We headed out to our community Harvest Festival for the first time ever. We typically go to another one that takes place during the day at a local college, but we thought it would be fun to try something new this year. We went with some friends and in the early evening, we all strolled over to the park together. We packed a picnic dinner, some picnic blankets and we had no idea what to expect at this community event.

Ben and I were pleasantly surprised at how great the whole thing was. There was a petting zoo, hay rides, a zebra (A ZEBRA!), this corn kennel play area, a maze, (unhealthy) festival food, and live music. Of course, there were inflatable jumpers too, but we skipped that because we were having too much fun with the free activities (and we didn’t want to pay 10 bucks a kid!).

We loved that corn kennel play area, but we all came out with a lot of corn inside our shoes. Glow was smitten by the zebra, and the bigger girls liked the petting zoo, though they were a bit afraid to touch the animals. We set up a blanket with all our friends and had dinner together. I even brought fancy sparkling water for the occasion! It was just such a great night of fun together as a family and with our friends, who are pretty much our family too.

It was a cooler California evening, or rather it was really windy, so we were excited to wear some sweaters out. Summers seem to last forever here, but the sweaters have been coming out more often lately, so that’s very good. At least, for this cooler weather loving mama it is. I love the patterned sweaters Old Navy has for kids and I love my simple sweatshirt (it’s only 8 bucks online!). I can dress it up with a pretty necklace or leave it plain (it’s been my go-to top these days with a skirt or jeans). All evening at the park, we were definitely warm and cozy. We stayed a little past the girls’ bedtime, but breaking the rules is okay once in awhile, especially when it’s for some nighttime pumpkin patching. Wouldn’t you agree?!

on me: crew neck sweatshirt and necklace c/o old navy. denim skirt, vintage. shoes, converse. glasses, rowley eyewear. on true: graphic sweater and dotted skirt, c/o old navy. on brave: animal graphic sweater and shoes, c/o old navy. pants, c/o panache box. on soul: striped terry dress, c/o old navy. shoes, superga. cardigan, c/o panache box. on glow: polka dot sweater, c/o old navy. shoes, freshly picked. crochet bauble, ava mae & ruby lu.
*This post was sponsored by Old Navy. Check out Old Navy’s latest fashion lineup in store or online at oldnavy.com. I love blogging and these opportunities really wouldn’t be possible without you, so I’m very thankful for the time you take to visit this space! xoxo

I didn’t mean to take a break from blogging this week, but it has just been super busy for us. This week was non-stop go, go, go! I can’t even think of anything that was particularly different from our normal weeks (what really is normal is beyond me), but I just felt constantly busy.

This week also marks the start of the Soul and Glow feuding because they discovered how to fight! Oh boy! That means the start of more refereeing for mommy. Oh and True’s second tooth fell out! So there you go I guess… we did have a few changes this week. These things are just coming back to me as I type!

I went over to my parents’ house to drop off the girls for piano lessons (my brother teaches them) and my sister looked at all our shoes and said, “Oh my gosh! They all describe your personalities perfectly!” I think her statement is very true. This particular day Glow had an obsession with that hat and insisted on wearing it everywhere (see here). My girls are such cuties and sweeties (when they’re listening to me).

Happy Friday friends! I’m hoping next week to get some fun Halloween stuff up in the space… so cross your fingers I find some time!

on me: tee, everlane. necklace, shop miguez. camo jacket, c/o old navy. short, thrifted (distressed here). on true: tee, aa. shorts, thrifted. boots, c/o old navy. on brave: tee, misha lulu. shorts, target. shoes, c/o old navy (those polka dots sneakers are adorable, also worn here). on soul: top, c/o old navy. leopard pants (oh she always wants to wear that!), gifted. shoes, c/o old navy. on glow: dress, handmade etsy. hat, dollar store. moccs, freshly picked.

Last week we were pretty swamped (in a good way), so we just needed an afternoon of fun and exploring together as a family. Therefore, Sunday afternoon, we headed out to the LACMA. Ben and I hadn’t been in several years and we wanted to check out some of the outdoor installations because we knew the girls would have a lot of fun with them.

There were two main ones we wanted to take the girls to see, which were Urban Lights and Penetrabile. They had so much fun running through all the lampposts and they especially loved the yellow plastic tubes! They kept walking and running through it, pulling it, hugging it, and even Glow tried licking it (oh boy!). Obviously, they really loved it. It’s such a simple piece, but so striking and so fun! I asked Ben if we could make our own version of it for our backyard because the girls would for sure love that!

We also checked out some of the Greek and Roman Art they because we studied that in our ancient times history lessons. We will definitely be back to explore because there is just so much to see; there was no way we were going to cover it all in one afternoon. Next on our list will for sure be the Levitated Mass!

My two big girls are looking “stylish” in their denim skinnies and boots. True’s been really cute of late when it comes to dressing. She’ll say, “Mom, I like fashion. Does this look stylish?” Also, I’m wearing the Old Navy Rockstar Skinnies in coated wash, which I wore here and here, but I liked the fit so much, I ended up getting it in the coated wash too (BTW- my printed denim skinnies and my coated wash never did that odd weird stretch out too much thing as the day wore on, but reviews say go up a size, and I say don’t, just get your normal size). I like that Old Navy carries petite sizes (I’m a shorty) and it saves me the trouble of having to hem my jeans. I actually got the coated wash, showed Ben, but wasn’t sure I could pull it off, so I returned it. That night Ben says, “I really liked those and I think you could totally do it!” So I went back to the store the next day to get them back (thankfully, they didn’t sell yet). Then, I tried on a pair of the mid-rise rockstar skinnies and fell in love with those too and got a pair. After having 4 kids, that mid-rise helps my soft tummy area stay inside where it’s supposed to be, if you know what I mean! Gosh, I’ve been consistently working out 4-5 days a week for almost 4 years now and that mom belly on me just never goes away. I guess it’s my souvenir from that journey. I’m thankful for mid-rise/high-waisted bottoms because it helps hide it, and I’m especially thankful for Spanx! Anyone else with me on that?!

on me: rockstar skinnies, c/o old navy. top, vintage. denim shirt, madewell. shoes, shoe mint. on true: top (it’s actually a dress and see it here on soul, all their clothes are shared!), little bean. leopard skinnies, c/o old navy. glitter boots, c/o old navy. on brave: top and tunic, vintage. denim skinnies, c/o old navy. polkadot hightops, c/o old navy. on soul: dress, misha lulu. ballet slippers, c/o old navy. on glow: dress, vintage. shoes, c/o freshly picked.

*This post was sponsored by Old Navy. Check out Old Navy’s latest fashion lineup in store or online at oldnavy.com.
Thank you for being so supportive of this space. I have so much fun doing this and opportunities like this are only possible because of all of you, so thank you!!! 

That first picture above demonstrates what goes between the sisters at home. Soul often says, “No!” to Brave and refuses to go with the flow of her older sisters. She’s the one that fights with them most, in fact, she bullies them! But when the two older girls are gone at school, Soul incessantly complains about them not being there and counts down until it’s time to pick them up. Oh that girl! Then once they get home, she starts fighting with them again. HA! It’s really funny and not so funny at the same time.

I was talking with someone over the weekend about what I think is the perfect age gap between kids. I think 4 kids pretty much back to back is insanely crazy, but I’m living proof it’s doable. If you want to maintain a little more sanity, two years seems like a nice little spacing between kids (in my opinion). Though when I look at True and Brave and their friendship, I’m very glad they are so close in age. They fight, but it doesn’t last long, and they love on each other so much. If you’re up for a challenge and would like an adventure, then getting pregnant when you have a 6 month old baby might be for you. Based on True and Brave, the outcome is pretty nice even if I have lost more hairs along the way. Then, just throw two more in there and there’s never a dull moment, but I wouldn’t change it for the world. Our house is full of chaos, but also a lot of love!

If you have kids, what are the age gaps of your children?

on me: top, kohls. vest-thing, anthro. jeans, c/o old navy (worn here). shoes, vintage. on true: dress, vintage. socks, target. shoes, vintage. on brave: shirt, thrifted. tie, ben’s. pants, c/o old navy. shoes, thrifted. on soul: dress, vintage. pants, can’t remember. shoes, salt-water sandals. on glow: dress, vintage. shoes, c/o freshly picked.

P.S. I have a friend in the Los Angeles area looking for a roommate and she lives in the echo park area. This is her cute little place (complete with rooftop deck and view of the lake) and if you’re interested, email her here hope.makes.music(at)gmail(dot)com.

You give them roots to grow in love,
You give them wings to reach for the stars,
You set me free to be who I am,
Just by being who you are.

These lyrics are from a song called “Roots and Wings” that my mom would play for us when we were younger. Sometimes who I am is crazy (and I remember my mom being a bit of the same, while lovely at the same time… hi mom!), but I’m praying that my every day spent molding my girls really lets them have fun with childhood and explore what it is they love. It’s an honor to be their mother and an honor to see them grow (even filled with the crazy parenting moments). Just like my mom helped mold my own roots and wings, I’m hoping I’m doing the same for my girls. I’m thankful that my parents gave me wonderful memories of childhood.

on me: dress, handmade by me (see here). shoes, anthropologie. necklace, shop miguez. on true: dress, misha lulu. shoes, thrifted. on brave: shirt, target. skirt, c/o old navy (see here). shoes, vintage. crochet hair baubles, c/o ava mae & ruby lu vintage on soul: dress, vintage. pants, c/o old navy. shoes, hand me downs. on glow: dress, vintage. shoes, c/o freshly picked.

p.s. if you love vintage children clothes (or vintage things!) like me, fuzzymama vintage has some good pieces right now. i’m loving this vintage jacket, this calico top, and this vintage bird hanging!

I’m thankful for our homeschool program that allows these two to go to school once a week. It’s a great way to give them social interaction as well as expose them to other types of classes and teachers. This year they are in Earth science, theatre, Spanish, and music class. My girls are super shy (mostly True), but I’m hoping this exposure allows them to figure things out a bit more socially. I think True would be shy even if she did attend traditional school, it’s just her personality and she’s an introvert. When they’re home though, or around people they’re comfortable with, these girls are a whole other story. They are little performers at home!

Brave wore another handmade dress to school this week (made for her on this birthday). She says handmade dresses are her favorite. This weekend, True learned how to braid, so she’s wearing her first yarn braided necklace. I love seeing these girls appreciate handmade things.

on brave: dress, handmade here. short, misha lulu. on true: top, target. shorts, misha lulu. drawings, made in photoshop using my tablet by me!