Friday Favorites: Books

I have been MIA for a while now. It's been a busy year around here! Eden is almost 1 now and I have been teaching a little preschool group in my home. I have loved it so much! As I research the topics I'm going to teach, I always try to find a few books to go along with the themes and we've found quite a few new ones that we love, so I thought I would share.

McKinlee is just beginning to learn to read. We've been working on letter sounds and sight words, but she loves being read to as well. Some of her favorites are The Grizzly Bear Who Lost His Grrrr!, Max and Marla, Let's Play, The Cow Loves Cookies, and Narwhal.

Addie LOVES books. She doesn't have the patience to sit through a long one before flipping to the next page, but she has loved these 3 books for a while now and doesn't get tired of them. Look and Tell Fairy Tales- this one both of my big girls love. It let's the kids follow along with pictures and tell the story with you. Little Friends Big Adventure, and The Three Little Pigs.

Here are a few favorites for the infant/young toddler stage: Peekaboo! in the Jungle, A Book of Babies, and Moo, Baa, La La La! -I love Sandra Boynton books!

A few of these books came in our Bookroo box this past month. I seriously love this subscription box- books that are not well known, all individually wrapped like a present for your kids to open. You can choose board books or hardback depending on age, and the price of the subscription is less than the retail price of the books! I love expanding our library and having a package for the girls to open was very exciting for them. 

If you have any other favorites for these age ranges let me know!

Baby Photos and Chubby Toddler Legs

I just have to share some of the amazing newborn lifestyle photos my amazing friend took a couple months. She lives an hour and a half away, but was so nice to come and visit us. I haven't seen her since she took McKinlee's newborns 4 years ago, so it was fun to catch up. I really wanted a light airy lifestyle session because with 3 kids 3 and under I needed easy. I wanted to capture the happy and fun of our day to day, and that's exactly what we got. I am so happy with all of them!

Haley put a few more in her blog post and you can see them here. Eden is already 3 months old now and she's changed so much! I am so happy we decided to get these pictures to freeze that short time in our lives.

Mommy Style Monday: Day at the Park

With summer finally here, my girls and I have been enjoying the sunshine. It gets pretty hot and humid here in Minnesota, so I try and plan activities accordingly. We love the splash pad (for at least the first 10 minutes), but McKinlee would much rather be at the park. We try and get out 3 or 4 times a week to explore different parks. To make it easier on me, we pack McKinlee's backpack with our essentials instead of my huge diaper bag. I always keep diapers and wipes in the car and pack the backpack with snacks, water bottles, and some milk for Addie. We also keep sand toys in the back of our car so we're ready to party at any given moment. -That sounded really dorky when I read it back, but that's just the stage of life I'm in! I'm embracing it.

I tend to wear comfortable clothes at the park. Shorts are a must in this heat and flip flops (these are my favorite) or sandals are perfect for the sandy parks we like to play at. For McKinlee, I LOVE these shoes! I want to get them in every size for both girls. They're like sandals, but way easier for her to put on by herself. Seriously order some today. They will change your life (Plus they're 40% off today with code JUNE40). I also love the biker shorts from Target and Old Navy's Mix & Match Tee's.  

As always, I love doing these link ups with other bloggers to see their choices. You can check out the other ladies below to see how they get ready for the park with their littles.

Kiana at Glitter & Donuts

Madeline at CaseyLand
Jen at Jam Tart Boutique

Monica at It's All About
Samantha at The Samantha Show
Jessica at Mason Jars and Lemon Bars

If you're a blogger and would like to be apart of this series, go to Kiana or Madeline's blog to sign up for the next Mommy Style Monday post.

Have a great Bachelorette Monday!!

Currently

So our summer has been off to a good start! It's been super hot, and now we've hit the cool down. I've been trying to do something fun with the girls everyday and I think it's keeping us all happy. If you have tips on summer activities with toddlers I'd love to hear them!

I wanted to put together a little list of what we're up to lately, so here it is:

Eating:
Garlic Butter Asparagus Pasta - We tried this last week and it was pretty delicious. I've never had good luck with asparagus, but this recipe worked and it tasted delicious. My girls even ate the Orzo. We will definitely make it again.

Watching:
My girls have been OBSESSED with Zootopia since it came out last week. We had a family movie night complete with blankets and pillows and popcorn with chocolate chips! We have probably watched at least parts of it everyday since.
As for what I'M watching- nothing. I need something. I got into Gilmore Girls a little, but the sarcasm is just too much for me sometimes. I'm happily taking suggestions.

Reading:
The Life-Changing Magic of Tidying Up: The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing - This book is amazing! I only got to read the first 60 pages or so before I had to return it to the library because of the wait list. I loved it and was so inspired by it. Since we're already packing to move across the country, I figured this was as good a time as any to get rid of so much of our clutter. Everyday I get rid of a bag or two of stuff I feel the weight lift off my shoulders. It's a freeing feeling. I definitely recommend this book!

Doing:
Packing... I've been slowly trying to pack here and there because after the bar, Stafford is coming back by himself to pack up the house and the truck, so I'd like to get as much of the apartment done as possible before we leave. This means starting early. Sadly the decorations were the easiest, so now our walls are bare and boxes are piling up. We may have to move Addie into McKinlee's room by the end of it so we can have one whole room devoted to boxes. Bleh.

I have to say- these girls are pretty fun despite the number of times I have to tell them to get off of each other ;)

How We Wore It: Summer Skirt

Hi friends! 

This week I was able to collaborate with a few other bloggers to do a "How We Wore It" post. The inspiration was this cute look from Elevate Everyday.

I love the casual chambray top tied up with the pretty soft textured skirt. I immediately thought of a few pieces I had in my closet that I could use to imitate this look. I went with a plain white top with my go to jean jacket and a muted pink skirt.

Of course McKinlee had to get in on the action too. She seriously LOVED doing this. Not so much the actual holding still part, but the getting dressed up and the before and after part.

And then I told her to give us a no smile model face and this is what we got. She cracks me up! When we took these pictures, I packed a change of clothes so she could play on the playground afterward. When we went to the playground today, she grabbed her sparkly shoes for our "shoot." I had to explain to her that we weren't taking pictures today and that was a special one time thing.

Jean Jacket: Similar here Skirt: Similar here, here, and here | Shoes: Target last year, but similar here 

McKinlee- Dress: Old Navy  

We had a lot of fun getting outside and posing for daddy. It quickly turned to a flower picking session, and then a stick finding mission. -Busy busy toddler! Now if you want to see how the other girls wore this look check them out below and if you're interested in being a part of next month's "How We Wore It", go here. Thanks for reading!

Deidre at Deidre Emme

Emily at Emmy Jake
Brooke at Silver Lining
Suerra at Sierra's View
Justine at Little Dove
Kiana at Glitter & Donuts
Amber at amber nicole blogs
Tayler at The Morrell Tale
Patricia at haifisch
Emma at Ever Emma
Bekah at These Are The Days
Jenn at GiveThisGirlCoffee
Shelbie at R+S Brereton
Nellwyn at The Cardinal Press
Ruth at My Little Nest

C o u n t d o w n

I currently feel like we are in countdown mode over here until finals are over.. until graduation... until Stafford takes the bar... etc, etc. It's just a constant countdown to the next big thing in our life. Don't worry- we're still enjoying today, but it's exciting to know that the future we've been dreaming of for the past 5 years is finally within reaching distance! So here is another countdown:

7  loads of laundry washed, folded and put away yesterday. I'm a "do it all in one day" laundry person, but as I sit and look at the piles on the couch to fold I rethink that method... Every. Single. Time. At least I have this cutie to play with while I fold.

6  The number of hours I slept last night thanks to a nightmare. Stafford has also been leaving early to teach a high school class this week for one of his classes, so the girls have been getting up to say goodbye (McKinlee literally asks for him every morning first thing. I'm chopped liver).

5  The number of times McKinlee called for me to wipe her bum today even though she's been wiping herself for a couple of months now.. WHY???

4  episodes of The Office that I watched while writing this post and the girls were sleeping. And I literally laugh out loud (quietly) during every one.

3  months until Stafford takes the bar! We have literally been preparing for this since getting into law school three years ago. Stafford started studying for it a few weeks ago and will continue studying everyday (minus the weekends) until he takes it. I'm proud of him and really excited for the whole process to be over already.

2  handfuls of chocolate covered pretzel thins I had during nap time today. These are seriously my favorite right now and Costco has them on sale through May 1st! They are to die for.

1  day until daddy's done with school classes for life!! Woo hoo! I can't believe we got through 7 years of school together. I'm so proud of that man. I can't wait to watch him graduate next month and for us to start working in Washington!!! Yes, Stafford got a job in Washington and will start after we get the bar results back in September (nerve racking!!).

Life has been great and it's been one of those weeks where I feel pretty on top of everything. I attribute that to my ability to say no to a lot of the extras right now. haha. But still.

Spring Dresses + Ice Cream

Is it Spring where you live? Because Minnesota is a little late to the party I think. We've been in the 30's for a while, but this week we should be seeing some sun shine and I cannot wait! Despite the clouds, we ventured out to get our free Ben & Jerry's cone today with some friends and wander through a couple shops. McKinlee managed to keep all the ice-cream on her face, hands and coat, so I feel like that's a win. Addie is in the social stage and loved crawling around the grass with her little friend. Play dates that include ice cream and shopping make my heart happy. No matter how much effort it is. -But really McKinlee is getting a lot more laid back and will sit in the stroller for a bit on our outings now which makes things SO much easier! Now that I have Addie to compare (I really don't like that word, but I don't know how else to say that), I can see how McKinlee is active and busy, whereas Addie is much more relaxed and independent. It's fun to see the differences and similarities between them even though they're being raised in the same home. 

Despite our lack of Spring weather, I thought I would share what I plan on the girls wearing all season long...  DRESSES! At the end of last summer, we discovered the magic of play dresses and I plan on putting that knowledge to use this year. It's so easy for her to put on and she only needs to choose out one piece of clothing! If your littles are anything like mine they are busy bodies and they tend to go through at least 2 outfits a day. These are a great solution to the piles of laundry that creates! We are big fans of Old Navy dresses because they're good quality, but you can also find a great sale. The ones below are all under $10! Most of them are on sale right now too, so go stock up quick!

And here are a few that could be worn to church or other events and they are in the $10-$20 range.

I hope Spring finds you where ever you are. Thanks for reading!

5 Things I Love About Giving Birth at the Hospital

Anytime I think about giving birth, or having another baby my mind goes straight to those hours and days right after baby comes. I have said it before and I'll say it again, I love giving birth. Of course I use an epidural, so maybe that helps, but I love it. If you are nervous at all about giving a birth, you can find my birth stories here and here to get an idea of what my experiences have been. I also wanted to share a few of the positives of giving birth at a hospital.. just to ease your mind!

1. You are fully taken care of. Medications, meals, water refills... Those wonderful nurses take care of you. They time everything so you don't have to think about staying on top of your pain medications. My delivery nurse was my favorite with both of my girls. After giving birth the new nurses are in and out of your room, so you don't chat as much, but I am so grateful to all of the nurses that are there to take care of me at my vulnerable time.


2. The food is delicious and the meals are huge! Maybe I got lucky with my hospitals, but I liked everything they served. They'll have you choose a main course, 2 sides and a dessert! I remember thinking, "If this is what I'm supposed to be eating like while breastfeeding, I am never going to stop breastfeeding!"


3. The quiet alone time you get with your newborn. After having Addie I was excited to be home with McKinlee again, but it was nice to give our second child a little special time and enjoy those precious first days with a few of our regular responsibilities off of our plate. We were able to stay at the hospital for 2 days after each baby. I had heard from a lot of moms that they just want to get home and start normal life. I felt that a little bit, but I am so glad my Dr. had us stay. If you couldn't tell, I'm a fan of the help at the hospital.


4. Your mess is taken care of. There is a lot of bleeding after giving birth, and it's nice that you don't have to deal with cleaning it all up AND taking care of a brand new baby. I like to stay in a hospital gown for the first day. It's nice to not have to worry about getting anything on my clothes. By the second day I feel a lot better and I like to get dressed.


5. You have professional help if baby has any problems. With Addie I only pushed for 20 minutes. Later in the day she kept gagging and had a little blood in her spit up. We told our nurse and the doctor about it and he had them pump her stomach. He said that she had just swallowed a bit of amniotic fluid. After the short procedure she was great. I was so glad to have a dr. there to help ease our minds.

So yes I loved my stay at the hospital, but fair warning- Stafford did not. He wanted to go home so he could get a comfortable night's rest. The poor husbands are stuck on a pull out couch or laying down chair of some sort, so I had my mom come and keep me company for a few hours while Stafford went home to nap and shower. What was your experience like? Am I crazy? I know there are always horror stories out there, but I try to look for the good. Happy Friday! YAY!

Park Dates + Cake Pops

It hit above 60 this week, so we ventured to my favorite park to enjoy the warm weather. There are a few lakes here that remind me of the Oregon Coast when it's breezy and overcast (I prefer Hawaii beaches, but home is home) and this is one of those lakes. Before heading to the park we stopped at Starbucks for a treat. If you haven't tried their double chocolatey chip frappucino you're missing out- no coffee, pretty much a milkshake, and totally delicious. I also got a cake pop for McKinlee to try, but she wasn't a fan. Isn't it the worst when you're trying to be a fun mom with surprises and your kids don't like them at all? haha. I have a feeling this is just the beginning of that.

Addie would swing all day if I would let her. Some day I hope to make a cute one for our porch that I imagine we'll have ;) Oh and I've noticed I have so many blue clothing items for Addie's age and she's hit the stage of pulling off headbands, so basically we get asked how our little boy is doing a lot. haha I should probably fix that.

Such a gorgeous day. Summer come soon please!