Would suggest keeping it all uniform, whichever style you choose. The house is small and simple enough that additional complication would not make sense. Usually, siding breaks happen were two masses come together, or as an accent. You could always do a wainscot under the window line, but I would not use shingles in that case.

Thank you for your suggestion! Anymore suggestions appreciated, we would really like to dress up the front a little

Don't use vinyl as it will make a house fire worse as it's a petroleum product, and will make the fire burn hotter and faster. The smoke from vinyl is also a lot more deadly than regular smoke. My husband is a firefighter, and refuses to consider vinyl siding for that reason.