Fireworks, Anchors & Fourth of July... Oh My!

Fourth of July week is here, we are so excited for the highlight of the summer! We will be celebrating with a house full of guests, lots of drinks fun & summery shenanigans. Just how we like it! :)

In the spirit of the holiday weekend, what is more festive than anchors?! Well, dressing up as a bombpop probably is, but that is beside the point.
Here is a little collection of all things anchor... I am obsessed with the navy & coral combination! So very summery & nautical. I have had my eye on the grey terry floral anchor top for EVER... can not get over the cuteness.

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six. Seven.

Harper & I rocked our matching anchors this weekend, just the beginning of our festive outfits for the week. Remember the amazing Santa pillows featured in my holiday house tour post? That same talented mama also makes these fun anchor tees & sells them in her etsy shop! Not only perfect for the fourth, but all summer long!! :)

Get a load of that ornery little grin. She is so full of sassy personality these days, where did it come from? It seems like way too soon for her to be such a little person.

She is independent. She is curious. She is silly.

And she is strangely obsessed with puppies.

 Dot Romper. Headband. Wagon.

Hope you are all ready for a fun week of red, white & blue! You know there are already fireworks going off in our heads over here.
Happy Sunday to you all!

Fourth of July Festiveness

Fourth of July is just one week away, so we are kicking off the festivities early with a little celebration. Rather than popping the champagne, we decided to BOMBPOP THE CHAMPAGNE! :)

 Tell me this isn't the most festive beverage you have ever laid eyes on?! We plan to serve these up next week just in time for fireworks, but couldn't wait to test them out & share them with you all! This may also be the easiest drink to make, just a little of your favorite champagne topped off with an upside down bomb pop & garnished with a sparkler.

Stemless Glasses. Wood Tray.

Bomb pops are my JAM. They are nostalgia on a stick.
They take me straight back to the front step of my great aunt Barbara's Brooklyn apartment, where I would sit in my swimsuit as a little girl after playing in a "johnny pump" with red, white & blue running all down my face. I can hear her voice & the music of the ice cream truck playing in my head each time I eat one. These make me happy for so many reasons.

Along with these tasty drinks, some other fun ideas for the Fourth of July that we would love to incorporate into our weekend include...

Our favorite 4th of July tradition, Red Velvet Pancakes topped with whipped cream & blueberries.

A festive cookout, complete with BBQ chicken & corn on the cob.

Water balloons & yard games.

A campfire, s'mores & sparklers.

And last but not least, I am obsessed with having a SNOW CONE BAR, dying over this snow cone maker & these festive cone paper cups.

For more ideas & outfits, you can check out this Patriotic Memorial Day post, our Red, White & Blue breakfast & sangria OR 4th of July Swimwear post! :)

And can we just take one second to look back at last year's 4th of July baby Harper? Holy rolly polly cuteness.

Headband. Denim Ruffle Bloomers (similar here).

Doesn't she remind you of a little s'mores marshmallow?! How festive of her.

Our Weekend in Pictures

Just another weekend recap...

Polka Dot Romper.

On Friday, I got the urge to make Harper some onesies. It has been so hot here, so while I let her run around in diapers most of the time, I was hoping for something a little more appropriate for when we go out in public. I grabbed a few of her white onesies, dyed them with a charcoal/black dye in the sink & stitched on a few flowers that I had in my craft box.

 Clearly she was impressed.

Saturday, we spent the afternoon at the pool. Out of nowhere there ended up being live music & a cookout thrown by our neighborhood, so I'd say it counted as a full on pool party.

 Harper was killin' it in her shades & one shoulder suit.

Black Ruffle Bikini Top & Bottoms.

And of course, she deejayed for us from her wagon on the way home.

Radio Flyer Wagon.

 Sunday, we took it easy & rounded out the weekend with a fire & s'mores.

Happy Camper Sweatshirt. Knuckle Rings.

 Nothing says summer nights like ooey-gooey marshmallows sandwiched between half a candy bar & some graham crackers. I couldn't help but make it a double.

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Mama + Mini Blueberry Style

Happy second day of summer! It's obviously been summer in my mind for months already, all part of living where it gets too hot too fast. I get way ahead of myself with seasons too, August 1 marks the first day of Fall in my mind (August, Autumn, same thing), so summertime is really running out on my watch!

One of my favorite summer color combos right now is navy & lilac, how can you resist all of this cuteness?! You all know I love mixing & matching my swimsuit pieces as well, so these are the perfect colors for it! Especially since there is a mini style to match! :)

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. 

Six. Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten.

Harper seems to love these colors as well. So much that she now smashes blueberries on her high chair tray whenever she eats them & rubs them all over her face like war paint.
And I'm weirdly okay with it.

If you're happy & you know it, clap your hands!

Have a great weekend, friends! :)

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15 & 16 Month Favorites

Age:16 Months
Stats: 25 lbs. (80th percentile), 31 inches (60th percentile)
Clothes: Wearing size 12-18 month mostly, although I have to roll up pant legs since they're a little long. Lucky for us it is summer right now, she can wear a broad range of sizes in dresses, like this cute one below!

Bubble Dress

Favorite Foods: Strawberries, Watermelon, Chicken, Bananas & Pasta

Favorite Words: Nana (banana), Pup-pup and Puppy (obsessed with animals, all of which are referred to as puppies) & Shut (demands that we shut all doors & cabinets if they are left open).

 

Favorite Activities: Wagon Rides (we love love love our Radio Flyer Wagon, especially for walks to the pool, where it doubles as a beach bag & cooler!). Playing with straws/cups, I got a set of four small plastic cups in the dollar section of Target along with a big box of neon colored straws. We organize them by color & then she goes to town moving them all around, putting them in & out of the cups. This entertains her for longer than most of her other toys, especially as a good high chair activity. Reading. Coloring on the chalkboard wall. Watching Noggin videos, puppy videos & Mickey Mouse Clubhouse (and sometimes CMT). Climbing on the couch & chairs. Hiding in her teepee. Eating popsicles.

Least Favorite Activities: Diaper changes & anything that involves her laying/being still.

Favorite Things

Brown Bear, Brown Bear. She has always loved this book, but the colors, words & pictures must really set it apart. She always picks this book & even kisses the kids faces on the last page.

B. One Two Squeeze Blocks. We always come back to these, she is just now at the stage where she can really stack them or line them up on the window sill. She also likes to carry them around on a book like a tray, no clue why.

Beaba Utensils. The only ones she can grip well. We are teaching her to use a spoon/fork right now, it is a hot mess of course, but totally cute. Also, she's a lefty! :)

Elastic Hair Ties. You can really find these just about anywhere, I have tons of them & Harper LOVES to wear them as bracelets. She puts them all on her arms & takes them off a million times. Once she sees me wearing them in my hair or on my wrist, she instantly wants to play with them.

Shapes Puzzle. We just got this & she loves playing with it! It is so fun teaching her colors & shapes and watching her try to put them in the right spots. I keep this toy put away & only get it out when we are going to play together with it, otherwise it would just disappear among the rest of her things. A fun, cute learning toy for sure!

Brush Buddies Cow Toothbrush. Harper is obsessed with brushing her teeth. I like this toothbrush because it has a lid & the bristles are soft. Plus she loves to see the end pop up before she gets to use it.

Water Table. This is a must for toddlers, endless entertainment. It's messy but well worth it if you plan to spend any time outside! :)

Signature Moves: Fake laughing, smelling her feet & blowing kisses at everyone. She also still has killer dance moves, she does the shoulder lean like a boss.
 

Mom's Proudest Moment: Not noticing when she started chugging my iced coffee at the park. Well done, mama. #strawninja

Dad's Proudest Moment: Dad let her face-plant roll off the couch when he turned to look at the TV. While she seemed to think it was funny, she later shoved both of her fingers up his nose & made it bleed. Payback's a bitch.

Although we all know this moment takes the cake for us being parents of the year.

Bubble Dress
 
Other Milestones: Harper can fully understand sentences & things that we say. It BLOWS. MY. MIND. When I say "Go get your baby doll, it is in the stroller!" She jumps up, runs to her stroller & brings it back, yelling "bah-bee!" Either she is saying baby, or she named her baby, Bobby.

She sleeps like a champ, 8pm-8am with one two hour nap in the middle of the day. Sometimes she wakes up in the middle of the night chatting to herself, but always falls back to sleep on her own.

She runs, pretty much skips & can almost do a somersault.
AND she knows where her nose is. Total genius.

 PS. I know I said it last time, but this is definitely our favorite age so far! :)

Happy Father's Day

Wishing a Happy Father's Day to all the great dads today! 

To my dad, Davey Boy, who is surely the most fun loving, wittiest & kind person on this earth. Harper is lucky to call you her grandpa. 

But she'll probably just call you Davey Boy.

And to my husband.

 Cheers to the most loving & selfless guy in the world.

To the guy who willingly spends his Saturday afternoon at the mall with us, always picks up cupcakes on his way home from running errands & happily puts Harper's shoes on her when she hands them to him fifteen times a day, only to watch her take them off two seconds later. He is a sucker for pigtails & never turns down a piece of chewed up food that Harper feeds him.

There isn't a thing he wouldn't do for his girls & he is sure to let us know it every day. 

You are the best dad that any little girl could ask for.

 We wouldn't trade you, your hot sauce addiction, off-key singing & inappropriate humor for anything in the world.

We are the luckiest ladies around.

 

 Happy Father's Day, babe! You are the sweetest. The coolest. The most fun.
And you really are one HOT dad!! 

Mama + Mini Fourth of July Style

To me, not having a 4th of July flavored swimsuit is like not having a Christmas tree. I have always been on the hunt for a perfectly festive bikini for the weekend of the Fourth. Finally this year, I feel like I've hit the jackpot. Not just for me, but for Harper as well. 

Get a load of this red, white & CUTE!

One. Two. Three. Four. Five. Six.

Seven. Eight. Nine. Ten.

 I am obsessed with J.Crew suits, the material & fit are so amazing. They run large, if you haven't bought their suits before, I would definitely go a size smaller than what you would normally order. Especially kids stuff, Harper has been waring Crewcuts 2T stuff for months! :)

Here is our gear. Seriously, fireworks go off in my head when I look at this. I cannot wait to wear these while doing sparklers & eating bomb pops like it is our JOB.

 Striped Top | Ruffle Bottoms | Floral Swimsuit

To make things even more fun (because I am an extreme coupon-coder) today GAP is having 30% off your entire purchase with coupon code GAPSALE & J.Crew is having 30% off sale items (which ALL of these swimsuits are!) with coupon code SUMMERTIME. They are all selling out so fast!

I don't know if it's just because I am a compulsive swimsuit shopping addict & maybe I feel the need to drag you down with me? If so, I really apologize in advance.

Love List: Sweet Summertime

It is feeling very summery here in Hotlanta, where the temps are rising & mosquitoes are trying to eat us alive. We are trying to plan lots of summer fun before this carefree season slips away from us. 

You may have already caught a glimpse of Harper going to town on this watermelon slice, but there is plenty more where that came from! I've never seen a kid love something so much. She ate this piece of watermelon all the way down to the rind & cried her little eyes out when I took it away. It was a hot ass mess & landed us both in the bath tub, but well worth it for these priceless pictures.

Headband

Seriously, look at the watermelon juice dripping down her juicy little arm rolls. I can't even.

And yes, she had to squat down every time she took a big bite.

 

 Aside from watermelon on a stick, here are a few things that are currently making me feel summery! We'll call it the Summery Seven! :)

1. Baseball Tees. I love wearing them with cutoffs or even over my swimsuit. Loving this VS lace one & these super comfy ones with lots of color options.

2. Fresh fruit. Our grocery stores have had the most delicious fresh fruit lately & we can't get enough! Each week after I grocery shop, I wash all of our fruit, cut what needs cut & mix some of it together in a big container. This makes for super easy snacks & sides for all of Harper's meals. I swear she loves colorful food too, so the more the merrier! Our favorites are strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, pineapple, peaches, raspberries, kiwi & mango.

3. Good summer music playlists. I love having music at my fingertips for every activity, including pool, working out & even cooking breakfast on Sunday mornings. Most of these contain lots of old & new country with a little bit of Bob Marley, all very summery! :)

4. Iced Passion Fruit Tea from Starbucks. I order half black tea, half passion tea, iced with no sweetener. It is so refreshing! I used to drink this when I was pregnant too because there is no caffeine in passion fruit tea! YUM.

5. Maxi Dresses. Currently loving this ombre maxi & these colorful pleated maxi skirts that can be worn dressed up with a tank & jewelry or dressed down with a white v-neck tee.

6. Having a tan! While I do love to get a little sun, I am definitely pro-sunscreen, so I sometimes have to improvise. I use L'Oreal Sublime Bronze for instant color & Jergens Natural Glow Firming Lotion as an everyday gradual lotion. Don't worry, they fixed the smell!! :)

7. Homemade popsicles. I really wanted to get a Zoku, but opted for Norpro Ice Pop Maker instead. So far, I LOVE IT. I made these popsicles using lemonade & strawberries, they were a big hit! I am excited make up some fun recipes with it!

Sorry about the chippy nailpolish. (My BFF Whitney is cringing at this right now, I just know it) However, this is one of my favorite nail polishes of all time, Rimmel Steel Gray. It's the perfect charcoal/taupe/purple color that feels Fall-ish, but is light enough to rock in the summer! :)

If you want even more summer inspiration, you can follow my Sweet Summertime board on Pinterest, which will surely make you want to escape to the beach & sip on something with an umbrella in it right away. 

 Hope you all are enjoying the first few weeks of summer as much as we are, before the heat starts ruining it for all of us!