More NEW ITEMS in the shop!!

I feel like all I've been doing lately is working on new items for the shop. I am feeling such a surge of creativity and I'm so thankful for this gift that God has given me. Tonight I've been able to get two more outfits ready and listed and I'd like to share them with you tonight! 

We all know how precious little girls can be, but it is no JOKE that they are just as WILD as they are precious! Introducing the 'Wild One' first birthday tutu set. The tutu is the Aztec printed tutu that I posted earlier this week and I've combined it with a custom vinyl printed shirt.

I love everything about this set and I cannot wait to make more matching accessories and banners to go with it!!

The other set I added tonight is my new twirling skirt with a "One" birthday shirt. 

This set is so dainty and feminine, it's bound to be a birthday favorite! The skirt can fall right below the knee or right above it (on most girls). The vintage inspired print is one of a kind, but I'll also be adding a different option soon. 

I hope you've liked the two new options and I appreciate any and all shares of my blog and Etsy page!! 

Thank you so much for reading!

Xoxo

Leslie

Paisley Circle Ruffle Capris!

These ruffle bottom capris have been in the works for awhile and I was finally able to finish Madelynn's last night in time for church today. The girls both wore their pants to church and they were such a hit! For the photos, I paired them with one of the NEW flower crowns in my shop and I could not be happier with the result!! So feminine and just screaming SUMMER!! 

Here's a close up of just the pants, in case you were distracted by the beautiful girls ;) 

In case you missed the flower crown debut yesterday, here are some new photos of them wearing the white flower crown. GORGEOUS!! 

Thank you so much for reading and PLEASE visit, share, and buy something awesome and unique from MADSY BELLA BOUTIQUE!!

Xoxo

Leslie

*NEW TO THE SHOP* Flower Crowns

Spring is in the air! Or if you're in Georgia, it feels like the middle of summer already! We are in full-on summer mode here-playing in the water, summer dresses and sandals and FLOWER CROWNS! Madsy Bella Boutique has jumped on the bandwagon and we are now offering handmade flower crowns. They are too beautiful NOT to make! So far, we have two options listed in the shop, but I will definitely be adding more soon-especially PINK! 

Because they're so dreamy, I've also added a tutu and flower crown birthday set to the shop. Again, more will be coming, but for now this mint green one is GORGEOUS and sure to be a show stopper for your princess's first birthday!! The tutu is made from mint green tulle and ribbon with a gorgeous vintage inspired lace bow in the front and the flower crown has a matching lace touch in the back. We'll be more than happy to add a custom onesie-possibly white with gold lettering?

Speaking of princesses...

Here are a couple of shots of my youngest princess modeling my purple and white flower crown. My favorite part is the lace detail in the back-I think it's the perfect finishing touch for your flower child!

Visit my Etsy shop for prices and remember that I ALWAYS accept custom orders, so if you're looking for something special, please reach out to me via Etsy with your requests!! 

XOXO-

Leslie

July 4th in Jekyll Island

On Wednesday the 1st, Jonathan decided he wanted to sneak away to the beach for a long weekend. It's not unlike us to take last minute trips, but with three kids, it's definitely a bit more challenging than it used to be! Together, we pulled it off and at 7:30 Friday morning, we were on the road. I'm so grateful we got to sneak away and Jekyll Island was the perfect choice for our little ones. We ate lots of good food, played in the sand and the ocean, mini golfed, went bowling, found cool playgrounds, watched fireworks and just enjoyed being together. We were crammed into a hotel room with two double beds, a pack and play, and a chihuahua so we had no choice but to enjoy being together!

Waiting (not so patiently) on fireworks! They started 22 minutes late and the kids were exhausted. But once the fireworks started, everyone was so excited and mesmerized that the irritation from the hour before instantly dissipated. They were passed out before we got off the island. Or eye-yand as Annabella pronounced it. :) :) :) 

We were exploring St. Simons Island until this huge storm happened! We managed to explore the pier and a local farmers market and of course, we slipped in some super yummy icecream! Then we got the heck out of there and it rained the rest of the night. We ended up going bowling and playing at the arcade! 

All of the rest of the photos are from our last morning there. We grabbed breakfast at the hotel and brought it with us to eat on the beach. The kids ran around in the grass at the pavilion and then we all went down for a walk on the beach. It's always so hard walking away from the ocean for the last time. We miss it so much when we're gone. The kids LOVED it this year and (fingers crossed) we'll get to go back in September! 

A kindergartener, a preschooler and a toddler ride in a car...

...for over 5 hours tomorrow because we're going to the BEACH! We planned the trip last night and we're leaving in the morning, so we're super busy. But I wanted to stop in and let you know our plans for keeping the kiddos busy during the car ride. 

New toys or activities are always key in entertaining them for the long run. If you want instant entertainment for your kids, buying something new is usually key, but it doesn't have to be expensive! I took the kids to the Dollar Tree and we picked out some super cheap toys for the ride. 

I bought 3 cookie sheets, 3 packs of stickers, 2 coloring books, a pack of construction paper, a bag of lollypops and (not pictured) 2 zipper pencil pouches. Grand total: $12. My girls are 5 and 3 and are still in a high back booster and a carseat, so there's not a lot of room or mobility available. The pencil pouch was perfect for them to keep crayons in because they can shove it down next to them in their seats without worrying about it falling onto the floor. 

I did a quick Pinterest search for car activities and the only thing I found that was super quick was to use magnets and cookie sheets! I thought it was brilliant because all 3 of the kids love magnets, so Noah could have some new entertainment as well. These cookie sheets have high sides (are they still considered cookie sheets? I have no idea) so the girls can put papers, crayons and stickers inside of them when they're not using them for magnet play. We bought this magnet set from Amazon for Annabella's birthday this year, so I pulled magnets out of the set for them to use in the car tomorrow. I put letter magnets in Noah's cookie sheet because they were bigger and safer for his curiousity.

Here is a photo of my lovely assistant. :)

I put the stickers and crayons in the pencil pouch and I cut the pieces of construction paper in half and gave them both a big stack of that with a variety of colors. Between the stickers, crayons, construction paper and new coloring book, I think they'll be absorbed in art for quite a while. I put everything in little bags that they already have (we got them for $1 at Walmart last year) and I'll also let them choose a few small toys that they'd like to bring with them. We're leaving super early in the morning, so we're hoping they'll sleep the majority of the time anyway. They already have child sized neck pillows and blankets in the van. 

This is a really simple idea. I'm trying to simplify things lately, especially with the children. There were so many complicated, expensive and time consuming ideas on Pinterest and while they were great, I just wasn't going to go to that much trouble and I didn't have enough time anyway. When we were kids, we'd sit in the backseat and play with a stuffed animal and sleep, right? They'll live. We'll talk, sing, and plan our trip while they're not distracted. Plus, we have lollypops. And lots of other snacks. :) 

Wish us luck! Pray for our safe travels. And have a fantastic weekend! Happy Independence Day!!!  

Are you going anywhere this weekend? Tell me all about how you're planning to keep your little monsters entertained in the car in the comments below! 

Front Porch Playin'

When Jonathan and I were house hunting for our very first house, we each had one "must have". He wanted a basement and I wanted a front porch. When we walked into the house we ended up buying, we were blinded by the high ceilings, gigantic master, and incredibly low price so we bought it. I never regretted buying that house and it was the perfect house for our growing family, but it was always missing the two things that we wanted most. This time when we went house hunting, we knew we definitely wanted a basement and I thought I could live without a front porch. Boy would I have been wrong! Our home has the biggest front porch I've seen and we use it DAILY. Almost every night we take the kids out, listen to music, watch the birds, and wind down for the evening. It fulfills the kids craving to be outside, but it keeps them clean before going to bed. We had Madelynn's birthday party in the front yard just so we could decorate and use the front porch. I may sound crazy, but I LOVE the porch!! 

Today I took the kids out with me so we could take down M's party decorations. I put the baby gate up so the dog and baby can't escape and everyone runs around and has so much fun. I couldn't help but take some photos of my precious littles having a blast on the porch, listening to worship music and enjoying our new front yard. I'm still in disbelief that our yard and home are truly ours. It's such a blessing.

I have this blog so I can remember the kids just the way they are on a particular day. What I want to remember today is how the girls argued with each other the entire time they were sitting side by side at the end of the porch, but 5 minutes later when Annabella sat in the chair, Madelynn wanted to sit in the chair with her. I want to remember how obsessed with tiny things Annabella is-particularly the $1 store jungle animals that we bought her for her birthday. She never lets them out of her sight. Even though Noah had his tractors outside, he mostly played with a princess flashlight and a Frozen cell phone. He snatches up his sisters' princess toys in a second and plays with them as fast as he can before they find out and take them away. I want to remember how Madelynn wants so badly to be like mommy and how she helped me take down her birthday decorations without me asking. She pretended to talk on her phone and like daddy talks to Google, she said, "Ok phone. Call daddy. Do it, ok?" 

These kids are my world and these days are making memories faster than I can keep up with. This is our last summer with Madelynn before she goes to school. Annabella, Noah, and my days are going to be so very different without sweet Madsy at home with us. It's going to be a huge change for Annabella especially, since she's her best friend in the whole world. My hope is that it will bring her and Noah closer together. I'm about to cry just thinking about it.

Thank you God for sweet spring days, healthy children and my new front porch!

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Summer 2014

This was our first summer as a family of five. It was an amazing summer full of wonder, growth and love.  

We had new experiences

Learning to crawl

Eating solids for the first time

First time in ballet for Annabella-new ballet class for Madelynn

First day of preschool

Learning to stand

And there was that time that Noah learned to drive

Made more forts than we could count

Farmers Market Saturdays were the highlight of the weekend. Peddle corn!!

There were fights...

But we always made up

We conquered our fears and made mama proud

We went horseback riding

And to royal balls

We kissed boo-boos and dried tears

We went on adventures to foreign lands

There were so many smiles, so much love, and so many memories. We are so, very blessed.