Spring is here and after the spring of 2020, the Spring of 2021 is actually full of hope and optimism. I am here for all of that!

Sally of Pretty Little Events and Amy from White Blossom Events threw together this Spring party and just blew everyone away. They are so ridiculously talented, and very inspiring.

This gorgeous spring picnic was adorable and whimsical. Everything Spring should be. The soft muted palette under that gorgeous willow tree, it’s just perfection. I just want to sit here with a charcuterie board and a glass of wine and feel the warm sun and light wind on me. So inviting!

Erin, from Erin J Saldana Photography, did a gorgeous job of capturing all the little details while also really providing the sweet and delicate tone of this picnic.

As one of the biggest animal lovers I know, I was so giddy when I saw they had real bunnies from Fable Farm Events. I mean, what else screams Spring more than fluffy bunnies?! Plus, it’s a great activity for the little ones to stay busy and to also get some one on one experiences with animals they may not experience in their everyday life.

The soft florals, which might have been an enticing dessert for those bunnies since they are just so gorgeous looking, were from LV Floral Events. The florals are really the main attribute to the softened mood for this picnic. They remind me of just more fluffy and inviting pillows.

I absolutely love anytime I get to work with Pretty Little Events or White Blossom Events, but when they work together…it’s just that much more reason to get excited! They always round up the most amazing vendors as well. Salt Paper Co. is a talent that I’ve been wanting to work with. I love her notepads and use them around the house but her custom work is even more to die for. Look how cute these casual invites are?! Who could say no to that invitation?!

We were so excited to do these carrot gift tags/place cards for this picnic! This picnic was the perfect way to showcase them and it meant so much to me that we were asked to be a part of it.

This stunning cake was just perfect for this little picnic afternoon. It tied everything in exquisitely. Miso Bakes designed this whimsical cake with flowers and mushrooms.

They used our custom engraved carrot name tags on personal milk bottles for each guest. They turned out so cute! We’ve also used them on Easter baskets and even gift tags.

My favorite, e2beauty gave all these girls an adorable mini spring makeover with some animal face painting. Not only is that a great activity for a group of girls, but it just completely adds to that whimsical mood for this picnic. Those little faces are just too cute!

I am so ready for Spring and all the warmer weather. I’m ready for a fresh new season and more gatherings, more reasons to celebrate, and even more reasons to smile.

Design and Planning: Pretty Little Events and White Blossom Events

Photography: Erin Saldana

Florals: LV Floral Events

Cake: Miso Bakes

Rentals: Found Rental Co. and Create a Party

Balloons: Pretty Little Events

Makeup: e2beauty

Invitations & Banner: Salt Paper Co.

Laser Cut Pieces: Delovely Details

Bunnies: Experience Fable

Now that I’ve been a mother to two humans, you think I would be a bit wiser about raising children…right?

Nope. Not at all! There are two things I know I have learned from being a mum to two girls, that I still know nothing about raising kids and to always just pack the extra snacks.

When we first had Evelyn, we really wanted to remain minimalist with the baby gear. I was incredibly thoughtful and did our due diligence in research for what we thought we needed, what would be worth having for convenience, and what things we could get by without.

Looking back, I think we did a great job. I didn’t really have any products that I didn’t feel like we got our full use out of except for one product (just buy the cheap Ikea high chair!).

When I was pregnant with Hazel, and we found out it was another girl, I was so hopeful that we wouldn’t need to buy any more baby gear and we would still love our old baby products as much as we did the first time around.

We did well with our goal and I’m here to share with you my top 5 favorite products I used for BOTH my girls.

1. Mom’s on Call - All moms will tell you the “sleep guru” or “sleep method” they use and swear by. Sometimes that’s not even a method at all. Hey, whatever works for you and yours! For us, the answer was Mom’s on Call. I can’t recommend it enough. Both my girls are the best sleepers, but more importantly, I’m so confident in knowing what their needs are because of this book series.

2. Hatch Baby Rest Sound Machine - We got Hazel her own as soon as we knew she was coming because this has been such an amazing product for our family. Not only is the functionality amazing, but their customer service is out of this world. Between Evelyn’s Hatch and the new one Hazel’s got, there have been some awesome upgrades.

3. Swaddleme Swaddles and Sleep pods - Since we were very hopeful to give Evelyn a sibling, I kept all of her clothes including her swaddles, sleep sacks, etc. Thank goodness because they all came in use and Hazel slept amazing with them. I was so worried that what worked for Evelyn, wouldn’t work for Hazel and I would be out shopping for all new sleeping solutions with a toddler and a newborn during a pandemic but these worked great for both our girls! (I could easily write a whole blog post about how much I hate buying sleepsacks.)

4. Dr. Brown’s Formula Pitcher - We didn’t buy this for Evelyn until we were about 3 months in with making bottles every 3 hours, spilling formula all over the counters around the clock and wasting so much formula. This revolutionized the way we conducted our days and we started it on day one with Hazel. If you are a formula family, this is a game changer!

5. Halo Bassinet - I was actually given a Halo bassinet from my bestie who didn’t love it. We were so lucky because we (Evelyn and myself) loved it! But I was very worried that maybe Hazel wasn’t gonna sleep as well in it. However, it worked great! Maybe too great because I ended up having to wake Hazel up for her feedings those first couple months!

I definitely don’t have the answers to how to be the perfect mum to two kids, I don’t really have a clue if what I am doing is right, and most days I’m overwhelmed with guilt about the possibility of one of my children not getting all their needs or wants completely fulfilled. However, I do find these small wins helpful. I made a few good choices and they have continued to pay off. Woot!

This post contains some affiliated links, however I wouldn’t recommend anything I don’t already love!

Valentine’s Day is just around the corner. We aren’t generally big “Valentine’s Day” people, but this is the first time Evelyn will get to pass out Valentines to her friends. Obviously things are a bit different due to the pandemic, we had to drop her valentines off two weeks early so they could sit in the class before she can pass them out. I am not complaining, we are just so grateful she even has this opportunity.

However, that two week early period really crept up on me! I’m not a “store bought” kind of gal, so I had to think quick to pull something together.

Evelyn had received sunglasses from a friend last year for Valentine’s Day and so it was her wish to give out sunglasses this year to her friends. I ordered these off Oriental Trading Co. and then designed a post card that we could print at home. I also found these cute sunglasses from Amazon that ship out quickly and they are about $1 each. You can’t go wrong! Then we attached the sunglasses with some washi tape and Evelyn “wrote” her friend’s name and her name on the bottom.

This is Evelyn’s first year in school so this is the first time she’ll do an exchange like this. She was so excited to take these to class, but wasn’t really understanding that she would have to wait to pass them out for two weeks. She’s just anxious to share with her friends.

This week in her class, they are learning about kindness and friendship. So it just seems fitting that I make this printable available to any one who wants it! Just sign up below (full disclosure, you’ll also be added to my newsletter list but who doesn’t want to get updates on new products and sales?!) and I’ll email you this downloadable printable for your own use! I recommend on printing on thick cardstock, there are two per page. Let me know what you think!

Make sure you tag us in your pictures if you use our printable so we can share them!