Happy Halloween!

With Christians, Halloween is quite the controversial holiday. To celebrate or not? I definitely think it's important to follow your convictions, but for us, it's ok. We've been on both sides of the fence, but we've decided (in most areas of our life) to just chill out. If you want to get really technical, Christmas and Easter have pagan roots, too. We all love dressing up and the boys love candy and I don't want them to miss out on that. (Although, I do plan to buy all of their candy with a Playmobil or lego set.) So, there you go.

Over the weekend we went to a Fall Festival at the gym and this morning we participated in the school's "parade." (We walked around the building, then went home. Not exactly what the kids or I was expecting.) Tonight we're going to have a little pre-Trick or Treating pizza party at our friends' house, then head out with all of our kids. They have four, we have four, and one other family is going to be there, too, so we'll have quite the group.

What are you plans for the night? Do you dress up or just the kids? I have always wanted to have family themed costumes, but I'm too cheap and too much of a procrastinator to pull it off. Next year...

Small Style #35

Welcome to Small Style!










On Finley: Bow- Adornme Girl, Dress- Thrifted, originally from Gap, Shoes- Saltwaters
Two weeks ago we joined one of our homeschool groups for a trip to the farm and pumpkin patch. We went to the same farm that we visit each week to get our milk, The Book Family Farm- our favorite, but it was fun to get to walk around and check everything out. This farm used to be a full-on pumpkin patch and Judah even celebrated his first birthday there. When we showed up for his birthday party that year they had a huge sign saying, "Happy Birthday, Judith!"

The day of the trip it was bright and hot and 90 degrees (which is why they weren't very enthusiastic about taking pictures), but we still had a lot of fun. The kids each got to collect an egg (with our 13 chickens they're old pros), shake a jar of cream and make butter, visit all of the animals, and, of course, pick a pumpkin!

Have you visited the pumpkin patch yet? We might have to squeeze in another trip to another of the small, local patches if we can find some time.

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Pretty Bracelets

Have you seen these new bracelets from Moore Seal? I LOVE them! They're even named after other bloggers. How cute is that? My birthday is next month and I'm already making a mental list of things I like. I definitely wouldn't mind receiving one of these. The hard part would be choosing which one.



How do you do gifts? Do you give your loved ones a list or tell them exactly what you want or do you prefer being surprised? I'm a list person and Eric is a surprise person. Actually, if I tell him I want something I'm pretty much not going to get it. Sometimes I just tell him I'll just buy my own gift and then I know I'll get exactly what I want.

The whole surprise thing can be both amazing and disastrous. When we were dating he went to my favorite store (Lulu's) and picked out a dress that fit me perfectly. Right after Judah was born he bought me the most beautiful armoire that we still have in our room. A few times I've gotten presents that he loved a little (ok, a lot) more than me. I always tease him that he's going to get a cute dress from Anthro for his birthday someday.

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Speaking of gifts, Totsy has some fun sales going on right now. I think I'm going to snag a few Phineas and Ferb items for Judah and Samuel for Christmas. They're loving those guys right now. Every time they say Phineas (they pronounce is fee-nis) it sounds like something a little different and catches me off guard. There's also some super great blowout sales going on right now and even more starting today.

Home from Disneyland

We're hooooome!

Thank you SO MUCH to Liz, Kendra and Jacki for guest posting!

I can't wait to share with you about our trip to Disneyland! It might take a little while, though. We sent off our old laptop to the Mac factory and are now using our (even older) desktop that is located upstairs in our bedroom. Not exactly the most convenient location and definitely not the fastest computer for editing pictures.

We did have a lot of fun, though. There was definitely some craziness (sickness, exhaustion, and maybe a few meltdowns), but we all had a fabulous time!

Why Vintage? with Jacki of Roots & Wings

Today the lovely Jacki of Roots & Wings is sharing why she loves vintage. On her blog, Jacki shares lots of amazing sewing, crochet, and crafty projects. She's also mama to two adorable little boys. Seriously, have you seen her Small Style posts?



Hey there, I’m Jacki from over at Roots & Wings. I post a lot about my slight vintage obsession for me and also for my boys. I’m going to share with you why I am such a vintage-lovin’ Mama. These are my personal reasons for why I buy vintage:

1. It’s Green
We try to be as green as possible, and buying vintage or thrifted clothing is definitely a green way to shop. It’s the whole “re-use” part of the recycling slogan.

2. Money Talks
I love a deal, and I can usually buy vintage clothing for much less than a “new” item of comparable quality and style.

3. The Story
I love that every piece of vintage clothing has a story behind it. It’s almost like a part of history, and I guess the romantic in me loves conjuring up sweet stories to go with my vintage finds.

4. USA, baby!
Most (not all) vintage items were made in the USA. Try finding that on a tag in most regular stores. Now since we are buying them resale, that doesn’t necessarily mean buying vintage items is supporting our national economy, however…

5. Support Local Businesses
All of the places I buy vintage from are local small businesses, some are charitable organizations, and some are even fantastic individuals growing online businesses to support their families. I like using my fashion budget to support that.

6. The Style
All other reasons aside, I buy vintage because I love the style of the clothes. The amazing, flattering dresses for me, and especially the sweet and cute clothing for my boys. I am a huge fan of jon jons, the adorable appliques on vintage kids clothes, and anything else that lets my boys look as little, innocent, and adorable as they are. If I ever end up having a girl, it could be very dangerous, because little vintage dresses make me swoon but I don’t currently have anyone to buy them for…yet.

Those are my main reasons for going vintage in my family’s fashion choices. What are yours? Why do you love vintage?

Small Style #34

Welcome to Small Style! Today I'm so excited to have the beautiful Kendra from Adornmegirl guest posting. Thank you so much, Kendra!

As I was scheduling this post I looked down at the date that it would post on and noticed it said October 20th. I couldn't help but get a little choked up. Today is my Judah Man's SEVENTH birthday. I cannot believe seven years ago my precious boy was born. He has grown to be such a compassionate, smart, funny, and amazing guy. I'll have an "official" birthday post for him when I get back, but I just have to say, I am so incredibly blessed to have Judah as a son!

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I am so excited to be a guest here at Mama Loves Papa today for Small Style! I am so glad cute little Morgan started Small Style because I have so much fun dressing up Sailor each week and taking pictures. It's also a great way to document her growing and what she has been doing for the past week. Her new thing is jumping, and singing if You're Happy and You Know It song (she likes clapping, turning around, and stomping her cute little feet.)

She is growing so fast and is developing a small cute little attitude. For this shoot you can see that she didn't want to keep both of her boots on. She also had fun getting holes in her new tights! I think it is impossible to have a perfect photo shoot no matter what age your kids are. Am I right?

Don't forget to use coupon code MAMALOVESPAPA for 15% off at Adornmegirl!









Is this not one of the cutest top knot buns you have ever seen?


What is Sailor wearing?

Dress: H&M

Long Sleeve Onesie: Gymboree

Faux Fur Vest: H&M

Boots: Zara

Headband: New from Adornmegirl

Link up here:

Kids Fall Fashion with Liz from Yellow Finch Designs Blog

I'm so excited to have Liz from Yellow Finch Designs blog guest posting today! She is sharing some adorable Fall outfits for Fall. When you're done reading you can head over to her blog and see some Fall outfits that I put together for the Mamas.
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Hello Mama loves Papa readers! Liz here from Yellow Finch Designs Blog and I am so excited to be writing a guest post for Morgan. There is something about fall that reminds me of my childhood. The cool autumn breeze, the scent of cinnamon and spice, oversized warm sweaters, giggles around a fire and Friday night football games. Fall is by far my favorite season and now that I have children I can embrace this magical time with them. Pumpkins galore, crafts, snuggly movie nights, Halloween costumes, candy apples and of course cloths! I love dressing my little ones for the season and fall has some fabulous fashion. Here are a couple outfits that I put together and would love to put on my little ones.

For the Boys:

shirt, jeans, sweater, boots

This is my go to outfit for my boys during the fall and winter season. A warm flannel button down, plaid of course, a big sweater, boots and jeans. These are great pieces to mix and match.

For the Girls:

dress, hat, leggings, boots

And can I just say that I want that pretty little dress!

What is your favorite fall fashion? What do your kids wear when the autumn wind rolls over the days?
I would love to hear your answers or see your pictures so make sure to comment below.

Have a great week, friends!

I know it's been quiet around here. Remember how my camera broke? Well, now our laptop broke! We have an old desktop upstairs, but it just isn't as convenient to use. We'll be replacing our laptop soon, but we're waiting on Apple's recycling program right now. (Yep, taking advantage of another special program!) Have you used the recycling program before?

We're heading down to Disneyland right now. I have some special guest posts lined up for you this week, so make sure to show them lots of love!

Have a great week!

Lisa Leonard Giveaway Winner

The winner of the $75 gift card to Lisa Leonard Designs is #18- Amanda. Congratulations, Amanda! Have fun deciding what you're going to spend it on!

(Amanda, please email me at mamalovespapablog(at)gmail.com to claim your prize!)

Anything from Lisa Leonard would make a perfect gift. If you want to do a little early holiday shopping (for yourself or someone else!) don't forget to use the coupon code mamalovespapa for 15% off of your purchase.

Totsy Giveaway WINNER!

The winner of the $25 Totsy credit is #31 Tracy! Congratulations, Tracy and have fun shopping! There are so many cute items on the site right now!

I'm Tired

I used to want my kids to all sleep until seven. I said that I would be happy if they could all just stay asleep until then.

These days I'll just be happy with six. Please, oh please can you children stay asleep until six in the morning? Not five-thirty and, most definitely, not five o'clock.

I'm not a morning person. I like to stay awake long after the kids are in bed. It's the only part of my day that isn't filled with chaos. It's nice to just sit and rest, watch some shows on hulu, or read a book. I don't like to wake up early, especially not when it's dark outside. It's so easy to sleep in when no light is coming through your windows.

I guess that isn't the case for my little ones. Oh, motherhood. I'm tired.

(And, today, Finley decided to sleep in until 7:30. That was after a 5:30 nursing, but I'll take what I can get.)

Small Style #33

Welcome to Small Style! Small Style is a weekly link up to show off your gorgeous kids and, if you want, their cute outfits. I'm a mom of three boys and I love dressing my boys. My favorite things for them to wear are a cute vintage-style t-shirt, vest, fitted jeans, and Vans. When I had my fourth child, a little girl, I fell absolutely head over heels in love with baby/child fashion. These days my boys mostly (ok completely, with the help of their Papa who doesn't exactly share my same style), dress themselves, so I love having my little doll (Finley, my baby girl) to dress up.








On Finley: Tank- hand me down, originally from Old Navy, Skirt- Target, Bow- Adornme Girl, Shoes- See Kai Run via Zulily
On Silas: Shirt- Target, Shorts- thrifted, Shoes- Crocs
Yesterday Eric got home from work right as we were pulling out of the driveway. It was perfect timing and we were so glad he could join us for a quick trip to the park before dinner. Since Eric was with us we decided to head downtown to the playground and mostly so we could stop in at my favorite bakery/coffee shop. I didn't get any coffee because I didn't want to be up all night, so I guess I'll just have to go back soon.

I love Thursdays because they feel like the weekend is right around the corner. This has been a long week for me. I've been getting migraines almost everyday. Miserable. Thankfully I didn't have one yesterday and I'm hoping if I drink enough water and get enough sleep they'll stay away.

This weekend we'll be getting all packed and ready for our trip (eeeee!!!). What will you be doing?

Link up here?

Disneyland!

Source: makingmemoriestravelofwny.com via Morgan on Pinterest

Next week we're going to Disneyland!

This will be the kids' first time to Disneyland and it's been a long time since I've visited (about 15 years...even longer for Eric). We're all SO excited! We're staying in a suite about 10 minutes away and will be taking the hotel shuttle into Disneyland each day. We have a 3-day park hopper pass, so we can visit both Disneyland and California Adventures.

So, now it's time for you to give me all of your tips, tricks, and insider advice. What rides will the kids love? Hate? What shows should we see? Should we go back to the hotel for naptime or let the little ones nap in the stroller? Where's the best food? (Always on my mind!) What are the best souvenirs? (How much do those Mickey Mouse ear hats cost, anyway? I already told the kids they're getting those!) Any tips for long car rides with little ones? This will be the longest car ride we've ever taken with them.

Thank you!

The Farm and Vineyard Tour

Finley loved the chickens
This weekend we spent attending, for our first time, a local farm and vineyard tour. On Saturday my mom watched all four of the kids, so Eric and I could spend the day together. We had so much fun! We went to a farm and a vineyard North of town, then to the South of town to another vineyard and the college farm, then to a tiny rice farm town way South of town. We didn't worry about sleepy babies falling asleep in the car or getting "cold drink with ice" (what Silas calls a drink of water) or anything else. It was soooo nice! (Thanks Mom!!)


In front of the egg-mobile at Chaffin Farms
We had such a fun time on Saturday that we decided to take the all of the kids with us on Sunday. We headed South and visited an organic farm that hosts the whole foods class I took and I totally love! We got to see their goats and a whole lot of chickens. Then we went to a winery that I had never been to before, but I loved it! (People had told us that it was ok to bring the kids to that one and when they checked us in they confirmed that.) Then, we visited our very first mandarin farm where we had ice cream sundaes with mandarin sauce. (A local casino brewery was also there, so the kids each got a sign that said "Beer Here" written on it. One lady asked Finley if she was a bar maid. ha!)

At the winery a lady working there came up to us and told us that our kids were the best behaved that had come through. I'm sure the bags of popcorn, cookies, and cheese and crackers didn't hurt. It was a fun family weekend!


We loved Grey Fox Vineyards!


A sheep and my Minnetonkas

October Sponsors and Coupon Codes

This month I have some fabulous sponsors! Here are their links and special coupon codes for Mama Loves Papa readers. Want to do a little shopping this weekend or start your holiday shopping early? Have fun!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway from Lisa Leonard for a $75 gift card to her gorgeous shop! The giveaway ends Sunday.


Coupon code mamalovespapa for 15% off.


Coupon code MAMALP for 15% off.
(Case sensitive, one time use per customer. Offer good through October 11th for US and Canada only.)






Coupon code MAMALOVESPAPA for 15% off.




Coupon code MAMALOVESPAPA15 for 15% off.








Free shipping to the US or Canada with the purchase of two large prints with code MAMAPAPAlove.

VW Bus or Soccer Mom Minivan?

The actual van we have, via the Toyota webpage

vs


One of the actual buses that Eric is looking at for me
We bought our Toyota Sienna in 2009 when I was pregnant with Finley. It was a year old and had previously been a rental van, so we got a great deal on a van that was in excellent condition. I never, ever, ever thought I would drive a minivan. I've always wanted a lot of kids, so I knew I'd drive a big vehicle, but I always thought it would be an SUV. After comparing prices and gas mileage on SUVs and minivans there was no contest. We decided to get a minivan.

After getting our van I fell in looooove with it. I might not look that cool driving it, but it's so convenient! It easily fits four carseats and I love the automatic doors and huge trunk. From all of the features you can tell it's made for a mama of small children.

Two years later, though, we're still making car payments. My husband has been trying to make as many changes as possible to rid us of unnecessary payments and spending and I'm all for this (I'm a huge Dave Ramsey fan, yo!), but for him this includes getting rid of my beloved van. Not to mention, Eric has fallen hard for all things VW (they're his newest obsession).

If I traded in my Sienna for a VW we would get rid of our (expensive) monthly car payment, make money, and, by Eric's standards, we would up our coolness factor (don't worry, he hasn't actually said that...that's just my words). It's a win-win for him. For me? Well, I'm not so sure. What do you think?

Sponsor Giveaway Winners!

Yay!! for all of these lucky winners and a big, huge thank you to the amazing ladies behind these blogs and shops for this fun giveaway!

The winner of the headband from Spancy Ketosherosh is #41 Rachel!

The winner of the ad space at Changing Lanes is #37 Kaycie!

The winner of the vintage tablecloth from Roots and Wings is #40 Rachael!

The winner of the item from Once Upon A Time is #7 Tiffany!

The winner of the large print from Scrapps Flea Market is #21 Amanda!

The winner of $20 credit to Little Vintage Me is #28 Gretchen!

The winner of the burpy/onesies gift set from Moxie Mandie is #14 Jennie!

Small Style #32

Welcome to Small Style! SS is a weekly link up to show off your kids' adorable outfits, but more importantly, your gorgeous kids! Thank you so much for joining in with the fun!






Tank top- Target, T-shirt- Hand me down from Jenna's daughter, Leggings- H&M, from Aunt Kim, Bow- Adornme Girl

It's another day of camera phone pictures here at Mama Loves Papa. I did get an email from Canon yesterday and because of how much money they wanted to charge for repairs my amazing husband decided that it would be a better idea to GET A NEW ONE! Thank you so much for my new camera, Eric! I'm so, so, so excited!

Yesterday we had some craaaazy weather. It has finally been cooling down here the past few days, but yesterday afternoon it started suddenly raining and then hailing. In these pictures Finley was watching the rain and hail out the window. Later that night it started pouring and then hailing these huge balls of hail. We let the kids go outside and play in it and they were in heaven. Normally I wouldn't do that, but I'm trying to be more a "yes mom" (inspired by Stephanie) and let them do those fun things, even if it is more inconvenient for me. Silas and I didn't last too long outside, but Finley and the big boys had to be drug back in. They loved the hail!


This is my friend (a grown man)'s hand.

What has your weather been like?

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