Back to School

Blair has had a great first week of school (minus the 100+ degree weather) and I'm so proud of her. She decided that she wants to be a hair stylist when she grows up instead of a butterfly in the Disneyland parade. Once I told her that the people in the parade don't actually live at Disneyland she was horrified and decided a hair stylist would be a better choice. That girl.

So far she loves her teacher and hasn't had any melt downs at school. I love hearing about her day and who "stayed on green" and who had to "clip down." She gives me a very precise report on who did what and it cracks me up. She's been singing songs that she's learning and teaching the babies all sorts of new things.

I can't wait to watch you grow this year, Blair, but please slow down!

Saranoni Blanket Giveaway

We're a blankie loving family over here. I still have mine (what's left of it) in the garage. It pretty much looks like a rope that you would climb out of a burning building on but I still love it all the same. Blair attached to a sleep sack  that she used to sleep in as a baby. It is the most disgusting thing you have ever seen...a lovely shade of grey even though it was pink when we first purchased it. 

I've been pushing a blankie on Evie and Cal because it's nice to be able to take it to a new place and have them feel comforted regardless of where they are. They currently have muslin blankets that they like but with the colder months approaching I thought they would enjoy the Saranoni blankets to cuddle with. 

These blankets are the ultimate soft luxury blankets and are beautiful! They are a great size and the babies love them. Saranoni is giving away TWO free blankets to two lucky winners! To enter head over to my Instagram account (@natyouraveragegirl) to enter for a chance to win your own! Winners will be chosen in 48 hours. Good luck! 

Back-to-school Teacher Gift

As a former teacher I have had my fair share of good (and bad) teacher gifts. With Blair starting her first day of Kindergarten in a week I decided I better get on it with a back-to-school gift for her new teacher!

First of all you can't go wrong with a Starbucks or Target card. I'd probably say that those types of gifts (though far and few between) were my favorite. Don't get me wrong...I loved the endless supply of stuffed animals (why?!) my students gave me but coffee is where it's at!

With that said this year I'm going to try and mix in some sentimental with some necessity. I printed out a cute chalkboard print with some sappy sweet phrase from my old chalk shop and I plan on grabbing a starbucks card to go with it. I also saw the cutest pencil sugar cookies and plan on giving those a whirl. Never hurts to get on the teacher's good side early, right?!

What are your plans for spoiling your kids' teacher this year? I hope this helped you out! Happy Monday! :)

Birthday Memories

I wanted to post some of my favorite shots from the twins' first birthday so I never forget how much fun we had! Happy weekend, friends!

Onesies by The Wishing Elephant
swimsuits by Cat and Jack

all photos by Carrie Johnson Photography

One Prickly Pair: Twins First Birthday

Happy birthday to my little miracle babies! Half of me can believe they are one because OY those first six months crawled by but the other half is like what?! because the second six months flew by!

We had the best time partying with our Prickly "Pair." We're so thankful for the friends and family who celebrated our IVF miracles with us. I said it at their party (through ugly tears) but I never thought we would be here. We are overwhelmed and humbled by the Lord's grace and I don't think I'll ever remember His goodness without getting emotional. He has been so incredibly faithful to me even when I struggled with trusting Him.

Also a huge THANK YOU to everyone who supported us during their first year of life. So many of you have been praying for them since they were embryos and it blows my mind. We are humbled by all the love. You have texted, dropped by to check in, brought meals/coffee/groceries, held babies, changed diapers, washed dishes, done laundry, and kept me emotionally stable. We could NOT have done this without all our wonderful family, friends, and IG community. It takes a village!

*all photos by Carrie Johnson Photography

The Pendry San Diego

We packed our bags and headed to San Diego for a night and left the babies behind for the first time. Cal was easy-peasy and Evie was, well, she was spicy. We call her spicy alter-ego, "Evie G." ;) Luckily she wasn't fussy enough for our sitter to never watch them again so I'm calling it a win! 

We stayed at the Pendry and absolutely loved it! 

We had a great time eating delicious food, feeling the ocean breeze in our hair, and relaxing by the pool. There was no shortage of people watching which kept us quite entertained as well. I highly recommend the Pendry and I'll be going there again for sure! 

Backpacks for Boys

On my last post I picked out some of my favorite backpacks for the little ladies but let's not forget about the gentlemen!

Which style do you love?