Ailee Petrovic

Week in Review January 2, 2019

Month in Review

Happy 2019, friends! It’s been a minute since I’ve done a review post. I’ll blame it on a few things – for one, life has been crazy since we moved house last month. I can’t believe we’ve been in the new house for 3.5 weeks already! There is still lots to be done, but it definitely feels like home. Then combine that with lots of photo sessions and the holidays, and time has been sparse! But perhaps most significantly – the backend interface for the blog, which has been the same since I started this ol’ thing years ago has changed, and it’s been a nightmare to get used to (mainly with regard to adding photos). So below, you’ll find a TON of photos from the past month – there are most likely a bunch of missing photos that I uploaded, a lot of duplicates, and zero chronological order – but *sigh* I gave up after spending hours (that I didn’t have) trying to figure it out.

Some highlights from the past month include:

A surprise baby shower thrown by my sweet friends in honor of baby Georgie. I have never ever been so surprised and am so grateful for these amazing ladies and their generosity!
Christmas with my parents in Katy – we had the best time celebrating with them and loved all of the festivities that led up to it!
A trip to the Zoo with Sydney, Cam and Phil – the girls were loving all the animals they saw – and a trip to the Natural Science Museum with my dad and Auntie Aileen a few days before Christmas. That butterfly exhibit is really incredible!
Holiday celebrations at the girls’ schools, including a chapel performance and class Christmas parties!
A field trip to Dewberry Farm for Isla’s class!
Two doctor’s appointments to check out Georgie’s growth – she is growing like a weed and causing me lots of pain, but I know she’ll be worth it!
Finally, after over two years of house-build-process, moving into our new home!

I hope that your 2019 is off to a great start and that you had the best time this holiday season too. Cheers to another wonderful year. I’m going to be more consistent in posting again now that we’ve settled in and the holidays are over! Can’t wait to ‘get back to it!’ as they say. xo

Uncategorized December 19, 2018

The Timeless Gift of James Avery

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of James Avery. The opinions and text are all mine. Thank you for supporting the brands we love!

As a young girl, I always asked for charms for my James Avery charm bracelet for my birthday and Christmas. In middle and high school, James Avery was *the* gift to get from your boyfriend. In college, I began asking for some of the gold bracelets and rings. This year, Sasha picked out this gorgeous Infinity Hook On Bracelet, which is exactly what I would have chosen for myself. I adore it. James Avery jewelry is truly so timeless – I have every piece saved and plan on gifting them to the girls when they’re older.

We recently moved (hence why I’ve been MIA – more photos to come soon!), and there is a new James Avery near us in the Galleria. I stopped by on Monday to get a few last minute gifts and had the hardest time narrowing down my selections. I love their twisted cuff bracelets so much!

I love supporting local Texas businesses – especially ones that are still family-owned. I shared about my love for James Avery on Instagram and have already received lots of direct messages about others’ lifelong love for this company. If you’re still looking for gifts to buy, you can never go wrong with James Avery.

Personal November 20, 2018

Week(s) in Review

Happy Thanksgiving week! The girls are off from Mother’s Day Out all week, so we’ve been spending lots of family time – mainly getting house errands done, but doing it together and they’re happy with that! I realized that I haven’t shared a Week in Review in ages. So long ago, in fact, that I never shared our Halloween photos. We dressed up as Disney princesses and villains and got pretty into the theme (my sister-in-law, Ivana, most especially). So below you’ll find pumpkin photos, Halloween photos, Thanksgiving feast-at-school photos, Houston Zoo Lights photos, some special photos that Sydney took of us last week (reciprocal pics for their family session during the freeze!), photos of the girls goofing off in their room, in the driveway, at the new house, etc. Lots of variety in this massive roundup. I’ve been doing back-to-back family sessions, but only have a handful left after tonight (nine to be exact). By the time I’m done, we’ll have moved, and I will finally get to NEST. I’m so ready to clean and organize everything! 80ish days to go (she’d better not be late!), and I’m so anxious to meet our Georgie girl.

Praying you have the best Thanksgiving with the ones you love! We can’t wait to head to my parents on Thursday after our annual three-mile park loop (much slower this year than last) to celebrate with my family.

Beauty November 12, 2018

Self-Care During the Holidays with Olay

This is a sponsored conversation written by me on behalf of Olay. The opinions and text are all mine.

October through early December are my busiest months of the year, with lots of family photo sessions taking place (meaning countless hours of editing). Every year, it’s been manageable, even with Sasha working in San Antonio during the week last year. With our upcoming move and finishing the new house (plus being in the third trimester of this pregnancy!), I’m feeling really overwhelmed this year.

“You can’t pour from an empty cup. Take care of yourself first.” I took a screenshot of this from someone’s Instagram story the other week, and I realized that I needed to heed this self-care advice. I felt like I wasn’t been a good mom, wife, friend, etc. because I was so caught up in my to-do list. I wasn’t working out because I felt like I didn’t have the time, wasn’t getting the facials I love so much because they didn’t “work with my schedule,” wasn’t going to lunch with friends because it felt like that was low priority – the list goes on. Immediately after reading that quote, I started saying, “No” when asked to do things that weren’t benefitting me or my family. I started working in an hour at the gym or allocating that time for a run into my daily schedule because at the end of the day, the work would get done and I started to feel way better about myself and was able to give more of myself to others after.

Instead of waiting until midnight when I’m finished editing to wash my face and do my skin care routine, I started doing it immediately after the girls go to bed. I wash my face, put on serums, then put on my Olay Regenerist Whip moisturizer. As I mentioned in this blog post, Olay recently released a fragrance-free version of my already-favorite moisturizer, and I’m loving the scentless option even more than the original (Sasha is too!). Going to bed not smelling like skin care products is very refreshing – and a big change, as most that I’ve used do include a fragrance. Olay Whips Fragrance Free is also available in the Total Effects with SPF 25 variety, which is perfect for daytime wear. Since trying it a few weeks ago, I’ve switched up my Whip to this option to have the added SPF.

After I did my last Instagram post, I had a number of friends ask me, “Do you really use it?” and YES! I do! And I really love it too. It’s truly the best moisturizer I’ve ever used. Whip has made a big difference in the visibility of my fine lines and wrinkles and definitely hydrates my skin, giving it a lifted look. It is formulated with niacinamide (B3) and advanced amino peptide complex – in fact, just one dose of Olay Whips contains the same amount of Vitamin B3 as 50 cups of kale – one of the most popular superfoods. I ran out just the other day (thanks to my generous lathering and tiny toddler hands), and ran to Walgreens quickly and got another. I love that they stock so many of my favorite Olay items.

What do you do to prioritize yourself during a busy season? Have you tried the Olay Whip Fragrance-Free yet?

Events November 2, 2018

Isla & Emi’s Flower Girl Dresses

I cannot believe that Jill and Kevin’s wedding was over three months ago! It was one of the most perfect days – after a few drizzly days in Inverness, Scotland, the sun came out for their big day and everything went off without a hitch (which is so rare for weddings, right?!). Isla and Emi were flower girls in the wedding, which Isla adored and Emi was totally oblivious about, ha. I had to hide my face going down the aisle because I knew she would just want me to hold her if she saw me! She was totally fine though, and both girls had the best time at the wedding, dancing up a storm.

Florence of Monbebe Lagos reached out to me a few months before the wedding asking to work together! Her dresses were gorgeous, so I immediately thought of Jill’s wedding. Monbebe Lagos specializes in flower girl and junior brides maid dresses, as well as custom special occasion dresses ranging from ages 3 months to 16 years. We chose the Cassie dress in gray with an ivory bow. When we got the dresses the week we left for Scotland, they were both too small, but my tailor took them out in time for the wedding, so I recommend being very specific when you take measurements! If you’ve never done it before (like me), I would suggest going to a tailor to have someone do it professionally! Other than the sizing being a bit off, we were very happy with the dresses. They were beautiful, well-made and perfect for the occasion. My sister loved them too, and a happy bride is all you need!

I will share more photos of their wedding soon! Here are some of my favorites, including the girls in their dresses!