ford

Red, White and Two

July 2, 2021

flower arrangement baby boy outfit and invitation

party place setting with star sunglasses

star birthday cake with number two candle

toddler looking at dining table with food

two year old boy sitting with birthday cake

Red, white and two! Ford had the best time at his birthday party and so did we! His theme was so fun, especially with the Fourth of July being this weekend! Ford loves a bounce house, so we decided to rent a white one from The Dallas Party and host a backyard get together with his closest friends and family. It was hot, but it sure was fun!

Invitation/Signs

We worked with Honey Bear Pages to create Ford’s sweet “red, white and two” invitation. She helped create this sweet light blue gingham and red invitation and party suite. I love how it turned out! We did party favor tags, a welcome sign and a bar menu! PS: You can use code HOLLAND10 for 10% off site wide!

Food/Drinks

Since it was a Fourth of July theme, we kept it simple – In ‘N Out burgers and fries for everyone! It was a hit, tasted so good and it was easy! We had a small cake for Ford and his friends and petit fours for everyone else. They were bite sized and easy to eat for everyone.

For drinks, we had a bartender serving margaritas, beer, wine and we found the cutest “on theme” Champagne to serve. It was a 5 o’clock party, so we wanted to have some adult beverages for our guests!

Activities

We rented the white bounce house from The Dallas Party. The one we chose was the “mod” bounce house and it was a hit! Easy to get into/out of and the kids (and adults) loved it.

Since there would be kids of all ages, we also had a balloon guy come to do all kinds of balloons. He did an incredible job. The birthday boy wanted a Thomas the Train balloon and it was amazing! He was a big hit!

Decor

The party cups, napkins and placemats are all from Sequins & Lipstick. Tammy is so easy to work with and I love having custom party goods – it makes each party so special! My new favorite are the paper placemats. It was such a cute addition to the kids tables!

Lushra did the balloons on the bounce house and on the fence. I loved the mosaic “2” that they did in front of the bounce house. It made for the perfect spot when it was time to sing Happy Birthday!

Ford’s birthday banner turned out so cute! We did “Ford is 2” to make it a longer length for the fence, or they can do just your child’s name to hang on a high chair! We ended up using it for birthday morning on Ford’s crib too.

Something Pretty Floral created the perfect flowers for our “red, white and two” theme. I wanted mostly white, with some red and little bit of blue. They were stunning!

What the Boys Wore

I love a baby in a bubble and this flag bubble from Little English was the perfect outfit for the birthday boy! His older brothers wore matching gingham shorts and a red polo with monogram. They looked so cute together!

What We Wore

Keeping on theme, we opted for red, white and blue dresses. Stia wore this striped maxi dress, Jean wore this white eyelet maxi skirt and top and Katherine wore the cutest light blue maxi dress.

Thank you all for all of your sweet comments and Happy Birthday wishes for our little Ford!

mom and dad with toddler feeding birthday cake

family in red white and blue jumping white bounce house

two women sitting with three little boys white bounce house

family with three boys in red white and blue

grandparents with grandson balloons white bounce house

mom with three little boys in red white and blue

toddler boy digging into birthday cake with fingers

mom with two year old boy blowing out candles on cake

mom and dad kissing toddler boy with birthday cake

Shop Red, White and Two:

Cheers,

Stia, Jean and Katherine

Photography: Studio Orange

Ford’s Two Year Update

June 28, 2021

baby in crib with birthday banner and balloon

Ford is 2!! We had the absolute best time celebrating Ford this weekend. The birthday boy knew it was his birthday and he was so excited to celebrate! We will share more of his “Red, White and Two” party soon!

Ford has changed so much since his last update. He has grown up a lot and is very independent. He stopped sucking his thumb a month ago and is just growing up so fast! He’s very opinionated and makes us laugh all day long. We love you sweet Ford!

// june: ford’s first birthday //

// july: always sucking his thumb and holding “bun bun” //

// august: such a happy baby //

// september: sweetest little sleeping baby //

// october: halloween //

// november: post bath cuteness //

// december: christmas fun //

// january: cuddles with ford //

// february: sleepy baby //

toddler boy sitting on bench eating fries

// march: enjoying spring //

// april: celebrating easter //

// may: enjoying the bahamas //

Height/Weight

We have his two-year appointment tomorrow morning, so I’ll update after, but he still seems to be very tall and, with that, his sweet little baby chubbiness seems to be going away!

Sleeping

Ford is still taking one nap a day and sleeping through the night. He doesn’t go down without a fight though! He is at the end of his two year sleep regression and it was a tough one! He did anything/everything he could to keep from sleeping during nap time. He provided a lot of entertainment for us watching him on monitor! He is a good sleeper and can sleep pretty much anywhere/anytime (when he’s not going through this regression).

Personality

Oh boy, does he have a big personality! He keeps us entertained all day long! He is a little ham, talks all day, loves music and singing. He knows the words to every song. His favorite color is blue and he is obsessed with anything and everything blue. He is very opinionated and loves asking questions. He also just loves to snuggle up and “get cozy.” He is so much fun to be with and just plain sweet.

Schedule

Ford normally wakes up around 7:30, eats lunch around 12 and down for nap around 1. He usually naps at least two hours. We eat around 5:30 and he’s down for the night around 7:30.

Nursing/Weaning

Ford weaned back in May! I was just nursing him one time a day and one day he decided he didn’t want to and that was it!

Solids

He loves food and he loves vegetables. If he’s up when I’m eating lunch, he will eat my entire salad! He loves artichokes, broccoli, brussels sprouts, carrots, avocados and sweet peppers. He also loves yogurt and fruit. It’s harder to get him to eat meat, so I’m just feeding him all the veggies for now, while he’ll eat them!.

Travel

He has been a good traveler and loves going to the airport and getting on the plane! We went to San Diego right after his first birthday, took him skiing for the first time (where he surprised us all and learned to snowboard!) and then to the Bahamas where he loved the ocean!

Activities

Ford loves swim lessons, went to his first three day camp at his pre-school for this fall and will start pre-school this fall! He loves spending hours in the pool and is so good on his scooter, loving to go “so fast!!”.

Milestones

Ford is speaking in full sentences and he is so curious and asks about everything
He knows all the colors, which ones are each of our favorite color and is obsessed with his favorite, the color blue
He is very into counting and wants to count everything
It is so bittersweet, but Ford has stopped sucking his thumb – I was so not ready for that!
He prefers to eat his food with a fork or spoon, rather than with his fingers

Must-Have Baby Items

He is obsessed with this Thomas the train set
Wears these pajamas most nights
He is obsessed with his new “blue” veja shoes
Rides his scooter every day (Ford has the navy color)
Hot wheels- Ford loves this set for making all different track configurations with his brothers
His water bottle of choice
We love these name labels for waters, snack bags etc.
He loves bun bun (lovie)
Natives for summer fun

Cheers,

Stia, Jean and Katherine

Ford’s 18 Month Update

January 12, 2021

baby boy sitting in rocking chair smiling

plaid bubble // ruffle top // jeans

It’s really hard to believe that our little Ford is already 18 months old. His first 18 months have just flown by! It might be in part because he seems to be in a big hurry to grow up. He wants to be just like his big brothers, so he’s hit all his milestones especially early. Now that he’s walking, talking and even running, there’s no turning back!

Height/Weight

We go to the doctor this week, but he continues to be tall and has the cutest chubby thighs!

Sleeping

Ford is down to one nap and sleeping all night long. He loves his sleep and is very ready for bed at the end of the day!

Personality

Ford is as sweet as they come. He is very vocal, really starting to talk a lot and saying new words every day. He is also very independent. He does everything on his own and wants meals/toys/etc just like his brothers. He goes non-stop all day long while he’s awake. He is bossy and/or strong-willed 😉 and he has his lovie “bun bun” with him at all times.

He’s very into trains right now. He calls them “choo choo trains” and wakes up wanting to play with them. He loves watching Cocomelon and when he gets tired, he pops his thumb in his mouth, grabs “bun-bun”, hops on the sofa and asks to watch “Coco”. He is so social; he says “hi!” to everyone he sees and has never met a stranger he didn’t want to get to know.

Schedule

We are still following the same “schedule” from when Ford was 15-months old. He typically wakes around 8 am, breakfast and play. Lunch is around noon, nap around 1 and bed around 7ish.

Nursing/Weaning

Nothing has really changed here. Ford is still nursing at night and in the morning.

Solids

Ford has gotten a little bit picky, but he will still eat pretty much any fruits and vegetables. He loves berries, yogurt, avocado, brussel sprouts, pasta, steamed artichokes and pretty much any vegetable. Very different than his big brothers!

Travel

Travel has been a bit different this year, but we are thankful we got to take Ford to Vail this winter and enjoy the snow!

Milestones

Vocabulary has grown a ton
Walking down steps without holding on to a hand or railing and climbing on anything/everything!
Learned to ride his scooter
Running and jumping
He loves to color and asks for his “colors” everyday!

Must-Have Baby Items

He got a scooter for Christmas and he is obsessed!
Ford drinks a green smoothie every morning and this is the best smoothie cup, it stays cool and the straw doesn’t come out!
Santa brought these Blockaroo’s and Ford loves them. They are easy to connect/build and they make a “click” sound when connected. You can also use in the bath!
Ford has been living in these cozy lounge sets on cold days
He is now more adamant about not sitting in his high chair and getting to sit in a booster next to his brothers
This toy was great for traveling and going out to eat!
He loves any toy that he can put things in/down/around! He has been loving this one and he also puts trains down the holes – he could sit there forever doing it!