Nora's 5th Bday Pizza Party!

 

 
Nora's birthday this year was a BIG one! The big fifth, number 5! She is wearing kids clothes vs. toddlers clothes now.  She can write well, and loves to use new (and big!) words. She loves learning and taking care of her baby dolls.  When I'm traveling, she is the one that loves to FaceTime and chitchat with me. She is amazing, she makes me laugh, and she is so smart.
We celebrated her birthday in California this year, right before Thanksgiving. So, this past weekend, we culminated her multiple-week long birthday celebration with a pizza party at our favorite pizza place, 1889 Pizza Napoletana, with a few friends and some family.  We had a blast, and the owners at the pizza place made the whole experience so interactive and fun! 
Coming off of a lot of travel and in between more travel, I needed something more turn key - and this was a blast!  All I had to do was bring some balloons, cupcakes and some little aprons for the kids that I picked up for cheap (and they loved!).  Overall, the kids had SO much fun. They made their own pizzas, from scratch and then ate them! It was the perfect little celebration for my big 5 year old!
Here are our party outfits:

 Here's to the next year baby girl!

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Pretending it is Spring!

  We are so ready for spring over here - definitely have the case of cabin fever with these still well-below freezing temps (and worse - horrid wind!).  But we had a day (still stuck inside) dreaming of spring this past weekend, trying on some fresh new clothes from Gymboree! Sometimes, you just have to turn up the heat and put on short sleeves.  And for a bit, it actually felt like maybe spring was here - at least the kids looked like it!
I even let Liam jump on the downstairs couch - who has boundless energy.  Both kids are still wearing their activity trackers, so they are really working on getting their goal steps and activity minutes. If they do, they get to play a special game within the parent's app, so it's a big deal. ;) And they might be a little competitive between each other, too.  Besides jumping all over the place - he is still very into legos, so thankfully that has gotten us through winer.
Liam is very specific about the waistbands on any bottoms he wears. He doesn't like them to feel too big (always worried they are going to fall down!  I do know have that same problem...), so his favorite are pull on with drawstring ties - and bonus if the waistband is soft. He loves these chino pull-on shorts, it was hard to get him to change out of them to put on pants when we did finally have to leave the house and out into the cold.

Nora has really taken up singing and, really, any kind of performing - sometimes one-actress monologue type episodes.  She loves picking out her own outfits to go along with her staring personality - and comfort is her first priority. Leggings have always been a go to for her so she can still move around, like kicking her legs up (constantly), and feel comfortable no matter what.  So, I love when I can find a really cute prints on leggings for a win-win for us both! These floral ones are perfect for spring, and the Smile tee was the perfect top for her performance of a many silly "smiley" faces!
These slip on sneakers for both the kids are a parent's dream, by the way. They just slip them on and go - so easy! Not fussing with ties and even velcro. And I love all the designs how cute they are. Kids are starting to wear these already - I had to give them something! - and they love them!  Nora's metallic ones here and Liam's paint splatter ones here!

How are you all staying creative at the end of this cold winer and/or getting read for spring?  Whatever you guys are doing, you'll love (but more importantly, your kids will love) the new Gymboree Spring collection! #followyourart
This post written in partnership with Gymboree - a long standing clothing go-to in our house!  Thank you for supporting this blog.

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Happy Stranger Things, Season 2 Debut Day!

 

  I was cleaning out and reorganizing Nora's closet the other day, and going through some of our dear friend's and my goddaughter's hand-me-downs to Nora when I stumbled upon this dress.  Right away, I show Greg, and joked Nora should be Eleven for Halloween.  
Obviously knowing Nora would never go for that (she's already firmly told me she is dressing up as Peppa Pig, plus has no idea who Eleven is, I decided to celebrate TODAY, the Netflix debut of Stranger Things, season two, with a little Nora nod to Eleven (I mean, she already has the right hair).
She thought it was fun to dress up, but mostly she was super excited to get a waffle. I just wish I had Eggo Waffles (at least the box!) on hand to really bring this look to life. ;)  Now, who is spending all weekend binge watching Stranger Things??
In case you need a last minute Halloween costumer, here is how to achieve Nora's Eleven look:

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Fall Apple Picking in Weston, KS

 

  It's become a tradition to go apple picking every fall (and now Liam is asking if we can go pick all the fruits, so I'm thinking we'll have a lot more "picking" in our future, pending the season) with our good friends.  We also headed back to Weston Red Farm Barn this year to apple pick and see the animals. It might be favorite place this season.
 It's crazy to see how much this crew has changed in just one year (see last years adventure here!).  This year, it was the perfect morning to be outside. Much cooler out because of the over night rain, so we wore our boots so we wouldn't have to worry about the muddy grounds.  Because of the rain the night before, I think a lot of people didn't come - so it wasn't crowded at all, which was even more awesome.  
Some of our favorite pieces in this post:

See some of our pics from the morning below!

 I love looking back on the years of apple picking!  Fall is seriously just glorious. 

What are your favorite fall activities?

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