Because it's the little things that make watching the Super Bowl more exciting.

DIY Bug Hotel

A shelter for the little bugs my kids are looking out for.

NO COOK "Cloud Clay" (softer than play dough)

Moon Dough is all the rave.

DIY: Take Your Own Photos

There have been several special milestones in my life where I felt like I needed a professional photographer present. All three of our birth experiences, annual family updated photos (lifestyle), and birthday milestone photos for the kids (up until 2014). As a photographer myself, there are still many special "in between moments" that a tripod just cannot capture. I fully admit this. But what about all the other occasions?

Ikea Hack: Tarva

This weekend we pulled the trigger on a lengthy trip to IKEA in search of finding a new “big girl” dresser for Miss Olivia.

Settled

As I'm writing this, Ava bug is sleeping in her toddler room.. in her toddler crib... alone (more on this later)! We are finally all settled into our new home, and we are absolutely loving it! I'm still super impressed that it took less than 72 hours to go through all of our boxed goods, hang up all the decor on the walls, and host our first family function. Justin and I are definitely a productive couple and it works in our favor pretty darn well. Some of the things that we are loving so far in the new house would be the kitchen, the spacious living areas, and the yard space. My kitchen doubled in size which seriously has me beaming! The counter space, the openness of the kitchen, and the fact that I have more than enough room for a little office space nook is just glorious. I think our next project we are going to tackle for the kitchen is making a movable island.

I'm elated that Justin is becoming more and more of a handy man around the house. I'm so excited to personalize the island the way we'd like. Aside from the kitchen, the living room, laundry room, and overall floor plan just completely makes our last house look so inadequate. The living room is pretty accommodating for the new sectional we just got, which has me feeling ten kinds of relieved, and the laundry room could pretty much be a mini play room if we wanted it to. There's also huge basin in the laundry room for my cloth diapers, and I'm super stoked about that. I still can't believe how much we like this house!

The overall neighborhood is pretty quiet and there are a few toddlers Ava bug's age that live pretty close by. We are within walking distance to at least three different parks, and we have the most beautiful view of the water, with an option of boating or playing in the sand. Today is Justin's first five minute commute to work, and I BEYOND grateful that we will get to see him so frequently. Ava gets to do breakfast and lunch with daddy, and it'll only take him five minutes to get home after work. I couldn't picture a better day for my family. I seriously can't believe that we managed to live over an hour away from post (in traffic) for an entire year. We will NEVER do that again.

Back to the toddler news... I seriously just laid her in her toddler bed, and she's been in a princess slumber ever since. We completely transformed Ava's room into this Paris meets Ballerina theme, and I know she totally loves it. She's always pointing to her initials on the wall and the eiffel tower we added a couple days ago. The room has the three dimensional pom poms that match her decor and we are painting this weekend (hopefully)! We spend a good chunk of time in Ava's room since we moved in, so I'm hoping the comfortability helps with this transition. Aside from that, things are pretty normal around here. I should be getting real internet today and we get our custom fence put it in a couple of weeks. I'm ready to get back to blogging more consistently, I definitely miss sharing with all of you!

P.S. this house gets amazing natural light in every room. Be prepared to see some awesome photos from me in the next few weeks!

P.P.S If any of my readers could suggest a good night light for Ava bug or possibly a projector, it would be appreciated. Leave your suggestions in the comments below, or shoot me an email!

Happy Tuesday all!

♥- Leilani

DIY Photo Backdrop

So this "momtographer" put together her first DIY photo back drop project. Thanks to a couple great friends, my husband, and Miss Charmi, I found an easy and inexpensive project to do. I will admit that I am not your average crafty type of person.. I am far below the average. I thought that it was going to be super hard, so I had no problem pawning this project off on others that offered their assistance. Because I failed to remember that I obviously needed dimensions, I was forced to do this on my own (almost, thanks baby). I wanted to share all that I learned from this with my readers or other "momtographers" that are interested in doing their own photo backdrops. We purchased all of our backdrop supplies from Lowe's and the total came to $10.81 with my husband's military discount.

SUPPLIES

(2) 10′ lengths of 3/4″ PVC

(1) 5′ length of 3/4″ PVC

(4) 3/4″ PVC end caps

(4) 3/4″ PVC T Pieces

(2) 3/4″ PVC Elbow Pieces

***  YOU MUST get the “slip” end caps, T pieces and elbows.  If you get the “threaded” version it will not slide onto the PVC pipe *** Trust me when I say to check, I didn't follow instructions (thank goodness Justin was with me). 

MEASUREMENTS

2 pieces cut at 54 inches long (cut from one 10′ pipe)

4 pieces cut at 30 inches long (cut from second 10′ pipe)

4 pieces cut at 12 inches long (cut from 5′ pipe)

*** If you do not own a saw of some sort OR you decide you'd rather not cut the pipes yourself, the staff at Lowe's is more than willing to assist. They cut all of our PVC pipes in the exact measurements we needed ***

STEPS

1. Attach one 12 inch piece to a "T" piece and add another 12 inch piece to the opposite end.  Put end caps on each end and repeat. These will end up being your leg stands!

2. Connect a 30 inch piece to the stand leg and add another "T" piece. Attach one more 30 inch piece and repeat for the other stand leg.

3. Using the two "T" pieces in the center, connect one of the 54 inch pieces to each side of the stand legs. 

4.  Add the last (and final)  54 inch piece to the top by using the two elbow pieces on the tops of the 30 inch pipes.  

Those were all the steps I used to create my DIY photo back drop. Keep in mind that the edges of the PVC pipes might not all be straight after cutting. I had to use a wrench to pull in some of the dented parts that prevented the pipes from going smoothly inside their end caps and such. I purchased some oversized blankets that are going to make great backgrounds for some of the Ava bug sessions I have coming up, and I'm so excited about it. Stay tuned for her Christmas holiday photos, because I'm sure I'll be sharing a few.

Happy Sunday all!

♥- Leilani

Let it rain, let it pour

Man, it feels like my little family got slammed with a lot of stress these last couple months. I am pleased to report that soon, it will all be over. Today we had our JPPSO movers come out, and they were nothing short of a blessing. Not only did I not have to lift a single finger, they were super friendly and personable. They handled all of our things with care, and made sure to go over each part of the paperwork with us. I initially thought this moving method was going to be horrible (ask me again once we are waiting on our things), but it really wasn't bad at all. I know Justin feels a million times better knowing he doesn't have to drive a huge u-haul, and tow dolly across the country. It took the movers around six hours to pack and move all of our things into the 24 foot truck. The best part? We didn't have to pay for it. This time it's on the Army's dime. 

 Seeing all the boxes were far too familiar, and I'm excited to stay somewhere a little longer than a month. I was so proud f our bug today. She was awesome! So chill, and full of smiles. She let us eat lunch, while she just chilled in her high chair, and I think we baby wore Ava for like seven hours straight today. She was even able to get a little nap in, it was glorious. After the movers left, we were able to get the car packed up, and finally settle for the night. Ava bug had her first helping (stage two) of apples and blueberries, and (we think) they are a hit. Stage two foods aren't really different from stage one, aside from the fact that they are all mixed with something. The consistency seems the same to us.

I'm in the mists of trying to plan something super special for my third wedding anniversary with Justin, and this has got me all giddy and feeling romantic. I really want to show my husband how thankful I am, not only for the past three years, but for all he does on a regular basis to keep our family solid, and golden. In raising a family, going back to school, and constantly moving (Thank you Army) there are plenty of moments to forget about the special time you and your spouse need. I'm really glad that Justin and I constantly remind each other that we need that time. I have just under two weeks to plan, so hopefully I can come up with something sweet, without Justin suspecting a thing. We also decided on the first DIY project we are going to do at the new house. You can find the image in the "DIY" section of my blog. We are going to put up some rain gutters for books we begin to purchase for Ava. I am finally ordering her pottery barn anywhere chair (as long as it isn't back stocked) for this nook in her nursery. Thanks to an awesome friend at Colorful Characters, Ava will also have her name with ballerina inspired decoration on them, hanging over her new book shelves.

I'm already thinking about fun little additions to add to the master. Man, this Washington home is going to be a good one. I can't help but smile when I think about Washington. Especially when I think about  my mama. Every time we talk I can hear the happiness in her voice. She is ready to have us back! Well, that's all for now. I am literally beat, and it's time for this mama to hit the sack. Also, if you haven't "liked" my facebook page, make sure to do that. (Simply Howland) Once I hit 130 likes, I am giving away an ergobaby carrier! Goodnight all! 

♥- Leilani