Favorite Things Party and a Ruffle Pants Giveaway!

I'm linking up with Andrea and Erika today for their Favorite Things Party. I love getting to see everyone's favorite things and the best part is that all of them are $10 or less (don't have to worry about adding expensive things to my wish list!)

I absolutely love using Neutrogena's wet skin sunscreen stick for the kids' faces. It's quick and easy and I don't have to worry about getting sunscreen in the eyes of a moving target. Sawyer won't keep her face still long enough for me to get regular sunscreen on her but she thinks its fun when I use the sunscreen stick on her face. I'm pretty sure it's because she thinks I'm putting chapstick all over her face since she says "I pretty Mommy" when I'm done. The coverage is awesome and we haven't had a single sunburn all summer :) It's the perfect size to slip in the pocket of the kids' diapers bags and I don't have to worry about any sunscreen spilling out into their bags.

I loved the kids sunscreen stick so much that I bought the Ultrasheer Face & Body Stick for myself. I have sensitive skin and break out pretty easily so I was pleasantly surprised when this sunscreen didn't break me out AT ALL! I carry it with me in my purse so I can put it on at anytime. My makeup already has sunscreen in it so I only put this on if I'm in the sun more than usual. It's not greasy or sticky which is my #1 annoyance when it comes to sunscreen.

Time for a Giveaway!!!

I get lots and LOTS of questions and compliments regarding Sawyer's ruffle pants so I am super excited to announce that I am getting to giveaway a pair of triple ruffle pants by Baby & Me Designs. I featured Baby & Me Designs on a previous post I did for the kids' clothes. If you want to read all about my love for these ruffle pants you can go back and read it HERE. Y'all I have tried so many different brands of ruffle pants for Sawyer and these are by far my favorite as well as hers. Trust me, my girl doesn't hesitate to let me know if she doesn't want to wear something and she loves her ruffles. 

We have red, green, navy, purple, denim, and ivory and I'm getting ready to stock up on some shorts. Yes, I know it almost August in Texas (which equals HOT) but we are in the middle of potty training so we've been in dresses the majority of the time. You can find Baby and Me Designs on Etsy HERE and on Facebook HERE.

The giveaway opens today and will last until Sunday evening. I will announce the winner on Monday's post! The winner will get to choose a pair of triple ruffle pants in the size and color of their choice! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Don't forget to check out Melanie's favorites on her blog and share your favorite with us! Leave a comment or shoot us an email :) 

Mommy Must-Have

On Friday, I shared that one of my favorite items was the Baby Brezza Formula Pro. I feel like this item deserves its own post because it's just that awesome.

Let me start off with saying that Sawyer was breastfed for 11 months so having a baby that decided he didn't want to nurse anymore after 5 months was a little heartbreaking for me. After trying everything I could possibly research to keep my supply up, we eventually made it through my stash of frozen milk. Jansen was officially a "formula" baby and I was left with feeling like a first time mom again. There was just more to do than I was used to...not to mention figuring out which formula would work best for Jansen's sensitive tummy. We adjusted to making sure we had enough bottles with us whenever we would go out. Instead of sending frozen milk to daycare, we mixed the bottles the night before. It wasn't worse...it was just different. It took quite a bit of time for me to be "okay" with the fact that I didn't nurse Jansen as long as Sawyer and to not feel guilty about it. 

I don't remember where I saw the Baby Brezza Formula Pro for the first time...possibly in a magazine. Anyways, I was intrigued with the idea of anything that would make our lives a little bit easier. This is basically a Keurig for babies--they need their milk just like we need our coffee. No more having to mix a bottle and then put it in a cup of hot/warm water to warm it up. This incredible thing makes a bottle in less than 8 seconds and it's the perfect temperature (98.6). 

The water chamber holds 50 ounces of water and keeps it warm the entire time it is on. We keep our on all day and then turn it off as soon as we make Jansen's last bottle for the night. We make his bottles for daycare before we go to bed in the evening. It's usually about 3 hours after Jansen goes to sleep so the water in Baby Brezza has cooled back down to room temperature. Since you aren't supposed to refrigerate bottles once they've been warmed, we turn it on and then make his 3 bottles before the water has a chance to warm all the way back up. 

The Baby Brezza holds a whole container of formula at a time so no more having to scoop out formula for each bottle. Maintenance is a breeze -- just wipe the excess formula build up from the dispenser every few bottles with a dry paper towel and that's it. It's priced at $150 but I'm telling you it is worth every single penny! It's such a time saver and extremely convenient. When you have a hungry, crying baby on one hip and a toddler clinging to your leg, this is a life saver ;) 

We bought ours at Target but you can find it on Amazon HERE.

Friday Faves!

I'm linking up with Andrea, Erika, and Narci for Friday Favorites today. Melanie and I have been doing Friday Faves for a while but we figured it would be fun to link up every once in a while!

Here are my favorites from this week!

-ONE-

I am IN LOVE with my Baby Brezza Formula Pro and have been from the second we bought it. Jansen has been on formula since about 5 months and this makes the whole making bottles process so much easier!!! I'm short on time right now but I plan on writing about the Baby Brezza on my next Mommy Must-have post. If you have any questions about it before then, just email me at laurenlou5644@yahoo.com

-TWO-

Amanda and Katie are two of my closest friends even though we live hours away from each other. I'll always love Granbury for bringing these two into my life. All three of us are in different places now but that hasn't changed a thing in our friendship. We truly pick up where we left off every time we get to spend time together and that is what true friendship looks like. No, we don't talk every day or get to see each other anywhere near as often as we would like to, but no one gets upset over that. We understand and respect the fact that we are wives, moms, and teachers and we lead busy lives. The ongoing group texts we have going on make me laugh and feel as though we aren't hours apart, but instead sitting in a booth at Chuy's (Amanda and Katie...this needs to happen ASAP!)

-THREE-

Those of you who know me or have been following my blog have read about Claire. Claire is Katie's daughter and she is currently recovering from her open heart surgery this morning. Praise the Lord that her surgery went well! Thank you SO MUCH for every single one of you that lifted up Claire and her family in your prayers. Katie said to me today that she now fully understands the saying "to have the faith of a child" because Claire's faith through this has been like a rock as it always is. She gets it from her momma and her daddy though because Katie is by far the strongest woman I know and the faith that she and Dean have is amazingly inspirational. God's work and love flows through that family! His hands have been wrapped around Claire since the day she was born and that was evident again today.

Claire Jordan, I hope you know how many hearts you have touched and how many people have witnessed God's power, love, and glory through you.

-FOUR-

My sign should say Sonic AND Starbucks. I've already confessed my love for Starbucks so today you get here me talk about my favorite Sonic drink. It's not really anything fancy but that Sonic ice could make pond water taste good...okay maybe not so much but you get where I'm going with this. 

My go-to Sonic drink is their Unsweet Mango Iced Tea. Key word is UNSWEET people. I made the mistake of getting sweet tea with mango once and I couldn't even choke down two sips. Way way WAY too sweet. The mango flavoring adds enough sweetness to the unsweet tea to be refreshing and oh so yummy. Go out and getcha some!! 

Don't forget to stop by Melanie's blog and check out her Friday Faves HERE!

Trendy Thursday -- Kendra Scott

Melanie, my mom and I celebrated my mom's birthday on Tuesday with a trip to Uptown. We ate lunch at Breadwinners and I ordered the same thing I always do. Every time I go to Breadwinners I tell myself that I will order something different but I can't help ordering the Raspberry Chipotle Chicken sandwich....gahhh it's just so dang good! 

After lunch we headed over to West Village for some coffee and shopping. Melanie and I may have had a little too much fun in the Kendra Scott store. I've been eyeing Kendra Scott for a while but hadn't actually tried on any of the pieces before. Dusty if you're reading this, I stayed away as long as I could! It didn't take long for me to fall in love with their earrings and necklaces. I'm not much of a bracelet and ring kind of girl. I have my staple pieces that I wear and who knows, maybe I'll branch out one day. But for now I'm really just drawn to earrings and necklaces. There were way too many pieces that I wanted to buy so I limited myself to one pair of earrings and a necklace.

I bought THIS Elisa pendant necklace in Platinum Drusy. I love how delicate it is and that I can wear it with pretty much anything. 

I couldn't find a picture of the exact Elle earrings I got, but I bought the salmon color (I totally thought they were coral until I heard the saleslady refer to them as salmon...so salmon I shall call them). I pretty much need these in every color :) 

 These Danielle earrings are on my wish list. They are GORGEOUS and add a perfect pop of color to any outfit. 

 Next on my wish list are the Alexandra earrings. Once again, awesome pop of color for any outfit and they have a unique shape. I love the white but wouldn't mind having about 8 other colors. 

I was practically drooling over these gold Evan earrings. These are next to buy on my list. I would wear these ALL the time! 

How gorgeous is this Shaylee necklace?! I tried it on as the single strand and I tried it wrapped double and loved it both ways. This is such a statement piece yet simple at the same time. 

Honestly my Kendra Scott wish list could go on and on especially with all the color options they have. 

For those of you that are Kendra Scott fans, what are your favorite pieces?

 Happy Birthday Mom!!

I seriously have no idea what I would do without this woman! Hands down best mom EVER :)

PRAYER WARRIORS!

Claire's heart surgery is tomorrow morning so please please PLEASE keep her in your prayers, along with her family and all doctors, surgeons, etc involved. If you are new to my blog, please check out my post for Claire HERE. 

Don't forget to check out Melanie's blog HERE! You can see what Kendra Scott piece she left with and what is on her wish list. 

On my list....

I have a "wish list/to buy list" that I'm always adding to. I would say it's more of a wish list than a to buy since I do more wishing than buying. Let me warn you that it is full of randomness ;)

THIS duvet from Pottery Barn is exactly what I've been looking for to add some color to our bed. 

I NEED to get all the music off of my phone because it is taking up way too much storage! There's no way I can go without having my music (and Sawyer's too) so this iPod nano is on my list. 

Dusty bought me a new silver watch for my birthday that I love and wear all the time but lately I've been itching for a gold watch too. I used to never wear gold but I've been drawn to it a lot more lately and I just can't bring myself to wear a silver watch with gold earrings and/or necklace. Not wearing a watch in my profession doesn't work for me so I'm going to need to get myself THIS gold watch soon! 

Chanel Chance Fraiche is by far my favorite perfume. I usually don't buy the same perfume two times in a row because I get tired of the same fragrance. It's been about a year since I've used this one so I'm ready for it again! It's one of the few that I've found that has a scent I like when I first put it on as well as the undertones throughout the day. Plus it LASTS! I love that the undertones don't necessarily smell like your normal "perfume", it just smells so.flippin.good.

Melanie raves about THIS Laura Geller Bronze-n-Brighten so it's definitely on my list. Melanie dedicated a whole post yesterday to her favorite make-up picks that she uses every day. Her makeup always looks flawless so if you want to check it out, click HERE. 

If you have any questions or post ideas for us, send us an email!

Lauren @ laurenlou5644@yahoo.com

Melanie @ melroseacker@yahoo.com

Weekly Recap

I don't know if it's just me but July has FLOWN by! Teachers go back on August 14th so I feel like the summer clock is ticking....I'm not ready for it to end!!!

I worked at the daycare on Monday so the kids and I didn't get home until around 4:30 and then it was just our normal evening at the house.

One of Sawyer's teachers braided her hair...totally felt like a failure as a "girl mom". I'm in awe that they were able to get her to sit still for that long. I can barely get a ponytail in her hair and if I'm really lucky, I can get pigtails in there.

This is what her hair looked like when we took it down to get ready for her bath....

I die. This makes me laugh every.single.time. 

Tuesday evening was the first night of our women's bible study and Melanie and I couldn't be more excited! It ran way late because we chatted more than expected, but I am extremely excited about the fellowship and growth in my faith with this bible study.

On Wednesday Jansen went to daycare and Sawyer had a playdate with her buddy Juliette. Juliette is in Sawyer's class during the school year but doesn't go during the summer. Lori and I knew that we would have to have playdates during the summer so these sweet girls could get their playtime in! Plus Lori and I get time to catch up too...and of course talk school stuff too. We teach at the same elementary school :) 

We had an early dinner Chic Fil A play date with Melanie and the kids and Courtney and her three kiddos. I didn't even realize that I didn't get any pictures until I started working on this post. I told you I wasn't too great at taking pictures throughout my days. I promise I'll get better! 

Jansen said "Ma-ma" for the first time on Thursday!!! Bout dang time! 

Let's follow mom into the bathroom....

The look on his face...pretty sure she was telling him "Go way bubba" 

#littlebrotherproblems #mommaneedsapottybreakinpeace

The Perot Museum was on the agenda for Friday but I realized on Friday morning that I had a massage scheduled at noon. I didn't want to try and rush our way through the museum (especially since it was our first time) so we went to plan B. A quick trip (so not possible) to the American Girl store to get a couple of new outfits for our dolls and to see Grandma Carla. Once again...shame on me for not getting pictures. This could've been due to the fact that she had two minor meltdowns while we were there. And when I say minor I mean we were laying on the floor BUT there was no kicking or screaming (that qualifies as minor right?) Now leaving the store was quite the sight I'm sure....my mom was carrying a crying and wiggling toddler across the street as I was pushing a stroller with her new doll stroller in the stroller seat. Yeah that's right, I was pushing a stroller carrying a doll stroller. Good times.

All is right with the world after a nap :) 

Stacking her letters. 

If you follow me on Facebook then you probably have seen Sawyer's "Goooodbyeyuh" video. This girl was all about telling herself goodbye in the mirror over and over again. It's the little things :) 

The weekend was spent with family and we had lots of fun. My grandma came over to visit with us and the kids Saturday morning and then my parents and Kent came over that evening. Sunday morning was church and then Dusty's parents, my parents and Kent came over for an early dinner. Definitely the best way to end the week and get ready for a new one. 

 JT didn't get steak like everyone else but he wasn't complaining. 

Friday Faves

Hey y'all! So once again, I've slacked a bit on blogging this week. I was working on invitations for the sweetest little boy's first birthday party! Can't wait to share once his party has passed :) Which leads me to my first favorite for today.

#1. LC Designs 

I started playing around with digital scrapbooking this year and fell in love with creating invitations, announcements, holiday cards, etc. It has quickly become a fun outlet just like blogging and I can't wait for the holiday season to get here so I can make our family's Christmas cards...and yours too if you'd like ;) Email me if you are ever interested in custom invitations or announcements. I'd love to create something for you! 5x7 cards come in sets of 25 for $40 (envelopes are included).

#2. Waxing Poetic Necklace

I absolutely love my Waxing Poetic necklace and can't wait to add to it. I have a W for Williams, S for Sawyer and J for Jansen. I also have a charm that says blessed. Both the chain and the charms have gold and silver on them so I can wear them with anything. These are on my wish list! 

I love the shape of this Much Love pendant. Nothing better than X's and O's right??

 This axiom leather band bracelet is small and simple with a BIG message. I'm loving it!

I have an insignia for Sawyer and Jansen and for our last name but I still need one for Dusty. I think THIS one would be perfect! 

Don't forget to check out Melanie's Friday Faves and Trendy Thursday all rolled into one post HERE. I've already got the glimmer Toms on my list for Sawyer!