Week in Review

Personal June 22, 2015

Happy Monday! I cannot believe how quickly the last week (okay, month) has flown by. I keep on promising to get caught up, but I’m struggling to actually accomplish this. We’re heading to Colorado on Friday for a friend’s wedding, then I’m meeting my parents and Isla in Durango on Sunday and will spend a few weeks there. We haven’t gone back since spending the entire summer there last year, and we’re both itching for the mountain air. Hiking with Isla will be so much more challenging though! Ha.

This past Monday, I flew to Oklahoma City to visit one of my best friends, Kirby, and her daughter, Lillian, and husband, Brett (whom Sasha loves). Lillian is almost one, and it was so much fun to see the girls interact with each other. By interact, I obviously mean pull books of the bookshelves! Isla was a little aggressive with her hugs at first, but she calmed down after the first day! Ha. We were supposed to take photos with a photographer named Jessa Kae, but she canceled due to the rain, so we hurried outside and snapped a few photos of Lillian (and some with Isla). She is so gorgeous! I can’t wait to share more photos after her birthday!

We flew back on Wednesday, then spent Thursday running errands, going to swim class and meeting with Ally at Equinox (opening this year in Houston!). I was asked by Ashley of Sugar & Cloth to help out with a BHLDN photo shoot, so I went to try my dress on, and unfortunately, it did not work in the chest area, so I had to go and get a topper to conceal my milk-bearing chest! Embarrassing, yes. The shoot on Friday was so much fun, and I’m dying to see how the photos turned out. I absolutely love Ashley’s style and Jared’s photos, and every detail of the set was perfect.

Other highlights from the week included:

Spending Saturday morning with a former co-worker turned friend at the Trellis spa at the Houstonian. I got an oxygen facial, and I love it! I was totally convinced that I needed to buy all Natura Bisse products! Have you ever tried them? I would love some first-hand opinions!
Seeing that Isla’s party was voted as one of the finalists on Project Nursery! I would love your vote!
Celebrating two of our favorite boys’ 1st birthdays on Saturday – Isla was exhausted after back-to-back parties, but we all had such a great time. I’m going to be sharing photos from the parties this week!
Finally finishing off thank you cards (only two and a half weeks late!) – what a relief! I also managed to put away the honeycomb backdrop, as it’s going to be used in Cake & Confetti’s birthday celebration tomorrow evening (cannot wait!).
Spending Father’s Day celebrating Sasha and my dad at my parent’s house. We had lots and lots of fun in the pool (and quite a few Crave cupcakes!). I love all of the dads in my life.
Eating family dinner on Friday at our house and then playing Bananagrams afterwards (I adore this game). My older sister also babysat Isla while I was at the spa on Saturday. She took her to the Farmer’s Market! What a fun little outing.
Splashing around in swim class with new moms, as the summer session just started. It’s so nice to meet other moms with similar aged babies in the area. Isla still doesn’t get the point of kicking, but she loves going under the water so much.
Finishing some wedding work for my good friend, Brittany, who is getting married in Vail on Saturday. It’s going to be so gorgeous! I am beyond excited (and can’t wait to see our hotel room at the Sonnenalp!).
So. Many. Bubbles. Isla is obsessed. We started every single morning off with bubbles in the driveway, because she chants “buhh-ble, buhh-ble” during breakfast. It cracks me up, and I totally cave and let her play. She’s a demanding little lady! Watch this video for proof!

How was your past week? Did you have a good Father’s Day? Tell me about it in the comments below! xo

Willow Crowns (1 of 1)-10
Willow Crowns (1 of 1)-8 Willow Crowns (1 of 1)-43

Personal June 15, 2015

Week in Review

Remember how last week, I alluded to perhaps resting this week post-party? Well, that did not happen, and isn’t going to happen this week, as I head to Oklahoma City today to visit one of my bestest best friends and her daughter, Lillian, then come back to a few meetings and an exciting photoshoot with Sugar & Cloth that I’ll share details about later. I am bursting at the seams with excitement over our short ‘second generation of bestie’ trip, as I don’t get to see them enough and love them to pieces (Brett too, of course). Lillian is getting her first birthday photos taken on Tuesday, and we’re sneaking in for some bestie shots too! I cannot wait for this!

The past week was wonderful, as we got to celebrate Sasha’s birthday and spend lots of quality family and friend time. A few highlights from the week include:

Isla got new sunglasses in the mail from Blue Bison Designs – a friend from high school’s new Etsy monogramming business. I adore them! And she was cracking me up trying to put them on upside down. That girl!
Swimming every single day of the week, either at my parent’s house, in swim class, in our wading pool or in our next door neighbor’s pool. Isla is a total fish!
Meeting some of my favorite Houston mamas (all Instagram friends-turned-real-friends) at the Ervan Chew splash pad. Isla loved it (see fish comment above). See this photo’s tag for everyone included!
Getting fun packages from Cuteheads Kids and Willow Crowns – incredible businesses owned by two of the mamas I met at the splash pad! I first met both Esther and Megan when we were on Great Day Houston the same day, and we’ve kept in touch ever since. Love them both!
Attending a floral crown workshop hosted by Meredith of Cake & Confetti at Baanou (Houston’s coolest boutique!). More details and photos to come from the Get Crafty Workshop later this week (some pictures below).
Since we skipped Isla’s normal The Little Gym class in order to go to the splash pad, we went on Saturday morning as a family and loved it. Having Sasha there to flip Isla and walk her along the beam was so nice! She had a great time with Tata too.
Going to The Monogram Shop to pick out a cute little dress and bloomers for Isla to wear in an upcoming picnic shoot (details to come soon!). She was all over the place (walking is insane!), but I adore that store and it will always be a highlight to go and visit.
Celebrating Sasha’s birthday with TCBY and vegan cupcakes from both Crave and Sprinkles. Needless to say, my BBG workout/diet started on Thursday! Lots of time spent at Lifetime Fitness this week!
My dad’s retirement started a few weeks ago, and although he seems to be keeping busy with Board of Directors work, we have loved seeing him throughout the week. He dropped by quickly on Monday just to say ‘Hi’ (and to help pick Sasha’s gifts – whoops!) – it’s so nice to see him more often already!
Taking Isla to the doctor for her one year check-up, which she passed with flying colors. We ran into baby Pierce and his sweet parents as we were leaving (the day after I took his newborn photos!).
Finally going to get my eyes checked by my friend, Ashley (ahem, Dr. Bagwell) of West Houston Eye. She looked like a million bucks with the cutest Kate Spade/Anthropologie-esque outfit on – I wanted to snatch it right off her! I am in trouble for wearing my contacts too much and not letting my eyes rest, so I’m working on getting my 20/20 vision back. What a bad patient I am!
Spending time during the weekend with my sister-in-law, Ivana, who lives in San Francisco, but is in Texas right now for work (coolest job ever at Google – so jealous!).
Sipping tasty drinks at Julep for Cocktails with Creatives (an AIGA event) – I met my friends, Meredith and Brittany, and finally got to meet Ryann, the creative whiz behind Nine Zero Nine Creative.
Getting two of the most gorgeous paintings from my mother-in-law and her husband, Nenad, who is an incredible artist. I am dying to show photos of the two paintings soon! They’re perfect.
Meeting an old co-worker, Catherine, and her mom at Rienzi to take head shots for their new non-profit organization which will be empowering young women in Houston by matching them with female mentors. I’m so excited to share details and be a part of this!
Celebrating my friend, Judy, and her fiancé, Josh, at a stock-the-bar shower on Saturday night! They’re getting married in August, and I can’t wait for the wedding.
Getting trained before church to be a Sunday School volunteer in our children’s ministry (ideally the little babies!). Bayou City Fellowship has been so wonderful to us, and we’ve enjoyed having Isla watched while we worship, so it’s about time we gave back!

How was your week? What were your highlights? Please excuse the insane amount of photos below, but I couldn’t help but to overshare!

Personal June 8, 2015

Week in Review

Whew, what a week! We celebrated Isla’s first birthday on Thursday, then busied ourselves until midnight on Friday prepping for Isla’s confetti-themed party on Saturday. My sweet, sweet friend Meredith (of Cake & Confetti) had me over on Thursday evening to make the floral arrangements for the party, then was over until 11:30pm on Friday helping to set everything up (including our insane balloon arch!). She’s insanely talented, and I cannot recommend her enough to help design any event in Houston!

Now that her birthday and the party are over (photos to come tomorrow or Wednesday!), I’m finally taking a deep breath (and plan on catching up with all my favorite blogs!). There are tons of decorations that need to be put away (but where?), loads of thank you notes to write and lots of laundry and cleaning to be done. But for now, I’m trying to soak up the feeling of not having any trips to organize or parties to plan.

Other highlights from the past week include:

Isla getting her first ‘You’re a star’ type ribbon at her gym class at The Little Gym of Memorial. The semester is over, so all the kiddos got awards for their outstanding participation! Isla just wanted to steal other kid’s ribbons. She’s such a sharer (yikes!).
Seeing so many family and friends at Isla’s party. It felt like our wedding, but on a mini-scale (by mini, I mean there were 60+ adults and 20+ kids, so not far off our wedding count!).
Watching Isla transition from mainly crawling and sometimes walking, to mainly walking and sometimes crawling. So cute! And scary.
Seeing Isla play with her new baby doll(s). She adores pushing them around in their little umbrella stroller. It’s the best. I don’t know why she didn’t have one earlier!
Having all of our parents and my sister over for family dinner on Thursday to celebrate Isla’s first birthday – she was very, very tired, so the meal didn’t last more than 30 minutes (and no gifts were opened!).
Wading pool fun with Isla after unpacking on Monday. She then proceeded to hop in the pool days later with her clothes and shoes on. Lesson learned: never turn your back. Ever.
Taking photos of two adorable little babies – Tucker and Pierce – two friends who gave birth to boys just days apart! I love it! I cannot wait to share photos from Pierce’s shoot soon! I got to snap a few photos of my friend Julie’s kids, Evie and Kerr, beforehand – they’re too cute!
Celebrating my friend, Brittany, at her bridal bruncheon at Ouisie’s Table. She’s getting married so soon in Vail, and it’s going to be gorgeous!
Spending time with my sweet sister-in-law, Ivana, who came to visit for Isla’s party. She lives in San Francisco (so jealous), and we cherish the time we get with her when she’s in Texas!

Photo (1 of 1)-21 Photo (1 of 1)-22 Photo (1 of 1)-20

Personal May 18, 2015

Week in Review

The big week is finally here – we leave for Europe on Thursday, and while I’ve been preparing for months, there are still a ton of last minute things that need to be taken care of. Like… actually quitting my job, which is a big on! I have an exit interview this week, and I have to go and turn in my badge and laptop. The only thing that is totally done is packing! We took care of that on Saturday night, which is a big thing off our check list. And of course, there was the typical passport scare (how do I always misplace them?).

The past week was full of playdates and lunches with friends, which I love so much. We are so blessed with the wonderful people in our lives.

The highlights of this week included:

Finding out more about an upcoming collaboration with Decorist, which I’m really excited about. Just as Sasha thinks we’re done with changes to the house after we finish our master bedroom, I’m throwing a curve ball by re-fiddling our entry/living room. I cannot wait to share the process with you!
Meeting two of my closest (and longest-lasting) friends, McKenzie and Brittany, for lunch at Dish Society. We’ve been best friends since elementary (17 years and counting), and we always have the greatest giggles. I love them to pieces, and Isla does too. It’s such a joy seeing them interact.
Going to Isla’s The Little Gym class – we had to miss for two weeks while she was sick, and before that, our nanny was taking her. I was very ready to be playing on the gymnastics equipment with her, blowing bubbles and doing flips.
A visit from my newest ‘bestie,’ Meredith, who is helping with Isla’s party. She is the owner of Cake & Confetti (on Instagram), and I love every single creative idea she’s thrown at me. I cannot wait to celebrate on June 6!
Getting a surprise visit from my little sister, Jill, who brought over a juice from Big Yoga’s new juice bar. It was delicious, and I need to go myself!
Taking Isla’s first birthday photos with Paige of Awake Photography at T.C. Jester Park on Friday. She sent them to me that same day (I love her), and I’ve already ordered the Shutterfly book, which guests will sign at her party (order now for 50% off with code ‘Celebrate’)!
Getting my makeup done by the incredibly talented Brittany Williams (I cannot wait to share details about her new business!) – she’s the sweetest friend ever and came over at 6am on the day we were taking family photos. I love her to pieces. We then went to lunch later at Adair Kitchen in the day and met our other ‘bestie,’ Jessica.
Celebrating Lainey’s first birthday with the cutest party at her house. I loved all of the little lady bug details (a nod to her nickname, Lainey Bug), and especially her silhouette from Biscuit Home.
Eating lunch at Yard House with our friends, Alexis and Mike, and their sweet little boy Kevin (who you’ve seen before here, here, here and here).
Going on a triple date (plus Isla!) to True Food Kitchen with Amanda, Scott, Taylor and Luke (all featured in this post!). I love these two couples so much.
Sneaking in a visit to Crave Cupcakes for a vegan cupcake for Isla’s cake smash (I sprayed it with water and rolled the icing in sprinkles!). They definitely have the best vegan red velvet cupcake in Houston.
Fighting the Texas heat with a dip in the pool for Isla’s swim class at Dad’s Club. The lessons are now outdoors, and it’s literally the only opportunity I have to get a tan. Killing two birds with one stone!
Finally making my way back to Life Time Fitness after a hiatus with Isla being too sick to take to day care. I’m doing my BBG workouts there, and loving them so far!
Having a playdate with our sweet friends, Emma and Alexander. He is seriously a doll. I love him! He’s two weeks younger than Isla, and already says, “Hiya.” Cue my heart melting.
Treating myself to a Drybar visit. I watched The Notebook while sipping champagne and getting my hair done. That’s seriously my idea of heaven.
Hearing Derrick preach at Bayou City Fellowship about suffering. It was so good. We sang the most beautiful songs – ‘Come and See’ by Matt and Cameron Hammon and ‘Good Good Father’ by Housefires II.
I told my sweet neighbor that I missed reading the Houston Chronicle, and the next day, she put her copy on my door mat. It was the best surprise all week.
Getting my new Johansen Totes camera bag in the mail, as well as my second lens for my new Canon Mark III – a 24-70mm f/2.8L. I am loving it so far. I already purchased the 50mm f/1.2L, and adore it. So anxious to finalize details about my new photography venture!
Celebrating my mother-in-law’s birthday on Wednesday and having her babysit twice!

What were the highlights of your week? I would love to know. Have a great Monday!

AwakePhotography-1110 Isla’s first birthday photos by Paige of Awake Photography (more on Instagram!) 4B3A2344

Personal May 11, 2015

Week in Review

I love a good holiday weekend, especially one with perfectly sunny weather. We had a really great week, mainly because of some exciting news: I have decided to retire (ha) from Accenture and become a part stay-at-home-mom and part photographer (still have lots to learn!). I’m currently working on my website (waiting on a header!), then I’ll share more details soon. I’m very excited to see what God has in store for our little family in the future, especially regarding my career.

I made the decision to quit two Fridays ago, which was really tough as we loved our nanny. Ultimately, this was the best thing for us to do for our family, and I feel really confident in our choice (and she found a new loving home and starts today!). To make me feel ever more assured that we did the right thing, I booked a number of newborn photo shoots last week, as well as shot some professional photos for a former client of mine and signed up to be Ashley of Fancy Ashley‘s new photographer (see some photos below). I’m bursting at the seems to share website details – everything should be ready in a few weeks! If you want any family photos taken, let me know!

Other than spending the most gorgeous Sunday with my family celebrating my first Mother’s Day, the other highlights from our week included:

Having Sasha’s dad, his wife and her mother (who was visiting from Serbia) over for dinner on Monday. Olivera prepared food and brought it over, which was very delicious and easy for me!
Catching up with my good friend, Melissa, over dinner at our house on Wednesday – the meal and conversation were fantastic, but Isla’s inability to go to sleep was not quite as good (thank goodness she’s not sick and back on schedule now!).
Starting a new 12 week workout plan that I’m super excited about – the Bikini Body Guide (or BBG) by Kayla Itsines (cue me being sore all week long). Follow Kayla on Instagram and you’ll be totally convinced it works!
Booking a flight to Oklahoma City in mid-June to take “two generations of bestie” photos with one of my best friends, her daughter, and a favorite photographer of mine, Jessa Kae – I’m so excited!
Seeing that Rachel Parcell of Pink Peonies chose the first and middle name I suggested for her baby girl – Isla Rose! Click here to see the post where she asked for recommendations – pretty cool, right?
Meeting Sasha for lunch on Wednesday at Zoe’s Kitchen on a total whim – it seriously made my day! Isla and I love seeing him during the workday.
Finding the most gorgeous pink peonies at the new Whole Foods on Voss! I adore peony season!
Picking up Isla’s birthday cards from the insanely creative ladies at Papellerie – Riley did the best job ever with them, and I’m dying to get them in the mail! I’ll share details soon!
Having Isla’s three grandmas babysit on different days – we are so lucky to have them all in Houston!
Meeting my friend, Meredith of Cake and Confetti, at Memorial Park on Saturday to talk business strategies (and life, let’s get real) and then picking up Buff Burger on the way home for lunch (their veggie burger is so tasty and Sasha loves the grass fed burger!).
Taking a dip twice in one week, as Isla had her regular swim class at Dad’s Club on Thursday and a makeup class on Friday (that Sasha came to!). I’m so glad that Isla enjoys class now!
Enjoying lunch (and a French 75!) at Adair Kitchen with my friend, Alexis – I love getting to catch up and talk work, life and babies (oh, and Kardashians).
Celebrating my dad’s retirement (another babysitter! Yay!) and an early Mother’s Day with my family on Friday – we ate Fajita Pete’s, which is absolutely delicious. Their veggie fajitas are so good.
Having a quiet Saturday night (a rarity!) – we cooked dinner, watched 30 for 30 The Best That Never Was (which I recommend) and ate TCBY (my favorite!).

What were the highlights of your week? How did you celebrate Mother’s Day yesterday?