We finally transitioned Chandler to a big girl bed!! She is thrilled and I of course had an emotional breakdown about it. Something about your baby moving out of a crib is just bittersweet!

So with that, we weighed all of our options. Do we go with a twin bed? Do we get a padded headboard? Do we get bed rails? There are so many questions and options out there, so I wanted to share what worked for us!

We decided to go with a full sized bed, so that she can use it throughout her childhood, as she grows! Then we were looking at how to keep her from rolling off the bed, because while she does have more room, she still rolls around a lot! We decided to go with the Regalo Baby Bed Bumpers! I loved how soft they were, they fit right under her sheet, and she won’t hurt her arm, leg or head if she hits them in the night.

I attached some more photos below so you can see how they work. Both of them will go under her sheet, but I wanted you to be able to visualize them as well.

You can click the link below to go straight to the website! We have been super happy with them, and Chandler has yet to fall out of her bed ☺️

https://regalo-baby.com/products/single-foam-bed-bumper

This post is sponsored by BabbleBoxx

Christmas came a little early to the Rankin Girls! They got to open their BabbleBoxx which was full of all kinds of age appropriate activities and toys for all of the girls!

First thing we got out was the Will You Be My Friend? Book, by Sam McBratney. Ari is in 1st grade and is absolutely in love with reading. She was really excited for this and has read it to her sisters a few times now. We also have the Guess How Much I Love You book, and this one is the sequel!

Click the link to shop!

Next was the Silly Skaters Unicorn Inflatable Ride-On Toy by Kid Trax. It is recommended for kiddos age 1-3. Sawyer is 1 and Chandler is 3, so they play on it together constantly. It has light up wheels when it moves, and it’s inflatable on top so it’s super comfy for them.

Ari especially loved the Grab-n-Go Conversation Cards / Let’s Jokes! / Let’s Think! / Let’s Talk! Set from Open the Joy! She has been telling jokes all day and night! I personally loved the Let’s Talk set, because it got me asking her questions I didn’t even know the answers to! They were easy for Ari to read too, which made it even more fun. These would be great stocking stuffers!

Chandler and Ari were so intrigued with the Baby Alive Tinycorn Doll. They thought it was hilarious that you could feed the baby a bottle like a real baby and then it would also use the restroom in its diaper. The girls laughed and laughed and changed their baby, while I was changing their baby sister. So much fun!

Click the photo to shop!

Next up was the Box of 4 Assorted Soaps from the Best-Selling Kids Collections and Hand Cleansing Spray from Beloved Bath. This one was super special to me because they hire people with Autism to work there! My career has been in working with individuals with special needs, so this warms my heart!

Enter the code “babbleboxx” at checkout and save 15% off your entire order now through December 20, 2020. Limit one per customer. Click to shop!

Lastly was the activity Play On! from Bay Area Children’s Theatre. Ari was setting it up for “snowball soccer” and then afterwards they also used the snowballs for their own snowball fight! We were so thankful for some screen-free fun!

Use code ADVENTURE10 to get 10% off all Play On! orders. Click the photo to go to the website!

If you have any questions about the above products, I would be more than happy to answer them for you!! You can comment here, or email me privately and I will get back to ya as soon as possible!!

Last weekend, I took my oldest two daughters and a girlfriend of mine to Gaylord Opryland Resort and Convention Center in Nashville, TN. It is about a 3 hour drive for us from Louisville, so it was the perfect road trip for us! They are starting their kickoff to Christmas festivities and I literally could not wait to attend! They have everything from snow tubing, to Christmas Carols, to the indoor event “Everybody loves Christmas Movies” where they feature some of the best Christmas movies! There is truly something for everyone here whether you are 3 or 103.

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There are a couple different room options at Gaylord Opryland. We personally went with the atrium view room and I would highly recommend this. It was so cool to be able to sit on our balcony and eat breakfast while we watched people come and go. It was like an entire little town below our balcony! Our room had two queen beds which was perfect for the 4 of us. It also had a desk and chair inside so someone could sit in there and eat if they did not want to eat on the balcony.

The first day we arrived to Opryland, the girls wanted to go straight to the indoor water park, Soundwaves. This place was INCREDIBLE. It was freezing outside, but we got to put our bathing suits on and head to the 84 degree pool deck! They had cabana rentals, a full restaurant, waitresses taking orders from your lounge chair, water slides, a lazy river and SO. MUCH. MORE! The girls were in heaven! They also had life jackets and towels you could use for free, so we didn’t have to worry about packing those! There were a ton of different levels to the water park, so there was something from every age kiddo! They had a shallow splash pad for toddlers, then a medium size water park for kids probably 3-8 and then huge water slides for the older kids! The girls beg to go back here at least once a day now!

Once they were finally done at the Waterpark, we went back to the room and cleaned up for dinner and then the Christmas festivities! We had dinner at the Cascades American Cafe, where they had lots of options for the kids. They colored and chilled out while we were there! After that, we headed across the street to where the kickoff to Christmas was beginning. We got to listen to live music and watch an ice skating show, while sipping some hot chocolate. Quite a different experience than being in the 80+ degree pool!!

Next we went ice tubing and I think the girls could have done that 100000 times each. They laughed and giggled like I have never heard!! They had such a great time and I could tell were truly enjoying every second of this trip! There were huge decorations, huge lit up Christmas trees, I mean the decorating here was magical, even for me as an adult!

Next we headed inside to the I Love Christmas Movies tour! We got to tour replica sets from movies such as Christmas Vacation, Elf, A Christmas Story and more! It was like we were at the actual place these movies were filmed, and it was SO much fun to see!!

If you are close to the Nashville area, and even if you are not, Gaylord Opryland at Christmas time is a 100/10, must see! It was a truly wonderful experience and we already can’t wait to go back!!

My girls have always been really into brushing their teeth. The dentist is another story but I’ll save that for another day. Ari is 6, and she is very particular about the flavor of her toothpaste. She cannot stand the minty flavor, and it has to “taste good” or she will NOT use it! I did some research and found Grin Natural, who has an entire line of dental care products! I absolutely love that they use all natural products and include NO sodium lauryl sulfate, NO added sugar, NO preservatives, NO artificial colors, NO artificial flavors, NO fragrance and NO harsh abrasives. This is super important to me as a mom of three! Finding products that are safe and effective for my girls is number 1.

So after reading about their products, I let the girls pick some things out from their website. Although my girls already love brushing their teeth, I loved that we could still make it even more fun! They picked out a brushing chart that has stickers for morning and night. Once they finish brushing in the morning, they get to add their sticker! It is fun for them, and a great way for me to remember if they’ve already brushed or not!

They also picked out some new toothbrushes, floss and toothpaste. The thing I really love about their floss, is that it comes in a neat little storage container and all of them are individually wrapped. They are also biodegradable. I mean they have truly thought of everything!!

They have gift sets available and I personally grabbed a few for my friends! I always try to get people a want, a need, and something to read! This would be a perfect addition to the stocking this Christmas season! I will attach the link here so you can see all of the fun products they offer!

https://grinnatural.com/collections/all-products-toothpates-and-toothbrushes

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Well if you know me, you know I have a serious love for McAlister’s Deli! I was in a wedding over the weekend, where the Father of the Bride gave a speech. He joked about how the bride and I once went to McAlister’s 20 times in one month. TWENTY. Like 2-0. Haha. He asked “How is that even possible??” But McAlister’s has SO many options, there is literally something for everyone. They have a few fun events coming up that I wanted to share with you guys, so you can try and love McAlister’s Deli as much as I do!

McAlister’s Deli is hosting its popular annual Kids Eat Free event From Friday, October 30- Sunday, Nov. 1, 2020

• In Restaurant: The Halloween Kids Eat Free offer is valid in-person for kids 12 and under wearing a costume with the purchase of an adult entree. And,when placing an order online, each guest will receive one free kids meal with the purchase of an adult entrée when they use promo code FREETREAT20, rewards members only. Additions to kids meals will be charged. Only items from the Kid’s Menu apply. The Kids Eat Free offer cannot be combined with any other offer and there is no cash value.

• McAlister’s will also have another Halloween treat for guests this year with its Halloween social sweepstakes (for kids 12 and under) where four lucky guests will win a month’s worth of free kids meals! To enter for the chance to win, parents or guardians can post a picture of their child (12 and under) on Instagram, Facebook and/or Twitter wearing a costume and use the hashtag #McAlistersHalloween. All entries must be posted by 11:59 pm on Sunday, 11/1 for consideration. Remember to sign up for the Rewards program! It is free and easy!

McAlister’s Deli National Sandwich Day Buy One, Get One

• What’s better than one McAlister’s delicious hand-crafted sandwich? TWO McAlister’s hand-crafted sandwiches - one for you and a free one for you to share with a friend or family member! In honor of National Sandwich Day, all McAlister’s Rewards members will receive a Buy One, Get One Free (BOGO) Sandwich reward in their account under My Rewards (Special Offers). The BOGO free sandwich offer will be deposited into rewards accounts on 11/3 and will expire on 11/17/20. Be sure to check out https://www.mcalistersdeli.com/ for more information and to check out their entire menu!

Should you need any recommendations, I would love to share a few of my favorite items!

• The broccoli cheddar soup. Get it, you’ll love it.

• The Spicy Southwest Chicken Sandwich. It certainly has a kick to it, but it is SO good!

• The Chipotle Chicken and Bacon Spud. It pretty much speaks for itself. All of their spuds are delish though!

• Lastly, don’t forget a cookie. They are soft and chewy and amazing!

Truly, you cannot go wrong with their menu. I can’t wait to hear what you get and what you think!! Be sure to comment what your favorite item from McAlister’s Deli is!

I wanted to share a few of our favorite shots from our beach session! We went to Orange Beach, AL in August and had the BEST time! On the third day I wanted to get some family photos taken. (I had booked these pretty much the moment our trip was booked), I figured by day 3, everyone had settled in a bit and we didn’t spend our last day fighting about getting dressed up. Believe it or not my girls have some STRONG opinions about clothes and if it is not their idea, it is often a battle.

So anywho- I booked Emily Jo Photography. She is based out of Mobile, AL but does some beautiful beach photos. I am not honestly sure how far her she travels, but I would book her again in a heartbeat. Here are some of our favorites from the session:

I liked that we did a lot of natural poses as well as some staged poses. We also did a big group photo at the end which I will cherish forever! You can never take too many photos, right?!

Is there anything better than laughing with and matching your babies?! Click the photo to shop some super cute matching (or non matching) hats!

We have lived in our home for about 2 years now! We brought a new baby home, sent our oldest off to Kindergarten (for only a short time thanks to COVID) and have made many wonderful memories in a short amount of time!

One thing we have been itching to change since we moved in are the 1990 kitchen chandeliers. Please don’t judge me for waiting 2 years to tackle this project ;) It was one of those things that kept catching the backburner, but I am SO glad we were finally able to get this done.

Here is the chandelier that hung over our island. In my opinion it did not match anything, and it was so dated. It also hung diagonally to the island which drove me crazy! Needless to say I was not a fan!

I finally found exactly what I was looking for, at LNC home. I had honestly been looking for a few months, but nothing really jumped out at me. Our house has a farmhouse vibe and I wanted to try to keep that theme throughout every room in the house. When I found LNC home, I found about 8 chandeliers I was trying to decide between! I mean they have an entire section of their website called “Farmhouse Chandeliers” so I knew I was in good hands! I ended up going with the Mason Jar Linear Pendant Light - 4 Lights. It was the perfect size for our island and it could easily hang straight across!

It brightened up my kitchen so much, I cannot believe how big of a difference it made!

My husband installed it and it honestly took about 45 minutes from start to finish. I think the hardest part of the entire thing was just holding it up- his arms kept getting tired, haha! We ended up putting a stool on top of the island so it could rest on there until we got it to the exact position we needed it to be in. Our old chandelier connected the same way, so we did not have any issues with needed to paint again or rewiring anything, so we definitely got lucky there! I am so happy with how this turned out! We are planning to tackle the lighting over our dining table next, so I will be sure to come back and update after we get that finished!

Those details!! LOVE!

They have so many beautiful options at LNC home, I cannot recommend this company enough! I will attach some clickable images so you can see some other lights that I am eyeing!

Is anyone else struggling to remember what day it is? It’s almost MAY??

Here in Kentucky, May is such an exciting month. We have so many events leading up to the first Saturday in May for DERBY! Everyone around town is always in the best mood, the weather is (typically) warming up, and the Derby Hats are on full display.

Since none of that has been taking place, I have kind of found myself in a funk, and just now realized that Mother’s Day is in less than TWO WEEKS! What?!

I added a couple of finds that can make your shopping a little easier, and budget friendly! Enjoy!

Click to shop!

Click to shop

Click to shop

Corey and I had the pleasure of attending the Wine and Food Experience in Louisville over the weekend! It was located in the Norton Commons, with the dreamiest fall weather of all time. We could not have painted a more perfect day!

Upon arriving, we were each given a lanyard with a card attached to it. It had 12 boxes on it, indicating how many drink samples we would be able to test throughout the day. We were also given a small glass to keep, which would also be used for our samples, as well as a map of where everything was located.

Corey and I love food. He is a meat and potatoes person, and I am a bit of everything! So as we made our way around, I was definitely trying it all. They had everything from Nothing Bundt Cakes, to Biscuit Belly, to Havana Rumba and everything in between. Many of which were local restaurants that I had not been able to try yet, so this was a great way to try some of the signature dish samples from some local favorites!

Now onto the drinks! Corey is not a big wine-o like I am- but there were so many options other than wine available! Titos Vodka had a tent that provided samples of an apple cider cocktail that was divine! I fell in love with a new (to me) beer called The Gadget from Urban Artifact. It is a Sour and it can be found at Total Wine! It is absolutely delicious! They also had bourbon drinks, coke products and plenty of water to go around!

This is an event Corey and I will be attending each year! We had the best time walking around trying different things that we would not normally try! Not only that, but we were able to meet some chefs from some local restaurants and speak with them about the meals they offer. It was such a unique experience and I highly recommend this event! It would make a great day-date with your spouse or a group outing with friends!