Ailee Petrovic

Personal March 6, 2018

Our Trip to the Magnolia Market at the Silos

As Sydney and I drove to Magnolia Market yesterday, she asked me if I had ever wanted to go to Baylor when I was in high school, and I was quick to remind her of my Longhorn loyalty (ha!). When I visited Waco in 2004, as part of my older sister’s college tour, we drove around the campus and then around the city. And there was really not much to see. Then one of my close friends went to Baylor, and I visited her and learned that I hadn’t been wrong on that tour. The appeal of Baylor to many isn’t how cool Waco was, but the gorgeous campus, the history and prestige of the university, the prominent Greek life, etc. But I wasn’t sold. Had Fixer Upper existed in the early 2000s, I would have been singing a different tune about Baylor and Waco, because what that show has done for the city is unbelievable. When we pulled up to the market (all googley eyed!), we saw Waco tour buses. Tour buses. For Waco. What! A city once made internationally famous by David Koresh, it is a new place. A city with a booming tourism industry, with cute coffee shops, bakeries, restaurants and last but not least – the Magnolia Market at the Silos. It was a Monday, and the place was absolutely packed.

We walked around the grounds, taking in the food trucks, beautiful buildings (even the restrooms were gorgeous!), and the center grassy area where hoards of kids were kicking balls and running around. We had seen the line for the bakery wrap around the building, so thought we would save that for last. We braved the shop with two strollers and a wandering toddler and I bought two candlesticks, a magnifying glass and a galvanized tub. Afterwards, we went to feed the kids from one of the food trucks, while waiting on my friend Courtney to arrive. I was so excited to see her and hear all about her adventures working for Magnolia (as I said yesterday, what a dream!). We ate at a healthy food truck (a delicious strawberry salad!), then caught up on the lawn. Afterwards, we walked around and snapped a few photos then went to get in line for the bakery. We snagged a few of their famous cookies, then packed up the car and headed back to Houston. It was a short, but especially sweet, visit. We had the best time and I can’t wait to go back again!

Personal March 5, 2018

Week in Review

I’m heading to Waco today with the little ladies, Sydney and Cam. It was a really impromptu trip – a business trip, if you will. We’re going to see Courtney, who now works for Magnolia (hello, dream job!), and shop around the Silos, eat at the cafes, etc. I’m so excited, and also have not done any research so have no idea what is in store for us.

It’s been a crazy rollercoaster of a week. I won’t divulge any of the personal details, but this weekend was full of peaceful family time that was much needed. We got to hang out with each other, completely uninterrupted by technology. I deleted Instagram on my phone – maybe just for a few days, but even not having it for two days has felt amazing. McKenzie was in town this weekend, and we had a long chat about it on Friday and I felt so inspired to take a break from social media. If you’ve felt like you’ve been on your phone too much lately, I totally encourage you to delete any apps taking up your time. They’ll be right there for you when you feel you’re ready!

Anyway, a few highlights from the past week include McKenzie’s visit, a family trip to Levy Park, cuteheads and Willow Crowns photos, the sweetest 1st birthday party, lots of BBG time with Monica and a evening ice cream sundae-bar visit, Milly’s 10 month photos and George’s 8 month ones, and Rodeo day at the girls’ school. Probably missing a few things here! The most exciting moment was definitely the transition of Emilia from primarily crawling to primarily walking, which I would say happened on Monday. She has been walking for awhile now, but as of Monday, it was 95% walking and 5% crawling (if not less!). I’m so glad, because the weather has been beckoning us to the driveway/front yard in the afternoons and it’s so nice for her to be able to walk and chase bubbles vs. crawling on the concrete!

I hope you have a wonderful week, as always! xo

International February 28, 2018

Turning 30 in Paris

We arrived home from Paris a week ago today, and I truly miss everything about the city already – the gorgeous architecture, the socially acceptable eating-a-plate-of-cheese-for-every-meal, the delicious wine, the people watching, the history, etc. I miss the friends we traveled with – two couples whom have been best friends for awhile now, and the third whom we met on the trip and now totally adore. A group of eight in Paris might sound impossibly difficult, but it totally worked. I haven’t laughed as hard as I did on that trip in a long time. It was tough being away from the girls for a week, but it was such good bonding time for Sasha and I. I hadn’t realized how much I needed it until we were there!

On February 18th, I turned thirty (!!!!). In Paris. It was a dream come true (literally!). We ate breakfast a vegan restaurant, walked around the Marais, ate lunch at my favorite falafel restaurant, shopped, then walked around Notre Dame before heading back to the apartment to rest. We ate dinner at Maison Sauvage (well, sort of…), then had ice cream at Amorino before the best game night ever. The females literally wrecked the men at both Monikers and Butt Head. It was legendary. I couldn’t have scripted a better day!

I’m working on a very intensive Paris travel guide (although I have two already – Four Perfect Days in Paris and Paris Favorites). This new one will map out different parts of the city and highlight favorite places to eat, drink, visit and shop. I’m excited to share this very soon! Photos of many favorite spots are below – I tried to narrow down my favorite photos but totally failed. So here are about 100 of them 🙂 Ha.

Personal February 23, 2018

Emilia’s First Steps with Carter’s

This post is sponsored by Carter’s; however, all thoughts and opinions are my own.

After spending a week in Paris, we’re once again stateside, where the weather is just a tad warmer. The Parisian forecast looked a whole lot like the coldest week we had in Texas this winter, reminding me how spoiled we are to have such a short cold season. My mind is already wandering to hotter times, and given that Spring is my favorite season of the year, I’m starting to look for new warm-weather clothes for me and for the girls. Carter’s has always been my go-to for baby basics, and I wanted to make sure that I took advantage of the Carter’s February Baby Sale (which ends March 5). Emilia is still wearing 6-12 months clothes right now, but I went ahead and bought her some cute 18 month clothes for her to grow into (all linked below!).

My sweet second daughter has only really worn shoes a handful of times (versus Isla, who always had a pair to match her outfit!). Emilia has at least 40 pairs of shoes in her closet, but I feel like most of them are just cute and not very good at helping her to walk steadily. Now that she’s completely able to walk everywhere comfortably without fear of falling (although she still prefers crawling, for speed!), I wanted to get her some good quality sneakers. I absolutely love the Every Step Carter’s shoes – Isla calls them Emilia’s “magic walking shoe” because she has such great balance when she wears them. Emi’s first steps were taken (and video recorded!) while she was wearing her Carter’s Hawaiian print footed pajamas (a hand-me-down from her big sis), and I know that her first time to run will be in her new heart shoes. So many of our “baby’s first” moments have been associated with Carter’s, like Emi’s first time to sleep through the night and also dating back to Isla’s first Christmas! Read about our holiday traditions with Carter’s here (sweet baby Isla in those photos! Time is a thief!).

The Baby Sale is running from 2/20 until 3/5 – so don’t miss out on the deals. You can also use this 20% off coupon until March 12. I just ordered some new PJs for both the girls, and I know they’ll be so excited to get them in the mail soon.

Personal February 14, 2018

Happy Valentine’s Day!

Happy Valentine’s Day! Every year, I’ve done a few Valentine’s photos of Isla (a handful with newborn Emi too last year!). This year, with Emi’s birthday, lots of work and preparing for a trip to Paris, I totally hadn’t thought about any Valentine’s photos. Super duper last minute, I called Meredith, then Nancy, whose studio we used, and coordinated a small set of heart-filled photos. And you know what? I think they’re my favorite yet. Monica came with Riley, and they surprised me with the most delicious egg-free cake in history. Paris diet out the window! Brittany lives around the corner from Nancy (literally), and her and George came too, which was a treat given that I called her 45 minutes before we started – ha.

We’re enjoying this love-filled holiday in Paris – my dream! I can’t wait to share photos over the next week. Hope you all feel extra loved today! xo