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Carly Kozak

 






Happy Valentines's Day cuties. Sometimes we have to get dressed up and do a photo shoot with a bunch of heart balloons. Hope your day was full of love.

xo Carly

2/14/2021 No comments
From the time I found out we were moving states, I knew I wanted to make the girls new room super special. I had an idea to make it into a whimsical princess escape. Somewhere the girls could go that felt magical and cozy. Harper has been at my side the last month helping me pick out all the little details. She really helped make this place come to life!


HARPER'S SIDE








I wanted Harper's side to be filled with things she loves. Pink is by far her favorite color, so I knew we had to incorporate that. She loves playing with forts and playing under blankets so I thought that a bed canopy would be perfect. Harper is also hugely interest in planets and stars, so we added a string of magic stars. Lastly we thrifted this little flower picture because Harper loves nature and hung a pair of inherited ceramic ballet slippers from my grandma. Harper misses her little ballet classes and I can't wait for her to start doing that again. 



HAILEY'S SIDE








I wanted Hailey's side of the room to feel a lot more adventurous. I wanted there to be lots of things she could feel and experience. She is definitely a free spirit by nature. She loves exploring and getting in all sorts of trouble haha. This bedspread from Loomwell fit her wild personality so well. Haize loves putting her necklaces and bracelets on her little star hangers, and snuggling her pom pom garland. I added a few hanging banners from target to give the space a little homey feel. Then finished by hanging some white lights, and a flower painting that matches Harper's. 


LINKS

Loomwell toddler bedding

Bed Canopy

White Lights

Star garland

Beaded clothes pin Garland

Pom Pom garland

White Toddler Beds

White jersey toddler sheets







9/01/2020 No comments


Like most of you parents, I am already over this quarantine. 
Yes I love my children. Yes I'm happy I get to spend precious time with them. 
But let's be honest, I'm not that fun haha. I have struggled so much keeping my girls entertained and learning during this time of isolation. 

I know most of you are going through the same thing. I decided to make a list of fun activities that are easy and keep your kids entertained, at least for a little ;)

- have your kids go grocery shopping in the pantry and pick out dinner
- teach them how to bake your favorite dessert/family recipe
- play library and have them check out books from your personal book collection
- collect cardboard boxes and build a fort/rocket/house
- map out tape on the floor and build a race track
- teach your kids about gardening, plant some seeds in your backyard
- have a spring cleaning competition
- teach them a new sport/skill
- rearrange rooms
- make slime/cloud sand/play dough
- have a movie marathon
- have a dance party
- go for a walk and play eye spy
- blow up a balloon and tell them they can't let it touch the floor
- break out the board games
- blow bubbles
- have a sidewalk chalk art competition
- make a scavenger hunt for random things inside the house, winner gets a prize
- make an outdoor scavenger hunt
- mattress slide: slide your crib or twin mattress down the stairs (use caution)
- good ole hide and seek (Harper's favorite)
- take care of the environment, go for a walk and bring a trash bag to collect waste
- play hopscotch
- conduct some kitchen experiments
- have a blind taste test and guess what you're eating
- have a mini family olympics (who can run the fastest, jump the highest, stand on one leg the longest, hold their breath longest, etc)
- make cards to send to grandparents, aunts, and friends
- get out your camera or phone and have a photoshoot
- have kids walk down a pretend runway and model their silliest outfits
- have a pillow fight


Hopefully these can get your imagination rolling and help you entertain, teach, and have fun with all your little ones. Feel free to share these ideas with family and friends. Also let me know in the comments if you have any great ideas I missed. Also let me know if you try any of these ideas and love them!

xx Carly 
3/18/2020 No comments





Three years ago, I asked for a polaroid camera for Christmas. I had recently taken up photography as a profession and understood the value in capturing fleeting moments. Over the last few years I've made it a priority to buy film & capture the simple moments of being a mother to two girls. I love looking at a picture and having it take me back to that exact moment. There is something so special about taking a picture and getting to hold it in your hand, right then! Time doesn't stop, but I am grateful for these tiny polaroids that hold onto memories and all their feelings forever.






harper's dress: old navy
wood bead garland: queenphandmade
polariod camera: fuji film

3/18/2020 No comments




Why is being confident so dang hard? Wow I feel like I've been hit with a wave of self-doubt recently. Why do I say the meanest things to myself? It is so hard feeling like enough, when we put our worth in the world. I needed a reminder this week that He is where I should get all my worth from. Recently I have been putting my worth in social media, weight, even motherhood. All my life I have been pretty successful. But recently I have felt like a BIG FAT FAILURE. I've realized that I crave a lot of acceptance and praise from others to feel noticed, worthy, and happy. Even taking these pictures took a lot of encouragement from my husband. I felt completely embarrassed and stupid getting dolled up to take pictures at a lake. That is so unlike me. Something did help me get in front of that freaking dumb camera. And that's my mom. I love seeing pictures of her when she was my age, in that cute bikini on the beach or with her friends at the fair, or with me as baby. I want to give that to my girls too. I want to give them everything I can. 

Motherhood has taken a lot out of me. Made me feel truly empty at times. Completely out of gas and running on fumes. Thinking that at any moment my body will shut down and I'll need someone to come fill me up. Most of the time motherhood fills me with the purest joy and happiness I have ever experienced. Having two tiny girls love me no matter what I look like, what I wear, what my political beliefs are, what my past is....they love me unconditionally.

Why can't I love myself the way they love me? Why can't I love myself the way God does?
To the mom in the sweats who hasn't spoken to another adult in days, I see you. To the mom who literally avoids mirrors because you hate the weight you've gained, I see you. To the mom who can't even cry after a long day because you are too tired for tears, I see you. To the mom bouncing her baby up and down trying to get them to fall asleep, I see you. I see you. I know you. I am you. 
We are not alone. God literally hears and sees you..
Let's put our worth in Him.
And let's take some freaking pictures of ourselves. 

xo carly 





3/12/2020 No comments

Ever tried to take your own Christmas pictures? Yeah, well I don't recommend it. I thought being a photographer and all, I would be able to pull it off. But NOPE. Why is it that you can get other people's kids to smile for you, but your own kids won't smile even if you bribe them with an entire bag of gummy worms. Harper was not having it. Didn't help that we got to our location just as she fell asleep. And when this girl is out, she is OUT. Takes after her dad in that way. So we were able to snap a few pictures of us with Hailey. I didn't even bother getting my tripod out to try and get one of all three of us. Even though the pictures thing was kind of a bust, it was still really fun. I love getting outside and going on a quick adventure. I feel my best when I am out connecting with nature and appreciating all the beauty God has put on this Earth. There is so much beauty in places that are untouched my man. I'm grateful for National forests and having places where I can truly escape the chaos and busyness. It was also nice just having some bonding time with Taylor. One of my favorite things to do with him is go on long drives. I love talking to him. He truly is my best friend and we never have run out of things to talk about. With how crazy these last few months of been, I loved having even just an hour with him totally uninterrupted. Any way, don't be like me: save up for family pictures and let a professional photographer deal with keeping your kids entertained and smiling!
xo, Carly








11/21/2019 No comments

Hailey May Kozak
7 lbs 12 oz, 21 in long
Born at 9:11am on 5/6/19
Madison Memorial Hospital
Rexburg, Idaho


Hailey May Kozak surprised us by coming exactly on her due date—May 6th. Harper came a week early so we anticipated that Hailey would do the same. But Hailey wanted us to know that she was in charge of when she would be coming haha. The morning of May 6th I woke up around 7am to use the bathroom. As soon as I laid back in bed at 7:07 I had my first contraction. The contractions were pretty mild: about 1 minute long and 3-5 minutes apart. I decided to labor for an hour at home to see how much I would progress. I had an inkling that this labor would be quicker than Harper’s so I was still being cautious. Harper woke up around 7:45 & Taylor got her ready to head over to our neighbors house. Before Harper left she ran into my room while I was having a contraction. “Your tummy hurts mommy?” I held back tears because she really is the most empathetic little girl. “Yes baby, mommy’s tummy hurts.” I gave her her last hug & kiss as my only baby. It was so bitter sweet. A little after 8am we headed to the hospital. On the drive over my contractions were getting a lot stronger and were about 2 minutes apart. Bad guy by Billie Elish came on the radio & it was NOT my vibe hahah. Literally made my contractions worse. Thanks Billie. As soon as we pulled up to the hospital I started playing some relaxing music on my phone. It was so helpful, highly recommend for all the expecting mamas out there. We pulled up the wrong area of the hospital (did the same thing with Harper) so we had to go on a little adventure to the labor & delivery wing. At this point my contractions were very painful and about 1 minute apart. We got to the check-in desk and Taylor stayed behind to give her my information. My mom wheeled me back and as soon as we got in the room I asked them to check me. Something that was a lot better about this labor experience was that I felt a lot more in control. I told my nurses how I wanted them to help me instead of waiting for them to guess what I needed help with. They checked me and I was at 6cm. I was starting to freak out because I was in so much pain and knew I had a while to go. At this point it was 8:35am. I was planning the whole time to have a natural unmedicated birth because I hated my experience with an epidural last time. But I was in so much pain I said never mind I want an epidural. I started crying just saying I wanted Taylor. Nothing at that check-in desk could be as important as ME IN LABOR. They grabbed Taylor and he calmed me down. I felt the need to pee so I asked to get up and go. As soon as I sat up I had a super painful contraction and decided to lay back down. When I laid back down my water started to break. I asked them to check me again and I was at 8cm. I knew right then this baby was coming out soon (no time for that epidural). I started to really focus on my breath. Literally Taylor was a life saver and kept me on track. They paged my doctor to come (he was on a run and ran to his car and drove over as fast as he could). While he was heading over I started to feel my contractions a lot lower. With each contraction more amniotic fluid would come out. I asked the nurses to check me again. I was at 9cm. My guess is that it was about 9:00am. I really started to feel the pressure to push soon after that. My doctor came running in the room dressed in full on exercise clothing (Nike should have honestly sponsored this moment). He got sanitized and I was ready to get this freaking baby out of me. My body pretty much took over from there. My contractions were pushing the baby out for me. Not going to lie it was the most painful experience I’ve ever had. I was literally screaming at the top my lungs. Taylor was trying not to laugh at my commentary because I was screaming everything I said. Literally I couldn’t control the volume of my voice hahah. The volume needed to match the pain I was in apparently haha. She was born at 9:11am. She was beautiful and pink and everything I wanted. The umbilical cord was wrapped around her tiny leg. She was also born with a little red patch in between her eyes. I think it will fade with time. Right after I had her, all the pain was completely gone. It was a crazy feeling. It was such a euphoric moment. I’m so grateful for my mom and Taylor for staying by my side and helping me through it. And for all the angel women in heaven who were cheering me on and giving me strength. 

Enjoy some horribly candid photos of me and some adorable photos of little Hailey.




Mama's gotta eat











11/19/2019 1 comments

I've recently discovered the coolest Baby Registry on the planet: Babylist.com 
Babylist allows you to create a completely custom baby registry. You can add items from literally any shop or website. They even have a mobile app that makes life soooo simple. No more having to settle for lame looking onsesies and neon colored binkies. I created a super simple list for baby girl number 2 with some things that we are needing & also things that I just thought were the cutest. After you complete a registry with them they send you a Free Pregnancy Box. I wanted to share what was inside with you guys & give some thoughts!




Lansinoh breastfeeding samples (2 disposable nursing pads, 2 breast milk storage bags)
Evenflo 2 pack of advanced breast milk storage bags
Nanobebe 2 pack of extra thick breast milk storage bags & binky



A 100% cotton white 3 month onesie from Carters. A yellow easy to clean bib from Gerber.


2 customized diapers with your baby's name (except they put the name Taylor on mine hahah, no clue why). Pack of 10 gentle water wipes. The tiniest Lanolin nipple ointment sample. 


Noodle & Boo 2-in-1 Newborn bath and body wash plus some lotion.


Pampers pouch which included one newborn diaper and a small pack of wipes.

Extras: 
- Babylist baby registry guide book (super helpful for first time parents)
- $1 off Lansinoh Lanolin Coupon
- Baby K'tan Paci-Pouch with 20% off coupon
- Babylist registry pass along cards
- Pampers coupon book
- Teacollection.com $25 off 

Overall, I thought this was a great sample box. It cost around $5 for shipping. I would say the contents of the box total around $25-30. If anyone is interested in checking out our baby registry for baby girl its linked down below:
https://www.babylist.com/baby-carly-kozak

Hopefully I'll get to review more of these & tell you what I think.

xo, Carly


2/23/2019 No comments
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About me




Hi, I'm Carly Kozak.
Welcome to my tiny corner of the internet. Burning candles, chocolate ice cream, fresh flowers, cozy blankets, open windows, sunday drives, and homemade lemonade make me a happy girl.
I'm a mama to two beautiful girls. And I hope this blog can be a place where you feel welcome and warm. You can expect to see lots of yummy recipes, home design, gardening tips, and some motherhood mistakes sprinkled along the way.
I hope we can enjoy this journey together
xo

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