Summa Summa Summa Time!

This year, I promised myself I’d make this summer a good one and although this may have been our busiest summer ever, it was by far my favorite...

We bought a new house. (Blog post coming soon!)

Then sold our old house (a bit backwards). 

Moved to a new community. 

Made some wonderful new friends. 

And....made the most incredible memories with our little family!

Andrew and I were freaking busy and we rocked it...if I do say so myself. Power Couple Vibes! 😉

With 3 little ones, we are always on the go and ready for adventure! This summer, our days were filled with fun...pool fun, splash pads, beach days, concerts in the park, movies on the green, and creating wonderful moments and memories with our little family.

My favorite memories this summer are our Tuesday Bay Days...my favorite place with my favorite little people and my momma tribe! I love watching my littles running barefoot through the sand, splashing in the water, finding sand crabs, and just being kids! Their innocence and love for the ocean warm my momma heart! These are the days I want to remember. 

As summer comes to an end, I’m a little emotional. Want to soak it all up because the days are long but my gosh the years are short. As a mom, it’s easy to get caught up in the day to day grind. It is so easy to forget the magic that comes with this momma jam. 

These days are already flying by...so we spent the summer soaking up the sun, the fun, and making memories. This summer was about our Bucket List with a whole lot less focus on our to do lists. 

So thankful I get to be home with my babes and watch it all.

All photos courtesy of my dear friend, Kaycee Castillo. Swimsuits courtesy of my favorite Beach Brand Of One Sea

B L O G I V E R S A R Y

Wednesday marked  my 1 Year B L O G I V E R S A R Y 🖤

367 days ago, I picked up the ol’ pen and rejoined the blogging world. 

This has been 367 days of finding my voice, sharing our stories, working with incredible companies, and making new friends. 

Today I celebrate the anniversary of something I love very much...my creative outlet, my forum, my online diary, and what has become my cozy home on the internet. 

And I celebrate you...Thank you for following along and for all the love sent this way. 

Photos Courtesy of my dear friend Kaycee Castillo

Confetti from La Jolie Fete

The Most Clever Baskets by CleverMade...Review

Summer is my jam...from the pool to the beach and everywhere in between. 

With an active lifestyle and littles, you need clever products that make mommin’ a breeze!

CleverMade is a company that does just what it says...makes the most clever products under the sun!

The SnapBasket is the perfect size whether you are getting ready for a beach day, road trip, or packing for concerts in the park! 

They easily and quickly pop open and snap it into place. Just pop them open and pack them up! They don’t collapse making packing easy peasy. 

The SnapBasket LUXE is a fabulously well made canvas multi-purpose tote. The are incredibly durable...able to hold up to 30 pounds. You know I need durable with everything I pack. 😬

These totes are beyond perfect. They even collapses to make storage super simple! These baskets fold down flat and stay neatly in place with the built-in WrapStrap. That’s a win in my book!

I think it’s safe to say...Beatrice and I are obsessed with this clever company and all it has to offer. Check them out and get 20% off any order with code vidovich20 on CleverMade.com. Coupon Code is valid until Friday, July 20th! 

Happy Packing!!

*Disclaimer: This is a sponsored post but all thoughts and opinions in this post are my own.*

Pop It Like It’s Hot...Popcorn Bar

Happy Independence Day Eve!

Pop It Like It’s Hot...this 4th of July with a festive popcorn barn. 

Super Easy. 

Super Fun. 

And oh so YUM!

All you need...

-Popcorn (We have a thing for air pop)

-Red, White, & Blue M&Ms

-Red, White, & Blue Sprinkles

-Marshmallows

Popcorn Bowl, Balloons, Pajamas, Dishes, Felt Letter Board, Stars

Summer Bucket Lists

In honor of yesterday being the 1st Official Day of Summer, I thought I’d share what our family started doing last summer....

Last summer this Type A momma was determined to squeeze every ounce of fun out of summer so I created a Weekly Schedule and a Summer Fun Bucket List! 

Feel free to download and tape up on the fridge! 

Follow our adventures over on the gram...😉

Here’s to splishin’ and splashin’ and making it a summer to remember!

DockATot Review...A Momma's Dream Come True!

If you've followed me for a while, you know that I absolutely love DockATot. One of my all time favorite baby must haves! 

For my babies, it was perfect for safe co-sleeping, traveling, and transitioning to their cribs. It created consistency and a safe environment that allowed us to transition to any location easily. 

Well...I've discovered it's a must have for toddlers too! 

Whether transitioning into big kid beds, traveling, or having a movie night...DockATots are a MUST! 

Toddlers, just like babies, need to feel safe, secure, and snuggled to ensure a great nights sleep. 

These products are tested for breathability, all natural, and 100% cotton. The built in bumpers keep littles safe from rolling off beds, and keep them feeling securely snuggled...guaranteeing a great nights sleep! What Momma doesn't want that?! 

And toddlers can use the Grand DockATot up to age five! Ummm...yes, please! That's a win in my book!!!

The absolute best part is...it can go anywhere with you! That's right, ANYWHERE! That means your little love bug has a consistent (and safe) environment wherever you go! 

This makes it super duper easy to travel, spend the night out, or move! 

Yup, I said move. 

As we prepare to pack up and bid our home adieu, I know the transition will be easy for our little ones. 

New Home, new rooms, no problem. 

Cheers to new adventures and a great nights sleep!

*Disclaimer: This DockATots were gifted to me by DockATot in exchange for a review. All opinions in this post are my own.* 

Our Foster Story

4 years ago, this beautiful baby girl came into our lives and forever changed our hearts. 

She became our foster baby (original story here). We had great hopes of adopting Amina and making her ours but God had other plans (original post). We struggled, lost hope, and mourned the loss of our baby. I didn't know if we could make it through....but God showed us that he is faithful and true. 

We feared that when we lost custody, we'd lose Amina forever. I have never felt so defeated, broken hearted, and scared. I couldn't imagine my life without our little peanut. Being 8 months pregnant didn't help. I cried myself to sleep and woke up every morning with lumps in my throat. I thought about her every minute of every day and missed her with my entire being. 

It broke my heart to think she'd forget us....that didn't happen. 

Amina's aunt allowed us to remain in her life. 

She didn't have to. 

There was no court order. 

Tamara allowed us to remain in Amina's life because she loves Amina.   

She allowed us to stay in her life because she knew how much we loved that baby girl. She allowed us to stay in her life because she is truly a good person with a very big heart. 

The beginning of our relationship was a challenging time, we struggled with where we stood, our new role, and often felt as if we had to tred ever so carefully as we navigated this new relationship. 

We get so many questions and messages asking if Amina is with us full time...the answer to that is no but she is every bit a part of our family as she was when she lived here. Amina visits us every other weekend, goes on every family vacation, and is a part of every holiday/birthday/family celebration. She will always be a part of our family and in our hearts, our baby. 

Amina was adopted 2 years ago. It wasn't the adoption I dreamed for us...that was emotional. But, I'll tell you, it was a special day. Not only had we known it was coming, we were invited to be a part of that special day. Wow. It's amazing to think where we have come with Amina and her family. 

As difficult as some days are, we have been so blessed. I still struggle and it's ok to be sad and get mad...but this is our journey and God's plan is always greater than ours. We still have Amina and through this journey have gained 4 new nieces and a new nephew! Tamara has been a loving mother to Amina and has become a member of our family. 

We are thankful for our role as Amina's "godparents" and are even more thankful for the love and kindness Tamara has shown us. 

I know not all foster stories have happy endings. We are lucky. We are blessed. And we are forever thankful. 

Every night I pray for the families that continue to put their hearts on the line and love other people's children with all they have. I pray for you and those precious babies every day.