sunday funday

I love birthdays and giving gifts! I always try to think of thoughtful gifts for people,  I really enjoy picking out items that they might enjoy and gift wrapping it to make it look pretty. If I had all the money in the world, I would give gifts all the time and have a gift wrapping room in my house.

Now that I'm a mama, it's easier to understand what kids want/need. My single 24-year-old self, would just stick with a toy but would of probably paced up and down the toy aisles to figure out which toy to get, "Spiderman or Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle? But if I get Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle, will he like Leonardo or Donatello? Wait, what if he has all of them already?" I can be very indecisive when given the time and in my younger years, I had time to roam around for hours. I still do if Brookie allows me to, but most times, it's in and out of stores in a timely manner. So nowadays, it's a lot of pre-planning and knowing what I need to get before I go to the store.  We were invited to our friend's son's 3rd birthday party and I came up with ideas on what to give as a gift.

1. Pete the Cat books  |  2. Crocodile Creek Vehicles puzzle  |  3. Indikidual zig zag joggers  |  4. Kukukid monsters sweatshirt  |  5. Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Lego Juniors  |  6. Zingo game

Books - Books, Books, Books! In my opinion, these are the best gifts to give a child or baby. As a parent, reading to my child is part of the daily routine. It has helped her learn words faster. She understands us when we tell her, "Go pick out a book for us to read." She walks over to her books and decides which one she wants and we read. I encourage all first time mamas to start reading to their baby early, it truly helps.

Clothes - When buying clothes for kids, they're usually true to size, but it is best to ask the mama beforehand to make sure. Same with shoes, always ask before buying and include a gift receipt.

Puzzles and Educational games - Anything that helps a child's cognitive development is always a good gift. At around age 3 to 4, kids begin to learn how to put puzzles together and enjoy board games. Puzzles are a treat for parents too because it is fun for the whole family and kids can sit for hours trying to put a puzzle together. Okay, maybe not hours, but enough to give the person in charge a quiet little break.

This is what I decided to give the birthday boy. 

• We Are in a Book by Mo Willems (His books crack me up! I'm a fan and will continue to buy more of his books)
• Pirate puzzle for ages 4+ 
• Waterproof Disney Planes toy (Kids love playing with water)
• Candy (Not a fan for mamas but I know he loves candy. Plus, you can't have treasure without candy!)

Isn't this chest box awesome?! I'm all about useful gifts. I can imagine him adding his own treasure in it and creating a map to find his treasure. It also works great as a cool storage box for his mom to use. 

We stopped by Abbot Kinney (again) before going to the party. We just love the atmosphere there. I love the cute stores. It makes me want to buy everything. Jathan loves the aesthetic and taking photos. We talk about how cool it would be to have a beach house near there.

I can seriously wear this dress everyday. It's so comfortable! Being a mama, I'm all about throwing something on and being comfortable. Shout out to my sister, for buying this dress for me! 

It's cute when they're independent. They're content playing with whatever they have around them while the mamas and papas enjoy talking with one another. It's the little things.

The birthday boy was happy eating his birthday cupcake!

Follow my blog with Bloglovin

more weddings and birthdays

July has been filled with weddings and birthday parties. I am actually looking forward to August because we don't have anything planned...yet.

A wonderful friend of mine got married on Saturday. It was great to see all my friends! I feel like now that everyone is getting married and starting families, we don't get to see each other as much. I remember when we used to see each other every weekend, whether it was eating at a restaurant, hanging out at a friend's house, watching sports or going out to a show or club in LA. I miss those carefree days. Balancing mamahood and a social life has been a struggle but something I'm working on.

Jamie (not me, the bride) looked gorgeous as always!

They used Aww Snap! Photo Booth for their wedding. I thought it was pretty awesome that they posted all the photos onto Facebook almost immediately so you can share them. 

On Sunday, we went to a 1st birthday party. It started off as a gloomy day, it rained for a few minutes but it didn't stay long. Once the sun came out, everyone was ready to party!

The adults started dancing, so Brookie decided to show them her dance moves. #turnup 

Great music, good food and beautiful people. Everyone had a good time! 

After the birthday party we headed over to Venice and walked around Abbot Kinney. We were meeting with friends for a little get together. This was actually our first time walking through Abbot Kinney and we loved the vibe! We're definitely going back to take more photos!

Toms' flagship store was pretty cool. It's a coffee shop/store/hang out with your laptop, dogs or friends. I love the decor, it embodies the Toms brand and what they stand for. I've always been a fan of Toms shoes and it's amazing that they're able to successfully use fashion to change the lives of others. 

It was another fun and very tiring weekend!

busy saturday

Today was the first day of swim lessons and we made it on time at 9 am! That is an accomplishment for this mama. Most mothers know that getting out of the house, without looking like a complete mess and not forgetting anything, is a production.

Ok, maybe I should of combed her hair.

This is the first time I've actually seen a photo of myself in a bathing suit. It's not a pleasant sight, but it's reality and I hope it motivates me to start working out. I actually weigh less than I did before I was pregnant, but I'm just a walking body of fat. No muscles and out of shape. Finding time and extra energy to work out has been my mission impossible for the past 14 months. I need to search for tips on how other mamas do it or maybe I need to stop being so lazy.

After the swim lesson, we rushed home to get ready. I had an Optometrist appointment and we had a baptism and 1st birthday party to attend to. We were unable to make it to the baptism. Sadly, there just wasn't enough time to do everything today.

This is such a pretty cake! It is definitely Pinterest worthy. 

Cheers to another fun Saturday!

wedding bells are ringing

| 07.05.14 |
Dress rehearsal time!

This was Brookie's first wedding as a flower girl! 

The 1st toast to the happy couple! Cheers to #ashcob!

Ashley and Jacob gave presents to their groomsmen and bridal party. They were so generous and thoughtful in every present. Brookie absolutely loved her gifts! It was like Christmas and her 1st birthday all over again! 

| 07.06.14 |
Ashley & Jacob's Wedding Day!

The bridal party and the flower girls were given these shirts with their initials on it and matching shorts. It was such a cute idea! 

Ashley's brother, Vince, and her Goddaughter, Morgan. She has grown up into a beautiful and confident, young lady.

Ok, so here comes the moment this mama has been waiting for. I was honestly more nervous than she was. As you can see, Jathan and to nudge her halfway. Little did I know, until Jathan came to sit with us and told me, that the camera stand that was next to me from the videographer was blocking her view so she was unable to see me. My anxiety set in when I noticed her pause and I thought I heard someone say, "Jamie, you should go get her." So I ran over and walked with her the rest of the way. Ugh! Mama failed.

My mama note for flower girl duties: "RELAX! She'll do great!" I replay this moment over and over again in my head, I should of stood in the middle of the aisle behind the camera and let her walk towards me! But my anxiety got the best of me and I didn't think it through. It would of made a much better wedding ceremony video moment if I had just thought it through! Trust me, I'm still beating myself up for this one.

**Ashley and Jacob, my apologies in advance for video bombing your wedding ceremony. Please pretend I didn't do that.

The beautiful bride with her father.

A couple who has fun together, stays together. These two are definitely meant to be together!

They're officially husband and wife! Congratulations to the beautiful couple!

When each guest arrived at their seat, there was a handwritten personal note from the bride and groom. They did such an amazing job with everything! You can tell how much love they put into every detail. The day was about them but they managed to make every single person feel special.

Representing in our BCBG dresses, a big thank you to Bryan for helping us look pretty!

Macaroons from the dessert bar. Everything was delicious but the dessert was a special treat because Ashley's brother had them made from his pastry chef. Vince is an awesome chef and I always look forward to eating whatever he brings to our family gatherings. 

Brookie changed in her PJs (given as one of the gifts from Ashley and Jacob) and danced until the party ended! My little one stayed up! She didn't want to miss a moment. 

A huge thank you to Ashley and Jacob for letting our little one be a part of their special day! We feel so honored and blessed that they included her in the bridal party. Thank you for everything they've done to accomodate us. We love them dearly and look forward to watching their love grow.