parking it up

getting some outside time with the kids every day is a huge priority for me.  the sunshine & fresh air just do wonders for us.  we've been trying to hit up a lot of our local parks lately and we've found some pretty cool ones.  watching your kids explore & discover new things is so neat. we like to try and head to a park in the early morning, before it gets too warm later in the day.  

this is usually how i survive staying awake for playing ;)

watching a toddler play is like seeing the world in a different way.  they are discovering so much!  things you never really thought were a big deal are suddenly so amazing.  you find yourself being your child's own personal cheerleader when they (finally!) go down the slide by themselves, crawl through a tunnel or bring you a handful of random crap items they've found. 

if she can't find acorns, wood chips will do

 half of the time we go to a park Zo doesn't even play on the equipment--she collects acorns & rocks like they're going out of style.  she gets that from her dad for sure, haha.  We now have a jar in the guest bathroom (since that's where she goes to wash up after getting home) that holds all of her acorns; someday I'll get around to doing some nifty DIY craft with them... 

baby peter is also a huge fan of being outside.  as long as the weather isn't too warm, it's a win-win for all of us! i can't wait to see if he'll be the one with no fears or if he'll end up just like zo and want to spend the whole time finding "treasures" as she likes to call them.  he had his first swing ride a few weeks ago and absolutely loved it!  we're hoping the park that's near our house will someday put in swings.  until then he'll just hang out in the stroller with his personal fan, what's not to love about that?!   

 we can't wait for it to finally cool off around here so we can spend more time outside in the fresh air.  for now, we'll stick with mornings and just hope that it doesn't reach 90 degrees by 11am. 

 having to walk home is the hardest part for all of us.

i hope you're all having a wonderful week.  if not, step outside for just a few minutes and breathe in the fresh air.  its a real game changer.

~amy 

from playground to date night

after having kids your style is bound to change (unless you were all about leggings & t-shirts before. if so, good on you for always being comfortable).  i didn't realize how much mine would change till my daughter hit toddlerhood.  suddenly i went from strappy heels & cute dresses to tennis shoes & yoga pants as my daily go-to outfit.  not that i'm complaining, 'cause one style just so happens to be waaaaay more comfortable than the other and practicality is key for me nowadays.  trying to chase after my 2yr old while holding my 6 month old & wearing heels is like begging for a trip to the ER.  i can just imagine tripping and breaking my ankle.  although i'd probably be given orders to lay down & rest if that actually happened... hmmm.. #mamastired 

where was i going with all of this?  Oh yeah.  even though my style has changed i still try to keep my daily outfits to more than just a t-shit & leggings (who am i kidding, that's my usual look).  oh and in my opinion, as long as my top covers my bum, leggings count as pants.  so for this post i thought i'd share a simple way i took this outfit from "mom mode" to "date night mode" without having to change too much about it.  cause trying to pick out a whole new outfit at the end of the day is just too exhausting #mamastiredforreal 

i started with a casual look--black leggings, a summer sweater (cause it's still waaaay too hot for actual sweaters around here) over a gray tank & vans. this is a perfect playground outfit (where we spend most of our days) but also still stylish. 

sweater, loft(similar)  | tank top, target| leggings, target| shoes (well used haha), vans|

for our "family date night" (meaning we went to dinner with both kids in tow, which is still lots of fun!) i simply rolled my leggings a bit, changed my shoes from vans to cute ankle boots, teased & pinned my hair and added a wrap around watch to dress it up just a bit.  (I would've added a necklace as well but who am i kidding, peter would've ripped it off within a matter of seconds).  and that's it!  isn't it crazy how changing just a few small things can make such a difference?!  now i know that these booties do have a heel but since we were spending the majority of our time sitting in a restaurant i wasn't too worried about the possibility of an ER trip...  also, i'm really trying to pretend it's cold enough to wear boots around here!  

boots, top moda (similar) | watch, La Mer|

do you have any tips for taking your look from "mom mode" to "date mode"?  be sure to comment if you do & don't forget to subscribe by email to stay up to date on all of our recent happenings! 

happy friday!

~amy

an unthinkable reality

october, specifically the 15th, is pregnancy & infant loss awareness month.  given my two perfectly healthy children, this subject is so difficult for me to talk about.  but i don't want this month to go by without saying something about this subject that is, heartrendingly, a reality for so many people.

at 6wks pregnant with my second child we were convinced i had miscarried.  all of the signs were there.  we were shocked when we went in for an ultrasound and the technician pointed out a heartbeat.  isn't that crazy that at 6wks old you could already detect a heartbeat?!  i was stunned and so, so thankful that the unthinkable had, in fact, not happened. peter leon was born on march 29th, a perfectly healthy baby boy.



i often think about how i felt the night i thought i had miscarried, the pain and emotion was unlike anything else i had ever felt before. i couldn't stop sobbing and saying "that was my baby!" over and over again.  that was just 24hrs. of my life. how do the parents that have actually lost a child live with that for the rest of their lives?  oh, how my heart aches for those of you that have actually gone through this horrible event. if that is what i felt during that short amount of time, i can't even imagine the pain you must go through on a daily basis due to the loss of your precious child(ren).  the thought of losing one of my children is just too difficult for me to comprehend; the strength you have in order to keep going is astounding.

i don't know why God would allow this to happen to anyone and i know that saying "everything happens for a reason" is not what you want to hear. but I hope that it gives you some peace & comfort to know that you and your angel baby(s), are being prayed for by myself & so many others, especially during this month. on October 15th i'll be lighting a candle  at 7pm in remembrance of those precious souls.  my deepest condolences, love and prayers to all of you mothers & fathers. you amaze me.

~amy