November is National Adoption Awareness Month and November 22 is National Adoption Day, which are both nice reminders of the importance of adoption and foster care, but adoption is obviously something that should happen and be celebrated year round. This week, as part of our In Real Life series where we showcase children who have products from our line of personalized baby gifts, we place the spotlight on Kim and her adorable sons, the youngest of which was recently welcomed into the family via adoption.
1. What are your kiddos’ names and ages?
Jake is 3 years old. Weston is 6 weeks old.
2. Adoption is a beautiful thing. Who did you celebrate it with?
All of our celebrations include our amazing family.
3. What are some tips or words of wisdom you’d give to families considering adoption?
The adoption process can be a roller coaster of emotions – from the time you choose adoption until the baby is in your arms. Don’t let the disappointments get you down, because you will have them. Choose to enjoy the journey and have faith that your time will come.
4. What are your favorite Petite Lemon products and why?
I love the personalized onesies and shirts!
5. What is your favorite social media platform?
I enjoy Facebook the most because it is how I engage with my family and friends from all over. We have close family in other states and I love the ability to share pictures and videos of our cute kiddos with them.
6. What is your fav blog right now?
www.heartinthehome.org. It happens to be written by my niece but I love it! I love her fun ideas on cooking, decorating and family activities.
7. What is your fave Instagram?
I follow my friends and family – they are the most important people to me.
8. Define motherhood in one word:
Sacrifice
Thank you Kim, we’re always so thrilled to hear from parents of kiddos who have our personalized baby gifts. And aren’t these shots of Jake in his Under Construction Big Brother T shirt and Weston in his coordinating little brother onesie just the sweetest?! Nothing makes us happier!
If your little one has our personalized growth charts, big sister shirts, big brother shirts, etc., we’d love to hear from you! Please email us at buzz (at) petitelemon (dot) com to be featured in an upcoming In Real Life post.
Happy 1st Birthday June!
As our fabulous Artistic Director, Hillary creates many of the designs in our line of personalized baby gifts, from big sister shirts and big brother shirts to 1st birthday shirts and décor. Her adorable daughters, Lily and June, offer lots of inspiration and are important members of the Petite Lemon family. So we thought we’d take a moment to wish June a very, very Happy 1st Birthday.
Happy birthday wishes to you June! We’ve seen you go from wearing our personalized onesies to modeling other tees in our line of personalized baby gifts and we know you’ll continue to be one of our most favorite models.
(Shown: Striped Number, Watercolor Fun, So Cute, Play Party Hat 1st birthday shirts)
Which of these Hillary designed 1st birthday shirts do you think June should wear for her party?
Welcoming a Little One Into the Family
Babble recently wrote a nice story on how parents can “trick” kids into liking the new baby. While we’re not crazy about the idea of “tricking” kids into things, as parents who have dealt with this transition, we totally get what they’re saying and appreciate the various ideas.
Of course, as designers of big brother shirts and big sister shirts, we completely agree with #3 – Get Them a Gift. We’ve used a big brother tshirt or big sister tshirt to help a new “big” get excited about welcoming a “little” and seen how helpful they can be in starting to establish a sibling bond.
(Shown: Only Child Expiring Big Brother T shirt; Something to Say Big Brother T shirt, Taped Up Big Sister Tshirt, I’ve Been Promoted To Big Sister Tshirt)
Another great idea they suggest? Read them stories about siblings. These stories not only help prepare kids, story time is another wonderful way to bond with your child. At this sometimes anxiety ridden time, reading together is perfect for a little one-on-one time.
Want to read more tips from Babble? Click here for the whole article by Lauren Hartman.
Family Birthday Movie Night
The family that celebrates together, stays together! Sounds fun too, right? If you have family members that share a birthday or have birthdays close together, why not throw a combined party that’s fun for everyone. A movie night – indoors or out – totally fits the bill!
We saw this backyard movie night party with a monogrammed “concession stand” on Project Nursery (details here) and thought it would be so sweet if all the kiddos dressed in coordinating personalized onesies, 1st birthday shirts, big sister shirts, and/or big brother shirts to show family pride. (Shown: Birthday Girl and Birthday Boy 1st Birthday Shirts; Modern Monogram and Classic Monogram personalized onesies; Playful Doodles Big Sister Tshirt and Big Brother T shirt).
For an indoor movie night party, we love this classic movie theater theme we found on Kara’s Party Ideas (details here). Choose personalized onesies, 1st birthday shirts, big sister shirts, and/or big brother shirts that complement the color scheme or movie genre, like superheroes for example. (Shown: Super Big Brother T shirt and Big Sister Tshirt; Superhero Birthday and Happy to Be 1st Birthday Shirts; Playful Hello and Chic Color personalized onesies).
Five great movies that both kids and parents love include Up, Mary Poppins, The Lion King, The Incredibles, and The Princess Bride.
Our Fave Childhood Vacation Spots
When you were little did your family go to the same place for vacation each year or was each summer a new adventure? While there are so many wonderful places to visit and explore, there’s also something comforting about returning each year to a family cabin by the lake or grandma’s house in the woods.
We took a fun walk down memory lane thinking about some of our favorite childhood vacation spots. We picked a few and paired them with the big brother shirts and big sister shirts we’ll dress our wee ones in when we take them back to our fave childhood summer haunts.
Living in the Bay Area, a day trip to play tourists in San Francisco was a must and included clam chowder at Fisherman’s Wharf followed by big ice cream sundaes in Ghiradelli Square. (Shown: Skyline Big Brother T shirt and Big Sister Tshirt)
It was camping, definitely not glamping, that we did as kids at Lake Shasta and Burney Falls in Northern California, though nowadays we may lean more towards the glamping side. (Shown: Playful Owls and Kids Play big brother shirts and big sister shirts)
Disneyland was, and still is, an all-time favorite destination that takes us to our happy place. (Shown: Charming Castle and Looks Like Me Princess big sister shirts)
Vancouver BC is a gorgeous city and to visit it as well as the World’s Fair in 1986 was an amazing experience, so we’d love to take our kids to a future one – maybe the 2015 World’s Fair in Milan, Italy. (Around the World Big Brother T shirt and Big Sister Tshirt)
We still daydream about those relaxing, sunny days spent playing in the sand and splashing in the water in Laguna Beach. (Shown: Whale of Fun Big Brother Tshirt and Big Sister Tshirt)
Where did you spend your summer vacations? Which of our big sister shirtsand big brother shirts would be perfect for your kids to wear there?
PL in Real Life: One Happy Mama
We work with some fantastic Brand Enthusiasts and are so lucky to read on their blogs how their little ones enjoy wearing our personalized onesies, big brother shirts, big sister shirts, or 1st birthday shirts or have our personalized growth charts in their rooms. Kristina from One Happy Mama (read more about her here) is one of those fab enthusiasts who recently shared on her blog what a joy it has been to have two boys close in age, in addition to an older daughter who lovingly mothers both boys.
We especially love this part of her post:
I’m so glad that they are going to have one another to get rough and tumble with (so they can wear one another out), play Ninja Turtles, take karate classes together and team up to drive their sister crazy. Ok, Caylin’s not too thrilled about that last one, but she knows it’s inevitable. Ha! 😉
(Shown: Jack in Merry Menagerie Big Brother T shirt and Luke in the Color It Up onesie)
Read more about Jack and Luke (and Caylin) at Kristina’s blog One Happy Mama.
Do you own any of our personalized baby gifts? If so, we’d love to share your kiddos’ story and photo, so please email us at buzz @ petitelemon (dot) com.
Big Sister Shirts & Big Brother Shirts Go on Vacation
Where are you and the family off to this summer? Wherever you’re going, don’t forget to bring the kids big sister shirtsand big brother shirts, as summer trips and activities offer a perfect opportunity for the wee ones to wear their sibling tees with pride.
Want some inspiration? Here are three perfect ideas:
Family reunion – what better place to show off a big sister tshirt or big brother t shirt than a family reunion!? Of course it won’t stop Aunt Bertha from giving them unexpected cheek pinches or yucky kisses, but it will let everyone else know who they’re related to. (Shown: Stitched Style Big Brother T shirt & Big Sister Tshirt)
Sibling’s Birthday party – while wee ones are wearing their 1st birthday shirts, older kids can let everyone know they’re proud to be the guest of honor’s older sib by wearing a big sister tshirt or big brother t shirt. (Shown: Taped Up Big Brother T shirt and Big Sister Tshirt)
Family Photo Shoot – on the beach, in the woods, or even in your own backyard, gather the family together while everyone is relaxed and happy for a fun photo shoot. Dress the kiddos in big brother shirts or big sister shirts with matching little sibling personalized onesies or tees. (Shown: Over the Rainbow Big Sister Tshirt and Little Sister Tshirt; Under Construction Big Brother T shirt and Little Brother onesie)
Whatever you choose to do this summer, be safe and have fun!!
Parents Magazine’s Name Trends of 2014 – Part 2
Parents Magazine’s Name Trends of 2014 – Part 2
Yesterday we shared four of Parents Magazine’s nine biggest baby name trends of 2014 using our big sister and big brother shirts and today we’re featuring the remaining five trends using a mix of our personalized baby gifts.>
Mythical Names
Examples:Atlas and Aries for boys; Freya, Phoenix, and Athena for girls (Shown: Tweet Tweet and Playful Owls big sister shirts)
Posh Names
Examples:Diamond, Cash, Royal, Chanel, Armani, Princess, Legend, Crystal, and Pearl. (Shown: Looks Like Me Princess and Charming Castle big sister shirts)
Moody Names
Examples:Serenity, Mercy, Justice, and Hope (Shown: Chic Style Big Sister Tshirt)
Presidential Names
Examples:Nixon, Lincoln, Kennedy, Reagan, and Jackson. (Shown: Future President and Stamped Delight personalized onesies)
Ever Names – Forever
Examples:Everly (or Everleigh) for girls; Everett for boys. (Shown: I LOVE You Pick tshirt)
What do you think of these trends, are they inspiring or do you prefer to stick with the classics?
Parents Magazine’s Name Trends of 2014 – Part 1
As creators of personalized baby gifts, we’re pretty fascinated with names. We’ve seen all kinds of different names and spellings, and not much really surprises us any more (ok, North West was a bit unexpected!). We can gauge some trends based on orders of our personalized baby gifts, but we still look forward to hearing from our always reliable parenting sources about what the newest trends are.
Parents Magazine recently offered a list of the nine biggest baby name trends for 2014 and we used our collection of personalized baby gifts to give you a little visual inspiration too, because sometimes seeing a name in writing can solidify a decision, especially one as important as your baby’s name.
Here are the first four trends using big brother shirts and big sister shirts.
Nature Names for Girls
Examples: Azalea, Dahlia, Magnolia, Saige, Juniper, Wren and River (shown: Sunny Flower, Blooms, and Flower Power big sister shirts)
Off The Beaten Path Place Names
Examples:Ireland, India, and Dallas for girls; Milan, Jericho, and Memphis for boys (Shown: Around the World Big Brother T shirt and Big Sister Tshirt)
Creative Spellings
Examples: Jurnee, Jayceon, Wynter, Jakobe, Jaxon, and Paislee. (Shown: Stitched Style Big Brother T shirt; Only Child Expiring Big Sister Tshirt; Patterned Delight Big Brother T shirt; Playful Doodles ; Colorful Big Brother T shirt; Stamped Style Big Sister Tshirt)
“C” Names for Boys
Stay tuned tomorrow for the rest of the trends.Examples:Cameron, Camden, Caleb, Cooper, and Carter. (Shown: Super Big Brother T shirt)
Personalized Baby Gifts: Designer Picks
If you’re on the hunt for some personalized baby gifts, we’re always happy to help! And today we’re offering some ideas for personalized onesies which were created by our awesome Creative Director Hillary, with a dose of design inspiration and mommyhood reality thrown in.
In general, where do you find design inspiration?
I find design inspiration everywhere….cereal boxes, magazines, Children’s books, hiking in the mountains, television commercials, blogs, Pinterest, Target, clothing…. I love looking at the world around me. I have 2 little girls and they have taught me to look at things at a different angle…which is fun and gives me a new perspective as well.
You designed the Charming Hello, Modern Name, and Playful Hello personalized onesies. What was your inspiration for each design or what do you like most about it?
Charming Hello: This chalk trend is everywhere. I love putting my own twist on a fun trend.
Modern name: This design was a lot of fun to create. I love that it reads vertically and has a lot of impact.
Playful Hello: I LOVE the hand lettering here. This design is so simple, but has so much personality.
What’s a typical day like, how do you juggle designing, finding inspiration, and being a parent?
There is no typical day. Every day is an adventure….balancing/juggling work/life I am still trying to master this. I have a 3 year old girl, 9 month old girl, Chihuahua and a husband with an online shop. We have a nanny come in during the week so we can get our work done and our kids don’t just watch TV and eat cheerios all day long.
What ideas/designs/fonts are you working on developing now?
We are just finishing up our Christmas Card collection for Shutterfly. It’s always interesting to be working on Christmas cards not during the holiday season.
Thanks Hill! We know you’re a busy working mama, so we’ll let you get back to designing more adorable personalized baby gifts now.