Happy Anniversary

I can't believe it's already been FOUR years since one of the happiest days of my life! And it's even more crazy to think we've known each other for 10 years!

I'm not on social media, but I've heard about this Throwback Thursday thing that goes on...so, I thought today I would participate! #TBT :)

{2004}

{2005}

{2006}

{2007}

{2008}

{2009}

{2010}

{2011}

Since 2012 was a VERY exciting year for us...I wanted to make sure to include one of my favorite videos from that year also...LOVE U JSE <3

{2012}

{2013}

{2014}

What an amazing decade it's been babe! And I'm so thankful for you and this amazing life we have together. Can't wait to see what the future holds for us <3

Happy Anniversary <3

Bye Bye Binkie

Binkies are the best...they help soothe your baby, they are great distractions, they help babies fall asleep and for Jayden it helped her learn the sucking motion to drink milk from a bottle. Even though I'm super glad Jayden took a binkie from the beginning, now that she's (gasp!) almost 18 months, Jonathan and I decided it's time to take it away!

About a month ago we started only giving Jayden her binkie at bedtime and nap time. Before we put Jayden down last night, we decided at the last minute to try putting her down without it. Much to our surprise, she went down pretty quickly and slept through the night without it...and she even woke up in a good mood!

We're now about to hit the 24 hour marker and I'm happy to report Jayden is surviving...

oh and so am I :)

Tracking Jayden's Progress

A few days ago I decided I'm going to start keeping a record of everything little miss Jayden eats during the day...today is DAY 2.

Since she isn't gaining weight and hasn't now for a few months, I thought it would be a good idea to have a visual and calculate how many calories she's taking in each day. I even created a handy spreadsheet to help me keep track of every single thing she eats.

I read online that the average 1 year old needs about 850 calories and kids between 1 and 3 should consume about 1,300 calories. My goal is for her to consume about 1,000 calories each day but I hope she actually eats more than that so she will gain weight quicker. 

I'm sure one of the main reasons she isn't eating as much the past few days is because her bottom molars are coming in. Her poor gums are probably hurting so bad and the last thing she probably wants to do is eat :( Yesterday her gums were even bleeding and looked like they had a blister.

Looks like they are just about to break through today...hopefully they stop hurting and she can get back to her normal hungry self.

Girls Weekend

This past weekend Jonathan went up to San Francisco with his friends so Jayden and I had a girls weekend without daddy! Even though we missed him terribly...we had such a fun weekend just me and my little J :)

Friday night we started out at Disneyland!! Bre, Al & Ella went with us :) Even though we only made it on a few rides, we had such a fun time!

DUMBO is one of our favorites ~ Jayden even helped control how high we went!

I didn't think we would stay very late since Jayden didn't nap all day, but since both girls were perfect we stayed until after fireworks! On the way out of the park we stopped for an ice cream. 

Jayden was waiting up for a bite...

But passed out before mommy could share...

The next day Jayden was the best daughter EVER and let me sleep in until almost 9! I could hardly believe my eyes when I woke up at 7:30 and she wasn't up yet! I quickly closed my eyes and rolled to the middle of the bed (I was allowed to be a bed hog since Jonathan was gone LOL).

When she finally woke up we ate some breakfast and went to grandma and grandpas to swim! Ever since 4th of July, Jayden loves those inflatable pools ~ it's so easy for her to get in and out and I swear she could play in the water for hours!

After swimming we played with one of her favorites...FLASHCARDS! :) Yepppp...that's right...my little brainiac loves her flashcards on my phone! 

I wouldn't be surprised if flashcards is her next word!

Then we decided her little toesies needed a pedicure...so we busted out the hot pink nail polish! 

I think they came out pretty cute if I say so myself :)

That night Jayden went to bed pretty early, but not before sending some pics to daddy before bedtime...

The next day we hung out with Monnie & papa Mark in the morning and Grandma & Grandpa in the afternoon until we picked up daddy at the airport.  

We sure missed daddy, but it was fun spending some girl time with my little babe <3

Seventeen Months

I can't believe Jayden is 17 months! It's amazing how quickly time has flown by! She's still around 16 lbs and wearing 9 month clothes, but she's getting taller, running everywhere and getting smarter by the day.

A few of Jayden's favorites right now:
Toy: pink Power Wheels 4-wheeler
Word: mama & daddy
Food: blueberries, pretzels & popcorn
Activity: playing peek-a-boo, swimming & looking for birds, planes and anything else in the air
Book: Mickey Mouse Books

She's saying quite a few words now also...
mama
dada
hi
ball, which sounds like "ba"
please, which sounds like "deez"
thanks, which sounds like "tanks"
and a week ago she said banana even though it sounded like anana :)

She can also point to her nose and ears...she's such a smarty pants!

She wants to do everything herself! She loves to wipe her nose, brush her hair, bathe herself during bath time and brush her own teeth! Talk about little miss independent :)

We are so in love with our baby girl and are so proud of how far she has come in the last 17 months! We are so blessed and thankful to be her parents! 

Mommy & Daddy love you Jayden Faith Erickson <3

4th of July!

I love 4th of July ~ every year I look forward to hanging on the beach, spending time with family and watching fireworks...and this year was no different!

Last week we headed down to Carlsbad to spend a few days on the beach with the family and we had so much fun! Jayden and Ella were matching the entire weekend, and I must say they were by far the cutest babes on the beach!

Look at those sweet faces <3

I'm so proud ~ Jayden even kept her hat on almost the entire day at the beach!

The last time I took Jayden to the beach she hated the sand and had a fit when it got all over her hands. This time, she thoroughly enjoyed playing with all her cousins! She even ate a fistful of sand and it didn't even seem to phase her! 

Outfit change :)

Yeppp...the girls even had matching jam jams! 

 After the girls went to bed, we sat on the beach and watched the fireworks. It was such a beautiful night and we could see fireworks up and down the coast. 

After we came back from a fun-filled weekend, we went to the Ericksons 4th of July block party. Jayden had so much fun in the baby inflatable pool! She loved it so much I already went to the store and bought one for our house (best $4 investment ever)!

After pool time, she joined the donut eating contest! She did better than some of the older kids!!

We had such a great holiday weekend celebrating with our fam! We are so blessed to have such an amazing family <3

Happy 4th of July!