more special since it has his name and birthday monogramed on it.
Broom: Not necessarily a "toy" but Ethan friggin loves a broom.  He drags it all over the house with him.  Deinitely need to invest in a kid-size one for him.
Little Tikes Cozy Truck:  This is the gift that keeps on giving.  Ethan has loved this toy for several months now...he loves climbing in and out and honking the horn.  He's almost tall enough to start walking around in it on his own...but in the meantime, he loves being pushed around the house in it.
Little Tikes Gas 'n Go Mower: Also a hit, the mower is something he walks with and he loves pulling on all the handles, levers and pulleys.
Carter's Microfleece PJs: Last, we love fleece jammies now that the weather is cooling off...especially at night.  They're so warm and comfy and we don't have to worry as much about whether he's too cold at night.

What is your toddler loving right now?  We're always looking for new toys and gadgets to add to his ever-growing toy box!  ;)

xo natasha

Pumpkin Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies

My favorite cookie is oatmeal chocolate chip...I love the texture and how moist they are {when made right!}.  So when I realized that I could add pumpkin and make it festive for this time of year, I was sold!  This recipe calls for white and chocolate chip cookies, but I imagine, you can add candy corn too if you want to kick it up a notch!  Yum!

Recipe via Family Fresh Meals

Warning...this makes a lot of cookies!  Best to cut in half or become popular with your neighbors!  ;)

Ingredients

1 cup sugar

1 cup brown sugar

2 cups all purpose flour

1 cup chocolate chips

1/2 cup white chocolate chip 

2 cups rolled oats (oatmeal)

1/2 tsp of ground cinnamon

2 tsp of pumpkin pie spice

1 TB vanilla extract

1/2 tsp salt

1 cup unsalted butter

1 tsp baking soda

1 cup pumpkin puree

1 egg

Method

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper, set aside. In a large bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, cinnamon, pumpkin pie spice, and salt. Set aside.

In a separate bowl, beat butter, sugar and brown sugar until well creamed together.  Next, add in pumpkin, egg and vanilla to mixture and beat until combine well.

Gradually add the dry ingredients to wet ingredients and mix until incorporated.  Next, stir in your oats and mix well.  Last, fold in both the white and dark chocolate chips.

Drop cookie dough by the rounded tablespoon on to the prepared baking. sheet.

Bake cookies for 14-15 minutes or until cookies are lightly browned. Do not overcook! They will seem a little soft, but will firm up as they cool. You want to keep the nice, soft texture! 

I'm pretty sure it's required that you make these this weekend and enjoy with a coffee or glass of milk!

Enjoy!

xo natasha

8 Things Every Happy Woman Should Have

Yesterday, Emily from Cupcakes and Cashmere posted her answers to "8 Things Every Happy Woman Should Have".  I know I can always use a pick-me-up early in the week, so I thought I would jump in on the fun!

1. A go-to drink.

Wine!  Chardonnay in the summer and Cabernet Sauvignon in the winter.

2.  Go-to karaoke song.

"Shoop" by Salt-n-Peppa
or
"Wannabe" by Spice Girls

Oh yeah...girl of the 90's right here!

3. A Uniform.

Boyfriend jeans, v-neck tee, light scarf, sunglasses, sandals and and easy tote in the summer.  Or a maxi dress.  Easy breezy.

Leggings, oversized chunky sweater, and boots in the winter.

4. A hair stylist they love.

I'm so lucky because my aunt-in-law is mine and she always does a fabulous job.

5. An exercise routine

My favorite will always be spin or barre, but lately, it's whatever I can fit in.  Whether it's a hike outdoors or a butt-kicking via 30 Day Shred.

6. A Hobby.

Of course blogging is my number one hobby and that thankfully includes me exploring many others such as cooking, shopping, traveling and reading.

7. A best friend.

I'm so lucky to have many best friends, many of which were in my wedding four years ago.  Nothing can truly replace a friend that you can call no matter what the time or what the problem.

8. A sense of self.

I'm constantly working on this one.  I worry a lot about how others perceive me and I hope that as I grow older, I can come to terms with the woman, friend, daughter, sister, wife, and most importantly, mother that I am.  I would like to be more confident and sure.  And that all just takes time.

So...what are your 8 things?!  If you write a post, be sure to include the link below so I can check it out!

xo natasha

PS...check out my guest post on what I've learned as a new mom over at Sparkling Footsteps!

Weekend Recap + FALL-OWEEN Giveaway!

Hi Friends!

This past weekend was super low-key...essentially rebooting from all of our recent traveling.  But we did get some fall festivities in.  Friday night, my friend Tiara had some friends over to make pasta from scratch.  It was so fun and our host was great!  Such a great idea...everyone brought some wine and we cooked and gossiped together.  Love!

Saturday, we went down to a local pumpkin patch...which included a corn-maze, pig races, hay rides, and of course, pumpkin patch.  The fall colors were gorgeous and it was a great way to get into the season!

Sunday, we took a walk around the neighborhood and enjoyed some lattes and pumpkin oatmeal chocolate chip cookies {recipe to come later this week!}.  And of course, we watched some football!

Overall, it was a great fall weekend!

And now, I'm so happy to introduce my newest sponsor Megan from Hello Newlywed Life!  Her daughter Sofia is beyond adorable...and she really knows how to make new friends as she's giving away a fabulous fall giveaway!  Smart cookie!  ;)

Hi everyone, I'm Megan!

Wife to Mike, Mama to Sofia and Blogger over at Hello Newlywed Life where I write about our daily life with a little one & fun other fun shizz. Trust me, we keep it real...there's no "keeping up with the Jonses" over here. If you want to get to know me more, you can read this post and no, it's not a long boring dragged out life recap, it's real life shit!

Now that we're friends, I wanted to invite you to my FALL-OWEEN GIVEAWAY! How exciting is this!? I'll be giving away spooky goodies for Mama & Tot to one lucky winner!

Only rules are you must follow Hello Newlywed Life via GFC or Bloglovin' & follow on Instagram @megawat

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck! Winner will be announced next Monday:)

xo natasha

Recapping My Best Friend's Wedding

You know when you have the most perfect experience and it's hard to really put it into words {or pictures for that matter}?  My best friend's wedding was such a beautiful day...I've put off recapping it because I don't know if I'll really do it justice!  But I want to make sure I document all the memories, so bare with me as I attempt to showcase this very special day.

 Reynolds and Lukas got married on October 5th at the Balboa Bay Resort.

View from our room!

It was a huge wedding with 13 bridesmaids and one stunning bride!  Reynolds was cool as a cucumber all day and was so gracious.  I don't know how she held it together so well with all of the moving parts!

As you know from this post, Reynolds is my best of best friends and I was so honored to be her MOH!

Here's just a little snapshot of the details from the day:

I loved all of the white florals...which included roses, peonies {how did they get those in October?!}, gardenia, and tulips.  The decor was all silver and white and in one word: GORGEOUS.

And of course the rest of the special details:

Reynolds and Lukas had a choreographed dance...there we are--all 13 of us...the gorgeous cake...and bride...the setting...me and the bride...the table setting and of course...the dress!

A special thank you to Jim Kennedy Photographers and Details Details Wedding & Events for not only letting me steal some of the above photos, but for also capturing such a magical day.

I'll leave you with this last photo from Jim Kennedy...the bride and groom.  Aren't they lovely?  I can't wait for the rest of the professional photos to come out!

Congrats to my best friend!  The day could not have been more perfect and beautiful.  

xo natasha

Healthy Butternut Squash Alfredo Pasta

Nope, it's not mac and cheese....it's a healthy take on an alfredo sauce and just in time for the season!  According to my new Food Network magazine, butternut squash is at its peak, so now's the time to try this out!

Unlike traditional alfredo sauces that utilize heavy cream and butter, this recipe calls for butternut squash {and a small amount of butter} to create a thick and creamy consistency.  If I didn't know it wasn't mac and cheese, I probably wouldn't have guessed it!  It's that good!

Recipe from Spoonful

Ingredients:

1/2 pound uncooked pasta

1 TB butter

1 TB flour

1 cup milk {I used non-fat}

1 cup butternut squash puree {we made ours from scratch}

1/2 cup parmesan cheese 

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp pepper

Method:

Cook uncooked pasta according to package directions.  Strain.

In a saucepan, melt butter over medium heat.  Whisk in flour until smooth, about 1 minute.  Slowly add milk while whisking and bring to a simmer.  Simmer while stirring occasionally until the milk has thickened, about 3-5 minutes.  Add butternut squash puree, cheese, salt, and pepper.  Stir and simmer until mixture is smooth and thick, about 3 more minutes.

In a bowl, pour the sauce over the cooked pasta and stir until pasta is covered with sauce.

We served alongside some roasted brussel sprouts.  SO good!

xo natasha