Hooray for the First Day of Pre-K!!

Technically I'm not supposed to be blogging today because it's "No Tech Tuesday" in our household but Finnley is napping and Ellie is enjoying her first day of Pre-K, so I'm making and exception.

Girlfriend was seriously so excited to get to school this morning.  We've been talking about it since last week (when she went in for her assessment and didn't want to leave) and today she finally gets to go.  Usually Ellie's school is a drop off school but on the first day the teacher lets the parent's walk the kids in...Ellie really wanted nothing to do with me getting out of the car.  I told her that I wanted to take pictures of her and she said "No, just drop me off Mama and leave to go home!!!"  Good thing I'm the Mama and get to make the rules ;)

Ellie really is a ray of sunshine and I was lucky to get a hug, kiss, and a wave goodbye as she ran off to start Pre-K!  I'm not emotional at all, I love Ellie's zest for life, love for playing with friends and lukewarm feeling to learning! Here's to lots of growing, independence, and learning to write her name!

♥ Ashley

Ellie's First Day of Preschool

Fall Fashion Love

I didn't really mention it here on the blog but we just recently got home from a 14 day trip through Europe!! We went on a Baltic Sea Cruise with my dad (and the girls) and had the chance to visit 6 different countries!  It was a fabulous trip and I can't wait to share details about it in the coming weeks.

I wanted to officially kick off September with some fashion finds I purchased before we left on our trip and arrived while we were sailing on the high seas.  And if you know me then you know my eye always gravitates to green - give me all the green I say!!  While a true bright jewel tone kelly green is my favorite I can't help but love all the Olive's and Avocado's that are making an appearance this fall.  I curated my very own "Stitch Fix" of sorts, I am only sending 1 item back and the pieces I got are all from JCP and much more affordable (plus I got some major cash back via ebates!!  I kind of need to start a wardrobe overhaul because not all of my clothes are fitting me anymore since I lost nearly 15 pounds (read about it here). 

Here are my Green Fall Finds:

First Item:

a.n.a Relaxed Fit V-Neck T-Shirt

I've been in serious need of a new plain white t-shirt that doesn't break the bank because white + kids = disaster waiting to happen.  So when I scored this A.N.A. top for just under $4 how could I not?? I love the relaxed fit, the lightweight of the fabric and the v neck is just high enough I don't have to worry when I bend down to pick up my babes.  Not to mention its also longer in the back so I'm not self conscious for when I sit down with the girls on the floor.

Second Item:

A.N.A. Roll Tab Button Front Shirt

I actually spotted this top in store as I was walking through to use the bathroom with my girls (yes I'm that kind of mom) and just knew that I was going to have to order it to try on when I got home.  As I was searching I found a second one, that you'll see later on in this post, and the color is spot on!  I have an affinity for button downs with roll tab sleeves and the fact that this one has a traditional collar was just calling to me. I knew it was a winner the minute I put it on.  The fabric is a little heavier which I think helps it to fall more nicely as well as gives the top more structure.  The color is called Rich Avocado and its the perfect neutral.

Third Item:

Alyx Long Sleeve Crew Neck Pullover Sweater - Petites

When it comes to fall I am all about the sweaters but I don't like to get overheated.  When I saw how lightweight this one was and it came with a patterned under-layer attached I just had to give it a try.  I'm a shortie and I was so happy that they offered this sweater in a Petite size so I knew it would be a better fit on me.  The sleeves are teeny bit tight at the wrist...but that's because I like my sleeves pushed up and overall I'd say this one fits pretty well.  It still looks to be fairly slimming despite the loose under-layer and the detailing on the sweater itself really adds to the whole overall look.  Honestly I can't wait for the weather to cool down here a little bit in the PNW (and all the smoke to go away) so that I can start wearing this beauty one the weekly ;)

Fourth Item:

a.n.a. Button Front Flap Pocket Shirt

I wavered with this shirt but ultimately decided that I liked the one above better.  This shirt has more of a "silk" type of fabric which wrinkles easily (obvi) and it just didn't lay right on my body.  The color Rich Avocado was the right shade and it was a super comfortable top to wear.  But I had both sent to me so I could decide in person which one I wanted to keep.  Aside from the wrinkling the fit on this one was just a bit off, it was a bit wider in the body so when I raised my hands or moved my arms around it just wasn't very flattering and I looked like I was wearing a tent.  So back this one goes to the store.

Fifth Item:

Liz Claiborne Short Sleeve Crew Neck Stripe T-Shirt - Womens

When I saw this online I couldn't get it into my shopping cart fast enough!!  I mean it has just about everything a girl wants: flutter sleeves, stripes, floral/lace, and it's green!! I mean really what more could I ask for?  I am so happy that it actually fit well and I've already worn it on repeat since arriving back home from our vacay.  Also I get comments on it each time - that's when you know you have yourself a winner!!!  The fit is great, the stripes are super subtle, the lace detailing on the yoke is to die for adorable (and its all stitched on so you don't have to worry about it flapping) and the flutter sleeves are delicate and flattering.  They actually have it in another color and I'm pretty close to grabbing it as well....I mean when you find a good thing you buy it in every color amiright??

So these are some items that I've recently added to my closet and I'm so excited to start wearing them!  Have you made any good purchases lately that I need to get in on?

♥ Ashley 

Ellie of Motunui - Ellie's 4th Birthday Party

Somehow it's already September and I just realized that I never shared Ellie's Moana Birthday party on here.  Better late than never I always say.

I had so much fun gathering inspiration and decor for this party.  It totally helped that Moana was a big deal this year so that I was able to get a lot of supplies that fit the theme.  I started my search out on Etsy for the invites and I love what I was able to find!  I was able to print them out at home which was the way to go!

Then I took my creative side to my chalkboards and went to town getting them in the theme for my big girls party.

I have a peony that has been dubbed "Ellie's Peony" because it bloomed for the very first time the year she was born, and now it blooms every year around her birthday...thankfully it finally decided to bloom the day of her party!

As for the food I kept things fairly simple and tried to serve some of Ellie's favorites.  We had rice crispy treats, sugar cookies, potato chips, fruit salad, sandwiches from Jimmy Johns, a cheese and cracker plate and my favorite: donut holes that we picked up at our local donut shop that morning. I got the napkins, plates and silverware from Amazon and then the table decor mostly came from Target and Party City.  I loved using Ellie's Moana toys for the decor...it made things so simple and then Thomas printed out signs with some key phrases from the movie.

The guest bathroom even got into the party spirit and boasted a peony bud from Ellie's Peony.

Party favors were lei's and flower tattoos.

One of the highlighted pieces of decor was the poster of Ellie with Moana at Disneyland.  She was so excited to meet Moana (somehow we managed to be first in line) and talked her up about Heihei, Pua, and was very concerned about Maui's whereabouts.  I got the poster printed at my local Walgreens and learned that they print posters on a different printer that doesn't have as vibrant of colors...now I know.

Posing with our girl before the party started!

We managed to have a beautiful day for Ellie's party complete with over 85* weather.  So we had our doors open and our guests moved around from inside to outside.  We had Moana playing on the TV to act as some sort of entertainment and then we also had a Pinata set up for all the kids to take a whack at.  I have to say that this party was the most fun so far because Ellie invited her ballet friends to attend and getting to see her partying with her friends was priceless.

Girlfriend received a ton of gifts and she loved every single one of them but the best present came from Nanny and Papa: a play cleaning set - once the presents were done she got that thing opened and cleaned up our entire deck!! (it's still a popular present)  She also got an Elena of Avalor dress that she insists on wearing at least once a week.

All of the boy cousins were able to make it out so we made sure to get a picture of us all (great Father's Day present for my dad too).

We didn't get a picture of Ellie's cake, which is so sad because it was the best.  She picked out an Ice Cream Cake that we had decorated with a beach theme and then plopped on some of her Moana figures and then she got to have a sparkler candle that everyone was so impressed with!

Overall we had a total blast celebrating our 4 year old...despite the heat and I'm looking forward to what 4 brings with this sweet girl.

♥ Ashley