Happy Mother's Day

Leading up to this Mother's Day, I can't help but feel so grateful for my beautiful mom. I will be honest.. I was nervous moving back to Washington, because I was worried about being close to my family and how the dynamics would work. I never wanted Stafford to feel like he was put on the back burner. Our entire married life has been spent states away from family, and I felt like it helped strengthen our marriage and family so much to have to rely on each other right off the bat. But it was always nice to come home. My heart would ache in Minnesota. I just missed talking to my mom in person- Her back massages as she gives advice and a listening ear. She's like a best friend that will also clean your house and wipe your baby's bum over and over again. Since moving to Washington, we get to visit monthly at least and I have to say it has been awesome! I get to have my grown up talk time with my mom and my sisters like to babysit-- FREE babysitting is always welcome. And my dad basically takes McKinlee all day on Saturdays to work outside and get an ice cream cone. I have loved being close to family again.

We went down for a visit over Easter weekend. After putting the girls down on Saturday night, my mom and I got to work on putting together the baskets and making a maze with yarn all over the house just like she used to do for me when I was little. I stopped and thought how this was my dream... to grow up and do these things I loved so much for my own kids. It's because my mom was such a fun mom that I wanted to be a mom. She showed me the value in being home with us. Because of her I know what I'm doing now is important. I feel so lucky to be a mom and to be able to stay at home with my babies at this time in my life. 

Thank you mom for being my mom. I love you!
You can check out some other mother/daughter duos at Dia&Co.

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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!!

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

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!

Friday Favorites

This week dragged on.. and on and on, so I am extremely happy to say happy Friday! I decided to round up a few of my favorite things lately.

I've been getting into the Spring cleaning mode, and while attempting to clean out every closet Billy Currington has been getting me through it all. Our first summer here, Billy performed at a festival and we decided to skip buying tickets and stand in the back and listen (student life makes us get creative right?). We regretted that decision so much! Stafford and I LOVE Billy, and his music reminds me of summer. Maybe because we fell in love with him while living in Fresno for an internship over a summer forever ago.


Speaking of summer, if you keep up with the blog on Facebook, you know I recently bought my first romper/jumpsuit, and I'm in love. Mine is currently sold out, but I also love this chambray one. I also linked a jersey skirt I just bought. It is quite comfortable and I'm excited to wear it to church and out and about.

We stopped by the mall yesterday for a little walk and of course had to stop at Baby Gap to look at their clearance racks. I couldn't help but gawk at all the cute dresses they have out for spring. And   those shoes from Old Navy?? Are you kidding me? I avoid laces at all costs for McKinlee, and these babies would go with everything.

I hope your Friday is going well and you're able to get out of the house, with or without your children ;)

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!

Christmas t w e n t y f i f t e e n

This year we decided that we didn't want to do the airplane thing with two kids. We counted how many flights McKinlee went on in her two years of life and it was over 15 or something like that. If you've taken children on a flight, you know it can be exhausting and stressful to say the least haha so we decided to take a break and save some money by staying local. Luckily my sister and brother in law just got back from working in Argentina for a bit, so we agreed on making the 6 hour trip to Chicago so we could be with some family for the holidays. They have 3 girls about the same age as our girls, so it's fun for everyone.

My little sister was able to fly out to party with us for a few days. We sure love Aunt Jamie! 

It was fun to be the parents this year and plan what we wanted to do. Everything revolved around our kids' ages and they loved it! McKinlee's favorite was going to a big play place with multiple bounce house toys. The girls went crazy for it and it got their energy out which made the parents happy. She still asks to go there when she comes across a video or picture on my phone. 

Overall it was such a fun trip and we had a great Christmas with these cute girls! I'm so blessed to be their mommy. Hope your holidays were merry and bright!

Happy Three Months Addie Rose!

This love bug turned 3 months today!

I can't believe how much Addie girl has grown already! She is definitely a healthy baby. She has gained weight a lot quicker than McKinlee (she's currently 13.8 lbs) and is already in 3-6 month clothing. She should be in size 2 diapers but we have one more pack of 1's that we are trying to squeeze her in.. I'll be kicking myself at her next blowout. Addie is definitely a happy girl and she is pretty content through out the day. She has been going longer between feedings which is awesome for me. I'm an on demand feeder, so in the beginning she was eating every hour it seemed. Now it's more like every 3-4 hours/when she wakes up from naps. She has started to shriek a little more and it is the cutest thing! We can also get a little laugh out of her when we tickle her neck or feet. Addie loves her hands and is absolutely obsessed with this. It keeps her entertained for the duration of a shower- woohoo! She loves being propped up on pillows, but doesn't love the bumbo just yet. She's better and better at tummy time and may have rolled from her back to her belly for the first time last night, but the verdict is still out since it only happened once. She loves to watch me dance and sing and she loves reading time with sister. I'm still working on boundaries with McKinlee, but it is the cutest thing when anyone else takes an interest to Adalyn, McKinlee will stop whatever she's doing, run over to Adalyn for a hug and say "my sisser, Ada-yin."

Spring Mini Style

We have had some beautiful weather lately and it has me dying to open all of our windows to let in some fresh air. When I have to go pick up Stafford, or run an errand and I know I won't have to get out of the car, I'll put McKinlee in shorts and flip flops. I love leaving the house without a big coat, a scarf, and gloves (all x2 for my toddler). All the new spring clothes coming out are not helping the situation. We are ready for some sun!

Hair Clip / Shorts / Flutter Sleeve Shirt / Lavender dress / White Sandals

Valentines Style

Valentine's Day is only a couple weeks away! We will be gone the week before Valentine's day, so I'm debating getting out all of our decorations or not. My normal self would be all about it, but my pregnant self is not so motivated, ha! Regardless of home decor, you know we will be rockin' some festive outfits. Here are a few cute things I've found for M.

Pajamas / Skirt / Headband / Heart Shirt / White Jeans / Shoes

Is it weird that I wish those pajamas came in my size? I don't think so. What are your plans for Valentine's this year?