share the love

farmer's tans.

no, scratch that. i don't love farmer's tans. 

but both my boys have 'em.

because they're almost always in a t-shirt. 

hence, my love for sleeveless shirts.

and specifically for younger kids - rompers.

oh my heart. 

on a day like today (yeah, it feels like 46 degrees with the humidity) noah is in a sleeveless top and jude is in a sleeveless romper and i.love.it.

i think 2 yrs might be the longest i can push the romper on jude, but dang! so cute!

Old Navy

Carter's

Carter's

love.

what are some summery things you love?

get on your boots

tomorrow my sister (the lovely and talented photographer that she is) will be doing a family photo shoot for us before we move.

thanks to Pinterest (oh Pinterest, you are full of lovely ideas and a very good time waster.) i found some inspiration for some poses, props and outfits. 

love the apples and the red barn background.

ties! love.

oh this looks like such a fun family. 

the setting + their outfits = awesome.

so this morning i took the boys to Good Will to see if i could find any treasures.

it took some searching and if you've got young kids {ahem...boys} you'll know what it looks like to "search" in a store {basically it looks like racing up and down the aisles as fast as possible while at the same time keeping your eagle eyes on the lookout while also sweet talking your kids into behaving and engaging with them to see what they can find - my boys liked the hats and the little animal nicknacks.}.

in the end, i think i did come out with some great finds.

i got 2 dress shirts - one for each of the boys; we'll roll up the sleeves for a beachy look - both from old navy as well as a pair of gorgeous brown ankle boots for me (for $9!).

i know. ankle boots aren't really summery but i honestly could not resist. i've got some plans for these babies and our photo shoot tomorrow.

now to prepare my kids. you can dress 'em up, but you can't make 'em smile. 

but we can definitely be flexible and have fun. 

so hopefully we get the fun and the smiles. 

here's hoping!

vakay

a few days ago, jamie and i decided we'd take our vacation next week.
and by vacation i mean, drive 15 hours to see our good friends in south carolina.
we're pretty excited.
both boys do really well in the car and our friends have kids roughly the same age as ours. should be fun!

also, two words;

the shopping.

i have to say, i do love to shop. my sister doesn't. my mom doesn't. but i most definitely do.
and here's a few things i'm keeping my eye out for while i'm in the us of a;

raincoats for me and the boys
adorable crocs for jude {i'm thinking of these - in navy}
size 4 shorts for noah
size 4 tees for noah
more of my favourite gap tees {see them here in share the love}
{vanilla coke}
possibly skirts/capris that are suitable for ugands
a bathing suit
possibly a pretty dress for paris {oh did i not mention jamie and i are going to paris for a couple days in june? well. we are. you may freak out with me in 3...2...1...}
good {but stylish and cute} walking shoes

any suggestions/recommendations? {aka, this is your turn to share the love!}
{also, it's going to be hot. like, i get to wear shorts and capris and flops, hot! i'm pumped.}

folding skills

the last day of march! good riddance, i say.
this year march has come in like a lion and gone out like one too.
last year it was in like a lamb and out like a lamb and that's the ways i likes 'em.

anyway, back to the GARAGE SALE...

blech. it's affecting my sleep. i can't get to sleep because my mind is going 90 miles an hour and then the boys wake up and i'm all - wait - no - please, just a few more minutes (oh heck, might as well make that 30 minutes or even an hour!). and then i'm groggy. and i want to sleep all day.
and then it's night and i think about all the things i need to get done and then i can't sleep. *complain, complain, complain*
it's a vicious circle, my friends.

but today my amazing friend Suzanne came over and watched the boys while i organized the garage and then we folded, categorized, priced and boxed all the children's clothing so that it's all ready to go.
she is amazing and i seriously could NOT have done it without her.

thank God for friends!

tomorrow my sister comes over for the day and is spending the night as well.
(heck YES i'm pumped!)

here is suz's amazing folding skills:

thank you, sweet friend!
(plus jude learned how to say suz's son's name: jacob. and it was the first word out of his mouth after his nap. really, ridiculously cute.)

and life goes on.

we went to a wedding in oshawa.

my childhood best friend's wedding.

i remarked to my mom that it's interesting how people grow apart. 

we were tight when we were little.

now i barely know her.

it's okay. that's life. 

and i don't know how much different either of us would have been had we not been in each other's lives. 

but i'm thankful for the years of friendship we shared together.

and life goes on.

(and i didn't have to buy a new dress or shoes - i opted for a new belt and i worked it, people.)

moi

i liked what i wore today.

i liked how i felt today.

i felt pretty. 

and cute.

and put together.

and the opposite of frumpy. whatever that is.

still on the journey to love me.

does that sound weird?

either way, it's true.

share the love

recently i've come across a few things that i just really love. and i can't stop raving about them. and so i wanted to add this (hopefully) regular edition to my blog:
share the love
in which i share the things i love. or really, really like.
we all have different tastes and preferences so there's no guarantee that what i love (or really, really like) is going to be what you love, but someone out there might, so i'm just going to share the love.
and please feel free to blog about things you love or add them in the comments if you don't blog (or if you don't want to blog about it or that it's likely you'll forget the moment you walk away from your computer like me).

okay.
share the love: first edition

the beco gemini

people! this thing is a beauty! i've never before been into wearing my babies. i attribute this mostly to the baby bjorn which did nothing to properly distribute the weight of my gigantic babies and therefore was more painful than to just carry them in my arms.
then my sweet, thoughtful, generous friend gave me her spare beco gemini. i can carry jude (weight approx 27lbs. age: 18 months) on my back and he.loves.it. LOVES IT! and so do i. it's going to be so great (i think/hope) for africa. and it can also do front carries and side carries and carry newborns without having to add in an infant insert (should the need arise for me to have an infant to carry...). sweet sassy! (you can buy it here.)

the gap tee

i have found my go-to tee shirt. i'm not sure if i'm the only one with this problem but usually by the end of the day my t-shirt is not as fitted as it was when i put it on in the morning. sure it regains this shape after a wash and dry, but again, by the end of the day i look frumpalicious. not good. and then i realized that i had one shirt that was 95% cotton and 5% spandex instead of 100% cotton and it held its shape throughout the entire day. ah the magic of spandex. (too much = not good.) so i went on a hunt for t-shirts with this ratio (or close to it) and i found it at the gap. i went to the gap outlet and bought a bunch for around $13 in some fantastic colours. i tested one out yesterday and it held up. brilliant. (you can buy it here.)


pc salted dark chocolate covered caramels

divine. 

i splurged on a box of these ($5.99 at zehrs) a few weeks ago and i just about died when i ate one. (and then another. and another.) these are amazing. if you like your salty with your sweet and your caramel with your dark chocolate then these are for you. i loved these. i hope zehrs continues to carry them because oh! delish.

now it's your turn! what are some things/artists/songs/places/people you love?

*disclaimer: i was not sent any form of compensation for this review. these companies have no idea i even exist. i'm simply sharing the love. 

Busy!

I've got a lot going on in the next couple months.
I was at a store the other day and purchased items for an engagement shower (an engagement party and bridal shower combined into one glorious event), a baby shower and a bachelorette party. I felt like telling the cashier that they were for different people but then felt silly for feeling like I needed to defend my purchases.

Here is what my life will look like over the next 2 months:
January 17th - bridal shower
January 22nd - Engagement Shower
January 23rd 10am - dress fitting
January 23rd 11am - wedding (but not for the one for which I am being fitted)
January 30th - bridal shower
January 31st - baby shower
February 6th - bachelorette party
February 13th - final dress fitting
February 14th - Valentine's Day - no idea if we'll celebrate or not
February 26th - rehersal dinner
February 27th - wedding

...breathe....

But I'm excited.
My lovely friend Tamsin (for whom I am throwing said Engagement Shower) said I was doing too much. Perhaps. But at least I don't feel overwhelmed by it.
Yet.
But I think because I'm doing things that are fun for me for people I love dearly, it doesn't seem like something that puts pressure on me or weighs me down like a burden.
Plus it was an excuse to use up a few gift cards from Christmas to go shopping for new outfits!