Childhood

I kind of think everyone wants to be a kid, most days. For some reason, kids think grown-up life is the BEST (endless ice cream and no bedtimes!), but I think most grown-ups agree that there's just nothing quite like the enchantment of childhood. ​

When you're a child, every dream is ahead and every day's objective is to play. There's no shame in lunch being splattered all over a tee shirt, there is no bashfulness about whether or not your outfit matches, and when you fall, you're not checking to see whether anyone noticed-- you're just looking for a kiss and patterned bandaid. 

Your jumping jacks are all wrong, but you think they're all right. ​Your art is collected shades of brown, but it definitely deserves a magnet on the refrigerator. Your hair is unbrushed to the point of dreadlocks, but that sparkly headband makes you sure you're a princess. You'll try to repeat words in other languages without being concerned whether your accent is perfect or not. 

You don't live to be an image of perfection. You just live to attempt and maybe succeed, maybe fail. You love to learn, you love to dream.

You are hopeful and beautiful and imperfectly perfect. ​

Childhood is forever appealing... it's a beautiful gift of possibilities and faith and hope... 

How glad I am to have two beautiful little teachers keeping me in line every day. ;)​

​XOXO,

Kate

Thank you Silvana di Franco for perfect pictures of a happy, messy childhood.​

​Tee. Sweater. Skirt. Shoes.

---

Emma Style

Today's small style is brought to you by the darling little Emma, daughter of Pocket Stylist Erin. She's got it all going for her: the stripes, the bright Gap jeans, the springy sandals (Saltwater Sandals are the BEST sandals for wear and tear)... and her favorite SaraRae headband. Always need a bit of bling.

It's also a very important part of childhood to wear those temporary tattoos with princesses on them. ​And that scarf? Stay tuned for a how-to on a couple different ways to make them (with AND without sewing!)

Silvana di Franco... thanks so much for the beautiful photography...

And so much thanks to Em... 

...for being our little model and for being one of the best at sharing secrets. 

​XO,​

Kate

Small Style: Add a BowTie

I like a good bow. I  also like a good bow tie. There's something about them that just adds the right brightness and flair to an outfit. An otherwise dull look gets a little makeover with a bright bow. Make it an oversized version, and you have even more cheer.

Sophie's was $4 from Janie and Jack on sale, but below are some other cute ones for ya:

Top Row: J.Crew, Bottom Row: Forage.

All pictures of Sophie taken by the amazing Manus Chau Photography.

XO,

Kate

Bookish Small Style

My children are in love with reading. It makes me so happy. They'll sit with a pile of books almost every day before naps, and read their little hearts out. I've caught Sophie with all her dolls and animals in a semi-circle around her as she reads her books and shows the pictures. Maggie gets a little quiet time in her crib every day with a pile of board books and she sits with them on her lap and turns the pages. It's the most adorable thing ever. When I was a kid, I loved books so much that my brother & sister used to say that I would have the kids that would spend all their time reading books like me (because isn't every child identical to their parents?), and it mortified me because it meant I was a straight-up nerd kid... but I couldn't help it... I really, really liked books.

All that said, what they predicted might just be true... and I might just be very happy about it. Let's be honest: the nerd look is actually pretty darn adorable. Floods, chucks, cardigan and bookish scarf? Perfect. Hopefully it goes along with good grades in their futures.

And hey, tomorrow is Valentine's day. Let's throw in the best little hairclip ever: Sweetheart Clip by Hello Shiso (my favorite of all hair accessory brands).

What are our favorite books around here, you ask?

1. Curious George. We got a six-pack of George one day for like $4 and it has paid off in excess. We read these books like none other. Sweet & entertaining for any pre-schooler.

2. Dumbo. Sophie is a very big fan of Dumbo. She requests to watch it on Netflix and holds her book on her lap, turning pages as the events occur on screen. If you ask what her favorite book is, right now it's all Dumbo.

3. This is Not My Hat. This is my personal favorite. It's about a small fish stealing a hat from a big fish and let me just say, I laugh every time.

4.You Are My Cupcake. Maggie's personal pick. It's the first book she ever loved, and we all (S included) love reading it to her, affectionately saying "Maggie you're my mushy little pea" or "my chubby little pumpkin" as we turn pages.

5. Llama Llama Books. Maggie said "llama" as one of her first words... my favorite version is Red Pajamas. I like reading books that rhyme to the girls.

6. Pat the Bunny. Honestly one of the best books of all time. I wrote a post about it, that's how much I love it.

"Read on, my little ones," that's all I have to say about that.

Photo Credit for all photos of Sophie goes entirely to the talented Manus Chau Photography.

PS. I'd love suggestions for more good kid's books, by the way. Feel free to leave a comment with your recommendations!

Love,

Kate

Puddle Jumping

Last night, I promised Sophie that when she woke up in the morning we'd go outside and eat breakfast and she could ride her bike as we took a walk... Then I woke up to rain. Lots and lots of cold rain. The whole idea sounded a lot less awesome, obviously, but when you promise your kids something, you have to deliver.

Thankfully, her gramma & papa had just gotten brand new rain boots for her, and she's on restriction from wearing dresses and skirts (when she throws tantrums the most effective form of punishment is to require her to wear jeans for a week), so it all panned out perfectly. By the time we were all bundled and outside, the rain had stopped, so it really panned out perfectly. Maggie had some worn-in chucks and she wore them in quite a bit more. She was dancing in an enormous puddle and Sophie took running starts to splash the dirty water everywhere. Perfection. They brought their favorite ducks to swim while they played, of course.

Being a kid is so great.

Love,

Kate

Maggie Girl

Both of my girls woke at 8:30 this morning... yes, you got that right. 8:30. This does not happen at my house. They're 7-7:30 wakers every single day. It was amazing. I stayed in bed like any good procrastinator should, cuddled in heavy blankets and thinking about life and thankfulness, and about how timely this surprising little quiet morning was for me.

It is the best thing in the world to be a stay-at-home-mother. It really is. It's also insanely exhausting in a way I could never really explain. There are little lives dependent on me to keep them fed, warm, entertained, safe... every moment of every day! By the time I sit in the evenings, I can barely move. It's kind of amazing really. I'm only 30, but my muscles actually get sore from playing all day. True story.

Maggie is really the culprit (Sophie seems pretty mellow these days). She is a burst of sunshine everywhere she goes. I mean, burst. She rolled over at 5.5 weeks old, and that should have been an early indication. She's pretty obedient, but man she moves!! She also climbs, opens doors, moves furniture so she can reach anything, and if I turn my head- no exaggeration- five seconds from her, she'll have run off and be making mischief somewhere. This week I've caught her on the dining room table, grabbing knives out of the SINK (using her kid chair as a stool), and eating chocolate chips she hunted down at 9am.

But she is also the sweetest. You can see it all over her face... those sweet eyelashes and pink mouth don't lie. She's as gentle as can be, and smiles & giggles all.day.long. She adores jackets and shoes more than a 17-month-old should, but she basically follows and adores her big sister in every way, so I have a good idea where she gets her wardrobe opinions... if I give her just a sweater to wear, she'll point to a coat. When we're just hanging around the house, she'll get her pretty shoes and bring them to me and point to her feet.

I always thought I would have a family with three boys. I was such a tomboy as a kid, I figured I'd have no girls... or maybe two boys & a girl. Never did I imagine I'd have two girls who are as girly as can be.

And never did I imagine it would be this good.

XOXO,

Kate

(Janie & Jack hat, Old Navy shoes & coat, Gap jeans)