Family Pictures 2016

Happy Tuesday!

I hope you all had a great weekend!  It was nice to have an extra day off with the kids - long weekends are always the best!

We got our pictures back last week, and I couldn't wait to share them with you all.  I love the way they came out!  This year we dressed a little different than past years, usually we would all wear jeans and nice shirts but this year, I decided to have us girls dress up a little fancy for the pictures.   We also chose an area in Ft. Lauderdale that is a bit urban and rustic as opposed to our usual park pictures.  The end result is LOVE!   It was FREEZING the day we took these and the wind was crazy strong. The kids were such troopers - they are such go with the flow kids, which made for a smooth photo session.  There were so many good ones, but instead of boring you, I'm going to share my absolute favorites.

 I love taking these yearly.  It's incredible how much the kids change in so little amount of time, they're always so much fun to look back on!


For any of you wondering here are the details of what we wore.  My shoes are discontinued but I found similar ones, same with my skirt.

Have a great day!!

The Perfect Al Fresco Dinner Party | Weekending

Well hello!  I haven't talked to you all since last year ;).  This weekend was supposed to be a full one.  We had my sister's 1st anniversary dinner planned, then a kids party to go to, and family pictures scheduled.  The kids ended up getting sick with a virus, so the kids party and family pictures were a no go - which was fine because the most important thing was my sister's dinner that thankfully they were still healthy for.


As you all know, I'm HUGE on party planning.  As soon as I have something to plan, I automatically get excited and start brainstorming ideas and getting on Pinterest for inspiration.  Since I wanted her dinner to be al fresco, I knew I wanted a bright color but also something that would be romantic - fuchsia was the winner!  I found this picture on Pinterest and fell in love and knew it was exactly the feel I wanted.

Luckily, Target had most of what I was looking for, since they already have their Valentines decor in stock. I found fuchsia bottles and these cute gold sequins XO's.  I knew that they would be perfect for the table and that I'd stick my wine bottle candelabras in the bottles for some elegance and candlelight - nothing screems romance more than candlelight, am I right?!

We had the party at my aunt's house.  Most of her backyard is screened in and her views of her lake are amazing.  We hung twinkle lights too, which added more of a romantic feel and looked so pretty lit, as did the candles.

Everything came out so pretty, and my sister loved it which is the most important thing.  We all had a great time talking, laughing and eating.  It couldn't have been a more perfect evening.

Have a great Monday!

Family Pictures | What to Wear

Time is flying by so fast and it occurred to me that our family pictures are coming up, FAST!  I started brainstorming on the feel that I wanted them to have, and I wanted them to be different than our normal pictures that are usually taken at a park.

This year I want an urban background.  We're going to Ft. Lauderdale to take some pictures with a city feel.  So, since I want a city feel I figured why not channel my inner Carrie Bradshaw and wear my pink tulle skirt?!  Here's the vision I have:

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As far as clothes go, this is what I have in mind for us:


For me:

I'm not sure whether to go for a sequins shirt and tulle shirt or keep it simpler with a striped shirt and the shirt.  What do you think?  Is sequins and tulle together too much? The shoes will vary depending on which way I decide to go with the shirt.  As will the accessories.



 For E:

I ordered the dress for her yesterday on Nordstrom and I am obsessed with it.  I think she's going to look so cute in it and I like how her and I are matching, she's a big fan of matching with her mama!



For Hubby:

My husband's style is crazy simple.  He goes for comfort at all times and his idea of dressing up is a polo shirt and jeans or dress pants.  So, he'll be in a polo, jeans and his boots.  Easy... and predictable ;)


For J:

He'll be in this button down gray and white shirt that I ordered for him and jeans with casual shoes.


I wish boy clothes were more exciting, there's never anything that wows me!  But he's a handsome little guy so he'll look adorable, I'm sure.




What do you guys think of my vision for the pictures?

Family Pictures on the Brain

It's that time of year when I start thinking and planning for family pictures.  I usually wait until it gets cooler out so we don't sweat to death while we're taking pictures since I much prefer taking them outside than in an indoor studio.  I love how the pictures catch you in the moment, rather than forced smiles; and lets face it - nothing beats sunlight!  It's been over a year since we've taken some pictures so it's time #momfail

I usually go to Pinterest for ideas for our poses (duh) here are some of my favorites!

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And because I always stress on what to wear this article is supposed to give 100 ideas on what colors to coordinate for pictures.

I always get excited to take our pictures and love putting all of the pictures we have side by side to see how our family has changed through the years.  To see some of last year's pictures click here.

Have a great Thursday!

Weekending: Disney

Happy Monday!

I hope your weekend was a good one!  We're back from our few days at Disney and it's back to the regular  routine around here.

We had a great time in Orlando and the weather was great the whole time, which is always an added plus!  Our surprise worked out great  the kids were totally caught off guard and were grinning from ear to ear when we told them we were going to Disney, it was such a cute moment!  To be a kid again... with cool parents, of course ;)

This was the first time ever that we stayed at the parks the whole day.  Usually we would break some time in the afternoon so the kids could nap and then go back.  But, now since no one naps anymore, we enjoyed the parks the whole day, and even park hopped which was both fun and exhausting.  Our feet were killing us by the end of the day.

We got to do way more than usual because we were on the go most of the time, but I liked it that way!  We went to the Food and Wine Festival at EPCOT two days in a row, which was fun and delicious and I even ran into Pamela!  It was nice getting to meet another blogger friend!  She was so sweet, I'm bummed we didn't get a picture together!

We stayed at the Caribbean Beach Resort, it was our first time staying there - it was so cute and I love the island feel that it had to it. It also had a ton to beaches with hammocks, which the kids loved.   Next time we'll need to stay longer so we can explore a bit more, we literally only went to the hotel to sleep.

The rest of the weekend once we got home was spent just relaxing and doing some laundry.  Disney takes a toll on you, especially when you're lugging two kids, and a double stroller! It was nice to just veg for a day and a half.

What were you up to this weekend?




Linking up with Biana

Fall Bucket List

I find myself here in this 90 degree weather longing for Fall to show it's face, although that probably wont happen for another month or so.  I love when it actually "cools" down here.  The temperatures stay in the 70's to low 80's but there is NO humidity, NO mugginess and the best breeze ever!  It makes going outside so much more enjoyable.

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Here are a few things we'll be doing this Fall...


Dining al fresco -  I know this is what most of you do during the Summer, but we don't.  It's so hot or it's usually raining in the evenings - cue the mosquitoes!  I can't wait to be able to eat outside and enjoy the weather.  Cleanup is such a breeze when you eat outside and then kids usually play on the playset when they're done eating, leaving me and hubby with a drink in hand talking and watching them play.

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My outdoor space isn't this pretty but lets pretend, ok?

Go to The Pumpkin Patch - There's a local farmer's market here that has a Fall festival that is so fun to go to.  There are hay rides, apple everything, pumpkins galore and places set up for picture taking.  It's pretty fun!  The kids are already taking about going.  I'd also love to find out if there are any corn mazes down here to take the kids to.

 

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Bake Fall Treats - aka all things pumpkin!  I find this to be a win-win: the house smells white it's baking, the kids have fun, and we get to have yummy desserts for a few days! 

 

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Football Parties - while I don't watch football (my husband does and loves it - I don't understand it) it sure is fun to have people over for the game.  I love eating all of the junk food, drinking beers and hanging out.  And if we do happen to go to a game, tailgating is a must :)

 

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What are you looking forward to most this Fall? 

 

Recipes to Try This Fall

I hope you all had a great weekend!!  We had so much fun with our families.  I carved out all of the weekend to hang out with family that was in town  - and I couldn't have thought of a better way to spend it! Family is the best.  We ate, laughed and ate some more. 

This time of year is when I want to start baking pumpkin flavored everything - as most people do I'm sure.  It's also the time of year when soups and chilis make a come back.  I've gathered some recipes that I would love to make this Fall.  To me these all capture the essence of Fall.... even if it's still 90 degrees here ;)

Creamy Chicken Tortilla Soup - this looks and sounds delicious!  It's also gluten free for all of my friends that are sensitive to gluten.

Cinnamon Roasted Butternut Squash - we LOVE squash as a side here, even the kids eat it.  We usually make acorn squash with butter, agave and cinnamon.  This recipe would probably have a similar taste, but I'd love to try it.

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread - pumpkin + chocolate = enough said.

Carrot Cake Banana Bread with Thick Cinnamon Cream Cheese Frosting- this sounds heavenly for breakfast and I think the kids would love this - minus the nuts for the kiddos and their nut allergy.

Sausage Potato Spinach Soup - my uncle makes something similar to this and it's delicious!

Pumpkin Cheesecake - I made this last Fall and it came out so good!  I can't wait to make it again this year.

What are some of your favorite Fall recipes or ones you'd like to try?

Weekend Recap

Haaaapy Monday everyone!


I hope you all had a good weekend!  Ours ended up to be really fun.  Friday was more of a run errand and TCOB kind of day, we went to Costco and did our shopping and then came home and ordered E her lunchbox and backpack for kindergarten.  It's getting so close!!  I also had a little time to drink some vino and read my Better Homes magazine - don't those ice cream bars look delicious?

Saturday we were invited to a kids' party.  It was awesome!  They rented a huge water slide, had water balloon fights, a pinata for the kids or as E called it a Pina Colada, can you tell she's my child? haha.  They had so much fun eating hot dogs and as much candy as their bodies could handle!

Sunday my mom invited my sister and I to a cooking class at Sir La Table.  Although the 3 of us see each other all of the time, it's not that often that we do something fun together, so it was a treat to hang out.  The class was so much fun.  We made manchego and quince empanadas, grilled shirmp gazpacho, a melon and arugula salad with prosciutto and a sangria sorbet - it was all so delicious!

How was your weekend?

 

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This and That

Good morning!!

I thought I'd start this Tuesday off with a little photo dump; I mean - who doesn't love a photo dump?!  These have been some of my favorite posts to look back on so far!

This is by far my favorite picture recently, I keep going back to my camera roll just to look at this picture.  This little girl of mine... I just love her so much!  Shes growing up to be so kind, funny, a little mommy to her brother and such a good listener.  She's pure joy!

Another favorite.  You can just see mischievous written ALL over his face, can't you?  You guys, threenagers are no joke!  He is giving us a run for our money these days and acting in ways E never did.  It's so true when they say that every child is different. #sendwine

A few days ago I got my Ipsy bag in.   This might be one of my favorite bags so far, besides the lip gloss everything looks great.  The lip gloss comes out this pasty pink - not flattering for my skin tone at all!  If you aren't signed up yet, sign up now!  These bags are awesome for just $10 a month!

This was my Friday night (and most nights really, haha) and it was perfect.  We sat on the couch, I drank a glass of wine and relaxed and watched some TV - Jimmy Fallon skits to be exact, we never get tired of watching them.  These leggings are one of my favorites, I got them last year on Jane and they are in constant rotation.

I did a little pattern mixing on Sunday and was loving it, especially paired with my chunky necklace and red shoes.  I'm sure in 20 years we'll look back at this pattern mixing trend and think "what the heck were we wearing?!"  But for now I'm having fun with it!

The Shaken Green Tea is my newest obsession at Starbucks, it's perfect for an afternoon pick-me-up and so refreshing! 


I also took advantage of Nordstrom's sale and bought these pretty Sole Society heels!

What have you all been up to lately?

I'm off to do some cleaning, preschool and we have a play date in the afternoon.  Busy but fun day! Have a good one!

Photo Dump!

Happy Tuesday!!  I hope all of you in the northeast are staying nice and warm (and safe!) during Juno.


I wanted to thank you all SO much for doing my survey last week.  I got a lot of insight on my posts and what you all like - also thank you for your sweet words in the comments!  If you haven't done the survey, please do so - I love hearing what you all have to say.  It's quick, I promise!


It's been a while since I've done a good ol' photo dump so here  we go...

I made some progress in my daughter's room and hung a few things over her bed.  I got most of the stuff from Hobby Lobby, and the bird mirror is a long time ago Pottery Barn Kids find.  Now I'm on the hunt for the perfect quit for her.

Speaking of the little cutie, she cracked me up the other night.  I put her hair in a bun, she put her glasses on and asked "Mom, ask me who I am" so, I did.  She replied with "I'm Taylor Swift!  Want my autograph?" haha.  I love her little personality, Taylor Swift is her favorite singer right now.  I think she won all kids over with Shake It Off!

 We've been playing a lot of games recently, especially since we've all been sick - playdoh manicures, Operation, tea parties, and Hi Ho Cherry O.  The kids have been LOVING board games!

I tried this wine with my sister-in-law the other day and it was AMAZING!  If you ever see it, do yourself a favor and get a bottle!

A couple of weeks ago we took an evening stroll on the beach, and I got this beautiful shot.  Evenings spent walking on the beach are the best!

And lastly these two at Costco the other day.  While we were picking out wines they wanted to hold a bottle... so they became mommy's wine holders for the remainder of the Costco trip - as you can see they were pretty proud of themselves.


I hope you all have a great day!