A SOFT AND SWEET 6TH BIRTHDAY PARTY!

6 year old girl birthday party table

I can't believe it...my twin babies Kaia & Noelle turned 6!!! The past six years have flown by, as any parents understand. The girls birthday each year is an annual reminder of how lucky I feel to be their Mama and how proud we are to be raising two gorgeous, creative, kind-hearted, clever and loving girls. Last year, we held their 5th birthday at Stanley Park and this year, they decided on a creative art studio, Luminous Elephant.

Kaia & Noelle
happy birthday cake
family photo 2017

They still love nature and decided on a fawn party with a few of their friends. I wasn't nearly as prepared as usual this year and for the first time we decided to have a sweets table instead of a lunch to keep things very simple! Although we didn't go all out with the food, the decor for this party, although simple, turned out to be one of my favourites!

blush carnations, baby's breath and eucalyptus
happy birthday naked cake

My husband made the cakes, we popped some blueberries into ice cream cones, and Noelle asked for deer cookies and Kaia wanted brownies. We made everything hand-sized so that it would be easy to taste each thing but not have leftovers. The deer cookies were a DIY and took a good part of a day and although are far from professional, they do resemble little fawns so the girls were thrilled!

6th birthday dessert table

The flowers were a lucky last minute find the day before and I just popped different arrangements into mason jars and vases. The lovely silver star banner is from Pearl & Jane and provides the perfect pairing with the gold circle one I picked up at Michael's. The Happy Birthday cake topper is beautifully made and I found this on Etsy. I can't wait to use it on birthdays each year!

DIY deer cookies
champagne glasses
happy birthday wooden letters on party table
blueberries in ice cream cones

As the kids were arriving, we had little necklace stations set up for them, with these sweet deer charms and initials for each child in their bead palette. This was a great starter activity and gave the kids something special to bring home and remember the party by.

kit to make necklaces

Once everyone arrived, the kids moved onto canvases and created a painting to bring home with them. Fresh plants had been picked to be used to make prints, which were a fun way to explore texture and printmaking. I look forward to trying this again with the kids at home.

kids party table
plants for paint printmaking
painting

After the painting and necklace making, it was time for the sweets. Everything was devoured and we were thrilled to have celebrated another year of these two. Another fun addition was taking photos on the Instax camera. It belonged to the art studio but I think I will have to get one for parties and gatherings from now on! The kids loved the instant photos and I love the sweet keepsake to pop into their memory books. 

girls on their 6th birthday
instax polaroids

We had a lovely morning surrounded by friends, celebrating two of the biggest loves of my life. Happy Birthday Kaia & Noelle!

HOLIDAY FUN WITH KIDS: A GINGERBREAD HOUSE PARTY!

Chocolate, fondue and gingerbread houses? Yes please! Kind of screams a childhood holiday tradition to remember, doesn't it? When Chocolats Favoris reached out and asked if I would be interested in working with them to create a special and memorable experience for our kids using their chocolate, I couldn't resist dreaming up this super sweet (literally!) gingerbread house decorating party.

gingerbread house party for kids
gingerbread house decorating with chocolate bars

We invited a little friend over to join in the fun and I told the kids we would be doing this the night before the party and they were so excited they could hardly sleep. Between the Maple White Chocolate hazelnuts (Kaia's favourite) and the Milk Chocolate fondue (Noelle's favourite), you can see that they not only enjoyed the process, but devoured all of the goodies too!

maple white chocolate hazelnuts from chocolats favoris
toddler smiles with gingerbread house
girls smiles with gingerbread houses
kids hands decorating gingerbread house

I used a little paint palette to separate the candy into separate colours and this gave the kids easy access to the goodies without sticky fingers going into bigger bowls. I also made a few mini gingerbread men and trees so that the kids could dip the cookie into the fondue and try it while saving the actual houses for eating later. It worked out really well to have separate gingerbread houses for each kid and also icing bags and candy. The fondue was perfect to use as glue for the decorations although not a lot of the fondue ended up on the houses as the kids kept using the wooden sticks as spoons and devoured it! 

Maple vanilla chocolate bar by Chocolats Favoris
icing the gingerbread house
dark fondue by chocolats favoris with kids decorating gingerbread houses
kids gingerbread house

We played Christmas music, the kids iced the houses, added candy, licked fondue, nibbled on chocolate and generally had the best time. They are already asking if we can do it all again next year. For a huge selection of holiday goodies, head to Chocolats Favoris' newest location in Victoria, BC or shop online. With a range of delicious chocolates from covered nuts and chocolate bars, to fondues and the cutest advent calendar, they have you covered for those chocolaty gifts. 

*This post was created with Chocolats Favoris. All words, photos and ideas are my own.

MAMA & ME OUTDOOR SUMMER PHOTOSHOOT

Melissa Barling and her three kids

After seven years abroad, my sister is home! This is cause for celebration on SOOO many levels (hello real life visits and wine chats on the couch!), and I am very very lucky to have her back here to beautifully photograph my growing family! She mainly photographs newborns over at Amanda Haddow Photography in Victoria but on this occasion she agreed that I needed some mama and babe shots, so we headed to the park with the kids, took a picnic and the kids ran around, picked flowers, made daisy chains and played. 

Melissa kissing Xavier's tummy
Melissa holding Noelle
Melissa with kids
Kaia holding flowers

It is unbelievable how few photos moms take WITH their children and our family is really just the same. I would love to change this but since I am typically the one behind the lens, it may take some time to get used to being in the frame with the kiddies. I had the cutest shirt picked out for Xavier but he absolutely refused to wear it (or any shirt for that matter!) so we just went with it and thankfully that bare belly turned out to be the most adorable thing. Capturing his personality at this stage is really so much more important anyway, right?! Although we rarely get a 'perfect' picture, I look back at all of our photos together with so much love. Seeing how little the kids look in past photos is the best incentive to get out there and take more!

Melissa and Xavier
Melissa kissing Noelle

Just look at my gorgeous little ones! Nothing makes me happier than seeing their beautiful faces and delicious giggles captured to keep for years to come. 

bouquet of small white flowers
Kaia picking flowers
Family photo outdoors

We haven't been particularly great at taking photos all together (even these ones are missing my number one sidekick, my husband) but I have taken lots and lots of the kids over the years and have learned a few tips along the way. Here are my top tips for getting the best success when shooting with kids.

top tips for taking photos with kids
hand on xavier's head
daisy chain headband
Melissa

At the end of the day, it's the unexpected moments of pure joy or love or surprise that shine. Or in this case, pure goofiness. The outtakes are always so funny. C'est la vie when you have a three year old along for the ride!

family photo out-take

All photos taken by my uber-talented sister Amanda (thank you! thank you! thank you!) from Amanda Haddow Photography. Visit her in Victoria for newborn photography or to book a mama and me session of your own!

Kaia's dress: Zara kids
Noelle's dress: vintage fabric, made by Nana
My dress: Lucky Brand
Blanket: Amazing find from Salvation Army
Basket: Majorel Design
Girls' shoes: Saltwater Sandals
Hat: Hat Attack, similar

KAIA & NOELLE'S 5TH BIRTHDAY PARTY!

birthday girls on 5th birthday

My twins turned five a few weeks ago. Five years old. For some reason, this hit me hard! My tiny preemie girls are ALREADY FIVE. Gasp. Deep breaths. How does the time go so fast?! 

Kaia and Noelle are two of the most social, crowd loving kids I know. They love people and being around them. They wanted a big party, with lots of their friends, music and lots of decorations. They also LOVE exploring, walking and playing in the forest (thanks to having this at our doorstep in Vancouver). We decided on a forest party, at Stanley Park’s Ecology Society, where a space with beautiful natural light and lots of room to run around was available. For an hour, they take the kids (and parents if they want) into Stanley Park for a forest discovery walk, where the kids were fully in awe and happiness discovering all the creatures the forest has to offer. If you are looking for an amazing party venue in Vancouver, this one is perfect for so many ages! 

balloon-birthday-party-tent
crown table

These simple DIY fairy and elf crowns added a little fun for the kids and got them into the mood for the outdoor part. 

kids party table with balloons
fairy crown
wooden butterfly
number 5
crown

After some simple instructions, our girls and thirteen of their friends headed into the forest for a little exploration and learning (did you know a woodpecker wraps its' tongue around its' brain to protect it when pecking?!...I had no idea!).

kids in forest
kaia forest
kaia-with-mama-forest
noelle-forest
forest-walk
looking at bugs in forest
k-n-forest
looking at trees in vancouver forest

The kids loved the forest; where they learned to identify a few birds by sound, use magnifying glasses to see what lives in trees, went on a bug hunt, explored different smells in logs and trees and played a couple of games. After lots of fresh air and outdoor exploration, they came back for lunch and the most beautiful and delicious cake (thanks Butter Bakery!) surrounded by these lovely Gypsy Petal flowers (so excited to be able to reuse these over and over again!).

cake table 5th birthday
cupcakes
place setting
cake-close-up
blowing out candles

After lunch, we kept it simple – music, lots of balloons and a balloon tent, which ended up being the least expensive and most fun thing ever for a party. The kids ran in and out, danced and threw balloons. Overall, I'd say it was a success.

kids playing with balloons
family at birthday party

Happy Birthday beautiful girls! You have added so much magic to our lives over the past five years. We love you!

Styling by WINTER DAISY
Photography by Jo + Bo Photography and Melissa Barling

If you were wondering how to achieve the same look, here are the sources!

twin girls birthday party

01.// Party tent; 02.// Fig leaf plant; 03.//Mylar number 5 balloon;  04.// Giant blush balloon; 05.// Fairy crowns DIY; 06.// Helium balloons; 07.// Hydrangeas; 08.// Paper straws; 09.// Kid size table and chairs; 10.// Dot napkins (similar); 11.// Paper plates (similar).

XAVIER'S 2ND BIRTHDAY PARTY

A couple of weeks ago, we celebrated Xavier's 2nd birthday at home with food, friends and fun decorations. Xavier is in LOVE with animals so we decided on a forest animal theme with the little Holztiger wooden animals from his room as well as felt animal masks for the kids.

xavier-turns-2
two-xavier-birthday

Xavier looking so sweet waiting for his friends...

forest-friends-sign
animal-masks
felt-fox
drinks
flower-wall

This flower wall was so simple…my amazing husband did a great job randomly putting the flowers up with washi tape.

party-table
cake
party table
cupcakes
getting-treats
playing

If you are in Vancouver, Butter Baked Goods makes the most delicious cake. It has become our go-to bakery for birthday cakes because the flavour never disappoints. If you aren't nearby, they share all of their amazing recipes in the cookbook, Butter.

cake

It was a such a fun morning of friends, play and yummy treats celebrating our favourite little guy, Xavier. Happy Birthday sweet boy!

Photos and Styling by WINTER DAISY
Location | Vancouver, Canada
Cake |  Butter Baked Goods - Coconut Cake
Macarons | Thomas Haas
Cupcakes | DIY
Cake Number Sparkler | Tops Malibu 
Felt Masks | DIY
Giant Balloons | Bargain Balloons