Category: eloise

Happy Halloween! {2017}

Happy Halloween from the Lowers!

SONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSC

{And this is was a definite fail on my part. I off-centered the cherry and frosting on the headband (it would’ve been so cute if it would have stayed like that!) but it was too heavy and kept falling off…}

SONY DSCSONY DSC

Eloise decided a while ago (like in the summer) that she wanted to be a cupcake. And I waited for a while to see if she would change her mind. But she didn’t! And her only request was that it be purple (surprise). I looked at a few places to see if I could find a pre-made cupcake costume, but there weren’t very many, and of the ones that were available, I just didn’t like any of them… they all looked a little cheesy! So, I searched Pinterest and found quite a few tutorials. I ended up using this one. I am super happy with the way it turned out, but practically it was a little cumbersome for Eloise to actually trick-or-treat in. Almost everyone in our neighborhood has stairs, and that was a bit of a challenge. Half-way thru the night she came back and I offered for her to change into her pumpkin costume from last year. Much better. So, note to self, easy to walk in Halloween costume is a requirement!

Eloise did really well this year for Halloween saying “trick-or-treat,” “Happy Halloween,” and “thank you” when we were at each neighbor’s door. She is usually pretty reserved when we see people we don’t know, so I sort of expected she would be that way and hide behind either Aaron or me, but it wasn’t the case at all!

Happy Halloween!

M

our trip to Mexico {2017}

We just got back from Mexico (in the wee hours of the morning on Wednesday) and I wanted to share some photos since I know you all have been waiting (haha)! I posted some of these during the week on my Instagram stories (this is my favorite social media guys!) as well as Instagram and Facebook posts, but since there were more photos to share, I thought I would do a blog post as well. {So I apologize for the repetition.}

As some of you may know, we headed down to Cancun last week to celebrate Aaron’s cousin’s wedding. Since we decided early on to take the kids (Daphne was pretty much a have-to since I didn’t want to spend a week in Mexico pumping!) we decided to make it a family vacation and stay an entire week. Plus, it was a great excuse to get the girls passports (oh my gosh, passport photos for babies and toddlers, it’s the best)! The wedding was at an all-inclusive resort which wouldn’t have probably been our first choice for vacation (I am much more inclined to rent an Airbnb house) but it was great for the kids. Plus, the rest of the wedding party, including all of Aaron’s family that had made the trip were at the resort, so it was sort of a no-brainer. We stayed at the Now Sapphire Riviera Cancun. It felt a lot like the Sandals resort we stayed in in St. Lucia for our honeymoon, but super family friendly.

We had a really good time and it was great to get away, just the four of us. Since we left last Tuesday, we had a day or two of just us before family started arriving for the big event. And it was great to see family too. Eloise was in heaven playing with all of her cousins!

The only real complaint that we had (#firstworldproblems) was that it was so, so hot and humid. It was about mid-80s temperature wise but with 85% humidity. That means the “real feel” temperature was around 100 degrees. I know, hard to complain about being on vacation in Mexico, but we were not prepared for that kind of heat! Luckily our room had A/C and we got an occasional ocean breeze.

Okay, enough chatting, I know you just want to see pictures! I didn’t take a ton of pictures since I was enjoying being unplugged (which just doesn’t happen much at home).

20171010_104838433_iOS

{This is what traveling with both of the girls looked like. Not pictured: husband who was carrying a backpack, duffel bag (we love this one from Lo & Sons for travel!), and the diaper bag. Also not pictured: two car seats, two big suitcases.}

20171010_120212486_iOS

{Hello LA! Early morning layover.}

20171010_150700446_iOS

{We got Eloise a little digital camera for the trip and she was OBSESSED! She took about 100 pictures before we landed in Mexico… and many of the floor. Also, she loves her headphones which we only let her use when we are traveling.}

20171010_162443405_iOS

{Hello Mexico! Perks of having a window seat, right?}

20171010_231751370_iOS

{The beach. It was so beautiful!}

20171011_163804537_iOS

{Eloise and I spent our first morning out on the beach while Aaron stayed with Daphne in the room for her nap.}

20171011_164546298_iOS

{CHEESE! And so much sunscreen. My suit is old from TopShop and Eloise’s is from June and January for those who were asking.}

20171011_174905681_iOS

{Daphne girl joined us at the beach after nap time.}

20171011_180937806_iOS

{She LOVES the sand and just wanted to make sandcastles (and then destroy them) and bury our feet.}

20171011_194223296_iOS

{We welcomed family since we were the first ones to arrive. Michael (Aaron’s cousin) and his wife Rachel with the girls.}

20171012_002243559_iOS

{Love this Daphne girl. Even though moments before this happened she bit me. While she was nursing. It was not a great moment.}

20171012_032439721_iOS

{Guys, sisters are the best! Maggi, the bride, gave the girls these adorable jammies.}

20171012_154545583_iOS

{Poolside.}

20171013_164047256_iOS

{Even though there were cabanas at the beach, they were pretty small once you got chaise lounge chairs under them. And we were all dying for shade! So I was happy to have brought this little pop-up tent for Daphne. And it was awesome to keep her from eating sand.}

20171013_164109453_iOS

{We got her a new set of sand toys since the bucket we brought with us broke in the suitcase. It came in a little backpack which she wanted to take with us everywhere.}

20171013_164353740_iOS

{This was perfect. And then the baby started moving towards the sand. But for a minute there, it was actually really relaxing!}

20171013_164537067_iOS

{Eloise was a little nervous about the ocean but would go in if Aaron carried her.}

20171013_165458277_iOS

{More sandcastles. And when Papa is around he goes to the water and gets the good, wet sand!}

20171013_212851147_iOS

{We were so happy to see Kait! She was amazing with the girls who loved her so much. She’s technically not a cousin, but a cousin of a cousin, but that is just semantics!}

20171013_213033716_iOS

{Ah, that smile!}

20171013_231320744_iOS

{Eloise was not sure about this, but she wanted to be there since that is what her cousins were doing!}

20171014_152605265_iOS

{Another morning at the pool and it was much too hot for Daphne to nap.}

20171014_153612476_iOS

{Eloise was so brave and swam out with her Uncle David, Aaron’s brother.}

20171014_162206001_iOS

{It took a lot of bouncing and rocking, but I finally got Daph to nap that morning.}

20171014_195735262_iOS

{The wedding set-up. It was insanely hot, but so beautiful!}

20171014_195757347_iOS

{Wedding selfie. Love this guy. And Baby D was not at all happy. She calmed down before the ceremony started though, thank goodness!}

20171014_213514186_iOS

{The tables were gorgeous. I wish I could have greenery and flowers on my dining table all the time.}

20171014_214050784_iOS

{And after the wedding was done, the kids played on the beach. And Eloise deconstructed the wedding flowers…}

20171014_215825445_iOS

{For Mr. and Mrs. Czerpak!}

20171014_223701896_iOS

{We only got a few photos of the four of us and even though the girls weren’t looking at the camera or smiling, I love this photo of our little family. And bless my husband who endured wearing a suit during the wedding ceremony because I asked him to. It was probably 100 degrees on the beach that afternoon, but I love him in a suit!}

20171014_233359558_iOS

{Cutting the cake. The cake topper says “finally” since they dated for 7 years!}

20171015_000833678_iOS

{Sami, the flower girl (she LOVED Daphne and Eloise) and Uncle Papi (Uncle Mike) who was the father of the bride. Our wedding favors were these colorful maracas and the girls were both obsessed.}

20171015_000413818_iOS

{A dance party after dinner. It was so fun!}

20171015_022752473_iOS

{Eloise with the bride.}

20171015_021039541_iOS

{Eloise, Kendra, Daphne, and me. It was so hot but such a fun time!}

20171015_012130456_iOS

{After dancing, we re-grouped and went back to the room to get the girls ready for bed. We gave her a bedtime bottle, stuck these earphones on her, and she was out for the rest of the night!}

20171015_152125228_iOS

{Nap at the beach!}

20171015_152147242_iOS

{And more time to play in the sand. All of the family had cabanas right next to each other so it was fun to see everyone, but still be able to hang in the shade.}

20171015_164734969_iOS

{This is her “What Mama?” face when I say “Say cheese, Eloise!”}

20171016_152936266_iOS

{Hydrating before pool time.}

20171016_155743298_iOS

{And she’s off!}

20171016_161057325_iOS

{Oh those cheeks and those lips sweet Daphne girl!}

20171016_171048664_iOS

{A post-nap swim for Daphne. She LOVED the pool! Her rashguard/sunshirt is an old Crewcuts and her swim diaper is an old Honest Co.}

20171016_171344279_iOS

{And Eloise insisted on getting back in the pool with Uncle Ben.}

20171016_225857370_iOS

{The beach just outside our room.}

20171017_004017200_iOS

{On our last night we hung out with family after dinner and Eloise was loving spending time with her cousin Jack. She was a blur the entire night!}

{And Daphne crawling (and almost getting squished by Eloise!) in case you missed it on my Instagram stories.}

20171017_201853294_iOS

{Waiting to get on the plane. Eloise loves airports and seeing all of the planes.}

20171017_202835659_iOS

{And Daphne loves sticking her fingers in other people’s mouths… we are working on that. And moments later, she was out and slept until we were on the plane.}

20171017_214114942_iOS

{Adios Mexico! See you next time!}

A fun family trip and makes me so excited to continue our family adventures, hopefully, all around the world with these girls!

And happy wedding day to Maggi and Greg!

M

Also, for those who were asking, my dress is J. Crew that I picked up at the end of the summer (so it’s no longer available). As soon as we booked our trip I started searching for a dress since I knew it would be tricky to find something I liked that was also nursing friendly. Luckily, this dress was so perfect!

 

eloise {big kid room reveal}

It’s been a long time coming (especially since we moved Eloise into her new room months ago!) and a lot of you have been asking, but here is a post all about Eloise’s big kid room! (And there will, eventually, be a post about Daphne’s nursery too… shooting the nursery is tricky with a baby and a toddler. And nap times and preschool drop-off and pick-up. But I digress.)

Eloise is (still) so excited about her room. If you come over (or have been over recently) she will want to take you on a tour of it. So sweet and I am taking it as a complement of how much she LOVES it! I tried to keep most of her original decor (though most of the artwork never hung in her nursery though I had good intentions of hanging a gallery wall in there for years!) which was the entire idea when I decorated her nursery to begin with. I wanted it to feel like she could grow up in there and have something familiar even once she transitioned into a new space.

As most of you know, this is the front bedroom which is at the very bottom of the stairs, and formally housed our office. We hadn’t done much to the space (except hang some things on the walls) since we knew it was mostly a temporary space for us to spread out and would eventually become a bedroom.

And without further adieu, pictures (because that is what you all are here for, right?).

SONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSC

And a source list for those who are interested:

Love your big kid room Eloise!

M

This post contains affiliate links.

eloise {first day of preschool 2017}

SONY DSC

{letter board: Letter Folk // top: Cat & Jack for Target // skirt and pants: Cat and Jack for Target // lunchbox: PackIt // backpack: my old backpack // shoes: babyGap (old)}

Eloise headed back to preschool today and she was pretty excited about it. She was a little quiet when we first got to school, but I think mostly it was because everyone was doing drop-off right at the same time, so it was pretty busy with kids and parents taking off shoes, hanging up backpacks, and saying good-bye. She sat with me for a minute and then was ready to go!

Eloise will be at the same preschool this year, but will be going four mornings per week (Monday to Thursday) instead of just two. It is going to be wonderful for all of us. Plus I am so excited for her because on Tuesday mornings she will walk down to the library with her teachers and friends to storytime. That is one thing I just haven’t found the time and energy for but Eloise loves it.

She seemed so big this year going to school. Last week we went to Target to pick out a first day outfit and she picked it out all by herself! And she even wanted to get dressed as soon as she woke up this morning which is unusual since she normally just wants to hang out in her underpants!

And see E’s first day of preschool last year. She looks so little!

Happy first day of preschool Eloise!

M

This post contains affiliate links.

eloise’s third birthday party!

Months ago I asked Eloise what she wanted to do for her birthday, and she told me she wanted to have a party with her friends and have a purple dinosaur cake. {She was very insistent on having a “purple dinosaur cake” and would say that’s what she wanted for her birthday if you asked her. I recently caught a part of a Daniel Tiger episode where there were make-believe dinosaurs, and one was purple, which is probably where she got the dinosaur idea from!}

I didn’t really put two + two together, but when I started mentioning “purple dinosaurs” to people, everyone immediately was like “Barney?” To which I wanted to stay as far away from Barney as possible! So I started looking on Etsy for a shop that could make a cute “purple dinosaur” invitation and I found this little shop that personalized the invite for Eloise!

Eloise-5x7

I love using Paperless Post because it has a great event tracker for keeping track of RSVPs, but in the past I had always used one of the invitation designs that was offered on the site. I discovered though that they offer an “upload your own” invitation that allows you to upload your own design (or one that you buy like I did) which was perfect!

Generally I take on way too much for parties (um, imagine that!) and then end up scrambling the few days leading up to the party which isn’t very fun (and is super stressful). And I also always end up with WAY too much food (you’d think I would learn after all of these years how much food we actually need). So this time, I made sure I kept things super simple (because, two children = no free time) on both the décor and the food. Food-wise, I didn’t make anything except for the cake and Rice Krispy treats (which are the easiest thing ever to make!) and it was all stuff I picked up and took out of a box or bag, and set out on the table. And décor-wise, I picked up (purple) flowers, a banner, and some balloons, but focused on one craft: party hats. I used my tried-and-true party hat (including mini ones this time since there are so many younger siblings in the mix now) and added purple “dinosaur scales” to them.

I did make Eloise’s purple cake. It was purple frosting with purple dinosaur candles. Sadly, there aren’t any close-ups of the dinosaur candles, but I spray painted plastic dinosaurs purple and candle holders gold (we are early indoctrinating this girl to be a UW fan!), had Aaron drill into the backs of them, and then put them together (like this) with purple candles as a finishing touch. I usually bake a cake for birthday parties, but this time it was a bit different because I did a “test cake” the week before to make sure the recipe was good (or that I could make it well). It was a buttermilk cake (I didn’t do the fruit compote or cream) with whipped frosting, and it was yummy!

And onto the pictures! {Thank you SO much JESS for taking these!}

SONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSC

For those that have asked, the girls are both wearing one of our favorite brands June & January, Eloise in the play dress and Daphne in the play romper (both in violet).

And here are links to Eloise’s first and second birthdays!

Happy Third Birthday Eloise!

M

This post contains affiliate/referral links.

 

eloise {three years}

SONY DSC

{lion: jellycat via Nordstrom // tee: Old Navy // skirt: June and January // party hats: DIY}

{three years} Three years. I seriously can’t believe it. Eloise seems old and young at the same time (and if you have had recently or currently have a three year old, you know what I mean!). I am amazed by how much she understands and how well she communicates. It’s astounding. She is this incredible little person and I am so, so honored to be able to watch her grow, and also very humbled that I have the great responsibility of raising her. {See her grow up: birth story // one year // two years}

Since we sleep trained Eloise when she was five months old, she has basically been a great sleeper. 12 hours at night and a nice nap (most days). But, as we got into the mid-year of her twos, we started running into issues of Eloise screaming and crying when we tried to leave for bedtime. Aaron got the brunt of it since I was either pregnant or caring for newborn-Daphne, but her wails would echo thru the house! After getting some advice from friends and talking it thru, we started getting more firm with a bedtime routine. I think most of our issues stemmed from Eloise’s expectation that she would get an endless amount of books before she went to sleep and each night was a negotiation; now we have a firm rule of one book at naptime and two books at bedtime, though those books can be lost if she is naughty in the time leading up to sleeping time or during the bedtime routine. And we also found that if we allowed her to have books in her bed to “read” while she is falling asleep, it’s helpful too. Eloise takes a really long time to fall asleep (sometimes over an hour) which is partly because I still allow her to have a pretty long afternoon nap if she’ll take it, but she does do well falling asleep herself.

Eloise has been an amazing big sister these past five months. She has always loved babies and was really in-tune with what was going in with my pregnancy, but you just don’t know how things are going to shake out once that baby comes home (and never leaves)! We have had our moments for sure, but the vast majority of the time, Eloise is awesome about Daphne. She is always so loving and curious about her, and just wants to help all. the. time. My little mama. It has been amazing to see the relationship between these two girls!

Just in the last week or so we started Time Out with Eloise. One of the parenting books that I have flipped thru (The Incredible Years) recommended that real Time Out really isn’t effective until the age of three. Before this, we put toys (or whatever was the issue) into Time Out, or just removed Eloise from the situation that was causing the issue. Eloise is a pretty good kid (considering she is a toddler and exploring her boundaries) and does not like to be in trouble (just like her mama) so we didn’t have a ton of issues. But there are some things that Aaron and I have decided aren’t tolerable in our house (like hitting or throwing) that lead to an official Time Out. Eloise isn’t great with Time Out as she screams and cries the entire time and really just wants someone to stay with her, but I think it’s been effective. I know she doesn’t totally understand it yet as a consequence, but the vast majority of the time just the threat of a Time Out will correct behavior quickly!

Eloise’s pre-school is based on the school calendar year, so she has been on summer break since the end of June and will start again in early September (right after Labor Day). While our school schedule in the PNW is vastly different than the rest of the country it seems, it really fits our weather much better regarding summer. We don’t really get warm until June (or even July) and have a gorgeous September, so it really works out well. This year Eloise will attend the same pre-school (the Birch School) but will go four mornings a week (Monday thru Thursday) instead of just two. It is great because on Tuesday mornings she will go to story time at the library with her class which is something I have struggled to make happen with both girls (trying to get everyone out of the house in the morning to make a 25 minute story time is a little insane). Eloise asks at least twice a week when she gets to go back to school, so as much as we have enjoyed the summer, I think we are all ready to get back into the school routine in the fall. She just loves her teachers and her friends and just thrives in that environment which is so wonderful for us to see. I am currently starting to research possible Pre-K programs for Eloise to start in the fall of 2018 (which is blowing my mind… Pre-K? That means Kindergarten is just around the corner).

In the past few months, Eloise has learned how to button buttons and zip zippers. It isn’t all the time, but she always tries at first (“I can do it all by myself!”) and about half the time she needs help. But I am seriously impressed with her fine motor dexterity!

Also, band-aids. So many band-aids. We love the Oh Joy! ones from Target since there are fun designs and colors (without any character branding) that I can also wear, and I buy at least three boxes at a time. Eloise has a habit of re-skinning her knees as soon as they are healed from the last time, mostly from running down the sidewalk. I am a total klutz so hopefully she doesn’t follow my lead and gets over it sooner rather than later…

Lastly, we did (in May) turn Eloise’s car seat around so that she is forward-facing. It was a really agonizing decision and we went back and forth for a really long time on it, but ultimately turning her around made the most sense.

And the newest rendition of Things Eloise Says:

“Papa is a big giant boy! He can run. He can catch me. He can play tag and drink coffee.”

“Why does Susan (our neighbor) have her Christmas lights on? Maybe she likes them? Or maybe she needs them in her life?” (Shrugs.)

Papa: “Eloise are you string?” Eloise: “Yes. And din-dependent. (Independent.)”

Papa: “Your brain is very interesting.” Eloise: “And independent!”

“I don’t prefer my zucchini.”

Says everything three times (like from her Eloise books): It’s my favorite, favorite, favorite! I loved it, loved it, loved it!

Watching the marching band: “Maybe they are going to the marching band house. Or to school. Or to work, but not Papa’s work.”

“Do you think he has a weeding whacker?”

Eloise: “I love ice cream.” Me: “Oh, what is your favorite flavor?” Eloise: “Chocolate. Purple chocolate.” (This is before she had ever had ice cream!)

“Adios! I’m going to Mexico… It’s not open. Mexico.”

Papa: “Where does (cow) milk come from?” Eloise: “Cows.” Papa: “So if cow milk comes from cows, where does almond milk come from?” Eloise: “Bears?” (Papa asks again.) Eloise: “Teddy bears?”

“Maybe he’s brooming” (about Aaron sweeping the stairs).

Eloise: “Here you go Mama, this is for you” as she hands me a painted picture. Mama: “Oh thank you, it’s beautiful!” Eloise: “I know you love it.”

Mama: “Which jammies do you want to wear for naptime?” Eloise: “My Christmas jammies. I know it’s not Christmas. I love Christmas!”

Eloise: “Can Stella see the world?” (She wanted to take Stella her doll outside.)

“Hey there little cutie!” whenever she sees Daphne.

“Did you get those nom-a-noms from Madeleine’s party?” referring to M&Ms.

“Paga (my dad). You have a guest downstairs waiting for you. I don’t remember his name but he’s a guest!”

Running down the street: “This is a really good workout for me!”

Puts board books into her jean shorts: “Mama, it’s a nice little present.”

“Hot sauce is kind of my favorite but I don’t like the flavor of it.”

Birthday Interview. {I am hoping to do this interview every year to see how the answers change!}

What is your name? Eloise.
How old are you? Three (holds up three fingers).
What is your favorite thing to do? Play with Mama and Papa, and go on walks.
What do you want to be when you grow up? A doggie.
What is your favorite food? Bananas and pee-pop (it’s a food that you drink, it’s like milk or water or something like that).
Who do you like to spend your time with? Mama and Papa and Daphne and Sadie.
What do you do really well? Um, play with food.
What makes you laugh? Jokes.
What is the best time of day? Opening presents.
What are you afraid of? (Shakes her head). I like cats.
Who is your best friend? Mama.
What do you like to do with your family? Paint.
What do you love to learn about? Blocks.
Where do you like to go? To school.
What is your favorite book? Curious George.
If you had one wish, what would it be? I would make a witch?

{weight} 31 pounds, 8 ounces (50 to 75%); height: 36.5 inches (25 to 50%)*

{hair} (reddish) brown.

{teeth} 20 teeth plus four molars.

{eyes} dark brown.

{clothes}  2T (swimsuits from last year), some 3T, mostly 4T.

{diapers} underpants during the day and for naps, Honest Co. diapers at nighttime. {And the only reason she is even in diapers still during nighttime is because neither Aaron nor I have wanted to make the commitment; we are just now sleeping consistently thru the night and want to enjoy that for a moment. Eloise is the type of kid who will pee in a diaper if she is wearing one, so it isn’t like we are waiting for her to wake-up dry in the morning. Plus, her pediatrician just told me that (in his opinion) “nighttime training” isn’t really a thing and children will naturally stop producing urine at night sometime between 3 and 8 years. Long story short, it’s up in the air!}

{feeding} during the day, three meals, morning snack, & afternoon snack. cup of milk with every meal.

{likes} coloring, yelling, Duplos, digging in the dirt, splashing, counting, chewing on her toothbrush, the mailman (Teddy), any person outside on the sidewalk, bubbles, sidewalk chalk, coloring, buckles, jumping, watching out the front window (dogs, kids, trucks), books, mama & papa’s cell phone, toys that squeak or rattle, singing & music, dancing, Sadie, FaceTime, bathtime, shoes, mama’s (diaper) bag, clapping, putting things inside a bag or box, taking lids off of things, talking, helping with anything & everything, when Papa comes home from work.

{dislikes} not being included, having something taken away from her, not eating when someone else is, being hungry, TimeOut.

{nicknames} Bug, Love Bug, Baby Bug, E, Wheezy, Kiddo, Love, Bugaboo, E-Lo or Elle.

*I always said Eloise was a big two year old, especially in comparison to some of her friends, but according to her weight and height stats, she really isn’t!

Happy THREE years Eloise!

M

This post contains affiliate links.

our trip to Indiana {2017}

This post about our trip to Indiana has been on my to-do list for an embarrassingly long time (we were there in early May!) but better late than never, right?

We travelled as soon as we got the greenlight from Daphne’s pediatrician who was okay with us flying on an airplane once the first set of vaccines were given (at 8 weeks). So, off we went to the midwest for Baby D’s first trip and our first big outing as a family of four!

We didn’t have any set itinerary and just wanted to make sure we saw as many family members and friends as we could to catch up with and introduce Daphne. It was wonderful to see so many loved ones and we so appreciate people making time for us, coming to impromptu get-togethers, or letting us crash at their homes.

Okay, prepare for a picture over-load!

SONY DSC

{Daphne got to meet her Nana (Aaron’s step-mom) for the first time! Oh, and that little yellow onesie is one that was Aaron’s when he was a baby.}

SONY DSC

{The first of many play dates at Nana and Papaw’s for Eloise and Charlotte.}

SONY DSCSONY DSC

{Daphne meeting her Aunt Cari (Aaron’s sister).}

SONY DSCSONY DSC

{And Daphne getting some lovin’ from cousins Teddy and Charlotte.}

SONY DSCSONY DSC

{And meeting Aunt Gigi (Maggi, one of Aaron’s many cousins).}

SONY DSCSONY DSC

{And Great Aunt Yaya (Aaron’s Aunt Sharon).}

SONY DSCSONY DSC

{And a group photo.}

SONY DSC

{Take two. Okay, there were way more than 2 taken!}

SONY DSC

{And Frankie and Gigi.}

SONY DSCSONY DSC

{Great grandpa Neal (or Great Neal as Eloise calls him) with Eloise.}

SONY DSC

{Great Neal and two of his youngest great-granddaughters.}

SONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSC

{Can you tell Eloise is saying “cheese”?}

SONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSC

{Papaw (Aaron’s dad) and the girls.}

SONY DSCSONY DSC

{Chatting and nursing the babes. Kendra (married to Aaron’s cousin Nathan) had just had Adaline a week before! Also pictured is Kelsey (dating Aaron’s cousin Seth) and Kendra’s oldest Wyatt.}

SONY DSC

{Cari singing and playing the guitar because she has the most amazing voice!}

SONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSC

{Cracking up!}

SONY DSC

{And a better shot. Thanks to Tim and Meg (and their adorable little ones) for making the trip en route home to Bloomington!}

SONY DSCSONY DSC

{Aaron and his step-brother Kyle and Kyle’s daughter Mallory.}

SONY DSC

{The girls seeing Great Grandma Eileen.}

SONY DSC

{These girls had the best time playing at the playground!}

SONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSCSONY DSC

{I could not just choose one of these to share of Daphne, Cari, and Charlotte. Seriously, so sweet!}

SONY DSC

And since that wasn’t enough, here are some more candid ones from my phone.

20170502_215209988_iOS

{Daphne’s first flight!}

20170502_232558414_iOS

{Aaron is the champ at getting Eloise to nap in the Ergo when we are on planes. Seriously, the best.}

20170503_205705818_iOS20170503_223513547_iOS20170505_165942277_iOS

{We accompanied Cari, Mo, and Charlotte to her most recent set of big scans and explored a few different places in the hospital. Luckily, it was great news from the scans!}

20170506_160149578_iOS

{Great Neal and Baby D at lunch.}

20170506_161028412_iOS

{And Eloise was so happy that Great Neal colored with her.}

20170506_173542114_iOS

{The sweetest.}

20170507_211342558_iOS

{A little cousin gang.}

20170508_010433153_iOS

{Cousins (that’s Nathan) and the two youngest Johnson family babies. And the blurs that are toddlers!}

20170508_172322615_iOS20170509_193819345_iOS

{Eloise always wants to read the safety information card on the airplane! And then she asks a million questions about it, including where her life jacket is.}

20170509_225216807_iOS

{Watching the airplanes in Chicago during our layover. We also met the crew of our flight and they were so nice!}

20170509_231900067_iOS

{As much as it stinks to have to buy another airplane seat, it is so SO nice to have an entire section of row when we fly!}

20170510_004554527_iOS

And last but not least, a few from Aaron’s phone too!

20170503_162452983_iOS

{Nana and Papaw meet Daphne for the first time. Do you think they were excited to meet their newest grandbaby?!}

20170504_174632294_iOS

{Great Aunt Susan and Uncle Duane and the girls after a nice lunch!}

20170506_002418274_iOS

{Bath time with cousins is a must!}

20170506_200051105_iOS

{Love this one of Teddy, Charlotte, Eloise, and Frankie at the playground. Aaron took the kids down the street from our rental house and Cari and I got a few minutes of mama time to chat and catch up. It was wonderful!}

20170507_011506108_iOS

{Charlotte loved brushing Eloise’s long hair. One day soon Charlotte, you are going to have beautiful long (and probably still curly) hair to brush!!}

20170508_213806667_iOS

{Seeing Great Aunt Kathi and Uncle Stan (obviously not pictured).}

20170508_231040921_iOS

Lots of people have asked about how the trip went, specifically travelling with the babes, and I have to say that the girls are AMAZING little travelers! Eloise really loves to fly and newborns are the easiest to fly with. The biggest hassle is just the amount of extra stuff you end up bringing with kids, and we really tried to minimize as much as possible. We took Daphne’s infant seat and the stroller (mostly for the airport) as well as the Ergo (for Eloise) and the Solly wrap (for Daphne); I wore Daphne thru airport security and Aaron wore Eloise. Also, pay for TSA Pre-Check. It’s so worth it not to have to hassle with shoes/jackets/etc. off and going thru the metal detector instead of the body scanner (though sometimes that happens and Aaron and I both opt out and get a pat-down instead). We ended up renting a (brand-new) car seat for Eloise and a Rock N Play for Daphne from Hoosier Baby rentals which we picked up at the airport along with our rental car (this was a detail that Aaron worked out with the rental company since we arrived really late at night). And, we also decided to rent an Airbnb house this time around in order to have enough space for everyone. In the past, we haven’t done well sharing a sleeping space with Eloise (she won’t co-sleep well) so we always try to get a separate room/space for her. Plus, it is great to have a full kitchen for breakfast in the morning (and casual dinners in) as well as laundry and a place to hangout on days when we are in for the afternoon nap (we tried to alternate afternoons we were okay with being out for naptime and days we needed to be “home” for naptime).

And one last thing (I promise). Lots of people have been asking about how Charlotte is doing. The short answer (in my opinion) is great! We were able to spend SO much time with her and Cari (almost every day we were in Indiana!) and Charlotte was in such good spirits. If you are interested in her treatments and all of her updates, here is her Facebook page. Thanks for all of the Charlotte support! She is one very loved little girl!

Other than the crazy weather (it poured rain nearly the entire time we were there!) we had a good time!

M

eloise {last day of preschool 2017}

SONY DSC

{letter board: Letter Folk // jammies: Burt’s Bees // lunchbox: PackIt // sneakers: See Kai Run (similar)}

It’s hard to believe that it has already been an entire school year since this picture was taken on the first day of school! But then, Eloise grew up so much over the past months.

Eloise has absolutely LOVED school and looked forward to it each Monday and Wednesday morning. She had amazing teachers and friends, and really thrived in the environment. I was worried since she was so little when she started (barely 2) and just potty trained, but after a few tearful drop-offs, we got into a good rhythm and never looked back. To say that Eloise made progress this year emotionally, socially, and academically* is an understatement. We are very excited for Eloise to return to the Birch School in the fall, going 4 mornings a week!

I am not entirely sure Eloise understands what summer vacation means, but we are looking forward to lots of summer adventures both with Papa (who has a few more weeks at home with us) and with Daphne and me. Also, it was “spirit day” at school today and PAJAMAS were the theme, hence why Eloise is wearing jammies. This was probably the best case scenario for Eloise though because if she could stay in her jammies all day, every day, she would (definitely gets that from her Papa and not from her Mama!).

Happy summer vacation Eloise!

M

*There isn’t any academic curriculum, per se, at the Birch School, but Eloise has picked up on “academic” things nonetheless. She is a lover of knowledge with a great memory, so numbers, letters, colors, etc. come at great ease to her even without anything formal.

This post contains affiliate links.

 

eloise {thirty-three months}

SONY DSC

{peplum: June and January // leggings: Old Navy (old) // chambray: Carter’s (old)}

{month thirty-three} This kid! How is she almost three?! She definitely has an opinion and is not afraid to tell you, like how she didn’t want to take a picture yesterday in the glider with Leo and thankfully Aaron captured this one of her when we were in Indiana!

Physically Eloise is a pretty big kid, bigger than most of her friends. I suspect she will be a few inches taller than me (hopefully you get longer legs kiddo!) and she has always been bigger than average on the growth charts. She runs everywhere which results in lots of tumbles and falls… She has mastered going up and down the stairs, and will finally be tall enough for her balance bike this spring and summer which I hope she enjoys!

Eloise’s hair is so, so long and very fine. It has grown out in layers and is half-way down her back! Up until recently she has been afraid of getting a haircut, almost to the point where it upsets her, so we have continued to tell her that she doesn’t have to have one and we can wait until she is ready. I am getting my hair cut when we visit Boise in July and she may choose to get it cut then (since she wants to basically do everything that Mama does). She doesn’t like ponytails or pigtails (though we can incentivize her with looking at photos on a phone if we need/want it up) and tolerates a bow clip to keep her bangs back. Most of the time though her hair is down and always in her face!

Potty training is still going well and is actually better after Daphne’s birth, despite warnings from both her pediatrician and my midwife (and a slew of other people) that a new baby would (or could) cause a regression. Eloise is consistently pooping in the potty now (though she still gets an applesauce pouch as a treat for that) and self-initiates almost all the time. We have had a few accidents in the past months, but they are all because we (both Eloise and either Aaron or I) have just lost track of time or she is consumed in playing. We aren’t quite ready to try nighttime training since it requires wake-ups in the middle of the night, but will probably try this summer while Aaron is on paternity leave since I think she is much more ready now (rather than when we tried around Christmastime last year).

Eloise loves being a big sister to Daphne and calls her “my baby.” She is (overly) helpful with everything from giving Daphne her paci to getting me a diaper. There are lots of hugs and kisses too. The first thing Eloise asks about when she wakes up from a nap or in the morning is Baby Daph-A-Nee!

All of the sudden Eloise has engaged in so much imaginative play and it is so fun! She pretends to be: a mama (to Baby Stella from nursing her to going to the grocery store), the mail man/person (she loves our mail man Teddy), to a cook (making lots of coffee and chopping vegetables), to tea party, to a librarian (reading me or her stuffed animals and dolls a story), to being Dr. Lower (with her doctor kit Daphne gave her at the hospital). And most recently she was playing with her cousin Charlotte and they were pretending with this little dog and cat play set at Nana and Papaw’s house as well as playing “bakery” at the playground (Eloise was baking pizza, but her oven was broken!).

Eloise has an amazing memory (as most kids at this age do) and remembers absolutely everything! She will hear something one time and will then remember and tell you like 3 weeks later. And she has also started memorizing books. While she LOVES to have stories and books read to her, she will “read” to herself and flip thru the pages of the book while reciting the parts that she knows. It is crazy that she knows some stories verbatim!

I think one of the most fun things about having a two-and-a-half year old is how much their language is developing and the funny things that they say. And Eloise is such a talker, so communicative, and is so, so funny! So here are some of the things we have been hearing lately:

Eloise LOVES jokes and tells them all the time. Here is one of her original jokes: “A cow walks into a barn and the barn-tender says ‘You forgot your tulips!'” (Based off of Aaron’s joke: “A horse walks into a bar and the bartender says ‘Why the long face?'”

We talk a lot about feelings and emotions, a lot in part to Daniel Tiger. Eloise now says “Grrr! I’m frustrated.”

“Oh gosh!” when something surprises her.

“Dang it!”

“Um, that’s not good.”

“That’s a good idea!”

“You can help me with this. It’s tricky.”

“Can I have more [fill in the blank] darling?”

“I am playing silly.”

Me: “What language are you speaking?” [When she is speaking complete gibberish.] Eloise: “I don’t know.”

Indian-applesauce (for Indianapolis). Though when Aaron said this the other day, she corrected him saying “Papa, it’s Indianapolis!”

When the crayon she was coloring with didn’t work: “Mama, this crayon doesn’t have any more purple in it! My purple has no purple in it! Help!”

And finally, Eloise sings all day long. It is the sweetest! And she is the best at mash-ups (combining songs together). One of her favorites is “Oh my darlin'” which is truly the saddest song ever; have you ever paid attention to the lyrics?

{weight} I would guess 32 or 33 pounds.

{hair} dark (reddish) brown.

{teeth} 20 teeth and molars.

{eyes} dark brown.

{clothes}  2T, 3T and some 4T.

{diapers} POTTY TRAINED! size 2T/3T underwear during the day and honest company size 6 diapers for naptime and at night.

{feeding} during the day, three meals, morning snack, & afternoon snack. cup of milk with every meal.

{likes} school (her friends and teachers), talking walks around the neighborhood, coloring, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, football, yelling, Duplos, digging in the dirt, splashing, counting, chewing on her toothbrush, the mailman, any person outside on the sidewalk, bubbles, sidewalk chalk,  buckles, jumping, watching out the front window (dogs, kids, trucks), books, mama & papa’s cell phone (photos or FaceTime), singing & music, dancing, Sadie, bath time, shoes, mama’s bag, clapping, putting things inside a bag or box, taking lids off of things, talking, helping with anything & everything, when Papa comes home from work, airplanes/trains/buses.

{dislikes} not being included, having something taken away from her, being hungry, getting into the carseat, getting out of the carseat, not being able to do something herself.

{nicknames} Bug, E, Wheezy, E-Lo, Ellie or Elle.

Happy thirty-three months Eloise!

M

daphne {newborn and family photos}

Happy Friday! I will at some point get back to my standard Friday I’m in Love posts but today I wanted to share Daphne’s newborn photoshoot! {I wanted to wait until I knew which photos we were using for Daphne’s birth announcement before sharing here. Our good (and very talented) friend Brenda designed the announcements – she did Eloise’s too! – and I just sent them to the printer so I hope to have them in the mail by the end of the month or sooner!}

Daphne was almost a week old when these photos were taken, and in lieu of doing a traditional newborn one (like I did with Eloise), I opted for a family shoot that was at our house so that we could get professional photos of our new family of four and I wouldn’t have to leave the house (HUGE bonus since with Eloise I trekked way down south to Tacoma!). And while I do love the look of Eloise’s posed newborn shots, I really am loving the more relaxed (non-staged) feel of our shoot this time around.

A few random notes: Daphne looks so different in some of the pictures here, almost like an entirely different baby (which is totally true with all newborns!); even though the last thing you want to do is drag yourself and your brand-new baby to a photoshoot, you should do it, even if it isn’t a professional and just someone with a nice (not a phone) camera take a few pictures (you will cherish them later!); and (related) if you are ever on the fence about getting professional photos taken (we usually get ours done for Christmas cards each year), do it (it’s expensive, but I have never, ever regretted it!).

If you are in the Seattle area and are looking for a professional photographer (for babies, weddings, etc.) I highly recommend Meg! She was so sweet, and amazingly talented, and I am so IN LOVE with these photos.

{Prepare for photo overload since I definitely could not choose just a few to share! Deciding which ones to have printed is agonizing…}

GVW_0303.jpg

GVW_0292GVW_0307GVW_0310GVW_0336GVW_0370GVW_0387GVW_0390GVW_0439GVW_0453GVW_0456GVW_0474GVW_0480GVW_0482GVW_0532GVW_0537GVW_0542GVW_0548GVW_0561GVW_0575

GVW_0583GVW_0588GVW_0609GVW_0627GVW_0640GVW_0663GVW_0668GVW_0673GVW_0693GVW_0714GVW_0720GVW_0748GVW_0771GVW_0773GVW_0780GVW_0786GVW_0802GVW_0806GVW_0821GVW_0828GVW_0842GVW_0845GVW_0857GVW_0860GVW_0865GVW_0872

Wearing: {Eloise: jeans: Gap Kids // bow: A Little Lady Shop} {Daphne: grey swaddle blanket: Lou Lou & Co // silver swaddle blanket: Aden & Anais} {Misha: chambray dress: Madewell (similar)} {Aaron: shirt: J.Crew (old) // jeans: Bonobos}

Have a great weekend!

M

This post contains affiliate links.