Big Brother / Big Sister hospital bags.

Months ago I started to think about the gifts that I wanted to make my kiddos to give them at the hospital when their new baby sister comes along. I really wanted to come up with something that would not only celebrate that they would be a big brother (again) and a big sister (for the first time.) But would really celebrate THEM. I spent hours and hours browsing pinterest and etsy and made notes of my favorite ideas. After three months of jotting down ideas and slowly creating and finding the items that I wanted to include, their special 'Big Sibling Bags' are finally complete. I am so thrilled with how they turned out that I wanted to share them with you! 

First things first... the tote bags. I had seen some super cute embroidered tote bags on Etsy and I really wanted them to be personalized. Unfortunately at $25-35 each they were just more than I was wanting to spend. As an alternative I found some colorful and inexpensive totes (Walmart - 3 for $7.97) and ordered some iron on transfers. I love how they turned out!

Next, I added a photo album that my kids can fill up with the photos of their choice. My 7 year old has his own camera and loves to take pictures. Both of my kids enjoy making their own "books" and will spend hours looking the photos that they have so carefully chosen. 

Alright, now time to celebrate them. I made each of them a bear from their old baby clothes. I absolutely love that every piece of material has a special memory attached to it. These are so precious to me and I hope that my munchkins love them as much as I do.

Finally, I made each of them a book called "On the day I was born" that talks all about their birth day. These were my absolute favorite part to put together. I loved selecting which photos to use and I have probably looked through them a good two dozen times a piece. I'm including a few pages from each book to show you how insanely cute these little stories are. 

The only other things included in Ryver's bag is a giant Star Wars coloring book and crayons and a Star Wars figurine set that I picked up at the Disney Store. I wanted to make sure that he had something new to play with while he is at the hospital visiting. 

Alright, now on to Kaia's bag! Her bag is very similar to her brothers with just a few exceptions.

You can order your own personalized iron on transfers at https://www.etsy.com/shop/WithEnvyHomeApparel  - the prices are super reasonable, they have tons of options and really fast shipping.

I found these crazy awesome personalized coloring books at www.personalizationmall.com and with a coupon got a crazy good deal on it. I love how personal this is and plan to hang on to it long after Kaia is finished coloring in it. Again I am including a few pictures of some of my favorite pages!

Now, onto Kaia's story. 

In addition to everything pictured above Kaia also has a Minnie Mouse figurine set from the Disney Store that I just know she will love.

So, that's it. Our Big Brother / Big Sister bags are complete and are currently hidden in the car awaiting baby Kelsie's arrival. One more thing to mark off my list of things to do before we become a family of five!