strolling with oxo tot

life is about to get crazy, you guys! we are in this phase of transition when it comes to toddler-dom.. when Baker was born the twins were a bit older (at 2 years and 8 months) and were definitely ready to be out of the stroller and walking (for the most part) on their own when we went somewhere.  the giant stroller we had for the twins was awesome and met all our needs up until they were about 2-ish years old, but it was heavy and definitely not compact at all. I couldn't get it into the back end of the car without a little oomph or Jordan just taking care of it all together. after Baker was born I stopped toting a stroller all together and just practiced baby wearing any time we went anywhere.  Baker isn't ready for that (like, no where near ready..) and I'll be a postpartum mess and giant puddle of sweat if I am having to chase Baker around while trying to manage a newborn AND the big girls.  

I am very lucky when it comes to the obedience of Parker and Jolie- they are, of course, a couple of four year olds and can (and do!) have their moments of breakdown and misbehaving, but they are really well behaved when we go out.  Baker, on the other hand, needs a strap and a variety of snacks to keep her busy:)

I need ease and convenience and to be able to load and unload without a lot of effort.  I also need it to be comfortable- I have tall babies and in our previous toddler stroller the girls, and now Baker, don't fit well in the seat with the canopy folded out.  which is why I am SO excited about our newest baby/toddler product addition- the OXOtot Cubby Stroller!

the Cubby Stroller is complete with a large storage basket, large canopy, deep recline (good for babies of 6 months of age or up to 50 pounds), flip-flop-friendly brake- which makes my life SO easy, and lots of storage! the pockets on the back of this thing hold everything I need (without my diaper bag).

the wheels are large and can handle a lot of terrain.. we wont be using this stroller for much more than walks around the neighborhood or a stroll through the mall, but I appreciate its durability. 

not to mention..this bad boy weighs just about twenty pounds and has the feature of a one-handed fold when I'm ready to put it away.

I've always known OXOtot for their amazing sippy and snack cups as well as their feeding bundles and high chair, but the opportunity to welcome another great product into our toddler world has been more than appreciated! 

a little more about the brand::

"OXO's mission is to design consumer products that make everyday living easier. 

Throughout our history, the idea of designing baby and toddler products was brought up time and again. And time and again we focused on solving pet peeves for the place we knew best: the kitchen. But when 25 babies were born to our then-50 employees over the course of five years, we discovered firsthand the challenges and pet peeves parents face and knew we could help solve them.

 Our mission is to make every day with your tot a little easier, in every room of the house and beyond, so you can focus on the fun side of being a parent." 

handy stroller hook //  on the go wipes dispenser  // tot transitions soft spout sippy cup

my favorite features of this stroller:

::one handed open and close (what parent has both hands, anyway??  genius!)

::the 5-point harness, similar to that of a carseat

::the peek-a-boo pocket for my phone and keys, etc.. I always end up using the cup holders for those kind of accessories and having a special place for them is definitely ideal

::the GIANT undercarriage + large pockets for all the other baby/toddler things! 

oxo tot floppy snack cup

for family outings Baker will 100% still be in the stroller and will most likely be manned by her daddy while I take responsibility of baby wearing or toting Brady in our newborn/infant stroller.

you guys- I just have to say it again.. its about to get crazy!  

as always, thank you to Brittany for her talent in catching my crazy crew in the best light, and to OXO tot for sponsoring this post.

Baker // dress (similar)

chubby knot clips // loved by sophia claire

moccasins // freshly picked

Big Girls // dress (similar)

sandals //  salt water sandals

Amber // romper (similar)

tank // gap

booties //  sam edelman

earrings // kendra scott 

valentine's day | throw back

2 0 1 3 

I think JoJo was tipping the scales at 6 pounds and the dark hair that covered their newborn head was slowly starting to fall out and replaced with a strawberry blonde color for Jolie and a dirty blonde for Parker.

omg... I just cant. 

2 0 1 4

those jammies.

baby hairs.

so much sugar!

2 0 1 5 

giving me such trouble- they ganged up on me every day.  but I could never (and still cant!) resist those toothy grins + squinty eyes.

give them all the ponies + pounds of candy for breakfast.

2 0 1 6

my sweet giggly girls in all their sister glory.

I thought they were SO big then..

 ..and a TEENY Baker Bree

2 0 1 7

basically my house is run by that one in the middle.

she has no idea what she's in for in the next, oh, 6 weeks or so.

we have no real plans for this valentine's day. the twins have a little party at school that we will swing by to celebrate with them.  before that we might hit up a patio for lunch with miss Baker, and there will probably be chips and salsa involved.
for dinner I've got verde salsa chicken in the crock pot for a repeat of street tacos from last week, per the hubby's request.  

for reference: green verde salsa + 2lbs chicken breast on LOW for 6 hours in the crock pot.

shred and mix in your favorite toppings (we like fresh pico + crumbled feta) and throw on a tortilla.

we'll probably watch a DVR'd train wreck Bachelor episode and head to bed before 9pm.

fine by me.

theres no one I would rather do this life with than those three girls above and my sweet guy by my side.

I wouldn't change a thing. 

happy valentine's day!

feeling festive on february first

I just handed the girls three giant bowls of popcorn and then realized its 6pm, which is dinner time apparently.. SO, popcorn for dinner it is! fiber and whole grains.. maybe I'll throw in some string cheese to balance out the food groups. makes me feel better.

it is also February 1st!  these kind of holidays can be whatever you make of them.. I personally appreciate any time that we can adorn ourselves in festive jammies:)  the big girls are old enough now that planning preschool crafts means a lot more of them than me doing the "work".  after searching pinterest I found some really darling activities to do with them to celebrate love day.

but first!  how about a flashback to these tiny babies this time last year?!

we still wear these "olive you" tees a year later and when Katie announced this year's 'olive you' tee design I about died for the grey + pink combo. 

oliveeeeee them!

here's a handful of other cutie pink + red + hearts things for a little February inspiration

as for those preschool activities that I mentioned above, pinterest to the rescue.  while I'm afraid that I'll never have an original idea again, I appreciate every single pin for things/occasions like this!

..and for recipes.  and decor ideas. and clothing inspo.. 

anyway! I'm totally digging the originality and EASE of these valentine's shaving cream hearts.  how cute and festive are they?? Baker might even be able to hop into the fun with a little help from her mama. I also might get crazy and try these rainbow heart sun catchers or bust out the paint I have hidden away for a rainy day and recreate these valentine pom pom painting.  I could also just skip the paint and make homemade valentines day play dough.. anyone ever made their own play dough before?  I haven't and I'm just curious about the success rate of these recipes:)

speaking of f o o d! I'd say these cupid floats are good all year round and maybe tomorrow we will have this valentine's day s'mores popcorn for dinner instead of the regular old stuff:)

Happy February First, friends!  

XOXO!

december first

december first marks the start of so many FUN things.

the start of the list of all the delicious recipes I have pinned on pinterest in hopes to make for the Christmas season.
"baking everyday!" is the plan.

reality is that I'll end up picking up one of those betty crocker bags of sugar cookie mix two days before Christmas.  my mom used to make these amazing homemade sugar cookies; dolloped with homemade buttercream icing and I was in charge of the sprinkles and decorating them.  our counter tops would be lined with dozens of these cookies for family and friends and teachers.. and santa! of course!  I would love to recreate that memory and tradition with my girls (and boy!)

our home in constant twinkle- I always get a little sad at night when I am shutting the house down and the tree and the mantle and the kitchen lights have been turned off the first time in 14 hours.  morning cannot come soon enough!

Parker and Jolie celebrate a birthday! the twins will be FOUR (next week!) and these two girls that made me a mother have allowed me to grow and learn and change in so many ways- more than one would expect a couple of four year olds to do.  plus, party planning is my j.a.m., if you didn't know.

we will make several attempts to visit santa claus before deciding on yet another screaming + terrifying photo of my children.  part of being a parent, I suppose.

christmas music all day er'day. we all know Parker's love of Jingle Bells and she about has a stroke any time michael buble starts his crooner voice for that song on my Pandora playlist.

cool crisp mornings.. and afternoons on the playground requiring a beanie + jackets.  now if only Baker would get 100% on board with wearing a beanie we would be great.  

I don't know where I failed with this child and her headgear.

hot cocoa runs through the starbucks line- because mama needs the coffee and the big girls deserve something, too!  jolie loves hot cocoa and Parker loves it about half the time.

shopping, shopping, shopping!! we put money into a savings account we call the Christmas Fund all year long, so on the day after Thanksgiving when that money is automatically dumped into our checking account- let the present buying commence!!  my mailman loves me throughout the year, but he really loves me when he comes to my door with a load of packages every day.  Jordan just stops asking by the first week in December.

Mickey Mouse Christmas and Polar Express quickly become out favorite movies and we watching them over and over and overrrrr throughout the month.  

covering the cabinets in our kitchen with the christmas cards from family and friends we receive.  I leave them up well after Christmas and keep them in a plastic bag with the year on them- its so fun to look through the cards from years past when we are pulling out the Christmas decor for the next year.  

speaking of cards..among my top Christmas card photo contenders:

nailed it.

happiest December First!

photography by stephanie rose photography

monogrammed jammies c/o

white fuzzy slippers

brown fuzzy slippers

Baker's glitter bow c/o

Jolie's plaid bow c/o

cocoa mugs

woolie ball necklaces c/o

a few funky flamingos | halloween 2016

I'm SO excited about this year's halloween costumes!  I decided to skip the tutus this year- after three solid years of tutus we needed a change.. didnt stop me from dressing the sweetest Hamburgalar Baker in a cheeky tutu from trevi ave co for our trunk or treat party on Sunday, tho.  GAH she was so CAHyoot!

back up a couple months to when I was first introduced to p and the lion.. Britt came across a photo of a couple cuties wearing these AMAZING leg warmers and well made leotards and I was determined to figure out how in the world to use all of this and come up with one amazing and super fun costume. 

alas. the "whimsical flamingo" idea came to life.. which I still had no idea what I was doing but I was going with it, ha!

hot pink leg warmers

black and white striped leggings

..and these AWESOME handmade felt wings.  there was a flamingo cape I had seen on IG and was searching everywhere for for them to wear that or something similar.. but you guys I'm SO glad I went with these wings instead.  I did end up finding those capes on the clearance rack at Target for like $5 bucks, but they would have covered up with detail of the ombre fringe of the leotard, so these wings were perfect!

high waisted boomers

..and the perfect topper: a mini crown made with orange glitter for the flamingo beak. 

because this is halloween.. they are f u n k y and whimsical flamingos, after all:)  anything goes when it comes to costume building.  so even if it was a total mess in my head, it turned out so cute anyway.

taking my girls around the neighborhood this year is going to be SO FUN- Baker is really into carrying the bucket and holding it up to anyone in her little space to fill it with goodies.  Jolie has been asking me to wear her leotard every single day since we tried them on, and Parker is very excited to have her makeup done!

holidays are just so amazing with these babes.

Happy Halloween! 

--

photography: b faith photography

crowns // little blue olive

wings c/o the wishing elephant

ombre leotard c/o p and the lion

high waisted bloomers c/o topknots + twirls

leggings // june & january

fur leg warmers c/o p and the lion

toddler tailgating + little mango | giveaway

I've said it before and I'll say it again.. we LOVE small shops.  working with and shopping small has been rewarding in more ways than just the CUTTE clothes.. watching these businesses grow from the ground up through support of others like me and you- not to mention being able to find basically anything I'm looking for when it comes to trendy clothes for my girls! 

..well and now a boy (eeeeKK!)

toddler tailgatiing.. because its still SO HOT and bahama bucks dreamcicle + cotton candy sno cones just sounded right for the occasion. 

at Little Mango, we love all things kids. after having our son Cruz in 2011, we searched for unique and diverse children’s apparel and accessories. following many late nights spent online, we’ve since discovered many new brands and small, family run shops with trendy products that simply cannot be found on every block. we were hooked. four years later and with the arrival of our second son, Leo, we have put together a collection of our favorites and Little Mango is our little space to share them with you.

you won’t find any products at Little Mango that we wouldn’t use ourselves (or gift to the fabulous little ladies in our lives). we love discovering new brands and sharing them with everyone we know. Whether you are looking for something for your own littles or you want to find the perfect gift, Little Mango is your spot.

one of our goals for Little Mango Children's Boutique is to provide an unparalleled shopping experience for our customers. We work hard to provide great service and to help you in any way we can to find the coolest gear for you and your kiddo.  we also know you are busy and sometimes you may not have time to scour a website for the perfect look for your child for a special event or to find a gift for a birthday or baby shower. 

that's where we come in. 

send us an email (hello@shoplittlemango.com) and let us know what you are looking for - we will put together some options and send them back to you and hopefully help find exactly what you wanted! we can be even better if you send us details, preferred sizes and budget!

like we said, we are here for YOU. 

drama mama right here.  I busted her out of the crib for these pictures and I don't think she was completely awake yet, but HOW SWEET does she look anyway?! 

me and Baker will have matching bellies before we know it.. and if only mine would look as cute as hers!

 every single bit of these outfits can be found over at little mango, and not to mention the slew of baby BOY things I cannot wait to get my hands on. OMG I have so much shopping to do!! 

baby boy denim + beanies + cardigans + graphic tees

I'll take this entire outfit.

..can I enter my own giveaway?

meh, that might be frowned upon, BUT, what I can do it use the amazing discount code little mango has offered up exclusively to my readers!

  facebook  web  instagram

OMG I just cant with these growing girls!

I'm so excited for the opportunity to offer one lucky winner $50 shop credit towards anything they wish from little mango!  I know I'm not the only mama out there that could use $50 to kick off a fresh start to the school year and cooler weather wardrobe for their babe(s)!  even better, little mango is offering 20% your entire purchase using the code PBJBABES
GO!  fall is here!! but don't forget to enter the giveaway!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
good luck!

as always, thank you to Brittany for her talent in catching my crazy crew in the best light, and to little mango for sponsoring this post.

twins::

leopard headband

nerd glasses

prom queen tee

mermaid tee

faux leather leggings

sandals

baker::

denim pearl snap shirt

pocket romper

glamour leggings

moccasins