A Day In The Life (Video) – Our Twins’ Second Birthday

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On this very special edition of “A Day In In The Life” with our family it is our twins, Mia and Everly’s second birthday. We opted to have a special day at the zoo instead of going all out with a huge birthday party, and although we had a bit of a diaper mishap, we had a great day.

After nap time the day continued with presents, visitors and cake. Although we had lots of fun, Mike and I were exhausted. Follow along the entire day on A Day In The Life 5.

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Lots Of Celebrations, Plus A Tour Of Our Messy House (Vlog 9)

Holden's BirthdayWow! What a busy day! June 19 was not only Father’s Day around here but also Holden’s seventh birthday. To say we had a busy day would be an understatement. I decided to just go with the flow, leave the mess behind and survive.

The next day I looked around and realized that just getting out the door on time a couple times the day before trashed our house. So, just in case you feel like you are the only one that can’t keep up with the mess when you have small kids, I give a home tour of our mess… enjoy!

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Beau’s 5th Birthday, Managing Expectations And Our Kids’ Craft Studio Surprise

Beau's birthdayYesterday, my spunky, vibrant, nurturing, loud, and beautiful little girl turned 5-years-old. This past year has been a challenging one for Beau. I have watched her bright light, dim, while she wrestled with anxiety, and lost herself for a little while. With a lot of love, support and encouragement, her spark has been relit, and a confident little lady is re-emerging.

We have always given Beau’s older brother, Holden, fairly big gifts for his birthdays. He thinks big, and knows exactly what he wants. But when we asked Beau what she wanted for her birthday, it was simple: bubbles, craft supplies and anything green, (her favourite colour).

During the last year, our active Beau has found a new passion, creating. She has the most incredible imagination, and her teachers were raving to me recently during my in-class visit, that she is so talented. She will build and craft the most imaginative things.

I must admit, I hadn’t really noticed. I am so busy with all of our kids, that sometimes, I can miss these budding interests. Holden has always been into drawing (like I was as a kid), but I don’t think I really realized, not just how much Beau loves doing crafts, but how much it feeds her soul.

So, after a lot of thought, Mike and I used part of our date night last Thursday to shop for Beau. But our biggest surprise up our sleeves was to create a craft studio for her. We have an unfinished basement where Beau had a craft table. But it was always a mess and there was zero organization. I wanted to create a space that was hers and where she could let her imagination fly.

So we used an old Ikea bookshelf and desk that we had, and went to our local dollar store and bought tons of green bins, and went nuts with the craft supplies.

Kids' craft studio

basement

The morning of Beau’s birthday though, was a bit of a gong show. Beau woke up bossing everyone around, melting down constantly and being downright mean. We hadn’t even given her her big surprise yet, and she still had her birthday party in the afternoon.

I gave Beau a talk, letting her know that when she woke up that morning, no one put a crown on her head and said she could treat everyone around her like garbage. This wake-up call seemed to work. After adjusting Beau’s mood and expectations, as well as opening a few presents, we finally revealed her craft studio to her.

Beau in her craft studio

It was a massive hit! We have not seen Beau or Holden since the reveal.

Holden and beau

That afternoon, and after Beau spent a lot of therapeutic time crafting, we were ready to head out to Beau’s party. I had hired a babysitter to stay with our twins, (who were too young to take and keep track of all of the other kids).

Although I occasionally go all-out with our kids’ birthday parties, I decided to book Beau’s party at an indoor trampoline park. We had gone there for Holden’s birthday in June and it was great. The pizza, cupcakes and even loot bags were all provided, which saved me a lot of time and stress.

I was a little worried that Beau would start melting down, shy away from her guests, and cling to me like she did at her cousins birthday party the week before.

Beau shy at birthday party

But I was relived when I saw Beau’s cousins and friends take initiative, holding her hand and wanting to play with Beau.

Beau's birthday party

In the end she had a blast, and I am pretty sure she wasn’t the only one…

dodgeball

It is so wonderful seeing Beau enjoy life and develop new interests after the year we had with her. Watching your once vibrant child loose their way can be heartbreaking as a parent to watch.

Beau blowing out candles

Although I am beyond exhausted today, I am thrilled that Beau was able to enjoy a really special day with the focus completely on her. Happy Birthday Beau!

To read more about Beau’s struggles and triumphs this past year, read: I regret having our daughter visit me in the hospital after giving birth.

Mia and Everly’s First Birthday Party

It’s official, Mia and Everly are one-years-old. Our family marked this occasion by throwing Mia and Everly a sweet bunny-themed first birthday party. It ended up being a very special day!Bunny Birthday Party DecorA special thanks to Alicia’s Infinity for creating beautiful bunny art for our twins’ birthday party. Shop the decor on her Etsy shop here.

BBC-Twins-Party-15Thank you to my sister-in-law, Meghan Fowler, for photographing the party for us! Photo by Blue Bird Creative.
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Photo by Blue Bird Creative.BBC-Twins-Party-14
Photo by Blue Bird Creative.BBC-Twins-Party-07
Photo by Blue Bird Creative. Twins Bunny Birthday DecorBBC-Twins-Party-19
Photo by Blue Bird Creative.Birthday Party Art DecorBirthday Party Decor FlowersBBC-Twins-Party-03
Photo by Blue Bird Creative.BBC-Twins-Party-01Photo by Blue Bird Creative.BBC-Twins-Party-25
Photo by Blue Bird Creative.BBC-Twins-Party-26Photo by Blue Bird Creative.BBC-Twins-Party-28_1Photo by Blue Bird Creative.BBC-Twins-Party-31Photo by Blue Bird Creative.BBC-Twins-Party-32Photo by Blue Bird Creative.BBC-Twins-Party-34Photo by Blue Bird Creative.BBC-Twins-Party-33Photo by Blue Bird Creative.Everly's First Steps

At the end of the party, Everly decided to take her first steps. It truly was a special day!

 Alicia’s Infinity carries a line of  stationery and decor themes. Custom pieces can be created upon request. Alicia is always adding new items to her Etsy shop, so be sure to stop by often! Click here to view the whole birthday set and here to view the banner only. 

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Reflecting On My First Year After Having Twins

Happy Birthday Mia and Everly Collage 1If you had asked me three years ago where I thought I’d be right now, I’d probably say I would be happily running my mural painting and interior design business, getting ready to have my two oldest kids in school in September while my toddler was in daycare. Never, in my wildest dreams could I have guessed that I would be celebrating my twin’s first birthday while writing a parenting blog. It is incredible that life can suddenly send you into a drastically different direction.Mia and Everly Newborn By Sarah Martin Photography

Photo by Sarah Martin Photography

I never would have guessed that Holden and Beau, (although they asked for a baby for Christmas), Would love Mia and Everly so much. That they would fight over who gets to sit beside the babies (thank goodness there are two), at the dinner table.Happy Birthday Mia and Everly Collage 2 I never thought that Holden would choose playing with, or reading to our twins over video games.

A photo posted by Joanna (@nestingstory) on


Whoever told me while I was pregnant, “oh, you are having twins? They are so fun!” was the most accurate description of what was ahead. I can (and do) just sit and watch my girls interact. Although Mia and Everly couldn’t look and act more different, there is an incredible bond there.Twin bondThere are days that I feel spread thin, and I am constantly doing a balancing act to make sure everyone’s “emotional tank” is full. But I will look around our home and realize that despite having many other rooms full of toys, all four kids love to play within a ten foot radius of each other.Kids playing togetherMike and I have very full hearts. Knowing our family of six is complete, we cannot wait to embark on new adventures and reach new milestones.Four Kids

Happy Birthday Mia and Everly!