a marriage saver

Hahaha, oh boy, I should carry this one around in my pocket and pull it out every time I eat something sweet. Jared, I love you, but I can not fathom how after 4 years of marriage you still can't grasp this.

I
DO
NOT
SHARE
DESSERT!!!

PERIOD... :)

merry & bright

Sooo... I'm 26 years old and I still had yet to experience a balloon dropping until this past Saturday night. It was thrilling, folks, let me tell ya! Actually, what made it thrilling was seeing Evelyn's face light up when the thousands of "boo baa's" started falling. We went to Jared's company party on Saturday night down in DC, met up with some friends for tacos, and scurried by the National Christmas Tree. 

There was a 10 minute period where I stood on the curb on the corner of New York & 14th, cuddling Warner in my arms. Jared took Evelyn to get the car and so there my baby boy and I sat waiting and watching the cars go by. I'm a people watcher. Are you? I'm always captivated by human interaction. I think about all the millions of people in the world, all going about their own business, all loving a specific someone, all having dreams. Some are happy, some are sad. All are struggling in this life, rich or poor. As Jared pulled up, I waved to Evelyn in the back seat. My loving husband came out and folded the stroller while I buckled Warner in all snuggly in the carseat, handed Evelyn her sippy cup and off we drove through the city lights. At that moment I was people watching the three people in my car. And I loved what I was seeing. That night was especially merry and bright.

P.S. I did a fun interview over here last Friday. I'd love for you to check it out :) TJ runs such a great blog! 

a nightmare

I finally figured out a way where Evelyn will let me hold her and rock her. The downside is it involves her having a nightmare. Last Friday night she screamed out "mama! mama!" through her tears at about 11pm. I ran in and swooped her up, lovingly shushing her and putting her head on my shoulder. I could feel her body relax as she calmed down with my embrace and within seconds she was back to the serenity of her sleep. I could have stood there and rocked her forever. The moment seemed so rare that I took the time to remember everything, burning the moment into my heart. I couldn't believe how long she was, how much she had grown. Of course I hold her every day, but I hadn't held her and craddled her in the silence of the night in probably a year. She is not a cuddler and never sits still for longer than a second. So to have her in my arms again in such a fragile dependent state reminded me that this growing girl will always be my baby. Whether she's 23 months or 23 years, I hope whenever she is scared she will cry out "mama" and know that I will race to hold her.

I still can't believe in 6 weeks she'll be two years old! Mind blower!

a very yuletide weekend

Man, these photos are splashed with the color red! I guess that means Christmas has officially taken over our household.

We had a fab weekend with all kinds of jubilee festivities. From lights, to cookies, to a visit from St. Nick, we were soaking up the yuletide! I must admit that I am super proud of Evelyn for never shedding a tear for Santa last year or this year. Brave gal, that one.

The Big W.B.O. in the BumbO!

 

NNNNNNOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

NNOOO!

NO! No! no....

Is he allowed to do this? I mean, is the kid allowed to grow this fast? Goodness! I was reading on the bump monthly markers to do with kids during their first year, and I thought, wait, Warner's going to get BIGGER? Like, in 9 1/2 months he'll be a year old! How can I stop that day from ever coming?! We've already reached the bumbo stage. Breaks my heart, but also makes me break out in a smile. Oh, the deliciousness this boy possesses is UN-REAL!

And his number one fan is big sister. She would carry him around all day if she could. What's better than a baby doll? A real baby, of course.

 Oh, Mr. Warner Bradley, you are a sight for sore eyes.

I hope you love these bombshell posts I've been dropping of just photos exclusively of my kids, because I do ;)

Happy Friday!

how to bribe a model

When I needed a model to try on some of my new bows for my shop, I called up Evelyn and asked her if she would be willing to spare me a few minutes to help her mama out. "Evelyn, will you come put this bow on?" "No, no!" she replied. We hear a lot of that word these days :) But I really needed these photos and no wasn't cuttin' it so I bribed the gal with some cheerios, her sippy cup, and her favorite dvd - a 60 minute video of footage of JUST HER. She loves that homevideo. And just like that I had a model in my "studio" {aka milk-stained suede chair and a poster board}.

Took us a couple of tries with the smile there, but we finally nabbed some good ones ;)

Thursday Giveaway! (closed)

Today's giveaway is from justDawnelle, a fabulous boutique for the bohemian lover. justDawnelle features trendy items such as infinity scarves, braclets, and earrings. I am swooning over this Argentine circle scarf. What is up for grabs today is this handmade, one of a kind, bronze leather, and vintage button bracelet, the newest addition to the shop. Valued at $22. To enter today's giveaway:

1. Follow justDawnelle's blog
2. Favorite just Dawnelle on etsy
3. follow justDawnelle on fb

Giveaway ends one week from today!

Winner:

Congrats Victoria!

let me tell you a story

I always love a good picture book, don't you? There's something pleasing about being able to "read" a story by pictures alone. I've always been a fan of telling personal stories through photographs and videography, so when I was approached by Photobucket about a contest involving their new feature, storyboard, I was all in. The theme of the contest is "life is an adventure," and since I could think of no greater adventure than parenthood, my timeline tells of our expedition into the land of babes. So, like I said, this is a contest and that means there is a prize. That prize would be $25,000. I know the odds of us winning are slim, but I am dreaming of that $25,000. You might think my dreams with all those bills would go towards something like a new car, fancy wardrobe, and a tropical vacation somewhere. However, my intentions with such a winning would be toward our student debt. I'm a realist, what can I say? But maybe we'd take $5,000 of that and go on a mediterranean cruise. Yes, that would be done.

How bout helping us win that grand ol' prize, huh?
View our story HERE. IMPORTANT: You have to click "LIKE" on the top right of my story ON PHOTOBUCKET in order to submit your vote. Many many thanks!!  Contest ends Sunday, December 9th!

the pinky graze

The other night when I was running a loop around the neighborhood, I came upon a man who was running in my opposite direction. In passing, we somehow managed to defy the chasm of space that should have existed between two runners on the vast sidewalk and grazed pinkies. GRAZED PINKIES. I was so perplexed at what just happened that for what seemed like an eternity (but was probably only 0.000001 of a second), I debated on what to do in a situation like that. Do I turn around and apologize? Shouldn't I somehow recognize that we touched and that it was awkward? Do I really just keep running after something this? How did our pinkies brush against each other? Was my hand flailing that far out from my body? Maybe he was the awkward long-armed runner that invaded my space. As my mind pondered, my legs propelled forward, not even acknowledging that one of my phalanges had just gone through something so traumatic. All I could think of for the rest of my run was I hope we don't cross paths again as I loop back around. That would be an awkward reunion... The end.

Actually, no, not the end. I hate running. Absolutely despise it. And my body does, too [see this instagram caption]. It was not made for running. But when I was pregnant with Warner, I read this book, Born to Run, and it was uhhhmazing. Totally inspiring and made me believe that I was born to run, despite my inability to look like a human being while doing so. So I've been running 15 miles a week for the past month. Still can't say I love running, but I love the alone quiet time I get, and that's good enough for me. Now the end.

grand tootin' surprise!

Tada! I am so excited to introduce you today to my shop, The Pink Rosette!

As you all know, Evelyn is a religious headband wearer. 

You kinda have to be if you don't grow hair and no matter how much pink or cheetah print you wear, you're still gonna get mistaken for a boy by strangers unless you have one of those bands slapped across your forehead.

Hence, I've gotten pretty good at making bows over the last 2 years ;)

I personally like hair accessories to be simple and sweet. The beauty of a girl should be complimented by a band or bow, but not overshadowed by overkill frill, bells, and whistles.

The Pink Rosette offers that simple daintiness that should accompany all girls, big or small!

To celebrate the grand opening and also this Christmas season, 

i'm offering 20% off orders THIS WEEK ONLY.

December 3- December 7!
These would make great stocking stuffers, no? 

Use code 20opening at checkout here!

Happy Monday!

Cheers for the first week of December!