Five Friday Favorites

Another round of Five Friday Favorites of blogger/Instagram mommas! I'm pretty sure no one that follows my blog doesn't already follow these ladies as well, but they're favorites of mine that are worth sharing!

1. Natalie

This beautiful momma is one to two - the cutest twin boys you ever will see! I can't imagine having twins, but Natalie makes it look so easy (and stylish!) though she often admits it is not, and I love to hear the truth from mommas! She is a very talented photographer, making her own pictures of her boys even more drool worthy, and an incredible do it yourself-er. Her and her best friend, Britt, run the Three Little Crowns blog, which is another most follow along with. (Which would technically make this post "Six Friday Favorites", but that doesn't sound as good so let's just pretend.) There you will find more of Natalie's heart spilled out on pages, pictures of her sweet boys and lots of "I wanna do that!" projects. She has always been so sweet and encouraging to her followers and I have loved getting a glimpse into her little Canada life. You want a happy feed to follow? Natalie's your girl.
Instagram: @natalieyoung29 // @threelittlecrowns
Blog: Those Young Twins // Three Little Crowns

2. Tisse

Tisse has such a beautiful heart and soul and she captures it so well in her pictures and words. She sorta makes me wanna be a hippie, in the very best way possible. Because if I could pull off a long flowered skirt with natural hair and face, well I would. And she does, beautifully!, and her originality and freedom are inspiring. She's a fantastic yogi and mother of one sweet little Navi who is constantly being quoted on her Instagram pictures (and she says some seriously cute stuff, guys!) She has been in love with her husband since she was 14 (makes for the sweetest love story) and lives with him and their dog pack on the most beautiful piece of property you will ever see. She also has her own Etsy shop, Rad Earth Supply Co, where you can find beautiful hand stamped bracelets and clothing for you and your little. And! Just when you thought it couldn't get any better, she announces that she's expecting another little babe this April...!
Instagram: @tissespieces
Blog: Tisse's Pieces

3. Grace

Grace refers to herself in third person. This momma is one to four... under the age of four...! Married to a resident, with a fellowship right around the corner, Grace is constantly writing the cold hard facts of raising her wild brood while working around night shifts. (I figure if she can do residency with four, I can do it with one, right?) She is hilarious and honest and an absolute breath of fresh air! I have no idea how she does it all, but she does it with so much, well, grace! Her children are a d o r a b l e - the whole blue eyed, blonde bunch. I came across her feed when she was pregnant with their youngest and have loved following along ever since. My favorite line from her "about" page on her blog reads, "She likes her births medicated and her Hulu extra trashy." You don't want to miss this one, folks, I'm tellin' 'ya!
Instagram: @camp_patton
Blog: Camp Patton

4. Kate

A new momma of two, this California beauty has been such a sweet friend to get to know. I have loved following along during her pregnancy with sweet Olivia and have loved her honesty in the transition process from one to two. All mommas know theres plenty of good and bad in parenting and it's comforting to know we're not alone! Loving her life as a stay at home mom, Kate is always posting pictures of her babes, yummy goodies, craft projects and family pictures. She is a crazy talented decorator (you should see her little one's nursery!) and I swear her kids could be fashion models (both for their adorableness and style!). She is so sweet and genuine - I love having her everyday pictures pop up in my feed, making me feel like I'm seeing pictures of a good friend. When are you guys visiting Idaho again? ;)
Instagram: @fourfischies
Blog: The Little Fischie's

5. Mrs. Measom

This brunette bombshell is a happy momma of one sweet little boy. Her son, DC, has a killer set of blue eyes - drool worthy! She followed her hubby and his career this summer from Utah to Michigan and it has been so fun to follow along on their adventure (moving with a babe, I know how you feel!) Her home is crazy well styled (seriously K, can you come decorate for me?!) and, so is she! I love getting fashion inspiration from her posts. You'll also find on her blog plenty of YouTube videos sharing her current favorites and beauty tutorials. In her spare time (though I still don't understand how moms ever have any of that) she started and runs her own Etsy shop making crazy beautiful wall hangings. In one of her most recent Instagram posts, she talked about women encouraging women instead of bringing each other down and competing with each other - and that's just who she is, loving and encouraging.
Instagram: @xomrsmeasom 
Blog: xo, mrs measom

Uriah's room - an update

the dresser was a Seattle craigslist find that we painted "grass green" by Behr paint - the rug is from Target

the tool bench was a 1st birthday gift from my parents from Ikea - the fabric basket was a steal from TJMaxx - the rocker and beautiful quilt were both gifted by friends

the dresser and fabric bins are from Target

the tent was a surprise from Stephen: he constructed it from pvc pipe and I potato stamped and sewed the sheet

the alphabet abacus was another 1st birthday gift and is the wonderful B. brand

the crib is from Ikea - the bear rug is from Alaska, courtesy of my husband and a gun

the hooks on the wall are from Land of Nod - the 'Uriah' banner was a gift from my aunt Terri

the Love Sac was a college dorm room purchase turned Uriah's favorite place to flop

So that's that, Uriah's 'big boy' room. I loved his room when we first set it up last summer, but it was much more 'nursery', and now that he can handle the stairs to his attic room all by himself, we're spending a lot more time up there (because if you remember, I apparently can't handle stairs and a twenty pound babe on the regular) and it needed a few changes.

An attic bedroom for a little one isn't ideal because there's no door to shut the downstairs noise out, so Uriah has had to become a pretty sound sleeper and Stephen and I have had to learn to use our inside voices only ;) I love the attic bedroom for it's space, though. The whole upstairs, with exception of a desk mostly used for storage, is all Uriah's and he loves to run circles around the stairwell - chase is our go-to activity when we're trying to wear him out before nap and bedtime.

It took us awhile to put the room together because we were working with a tight budget, so most of what you see was gifted or DIYed, which I love because it gives his room so much more meaning and sentiment.

I realize these photos are of no professional quality, not even a little, but regardless of what it looks like in pictures, Uriah's room is my favorite in the house. It's so bright and fun while still being all sorts of cozy. I love watching him read books in his tent and build towers on his tool bench and it is my favorite part of every day when I nurse and rock him to sleep in that chair.

Oh, and yes, he really does sleep with that many stuffed animals in his crib.

when Papa comes to town!

We convinced my dad to drive to Boise for the weekend, because while we were willing to make the drive to Pocatello, he wouldn't have a toddler to settle down in the backseat ;) When he got to town Friday night we were at the park and Uriah's reaction to seeing Papa come around the corner was priceless! Stunned confusion and excitement was all over his face as a little smile crept up on his lips. We spent the rest of the evening playing at the park before heading home for a "midnight" snack and bedtime.
The weather was perfect early fall weather on Saturday so after a big breakfast and playtime in our jammies, we headed for the zoo! Uriah knows all the animals and their sounds and I love taking him the older he gets. He would hold his stuffed giraffe out at the giraffes and Wink, his penguin, at the penguins - I love that he understands so much, now, even if he's not the best communicator, yet ;) We all had a blast running around the zoo and made sure not to miss a single animal! After a long morning, though, Uriah was definitely ready for a nap, so we snagged some sandwiches on our way home and had a quick lunch before we all took an afternoon nap.
That evening we headed over to the Hyde Park street fair and stopped into the toy store and ice cream shoppe before taking Papa to the pool at the Y. They have the best kiddy pool with a little slide and balls to play with - Uriah loves it! He also loves the big pool and the big slide and I think he made daddy take him down that one about ten times before we called it quits.
Sunday morning was the first time Uriah has ever slept in past 7:20 - he made it to 7:45...! Which was nice for my dad because he was sleeping on the living room floor, so we didn't have to wake him up at the crack of dawn.
Sunday means church and I'm really happy my dad was able to come with us this week and hear our pastor. Every time we've brought someone to church, it's been someone else speaking! Stephen and I are so happy with the church we've found here in Boise and have finally been able to start settling in more this summer now that most of our traveling is over. We love the people and the music and the sermons and I love getting to share that with others. It's really important to us and my favorite part of every Sunday and I'm thankful my dad was up for coming along :)
After church we had a yummy lunch at Blue Sky Bagels (one of my favorite eats in Boise!) and then headed to the mall so Papa and Uriah could buy some jeans. My dad had to head back to Pocatello not too long after that, but Uriah still talks about him and his visit - "Papa. Boo (zoo) Rawr" and he mentions his name every time he holds up his football (because he knows Papa likes football!)
Thank you for coming to visit, dad (my first and most constant blog reader!) We loved getting to spend some extra one on one time with you and are so appreciative of your company and all the yummy food you bought us! (Those cookies....!) Until next time!