The Bond Between my Children – What Made You Smile This Week?

This week has truly been awesome! I’ve connected with so many of you in a raw and real way and I’m so grateful for it. I started off the week talking about my post-pregnancy body and the love and support I got from all of you was overwhelming and so beautiful! I also shared part of my home tour on Wednesday and we discussed breastfeeding your child/bottle feeding your child and how beautiful those things are. So given all the goodness on my blog this week, I really wanted to finish out the week strong! So I thought, what better way than to write a post about my beautiful children! So today on the blog, I’ve teamed up with Gymboree as part of their “Made You Smile” campaign to talk about Molly and Riley and the special bond that they are creating.

Since we brought Riley home from the hospital many of you have reached out and asked how Molly reacted to him. Sure at first she was a little unsure of him, and she still definitely has her moments where she shows jealousy. For example, if she’s feeling fussy or wants more of mommy and daddy‘s attention, she will say “baby nap!” Basically what that means is that she wants us to put the baby down so we can pay attention to her. Also, when Riley is crying Molly tends to start crying too. Not when it’s a soft cry, but when he really gets going it definitely affects her. Which honestly, I find so sweet and precious. She hates seeing her little brother upset and it makes her upset too. But other than those two things, I would say that it’s been absolutely amazing watching Molly and Riley bond.

As a parent, I don’t think there’s anything more special than seeing the bond between your children. I could cry just talking about it. Tears of joy of course! When I see them together it just brings the biggest smile to my face and gives me joy that I’ve never felt before. It sounds kind of cheesy when I say it that way, but I don’t know how else to explain it. It’s like a part of my heart melts when I see them together and I never knew that part of my heart existed before. OK, now I’m even getting more cheesy! Ha! I guess I just need to accept that that’s a big part of what motherhood is, a series of mushy gushy moments as you watch your children learn and grow.

Some of her favorite things to do with Riley are read him stories and give him time outs. I’m not even kidding! It’s the funniest and cutest thing ever! She’ll tell him he has a time out and to stay where he is. She definitely gets it from us giving her time outs and telling her to stay in her time out chair until she calms down. I don’t think she’s being bossy, I think she’s showing great leadership! In fact, I think she’ll be a CEO one day!

She also loves to give Riley kisses. At random times throughout the day she’ll just go up to him and kiss him on the forehead. She’s such a sweet girl and they are lucky to have each other. I know it won’t always be like this. There will be many fights in the future I’m sure. But I hope as they grow up they always look out for each other like this. Knowing that they’ll always have each other is definitely what makes me smile.

And you guys know I have to talk about their super cute clothes! Everything they are wearing is from Gymboree. I love this brand of children’s clothing for so many reasons. One big reason is this awesome campaign they’re doing where they’re encouraging parents to share what “made them smile” when it comes to their kiddos. I just love it when brands encourage people to share their happy stories and spread positivity around the internet when we can be inundated with so much negativity. And secondly, Gymboree has the best quality clothes. Really. You will not find better quality kids clothes out there! As you’ll notice in some of these pictures, I actually bought Molly some clothes from their boys section. And that’s because I know that even after she wears them for the next year, the durability and quality are so good that Riley will be able to wear them when he’s her age and they’ll look just as new! So I figured why not get something that’s kind of gender neutral that they can both wear! I’m always thinking ahead. Also, this rainbow bomber jacket might just be the cutest jacket I’ve ever seen! The second I saw it I knew I had to get it for Molly. And when she saw the T-shirt with the monster on it she insisted on having that. I’m not even kidding you. When I was looking at their stuff on my computer she saw that monster shirt and kept making me go back to it so she could look at it. I knew I had to get it for her at that point. She was so excited when it came in the mail!

Also, have I told you guys Molly is starting preschool soon?! Isn’t that insane?! I know I could’ve put it off a while longer but now that Riley is here I think it’s really important for Molly to have time out of the house where she can get attention from other kids and teachers while we can exclusively focus on Riley at home. So, she’s starting preschool in September! It’s hard to believe and I’m not sure I’m emotionally ready for it but I know it’s something that will be good for both Molly and mommy. So, I was pretty psyched that I got to do school clothes shopping for her! I’ve honestly always dreamed of doing before school shopping for my kiddos and I can’t believe that day has arrived! So I’m thinking this dress and cute army green jacket with patches will be her first day of school outfit! And the little rainbow headband is just darling.

And I couldn’t leave Riley out! Now that I have two kids I found that if you get one child something, you should do the same for the other child. Even though Riley doesn’t understand it yet, I still wanted to get him something nice. And how adorable is this little bear hoodie he has on. Seriously these might be the cutest pictures of all time! Ha! I got the matching jogger pants to go with it. I also picked out a few of their onesies as well because they’re just such great quality.

Well there you have it, I wanted to share a little bit about my cute kiddos and their cute clothes to finish out the week! And I would love to continue this lovefest by hearing all of your stories about what made you smile this week (or this year!) in the comments below! It’s funny because I used to spend Friday nights out bar-hopping with my friends and now I spend them at home putting my kids to bed at 7 PM. You know what, my Friday nights are so much better now! And tonight will be extra special and perfect because I’ll get to sit by my computer and read all of your beautiful stories after the little ones have gone to bed for the night. So share what makes you smile with me and I hope to respond to all of your comments tonight with a glass of wine in hand and a huge smile on my face!  So know YOU guys made me smile this week too! Love you guys!

More cute pics of my kiddos below. Why? Because I am one proud mama!

53 Thoughts

53 thoughts on “The Bond Between my Children – What Made You Smile This Week?

  1. Your children are so beautiful! It’s so refreshing to read about this because my husband and I are planning our second baby and it makes meeting nervous sometimes thinking how can I love another the way I love my daughter.

    Also, I saw you wrote about timeouts. My daughter is 1.5 and we are seeing signs of terrible twos… yikes! When and how did you start them? Would love a blog post about dealing with tantrums etc. even tho it’s provably not the most positive post it’s super helpful!

    1. We started with 30 second timeouts in a chair. We had to hold her in place for the first few. It wasn’t fun. But she eventually got it and then we increased the time to 1 minute. Now that’s shes two she has to sit in the chair for two minutes (or longer if she hasn’t gotten control of herself)

      1. Your response took me waaay back! Our sons are 34 and 29, now. I remember starting time out in a little, blue chair for our oldest and having to hold him there the first few times, too. First reason for time out: hitting our sweet, kind Golden Retreiver!

    2. I used to say my kids were going thru the terrific twos not the terrible twos, just because I believe in positive thinking. Hang in there! My daughters are 30 and 34 years old now and I would go back and re-live even my worst day with them just to see them young again.

      1. Your words hit my heart. My kids are 43, 42 and 36 and I also, would go back to the most hectic, chaotic day in a second, just to see them young again, too.

  2. What made me smile? Remembering the days when I picked out their clothes. It was fun buying baby/little kids clothes, a dream come true to have children of my own. And, Gymboree was a brand I always looked for, cute and well made.

    1. Awwww. I love picking out Molly’s outfits too! But these days she likes to pick out her own a lot of the time 😉

  3. My little babe is 2 weeks old today. She’s so alert and her sweet facial expressions make me smile. I can’t believe she’s been here two weeks already! They aren’t kidding when they say time flies. I had a moment reading your blog this morning when I realized ‘holy crap I can chime in on this because IM A MOM!’ Wow!

    Your little ones are so sweet!!

    1. Awwww yay Alli! Welcome to motherhood! It’s the best! And the hardest thing ever. You’ll do great!

  4. Ali, I love, love, love this post and here’s why!! I have a 19 month old boy and I’m due with my second at the end of September so basically my Logan will be the same age Molly was when your Riley was born. I’ve been so nervous about the jealously thing and how they will bond because right now my guy has no idea I’m pregnant lol I’m trying so hard to tell him there’s a baby in my belly and he just points to himself and says “bebe” 🙂 He’s soo attached to me right now too and has major separation anxiety at the moment that is consuming our lives. I don’t want him to feel neglected when the new baby comes and I love to see your positive stories relating to your adorable kiddos and their growing relationship. So tell us more because it’s bringing me comfort! xox

    1. I was so worried about this too when I was pregnant. Molly is doing SOOO great with the change! Believe that your little one will too! It sounds like you are doing the right things to try to prepare your little boy. He’ll be a great big brother!!!

  5. I might have missed it but were you planning to do a Bachelorette post this week? Curious as to your take on the hometown dates! Adorable pics of the kiddos, as always.

    1. I haven’t watched yet! I’m so behind this week. I will watch this weekend and give a few thoughts in next weeks blog when I blog about this Monday episode! Sorry I missed this week!

  6. Love this post! Molly and Railey are adorable!!! How often will Molly attend the preschool? Every day or just couple days a week?

    1. She’ll go two days a week for 3 hours each day starting in September. So it not much the first coupe years, but it will help transition her and give her more socialization.

  7. Hi Ali!
    I love your post and Gymboree clothes! And I LOVE your idea about using gender neutral as I have two girls and a boy! I love hearing about your kids interacting! They are beautiful by the way! We have a 5 year old girl, 3 year old boy and a 6 month old! My son is like the sweetest, most gentle boy and he loves on his baby sister but one day he said to me, “Mommy I’m bored of this baby now! Can we ge a new one?” Haha! But he still loves her most days 😂 This week what made me smile is my oldest daughter fed my newest daughter her bottle for the first time. It was so sweet watching her look at her baby sister!

    1. Gender nuetral is so the way to go if you have two (or in your case 3) that are opposite sex. Saves so much money in the long run! And Gymboree is soooo great! The quality lasts through the years!

      And it sounds like you have your hands full! Keep rocking it mama!

  8. Adorable photos and beautiful kiddos. Mine are all grown now, two in their 40s and one in her 30s. My two oldest are 17 months apart and my oldest used to get really upset when her baby brother cried! She would say, ‘he cying!’ And keep saying it until he got picked up. She loved to try to give him toys! Yes, there were sibling flights, but they looked out for each other, were the best of friends and still are. My baby came along 6 years later and she was the real life baby doll and they are all still close. What made me smile? My youngest, her hubby and 2 kids are living with us while waiting for a house to be built and it warms my heart every morning when those two little boys (3 and 5) give me goodbye hugs and kisses and say, I love you, Grandma! when they leave for school with their parents. You can never hear that enough. Keep posting pictures, your babes are simply precious!

  9. Your kids are adorable! I remember when my daughter was 2 1/2 when her little brother was born! She loved spending time with him!
    What made me smile this week was when my 5 yr old son, who is celebrating his 6th birthday soon, received birthday money. Instead of spending it all himself he decided to share it with his sister (8) so they could both buy something. Made my mom heart so happy!
    Enjoy every second! They grow up far too quickly!

  10. Im a first time mom with a 4 1/2 month old little boy and it absolutely lights up my world when I walk by him and he gets the biggest smile on his face. It makes me feel like im doing a good job as a mom because he is such a happy kid

    1. I would love to hear more about Molly’s “timeouts” too! As a mother currently dealing with a boy hitting the “terrible twos” really hard, I’d love to see a post about this. The tantrums are almost daily now!

  11. Love all these pictures and all their outfits!

    And I so agree with you! Mine went through a major sleep regression when her baby sister was born when just turned 2 and I think that was her way of “acting out” in response to the change. But other than your usual jealousy, it warms my heart to see them together! Now at 3.5 and 1.5, they fight like crazy sometimes (to claim something usually, or claim me haha) but the cute moments trump all the bad ones!

  12. Love reading your blog. You are so relatable and it’s really refreshing coming from a celebrity blogger, so Thank you for that. 🙂
    Your kids are super adorable btw!
    What made me smile this week are my kids as well.
    I have a 9 year old boy and a 4 year old girl. My daughter is starting Kindergarten next month and we went school shopping this last weekend and seeing her excitement for school has melted my heart. ***although Im super sad she’s not my little baby anymore*** It still makes me super happy that shes excited about starting a new adventure and she’s not super nervous at all.
    It’s true what they say, the days are long but the years are short. I’m trying to enjoy ever season they are in.
    Have a great rest of your week and Cherish Every Moment!! <3

  13. Did I miss the link with the monster shirt? Please let me know where to find it! My girl loves monsters too 🙂

  14. Great pics and beautiful kiddos! You are blessed 💞. I have a boy and a girl, it’s pretty awesome!! Enjoy this special time. Watching your kids relationship grow as they get older is the best!! My daughter started preschool just under 2, it took a couple of weeks to get used to it. But now she loves it!! There is a break for summer and she is still asking to go everyday. Haha.

  15. Love the picture of Molly with her hands up in the air, the one with her holding the daisy and the first one with Riley looking up at her! They’re all adorable pics, really! Wow, Riley is so cute and looks so much like his sister and both are such a blend of you and Kevin!❤️

  16. I really miss my little boys :(. My son turned 27 today and got married last December , but we still have the younger one at home. I can’t wait for grandkids! Your children are so cute! You have a beautiful family.

  17. My son is going to be 23 months when we have our second. Im nervous on how he will accept the new baby. It’s nice to see how your daughter loves her brother. I’m really hoping that is how it will be in our home. I’m expecting some jealousy, but I’m hoping for some love too! I’ve already set aside an activity that will be for just my son and I after the baby is here. Hopefully that will also lessen my guilt on changing his whole world on him.

  18. I have always thought one of the greatest gifts you can give your children is siblings! They will always have each other!!!

  19. So beautiful! Makes me want to give my daughter a sibling, but I’m not quite ready lol
    How did you choose the preschool for Molly? My daughter is a few weeks older than Molly and I’m starting to look into preschools too, but no idea where to start!haha were kinda neighbors (I’m in Sherman Oaks and work at Universal!) so if you have any tips or options that you looked at, I would greatly appreciate it! Thanks :))

  20. My daughters are 23 and 20 now, but when they were younger I worked at Gymboree. It was dangerous! 😉 I didn’t make it out with much paycheck because their stuff really is the best quality. My girls still have their “blankies” I got there years ago. 🙂
    Thanks for sharing so many sweet and happy parts of your life this week. It’s fun to follow you through this time of your life when mine aren’t little anymore. <3
    xo

  21. Ali, I can’t get over how much Molly and Riley look alike! Too cute. I bet Molly will really enjoy learning at preschool! She seems like a really curious and smart little girl. Just a warning though, be prepared for her to get sick. My son got multiple ear infections and viruses the first year of school. But since then, his little immune system has built up and it’s gotten better! Also, what makes me smile is seeing my son experience something for the very first time. Whether it be the beach, a dinosaur event, fireworks, or a boat ride on the lake… I love watching his face when he discovers something new in this world! 🙂

  22. Love the post on your kiddos. I must say even having my kids in their 20’s I have those same feelings. I feel like it is the greatest blessing for parents when their kids really love and care for each other. When they chose to hang with each other over friendships or they all hang out in a big group with mutual friends. I guess I always think it gives me peace knowing even when we are gone they will have each other. We have three ( 2 girls and 1 boy who is the youngest) and your story on Molly’s interaction with Riley brings back lots of memories.

  23. I really like connecting with you and hearing about your life you are so relatable and down to earth! Lately I feel like you’re just connecting with your followers to sell stuff and market products.

  24. I love how real you are, Ali ❤️ I appreciate you and the way you share your journey and how we can come along with you! I also have a 2 year old daughter and a 5 month old son, so it’s so fun adventuring through life and the changes with you… I feel ya girl! You’re an awesome mama. Those babes are loved! All the best xo

  25. holy cow she looks SOOOOOO MUCH like you in the 3rd to last photo!!!! that’s an amazing shot of her. her eyes and smile are all you. love the outfits!! <3

  26. Hi, Ali!
    Haven’t been on your blog in a while! My daughter just turned two on the 2nd of this month and has been really testing my patience. And I don’t have a baby to deal with although I am in school and work part-time so I’m stretched pretty thin! Anyway, I had been trying to find a way to get my daughter to stop hitting and playing so rough. I read somewhere that time outs should start at 3? I was relieved to see that you have tried that with Molly! I feel like that would be better than constantly yelling NO! And not getting any reaction. She has hurt herself pretty badly a few times already because she plays so rough! Do you follow a certain method with the time outs?
    Congrats on the new baby!

  27. This week has truly been awesome! I’ve connected with so many of you in a raw and real way and I’m so grateful for it. I started off the week talking about my post-pregnancy body and the love and support I got from all of you was overwhelming and so beautiful! I also shared part of my home tour on Wednesday and we discussed breastfeeding your child/bottle feeding your child and how beautiful those things are. So given all the goodness on my blog this week, I really wanted to finish out the week strong! So I thought, what better way than to write a post about my beautiful children! So today on the blog, I’ve teamed up with Gymboree as part of their “Made You Smile” campaign to talk about Molly and Riley and the special bond that they are creating.

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