baby boys holiday gift guide with Baby Einstein

Who knew baby boys would be so fun to shop for?! All the little man clothes make me so happy, plus getting this guy mini versions of what his daddy loves is the absolute best. And as far as toys, we've pretty much had to start fresh because most of the baby toys Jules and Kourt had were donated so Jacks was left with literally nothing. But it's safe to say I've had so much fun shopping for him! I tried my best to get things that I know he will get great use out of, as far as developmental toys go. He is just starting to sit up and play with things we put in front of him so getting him some interactive toys was also a must. And we loved all of the Baby Einstein products the girls had so we went straight for those this time around. He has just started sitting up on his own and now enjoys all of the activities on the Baby Einstein table. The Neptune jumper just might be my favorite, it teaches babies their numbers and colors in three different languages. Jules and Kourtney love it and walk around saying their numbers in French. He is at such a fun age and really loves looking at things that light up so he's going to really enjoy these toys.  At six months now, he finally got his first tooth and with all the drooling and eating everything in sight going on over here, I just knew I had to get this teether on Amazon. Isn't it just the funniest thing?! The hockey book was a must from daddy because he is a crazy hockey fan. And since babies grow at a crazy fast pace Jackson's always in need of shoes and clothes so I got him a cute pair of baby Nike's and all the comfy baby clothes by Childhoods Clothing -he lives in their pieces! Also couldn't pass up some daddy and me matching hats, duh.

s h o p   b e l o w :

The Baby Einstein items in this post were provided and sponsored by Baby Einstein. 

mommy's holiday gift guide

My husband has been asking what I would like for Christmas, figured I'd make it super easy for him - so here you go, Jason! These are all things that I keep putting into my shopping cart and end up not buying because of that darn mommy guilt. You know that little voice in your head that can't seem to let you spend $60 on yourself because you instantly think of how you can spend those $60 on something for your kids? I know you mommies can relate!

pillow / bar cart / beanie / candle / bowls / platter / necklace / shoes / planner

m o r e   m o m m y   w a n t s 

little girls holiday guide

My girls are two and five and pretty much love all of the same things so I knew this list would be fairly easy. They do pretty well at sharing, especially when it comes to bigger items. But all the smaller things like dolls and doll accessories, we need two of because, well, they're sisters and fighting does tend to happen a lot around here. One of my favorite parts about Christmas is giving gifts and seeing my kids' faces light up (and let's be honest, a pair of boots and some sweaters just isn't going to cut it).  Call me a bad mom, but I just love spoiling my kids at Christmas time. I ended up getting a little bit of everything from, toys they really wanted to some more classic pieces that they can have for years to lots of things that will keep them entertained and learning all at the same time. 

Most of the big items will be shared by Jules and Kourt, like the easel and doll house. They actually saw that doll house on tv and both screamed, "I want that!" I knew I just had to get it as a gift,  except they asked Santa's elves to make one with a pink door so I'm getting to work on that asap! I also ordered these peg dolls and will be painting each one to look like each member of our little family. I think they're going to love that! And they love art, just like mommy, so this easel is going to be a hit. I'm actually not sure why they don't already own one! I plan on adding some cute clear jars and color coordinating art pieces in them to display on the tray. They are into the whole dress up, house, mommy thing, so most of these gifts really reflect that. I think I'm most excited about giving Jules that mini Moana doll costume. If you watch our stories on Instagram you know how much she LOVES her Moana costume. She wears it every single day, it's the first thing she she puts on when she wakes up. If you're a girl mom, you know how big of a hit these BIG l.o.l dolls are this year. I had the hardest time finding one until one of my Instagram mommy friends helped me out. Thank you so much again! I also got them these Lucy Darling Shop, The Little Years, memory books. I'd say they're more for me but I just know they'll love looking though them when they grow up. I just love this phase of their life and can't wait to see Christmas through their eyes again this year. 

Here are some more fun ideas. I usually like to get them boots and cute jackets for Christmas. And even some smaller toys that they can take on the road with us because they love packing a little bag every time we leave the house. We also started building our game collection last year so we are adding some must have classics this time around. Since Jules started school she is so eager to learn and is especially loving her educational games and books, so we are updating that a bit to include some toddler friendly pieces for Kourt too. 

c l o t h i n g   p i e c e s :

b e a n i e s :

games:

educational:

f u n :

coordinating brother + sister Christmas pajamas

In case you haven't noticed, I have an obsession with coordinating my kids' outfits. Sometimes we even do full blown matching outfits -I know, poor kids, but I just can't help it! My favorite way to do matching though has to be for Christmas Eve/Christmas morning pjs. I'm telling you now, these three kiddos of mine will be doing matching pjs for Christmas until I am no longer here. I will force this tradition onto my kids and one day my grandkids, whether they like it or not. Here are a few of my favorite coordinating looks you can easily turn into full matching versions. 

s h o p  b e l o w :

an elf on the shelf breakfast

She is back! Strawberry the Elf brought her annual North Pole breakfast and it's safe to say the girls loved it! Jules had heard from a few kids that their elves were back and she was so anxious to see hers. She was waking up every day, since before Thanksgiving, excited to see if her elf had arrived. So Strawberry finally decided to show up on December 1st. It was so cute to hear Jules talking to herself that morning. She thought we were all sleeping, walked to the living room and said, "She came, she's here and she did all this! I'm so excited, I love December!" Then she sang, Santa Clause is Coming to Town and it was the cutest thing ever. 

My little table scape came together at the very last minute, the night before to be exact. I knew I was going to make Christmas tree pancakes because they're a hit every year. I've been doing them since Jules was able to eat real food and have tweaked them every year by adding powdered sugar, stars at the top and even added Christmas lights with some skittles last year. Everything kinda just fell into place from there. I had the mint colored stands, which I got form the Target dollar section. The plates and napkins were leftovers from Jules' birthday party. I went through my ribbon drawer and found the trims Strawberry is swinging on. And we just recently bought and set up the gingerbread houses and trees in the girls play kitchen.  Jules thought was hilarious that she stole her decorations. Holidays with kids is 100x better. It's like you're a kid again and getting to experience all the magic through their eyes. I just love it!

  

Most of the things we used are sold out so I linked as many of them plus similar items below. Leave a comment if you have any specific questions. :)

Christmas fun at sea world

There's just something so special about the month of December. I've noticed that the older my kids get, the more magic I see in their eyes which makes me want to take them to all the fun Christmas things! And when I came across Sea World's Christmas Celebration I knew My kids would love it. We've fallen in love with San Diego and we always find a way to get ourselves out there, plus it's only a two hour drive. So this was a perfect excuse to take a little two day road trip -Christmas fun and our favorite city, total win! To top it off we decided to keep it a surprise for the girls.

Let's just say that there was no question about how shocked and excited they were when we pulled up. The park was literally transformed into a Christmas wonderland! The first thing you can see when you drive up is a huge Christmas tree full of ornaments and there's Christmas music playing throughout the park. I knew the park had LOTS to offer and it's normally hard to fit it all in one visit, so I could only imagine how hard it would be with all the Christmas fun thrown in. The planner in me looked at their website ahead of time and planned out a few things that I knew the girls would love. I knew we wanted to watch the Orca encounter because it was one of my favorites growing up. I decided to book lunch with the orcas before the show and I highly recommend this! It's absolutely amazing. We were lucky and got some great seats. The girls sat right up against the glass where the orcas would slide up on the deck. So cool. They loved it and got a kick out of the whale name Courtney! Jules was a little nervous her food would get wet, haha totally Jules, but once it started she enjoyed every second. Plus the food was really good!

After lunch and the show we had a Christmas show planned but the girls really wanted to just play and run around, so we followed their lead. They got on a few rides, shopped, and talked with Santa's elves in the Christmas Village. They loved the village! We met an orca, danced, sang carols with the elves and ate and drank way too much sugar.

The one thing I knew I had to see was the new, O Wonderous Night, A Christmas Story, show. It was magical, I would go again just to watch this! I was a little nervous the girls wouldn't be able to sit through it but they loved it too. It was beautifully done and very kid friendly. Jules was able to follow along and understood the story. The singing was so beautiful and we all loved the animals that were brought out. It's just an overall great show about the birth of Jesus. 

Once it got dark the entire park transformed and there were Christmas lights everywhere. So pretty! We walked around and looked at all the pretty lights and ended up in Roudlophs Christmas town, where the girls ran around, ate more fun food and took pictures with all the fun lights.

We stayed until the park closed and headed to our hotel for the night. We like staying near Sea Port Village off the water. It's a cute little spot with lots of shops and fun places to eat. That's actually where we ended up having dinner, above the water on a dock at the San Diego Pier Cafe. If you're ever there you must try it, it's amazing. And if you're looking for something fun and local you can take your family to this Christmas season you must look into Sea Worlds Christmas Celebration!

We were lucky enough to partner with Sea World. All opinions expressed are my own.

step right up

Fun fact #1: Jason and I met on Halloween 14 years ago today! I was 17 years old, dressed like a cat and fell head over heels for some Brad Pitt guy from Fight Club. I remember asking him what Fight Club was and he was so appalled. Funny thing is, I still ask him ridiculous questions like that all the time and I think he secretly loves that about me. 

Fun fact #2: 9 years later I was admitted to the hospital on Halloween with Jules. It was so weird and felt like it was meant to be somehow. Jason and I reminisced about our young love, how blessed we had been and how crazy it was that 9 years later, on the exact day, we were about to start our own family. Jules however didn't get the Halloween memo. I always say she decided to come the next day because she wanted her own day. 

Needless to say, October 31st will always hold a special place in our hearts. It quickly became our favorite holiday and we have always made it a big deal. So much so that Jules loves "happy hadoween" (what she calls it, which is what we all call it now) probably because of umm, candy. Plus, she knows her birthday is the very next day. I love reliving the day we met and telling her all about it every year. This turned into a total sappy story but I just love this man and the unbelievable blessed journey we have had. If you're reading, Jason, there's no one else I'd pick to raise this crazy circus with! 

Oh, and last but not least,

Fun fact #3: I get countless stares everywhere we go because of the girls' hair. With the stares come the silly questions like, "Is that their natural hair color?!" I've gotten used to it the past 5 years but since adding a third to the group those, "Wow, look at those girls" stares have turned into "OMG look at that CIRCUS," "Why did you have three kids?!" stares. Plus, the comments about how full my hands must be are out of control. So here ya go people, this is just me and my wild circus and I love it!  

I have been wanting to do this theme since Jules was born and we finally had enough babies to pull it off! Everything is a mix of items I handmade, like our headpieces, the wagon & the clown collar. The barbell, my jewelry and the mustache were all from a Halloween store. I found Jason's shirt at H&M and just cut off the sleeves. Believe it or not, I pulled the girls' outfits straight out of their closets to put together my own version of a tightrope walker and ringmaster clown. My outfit is also made from things I own.