Even though the Independence Day holiday is a few days away, there have been various fireworks displays several times around here in during the last week. Amazingly, none of them have woken Tate, even the ones at the park a block away! The poor guy won’t know that fireworks exist for at least another year, as dusk is waaay past his bedtime. 

Are you going to be celebrating the 4th of July with a new baby? Look at these cute return address labels and envelope seals for your birth announcements! They’d also be great for shower invitations or thank you notes.

In case you missed the earlier post about them, you can see the birth announcements for July 4th babies online too.

How are you and your family celebrating this weekend? Parades? Picnics? Fireworks?

I’m so grateful for my husband, and what a wonderful father he is to our son! In every season of the year, and in every season of Tate’s life, Dad plays special roles…

His protector:

His helper:

His buddy:

His example (you’re never too young to learn how to pull weeds!):

Thanks for all that you do for us! Happy Father’s Day!

How did you celebrate Father’s Day today?

I just bought matching flag t-shirts for the three of us at Old Navy (men’s are 50% off right now – just $2.50!). So even though we’re not even halfway through June, I’m in the mood to talk about 4th of July birth announcements…

Yes, I can appreciate the irony in celebrating independence when a new baby’s arrival means less of it, at least for awhile. Don’t worry- they’re well worth it!

If your little one is due in early July, any of these announcements would be perfect. Check out all the styles online. Remember too, that the colors can be changed on any birth announcement on our site. So if you find another design that you like, it could be customized with red, white and blue for a non-traditional 4th of July look.

 Loading ...

Happy Mother’s Day! If you’re expecting or if you welcomed a new baby into your family this past year, Sunday was no doubt an extra-special day.

Three of my friends had babies in April- welcome Lucy, Stellan and Eliana! It’s always so fun to hear the news of a birth and to see those first baby photos. If you’re getting ready to make just such an announcement, here are some fun options.

Keep in mind that any design can be modified to match your baby’s outfit, your favorite colors, or whatever you want. Learn more about the Design Studio options and see some customized examples here.

Did you have a unique Mother’s Day celebration this year? What’s your favorite Mother’s Day memory?

I know it’s a little late for this, but we’ve been sick, teething (molars!) and out of town, so I’m still catching up…

Plus, if you just had an Easter baby, chances are good that ordering birth announcements has fallen somewhere behind feedings, diapers and sleep on your to-do list! So here they are, direct from MagnetStreet Baby, the sweetest Easter birth announcements around…

Now bunnies and chocolate are all well and good, but I’d like to close this with a wonderful post about the real meaning of Easter. It’s written by MckMama, and I couldn’t really say it any better myself. If you’ve been hiding under a rock and haven’t seen the “praying for Stellan” or “Not Me Monday” buttons around the mommy blogosphere, check out My Charming Kids to learn more.

Hope Easter weekend was meaningful and special for you and your family! Did you do anything different this year from the past? What are your Easter traditions?

My husband and I agreed that we would not find out the gender of our baby ahead of time. Oddly enough, we had this discussion a few hours before getting engaged, which was a few years before getting pregnant. If you made the same decision (to be surprised about whether it’s a boy or girl, not whether to discuss it before getting engaged), you’ll know that you get quite a few green things at baby showers. Luckily for me, green is my favorite color!

At the same time, if you know what you’re having, but your due date is somewhere around March 17, then you may be receiving lots of green anyway!

These St. Patrick’s Day birth announcements will show off your little lad or lassie in sweet Irish style. And I know there are some of you that aren’t expecting a St. Patty’s baby, but will take any opportunity to declare your Irish heritage.

Either way, these announcements are so cute! There are more ways to “go green” online at MagnetStreet Baby.

Photo Courtesy:
Ja-nelle

 Loading ...

My brother is a 6′ 6″ former football player, but don’t think that stops people from saying “awww, that’s so sweet” or even “you have a heart-shaped face!” when they hear that his birthday is on Valentine’s Day.

So to all of you expecting parents out there, my advice is “Embrace the Holiday-Birthday”! This doesn’t mean giving combo gifts to babies born on December 23, or making an October 31 kid skip trick-or-treating for birthday dinner with the family. But have some fun with it…

These holiday-themed birth announcements are a great way to start. Even if your little one isn’t born right on the holiday, you can still join in on the celebration. Thanks to the Pyle and Luma families for sharing their finished birth announcements with us. These are two adorable babies!

If you know that your due date is near a holiday, start browsing now. Or share this post with a friend or family member who’s expecting. Use this code to receive a 15% discount on your holiday products: NFTN15. There are magnetic and linen birth announcements for Valentine’s Day, St. Patrick’s Day, Easter, Halloween, Thanksgiving, Hanukkah, and Christmas. Are we missing your holiday? (I don’t see any Arbor Day announcements, for instance.) Let me know in the comments section, and I’ll pass the word on to our designers.

Happy Holi-Birthdays!

Photo Courtesy:
electricinca
David & Erin Pyle
Jennifer Luma, Sayreville NJ

Last year, my husband and I brought our new baby home from the hospital on Valentine’s Day. A pretty good way to celebrate love, I’d say! Is your due date fast approaching, or do you know someone whose is? There are adorable new Valentine-themed birth announcements that you have to see. Here’s a sneak peek:

Even if your baby isn’t brand new, consider this: One of my good friends sent out valentines to family and friends last year, instead of Christmas cards. What a great idea! Everyone loves getting a valentine, and I’m sure it was easier for her to pull together a photo and letter in January/February than in the midst of all the other holiday activities of December. Dress the family in red, snap a great shot, and share the love!

Okay, the holidays are behind you, at least the ones for which your to-do list included baking, decorating, present-buying, etc. In the midst of everything else, the holiday cards didn’t get ordered. No worries- with all of that family time during the past week, you probably have at least one great new photo to share! Plus, cards sent out in January will get the full attention of their recipients!  

Here are some great designs, and there are lots more online. Choose from magnet or linen cardstock cards, single sheet or folded for the latter. Remember, you can modify the colors to match your photo or just your mood, and the greeting text too. Try something like Winter Greetings, New Year’s Greetings or just Happy 2009! You can play around with the design online features during the order process and see the changes right away on your screen, or have one of the talented MagnetStreet designers do the work for you.

Happy New Year!

 Loading ...

Even though we had various family events througout the past week, Christmas seems to have come and gone so quickly! I’m not ready for it to be over yet (partly because that means I have to pack up all the decorations), so let’s just recap the week and decide which events should become permanent family traditions…

First my good friend Angela came with Tate and me to my mom’s house for a couple of days of cookie baking. Just after I finished my post saying that my son was not having cookies for breakfast, Grandma gave Tate his first cookie breakfast. He would like to make that a holiday tradition, I’m sure! My sister was home from college along with two friends who weren’t going home over the holidays. They are international students from China and Korea, and cooked us an amazing dinner! 

Christmas Eve day was just the 3 of us. In the morning we had our holiday card-reading party over breakfast and during Tate’s first nap. The jury’s still out on whether it’s better to read all the cards at once or gradually as they arrive in the mail. All at once was fun, but it took a really long time and it kind of stretches out the fun to open a few each day.

After naptime, we all bundled up and went sledding. It was a beautiful sunny day, and so much fun! Thanks to a cozy hand-me-down snowsuit and shoe covers from his cousin, Tate had a great time playing in the snow. Weather-permitting, that tradition will definitely be carried on again.

After nap #2 (#1 for Mom and Dad), we went to the Christmas Eve service at our church. Back at home I made us a frozen pizza with red and green peppers added on top. Festive, yes. Needs to be a tradition? Probably not. Tate went down to sleep and we had Christmas cookies and cocoa while watching A Christmas Story. Love TNT’s 24-hours of viewing fun!

Christmas morning we opened stockings and Tate’s presents from us- books and a puzzle. He liked them, but frankly found the ribbon just as entertaining and kept trying to close the box instead of removing the present from within. That evening was dinner and presents at my in-laws. My favorite tradition there is singing Happy Birthday to Jesus. The cousins get to decorate the birthday cake with Granny; something Tate will enjoy in a few years.

After that party drew to a close, we drove back down to my mom’s. Tate has a cousin just 2 months younger, and they’re the first grandchildren on my side of the family. Plus, my brother and his girlfriend announced their engagement- welcome to the family, Auntie Em! This first Christmas was extra-special for all of us. The “gift of time” exchange was cool – I’m taking my sister-in-law out for manicures and a trip to the art museum. One brother is taking our sister to the bookstore for chess lessons; it’s always been one of his favorite games. My sister is taking another brother to make food packs for starving children, then out dancing. Sounds like lots more fun traditions are on the way…