P & K | Summer Book Reads

With lazy summer days, sometimes the very best thing is to stay in your pajamas and curl up with some good books!  And after giving P & K's room a much needed 'big kid room makeover', we're loving the addition of a little reading nook!  (see that post with all the details here!)  So, today we're sharing our Summer Favorites!  These are the books that currently line our shelves and are on continuous repeat in our house!  So, if you too are looking for  a good summer read (either to gift or for your own kids, I highly recommend considering one of these!)  Happy Saturday Friends!

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Hooray For Hat

by Brian Won

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The Watermelon Seed by Greg Pizzoli

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The Watermelon Seed

by Greg Pizzoli

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The Jungle Book

by Jennifer Adams  |  illustration by Alison Oliver

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Edible Colors

by Jennifer Vogel Bass

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Flight School

by Lita Judge

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Press Here

by Herve Tullet

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Monster Party

by Annie Bach

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Alice In Wonderland

by Jennifer Adams

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The Secret Garden

by Jennifer Adams  |  illustrations by Alison Oliver

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Mister Seahorse

by Eric Carle

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Market Backpack

Love this natural tote!  Perfect for weekend picnics or farmer's markets, hands down my favorite for fall!

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Blueberry Picking With P & K

This summer I'm loving our little weekend adventures with P & K.  And a few weeks back, we took a day to go berry picking just south of Atlanta, in a town called Fayetteville.

We found a sweet little farm called Adams Farm, which offered blueberry picking among other things!  K took her job very seriously, and was all too pleased to carry her own bucket.

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Nostalgic Dress, Boden  |  Vacation Sandal, Boden  |  Hair Bow, Target

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She diligently searched for the perfect blueberries.

Knowing which to pick and which to pass on.

Her sweet face, all too cute as she found the perfect spot!

And pleased as punch to show off her bounty.

P enjoyed picking blueberries as well...

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Pocket Tee, Target  |  Suede Sandals, Boden  |  (Similiar) Navy Shorts, Crewcuts

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But would rather spend his time running through the blackberry isles.

So, off K went, bucket in hand, for more scouring and picking...but this time, for a bounty full of blackberries, while P, ran and ran!

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Dear Friends,

I hope you too are enjoying your summer.  Finding joy in the simple things and seeking out adventures, both grand and small!

Love, Michelle

Market Backpack

Love this natural tote!  Perfect for weekend picnics or farmer's markets, hands down my favorite for fall!

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P & K | A Shared Toddler Big Kid Room

Wood Dump Truck, Hape   |   Colorful Wood Blocks, Grimms   |   Wood Digger Truck, Hape

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They grow up so fast!!!  OK, well, mine aren't quite headed off to college.  But boy oh boy, I'm not sure where the past two years have gone.  Well, to be completely truthful, the past year and a half!  After moving last year, we've put most of the renovating / decorating on the back burner.  And after loving our twins' nursery in our last house (photo below), I knew it was beyond time, to start creating a more suitable space for both P & K.

Liberty Crib, Serena & Lily  |  Dahlia Chandelier, Pottery Barn Kids  |  Glider, Pottery Barn Kids

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For starters, we recently transitioned out of cribs (insert super sad face).  We debated using the toddler conversion that was included with our cribs, but ultimately were desperate for more floor space in their tiny bedroom (110 sq. ft.)  So, to maximize space, but also wanting to fit two twin size mattresses we decided on bunk beds.

Knowing good and well, that bunks for toddlers isn't always the most practical, we planned for two things...one, we looked for a unit that was shorter than a standard bunk height (therefore, we bought the Ikea Mydal) and two, we plan to diy this budget friendly bunk ($169) into an awesome cottage / castle  / fort for our kiddos.  So, inspired by the look of this and this, we hope to finalize and create our design in the upcoming months.  In the meantime, our kiddos love sharing the bottom bunk, and P has even spent a few nights on the top.

**Something To Note:  If you're considering the Ikea Mydal, know that the rails do not go high enough to safely secure a traditional twin mattress, you need to plan on purchasing a twin that is 5 inches in height or less.  We didn't realize this until we were at the store, so out of convenience we went with Ikea Minnesund Foam Mattress, $89.  So far, it's getting the job done and works for the kids.  Had we thought it out more, I'm thinking I may have gone with this one instead.  Anyways, just a heads up!

In the space where the second crib had resided, we put in a round play table (ours we got on major major clearance and is now sold out ~ but you can find similar ones here, here & this budget friendly one here).  Paired with these chairs, this space is perfect for puzzles, blocks and drawing!

I lOVE that my kiddos can now sit for more that just board books!  With their current favorites being this, this, this & this!  So, to encourage their love of reading, a reading nook was on the top of my list for their new space.  For shelves we went with a popular Ikea hack.  At just $3.99 a piece, Ikea's "BEKVAM" spice racks make for the perfect children's bookshelves.  We painted ours white, and hung a total of 6 units.  Easy, Peasy!  A diy poster from their second birthday party, this framed art and this animal head, bring more color to the space.  For chairs I came across these children's loungers from TJMaxx, they were a steal at $35 a piece.  Similar styles can be found here and here.  There's nothing I love more than hidden storage!  These storage ottomans have stood the test of time and come in all kinds of great colors.  Perfect for hiding larger toys or corralling loose ends!

And to solve our major storage issue, we installed two Billy Bookcases from Ikea, both with height extensions, to corral and organize all the toys.  The ultimate plan is to make these into 'built ins'.  But in the meantime, they're perfectly functional with the addition of storage bins and baskets that store and hide all of P & K's toys.

One final thing to note, the rug can be found here.   Color is Swedish blue.  We had it in their nursery and kept it in this space.  It's cotton and has held up well to all of our wear and tear!  I highly recommend a significant rug pad underneath (we bought and love this one), as this rug is by no means plush.  But I love that it's lightweight and can easily be washed and hung outside, tackling all those stains that are unavoidable with babies and toddlers!

So, there you have it.  The current state of P & K's room.  There's still walls to be painted, a new light to be installed, the bunk design to finish and execute and another wall that needs to be designed (thinking making it a multi use space, displaying / hanging dress up clothes, while also making it a wall to display their art).  So, while this is no way a completed space, I'm so happy it's finally a cheerful, functional bedroom for my growing toddlers!

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And on one final note...I'd like to address (and thank!) all the outpouring of love and support from my last post.  I'd be lying if I said the past two years have not been hard.  In searching for some measure of peace, I've taken the past few months (and frankly, last year) away from the internet and away from creating.  I miss this little space I've created here and I look forward to sharing more of our simple life with you!  So, thanks for sticking around and thank you to the many many many of you who took the time to reach out through email and comments and messages the past few months.  It truly means more to me than you know!  LOVE, LOVE, LOVE you!  

love, michelle

Market Backpack

Love this natural tote!  Perfect for weekend picnics or farmer's markets, hands down my favorite for fall!

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P & K's 2nd Birthday Party

AHHH!  I seriously can't believe my little peeps are now 2!  They say time flys when you're having fun, and no statement is more true for our life with P & K!  To celebrate we threw a party with friends a few weeks back.  In wanting to throw a joint party, I found picking a theme a bit hard.  Being boy / girl twins, with very different personalities, I wanted to ensure their birthday party was special for both of them!  My other design dilemma, was how to throw a somewhat seasonal birthday bash without associating their special day to Halloween and costume parties.  They both currently love animals, P thoroughly likes our days spent at the zoo and K loves her crew of stuffed animals (and by love, I mean we bring them everywhere).  So, we decided on an appropriate 'Party Animal' Theme with touches of fall!  Everything was DIYed, from the invitations to the kids table that Brian and my brother made!  

Invites where written on faux white pumpkins, adorned with cut out animals from this wrapping paper.  That was the starting point for our overall color scheme and design.  Guests were asked to bring their favorite stuffed animal which were then adorned with these mini size party hats!  The cake may have been my favorite, you can see how we made it in this post here!

The kid's table was a labor of love from Brian and my brother.  The perfect height for our little guests.  Faux white pumpkins acted as centerpieces, wrapping paper was used for a table runner, as well as to make the large P & K signs (to make I glued wrapping paper to oversized dollar store poster board.  Then cut out white letters...an easy, cheap, statement piece!)  Felt crowns doubled as favors and place cards for each guest.

Balloons are an absolute favorite in our household, so I made a big point to make them a highlight.  Using hues of pink, blue and white with a touch of gold.  I made a HUGE garland of balloons that strung across the backyard (To Make:  Blow up a bazillion balloons in all different sizes, then use embroidery thread and a thick needle to string them together.  Accents of tissue paper flowers and chinese lanters add texture to.  This all sounds harder than it truly is.  Mainly just time consuming.  We were lucky to have good weather, so I actually started a few days ahead, with only a few balloons popping before hand.  Keep in mind they will deflate a bit if blown up extra early...fyi, these weren't helium).  I also decorated the front fence and blew up plenty of helium ones for guests to take with them!

We also had plenty of festival games and crafts for our mini party goers.  From gourd bowling to can toss to punch cup.  You can see all our games, along with the how to, in this post here.

So grateful for my little peeps and the joy they bring into our home every.single.day!  Looking forward to our many adventures ahead!  We seem to have gone through our tantrum phase around 20 months, and with communication becoming easier and easier, I don't see anything terrible about turning 2!  Happy Birthday P & K...can't wait to see what's ahead!

Photography 101 | Tips for Photographing Your Kids

Life's not perfect.  At least mine isn't.  A day at the beach and all I wanted was a posed shot of the twins.  Sitting there with the ocean behind them, in their cute swimsuits and adorable squishy thighs.  I wanted to capture this moment in time.  In wanting to get photos of them together, we decided to feed them lunch a bit early.  Their first picnic on the beach.  In between bites of chicken, K became all too preoccupied with our bowl of pasta salad.  Determined to eat it herself, I finally gave in and let her have the container.  With pasta salad all over her face, hair and swimsuit, there went my perfect beach photos.  Or did it?

I grabbed my camera and began to shoot.  Because, isn't this what it's about?  Capturing those moments of time in all it's perfectly imperfect-ness! [is that even a phrase?!]  But you get what I'm saying.  Sometimes, it's those organic moments that become your favorite!  And these shots from the beach are hands down some of my favorite of the twins.  Mainly because it really shows what their personalities are right now.  P's my happy go-lucky explorer, K's a bit more serious and focused.

So, in wanting to encourage some other moms [and dads] to take the pressure off of getting the perfectly styled pic, I put together my top ten simplest tips and tricks for photographing the kids!  

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1.  Natural Light is your Best Friend

Get the kids, the family, whoever...outside!  It's a bazillion degrees outside?!  The next best thing...an interior with large windows and lots of natural light.  Turn off those florescents!

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2.  Welcome the Clouds

An overcast day is a photographers lucky day!  Can't help that the sun is a shinin'?!  Get into the shade.  Use that from a tree, a covered porch or a building.

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3.  Turn Off The Flash

Yup, you heard that right, turn off the flash...completely!  Natural, filtered light is what you're striving for.  And in case you need the reminder...

natural light = sunshine                 filtered light = sunshine filtered through clouds, creating a soft glow

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4.  Get to know your Device

Nowadays, a fancy camera isn't needed to capture beautiful photographs.  With plenty of tips on the web, do a bit of research on the device you do have.  

5.  Using an IPHONE?  

Turn HDR to ON.  Located at the top of your screen in camera mode, most have it set to auto.  Click on it and switch it to ON!  What's HDR?  This takes three almost simultaneous photos [one overexposed shot, one underexposed shot and one balanced].  It puts all three together to get a high dynamic range image.  In simplest terms...it gives you the best lighted shot possible! 

6.  I have an DSLR Camera.  What lens do you recommend most?

50mm!  Hands down a 50mm!  I have some wonderful lenses, but by far, the best bang for your buck is a 50mm.  Plan to spend about $100-$150 for a quality one.

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7.  Forgo the Posed Photo

When it comes to kids and photography it's nearly impossible to get the whole family smiling and looking in one direction for a picture.  Instead of stressing out over getting the perfect pic, give into the chaos and give up on the notion of a posed shot.  Rather, get the kids doing what they do best.  Playing, laughing, chatting.  The goal of the image is to capture the essence of who they are.  Standing there awkward with a fake smile for a posed image doesn't portray the moment very well.  In fact, they now make and sell those shots in books titled:  Awkward Family Photos.

8.  Capture the Details

They say it's all in the details.  Those squishy thighs, little hands...those are the things I'll miss most about my babes.  Having those shots focusing on those things, will bring a flood of memories when I look at these down the road [and a flood of tears, I'm sure].

9.  Document the Mess

Like I mentioned earlier, these photos went in a totally different direction when K grabbed the pasta salad.  And these pics couldn't be more perfect.  The girl loves to eat and has yet to meet a food group she doesn't like.  Lobster Risotto?  Check.  Crab Rangoon? Check.  So, what's a bucket of pasta salad?  Just like here mama!  Document the messes in life, because one day you'll look back with a smile.

10.  Set A Time-Limit

I dread nothing more, than to think I'm the Mom asking my kids for just one more shot....a baziliion times over.  Set a timer and don't go over it.  If a photo's not working, change locations.  And if needed it may be time to quit for the day.  Because, while you want to document the moment.  You also need to be present for it! 

I'm testing out some new post content!  Would love to know what you think in the comments below!

P & K | Babies on the Move

Somewhere around five months old, time just started flying by with these two!  Everyday it's something new to learn, see, play with.  Now at 10 months old we have places.to.go!

Pull up...sit down...crawl around...go into this room...now this one...look at this toy...play with that one...

And we're not even walking yet!  

But in all seriousness, it's so fun watching these two explore.  They've become quite the little play buddies, but recently like to adventure solo.  Kennedy's currently more pre-occupied with new and typically forbidden spaces, going from one to the next.  While Parker will roam around until something catches his eye and he'll inspect it for quite some time, analyzing it intently.

We get asked a lot if they're similar, and in most ways they couldn't be more different.

K's more shy, although currently not at full attachment mode, and P's our outgoing one, he has yet to meet a stranger he doesn't like.  K's our rule follower and prefers to stick to a strict schedule.  P's our wild man, who's completely ok with foregoing a nap, heck he'd give up bedtime all together if we let him.  K prefers her veggies, while P prefers his fruit.  P's a pound and an inch taller than K and typically P's mistaken for the girl and K the boy.  It doesn't matter if I have them dressed in pink and blue.  I think it's the hair that does it to people.  They both can say "dada" and  "mama" with "dog, dog" being the newest addition this week.  They both love the pool, dancing is now a family past time, and who knew peek-a-boo could be so entertaining!  They really are these fun little personalities and I'm so lucky they're happy, healthy and oh so fun!

Strawberry Picking | #teambrendajoy

One month ago while in Charleston., we took a day...well, an afternoon really...to pick strawberries.  Fresh...ripe...beautiful...red...strawberries.

And they were delicious!

It was one of those days you hope to forever tuck away into the memory bank under, great, wonderful, perfect days.  And if I'm being completely honest, it was one of those days that definitely didn't begin as perfect.  We started out early, packed the twins in the car, drove all the way across town, only to find out that the strawberry patch we drove to didn't open until the following week.  With thunderstorms on the horizon, we questioned continuing on.  But we did...we packed everyone back into the car, laughed, then drove the opposite direction across town and found this charmingly rustic field with the most beautiful strawberries I've ever seen.

That day goes down as one of my favorite days with my mother.  Maybe it was seeing her in her element.  Laid back in her effortless, carefree style...cropped denim, a chambray top, pearl earrings and her hair neatly pulled into a red baseball hat.  Or maybe it was the way she praised my eleven year old brother for the bounty of strawberries he picked, all perfect in color and texture.  The way she doted on her grandchildren, making them smile and giggle.  Or maybe it was simply seeing my mom, being exactly that...my mom.  

One of the things I love most about her is that she's unwavering in who she is as a person and a parent.  Her willingness to put everyone before herself and her ability to spread joy everywhere are attributes I strongly admire.  In addition to being the most thoughtful person I know, she's also resilient...she's strong...and she's determined.  Determined not to have a few storm clouds ruin a perfectly good day of strawberry picking...determined to keep a smile on her face...determined to show cancer who's boss.  Two months ago I shared my mom's diagnosis and so many of you reached out with thoughts, prayers and hope.  Words can not tell you how greatly that has meant for my mom and our family!  

Today's a big day and a major milestone in my mom's treatment.  Today she finishes her first round of chemo...12 weeks and 6 treatments later and she's going strong.  Like superwoman strong!  By no means do I want to sugar coat this chemo thing...it's hard....like super duper hard, but my mom's handling her battles with grace and continuously shows compassion for those around her.  So, today, on this Mother's Day week, I want you to know Mom that I couldn't be prouder to call you my mother!

My Mom still has some battles to fight.  She recently had another scan to see how the treatment is working.  She hears those results today.  Based on that there are a lot of different avenues she may go with her treatment.  It could be more chemo, it could be more surgery, or it could be something we have yet to know about.  I ask for your continued thoughts, prayers and well wishes as she continues to fight this battle.  But in the meantime, we'll celebrate the victory of finishing her first round of chemo!

Way to go Mom!

I love you.

I love you more.

I love you most.

#teambrendajoy

Twin's First Easter

P & K celebrated their first Easter!  It was filled with joy, fun and Easter Eggs of course!

Special time with family...

Good food, including an Easter favorite...

And bubbles!!!  

Did we mention there were bubbles?!

Happy Easter!

4 Month Old Twins

My newborns are no longer newborns?!

They're officially infants...sweet, charming, adorable infants!

As cliche as it is, I'm having an incredibly hard time believing that these two entered the world just four short months ago.  

And what's even crazier to think, is exactly one year ago we found out we were

expecting twins

!

Isn't it funny to think how much your life can change in just one year!   I mean, look at Brian and I, we look so rested back then!  But seriously, the sleepless nights and all the challenges of new parenthood have already been rewarded with an abundance of toothless grins, which for me is the best currency of all!

Our baby boy P is such a fun, charismatic little guy.  Full of smiles and silly faces.  He loves to eat and currently bananas and mashy peas are on his list of favorites.  He never wants to miss out and will easily forgo a nap or bedtime to enjoy more fun.  He loves music and noise and loves loves loves to chat up a storm.  Overall, he's a very relaxed baby.  Pacifiers aren't his thing and just this week, he decided it was time to roll over (from his stomach to back).

And our baby girl K, is a true sweetheart.

She's quieter than her brother, but she loves to giggle.  Bottles are still fine by her, occasionally she'll indulge in an avocado.  She loves to snuggle and prefers her paci and lovey during nap and bedtime.  She's a girl on the move, started rolling over 5 weeks ago and is currently working on sitting up.  She likes to be read and sung to and her absolute favorite is the spa...aka bath time!

Life with them is truly the sweetest thing!  And by no means do I want to paint parenthood as perfect......there's a reason why people say it's the hardest job.  But people also say it's the hardest job you'll ever love.  And that I find to be so true!  I love being a mom!  And I love watching these two blossom into the people they will one day become.  Recently, I had the chance to hear Nate Berkus, and what I took away from his speech wasn't all the great advice about home decor, but rather a statement he made in regards to his mother's parenting style and the hope he has for his own someday.  He basically said when it comes to parenting "you need to get out of the way...get out of the way for who that child is suppose to become."  For a number of reasons, that resonated with me.  As a mother to boy, girl twins, I'm already seeing so many differences between them.  Personality wise...developmentally.  They are already on different paths and are exploring the world at their own pace.  And as a mother, this is one of the huge advantages to having twins.  You're already reassured that sometimes, no matter what you do or how you parent, there are some things that are just completely out of your control.  And there's a huge amount of peace that comes once you're able to accept this.  I guess the reason I'm sharing this is because I'm constantly asked "how do you do it with twins?!"  And here's my take...it's our normal, we know no different.  Brian and I acknowledge we change a few more diapers and wash a few more bottles than our single child counterparts, but for us, we truly don't look at life with twins any harder than any other parenting situation.  If anything we feel very fortunate and lucky to have them both in our life.  I guess my hope is that I continuously embrace my children's differences, encourage them to be individuals and I hope to know when it's best for me to just get out of the way.  And by that, I simply mean, I hope to guide them through their childhood and life, teaching them to be kind, thoughtful hard working people, but ultimately loving them for who they are and not expecting them to be anything other than that.

Now, I gotta run, go change a nappy (or two)...make K giggle and feed P a banana.

#bestjobintheworld

Weekend Stroll With Our City Select Double Stroller

I love our stroller.  Like love, love, love our stroller.  Which sounds silly, but as a new mom to twins I need all the extra help I can get.  After a lot of searching, we ended up going with the 2014 Baby Jogger City Select and added the second seat making it a double stroller.  Hands down the best investment we've made thus far with baby gear!  In researching twin strollers, it became apparent that there were two major criteria I wanted in a stroller...

A) I wanted an inline stroller and preferably one with stadium seating.  I knew that a side by side double stroller would just be too big and bulky for our everyday outings and wanted something that could easily fit along city sidewalks and take up as little space as possible as we strolled through our grocery store aisles.

B)  I wanted a stroller that was car seat adaptable.  There's something to be said about not waking a sleeping baby, let alone two sleeping babies, and I knew that having the ability to grab the car seats out of the car, baby and all, and easily snap it to our stroller would be the key to daily errands and travel alike.

In the world of strollers there's a bazillion options, but when it comes to double strollers the choices are somewhat limiting.  So, after some research, we decided on the City Select in color silver and originally planned to go with a silver frame.  To help with some of the costs we threw a yard sale, which I shared in this post here.  And after searching high and low for the silver frame (apparently last year it was in high demand), we found a store locally that promised us they had one.  When we went to purchase it, the silver frame turned out to be a black one and the very generous manager offered us 50% off the single stroller for their mistake.  50% off?!?  Silver?  Black?  who cares!  And the funny thing is now, after using the stroller for 4 months, I'm so happy we ended up with the black frame.  It hides scratches and ware so well!  

Now back to the part about a stroller that's car seat adaptable.  This feature has been way more valuable than I could have expected!  Genius I tell you!  For the first four months we only used the stroller with the car seats and only recently started using the included seats for walks.  Here's what the stroller looks like with our car seats:

 Because this stroller only accommodates select car seats, we ended up going with the UppaBaby Mesa .  We liked its safety ratings, compact size and ability to easily snap onto our stroller.  In addition to those two main points this stroller pushes easily, is a smooth ride for the kids and has a gigantic underseat basket that comes in handy for all the stuff I now schlep around!  It also has limitless possibilities for configuration ~ face both seats out, face both seats towards you, face the seats towards each other, and so on.  Something that will come in handy as the twins get older.  As cheesy as it sounds, this stroller has given me wheels!  The best thing I've done for myself these past few months is to get out of the house.  This stroller has made walking the neighborhood a joy and has made running errands simple (or as simple as they can be with newborn twins).  And more importantly its given me the confidence and freedom to leave the house alone with twins, something so many people told me would be impossible without help (and if you're expecting twins don't listen to those people ~ me, P & K have been gallivanting all around town since they were born, just the three of us, it's totally possible!)  But of course we'd much rather have Brian with us, making our weekend strolls that much better!

Have Babies, Will Travel | Bottoms Tree Farm

In what feels like a blink, the twins are six weeks old!  It feels like yesterday that we brought these two home, heck it feels like yesterday we found out we were expecting twins!  I have a feeling I'll still feel this way ten, twenty years down the road.  They're time thieves I tell you!  The first six weeks with our twins have been a whirlwind of awesomeness.  Everyday is amazing, and tiresome, and wonderful, and challenging, and happy, and fun, and exhilarating.  There's no other way I could imagine spending my days than with my two little time thieves.  Brian and I have tried to make a conscience effort to live in the moment and treat every day as an adventure.  To jump start some family memories and hopefully, simultaneously, create some family traditions, our little family of four recently made the hour drive to Bottom's Tree Farm in north Georgia.  We walked around the grounds, took some family pictures and found what we believe is the perfect tree for Parker and Kennedy's first Christmas.

The Sweet Life | At Home With Our Twins

It is the sweet, simple things of life which are the real ones after all.

- Laura Ingalls Wilder

We're thrilled to share the arrival of our twins, P & K!  

Three weeks ago, our twins entered the world and it was the most beautiful day of my life!  All the cliches are true, and nothing anyone tells you can prepare you for the overwhelming amount of love you have for this new addition and in our case for our two new additions!  Their birth day was one filled with joy, excitement and a whole lot of love!  

P (below left) was 5 lbs 8 oz | 18.5 inches and K was 5lbs 12 oz | 19.5 inches.

 On the day we were scheduled to go home, I ended up in the ICU due to postpartum preeclampsia, along with some other minor complications ~ no. fun. at. all!  But thankfully this happened after the twins birth, causing them no harm and while my recovery has been a bit slower than I had hoped, I'm so grateful to finally be home with my new family of four (five with our sweet Rawley dog!)

The past few weeks have been spent simply enjoying life with our little ones, getting to know their personalities and enjoying the sweet moments that will all too quickly become memories.  Parker is our precious little boy who already shows signs of his fathers sweet, caring temperament.

And Kennedy is our sweet little girl who's not afraid to be vocal, she has her mama's spunk!

The two of them love to snuggle up!  Place them on opposite sides of a crib and they'll scoot and shimmy until we find them like this: 

 MELTS. MY. HEART!

Mornings are my favorite time of day, and watching Brian be a dad has made my love for him as a husband, friend and father grow more than I ever knew possible!

 To say we're lucky is an understatement and not a day goes by that we give thanks!

Our life has never been sweeter and we can't wait for the great, big, wonderful, crazy adventure ahead!

Thanks for all your love & support during my pregnancy and now as a new family!

It means so much!

xoxo