Showing posts with label Big Sisters. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Big Sisters. Show all posts

9.06.2016

p+j | first day of preschool 3's

well, its the start of another school year.  we dropped the big girls off for their second first day of school. Parker was up with the sun while I was making their lunches.  we woke Jolie with breakfast in bed and all grabbed a shower and picked out the perfect outfits for their first day.  Jolie insisted on braids by daddy (because she knows her mama is terrible) and Parker requested her hair to be worn down (hence the reason for the new 'do.. she's always asking to wear it down!
we arrived a little early to maybe help them get reoriented to a new school year, but honestly they walked in like it was literally no big thing- didn't even turn around to tell us goodbye once we set their lunches and water bottles in their normal spots for later.  about 75% of their class was filled with their little friends from last year, so it was like they never skipped a beat as they walked in.  

first day of school drop offs are always chaotic, and trying to herd Parker and Jolie in the correct generally direction while carrying a baby Baker in my arms, sweating like I just ran 3000 miles.. you know, like all the other moms doing the same, but I managed to snap a few pictures of drop off this morning.  
these two are getting so big.
how much great can my heart swell with pride over my children.     




first day of preschool 2's (they were SO LITTLE)

8.30.2016

big girls' night out

we took the big girls to the Rangers game last night and they had a BLAST!  they've been a couple of times when they were little bits and still willing to sit in my lap during the game.. and last year my belly was giant and there was no way a couple two year olds would sit for even ONE inning, so this season we decided to give it a try!  Jordan and I took Parker and Jolie to the store and let them pick out their grilling meat of choice and we headed to the game early to tailgate.  they were so pumped about the game and not knowing what to expect, except they knew they wanted "ice cream in a helmet" from what their daddy had told them before the game.


we brought our little picnic table and it proved to be a success for toddler tailgating:)


 Texas with a double XX because thats how we roll



straight away the Rangers hit a homerun and the fireworks and cheering crowds were enough to get the girls into the game- clapping and hollering along.  Jolie's sweet demeanor about it all had my heart basically exploding while Parker bounced off the walls and could hardly sit still in her seat- leaving me feeling the need to apologize to the guys sitting behind us and the couple in front of us for her frequent bumps of their seats and sloshing of their beers.




they got their ice cream in a helmet (which was a giant mess, btw.. but so worth it to watch them attempt to eat the melting pile of sugar at 9pm.) and mama got her garlic fries.
garlic fries are the sole reason to come to the ball park.

 meanwhile.. miss Baker lived the life of a single child at BB + Papa's house for the night.  she played dress up (but honestly, those beads are a regular thing for that girl..) went to their favorite restaurant and filled her belly with chips and salsa and rice and beans and chicken.. 
and had Papa's lap all to herself! 

such a fun night!  this was such a success with Parker and Jolie, I am hoping to get in another trip to the ballgame again before the season is over!

8.18.2016

back to school with Zappos + Stride Rite

I cannot believe we are already halfway through August!  I have seen about half of my fellow world wide web mamas send their babies off to preschool, kindergarten, FIRST grade!  I cannot even imagine fast forwarding a couple years to that moment of Parker and Jolie's (real) first day of school. the twins are going to preschool again this year (they started when they were two) and start back in just a couple weeks.  when I started thinking about preschool-friendly clothing and shoes for them to run and play and get dirty in, I knew we needed another pair of 'go fast shoes' for this new school year.  
ahem, that would be sneakers in P+J speak, for the big girls.
I've teamed up with my friends at Zappos.com to share Parker + Jolie's favorite pair of shoes EVER.
literally.
I forced sweet Jolie out of them so she could take a bath and the entire time she was trying to convince me her reasoning for why she needed to wear her neeeeeewww shoes again after she got out.  
"mama, I can wear my pink go-fast shoes with my jammies, you know."
gah.  I love her.
 of course the bright cotton candy colors of the Stride Rite Leepz caught their eye when I pulled them out of the Zappos box, but when they realized that they LIGHT UP I thought they were going to have a stroke.  I told them their new shoes were for when school starts, and well, that basically opened a can of worms.  they asked me about 11 times between dinner + bathtime + bed if they were going to school "tomorrow"? 
 I would totally be freaked out if school started tomorrow. and I wish you could hear Parker say tomorrow.  she doesn't have a country girl accent like Jolie's (and J's is thick for some of her words..) but when she says tomorrow, she drops the 'ow' from the end of the word and replaces it with an "ah".
ANYway..
even if I would have waited to the last minute to figure out shoes for school, I would totally be confident in ordering from Zappos- these came in just one day!  ONE!  shipping was fast and free and  their 365 day return policy and helpful customer service would allow me to exchange sizes if I needed to. I honestly kind of took a guess as to what size I was going to get them in sneakers this year..I feel like my kids are in giant sizes, and when I ordered Parker the 10.5 in the Leepz; it was no longer toddler sizing.  *tear.
 aside from the twins absolutely loving the look of these shoes, the girls are completely capable in putting the Leepz shoes on by themselves.  how easy is it to tell them to go put their shoes on and they can actually do it without a meltdown of needing me to help them tie the laces.  school encourages clothing and shoes that are functional for little hands (think potty breaks and nap time) to be able to help themselves, and I think these are right up that alley.
 we are SO excited for preschool to start! 
that.. and any reason to see our new go-fast shoes light up.

thank you Brittany for capturing the color and joy of my sweet girls in your amazing photos and to Zappos.com and Stride Rite for sponsoring this post.

6.30.2016

summer fun | birdhouse DIY

after our really fun experience with baby birds over the last couple weeks- which by the way on Sunday morning we were all sitting at the breakfast table and we happened to be in the right place at the right time because those sweet babies hopped out of the 5-gallon bucket their nest was in and took their first flight!  the mama bird was coaxing and encouraging the entire time from the patio table and it was just the coolest thing I have ever seen!  I couldn't get to my phone fast enough to snap a picture from the window.. and I wasn't about to get out on the patio to get in the middle of it all, but a fun sight for the girls to see and thats memories enough for me.  
ANYway.
Jordan has been pinning summer projects to do with the big girls since they are at the most amazing age and are the biggest helpers these days and number one on his list was a bird house.. err, houses.  I wont fool you into thinking we did this all on our own.. well, let me rephrase- JORDAN didn't do this on his own accord, but what is pinterest for, anyway?  we found these plans and they seemed easy enough, and cheap enough to build these sweet little houses for the birdies in our yard all with Parker  and Jolie's helping little hands. plus, she gleaned the plans from Ana White, and Jordan is a BIG Ana White fan.  while these wont boast to be the most beautiful and articulate, they are darn cute hanging in the trees in our backyard.  
Jordan did the handy work and cut the wood with a miter saw from cedar boards, and then used gorilla glue to hold the boards in place before using the nail gun to secure.





I was impressed at how quickly they came together and how cute they were!  remember, I am the furthest thing from a DIY'er, so my level of time expectation for these kind of things are incredibly high. he basically cut + glued+ nailed in like less than 2 hours.  
2 hours with little hands right there along the way to 'help'.
pretty good! 

Jordan stained the tops of the houses- protecting them from the weather, but also because it looked really good AND we had some left over stain from when he and his dad did the stain on our outdoor living area.  


last weekend while Jolie and I took Baker to make a grocery run, Parker went with her dad to get the supplies for these houses.  which also means she picked the colors for paint!  Jordan made sure to choose a water-based latex paint- safe for the birds and the babes.  we just painted the outside of the houses, so the inside is still raw cedar wood.  safety again for the birds and their babies!



naturally there was coral.  purple, and yellow.  Jordan kept calling it red and Parker kept correcting him that it was PINK and ya'll its really coral, if we are being picky.  purple for Jo- by far her favorite color. and yellow for baby Baker Bree.




such a FUN and easy way to DIY with your kids!  Parker + Jolie have been talking about the birds since we hung these houses in the trees.  I cant wait to watch and see how these houses are used for the rest of the season.  I know these wont be the last birdhouses we build. Jordan is already talking about the other kinds of birdhouses that we need to build to attract this bird and that bird.. 
you know what kind of bird I actually want?  
chickens.
but thats for another blog post. 

6.10.2016

vintage babes with nena + co.

I was first introduced to nena+co about a year ago. I stumbled across their beautiful instagram feed and fell in love with the patterns, style, and story behind the brand.
how it all began..
Nena & Co. is a brand that founder, Ali started about two years ago. All of the bags and products are handmade by families she works with directly in Guatemala. Ali employs women who can work from home and have time to tend to their every day needs such as harvesting food, washing, and tending to their children, which is key for Nena & Co because we believe in Fashion for Good. 
Check out this video if you'd want to learn more HERE.

I've carried the day bag for almost a year and its definitely well loved and has been through the ringer, yet I get compliments all the time! not the traditional diaper bag, but functions just as well! on the other side of their gorgeous handbag line of products are the beautifully crafted, hand made clothing items for ninas + ninos.
 the color combinations and pattern! 
 life isn't always rainbows and unicorns.  its the exact opposite and oh my goodness Baker girl was done!  in her defense it was lunch time.. nap time.. play time..and well, GO time.  
she was making a break for it every time we set up for a picture.  
the big girls were having a grand ol' time, anyway!

 ankle rolls and knee creases fo' life.
more from nena+co
be sure to keep an eye out over on my instagram (@masseya) where I'll be giving away one of these sweet handmade dresses!  the lulu half-moon dress (Parker) or the no.5 jumper (Jolie) would look absolutely precious on any little girl!
I also might being handing out one of nena+co's handwoven clutches
I carry my clutch solo for date night or as a wallet in my favorite day bag.
you don't want to miss it!
HUGE thank you to brittany of b faith photography for snapping these precious pictures and to nena + co for their support and amazing generosity!
big girls
baker
Pin It button on image hover