Photo Dump Wednesdays: The 4th

Writer's block! I have typed and re-typed this paragraph and changed this post several times so I have decided to post quick snippets of what we've been up to the last few days :-).

Hope you had a happy 4th. 

We took selfies...

  
We visited the zoo...

 

We saw a giant tortoise. When I was younger, I read that they were the wisest creatures in all the land. The stories I read as a child also included talking tortoise and I don't believe these ones talked. 
 

It was HOT HOT HOT! But my curls were poppin!!!
 

More mommy/daughter selfies...
 

JOE modeling one of AyoBE Boutique's summer sets. The Capella Summer Set. 

Church flow. Wearing another AyoBE Boutique creation. The Chase head tie. Perfect for your beautiful locks. Available in different prints and also in kids and adult sizes.
 

We took Mommy and me selfies. JAE loves her head tie. She walked around the house with her hands out!
 

We spent time with our extended family. The girls with their g-dad. 
 

We spent some time outdoors blowing bubbles when it wasn't raining. The girls with their grammy. 
 

We learnt to drive. Or rather, pretended to. JAE "driving" her grandparent's RV. 
 

We had fun going up and down next to the fireplace at the girls grandparents' house.
 

We made smores even after a failed attempt at "camping in".
 

 

We received great reviews! AyoBE boutique received pictures of these beautiful cuties wearing our Everest bow tie and matching hair bow. 

We went global! AyoBE Boutique had its first order from across the pond! This is part of the set ordered. #happy

 

We will be giving away this onesie (12-months) and diaper cover set (6-12M diaper cover). All you have to do is go "like" our Facebook page. A random follower will be picked in the next week. NOTE: Decal will be affixed to the onesie before it is shipped. This offer applies to current US residents only.  

Have a fabulously blessed week!

Photo Dump Wednesday: Sisters

A fellow blogger and real life friend once told me "the best gift you can give a child is the gift of a sibling." I couldn't agree with her more! I love the way both my girls interact with each other. They are definitely going to be the best of friends. They love to play together and JOE has been really good encouraging JAE to try things like potty training and talking. 

They often have lunch together now and sometimes, to encourage JOE to eat, I make it a competition. That often works because JOE doesn't like losing :-)

JAE on the other hand loves her meals! 

They love to read together with JOE often explaining to JAE what it is she is looking at. Surprisingly enough, JAE is starting to pick up on words. YAY!!!

I am so glad it is getting warmer out. Now the girls can enjoy the pool out back. 

JOE learning to swim and JAE gathering the toys. Team work! 

My lovely JOE.

And princess JAE. 

After pool activities. Building sand castles. A day at the "beach" for the girls!

And of course, they both enjoy going to the library together. The awesome thing is that JAE is picking up so much of what they do at the library so whenever a song comes up that they heard at the library, JAE often participates. 

Keeping up with her reading :-)

JOE making friends. 

And JAE doing some more reading. Look at that head of curls. LOVE every single one of those ringlets :-).

So there is a story behind that mark on my baby's face. But to avoid controversy since that's not what this blog is about, I won't be going into details about it. I will say though that if you have a child that needs extra attention, PLEASE keep an eye on them! Do not leave them unattended playing with other kids! I know as humans we all want to be selfish but please be considerate of other people's kids as well!!!
Thankfully, JOE is OK. Deeeeeeppppp breaths!!! I'm still trying to get over it.
 

Kids are often watching what we do! Check out JAE "working" on my sewing machine. I love this!

I recently introduced the jewelry line for AyoBE Boutique. They are really beautiful and both girls LOVE LOVE LOVE them. They are great for birthday celebration, attending church, baby's photo ops and a whole lot more. Go check out the options today and snag one for your little one. 

Last weekend, we did our annual yard sprucing. It took A WHILE to get it done in light of the fact that both girls were on hand to "help". JOE "helped" me plant something in our rose bed and she was excited to get a picture with it. My smiling baby who is growing up so fast!

We've had a busy week BUT are so excited for a fun upcoming weekend with family and also first visit to the zoo. YAY!!! 

What are your plans for the July 4th holiday weekend?

Photo Dump Wednesday: Father's day 2016

Last week, on their way back from MA, my brother and his family stopped by. JOE and my niece are a few months apart age-wise and they get along so well. They LOVE to play together as well as fight together. I mean, what fun is it if you don't have someone to argue with from time to time right?
Anyways, watching them play really is so nice. Before my brother and his family arrived, JOE must have asked a solid 50-times if they were here yet. And would run to the windows to check. They ended up arriving after JOE had gone to bed. But the next morning, JOE and her cousin C definitely made up for it.  

JAE on the other hand loves to play with their family dog Sparky. Sparky is a high energy dog BUT is always gentle with JAE. I think that's why she loves to be around him. Just too precious.

I had to leave for work early the next day so I didn't get to see them before they left. However, I was so happy to come home to this. YUM!!! J and I are saving the bottle for a special occasion :-D.

I mentioned JOE getting the Cat Boy costume a few weeks ago. Well, the following weekend, for doing her hair without crying, she got to pick out the Owelette costume from her "treasure chest". The heart warming thing is that she picked it out specifically for her sister. 

Check out JAE being Owelette!
 

Having a fun time being super heroes!
 

Okay. This picture right here! Look at JOE cheesing it up for the camera and check out the look on JAE's face. Priceless! The funny thing is that Cat boy is the leader of the pack and oftentimes, he isn't being a team player. Perhaps that's the reason behind the look? Eitherways, I am glad I captured this moment. Was too cute not to share.

Owelette saving the day!
 

I have been planning on working on my summer line for AyoBe Boutique for the last few weeks. I just haven't really gotten down to it. However, in the last few days, I have gotten a chance to sew one prototype for JAE. I was unsure of if I should sell it on my site but J and 2 of my sisters encouraged me to. I am glad I did because it is selling. WOOHOO!!!

If you are interested in getting the Everest Summer Set for the little girl in your life, go check out the site to get one. I don't have many left. 

Be sure to check out the rest of the site for some really cute items for your little one. I accept all major credit cards and PayPal! :-)

Check out JAE in her outfit. She is always willing to model my items for me and she loves to twirl!
 

On Sunday was Father's day. J definitely made out VERY well. The girls (with the help of their child care provider) did some handmade items for J. He was very happy to receive them.
 

Hand painted by JOE! I have a potential Picasso on my hands! OK...Exaggerating of course but still. My baby did a great job with the D! 

And then check out this trophy they made. J is one lucky guy and the girls are so lucky to have him as their dad!
 

On Sunday morning while everyone slept, JAE started to stir so I brought her into our bed. Well, she decided she wanted to take selfies. This girl LOVES the camera!

All ready for Church. Outfit was given to her by her grammy!
 

Since I always do something for J for Father's day from the girls, I thought this was absolutely THE CUTEST idea. Simple and fun. I found a picture somewhere in the last few weeks that gave me this idea. This one didn't come from Pinterest (it might be on there though) but rather was from somewhere on Facebook. 
Anyways, I got one of the unused jars I had leftover from JAE's birthday party pack and filled it up with mixed nuts and attached a Microsoft Word printed label on there. Total time, 10-minutes. SCORE!!!

In addition, J got a gift card from me that he'll be using towards his new PS 4 and then JOE helped me make breakfast for him. She did the toast and "buttered" it. Since most of the butter was making its way into her mouth, I had to finish the job. 
 

Overall, we had a great weekend. It has been a fun week so far! I started out the week feeling a little down about some recent events but my sweet J was able to talk some sense into me and help me see/count my many blessings. I love that he always has the right words to say to help me put things in perspective. 

Anyways, have a WONDERFULLY blessed week!