DIY toddler apron

if you're on the hunt for a last minute gift for a child or toddler you may not need to look any further than your kitchen!  did you know that kitchen towels make perfect kid/toddler sized aprons?!  i didn't, but when i found tutorials for them on Pinterest i knew i had to make one for zo since she is obsessed with playing "make dinner". i actually have more in the works for my little nieces as well!  all you need to do is search "DIY kitchen towel apron" and you'll find countless tutorials available.  i used this one  from the adorable blog One Little Minute.  these are seriously so easy to make and if you have a sewing machine it'll probably take like 20min tops. I don't have one though so this took me a bit longer since I had to hand sew it all. 

i happened to have a pack of new towels i got on clearance from target like a year ago and they worked perfectly for this project! then i just used some extra ribbon I had laying around for the waist & neck ties.

and for the pocket i actually used the pocket from one of my husbands old shirts that had a stain on it.  i added a stitched heart into it as a way of saying he'll always be close to zo' heart.  he is her favorite after all... 

 It definitely isn't perfect but it was made with lots of love and i don't think zo will notice any of the many mistakes for years to come... 

i hope this helps if you've been looking for a creative gift for your little bakers! 

Merry (almost) Christmas!!

~amy 

a lesson on staying humble

shirt: francesca's|| tank: target|| leggings: target|| shoes: keds

the day after thanksgiving we broke out the Christmas boxes and began the task of decking the halls, helllooo all things Christmassy!!  we have almost all of our decor up excluding the outside lights, we'll see if those ever make it up...  and it has actually been chilly this week! Our high tomorrow is only 56!  oh yes, we're gonna freeze ;) i did make it out black friday shopping with my sister and scored some pretty sweet deals, this shirt being one of my favorite items.  but first a little back story to give you a laugh-- 

the conversation I had with my sister thanksgiving night:

me- "so i'm thinking we'll get up around 6am and then leave shortly after we're done getting ready." 

sis- "okay sounds good!"

me- "sooo, are you gonna need me to wake you up or will you set an alarm?" 

sis- "oh no, i think i'll be fine just using my alarm.  no need to wake me up"

me-  "are you sure?..."

Sis- "haha yeah, i think i'll be okay"

Me- (thinking to myself, she wont be up that early;) "alright if you say so..."

fast forward to friday morning-- most of the night was spent dealing with both kids horrible sleep schedules (or lack thereof), woke up at one point and realized my phone was on my chest.  odd, put it on the nightstand and fell back asleep.  woke up a few hours later and checked my phone thinking it was super early-- nope, almost 7:00am!  kinda freaked out but then thought "eh, no big deal, sis probably isn't awake anyways." got up to go check, made it out to the living room and there she was-- almost 9 month pregnant woman all dressed and ready to go, passed out asleep on the couch.  i felt horrible.  especially because i was giving her such a hard time about getting up on time the night before.  it suddenly made sense why i woke up with my phone on my chest that night, i fell asleep as i was setting an alarm... sigh.  thanks for keeping me humble, Lord. ;)   

so, there's your daily dose of humor for the day.  on to better/comfier things! 

this shirt!  it is sooo soft and comfortable!  i could live in it, and i totally would if i didn't get food, drool and other such lovely things on my clothes on a daily basis (those are due to my kiddos, by the way, just wanted to clarify that.).  my absolute favorite part about this shirt is that it's totally nursing appropriate!  I love when i find normal & cute pieces that'll work for all of the different stages in my life.  my only complaint is that i couldn't find any other colors in my size, if i had i probably would've bought one of each... 

 i got these stirrup leggings from target a couple weeks ago and they're so fun!  my husband says it looks like i'm wearing two pairs of pants or leg warmers over my leggings but i don't care, i still like them!  they fit really well, have a fold down option around the waist and are perfect for working out or just everyday use.  

the shoes: I scored these keds for around $17.00 at our Stridrite due to the store closing, everything was 60% off!  i'm not sure if it's a nationwide thing or if it was just ours but if you have one near you it's worth checking out for sure!   i got zo some of the cutest litte Sperry duck boots, I figured with how much it rains out here she'll (hopefully!) get some good use out of them.  back to my shoes though-- these are super comfy and i wear them basically all day every day.  obvious moral of this post, the comfier the better.  

i hope everyone had a wonderful start to their December & the holiday season!  it's time for me to go change into pjs, make myself a Moscow mule and get to work on Christmas crafts/gifts. 

cheers! 

~amy

p.s
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what i'm thankful for

•quietish weekend mornings alone with peter while zo sleeps in with daddy.

•almond milk lattes with a splash of mocha kahlua.  why haven't i been starting my day like this every day?! #justkidding #orami 

•chilly fall like weather 

•sweaters, cardigans & layering.  but not for the reason you think.  peter's latest way to fall asleep is by gnawing on my shoulder with his newly debuted top & bottom teeth, all while yelling at the same time.  so i'm thankful for the protection the layers offer cause let me tell you, those teeth are sharp and they hurt! it also means i always have wet/stained spots on my shoulder sleeves too.  oh well, at least he's sleeping! 

•at home date nights.  sushi delivery & wine, while watching a movie (or the office for the 9th-ish time) is our go-to.  a new sushi place just opened up down the street from our neighborhood and we're big fans.  like gone 2 times in the span of 3 days fans. 

•wine 

•tissues.  cause both kiddos are sick and the runny noses are in full swing over here.  

•seeing the kids start to actually play together.  it's one of my new favorite things, catching these sweet moments of them bonding and starting a friendship together are memories i'll always treasure and be thankful for. 

•coffee.  lots of it. 

•getting a morning workout in while peter, surprisingly, slept in.  also-getting to eat a slow breakfast with just zo since he was still sleeping. 

•my sweet sister who took these adorable photos for us.

•all of our family members & friends.  we are so thankful for each and every one of you.

•my amazing husband who shows me every day how much he loves and cares for all of us.  i can't imagine this life without him, i'm so thankful i married my best friend.

•peter & zoey and the love i never knew was possible until i became their mother. 

•. i am so thankful for all that we have been blessed with in our lives, especially the mundane and every day moments that i all too often take for granted.  

•all of the above wouldn't be possible without my faith.  i am most thankful to Our Lord for His ever lasting love and for showing me that love on earth every day, especially through my little family. 

wishing you all the most wonderful thanksgiving. i pray that it is full of family, love, friends, togetherness and, of course, delicious food.  

happy thanksgiving!

~amy

dance it out

dress: Bonnie Jean similar||flats: target

this picture perfectly captures zoey's personality right now. this girl is obsessed with all things dancing & musical. she walks around singing to herself allll day long and is constantly making up a new song/dance routine. notice her right foot- she even makes sure to point her toes every time she dances!  it is seriously the most adorable thing ever. and don't even get me started on those shoes!  she calls these her "dancing slippers" and would wear them all day (and all night!) long if I let her.  she comes into the bedroom during the middle of the night, crawls up into the bed, gets under the covers, and that's when I realize she's gone and found her "dancing shoes" and is trying to go back to sleep wearing them.  we rented a book from the library a couple months ago that was about a cat who loved to dance and ohhh my goodness, zo was obsessed with it. she walks around saying lines from it like "jeté through the day" and "pirouette back into bed". needless to say she was not happy when we had to return it. the only way i was finally able to bring it back was when i told her we'd find another dancing book at the library. i've been looking into dance classes for her cause i know she'd absolutely love it. also--picturing her in a little ballerina outfit is almost too much cuteness to handle!

when greg captured this photo of her the other day we were all just hanging out on the front porch, playing with cars, watching the rain and sippin' coffee. such a simple but perfect way to spend the afternoon. 

i don't really let her drink coffee, she just loves "mixing (stirring) coffee" and trying to sneak some cause she thinks it's funny

oh, and peter is in all out crawling mode now so that's why he's on a sheet (now accepting recommendations on your fave picnic blankets!).  he no longer wants to be held, but instead has to be down exploring everything. it's exhausting but also very exciting watching him grow and discover the world around him.

i hope everyone has a great weekend.  this week has been so confusing & disheartening to me so i hope that just by reading this little post about a toddlers love of dancing it will help to brighten your day, even just for a few minutes.  if nothing else, maybe just take a page from the "zoey hand-book" and dance it out. it really seems to help her when she's having a bad day so maybe it will help the rest of us.


xo,
amy

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