Summer has arrived!

Okay, so not for about two more weeks, but for the Andersons it's already here---meaning I can't even count how many times we've been to the pool already and we're all sporting tan lines (including Sydney, despite slathering her in sunscreen every 30 minutes, and I can't handle how cute they are).

This past weekend was so much fun. We were in Denver again, which was nice because this weekend Sydney and I heading to Disneyland(!!) and Jordan has a bachelor party, and we got to go to our first motocross race! My girlfriend's husband is a professional motocross racer and he had an event in Colorado -- and let me tell, y'all: if you ever have a chance to see a motocross race, DO IT. It was sooo much fun and so crazy to watch in person. And it was amazing to see my friend Paige and finally meet her sweet daughter Parker and Justin, her husband.

You know who really took to motocross, though? Sydney. She was/is obsessed. She just got a Strider bike and calls it her motorcycle -- "just like Parker's daddy's." She saw a bunch of bikes outside her school for Bike Day, and she goes, "Ooh, motorcycles!" I would say we may have a little motocross daredevil on our hands, but true to Sydney's cautious personality she felt a little uneven on her Strider and put it down gently and said, "Oh, that's scary." Soo, she'll probably just remain an enthusiastic spectator, safe on the sidelines.

We spent the rest of the weekend soaking in the sun, spending time at the pool on Sunday, and trying to discipline Sydney in-between. I don't know what's going on, but lately Sydney has been an absolute T E R R O R. She not only doesn't have her listening ears on, but I'm not sure she even recognizes that she has ears these days. She's back-talking like no other (and I know my parents are laughing right now thinking about my karma), which is so hard not to a) lose your cool and b) laugh hysterically because the shit she says is so damn funny/bold/where in the world did she learn that? She's disobeying us so badly right now, testing our limits and seeing what she can get away with. The problem is she's so incredibly sweet that when she knows she's pushed us too far, she'll crawl into our laps and will take our faces with her little chubby hands and look us in the eye and say, "Mommy/Daddy, I sorry. Really sorry. Please forgive me?" I mean, how do you not squeeze her after that???

She's also been a menace with her food lately. I don't know if she's getting fuller faster and then bored or what, but I feel like each meal has been a total gongshow and food ends up everyyyywhere. Cottage cheese? Rubs it on her arms like lotion. Beans? Drops them on the dogs backs ("It's raining, Mommy,"). Blueberries? Smushes them together on her tray because evidently they're "race cars and all crashed." I love her playful imagination and all, but we practically need a hose to clean her off now. The other day she was spooning out her yogurt so aggressively she pulled the bowl all the way off the table = yogurt explosion all over the kitchen floor and crying toddler over no more yogurt. Thank goodness for our friends at Nuby, who sent over their Sure Grip Miracle Mat Section Plate for a total game-changer in quick meals and snacks.

With a non-slip base which suctions to flat surfaces, the Miracle Mat is a plate and placemat all in one. BPA-free and made out of 100% silicone, the mat wipes clean easily and is also dishwasher (and microwave) safe. The best part of the mat is it eliminates dropped plates and bowls (aka no more yogurt bombs). It's also small enough in size that it can easily be traveled with or brought to restaurants (keeps food from dropping on restaurant tables, ick). The plate is best for six months and up (it's great for baby-led weaning!), and we absolutely love it.

The Miracle Mat is available at Babies "R" Us stores and online at Amazon. And because Nuby is so generous, we're offering to give TWO mats away to two lucky readers/followers! Enter below to try and win one, and/or head over to my Instagram to win another!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Good luck!

xo,

Sarah