{MemoryLane}0-12 Months

p.s. I know the image quality isn't great on some of these..but I haven't had a chance to go back and edit with my new editing super-skills, so I apologize for that.

more{GOODIES}please

So you want more goodies?

Check back here tomorrow for photos 

from my Maternity photo shoot -

Nobody

has seen these pictures before.

I had serious body image issues when I was pregnant, 

and its taken almost 

two years of being a mother 

for me to get to a place where I can look back at these 

and love them.  

I can't wait to share them with you.

Plus!

I'm going to give you a chance to earn 

3 Months of Large Ad-Space (May-July) 

on Baxtron{Life}!

Mothering a Daughter

As May kicks off, I'm reflecting on my relationship with Zion.  She turns 2 on the 15th!  I can't believe how quickly it has gone by.  I'm sharing a bit about what I look forward to as the mother of a daughter, I originally posted this on Kristina's blog last month. 
Also, I'm taking a trip back to early motherhood over at Like A Bird, while Kendra is enjoying her time getting to know and falling madly in love with her precious newborn baby boy, Jeff!  Be sure to stop over there and congratulate her!


It is such a privilege and a responsibility to raise a daughter. I have always wanted to be a mom, and I can't tell you how happy I am that I had a daughter first.  She has opened my heart in ways I never imagined possible.  There are so many things I want for her to experience and enjoy in her life.

As her imagination begins to flourish, I look forward to creating a dress-up box for her; filling it with play clothes and old high-heels.  I look forward to watching her try on necklaces and jewelry, tiaras and heels.

I look forward to her begging me and the hubs for ballet lessons, or other dance lessons.  And watching her twirl in a little tutu in front of us.  She loves twirling already, and any form of dance makes her face light up.
via Kasey Albano
I look forward to passing on my love of baking.  Spending countless hours trying new recipes, licking the spoons and delighting in our creations.

I look forward to hair cuts and dyes and all kinds of hair style experiments.  She has such beautiful soft curls, and I am so excited to see her hair as it grows longer and she is able to do more with it.

I look forward to her being a little older so that we can travel as a family to Israel, and experience our faith in a fresh and inspirational way.  We're planning our trip for next year!

I look forward to shopping trips, where we can chat about our love of shoes, try on new outfits and sip our fancy coffee drinks together.

I look forward to her first roller coaster ride and visits to amusement parks, theme parks and other fun resorts!  We have family in Orlando, so Disney World seems like a great option in the near future!

I look forward to teaching her how to apply make-up, and doing her make-up for special occasions.

I look forward to learning all of her dreams and desires, her passions and purposes.  I look forward to watching her run confidently in their direction.

I look forward to all the major life events, achievements and milestones she will reach in her life.  I look forward to throwing huge celebrations every step of the way and being her number one fan, always.

And most importantly, what I look forward to the most, is her recognizing what Jesus did for us all, and fully embracing the gift of salvation and grace that is offered to her.

All images except photograph of Courtney & Zion with permission via Stock.Xchng

{To Love & To Cherish}What I Wore

All Photos above by Josh Belt All Photos below by Anson Gessel Wedding Photography (no longer in business)

Zion's First Haircut & $100 Visa Giveaway {Find Great Deals on SquareSpot}

Thank you to SquareSpot for sponsoring this post! 
Visit SquareSpot to find great deals and discounts on high quality family-centric products and services.

It was finally time to take Zion in for her first hair cut.  We've put it off as much as possible because her hair has been relatively easy to handle and beautiful, crazy beautiful even.  But Easter morning confirmed the need:

Luckily, I had just signed up to try SquareSpot, an online market providing great savings and benefits for busy urban moms on a wide range of high quality goods and services in New York City.  They just so happened to have a fantastic deal for a cute little children's boutique in Brooklyn called Mini Max.

I am always looking for reasons to go to new places and experience new things in the city, and haven't been to Brooklyn in who knows how long, so I new this deal was perfect for me.  For $15 I was able to purchase a $20 gift certificate which would cover almost the entire cost of Zion's haircut.  Plus, I knew they also carried a small collection of fun eco-friendly toys and couldn't wait to have Zion pick something out on our special date.

This morning, we ventured out in the windy but warm weather…on our special date to Brooklyn for her haircut.  We enjoyed the long relaxing train ride with relatively few transfers.  Getting to Brooklyn never felt easier!  We arrived at our destination where Zion was warmly welcomed and given her choice of kid show and salon chair.  She chose a Diego video and then a yellow cab to sit in for her cut.  (Such a NYC girl already!)  I, of course, hovered and took pictures like the paparazzi, just like any first time mom would do!

There have been so many big milestones this week, all blatantly screaming at me that my little baby girl is a full on little girl now…no baby at all.  It really hasn't all hit me yet, but I am sure it is just a matter of time, in fact I can feel the "they grow up so fast" tears just waiting to be released like a torrential Spring rain.  

After Zion's haircut we took some time to pick out a couple of new toys.  First she gravitated to the tea party sets, then to the musical instruments, but in the end we took home some cute animal bath toys and a new farm puzzle.  Prices were incredibly reasonable and we both had a great time.  My expectations were far exceeded for both Mini Max, for being crazy awesome, and SquareSpot for connecting me to such a great establishment through a great offer!

Shortly after I purchased the Mini Max offer on SquareSpot, I had to go back and check out the additional deals and discounts on high quality, family-centric products and services that were being offered to make sure I didn't miss out!  They rotate new deals in and out on a weekly basis.  

source

As you know I've been working hard at losing weight and getting in shape in my weekly Meltdown series, so I simply had to purchase the Moms of Steel offer for three Fitness "Bootcamp" Stroller workouts in Central Park for the price of one!  I haven't booked my dates yet, because I am still finishing up my current program, but after such a great experience with the first offer I tried, I am sure this is going to be top notch!

One of the things I loved learning about SquareSpot was that they test each product or service so everything on the site is hand picked!  They also offer a SquareCard program that gives you discounts off hundreds of New York City services and programs!  From what I have seen so far they are constantly adding more partners to their list.  The website is super easy to use and thankfully I don't have a ton of offer emails flooding my inbox.  If you are a New York City mama I totally recommend you check them out and sign-up for an account!

Thanks to SquareSpot, one of my lovely readers is going to win a $100 Visa Gift Card!!  Will it be you?

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I was compensated for this post as a member of Clever Girls Collective, but the content is all my own. #CGSquareSpot #spon