SoYoung G I V E A W A Y

today we're teaming up with SoYoung to give one lucky reader a new backpack and lunch box combo! the girls are quite smitten with theirs. they bring their backpacks along pretty much every where we go as of late. packed full of their favorites, these bags aren't too far out of reach. 

with Easter right around the corner, we thought the backpack and lunch box combo would make such cute gifts and be nice, yet useful, addition to any little one's Easter basket. one could even switch out the traditional Easter basket with the backpack. it would be so cute stuffed with eggs!

SoYoung Collection prides themselves on simplicity, yet keeps it cool with quality and style. made out of coated linen, they have a waterproof bottom to help protect from environmental elements. i especially love that about them. keeps things dry and clean!





the girls and i spent sometime at the flower gardens over the weekend. saturday was absolutely gorgeous to be outside and roaming the city. we packed a few snacks and hung out at the conservatory breathing in the beautiful aroma from the fresh blooms that surrounded us. the girls also brought along their nature journals and cameras { kaia took a couple of the floral photos below;) }. being there got me thinking about the plans for our outdoor space, which i'm anxiously awaiting to tend to. given the glorious weather we've been having it's been hard to be patient, but we still have a good couple weeks yet before it's safe to plant. come on spring, we are so ready for you!

to enter the giveaway please follow SoYoung and leave a comment below telling us what is inspiring you this season. and be sure to leave your instagram handle in the comment too, so we're sure it's counted! 

as always, thank you dear friends! 

back to work

a few weeks ago i announced on instagram that i went back to work. after eight and a half beautiful weeks at home with my girls, i exchanged our slow mornings and jammies until noon for fancy work attire and scheduling meetings around pumping and lunches on the go. a reality that came much too soon for all of us, really. to say our transition was easy would be silly. while klo is probably our easiest baby yet and thee most content little human ever, she has things that she prefers and she is sure to let us know about them. come to find out, nursing over bottle feeding was one of them. not that it was a big surprise to us, since we went through the same thing with kendi, but it really posed a challenge those first couple of weeks. knowing that klo would go on a hunger strike and refuse to take a bottle killed me. going back to work after having babies has always been hard on me, always, and this certainly didn't help. after trying what seemed like a lot of bottles with various nipple shapes and sizes, we stumbled upon the LATCH bottle {by munchkin) that is specifically designed to mimic milk flow of that from the breast. in many ways, this bottle is genius and so far it is working for her. my husband calls it the unicorn of bottles only because after investing all those dollars on bottles, this is the only one she will use for the time being. it's magic, i tell ya.

it is so much better to leave for work now knowing that she is happy and that her tummy is full of mama's milk!

coming home to these peaceful snuggles is everything…



this smile though..... seriously, such a love.

and let's be honest... i don't think any of us mama's get a thrill out of pumping and having to wear breast pads. am i right? but i don't leave the house without these. they are easy. simple. and they stay in place, mama friends!

if you're finding yourself in the same boat as we were in, i really recommend checking out the LATCH bottle. it has seriously been a life savor for our sweet girl. 

there are some really helpful videos here that describe how it works and their design process. and as always, if you have any questions... don't hesitate to ask. i'd love to share more about our story!

* please note this is a sponsored post and partnership with munchkin and living life's moments, however, all opinions and the story shared with you today is ours and true.



three months // and a giveaway

l o v e s to steal all of our kisses  l o v e s waking up at 3:00am and snuggling the rest of the early morning next to mama l o v e s kicking those legs and blowing bubbles l o v e s telling stories with sweet baby babbles to her big sisters l o v e s taking long naps in the baby swing or cuddled up on mama's chest  l o v e s the microwave fan to fall asleep, works every time  l o v e s cuddling up with her blanket and burrowing her face in it  l o v e s to smile  l o v e s the sound of water running l o v e s neck kisses  l o v e s to be loved . . . .

klo and mama are also loving these butter soft 100% prima cotton gems from Sasha & Lucca, New York. for those that may not be familiar, Sasha & Lucca is a children's brand designed in New York and made in peru with literally thee softest cotton ever. they are committed to creating a style that speaks sophistication and simplicity while keeping comfort a priority. these sweet pieces don't skip a beat, dear ones. they are beautifully crafted from head to toe!

Sasha & Lucca not only carries pieces to clothe your littles but they also carry beautiful accessories that make the every day easier, cleaner, and cozier. 

today, in celebration of this little love turning three months, we are hosting a giveaway just for YOU and your sweet LITTLE ONE! to enter a chance to win a $100 towards Sasha & Lucca products head over to their instagram and give a little love. once you're done swooning over all their cuteness come back here and tell us what you're loving about the current stage of your little one(s). we'd love to hear about it!

klo viola

to think that just a year ago today she was a prayer, a hope, a dream we wanted so badly. a year ago to this day i took a pregnancy test and another one three days later. they were both negative. i cried a little, who am i kidding, i cried a lot. after nearly eleven months of trying i was beginning to think my body was giving up on having children. i felt defeated and frustrated and angry at myself and wondered long and hard on my pillow at night why something that seemed so easy for others, was so very hard for us. having had four loses throughout our journey of growing our family, one may think why continue to put yourself through the pain when you already have two beautiful healthy children… and to be honest during those really hard days it didn't all make sense to me. but the thought, the dream, the prayer, the hope, the desire to have another little love to bring into this world and hold in our arms felt too close to our hearts to ignore it.

after two negative pregnancy tests, that just so happened on the week of aaron's birthday, we booked a last minute flight to florida to ring in another beautiful year of his life and to celebrate the life we were living. while it is so great to have those hopes and dreams and things we want in our life, it is just as important to hold on to the now and to enjoy it. so there we were, not pregnant (or so we thought) and saying goodbye to our littles for the first time to escape the winter for warm sunshine and the salty air. we explored the beaches of naples and fort myers and breathed in all that we could of one another. we talked about our dream of having a big family while letting go of all the heavy pain and disappointment we found ourselves living in. we took the time to reflect and pray and placed it all in His hands. that trip will always be so special to us in so many ways.

we came back from our trip stronger than ever and ready for whatever came our way. we knew in our hearts, and in good time that He would answer our prayers… no matter the outcome.

. . . . . . . .  almost two weeks later we found out that those negative pregnancy tests were, in fact wrong,  and that we had a tiny heart beat six weeks in bloom.

prayers and hopes answered. a dream come true.

klo viola was born in the early morning hours on november 28, 2015. our hearts are more full. our days are more busy. our lives are more at peace. God knew what he was doing blessing us with this baby girl. 

. . . . . . .  to those that are struggling. to those that dream and pray and hope every single month, i feel you. i hear you. you are not alone and may you never give up. xo

* photos with the five of us and of mama and klo are by our good friend @alesyaandthebabes.  all the other images are edited and photographed by yours truly.