Baby tony's first birthday.

3 day old Baby Tony on St. Patrick's Day 2018

Dang. This poor, neglected blog. Who knew that adding a third kiddo to the mix, would leave this space... Well, pretty much abandoned?!

Yikes.

Our third (and last!) baby turned one last week, and I'm still trying to figure out where the last year went. Baby Tony (Anthony Wallace Saigh) is the surprise we never knew our family needed, and now we can't imagine our lives without our rolly-polly, always smiling ray of sunshine!

We celebrated our baby boy with family and neighbors at our home this past weekend. Tony got to devour his first birthday cake, and open some pretty fantastic gifts from the wonderful people in our lives.

Baby Tony, you are honestly the happiest and most chill baby EVER! You're sleeping 12-13 hours at night (usually 6 p.m. to 6:30 a.m.), you nap like a champ, you eat what we eat, and you're always perfectly content discovering new things on your own, or with the help of your big brother and sister. You love giving kisses, and handing people toys so you can hear the words "thank you". You make my heart melt when I see your little face and entire body light up with excitement when you see your siblings enter the room. The love you three have for one another is so beautiful.

Your Mama is going to try her best to establish your presence a little more on this blog, as you continue to grow. We are SO in love with and proud of you. Happy first birthday, little man!

Baby Tony: March 14th, 2019.

Mama Saigh and Baby Tony.

Party time!

Auntie Paige and Baby Tony.

Uncle Scotty, trying to put together the new car that he and
Auntie Holly got Baby Tony for his birthday.

Big Sister Linna and Big Brother Jimmy helping their little brother eat his birthday cake.

New wheels.

After 5 long winter months, the 34-degree temp on Baby Tony's
birthday felt tropical!

Last day as an 11-month-old!

Baby tony on “the jason show” today.

This is video of Baby Tony (10 months old) on The Jason Show this morning! My friend Jason Matheson did a nice job convincing us to try the Bird’s Eye Frozen Veggie Pastas, and I’m still shocked that this pasta is made from lentils and veggies. We’ve tried other pasta-alternatives made with cauliflower, chickpeas, etc., and have been less than impressed. But Bird’s Eye has created a winner! It seriously is really good! I’ve seen these frozen pastas at CUB Foods, as well as Target.

DIY with mama saigh: Holiday gifts for the kids.

Click on the above photo to watch video of this entire segment on The Jason Show!

Jimmy's final words as a 2-year-old.

I've recorded these videos of our oldest on the eve of her birthday, ever since she was two. So it was super special to be able to start this tradition with our middle child. Happy 3rd birthday, Jameson Marshall!

(Recorded before bedtime on November 13th, 2018)

(This is Jimmy's big sister, Linna, on the eve of her 3rd birthday - August 7th, 2014)

DIY with mama saigh: Thanksgiving kids' table ideas.

I was back on The Jason Show today, with some fun ideas for the kids' table on Thanksgiving! Click on the image below to watch the entire segment from the show...

Here are a few of the ideas that I featured on the show...

Have your kids make butter for the Thanksgiving tables, using just one ingredient! Did you know that you can make homemade butter from heavy cream, by shaking it in a jar for a few minutes?! Pour heavy cream into a tightly sealed jar about half-way full, and let your kiddos shake it up. In about 10-15 minutes, you'll have a solid chunk of butter that you can add salt to, or a little honey to create a delicious honey-butter. It's a little science project, right before their very eyes!

Let the kiddos carve their oven Thanksgiving turkey at their table! All you need are some brown paper bags, filling (candy, popcorn, etc.), a plastic bag (if you're using popcorn), tape, and a hot glue-gun, scissors, and white paper. Stuff the center of the turkey with popcorn or treats (get creative!), and then attach the stuffed legs to the body of the turkey with your hot glue-gun or tape. I stuffed these turkey legs with paper, but you can use toilet paper rolls too! Then, cut some slits into your white paper strips, and attach them to the turkey legs. Finally, let the kids carve into the turkey to discover their yummy surprise!

These little veggie turkey cups couldn't be easier to make! Plus they're a great way to get your kids to eat their veggies on Thanksgiving. Gobble Gobble!

Getting rid of my pregnancy melasma.

I'm not a doctor, nor an expert. But what I do know is that when I was looking for ways to get rid of my pregnancy melasma after the birth of my third child, I found it difficult to navigate through all the options and opinions out there. I had a little bit of melasma during and after my first two pregnancies, but the dark spots and patches that appeared on my face during and after my pregnancy with my third baby, were by far the worst. I had dark patches on my forehead that ran all the way down to my cheeks, making me look like a raccoon. I waited a little over three months for the melasma to fade on its own, but it never did.

While I was visiting my friend in New York, she raved about this skincare line called "Paula's Choice". Her skin seriously looked amazing, so I went online to see if they had any products that treated dark spots. They sure did, so I decided to give it a try.

For the past two months, I've been using these products from Paula's Choice: Resist Triple-Action Dark Spot Eraser (7% AHA Lotion), C15 Super Booster, Resist Hydrating Cleanser, and the Resist Intensive Repair Cream. I have also been using Aquaphor at night when my skin is extra dry. The following "before and after" photos were taken two months apart, make-up free, and they haven't been retouched or filtered.

It's crazy to see how incredibly dark those spots and patches were before I started using these skincare products. I still have a few stubborn spots that I'll probably have to get "zapped", but I am so happy with the results. I am in no way affiliated with Paula's Choice, but when I find something that really works, I just have to share it with you all!

Easy homemade chicken noodle soup.

During crockpot season, this Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup is one of my go-to dinner recipes.

It's super simple, requires 7 ingredients (including salt and pepper), and is one of those comfort foods that my kids will actually eat! Serve this with a Take & Bake Ciabatta Bread and a little butter, and you'll have a family with happy and full bellies!

(FYI: I doubled this recipe in this video)

Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup in the Crockpot

2 chicken breasts (thawed)
2 32-ounce chicken broth
5-6 stalks of celery (chopped)
5-6 peeled carrots (chopped)
1/2 a bag of Reames Frozen Egg Noodles
Salt & white pepper to taste

Place two thawed chicken breasts in a crockpot and add salt and white pepper on top. Pour chicken broth over the chicken, then add chopped carrots and celery. Cook on low for 6-8 hours. Shred the chicken, then turn the crockpot to high and add the frozen egg noodles about 20-30 minutes before you're ready to eat. Serve soup with a Take & Bake Ciabatta Bread with a little butter for a complete and delicious meal!