Disneyland photoshoot

It's no secret we love Disneyland so when Julianne's 3rd birthday came around I knew we had to make this Disney shoot happen. We do birthday photos ever year with my college friend, photography genius, Lauren Pollard Photography. She's the sweetest person with such a bigt heart and an amazing eye for photography. We are so lucky to have her and highly suggest her to anyone in the So Cal / San Diego area. With a new baby last year, holidays around the corner and all that life brings, we kept putting off this shoot. We finally made it happen exactly 6 months after her birthday. So here are some of my favorites from Julianne's 3 1/2 year photos at her happy place....enjoy!

We hit her two favorite spots for photos, tea cups and Toon Town and of course had to get some matching sister shots in there.

These will always be so special to us! Three is such a fun age and it's the first time Jules really has an opinion about what to wear, where to go, how to smile!! These capture her little personality so perfectly. Plus these were our first professional photos taken as a family of four.

polka dot outfits by Vive & Ash use code: littlejandk for 20% off your purchase!

fun toddler breakfast

As a baby Jules ate anything and everything! She was such a great eater and everyone commented on it. As she gets older, especially since she turned three, she's become more difficult when it comes to her meals. I find myself hiding chicken and veggies in most of her food. The one thing she does like is pasta! She wants it all the time so we try to make it at least once a week. The best part is she has no idea we ever made the switch from regular pasta to veggie pasta so getting those veggies into her lunch and dinner is pretty easy. Breakfast however, is a little bit more complicated. She always wants the same thing: pancakes and cereal with no milk. She doesn't like yogurt, no bananas, and no milk unless it's a Starbucks chocolate milk (she has expensive taste). But I have noticed that the more creative I get with breakfast time, the more fun she has and the less picky she is. So here are my favorite go to's for breakfast.

f u n   p a n c a k e s:

Jules is obsessed with these! She has pancakes two to three times a week and we always make something fun. Most mornings I make letters for simple words she can spell like, dog, cat, and her name. But sometimes I'm feeling more creative and have even done a full Minnie and Mickey head, face and all! We both love the letters though. She likes playing with them, plus she's learning at the same time!

b a n a n a   m i l k s h a k e:

She hates bananas and milk, but LOVES this! I make this way too often in our house but it's so simple! Just add a banana, as much milk as you'd like (depending on how thick you want it), and a dash of sugar. We like to get fancy and add some sprinkles because those make everything look even more delicious.

y o g u r t   a n d   c e r e a l   b a r k:

She swears this is ice cream but it's actually just greek yogurt with strawberries and a sprinkle of rainbow cereal. It is her favorite and she can eat this all day. Plus they make a great on the go snack! Just stick them in a travel container and you're set! I'll have a tutorial on this soon!

b r e a k f a s t   b a n a n a  s p l i t: 

She only loves this because...SPRINKLES! And whenever I make it, she makes sure to remind me that she doesn't like bananas or yogurt, but that she'll still eat it as long as there are strawberries and sprinkles mixed in.




My favorite part about rotating these breakfasts is that my little Koko (10 months) can also enjoy them. She is not picky, at all, and I actually don't think she's come across a food that she didn't like. Being able to make one thing that both babies enjoy makes this mommy's job a little easier. Hope this inspires you to have some fun with your kiddos meals. Are your toddlers picky? If so what are some of your favorite meals? Let me know below.

* All tableware was provided by Re-Play. Every single piece they make is made from recycled HDPE plastic. We have their white set and I just love the clean look! I recently got rid of all my girls' mismatched pieces and replaced them with these because they make my ocd heart happy.

10 month update // + must haves

It seems like it was just yesterday that we were bringing this little chunk home. Although I am in major denial and can't seem to accept that she is 10 months, I am so excited to see her grow because I get to watch her little independent, persistent, fiery personality flourish. But my favorite thing to watch grow is the love she has for her sister. She gets so excited and literally jumps and claps when her big sister walks into a room. She is so eager to keep up with her, likes to stand and play barbies with her, walks by holding her hands and follows her everywhere! If she is really tired she will lean and cuddle on her, and the days are always filled with endless slobbery kisses. It's the sweetest thing I've ever seen! She has taken a total of 4 steps alone, walks along all our furniture, gets up and down without holding on to anything, knows how to do patty cake, loves "if you're happy and you know it." And she mimics everything we do --when I am calling her sister she yells right along with me, "ahhhh" as she has her hand on the side of her mouth. She has a total of 6 teeth, sleeps through the night, loves pancakes and can't leave my side. She's just so much fun and keeps us on our toes!

I've been asked what toys and products she likes best these days, so here are a few 10 month must haves:

stroller: We just got this for her a few days ago and she loves it! She is now walking all around the house with it and even feeds her little dolly with the toy bottle. She will be walking alone in no time! 

banana teether: She has had this since she first started teething and she prefers this over all her other teethers. I especially prefer this one since it cleans her teeny baby pearly whites. 

teething tablets: I highly recommend these, we used them for both girls and swear by them.

baby house: I love this toy! There are so many different ways to set it up so Kourtney always gets something new to explore. She loves opening and closing the little door and watching her down the mini slide is the cutest thing, plus Jules loves playing with it too. They can spend at least a good hour playing with this when we bring it out.

sister + sister // update

One of my favorite things to do is look back at my old Instagram posts of my girls. I recently went back so far I came across cute pictures of Jules when she was Kourtney's age and oh em gee, they're identical. I then realized how good I was at capturing and writing down Jules' monthly and yearly updates. Now let's be honest, I can barely keep up with my poor Koko monkey's monthly pictures these days, but I'm hoping that starting this first update on the blog will motivate me stay on top of it. Plus, I can't be the only one that is a little nosey and likes to know what other babies my girls' ages are doing, so here you go!

j u l i a n n e . s o f i a // 3 years 6 months

Julianne is such a calm, sweet, smart, witty, funny, silly, goofy, loving girl. She was my late starter in everything. She didn't crawl till she was almost 1, didn't walk till 16 months and didn't start talking till she was around 2. She has always gone at her own pace, it's the stubbornness in her. She is talking up a storm these days and always has us laughing. Her sister and I get daily rules from her that we must follow, like no eating the food in the car after driving thru and eating at the table as a family. Totally my mini me. She is into Peppa Pig, loves Disneyland, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and Play-Doh, all of which she watches on her ipad on kids youtube. She's obsessed. One thing that has caught me off guard is how she notices gender. Everything is for either boys or girls. She cries if you tell her boys can like pink or if you give her a blue cup because "blue is for boys." We hear "mommy is a girl, Kourtney is a girl and I'm a girl, not daddy haha he's a boy" daily. Ha, because in a house full of 4 girls, including the pup, girls rule! I also hear "mommy I want another baby, I want all the baby sisters. 1, 2, 3, 4, 5." She specifically asked for 5 sisters and no boys because boys are stinky. She is also obsessed with families. Like how many people are in different families, are there brothers, do they have a mommy and daddy, any baby Kourtney's (she refers to every baby girl as a "baby Kourtney"). She is still on the quiet side, loves her mommy and she is the best big sister ever. I am so proud of the sister she is. She just loves Kourtney, loves to cuddle her, helps her, plays with her. Shes's like a mini mommy and I have a feeling she is going to make an awesome one, one day. She also reminds me that she is a big girl because she has big feet, but promises me she will always be my baby.

k o u r t n e y . j a y // 9 months

I'm always telling myself not to compare my two girls but it is so hard not to when they are total opposites. Kourtney seems to be growing up so quickly! I always say she is just trying to keep up with big sister, that usually makes me feel better. She has been crawling since 6 months, sat up super early, and has been walking along all the furniture lately. She even let's go, stands alone and has taken two steps! She also doesn't sleep, which is definitely not like big sister. We are a living proof that each baby is different. It amazes me at how quickly she learns, how eager she is to try new things and how outgoing she is. I always say she has her daddy's personality, because she is the biggest people person and always waves hi to everyone. There's not a single thing that she hasn't touched that didn't go into her mouth or get thrown onto the floor. Literally can't leave her alone for a second.  With all that fun stuff comes the endless amounts of cuddles. She is the biggest cuddler! She loves to be carried and can literally just lay her head on my shoulder forever without moving. She gives the best slobbery kisses. Loves her puppy, Mickey Mouse Clubhouse, daddy's guitar playing, being out in public, and her mommy. The best feeling is when she pushes away from people for me. We spend our days laying on the floor playing with big sister, cuddling on the couch, chasing after her and pulling things away from her reach, playing peek a boo and clapping, lots of clapping. She really was the missing piece to our little family and she makes every single one of us a better person.

Let's flamingle / kourtney turns one

I'm literally wiping my tears as I type this, Kourtney will be one in ten weeks. My little tiny baby will soon be a toddler and I am in major denial. Julianne's first birthday party was practically done by now, all the DIY's, the invitations, the decor, done! This time around, I've got nothing, nothing but a pinterest board with all my ideas. I just can't come to terms with the fact that my baby is not a tiny newborn anymore, that and well life with two babes gets the best of you and time just zooms on by.

banner / flamingo / onesie / blanket

The one thing I have had planned since we took her very first monthly picture was the theme. My sister bought her this flamingo for her baby shower and I fell in love. Her party will be a brunch with a waffle bar, frozen yo (her favorite) station and will include lots of pink, some gold, b+w, and hearts! Here's a little sneak peek of what I am envisioning. Now, let the planning, freaking out and stress begin...

lawn flamingos / float / book / banner / flamingo stuffy