Meal time with Phayre // The Baby Cubby

It's no secret that our little Phayre Bear is a lover of food.  Girlfriend never misses a meal and has the most delicious rolls to show for it.  Mealtime can be so fun with little babes... but can also be super messy!  There are so many products to choose from, some are amazing and others are used once and then end up in the "kid drawer" in the kitchen.  I thought I'd share what products we love and find most useful.

I recently discovered an online retailer called The Baby Cubby when I was researching highchairs.  I was immediately impressed with their website because they have a section called "Cubby Picks".  They break down baby items by type and choose the best of the best.  They do all the research and then give you their top picks for baby gear items.  The Stokke Tripp Trapp chair was one of their top Cubby picks and I immediately fell in love with it.  The design is sleek and it is SO easy to clean.  I also purchased the baby set and the tripp trap tray and we are absolutely loving this highchair.  Like I said, it is so easy to clean!  It's also super lightweight and easy to move around (we often move the highchair from our dining area to the kitchen and even outside on our patio).  Plus, it just looks really good in our house!  It's not an eyesore and takes up very little space.

Lot's of you messaged me asking about P's highchair after I posted photos from her first birthday party.  Funny thing is, we put her highchair together just moments before the party started!  I had ordered the highchair the week before the party (it actually shipped the same day I ordered it) and it arrived a few days before the party.  When we opened the manufacturers packaging we realized that the screws that were supposed to be included were missing.  I was SO bummed because I knew we wouldn't be able to put the highchair together and use it at P's party (those cake smash photos are important you know!).  I emailed The Baby Cubby and explained the situation, Ryan emailed me right back and said that they were overnighting the missing parts to me so that they'd get to me in time for the party!  Sure enough, the parts arrived and Eric put the highchair together before the party started.  I was so appreciative and we got so many compliments on P's new highchair at the party!

So, obviously we love our new highchair!  Phayre isn't using any dishes right now, but she does use the Comotomo bottle (the only bottle we've ever gotten her to take).  I also love feeding her yogurt with the Boon swap spoons.  These spoons are my favorite for little babes, you can feed them with one side and wipe food off of their face with the other side.  Sloan uses the Boon benders silverware and platter plates (love these because it divides all of the food).  

A few other products that we use regularly that you should definitely try are the Boon Snug Spout tops and the Puj PillUp Cups.  I always have one of the snug spout tops in my diaper bag.  They fit onto pretty much any size cup so they're super easy to use at restaurants.  We attached a PhillUp cup onto our refrigerator and I LOVE that Sloan can get herself water by herself (plus she feels so grown up using the water dispenser all by herself, it's very cute!).

I hope that you guys find these products useful with your littles too!  These are definitely some of our mealtime favorites.  I also hope that you'll check out The Baby Cubby next time you're shopping for baby and toddler gear items.  I had such a great personal experience with The Baby Cubby and really loved how easy it was to maneuver their website.  Their website didn't feel like just another baby site to me, I loved that the products were researched and tested.  They only offer the best and safest baby gear items, perfect for overwhelmed parents trying to make the right choice for their baby.  After looking through their website, I also learned that they price match and all orders over $49 ship for free!

You can also check The Baby Cubby out on Instagram and they have a really great blog as well!

Xo

Marisa

Birthday Party Hat Face Banner!

So many of you asked about the party hat banner I made for Phayre's first birthday party.  It was so easy, I thought I'd share a quick tutorial!  I actually made the same banner for Sloan's first birthday party and I loved it so much, I knew I had to make one for P's first birthday too!  And I'm serious, this banner was so easy.  Definitely something even the beginning DIYer can do!  And best part?  The only thing I had to buy for this project were the photos of P's face, I found everything else in my craft bin!

Step 1: In iPhoto, I cropped 4x6 photos down to just Phayre's face (I also made them black and white) and had them printed at Costco.  I cut out around P's face, but left the space above her head so that I could attach the party hat.

Step 2: Cut out the triangles for the party hats out.  I used wrapping paper because I liked the print, but it was super flimsy so I had to back it with card stock.  It probably would be easier (and just as cute) to just use card stock.  Attach the party hats to the face photos (I used tape because thats all I had, but a glue stick would work well too).

Step 3: Arrange the party hat faces in the order you want them in and then flip them over so they're facing down.  Attach some type of string (I used twine) to the backs of the party hat faces.

So at this point you could be done and they would look super cute!  I made little yarn pom poms and and attached them to the tops of the party hats.  They looked so cute, but they made the hats top heavy which made it harder to hang the hats.

Ta Da!  Now you have a super easy party hat banner that all of your guests will love!  Annnnnd if you're like me, you can hang it in your house after the party because it's seriously too cute!

You can see Phayre's full party tour here!

Xo

Marisa

Weekending // Phayre Bear turns ONE!

Phayre Golda Brown is O N E!!!  Our sweet girl turned one this past Saturday and we sure made the most of celebrating our girl!  I feel like she had the birthday that never ended.  It started with her little cake smash photoshoot, then her birthday party, and then her actual birthday!  Lots of celebrating for our perfect girl!  But really, I cannot believe she's one.  Her first year flew by and I would do anything to just go back in time and hold a tiny P again.  But she is so super fun right now and watching her grow and change is pretty amazing.

The night before Phayre's birthday, she took us back to her newborn days and spent the ENTIRE night screaming.  She woke up in the morning with swollen eyes and a fever, I felt so awful for her.  We showered her with balloons and sang her happy birthday while she smiled through tired eyes.  She kept looking at us like, "What in the world is wrong with my parents?  Why are they singing and dancing around like lunatics?  Maybe I'm dreaming?!"

A quick trip to the pediatricians office confirmed it was not an ear infection, just some pretty intense teething (she's cutting three molars!).  So we headed to the donut shop and she got to enjoy her first pink sprinkle donut!  The donut (with a side of tylenol) perked her right up and we were so happy to see her happy on her birthday!  We spent the rest of the day boating with our close friends where P spoiled me with not one, but two naps on me!  We finished our full and perfect day eating dinner on a rooftop downtown and then of course grabbed an ice cream come before heading home with sun kissed skin and full bellies.

It was a perfect day for our perfect girl (and ahhhh my girl is one!).  Happy birthday Phayre Golda, we love you so very much!

Phayre Smashes a Cake!

When you turn one, you should get to smash a cake!  It's like a right of passage into becoming a toddler.  And now that I say that, I regret letting her smash a cake because #pleasebeababyforever.  Anyways, Phayre LOVED smashing her cake!  Although she didn't really smash it, she destroyed it.  I laughed when I got the photos back from Lindsey Wiatt Photography because she looks so sweet and dainty in the photos.  Baby sister was anything but dainty, she went to town eating her cake!  It was so fun and I'm so glad we documented it.

I wanted P's cake smash to be really simple and natural.  I ordered a simple white cake with whip cream frosting from our local grocery store (it was only $6.99!).  I put some simple greenery on the front of the cake and it was perfect!  P wore a simple white dress and my sweet friend Megan made her the most beautiful flower crown!  (P's dress sold out, but this dress is almost identical and it's under $20)

I still cannot believe that Phayre is turning one in just a few days.  I have dreaded her first birthday so much and wanted so much for her to just stay a baby, but oh boy it has been fun celebrating her!  And we haven't even celebrated her actual birthday yet!

Welcome to the world of sweets my littlest love!