Klean Kanteen Product Review

Ok fellow moms, how many of you are looking for a good sippy cup?!  As a mom to a 2 year old and even for my 5 year old I have a big need for a good sippy cup.  About 2 months ago I became pretty fed up with a lot of the cups we had here at our house.  I felt like I literally owned every cup that Target and Wal-Mart sold and yet I had no one brand that I really loved.  My cabinets held a variety looking something like this...

and with those cups come this not so fun and not always easy to clean valves...

My biggest problem was in the cleaning of the cups.  I do put our cups in the dishwasher but I would find that certain cups especially the ones with no-leak valves were taking forever to dry.   I had one brand that even when the valves were completely dry, water was getting trapped in the valve and causing the valves to stink and who knows what else.  That was not what I wanted my kids drinking out of.  Those cups found their way to the trash very quickly.  I also hated the cups that once we would take them apart to clean them it would take an engineer to get them back together.  Not good at all for me, so I went on a sippy cup hunt!  I was bound and determined to find something I had not used, that was durable, easy for Mr. B to use, and easy to clean.  I was then introduced to the Klean Kanteen.

The Klean Kanteen is a stainless steel bottle made with safe, BPA-free materials and  is designed specifically for children.  Klean Kanteen not only has the sippy cup option, they also make  baby bottles.  One awesome characteristic of the sippy cup is that it can quickly become a water bottle with the switch of a top.  These are interchangeable and make the transition easy for kids!  When we got our Klean Kanteen cup the first thing I immediately liked was how sturdy and durable it was.  Bryce is rough on his cups because he thinks it is fun to throw his cup down all the time, whether he is doing it because he is having a tantrum moment or just throwing it since as a boy in him mind all things can be thrown.  After using this cup for a few weeks we have one small dent but nothing big at all and it has totally withheld its beating from Bryce.  You can see the loop at the top of this lid and that would make it easy to clip onto a stroller or bag.  I haven't used that option yet but I can see where it would come in handy.
A big big plus, is that so far we haven't had one leak using this cup.  It does have a spill proof valve  that is easily removed from the cup but we haven't had a problem with cleaning it or with a leak.  The cup was also very easy for Bryce to drink out of.  I may or may not have tried it out myself to be sure it came out easy.
Believe it or not Bryce has his favorite cups that he always wants to use.   This cup has become one of those.  He likes the "Gween" top and I think it is just easy for him to hold.   The cup actually has kept his drink colder than other cups.  I like the fact that it is stainless steel and BPA free.  Who doesn't like a cup that is environmentally safe, right?
Overall we were very please with our Klean Kanteen cup.  I already have my eye on a hot pink water bottle for Cohen to have at school that keeps drinks cold for 40 hours!  Yes please!  So all of my mom friends out there  definitely go check out all the awesome products from Klean Kanteen Here.
You will not be disappointed...see how happy Bryce was using his!

**I was gifted one Klean Kanteen cup for review.  All opinions and thoughts are my own.**

Bryce Turns 2!

Just typing the title for this blog hurts me!  How in the world is my baby already 2?!  Regardless of how it doesn't seem possible, it is, and my sweet little boy celebrated his 2nd birthday last Sunday.  Bryce may quite possibly be the most loving, outgoing, and precious boy I know. (not biased at all)  He is so much FUN!  He loves everyone and remembers everyone!  When you know Bryce and see him, he throws his hand up waving and saying hey to you.  Granted he may be saying this all with a paci in his mouth but you still know what he's saying.  When I say he has the best memory I do mean it!  He can remember things I would never think he could and he associates so good!  I can mention one person and he might start naming off their family members.  He amazes me every single day with the things he knows and says.  Bryce is a great talker and his vocabulary is endless.  He reminds me a lot of his oldest sister.  She was always that way.   He is 100% all boy!  Bryce LOVES any kind of truck or "big tuck" in his words, loves tractors, lawn mowers, trailers, airplanes, fire trucks, police cars, trains, buses, ambulances, etc....Anything that goes!  That is what I did for his birthday.  We only had a small little party for him but it was just right for him and he had a blast.  The Tonka truck he is sitting in in the first picture is one of his favorite things to play with outside.  He will push this truck every single day all around the yard.  Sometimes I push him in it and he loves that too!  Between that and the golf cart we stay busy enjoying this awesome fall weather.  I could go on and on about how awesome he is.  I have truly loved every single second of him and that is why I wish I could freeze him now.  I never want to forget all these precious memories and days we have together. I don't want to forget how cute he is talking every day!  He wakes up, lays in his bed, and just names his favorite people over and over, or lists all of the transportation vehicles he loves.  It will crack you up!  Here are some fun pictures from Bryce's birthday and a little bit about Bryce at 2!  We could not possibly love him more!

waving at Keyes & Elliott

With all of my kids we always take a picture at bedtime on the night before their birthday.  One last picture being one!

 Sunday when Bryce woke up we had pumpkin muffins and of course let him blow out his candles in his muffins.  I couldn't resist this sweet picture.  He is precious with his bed hair, paci, and morning eyes!

We had church that morning but came home before small groups to get started on lunch for everyone.  Bryce loved his party and got so many fun things.  I was in love with his cake!  Shannon always does the BEST cakes and they taste as good as they look.  She is amazing and does amazing things with her cakes!

He loved opening presents.  Of course after opening the first one he wanted it opened out of its box and was finished with the others.  We had to keep telling him to open more and of course he had eager helpers to help him unwrap.  My favorite was the weed eater we got him.  He is all about his Daddy's tools so having one of his own was right up his alley.  Bebe had given him the push mower and we got him the weed eater.  He put on his safety goggles and went to town!  He also had to weed eat all the girls' hair.

He loved his weed eater so much that he wanted to sleep with it.  

Bryce at 2: (official stats from his check-up will have to come later)

• ALL BOY!  He is into everything and is never still!
• Loves trucks, tractors, airplanes, trains, cars, lawn mowers, etc...  He is addicted to videos about each on YouTube and I have survived many grocery trips thanks to them!
• Loves to go!  He is always ready to climb in the car.  
• Loves to swing.  At Suzy's house he will climb in his swing and want to be pushed.  He even has a certain way he likes to be pushed.
• Loves people!  He is always looking for Pop, Denny, and Westley! He loves going to Burger King with Suzy and Denny and socializing up there.   He loves to go to Pop & Sug's house, Bebe's house, Suzy & Denny's house and Dawn's house!  He loves Keyes, Elliott, and Grace!  
• Has no fear about anything!
• Loves golf cart rides
• Can eat better than either one of his sisters! 
• Wears 18-24 mos. or just 24 mos. clothes and size 6 shoes
• Loves to watch tractor movies!    This is how I am able to take showers without wondering if he is tearing the house down.

• loves to throw a ball!  Another thing that just seems to be in his make up!  All boy!  He will pull that arm back and say "ready mommy" and throw it as hard as he can.  We also kick the ball a lot!
• loves truck rides in Pop's truck
• Hates hair cuts, but as he told me he does still love Annie.  That is the one thing he will scream for and we still have no clue why.

I can't say enough about our sweet boy.  He is so loved and we are so lucky that God blessed us to be his parents!  I'm looking forward to another fun, memorable year with our sweet Brycee!

Little Miss Echo

Last Sunday Cohen was in the Little Miss Echo pageant at our high school.  Our high school's yearbook is called Echo and each year one girl in high school is crowned Miss Echo.  A few years ago they added the Little Miss Echo pageant for girls 0-8th grade.  Cohen did the pageant last year, was 1st runner up in her age group, and had so much fun she was counting down to being able to do it again.  It was a little earlier this year and luckily fell on a Sunday which didn't interfere with any Georgia games!  That's a big deal breaker in our house.  The girls compete in casual wear and formal wear, with casual wear going first.   All of these girls had on such cute outfits!  There were several that I wanted to see in adult sizes! I wish I could have posted a video of Cohen during this part because she was really getting into it.  She definitely showed off how sassy she can be!

ATRM girls!

Savannah was cheering Cohen on!

These 2 cuties were too adorable in their outfits!  

After a quick change into their formal gowns it was back on stage.

We were so excited when Cohen won her age group and then all the winners are called back out on stage and the overall Little Miss Echo was crowned and that was Cohen!   I really got my mom trophy pulled though because I had no camera and only had my phone.  I was also sitting to the side so I wouldn't have got a great picture.  But her face is forever saved in my mind because her little mouth just fell open and she was so surprised.  It was really precious and I know she was not expecting that at all.  We were very excited for her and I was so proud of her.  One thing the overall winner received was a Cabbage Patch doll.  I had to tell Cohen that those dolls were popular when I was a little girl.  They still smell the exact same!  She loved getting that doll and getting a real birth certificate with it.  It was dressed for Halloween since the pageant was in October.  She has slept with that doll several nights this past week and has taken it along with us as much as we will let her.   It was such a fun day for her.  A big big thank you to LeAnne (Annie) for fixing her hair.  You know this Mama is not a good hair stylist.   I can do makeup but not hair.  Annie was there to make her hair beautiful and I appreciate her so much!  All the girls were really just so beautiful!

I think these 2 will definitely be a force to be reckoned with in a few years!  Already taking selfies! And so pretty inside and out!