New Years Resolutions & A Giveaway!

I can't believe we are 3 days away from a New Year! 2013 has been so good my little family we celebrated more of Krews firsts like Valentines, Easter, Swim lessons, Summer time, & lots of family time! We have some high expectations for 2014 and have set the bar pretty high for ourselves as far as resolutions go. I am such a go-getter and love personal accomplishments! I have set some goals for myself, and we have set a few as a family as well. I would love to hear your resolutions/goals! Here is a list of ours.

Save $ for Krews private school tuition. - Family
Train & complete my 1st FULL marathon. Hoping to get into St. George. - Personal
Pay-off Ryan's truck. $3,000 left. - Family
List & sell our 1st home. - Family
Train & complete my 1st triathlons. Idaho Spudman. - Personal
Live in the moment more, social media free. - Personal
Find or build our dream home, the one we will be in for the next 15+ yrs. - Family
MAYBE try for another baby. MAYBE. - Family
Potty train Krew. - Family

This is a list of the important ones to us. I have a feeling with the love & support we have from our family and friends this list shouldn't be too hard to complete. I hope you all find joy and happiness in 2014 and always lead with a smile on your face!

Now it's giveaway time!


I love Freshly Picked so much that I have teamed up with them for a giveaway. Unfortunately ALL 3 of us have been sick with the flu & so I haven't been able to get any pictures of Krew in his moccs but we have them in Fools Gold. They go perfect with any of his outfits, grip to our hardwood floors easily, and even leave the cutest footprint in them. They seem super warm and comfy on him too.

The sizing can be a little confusing as the first pair we purchased is WAY big on him. He wears a size 4-5 depending on the show but with the moccs he needs a size 3. There isn't much room for him to grow into them but they fit perfect and we have size 4 in Chocolate for when he grows out!



Freshly Picked is being so kind and giving away 1 pair of your color choice and size to 1 of my lucky readers! All you need to do is...


  1. Follow this blog by joining site to the right. (1 extra entry)
  2. Post to personal blog. (2 extra entries)
  3. Repost giveaway picture (above) to Instagram using hashtag #krewsfreshpicks and tag 5 friends.
  4. Comment below telling me what color you would choose and for who!
It's that easy friends! This giveaway will end January 1st at midnight. I will post the winner on this blog and Instagram on the 2nd.  If you have any questions email me at skbarras@gmail.com

xoxo


Tis' the Season

Last week we took Krew to FotoFly to have pictures with dad Santa done. I wanted them to be fun and creative, we are so not a serious family so it's hard for me to take formal serious pics! I think these turned out just how I wanted them and really brought out Krews fun loving spirit. If you are in Utah I HIGHLY recommend this place. Ryan dressed up in the Santa suit and was such a good sport. You could totally tell the men were more so enthused to be there. Happy wife happy life right?



behind the scene 







I am looking forward to Christmas this year. Years past it has been hard since my Grandma Collins passed away. Krew brings a whole new meaning to it, it's like Grandma brought him to us to enjoy the Christmas spirit again.

xoxo

A letter...

(written Oct. 26th 10:52 pm)

I wrote typed Krew a note while laying in bed the night of his birthday party that we celebrated with family and close friends. I don't ever want to lose it, hopefully 1 day he will realize my passion of motherhood.


Dear Krew,
Today we celebrated your 1st birthday with all of our family & closest friends, even your nanny came!! You are so curious and ask "what's this" all the time. I try to answer you each time, I want you to be confident in knowing I am always here. I love celebrating each milestone, holiday, and any fun activity with you. You make my life so fulfilling, you will never ever know the extend of my love for you. I never really thought of myself as a "boy mom" one who would play cars with you, or play in the dirt with you, or make funny spitty sounds with you but I love it!! I cannot picture my life any other way. You are sound asleep in your crib right now as I reflect back on the busy day we had. Mama planned this day out to the very last detail, I hope it was perfect for you. Just as you are perfect to me. I know you only have pictures to look back on and I know this will never show you my true love but a mama can try right? Please know that I would go above and beyond for you, to the end of the earth. You ask me to jump and I am going to ask you how high. You have changed my life in so many ways. You have also changed your daddy too. We love you and cannot wait to celebrate more birthdays and holidays with you! I cannot believe you are a 1 year old little dude. A perfect one. You are not walking yet but you LOVE to talk. Thank you for choosing me to be your mama, I am so proud. Please always be confident in your dreams, and pursue your own happiness, never back down from something you truly believe in and ALWAYS stay true to yourself. No matter what life throws our way we are a family and we are always in this together! Dream big my precious baby boy! Mommy loves you.

xoxo
Mama




12 Months

1 2 m o n t h s
Krew Arthur
 
Height & Weight: At his 1 year well check he weigh 20.9 pds putting him in at 15th% for weight, he was 29.5 inches putting him in at 35%. He is still so petite but our pediatrician was so so impressed by how much he has developed for being a premiee baby. It makes a mama proud!
 
 
 
 
Health: I don't want to jynx this but we have been cold/ear infection free for the past couple months. R has always had really bad ear infections so I think it is a genetic thing. If (I pray it doesn't) he gets another infection I am going to talk to the pediatrician about having tubes put in. He has 5 teeth.
 
 
 
 
Sleep:  We haven't been blessed with an "amazing" sleeper per say but he is a pretty good sleeper. He goes down around 9:00 pm and wakes up around 6:30. On the weekends he goes down back to sleep until 8 or 8:30. He still takes 2 naps a day which is just like clock work. One at 9 am and one at 2 pm. His nanny is incredible and has him on a legit strict sleep schedule. God bless her soul.

Diet: He is completely off of formula and took the transition to whole milk like a champ. He has 2-3 9 oz bottles a day. We really try to limit his milk intake. We aren't a family who drinks milk a lot, (I think it's disgusting, it's freaking puss) so we make sure Krew is getting his vitamins through fruits, vegetables, and a daily multi vitamin. He loves to eat though, he loves to chomp on apples by himself, he loves pasta, and anything sweet. Just like his mom.

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Clothes: He is in 12-18 month tops and is still in 9 month pants. He has short legs like his mama. It's been really nice fall weather here the past couple months so I have been able to get some use out of his summer clothes for a bit longer. I can't believe next Summer he will be walking and will need shoes, and good comfortable clothes to run and play in!
 
 
 
 
 
 
Baby Gear Love: Krew loves Little People. He carries them everywhere. He loves anything Jake and The Neverland Pirates, Peppa Pig, and he loves cars, balls, and his dogs. He has a couple scoot around cars and goes all through the house. He even likes to push me on them. It's so cute! He still loves his wabbanubb too. Like LOVES, he won't go to sleep without it. We can't even leave the house without it.
 
 






 Crying: His separation anxiety is getting a lot better. He cries when he is hurt or tired. That's it. He has experience night terrors, last month it was really bad. Almost every night sometimes twice a night. I put a night light in his room and it has almost stopped. Down to about once to twice a week.
 
 
 
 
Likes: Like I said above he is obsessed with his wabbanubb binki, he still loves his papa, his puppy Gus, moms phone, and anything that he can get into!

 

 
I touched base on Krew starting with a new nanny and he has done wonderful. I have been so blessed to find such a heart felt woman to take Krew into her home and love him like he is her own. I thank God for her everyday. Krew being at an out of home nanny has been so great for his developmental skills. He talks and talks, and is so close to walking. I have a few posts I need to catch up on: I am writing them down to try and hold myself accountable!
 
Krews BirthDAY
Birthday PARTY
Halloween
Work/Humble Pie
Family Pictures
Letter to Krew
 
 
I have been so blessed this past month soaking in my little bugs last month as a baby. I officially have a toddler and I have been loving every single minute of it. Each day gets better and better and he is developing such a personality. He is my little dude, my buddy. I love him so much. I tell people I don't even feel like a mom because to me I enjoy it SO much it isn't' a job. I feel like "mom" is such a job title. There are some exciting things happening in our household and I can't wait to share. I have to wait a bit for some kinks to be worked out but as soon as I can SHOUT it out you know I will..
 
 
One more thing.. I can't believe blogging with a Coke bottle at 11:00 at night on a Saturday is fun to me. Shouldn't I be drunk trying to catch a cab? I mean I am only 24.
 
xoxo

Krewpalooza Week

Today officially kicks off my babies 1st birthday week! Call us crazy but in the Collins world we celebrate birthdays for weeks, even the whole month! My sisters birthday was yesterday so now that that is over we can all fully focus on Krewpalooza! I have so much in the works for his birthday party on Saturday! I am planning on over 30 people being there. I feel so much love already! Krew got blessed with a seriously cool set of Grandparents, my mom and dad have gone all out in order to help celebrate his birthday and we couldn't be more thankful! I am going to highlight him all week on my blog. Mostly pictures, not really any talking because who wants to hear read me anyways?

This was me 1 year ago today (tonight actually) seriously I remember being so swollen. I had only cleaned my house a dozen times. Alas, my hair was at least curled!


This was our last night out to dinner just the 2 of  us. Which is actually a rare occasion nowadays!


This was our last holiday as a family of 2! The 4th of July. Look at my tinsy bump, I remember it starting to show up!


If we had only known then what we know now. Krew runs the damn show! I can't wait to share more about his birthday week as this week continues. Since when am I a mom and a mom to a 1 year old at that!?

xoxo

Pumpkin Patch 2013

I LOVE starting our own family traditions! This year has been so much fun now that Krew is older and more aware of the things that are going on around him! A few weeks ago we took him to the pumpkin patch with some good friends and then went to Olive Garden for dinner! It was such a fun night, we will most definitely be doing it again next year! (maybe even with baby #2 in belly) Anyways, I will let my pictures do the talking. The other little boy pictured is one of my best friends boys, they are only a month apart! It's been so fun watching them grow up and learn together! (hi, jen!)





I love my little family and am feeling very blessed this time of year!!

xoxo

In awe

It's been a week almost since I blogged last. I can't think of a better thing to come back and blog about then my baby boys 1 year pictures! I am only going to post a couple, the others I cherish forever. I cannot believe my baby Krew will be 1 in 1 week! I am so amazingly blessed. Words cannot ever describe how much being a mother has completed my life. Every time I look at him I tell myself how lucky I am. Without further due:

If  you are in Utah I cannot rave about FotoFly enough. These pictures take my breath away and I instantly shed a tear when I saw them!

xoxo

Fresh

Guys,
I have been practicing the "milkmaid" braids for so long now. I saw them on Khloe Kardashian on an episode of KUWTK and have been determined to wear it ever since!

BUT this post isn't centered around my hair like the rest of my world. See this amazing necklace I am wearing? I have been on the lookout for something to wear in my family pictures at the end of the month and I found it! Cents of Style has been so kind to allow me to share this with my readers and instagram followers! You will love the colors the necklace comes in, it's so fun and easy to style with anything, you can wear it shorter or longer for a different look. It is such high quality and really well put together. I am picking up a few more for Christmas gifts as well!

Visit My Cents of Style to get your Blaire necklace. Discounted for my readers and followers from $39.95 to $12.95 and worth every penny. To get your discount be sure and enter code BLAIREBARRAS at checkout!

Dig Deep

I feel like my posts sometimes can be real depressing. I don't mean them to be that way, I am just trying to be upfront and honest with the struggles in my day to day life. I am not perfect, nor do I think I am. I hate the persona that goes around the social media world of people thinking acting like their life is perfect. It's not. It's far from. So today I am going to dig deep and count my so many blessings instead of focusing on my trials.

Yesterday I dropped my baby off with his new nanny. He loves to play with the kids there, me leaving isn't easy. I don't do the typical drop him off and sneak out the back door like a ninja thing, I set him down, tell him I have to go to work, and me, dad, or Grandma will be there to pick him up. And I leave. Sometimes he cries, sometimes he is too distracted. Those days when he cries, pulls on my heart strings. It is so hard for me not to run back in and save him. I know what I am going is the right thing, it just takes a few minutes for me to dig deep and realize this.

Last night as I was rocking my baby to sleep, I had an epiphany. My baby will be 1 in less than 1 month from now. I am going to try and rock that lil' sucker to sleep as much as I can. As I rocked him I talked softly to him. I told him how much I loved him, how spoiled I felt that God chose me to mother him teach him, and be by his side. I also promised him I would always be by his side. I will always be his best friend. He slowly started drifting. As I told him he was my greatest blessing he looked up at me and gave me a little smirk. Y'all God works in mysterious ways. I needed that, it's almost as though the smirk meant he knew. He knew and understood what I was saying and he felt so comfortable with me in knowing I will always keep my promises.


Despite, my crazy work schedule, being my wife, best friend, sister, event planner, and all the other things that come along with working 40 plus hours in the office and than going home and putting in 40 plus more I am so fucking blessed.

I need to step back and breath more. Take it all in. It is hard for me to wrap my head around how lucky I am. I have the most supporting husband, parents, sister, and friends a girl could ever ask for. And that folks at the end of the day is all that matters.

So again,
I am digging deep this next month before my baby turns 1 and realizing how blessed I truly am.

xox

11 months!!

Height & Weight: I am guessing he has past the 20 pd mark. I am unsure on height.


Health: He just recovered from a sinus infection thanks to antibiotics, which he hated. Over the weekend he also had his 1st major goose egg/shiner. R was walking through a door way with Krew on his shoulders and missed gaged the amount of room Krew would have and poor guy bonked his head and eye. I thought it was going to be worse than it really was. He cried for .10 seconds and the next morning it was a little red. Thank god. It could have been so much worse. He is also cutting his 1st top tooth!


Sleep: This kid is a champ at night he goes down between 8:30-9:30 and sleeps until 6:30 or so. On the weekends he will snuggle back in bed with us until 8 or 9. He religiously takes his 1 hour morning nap but sometimes fights his afternoon ones. We need to be really careful about them. If he doesn't get them he is a beast!


Diet: I cannot even believe I am about to type this right now, Krew only has 1 7 oz bottle of formula in the mornings and it's only because we have a $36 can of formula we don't want to waste. He is drinking whole milk like a champ. Usually 2 bottles a day 1 in the afternoon and 1 before bed. I am really trying to limit his milk. I know he needs a certain amount every day I am just so against kids with milk in their sippy cup and their disposal all day. He also snacks like crazy. He will eat anything.



Clothes: He is in 9-12 month clothes. We just bought him some outfits for his birthday that should last him through this winter! Brr...



Baby Gear Love: He LOVES to stand up on the couches, he LOVES walks in his stroller, and balls. He is so curious lately. Anything he can get into he does! Such a boy!


Crying: He is starting to have separation anxiety. He cries whenever I leave the room. He is also more hesitate with people he doesn't see a lot or really know.


Likes: This kid loves his Grandma and Papa. I am so lucky to have my parents be such an influence in Krews life. He also loves Gus our pug, he LOVES to snack on anything. He is such a happy sweet baby!!



He also started at a new nanny last week. We lover had and she is so good with the kids. I cannot believe I have 1 more month of having an infant. Seriously. I also read that the average parent with a 1 yr old has lost 2 months of sleep on average. I totally believe it.



Dear Krew,
Hi, it's mama. I need you to know that my love for you is so deep, so down in my heart that it makes it ache. I can't imagine my life without you little guy. You are my whole heart, soul, and reason for living. This age has been my very favorite. You do this cute thing when you get really excited, you squint your whole face together and show off your bottom teeth. It kills me. You are so funny. So cute, precious little thing. I wish I could bottle up the moments we have together and relive them from time to time. People keep telling me that you are only going to get more fun as you age. Until you hit about 16. You will always be my baby boy. Please know in your heart that your mom, dad, and Grandparents have the most unconditional love for you. Never ever forget your self worth and please always treat people the way you want to be treated. With that, don't ever ever back down for something you believe in. If you think it is right mama will always stand by you. Grandma always took this approach with me and still to this day she sticks right by my side. I am always here for you little buddy. Through thick and thin you can count on me. I love you to the moon and back a million times.

xoxo
mama

OOTD ::baby version::

You don't see a lot of baby boys dressed to the hilt. Or in fact a lot of baby boy OOTDs.

So here you go:

For real though. He looks like such a little hipster dude. Minus the big shiner he has on his forehead/eye from the weekend. He is such a gem. For all my i.g friends wondering about his outfit.. You can thank me later.

Beanie: H&M
Hoodie: Baby Gap
Leggings: Baby Gap
Shoes: Toms. Nordstrom

xox

Friday

I am having a kick ass Friday. God always has weird ways of blessing my days when I need them most, it's like he KNOWS when I need help with my mom guilt. My BFFS are in town from Vail, OR.
This bish is my partner in crime. We unfortunately live 6 frickin hours away, so we act like 2013 pen pals and text 24/7. Let me give you a little back ground on our friendship. We both got pregs around the same time. We talked on and off about everything pregnancy related. She needed to deliver here at Primary Children's in UT. So of course with no questions asked we opened our home up to her and her family. Because that is what cousins do for each other right? Did I mention she is Rs cousin? Okay, I should have from the beginning. So... the delivery is smooth and we are both happy tired with our baby BOYS. Yep, she has a baby boy too. 1 month younger then baby Krew. Here is the thing:


  • Both boys were born on a Tuesday
  • Both mamas were 36W4D at delivery
  • Both boys weight 5 pds 6 oz and were 18 inch long.
  • Krew was born at 8:27 p.m and B was born at 8:23 p.m.
Seriously? It's like we are soul sisters and they are little soul brothers. I love the bond we have so much. She is one of my best friends and I talk to her about everything. I only wish we lived closer. So I will be spending my WHOLE weekend soaking in Heather time. I am so so so excited!!




Here we are reunited last night!! 


xoxo

ME gets what I wants

I can't go this day without a shout out to my fuggin husband (i just typed fussy...ha!). I have been wanting a wooden pallet or wooden plank headboard for ages now. I saw one at Crate & Barrel and have been inspired ever since. I showed R pictures after pictures of what I wanted and boy did he deliver!

For reals though...
I can't stop staring at it! He did such an awesome job and he never ceases to amaze me. I am thinking of making him do this in his spare time and selling it so I have some shopping money!! LOL!!

XOX.

Jumping In

“Being confident and believing in your own self-worth is necessary to achieving your potential.” - Sheryl Sandberg

This morning I jumped in. You know when you are little and you run and jump straight into the freezing pool without even thinking twice. Yep. That was me.. this morning. I almost feel like I did it naked too. Skinny dipping anyone?

I sent my almost 11 month old baby off to a nanny outside of our home. For the past 11 months, he has been with family and his very own personal nanny and his 2 dogs inside of his house. Inside of our comfort zone. I was up all night so worried. I worry a lot. This is a bad trait to have as a new mother.

I have been wanting to get him started somewhere around this age to 12 months so he will learn to be social, he won't be cooped up in his home all day with his familiar surroundings. I don't think that is healthy. So, today I did it! 

I am not sure where I really want to go with this. I am going to start with believing in myself, having the strength to leave him knowing I have such big hopes and dreams for him. And before I can help him achieve those I must achieve my own. Some say I am on a soap box with my whole "working mom" campaign but I honestly don't care. I am proud of myself and thus,  hope to encourage other young and older moms to feel the same. I feel as though "leaving your babies for work" is sadly frowned upon in this state. Being that most moms are stay at home mothers. I think that is fantastic. If you can stay at home and not go insane MORE POWER TO YOU!!! I on the other hand can't. I just hate the stamina of it being a bad thing to pursue your own dreams and put them on hold because you have children. 

Anyways. 
For those of us moms struggling with knowing "someone else is raising our baby". Stand up and give yourself a giant pat on the freaking back. You have the balls to leave your baby and you have such a bright future ahead of yourself. Keep pushing and working hard towards those dreams you have. Us moms can do it all with nothing short of having an amazing support system, some kick ass confidence, a smile on our face, and a little babe away waiting to kiss you when you pick him up. You go girl!


Mommy Guilt

hi, my name is Sarah and I deal with mommy guilt.


This morning I have lots of word vomit. Something I am very passionate about, so I am going to let it spew out. If you get offended I honestly don't care. Ask me tomorrow maybe I will have a different opinion.

This all hit me when I dropped my baby off at my sweet dear friends house. He clung to me at first, his sweet little arms wrapped around me. In that moment, he made me feel like I was enough. I didn't need all the other things that came along with being a wife, mother, and employee. Just me and him. It was as raw as could be. Than too soon I had to snap out of it and leave. I kissed him, walked to the door, and waved goodbye. He seemed happy. He is such a good sweet boy. My heart aches as I type this, I miss him. I am sure he misses me.

As I was walking to my car, I told myself "Keep walking Sarah, you can do this. You WANT to do this." This meaning work. It's a constant battle I have with myself every.single.fckin. day. I talk myself up, I tell myself how much I enjoy working. I enjoy time to myself, I enjoy making my very own paycheck. I enjoy the brutal honestly my salesmen give me every day. The smile they put on my face.. (most of the time). I LOVE it. It's liberating and I live for it, but why is it such a battle? 

Now that I am here in my cute little office with my cute little business cards saying "Executive Assistant" sipping my latte I realize how hard I work. How proud of myself I am. Each day I put 110% forward into every thing that I do. Being Krews mom, being a wife, keeping my house clean, giving my dogs love, staying connected to my friends and family, and most importantly keeping myself together. I truly love this hectic life I live. Some mornings are harder than others, some days I want to throw it all into the garbage and stay in bed with my boys. 

I think of myself as strong, independent, crazy, beautiful, funny, friendly, generous, and smart. At the end of the day I hope my dear ones think of me being the same way.

And I am kicking this mommy guilt to the curb and going on a nice long run tonight!

Vent over.

10 Months!!


Height & Weight: Krew went to the doctor 2 weeks ago for his poor little cold and he is weighing in at 19 pds. Still such a little guy!!

Health: Like I said in the previous question Krew was just at the doctor for a cold he has been fighting. I have been stuck with bronchitis for almost 1 month so I was worried he was catching it. Thank god he isn't. He is almost back to 100% health! (:


Sleep: He has been sleeping A TON better this past month. Thank goodness. My schedule has been so crazy hectic at work and at home. It always helps when I get a full nights rest. This kid naps like a champ too. Usually takes 1 1 hour nap in the morning and a 2 hour nap in the afternoon.




Diet: We are down to 4 7 oz bottles a day. Working on 3 full meals a day as well. This is going really well, he loves adult food. His favorites are pasta, pepperoni, eggs, apples, watermelon, and french fries! Yesterday I picked up a kids meal and we shared it and watched Alvin and The Chipmunks it was such a fun day!


Clothes: He is 9-12 month clothes. Asking for Baby Gap or Nordstrom gift cards for his bday since he needs a new winter wardrobe! (:


Baby Gear Love: This BOY is a typical boy I think. He loves to play with balls, he likes to throw them, he likes to chase them. Makes his daddy happy. He also loves our puggy Gus.



Crying: He rarely cries. Whines yes. Cries no.

Likes: His papa (my dad), is at the top of his list right now. Nothing else.


I deleted the postpartum questions that is so stupid. I am officially down to my pre pregnancy weight!! 
This past weekend we celebrated our 5 year wedding anniversary! Krew has his 1st over night sleepover with my parents and R and I headed to Park City! It was so fun and relaxing!

The weekend before that we went to Oktoberfest in Snowbird with our besties. 

We have had a crazy busy Summer and things are only about to get more crazy! 1st Birthday planning is in full swing, October is hunting season, the holiday craze and Disneyland in December!!