Mother's Day Roundup

Mother's Day is around the corner, and I'm a big fan. Really- to be perfectly honest- all I want is a day of rest, some extra cuddles and kisses, but hey! A couple fun treats to celebrate don't hurt either. ;) Here are some good ones:

1. Farmgirl Flowers- This bouquet is incredible and massive. If you're big on florals (like me!), Farmgirl and BloomThat are top options. I don't personally need huge bouquets, but I absolutely adore regularly having fresh flowers in my home. I actually would rather have fewer flowers more often. I have a habit of stepping into flower shops and requesting my three favorite stems, as opposed to investing in massive bouquets. Even if it's only my little girls gathering bouquets of daisies, I always going to be happy with some florals on Mother's Day. 
2. Artifact Uprising- I've used Artifact Uprising for prints, but I have wanted to create a photo book literally for years, and just haven't gotten around to it. Their products (which I've seen in person) are of high quality, and the app is simple to use. I may need to simply order one of these on my own, but I think a gift card would help motivate me to do so, rather than putting it off any longer. ;)
3. Soko Cuff - Many many years ago, I went on a trip to Kenya. I saw the massive Nairobi Kibera slum firsthand, and the great needs of its people. When my friend introduced me to Soko jewelry, she shared that Soko's artisans are Kenyans from that very slum I visited so many years ago. Within two months of working with Soko, the artisans are able to increase their earnings 5x, and are able to feed and educate their children. If money is to be spent on jewelry for me, THAT is a place I would want to see money sent. The artisans receive between 25-35% of each piece sold. Bonus is that Soko jewelry is absolutely gorgeous, and perfectly aligned with my personal style. 
4. Soko Necklace- Delicate with such beautiful lines.
5. Prynt Phone Case- Okay, more on this in another blog post soon, but the Prynt Phone case is an amazing technology that prints polaroids from iPhone pictures! Are you kidding me? I am so excited to have been one of the lucky mamas that received one from the brand for Mother's Day and I've literally used it and loved it so much already. Do yourself a favor and watch their video on their website-- it's sheer brilliance. 
6. Williams-Sonoma Recipe for Breakfast (in bed, ideally! ;)- The Williams-Sonoma blog has endless beautiful recipes and photos. I can't get enough. There are options for the sweet-toothed and savory. 
7. Doughbie Delivery - Salted chocolate chip cookies are my vice (One of my vices, I should say, haha). Doughbies makes them and delivers them in 20 minutes or less in SF, and next-day delivery to anywhere in CA. Brian and I have sent them to each other a couple times (most recently when I was just having a really bad day!), and they are SO good for morale, not to mention, my abs. Oh wait...
8. Fragrant Candles- Anthro always has such nice candles, and they almost always have them in the sale section. They're generally far better quality than inexpensive brands, and in my experience last much longer. In the world of candles, I'm a believer that you get what you pay for-- unless it's a fantastic brand on sale. 
9. Hello Lucky Cards- I'm not much of a card girl, but Hello Lucky cards are my exception. So many bright color combos and quirky lines... they're very much my style, and I LOVE having my girls write cute little notes on cards these days. The way little minds work is so entertaining, and having their words on something I can save for the ages is perfectly appealing. 

If you're looking for low-key or high maintenance on Mother's Day, there you have a little of each! 

xoxo.

Jack || seven months

All week, I've been thinking about last year at this time. 

I was on bedrest. I had risk after risk and there was nothing to be done except nothing at all. Prayers for miracles. Hope. It was a scenario like: 

"don't fall down or..."

"don't get bumped or..."

"don't overdo it or..."

And whatever you do, don't travel far from the hospital. 

I've talked about this before-- It was the most significantly large sub-chorionic hemorrhage (aka. an enormous blood clot that can cause pre-term labor x% of the time) coupled with the severest form of placenta previa (aka. no chance of NOT having a c-section, and oh by the way-- if you go into labor on your own, you can bleed out). Pre-term labor risk + risk of bleeding out when going into labor = uhhh, very significant risk.

One year later, I have found myself feeling incredibly emotional about the whole thing. I take a look at my baby boy, scooting himself in circles while sitting, and beaming at me with pride in his accomplishments-- and my cheeks flush and my eyes get watery and I have to swallow a few times to hold back the tears. Geeeeez, I didn't used to be such the teary type! 

I don't know if it was a sting of loss felt earlier in life, or if it was just that pregnancy hormones last year that had me in a glass-half-empty state (probably both), but my faith then that 2016 would include a healthy me AND a healthy baby boy was incredibly low. Prayers and faith do not mean that life is going to become a cake-walk with all things miraculously turning out how we hoped. I know firsthand that prayers and faith sometimes mean unparalleled peace and true comfort and strength in our most dire of moments, rather than an outcome of that which we truly hoped. 

BUT this time. This time I got that miracle that even I didn't believe would come. Ten days after three expert doctors looked at the ultrasounds with the most complete placenta previa possible (head shaking, "oh this definitely isn't moving. we'll be scheduling a c-section for you soon-- also, try not to leave San Francisco, okay? And also, don't worry. I mean, there's nothing to be done, but just don't worry because worry can also affect things"), my ultrasound showed NO placenta previa. Like, not even somewhat close. Not even in any window of risk.

("wow, that's impossible. It's not possible that it moved that far. Not in 10 days, not at all, really. We must have {ALL?} read the last ultrasound wrong?" Moved that scanner over my stomach with everyone seeing the same results, but we all must have had hazy vision that day?)

So I'm emotional a bit these days. I will forever know Jack as my miracle baby. Beating all the odds and being healthy on top of it all. Having a scan at 5 weeks for potential spinal issues, and coming up clean & clear. Only gaining two ounces months 4-6 and cooperating to chub up month six. He keeps us on our toes / knees. 

He's big on slobbery kisses all over my cheek and tiny hand grabs of clumps of my long hair. His eyes twinkle when he smiles, (like my brother's!). He gets really hyper and excited when he sees his daddy come home after work, and Brian taught him to roar like a lion. He has eaten so much table food, and hasn't refused a single thing. Books and blocks make him happy, and his cars that pull back then move across the floor on their own. He would rather be out and about, sunshine or rain, any time of the day... 

We adore our Jack and are so thankful for his LIFE. Happy 7 months sweet baby! 

xx

Smaller Style // Mini Boden Spring $750 Giveaway

Ahhh, spring break. 

Spring break comes at just the right time. Every single year, I start the year energized, invigorated, and ready for the fresh new start. By the time March/April rolls around, we are dragging around here! School becomes a grind, homework becomes a nuisance, and my husband is wiped out from working long hours (therefore, I am wiped out from him working long hours ;). We're all in desperate need of a BREAK. 

Spring is that in-between time... we were deciding whether we wanted to go to hotter weather, colder weather, or just stick around home for a little stay-cation... in the end- lucky us! We got all three! 

• Stay-cation: we got a few days to stay home sweet home. PJ's until noon was such a refreshing deviation from the hustle. The girls made huge forts, created "restaurants," wrote songs and sang them on repeat. They literally had no place to be except directly in that moment. I cling to unscheduled days for my children. Childhood should feel carefree, and full of imagination and creativity... we capitalized on our time by setting aside days entirely devoted to just that, and little jaunts around the city for treats and such. 
• Chilly Vacation: We opted for a drive to the snow this year! Friends invited us to their cabin in Tahoe, which was amazing... I personally love traveling with other families and embracing the chaos of kids for a few days. We had a blast. Sophie learned to snowboard... it was incredibly impressive how quickly she picked it up! Seven seems to be a magical age for learning those snow sports, and we think it really helped to have kids she loves teaching her their skills. Maggie skied a bit, but was far more interested in making piles of snowballs, as most four-year-olds would be. 
• Sunny Vacation: When we got home, San Francisco decided to give us a heat wave. Sophie was back in school, but that didn't stop us from after-school beaching. Ninety degree days cannot be wasted, and it made that week back home feel like vacation lasted just a little longer.

Everywhere we've gone, we've brought Mini Boden. Mini Boden is a brand that creates clothing that lasts, and holds up to childhood's messes and fun. Their clothing is versatile and wearable... not to mention: it's CUTE. I've shown the diverse ways the kiddos wore Boden on our spring break below...

Jack took his Boden to the beach, where he ate fistfuls of sand. ;)

one || two || three

Maggie wore her Boden around SF... she's obsessed with her kitty sandals, and she borrowed Sophie's shades to add a little extra chic to the outfit. 

one || two || three

Sophie wore her Boden hoodie (and shades) every day in Tahoe. She also wore it to school today. It's perfectly cozy, but beachy, and not too thick, so she doesn't get overheated. She also got the cutest striped tank that she can wear all summer long.

one || two || three

Now the fun part! 

WIN a huge $750 gift card to spend at Boden Clothing!!

I've collaborated with Boden and a small group of other bloggers for this giveaway, and I'm incredibly excited for the winner. I try only to host giveaways when it's something I would REALLY want, and let me tell you: I would definitely be thrilled to receive this! 

Here's how to enter:

1. Head over to Instagram and tag your photos #MyBodenBreak to enter.
2. Follow the following accounts:
   • @boden_clothing
   • @stylesmaller
   • @laybabylay
   • @thechirpingmoms
   • @lvdmorethncrrts
   • @heythuydotcom
   • @walkinginmemphisinhighheels
3. Comment on one of our #MyBodenBreak photos to let us know you entered! 

SIMPLE. Good luck!! 

xoxo.

Home: On Glitter Guide

Last fall, two weeks after Jack was born, I received an email from Glitter Guide: "we'd like to feature your home on Glitter Guide..."

Deep in the trenches of sleep deprivation and feeble attempts at juggling three children... I obviously responded immediately with a resounding YES. These opportunities don't just come around every day!! Photography of my newborn and our home sweet home is such a special gift (not to mention the complete honor it is to have it featured on such an inspiring site!).

I won't pretend I wasn't in panic mode about being photographed while I was still attempting to fit my pre-pregnancy jeans (nope, didn't make it into those by the shoot date, haha!), or about the fact that my clothing was either wayyy too big or wayyy too small for me. I had this great opportunity and I planned to 100% carpe diem this. 

SO. Our home and our family are featured in Glitter Guide's December archives if you'd like to take a look!! Photography is all by my sweet friend Sarah from Modern Kids Photography. Her talent is such a gift. It's amazing to have professional photos of the place we call home sweet home. It's a snapshot of our day-to-day, except in an extra pretty and clean state! Where are the scraps of paper and loose crayons under our dining room table, and the laundry being folded in my living room? HA. Nowhere to be found! Everything is immaculate here, all the time! ;) 

And ahhh, my tiny boy!! He's growing so fast and I'm just in love with the sweet baby shots of him!

So thankful for the feature and for the photography. Pop over to Glitter Guide for all the resources, an interview, and for MORE pictures!

xoxo, Kate

Sophie + Kira Kids

Kira Kids launched Spring/Summer 2016 tonight! The brand is perfectly comfortable, in patterns and silhouettes that kids love wearing. 

Kira asked Sophie to shoot with them for their lookbook, and they had the amazing Amber Mckee behind the camera, & styled by Lucia Tran (always fabulous), so we now have some incredible shots of my little seven-year-old (and that adorable gap in her teeth!!). Real smiles, real fun, and the shots show it. 

The lovely lady behind Kira Kids is the ever so sweet Christine, and when we chatted, we realized we went to rival schools one year apart. This bay area of ours is such a small world...  I love that a local has created such a fun brand for kids! 

Bonus to the line is that everything is made in California, organic, and printed with non-toxic ink. :)

Thanks for the fun, Kira! xx.

Sketchy

I used to sketch a lot. On paper, not so much, but on the Paper app on Brian's iPad-- all.the.time. It's never very good, but it always felt like it reflected the moments of life. It was VERY therapeutic to sit on the couch when the kiddos went to bed and sketch anything and everything with my finger on the app. 

One day, we updated the app or software or something, and WHOOSH. I opened the app and the sketches were all gone. This was like three years ago, so the iclouds were far less advanced... there was no fixing it, and I was just so bummed. I wasn't planning to put them anywhere, or share them with anyone other than my own family per say, but they meant something to me. They were a different version of snapshots from life, and for some reason I couldn't just start from scratch and sketch anymore. It was like a tiny era of two or three months of life and that's kind of as far as it went.

ANYWAY, long story to say -- I found one of my sketches today, and it gave me a trip down memory lane to when my girls were tiny and loved outfits like these and wore pigtails in her adorable hair almost every day:

picture taken by Pictilio

There you have it. Art reflecting life, yes?

So-- then Maggie turned from this tiny blondie with the lime green jumper into an almost-kindergartener.

(who beat me at Memory fair and square multiple times last week... rainy weeks = absolute cabin fever and plenty of Sequence, Strawberry Shortcake ,and Memory. We're extra thankful for the sun this week). 

xo.