roman turns 8.

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Can hardly believe that this little ( BIG ) boy turned 8 in December. The time since he was born has gone by so quickly yet at the same time feels like an eternity. I can barely remember Roman as a newborn, Roman as a 2, 4 or 6 year old. Other than today, all the other days feel like a blur of memories swirling around somewhere high above me out of reach. There are millions of little moments that stick out in my head, playing back in my mind like clips from a movie. That's how I feel as a mother. Their story is playing out fiery quick as I to grab onto a few bits and beautiful pieces to play on repeat in my mind, trying to preserve some of the miracle that is happening right in front of my eyes.

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The sweetest you see in that photo above truly personifies Roman exactly. He is sweet and sentimental and wise beyond his years. He feels deeply and loves passionately and I couldn't be prouder or happier to call him mine.

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Last night we laid in bed together when I was putting him to sleep. 

He says, "I love you." 

I say, "I love you more." 

He says, "Don't get me started." 

I say, "I love you moon." 

and he says, "I love you star," just like he always has. 

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I'll finish this post here before I dip in too deep into that realm of loving my babies so much it hurts. Too late, I'm already there. <3

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Here's to the best 8th year for my sweetest boy. 

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2015 in pictures.

     I hadn't really put much thought into the new year this time around but the other night I was looking through old blog posts and it filled me up with happy feelings and gratefulness. It's been a rough year for sure. I'm so happy that I took the moments to pick up my camera and remember the good things. Looking at the year through some of my favorite pictures makes it easier for a while to look past the hard things and see the beauty that was growing alongside me all along.<3 

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Happy New Year, friends. Thanks for spending 2015 with me. 

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portrait of my boys: Belly Sketcher.

*Be sure to scroll down to the bottom of this post to see how you can enter to win your own custom  watercolor painting!*

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I was so honored when Ines from Belly Sketcher contacted me and offered to paint a portrait of my boys! I am so in love with her colorful and whimsical style.  Ines is a former architect who has turned her focus to her true passion: painting. She paints expecting mothers, families and children and is located in Portugal but is working on expanding her business abroad!

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To have a painting of my little boys at this stage of our lives is a gift that I will absolutely treasure forever. I'm amazed at how well she captured my babies; Asher's crazy cowlick in the front and Roman's little round cheeks. This painting feels like a window into my heart, two little boys surrounded by lovely, swirly colors, sharing love with each other and with me everyday.

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I am currently hosting a giveaway on my Instagram featuring some of my favorite companies that I've had the chance to work with through blogging and Ines has generously offered to giveaway a custom watercolor portrait to the winner! Be sure to check out the giveaway: here for a chance to win a treasure like this for yourself!

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Happy Monday, friends!

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( Check out the Belly Sketcher Instgram feed @bellysketcher to see other wonderful artwork! )

*my favorite things: GIVEAWAY!*

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Hello, friends! I hope you all had a wonderful and relaxing holiday! 

I'm here to share my "favorite things giveaway" that just went live on my Instagram today 

and I hope that you all check it out @bygillianclaire to enter!

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I'm so thankful for the wonderful people that I've had a chance to meet and work with this year through photography/blogging + Instagram! I'm excited to end this year by partnering with 4 of my favorite brands to give one of my followers the chance to win an awesome prize from each!
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Here is what you will receive if you are the lucky winner:
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Custom Watercolor Painting by Ines Pargana of Belly Sketcher

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You guys,  I am completely in love with this painting that Ines did for me. 

I adore her style and she somehow managed to capture Roman and Asher perfectly. I will definitely be doing a post about her company, Belly Sketcher soon. Don't miss out this chance to win your own custom maternity or family portrait! 

This painting will definitely be a lifetime treasure for me!

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Choice of Kid's Tee Shirt from KidTeez
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We have loved working as Brand Reps for KidTeez over this past year. Their site is just filled with adorable shirts to choose from. You can check out a post I did featuring KidTeez a while back: here.
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Framed Instagram Print from Pictli
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Pictli is an awesome app that delivers framed Instagram photos to your door! I loved having the chance to try out Pictli over the summer and have two of my favorite photos framed! I am horrible at actually printing and displaying any photos in my home and this made it so quick and easy!
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Digital Download Print from Fox and Arrows Co.
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Dena is one of my favorite bloggers at Live Love Simple and she has recently opened up a print shop called Fox and Arrows Co. Dena is so talented at everything she does and of course all of her prints are just absolutely lovely. Be sure to check out her new Etsy shop!

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Information on how to enter can be found on my Instagram post: here.

Have a great Monday!

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FabKids // november picks!

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I'm finally getting up my pictures from our November FabKids picks! Time is going by super fast and I can't believe that we are half way through December already, eek! As usual, I'm super happy with the adorable outfits we picked this month. Asher was over the moon about this t-rex shirt; he loves dinosaurs and the football tee was perfect for my little sports obsessed 8 year old. 

( Yes, I said 8 year old, can you even believe it!? )

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The boys each received a pair of high top sneakers with their outfits this month and oh my goodness, I just can't even, they are too cute for words. Be sure to check out FabKids, a subscription clothing company for kids, for yourself.
Use my link to get 20% off your first outfit! 

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Happy Tuesday!
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*Ie received these clothes in exchange for my work as a FabKids Brand Ambassador. 
All opinions are of course, my own! 
Thanks for reading along; I truly appreciate it!*

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Stem Cell Banking with LifeBankUSA.

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I'm here with my sponsor, the cord blood bank LifebankUSA today to talk a little bit about their advanced biobanking options for pregnant parents! The science and possibilities behind cord blood banking today is amazing and I'm happy to share a few facts with you all about LifebankUSA and what they offer today!

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++ LifebankUSA offers first class advanced biobanking services which banks stem cells using both cord blood banking and placental tissue banking. These stem cells are collected at birth to later be available to treat disease in both the child and family members.

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++ Ongoing medical research shows that stem cells from umbilical cord blood have been used to treat over 80 different diseases!

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++ Placental blood banking is a service that is currently only offered through LifebankUSA!

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++ By preserving stem cells from both the placenta and umbilical cord at birth, it increases the number of life saving stem cells that are stored which also increases the possibilities to use them later on.

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++ LifebankUSA offers different payment plans to offset the cost of stem cell banking for you and your family; be sure to check out your options!

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Of course, stem cell banking is ultimately a personal choice for you and your family. I ended up not choosing to bank my children's stem cells due to financial reasons and my hope to delay cutting the umbilical cord immediately following birth but it is something I'd be interested in looking into again in the future. Have you or someone you know taken advantage of cord blood banking? I'd love to hear your opinions and stories below!

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( can't even handle this photo of baby asher! )

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*I was compensated for this post. All word and opinions expressed are my own.

 Thanks for supporting my family by reading along. I truly appreciate your love!*

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