Flower Child

I've been meaning to post these pictures for the entire month of May. Life is busy, man.

Gracyn helped me plant some flowers at the beginning of the month. I do not have a green thumb at all but I'm happy to report that all but 3 plants are still alive today, 4 weeks later. And the 3 that died were planted in a flower pot that apparently did not have any type of hole for water to drain out. We've gotten 4329 inches of rain this month and unfortunately, they drowned. But! The rest are looking pretty good for the most part.

Gracyn was in charge of bringing me the plants and telling me where we should plant them. Her tiny garden gloves stayed on for approximately 3 minutes before she ditched them and dug around in the dirt bare handed. I like a girl who isn't afraid to get her hands dirty.

After I loaded these pictures I had a deja vu moment. The pics just seemed so familiar. I went back and look and realized girlfriend was wearing the same shirt last year when we planted flowers. Total coincidence, since the itty bitty t-shirt barely fits her anymore but what a difference a year makes!

Day 2. Planting our hanging baskets at pots for the back deck. She needed a break to "relax" in the middle of planting. I can't blame her. It's hard work.

Leighton :: Five Months Old

Oh man, she's cute.

Five months with our sweet little girl. Leighton is turning into her own little person. Every month that passes we get to see more of her personality come through, and it's going to be a big one people.

EAT | Girlfriend is still eating every 3-4 hours during the day. She's still getting mostly breast milk but is predominately bottle-fed during the day. Month four was such a doozy that we were trying anything and everything to keep her happy. When we started feeding her 4-5 oz bottles during the day, we were able to track how many ounces she was getting and make sure she was eating a full meal every three hours or so. It really helped get her on a day-time schedule which helped us implement a bedtime routine in hopes that she'd actually go to bed without a knock-down, drag-out fight. It's not perfect, but things are better. We also supplement her last bottle of the day (usually around 7pm) with 7 oz of formula as a means to fill her up and fill 'er up good.

We did a little modified sleep training at the beginning of May to teach her to self soothe and while she still does cry a little each night before she falls asleep, she has learned to fall asleep on her own. Most nights, she's in bed by 8 PM and she'll sleep until 2 AM or so and will nurse for 10 minutes or so and then go back to bed until 6 or 7 AM. Some nights she's up more often or will take a little longer to get back to sleep but we are making progress! I'm hoping she drops the middle of the night feeding(s) naturally at some point but for now I'm glad that she'll still nurse rather quickly and get back down.  Pumping during the day and offering bottles is a hassle but it's working for us at this point and helps keep the peace. At least a little bit! :)

Leighton also had oatmeal for the first time! She's been watching us eat for a few weeks now so we tried the baby oatmeal one night last week. She did pretty well with it so I think we'll slowly start introducing other foods soon.

SLEEP | Still taking 2-3 naps during the day in the swing for the most part. We've attempted naps in the crib but the longest she's slept up in her room during the day is for 45 minutes at a time. I attempted to start naps upstairs in April but her nighttime sleep was such a disaster that she wasn't sleeping well at any point so I gave up and just let her sleep where she was happy. She's almost too big for the swing - always trying to sit up and lean forward - so I know our days are numbered. We'll get her naps on track eventually. For now, I'm not stressing about it too much.

PLAY | She is way more content than Gracyn ever was to lay on the floor, roll all over the place and play with toys. We brought the jumperoo downstairs a few weeks ago and she'll sit in there a few times a day to bounce and play. She's on her tummy more often than not and tries really hard to get her legs moving. She's even started sitting up! It's crazy but she can do it. A little wobbly still she's still able to hold her self up for a few minutes at a time. Her favorite thing to do is watch big sister.

Sweet baby, you really are the best. You have the biggest smile and the best little laugh.  We love you more than words.

Essential Oils :: DIY Night Cream

Ok, it's official. I am having wayyyyyy to much fun playing around with these oils! 

What's even better, though, is that I'm actually seeing and feeling the benefits of incorporating essential oils into our everyday lives. It's a little overwhelming at first when trying to learn about each oil and how they can be used. But the more I use them and the more research I do, I'm convinced they're the way to go. So far, my fave thing to do is diffuse an oil or two each day depending on our moods. We use lavender a TON to help keep the girls calm and each kid gets a little foot rub with some diluted lavender before bed. I absolutely LOVE diffusing purification to get rid of the funky dog smell that sometimes always inhabits our family room. 

I'm also a big fan of this homemade night cream I made using some of the oils that came in my premium starter kit. I don't have awful, terrible skin by any means - thankfully, I don't get a ton of breakouts - but it can be problematic at times. I've been thinking that it was high time I start an anti-aging regimen or something (after all, I am going to be turning 30 in a few short months...) to help even my skin tone and make it NOT look like I'm operating on 4 hours of sleep every night (thanks, LL!).

I was Googling and Pinning things about oils and came across this recipe. A little DIY night cream that was easy to make and easy to use. I've been slathering this good stuff all over my face and neck before bed and I'm loving how it makes my skin feel.

Recipe

1/3 Cup Whipped Coconut Oil

10 Drops Lavender

10 Drops Lemon

10 Drops Frankincense

Simply mix ingredients together and store in a glass container!

I will say that it gets a little soupy if it gets too warm - obviously the coconut oil melts as it gets hot - so I like to keep this in the fridge so it's nice and cool when I'm ready to use it. It softens very quickly in your hand and is ready to apply to the skin right away.

The oils used in this recipe are so great. There are so many uses for lavender, lemon smells amaze-balls and frankincense was gifted to baby Jesus so you know it's got to be good...

I even went as far as to take before and after pics for you. Lucky! You get to see selfies of me sans makeup, frizzy hair and in poor lighting! You. are. welcome.

I know it's a really hard to tell because the quality of these photos is so terrible and no one probably even notices a difference except for me but I do feel like my skin is brighter. Fuller? In a good way. Not in the "I-might-have-just-slammed-a-cupcake" way... Maybe a little?! My hair is completely out of control but my skin is heading in the right direction... And don't worry, I have a haircut scheduled for Saturday to tame the mane.

Another AWESOME thing I've discovered since using Young Living oils is the incredible community surrounding these products. I joined up under a gal here in Kansas City and it was seriously the best decision. We have a great team and the group has become a huge resource for me as I've gotten started. 

Stay tuned for more recipes and different ways we're using the oils. Justin has even converted, you guys. The man who hates going to the doctor and won't take meds is now reaching for peppermint when he has an upset stomach or tea tree to sooth his itchy, sweaty feet. It's good stuff, yo!

Email me or leave a comment if you have any questions if you're considering getting started with essential oils. I'm still learning but I'd love to talk about it with you!

*Please note, everything on this page pertains only to Young Living essential oils.  I encourage you to do your own research and make sure that you are comfortable with the decisions you are making as you incorporate natural remedies into your family life. My research led me to exclusively choose Young Living because of their seed to seal process and the therapeutic quality grade of their oils. It is important to know that Young Living essential oils do not cure, prevent or treat any disease or illness. Anything that is shared is based on my personal experience and the experiences of the friends and family who have been helped by using Young Living oils and products.  It is not intended to diagnose or cure any medical condition. Statements have not been evaluated by the FDA. If you are pregnant or nursing, taking medication or have a medical condition, consult your doctor before using these products.

Park It

Going to the park is probably Gracyn's most favorite thing in life. She asks to go every day and any time we drive by so much as a rusty old slide in someone's backyard she shouts "PARK!!!" while frantically pointing out the window. She loooooves to swing. She will close her eyes, spread her arms and say she's "flying." It's her happy place.

I love that we live within walking distance to a decent park that the city recently revamped with new playground equipment and the tallest slide I ever did see. While we don't make it every day like Gracyn would like, we do try and go once a week so she can swing and slide her heart out.

Lo and behold, the littlest Oakley girl loves to swing, too! I shouldn't be surprised since she's practically glued to the infant swing in our family room but this is the big leagues - outdoors and everything. For a second I thought she'd be too little at 4 months old to test it out but then I remembered she's ginormous and with a little propping from some blankets, she was set.

We have a fun-filled summer ahead of us with these two gals. Can't wait. Oh, and please excuse G's outfit in these pics. The weather suddenly turned nice and I realized she didn't have any spring/summer clothes that fit so she's rocking 18-month sized shorts from last year and a weird sock/shoe combo. I've since placed bulk orders online for some new play clothes that should be arriving any day now... :)

Cinco De Mayo

We stumbled upon a little party tonight. Some of you may know it as Cinco De Mayo? 

Justin got home from work and we didn't have anything planned for dinner so we decided to go out. Mexican food sounded good. It didn't even register with me that it was May 5th until we were pulling up to the restaurant. We could hear the mariachi band playing from the parking lot and they were passing out tequila shots for the patrons waiting to be seated. 

Um... yes, please?! 

I passed on the Jose Cuervo because I was in mom-mode and my kids were watching but don't think I didn't want to take that shot. I love me some tequila. I did enjoy a nice frozen strawberry margarita with my enchiladas, though. It was tasty...

Live music, good food and a stiff drink made for a great time! A nice end to our Tuesday...

May 5, 2015 from Mackenzie Oakley on Vimeo.

Photo Every Hour | Monday

5 AM | a quick snack and back to bed

6 AM | bye-bye, daddy

7 AM | cartoons while we wait for sissy to wake up

8 AM | sister love

9 AM | happy girl

10 AM | pom poms. everywhere.

11 AM | sharing toys. for now.

12 PM | lunch outside

1 PM | technical difficulties... 

2 PM | added this monstrosity to my family room. she hates it, obviously...

3 PM | costume change

4 PM | back in business, disney jr. to the rescue

5 PM | fresh air

6 PM | get it, girl 

7 PM | "i just wanna relax, mom..."

8 PM | these are a few of my favorite things...

And that's a wrap.

The 9 PM hour - and probably the 10 o'clock hour (lets be honest) - is currently consisting of doing dishes and eating that giant bag of laffy taffy that is photo-bombing the 6 PM pic. I'm going to try and go to bed before 11 PM and get a few zzz's before the babe is up again to eat. Wish me luck!

Happy Monday, friends!