Meet my BFF (and yours too)

You know you've got that person...the one who isn't technically related to you, but it would be wrong to think of them as anything other than family. The one who makes you laugh until you cry and cry until you laugh. The one who has seen you through everything....and I mean evvvvvverything. Here's mine:

Meet my BFF, Leah. Leah and I have been friends for 20 years this year. TWENTY YEARS. If that doesn't make me start to feel old, I don't know what will. Not only have we been friends that long, but, besties if you will. Sure, we've been through our ups and downs, we've had a few weeks of not talking here and there, and maybe even a full out legit wrestling/hair pulling match thrown in there once or twice (I promise you I'm referring to our MUCH younger days), but we've always made it through alive, and better for it:)

 

(Tweety Bird was our jam back in these days)

Leah and I have done so much together. It started out when we were both in that fabulous awkward stage, you know, the one where you're experimenting with your style and getting braces and glasses that are huge & purple and trying to find your way. Yeah, that one. We both went to a really small church where we were really the only two our age, so we kind of magnetized towards each other and figured we better make this work. And I'm so glad for that! It was definitely the beginning to a lonnnnnnnng, crazy, amazing adventure.We had sleepovers, we traveled, we experienced highschool, we were cheerleaders, went on double dates, got sent to the principles office together, went to the prom together. We have even traveled to Guatemala and climbed an active volcano together. We've done a lot of things, but most importantly we've done life together. She came over for dinner pretty much weekly, and we giggled the entire way through dinner until my parents excused us from the table. We listened to our favorite song and made horrifically embarrassing music videos. She was in the NICU days after my girls were born. I saw both of her sons in the hospital right after being born and cried like a little girl. She and my sister so willingly helped me go to the bathroom on my wedding day because my dress was huge and you know, bathroom trips are always better with your friends.

(highschool graduation day, we had a joint party, obvi)

 Leah has taught me so much about friendship and what it means to be loyal. She is ALWAYS there. Like always always. I know for a fact that no matter what circumstances may come our way, we will always be friends. You know what else is funny? Leah and I are like oil & water. We are TOTALLY opposite. She says tomato, I say tomato (just say it out loud, you know what I mean). There are very few things that mesh as far as our interests/styles/likes go, besides food ofcourse. We can both agree that food is great. But one thing I know for certain is that our differences have made us better, because we have been able to encourage each other and "balance eachother out" in the areas we need growth. Another plus is that our husbands are JUST LIKE US! And by that I mean her husband is just like me, and mine is JUST like her. Kind of a plus when you're trying to understand you're spouse better :)

 (roughing it with the other necessity to our bestie crowd, my 

awesome sister. Clearly in order to go camping you need various neon bandannas) 

In going through all of the amazing photo gems you're getting the privelege to see, I found a few little "notes" from middle school and highschool. I spent the afternoon laughing and shedding a few tears over these notes, thinking how blessed I am to have a friend like this for so long. The notes were hysterical really, like who was a good kisser in 9th grade. I figured I'd spare you all from the scandalous things that were shared between us ;) 

No matter what, this chick will always be my bestie. One thing we are both loving lately is that the DRESS UP headband from the mini Valentine's Collection. This headband is uh-ma-zing, and it's what I like to refer to as the BFF of headbands. Its simple, versatile, sparkly, and EASY. She likes pink and I like gold, and guess what? There's a PINK one AND a GOLD one! She has a pixie cut and I have long hair, but guess what?! It looks equally as adorable on both! No matter what, I don't think any girl can turn down a little bling every now and then. As of Wednesday, I had sold out of both the pink and the gold, but as of today, I have RESTOCKED and have only a few in my shop in both colors! For $12 a pop, you can't really go wrong. And today ONLY, use code FREESHIPPING on any purchase in my shop for free domestic shipping on any order!

Now go grab one for you & that bestie of yours, and take bestie selfies. 

HAPPY FRIDAY!

(PS-the winner from last week's giveaway was chosen-please check the comments under that post and if you won, email me at twosparrowsheadbands@gmail.com)

Sunday's Best (Giveaway)

Let's be honest here. I love getting dressed up. But what I love even more most of the time is a quick way to look like I got all dressed up without all the effort. When I get ready for church on Sunday, I like to look feminine & put together, but a little more subtle. I also love when I can pull together a look quickly, with minimal effort, because anyone with little ones knows that getting yourself & your littles to church every week dressed, prepared, and ON TIME is not for the faint of heart. (Please tell me I'm not alone here). Hair accessories are a fab way to pull an outfit together and make it look polished without being over the top. This past week I pulled out one of my very fav's from the Winter ONEderland Collection, the Sunday's Best Headband. This is one of my favorites because the rhinestone trim makes it super glam & girly, but it's raw, frayed edges make it look a little more antique & worn in too. It lays flat against your head so it gives just the perfect pop of something without being a huge attention-getter.

I paired this sweet thang with a pair of white & gold chandelier earrings from Forever 21, rose colored lace dress from Marshalls, white tights and some classic beige platform pumps. So, there you have it! Easy, put together, and feminine. Side note...as seen in the photos, my bangs are currently confused as to whether they are side bangs or straight bangs. They've been scolding me for a while now, and I just can't seem to take the plunge yet either way. Going back and forth deciding what's happening next with my hair, and the clock is ticking quickly before my eyes start to disappear :) 

So the fun part of all this-I'm giving away one of these amazing Sunday's Best headbands to one pretty winner! Here's what you have to do to enter:

1.Follow me on instagram @twosparrowsheadbands (or go click the little instagram button under our family photo on the top right)

2.Like Two Sparrows on Facebook 

3. Leave a comment below and tell me YOUR best tip for looking put together quickly. Also, if you would be so kind to vote on side bangs, straight bangs, or grow the bangs, it would be appreciated. Please and thanks :) 

You have ONE WEEK to enter and the winner will be immediately contacted by me. Happy Wednesday!

xoxo 

TS Holiday Wear

This holiday season went fast. I seem to say that every year, but for some reason can never seem to find a way to make it linger just a little bit longer. I had so many hopes and goals and "to do" lists for how I was going to get everything done, and then I blinked and it was all over. Our family decided to put into place a few priority changes for next year on how we are going to better our time with each other and our loved ones, and really celebrate Christ's birth. Realizing how important that is now more than ever with kids, and how much quicker it seems to pass you by.

One of the tiny and not so important (but fun) things that I did feel prepared about was having a hair accessory for almost every party/holiday occasion I had to go to. As stated, although this doesn't weigh in as a "must" for the holidays, it is pretty fun to have a little something extra to make your outfit pop. I knew I'd have my hubby's fancy work function, a plaid party, Christmas Eve service at church, New Years, a Two Sparrows employee party;), and Christmas Day where I'd want to add a little fun to my hair. Here's a peek into each one of my holiday events and a few ways that I incorporated my hair accessories...

Two Sparrows "Employee Party"
 

(wearing the Snowflake Tie Back & Holiday Bouquet Hair Comb both from Winter ONEderland Collection) 

I'm snickering as I write "employee party" because this affair consisted of a whopping 2 people. Although Two Sparrows currently only consists of myself and my genius photographer sister, we take this term VERY seriously and our celebrations must reflect this:) My sister has done nothing but graciously assist me in growing my business and adding an element of professionalism that I couldn't do on my own. We decided on a "progressive" style evening, where we'd go somewhere for dinner, and somewhere else for dessert. We are old, so we didn't last too much past 11pm. Even though we live close by to each other, it's rare that we get a night out just the two of us without the kiddos in tow. We ate too much sushi, wore matching "YOLO" bracelets, and acted far less mature than we should have. Just the kind of evening these sisters like.

Fancy Schmancy NYC Shindig

      

(Wearing the Candycane Lane & the Cameo Headband, both from Winter ONEderland Collection)

This might be my all time FAVORITE part of the whole year. Ok, maybe top 5. But super close to the top. My hubs works for a great company, and every year they have a ridiculously beautiful event in NYC to celebrate the year's end. It typically involves a little weekend getaway in a fancy hotel, a great party on the 30349502th floor somewhere with a beautiful view, and us cramming in all of our favorite places to eat in NYC while we're there. I had ordered a gorgeous gold sequin dress for this party, to coordinate with my Candy Cane Lane Hair Comb, and long story short, it didn't come in time. So I spent the day of the party frantically walking around NYC and looking for something just as sparkly and fabulous, and came across a dress that I fell in love with. And super bonus: it paired perfectly with my hair comb! I wanted a chic, Audrey Hepburn-esq look, and rocked the top knot with the comb tucked into the base of the bun. I also wore the Cameo Headband at several points during our little getaway.

Plaid Party

(Wearing a simple custom gold bow, pretty preggo is wearing a custom sequin headband)

One of my very dearest friends, who also happens to be the best hostess, tried and true Two Sparrows model, and cutest soon-to-be-mama, had the fun idea to have a plaid party a few weeks before Christmas. Who doesn't love plaid? And parties? I already had a lot going on with this sequin accented plaid shirt (from Target), pearls and gold vintage earrings, so I didn't want to overdo it with something big. I threw my hair in a simple side pony, and popped in one of the chick's gold mini bows to finish off the look.

Christmas Eve

(the tradition of over the top/humiliating props is becoming ever present in each of my family's holiday gatherings)

(Wearing a custom hair comb, girls wearing custom gold velvet headbands)

I love my sweats. And black yoga pants. And men's fitted wife beaters. And oversized sweatshirts. All staple pieces of clothing in my opinion. But when stay at home mom wear isn't appropriate, I do love to get a little fancy. Found this dress from Forever 21 for under $30, and the gorgeous vintage inspired necklace from Molly Suzanne during her supersale for only $12! (if you haven't checked her site out yet, go now, I'm obsessed!). I did a little custom action for myself and created a hair comb to coordinate with my jewelry and dress, and popped in some super simple pearl earrings. I made these custom headbands for the chicks out of one of my very favorite fabrics for this collection-the softest, gold velvet stretch, and added some rhinestone pops in the center of the bows.

Christmas Day

(I'm wearing the Cameo Headband and the girls are wearing mini bow headbands both from the Winter ONEderland Collection)

I practically lived in this Cameo headband! It was the best subtle & chic piece for evvvverything. Christmas Day I wore it with a comfy polka dot sweater & jeans and the chicks each wore one of my favorite mini bow headbands with these gold polka dot shirts I scored at Old Navy's clearance rack for next to nothing. Score!

 New Years

(wearing Silver Bells hair comb from the Winter ONEderland Collection)

Typically for New Years, the hubs & I stay in, make excessive amounts of appetizers & desserts, and I fall asleep before the ball drops. And yes, we did this even before we had kids. What can I say, we're not very high maintenance as far as fun goes :)  But on the flip side, we love to get away from the normal and pretend to be a little high maintenance at times. This year we had the privilege to go to one of our VERY favorite and special places, and enjoy some ridiculous food and beautiful scenery. I kept it pretty low key for new years eve and wore the same dress I did for hub's Christmas party, and then new Year's Day I wore a favorite sweater, dark jeans, and this hair comb in my hair.

So, there you have it ladies! I hope you all rocked a little Two Sparrows during the holiday's like I did, and as always I'd love to see how you styled different pieces into your outfits. If you have instagram, follow us @twosparrowsheadbands and tag #twosparrows #howiworeit.

Happy Wednesday!

two

Oh hi! Remember me? It’s only been approximately 1.5 years since my last post ;) (and no I'm not being dramatic). So many times I have sat down and tried to come up with some type of update, or thank you, or anything really, just to give an update of where we’re at now.  But every time, I just couldn’t seem to get the “right” words out or to express my gratitude to all of you. The reason I started this blog was to update family & friends regarding our sweet baby girls’ health status during my scary pregnancy with them, and what was a little way of keeping people updated became a HUGE chain of prayers and blessings and kind words & actions from SO many people. If you were one of those people, we can’t thank you enough. If you are just following along and have a minute, please take a peek at our story starting here: http://morethansparrow.blogspot.com/2011/11/i-decided-to-start-blog-about-our.html (it's a long read, but it's the beginning of our journey as our little family of four, and a true example of the faithfulness of the Lord.) 

I still sit here overwhelmed by all the Lord has done in the two very short, but very incredible years that the Lord has given us with our twin girls. I’m overwhelmed by gratefulness. Gratefulness for the chaos. The sleepless nights. The when one gets sick, they both get sick. The messes. The question “Are they twins?” The giggles. The time outs. The crayon on the wall. The two of everything. The cuddles. The new phases. The new words. The lessons. I’m grateful for all of this because it means they’re here, in our arms, and in our lives. We can hold them, smell them, kiss them, love them. Oh, how my heart is grateful. For so long we wondered and waited and watched. The ultrasounds we saw and the scary things we heard and the heartache we felt. And they’re here. And I’m grateful. 

 I know life isn’t promised to us, and that our days are numbered. And none of us know the number of our own days except for our Creator. But for today, with our babies, we are grateful.

They’re two years old today.

What did I say?

My babies are TWO years old today. 

We have TWO babies. And today they’re TWO years old. Jesus, thank you. 

Today we celebrate their life, and the life that the Lord decided to give them. Despite what the doctors said, despite what the odds said, JESUS said otherwise. And for THAT, I’m grateful. 

This weekend we got to celebrate Henley & Eden’s life with our families. Although not everyone was there that we would have hoped could be, it was cozy and happy and full of wonderful. They ate cake, Henley face first and Eden very lady like. They ran with balloons, back and forth, Henley saying “bayoon”, Eden saying something no one could really comprehend but we all laughed because no one could comprehend it. They snuggled with grandmas. They put pretend makeup on grandpas. They called everyone by name. They did FaceTime with Titi & Uncle Mark who couldn't be there. They shared with their cousin. They sang songs with their auntie. They played toys with their uncle. It was perfect. 

Today, we celebrate two. Two babies, two miracles, two years. To my girls, you are the best, most challenging, most rewarding, most beautiful, most snuggly, best smelling, funniest, most memorable gifts that have ever been given to your dad and I. Happy 2nd Birthday, Eden & Henley! HOORAY! 

(all photos courtesy of talented auntie, nancy noble photography)

Eden & Henley

Four Months Old

The only semi-decent picture before meltdown of the century went down in the Hoerl house. Seconds before they both started screaming, I spilled an entire bottle all over the floor, and found a cat hair in Eden's bottle as she was drinking out of it (disgusting.). Hi, welcome to having twins. :)

Eden

9 pounds

Our little "Bean"

Loves to smile, especially when waking up in the morning

Henley

We affectionately call her "The Sleeping Dragon" (Ever heard people say to never wake a sleeping baby? Well, don't.)

10 pounds

Smiles and "talks", she will definitely be the one in need of constant communication :)

(thank you Leah Spina Photography for these two gorgeous shots, we love you:))

It's been four months to the day that we brought our precious chicks home from the hospital. In our wildest dreams, we never expected to be here today. Jordan and I got married over four years ago, and had many conversations about kids and always said, "It would be so fun to have twins". Little did we know the Lord was in on that conversation too and that's exactly what He had planned for us. One baby is a blessing, but TWO?! I remember vividly the first ultrasound we had. I was 12 weeks along, and had mentioned to a few friends and family members that I thought I was having twins. No one took me seriously ofcourse, and I'm not sure if I even took myself seriously. I remember praying in my car on my way to the doctor's office about a few things, and praying specifically that we would be having twins. Jordan and I sat in the waiting room, for what seemed like forever, especially considering I drank approximately a gallon of water prior to the ultrasound (tip to new moms: when they tell you to drink this much before an ultrasound, drink HALF. You will thank me later) so that the tech could see the babies clearly. I was SO uncomfortable and almost in tears, and as soon as they called my name I remember telling the nurse we had to do this NOW because I wasn't going to make it :) I laid down on the table, held Jordan's hand, and we watched the screen with anticipation. One small blob popped up on the screen, then another one popped up on the screen. Being fairly new to the ultrasound experience, neither Jordan or I really knew for sure that the tech had just showed us our two babies. After talking about it later, we realized that we both thought it was a little fishy, and wondered if by chance it could have been twins...but no way....really? After about five minutes, the tech said, "Yup, there's two in there". Jordan just about passed out on the floor and I burst out crying tears of joy. That moment was the beginning of what we knew to be our journey with our two precious babies. We had no idea what the months ahead were going to hold, but we knew the Lord wanted us to have these two babies. HE picked us! Looking back on that day seems so far back, and I can hardly believe they are four months old.

I can remember shortly after we realized the health concerns the girls were facing, one of many times that I broke down in fear and pleaded to the Lord to save my girls lives. I was crumpled up like a ball on my kitchen floor sobbing, begging the Lord to give them every thing they needed to survive. Asking him to spare their lives, and give us mercy.

It brings tears to my eyes still to remember these events in our lives and how God has carried us through what was the biggest challenge of our lives so far. And let me tell you, He definitely asked us to increase our faith in Him, and not only for that time, but for now. Twins are AMAZING, wonderful, fun, exciting, busy and such a blessing. But WOW are they challenging! I look back on all of these events and can't help but think that the Lord was using those things to grow us in patience and faith and to grow our marriage stronger so that we could have a stronger foundation for raising our girls...because we would need it. Have we been through some rocky spots since the girls have been home? Sure. When you mix sleep deprivation, two screaming babies, feeding issues, and being brand new parents, there is no doubt you're going to have some days that don't look too pretty. I think as new parents (and especially us, moms), we sometimes want to come across as the perfect parents, and float along in the bliss of our new baby (or babies), and share only the good with others. I have seen my pride pushed aside in SO many ways since we have brought these babies home, and it is humbling to experience. We have such a need to want to act like we have it all together and do it all ourselves, when in reality, we don't, and we can't. I've come to appreciate the beauty in not "having it all together". Would I love to have a sparkling clean house, dinner on the table, laundry folded and put away, and myself showered and dressed by the time my husband comes home? Ofcourse. Do I find that most days I'm proud of myself if a.) I've showered. b) The dishes are done and c.) MAYBE I took something out of the freezer for dinner (or maybe we're having cereal. again. for the fourth night in a row.) And you know what? That's ok.

I have an amazing, supportive and loving husband who cares more about me and the fact that our girls are taken care of than if he gets a four course dinner or if the floors are mopped. I get to focus my time and energy on enjoying every single second of these precious little ones and soak in their sweetness, because in the blink of an eye it will be gone. I get to thank God every day for sparing their lives and for entrusting them to me and Jordan. I pray that He would give us wisdom on how to raise them and help us to keep the important things in perspective. We're so blessed! I love being a mom....with ALL that goes along with it.

best.job.ever.

These past three and a half months have absolutely FLOWN by. I can't believe how the girls have grown, developed, and continue to amaze us. We are so eternally grateful for their lives and presently very exhausted ;) I have sat down about fifteen different times to blog, each time erasing every "rough draft." Despite there being so much to share, I can't seem to put into words what I want to say. The gratitude, the hardships, the questions, the excitement, it's all there...I just can't seem to figure out where to start. So instead of attempting another blog post that I will just end up erasing, I decided to share what's been happening in our lives with pictures. They say a picture says a thousand words, so here's a couple thousand words for ya on what's been happening with us the past few months...





Daddy & Eden



We do lots of this

Family time

First baths



Grandma & Nana loving up the girls

Add caption



My Grandma seeing them for the first time, so special!

Hi Gorgeous

Look like daddy much?

Already so full of personality :)

First time my Dad held the girls

Snuggles with sis



Aunt Erin & Uncle Mark on Easter

First walk

Our friend Teyo, oh how we love him

A whole new meaning to multi tasking:)

Auntie Lee

Mama and her girls

Pop Pop holding Eden for the first time

Auntie Nu

A little time with Henley

Although I wish I could, I can't take credit for some of these gorgeous pics...thanks to my sis for her creative talent as well as my cute kids for their participation;)

That's all for now. Looking forward to sharing more about the girls progress and our experiences very soon. Be blessed!