Flourish + Fun

Little Em and her younger {but same sized} cousin Cody had a play date earlier this week at our place in Santa Monica. It was hysterical to watch them coo at each other, laugh, smile and grab for each others noses. We call Cody, Mr. Blue Eyes, because he has the biggest sparkly blue eyes. Him and Em at one point grabbed each others hands, and held hands... awwww! :)

This weekend we had the pleasure of celebrating my wonderful cousin Devon, and her upcoming wedding nuptials to her man Jack. So most of the Shaw girls {we missed you Nikki & Farah!} gathered at Ellie & Doug's house, in addition to lots of other friends and family members, in Marina Del Rey. We dined on gourmet mexican food {you better believe I got the recipes, so good!}, white margaritas and coconut cupcakes. The house was decked out in gorgeous purple and white flowers, the presents were both wonderful and practical, and the company was a riot! We had so much fun celebrating! I think everyone at the shower held little baby Cody, he is so sweet!

Today we are embracing the rainy day, putting on a movie, making grilled cheese sandwiches and tomato soup and staying indoors to stay dry. What do you like to do on rainy days? {via we heart it}

This weekend was jam packed {again, I know!}. Friday night I headed over to my girlfriend Anna's house for a Girls-Night-In! We nibbled on butternut squash soup, crispy olive crackers, fine cheeses, wine, warm berry tart and homemade vanilla pudding. The food was AHHHH-MAZE-ING! ;) One dish in particular that my friend Brook made stood out. It was a puff pastry with gruyere cheese and asparagus. It was as delightful as it sounds, and pretty too. I'm definitely going to make it soon... I'm still craving it! Saturday and Sunday we had Kyle's family in town for the LA Marathon. His Step-dad Bruce and brother Chris were both running the race. So Saturday we had some family time going to the farmers market and prepping for our big meal that night. Once Sunday hit, and sadly the rains as well, it was an early start for all of us. We conveniently live about 2 blocks from the finish line, so friends came by throughout to hang out, eat food, shower, and cheer on their runner...

I could snuggle and kiss her all day long, as I'm sure I've already mentioned. :)

We ventured to Encino to visit our friends Lisa and Maddie and went to Balboa Park for the morning. Little Em went on the swings for the first time. It's easy for me to say she LOVED it. It was a blast to see her swing. We will definitely have many more swing dates in our future! See video HERE !

I know this is not the traditional "piggy" bank, but I am a bit partial to it. How trendy is this Elephant bank for kids? LOVE it. {and yes, they have it in pink too!}

She's already "dadda-ing" and "mamma-ing" {although she has no idea what it means}. She loves her daddy! I think we both get equally as excited when he comes home. She's already trying to stop nursing, she only wants real food {insert sad face here for mama, everyone who knows us well knows she never has been a pro at nursing and I have been kind of forcing it... hey, it's good for her okay}. She gets so thrilled for real meal times. She's already {finally!} playing on her own. She's trying to stand up and hold on to her crib {with our guidance} but she seems like she will never crawl {she hates being on her tummy}. Ah! She's growing up so fast! How cliche, but wow, how time flies.

This weekend was fantastic! We crammed in as much as we could. Here's our weekend wrap up! Friday night I headed out for a girls night, celebrating my good friend Megan's Birthday. We headed to C & O Trattoria {YUM!} for some vino, antipasto salad, penne al fumo, and the best garlic bread knots in the states. I think I topped out at 6 garlic bread knots, a record for me. Saturday Kyle went sailing with some buddies, while Emma and I hung out with my friend Julie and her baby Keilah. Emma kept stealing all of Keilah's toys, hmmmm. Julie then watched Em while she napped, so I could run some errands and get my hair done. No photos of the two babies together because, well, it's kind of hectic with two babies. :) Later in the day we picked up my British cousin Richard, who is currently living in Canada, but was visiting LA for business. We cruised the Bluffs and Promenade and had a wonderful dinner and evening together. Sunday we had my old roomie Rachel, h...

Here are a few more... don't you just love looking at old photos? Especially now that I have a daughter I appreciate more and more old photos from my childhood.

She is babbling, with her hands. She is absolutely hilarious, watch HERE !

I think just about everyone knows about my love for chocolate. I love all different types of chocolate. I never hold back. I never discriminate against the types. They are all equal and loved in my eyes. So this year when Kyle and I were discussing what to give up for Lent, I finally decided this year was the year to take a break from it. 40 days of NO CHOCOLATE. I have always avoided doing this. Every. Single. Year. But now I am embracing it, rather, forcing myself to embrace it. The whole point of Lent for me is to sacrifice as Jesus did, shift focus, and let nothing have a stronghold. Also a good time for me to try to focus on God more for my wants {and needs}, and trust in him more. And if I can't successfully take a break from chocolate, well than that's not saying much for my willpower. Wish me luck! AHHHHHH ps. Giving up chocolate for me means also giving up coffee, because I always have a Mocha, eek! Double Whammy!

One of my good friends had her birthday a month or so ago, and it quickly came to my attention now that I am a stay-at-home-mom {on a greatly reduced budget} that I need to get more creative for birthdays. While technically Hubby and I don't budget for anything, except for immediate family members, I still want to be able to celebrate my friends. Most of the time it is pretty easy, as the majority of them have a birthday dinner, evening drinks, or some type of event you can show up to and join in on. But this particular friend did nothing of the sort {eek!} SO I grabbed a sparkling drink, red velvet cupcake, found a pretty plate from the cupboard, made a quick birthday sign and wha-la! Birthday on a budget! {and let's be real, this is nowhere near as wonderful a gift as say a pair of Anthropologie earrings... but let's count the thought, not the cuteness!}

I took a week off from the blogging world last week, I hope you noticed! ;) It was sort of an impromptu break, but a break nonetheless. So here's a recap of a few things I was up to this last week that kept me busy. *Friday night girls night with Jen at FIG restaurant in the Fairmont Hotel {love this place!} *Finally got a haircut, I went to Christopher Hill Salon in Brentwood {ahhhh-mazing, you get a massage chair to sit in while they wash your hair} *Mom and Dad celebrated 38 years of marriage!!! *It was 75 and sunny so we almost headed to the beach... Emma tried on her bathing suit *901 Casual/Contemporary Church service {we drink coffee and sit at round tables with friends, the best!} Afterwards we enjoy the gorgeous view! *Saturday morning Santa Monica Farmers Market with Kyle and Em *Started cooking up a storm {well for me anyways} I found great recipes and made: Enchiladas, Meatloaf, Chicken Alfredo, and Veggie Mozzarella salad to name a few! The Enchiladas we...