Recent Purchases for my Matching Girls

Growing up as a sister duo, I was forced to wear a ton of matching outfits with my cool little sister. Sometimes it was awesome and other times we both kicked and screamed the entire time and hated that we matched. I'll let you take a guess which happened more often. I think it's a rite of passage to be able to match your children for as long as they will allow you to. I fully plan on letting this vicious cycle continue onto my own munchkins and I can't wait to see them in matching get ups.

Seeing Spots

Ellie is obsessed with the "puppy" movie, aka 101 Dalmations, so when I saw these outfits I had to snag them. The black leggings are sparkly and I thought they were just the cutest! How adorable will these look with boots or Mary Janes?

Puppy Set

Again, Ellie is obsessed with dogs right now so I thought this was only fitting. I like that the top is a little heavier and these leggings are also sparkly.

Snowflake Jammies

The Christmas holiday is all about matching pajamas and we are all set! It was the only set I could find that had sizes for both girls in the same fabric. I want to get a few more sets, but I love that these have all the holiday feeling while not being outright just for Christmas.

Sparkle Tee

Another holiday top that's not outright just for Christmas and would look adorbs with the sparkly leggings from the above sets.

The girls also needed some every day clothes for play and day care that I thought I'd include in this post, even though they didn't get matching sets of them.

Long Sleeve Trio

How sweet is this floral print? Carters have several different pieces that are too, too cute with this print (I especially love this set), but Emma really needed some classic long sleeves for the season so I went with this three pack set.

Skinny Jeans

These jeans are the cutest thing in the entire world on Eleanor. When I brought them home and tried them on her, Matt said she's too young to have real jeans and I needed to return them immediately. I totally agreed, but we kept them anyways and I just love how cute and old she looks in them.

Top (on clearance, similar here) // Leggings // Dress

On a mommy trip to the mall one night, I couldn't help but immediately "add to cart" when I saw these plaid looks at Old Navy. I thought they would be perfection at Christmas and a way for the girls to match, without being identical (which I actually prefer to dress them). I may have also bought myself a matching top, I'm totally that mom! I like this dress version of it, but it just didn't work for my body type and would be pretty tough to nurse in.

Cable Knit // Beanie // Plaid Set // Red Dress

Here are some more picks from Carter's that I love! The cable knit is gorgeous in person, but it just doesn't get cool enough here for the girls to wear it. Especially Emma since she's always being held, I thought she'd get too hot in it. I love all the red they have this season, I think it's perfect for the holidays (obviously) and will pair so cute with fun printed tights/leggings, and sparkly shoes and hair accessories. 

What have you been buying your littles? Do you match your kids? Did you grow up matching your siblings? 

Our Wedding Weekend

My sister's wedding was this past weekend and it was absolutely beautiful! She was a stunning bride, he a handsome groom, the day was gorgeous, the food was good, the company great, and the dance floor popping. It was a wonderful day for our family and I'll definitely share more once the pro pics are in. 

Here are a few sneak peeks though for now- all phone pics so excuse the quality, from the girls:

The chalkboard sign I made for their wedding hashtag. I'm pretty proud of myself for this, I only had chunky kid chalk, but I think it turned out great! 

It was awesome catching up with friends and family. I always love seeing everyone, we really don't get to see each other often enough. Everyone had such a great time and both girls were amazing! Eleanor was the cutest flower girl, practically running down the aisle with the biggest grin and dancing all night long. She was exhausted that night and all day Sunday from the big day. Emma was passed all around from family member to family member and never made a peep! It was such an amazing day and I wish my sister and my brother in law a life time of happiness!

Ellie's Big Sister Gift

In case you missed it.... it's baby week! I know I’ve said this so many times already, but I can’t believe how quickly this pregnancy has flown by. It seriously shocks me how fast time has flown. I was reading an article recently about how life changes when you have your second baby and one of the points that stood out to me was how quickly time goes the second time around. With Eleanor, I truly savored every minute of it. I held her constantly, I took a million pictures, I sang and talked to her, and it wasn’t perfect every day, but I really did relish in the moments. Thankfully, I was there for all of her firsts- first word, crawl, and steps (I’m 99% positive I was there for the firsts, but in the event that I wasn’t, thank you to our wonderful daycare for keeping it a secret so I could enjoy it). Having a second one coming so soon, I am absolutely thrilled and terrified at the same time. I texted my girlfriends about being in the single digits and how all of the emojis capture my feelings- I can’t wait to meet our little girl, I can’t wait to see Eleanor as a big sister, I’m scared about the adjustment to two children, of starting over with the newborn/infant stage, etc.

A few weeks ago, I posted about getting Ellie a Big Sister Gift and had such great ideas and suggestions from your comments- thank you so much. One idea was to not give it to her all at once, but one gift at a time as needed. That seems like such an obvious thing, but I hadn’t thought of it! I was just going to give it all to her at once in the hospital. We didn’t buy her a ton of items, but a few quiet activities to give her as we transition to a family of four. In the book Big Sisters are the Best, it talks about playing quiet games inside or noisy games outside so I chose items that would be great for inside when the baby is napping or I need to buy myself a few minutes of sanity.

Baby Doll and Bottles

I was going to hold off on getting her a doll because she has so many already, but I went ahead and got her another one. As a child, I loved bottles like this where the liquid disappears as the baby “drinks” it all and I know Ellie will enjoy it too. We plan on giving this to her in the hospital, that way she has her own baby to take care of while she visits.

Sticker Books

I bought her several different sticker books (Frozen from Target and the other two from the dollar store!) and I’m hoping that each book will give me about 15 minutes of activity before she moves onto the next activity. The things I can accomplish in that 15 minutes of glorious time includes; shower, do my makeup, fix my hair, pick up the house, solve world peace, I mean the possibilities are endless!

Play Doh

She loves when it’s Play-Doh time at pre-school and we don’t have any at home for her, so I’m excited for her to have something brand new for herself. I think this will be a nice quiet activity to do together.

Frozen Fan

Our Frozen obsession is still going strong and it’s super hot in CA right now, so I figured why not?

Crayons

Ellie loves to color and I love these twistables for her! They don’t break and they’re so easy to stash in my purse or diaper bag to keep her entertained while we’re on the go.

On The Night You Were Born and Madeline

Since we love reading books together, I bought her two special ones. On the Night You Were Born is such a sweet story and I can't wait to snuggle up with Ellie and read it to her. My sister and I always watched Madeline when we were little and when I saw this book I couldn't help but add it to my cart and check out! 

 

So we didn’t get her a whole ton (but more than I remembered as I bought everything separately), but enough items to make sure she knows she’s just as special to us as before and items to keep her busy when the baby needs tending. We have some planned activities for her once the baby arrives to make sure she’s getting attention from Matt and I and some outings with family. I’m really looking forward to our new addition and the transitions happening for our family.

A Big Sister Gift?

Since getting pregnant, I knew Ellie would be a great big sister, but I'm completely aware of the adjustment she's going to face when she realizes the baby stays with us forever and not just for a visit. Right now she gets all of our attention and we can meet all of her needs pretty much on demand. I know that sounds like we spoil her and we don't, but compared to how it will be when the baby arrives it's totally going to be a whole new world for her. I have some fears about not being able to pick her up when she needs or wants me to, getting the girls on the same nap schedule, finding a schedule at all that works for us, and any negative feelings Ellie will be going through as she adjusts such as jealousy.

We've been reading several big sister and baby books to her and she's obsessed with babies when we're out and her dolls at home, but just like how you can't truly prepare for parenthood, I don't think we can fully prepare her for her little sister. One idea I've been wanting to do is have a gift ready from the baby for Ellie with a note to her. I realize this isn't a new idea, my mom gave me a new dolly when my sister arrived and she said I didn't even care about the baby and just played with the doll for most of the visit. Although, there were some pretty cute pics of me holding Karli, so I obviously had the big sister thing down from the start.

I've been looking through Pinterest (follow me here!) for some ideas and I think a little activity sack with quiet time activities might be the best route for her. I want to fill it with items she loves and some new items she doesn't have. Here's what I'm thinking:

Coloring Books

Crayons

Stickers

Play-Doh

Doll Sling

Pretend Makeup

Snacks

I don't want to go too crazy, but I want her to have something special. I thought about getting her a doll like my mother did for me, but she has so many dolls and I want her to have a gift that she will enjoy. Maybe I could add a My Little Pony?

Mamas- did you have your little ones exchange gifts? What did they give each other? How did it work for your children?  What are your tips and ideas? All ideas and input are welcome!

InstaLately Link Up 16

My Sally Hansen Pacific Blue polish was and exact match to my bubble necklace! 

F21 Dress (worn as top), Old Navy Maternity Jeans, Nordstrom BP Flats 

I've been obsessed with smoothies the whole pregnancy and have been using the Yoplait Smoothie mixes and adding OJ, lemonade, kiwis, and bananas. It's so delicious! It says it's two servings, but I've been drinking it all to myself. I've found that it's about the same amount of smoothie as a regular Jamba juice cup or my plastic tumblers.

I'm so so so excited that my sorority big sis and my grand big sis and I are all pregnant together. It's been such fun news to share and our text messages are classic. I love that I have two women so close to me that I can connect to and lean on. 

This past weekend was my SIL's bach party and this was our view from our beach house, gorgeous right? 

Here's the view at sunset, so beautiful! 

One night we went bar hopping and one bar served my Shirley Temple in a pitcher, I loved it! The best part? It was non-alcoholic like a Shirley Temple is supposed to be! LOL 

I have been obsessed with kiwis now that they're in season, I'm eating a few every day. I eat mine like an apple, I swear you can't taste the skin/fur at all! Plus, the skin of a fruit has the most vitamins! 

Be sure to link up and share your IG pics! Follow me at Kristen_Lawler

Happy Birthday to my Beautiful Sister!

You're the best little sister ever and I'm glad that you're back home!

Do you have a sister?

I do!! She's one of my best friends and I love her!



Here's why:

* Neither of us can sing to save our lives, yet we sing quite loud in the car. We even have "car appropriate" dance moves
* She's a great Beer Pong partner, she ALWAYS sinks the last cup
* She's awesome at all sports, even better than some boys I know
* She can't dance, and every time I tell her she looks good dancing she replies "I'm just copying your moves" Total self-esteem boost!
* She's a hippie
* She believes in going green and is always reminding people of ways to recycle or save Mother Earth
* Although she loves horror movies (which I will NEVER watch), she's afraid of ghosts
* Her style, she always looks great and wears things she likes regardless of the trend or opinion, which I admire
* She's a bad ass
* She's my sister (duh) and although she's my little sister, I look up to her. She has a kind heart, a great smile, knows how to have a good time, and like me, knows tons of useless facts.
* I love you Sister!!