angmdisney - Disney's in the Desert

January 2022 Recap

February 3, 2022

Hey friends! One of the biggest goals for blogging this year for me is to get more consistent with actually getting real time updates live on here. A way for me to do this is monthly round ups to keep you in the loop with all we have going on! Each month, I plan to do a ’round up’ of the previous 30/31 days and all that happened. I also think this will be an awesome way to document our life so we can look back on it one day and remember all that happened. Hope you stick around and enjoy these each month, too!

The First Month of a New Year!

So….WOW! The first month of 2022 – GONE! It was an extremely busy one for us, as I’ve mentioned on IG that 3 of our 4 kiddos have a birthday this month. So that in itself was a lot, and like I’ve shared before I am always a little bit emotional on each of their birthdays. The first birthday (for my last baby) definitely hit me big time, but every January for Conner and Cole I’m usually a mess and just can’t believe they’re another year older! I am so thankful to be able to witness it, but it still pulls on my mama heart. More on all of this later!

KIDS

Everyone returned to school after a couple weeks off for Winter Break. Cole participated in the school’s spelling bee as he was a finalist for his class. We took a little break from sports after the holidays but things are starting back up soon, it was nice to kind of catch up and not be running from field to field multiple days a week and enjoy a slower pace. Colly went from 0 teeth to cutting 6 at once…FUN TIMES!!! We are thankful they’re coming in (finally, after many months of hard teething!).

HOME UPDATES

We wrapped up a couple more home projects and finally completed the downstairs family room and kitchen updates we started back in the fall. I plan to do a reveal here on my blog and will show you all then but I am SOOO excited that’s done! Here’s a little sneak peek of the floating shelves C built for our family room. We had this idea to make a little DIY built-in entertainment center in lieu of a store-bought one, and I am so in love! They turned out great, and it’s brought me so much joy in this new year to decorate them and add updated pics of the kids to them! We have a few more small projects to get done, but we are slowly checking them all off. I love how home-y and cozy everything feels here lately. We added a new light fixture-fan hybrid thing (it’s so cool!) to our room and added another accent wall, which I’ll be sharing more about soon as well!

LIFE STUFF

The weather has been pretty perfect in Phoenix this last month, I can’t lie! The kids have been riding their bikes and scooters and we even got to go to the big park and ride the train. We’ve had lots of dinners outside (picnic style on the turf and also at our table out there!). The girls have really been enjoying their swings and Honey has been playing with her newly-updated playhouse (promise this reveal is coming this month too!) almost daily.

Alright, so now onto the birthday madness! Cole is 1/13, Colly is 1/14 (certain if I would’ve gone to the hospital when I started contracting on Cole’s birthday last year, they would’ve preformed my C Section that day, and they would’ve shared a birthday!), and Conner is 1/28.

COLE

It’s cliche, but I just cannot wrap my brain around the fact he is 7!!!!! SEVEN! My 5.7lb 34 week old preemie is S E V E N and thriving! So many emotions thinking back to the day he was (unexpectedly born 6 weeks early) and his 8 day NICU stay. He’s a little fighter through and through. He’s currently doing SO well in school: loves reading and just participated in the school spelling bee!, loves Roblox and Legos, and loves loves his siblings more than anything. If you’ve been here for a while you know what an awesome big brother he’s been to Hun over the last 4 years and he is just the same with Colly. So consistent and loving. He is the little family caretaker, still bringing us blankets when we’re relaxing as a family and falling down the stairs at home/turning around in the drop off line every 3 steps to blow us kisses and say “I love you”. Him and Conner are super close as well, he adores his big bro and thinks he’s the coolest. So proud to see him turn another year older and be able to enjoy his bright, happy smile every day.

COLLY

Whoa. She is ONE! Wasn’t I just pregnant with her? No, it seriously feels like it was yesterday I was praying so hard for us to complete our family. Well, she was so worth the wait! This last year was one I will never forget with her: lots of hard moments (being admitted for FTT, dealing with reflux, doctor and ENT follow ups, lots of struggles and sleepless nights) but she was worth every bit of it. She’s made huge improvement (probably another post for another day) with her reflux, and while it’s still happening, it’s so much less severe and more manageable now. Colly loves food – she’s tried it all at this point! – and I can’t say there’s anything she’s turned away, haha. As I mentioned, she loves being in the swing, loves when her sibling are around (so much entertainment and stimulation, #4thbaby), and LOOOOVES (like, LOVES LOVES LOVES) the show Do Re Mi on Amazon Prime. That show is so comforting to her – if you’re not against screen time, definitely check it out. She doesn’t actually sit the entire time and watch it, but something about the songs and all of the singing it has really calms her when she’s crawling around or playing with her toys. Colly isn’t walking yet, and I think she may walk closer to 15-17 mo like Honey did. The boys walked by their first birthdays while the girls definitely took their time to reach these mobile milestones. She’s actively crawling (she is done with her “lazy” crawling at this point haha) and getting around the whole house when we let her but isn’t near walking right now. She’s in bed by 7/7:15 and sleeps the night in her crib. She truly loves her room, too! It’s her little happy place and I’m so thankful for that. Who knew my office that once housed hundreds of screen printed tees for my business would now be the sweetest nursery for our 4th and final baby!? It really makes me soo full just thinking about that. Anyway, Colly Girl (aka “Mugga Root” or “Mugga” as the kids nicknamed her) had her first taste of sugar for her birthday (frosting and some cake!) and needless to say, that was a hit for her, ha! Excited to see her bloom more and grow this next year…just hopefully not TOO fast!

CONNER

Gah. My sweet baby boy. The one who made me a MAMA!! He’s 9, friends!!!!!!! It’s so wild to me. Thinking back to the day he was born, I think I was somewhat in denial that I was really going to have him. I mean, I obviously knew I was pregnant…and would be having him…haha, there’s just literally no way to prepare yourself and when you finally do meet them, your entire life is changed forever. And now, 9 years later, I almost feel like I’m in denial again. There’s no way that petite 6.9lb baby is already nine. Almost a decade! It’s been the biggest blessing of my life to see him grow up these last 9 years, and I feel like I’m trying to hang on to all of his “little kid”-ness now. I was talking to C today and telling him how 7 feels so old, like ‘big kid’, but 9 is basically like…you’re almost 10, and THAT is so close to 12, which is so close to being a teen. AHHH. I’m not trying to get ahead of myself, but more of be aware so that I can be truly present for these next several years. I know it’s going to go just as fast as these first 9.

Conner is the ultimate sweetheart and our sensitive soul. He feels big, and when he listens to you, he listens with such intent. He is genuinely the best big brother to his little brother and sisters, the way he’s taken on this role again with Colly is nothing short of amazing. It’s so touching to see how gentle he is with her. His love for people in general is what makes this kid so freaking special. I worry because I don’t want him to be too much of a people pleaser or look for that sort of acceptance, but I love how tender his heart is. I pray it always stays that way, but he is able to protect it, too.

He loves Fortnite (still), soccer, puzzles and brain teasers, football, and really all competitive sports. He is in running club again this season and really enjoying it. He’s doing awesome in math and soaring through all of those tests, which we are so proud of him for. We love doing find + search books (we love doing the big Waldo books together!) and he has the same critical thinking brain as his Daddy. Love this boy, and while I’m excited for his next chapter I’m also a little scared. I don’t want to be stuck in that scared place though, but embrace all of these new changes we’re about to embark on and pray we always stay close. I know he won’t want to tell me every single thing like he does now in these next few years, but I hope he knows I’m here and I’ll always be there to listen.

What’s Ahead

It’s officially February now, and I have some fun things planned for the blog! Home projects, more DIY, the boys’ birthday party with friends (and then we will officially be done with birthdays until Hun’s in July, woohoo!! ;)), and a couple of really cool partnerships I’m excited to share with you all! Thank you for following along with our fam and if there’s anything you want to see or know about, be sure to leave a comment below!!

DIY Valentines Craft for Kids

January 28, 2022

There’s one thing my kids are constantly asking to do that I’m usually less than thrilled about when it comes to crafts, and that’s painting. Over the last year I’ve seen how much joy it brings them (they just love dipping and wiping the color all over anything! ;)) so I’ve tried to get into a little more when I can and have the time.

What You Need

For this project, instead of using paint brushes we made our own with clothespins (a big pack is pretty inexpensive!) and cotton balls, and the paint holder/palette is just an old egg container. It’s really no fuss and when you’re done everything can be tossed (you can re use the clothespins if they’re not to messy! I try to, depending!). When the cotton balls are ‘dabbed’ onto the paper it can make a really neat sponge effect too.

I used these free printables, cut them out and then glued them onto construction paper. I filled up the egg container with these paints (there are so many fun colors- I want them ALL!) and let Honey paint to her heart’s desire, no pun intended 😉 She painted some for us, her brothers, and her Gammy and had a blast while doing it!

This is a cheap + easy way to give some handmade gifts for V-Day! I guarantee you the kids will love these little DIY paintbrushes as well! Honey is asking if we can do it again today, but I’m going to try to hold her out until next week, haha. Have fun creating!

Mom Hack: Label Making

January 19, 2022

*This post contains affiliate links, which means I make a small commission if you purchase through them, at no extra cost to you.

It’s pretty well known now that I am kind of obsessed with being organized, but something that always elevates any project I do is my label maker. I’ve owned a few over the years, and while they’ve all been helpful and served a great purpose, this pink one that I’ve been using since last summer is definitely my favorite.

I found it by accident, searching Amazon for another organizing tool, and I’m so glad I did. I LOVE that it has an app that I can connect to my phone. It comes with some pretty additions (like adding a border, different fonts + sizes for your text, and even little graphics! The kids especially love this feature when it comes to their labels). I’ve bought an extra pack of rolls for it too, because with as much as I use it, it’s nice having a back up supply.

I thought it would be helpful to share a few of my fave ways I use my label maker in my home and with my kiddos too.

Bag tags: the kids have a bunch of the Ryan + Rose cutie tags on their overnight bags and duffle bags for sports, and they come with a blank circle to add a name/info. I print out a little sticker label and add it to that, pop it back in and their bags are individually labeled (which is really helpful to tell whose is whose, since both boys and both girls have the same bags).

Kitchen labeling: I use these bamboo organizers in our zipper bag drawer, and I’ve added a label to each organizer so I know which bag is which when I’m packing snacks, lunches, or putting away extra/left over food. They’d also be great for labeling clear spice or food containers, too!

Storage bins: earlier this month I shared how I’ve decluttered space for the new year with these bins, but labeling each bin has been crucial when I’m packing them away to see what is in each. Even though they’re clear and see through, things are squished in and it’s nice to know what I’m grabbing for or forgot about later as months go on just by looking at the label.

Bathroom + closet organization: In our master bath we have a linen closet where we keep extra first aid supplies, (of course) towels, and other bathroom products. I’ve used labels to help the kids (the boys can read and Honey is right behind them) where these things we don’t often reach for, but sometimes need, are located. I’ve also labeled some stacking drawers in my closet for extra clothing items I don’t have room for in my closet or dresser drawers. I love not having to open each drawer to know what goes where.

Desk drawers: We have organizers inside our bedside tables and the kids’ school desk drawers. Labeling where colored pencils go (and similar items), helps keep them stay tidy because everything has a place and ‘home’! It truly has prevented them from just throwing things in wherever.

Back to school: I had this label maker when the kids went back to school in August and it was amazing to have when it came to labeling all of their supplies!!! I saved so much time printing out their individual names all in 1 batch for what they needed to bring in that first week. As school has continued, I still find myself making labels with their names for projects, field trips, more supplies, etc!

I hope this helps and gives you some ideas of how to get labeling! Usually the biggest challenge is just starting, so hopefully this can inspire you and give you a little push if needed!!