six months old!

    Declan, you are half a year old!!!  Six months already?!  Time has seriously flown by.  It makes me teary eyed just to think of how fast you are growing and how quickly time really passes when you are little.  You have grown so much since you were born, changed in so many ways, and developed into a little person with his own hilarious personality.  That smile of yours {just like your momma with your mouth wide open with happiness!} is amazingly adorable.  You laugh wholeheartedly at so many things.  You love to be tickled, you love your jumper, and you are starting to love to splash around in the bathtub as well.  {Finally!} You can be completely distracted with your toys, or my cell phone covered in rhinestones- whichever is closer. :)  You babble and talk all day, repeatedly saying "ma-ma-ma" whenever you need something- a bottle, food, or someone to snuggle.  Not sure if you know what it means yet, but it sure makes my heart melt!  You think Dad is so wonderful, and when he walks in after work, you can't take your eyes off him.  Sometimes you need a break from me, and Dad is always there to swoop in and play. :)  Your brother is so in love with you, helping out wherever he can.  You laugh at him all the time, even when he isn't doing anything at all. :)   You love to eat, gobbling down oatmeal, applesauce, bananas, sweet potatoes, peas, peaches, prunes, and the favorite of all, green beans! :)  You are getting so much chubbier, and I can't wait to see how much you have grown these past two months at your next doctor's visit. {Monday!}  You sleep through the night soundly, but we do need to get you in your crib, once and for all.  You like to nap there occasionally, but still love sleeping in our room at night.  That's our next big hurdle, my dear boy.  I hate that you won't be at arm's length anymore, but it is time for you to love that cozy crib of yours as well. We also are working on you and the swimming pool.  So far, you think it is mildly  interesting, but haven't fully given in to the fun of the pool just yet.    These past six months have changed our lives in ways we couldn't imagine.  We are a happy family and we feel so complete knowing that you are part of our puzzle.  You might be small, but you have made a very large impact on all our lives and we couldn't imagine a single moment without you. I love you, Declan Eugene! :) Happy half birthday!
 Love, Mom

Happy Birthday, Dad!

Happy birthday to my wonderful dad today!!!  You are the best dad a girl could ask for and I am thankful to have you in my life :)

This cute photo is of my dad and Declan a few days after he was born. I am thinking that the boys and I have to do a mini photo shoot after Andrew gets out of school today. Declan has a "team grandpa" onesie that he is itching to break out! ;)

I love you, Dad!!! Hope today is extra special!!! :) xo!

my baby is 7???!!!

Today my baby boy turns 7 years old.
Where did the last 7 years go, anyways?!
Time really does fly.

I am lucky to be the momma to such an amazing little man.
I am so proud of the person he is growing to be,
and he amazes me each and every day
with the funny things he says and does.

I love you, Andrew!
Happy birthday
to my very favorite child!
You make me smile every day. :)
Love, Mommy
xo!

PS.
Birthday party photos to come.
The party was a hit, let me tell you.
As you can see, Andrew totally enjoyed dressing up!
Stay tuned. :)

inspiration: balloons.

I am a hugely visual person.
Photographs inspire me on a daily basis.
I would love to share my inspirations with you,
and then the following week I will share
what I created from these inspirations.

Want to play along?
Share what inspires you.
I would love to see! :)

In the past few weeks, I have been inspired by:

wedding dresses!

bows!
the color yellow!
vintage carnivals!
& ruffles!
I am working on items that I have made after being inspired by these things! Stay tuned for more of my creations.. I am so excited to share them with you. ;)

This week, I am inspired by
balloons!
{in honor of Andrew's birthday party this saturday!}

















Happy Thursday!
xo!

{all images via}

in search of ideas.

Yesterday, I shared with you some of my favorite photographs having to do with vintage carnivals. There was a method to the madness, and I'll tell you why.

In 26 days,

my baby boy turns 7!!!

{and yes, we are counting!}

That sounds SO much older than six, let me tell you.

But after many discussions with Andrew, the theme of his birthday party has been decided...

Andrew's Carnival!!

So now I am reaching out to all of you creative people who are surely full of fantastic ideas for me to incorporate into this backyard carnival of fun! We want to make it old fashioned and fun, with vintage games and silly prizes, popcorn and hot dogs, the boys wearing funky top hats and tossing ping pong balls into bowls of goldfish. {Yes, for real, there will be goldfish.}

So, I need your help!!

Ideas? Fun games to create? Decor items?

Let me have it, friends. Comment away!

I am in planning mode and need all the help I can get!

And PS.

Is this THE cutest cake in the world?!

Too bad we aren't having the theme be "superheroes"!

Or maybe it's a good thing....?

It will save me a bundle not having this cake made for my son. :)

Now I am off to throw a snazzy Easter party in Andrew's classroom...

I hope you all enjoy a fantastic Friday

& wonderful start to your holiday weekend!

xo!

fancy coconut cake!

Birthdays are alive and well around my house at this time of year.
This past weekend we threw a birthday party for my grandma,
and today is my sweet boyfriend's birthday!
{Happy birthday, babycakes!!!}

Which in turn means that there is
a lot of birthday cake around the house as well. :)
{Hey, I am not complaining!}



I am a huge fan of baking cakes from the box, thank you Mrs. Crocker. :) But for the party this past weekend, I wanted to jazz up the white cake and frosting deal and make it a little more special.

Fancy Coconut Cake

What You'll Need:
1 Box Better Crocker White Cake Mix
2 Cans White Frosting
1 Bag of fluffy Coconut

Bake the cake as directed on the box, with one exception. I have learned from my mom to substitute olive oil for vegetable oil. It makes the cake super moist and delish! After the cake is baked and cooled, frost it completely. This does not have to be an award winning frosting job, since you will be covering the entire thing with coconut.

After it is all covered in lots of frosting, take small handfuls of the coconut and gently press it all the way around the edges of the cake, being careful to cover the whole surface, sides and all. After it is covered, go around the edges and clean it up to make it all look pretty. Easy, right? And the cake looks much more impressive than the time it took to whip it up!

Happy cake eating to you all!
I am off to bake another one for the boyfriend! :)
{Did I mention I love birthdays?!}
xo!

happy birthday, sissy.

"Happy girls are the prettiest girls."
Audrey Hepburn

Happy birthday
to my
talented
wonderful
gorgeous
sweet
creative
caring
lovely
sister!

I love you lots and lots.
:)
xo!

happy birthday to me!

Today I am twenty-eight years old.
{I like even numbers, so this age seems quite nice.}

On the agenda today for the birthday girl?
Lots of birthday hugs and kisses from Andrew.
Lunch with momma at my favorite cafe in Coronado.
Cake.
Cake.
Cake.
Feelin' special. :)

Tomorrow I will be celebrating with dinner & presents, since I have a very busy family this year! :) Andrew wasn't too happy about waiting a day to open gifts, but I am a big girl and can handle it. After all, I am twenty-eight. :) And on Saturday, my sister and I are headed downtown San Diego to shop, drink fancy cocktails, dress up, and stay the night in a funky little historic hotel!

Birthdays are the best.
Happy 28 to me!
xo!

{image via}

party sharks. :)

a splash park.


pretend shark fins.


lots of grass to run around.


squirtie sharks.


presents.
lots of birthday cake.
& sunshine.


and of course, best friends.

All in all,
a spectacular birthday party. :)
xo!

six years.

Dear Andrew,
The past six years have made me
happier than I could ever imagine.
{and how have six years flown by like this?!}

You have changed my life.
Watching you grow and learn is a reward each day.

At six years old today,
you are
bright,
smart,
funny,
sarcastic,
playful,
honest,
creative,
energetic,
happy,
open-minded,
friendly,
and you are my
one true love.

I love you
to the moon and back.
Happy 6th Birthday to my sweet pea! :)

xo,
Mommy

nuts and bolts and cupcakes, oh my!

As promised, here are the photos I took of the adorably perfect birthday party we attended this past weekend! My friend, Christina, threw such a great "construction" themed party for her one year old son! Lots of cupcakes, lots of candy, and lots of Etsy-fabulous items made this party one to remember!

A cute banner from Etsy, complete with pictures of Austin throughout his first year... it made a perfect backdrop to the party space!
(find it here!)


I love how the yellow flowers were tossed in amongst the construction hard hats and nuts and bolts! What a clever table decoration! :)


The cutest party favor (and soooo yummy!!) ... from this shop on Etsy!


And get a good look at the gorgeous candy buffet, omg, omg, omg!!! It was put together so well, complete with little bags so we all could take a helping of candy home with us. I'm still snacking on yellow and orange jellybeans, haha! :) The cupcake toppers from the photo I posted a few days ago are from Party Box Design, so cute!

Please go visit this fantastic momma, Christina and tell her hello! And thanks for hosting such a wonderfully fun party, my friend! I hope Austin had lots and lots of fun turning one!
xo! :)

point and shoot.

This was my weekend fun!
The objective of a "point and shoot"?
To capture something, anything, from your weekend.
I love this idea.

So I will give you a little teaser to the birthday party I attended on Saturday. It was a party thrown for the sweet little one-year old of a good friend of ours. (visit her here!) She did an amazing job on this "construction" themed party for her son and you will die at the gorgeous photos and the amazing candy bar table she set up. Christina, you are a Martha-Stewart-in-the-making, my friend! :)

More photos tomorrow...

See more fantastic photographs here on one of my new favorite blogs. Such fun!
Enjoy the week, xo!

finally, birthday party pictures! :)

Finally I am sharing with you some of the photos from Andrew's 5th birthday party!! :) Took me long enough, right?! Well better late than never! And a big thank you to my sister for taking most of these pictures haha!! She was my personal photographer for the party, so great!
Andrew and Mommy, right before the party! :)

Here are the finished bug cupcakes, along with the cake I made so Andrew could blow out the candles- they were all a huge hit with the kiddos! :) (And of course, I had some too. YUM!)

My lovely sister also made these perfect little bug headbands!!! Everyone wore them... kids, babies, parents, grandparents... everyone looked so cute in them! :) And they were another great favor for everyone to be able to take home. Contact my sister through her Etsy shop and maybe she will make some for you!!

The favors... lots of bugs and gardening tools!

We set up a "gardening" table for the kids to plant a flower to take home. Of course, the boys blew through it and went off to do other stuff, while the girls took their time and planted beautiful little flowers! :)

LOVE this photo! :) The gardening table from afar...

The girls planting flowers...

And the boys... I loved this activity and it was a great way to keep the kids busy!

And there's me helping out haha!!

The John Deere tractor was a big hit with the kids as well.. the boys were pouring water into the scoop, which quickly turned to mud, which then got ALL over their feet. Dirty, but so fun! :)

My little bug waiting for the pinata... I couldn't find a good bug pinata, so we settled on the cute pink and yellow flower! Andrew LOVED it :)

Trying to break it open!! A few minutes after this picture was taken, my dad gave the boys a golf club to whack it open, which worked like a charm. :)

As you can see, Andrew had an absolutely fabulous time at his party... thank you to everyone who came and helped make this birthday special!!! :) (Now we are onto writing thank you notes which is a big task with a five year old wanting to "write" everything he can hehe!) xoxox!

happy birthday, andrew!

Happy 5th Birthday, Andrew!!

I love you so much :)

I thought it would be fun to post some pictures of Andrew on each of his birthdays over these past five years.... enjoy!

May 18th, 2004

First birthday, 2005!

Second Birthday, 2006

Third Birthday, 2007

Fourth Birthday, 2008

And now, look how big he is!!! The past five years have simply flown by and I am so lucky to be momma to such an incredible child. :) Now off to enjoy the day with him, yay! xo!

*More birthday pictures coming asap!!