Rowan’s 3rd Birthday | The Details

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There was never any doubt about what kind of party we would have for Rowan. She has been talking about a princess party for months. This year was the first year she had her own little friends party. She picked out which of her closest friends to invite and we sent out invitations for her Mommy and Me Princess Party. How many times do you think I will say princess in this post?

I wanted to give her “princess” without going over the top Disney princess party. Although, I am sure she would have loved that just as much. I gotta have a little say, right? I made easy to eat food for 3 year olds and tried to keep it healthy. We had skewers with peanut butter and jelly, strawberries and bananas, and then a second skew with a marshmallow, watermelon, apples and grapes. I had cups with cut veggies and hummus and strawberry yogurt cups tied with little spoons.

Pinhole Press has the cutest party stationary and goodies. I ordered labels with a picture of Rowan wearing a crown to create special drinks for the girls. I also got coasters made with a picture of Rowan and her friends. They loved those! I loved the personalized touches it added. For decorations there was A LOT of glitter. My house will forever be covered with glitter. I can’t help but think about is this skit. The girls painted crowns and made tutus at the party. They were the perfect craft. Took just enough time but not too much time either. Then we had a big scavenger hunt for magic wands in the yard. I will save those pictures till tomorrow though.

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Princess party

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Part two coming right up!

*Pinhole Press products were given as a gift.

What Rowan Wore

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Rowan’s first day of school ended up being on her 3rd birthday. At first I thought “oh that kinda stinks” but then I realized Rowan would be over the moon excited about it. It was a bitter sweet moment for me. I will admit I shed a few tears in the car driving away. How is she this old? Though, I feel like I teared up because I am just so proud of the little girl that she is. It’s a good feeling huh? To not only love your kid because well, they are your kid but to love them for the person they are as well. She is kind, sweet, and oh so brave. She has the silliest sense of humor. She cracks me up with her dancing every time she hears music and the ridiculous words she makes up that she thinks are way too funny. I love that when I close my eyes I can picture her round little face, with her big eyes and I can hear her infectious laugh. The real deep hearty laugh she does when she thinks something is especially funny. She’s a special one, that’s for sure!

So here’s to you my sweet Rowan Winter. I am so excited for what you are going to learn this year!
and now a ridiculous amount of pictures…

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ROWAN’s OUTFIT:
Cardigan: Gift from Grandma
Tank: Gap
Skirt: Gap
Socks: Ruum (american eagle kids store. who in the world thought it was a good idea to call it ruum?)
Glitter Shoes: Ruum
Backpack: Herschel Supply Co. via Amazon

A Dedication

So I’ve been away from this here site for a while. I wasn’t planning on it but it just happened. Life is busy. Wonderful, but busy. Life with two is more joy than I ever imagined and about 1000x more time consuming. There is nothing profound to say about my absence other than blogging and social media just take the back seat to first days of school, new ballet classes, birthdays, necklace making, a styling and photography job, family time and friends. Life is good and we are living it. With that said, I do have lots to share and catch you up with here on the ol’ blog. To start though, I wanted to share something very personal to our family. This past Sunday we dedicated both girls at our church. It was such a special day! I don’t talk much about our faith here on the blog and this isn’t in any way trying to sway peoples thoughts. But I did want to share the prayer that Kev said during church for our family and for the girls. God has blessed us with 2 of the most amazing and perfect for us little girls and it’s our prayer to raise them to know God and his true love for them.

“Jesus,

We thank you so much for these two girls. It’s hard to put into words the blessing they’ve been in our lives. Not only do they fill us with joy, but daily you are revealed to us through them.

We see your patience, your unending love, your forgiveness and your grace so much more clearly since we’ve become parents. We pray that you would bless Jen and I with similar qualities so we can raise them to know, love and serve you always.

We pray that you would protect their faith and their hearts through all stages of life and that they would feel your presence always.

We pray that our family would be bonded, with you as the focus.

God, we lift these girls up to you and we praise you for them – all in the name of Jesus.

Amen.”

My dress is from asos, shoes are Swedish Hasbeens. Rowan is wear a dress from the Gap. Finley is wearing headband from Little Hip Squeaks, Dress from the Gap and Chrome Mocs from Freshly Picked.

Our Everyday Style | 08.27.13

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Umm Rowan starts Preschool next week. Can we all just take a second to process that. What?!?!? Crazy town. I am not ready for this summer to be over. Also, I turn 31 next Wednesday. 31?!?! I liked turning 30, but 31?? I am not so sure about. Eeeeek! Well, so far this post has nothing to do with these outfits. Nothing special to say other than we got dressed today and this is what we wore. We went to Hobby Lobby and waited in line for the new Habitat Restore to open. We got a sweet Kilim rug for $20. I love that place.

That concludes the most boring post ever.

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OUTFIT DETAILS:
(Rowan):
Skirt: Gap (similar)
Tank: Old Navy
Sandals: Salt-Waters

(Jen)
Polka Dot Button Up: Forever 21
Chambray Skirt: jcpenney (just as cute!)
Heels: c/o Lulu’s (Available here)

(Finley)
Romper: Old Navy

This Months Service Project

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It’s been a little while since I’ve posted about our service projects. The last few months though we have been using the money made from affiliate links (thank you guys for clicking and buying!) to help friends in need. They have been private matters so I haven’t written about them, but just wanted you to know the money has been being used for good still. I think it’s great to help in large ways, with large charities but sometimes it’s more important to help the ones close. That is also why I wanted to find something local for this month’s project with Rowan. When I heard our church was teaming up with 2 other churches in the area to host a community lunch and backpack drive I knew we needed to help.

It was such a rewarding day! Not only because we were helping out so many families in the area, but to see Rowan and her friends getting involved was priceless. I can’t explain how important it is for me to teach her how to serve others in this way. Watching her get excited about giving out the backpacks and school supplies was so awesome. Especially seeing her give out the backpacks that we bought at the store. I know how hard it was for her to give that sparkly princess backpack that she wanted so badly out. There are a lot of things I want to teach my girls, but having a heart to help others is top on the list. God has blessed us with so much and I never want to take that for granted. I have a lot on my heart that I want to share about that day but I think I will just let the pictures do the talking. All together we were able to give out over 150+ backpacks that were each stuffed with school supplies.

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When Kev was walking the girls back to the car, these 2 cuties saw he had a camera and asked if he could take their picture with their new backpacks. So cute!!http://www.flickr.com/photos/jenloveskev/9597507013/

The Adirondacks

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One of my favorite parts of where we live is that we are so close to the Adirondacks. What a beautiful place. Lake George is a just gorgeous! Not so much the touristy part but the rest of it. The lake is huge and has so many places to explore. It feels very much like northern Ontario and for that reason alone it makes me want to go there all the time. We packed up the girls last weekend and headed up there for a family hike. It was the perfect day to try out our new ergo baby carrier for Finley. The travel collection carriers are so light weight and easy to throw in the car on the go. What a work out to go hiking with a kid strapped to you back or front. We need to get out there more often thats for sure! We ended up having a lovely time (besides the massive amounts of horse flies out).

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Travel Collection Carrier c/o from Ergobaby
Rowan’s Tshirt and my backpack c/o from Of One Sea
Rowan’s boots c/o Tea Collection

Tiny Dancer

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Ever have that moment as a parent when you look at your child and can clearly see them as a teen? It’s a very strange thing to experience. It has only happened a few times to me and every time I am taken aback at this idea of my baby all grown up. I had a very, very clear picture of Rowan as a teen the other day when we brought her to her very first dance recital. It wasn’t during the recital that I saw it though, it came after. She stood there with her friends giggling and acting excited over what had just happened. Then it hit me. I could envision going to find her after a high school track meet, soccer game, theatre performance, or whatever it may be. Standing with her friends excited and sharing stories over what they just accomplished. I saw her being brave, yet a little reserved. She is going to be a leader; I just know it. She is the best combination of outgoing and sensitive. I feel like we are entering into this new stage with her. The one where she is old enough to be dropped off at things like ballet camp. Where she can stretch her wings and be a little more independent. She starts school this fall and I know without a doubt that she is just going to LOVE it! It’s fun to try to guess what your kids will be like when they get bigger. I am not wishing away this time right now, but I like seeing the little glimmer of their personalities all grown up.

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*it was an Angelina Ballerina Dance Camp- that’s why they have mouse ears on.

Hi, I'm Jen!

Welcome to my personal lifestyle blog. It features topics such as motherhood, family life, fashion, cooking, and all sorts of adventures. I hope you enjoy what you find!

Jen Loves Kev
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