OOTD for the Kids: What I'm Packing!

I've started packing for our upcoming family trip and put together a few outfits for the girls using my Labor Day Sales  and some recent purchases and I'm so excited! The girls have the cutest clothes and I'm so looking forward to cooler temps so they can wear these sweet looks! I also wish I had a few of them in my size too!

Labor Day Sales for the Kids!

Romper // Floral Dress // Oxfords // Fringe Booties // Tutu Dress // Skinnies

I've been loving Old Navy for the girls lately, they've had the cutest designs and prints! I'm obsessed with this romper for Emma, I want to get it in the pink too. Just about everything is on sale over there right now, with the savings taken at check out, no coupon code needed!

Our Weekend

This weekend was amazing for us. We did nothing! It was awesome not having somewhere to be or go (besides regular errands and swim class). We're always on the go, go, go, and I'm so happy to be busy with loved ones, but we've been needing a weekend just at home. The days seemed long and we napped both Saturday and Sunday (not long naps, but a quick cat nap that I'll take any day). They were long in the sense that we didn't feel like they just slipped between our fingers with a blink of an eye. We played and played with the girls, did some weeding outside, went on a Costco run, and caught up on Big Brother.

Hat // Top // Shorts (on sale!)

This hat is a lifesaver! I've been wanting a baseball hat forever and it's just one of those things for me that I don't really go out and buy, it's something that I just kind of come across. Does that make sense? Since we moved into our house, I seem to have lost all of my hats except for two- a floppy felt hat and a straw panama one. Well, I've been on the lookout for baseball cap that I like and I couldn't pass this one up. Matt and I are Dodger fans, it's a soft fabric, and it's small so it fits perfectly. I've basically lived in this exact outfit all weekend long. Here, I had just washed and blow dried my hair (just flipping it over, no time for a real blow out) and threw it on to run a few errands. I think I'll be wearing this hat all the time!

 

Suit

Ellie has been doing so great in her swim lessons! She goes just once a week for 30 minutes, but we swim a lot on the weekends with family and friends. She's been working really hard on a few skills and this past week she's moved up in her class. We're so proud of her and her accomplishments! I really look forward to every Saturday because I love watching her in the water. She's such a natural and it's so fun to see what she's learned and how far she's come from when she started.

Romper // Bonnet (c/o Little Sun Hat)

Last week I realized I never gave a full update on Emma and her broken finger, so sorry to be so late on it! Emma had her cast removed a few weeks ago and her finger is healed!! Originally, the doctor had said we would need to follow up every three months and that surgery could still be a possibility. I was worried that it wouldn't heal correctly and afraid that she would have to have surgery. When the doctors removed her cast and took new x-rays, her finger had healed so well that no follow ups will be needed! I'm so incredibly thankful! Thank you everyone for your sweet words, prayers, and thoughts. It means so much to me and the family!

Are these not the cutest bows you've ever seen? I'm just in love with them! They're from Rain & Honey Bows and the colors, prints, and shapes are just to die for. I seriously want every single one in every single color and shape. Ugh, they're so cute. 

We've lived in our house now for just over two years and it's slowly coming together. One room that is just the bane of my existence is our dining room. We've been wanting a buffet since we moved in and last weekend I finally found one! It was a total score at HomeGoods and it was so funny because when we had just bought the house I found a similar one there and by the time I decided to buy it, it was already sold! In a matter of 15 minutes or less! So this time, my mother-in-law and I guarded it with our lives until a worker came by to help us out. Now that we have it set up in the room (we finally busted out our China set from our wedding!), we just need to style it, paint the room, get a mirror, art work, a new dining table and the room will be complete! LOL. The room looks so much better though now and we finally have a direction of what we're looking for and where we want the room to go. 

Sheets // Ruffled Comforter and Pillow Set (Target, similar here)

Square Pillows (HomeGoods)

Last weekend, I took advantage of a bedding and bath sale at Target and I just love how a fresh made, clean sheet bed feels. I love these sheets because their have an extra elastic on them that keeps them from coming up on the corners- a problem we always had before! We've bought so many different brands and types of sheets (deep pocket ones for example) and these are our favorite! I love this taupe and gray print too, it looks so pretty against our headboard.

That's exactly where I am right now too- in my nice cozy bed, finishing tonight's Big Brother, with my little Ellie belly snoring next to me (thanks to a bedtime meltdown, she's in ours for the night). Hope you're ready for the work week! May your Monday go by quickly tomorrow!

Our Weekend + Recent Purchases

Happy Leap Day! What an exciting and fun day! I love leap years and consider them lucky. This weekend was super mellow, we stayed in Friday and I picked up some Mexican food and we just relaxed and caught up on some TV. Since moving, we haven't found a must-have, go-to spot for Mexican food yet. At our old place, we had this little shop around the corner had the best ceviche ever. This new place was just ok, but they accidentally gave us a carne asada burrito and it was so bomb. Bomb! So we'll definitely go back for that! Otherwise, we're still on the hunt for a place.

Bikini so Teeny, Fiji, Topless and Barefoot, Go Ginza, Lilacism, Ballet Slippers, Pink Parka, Blossom Dandy

Saturday morning I went for a mani and pedi with a girlfriend. We met up at Target for a little bit of shopping and then went out for our appointment. It was so nice to relax and catch up on some gossip and girl talk. I went in with my own colors, but we both ended up doing a China Glaze shade on our toes. It's funny because I've had this color on my Amazon list forever and when I saw it in person I immediately bought it.

Fingers: Lilacism // Toes: Too Yacht To Handle

On my way home, I picked up a movie for Ellie. I really wanted The Good Dinosaur, but it was out everywhere! Instead we got Hotel Transylvania 2, since she's been watching the first one. We spent the day being lazy, doing endless loads of laundry, and snuggling. It was one of very few Saturdays that we had no where to go and nothing we had to do. It was just a great day snuggling my two girls and just relaxing.

Shorts // Dress and Romper Set // Sunnies // Blue Romper
Floral Romper // Top and Short Set

I ordered some shorts for Ellie and some summer clothes for Emma a few weeks ago and have forgotten to share them. I was hoping that the Ellie's clothes would overlap more for Emma to use, but Emma's going into 9 month sizing and Ellie was that size during Christmas so almost everything of Ellie's is fleece or long sleeved. I think that's how most of the clothes are going to work. Womp womp. Ellie had so many cute clothes that she never wore or only got to wear a few times! I guess that means we'll have to have one more girl right??

Sleepsack // Jammies

On my Target run, I also picked up a Sleepsack for Emma. We've been swaddling her below her arms and needed to get a sleeveless swaddle for her. I have one like this from Ellie and I can't find it anywhere- it's driving me nuts! Especially since I just recently sorted and vacuumed sealed Ellie's previous clothes. I don't remember seeing it in the mix, but maybe I missed it? I also couldn't resist these sweet mint jammies with the mommy and baby zebras. Too cute!

Concealer // Matte Balm in Showy

Friday morning, I used the last of my Holy Grail concealer (see my HG Post to see what else I swear by) so I needed to pick one up asap. This is probably my 4th or 5th, maybe even my 6th tube of this stuff? I swear by it and wear it every single day. I've tried a lot of concealers and they don't work as well for me as this and still look natural without giving me a raccoon eye. After falling in love with Revlon's Honey, I wanted a bright shade to add and Showy is perfection!! It really stains and a swatch on my hand took forever and some makeup remover to get it all off. Another win! I posted a quick shot of it on Instagram if you'd like to see it on, but I'm sure I'll be posting about it more!

ClarityRX

So, Hyluronic Acid is a huge skincare trend right now, I first heard about it from Meg (I know you're all shocked, since most of my beauty products come from her reviews), and then I started seeing it everywhere! ClarityRX sent me this sample and after using it for just a few days, I could see such a huge difference I ordered more immediately! From their site, "This hydrator serum, made with a water-soluble formula, erases dull and dry skin, leaving you with a supple complexion." My skin is so soft, it's no wonder at all why all the beauty and skin gurus are swearing by this stuff!

We ended the weekend like we usually do, more laundry, some good food, and more snuggles. It was another nice weekend for us together. I was able to relax and get a lot done around the house. Now I'm all ready to take the week head on! I hope you all had a wonderful weekend, thank you for stopping by and reading!

My Black Friday Buys!

This year, Black Friday was a huge success! At least I think it was, I did the majority of my shopping online so I’ll be waiting to see how it goes once my items are delivered. I’m most proud of the fact that in all my Black Friday hustling years, this is the year I've shopped the least for myself. Now I definitely got myself some nice goodies, but I’m going to wait on some of what I snagged for myself and have Matt wrap it for Christmas. Most of my buys were clothing for the family, everyone really needed some cold weather items for the season. We did buy a few things for the house and a couple of gifts for the little ones in the family too. I’ve linked everything below- including a few items I picked up earlier in the week and items that were not included in the sales.

For myself:

Cocoon Sweater // Lightweight Sweater // LORAC Palette // NYX Lip Set // Pajama Bottoms and Top // Vest

For Matthew:

Henley // Sweater // Jeans // Plaid // Button Down

The Little Ladies:

Gray Set // White Hoodie Set // Pink Hoodie Set // Jumper

Peplum Top // Hooded Zip Sweater // Sweater Dress

Toys:

Disney Magiclip Princess // Play-doh // Lego Dimensions // Kitchen // Bow and Arrow

Doll // Matching Game // Book // Octoplush // Textured Balls

For the House:

Wood Frame // Silver Frame // Appetizer Dish // Pastry Board

Phew! Such great stuff, I really hope everything is just as awesome in person as it was online! I did end up going out around 9pm on Thursday night to get the few things that weren't available to buy online or were sold out. The shops were nearly dead!! I didn't wait in line to check out at Target or Toys R Us and it was so weird. I really love to shop Black Friday, but part of the joy for me is waking up in the middle of the night and being a zombie with my family and girlfriends. I'm really glad that this year so many places had deals that went all week- it was nice to shop without any crowds.

Did you do some shopping? What did you get?

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? 

Baby #2 Faves

One of the best things about having a child after your first, is that you know what you're doing (for the most part, I mean you kid is still alive and well taken care of right?). You also know what you like and what you didn't. Granted, every child is different and may prefer one paci or bottle over another, but you can navigate the aisles of any baby store like a pro to find what will work.

Most of what we used with Eleanor has been working with us, we purchased a few of the same things that needed to be replaced or bought the updated versions of them. That's another plus for the 2+ child is that you own most of the baby items you need!

Rock and Play : Ours is one of the OG styles and is no longer available, but now there's so many options and patterns to choose from! Ours is in perfect condition, but I would love the one I linked to that rocks itself, how magical is that? Me and all my mommy friends all swear by this and it's the first thing I tell new mommies they need to get. When checking out of the hospital with Emma, the baby doctor came by and had a picture of a Rock and Play and said that if we didn't already have one to stop on the way home to pick one up! I'm telling you, they're a must-have!

Zip Swaddler // Velcro Swaddler: We love swaddles for sleeping, both naps and overnight. I prefer these swaddles that make it super easy for me and hard for the baby to escape. We don't really have a preference for one over the other, the biggest differences is the zip is pretty tight whereas the velcro has some more wiggle room for Emma. The zip swaddle will be great when we start to transition out of swaddling since it opens on each side to let an arm out (I'll have to get a larger size when Emma is ready for that). She is actually outgrowing these right now and I'm going to pick up the next size this week for her.

Swaddling Blankets (first two, the next four, last three): One can never have enough blankets! I love them and went a bit overboard with Emma. We use them at home, when we're out, as a nursing cover, to throw over the carseat, to lay down for playtime, etc. There's so many uses and Ellie still uses hers all the time- for her babies, as a lightweight blanket for herself in the summer, and in the car. The top two blankets aren't as big, but the fabric is thicker. I like that they're a heavier fabric for cooler days and make a good transition blanket for the season. I also prefer my blankets to be large, over 40 inches each way.

Boppy (I have this and this slipcover): Anytime I nurse at home I use the Boppy. It's just the most comfortable way for me to nurse and it was the same with Eleanor too. I also brought it with me to the hospital for both babies, it was great for me to use and for visitors who wanted to hold the babies.

K'Tan: With Eleanor, I tried several carriers before finding this gem. It's super easy to use, I can put it on really quickly and by myself. With Ellie I used it mostly because it kept her calm and my hands free, but with Emma it's a whole new ball game. This is the only way we can go shopping! I put Ellie in the shopping cart and wear Emma at every store. It makes errand running so much easier! I'm thinking about picking up the breeze version too.

These are my tried and true favorites that worked for both our babies. I swear by these products and have been so happy with my experiences with them. It's only been two years since my first baby and so many of these items have been updated with new features, colors, or prints. I thought about getting some new items just for the updates, but I'd rather just save that money for college...or headbands.

What are your favorite baby items? What worked best for your growing family?

Family Photo OOTD Info

When I posted our Family Photos, I forgot to include where everything is from (I've since updated the post) and wanted to do a post about the items specifically. Blame lack of sleep. I absolutely love our pictures and I only shared a handful of them. Now I just need to decide which ones to print out and buy a million frames and put them all over our house now.

Finding outfits for family pictures that are all cohesive and go with where you're shooting at can be so difficult. Luckily, we already owned everything we wore- score! I did buy my top with the intention of our pics though. We also almost always incorporate blue and gray into every.single.session. I swear it's not on purpose, but it's so easy to shop for, looks good on everyone, and photographs easily. In 10 years we'll look back on our pictures and realize that we always wore variations of the same things. Why fix it if it's not broken?

Me: Top from Coco and Main through Jane // Jeans

Eleanor: Top (from Target, no longer available, similar here) // Shorts // Bow

Matt: Top (TJ Maxx) // Jeans

Emma: Swaddle // Bow

Emma:  Headband (c/o Willow Crowns) // Swaddle from So Chic Boutique thru Jane

Emma: Headband and Bloomers are both from Jane, two years ago

Emma: Swaddle // Bow

Book

Sheets // Blanket

What's On My Baby 2 Wish List

The nesting period is upon us, I've been making lists and checking them off and racking my brain about what we need and don't need for #2's arrival. Luckily, we have a ton of great stuff from Eleanor that we can use for our next little one (and any little ones after that!). A few weeks ago we went through the garage to kind of gather stuff up and all of it is still in pristine condition, even all of her newborn and 0-3 clothes. I didn't check the older sizing of clothes yet, but Ellie didn't really start playing hard and staining stuff until recently now that she's older and on the run. I've been trying to put together a list of items we would need for the second baby and have asked some of my mama friends what they needed and here's the list I have so far.

Take Home Outfit- Every baby needs a take home outfit that you put away for years and years to give them when they have their own children. I have all of Ellie's items, including her hospital bracelets, in a vaccuumed ziplock for her and will do the same for this little girl. I absolutely love this outfit, I fell in love with it the moment I saw it. I found it half off last week and scooped it up in a hot second.

Blankets- I obviously had to buy the matching blanket set for the outfit too. It was a given.

Stuffed Animal- One of the first things I bought for Ellie was a soft, adorable bunny and I wanted to get Little 2 one as well. We used the stuffed animal for maternity pictures, and for monthly updates to show how fast Ellie had grown in comparison. She loves her bunny and we keep it in her room and I know it will be something we have forever. Matt has a couple of stuffed animals his mother kept and I think it's so precious to have something that was so important to you as a child. I just bought this one last week and I can't wait for it to come in!

Book- I love and collect so many books for the girls. When I had Ellie I brought a BabyLit Alice in Wonderland book as a guest book for our visitors to sign and it's one of my favorite mementos. I plan to do it again and always tell expectant mothers to bring something for guests to sign and write notes. I'm gonna stick with the BabyLit books and love this Secret Garden for our little girl.

Headbands and Bows- Baby girls needs a ton of headbands and bows, duh. You can never have too many! We have a ton of sets from Ellie, but I can't resist this adorable Grow With Me Set from Willow Crowns. Ellie and I already have the bottom lace one and now we can all be triplets when we wear them together!

Muslin Blankets- These are the best blankets ever, just muslin blankets in general, we used several brands with Ellie. They're perfect all year and now Ellie uses hers all the time for herself or her dolls. I love the colors and prints in this set, still feminine, but not pink. We have so much pink stuff, and I love it, but I want to incorporate some more color for both my girls. I've seen this set at BRU, but they don't have it online. Even though I had Ellie just two years ago, so many new prints and sets have come out!

Diaper Genie- In theory, I would love to have Ellie potty trained before the baby comes, but I'm not sure if we will. Plus, her diaper pail is broken and we would need a new one anyways. We have one by Munchkin and want to pick this one up instead, it seems to be a better one than ours after using it at a friend's home.

Sound Machine- Ellie still uses hers, mostly for a nightlight now, but if we have people over we put the white noise on to help block out sounds and keep a constant noise for her to sleep better. I like that this one has a timer so it's not on all night, which is a nice feature and it also has images it can project onto the ceiling which could be cool.

Double Stroller- This has been one thing that I haven't looked too much into because I'm dreading it. Two of my mama friends said to get a jogger because it's more lightweight and easier to push/use and I believe them! I used one for a walk we did in April and it was like pushing air on a dirt path. Matt and I are going to look for one soon. I linked to this one because it fits the carseat we have so I wouldn't have to wake the baby transitioning her from car to stroller and such.

Tote Bag- We have a monogrammed bag we use all.the.time for Ellie and I want to get another one for this little babe. I love that this tote comes in different sizes and strap lengths and I'm really digging the lavender shade. I also love anything that can be monogrammed of course. My favorite part is that it zips! Woohoo!

Those are my top ten items for baby 2, I'm sure I'm missing something so please help! Let me know what you guys used/needed with your second babies and what strollers you like best.What has been the biggest life saver when your additional children arrived? Thanks for any tips, tricks, and ideas!

Pic Dump

Here's another post from pics that never made it to the internets, I take them to share with friends and family and some are taken totally for IG purposes, but they were never posted. So today is their day! I'm sure they're all so excited to see the light.

The view from above the bump
Shorts // Sandals // Sunglasses // Polish

I know that children and babies grow every minute, but some days and moments Ellie looks so big to me. When she curls up on the couch with her dolls, when she's telling me about her day, or when she hugs me and gives me pats on the back like I do to her. This moment of her on her belly coloring with her legs crossed just killed me. Why does time go by so quickly?

Shirt // Shorts
Eleanor is so girly and I absolutely love it. I don't know if she'll always be so girly, but I'm reveling in it now. She's obsessed with my makeup and loves to put some on when I'm getting ready.

This kimono is everything. So easy to wear and super comfortable.

Ellie got a little update to her room, the LOVE and bun frames are from Hobby Lobby, the E is from Home Goods, and the mirror is from Kirklands (same one here). We just added the two prints to the wall and the rest we already had in her room. Next up for her is a big girl bed. I'm glad that her nursery wasn't too baby and that it will be an easy to transition as she gets older and her tastes and needs change.

We went on a date with my girlfriend and her son to Chick-Fil-A for the first time and we really enjoyed it! I don't know why we haven't eaten there sooner! The ice cream was a big hit and I'm lucky she wanted to share it with me.

I love this polish shade! It's Sinful Colors Tempest.

The weekend is almost here! I hope the rest of the week goes quickly!

Recent Purchases for Ellie

Today I'm sharing a few purchases for Ellie, I bought several items from their big President's Sale (see my picks here) but I have a few things from other stores I picked up. I love shopping for little girls, they are so much fun! Right now she's in a 3T and I swear it's so hard to find that size, it seems like it's always sold out in stores. It also makes me sad that she's in toddler sizes and not baby ones anymore.

Floral Dress

My grandma and I went shopping and made a stop to Old Navy and I had to pick up this bright floral dress for Ellie. I love her in lots of different colors, but she really looks great in bright ones (my favorite is blue and yellow on her). I think I'm going to save this dress for Easter, but there's so many gorgeous spring dresses out I might change my mind. It's also a bit casual, so we'll see as the holiday approaches.

Chambray Hat

This adorable hat is also from that same shopping trip and it looks so cute on! They had a really cute straw hat I wanted for her, but they didn't have her size and I haven't been able to find it online.

Multi-colored Sandals

When Carter's had their big sale (see my picks here), I ordered two pairs of shoes for Ellie, but they were both too small. Anytime I order shoes in the future for her, I'm going to order two sizes and just return the ones that don't fit.  I was kind of kicking myself in the butt for not doing that in first place when I know better. They didn't have the same ones we ordered in-store, but we found these bright ones and Ellie flipped over them. I think I'll just order the other pairs again online. LOL

Rash Guard Swim Set
I saw this swimsuit at Target and snagged it almost immediately. I love the colors and it's nice that there's extra coverage for Ellie's fair skin. I've seen so many adorable suits this year, it's been hard not to buy each and every one I see! I'm also eyeing this one and another fringe one I saw in-store at Carters, but haven't seen online.

Polka-Dot Flip-Flops

I found these adorable flip-flops online and they match the suit so perfectly, but they're sold out online! Gotta find them somewhere in store- which I'm sure will never happen, but I'll try anyways. 

One more day until the weekend! Hope your week is going swimmingly :)