They picked well this year! To be honest, they selected their costumes back in August because they were so excited. We have been counting down to this day! The big sisters also had the privilege of selecting Kensie and Kingston’s costumes, and we are obsessed! I am not sure Kingston loves his 1st Halloween costume… but he looks HOT! HAHA!
They picked well this year! We decided to let the girls select costumes that made them happy! So we jumped on Amazon/Target online and let the girls browse and pick what stood out to them. As an added bonus we let the big sisters select Kensie’s costume, and I am pretty sure she is not thrilled about the head piece. HaHa – The life of the littlest sister!
Where has the time gone? How can my littlest baby girl already be a 1 year old? Thanks to the help of Instagram and #hastags … I was able to keep a month-by-month milestone keepsake for Kensie, which can be found at #KensiesStickerPhotos. It is so special to look back at all of my sweet messages to her and all of her adorable Monthly Sticker Photos, to see how much she has grown in her first twelve months of life.
Yet again, this year I decided to let the girls pick costumes that resemble their personalities. My girls are the epitome of opposites, one is a perfectionist that likes pretty and sparkly things and the other likes to be goofy and silly most of the time. So their costume choices this year did not come as a surprise to me.
Our third little girl has joined the family our life has been nonstop ever since! Newborns love attention and want to be held and loved on ALL.THE.TIME. While this time is precious for me, it can be hard to do with two other kiddos running around the house. So my “to-do” list has become more of a “if I can get to it” list. One item on my list that kept getting pushed off was making Kensie’s birth announcements. We had beautiful pictures taken by the fabulous La Brisa Photography. The edited images were back in a jiffy and just waiting for me to make the announcement. In my mind, I thought it would be such a daunting, time consuming task. Which is ridiculous because with Shutterfly, it is such a quick, easy and painless creation! I should have made them sooner.
This post was in collaboration with Shutterfly. (#partner) I received some of these items in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are 100% my own. #MyShutterfly
Shutterfly is so easy to use and their quality and results are fabulous. I am a big fan! I was able to upload my beautiful newborn photos and create a photo card masterpiece in minutes. I was beyond thrilled with their card styles and options, that I actually found it hard to pick a favorite. I decided this time around to do something different and I created two cards to alleviate the pressure of choosing just one. I love that Shutterfly offers the opportunity to make each card your own, with the choice of card layouts, colors and fonts… It really is your own presonalized creation.
I made one card in a tri-fold/multi-sided style to give to my family members that want cuteness overload, and a more traditional 2-sided 6×8 photo card for our friends. Both birth announcements turned out fabulous and we couldn’t be more pleased!
: SHUTTERFLY BIRTH ANNOUNCEMENTS :
I don’t know about you, but mornings can be extremely hectic around our house! Now that my oldest daughter is in kindergarten, and a new baby is right around the corner, it’s time she steps up her “help mom out” game a bit more to help manage that chaos of our life! We just started Spring Break and I figured it was the perfect time for her to own a bit more responsibility around the house.
As a momma on the go, our days can be pretty unpredictable, so I decided to use a morning sticker chart to give her a routine. The goal is that she would choose to help out without always being asked or told to do so. Now that she is learning to read, responds well to positive affirmation and loves rewards, a sticker chart was the perfect option for us!
With baby #3 on the way, I am hoping that after 2 weeks of Spring Break, she will have her morning routine down and can carry it on into the rest of the school year, and hopefully create a sense of willingness to be a big helper for me when I’m busy with baby. My other secret goal is that our 3 year old will see her big sister earning stickers and want to join in on the fun too! WINS all around – A mom can dream! (I will keep you posted on the success of this secret goal!)
I created this sticker chart with just a few of the morning tasks that happen every day in our home. These are tasks that she can finish on her own, and she should be able to succeed in and be proud of! As she grows and matures over time, this sticker chart will look a little different. I also left a few bonus spots on the chart to add fun twists to her normal routine… Gotta keep her on her toes! I will keep a folder for her to save her finished charts in, so she can look back on all of the good that she accomplished/stickers received (insert visual affirmation) and if she makes it through each full chart for a whole week I will have a small prize waiting for her at the end (i.e.- new book, markers, candy, etc).
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #HostUltimateTailgate #CollectiveBias
Looking for the coolest dessert to serve for your upcoming summer BBQ or Memorial Day gathering? A dessert that can feed a large group and have your guests begging for more? This simple recipe covers all of those desires, it is easy to make and only requires a few delicious ingredients! And it combines some of what I consider to be dessert staples; cake, ice cream, chocolate and strawberries! What more could you ask for?
This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #BlueLizardSummer #CollectiveBias
Now that Arizona has hit the triple digits, splash pad season is upon us. With the amount of time we spend outside and as an Arizona mama of two fair skinned girls, that means we need to take sun protection seriously. One way I do so is always being prepared, and since we are always on the go, I like to keep a splash pad essential bag in my car at all times. This keeps us ready for any adventure that comes our way! I have found that there are a few essential items to have in your bag to keep you SUN-ready, but there is one that you can’t leave home without… Blue Lizard® Australian Sunscreen Baby!
I love having greenery in my home, there is something so refreshing about greenery. I will admit that I do not have much of a green thumb so I am always on the lookout for authentic looking plants and decor without the hassle of keeping a real plant alive. One greenery item that I absolutely adore is the preserved boxwood leaves, especially as wreaths. They look good all the time and they are fun to use as statement decor pieces.
This DIY project came to life when I fell in love with the 11″ Smith & Hawken™ preserved boxwood leaves wreath at Target because it is fabulous! The color is a rich green, it comes with a woven hanger and it looks so real! It inspired me to get creative and do a little DIYing!
I have been wanting to add a fun wreath to my eat-in breakfast nook in my kitchen and this wreath was perfect to work with. So I picked up my wreath and ran over to Michaels to select a roll of ribbon… and got crafty.
