Aurora Style: Cutest Jorts Ever

Hello! It's Amanda (and Aurora) reporting to you LIVE from North Carolina.  This little style post isn't live, however. It's a little number that Aurora wore this past weekend while visiting her grandparents and aunt/uncle/cousin in Pennsylvania!

This is a head-to-toe thrifted outfit, even though the pieces are like new! I had been looking for jean shorts (aka jorts) for Aurora every time I stopped at our thrift, but I could never find the right size.  I bought a pair of 2T's that were still too big on her and just fell down. So when I found these adorable Levi's, I was really excited! And I think every little girl needs a pair of jellies for summer...it's practically mandatory. ;)

Top-Carter's (thirfted), Jort-Levi's (thrifted), Jelly Sandals-Old Navy (thrifted)

It's also your lucky day, readers.  I have two Aurora style posts in one!  I couldn't resist sharing this cute little idea for growing toddler hair.  I tied a silk scarf around Aurora's head like a headband, and she loved it!  Maybe because she matched her mama or maybe just because she looked extra cute. This is a silk scarf from years ago (I think it may have even been Jaymes?!) the size of a handkerchief (the extra large square scarves might not work as well on toddler heads.)

As we do every Thursday, we're linking up with Mama Loves Papa for Thursday's Small Style post! Check out more stylish babes over on her blog.

Now, I'm off to get some more work done while my pretty little babe is napping.

xo,
Amanda (& Aurora)

Beach Bums: A Little Weekend Adventure

In the middle of central Pennsylvania, you'd be hardpressed to find the ocean (obviously!), but there are little lakes here and there. About 10-15 miles from State College is a place called Whipple Dam. My cousin's son was turning 3 while Q and I were in PA, and they were having a party out at the "beach."  It was a gorgeous day to put some babies in the water!

Warning:  Adorable Partial Nudity Ahead!


 Lyla didn't mind getting her teeny tiny toes wet, and Aurora LOVED the water! We had her at the beach last summer, but she was only 7 months old, so we spent most of the time holding her while she slept or ate.  needless to say, we're super excited to see how she enjoys the real beach this summer! (And in case you were wondering, Aurora's hat and bathing suit were both thrifted...and that Gymboree suit still had the tags on! It fits her perfectly!)

 We spent some time teaching Aurora how to make sand piles, which she also loved.  Q and I had fun making the babies' initials.

 Could they be the best looking family ever?!  Especially that Lyla, in thrifted red gingham Gymboree head to toe. 

 Lyla's bathing suit got a little saggy, and she was not happy about it.  So she went free and easy for a while! Until her momma got worried about sunburn (and modesty!) and made her a makeshift diaper sarong with her vintage scarf.  I made the (bad) joke that this was not a topless, but a bottomless beach.

 No bathing suits for us...but it was fun standing in the water, getting a little sun and cooling down. And yes, Q and I are wearing almost-matching fedoras. They're our beach hats!



I'm really anticipating next summer when our girls might get to be at a real beach together, running around and splashing. Aurora is a little water baby, and I have no doubt Lyla will be too. Both their mommies love the beach! (Though these days, they like laying out on the beach with drink and magazine in hand, a little more than swimming.)

Hope you all stayed cool this weekend! We'll have some more photos of our weekend to share later this week.

xo,
Amanda


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What Aurora Wore: The Vintage Romper

There are few things cuter than a vintage romper. I've been lucky to find some to put in the shop this summer (they sold quickly!), but of course, I had to keep some for Aurora!  I had to keep this stripey little number because of its fun details:  buttons down the front, eyelet trim, and a waist tie.

romper-vintage, clip-Carter's, shoes-The Children's Place (thrifted)

Aurora is our little monkey lately...once she figured out she could climb on a chair, it was all over. Now she climbs on every chair, sofa, and bed in sight!  She gets a very proud look on her face when she sits down in a chair next to one of us.  She knows it means she's a big girl.

True to her monkey form, less than an hour after taking these photos, Aurora was having a snack:  some goldfish crackers, her milk, and a banana.  She decided it would be fun to squish the banana in her hands and rub it into her hair (even though she just had a shower this morning!):

She's so funny that I couldn't even be mad at her.  But she definitely didn't like it when I took a vigorous wet washcloth to her whole head!  I hope she learned her lesson.

The sweet little romper was all covered in banana too and went straight in the wash.  I'm saving it because I think Lyla will look great in it next summer! :)

And it's Thursday, so that means that we're linking up with Small Style on the Mama Loves Papa blog! Yay!

xo,
Amanda




P.S.  Could you spare a vote for us on Top Baby Blogs today (or any time you think of it)?  We have been stuck between 53 and 55 for a while now and would love to make it into the top 50. We gain so many great readers from those pages, and it would mean so much to us--Lyla and Aurora too!) Thank you!

What Aurora Wore: Bare Midriff

Even though I love the look of a thin sliver of perfect tummy from this season's cropped shirt trend, I, myself, do not have the figure (or courage?) to pull it off.

But you know who has the best midriff? Babies!  For babies, the rounder the belly, the better.  Aurora dared to bare in a cute top I thrifted this week.  These pictures make her look so grown up.  And her whole outfit is thrifted/hand-me-down.  It's easy to be stylish on a budget...and we waste less too (more on that in a future post).

tie blouse-The Children's Place (thrifted), scooter skirt-hand me down, gold bow flats-Gymboree (thrifted), koi becklace (mama's!)

One day, Aurora came over to me while I was brushing my teeth...and she was wearing one of my necklaces that had been resting on my dresser!  She never seemed to notice to my jewelry, other than occasionally pulling on my earrings, but I guess she was paying attention!  Lately, I've been letting her wear this little fish necklace, since the chain is kind of short. She loves it!

You know what she also loves?  BUBBLES.  Like, with a passion.  If she sees the bubble container, there is no stopping here (there are a lot of bubbles blown inside the house here, and even, on one occasion, in the car!). She calls them Bub-bullsh. It's beyond cute.  She is still working on learning to blow them herself.  Unfortunately, she gets the bubble blower too close to her mouth and ends up with soapy lips!

We're linking up with Mama Loves Papa again this week for Small Style!  Click the link to check out other cuties in their best duds.

xo,
Amanda & Aurora

Hot Child in the {Suburbs}

Virginia experienced a HUGE heat wave this past week, with temperatures in the mid-90s. We learned that our A/C was dead just time.  I almost cried.  We hadn't planned on several thousand dollars invested in air conditioning this summer, so we bought a few window air conditioners and some fans, and spent a whole lot of time in our basement (fortunately, it's fully finished and contains our family room, bedroom, bathroom and Aurora's nursery). 

Aurora was about as cranky as her mama.  She gets so sticky when she is hot!  I decided, one one particularly hot evening after I had (foolishly) cooked dinner, to take her outside and hose her down before Q got home.  We had experimented with the hose mister after a long bike ride last weekend, so we knew she liked it.

I love watching her facial expressions, and her cute little belly in that bathing suit (Baby Gap, thrifted for $2!).  She had a blast and slept through the night too.

Does it get much cuter?  Answer: No.  I love this girl!

Thankfully, the temperatures have cooled down, and it looks like a beautiful weekend ahead!  Go out and enjoy it!

xo,
Amanda (& Aurora)