School has been in for just a couple of weeks and the phrase absence makes the heart grow fonder has never rang more true. When my babies hop off the bus I’m eager to hear all about how their day went. I’m a little more excited than normal to help with homework. And I live for their begging for nighttime stories.

I’m happy to connect with my kids in ways that used to bore me. When Big T asks me to play dinosaurs or read the book Rex AGAIN… I do it. I don’t take those pleas for granted as much as I used to. And I don’t take our time together for granted.

I sat and colored with Lil’ J one afternoon while we listened to The Trials of Apollo. And when she asked if I’d record her practicing cheer I didn’t say no.

About a year and a half ago we started doing mommy and me cheer vlogs on Youtube. It was a fun little weekly project of ours albeit random. Looking back we didn’t know we were making memories. We just knew we were having fun.

When we found out little Lee Lee was on her way we took an unintentional break. During our last year of homeschool Lil’ J learned how to do some basic video editing in Final Cut Pro and she put together some short videos herself.

She told me she wanted to edit another video together so we’ve decided to revive our vlog. It’s also reviving my excitement in helping her with cheer and watching her progress. A baby sister (rightfully) distracted us for a bit and some of her progress stalled, but now just agreeing to watch her, or record her now and then has reignited her passion.

I don’t think I ever blogged about this little hobby of ours before. Maybe part of me felt like it was silly, or like no one would care. But I’ve learned a lesson I think everyone could use.

Find something, anything to do with your kids. Something you both love. Something that makes you both laugh, and get to know each other better. Why?

1. It’ll help you grow closer together

2.  You’ll have fun.

3. Your child will love you for it.

4. You will love yourself for it.

5. Because if not now, then when?

Find that thing for you two. Embrace it and don’t let go.

I’ve always had a bit of an impulsive streak inside me. I can’t help but jump head first into new things, look back and ask questions later.

Exactly two weeks ago I decided to start a vlog. A video blog for those of you who don’t know. I felt like I needed a pickmeup. Something new and exciting to try. A new challenge to commence. I knew if I set a goal to do one once or twice a week I’d procrastinate and quickly fall off. I had to go big or go home. So I decided to start a DAILY vlog for the month of March.

What I’m loving about it so far is the rawness and spontaneity. I never really know what is going to come out of my mouth, or my kids’ mouth, and it’s capturing a lot of the REAL here and now. I take photos and write about our days here on my blog, but some of the day-to-day things have been feeling too boring to document.

The silly random thoughts and moments that no longer make the cut on my blog seems to be finding a place in the vlog. I am enjoying that.

So I don’t know if you enjoy watching vlogs (I’ll admit, it takes a special person I think, because I can’t always sit through 15 minutes of someone else’s life) but if you do, check ours out. We’re doing daily videos through March then I’ll reevaluate what I’m going to do after that. We’ll see how it goes. I’m not sure how they’ll come into play here on my blog, maybe I’ll share a couple favorites once a week, or maybe I’ll keep it completely separate. Let me know if you have an opinion.

Ok, so when I started this thing, it was just in time for me to go support my best bloggy friend at the We All Grow Latina Bloggers conference. Vanessa from De Su Mama is an incredible mother, photographer, writer and friend. She was honored as a Storyteller at this fabulous conference. She presented a powerful story on stage about her journey to discovering, and falling in love with the country her family immigrated from.

Keep checking back on her blog for her story which should be up soon! I was so incredibly proud of her.

Vanessa knows I’m a huge Disney fan and she was so thoughtful to invite me to experience this with her. While there we also got to have a special Disney Princess experience, go to an early screening of the new Beauty and the Beast (my review is here) and tour the Walt Disney Studios lot. We even bumped into Bob Iger, CEO of the Walt Disney Company! I have two or three vlogs about the conference, I’ll share a couple below.

Vanessa and I, and parts of our family have been on about a half a dozen little adventures together with another coming up this summer. She listens to and supports my impulsiveness and talks me of the ledge when I’ve gone too far. She’s an amazing woman and I’m so lucky to call her my friend.

“Is it bedtime yet?”

I don’t know how many nights I’ve looked at the clock and asked that question this year.

Then, it never fails, I open up my folder of pictures from the past year, or scroll through the videos on my phone and I’m overcome with so much guilt, remorse, and longing for those moments back.

The days are long but the years are short.

In the world of parenting, there are no truer words.

Today is the last day of the year. The last day of an amazing year with these two kids who are my world.

This year we’ve traveled together, learned new skills, and really began to see both of their personalities flourish.

I’m so excited for this year ahead. For the chance to try again. To soak it all in a little more. A chance to enjoy the long days, and maybe make the years a little less short.

Last year I made a video wrapping up 2014 and I treasure it so much. I’m trying to keep it up and do one each year. The past few weeks have been busy and fun with traveling and family visits so I was finally able to sit down and start working on it last night. Here’s a look back at 2015 in under four minutes.

I did this a few years ago to make a Father’s Day video moved my husband to tears. That was a first I witnessed.

Anyway, I recommend this program is perfect for people who know little to nothing about video editing, or just want a an easy way to make a video fast. Just pick a song, upload your files, choose the background you want, and rearrange the order. It’s a lot like making a photo book. For me, the hardest part is finding just the right song, but there are many to choose from.

I’d love to challenge you to make a video of your year. Take an hour to unload those pictures and videos off your phone and turn them into something beautiful. Make a lasting legacy for your family.

You can try Animoto for free for two weeks (I used the free version when I made the video for my husband). If you love it and decide to upgrade, use my code: “babymaking20” to get 20% off.

Thank you for taking a look back at 2015 with me, and for tagging along on our journey. I hope along the way you’ve been inspired to make beautiful memories with your family.

Happy New Year my friends!

*A big thanks to Animoto for their awesome program and providing a code to share with my readers. This story was sponsored by Animoto, and as usual, all opinions are my own. 

When your kid grabs his crotch and says “go potty, eeew!” right as he’s peeing, you’d think that’s a sign that it’s time to potty train right?

Progress is up and down (ok I haven’t really been trying very hard) but I’m trying to take it at his own pace. Big T seems to be a bit scared of the toilet right now. But despite my previous disgust for them, he happens to love his portable potty chair.

I think next month we’ll buy his first pair of training pants. Once we got Lil’ J a pair, she potty trained in a jiffy. All we had to do was tell her Cinderella would be sad if she peed on her and she made it a point to make it to the potty.

Big T on the other hand, I doubt will care who is on the front of his underpants. Is it a boy thing? A personality thing? It was so easy with my daughter and I already feel behind with my son. He’s already messier (his hands have been in the toilet more than anything else), and it seems like it could be quite the disaster.

Then again, he just turned two in April. There’s no real need to rush. Especially if it’ll hinder progress more than help.

I also think my husband should play a bigger role this time. He was convinced he’s suppose to pee standing up, but I told him that’s not how toddler boys learn. Oye!

As much as I love to cherish the phase we’re in, I must say I can’t wait to be done with the potty training.

All of the pit stops and cleanups. It’ll be nice to make it through this and leave the diapers behind.

Wipes however, will still come in handy. I think I use baby wipes come in handy for much more other than just wiping baby butts.

My kiddos helped me make this video showing some of our favorite uses of baby wipes.

So even when we make it through potty training, our Seventh Generation Free and Clear Baby Wipes will still be quite useful. But until then… Pray for me and share your potty-training tips (especially for boys).

What handy ways do you use baby wipes? Have any potty-training tips for me?

I got lots of great responses in the comments! Check them out as you make it through your own potty-training journey!

*This story is sponsored by Seventh Generation as a part of an ongoing partnership. All opinions expressed are my own.

A few weeks ago my son could hardly sit still for a book. I wrote about it being National Read Aloud Month and realized I could be doing better myself. That night I started pulling books from his shelves and reading a few to him each evening. At first he could sit for one, then he’d ask for his bottle and chill through the rest. Now he keeps handing me things to read and yelling “MORE BOOK!”

He has a favorite, I have to read it every night. We read it last right before he goes to sleep. Sometimes I even catch him “reading” it to himself during the day. I never want to forget his cute little voice and excitement as we read this book together.

I pulled out my phone the other night to record this little moment. I did it twice, once with the rear camera facing the book, then again with the frontal camera facing us.

A little video recording/editing tip: Recording something that’s going to repeat multiple times and getting multiple angles gives your story more dimension, and makes you feel like you’re there in the action when you watch your video back later. It also makes editing easier because you have more video to choose from.

What’s your kiddo’s favorite book?

I was going through a bunch of videos that I took with the kids last year. I was starting to file some away as archives and back them up when I realized a couple of things.

1. My kids grew SO much in the last year. It was crazy seeing videos from early last year. Lil’ J looked like a toddler at the beginning of the year and Big T was still an infant.

2. I probably would rarely open any of these video files again. I HAD to turn them into something. Compile the moments into something I could easily watch when I want and remember how sweet this last year with them was. Their favorite toys, their reaction to surprises, the sound of their laughter at this age.

So I made this:

If you know me or my kids (or have read my blog a while and feel like you do) you may want a tissue. If not, well, just imagine this being something with your kids.

My absolute favorite moment in this video is Lil’ J’s reaction to her new swingset. I didn’t notice it when my husband recorded it (which his why that part of the video is sideways) but the gasping motion she makes with her hands is just too sweet.

In a couple of weeks we’re surprising her with a trip to Disney World (the day we leave) and I can’t wait to record her reaction. I only hope it’s just as sweet.

Does looking at this make me think maybe someday one more baby wouldn’t be so bad? … Sorta. Ugh! I wish it didn’t.

For those who have asked, I used Final Cut Pro to edit this, but it can also easily be done with iMovie, or other free movie applications. If you’re interested I can record a little bit of the process I follow to make something like this.

Lil’ J helped me pick the music for our video and loved recapping the year with me.

I think this year I may try to make a monthly video using the iMovie app on my phone. I was playing around with it and impressed with how easy it is to make something. If I give it a go in January I’ll show you how it turns out and post a screenshot tutorial.

The days sometimes seem to go by so slow, but somehow the years go by so fast. Someday I want to look back remember as much as I can.

I am a FP Insider, chosen to help bring advice and encouragement to parents like myself. The thoughts and tips I shared in this post were written as a part of a partnership with Fisher-Price. All opinions are my own. Also, here are some of the toys my children enjoyed this last year that you may have noticed in this video: Laugh and Learn Table, Smart Stages Train.

I know if I was a good blogger I would have posted this days ago. But starting on our anniversary getaway, I finally took time time off from all work, which even included a little break from my precious blog. My husband did the same and we had more fun than I can even describe.

I think it’s a sign I need to take it a little easier this next year, and that’s exactly what I plan to do.

Every year my husband and I debate what presents get wrapped and what stays out in the open. I’m a fan of wrapping and he’s a fan of leaving big items out. He definitely outsmarted me this year because their reactions were absolutely priceless. I always have my camera ready to get their first look. I didn’t take as many pictures as I had hoped, but the video more than makes up for it for me. Nothing like remembering those moments as they were.

Excited to ring in a new year with these three + Snoop. Happy Holidays!

It seems that no matter what is going on in the world, I can look at my children and get lost in their innocence. Oh how I wish they could stay like this forever.

I love the spirit of Christmas, the enchanting lights, our family traditions, warm coco, and more lessons on Christ. We’re only a week into December and we’ve already been enjoying the season. Here’s a special look at what we’ve been up to:

Lil’ J was in her first parade, and danced at a Christmas Festival. We’ve seen/ talked to Santa about five times already, started reading Christmas stories and stories about Christmas. We’ve watched Rudolph movies and danced with Rudolph toys, and there’s still a lot of time lefts for crafting, baking, service and caroling.

Now that my youngest sister is close by, I feel like the Christmas spirit is magnified times 5. The light in her eyes helps that in my kids shine brighter.

Take out your camera or phone this season and capture a few seconds of your favorite merry moments. String them together in a video over Christmas music and you’ve got yourself a beautiful keepsake.

What holiday traditions are you taking part in this year? How do you save your merry moments?

Chat with me tonight at 8pm CST on Twitter. We’ll be discussing how you make merry memories this season. RSVP to be entered to win $500. Also, tomorrow Hallmark is having a sale for 20% off on Rudolph merchandise as a part of the 12 Gifts-A-Giving celebration.

*This post is written as a part of a partnership with Hallmark. All opinions expressed are my own.