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life update

March 24, 2016 by Rachel Leave a Comment

Since Remy Bea was born (you know… TWO months ago), life has been a roller coaster, which I’ve talked about. Extensively. Like, extensively. And this here blog has suffered the wrath of long days and nights… By the time I have a few moments to myself to sit down at my computer, I just stare at a blank screen —  sometimes for an hour or more — just trying to put words into sentences. But I promise — we have actually had a life over these last 8 weeks — we have actually had fun!

 

Lavish Salon + Cleats  //  Fundraisers For My Cousin

My cousin’s 9-year old daughter has been hospitalized for over 7 months now, awaiting surgery to have her pancreas completely removed. Friends of hers arranged two benefit fundraisers for the family and their expenses.

The first fundraiser was at Lavish Color Salon on Valentine’s Day. 100% of the proceeds + tips went directly to my cousin and her family. Haircuts, makeup, nail polish changes, basket raffles, and pictures with Elsa + Olaf were aplenty!

itsahero-elsa1
Ari l-o-v-e-d Elsa! At first he was a bit standoffish; but after he warmed up to her, he literally chased her around the salon.

itsahero-elsa2
The second fundraiser was at Cleats Restaurant in Chardon. They shut down the restaurant because the turnout was so huge! It was packed! It was wonderful to see such a great turnout for such a wonderful cause! And it happened to be such an amazingly beautiful day.

NOTE: Just before I went to post this I noticed that Gia was featured in a video from The Today Show!

 

Therapy dogs bring joy, happiness back to kids at children’s h…“Gia had been so sick every single minute of the day. Months and months went by with us not seeing a smile on her face or joy in her eyes, and the first experience of seeing our little Gia back was when she and Drummer got together.”

Posted by Today Show on Wednesday, March 23, 2016

{if you feel so inclined to donate, or just to read the story of Gia, please go here.}

The Akron Art Museum  //  Tots Create

It’s no secret that I freaking love the Akron Art Museum. It’s a wonderful asset to our community (no, I’m not [yet] a member and have literally zero skin in this game). Their Free Thursdays are the bomb dot com. But they also host amazeballs events, including Creative play dates for tots!

itsahero-art1
This is me: “You mean my kid can make a mess at YOUR place and I don’t have to freak?? DEAL.”

tots create1
In the last month we’ve gone to two Tots Create events with Ari’s friend Veronique (and her mom, Betül). He has had so much fun — and released so much creative energy!

The Library  //  Story Time + Cooking Demos

Sigh – the library! Such a hidden gem! Our childrens section of our library here in Cuyahoga Falls has just gone through a major renovation. It is amazing! Ari loves the ‘puters [aka computers], which are kid-friendly in their bright colors and fun mouse! I’m impressed at how easily Ari has caught on to using a computer!

library
In addition to the computers, he has absolutely loved story time. Story time, at this age, consists of a ‘warm up’ song to get them singing and moving, before settling in for a series of short stories. It’s wonderful and engaging!

itsahero-library
Another local library does other events like cooking demonstrations! Chad has taken Ari to a couple of these demos and events! I’m not certain if Ari has taken much away from it (I’ve not gone with them — Mama needs a break once in awhile!), but it’s awesome that these are offered, nonetheless!

The Parks  //  SOAR + More

I’m not certain if I’ve mentioned this before [though I’m certain I have at one point in my blogs life…], but we have a park in our backyard. Literally. Behind our property line is a park, complete with a toddler wading pool + playground! Unfortunately the playground is a bit out of Ari’s league at this point. It’s a ‘bigger kids’ type of playground.

soar
But about 10 minutes from where we live is SOAR — an amazing wheelchair accessible playground, which happens to also be equally accessible to kids of all ages! Ari loves it — and I love it! Win-win!

soar2
We’re so grateful to have had a few really nice days to get outta the house and enjoy some sunshine!

 

Arts + Crafts  //  Creativity at Home

Not only have we had several playdates with friends + their kids over the last 6 weeks, but we’ve also managed to get in our share of crafts at home! Much in part to some help from Mimi, Ari has gotten all kindsa crafty!

crafts
I, on the other hand, prefer (at this point, at least) to use the Target easy-‘assembly’ craft-type things. Easier. Less-messy. More mom-of-a-newborn friendly. 😛

SO MUCH MORE  //  

We’ve been hitting up places like Cafe O’Play, The Lego Store, and local coffee shops with friends to pass the time. As hard as the days are, it oftentimes helps to have a ‘change of scenery’ — for all of us!

Mama’s Night Out  //  Paint Nite + CIFF Preview Party

I’ve had one semi-successful “night out” without Remy Bea. I went to a Paint Nite event with a dear friend. It’s, like, my 10th paint + wine night in the last 3 years. The one I recently went to was…. disappointing, to say the least. But I did get out for a night and get creative!

 

 

My first painting for Miss Remy Bea. ?? #latergram #paintnite #akron #RemyBea

A photo posted by Rachel (@itsahero) on Mar 23, 2016 at 6:51am PDT

 

I also had the chance to attend the Cleveland International Film Festival (CIFF) preview party at the Akron Civic Theatre!

 

I will never get tired of this view. @akroncivic #ciff40 #akroncivic #wksu #ciff

A photo posted by Rachel (@itsahero) on Mar 16, 2016 at 3:24pm PDT

I actually brought Remy Bea with me to this event. Not only did I see previews for a ton of movies I want to see, but Remy Bea was a huge hit with the crowd!

 

So yeah… life has been every emotion under the sun: Fun. Exhausting. Creative. Hilarious. So exciting. Miserable. And mostly just oh so full of life! ♥ I may be exhausted, friends; but my heart is happy.

Filed Under: #MomLife, adventure, Akron, Ari Davis, baby girl, busy mom, charity, children, cleveland, crafty, creative, domesticity, events, explore locally, family, fun, fundraiser, life, life with a toddler, live happy, maternity leave, mommyhood, Moosh, Oh baby!, Ohio, parenthood, pictures, postpartum, Remy Bea, review, social media, toddler boys, updates, video Tagged With: #MomLife, akron, ari davis, babies, baby girl, being a mom, busy mom, celebration, charity & fundraisers, children, cleveland, crafty, creative, events, explore locally, family, food, friends, life, life with a toddler, Live Happy, local, mommyhood, Moosh, motherhood, ohio, parenthood, pictures, postpartum, Remy Bea, video

farewell 2015

December 31, 2015 by Rachel Leave a Comment

Looking back on my photos from 2015 (because, let’s face it — that’s the easiest + quickest way to glance back), it’s clear that my year was comprised of the following:

  • Moosh playing. At parks, at Cafe O’Play, at home, etc. We definitely had no shortage of playing in 2015!
  • Cooking. Me cooking, specifically. Which had previously been unheard of! So no wonder I documented it. Oh, much, much more cooking to come in 2016!
  • Spending time with family. Moosh, Chad, my parents, my sister, Chad’s family, my aunts… It’s been a wild ride, surrounded by those I love! ♥

And so I’ll leave you with this:

[youtube=https://youtu.be/AcjpT80clYc]
Happy New Year, friends. Let’s send 2015 out with a bang — or in our case, bed at 10PM and PJs before 5PM! Ha! xo

Filed Under: #MomLife, Akron, another year, Ari Davis, beer, busy mom, children, Columbus, cookies, cooking, crafty, family, food, friends, fun, life, life with a toddler, mommyhood, Moosh, parenthood, pictures, video Tagged With: ari davis, being a mom, celebration, family, life, pictures, video

our 3rd anniversary //

April 21, 2015 by Rachel Leave a Comment

I’m keeping it short and sweet today. It’s our THIRD wedding anniversary! That’s right… on this day three years ago we were getting couples massages at the Inn By The Sea in Cape Elizabeth, Maine — just outside of Portland. I had my hair and makeup done, and we met our photographer (who would act as our witness) for the first time.

It’s amazing that three years later we have a 2.5 year old Moosh; a photographer that we keep in regular contact with (and who will do our family pictures AGAIN this Summer); and 1,095 days of memories!

And yet again, I’m sharing our wedding video…. Enjoy. Or don’t! 🙂 But I will!

[youtube=https://youtu.be/udamT5uRudw]

Filed Under: life, marriage, mommyhood, pictures, vacation, video, weddings Tagged With: anniversary, celebration, elopement, family, life, maine, marriage, portland, vacation, video, wedding

summer. sickness. and this KID. #MOOSH

August 6, 2014 by Rachel Leave a Comment

When your son has been sick with a summer cold, when you have been sick with something unmentionable, and when your husband is running a 100+ degree temperature… you just survive. Survive, ya’ll!!

Because what in the world would summer be without one serious illness, am I right?? Sigh. My poor husband. My poor Moosh!

Sidenote: This kid managed to be adorable even when he was feeling sick. He can sing Katy Perry Roar like a champ. Well, an under 2-year old, singing Katy Perry is the bomb dot com regardless of how it actually sounds. But this kid?? Adorable.

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uFz43ythKjo]

 

Love, love, love this kid.

 

Filed Under: Ari Davis, family, life, marriage, mommyhood, Moosh, parenthood, video, weekend Tagged With: ari davis, family, life, marriage, motherhood, oh baby, parenthood, video, weekend

weekend highlights //

March 6, 2014 by Rachel 1 Comment

It’s a little late, but here are scenes from the weekend … 

 

Ari is talking (gibberish) non-stop:

We ate a late lunch, complete with tea (and crayons — cause that’s what happens when you lunch with a 16-month old):

weekend1

I officially started to crave Spring weather & Spring clothes: 

weekend2

I spent a good amount of time snuggling my happy baby:

ABM_1393996890

Our weekend may seem boring to most people, but it was totally perfect for us. 🙂

Filed Under: Ari Davis, fashion, mommyhood, video, weekend Tagged With: ari davis, hair and fashion, motherhood, oh baby, video, weekend

So What! Wednesday

May 22, 2013 by Rachel 6 Comments

I’m linking up with Shannon from Life After I Dew to say SO WHAT if…

sowhatidew_zps90902df1

  • I’ve watched 9 episodes of American Horror Story on Netflix in 3 days.  It’s not scary and it’s mildly entertaining while I’m pumping. Works for me.
  • I try to motivate myself to get to the gym in the early morning by convincing myself that I’ll feel better afterward. And it’s true. I feel way better after working out. photo (64)
  • even after setting those alarms last night, I couldn’t get up. I think I’m having some fatigue issues. But I’m not looking forward to going to the doctor for it. 🙁
  • Chad and I are convinced that our kid is the cutest of all time. He recently started to ‘dance’ on command. It’s hilarious and freakin’ adorable!httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p73SUMJII4Y
  • I’m overly excited about having a three day weekend both this weekend and next! Which makes for a 3 day work week next week! Woooo hooooo!
  • our dates consist of an early dinner and a trip to Home Depot. I love it. 🙂
  • I’ve been obsessed with window shopping for patio furniture. We’re not ready to purchase it yet, but I can’t wait to find the perfect set. [Umm, I sound scary domesticated in this So What Wednesday post… LOL].

Filed Under: So What! Wednesday Tagged With: ari davis, linkup, SWW, video

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