Friday FAVs- Travels with a newborn and an infant STYLE

Happy FRIDAY!!

So a LONG time ago I mentioned giving more details about traveling with a baby. We have done a lot of this so I thought I would actually follow through and share our FAVs for TRAVEL with BABY!!

1. To MAUI

Our first flight with Rox was when she was 7 weeks old on an 8 hour flight to Maui. Some made read this and think we were are crazy but I would honestly say this was the easiest trip we made with her and therefore I would say that is the best stage to travel. She had her shots and wasnt collic (i think those two factors can be game changers) and was still in that super sleepy phase. I researched quite a bit and here is what we embarked on this 8 hour flight with:

Carry-on:
Ergo baby carrier (I carried Roxie in this through the airport and until we got on the plane)
Breast Pump (I 100% pumped at this point)
12 hour bottle cooler- this was the best one i found and all the bottles made it to our hotel 10 hours later
Boppy- GAME changer
10 diapers
Travel wipe pack
disposable changing pads
disposable burp cloths
2 passies
one outfit change
one shirt change for momma
2 rattle toys
1 soft blanket

This may or may not seem like a lot to you but each item was necessary and we used it. I pumped 2wice on the flight and Jeff, Fox and I slept for 3 hours together and then Rox slept for a couple other spurts thanks to the boppy. It was so nice to secure her in this and each take a break or enjoy a drink or snack. This flight both ways went almost flawless. Just a few fussy moments! We had a blast.

If you travel with a baby I would look up local rental companies because we rented a crib, jogger stroller, swing, and beach tent for 7 nights for only $140 dollars. They were all clean (although I additionally cleaned them and brought our own sheets) and super easy. We laid by the pool every day and had Rox in the jogger with this fan that I found on amazon. Also a game changer. Now we use it on jogging trails and in the car.

2. Nebraska


My mom and I went to Nebraska when Fox was 10 weeks old. This was such a fun trip to do with my mom and we got to take a 5 generation picture with Roxie since my great grandmother is still alive.

I packed the exact same way and this flight was only 2.5 hours. Super easy and went just as well both ways. I also forgot to share that I bought a bag like this for her car seat and car seat bag to go on. It has been so worth it since we have flown three times with Roxie so far.


3. Lubbock, TX


This one I did with my parents. We went and visited my sister who is in her last year of nursing school at Texas Tech (Wreck em). Fox did great. We stopped two times in our 6 hour drive. Both times I fed her, changed her and let her squirm around a bit. I brought some good visual sound toys I could distract her with when she got tired and I also used my car seat canopy so she could nap when it was really sunny out.

4. New Mexico

This trip was so fun but challenging because Fox is and was at this point rolling all over the place and not quite crawling. I carried her in the bjorn and had only one bag total. I did a back pack after reading this post here (since it was just me) and was so glad I only carried that. So I looked like this in the airport.

It was a good time. I carried a water bottle and took sips when I can, because when you do not get your 7 month old a seat and hold her the whole flight, be prepared to never eat or drink for the whole flight.

I carried:

-This changing pad that held everything I need. Wish I would have had this for my first flight.

-One outfit change (we used this the second we got to the flight because Fox had an explosion that went through the bjorn while we were in security...so fun!)

-4 toys I strapped all on one ring so I could pull them out easily

-4 bottles (on the way back she drank 13 ounces which is not normal for a 2 hour setting but it kept her happy and settled

-teething cream

-baby food

-a blanket

This was by far my most tricky trip but we survived it!

Those are our FAV travel items with baby!!

~an Officer and a Mrs.

School of Rox - 8 MONTHS!

Roxie-

Where did the time go? I can tell you one thing my love (and the fact that posting this is 3 full days late is proof) you are ON THE GO:

-Crawling at lightning speed
-Flipping away mid diaper change causing Officer and I to yell, "naked baby on the loose"
-Pulling your self up on the empty box of diapers (your new favorite toy) only as mom turns her back
-Pulling yourself up on anything when mom turns her back
-Crawling over all barricades mom creates
-Diving into any pile of laundry (clean or dirty) mom leaves out
-Diving off the bed because you saw puppy do it and mom catching you in the air (yes- this happened and yes it scared me almost to death)

Food:
Apples and Rice cakes (gluten free of course) are your new favorite snacks

We introduced you to your first antibiotic this month when you got (all at once) an eye infection, ear infection and stomach bug. Mom was SUPER happy you were not allergic since her entire family is. You were such a trooper even the Dr. couldn't believe you really had all of these things.

You will actually sit still and enjoy two books and two books only so we read them over and over.
-I love you now and forever more and Go dog go!

We got you the vtech music piano for Easter and you drag it around by the microphone. Its adorable.

You love to fake cough- thanks to your bff Jackson and its pretty funny.

You talk like a crazy girl and it makes Officer and I so happy.

You are not crazy about sitting in your high chair eating. Mostly because it keeps you still and bound. We are working on some table manners right now.

You can sign "all done" and you can wave and say, "hi"

You think its hilarious when mom tells you know and have QUITE the attitude if we suggest something you have no desire of doing or take anything from you. I have NO idea where you get that...

You adore me, your momma. You are happiest if you can see me. You smile and laugh at all my jokes. You even let me hold you and comfort you. You reach for me when I pick you up at the nursery. It melts my heart. I know a day will come when you might not be as crazy for momma so I soak up these moments. I am grateful to be able to spend my days with you Fox and I can't imagine life without you. You make your daddy and I so happy.

~an Officer and a Mrs.

Friday FAVS

Hi friends,

We have lots of excitement going on at our house these days...

A. This is my new favorite picture of Fox who is so happy when we are outside. B. SHE HAS A TOOTH poking through. After weeks of teething pain, we welcome this tooth!

She now "eats" apples! SHE LOVES when I let her "chew" on an apple and really she just sucks all the juice out of it and it feels good on her teeth.

This is our Easter! Roxie and momma got matching sunnies for the pool this summer, Easter service and Officer and I got a date night at the Ranger games...he is kinda the world's biggest and most truest fan.

We go from this.....

to this in .3 seconds...this is also a new favorite picture of us because this picture totally captures what that day was like.

We are week 4 on Paleo and week 2 on Crossfit. The results are unreal and we feel so great.
I am making this (thanks to this girl! :)) and this (I already made this early in the week and dominated it!) tonight for a treat.
We are planning to do some Spring cleaning and this will help.
And officially decided our fall trip to celebrate my belated 25th birthday, 4 years of marriage, and officer's 27 birthday will be to HERE!

Happy Friday!

~an Officer and a Mrs.

Style on an Officer budget

Hey there!

I have been out of the loop and a little out of my routine due to some major changes the Officer and I have made. As you read a few posts back the Officer and I started cross fit and are 3 weeks in to paleo!! Woot woot. I want to die a little bit on the inside because I have an INTENSE love/hate relationship with cross fit. 


I love the change I already feel and I hate that I have been sore for 2 weeks. 


I love how quick the work outs are but I hate that I did pull ups for the first time since the 5th grade PE assessment yesterday.


I love that it is competitive and requires discipline and stretches me, but I hate that I fight back throw up or actually throw up some where during the work out...haha yes this happened.


TRY a class or a week! It's amazing but it aint for sissies.

Back to the purpose of the post. I wanted to share some affordable fashion inspirations and fun crafters that I follow that make us Officer families capable of having cute and nice things on our budget.

I have been reading this one for months but just discovered this one. The first one has great fashion steals and sales on affordable cute clothes and the other one has life organization and my personal favorite: how to maximize your closet.

I love this crafter and just discovered this one. These are some of the most creative people ever. I wish I had the brain space to come up with this stuff.

 I am a new woman because of this one. I am not great with hair but because of her tutorials I have figured out how to tease and get volume on a regular day and change of from the boring every day hair styles.

That's what this Mrs. is reading these days!


Happy Tuesday!


~an Officer and a Mrs.

Wife Wednesdays

Dear New Police Wife,

I am thinking of you this week, remembering you as a distant memory. Those first nights alone, how you woke up in the morning so excited you "made it through the night." I remember when you first realized this was going to be your life. It seemed so bleak and lonely those first few months. A new wonderful husband, a new wonderful life, and 3-4 nights a week, you live it by yourself. I promise you, you will be able to rally all kinds of support of people who think this life you lead is treacherous. You will get used to people saying, "I could never do that." or "I can't believe you do that." I hate to say it, but you have to (as my dad always said to us growing up), "grow some hair on your chest" or maybe "be a solider" would be less graphic and weird description.

I know, I know. It is easy for me to say this where I sit, but if you knew me before I was a police wife, you would know I was the least likely girl on the block to adopt the phrase, "be a solider". I would simply say, "no thank you." With a smile of course.

The list goes on and on how to adopt this new mentality, but here is really the only thing that matters- you love your officer. Done. He picked this very noble calling, and for all the sacrifices you make and all the sacrifices he makes, why not push him to greatness. Encourage him to enjoy it, cry when you need to, have your rants, indulge in the occasional pity party from your friends who complain that their husband missed dinner. But find a stopping ground and remember you LOVE your officer. Remember that he is more lonely that the average office working Joe too. Remember that everyone has down sides to the career they choose and everyone has things that are worse than you. Do NOT let yourself believe that your situation is the worst. You are not eternally unique.

Soon, you will look back on the past 3 years as I do. I stand in awe of the journey the Lord has taken me on. I can't believe who he has allowed me to be and who he has given to me along the way.

Hang in there.

Be a grizzly.

~an Officer and a Mrs.

An Officer and a Mrs. do Paleo

As I mentioned on our Fav Friday post, we are trying Paleo with a few exceptions. I know, I know...you may think to yourself,  "doesn't that defeat the purpose of a diet"?

My answer would be, maybe.

But the Officer and I are going for life change, and sometimes you have to ease your way into it.

Why paleo? 

1. I am married to a carnivore. He is all guy, therefore loves a good hardy meal. We could not pick something where he lost that because he would never stick to it.

2. We are Cross Fit groupies. If you do cross fit and we know about it, we think you are pretty amazing and kind of treat you like a celebrity. Officer and I have been wanting to do it for awhile and it hasn't been affordable for us. Now that it is, we are jumping on and paleo is their recommended way of life.

What are the exceptions we decided on?

All of these exceptions, we will give up as we get more used to the diet but since this was such a drastic change for our life style we decided on a few exceptions.

1. Officer still drinks milk. He would pick milk over ANY other drink. This would be his desert island drink. He loves it. When we go on vacation, its the first thing we have to find so he can have his usual every night glass of milk. I am serious about this.

2. I still have the occasional slice of bread. When I saw no grains, my heart stopped- literally. I wasn't ready to go cold turkey with that. I would definitely have the shakes...but I will say, a week in, I could give it up now, so I am phasing it out this week.

3. We have eggs in the morning. We are not great cooks, still learning recipes so we have allowed eggs.

4. We have a cheat day every Saturday. We don't go crazy but we allow ourselves a few splurges.

We have to lead by example.

We decided we wanted our little Fox to eat healthy, and stay as far away from processed as possible. How could we expect this of our child if she saw her parents doing something totally different? We had to change. Also, right now Fox is allergic to oat, so if she doesn't grow out of this, we needed to learn to cook and live in a way where she could eat with us.


Officer has already gone down a size and I have gone down a half size. 1.5 weeks people. Now what this really shows, is how our diet had to change. It had to. We were making terrible choices, and for those who know me, you know I almost always, 100% of the time had candy with me, loud and proud. I am now seeing this had a much greater effect on me than I ever wanted to admit.

We are officially in cross fit and can't wait to see results here.

It's ah-mazing how good this diet makes us feel. So far the amount of meat intake has been good for me, which I never thought it would. Different diets do different things for different people. It is A LOT of cooking and planning so each Sunday we plan out the whole week, breakfast - dinner. We are committed to change and will keep updates as we continue to eliminate those exceptions.

This is so fun to do together. I think life change has to happen as a team, because you are so encouraged and excited as you see the other feel better and look better.

If you are thinking about making the switch here is my fav book and blog I have found so far.



~an Officer and a Mrs.

FAV things Friday....

Happy Friday! 

Here is what the Officer and I have been this week....

the Mrs. Fav spot- baby girl is getting to be a bit picky with her food so I have been ALL over this blog for helpful tips!

the Officer's fav spot- next week him and I are starting CROSSFIT....yikes. I am terrified. I love fitness and working out but it has been a LONG time since I have been challenged in this way. However, as we firmly believe and talk more about here, its important to have goals and have fun together. SO we are doing CrossFIT!

OUR recipes are coming from here. We are doing a hybrid of the paleo diet as we begin Crossfit. We are wanting to increase our discipline but be realistic so we have made a few modifications. More to come on that.

the Mrs. is drooling over the new line of baby clothes here...

the Officer is really wanting to vacay some time soon here...

the Mrs. is reading this book and this book right now on marriage and health.

Happy Friday!

~an officer and a mrs.