Landry is in FIRST GRADE

*This post is sponsored by Under Armour and ShopStyle.

A bit of a sappy post today about my big girl today, hope you’ll indulge me. I cannot believe I have a FIRST grader (assuming I’ll say that every year until I send her off to college)!! She pranced into first grade like it was no big deal and I was trailing behind holding back the tears. Sending her off to kindergarten was HARD (like REALLY hard for me), but first grade was just hard in a different kind of way. It’s obvious that she’s grown and changed and blossomed in so many ways in just one short year and the reality that from here on out she needs me less and less each day is gut wrenching. I’m sharing a little more about my gal in today’s post. She rarely wants to be on my Instagram stories, so this post is for my mama archives.

Landry Kate:

Age: 6
What do you want to be when you grow up? Horseback Rider
Favorite things about school? Math, friends, recess
Favorite Sport? Soccer
Favorite Food? Pizza
Favorite thing to do? Dance Parties to Alexa
Favorite thing about Summer? Swimming, the beach and camps
What are you looking forward to this School Year? Basketball, camping with Daddy
Teeth lost this year: 5!!!

One thing that’s also changed in a big way since last year is her opinion on clothes. She’s still so sweet and agreeable on clothing, but she absolutely has her opinions on what she’d like me to buy and wear—which I absolutely respect. Last year I was buying her super girly applique dresses and she simply doesn’t feel like that’s her style anymore, so we are shifting more towards athletic clothes for school and I cannot say that I blame her one bit. She’s LOVING all things Under Armour lately and I think it’s so fun to indulge her in a few outfits that make her feel confident and comfortable for school.

This is how you can find us walking to school everyday. Some days she asks me to drop her off in car line and other times she wants me to walk her in. So sweet!

We didn’t own Under Armour shoes until recently and we are now both hooked! Landry has worn these nearly everyday to school! They go with nearly everything in her closet and the pop of pink makes them feel feminine. I also tried these HOVR’s and OMG, I don’t think that I’ve ever felt so cool! They are the SO sleek and trendy but still work back to all of my athletic and athleisure wear. These also have UA’s Record Sensor Technology built in them which records, tracks and analyzes nearly every running metric! HOW COOL! I’m a huge fan of them! See all the colors and read more about the benefits of them HERE.

Speaking of confidence, I’ve definitely felt a shift between year 5 and 6. One that’s much less innocent and more towards a little girl who’s very aware of her surroundings, her peers and herself. It’s really opened my eyes to how vulnerable they are at this age and how important it is to consistently foster an attitude of confidence within her. Confidence in herself and confidence in letting others be themselves too! Here’s how we work on it daily if you need some inspiration!

-Daily Affirmations | I am kind. I am a child of God. I am funny. I am a good friend. I have beautiful curly hair. I am a good big sister. I am smart.
Not always in this order and sometimes I’ll throw in other things that I can sense she may be insecure about. We do this after brushing our teeth every morning. It focuses her mind on all the positives and she’s ready to tackle the day

-Building her up through praises
I don’t feel the need to praise every single good behavior, but I do make it a point to consistently praise certain things. When she uses a growth mindset (“I don’t really like broccoli, but I am going to try it tonight”), when she leads her younger sister by example (getting in the car, going upstairs for bath, etc), when she reads. My words have such an impact on her and I try to use them to lift her up whenever I can.

–Talking about the beauty of and in other people
I think that it’s so important for kids to be aware of and appreciative of the good qualities is OTHER kids from a very young age. I pray that Landry is the child who loves everyones good qualities and let’s them shine in their own way, teaching her why it’s important to play other peoples games, etc. because everyone brings something special to the table. I want her to be so confident in herself that she uses that confidence to lift others!

I’d also love your best confidence boosting advice! I truly believe that loving oneself in a wholehearted way is the secret to living a good life and I’d love to instill that in my girls in a very young age!

Probably one of my favorite athleisure outfits of ever. I’ve worn these leggings so many times now and get stopped and asked about them every time. They are an awesome color block and have mesh inserts below the knee for breathability.

My Tank (TTS, Wearing a Small) | Colorblock Leggings (TTS, wearing a Small) | Sneakers | Sweatshirt (S)

I mean how cute is she?!??! This backpack makes her look so grown up to me. She adores it and I think that it secretly makes her feel like a big kid, too! Time- you are a thief!