Friday Favorites-New Additions To The Family

Happy Friday, friends and happy first day of summer! I'm not one to rush through the days because I think there is never enough time for anything, but this week, I'm excited to see the weekend. Mainly because it has been non-stop rain and gloom over here. We might have seen the sun twice this week and it only came out here and there. It's been extremely humid and our upstairs air conditioner stopped working (go figure), so we're trying to get everything situated with our insurance to get it fixed asap. Ughh adulting, this is the not so fun part of it. 

Anyway, aside from no air and the crappy weather, there's always something to be happy about. Let's get into some favorites...

1. Welcome to the Family:

if you've been a long time reader around here (always a big thank you :) then you know that our oldest son, A, has been asking for a hedgehog kind of since he could say hedgehog. We aren't exactly sure where the fascination came from, but it's been something he's wanted for awhile. The time finally came when it felt right to get him one. As far as we know there's only one certified breeder in our area. We had no clue what to expected when we pulled up or even when we went in. We checked out all the babies that were for sale and they were soooo cute. Originally we thought we wanted a male but for some reason the ones they had kept biting me. The owners weren't sure why I was getting nipped but with a house full of children they didn't feel right sending us home with a temperament like that. I can totally respect that. There were several females to choose from and ultimately our girl made the cut. She was so sweet and had a really calm personality with the boys. I was completely open to sharing the throne with another female and think that the house could use a little more girly love. A decided on the name, Flower, which I think is sooo cute. He was even excited that she was a girl and told me, mommy, now you don't have to be the only girl! He's my sensitive one and can be such a sweetheart
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When I shared her in my stories I was a little surprised that so many of you weren't familiar with what a hedgehog was. I guess they aren't the typical common pet, but we've know others who have had them, and there are some great hedgehog accounts to follow on instagram. Some thought we caught her in our backyard and others just didn't know what she was. I'll share more about her as time goes on but we still have another friends to introduce, so here we go. 

When the whole non-stop asking about a hedgehog from our oldest son was going on little nugget started to catch on and began asking for a pet, too. Well, if you know anything about my live Easter bunny shoots then you know I've somehow managed to get an adorable live bunny for my boys to take pictures with each year. I had a rabbit growing up and was never opposed to getting another one. In fact, when little nugget started asking for one I was on board with it and knew it would actually make my Easter tradition a lot easier. The goal was to get them both the hedgehog and the rabbit at the same time, but of course that didn't go as planned. It was close to it, though. The place we were getting the rabbit from took a few extra days to get back to me ,and then the owner wasn't feeling well, so we waited to go over. Thankfully my little nugget has a super sweet side and was so encouraging and helpful with his big brother's new pet and would tell us, look I'm getting ready for my rabbit.

When the day came there were seven lop-eared rabbits for him to choose from and this is the sweet little guy he picked. Meet, Hoppy. Our floppy eared little fluffball. He's a quick little guy that of course likes to hop around, clean his little face, and has even thumped his feet a few times. The boys have been watching Peter Rabbit on Netflix on repeat because there is both rabbits and a sweet hedgehog in there. We're excited for them to grow and mature with each other and continue to learn more about responsibilities. Let me know if you all would be interested in me sharing more about them as time goes on.

2. Looks Who's Seven Months:

my sweet little man turned seven months this week. I can't believe how quickly this first year is flying by. He is seriously the sweetest little thing around. He had his first lip surgery a little over a week ago now and he has been a champ at recovering. He's had his fussy moments here and there, and we can definitely tell when the Tylenol and Motrin start to wear off, but other than that, he's been great. He's been showing us glimpses of his new smile and the swelling and bruising has gone down a ton. He'll have his post-op appoint in a few weeks, but for now, it seems like the multiple doctors appointments every week have really slowed down. You guys, it's been a beautiful to not have to have run all around to different appointments. He no longer has to wear his mouth piece and has been eating better than I thought he ever would without it.

3. Sunflowers:

speaking of baby C, my extremely thoughtful friends sent us these beautiful sunflowers to brighten up our day after knowing how much we've gone through with the baby recently. It always amazes me when something comes seriously at the perfect time. I was having a rough morning the other day and had already cried twice. The baby was extra fussy, I had so much on my plate, and some big decisions to come to. Sure enough, when I went outside there was a big purple box with these beauties inside of it and a sweet note from them. It really is the little things that make such a difference.

4. Blueberry Picking and Father's Day: 

i shared earlier this week a little more about our Father's Day weekend and blueberry picking. We still have so many blueberries left but have been enjoying them with everything that we can. My favorites have been in pancakes, cereal, yogurt, and putting them in my salads. I'm hoping to make mini blueberry muffins this weekend. Is there anything you like making with blueberries?

5. Favorite Finds: 

last year the boys loved making homemade popsicles with a mold that someone had gotten us. The only problem was, it was plastic and the constant back and forth from the freezer to different temperatures made it crack over time. It was also a bit bulky and not the easiest to find a place to keep in the freezer. This is going to be the first summer I'll be able to spend at home with the boys so I want to take full advantage of it and I know there will be many popsicles in our future. I've heard nothing but great things about this Zoku mold and decided to order it. It's BPA free, has an easy release, and the sticks come with a drip guard. I also LOVE that I don't have to worry about making sure I have popsicle sticks on hand and know exactly what's going into my kids popsicles. 

I'm also really excited for some more beach days and need to get a new beach bag. With three little ones I need something a bit bigger. I love the one I have but it's better for when I go the beach with just friends or even a smaller overnight bag. This straw tote bag is really cute but I also really like this canvas one with the side compartment and the fact that it's waterproof. 

Target is having a sale on outdoor patio furniture and decor and they have so many cute things! Our yard will probably be a work in progress for years, to come, but I really think I need this hammock chair and how cute is this pineapple table? I think they would both be great together and that chair looks so relaxing. Although, I'm pretty sure the boys would highjack it and want to take it over. 

I hope everyone has a great first weekend of summer!