my similar top + jeans + cardigan + similar booties  ||  joe’s similar tee + shorts + shoes
hunter’s jacket + top + jeans  ||  hudson’s jacket + jeans + similar shoes
 hayden’s top + jeans + boots  ||  harper’s romper + boots  ||  houston’s jacket + jeans + shoes

Fall is in the air here in Utah!! The leaves on the mountains are changing and gorgeous, and the temperatures have definitely decided to drop this week! Let’s just hope the snow doesn’t make an appearance anytime soon. One of my favorite things about Fall is all the fun family traditions + events, so today I thought it would be fun to share our Fall Bucket List with some of our favorites from years past as well as some of your recommendations we are excited to try!

. . . OUR FALL FAMILY BUCKET LIST . . .

:: PICKING OUT PUMPKINS AT OUR LOCAL PUMPKIN PATCH

This is by far one of our fall favorites. We usually end up going to the pumpkin patch 2-3 times before the season is over because it is so fun for the kids. If you remember last year, Harper was terrified of pumpkins (so funny + sad), so hopefully she has warmed up to them this year! I love that it is a great way to support your local community + neighbors too.

:: “BOO-ING” OUR FRIENDS + NEIGHBORS

I shared about this last year and it is SO SO fun! You can make cookies or just put together a bag of treats from the store. Once you get your treat together, you doorbell ditch them leaving the treat behind with a little note that says “You’ve been boo’d”! My kids absolutely love doing it and it is a great little “secret service”.

:: CARVING OR PAINTING PUMPKINS

This is another one that is always at the top of the family list. We usually invite my sisters and their little families over and make a night out of it. With all the babies, we usually opt for painting pumpkins over carving, but either way is such a fun way to get creative or competitive with your family.

:: TAKING A DRIVE TO SEE THE FALL LEAVES

The mountains here in Northern Utah in the Fall are my absolute favorite. With all the leaves changing they are gorgeous! I love bundling up in the van and taking a drive through the canyon to see them.

:: DECORATE HALLOWEEN SUGAR COOKIES

It isn’t a holiday without sugar cookie decorating, am I right?! My little people love decorating (and eating) sugar cookies, and it is an easy delicious way to make things fun for any holiday.

. . . MY FALL BUCKET LIST . . .

Right along with our family bucket list, I decided to make a personal bucket list (that kind of turns into a little bit of a to-do list). Things I want to get done around the house, accomplish here on the blog, and of course a few fun ones!

:: DECORATE OUR PORCH FOR FALL

I LOVE decorating our front porch for the different seasons, especially fall! Fun corn stalks, pumpkins, hay, I love it!! Stick around because I’ll be sharing some of my favorite fall decor next week!

:: TAKE A GIRLS TRIP

I love a good girls trip!! This coming weekend my sisters and I are headed down to St. George for a girls trip and I cannot wait!! Love catching up with them, relaxing, and doing our favorite things together!

:: CLEAN OUT + UPDATE KIDS CLOSETS

This one falls a little more in the “to-do” category, but it is something I love getting done. With the new season and growing kids, I like to try to clean out their closets every season. But the fun part about cleaning them out is getting to pull out + stock up on our fall favorites. I usually try to stock up on all our fall needs at the Nordstrom Anniversary Sale. Over the years I have learned that Nordstrom has the best fall basics for kids, from great cardigans for layering to some of the cutest boots and booties! You’ll see in todays pictures they have something for everyone! I love that I can just order online and do free shipping or curbside pickup while I’m running errands so it is quick and easy to update closets!

 . . . SHOP FALL FAVORITES FOR GIRLS . . .

. . . SHOP FALL FAVORITES FOR BOYS . . .

. . .

. . . MORE FUN FALL SUGGESTIONS FROM YOU . . .

:: Make Homemade Caramel Apples

:: Go Apple Picking

:: Make Tinfoil Dinners + Have a Campfire

:: Have  a Scary Movie Marathon

:: Have a Halloween Costume Fashion Show

:: Go to a Haunted House or Corn Maze

:: Make your own scarecrow

:: Go on a Hayride

Whatever it is, big or small, above all I hope you have such a fun Fall season with your people! And don’t forget to share your favorite fall activities so I can add them to my list!

in partnership with Nordstrom

hunter’s top + skirt + similar shoes  |  hudson’s similar top + pants  |  houston’s top + similar jacket + pants  |  joe’s top + tie + pants + shoes  |  harpers romper + shoes  |  my dress  |  hayden’s romper + shoes

Fall is making its way into the air here in Northern Utah. Fall screams cozy sweaters, halloween, and for a lot of us, the dreaded Family Pictures!!! Haha! I think just about everyone can agree that family pictures bring out allll the emotions. Whether it is the stress of outfit planning, the toddler (or husband) tantrum, or even feeling a little sentimental, they are full of emotions and can be a challenge, especially with a lot of people to coordinate. You typically just see our final “perfect” product at the end here, so today I wanted to do something a little different and show you the real life behind the scenes of getting family pics with us + I’m sharing a few tips and tricks from lots of years of practice to help your family pictures go a little smoother!

CAN YOU HEAR . . .

“PLEASE don’t spit.”  ||   Joe, “I am smiling, it’s FAKE but it’s a smile.”   ||   “Don’t pick your nose.”

Now that you’ve seen how family pictures really go for us, let’s talk tips!! While I’m not claiming these will make you love family pictures, they are a few tried and true things I do every time that have really helped to save our sanity!

(candids are some of my absolute favorite images…so don’t stress if everyone is not looking)

hunter’s top + skirt + shoes  |  harpers romper + shoes  |  my dress  |  hayden’s romper + shoes

:: PICK YOUR OUTFIT FIRST 

If I could shout this one from the rooftops I would! It is so so important. Mom’s aren’t really known for dying to be in the picture with our little people. But you guys, we need to be part of the memories too! By picking your outfit first, you will guarantee that you feel confident + comfortable. When you feel good about yourself you’ll love your pictures more!! Trust me on this one.

:: THE LESS MATCHY MATCHY YOU ARE, THE BETTER

If I’m being honest, all of our last-minute pictures where I’ve had to throw random outfits together that necessarily don’t match perfectly always end up the best. Figure out a main color palette, and then focus more on everyone being comfortable instead!

hudson’s top + pants  |  houston’s top + similar jacket + pants  |  joe’s top + tie + pants + shoes

:: TIMING IS KEY 

Timing can be the difference between smooth sailing and a total melt down! Try to do a time when you know your baby or toddler will be happy. Like right after nap time, or dinner. I think this helps the mom’s stress level a million times. Also, make sure your people are all fed and not hungry because that makes a huge difference with their moods. Gosh, I even get hangry sometimes!

*TIP: give them time…and take their mind off of the actual pictures. Like ask them to pick their nose and trust me you’ll get a smile!

:: GET THE MONEY SHOT FIRST

If there is a shot you have in mind that you have to have, do it very first. Usually for us, it is the full family shot. Get the must haves out of the way in the first 5 minutes. You never know when someone is going to lose it so get what you want most first!!

:: BRIBERY WORKS

I see absolutely nothing wrong with bribes for family pictures!! I usually have skittles or gold fish for the kids in Joe’s pocket and will pop one in the kids mouth here and there when they are listening. AND, tell your kids they can get a reward like ice cream or a night at the park if  they will listen to the photographer without a fuss. It always helps and we really go and do it afterwards, because who doesn’t need ice-cream after all of this craziness!

 joe’s top + tie + pants + shoes  |  my dress

Hopefully these tips and tricks are helpful when your family pictures roll around! Remember, like the video shows, it is never perfect smooth sailing for everyone. Just be your natural self, try to roll with the punches, and I promise the moments you want to pull your hair out will probably turn into your favorite raw real pictures!!

(also let their personality come through…it’s those little quirks you want to remember)

photos : aubrey taiese 

baptism dress  |  similar hair clip  |  necklace (awesome discount for you coming on the 27th!)

You guys! Somehow I blinked and this sweet girl is EIGHT years old! I cannot believe it. It feels like time has flown by, but at the same time it is hard to remember things before our little firecracker joined our crew. She has always had the most hilariously fun personality, with a little dash of spicy in there to keep us on our toes, and we couldn’t love her more! To celebrate her big day, today I wanted to share 8 things I love about my Hayden girl.

::SHE IS HILARIOUS

If you’ve been around Hayden for even 10 minutes, you’ve probably heard something hilarious come out of her mouth. She always has us cracking up and is definitely the funny one in the family. Some of our very favorite videos to watch are from when she was little because she has always been all attitude and such a crack up.

::  SHE IS STRONG WILLED

As much as this characteristic can be a struggle as a mom, I love it so much about Hayden. She knows what she wants and does not settle until she gets it. I can already see her determination and strong will is going to do big things for her in the future and I can’t wait to cheer her on.

:: SHE IS SO TALENTED + BELIEVES IN HERSELF

This girl. The talent that comes out of her little body is mind blowing at times. She is kind of a natural at just about everything she has tried, we just need to get her to focus on what she loves the most so that talent can grow. I think a lot of it has to do with her confidence. She is never too scared to try something and has so much faith in her abilities. It never comes off in a cocky way, she just truly believes in herself and pushes herself to be her best.

:: SHE IS SUCH A GOOD FRIEND

Hayden has always been such a good friend. She loves being around other people so being social has always been her thing. That being said, she does not put up with crap from anyone, and will walk away from a friendship if it isn’t worth the drama to her. To have that figured out at such a young age is amazing to me, because I think that is something we as grown women struggle with!

:: SHE IS SUCH A BIG HELPER

Hayden is totally in the big helper stage and I LOVE it! She loves to take the babies and play with them for hours. I know I can trust her to help me out with chores around the house and she is always willing to just be there and help me out!

:: SHE THRIVES ON ONE ON ONE TIME

As much as Hayden is growing up so fast, I love that she still lives for one on one time. She loves to hold my hand and go out just the two of us. Even if it is just a Target run or just the two of us playing a game, it is her favorite thing. It can be hard at times because she craves that attention so much and I have to split myself between everyone, but that one on one time is so special with her.

:: SHE IS ALWAYS DOING SOMETHING

Hayden is never one to sit around doing nothing or complaining she is bored. She is always going from crafting to playing soccer to coloring and she never stops. I love that she finds joy in so many different things in life and never limits herself to what she can do. It really makes her so fun to be around.

:: SHE IS A TOM BOY + GIRLY GIRL ALL IN ONE

As I mentioned before, Hayden doesn’t let anything stop her from doing what she wants. That includes things that are typically more gender specific. She loves fresh nails and lip gloss as much as the next little girl, but a skinned knee and dirty face from playing outside is usually just as common. I love that she is such a fun mix of tough and girly girl.

Now that I’ve shared a little more about our sweet + sassy Hayden, I wanted to talk gifts. Since I’ve mentioned her birthday, I’ve had a lot of requests for gift ideas for 8 year old girls! And since Hayden likes doing just about everything, I thought a roundup would be perfect!

. . . SHOP HAYDEN’S FAVORITE THINGS . . .

photos : aubrey taiese