Hannah Morrison

Kindergarten Zara Try-On Haul

I actually think I am still in denial my oldest starts kindergarten in less than two weeks. I genuinely had in my head I had a few more weeks, because I figured school started at the end of August like I always did growing up… But then last week I found out it was early August and I literally cried on my friends’ couch because it was such a shock to me. LOL. Anyways, Knox is pumped and I am so excited for him (even though I feel sad) because this kid was made for school. He loves learning, science, and building stuff. He says he is most excited for science! I had to buy him nearly an entire wardrobe, because the kid has surely grown 3-4 inches over this summer and pants are capris on him/shirts are getting a wee bit cropped. This year, I sat with K and had him pick things out with me. I tried to direct on some while others he flat out said “No, I don’t want that.” So weird to have a kid old enough to actually say that to me but I welcome it! I love seeing his personality and style come out – and believe me, he has opinions. He really loves outfits and putting together things. And he really wanted a Pikachu set, so I caved and went kitschy for him… but my insides died a little.

Zara doesn’t do LTK links, so while I won’t make any commission on these, I know so many of you wanted links! Knox is 5.5 (6 in December) and I bought mostly the 6/7 years big boy sizes so that they last us through next summer and early fall (maybe even more for some of it!). The only thing a little large on him are the green jogging shorts, but they tie and stay fine. They would totally slide off though without tying. Other than that, sizing up from his “age” size was a win for us!

You will find pieces from sets used separately and together + packs of tees that make two weeks of outfits! That’s HUGE for a little boy and then we will also have some of his older jeans/shorts to mix in to help with laundry turnaround. As for shoes, our neighbors are the best and give all their hand me downs and recently gave us like no joke 6 pairs of shoes Knox’s size that had never been worn before. So some of these are from them! But the white high tops are old Zara (I linked for you on one to see if it will take you to lookalikes on their site!) and then the black and red Jordans are from last year!

Look 1: Shirt | Pants | Shoes

Look 2: Shirt | Shorts | Socks

Look 3: Shirt | Shorts | Socks

Look 4: Set | Socks

Look 5: Shirt (From This Pack of 3) | Shorts (From the Above Set!) | Same socks as above

Look 6: Shorts | Shirt (From Pack of 3) | Socks

Look 7: Shirt | Joggers | Shoes

Look 8: Knit Polo

Look 9: Custom Set (Add design – we did embroidered T-Rex!)

Look 10: Shirt

Look 11: Shirt | Shorts

Look 12: Pikachu Set (Knox’s favorite – the bane of my existence… lol) JK, that’s dramatic.

Look 13: Shirt (From Pack of 3!) | Shorts (From Pikachu!) | Socks (From Pack of 3)

Getting Ready for Back to School!

Oh my, well ready or not… Knox Chandler starts school in just a couple of weeks. I cannot believe my baby is going to school. As we inch closer to Kinder camp, meet the teacher, and our first day of school, I am getting the home ready for a new year. Purging, donating clothes, throwing away, minimizing… preparation has begun! I started from the ground up last week, painting our baseboards and freshening things up. Call me crazy… but I think feeling “together” starts with the state of your home! This week we purged toys and clothing for donation!

I have a few things I do in the school year that have really made a difference for me and I wanted to share as I am in the thick of getting ready for a new routine to start again!

The first: I started doing a hanging cubby for outfits each day of the week in advance. This helps me know what to prioritize in my laundry. I put things up Sunday, and then if I see I need to wash shorts or socks etc, I can grab them real fast and fill the gaps by Monday afternoon for the rest of the week. This saves me from scrambling through laundry on the morning of and helps with the big picture of chores for the week a bit as I decipher what and when to wash everything. It also gives Knox a sense of freedom to pick his outfit for the day from a predetermined line-up. I mean, I know personally I may have planned a certain outfit for something in my week but when that day comes, I may prefer something a bit comfier or whatever… just different than I had planned. So allowing your kid to pick gives the freedom to choose how they feel that day and what they want to wear. (without coming down in mismatch socks and shoes and pants that don’t fit anymore… speaking from experience lol.)

Lunches were so stressful for me until we really figured out a system. Knox has a box with compartments and he helps me fill them so that he feels a sense of ownership over what he has to eat for lunch that day. He knows he has to have a protein, a veggie, a fruit, a crunchy thing, and a treat of some kind. He helps me pick all these items out at our grocery run for that week, and then he knows for the next two weeks these are his rotating items for lunches. We will typically have a couple options for each category so he can decide! We bought the Pottery Barn Spider Man Lunch Box and Backpack set two years ago and it STILL looks so good. I cannot get myself to buy a new one of either item because it looks so nice still. Knox has gone to school three times a week with them for two years now. I think that says a lot about the quality! So although it feels expensive up front, this proves my point in life to spend extra on the nicer things!

Zara Haul! Who remembers this try-on haul by Knox when he was about to start Pre-School? I could weep. Y’all know how I feel about Zara Baby/Kids. It’s unmatched. Not crazily priced but way better quality than Target. Plus, Rory literally has an entire wardrobe every year because I can pass down nearly every item I buy Knox and then fill in what got ruined from playing hard, etc. I still have pieces originally from Knox that I will pass to Coco, even! Raise your hand if you want a Zara Try-On Haul 2.0 with KC this year! I cannot link Zara, sadly, but we love their jogger pants, tube socks, and basics a lot. But I bought him a really nice knit polo, too! They have fun graphic tees that from $11-$17! This year, Knox sat with me and we chose items together for his closet. It was so fun (but also humbling because I had to be ok with a Pikachu matching set… lol. picking my battles.)

As for Rory, we decided to keep him home one more year! He has one of those summer birthdays that has made it a little difficult to decide what I want to do with him and when to start. He could totally thrive in a school setting right now if we wanted or needed to. But to be honest, I just wasn’t ready to lose that time with him. When Knox started PreSchool, he was 3 but turned 4 just a few months into the year. Rory literally just turned 3 and I felt sad thinking about losing all that time with this age that I had with Knoxy. So, he will start PreSchool next year and we will see about kinder for him either at 5 or waiting until he is 6!

Now… I am ready to buy SCHOOL SUPPLIES! Happy back to school everybody!

Summer Birthday Wishlist

Well, ready or not, my 31st birthday is next week. I honestly still feel at my core like I am a kid so it’s always so funny to me how shocking my age sounds when I say it out loud haha. Not that I think 31 is old by any means, but it is definitely double my 16 year old era which feels so shocking to think about. I am loving getting older and life just keeps getting sweeter!

I curated a summer birthday gift guide for anybody you might be shopping for at a wide variety of price points! From the golf course to hosting in your backyard, I have a little bit of everything here. I linked all of my new Rare Beauty items I have added over the last year as well!

My Favorites:

Ralph Lauren Scarf | Pink Drinking Glasses | Pink Wine Glasses | Pink and White Umbrella | Chloe Sandals

Hello + Proverbs

Hello, friend! I hope you had the best February and feel the same giddy butterflies I feel for spring marching in. The sunshine peeking through, the green grass popping up, and the colors beginning to revive themselves after months of a lifeless appearance. There’s something so good for my soul that happens every spring. It’s like a refresh to my vision and perspective. I love this time of year!

What am I dreaming about for the next couple of months? I want to buy a plant box for my back porch for starters. I am determined to become a gardener… lol. Ok, more realistic: To plant some herbs and flowers that don’t die. I also have a DIY plan (dream) to paint my back porch a checkered look. Stay tuned. Highly likely to not happen because I am 0% a DIYer… but I actually think I could do this one. So, here’s hoping… hehe. Anybody else like me in this!?

A Word from Proverbs:

The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge, but fools despise wisdom and instruction. Proverbs 1: 7

The fear of God is actually saying “I fear being anywhere you’re not because you’re so perfect and great- give me wisdom to hear your voice and walk in your ways.” Remember that as you navigate your days and find yourself praying for something. God, we want your WISDOM that sometimes even means NO for something we desire or is seemingly good. Ask for WISDOM and he will give it to you, friend.

I think the general essence of Proverbs, the sincere care for us with direct instruction, is an encouragement for the way we parent our babies, lead our homes, lead in our workplace… whatever you’re in charge of. Wisdom is direct. It’s setting gracious boundary lines to allow for freedom within the safety of wisdom.

A few things I am DIGGIN’ these days:

  1. The new Morgan Wallen album. O M G. The perfect springtime album driving with the windows down and a Sonic cherry limeade.
  2. Target’s spring selections. I LOVE ALL THE COLOR. They did such a great job with all their lines this season! I needed a couple pairs of pants for Sundays and found two great ones for under $30 each. SO GOOD. I linked those and a couple other favorite finds here.
  3. Our Playhouse [here]! Y’all, I dreamed and hoped the boys would use this thing as much as they do. It’s been a game changer around our home to be able to say “Y’all go outside and play” and they actually want to. It’s given me a slice of peace inside throughout the day to get a couple things done. The price point is incomparable and it feels sturdy. It did endure hurricane winds and a tornado that barely missed our home last week… So I can confirm it is indeed a quality buy to withstand the weather. 😉

Exact Buys from Target:

Other Fun Finds:

Pink Maternity Photo Session

Getting my maternity pictures taken with each baby has always been a highlight of the ending of a pregnancy for me. There’s just something really special about capturing those final days before you meet a piece of your heart. This session for our CC girl was done at Lemon Drop Studios and we just had a lot of fun! Studio sessions when it’s 110 degrees outside is WHERE IT’S AT. AC when this pregnant is just kinda necessary ha. I love this studio, it’s so beautiful and we got full access to all three sections (studio A and B + the outside greenhouse).

I have had quite a few Dms asking about my outfits from this shoot so I wanted to link all of it for you in one place! I knew I really wanted the elegant portrait style in the maternity body suit, but finding one with full coverage proved quite difficult. However, I found this one on Amazon and LOVE it. The first hat is my exact one, and then I linked a few other similar options!

The second look is the maternity photo look of my dreams! This maternity robe was a steal from Amazon and I found the blush nude body suit (full booty coverage again!) on Gap Factory for $12!!

This last one is so special, because it’s the dress I wore for my pregnancy announcement photos with Knox. Five years later and my last pregnancy, I wanted to bookend this season of carrying babies with the dress. It’s a Fillyboo dress that isn’t made anymore, but they sell a variety of similarly styled gowns.

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