Why do you keep the boys’ hair so long? When do you think you’ll cut it short?

They are only little once, so I figure we will have it long for now. We love long hair on little boys. I don’t really know when we will cut it short. Right now, William says he likes it long so I guess we’ll wait until he doesn’t like it anymore!

Favorite fall/winter toddler boy shoes?

Living in Dallas, we can get away with wearing Chus sneakers most of the time. My boys also love their Hunter Boots (you can add this sock to make them warmer) and I just ordered these shearling boots for our trip to the mountains.

I’m going to a December wedding and my 10-month old is going too. What should he wear?

This is a precious red plaid bubble for a December wedding. Pair it with this cozy cardigan, knee socks and saddle shoes! We just got them for the boys to wear for the Holiday season.

Where did you make your Santa cookie plate?

Cowtown Clay makes the cutest Santa plates – we did a “My First Christmas” ornament for Ford, too.

What is on your Christmas wish list?

Stia: I have been borrowing my mom’s golden goose a lot lately, so these GG are on my wishlist!

Katherine: We are wanting to revamp our house, so these nightstands are on my wish list!

Jean: I have had my eye on this handbag, so hoping Santa will bring it I love the size and relaxed style. I also can’t have enough lounge wear and this cute pink leopard sweatshirt and sweat pants are at the top of my list.

Any trips planned for next year?

We are heading to Vegas in March and planning a trip back to London/Paris in the Spring. We also have rebooked the San Diego beach house we went to last year – our extended family has rented four houses in the area and we are already looking forward to spending some quality time and making it a tradition! The boys say we have to go back to the Bahamas, too and we don’t disagree with them

What clean household products do you use?

We are using the Puracy dish soap, laundry detergent and cleaning spray. We usually love everything from Puracy, but we tried the dishwasher detergent and it left a film, so now we’re using the one from Seventh Generation.

How do your families divide time between families for the holidays?

For Stia/Caleb and Katherine/Justin, holidays were always split for each side. One year Thanksgiving, the next year Christmas. Justin and Katherine still do every other holiday.

Now that we have the boys, we go to my in-laws for Thanksgiving. For Christmas, we do Christmas Eve church and dinner at my parents and then the boys wake up at home on Christmas morning for Santa.

What are the boys getting for Christmas?

William and Henry are getting a train table and sensory kits. They have way too many toys, so we are paring it back this year! I’m still thinking about what to get Ford!

Which tanning mousse did you get – the lighter or darker?

We are using the original formula. We’ve learned that if you apply one coat, wait for it to dry and than apply another coat it’s a great natural tan. If you want to gradually every few days, that works, too! PS: You can see our review and get 20% off!

Favorite traditions with kids for the holidays?

Putting up the tree, Christmas pajamas, advent calendar and we touched on other holiday traditions on our Christmas pajamas post from last year.

Which one would you buy: gucci sneakers or golden goose?

It’s totally a personal prefence. Jean has the GG and Stia has the Gucci sneakers. Jean loves her Golden Goose and thinks they are so comfortable. The Gucci’s are not near as comfortable – even almost two years later! I love the way they look, but the comfort level is also why I have a pair of Golden Goose on my wish list!

Cheers,

Stia, Jean and Katherine

How long did you wait to have children/when did you know you were ready?

Caleb and I had been married three years when we got pregnant with William. We had talked about when we wanted to have kids and it always seemed so far off – we were enjoying traveling, our jobs, etc. Then one day, it just hit me. We were out to eat and I told Caleb I was ready to start our family. He was in such shock he didn’t talk to me the rest of dinner ;)​​​​​​​​​​​​​​ ​​​​​​​

Currently in my second trimester, any maternity staples you recommend?

I was pregnant with William in the Fall/Winter (He was born in January), so I have to say buy maternity jeans! You’ll be wearing them the rest of your pregnancy and they are so much more comfortable!

I loved Hatch while I was pregnant. They have so many great basics, but also fun pieces that you can wear during pregnancy and post-partum. Everything is soft, comfy and worth the price! I would get a few basics: this sweater, this striped long sleeve tee and this for a pop of color.

What do you pack in your carry-on?

We shared all the details in this post.

Is there a story behind your Cartier bracelet?

Jean got hers for her 35th wedding anniversary and Stia got hers when she and Caleb started their family.

What was your TTC journey? Were all your babies planned?

I feel so very blessed that when Caleb and I decided to start our family we didn’t have any trouble getting pregnant with William. I know that often that isn’t the case and so many have a long hard journey to start their families. When we decided to try for number two (our Henry) it happened faster than we expected, but we were glad to have the two boys so close together. Baby Ford was a complete surprise! Caleb and I were thinking about whether or not we wanted three and God made up our minds for us. We are so thankful for our little family of three boys all so close together. It’s going to be a wild ride for sure!

Favorite nail polish color?

The only polish we wear is Dazzle Dry. It’s nourishing for your nails and completely dries in 5 minutes. We tend to go with a pale pink – favorite colors are starry eyed or rose quartz.

What were your favorite girl names?

Answered this in last month’s Q+A!

Any tips for closet organization?

This is a place where we are still trying to figure out what works! We typically organize by type of clothing and then color. We use organizers from Container Store for jewelry, purses, etc. The hardest part of closet organization for any of us is weeding out the things we don’t wear anymore. Ugh. Still needs a lot of work!

What are your favorite maternity brands? Especially for cocktail/formal wear?

I think Hatch is a great maternity brand – probably my favorite. While Hatch has a lot of great basics, they also have some dressier things. This navy satin dress is beautiful and so is this black gown. Asos has some great more affordable options.

Best black everyday booties for fall?

We all have Sam Edelman booties from a few years ago that have been our everyday go-to for years. This style is very similar.

What to dress a toddler ring bearer in for a Nov black tie wedding in Texas?

If the bride doesn’t have anything specific in mind, you can’t go wrong a Feltman Brothers bobbie suit with knee socks and saddle shoes.

Do you take most of your photos with iPhone or camera?

The majority of the time – iPhone! So many of the pictures we take are spur of the moment and our big camera is just so dang big! And to capture moments with the boys we have to be fast. We do bring it on some trips, but usually use our iPhones!

How do you schedule personal time in your day with 3 kids?

Well, that’s a tough one. I’m not really very good at this! I had been trying to do my devotional and quiet time early in the morning before William was up (Henry is a late sleeper), but he’s been getting up earlier, so that’s not really working. Caleb is happy to keep the big boys in the evening after he gets home from work if I want to get my nails done or my hair blown out, and Jean will stay with the boys when I start going back to Pure Barre. I’m still adjusting to and enjoying having the three boys- I’m sure I’ll get better about “me time” as we figure it out. Hopefully!​​​​​​​ The one thing that stays consistent in our day-to-day is that all the boys go down for afternoon naps at the same time. It’s the only thing about our “routine” that I am adamant about. It allows some peace & quiet and I can work, pick up the house, start dinner or just relax!

Cheers,

Stia, Jean and Katherine

Where is your favorite summer travel destination?

One of our favorite places is Southern California, we try to head back there at least once a year. That’s where Jean and Bill grew up and Stia and Justin spent most summers on the beach there. It’s a quick flight, the weather is always a lot cooler than Dallas and we have so many memories there! A few favorite spots are La Jolla, Del Mar and Laguna Beach. 

Love the circle basket bag, where is it from?

We have had so many questions about this tote bag since we got it. It’s been a favorite for us this spring. We love it because it doesn’t look like a beach bag, and the basket circle shape looks cute with any summer outfit. It also comes in black leather trim.  

Where did you find your personalized phone case?

 Aren’t these the cutest phone cases?! They are from The Daily Edited and they have so many different options for customization. Choose your phone case size and then you can choose from shadow text, stripes or plain gold letters, you can even personalize it with your own handwriting. 

What are your tips for getting an infant passport?

I should have revisited my own tips from when I had William’s passport made because I definitely forgot my checkbook when we went to get Henry’s passport. For his picture, we went to Costco. It was so easy and I had the picture in 5 minutes. Be sure to print and fill out the DS-11 form prior to going to the passport office. Your husband must be present at the passport office, or you need to have a notarized form filled out prior. Bring your checkbook! My husband waited in line while I ran home to get our checkbook, which ended up working out, thankfully. You’ll need an extra check for expedited service. We had no option but to do expedited (we needed Henry’s passport to book a flight within Europe) and had it in less than 2 weeks. 

Who takes your pictures? What kind of camera do you use? Are all pictures professional or do you use your phones too? What do you use to edit pictures?

Jean takes most of our pictures – unless she is in them! She took a few photography classes in college, but has mostly just taught herself over the past few years. She uses a Nikon D7200 and a 50 mm fixed lense. We try to use mostly iphone images on Instagram. Jean edits our blog images in Lightroom. 

Where is Katherine’s red dress from?

We’ve had so many questions about her cute summer dress! You can find the red dress that Katherine wore for dinner Saturday night at Four Seasons Dallas here. 

What are some of your favorite workout classes?

Katherine’s favorite Dallas workout classes are Sculpt at Zynn 22 and Spin at Flywheel.