Thankful {Family Pics 2014}

I hope you all had a great Thanksgiving spent with family and friends! We had a great day and are still recovering from our food comas. Ryder asked all day long if he could pet the turkey and woke up this morning asking for marshmallows for breakfast. We ate great food and had so much fun catching up with family. We may need a few days to recover from the food hangover though. 

I'm so thankful for our little family and these pictures remind me how blessed I am. 

We will be spending the rest of the day doing some Black Friday shopping online And putting up the rest of our Christmas decorations. I'm so excited that it's officially the start of the Christmas season! Have a great weekend.    

5 Months Old

This little sassy pants is 5 months old! As usual time is flying and we are loving watching Gage grow. Some of his favorite things are the bath tub, Sophie the giraffe, playing with his feet, listening to himself talk, pulling on his big brothers hair, watching the dog and putting everything in his mouth. He doesn't like laying on his back, he has to sleep on his side and is trying to sit up on his own. He is also trying really hard to roll from his back to his belly. I'll find him on his belly sometimes at night in his crib. If I put him on his belly he'll worm his way to toys or whatever he wants. Which makes me think he might be an early crawler. Yikes! 

His sleep is still all over the place but I do feel like it's improving. Just when you think you're getting on a schedule a tooth starts to break through! I forgot how hard teething is! He has to be sucking on his binky or nursing or else he's fussy. His naps are all over the place during the day and he likes to nurse to sleep but we are trying to break that habit. Poor dad and grandma got a good dose of his screaming when I wasn't home and he wanted to nurse to sleep. He does still get up twice a night to eat but usually will go right back to sleep. He won't sleep unless his oil diffuser is going, It works as a great white noise machine. I'm thinking about actually buying a noise machine so I can use the diffuser in other rooms during the day. 

Gage is a mixture of sweetness and sass and definitely runs this house! If he wants attention he'll squeal until he gets it then give you the sweetest smile. He absolutely loves Ryder and Ryder loves him! If Gage is crying Ryder says "don't cry baby" and strokes his hair and he'll stop fussing. He's definitely our secret weapon to soothe Gage. 

He doesn't like his car seat but loves riding in the car. It puts him right to sleep unless you stop. Including stopping at stop lights and stop signs. He'll wake right up!

He weighs a little over 17lbs, is in size 3 diapers and is wearing 6-12 month clothes. 

This little spitfire brings so much happiness to our family and we just love him to pieces! Time please slow down....

Our Weekend

We had a Christmas filled weekend over here and I loved every minute of it! We took the boys to the "lighting of the trees" at some local shops. Ryder loved all the lights, sipped on some hot chocolate and got to pet some horses who were giving carriage rides. Gage just stayed bundled up in the stroller and loved gazing at the lights. 

Saturday night Tyson surprised me with a date night and we headed out for dinner and a movie. Despite the bad food and mocking jay being sold out we still had a great time. 

Sunday we did our weekly shopping and just relaxed at home. We are starting off Thanksgiving week with a huge to do list full of shopping, cleaning and baking. Gage is teething and has been super fussy and clingy so I hope he lets me get some things done. This year Thanksgiving dinner will be at our home and I'm so excited to be with family and stuff our faces together. 

These two are ready to tackle our thanksgiving shopping. Happy Monday!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

We had our first major snowstorm last week and although I was determined to wait until after Thanksgiving to decorate for Christmas, I gave in. I blame the beautiful blanket of snow we got! 

We turned on Christmas With The Kranks, threw some peppermint sugar cookies in the oven and got out our tree. The best part was watching Ryder help put up the tree. He clapped and jumped up and down every time he put a bulb on. He is at such a fun age for Christmas this year! I'm excited to see his reaction to Santa because last year he was traumatized. 

During Gage's nap we all headed out to play in the snow. Ryder could hardly move with all the gear I put on him but he had a blast and it was the cutest thing ever. 

We are getting ready for another big storm tomorrow and we are heading to a fun Christmas event tonight. And although it's not even Thanksgiving yet, I'm looking forward to a Christmas filled weekend. Happy Friday!

A day in our life using Essential Oils

If you follow me on Instagram (@whitrichins) you saw that I recently started using Essential Oils. I first got introduced to oils when I had really bad postpartum depression with Ryder. On the verge of going on medication a family member gave me some samples and I felt like a whole new person with the first use and was hooked. I recently just purchased a kit from Young Living and although I am still pretty new at using the oils they are definitely something I love using every day. The most asked question I get about them is how I use them on a daily basis. So I thought I would break down a typical day in my house and how I incorporate them in what we do.

In the morning I try to wake up a little bit before my kids to enjoy a cup of coffee while its quiet and plan out our day. This is when I like to diffuse Joy or valor which are both uplifting, help with anxiety and depression, and just help me get my energy for the day. I do struggle a little bit with anxiety and this definitely has helped me.

When getting my 2 year old dressed for the day I always apply Thieves and coconut oil to the bottoms of his feet. Thieves is great for immune support and good health so we never leave the house without it, it's a life saver during cold and flu season! They also make Thieves cleaning spray, wipes, toothpaste, mouthwash, lozenges and so much more. You apply it to the feet because it is absorbed quickly due to the large pores.

I also use oils for doing the day to day cleaning and laundry in my house. My husband is an Industrial Mechanic and he brings home all sorts of smells on his clothes. When doing his laundry I add a few drops of Purification to the water and it gets rid of any fowl smells. This is also an awesome oil to diffuse to get rid of impurities in the air and it makes a great DYI febreze spray. When cleaning my  counters and floors I use Thieves or Lemon and it does a great job without all the nasty chemicals that cleaning products have. I also like to add a few drops of Lemon to my water every day.

My 4 month old is the worst sleeper that you can ever imagine. He has the hardest time napping during the day so I will apply one drop Lavender to some coconut oil and apply it to the bottoms of his feet and that does the trick. I also diffuse Lavender in his room at night and it works like magic. You don't realize how good it works until you go a night without using it!

There are a few different oil combinations that I like to diffuse in the afternoon.
Peppermint  is really refreshing and promotes energy. This is also great for nausea and headaches.
Thieves and Lemon smells great and helps remove germs in the air.
Joy and Stress Away combat stress, anxiety and depression
Orange and Lavender is very relaxing.
The combinations are endless! Which is one of the reasons why I love them. 

For bath time I like to add a few drops of Peace & Calming to the boys bath water. This helps them calm down and relax while we get ready for bed. 

I also really love using oils as a part of my nightly skin care routine. After I wash my face I mix 1 drop Lavender and Frankincense with some coconut oil and apply it on my face and neck. It's great for acne, aging skin and gives me a pretty glow. I also apply this to my belly to help diminish stretch marks.

You can see how often I use the oils and how they really impact our daily lives. I really do think they have improved my family's health and I love experimenting with them everyday and finding new favorite combinations.

If you are interested in ordering click here or if you have any questions feel free to shoot me an email. You can also read more about Young Living Essential Oils here. Make sure you keep an eye out for some up coming post about using the oils, DIY recipes, favorites and more.

Disclaimer: The information on this website is based upon my research and personal use of Young Living Essential Oils. I am not a doctor. Statements, products and techniques mentioned have not been evaluated by the FDA and are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent any disease.

Thanksgiving Inspiration

Thanksgiving is right around the corner and although it feels more like Christmas around here with all the snow we are getting, I'm really excited for Thanksgiving dinner and dressing the boys up for the occasion. Here are a few of my Thanksgiving dinner must haves. 



 

one. two. three. four. five. six.

I felt super old when I got way too excited picking out plates and glassware. But look at how great that Glided Rim Stemware is?? Perfect for Thanksgiving dinner! 

And is there anything cuter than a chubby baby in suspenders?? I think not!! 

We got some really exciting news this Friday and we are so happy to say that Tyson has found another job that will allow him to be home more. No more being out of town Monday through Friday. We are so thankful for the opportunity and I'm glad he will home for Thanksgiving! 

Now here is your daily dose of the boys! Have a great Monday!! 

Life Lately

The last few days we have been soaking up every last minute of the warm-ish weather we have been having. We have taken trips to the park and visited papa's farm to help feed the animals. 

Tuesday was really cold and windy and Ryder begged to go outside and play. He put on his beanie and jacket and cried ppplleeeaassseee! It was so sad. I really don't know how we are going to survive the winter. We already have cabin fever. 

The weather has dropped from mid sixties to a high of 30 degrees and we have our first snow storm today. It's beginning to feel like Christmas now and I'm trying my hardest not to put up my tree before thanksgiving. There's nothing like the snow falling with a lit Christmas tree by the window. Last year I had the tree up the first of November so I'd say I've done good so far. 

We haven't quiet winterized our house and our main floor is freezing. So until we get our fire place up and running we'll be spending lots of time in my warm bed in our Jammie's.

I had a lot of interest on my Instagram {Whitrichins} about my chat books and I have a code now for you to receive 1 book for free when you subscribe. 

I hope you all have a great rest of the day! 

Guest Post at A Beautyful High Blog: The Essential Oil Way

Hey everyone! If you follow me on Instagram {@whitrichins} you saw that I recently started using Essential Oils. Today I am taking over my sweet friend Chanda's blog and talking about how I Use Essential Oils in our daily lives. Head on over to A Beautyful High Blog and check it out. While you're there don't forget to subscribe to her blog, Chanda has some awesome posts about all things beauty!

Friyay

So I planned on doing a fun little Friday favorites post until these two little monsters decided to tag team me last night and switched up getting up every other hour. So instead, you get a nice little photo dump of our week while Ryder naps and I feed Gage in bed. 

Every morning when Ryder wakes up he always asks to hold Gage. It's my favorite part of the day and I love listening to the stories he tells him. "Baby cars on tv!!" "My car tire broken baby. Dada fix it when he gets home" 

Ryder was really excited to go to school this week and he made sure to kiss his toys goodbye and told them he'd be home soon. 

I let him pretend to drive to school since its a few houses away. He pushes buttons, moves the steering wheel, turns on the blinker then we get out and walk him to school. 2 year old imaginations are the best!

Bath and meal time are always interesting around here.

Gage has just been doing the usual this week of eating, not sleeping and being too dang cute for his own good. 

This week we are thankful for technology that's allows the boys to see their daddy If he's away for work. Gage was sure happy to see him and gave him lots of smiles. Ryder likes to take the iPad and walk daddy around the house telling him stories about the day and showing him the moon. He will even throw in a "help me dada! Mama mean!" To coax him into coming home. Thanks kid! We're So glad he's home.

This week was long and it may be 3:00 and Were still in our pj's but we sure are excited it's the weekend!