July 09, 2021

Friday Recap

July 09, 2021/ Kendra Atkins

Phew! What a week we had over here. It was full of so many highs and lows. We had so much lead up to Andrew’s brothers wedding. It had been postponed a year and we were all ready for it to be here! Also we all were in the wedding including the kids so I was a little stressed the week prior. The actual wedding was so amazing. We danced all night long and really had the greatest time. But then the day after the wedding we heard from our beloved nanny of almost a year, that she had to move on to a new opportunity. I never share much about her, out of respect for her privacy, but she really has been such a huge part of our lives this past year. She came into our home shortly after Owen turned 1 and the girls were 3. Our life seemed all out of sorts at the time. I was behind with work projects, not the most patient or present mom and just felt like I was drowning. I knew I had to give up some control and not do it all on my own, because clearly it wasn’t working.

She came into our home like a real life Mary Poppins. She loved our kids like they were her own and helped me to BREATH. Heck she inspired me to be a better mom with how great the house would look when she’d leave at the kids nap time! I was trying to figure out why I was so so sad when I heard the news from her, because I knew this day would come eventually and I’ve realized why it is. At the time she came into our lives I felt so frazzled and behind on everything, like I couldn’t keep up. And so hearing that she was leaving made me fear that I’ll go back to that place again. But I know now that we are all better than we were back then.

I say all of this because I’m the one to never ask for help. I always try to do it all on my own, but let me tell you, asking for a little help clearly can go a long way. People are brought into our lives for a reason and purpose. God put her here to help me when I needed it most and we will always hold a special place in our hearts for Miss L.

Below I put this weeks videos along with top links of the week! Have a wonderful weekend friends!

March 22, 2021

Easter Basket Ideas for Kids

March 22, 2021/ Kendra Atkins

Okay can I start by saying I know I went overboard. I really even tried to reign it in and of course here we are! My way of rationalizing is since we don’t really ever buy them new toys, holidays are the one time when they get a little something special. I also just love easter so much. Always have, since I was a kid. My mom would always have scavenger hunts to find our baskets in the morning before church. Also I’ve realized gifts are my love language (how I show my love). I’ve always been one to send cards, care packages or treats to friends and family as a way of showing I’m thinking of them. I think it’s because I’m no the greatest at showing my love verbally, so to me, this is the equivalent. Is anyone else like that? But honestly, I could have just done some chalk, a bunny and chocolates and the kids would have been more than happy!!

December 16, 2020

Our Girls are FOUR!

December 16, 2020/ Kendra Atkins

Happy Birthday June and Violet! How are you both 4 years old? You have filled my life with so much joy and love and I’m so grateful the two of you made me a mom. I will never forget the day I found out there were TWO of you inside my tummy. I was filled with a rush of nerves and panic. Now there would be two of everything, a high risk pregnancy with way more to think about and plan for, and my once carefully planned out pregnancy now terrified me. I remember your dad being so excited and happy, and I just felt paralyzed in fear. I think it took me a solid week to come to terms with what was happening. I did a lot of researching and reading about what to expect and ways I could prepare. But the crazy thing is nothing can really prepare you for twins. You have to just be thrown into it and just go with the flow. I have learned that life goes much smoother when you expect things to not go according to plan.

September 21, 2020

A Week in our Life: Parents in Town!

September 21, 2020/ Kendra Atkins

I hope you all had a great weekend! My parents came into town last Monday night and stayed until Saturday. We had so much fun with them, and the girls cannot stop asking when they will be coming back. They were so emotional about it broke my heart. I’m not a really emotional person, and now have two highly emotional girls so it’s all new to me! :) It’s so sweet seeing how pure their little hearts are. They really love big.

I prepped a lot of work before they came into town so I could be more present when they were here and I also stayed off social media most of the week and it was kinda nice! Sometimes you need to disconnect in order to connect!

July 13, 2020

12 MONTH UPDATE

July 13, 2020/ Kendra Atkins

Well here we are! I now have a 1 year old! Honestly it’s so bizarre because I feel like Owen is still 6 months old. Maybe it’s the bald head?? And seeing Owen grow out of the baby stage and looking more toddler-like, makes my girls look SO much older! Why does this all have to happen so quickly?

Today I wanted to give a 12 month update of Owie and talk about his first year of life. I hope you enjoy today’s video! And seriously, thank you all for following along this past year. What a year it’s been.

September 12, 2019

What It's Like Having 1 Baby After Twins

September 12, 2019/ Kendra Atkins

I’ve been wanting to write a post like this for a while now! Comparing what is has been like having one baby after having twins. I know a lot you have twins and have been on the fence having a third. 1. I know you are all afraid of having twins again. If you have fraternal twins then your odds are a lot higher having a second set than if you have identical twins. Our girls are identical so I knew there was still a change to have another set but I knew I wanted more kids so I was willing to have 4 if that’s what was in the cards for us! And 2. You have PTSD after having twins and don’t want to go through it again. Kidding. Kind of. Having twins in the newborn stage is really stressful, it’s constant and just a lot to manage. So I know a lot of you are just not wanting to have to go through it all over again.

May 21, 2019

Summer Bucket List with Reef X Zappos

May 21, 2019/ Kendra Atkins

It’s almost summer! Living in Southern California practically my whole life has made me love summers. Yes it can get pretty hot, but the sunshine does good things for the soul! We have actually had a ton of rain this year so whenever it’s sunny out, I take the girls outside and we just enjoy it. We love driving to the beach, the river or swimming in our backyard. And seeing how much these two little girls love to be outside makes me appreciate it that much more. Today I wanted to share some things on my summer bucket list with you! We will have a newborn baby so it will be very interesting but I’m going to stay optimistic! And I’ll be sharing why Reef sandals from Zappos fit in perfectly with our family during the summertime!

April 04, 2019

Life Lately with Toddlers

April 04, 2019/ Kendra Atkins

Hey guys, I hope you are all doing great! Today I wanted to fill you in on what’s going on in the Atkins household. A lot has changed with the girls, I’m now in my third trimester of this pregnancy and I thought we could just chat! I’m actually typing this in the air as we speak. I’m heading to Miami, believe it or not, on a work trip. I can’t talk about details yet, but you’ll find out soon enough! One of my good friends, Summer, is joining me since I’m pretty far along in my pregnancy. I didn’t feel comfortable traveling across the country alone so she is with me for moral support! I am going to do a post soon on traveling while pregnant and traveling without your kids. I’ve had a lot of questions asking how I feel leaving the girls and what-not, so I’ll have a post on that soon.

March 12, 2019

Similarities and Differences between my Twin vs Singleton Pregnancy

March 12, 2019/ Kendra Atkins

What is the difference between your twin pregnancy and this pregnancy?

That is the most common question I get asked these days so I decided to write a full post on what has been the same and what has been different. Sometimes it feels like I was just pregnant and then other days that time in my life feels forever ago. I even started watching some of my old pregnancy updates to compare the two and also see how big I was at different times. Now, I’m not quite in my third trimester yet, almost, but here is what I’ve realized about the two pregnancies up until this point. *And after finishing this post I am seeing how different they have been! I have been telling most people they have actually been a lot alike but now I’m realizing they have been pretty different.

January 21, 2019

Toddlers and Sleep

January 21, 2019/ Kendra Atkins

I wanted to talk about sleep because it’s something I care A LOT about. I take naptime and bedtime pretty seriously for a few reasons. 1. The girls are in a much better mood when they get good sleep, it’s good for their development and physical growth. 2. It’s my time to get stuff done! But for reals, I really do count on their naps to film and edit videos and just get the important things done that need all my focus.