july 4 2015

i am finally getting around to sharing some of our july 4th celebration. this day was nothing short of sweet and i keep finding myself thinking about this very day quite often. it was one of those days that if it was possible to restart over and over again, i'd be more than okay with it. we started the day picking strawberries, which is was one of my favorite pastimes as a child growing up. i remember going to the strawberry field with my mother down the road from our home and picking in the late afternoon hours, just before dinner or after. i remember it being such a special time for the both of us and to relive some of those same feelings with my own children, ahhhh my heart sings just thinking about it.

what a joy it was to see our two little gals enjoying themselves. kendi probably ate about fifteen strawberries or so, freshly picked, unwashed with not a care in the world other than feeding her tummy with delicious and ever so sweet berries. kaia loved finding the really big ones and teaching little sister the ins and outs about how to pick the berries and what to look for. nothing like making a mama's heart smile when you witness moments of your children teaching their younger sibling or siblings how things are done ;)

after picking berries the day was still young and we ventured on home to our little abode in the city where we spent the rest of our day soaking up the gorgeous weather with water games in our beloved backyard, fixing up our first homemade strawberry pie (that turned out soooo good by the way!), and fireworks in our back alley. it was such a perfect day celebrating this beautiful country.

here are a few iPhone images of our day together…

Savannah, Georgia

in late may the girls and i traveled to savannah, georgia to visit family and tour a bit of the east coast. it was both the littles first plane ride and honestly, despite my anxiousness, they traveled ever so beautifully. of course there were a few cries and fits here and there, normal stuff, but overall i couldn't have asked for anything better out of them. it was so nice to get out of minnesota and show them a place they have never been before. it was our first time to savannah as well and with much desire to want to move to a different part of the country some day, this place was quite charming. the food was delicious, perfection in my book, and the salty air and crashing of the waves from our ocean view was just what we needed to end our spring and welcome summer!

seeing our girl's eyes light up seeing the ocean for the first time, feeling their feet sink into the white soft sand. oh those moments will forever be with me.

and few images with my big girl camera…

bag giveaway

every mama needs a solid bag to tote around all those baby + child + mama essentials, right?!  well my friends, today is your lucky day if you're in the market for a fun, stylish, convenient and mama friendly diaper bag. we have partnered up with one of the neatest brands in the business setting themselves apart from any other diaper bag out there with their removable and washable "baby bag" organizer, Lily Jade.  their designer bags will accompany any mama throughout motherhood, and beyond, and we are so excited to be giving one of our lucky readers their very own!

i can about guarantee you will fall in love just as much as i have…

to enter:
- simply leave a comment on the blog below, telling me what you enjoy doing with your kiddos or loved ones.
- follow @lily-jadeco on instagram
- go to the giveaway post on my instagram @livinglifesmoments  page and tag your friends in the comments below. you may tag as many friends as you would like, i just ask you to tag one friend at a time so that it is easier to keep track! and that is all there is to it, friends. have fun and goooood luck!

to find out more about this awesome brand check out Lily Jade here!

giving back // No Kid Hungry

as a family we are always looking for experiences and opportunities to do good for others. whether it is for our family, our friends, our neighbors, our grocery store bagger, the kind guys and dolls that make us that delicious cup of jo at our local coffee shop, and the like... aaron and i strive to be teaching our littles how we can do good for other people by simple acts of kindness and how we can give back to others; waving to the pedestrian crossing the street, thanking the cashier at the store by name, picking out flowers for friends just because, donating new or unused toys and clothing to local shelters, putting a little extra in the church offering, sharing a bright, sincere smile with a stranger, or bagging up food items for charity. whatever the situation is, these simple acts can certainly go a long way and make a memorable difference to our day, our week, or even our month.   

this month we are celebrating giving back and acts of kindness in various ways by joining forces with Ella's Kitchen and Earth's Best and their partnership with the campaign No Kid Hungry to fight to end child hunger. with march being National Nutrition month, this campaign and partnership between Ella's Kitchen and Earth's Best are working hard to not only provide good quality, organic products but to bring awareness to a problem we are still facing here in the United States. together, they have donated 1.5 million free meals to kids here in our country who need them. how amazing is that? the best part yet, is you too can be part of this fight for child hunger by purchasing Ella's Kitchen and Earth's Best pouches, marked specifically with No Kid Hungry on the packaging at select Walmart locations and donate a bag of goodies to your local pantry. by being part of this mission and joining this fight, you will help raise more awareness and more food for our children who continue to go hungry every single day. together, we have come a long way in efforts to to keep the bellies of our children fed, but i believe we can still do better. 

so i invite you and your families to join us in this fight to end child hunger! please join and share your stories of what your family is doing to give back to others and how you are educating your children about child hunger and No kid Hungry --- please use the hashtags #NoKidHungry and #FeedKidsinNeed along with @livinglifesmoments and we'll choose one winner to send a $100 Walmart gift card to create their very own donation bag at home with your loved ones.

we look forward to hearing your stories!

4/52

"a portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2015"

kaia: you made your first eucalyptus crown and i have never seen you more proud. the joy on your face was priceless. 

kendi: you adore the outdoors so much. long walks through the neighborhood is so good for your sweet  soul. 

3/52

 "a portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2015"

kaia came up to me out of the blue and said, "you know mama, i am the sun and kendi is the moon." 

me: why is that babe, why is kendi the sun and you the moon?

kaia: well... because kendi is warm and bright and makes me feel good, like the sun. and i am the moon because i am her big sister who watches over her and i will keep her safe during the night, no matter where i am. 

bless these two sisters and their loving hearts. they truly amaze me every. single. day. and for that, for all of it, i am truly grateful. 

2/52

"a portrait of my children once a week, every week, in 2015"

kaia: loving the new sled we got as a christmas present. 

kendi: you are a thrill seeker, enjoying the wintertime fun and sledding down the big hills with your sister.