Gender reveal for baby #3!

On Christmas Eve Eve of last year, I found out that I was pregnant with baby #3! It was a complete surprise and totally unplanned, but of course we were so so happy to find out another little person would be joining our already crazy circus. I didn't tell Kolby until I was about 8 weeks along because he had recently said "I don't want to have any more kids" in a moment of fatigue from our other 2 monsters...lol. But he was thrilled when I told him the news. Kai has obviously been hoping it’s a little brother and Presley has been asking for a little sister so we were anxious to find out what we were having!

I decided the most fun way to announce it would be with our favorite treat...ice cream! So here are some pictures we took, and the kids loved it and were happier than ever to have ice cream for lunch.

Blue vs pink!

And the winner is..

IT'S A BOY!

He is so excited to have a little bro!

She's still processing the whole concept of another boy to wrestle her....

Family photos in Albion Basin

Finally dusted off this old blog of mine and decided to share some of our family photos that we took a few weeks ago :) Most of them were taken on an iphone and I think they turned out not too shabby. Albion Basin is such a beautiful place to frolic during the summer months! There are endless meadows of beautiful flowers with the tall pine trees and grand mountains surrounding...it's just BREATHTAKING. 

I'll be over here just hanging on to summer as long as I possibly can! 

DISNEYLAND WITH A TODDLER AND ONE YEAR OLD

Everyone told me not to do Disneyland with our 1 year old and 2 year old, but they did fantastic and it was SO fun. I've already been looking into going again at the end of the summer, but maybe leave Presley behind and just bring Kai this time. There's just something so magical about that place, and maybe it's because we had season passes when I was little and I went so often. I feel like a kid again whenever I go and it was beyond fun to bring my own kids this time. 

So here's my tips for Disneyland with a 1 and 2 year old: (or any toddler age for that matter)

-download the Disneyland app! It tells you current wait times for all the rides, and it also tells you which characters are where and at what times, so you can plan out your day accordingly. That's how we were able to meet so many characters, which was Kai's favorite part of the trip!

-There is a baby station indoors that has comfy chairs to nurse in, free cold water, a microwave, and baby things you can buy should you forget anything (pacifiers, baby food, formula, wipes, diapers, everything..). You''ll see it on the map! They have one at both California Adventure and Disneyland

-Get a "fast pass" as soon as and whenever you possibly can! This reduces wait times significantly, especially for the most popular rides.

-Some rides offer a "Stroller pass" or "ride switch" which means if one child is too young to go on a ride that the older child wants to go on, then one parent stays behind with the younger child, and as soon as the other parent and older child are finished with the ride, the parents can switch off right away and the older child can ride the ride again with the other parent without having to wait in line again. So the older child gets to ride the ride twice and each parent gets a turn with him!

-Before going to the park, look up on the official Disneyland website the event calendar...it will show you what's going on that day at the park (parade times, shows, etc)

-buy tickets ahead of time to avoid long lines

-stay in a hotel close to the park (then you can come home for naps or if something happens)

-buy all your Disney swag at the super Walmart 3 miles away from the park. It's literally 1/4 of the price it is at the park!!!

-Do a dollar store run and buy a bunch of fun little things for your kids to do in line (stickers, little toys etc) Glow sticks are fun for night time at the park!

-I bought our mickey and minnie ears at Target for only $6. They are $22 in the park...yikes!
-bring TWO bags. A small one with valuables (cameras, wallet, phones etc) that you take with you on the rides, and another bag that has stuff you can leave in the stroller while you go on rides (diapers, wipes, snacks, etc) since strollers aren't allowed in lines

-If your kid ends up not being a fan of rides or is scared of most of them, go hang out at Mickey's Toon Town for a bit. It's a great place for toddlers run around and climb and explore

-Ask them what they want to do! I wanted us to do whatever Kai wanted to do, so I would ask him, "Do you wanna go on a fun ride or meet Mickey Mouse?" and he would tell me straight up! The answer was usually always "meet Mickey!"

-EXPECT that your kids will have a few meltdowns. It's usually hot out, they are tired, overstimulated, off schedule, and it's a lot to take in. Be patient with them :)

-Designate 1 parent as the cameraman (taking pics) and the other as the videographer. Trust me, you will want both pictures and videos when your kid meets Mickey!

-Bring a portable phone charger. Between using the Disneyland app and taking constant videos and pictures, and Kai watching my phone while in line, my phone battery (iphone 6) did NOT last more than 4 hours.

-bring a mini cooler or lunchbox for things like drinks, yogurt, fruit etc

-The Disneyland first aid station is a great resource. My contacts were really bothering me and I went there and got free contact solution to clean my lenses :)

-The Ergo baby carrier is a great thing to bring, especially if you're in the middle of waiting for a line and your baby or toddler gets tired. Kai is 2 and a half years old and I carried him in there when he got super tired while waiting for the Toy Story ride, and he was so happy. The Ergo distributes even a 3 year old's weight evenly on your hips so it doesn't hurt your back :) (at least not mine!)

-Go and get a chocolate chip cookie from the Ghiradelli store in the California Adventure park. Trust me, it's the best decision you'll ever make and the best $5 you'll ever spend (it's a BIG cookie). As for my favorite food we had while at the parks, I LOVE the corn dogs. I am so NOT a corn dog person, but man the Disneyland corn dogs are to die for. And of course get a pineapple Dole Whip too!

A list of things you might want to bring to Disneyland for a baby and/or toddler:

1. Sunscreen
2. Hand sanitizer
3. Diapers and wipes (wipes are great for wiping sticky hands too)
4. Disposable changing table sheets (so you don't have to change your baby on the bare changing tables where every other baby gets changed, yuck!)
5. Healthy snacks like string cheese, fruit, PB and J sandwiches, freeze dried fruit, yogurt, whole grain crackers, etc (too much sugar makes my kids grumpy)
6. Sippy cups and/or bottles
7. Bottled water (it's best to buy it before you go to the park because it's $5 a bottle in the park!)
8. Extra outfits for both kids, no matter how old they are, because I promise they will spill food/drink, throw up, or blow out of their diaper. Kai is 2 and a half years old and he blew out of his diaper at the park and I was SO glad I packed an extra outfit!
9.  Ergo carrier
10. Dollar store toys (stickers, glow sticks, little cars, etc)
11. Portable phone charger
12. DSLR camera if you want nice pictures. Make sure the battery is charged and you've got a memory card in there too!
13. Double Stroller....you can rent one at the park or bring your own, but we brought our own because we walked from our hotel to the park and I didn't want to carry the kids back and forth. Our double stroller is a Contour Options Elite and we love it so much. It has SO much storage space in the bottom, the seats have 6 different configurations and can recline when they want to sleep, and it's only $299.

Those are all the tips I have. If you have any questions, please comment below and I would be happy to answer them for you!

SURVIVING MEAL TIME WITH A TODDLER

I thought it would be helpful to do a quick little post on surviving meal time with a toddler :) If you're lucky, you've got a perfectly behaved toddler who eats all of his veggies and doesn't drop one ounce of food on the floor. After the meal he immediately says "thank you mama" and helps you clean up. Hey a mama can dream right?

So real talk:
My toddler hates all veggies. And usually, he won't eat because he simply doesn't want to. And I don't have time to keep making different meal options for him. So here are some things I have found that have helped:

-make lots of food ahead of time (like sunday night) and keep it in the fridge to heat up quickly and serve. I like to make a big batch of whole GRAIN (whole GRAIN is healthier than whole wheat) spaghetti for the week. It's one food I know Kai will always eat, and that way I dont have to spend extra time boiling noodles and cleaning pots everyday. They also have "veggie noodles" you can buy, he loves those too. You can do this meal prep with chicken, pre-slicing fruit, or whatever it is your toddler likes!

-cut their food into shapes (im ordering a mickey mouse cookie cutter right now to use for his sandwiches). You can do this with cheese, toast, sunny side up eggs, pancakes, pizza etc). Eating is always more fun for them when they see their favorite characters in the food!

-I always bribe Kai by saying "if you finish your broccoli then you get to have your gummy vitamin!" Obviously he loves his gummy vitamin because it tastes like candy, but it's super healthy too, so it's a win win :) I try to avoid bribing him with desserts or candy so the vitamin bribe is perfect.

-Buy their favorite character utensils to eat with and be enthusiastic about it. I always say things like "Kai do you wanna eat with your Cars spoon? Or your cool Mickey fork?!"

-make smoothies with veggies and fruit in them. Of course don't go overboard on the juice you add because that's not healthy, but Kai loves the green smoothies I make. We usually do something like a few frozen strawberries, frozen banana, frozen pineapple, a big handful of spinach, chia seeds, a little orange juice (1/2 or 3/4 cup of the Simply Orange brand because it's not from concentrate), and 1/2 to 1 cup water. Or a peanut butter greek yogurt almond milk spinach smoothie. Sounds gross but it's not and Kai always drinks it :)

-Give them choices. Toddlers are developing independence and love to make their own choices. Ask them which color of cup they want to use, if they want orange or apple slices, broccoli or carrots, etc. If they feel like THEY are choosing it they are more likely to eat it :)

-Last but not least, these Nuby section plates make meal time a whole lot neater and organized! They suction to the table which comes in super handy with my crazy eater. Kai love this plate because I think he likes seeing all of his food divided up and it doesn't all blend together and get gross. Also, it's super easy to clean! You can even throw it in the dishwasher if you're lazy like me. Buy it here at Babies R Us! Side note: it's also BPA and phthalate free which I'm allll about.

Go visit my instagram @brinleybradley for a chance to win one of these great plates!

A DAY AT THE BEACH

If I could have even one beach day a week, I'd be a heck of a lot more sane as a mom. There's something about the beach that just does it for me. It's my happy place, along with the mountains. So naturally, I had to take my cute little kids have them experience it too! Last time we took Kai to the beach (in Hawaii last summer), he was terrified of the waves and would run as far away as he could. This time around he loved it! Presley ran straight into the ocean and was fascinated with the waves, watching them run over her feet over and over again. I don't think there's much better in life than that little babe in a swimsuit, with her tiny feet running in the sand. I'm trying to convince Kolby to move us as close to the beach as possible, as soon as possible :) #wishmeluck

We decided to hit up Santa Monica beach because it's always been on of my favorites. Something about the view of that pier at sunset is just magical.

Kai sat in the sand and got to work with his toys right away. I think he honestly could have sat there allll day happily playing. It was definitely a successful day, and we can't wait for more beach days in June when we go to Hawaii!

Here are some photos we snapped. I'm hesitant to share some of these since I still have my #mombod, but the good news is that I started working out 2 weeks ago and these pictures are even more of a motivation for me to tone up and get lookin goooood for our next trip.

P.S. I'll be posting soon about our days at Disneyland and tips for surviving with 2 tiny ones!