Our 2017 Christmas Card

Tis the season for holiday cards and I am pretty excited. I love choosing our Christmas cards from Shutterfly. There are so many options to choose from, you will most definitely find a design that fits your style. I am pretty certain I will forever send out Christmas cards because it is just so much fun, plus there is something about getting a card in the mail that brightens my day, so I hope it brightens yours as well.

We teamed up with Shutterfly again this year for an amazing card! We have used them several times in the past, both kids birth announcements and birthday invitations, they never disappoint. The quality of the cards exceeds my expectations every time. I am in LOVE with these cards, and I am pretty certain I say that every year. As usual, when I put the card together on their website, by the way it is super user friendly, I  was obsessed, but then they came in the mail and I was even more obsessed; I could not wait to address them. I hope you love them as much as I do.

We had family photos about a month ago and we went with more of a fallish theme, even though it was 85 degrees that day, so that was my hope for the card. I will be honest, it was hard to decide. There are so many options. We ended up going with one of their foil stamped cards and I couldn't be happier with what we chose. (found here).

Ordering the cards is super easy and you can customize them however you want. Originally I thought I wanted a single picture on the front and then a few pictures on the back, but you can tell ultimately I decided to add a few more pictures to the front. If you have a hard time deciding like I did, you can save the card to your favorites, by clicking the "heart," and then go back and pick which one works best. I am sure whatever one you chose you will not be disappointed.

Finally there are many options to add on to customize your card a little more. I chose to round the edges because I like that look. You can also chose to foil your envelopes, which I decided to not do this year, maybe next year :) What might be my favorite option is Shutterfly will address all of your cards for you. You create an address book and they will put the addresses right on the cards. I did not have all my addresses in one place when I ordered so I did not take advantage of this, but I will be uploading them for next year. I did chose to have them put the return address on the envelopes for me though.

If you still need to order your cards go visit Shutterfly and get designing, you will be so happy you did and so will everyone receiving them. Shipping is super fast and the customer service is exceptional! Shutterfly currently has 50% using code BEST, ends Sunday 12/4, so hurry! Happy shopping and cheers to the holidays.

Thank you to Shutterfly for another amazing Christmas card. This post is sponsored by Shutterfly.

Zander - 18 Months

I seriously can not believe this boy is a year and a half already! We are officially closer to two than we are to one now. It really makes me pretty sad! We are almost 100% certain he will be our last so that means no more babies for me!

I didn't realize I didn't do a 15 month update on him so it has been awhile. The last update I did was for his 12 months.

Stats: You are 24.2 pounds and 32.9 inches tall. You are one solid little boy. You are currently wearing 18 month pants and mostly 24 months or 2t shirts. You are in size 4 diapers and we will probably stay there for a little while longer. Your head is still really small. I am not sure what is going on with this but the doctor isn't concerned so we will just keep an eye on it.

Sleep: Well lets just say you are a dream little boy! You are so drastically different than your sister in this department. We did sleep train you at 11 months and you caught on like a champ. You are one early riser though!! You were doing well with sleeping until 6-630 but lately it is more like 5-515, you are up and ready for the day. It is a little early if I am being honest. You do go to bed at 630 though so really I guess I shouldn't complain. I wouldn't mind pushing your bedtime back until 7 but most nights you are surely ready at 630. I use to put you in bed every night but about 6 weeks ago that changed. Now you like your daddy to put you in bed. I turn on your diffuser and sound machine and we all read some stories on the couch. You give us all kisses goodnight and daddy takes you to your room for a few songs. Some nights you roll around in your bed or talk for a few, but you get settled right in. You have a random night here or there where you wake up during the night, but for the most part you sleep from 630-515am. You are currently napping one time, usually 1230ish-3ish. Daycare really made us transition to that one nap a day but you are doing pretty well with it.

Eating: You are one picky boy, funny looking back your sister was the same way. You love your fruits and veggies, but not much meats. The past month you have gotten worse and hardly eat dinner. I think teething is playing a role in that but we just go with it. You love yogurt and most of your breakfasts are cottage cheese and a fruit. You drink whole milk from a cup with a straw. We got rid of the bottle of the bottle right before you turned 1 and thankfully it was an easy transition. Some days you eat a lot others nothing much at all. You are still nursing in the mornings, but mostly because you get up at the butt crack of dawn and I love those morning snuggles with just you. You have weaned from breastfeeding all on your own. For a good time we were doing night and morning but at night you wanted to play with your sister and had no interest in breastfeeding so we just stopped trying. I think I wanted it more than you. I am not sure how long we will continue with the morning session but we will just play it by ear. I truly cherish this breastfeeding journey we have had.

Play: You are into EVERYTHING! You love to climb on everything and explore. Your sister continues to be a favorite of yours, though lately you two have really been pushing each others buttons. You guys love playing hide and seek and chase throughout the house. You love to read; some favorites are Brown Bear Brown Bear, Snuggle Puppy, Halloween Eekkk (you love making the robot sounds from this book), and I Love You Every Little Bit. You love to be outside playing at the park and have recently discovered you can go down the slide by yourself. Bubbles are a favorite as well and trying to ride Kinley's tricycle...soon enough buddy. We did do a beach trip, which  you were pretty unsure of, it took you a little to sit in the sand and start to enjoy yourself. You probably could do without without the beach; you can stay with Daddy while Kinley and I enjoy our beach days :)

You have 12 teeth with 4 left and then your two year old molars. I will for sure be happy when this teething non sense is over. You have a handful of words, but not too many. We will continue to watch that and hopefully you will explode like your sister did around 2. You started daycare this past September and you do so well. I was really worried, but you love your teacher and enjoy some play time with kids your age.

You love the bath and being crazy with your sister. You absolutely hate getting your diaper changed and it is a fight every time. You got your first hair cut and look like such a big boy!!

Happy year and a half birthday buddy! You are so laid back and usually a go with the flow type of guy. Not too much makes you upset, except a diaper change or your sister ripping toys from your hands, other than that you are one happy boy.