Our Favorite Little Shoes

We recently interviewed Melanie of Starry Knight Design....and today we are showcasing Ezra & Stella in her handmade [MADE IN MONTANA] soft soled moccasins that we absolutely adore.

I [Kelli] met Melanie at our local Farmers Market this summer. I had previously purchased two [of the same style] shoes that she had made so it was awesome to meet her in person. The shoes that Ezra wore [and wore out] the most this summer were her Bison shoes. Oh my! Can we say adorable?!? Ezra loved them and we got stopped weekly by admirers. Im a huge fan of Melanie's work. I also love that these are handmade by a passionate momma, who has a built a business to contribute to her family financially. So awesome!

 

For our blog readers and Instagram followers...we have a limited time DISCOUNT CODE for you to use. Now through November 14th use this code for 10% off your purchase in her Etsy shop! Believe me.....you wont regret it! Her prices are so great too! It's a win-win. Be sure and use KANDV10 before you check out!

Need help with sizing information?! You can always email Melanie directly through Etsy if you have questions- she's awesome and so helpful!

/// Starry Knight Design creating unique leather soft-soled shoes since 2008, for tiny babies up to big kids. Made from re-purposed leather and vibrant custom dyed suede. Elastic sewn in backs of the shoes to keep them on squirmy feet without being restrictive. 40+ Fun, bright colored designs for every style. Starry Knight Design soft soled shoes stay on when babies start crawling; wonderful for feet and balance when they start walking; and perfect house slippers for bigger kids. Great leather soft-soled shoes for every child! 

Starry Knight Design uses re-purposed leather and custom dyed suede pieces to create a variety of colors and textures on the soft-soled shoes. All designs are hand-cut for an original look on every pair. Patterns for the leather shoes are and designed and custom cut in my studio by me . My studio is solar powered, and runs my industrial leather machine. All of my products are made exclusively by me with love and care.

Praying for my kids | The most important conversations of my life

Lately I've been reading about praying scripture intentionally over your children & how it can bring fresh perspective & power along with it. My hope in sharing is that it encourages your soul as much as it has mine ...

Jesus has promised that every prayer of a God-seeking person would be answered. "Everyone who asks receives." [Matt. 7:8] So, how good to know that when we as parents pray for our children, that we can be certain our petitions are always received & responded to! The Bible is a ready-made prayer book, so whenever we speak to God with the words of God, we move closer to the type of vital, effective prayer life we long for. And my heart longs for this ... !


With children who need to be prayed over daily ... sometimes hourly, it's vital for me to speak God's word when I lift them in prayer. My mediocre prayers just don't cut it for my children who I so passionately love! Praying the actual Word of God has helped me pray with confidence & expectancy.


It's me moving away from the "Lord, keep Noah safe today" prayer to the "Lord, You've promised to content fiercely with every circumstance for Noah's life [Isa. 49:25-26]. You have commanded Your angels to guard him [Ps 91:11]. Be Noah's champion today, as you've promised [Isa. 43:5-7]."

YES. YES. YES.

We don't pray to accomplish our parental goals; we pray to grow in wisdom, to recover ... & we pray to give thanks. We pray to stand in the gap & plead before God on behalf of our children - they NEED us to do so! Our concerns can make us so focused on getting God's help with our parenting tasks that we overlook the fact that He has also asked for our help. He has invited us to make a difference! Listen, I can not tell you how encouraged & blessed I have been by the book "Praying the Bible for Your Children" [Kopp] ... I highly recommend it.

Kopp states, "being a parent makes praying feel as necessary as breathing." YES.

My hope is that my prayer life, along with yours, will become our own heart-felt expressions & encourage us as moms to go deeper in the most important conversations of our lives! 

Oh how I LOVE this growing boy of mine ... thank you Jesus for such a GIFT. xo

Kelli Trontel x Boba Family

One product that is always on me or in our car......the BOBA carrier. 

I purchased the 3G Boba Carrier earlier this summer [from a recommendation from a friend] and instantly became a HUGE fan. When Vanessa and I had the opportunity to partner with BOBA- this was a no brainer for me! I immediately got super excited to try out a new product and give my review. Vanessa just blogged her review of the 3G here.......and today, I am blogging about the BOBA AIR.

This carrier is super lightweight and the material is thin....think Jansport backpack. I love that this carrier rolls up into it's own bag.....this thing contains itself, which is perfect for the on-the-go mom! I also love that all the tightening straps [shoulders, chest and waist] roll up to eliminate having any dangly fabric. The design and craftsmanship is thought out and very well executed. I really love this color blue too!

I've been on long hikes, walks around the lake and have pulled long hours at our shop with baby in tow. What I truly love the most about the BOBA carriers [both the 3G and Air] is how comfortable they are. This is a huge plus for me.....as I love being able to wear Ezra [all 27 pounds of him] and have him part of my everyday, without sacrificing my back.

Here are a few images from an evening at the lake....and how I wear the BOBA AIR.

VANESSA WARREN X BOBA FAMILY

Recently, Kelli & I partnered with Boba ... a company whose very well known for their baby carriers & wraps ... to style + photograph + try the carriers for ourselves. First of all, I can not even begin to tell you how many carriers I have tried ... in fact, let's not even talk about it. Seriously, I think it's every carrier on the market! Either Stella didn't like it or it murdered my back. I honestly had let go of the very dreamy idea of carrying her around hands free. But then, Boba shows up on my radar ... & can I just tell you - IT IS AWESOME!!!! Stella still enjoys being carried in the front & being that she's 20+ lbs, that's a lot of weight in front of me. My back would typically begin burning from pain w/ any other carrier, but the SUPPORT I receive from the Boba carrier is life changing friends. I could carry her around for hours & not be phased - so needless to say, Stella & I are both oh-so-happy!

One evening, we took Stella downtown to enjoy a little park date & had the BEST time. Walking around downtown stroller/hands free is a dream! She is able to enjoy the scenery & I manage to go w/o a bag since there are TWO POCKETS on different parts of the carrier. I'm able to hold my keys, cards & iphone all inside the carrier ... genius idea! And since we were at the park, I decided to let Stella out of the carrier to walk around for a bit. And rather than letting the carrier just dangle down in front of me, I snapped the arm shoulders around my waist & it worked out perfectly! I was able to explore the area with her, while still holding onto the carrier [& my personal belongings] hassle free. Awesome.

I can't think of anything else to say about the Boba carrier except that you need one. And you needed it yesterday. ;) It's greatness, a game changer & all around a wonderfully constructed carrier that I'm so grateful to have.

 boba carrier - a must!

NEW BATH PRODUCTS BY ADEN + ANAIS, by Vanessa

Before bringing home a fresh little newborn, we create "the list" ... the endless, very important list of items we need for that precious babe. While the list can get extensive, there are major essentials you can not go without: crib, diapers, bottles, swaddles & bath products. As with many moms, my swaddle of choice is aden + anais. It's a dependable brand with outstanding products! Your baby needs them in their life, trust me.

I'm thrilled to share that we've recently partnered with aden + anais to photograph + style + try their new bath line - mum+bub. Good news, friends - this can now go on your essentials list ... it's a must have! The bath products are a naturally-derived, pawpaw fruit infused skin care collection for baby & mom. The products have a fresh, spa-like scent to them ... most definitely a treat for you + baby!

The hair + body wash is extremely gentle on Stella's skin & hair. Stella has fine hair, so I'm always on the look out for products that leave her hair feeling soft ... this is it. Love it! The ultra-gentle lotion is just that - extremely gentle ... it's the *perfect texture. An added bonus is that after I use it, I don't feel the need to rinse my hands ... it actually leaves them feeling very smooth.

Now, let's chat about the new soothing ointment. Honestly, at first I figured it was a thicker version of the lotion. Oh, was I wrong! Not only does it work wonders on a diaper rash, it also helps minor cuts, insect bites, chapped lips & chafed/cracked skin. OH MY! It's a little miracle bottled up in a jar.

Stella & I also tried the hooded towel + washcloth sets. As with the swaddles, everything aden + anais creates is, as they say, made for baby ... perfect! The terry towel will last for years & the washcloths are 100% cotton muslin which means it's extremely gentle on Stella's skin. Not only are the washcloths generous in size, Stella loves the adorable little print on the cloth! 

Overall, I'm just over the moon thrilled about these new products & I hope you get to try some out for yourself ... your baby will be soooo extremely happy that you did!

Bath time with my little Stella Love is just that much sweeter now! Love these little baby days ... soaking them up as best I can!

Vanessa XO