Friday Five

one

 

Coconut Almonds

 

I'm obsessed with these! Right now, I'm just eating them by the handful but I can't wait to experiment in the kitchen and bake up some cookies or something yummy with them, too!

 

 

two

 

run: breeze by short

 

I have these in every color because i'm living in them right now. they are perfect for running errands with a crazy toddler and a growing belly! Now I just need Lululemon to make them in more colors...

 

 

three

 

 

Pineapple Tunic

 

I ordered up a size in this cover-up to allow for my growing baby belly but even at 17 weeks the medium is big. I opted to keep it in the bigger size because when I put it on I had a major Mrs Roper moment that I was loving and I wanted to ensure it would last me through this pregnancy as September and October are the hottest months around here and I'll be at the pool as much as possible!

 

 

four

 

 

RoseArt Popsicle Sidewalk Chalk

 

I saw these at Target a few weeks ago and had to have them. We use sidewalk chalk around here almost every day so these were just too cute to pass up! Usually, we sit in the driveway and wait for daddy to come home and work on our letters, numbers, and shapes.

 

 

five

 

Cuccio Milk & Honey Body Butter

 

When I found out I was pregnant with Samma, a friend suggested this body butter to me. She swore by it for preventing stretch marks. I'm not sure if it's this lotion, genetics, or both but I never got any stretch marks and I'm not taking any chances this time around! I slather this on in the mornings and use a Vitamin E oil at night since the oil can transfer to clothes I prefer to use it when I'm in my pajamas. The milk & honey body butter smells great, absorbs quickly, and is supposed to provide 24 hour hydration. Hopefully it works this time around, too!

 

Trader Joe's Tuesday

Lavender Salt Scrub

 

 

Trader Joe's Lavender Salt Scrub

 

 

My sister first recommended this to me, on vacation, after a long day at the pool that left me grimy with sunscreen build-up and chlorine. She left a scoop for me in my hotel bathroom and I was instantly hooked! You can pick up a jar for about $5 in Trader Joe's but I guess Amazon is pretty proud of that shizz and they're selling it for $15 a tub.

 

 

Coconut Body Butter

 

 

Trader Joe's Coconut Body Butter

 

I love this body butter. It's made up of simple ingredients (coconut oil, shea butter, vitamin e) and it smells like summer. Again, it is way more on amazon.com so get it in store if you can.

 

 

 

Vitamin E Oil

 

Trader Joe's Vitamin E Oil

 

I have been using this, at night, in the place of Bio Oil on my stomach to prevent stretch marks with this pregnancy. What I like about all Trader Joe's products, whether it's food or beauty products, is that they don't use extra ingredients and never anything that you can't pronounce. This oil is made up of soybean oil, vitamin e, and coconut oil.

 

 



Happy Mother's Day

 

 



Easter 2013

Easter 2013

 

 

This Easter was a relatively quiet one. We had a small luncheon in our backyard with close family followed by an egg hunt for these two little clowns.

 





 best family shot we could get...I'll take what I can get in this GO!GO!GO! phase

 

my absolute favorite part of the day was the confetti-eggs egg fight

 



 I think they were supposed to be for the little kids?

 

 

this little girl loves her Grandma Sally

 

 

and this little girl loves her Papa

 

me with my sisters, our grandma, the clown i gave birth to, and my sister's baby on board

Easter will have another egg hunter next year!!

 

 

 post-egg-hunt costume change

 

 

 

 

One thing I really love about our little neighborhood is that they really try and make things special for the kids on Easter, 4th of July, and Christmas. I also love that they have the same bunny (and Santa)year after year because it has already made for some hilarious photo comparisons!

 

 

 



Happy Belated Birthday, Samma Bear! (picture overload ahead)

Way back in early February my little Samma Bear turned two!

(and her daddy had a birthday that day, too)

Between the post-party detox, clean up, and living with a now two-year-old. I've been a little swamped and haven't had a minute to document it. So...in the spirit of  "better late than never"

 

 

 

Samma's Milk & Cookies 2nd Birthday Party

 

 



 

and since it was daddy's birthday too...

 

 

 

We didn't throw Samma a big 1st birthday party. Looking back, I'm so glad we waited until her 2nd birthday to throw a big party. She was old enough to really enjoy the giant Dora jumpy as well as being surrounded by friends, family, and a ton of cookies. I decided to go with a Milk & Cookies theme because I wanted to be able to invite a lot of people without the pressure of feeding a lot of people. Yes, I just said that out loud.  It turned out about as cute as anything I've ever seen, if I do say so myself, and I owe Aunt Elley and Auntie Neah a huge thanks for all they did to help me get ready.

 

 

 

(Aunt Eddie, Mama, Auntie Neah, Aunt Elley)

 

 

How cute is this sign my sister made?!

 

 

I think the "mik mustaches" were the biggest hit of the entire party

 

 

If you can't tell, Dora kinda hijacked the Milk & Cookies theme. This is what happens when my husband listens to his Dora-loving-daddy's-girl instead of his anti-character-theme-wife

 

 

GG wanted to play in the jumpy, too

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

and how cute is this dress Auntie Neah got her from SheShe Made?

 

 

sign of a good party? crashed out baby in her birthday dress and all

 

 

Her actual birthday was on a Monday morning and that was when she got her new kitchen and I let her have leftover birthday cookies for breakfast

 

since Monday was also CJ's birthday we spent the day at the beach and then got home in time to grill out in the backyard and give Samma her new Dora quad.

 

 

even two months later, the Dora photobomb still freaks me out!

 

 

From what I can remember

 It was a fun weekend full of birthdays, Super Bowls, and one too many cookies!!

 

2012

 

i couldn't pick a favorite picture from 2012

i couldn't even pick a top 5...or a top 10...narrowing it down to 40 was hard

 

 

i think it's because this little girl made most every day so much fun!

and if the last two months of 2012 are any indication then i don't think 2013 is going to be any different. the best part of having a partner, in this whole parenting thing, is knowing there is one other person out there who loves your child as much as you do. i must call CJ 100 times a day to tell him all about something she's said or done. i can't believe she'll be two next month!

peace out 2012

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

 

 

 

the days between today and thanksgiving have been crazy

full of love, loss, and life

 

on thanksgiving eve my papa was pulled over, at midnight, driving the wrong way on the freeway

he didn't know where he had been, where he was going, or even where he was at the time
my sweet gramma was in the car with him and the police officer was still shaken from the whole thing when i spoke to him about it the next day

we still don't know much about that night

but he's had his license taken away and is in the process of accepting that he won't get it back

all things considered, thanksgiving ended up being a lovely day...
 

 

in december my mother-in-law, sister-in-law, and niece came to visit for a week

while they were here our dog, Miss Taylor May, passed away peacefully in the garage

we were in the kitchen when my MIL said she saw a spirit walk from the garage into the backyard

and when she went in to the garage she found our sweet "Tookie Bomb"
we buried her in the backyard, in her beloved bed, with all her favorite snacks, we had a little burial in the backyard complete with a toast and we poured one out for our first baby
yesterday we planted wildflowers on her grave
 

 

a few days later we took SG on her first plane trip

we flew to Austin so we could visit CJ's grandma who has stage 4 breast cancer in her liver

she's receiving in home hospice care and we enjoyed every minute of our visit

but i can't put in to words what it is like to say goodbye to someone you know you'll never see again
this lady is an amazing example of love, life, and grace
 

 

 

we were barely back in San Diego long enough to unpack from our trip to Texas

when it was time to pack up the minivan and head up to Big Bear to play in the snow!

my father-in-law, and bonus mother-in-law, rented a cabin for a whole mess of us

it was just what we needed and not a moment too soon

 

 

on Monday we hurried back to San Diego in time for Christmas Eve with my family

it was a stressful mess to get there in time but i have never once (that i can recall) missed

Christmas Eve with my grandparents and this Christmas wasn't going to be an exception!

 

New Years Eve was perfect

we took SG for a ride around the neighborhood, in her new wagon, to get one last look at the lights

then we tucked her into bed, ordered a pizza, popped some champagne, and watched movies while i prepped everything for our big New Years Day family dinner

sometime between 10pm and midnight i must have dozed off because CJ woke me up at 12:01 to wish me a Happy New Year

 

 

here's to hoping the new Dora Rocks show is the most exciting part of January!
i am so ready for routine, the return of primetime tv, getting back into the gym, and just plain ole enjoying my everyday ordinary life